Sunday 5th Breakfast at the Hub 8.30 am
Wednesday 8th Petrolheads coffee n cars 10.00 am
Club Night 7.30 pm – Rally Packs
Saturday 11th Taupo VCC Club – Country Roads Rally
APRIL
Sunday 2nd Breakfast at the Hub 8.30 am
Wednesday 12th
Petrolheads coffee n cars 10.00 am
Club Night 6.00 pm – Fish n Chips and Quiz
Sunday 16th Club Run
Sunday 7th
Wednesday 10th
MAY
Breakfast at the Hub 8.30 am
Petrolheads coffee n cars.
AGM – Clubrooms 7.30 pm
Sunday 21st Club Run
Club Breakfast - First Sunday of each month
Huka Falls, next to the helicopters. Special menu for Club Members. IMPORTANT: Please let Owen know by 3pm Friday if you will be there: 07 378 8327. Please be seated by 8.30 am.
CLUB NIGHT
The second Wednesday of the month at the clubrooms - Hickling Park, AC Baths Ave, Taupo.
CLUB DAY Third Sunday of the Month.
Although you can print this magazine to A4 (either actual size or scaled to A4), this magazine has been set up in A5 format. This allows you to print 2 pages up on an A4 or even a booklet if your printer supports it.
If you open the magazine file in Acrobat Reader, and select file>print, under Page Size and Handling (see image below), you can print multiple pages per sheet. Click File>Print>Multiple>Pages per sheet> 2
If your printer supports printing both sides of the paper, you can also print a ‘Booklet’. Which allows you to print, then staple and fold up into an A5 magazine.
Here are some more informative links and videos to help:
• Printing Multiple A4 Sheets on One A4 Sheet in Adobe Reader
• Printing PDFs from Acrobat Reader
• Get Adobe Reader
Chairman’s Report for February 2023
I have no doubt that many of you have been very active over the past couple of weeks, sorting out the mess created by the recent cyclone. And now Met Service is forecasting another such event? It is certainly not an ideal summer. The residents on the East Coast have all suffered terribly, and their lives will suffer for some time to come. I was fortunate enough to miss out on the aftereffects of the cyclone as Terri and I left NZ the day before its arrival to visit her family in Sydney and Brisbane. There was some coverage on Aussie TV, and we had our I-pads, so we were reasonably informed of the state of affairs. On our return, I was able to spend a short time cleaning up, thanks to the efforts of one of our neighbours during our absence.
Prior to our departure, we attended breakfast at The Hub, which was enjoyed by about 30 of our colleagues. This event attracts fairly consistent numbers, as does the Petrolheads morning tea, which was held at the Wairakei Golf Club. This is a very nice venue – no background noise, nice coffee, and tasty food. (I’ve also had lunch there, which is very nice !).
Club Night took the form of a barbeque to welcome in the new year. About 50 members were present, and, as usual, a very tasty array of salads and desserts were supplied by the participants. The club provided sausages and fish fillets. A big “Thank You” to the cooks and kitchen crew whose assistance was invaluable.
I understand the monthly club run was a great success. Owen was absolutely fizzing over its success when he described the event to me. A separate report is in the magazine, so I will not pre-empt that. I am disappointed that I was not present!
Our cleaner of a couple of years standing, Jo Murray, has resigned to deal with a family situation, but with Heather Duncan’s assistance, we have found a replacement who is likely to start shortly. With a little bit of luck she will be able to cope with the new carpet, which has been funded by Lion Foundation and is due to be laid by Midway Carpet staff soon. Removing furniture so that the carpet can be laid will be a bit of a chore, and assistance may be required from some of our younger members.
Finally, a little bit of useless information to conclude.
NZVCC has 8537 active members with 15,802 vehicles.
The Taupo Branch has 92 members of NZVCC with 110 vehicles, 38 of which have Vehicle Identification Certificates (VICs)
Stay safe out there!
Eric
Looking forward to the events we have coming up, we start with breakfast at The Hub on Sunday, 5th March. If we get as many as last month I will be very happy. Mark your calendar for the 5th, and don’t forget to let me know before 3.00pm Friday the 4th so I can book enough tables and ensure they have enough staff working – 07 378 8327 or 027 4482 484.
Club night is on Wednesday 8th – this night has been set aside for the preparation of the rally packs and prize packs for the class winners, followed by tea and coffee.
Saturday 11th March is our annual country roads rally. Preparation and planning is almost complete. If you wish to put in a late entry, this will have to be in by 1st March with 5.00 pm cut-off.
Petrolheads coffee n cars is on Wednesday 15th, at Licorice Café at Motuoapa. Meet at the clubrooms for 10 am departure if you wish to travel in convoy. Thank you, Barry, for organising these coffee mornings. They are becoming more and more popular.
On Tuesday, 28th March, I have arranged to visit the Hospice for morning tea and for us to take their patients for a run in your classic or vintage. Any vehicle is welcome. Hospice are supplying the morning tea at 10 am, so all you need is yourself and a vehicle. Feedback from Hospice and the patients is that they have a blast!
Check out a couple of new articles in this edition written by a member who attended the recent barn raid. Wow, what a fantastic morning out. I will not say anymore and leave you to read the articles. Many thanks to our hosts and hostesses for
the day, and thank you to the members who attended to make it the success it was, plus all the contributions towards morning tea. What a spread. I hope you take the time to read both the Bird’s Eye View and VCC Taupo Club Run, both well-presented articles.
Should you wish to do the same sometime, just give me a call, don’t be shy now.
Additionally, spare a thought for the folk affected by Cyclone Gabrielle. I have heard of some VCC club members who have lost everything, including classic cars.
In finalising my report this month, I hope you continue to come along to the various events to show your support to the club and committee efforts put into arranging these gatherings for you.
I look forward to seeing you all at the various events in March.
So that’s it from me, drive safe and stay safe.
Owen
Club merchandise available on Club Nights.
Baseball Cap - $14.50
Polo Shirt - $38.50
Bucket Hat - $17.80
Fleece Jacket - $59.00
We have most stock available at the club rooms.
Hugh Wake picked up his Mercedes Benz 230S directly from the factory in Stuttgart in 1966. Luckily his father was there as well to pay the 14,000 Deutschmarks for the car and take ownership, as Hugh was only 16 at the time! The Wake family were on a two-year holiday in the UK and Europe, and his father had ordered the car as part of the Tourist Delivery Scheme that was available in those days for Kiwis fortunate enough to have overseas funds. They did most of their touring in a Commer Highwayman camper van (no mean feat for a family of six, including two teenagers!), so the Mercedes didn’t accumulate too many miles on the speedo. By the time it landed back in New Zealand in December 1968, the speedo only showed 2,600 miles.
Interestingly, the Mercedes was originally supplied by the factory with a speedo that read in kilometres, but Hugh’s Dad arranged for it to be replaced with one
that read in miles. This turned out to be not such a great decision as once the car was back in New Zealand, the country changed over to the metric system shortly thereafter.
Hugh still has the original sales docket for the car, which shows that his father ordered a comprehensive list of extras, some of which included, - 2kg of paint (self-drying); a radiator shutter; antifreeze; and one headrest (passengers side only). Apparently, Hugh’s Dad thought that his Mum would enjoy a headrest on her side of the car, but he wouldn’t need one himself because he wouldn’t be resting - he would be too busy driving! And the most expensive extra of all was a set of custom-fitted luggage (six pieces including a hatbox) that still fit perfectly into the boot.
Despite the long list of optional extras that were available, the car was nevertheless supplied with a comprehensive factory repair kit, the likes of which would be unimaginable today. The kit, which Hugh still has, includes a rotor arm; alternator brushes; a points set; a flasher unit; a carburettor jet; a sump plug; spark plugs; a fan belt; an oil filter O-ring; a set of bulbs; and a set of spare rings.
Back in 1966, the Mercedes Benz 230S Saloon was one of the most iconic luxury cars on the road. The model was first introduced in 1959, and it came to be known as the “Fintail” (Heckflosse in German) because of the distinctive rear fins that were a nod to the popular American tailfin style of the 1950s. The fins added to the car’s visual appeal and, according to some pundits, may have contributed to aerodynamics and stability on the road. Under the hood, the car had a 2.3-liter straight-six engine, producing 120 horsepower and 145 lb-ft of torque. Hugh’s car was supplied with a four-speed manual transmission. For its time, one of the most impressive things about the Fintail was its safety features. The car was equipped with a range of safety features that were ahead of their time, including seat belts, crumple zones, burst-proof door locks, a reinforced body structure, and dual brake circuits.
On their return to New Zealand, the Wake family and the Merc’ settled in Levin. Hugh’s Dad kept it as his daily driver, and Hugh was pleased when he was al-
lowed to borrow it to take his new girlfriend, Adrienne, out to the pictures. Sadly, Hugh’s Dad died in 1978 while he and Adrienne were away on their OE in England, and as his Mum could not drive, the car languished in Levin for several years. The only use it had was the occasional outing to the local tip by Hugh’s brother to dump garden waste. When Hugh and Adrienne eventually came back to New Zealand in 1982, they found a car that wouldn’t move due to a frozen clutch and a boot that resembled a compost bin!
Hugh then took over the car and has owned it ever since. It is unrestored and resplendent in its original Pale Ivory paintwork, apart from a touch-up done on the passenger’s side after his Dad had a small altercation with a tractor. The 2 litres of self-drying paint originally supplied as one of the factory extras came in handy for this job. One extra that his Dad never specified with the original purchase was power-steering. The recirculating-ball steering was always heavy, and four years ago, Hugh installed a power-steering kit which makes a huge difference to the driving experience. The car has travelled 122,000 miles and enjoyed a full engine overhaul at 118,000 miles.
All told, nearly one million Fintail Mercs were produced between 1959 and 1968, but there are not many good ones left nowadays. Hugh says that they have never been economical to restore due to the high cost of Mercedes components – so if you do decide to do a refurbishment, you’ve got to do it for love, not money. It’s undeniable that Hugh & Adrienne do love their Mercs. Other cars in their collection include a 1965 230SL convertible, a 1976 280SLC coupe, and a 1979 280CE coupe. And then, just for something totally different, they also have an NSU Ro80 and a Morris Minor Traveller.
by Fiona Holliday
It was a lovely warm sunny day last Sunday, and quite a large group of club members met up at our Clubrooms. Heather was in charge of marshalling, and we set off at 10 o’clock in a loose convoy for the drive to our mystery location. The drive took us a little way out of Taupo to a property in a beautiful countryside setting where our hosts Ivan and Honey (and Lulu the Chihuahua) met us. We all found places to park and unloaded our morning tea offerings with coffee and additional food laid on by our hosts. This made for a wonderful spread with delicious food.
The sight that immediately captured the attention of most, if not all of us, was the large 3-bay American barn, sitting proudly with its doors open and an array of classic cars inside. Ivan gave us a short history of the various cars in the barn and the vast collection of memorabilia displayed on the walls. The star of the show was probably the 1959 Corvette, but a car you don’t often see in a classic car collection is a Ferrari 360 Modena with only 15,000km on the clock, and Ivan has one of those as well, so that was a treat. A few brave souls tentatively tried to relieve Ivan of his Corvette, but alas, it’s not for sale.
Bottomless tea, coffee, and lots of food had groups of well-fed, happy people talking in the sunshine. Ivan and Honey took some of us on a tour of the property while others sat in the shade chatting.
We admired each other’s cars, and hoods were raised to show off unnaturally clean engine bays together with too-shiny wheels.
Morning tea eventually ended at about 1.30 pm so that proves we had a lovely time and really could have stayed all day! Many thanks to Ivan and Honey for opening their property to us for this event and to Owen and Heather for organizing the club run, which I am sure was enjoyed by all.
1959 Cadillac De Ville (red) 2-door
Cars in the Barn:
• 1959 Chevrolet Corvette (white)
• 2001 Ferrari 360 Modena (titanium)
• 1961 Cadillac De Ville Series 63 2-door (blue)
• 1973 Cadillac Eldorado 2 door (cranberry with white roof)
• 1959 Cadillac De Ville (red) 2 door
• 2009 Cadillac CTS
• 1952 Cadillac convertible (red) Golden Anniversary model (currently being restored)
2001 Ferrari 360 Modena
1973 Cadillac Eldorado 2-door
Mercedes-Benz - 220 SE
Original oil on canvas by NZ Artist, Don Packwood www.donpackwood.co.nz
The Mercedes-Benz W111 was a chassis code given to a range of Mercedes-Benz vehicles produced between 1959 and 1971, including four-door saloons (19591968) and two-door coupés and cabriolets (1961 to 1971). Their bodywork featured distinctive tailfins that gave the models their Heckflosse nickname — German for “fintail”.
Series production of the 4-door saloon began in August 1959, which made its debut at the Frankfurt Auto Show in the autumn. Initially the series consisted of the 220b, 220Sb, and 220SEb.
In May 1965, the 220Sb and 220SEb were replaced by the new 230S. It was visually identical to the 220S, with a modernised 2306 cm3 M180 engine with twin Zenith carburettors producing 120 hp (89 kW) at 5400 rpm. A total of 41,107 230S models were built through January 1968, when the last of 4-door fintails left the production line
by Fiona Holliday
So ladies, we all saw that white Corvette on Sunday, and wasn’t it gorgeous? We did notice that the registration plate is JOR6E, and now what I want to know is, who is JOR6E because if that was his car, then he’s worth getting to know. I think we agree we liked the colour, which as we all know is the single most important thing about a car. Our boys looked under the hood and said manly things about the engine and that round thingy on top, but we looked at the interior with acres of red leather and shiny chrome. We imagined driving down to Malibu with the wind in our hair and a smile on our faces until reality struck, and we realized that we were, in fact, in Taupo, and the car is almost priceless and belonged to someone else. Hmm, what do we do now? I know, let’s look at the shiny chrome and the red leather again.
(subject to change)
March 2023
Sunday 5th March
Wednesday 8th March
Saturday 11th March
Monday 20th March
April 2023
Sunday 2nd April
Wednesday 12th April
Sunday 16th April
Monday 17th April
May 2023
Sunday 7 th May
Wednesday 10th May
Sunday 21st May
Monday 22nd May
June 2023
Sunday 4th June
Wednesday 14th June
Sunday 18th June
Monday 19th June
July 2023
Sunday 2nd July
Wednesday 12th July .
at the Hub 8.30 am
coffee n cars 10.00 am
Night 7.30 pm – Rally Packs
Taupo VCC Club – Country Roads Rally
Meeting 7.30 pm
at the Hub 8.30 am
Petrolheads coffee n cars Club Night 6.00 pm – Fish n Chips and Quiz
Run
Meeting 7.30 pm
at the Hub 8.30 am
coffee n cars AGM – Clubrooms 7.30 pm
Club Run –
Committee Meeting 7.30 pm
Breakfast at the Hub 8.30 am
Petrolheads coffee n cars Club Night 7.30 pm
Club Run – Brass Monkey
Committee Meeting 7.30 pm
Breakfast at the Hub 8.30 am
Petrolheads coffee n cars
Club Night Mid Year Pot Luck Christmas
Dinner 6.00 pm
Saturday 8th - Sunday 9th July . . Hobby Expo
Monday
August 2023
Sunday 6th August
Wednesday 9th August
Sunday 20th August
Monday 21st August
September 2023
Sunday 3rd September
Wednesday 13th September
Sunday 17th September
Monday 18th September
October 2023
Sunday 1st October
Wednesday 11th October
Sunday 15th October
Monday 16th October
November 2023
Sunday 5th November
Wednesday 8th November
Sunday 19th November
Monday 20th November
December 2023
Saturday 2nd December
Sunday 3rd December
Wednesday 13th December
Friday 15th December
