MORGAN PLUS 8 – A SPORTING LEGEND
JAGUAR
XJ ISSUE 340 $10.99 INCL. GST APRIL 2019
themotorhood.com
AN ENDURING LEGEND
STIRLING MOSS
LEGEND OF PACE
LONDON TO INVERCARG ILL
AT A LEISURELY PACE
PE K I N G TO PA R I S
AT A SPORTING PACE
LUNCH WITH WALLY WILLMOTT – BUILDING THE FIRST M C L AREN
6 JAGUAR XJ6
CONTENTS
340 APRIL 2019
50 YEARS ALREADY OF THIS AMAZING INDUSTRY CHANGING PART OF MOTORING HISTORY
18 PEKING TO PARIS
A MERCEDES 220 AND 2 INTREPID SPORTS AUTO ENTHUSIASTS PREPARED FOR AN EPIC VOYAGE
24 MORGAN PLUS 8
HAS THIS QUINTESSENTIAL BRITISH SPORTS CAR SOLD ITS SOUL TO THE DEVIL
32 ART DECO AND CARS IN NAPIER JACQUI GOES ALL ‘30S ON US
38 LONDON TO INVERCARGILL
SOME DRIVE, ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU’RE TOWING A CARAVAN
44 THE VELOCETTE VICEROY NOT SO MUCH A RULER
52 HISTORIC TOURING CARS A VERY COOL SWEDE
54 THE DAIMLER SP 250
V8 POWER BUT VERY BRITISH AS WELL
60 LUNCH WITH…
WALLY WILLMOTT, BUILDER OF THE EARLY MCLARENS
74 PEACOCK ROLLS-ROYCE
A GURU DECORATES A ROLLS-ROYCE SILVER SPUR
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J A G U A R X J 6 5 0 T H B I R T H D AY
XJ6 with an open-air feeling THIS ORIGINAL JAGUAR XJ6 COUPE HAS REMAINED IN O N E F A M I LY F O R ALMOST ALL ITS 42 -Y E A R L I F E A N D I S A REAL SURVIVOR Words: Donn Anderson Photos: Adam Croy
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FEATURE
London to Invercargill — more than a Sunday drive
LONDON INVERCARGILL
W H AT E V E R W O U L D T H E T O P G E A R T E A M H AV E M A D E O F T H I S ? A R E A L A D V E N T U R E , O N E T H AT I N V O LV E D A C A R A V A N , BUT WITHOUT ALL THE SUPPORT CREWS Words: Terry Cobham (adapted from a report by Howard Anderson) Photos: Howard and Ruth Anderson collection
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lenty of us dream about adventures, but not many of us actually complete them. Call it the foolhardiness, or even the enthusiasm, of youth, whatever you like, but, 50 years after the trip, New Zealand Classic Car readers Howard and Ruth Anderson look back with considerable fondness on their grand adventure. A drive, but not just any drive — this one was from London to Invercargill! This epic voyage was not in some made-
38 New Zealand Classic Car | themotorhood.com
for-transnational-travel vehicle either; no, they did it in a 1964 Vauxhall PB Cresta, towing a 1968 Sprite Musketeer caravan! They also had three friends on board for good measure. Absolutely not like just popping out to the shops to buy the milk. Today, Howard says, “We did the overland thing, because I had been seasick travelling to the UK on the Northern Star late in 1966 and felt that [by] flying home we would not see, touch, feel, or taste much of the world, so driving it had to be.”
That’s quite some drive, London to Invercargill, although also in an era when it was possible; it is doubtful that you’d be able to do it in exactly the same way today. The route they followed was via places that are now considered world hotspots. Even Turkey, which until recently was a must-see for tourists and which they crossed entirely, is a bit dodgy in places now. Last month, in Issue No. 339, we carried a letter in Readers’ Writes from Howard. He was trying to find the car in which they made this epic voyage. That part of the story has a bittersweet ending — see the box on page 42.
The big OE Howard and Ruth had been living and working in the UK, as so many younger Kiwis did then and still do today, long before Brexit — this was well before the UK was even ‘in’ — and while the UK still had a fairly major car industry. When they looked for a car to buy, a Vauxhall was a better choice than many. While anyone contemplating such a trip today would be unlikely to choose a comparable car made in Britain, Howard says that, at that time, a Vauxhall was a sensible choice: “Vauxhall has a real heritage in British motoring.” The chosen car was a Cresta with a 2.6-litre motor attached to a three-stage Hydramatic transmission, which was a good choice at that time. The caravan was attached to that combination, and the idea was to drag that all the way to New Zealand. This was no spur-of-the-moment idea; rather, a carefully planned and executed action on their part. For more than a year, various plans were made and actioned or stored for later use, and the five friends — Howard and Ruth from Dunedin; Margaret Nicolson, Ruth’s sister, a school teacher from Central Otago; David Roberts from Wales; and Shirley Gainsford, a friend/flatmate of Dave’s in London, from Rotorua — started to meet together in early 1969 to plan their adventure. The car itself needed preparation. It had been used as their mode of transport during an extended stay in the UK. Howard had already added bumper over-riders, a radio, and even reversing lights, but now it was time to get a little more serious.
Opposite page: Zigana Pass, Turkey Top: Paris street, France Above left: Young boys singing to Ruth, Turkey Above right: Driving off the ferry in Istanbul into Asia Right: Ankara to Samsun, Turkey Below: Samsun to Trabzon, Turkey
Upgrades Howard recalls, “A lot of work went into preparing the car to be a safe, reliable, strong car. I wrote a number of letters to Vauxhall Motors telling them what we planned and how best to prepare the car.” Having consulted the manufacturer, Howard also spoke to the UK Automobile Association (AA) about the proposed trip, and preparations were made in accordance with their advice and Howard’s good common sense. Some of the changes made were sensible, to say the very least. An extra 75 litres’ fuel capacity was added by installing two specially fabricated petrol tanks, one in each side of the boot, giving the car a 140-litre capacity. Two spare wheels were mounted on the boot lid and two more inside the boot — oh, and two for the caravan, on the roof themotorhood.com | New Zealand Classic Car
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FEATURE 1964 Daimler SP250
54 New Zealand Classic Car | themotorhood.com
RESTORED
TRACK CLASSIC
C R U I S I N G I N T H E S U N S H I N E I S J U S T W H AT THIS RETIRED-FROM-RACING PIECE OF BRITISH MOTORING HISTORY WAS MADE FOR Words and photos: Quinton Taylor
O
n a brilliant, sunny Queenstown day we arrive at Dick and Margaret Shank’s home. Sitting out front, all white and glistening chrome, almost begging to be driven, is their Daimler SP250 sports car. To the north, across Lake Wakatipu, is majestic Ben Lomond and, to the east, is the vista of the snow-capped Remarkables. It’s not a bad day to be out cruising. You can tell that Dick is keen to get out in the Daimler, and, like most, he continues to refer to it as a ‘Dart’, even though Chrysler stymied that one at the car’s launch at the New York International Auto Show in 1959. After lunch and a chat about the car’s history since they bought it in 2009, we take a drive out along the peninsula. There is a slightly chilly breeze, so we opt for the top staying up. There is definitely a process for getting into one of these with the hood up. Once in, there is a surprising amount of room just for two. For a car restored in the late 1990s, it looks more like it was completed recently. It has weathered well, and there is no sign of wear to the carpets, leather trim, or hood lining, or problems with the fibreglass body. “I like the noise. It’s got a lovely sound,” Dick says as he fires up the Daimler and gives a couple of stomps on the accelerator. “It’s a fun car to drive, and we have done 12,870km since we bought it. I put a Moto-Lita steering wheel on it, a gear knob, and I fitted an electronic ignition a few months ago. That’s about it apart from regular servicing locally,” he says.
Favourite jaunt Designed in the 1950s, the Daimler rides firmly, steers well, brakes well, and has plenty of get-up-and-go,
with an ability to cruise all day at 130kph, as they were designed to do. That exhaust rumble is something else! Who needs a radio? Dick obviously likes driving it — and driving it quickly — and, as we enter a less cluttered area of the peninsula, the revs lift noticeably. The short-travel suspension, courtesy of Triumph, does not like potholes, so avoiding those is prudent. What stands out, however, is how taut it is. There is little scuttle shake or body flex, which was quite a problem for Daimler until Jaguar largely rectified the problem in the B- and C-spec models after its takeover. It’s comfortable and it rides firmly. There is a bit of a glint in his eye as Dick relates that there is one outing each November that he enjoys — an event run down south by the Gore Vintage Car Club (VCC) that uses a now-closed section of what was formerly a part of the main highway. “I love taking this down to the Josephville Hill Climb in Lumsden each year,” he tells us. “It always goes well, and it gets a good time near the top of the bunch. It’s my favourite outing of the year.”
Fun behind the wheel A few years ago, Dick was the owner of a very nice 1957 Austin-Healey 100-6. The car had a notable history in the hands of a talented young driver by the name of George Lawton. Lawton was a winner of the Driver to Europe scheme in the late 1950s. In reports, it stated that he died in 1960 at a Dutch Formula 2 meeting while being assisted from the crash site by a close friend, the late Denny Hulme. “The Daimler is a totally different car. I’d sooner
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FEATURE
Wally Willmott interview – part two
W H E R E ’ S W A L LY, Y O U M I G H T H A V E A S K E D ? B U I L D I N G A R A C E C A R O N O N E S I D E O F T H E AT L A N T I C O N E D AY A N D TA K I N G I T T O A R A C E T R A C K O N T H E OT H E R S I D E O F T H E AT L A N T I C T H E N E X T Words: Michael Clark Photos: Supplied
Lunch with Wally Willmott Mike Barney on Bruce’s (in the car) left side with Robin Herd; Wally Willmott is one of the pair on their knees at the front
60 New Zealand Classic Car | themotorhood.com
part two
A
lthough Wal wasn’t initially part of Bruce McLaren’s inner circle, their relationship developed quickly from mechanic to constructor, confidant, and close friend during the construction of the ‘Cooper’ that Bruce raced in the 1964 Tasman Series. Texan Chaparral founder Jim Hall was, like Bruce, a gifted engineer / racing driver, and they all became firm friends. Wal explains, “Jim was preparing a car to race at Nassau in the Bahamas, and I lent a hand, but then he invited me to go with them — all expenses paid. I was mightily impressed by the sports cars with big capacity American V8s. There was good prize money to be won if it was done right, and any spare time during the Tasman Series was spent talking about big-engine sports cars to race in America.” It is important to remember that, at the time, the ‘McLaren organization’ had two staff members — Eoin Young and Wal — and no premises. “Bruce was, understandably, apprehensive about the investment required to build a car on one side of the Atlantic, then take it to the other side to race. Eventually, he bought a car that had started life as an F1 [Formula 1] Cooper and had been ‘expanded’ to become a sports car. An all-alloy 3.9-litre Oldsmobile V8 was part of the deal to replace the 2.7-litre Climax — from the moment the car arrived from the States, it was full on,” Wally says.
McLaren central When Wal arrived back in England after the 1964 Tasman Series, he needed to secure new living accommodation. Where he ended up, he recalls, was, “One of the more memorable residences for quite a few people. Forever known as ‘The Castle’, it was a grand home owned by a diplomat who was on an extended stay overseas. Because of its size and rental price being outside the norm, it had sat on the agent’s books for some time. For us, it was perfect — Eoin Young, myself, Tyler Alexander, Teddy Mayer for a while, Chris Amon for a while, and whoever needed a bed; all were welcome. The parties were held for any excuse and were some of the best.”
First time out Working around the clock, Wal and Tyler Alexander — a new recruit from Boston, who was Timmy Mayer’s mechanic — showed what could be achieved by a pair of talented, hardworking enthusiastic kindred spirits. As Wal remembers, “Most people wouldn’t have believed it possible — we were working to an absurd timetable, but Bruce wanted the car on the grid at Oulton Park for the first Saturday in April. As it turned out, we encountered the sorts of dramas you get from a hastily prepared car, but we’d done enough for Bruce to attract trade money from Dunlop and BP.”
Workshop capers There was a lot of work to do in the three weeks before the car would have its second race in Bruce’s hands — at Silverstone, where the opposition would include Jim Clark in the Lotus 30 with a 4.7-litre Ford V8. “We won, although we were almost too tired to celebrate,” says Wally. “Then, on the Sunday, back in ‘workshop’, we started modifying the chassis for the Oldsmobile engine that would power the car in our North American debut — at Mosport in Canada in 35 days’ time.” By then, the trio had agreed that a new, stiffer chassis was needed. While Wal and Tyler beavered away in the shed, the boss had been sketching. “Bruce was a great one for his sketches and models so that we could all visualize how each part should be built and look. There were no drawings. Sometimes the three of us would scratch out an outline on the dirt floor, debate how to do it, and then do it — by which time, we’d all walked over the lines in the dirt.” Wal was able to adapt Bruce’s sketches into components, and both he and Tyler fabricated every part of that car. “The car had to be ready to leave Heathrow on the last Saturday of May, so we had this massive deadline but, at the same time, we knew that it had to be right and that any shortcuts would be found out,” Wal explains.
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MORGAN PLUS 8 – A SPORTING LEGEND NEW ZEALAND CLASSIC CAR APRIL 2019 ISSUE 340
JAGUAR
WORTH
JAGUAR XJ SERIES • MORGAN PLUS 8 • PEKING TO PARIS • DAIMLER SP250 • MOTORMAN — STIRLING MOSS
XJ ISSUE 340 $10.99 INCL. GST APRIL 2019
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AN ENDURING LEGEND
STIRLING MOSS
LEGEND OF PACE
LONDON TO INVERCARG ILL
AT A LEISURELY PACE
PE K I N G TO PA R I S
AT A SPORTING PACE
LUNCH WITH WALLY WILLMOTT – BUILDING THE FIRST M C LAREN
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