Indholdsfortegnelse for No. 387 May/June 2023 i NZ Classic Car

I regularly search through classic car auction sites simply because I like to keep an eye on what’s increasing in value and what’s not. One of the questions that gets asked regularly is ‘Does the car have matching numbers?’ This terminology can mean different things to different people, but I suspect that what people are asking is ‘Does the car still retain its original drivetrain?’. For the purists among us, this can mean checking that the drivetrain is completely original to the car. Is the engine correctly stamped, in some cases with several numbers that match those on the vehicle’s VIN? These raised numbers, often visible on the vehicle’s engine block, provide the series number, displacement range, and date and location of its manufacture. Then there are other engine items…

Taihape is a little town about a quarter of the way up the North Island. It makes a convenient coffee stop for those driving north to Taupō or beyond. While some choose to power on through, I have stopped there many times. About three months ago, we stopped there again with friends, on our way to Taupō for a holiday. Unfortunately, I had parked the car in front of a dress shop, which immediately demanded investigation by our wives. My friend and I spent a few dutiful minutes in the shop prior to being evicted for somehow not having the right spirit of enquiry. Outside, we were considering how much damage might be done to our bank accounts when one of the locals pulled up to buy a pie at…

Over the years, I have been fortunate to discover several private collections of motorcars. Most of these, although often impressive, are not open to the public, and to see them you often have to know the right person. Fortunately, there are a few collections that advertise their availability on the internet. One particular favourite of mine is The Pointon Museum just east of Masterton in the Wairarapa. Generally, the museum is open by appointment. The $10 door fee does not cover the cost or even the maintenance of these vehicles, but in my opinion, it is money well spent. Some years ago, I wrote about the exceptional Tom Morland Firebird kitset car that the museum’s owner has in his collection (see New Zealand Classic Car, Issue No. 339). This time,…

The organisers of this year’s show couldn’t have asked for better weather with well over 400 cars, bikes, trucks and boats descending on the Waterlea Racecourse in Blenheim for this ever popular day out in March 19. This annual event has quickly become well known for bringing the unseen, or long forgotten about, vehicles out of the woodwork and this year was no exception. From the cars of yesteryear through to two 2022 C8 Corvettes - and with many cars from Nelson coming over the hill-there was something there to catch the eye of everyone who attended. Entertainment was once again supplied by the Scottish Highland Pipe band along with the local Rock and Roll Club. Grandpa Simpson was also on deck with his model cars for sale, so if…

Land Rover was easily the best represented marque at this year’s Wheels at Wanaka event. In total, 171 rally packs were sent out signalling four days of trekking and camaraderie in some fairly inaccessible parts of Central Otago to celebrate 75 years of Land Rover. Organisers Rod and Anne Corbett were thrilled to have all treks fully subscribed which culminated in a Friday evening barbecue in Wanaka. They then shared their passion with the Wheels at Wanaka crowd over Easter in a parade of some 200 Land Rovers. There can be few New Zealanders who have never ridden in one. Kevin Scurr’s delightfully original ‘Cardona Rabbit Board’, Series I Land Rover received the ‘Best Land Rover at Wheels 2023’ award. Sean Marr led the parade in his 1948 tribute to…

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The Rootes Group’s Imp, offered first as a Hillman, represented economical motoring for four adults in a comfortable and lively package. It was just the ticket when fuel-supply issues resulting from the 1956 Suez oil crisis forced motorists to look for cheaper, more fuel-efficient transport. It deserved to succeed but, as a wholly new design, it suffered from underdevelopment, and poorly managed production issues. It was also made by a workforce unused to the demands of a car industry, and industrial troubles hugely affected its success. THE SLUG After the Suez Crisis, Rootes Group planners realised that there was an urgent need for smaller fuel-efficient cars in its then–mainly medium and large car line-up. Britain’s fuel supply was cut by 20 per cent during the crisis, creating a strong demand…

Remember that bit in The Sound of Music when “Climb every mountain/Ford every stream” is sung by the Mother Abbess? Well, that’s what plays in my head when I consider the mighty Toyota Land Cruiser. Over here, and over there, in the land of Australia (not Austria, this time), prior to Toyota’s arrival, the farming community’s rugged right hand was at the helm of a Land Rover. When the Land Cruiser arrived, and especially in Australia, where big highway miles are a vital part of country life, that all changed. During the ’90s and ’00s, it appears that no Aussie bush-ranger would drive anything else. THE LEGEND LIVES ON It was largely the same here, although the tough Toyota’s legendary reliability over hundreds of thousands of miles took a little…

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Gordon Miles was quick to appreciate the great roadholding and handling potential of the torsionally strong original Mini with the sure-footedness of front-wheel drive and sensation of a wheel at each extremity. Yet he also saw the limitations of an 848cc engine developing a modest 34bhp (25kW) in standard trim. Outwardly, his light blue Mini looked harmless enough, but Gordon somehow extracted significant performance from the BMC baby and, matched to his rather obvious driving skills, the combination was a force to be reckoned with during the 1961/’62 summer motor sport season. The first-generation 997cc Mini Cooper had just been announced in October 1961, and the first three examples to arrive in New Zealand all raced at the 1962 Ardmore Grand Prix (GP) meeting in January. Local racers were campaigning…

While this series is generally about jobs you can tackle at home given a bit of encouragement and good advice, this one is a little different. In essence, it highlights the many tasks involved in which experience counts. They add up to an argument for not tackling this work yourself unless you have proven skills in this area. If you have never done bodywork, I would take a class before starting on your classic, or leave this job to a pro, because little mistakes can mount up and make a big mess. However, if you know you are good with a hammer and dolly, you may be able to do the job yourself and save money. I got to observe panel-beater extraordinaire Bruce Haye at Ace Panel and Paint in…

After a lifetime of racing Formula Fords and even making it to the New Zealand Grand Prix, Ian decided that he wanted a bit of a challenge. It should be something that would use his skills as a mechanical engineer, and he thought building a car would fit the bill. Naturally, if he was going to build a car, it had to be something that would hold his interest during and after the build, so he started checking out the more esoteric end of the kit car field. At first, it was going to be a Lancia Stratos replica, and he investigated the cost of bringing one out from the UK. While he was doing this, he came across RCR, or Race Car Replicas, in the US. RCR had been…

Last year, Covid restrictions forced the cancellation of American Vehicle Day, legislation over fearsome little germs doing something that even the wildest weather couldn’t manage in the show’s 20 year plus history.But we bounced back and the day celebrating American automobiles was the first car show to return to the Hutt Valley after the break of a year. Given extra time to gather strength the show on Trentham Racecourse concourse on 5 February was as big as it ever had been, hundreds of cars making this another winner for Moonshine Rod and Custom Club. Cars were coming and going from midmorning until early afternoon, making it a challenge to see them all. It certainly lived up to its reputation for attracting more cars than any other to the lower half…

This is an annual event to celebrate Sir John Black’s Birthday. John Black was the man who organized Standard’s purchase of Triumph after WWII and went on to make the cars that many of us enjoy driving today. This year is particularly special, as it is now 100 years since the first Triumph car was produced in 1923. International Drive Your Triumph Day has gained momentum every year, last year the Organiser received over 600 photos from all over the world: Scotland, Ireland, the UK, New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, Uruguay, Netherlands, Switzerland, Finland, Canada, Holland, Czech Republic, and the USA. On February 10th a selection of 26 Triumph cars of different models joined together in Christchurch for a short drive in convoy ending up at a picnic area and…

The rotary motor to date has been one of those engineering feats that has almost always delivered more promise than anything else In 2023, Mazda plans to start selling a rotary-powered car again. Gone is its penchant for attaching this moniker to something sporty. Instead, Mazda plans to use a small rotary to augment the range of a new small SUV battery-powered vehicle. One end of the electric motor will contain a small single-rotor Wankel motor, to credit its inventor, that will drive the generator and thus extend the range from 100-plus kilometres to something like 600. The rotary motor to date has been one of those engineering feats that has almost always delivered more promise than anything else. HITLER’S PART IN THE ROTARY MOTOR Self-taught German engineer Dr Felix…

The New Zealand government purchased two Rolls-Royce Phantom VI limousines for the 1970 royal tour. After the royals left New Zealand, one limousine went into vice-regal service as the official car for New Zealand Governors-General until 1996. The other Rolls-Royce went on to have a more varied life in the colonies. During the royal tour, the Rolls-Royce’s strait-laced face and radiator took on a bit of a grimace after a meeting with a local — a sheep on a rural road. The front end repaired, the limousine was sold to the Westhaven cabaret in Auckland, which used the car as a courtesy vehicle for its customers for two years. Auckland funeral directors WH Tongue and Son Ltd then bought the limousine and had it converted into a hearse. The rear…

In May 1962, Colin Chapman was Dan Gurney’s guest at the Indianapolis 500. At the time, the tall Californian was contracted to Porsche in Formula 1 (F1) but when the German team left motor racing’s ultimate echelon at the end of that year, he joined the new Brabham team where he stayed for the next three years. Gurney was acutely aware of the hardware that had come to dominate the IndyCar grids and was no doubt expecting Chapman to be intrigued with what he would see. Every Indy 500 since 1953 had been won by massive front-engined cars widely known as ‘roadsters’. Before long, all 33 starters would be roadsters, most often powered by the 4.2-litre Offenhauser four-cylinder. The sound of one ‘Offy’ was something to behold, but 30 or…

I had an interesting discussion the other day about Chatbot, and the ‘amazing disputable information’ it produces. The debate reminded me of our own vehicle database, usually accessible via the likes of carjam.co.nz. Carjam is the main free site from which to gain basic information about a motor vehicle. In the good old days, you could write to the New Zealand Post Office, Motor Registration branch, with your query and, for the princely sum of 50 cents, you could obtain the name and address of the current owner of a motor vehicle. For a heftier investment (wait for it), $2, you could get the full ownership history. This was great for the Register of Ford Zephyr Convertibles that I commenced back in 1975, but the advent of the Privacy Act…

Organisers of the inaugural George Begg Festival held in Invercargill from 30 March to 2 April have hailed the support of competitors, vendors, visitors and locals saying they were delighted to see so much enthusiasm for this new event. Motorcycle racer, racing car constructor, and farm machinery engineer George Begg created a legacy in his Drummond ‘Toyshed’ in Western Southland, set to now be celebrated with a festival every two years. DRIVING FORCE The 2023 event drew widespread praise from all quarters, many taking to social media to express their delight. An event on this scale organised by a team of volunteers led by Scott and Jocelyn ‘Joc’ O’Donnell – the driving force behind the Bill Richardson Transport World and Classic Motorcycle Mecca–was never going to be an easy undertaking…

It started as an experiment in 2019 to see if it would catch the public’s interest. Such is its success, the third bi-annual ‘Wheels At Wanaka’ show is beginning to outgrow its original site. Developed from an original concept by local businessman, tractor, and car enthusiast Allan Dippie, it now takes a huge group of mainly volunteers to run the Easter event. It has grown into a unique and highly successful event that attracts people from all over the country and even further afield, as an elated Allan Dippie explains. He says some volunteers came from as far afield as Holland. “This was the best Wheels at Wanaka we have had and the third one we have had. We started in 2019 with 15,000 people and then 25,000 and now…

On February 26th the first ever display to focus on vehicles manufactured in Europe was a great success with 58 vehicles on display. Taking in consideration that this was the first time that this event was trialled, we were happy with the numbers. We can now hope that this will set the trend for future years. The classic of the month was awarded to Colin Busch for his magnificent 1956 Porsche 356 cabriolet. Compliments of the site venue, the Better Half kitchen and bar in Leithfield, North Canterbury. Colin was presented with a meal voucher for two, to be redeemed at the event sponsor.…