DRIVING A NEW ZE AL AND ROAD THAT RIVALS THE FAMOUS ROUTE 66 NEW ZEALAND CLASSIC CAR APRIL 2020 ISSUE 352
1969 MUSTANG BOSS 302 • 1969 MUSTANG SPORTSROOFS • 1969 NISSAN GT-R • PORSCHE-INSPIRED 962
MUSTANGS BOSS THE SHOW CONCOURS-WINNING MASTERS AND TEAM CARS
ISSUE 352 $10.99 INCL. GST APRIL 2020
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NISSAN GT-R G O DZI LL A STIRS
MUSTANG TWINS WORKING IN HARNESS
FERRARI V8S BEST VA L U E
A BUMPE R CROP: CONCOURS, ART DECO, BEGG FESTIVAL , TARGA BAM BINA , AN D MORE
IN THIS ISSUE
#352
April 2020
FEATURES 6 Mustang Boss 302 MASTER CLASS
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Mustang Sportsroofs
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Nissan GT-R
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Highway 6
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Concours Encore
T H E B O S S ’ S T O P T E A M M AT E S
S U N R I S E : G O DZ I L L A WA K E S
A K I W I R I VA L T O R O U T E 6 6
ELLERSLIE CLASSIC CAR SHOW HIGHLIGHTS
NEW ZEALAND CLASSIC CAR
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62
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COLUMNS
44 LUNCH WITH … Dick Bennetts — part one
88 REGULARS 55 SUBSCRIPTION OFFER 68 READERS’ WRITES
50 MOTORMAN Remembering Kerry Grant
72 BEHIND THE GARAGE DOOR
56 KITS AND PIECES Porsche-inspired special
88 NATIONAL EVENTS
62 MOTOR SPORT FLASHBACK A tale of two Georges
109 EVENTS DIARY
70 PRICE ON Bringing back black and white
112 NEXT MONTH / DAILY-DRIVER
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74 STAR INSURANCE MARKETPLACE 106 NOTICEBOARD 110 LOCAL SPECIALISTS
Feature: 1969 Ford Mustang Sportsroofs
mirror-finish
mustangs mirror-finish
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Mustangs ruled at the New Zealand Classic Car Magazine Ellerslie Classic Car Show this year, and this duo of 1969 Sportsroofs won the all-important Teams prize By Ian Parkes, photography Strong Style Photo
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ou’d have to think entering a brace of 1969 fastbacks in the same colour would be worthy of a few extra style points for the Auckland Mustang Owners Club, but no, these cars had to win the Teams Event at the Intermarque Concours d’Elegance on their combined individual merits. There’s no doubt they make a striking pair in the popular Acapulco Blue colour but the appreciative eye soon turns to an entertaining game of spot the difference. There are quite a few to be found. In fact, it’s almost surprising they look so similar, given the long list of options available to Ford buyers 50 years ago and the
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personalization that owners make over the intervening decades. Both cars have undergone a baremetal restoration and in each case most of the work was done by aircraft engineers. One of these cars has been a restoration project for 32 years. It was completed just weeks before the New Zealand Classic Car Magazine Ellerslie Classic Car Show. A fresh restoration does give a car an edge in the cleanliness stakes — a fundamental element of concours success. The longest drive Mark Pritchard’s car had undertaken since he finished it was off the trailer and into the competition circle — Mark feeling each ping of gravel in the wheel wells like a physical blow.
ISSUE 352 / APRIL 2020
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Lunch with: Dick Bennetts — Part One
Dick Bennetts, who founded the West Surrey Racing team in 1981, being awarded the Gregor Grant Award at the Autosport Awards in December 2019. Past winners include Mario Andretti, Sir Frank Williams, Scuderia Ferrari, Bernie Ecclestone and Sir Jackie Stewart.
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DRIVING FORCE
The go-to man at West Surrey Racing and the mastermind behind many brilliant racing careers recalls his early days with some of the legendary figures in Formula 1 By Michael Clark
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ick Bennetts belies his 70-plus years, both in looks and in the energy he exudes. Despite having been based in England for most of the past four decades, he still refers to New Zealand as home. His first trip to the UK was with his best mate, David Oxton, in 1972, Dick as mechanic. That leads to a question I’ve long wanted to ask him, because everyone in motor racing wanted to be a driver to start with. “I was hopeless. I started with an E39A Prefect — heavily modified of course — in Otago Sports Car Club events, so when I didn’t get any results in that I graduated to a Zephyr, and after that I stopped any idea of being a racing driver.”
“ ... so when I didn’t get any results in that I graduated to a Zephyr, and after that I stopped any idea of being a racing driver.” I mention that this could possibly mean Dick is in a club of two because the only other person I can think of who has got to the top in international racing and who never did circuit racing was his old mentor, Ron Dennis. In a flash Dick is reciting ‘RD’ stories from close quarters, given that he worked for Dennis immediately before Dennis bought into McLaren and took it to the top of F1. THEMOTORHOOD.COM
“I always got on well with Ron — in fact I still do — but he was always a clean freak and obsessive and difficult. Ron likes to remind me that I’d have made much more money had I taken up his invitation to move into F1 with him.”
NO REGRETS That prompts the other question I’ve always wanted to ask Dick. Did he regret never getting into Formula 1? “Not at all. There were times when sponsors evaporated or drivers couldn’t front up with the money they’d promised. I might have thought about it but I’m proud of what we’ve achieved with West Surrey Racing,” he replies. I mention that, despite all the British Touring Car Championships with BMW and all the success in F3 with drivers such as future world champion Mika Häkkinen, there is always one name that the motor racing world associates with WSR . Just as I’m about to say his surname, Dick beats me to it: “Ayrton”. The Brazilian won the British F3 title in 1983 with Dick’s team and a year later he was in F1. I ask if their debriefs were really that long or had their length grown as part of the Senna legend? “They were probably longer and more intense. We covered everything. As an engineer I wanted to know as much as I could about what the car was doing. Not every driver can do it. Some truly excellent drivers can give you feedback, but I’ve never encountered
anyone who could provide anything like the precise detail of Ayrton.”
SENNA —THE UNTOLD STORY I wonder if there could possibly be a Senna story that has never been told. Dick instantly takes me back to 1984. “At the start of that year we thought we’d done a deal with Toshiba for 15,000 quid. Can you believe it, running an F3 team on that? The plan was to run Roberto Moreno but at the last minute the deal fell through and I was scratching around for a couple of ‘pay drivers’. I still regard Roberto as the best driver who competed against us in F3 but whom I never ran. “We were really struggling with this Spanish guy, Carlos, telling me the car wasn’t working and had a problem that hadn’t been identified or fixed. I phoned Ayrton and said, ‘I need a favour’. So we were testing and the Spaniard is telling me it’s the car, not him. I tell him that I’m going to put someone else in the car to see if they can solve it. A Mercedes drives up and out hops Ayrton. “You should have seen the Spaniard’s face! Ayrton did five laps — remember he was now used to the much greater horsepower of an F1 car — and his times were respectable. He came in and said, ‘There’s no power, the brakes are no good – and I’m not pushing it.’ We made a couple of minor adjustments and he then went out and went quicker than our man Carlos had ever gone. We had our answer.” ISSUE 352 / APRIL 2020
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Motor Sport Flashback
Celebrating Georges Remembering, celebrating, and honouring New Zealand motor sport legends By Michael Clark
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The ribbon cutting featuring the Begg girls and Jocelyn O’Donnell
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hort of the Shetlands, Caithness in Scotland is about as far as you can get from rural Southland and still be speaking English. It is the most northerly constituency on the British mainland, at the north-eastern corner of Scotland, within the general area of the Highlands. It’s a beautiful region, frequently reminiscent of the South Island for those who know both. Indeed, the further north one travels into the Highlands, the more like home it becomes. It is somewhat coincidental then that the bottom part of New Zealand was settled by Scots. Never in the history of human migration did people travel further to discover a land so close to home. It was from Caithness that George Begg’s family came to settle in South Otago in 1856. George was born in 1930 and decided early on that a life on the family farm was not for him, so he trained as a fitter and turner. Any chance that George would live the quiet life of an ordinary ‘southern man’ evaporated when he discovered motorbikes. Before long he was racing and was good enough to compete at the Isle of Man in the mid ’50s, which is where he met Freda. They married and returned to Southland in the winter of 1957 and, on the first Monday of November that year, ‘GN Begg, Engineer’ opened for business in Drummond.
RACING CAR HEAVEN As George’s business grew, so did his family; he acquired four daughters over the next 12 years. George built a racing car during 1964 and, buoyed with its success, he built another, then another. For the next decade, they kept coming out of his shed, affectionately known as ‘The Toyshop’. The F5000 model driven so effectively by Jim Murdoch — runner-up in both the New Zealand International Grand Prix (NZIGP) and the Lady Wigram Trophy — was dubbed ‘018’ in recognition of it being George’s 18th car. It turned out to be the last of two sports racers and 16 open-wheelers from the place George described as “the best place in the world to build racing cars”. George’s hobby of building racing cars had run alongside the agricultural machinery business, and his life as a family and community man. As Eoin Young wrote in the foreword to George’s autobiography When the Engine Roars, “If George Begg didn’t exist someone would have had to make him. And it could only have been him because nobody else would have had the everlasting patience and homespun THEMOTORHOOD.COM
Beggs in the Bunker
nouse and ability to do the job. Then they broke the mould. They must have broken the mould when they made George because there is definitely only one of him!” When those great philanthropists and flag wavers for things Southland, Jocelyn and Scott O’Donnell, decided to add a racing car museum to the wonder that is their Bill Richardson Transport World and the magnificent Classic Motorcycle Mecca in downtown Invercargill, George Begg’s contribution to Southland’s legacy for speed and wheels was an inspired choice for what now seems an obvious focal point.
SHOWOMANSHIP It was an honour to be asked to speak at the grand opening along with George’s daughter, Jacqui, three of his ‘works drivers’ — Barry Keen, David Oxton, and Jim Murdoch — plus business partner Rob Allen, and Allan Dick and Howden Ganley. Scott’s commentary as we strolled around the ‘Bunker’ — the home of the new exhibit, below Motorcycle Mecca — in our preview tour put into words what we were all thinking. It was clear to all of us someone with a great eye for detail and presentation had curated the presentation of the vehicles and the Begg story with just the right blend of flair and detail for both the enthusiast and the general public. That someone was Scott’s wife Jocelyn. Thanks to the combined vision of Jocelyn and Scott, New Zealand now has its first dedicated racing car museum. Fifteen Beggs were on display for the opening, which coincided with the rebranding of Teretonga’s Speedfest in George’s honour as the ‘George Begg Classic Speedfest’. The O’Donnells have big plans for the Speedfest over the next decade, aiming to take it in a similar direction to the Goodwood Revival, which has a stronger focus on evoking the spirit of the era — almost everyone dresses in period clobber — than its more famous sibling, the Festival of Speed. George, who died in 2007, would have turned 90 this year. Despite his modesty, he’d be justifiably proud of this permanent memorial to his achievements. I hope I offended no one at the Saturday night dinner when I described the Bunker as being perfectly fitting for George: “flash, but not too flash”. As Scott reiterated on the night, “We do world-level things here and want to make Invercargill the home of all things motoring.” ISSUE 352 / APRIL 2020
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National Events: Art Deco Festival Classic events from around New Zealand
Art Deco adventure By Jacqui Madelin
Stockings, hatboxes, biplanes, and breakdowns, Jacqui Madelin took her Austin 7 tourer to Napier’s Art Deco Festival and plunged headlong into a weekend of authentic vintage fun. ?
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here’s nothing quite like starting day one of Napier Art Deco Festival in a 1930s frock, seamed stockings, and shoes, only to end up 30 minutes later wielding spanners and prone beneath the car, hat pinned to the dust by a flailing heel ... Given my imminent wedding, my trip prep was more disorganized than
usual. I’d replaced a fan pulley bearing assisted by a friend’s telephonic advice, but hadn’t managed much other fettling. Mind you, my 1930 Austin 7 Tourer started well and sounded fab heading down the hill from home, half-candlepower headlights sketching the way to the trailer, a scant one centimetre bigger all round than the diminutive car. The tow to Napier went well. We collected our rally packs and had a quick look around, then we were off to friend’s place 20km out of town to unload car, oil, tools, and luggage, eat and sleep.
Dress inspection Early next morning and kitted out in aforementioned ’30s attire we were off, but within seconds the car was lurching and hiccupping like an asthmatic goat. Though I nursed it to Clive, it wheezed to a halt. A quick once-over and onceunder revealed nothing obvious to explain what felt like a fuel issue and, with the clock ticking, I leaped into the ute — driven by my betrothed, whose heroic lines aren’t ideal for the 7 — and we charged into Napier in search of assistance. 98
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Fortunately an Austin expert would be attending that day’s rally run, so, thanks to a ride in the Wanaka Warbirds and Wheels Museum’s 1937 Packard Super 8 Victoria droptop, we went too. This car was sent new to the UK for an American airman, hence right-hand drive and side lights on the guards. Damaged in WWII air raids, it returned to the Packard factory to be fixed, and only left the US again 14 years ago, for New Zealand.
Austin expert The rolling hills soon echoed to the sound of vintage cars. Stuck in the back seat I was treated to the fabulous view behind us of Lewis Townshend’s 1938 Bentley Derby, with Kerryn navigating. Eventually we pulled into a large grassy area round a lake, where cars parked under shady trees. Picnic baskets were unpacked and the chinwagging began. I scurried around in search of Mike Stuart, whose Austin shed lurked nearby. Arrangements made, we returned to collect the trailer, load the car, and deliver it to Mike’s scrutiny. Happily my diagnosis/guess was correct — plentiful gunk in the modern fuel filter, and plastered inside the carby. Luckily Mike had a bead blaster, so anything blastable was blasted, a new filter was fitted, and the spark plugs got a birthday. The car started, we reboarded for a successful squirt round Mike’s test loop, and returned to find the boys setting up the trailer ramps. What the? It’s going, so I’m driving it into Napier.
Roller derby
Left bottom: Lewis and Kerryn Townshend motoring in their 1938 Bentley Derby Top left: 1934 That’s the spirit! Top right The author and her beau Middle: Steve Trott’s 1935 Auburn Phaeton Bottom: Dennis Lowe’s 1903 Oldsmobile got its picture in the papers in 1904 after colliding with a tram in Auckland
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That meant past the festival barricades, and there’s unique pleasure to be had in negotiating this city’s art deco heart with streets lined in period cars as two 1920s Rolls-Royces conduct a drag race from the lights. With too much to see we left for our temporary home late, and as Pete sprinted for the ute I turned the comedy (6V) headlights on and headed for Haumoana. With no modern traffic about, I could see enough to suit the Austin’s relaxed pace but as soon as anything modern appeared I was blind. Next morning the baby Austin required a push start, but, as I purred along the coast toward Napier, three biplanes flew toward me in close formation, then turned and droned along parallel at a similar speed. No other traffic in sight — lovely! ISSUE 351 / MARCH 2020
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FORETELLING THE FUTURE OF OUR FAVOURITE FERRARIS
Is there such a thing as a bad Ferrari? In this market report, we look at some of New Zealand’s favourite models and assess their prospects By Ben Selby
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e have all dreamed of owning a Ferrari at some point. The photo spreads in magazines, or the rare but distinctive rasp of a finely tuned engine in your local high street was certain, at one stage or another, to ignite that dream of Ferrari ownership. While they are always a rare delicacy, the easiest Ferraris to find in New Zealand have to be the mid-engine flat-plane crank V8s: the 308, Dino 308 GT4, 328, Mondial, 348, and 355. These cars, thanks in no small part to a tall, dark, moustachioed private investigator righting Hawaiian wrongs on TV, have become perhaps the most common images when thinking of the prancing horse. According to Ferrari owner and Italian car boffin Tim Jones, V8 midengine Ferrari V8s from the latter half of the 20th century are still best-value buys for those wanting some Maranello magic in their lives. “The pre-1999 V8s still have a very mechanical feel but without the heavy clutches and heavy steering found in some other Ferraris. You might not be going quicker than a new Corolla in some cases, but they still excite like a Ferrari should,” says Tim.
According to Tim, more V8 Ferraris are arriving in New Zealand than going out. “This appears to be a quantity over quality situation, however, as a lot of these cars are not what I would call desirable examples of Ferrari 308s and 348s, due to questionable history or lack thereof, or they are US-spec cars, which in my opinion are not as good looking, and have [had to comply with] additional regs in terms of bumpers and emissions,” he says.
The only way is up
The reason for the boost seems to be that the once-unloved Dino 308 GT4 has seen the biggest rise in value in recent times. The wedge-shaped Bertone styling has always divided opinion, but the GT4 has matured and gained a cult following all on its own, resulting in a surge in demand for the former entry-level Ferrari. In other words, cars that could be had for at least $50K a decade ago are now changing hands for close to $100K. It’s the same story with the 308 GTB and GTS, with a decent one setting you back at least $150K, up from around $80K five years ago. Magnum, PI
aside, they still remain one of the most popular prancing horses ever. According to the Ferrari Owners Club of New Zealand (FOCNZ), the rarest 308 model in New Zealand would be the earlier carburetted Vetroresina fibreglass-bodied cars from 1975 to 1977, three of which can be found here. From 1978 onwards, the 308 was made of steel and 1981 saw the introduction of Bosch fuel injection, followed by the Quattrovalvole cars of the early to mid ’80s. The 328 GTB and GTS sported a larger 3.2-litre V8, hence the name, and still remain some of the most cost-effective Ferraris to own. Values are around the same these days as for the 308, although certain low-mileage cars have been changing hands both privately and through the dealer network for up to $250K. The models which have remained unchanged for many a moon are the Mondial and 348. These two get some flack for being underwhelming compared with other Ferraris, but they are one of the few comparatively affordable ways to stable a prancing horse. Mondial 8s can be found for as
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little as $60K. The most sought after Mondial would be the Mondial 3.2 T coupé or cabriolet, due to the extra power and the extra rarity which goes with it, although this involves setting aside a snip over six figures. There are currently 37 348s registered in New Zealand according to the FOCNZ. A mix of imports and New Zealand–new examples can be had for between $80K and $100K for decent-mileage TB coupés or TS targatops. The rarest of the 348 stable is the Spyder. Ferrari made 252 of these and only 14 were in right-hand drive, so if you can find one, expect to fork out $200K plus.
Is it a GOAT?
The F355 is regarded as the last of the classic-era Ferrari V8s, and some go so far as to say it is one of the greatest Ferraris of all time. As a result, people have started to get rather keen and prices have soared in a short space of time. Five years ago, values bottomed out at around the $110K mark, but now be ready to spend at least $200K. The most sought after of all 355s would be the low-mileage New Zealand–new six-speed manual Berlinetta. Other variants included the targa-top GTS and Spyder. The 355 was also the
first Ferrari to be offered with their now mandatory F1 paddle-shift gearbox. What to look out for? According to Tim Jones, keep an eye out for rust and the condition of the chassis: “Rust is a big problem, not so much with the
is timing belts, but on a 308 they are super easy and cheap to complete; between five to eight hours’ work. I did my GT4 over Christmas, and, labour aside, a new timing belt kit and bearings was only $280 in parts. Our Alfa 156 was twice this price,” says Tim.
V8 mid-engine Ferrari V8s from the latter half of the 20th century are still best-value buys for those wanting some Maranello magic in their lives later cars but with the V8s from the ’70s and ’80s.” Also be aware of the car’s ownership and service history. Naturally, a Ferrari V8 from Singapore or Hong Kong with higher mileage is going to require a well-documented and trackable history. You want to know who owned the car, the climate in which it has existed, and how the previous owner kept it. If you can, buy New Zealand new. The biggest mechanical worry with any mid-engined V8 Ferrari is the timing belt. “The bane of all Ferrari owners
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In summary, the trend among Ferraris is that prices bottom out when they get to be at least two or three generations old. Then the good ones will go up. You only need look at the Dino 246 GT, admittedly one of the most beautiful of all Ferraris, but this once-entry-level car, a hefty but reasonable $80K car a few years ago, is now worth NZ$500K. The 308, 328, and 355 don’t quite engender the same love but the same trend is evident. Get one now, and you will have an appreciating asset that will thrill you as all Ferraris should.
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