“Dripfeed” NEWSLETTER OF THE BANKS PENINSULA BRANCH OF THE VINTAGE CAR CLUB OF New Zealand (INC) VOLUME 45, No 7 AUGUST 2022. Editor: Michael Williams 10 Selwyn Parade Lyttelton Ph 328 8043, email mimiandmichael@yahoo.co.nz
Chairman: Secretary:
Club Officers: Craig Keenan 322 1006 Ron Hasell 942 1105
Branch Address: 27 Showgate Ave, ChCh 8042 E-mail: bankspeninsula@vcc.org.nz Noggin & Natter: 2nd Thursday of the Month • Noggin 7.30 pm at the Papanui RSA. Upham Room – enter either from 55 Bellvue Ave or the first entrance on the left on Harewood Road (Papanui / Main North Road) • Thursday 11th of August. • We look forward to seeing you there. Supper is provided.
From the Editor: Yet another slim volume in terms of quality content, as I’ve been in San Francisco for the last three weeks, trying to re discover my inner hippie, and attending the wedding of my eldest nephew. Without wishing to turn Dripfeed into a what I did in my holidays publication, I can report that Haight Ashbury is a shadow of its former self, although shops selling wonderfully tasteless tie died T shirts are everywhere. In car terms, Teslas are also everywhere, as are hybrids of all makes. At the other end of the scale, those gigantic Dodge Ram type trucks that we don’t really see here, were more common in the Napa Valley, amongst the four hundred vineyards, some of which we felt obliged to investigate.
A growth area of Dripfeed is the Editorial Blunders Dept, as Gavin Bain has gleefully pointed out to me. Blunder number one in the July issue was the incorrect spelling of Ted Loversidge in the last issue, and Blunder number two concerned the Donald Wright Bentley, which I described as a 3 litre model. That mistake didn’t concern Donald, who is a fairly relaxed sort of chap, but it did concern Gavin. The Bentley in question is a 4 and a half litre model, chassis number UK 3285, and was delivered new William Hudson of Cadbury Fry Hudson of Dunedin in 1929. Grovelling apologies.
So it is with some trepidation that I report that Gavin has bought another Bentley to add to his collection, as I’ll no doubt get some of the details wrong. Still, it does show that Dripfeed is read in some detail. The car in question is a 1934 Derby Bentley Gurney Nutting bodied three and half litre Sports Tourer, and is a one off model built for the Countess of Warwick. The interior is original. It’s a car that Gavin has always coveted, and he was able to persuade the previous owner, who had owned the car for fifty years, to finally sell it to him. It’s being fettled at Auto Restorations at the moment and I’m sure Gavin will bring it on the next branch run.
Such is the paucity of gossip in my absence, that I am compelled to keep writing about Bain family members. This time it’s Andrew, who has shown impeccable taste by buying a lovely 1947 Citroen Light 15, thus bringing the total number of Citroens he owns to three. It’s an excellent example with known history, and Andrew swore to me on a stack of Citroen manuals that he’ll keep it forever. However he did admit that he was a car dealer, so if someone wants a really nice Traction Avant, Andrew might be persuaded to part with it. Welcome to new member John Stringer. The PARROTT sub committee (Preservation and Restoration of Tacky Trophies) has been busy and the Johnny Angel Trophy has been re mounted on a plinth, and consequently looks positively regal, as well as angelic. Will Dawber was his usual ebullient self when posing with Johnny Angel, and has vowed to defend it to the death from John Foster and hopefully other old bikers at next year’s Hadstock. Michael Pidgeon was the stalwart individual who re mounted Johnny Angel, thus proving that he really does have to think about how he spends his time, as there are a number of far more important projects lurking in his commodious garage. Number one job is to complete the restoration of his 1947 Citroen L15 that has been gathering cobwebs for about twenty years. The reconditioned engine and gearbox have recently been reunited, and may well go into the car this year, as Michael sweats over the deadline of March 2023, when the National Citroen Club Rally is to be held in Rangiora. The other project that Michael needs to finish is the mighty Clyno. Long term members will know this car well, as Michael’s father Bruce bought it in the 1960’s when the family was living in Gisborne, and it’s been motored constantly ever since. Michael’s very proud of the fact that it holds an Invermay Hillclimb Class record. The class was “Small gutless green British cars built in Wolverhampton in the 1920s”, so there wasn’t much competition, but a win is a win, and possibly doubles the car’s value. I had the pleasure of doing a Topless Tour in the Clyno many years ago with Tony Haycock. The Topless Tour was a great event, thought up by Wayne Henderson and Trever Timms, and involved starting from Oamaru in the first weekend in August. and driving up to Central Otago via lots of back roads and tracks, usually ending up at Clyde or Naseby or some other Antarctic outpost, all with the hood down. One year Frank Renwick had lent Tony and me his mighty boat tail Delage, which duly
broke down at regular intervals, but went like a rocket, almost as fast as the rate at which the twin SU’s sucked petrol out of the tank, which required us to take out relatively small mortgages on our respective houses to pay for the petrol. Frank sold the Delage, so next year Michael kindly offered us the Clyno, but did mention that it was “a bit down on power”. Prophetic words indeed, as we struggled out of Christchurch on a windy Friday night. Tony was late as usual, and by the time we had bought a few LED type red bike lights to put on the luggage rack, to avoid annihilation by other vehicles, it was dark as we struggled out of Rolleston, and discovered the true nature of what 1500cc of thrusting Clyno power could actually do. Thirty seven mph was the maximum cruising speed, if there was no wind, no other traffic to create downdrafts, and crucially, a completely flat road. None of these three factors ever lined up, and as we struggled south at about 30mph, we discovered what our motoring forefathers had to deal with. You might think that SH1 going south is a flat and boring road, but in an underpowered Clyno on a busy windy Friday night, it resembled a Peking to Paris Rally. We struggled through the Dunsandel Depression, the Chertsey Chasm, the Rakaia Ravine, and the Ashburton Gulch. We battled on stoically through the Hinds Valley, the Temuka Pass, Mt Makikihi, and Glenavy Gorge before arriving bloodied but unbowed at Oamaru, to be greeted with derisive laughter from the others, who had been propping up the bar for some hours. The Saturday was memorable for us having to reverse up a few hills, but we did get to the finish line, we did get back to Christchurch after what seemed a lifetime of driving, and crucially, Michael,Tony and I are still friends. The Clyno motor has been rebuilt (“I didn’t think it was that bad”) and Michael feels confident it can easily top forty mph, if he ever gets it back together again.
Stop Press Good afternoon Michael, just as you thought the 'Metisse' saga was over I forgot to mention before, my connection with Rickman Industries which involved my association with the Metisse name but from a totally different angle. My Advertising & Marketing Agency in the South of England worked for the Rickman brothers Derek & Don, and promoted extensively their range of self-build Rickman Ranger cars and small motorhomes which included national magazine advertising, promotional literature, PR, build instructions and many Kit- Car Shows around the UK. Both brothers were quiet, non-assuming men but great engineers and their exploits in motorcycle rallies and scrambling were legendary. Whilst we were working on a then new project for them, a four-wheel drive, two-door Sports Coupe car which was going to again proudly carry the name 'Metisse,' this unfortunately was halted by a dodgy Russian consortium that had bought into the Rickman Company, asset-stripped it and left the brothers with nothing. Myself and a mate endeavoured to smuggle the only prototype of the new 'Metisse' car out of the factory but missed our chance by twenty minutes after the Liquidators chained the gates. Regards, Don Gerrard
Future Events. Daffodil Day Run, Sunday 21st of August There are four starting points, all from 10.00am, and there are long and short runs to choose from at each place. You can start from Southbrook Park just out of Rangiora, the New Brighton Club in Marine Parade, the Cashmere Club in Colombo Street, or at Pak’n Ride at Rolleston, opposite the Selwyn District Council Offices. Each run will finish at Cutler Park at approx 12.00pm, where a donation of $10 as a minimum is expected. This year we are encouraging branch members to support
the Cancer Society in this very worthy cause. Check the Canterbury branch website for further details if needed.
Richard Foster Memorial Picnic, Saturday 27th of August. There is to be a Memorial Picnic for foundation member Richard Foster. Covid restrictions meant that attendance at the celebration of Richard’s life was limited, and so Kate and family extend an invitation to all to join them in the Terrace Station garden, Hororata, on Saturday the 27th of August, from 11.am – 3pm. We thought we would meet at the Yaldhurst Pub carpark at 9.00am for a pleasant meander on some back roads to Hororata. No shingle roads involved, so do bring out your delicate veteran or vintage to honour Richard’s memory. The gardens at Terrace Station will be in full spring mode, so it should be a very pleasant day in the country.
Opening Run, Sunday 25th of September. Details in next month’s edition
National Veteran Rally, 24th – 26th of February 2023. To be held at Tuakau, Franklin, 56 km south of Auckland. Enquiries: barrybirchall@xtra.co.nz
National Motorcycle Rally, 3rd – 6th of February 2023. WWW.SPORTY.CO.NZ/NATIONALMOTORCYCLERALLY. or the Rally Coordinator; glenys@apprenticeships.net 021 388649.
Past Events. The Balcairn Trial. Contributed by roving reporter Giles Gill The venue is generously loaned by Gary Fleming, we thank him for his gesture
Down came the rain, out oozed the mud, down came a few slips. The precipitation of the preceding weeks desisted for the day, its legacy lurking to ensnare many trialists keen to get the pedal to the metal. Many will remember their own details of derring-do: This report can only cover a fraction of the action. Stage 1 saw the Dawber Pontiac driven with flexible precision through the tight opening yards in the forestry. Their secret weapon of intermittent cylinder sparing was debated by the admiring spectators, aided by the lightweight bodywork. The course took dives down across and then back up a demanding gully, remodelled by the overhangs on the Perfect Ford of Messrs Marshall and Roxburgh, and the startling yellow Morris of Mercer. The attempt to gather additional ballast was not unnoticed by the marshals. The upper segment beyond the first hill was expertly scaled by the eight elite who ventured into flags 21-32. The Mauger Bi-Motore was urged to flag 32 by the in-line twin Coventry Climaxes, a fitting task for power plants supplied for water pumps and forklift machines, amongst other applications.
Stage 2 started this time in the paddock below Jelf’s Shelf: Soft conditions were a stopper for some, even at the start. The shelf was approached on a kindlier gradient but soon degraded into a morass, necessitating a course adjustment. This prompted hot debate by a handful of competitors resolved
by allowing a re-run by the supplicants. The lower score attained was quietly ignored. The only injuries were to one flag that was straightened, and battle re-commenced.
Stage 3 was started through Balcairn’s answer to the Pantenal and Everglade. The course setters avoided the use of the two brimming ponds that would have called for snorkels for engines and pilots The course this year crossed the swamp on the flat rather than travelling along it, so the stopper for more this time was the steep ascent following. Stage 4 was in a maize stubble paddock punctuated by two evil swampy areas. The course ran alongside the second swamp to test whether any “stiff diffs” had crept through scrutineering. It then took a sharp turn up a gentle gradient at flags 8 and, the site of many stoppages accompanied by showers of high-flying mud. The Bright Austin Seven shone appropriately here, being the only visitor to flag 15.
Stage 5, Mount Pisa, exited the paddock and then scaled a steep, rutted, and muddy track. Two cones were placed in a deep rut to guide competitors away from it. Concerns were voiced that there was still a danger, so the cones were placed to signify the end of the stage below the rut. Despite instructions by the start marshal, the cones proved a magnet for some entrants who attempted to drive through them. One third of the entry cleaned, a great effort. Stage 6 was a remodelled version of 1, the minor adjustments to recognise the constraints of long chassis vehicles at the start. The upper reaches continued to pull up the top dozen contenders, blighted by a combination of gradient, grass and low traction glue under the turf. Rumours that the organising work party insert this latter weapon at salient points are refuted. Fiscal inducements to the attendant marshal by some visually challenged competitors were noted but not acted on: Integrity is key; the reputation of the event was at stake. The input from the ever-welcome team of 4 Wheel Drive enthusiasts was yet again invaluable: They were kept busy throughout the day and accomplished their rescues with alacrity. At the end of competition prize giving and catering was completed at the Sefton Arms. It was good to see two road going cars amongst the specialised trials machines. The adept partnership of the nimble Mauger Austin Seven in the dextrous hands of Thomas was the overall winner, a repeat of last year’s triumph. Brad and Jason drove the mighty green Govan Hawk to 1, 2 in Class A: It was sounding perfect, testament to preparation. George and Evan drove the pretty green Kear Seven to a creditable 3, 4. Three engines powered two Mauger Austin Sevens to a 1, 2 in Class C. The brothers Dawber drove a 1,2 for Class D in the impressive Pontiac. The Prefect of Marshall was driven a doughty 3,4 by Warwick and Andrew, Clinging to Every Mountain, Fording Every Stream. Photography: We thank Peter & Lynette Barnett, John McDonald