Preview: New Zealand Classic Car Issue No. 310

TA RGA N E W ZE A L A N D 20 1 6 CO M PLE TE PROG R A M M E I N S I D E NEW ZEALAND CLASSIC CAR OCTOBER 2016 ISSUE 310 themotorhood.com

OCTOBER 2016

ISSUE 310 $9.99 INCL. GST

1964 FORD MKI CORTINA • 1951 FORD MERCURY EIGHT SEDAN • 1986 ASTON MARTIN ZAGATO

FORD STEPS AHEAD

1951 MERCURY EIGHT SEDAN RAREST OF THEM ALL

1986 ASTON MARTIN ZAGATO

60

’

S INSPIRATION

ALAN MANN–INSPIRED TARGA CORTINA

CONTENTS

310 OCTOBER 2016

6 ’60S INSPIRATION

CLASSIC TARGA CORTINA

16 ASTON MARTIN ZAGATO

A RARE BREED

26 FORD STEPS AHEAD

1951 FORD MERCURY EIGHT SEDAN

SPECIAL FEATURES 62

71

RACE AND RALLY CAR PREPARATION — WE TALK TO THE EXPERTS CLASSICS UNDERCOVER VEHICLE STORAGE SOLUTIONS

COLUMNS

62

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42 MOTORMAN 48 KITS AND PIECES 52 MOTOR SPORT FLASHBACK 58 GLOBAL MARKET REPORT 60 LOCAL MARKET REPORT 92 PRICE ON

52

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LIKE US ON FACEBOOK — SEARCH ‘NZ CLASSIC CAR ’

EVENTS

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82

84 86 88

EASTERN SOUTHLAND CAR CLUB CATLINS COAST RALLY 2016 HISTORIC MUSCLE CARS NELSON HENRY FORD DAY RALLY OF COROMANDEL

REGULARS

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36 READERS’ WRITES 38 ONLINE THIS MONTH 40 SUBSCRIBE AND WIN 78 NATIONWIDE NEWS 90 EVENTS DIARY 94 BEHIND THE GARAGE DOOR 96 CLUB CORNER 98 CLASSIC AUTOMOBILIA 102 QUICK QUIZ / CROSSWORD 106 SELL YOUR CLASSIC 107 EDITORS PICK 108 CLASSIC CARS FOR SALE 114 CLASSIFIEDS

FEATURE

1964 Ford MkI Cortina

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New Zealand Classic Car | themotorhood.com

’60s Inspiration FORD MKI CORTINA When Chris Alexander spotted this Ford Mk1 Cortina in a wreckers yard he couldn’t resist the temptation to rescue it and turn it into something special.

Words: Ashley Webb Photos: Adam Croy

I

t was back in September 1962 that the Cortina was first introduced, initially in standard and deluxe form and aimed at sweeping up buyers of Morris Oxfords and Vauxhall Victors. It started a run of success for Ford that lasted for about 20 years, and, during that time, the mid-sized family car built by Ford of Britain was produced in five generations, MkI through to MkV. In New Zealand, the Cortina range generally followed that of Britain, and assembly ran from Ford’s Lower Hutt plant, where the cars were produced from 1962 to 1983.

The initial Cortina concept came about when Terence Beckett, its creator, recognized a gap in the market for a budget-priced family saloon car in a segment that was dominated by the British Motor Corporation’s (BMC) Mini, which was launched in 1959. Originally, the

car was to be called the Ford Consul ‘315’, but the number was changed to ‘Cortina’, with the name inspired by the Italian ski resort of Cortina d’Ampezzo — Ford would later drop the ‘Consul’ part of the name tag.

Ford’s aim was for the model to be an inexpensive car to run in Britain, and it made the wise decision to stick with the tried and tested formula of the tremendously popular Anglia 105E, which used an overhead-valve engine, four-speed gearbox, and MacPhersonstrut front suspension. Until January 1963, all Cortina models were fitted with an 1198cc three-bearing crankshaft engine — similar to the one in the aforementioned Anglia. The body styling of the new Cortina had an angular, contemporary flair, with tapering flutes along the sides and the immediately recognizable ‘Y’ (or, ‘ban the bomb’) tail-light clusters.

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Available in either two- or four-door saloon configuration, the Consul Cortina became one of Ford’s most successful models.

Launched in January 1963, the 1500 Super was immediately identified by its chrome-tapered strips along the side flutes. Later in the same month came the sporty GT version, boasting a 1500cc engine fitted with twin-choke Weber carburettors, disc brakes up front, a remote gear change, and modified suspension. The final model launched to complete the range was the hugely successful Lotus-modified Cortina.

Assembly of the MkI Cortina commenced in New Zealand during January 1963, and the car proved a spectacular success here as a popular and reliable saloon for many Kiwi families.

Changes

By July 1963, all suspension and steering grease nipples had been replaced by ball joints with plastic seats, and, in September that same year, the next set of modifications included such features as childproof locks added to all the rear doors, front bench seats, and a column gear change — all made available as optional extras to every model except the GT. December 1963 brought the introduction of the BorgWarner-supplied automatic gearbox.

In October 1964, the most significant change in the Cortina’s specifications included front disc brakes on 8

New Zealand Classic Car | themotorhood.com

all models as standard. The front grille was redesigned from the original two standard slats and deluxe chrome style to a single chrome unit incorporating a widened bottom that surrounded the sidelights and indicators.

Also introduced was Ford’s Aeroflow ventilation system, which ensured fresh air would enter the car and then be expelled.

In its final year of production, the Cortina GT was given even larger front-wheel discs and self-adjusting rear brakes. Finally, in October 1966 — after a staggering 1,010,000 MkIs had been manufactured — it was replaced by the MkII.

Opportunity knocks We remember 1964 as the year that the Ford Mustang was born, Beatlemania hit New Zealand, and GI Joe was invented by Hasbro. But another thing that happened during 1964 was the birth of our featured Ford MkI Cortina.

Chris Alexander discovered the car in a wrecker’s yard in Mangere, South Auckland, seven years ago, sitting forlornly on a wooden pallet. It was a completely stripped shell with the four doors attached, and it quickly caught Chris’ eye, and he immediately thought ‘rally car’ — what a fantastic opportunity to start a project.

It had been abandoned by its previous owner as a failed project that had aimed to convert it to a Mazda-powered show car, and the shell was in surprisingly rust-free

“[Chris] built his car with a retro theme in mind, wanting to keep it classic, but also mixed in modern touches for safety and reliability�

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FEATURE

1986 Aston Martin Zagato

16 New Zealand Classic Car | themotorhood.com

THE

RAREST OF

THEM ALL A S TO N M A R T I N Z A G ATO Lachlan takes a close look at a monster of a track car — and one of of the rarest road cars in the world Words: Lachlan Jones Photos: Adam Croy

W

hen we think of supercars of the ’80s, we tend to imagine the Lamborghini Countach’s ridiculous tail end and door seams that didn’t quite meet properly. Ferrari’s F40 and 288 GTO still define what a supercar should be — raw beasts of metal and power poised just a very small step from the track. Porsche had the ill-fated 959, which will go down in history as one of the ugliest, yet most desirable, cars of all time, alongside the far more accessible 930 Turbo. And Aston Martin? Well, Aston Martin took a slightly different tack. Rather than creating an over-the-top monster like its competitors, Aston Martin engaged design house Zagato to take a V8 Vantage base and design a vehicle that would be built in very limited numbers and could foot it with the aforementioned vehicles.

The result was the somewhat visually underwhelming V8 Zagato. If you only took a quick glance at it, you could be forgiven for thinking you’d spotted a Mazda Cosmo or a Subaru SVX. Instead, you had, dare we say it, one of the rarest road cars in the world. themotorhood.com | New Zealand Classic Car

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MOTORMAN

Words and photos: Donn Anderson

MASERATI’S AMAZING 250F

As a youngster in the ’50s, Donn Anderson watched in awe as Prince Bira, Stirling Moss, and Ross Jensen weaved Maserati 250F magic at Ardmore…

T

he Maserati 250F, a significant racing car in New Zealand during the second half of the ’50s, was so nearly a three-time winner of the Ardmore Grand Prix (GP). It was also one of the greatest openwheelers of all time, drawing glowing tributes from the best drivers in the world. Here was perhaps the ideal car in which a privateer or small team could break into Formula 1 (F1) without needing a fortune.

Ross Jensen, arguably the nation’s top driver in the late ’50s, was at the wheel of the ex– 42 New Zealand Classic Car | themotorhood.com

Stirling Moss 250F and setting up to become the first local competitor to win the 1958 New Zealand GP. Years later, he said, “I was very ambitious to win, and Jack Brabham beat me by about 14 seconds. But I did spend some 40 seconds or so off the track, not through an excursion, but I did get eased off the track when trying to avoid a driver who seemed reluctant to want a fellow New Zealander to overtake him.” Jensen was lapping the other car; he discreetly chose not to name the driver who had delayed his progress.

He was hugely disappointed, because he reckoned that it was probably the only chance in those days for a resident New Zealander in his own car to win the GP. Indeed, it was another six years before Bruce McLaren — driving a Cooper Climax — won the country’s premier motor race. By that time, of course, front-engined racing cars were an anachronism, but enthusiasts still dined out on the wonderful Maserati 250F and its first local victory in the hands of the diminutive Siamese Prince Bira, in the second

and three decades after his New Zealand success, which was effectively his motorracing swansong, the 71-year-old prince was at Barons Court on the London Underground when he suffered a heart attack and died.

It was an ignominious end to a grand and majestic life.

Chassis Number 2509 Harry Schell at Ardmore in 1959 driving the Piccolo Maserati 250F with longer nose

New Zealand GP on the Ardmore airfield, south of Auckland, in 1955.

Named Birabongse Bhanudej Bhanubandh by his royal parents, Bira was the only Thai driver to race in F1, and he seemed surrounded by an aura, whether in or out of his Maserati painted in his country’s motor-racing colour of pale blue. Educated at Eton, the Thai prince began racing a Riley at Brooklands in 1935, and, in post-war days, ran two other Maseratis — a 4CLT and an 8CM. Two days before Christmas in 1985,

Now, at this point, the story may seem to get boring, but stick with it, because the excitement will eventually return. Maserati built 34 of these quintessential GP cars between 1954 and 1958, and several of them raced down under. No fewer than seven 250Fs were entered for the 1959 New Zealand GP. This is a machine that joins the Mercedes W196 and Lotus 49 Cosworth as a rare GP car to win first time out. A further seven F1 GP victories followed, plus 35 wins in significant races for premier-Formula cars.

Stirling Moss remembered the 250F as a beautiful and stable car that was lovely to drive. It steered superbly and was inclined to stable oversteer, which Moss said could be exploited by balancing it against power and steering in sustained drifts. Moss believed a season behind the wheel of this car left him a far better and more experienced driver.

The late Chris Amon’s 250F is the lone example remaining in the country, safely on display at the Southward Car Museum, Kapiti; others are long gone, having travelled to distant shores. When Amon was reunited with the car at Ohakea for the 40th jubilee of the New Zealand GP in 1990, owner Len Southward jokingly suggested the onetime Ferrari works driver might like to buy it back for the £500 that he had sold it to Len for so many years earlier!

But Chris recalled how he considered himself lucky to get the equivalent of $1K for what was then simply an outdated racing car.

The demonstration outing on the Ohakea airfield was the first time Amon had driven an open-wheeler since the F1 Ensign way back in 1976. In spite of running on 30-year-old tyres and needing more time for set-up — forget not Amon’s brilliant ability as a test driver — he was impressed with the performance of the car, an early chassis number 2509 built in 1954.

Originally owned by the Owen Racing Organisation while its British Racing Motors (BRM) P25 F1 was being completed, the Amon machine was raced by Englishman Ken Wharton during the 1954 season but was troublesome. Wharton brought a 250F to run in the 1957 New Zealand GP, but the

car would sit idle in the pits after Ken was tragically killed in the Monza Ferrari when leading the sports car race earlier in the day.

The 250F run by BRM was fitted with disc brakes, and the British team also moved the engine forwards and repositioned the oil tank from alongside the motor to the cockpit, in line with modifications being carried out by Maserati. The car’s last race with BRM was in the Argentine GP, driven by Mike Hawthorn to third. It was then sold to Jack Brabham, who disliked it; run by Gavin Quirk; raced briefly by Jensen; and campaigned by Len Gilbert, who acquired the Maserati from Quirk, “in 15 kerosene cans”.

Gilbert reckoned the car needed about 200 hours of work for an hour’s driving. He blew the engine at Ardmore in 1961, but, two weeks later, had the satisfaction at the wet Lady Wigram Trophy to be the only driver other than Brabham not to spin in practice.

Eighteen-year-old Amon first drove 2509 in November 1961 at Renwick, finishing a fine fourth, and won a preliminary race at Levin in early 1962. His driving in the 250F came to the attention of British team manager and 1957 New Zealand GP–winner Reg Parnell, culminating in Amon’s F1 debut in 1963.

Confusion What other 250Fs had a New Zealand connection? To delve into the history of the car is to meet with confusion, and, in researching of several sources, I became increasingly bewildered by the amount of contradiction, especially in regard to chassis numbers. Maserati used the same number for chassis and engine, with identity plates simply screwed on to the instrument panel, but, during repairs and rebuilds, plates were often switched. So, some 250Fs had two different numbers, and there ended up being more cars than chassis numbers in what became a nearcomplete shambles.

Even owners became confused. Jensen initially thought his ex-Moss car was chassis number 2513, but noted journalist and historian Denis Jenkinson swore Moss would never race a car with that number, because of his suspicious views of the number 13. In 1967, Jensen suggested to Jenkinson that he have the chassis plate removed to see if there was another number underneath it. There was, and apparently it was 2508, although Jensen remembered it as being 2504 — which is the Bira 250F! Confused? You should be, and I certainly am.

Years later, Swiss journalist and entrepreneur Hans Tanner said, “There has been much misinformation on these cars despite their themotorhood.com | New Zealand Classic Car

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FEATURE 2016 Ford Focus ST

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E T A M I E ULT

T E K C

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OR 6 F 201

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T E K C O R US FOC

ST

Long gone are the days when a small car was simply a means of getting the groceries Words and photos: Rod Dunn

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fter we took a close look at the amazing Ford Focus RS last issue, we decided we’d happily buy one straight away. Except you can’t: the car’s popularity and demand means there’s a solid waiting list for them. So, with this in mind, we did what all hot-hatch lovers would, and hit up Ford New Zealand for the next best thing, the Focus ST. After being handed the keys (not that we needed them, as the car has keyless entry) and stepping outside, our first impression was how sporty the car’s shape is, closely followed by the impact of its colour — covered in what’s called ‘Tangerine Scream Metallic’, it was certainly bright. The new ST, just like its sibling — the RS — could never be called boring.

74 New Zealand Classic Car | themotorhood.com

Exterior-wise, the ST comes standard with equipment such as 18-inch alloy wheels, electronic stability control, an electronic limited-slip differential, LED daytime running lights, and a sports body-kit, making it a damn good package.

Behind the wheel Setting off through busy Christchurch traffic, we decided to head west, up into the Canterbury foothills. If we really wanted to see how the ST performed and handled, a climb up Porters Pass would be just the place to put the car through its paces.

Power is supplied by a turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder, which pumps out a healthy 188kW (247bhp) and 366Nm of torque. Even with these power levels — which a few years back would have been

considered earth-shattering in a top-of-theline hot hatch, let alone the step down — the car’s still rated as being good for 6.7l/100km.

The only transmission available is a short-throw six-speed manual, which really emphasizes the Focus’s high-performance purpose. Sure, it can become a bit of a chore in heavy traffic and at stop lights, but, once out on the wide open road, the car really comes into its own.

The ST gets significant suspension upgrades over Ford’s more run-of-themill models, and this could be felt in the stability of the cornering while climbing up into Porters Pass — and we can assure you hills are no problem with this much power on tap! The acceleration that the car offers is strong right through the rev range, even from higher speeds. Mashing the go pedal,