Indholdsfortegnelse for No 366 June 2021 i NZ Classic Car

After toiling with the idea of moving out of Auckland for a few years, my wife and I have finally relocated to the Bay of Plenty. My plan was to move further south, preferably to Central Otago, but as my wife still has business interests in Auckland and the need to commute on a regular basis, the Bay of Plenty was the logical choice for us. Now that the dust has settled and we have finally unpacked the boxes there seems to be only one thing missing in our new digs — something to fill the extra space in the garage. As a result I have started looking at investing in another classic car. In all my years of classic car ownership I have always erred on the side of…

The Cooper Car story was born out of a simple desire for thrillseeking, yet ended with two Formula 1 (F1) World Championships. In 1946, a father and son in Surbiton, England, set out on a path that led to what is today a thriving UK industry in race car production. John and Charles Cooper founded the Cooper Car Company out of a small workshop on the edge of London. Charles, John’s father, was already in the industry of servicing race cars. John would go on to become an auto-racing legend as his rear-engined chassis design revolutionised motor sport at its highest levels. Cooper race cars are no more, but the name lives on today on the hotter versions of BMW Minis. REAR-ENGINE REVOLUTION The Coopers’ recipe for success was for…

Cary’s parents were both killed in January 1968 and he returned to Rangiora, uncertain as to what he would do next. Returning to Brabham didn’t feature in his plans nor in the plans of his former teammate and Formula 1 (F1) world champion Denny Hulme. “Denny had already been driving for McLaren’s in Can-Am during ’67,” Cary recalls, “and when Bruce expanded his F1 team for 1968 Denny left Brabham and joined Bruce.” Cary went to Wigram to catch up with Denny: “I found him sitting in a tent chatting to Bruce. Denny introduced me to him, and after telling him I’d been his mechanic at Brabham’s he was then very keen to find out what my plans were. I told him my intention was to return to the UK…

I guess there are two ways of looking at this impressively large book: either as a sort of very deluxe version of a Rolls-Royce brochure, or as a privileged look behind the scenes at how very expensive motor cars are virtually hand-built for demanding and wealthy customers. Whichever way you look at it, the book is something of a visual treat, while also displaying appropriate craftsmanship at its highest level. A few years ago, my wife, Gail, and I paid a few quid and went on the wonderful tour of the Morgan factory in Malvern. I think that if you wanted to look around the amazing R-R establishment at Goodwood, the price of entry would be whatever you were willing to spend on your new car, so this is a…

The replica/continuation story rumbles on. The National Highways Traffic Safety Administration has further clarified regulations affecting both categories in the US. Homebuilt or, more accurately-assembled, replicas are popular across the country but in recent times have encountered difficulties in getting registered for the road. The federal regulations can be summarised as following. Replicas can be homebuilt from components provided by the original manufacturer or, presumably, their successor but there are two meaningful issues to comply with. First, the original design must be at least 25 years old and second, the builder must have a licence to build the vehicle from the owner of the design. Continuations can be built by owners of the car’s ‘DNA’ (my words) provided the numbers are limited to no more than 325 examples a year…

Escaping the shadow of Covid, the organisers of the 2021 Wheels at Wanaka put on a superb show massively appreciated by the thousands who attended. They came from all over New Zealand, some exhibitors at huge cost, to support the event which is now firmly established — in short order — as one of New Zealand’s biggest and best machinery and car shows. Some 30,000 people including exhibitors and tradespeople attended the 2021 Wheels at Wanaka three-day display over the Easter holiday weekend. At the time of writing organisers were yet to confirm the sum raised for the Heart Kids New Zealand charity but they will surely be very pleased. Organising committee member Allan Dippie was thrilled to see the efforts of many rewarded with such an attendance. “It was…

Judges had their work cut out at the 2021 New Zealand Holden Nationals in Timaru, choosing from a field of 150 cars up for consideration. The Easter holiday weekend was a busy one with events all over the South Island but this event, hosted by the South Canterbury Holden Enthusiasts Club, was clearly the first choice for fellow Holden fans — to the extent that some missed out on an entry. Organising committee chairman Craig Timmings said that they had to turn at least 60 cars away from the exhibition hall as there just wasn’t room: “All of our club cars were parked out the front of the hall and none were entered to allow others to have a chance. We had five club member’s cars which we could have…

This is the second Mini ute I have owned. The first I purchased new in 1971 when I started in business in Blenheim. There were only 100 of these brought into New Zealand. I know there were four sold in Blenheim and five in Nelson and at the moment I believe there are about four on the road. They did get very rusty. I restored this one and got it on the road 12 years ago. I found it down south. After searching for a number of years this one had the least rust of any I had seen. It took around two years to restore it and, being a classic car person, I use the Mini most days. My first classic restoration was an Austin-Healey 3000 which I still…

It proved so popular that prospective buyers were literally queuing up at local Holden dealerships to place their orders Almost 75 years ago the first FX Holden was driven out of Holden’s Fishermans Bend assembly plant at Port Melbourne to become Australia’s most loved car. Aussie’s homegrown auto, a reworked American design, became the country’s first successfully mass-produced car. It had pretty good performance too, for a low-cost, four-door family sedan. It proved so popular that prospective buyers were literally queuing up at local Holden dealerships to place their orders. The recipe for success had been set in stone: the generous dimensions and trusty six-cylinder rear-wheel-drive power plant set the platform for the majority of cars sold in Australia over the next 25 years. BRIGHT AND BUBBLY The much-anticipated FJ…

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The West Coast has had a challenging past. Gold and then coal drew in white settlers and it was also exploited for its native timbers. Its weather can be described as ‘untamed with a dash of rain’. And wow, can it rain. At the Cropp River in the Hokitika catchment rain gauges recorded 18,000mm in a single year. That’s right, 18m — and typically it records 12m in a given 12-month period. That is wet. The West Coast has always attracted tourists but historically most of them were just passing through from the Fox and Franz Josef Glaciers. That is changing for the better. The West Coast is becoming a destination in its own right, helped by its amazing beauty, the fantastic things to do and see, and cycling opportunities.…

The Falcon GTHO of half a century ago deserves a unique place in Australasian automotive history. Even though it was a revered high-performance four-door sedan in the ’70s we could never imagine then that the car would achieve such heady heights today. How could you conceive that in 1971 just $5338 was required to buy a new Falcon XY GTHO 351 in New Zealand and that the same Ford now fetches 75 times more? Or that the values have at least doubled in the past five years? A 1970 XW series GTHO Phase II realised a remarkable $414K at the Webb’s auction held at the Southward Car Museum in Paraparaumu in March — a New Zealand record for any car sold at auction. Sold to a New Zealand bidder the…

The living proof of that saying is on show at Southern Specialist Cars in Selwyn Street, off Moorhouse Avenue, in central Christchurch. If company principal Dan Chima wasn’t such an energy powerhouse you’d say that he had drifted into the business. He had no career history in automotive retail, except for buying and selling hundreds of cars driven solely by his own enthusiasm for anything on four wheels that had something special about it. Dan got his licence in 2001 and bought his first car as soon as he could. “As soon as I realised you could have more than one I got another one, then another. Then I sold one to get something else,” he says. He got into cars at the height of the Japanese performance car scene,…

“You’ve never seen anything like this before,” screamed the 1984 US TV commercial for the Chevrolet Corvette C4. As far as America’s Sports Car was concerned the C4 was the most advanced yet and General Motors (GM) at the time even went as far to say its new ’Vette was the most advanced production car on the planet. While this may have been seen as the usual marketing hype the C4 was certainly streets ahead of its predecessor, the C3, which had grown incredibly long in the tooth by the time production ended in 1982. Chevrolet was determined to bring the Corvette into the modern age. “It was the big step forward in the Corvette’s modernisation and adopting some pretty leading-edge technologies while still being very much a Corvette,” says…

The eighth season of Repco Muscle Garage began on Three’s CRC Motorsport on Sunday, 16 May, and is set to air every Sunday for another nine consecutive weeks. The show takes an in-depth look at the finest hot rods, street machines, and muscle cars produced here while also getting to know the Kiwis behind the builds. As in previous seasons the show will also visit some of the best sheds and workshops as well as capture the action from events such as Beach Hop, Morrinsville Motorama, and Americarna. Episode one kicked off with the return of the Classic Cover Insurance Jalopy Dust Up and looked at Glen Eggleton’s ’71 Chevelle, as featured recently in our sister magazine NZV8. And New Zealand master of all-things Studebaker, Trev Halstead, threw open the…

More than 400 bidders were on hand at the Southward Car Museum in Paraparaumu for the Webb’s auction in March with 10 of the 24 lots selling. Andrew Rae, marketing and events manager for Webb’s, said the auction company was “overwhelmed” with the response to the auction. While the manual-gearbox XW Falcon GTHO took centre stage as it ramped up to a sold price of $414K there was also solid interest in the British classics, headed by a 1968 Ford Anglia that achieved $34,500 — comfortably up on the price estimate of between $25K and $30K. The immaculate red Anglia had been modified and certified with a 1558cc GT engine and other Cortina parts. Meanwhile a 1965 Cortina GT sold close to its estimate at $37,375 and a 1965 Jaguar…

They came from all over the country and South Canterbury Hospice benefitted greatly with over $130K raised from this year’s ever-popular Caroline Bay Rock & Hop event in February. The bonus came as a pleasant surprise for hospice events coordinator Jeanna Munro, easily surpassing the 2019 total of $105K and making up in some small part for the cancellation of the event in 2020 due to the Covid-19 restrictions. After the recent scare and imposition of restrictions again in Auckland, giving the go-ahead for this year’s event was a “close thing”. She described it as a “nice reward” for all the hard work put into the fourday event by her organising committee and a host of supporters. Caroline Bay was a great asset and focal point to have, and the…

FULL HOUSE When it comes to man caves it doesn’t get much better than Shane’s pair and three of a kind. It is not uncommon to find people aspiring to own a Porsche or a Ferrari but what about when you have a full house of these beautiful cars? Shane has had a long love affair with Europeans cars, particularly the sports models with manual transmissions. He’s fastidious, as are many of the owners of these treasured sports cars, and seeks out not only manual transmissions but also New Zealand–new vehicles and preferably in a colour suitable for Ferraris. Red, only red. In next month’s issue Vaughan Wilson, our Wellington contributor, takes a closer look at Shane’s collection. LEGEND OR LEMON? Donn Anderson endeavours to make a case for Triumph’s…

If May instantly turns my mind to the Indianapolis 500 then June triggers one race — ‘Le Mans’, or more officially the Grand Prix d’Endurance les 24 Heures du Mans on the Circuit de la Sarthe some 220km southwest of Paris. Round-the-clock racing started there in 1923, recommenced in 1949, and has been held every year since. Not even a pandemic could stop it, although the 2020 version was one of the few occasions it wasn’t held in June. Over the years there have been examples of manufacturers having a stranglehold on the event for stretches. Bentley’s four in a row from 1927 was matched by Alfa Romeo from 1931; Jaguar got a hat-trick from 1955 to 1957 before Ferrari made the event its own with six in a row…

JUDGE’S TIP As I have time on my hands at the moment, after coming out of hospital, l thought that I would finally get around to something I have been contemplating doing for years. As a classic car event organiser since 1984, both indoor shows that sometimes were a week long, to one-day outdoor events, l feel that I am experienced enough to offer some advice to owners of classic vehicles wanting to show their pride and joy in the best possible way. l have found over many decades that most owners and restorers don’t pay enough attention to the vehicle’s wheels and tyres. Always check your rim edges, both inside and outside. If they have been marked, with the tyres off, lay them flat on the ground or bench.…

Brian and Ann Walker enjoy their classic cars and motorcycles. An early Ariel motorcycle they once toured New Zealand on is under restoration, but it is a stylish French car that has consumed much of Brian’s spare time for a considerable period. It is now close to completion. “When this one is finished it won’t be trailered anywhere. We will be driving it as much as possible, and we will be enjoying it. The day it’s finished will probably be the cleanest it will ever be!” It is one of two Delage chassis in a collection brought over to Dunedin from Australia by the late Nick Langford. Brian first saw it six years ago. “It’s a DM model Delage, built in 1927, and I think it originally had a Weymann…

A charitable trust that supports rising New Zealand race drivers is seeking additional funding from the motor sport and business communities to expand its work. The Kiwi Driver Fund has helped New Zealand’s latest crop of young motor racing drivers build their international racing careers. It provides financial support for drivers entering the annual Castrol Toyota Racing Series (TRS), New Zealand’s premier single-seater championship, which has become an essential step in any local driver’s career plans. Trustee and former McLaren Formula 1 team member Bob McMurray says the fund “is probably the single most important instrument” for helping drivers take a crucial step in their careers. The TRS gives local drivers a chance to compete directly against rising stars from Europe, the UK, Asia, and the Americas. “While drivers from…

It’s estimated that we as a country discard five million tyres a year. Until now there has been no real use for end-of-life tyres and the high cost of disposing of them often leads to illegal dumping and large stockpiles. The first of what is hoped to be many large-scale projects will now see upwards of three million tyres converted to fuel for Portland Cement Works in Whangarei. The plant is reducing its carbon emissions by 13,000 tonnes a year, burning tyres at 1400°C, replacing 15 per cent of its coal use. The remains are then incorporated in the cement. An industry-led working group, Tyrewise, is working towards the introduction of a nationwide regulated product stewardship scheme to deal with the problem.…

In the finest tradition of British Empire exploration, five recent university graduates of the University of Cambridge and one student from the University of Oxford decided in 1955 on an epic adventure: to drive two Land Rovers from London to Singapore in what they called ‘The London and Cambridge Far Eastern Expedition’. At the time the idea of traversing all that wilderness south of the English Channel seemed a barely plausible task. The company thought that if any vehicle could do it, the Land Rover could and it would be a great stunt proving the off- and on-road credentials of its already hugely popular aluminium 4X4 wonders. Rover provided two of its 86-inch model Land Rovers which were appropriately dubbed ‘Oxford’ and ‘Cambridge’. Cambridge, in line with the university’s famous…

The Otago Rally formed the first round of the 2021 New Zealand Rally Championship, and was held over two days and encompassed 290kms of roads south of Dunedin. The course was made up of 14 special stages, including a 2.15km ‘super special stage’ in the central Dunedin industrial area. With the dry conditions and Otago weather, the roads were in splendid condition for the 114 cars entered. The event comprised the Otago Classic 4WD, Otago Classic Rally, and the NZRC. It was also the second round of the Mainland series. The first group of cars entering each stage was the Otago Classic 4WD cars, all Subarus. Sean Haggarty started strong, winning the first two stages before slipping back into the clutches of Mark McMillan and Matthew Wright, who traded first…

What to do when a pandemic shutdown leaves you very little time to organise an annual car show? Hold it in your front yard of course. Gary McNeill and Cara Matson opened up the front paddocks of their Blackhead Road property in Dunedin in early March to run their inaugural Blackhead Road Muscle Cars show which attracted around 60 cars. Chef Gary organised the barbecue and a very enjoyable sunny family afternoon was had by all. Gary was pleased with the response to an event organised at short notice and hopes to provide a few surprises for next year’s show. “Thanks to all those who turned up. It was a good turnout despite some other events being on. We plan to hold it again next year with perhaps live music…