Preview: New Zealand Classic Car Issue No. 312

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NEW ZEALAND CLASSIC CAR DECEMBER 2016 ISSUE 312

WORKHORSE SHOW PONY TO

DISCOVERING THE ORIGINS OF THE MODERN SUV • TARGA 2016 REPORT • ASTON MARTIN VULCAN themotorhood.com

DECEMBER 2016

ISSUE 312 $9.99 INCL. GST

DISCOVERING THE ORIGINS OF THE MODERN SUV

AERO WORSHIP

ASTON MARTIN VULCAN

TARGA 2016

FULL REPORT INSIDE DONN ANDERSON REMEMBERS THE END OF AN ERA —

1962 NEW ZEALAND GRAND PRIX

CONTENTS

312 DECEMBER 2016

6 WORKHORSE TO SHOW PONY

THE ORIGINS OF THE MODERN SUV

20 AERO WORSHIP

ASTON MARTIN VULCAN

30 TAKING TARGA BY THE TAIL

FULL TARGA NEW ZEALAND REPORT

CONTENTS

312 DECEMBER 2016

SPECIAL FEATURE 64

UPHOLSTERY — WE TALK TO THE EXPERTS

COLUMNS

44 MOTORMAN 50 KITS AND PIECES 54 MOTOR SPORT FLASHBACK 60 INTERNATIONAL MARKET REPORT 62 LOCAL MARKET REPORT 86 PRICE ON

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LIKE US ON FACEBOOK — SEARCH ‘NZ CLASSIC CAR ’

EVENTS

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TACCOC SPRING CLASSIC HAMPTON DOWNS 101 HISTORIC MUSCLE CARS EASTERN SOUTHLAND CAR CLUB 60TH ANNIVERSARY DINNER 37TH NATIONAL MUSTANG CONVENTION NORTH CANTERBURY BACK COUNTRY TOUR

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REGULARS

38 READERS’ WRITES 40 ONLINE THIS MONTH 42 SUBSCRIBE AND WIN 70 NATIONWIDE NEWS 84 EVENTS DIARY 88 BEHIND THE GARAGE DOOR 90 CLUB CORNER 92 RON’S MODEL SPOT 94 QUICK QUIZ / CROSSWORD 100 SELL YOUR CLASSIC 101 EDITOR’S PICK 102 CLASSIC CARS FOR SALE 108 CLASSIFIEDS 110 LOCAL SPECIALISTS 112 NEXT MONTH

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FEATURE Ute and 4x4

“NEVILLE NEVER SAYS NO”

L A C H L A N E X P LO R E S T H E H E R I TA G E O F THE UTE AND THE 4X4 IN NEW ZEAL AND, AND ASKS WHETHER ‘TRUCKS’ CAN BE CONSIDERED CLASSIC CARS Words: Lachlan Jones Photos: Adam Croy

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fair number of us will have spent a good chunk of our early years in ‘trucks’. Not SUVs or crossovers, not softroaders on 22-inch wheels with an inherent fear of the rain, but well-made, reliable, proper trucks. Whether it was feeding out first thing in the morning off the back of a converted stock truck in the school holidays or heading out to do deliveries with Dad in his old Kingswood ute, there’ll surely have been a truck in there somewhere.

For me, it was an FJ55 Toyota Land Cruiser named ‘Neville’. Our family always said “Neville never says no!” because he was the farm hack that always started, even after being left out in the elements for entire winters with a fine sea spray from the beach a few kilometres down the road gently but constantly caressing him into a rusty early grave. Eventually, of course, Neville did say no, but, before he did, he taught me the joys of driving.

Despite being completely utilitarian and lacking any semblance of creature comforts, Neville was a brilliant truck. He had soul. He taught me how to use three pedals; he often gave me a quick slap on the wrist by way of a stall or an awkward roll off a hill when I got a bit cocky. Neville was my mate.

Top of the heap Trucks today — while they might struggle to have as much personality as a Land Cruiser named Neville — have morphed into something else. They are no longer simply tools to be used and abused.

For the most part, they’re family-friendly, they’re often at the top of the heap in terms of what a manufacturer offers, they’re usually luxurious, they can be fast, and they can be cool. We now see utes and 4x4s equalling and bettering sales records previously long-held by sedans and hatchbacks, so, with this in mind, we thought it was a good time to explore where all this came from — the desire for more space, a higher ride, and the capability to go to the back of beyond, when, in reality, we all know the closest most of these chariots of sports equipment, excessive DIY purchases, and seven seats will generally get to any type of off-roading themotorhood.com | New Zealand Classic Car

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FEATURE Aston Martin Vulcan

AERO WORSHIP

T H E A S T O N M A R T I N V U L C A N — A T R A C K- O N LY L I M I T E D EDITION SUPERCAR, AND THE BRITISH MARQUE’S MOST E X T R E M E A N D E X H I L A R AT I N G C R E AT I O N TO D AT E Words: Lachlan Jones Photos: Adam Croy

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couple of years ago, three very important cars were released in the world of seven-figure asking prices, limited runs, and staggering design. These were the Porsche 918, the Ferrari LaFerrari (which is a bit like calling your son ‘Jack the Jack’), and the McLaren P1. All these cars were at the cutting edge of the brave new world of extreme motoring, each running a hybrid petrol/electric system to power the wheels. The question for hypercar lovers around the world was simply this: which one of these three is the best new car in the world? The nut had been cracked, the world had been saved. Suddenly, it seemed that any trace of global warming might quickly recede on the back of this bold move by some big players, which surely indicated the death of the internalcombustion engine.

A sign of things to come At around the same time, Aston Martin also released its brand-new hypercar. While the Porsche, Ferrari, and McLaren were manufactured in limited numbers under the guise of exclusivity (918 of the Porsche 918 were built, 375 McLarens, and just 85 Ferraris), Aston Martin announced only 24 of its new marquee model would be available. On the back of the other manufacturers’ sudden attack of environmental consciousness, you might expect Aston to jump on the bandwagon. But, er, no, it didn’t. Its car is powered by a 7.0-litre V12 engine creating over 600kW (805hp),

themotorhood.com | New Zealand Classic Car

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REPORT

Targa New Zealand 2016

TAKING

TARGA

BY THE TAIL

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T H E E A R L I E R D AT E A N D M O R E CO M PAC T EVENT FOOTPRINT F O U N D FAVO U R W ITH COMPETITORS AND TA R G A TO U R I S T S A L I K E F O R T H I S Y E A R ’ S TA R G A NEW ZEALAND Word: Ross MacKay Photos: ProShotz

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onventional wisdom says that you earn your Targa New Zealand stripes the hard way: you learn by doing, with the odd — often event-ending — mistake part of a process, which, if you dedicate yourself Zen-like to it for long enough, will eventually bestow on you the reward you seek. It’s a good thing, then, that nobody told this to Kaikoura contractor Regan Ross and co-driver Shaun Howie.

While overall event and andrewsimms.co.nz Allcomers 4WD class winners Glenn Inkster and codriver Spencer Winn (Mitsubishi Evo VIII) used years of experience, both good and bad, to claim their third Targa New Zealand title on the trot by a margin of just over five minutes, Ross simply turned up, drove the wheels off his ’82 RS1800 Ford Escort in his tarmac-event debut, won the Metalman Classic 2WD class by over six minutes, and placed fifth overall. Not bad for a first effort, and part of the often indefinable magic that is Targa New Zealand.

Short and early This year’s event was both shorter and held earlier in the month of October than in previous years, starting at Wairakei, just north of Taupo, on Thursday, October 13 and finishing — with another memorable flourish courtesy of local classic car enthusiasts — at Havelock North on Sunday, October 16. In between were 640.7km of special stages and 962km of touring from Taupo to Otorohanga in the north, Feilding to the south, and Havelock North to the east.

The new earlier date — conveniently freeing up Labour weekend for competitors and volunteers alike — and the more compact event footprint obviously found favour with competitors and spectators. The last-minute withdrawals by Clark Proctor — with diff, then engine, issues on the eve of the event — and Brent Emerson, reduced the competition entry by two, but 64 competition cars still faced the starter at Wairakei, while another 10 entered the two-day Regional Rally from Palmerston North to Havelock North on the Saturday and Sunday. themotorhood.com | New Zealand Classic Car

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INTERNATIONAL MARKET REPORT Words and photos: James Nicholls

LAST CHANCE SALOON?

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here was an article in a recent issue of this magazine that weighed up the pros and cons of buying classic cars at auctions in New Zealand. The cons heavily outweighed the pros in the article, which, in many respects, is contrary to my view of the auction world.

First up, I have to admit that I have a vested interest, being a consultant to Australasia’s leading auction house, Mossgreen and, among other things, having run the largest classic car auction by dollar value ever held outside Europe or the US, and having sold cars at worldrecord auction prices.

The gist of the article was that cars at auction are usually worn out and could not be sold elsewhere, plus the possibility

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that you might be buying a stolen car, etc.

In my experience of international classic car auctions, this is simply not the case.

Having run major international auctions and attended those by houses such as RM Sotheby’s; Artcurial; and Bonhams in Australia, England, France, Italy, and Monaco, I would say that the opportunity to purchase the very best cars can often only be had at auction.

Of course, a buyer of any classic vehicle — whether from a reputable dealer, by Private Treaty, or by sale at auction — must undertake the exercise with a degree of care and due diligence.

It is very important, as with any major purchase, to do one’s homework and tick as many boxes as possible — originality,

condition, history, provenance, rarity, and desirability — before making that purchase. It is important, too, to make sure that your heart does not rule your head (too much, at any rate!) and that you are aware of rates of buyer’s premium and the like that you will have to pay above the hammer price.

But, and this is a big but, the auction house is also your friend. It is not trying to trick you. Certainly, it will encourage you to buy, and, to this end, the auction house specialist — such as Catherine Davison of Mossgreen-Webb’s, who will be handling the sale of the Roy Savage Collection of Classic Cars on December 4 — will have done an enormous amount of research and double-checking to ensure

IN BRIEF

CLASSIC M A R K ETPLACE

that a potential buyer is provided with as much correct information as possible about the vehicle that they are thinking of purchasing. The top auction houses, of which Mossgreen-Webb’s is definitely one, are not trying to pass off anything untoward or trying to sell worn-out cars and rubbish vehicles. Good reputations, as we all know, can be hard to come by and quickly lost.

The opportunity to buy at auction can present a once-in-a-lifetime chance to own a car that may never have been on the market before (such as the 1934 Lagonda M45 Rapide I mentioned in Issue No. 310) or may never be seen on the market again. Why else would we see sales at auction sometimes reaching 10s of millions of dollars for an individual

We asked Catherine Davison, the highly respected and experienced specialist with Mossgreen-Webb’s, her thoughts concerning buying a car at auction.

“We take great pains, and indeed pride, to find out as much as is possible about the history and provenance of any car that we consign,” she told us. “If there are any inconsistencies regarding a car, such as a colour change or some such, we are keen to, and indeed duty-bound, to make a potential buyer aware. We are very excited to be holding the first Mossgreen-Webb’s classic car auction in early December and look forward in the future to bringing more interesting collectors’ cars such as those in the Roy Savage Collection in New Zealand, and important vehicles like the Chamberlain 8, Molina Monza, and 1938 Lancia Astura that Mossgreen is offering in Melbourne.”

vehicle? So, if you want to take ownership of a part of the Roy Savage Collection or to buy the one-off Molina Monza or the unique Chamberlain 8, both of which featured in the National Gallery of Victoria exhibition Shifting Gears: Design Innovation and the Australian Car, you need to do your homework and get your skates on, as this could be your last chance.

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NEWS

Classic news and views

2017 New Zealand Festival of Motor Racing — Celebrating Kenny Smith Photos: Steve Ritchie

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rom January 20 to 22 next year, Hampton Downs will host the New Zealand Festival of Motor Racing (NZFMR). Every year, the NZFMR revolves around a chosen marque or personality.

Last year, Porsche took centre stage, and next year it’s going to be one of the unsung heroes of New Zealand motor sport, the great Kenny Smith.

At the time of going to print, the NZFMR was still waiting for confirmation from two of the feature categories, Formula 5000 and Historic Formula 1. However, it’s already shaping up to be a great weekend celebrating classic cars of all makes and models from around the world.

Some of the confirmed categories include Central Muscle Cars, Group A / Heritage Touring Cars, Formula Junior Group 1,

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Formula Junior Group 2, Historic Formula Ford, Libre / Historic Single Seater / Atlantic cars, Historic Muscle Cars and Historic Saloon Cars, and European Racing Classic.

When asked about the NZFMR event and how he feels about it celebrating his extensive motor racing career in New Zealand, Kenny said, “I’m very delighted to be involved, although I’m not the type of person who cares too much about publicity stuff, unlike some who seem to live off it. I just enjoy what I do, and to be a good winner you’ve got to be a good loser, but that’s the trouble with a lot of people, they’re not. But this festival is good, and I’m very excited about it.”

Go to hamptondowns.com for more detailed information about the event.