PHOENIX
The Editorial WD, freshly serviced by Mac’s Garage ready to set off for the R’oil Can after a noted absence.
NEWSLETTER OF THE WAITEMATA BRANCH VINTAGE
WAITEMATA BRANCH DIRECTORY
CHAIRMAN: ROBERT CHAPMAN 021 038 3281
robman@orcon.net.nz
CLUB CAPTAIN: STAN SMITH 0274 775 475 vintageaircraft@xtra.co.nz
SECRETARY: JACQUI GOLDINGHAM 09 44 58811 waitemata@vcc.org.nz
TREASURER: JACQUI GOLDINGHAM 09 445 8811 goldienz@orcon.net.nz
BRANCH DELEGATE: IAN GOLDINGHAM 09 445 8811 goldienz@orcon.net.nz
EDITOR: MICHAEL GREIG 027 24 55 786 094456760 michael.john.greig@gmail.com
SCRIBE Moveable Feast
PAST CHAIRMAN: BRENDAN LAMAIN 021 132 4557 brendanandterry@gmail.com COMMITTEE: MAX JAMIESON, MIKE HOPE-CROSS, HAMISH ANDREWS.
Looking Forward
COMING EVENTS
July 13/14th R’oil Can 6/7th Winter Woollies with the Wellsford/Warkworth Branch
August 25th Daffodil Run
Septem ber Sunday 15th ? Film Night at Ryders.
October Willy Wonker’ s Run TBA
Novemb er Guess What!
Club Night Tuesday, July 2nd. See you at the RSA Room, King George V Memorial Hall, Library Lane, Albany, 7.30 pm.
BENBROOK R'OIL CAN 13/14th JULY 2024
Whatwecantellyou:
Therallywillstartat8am13thJuly2024fromtheBPServiceCentreonthe NorthernmotorwaybeforetheSilverdaleoff-ramp.(Bitofacluewhichway wemightbeheading!)Arrivethereearlyifyouwantsomethingfromthe WildBeancafeorBurgerKingforbreakfast.
Carprep: Checktighteneverything,especiallymudguardsastherewillbe plentyofgravelroadsonthisone!!CheersPeter.
LocalEvents:
AucklandBranchholdsagoodmidmonthlytour,provideyourownlunch. WednesdayJuly17th UsualWestgatestart,10for10.30 WednesdayAugust21st.DruryBP10for10.30start. Furthercontactdetails,lookattheAucklandBranchWebsite. Whenlookingatthewebsite,havealookatthemonthlyeventspeakers. TheMotorcyclegrouphaveverygoodmeetingsandaftersnackswith accesstothesparesshedandlibrary.Worththeoccasionalvisit.
JointVentureEventwiththeSP250ClubandtheVintage AustinRegister.
Orchestratedbytheskilfulconductor,KeithHumphries.
Knowing that it was unlikely a large number of SP250s would turn up to this event, I invited the Vintage Austin Register and the Waitemata Branch of the Vintage Car Club.
This proved to be fortuitous as there was an excellent turnout of 26 cars, of which only two were SP250 members.
It had rained heavily overnight, but the day dawned looking hopeful and turned out to be dry and almost too hot during the lunch break
The first visit was to the collection on Myles Hicks in Ardmore, and here, we were blown away by the range of cars and the quality of the restoration work. Upon initial entry to the courtyard, surrounded by garaging, there was a magnificent part restored vintage Bentley on display. We learnt that the multitalented Rob McNair had reconstructed the rear half of the body, His was the third collection on our list.
The Hicks collection covered a surprising range of cars from Austin Healey to Mazda RX7 rally car, most with really great history and many very rare and highly collectible.
From there, some chose to have lunch at one of the cafes in Clevedon whilst many with picnic lunches enjoyed the hospitality of Will Neal and Pat Townsend at Kawakawa Bay
A most enjoyable time was had chatting whilst having lunch before inspecting Will’s collection which had a couple of Austin Seven Specials, a Ruby and a
J40. His concours winning Mustang was impressive as was his second later model Mustang. As always, his room of motoring memorabilia was absorbing and fascinating.
Finally, we returned to Clevedon to catch up with the Rob McNair. With a part restored/re-created WW1 SE5A fighter/bomber taking up much of his shed and a Pitts Special adjacent undergoing a full ground-up restoration, the workmanship and detail, simply took one’s breath away!
But wait, there was more! His fabulous Tiger Moth engined Riley Special is exquisite in its design and detail, and those who have ridden in it know just how well it performs. It’s been on the road for a few years now, but still looks immaculate. There’s an “E” Type, and Austin Seven Nippy, restored by father, Wallace, and used by three generations in club events, a two-stroke powered sports racing car (belonging to Louis), a Des Townsend designed Q class yacht, and a Penney Farthing, and a twin Villiers engined motorbike, both created by his son Louis as school projects, more than a chip off the old block!
In fact, Louis is now in the UK serving an apprenticeship with Lionel Rogers’ son-in-law, Bugatti restorer Charles Knill-Jones of Tula Engineering, and building his second GN cyclecar for road use.
All told a thoroughly fascinating day, in thankfully, good weather. Keith Humphreys
(The photos for the article came from Keith)
Irishman Creek Rally 2024
There and back again
For the past 40+ years I have heard tales of the infamous Irishman Creek Rally, a test of man and machine, hairy chested motorists in Vintage cars in the middle of winter, against the elements of some of the South Island’s most rugged back country, fortified by whiskey and Stones Green Ginger Wine. Ian had been on the rally 3 times in the mid 1970’s, with the Plucks in their Clyno and Graeme Dewar in his 1924 14/40 Sunbeam. My 1924 14/40 Sports Sunbeam had also done several Irishman’s in the early 1970’s when owned by Richard Stanley.
The Event itself is historic, the longest-running car rally in the NZ, Irishman Creek Rally the second oldest in the world after the London to Brighton Veteran Car Run UK. The first rally to the Irishman Creek Station in 1954 was when Bill & Peggy Hamilton owned the property, the destination was chosen by a group of Canterbury-based university students who, after the World War 2, formed the original Vintage Car Club of New Zealand.
Having always wanted to do Irishman Creek Rally and with the offer of very hard-to-get accommodation in Fairley, we got our chance to enter the 2024 Rally, special because The Sunbeam is 100 years old, and it is the 70th anniversary Irishman Rally. The original plan was for STD Register to enter a group of cars to travel to the rally, but due to circumstances this did not happen. Fellow Waitemata Branch Members Pat Bren and Michael Stuart, Napier had planned a tour down with a Hawkes Bay group of motorists and invited us to join them.
May 24th: we rise before the sun, to get out of Auckland before the morning traffic jams. It is cold, dark and wet and the Sunbeam is loaded for a 2-week tour, mainly tools and wet
weather gear! The traffic is not too bad at 6.00am but the fog is dense as we run along the Waikato River. The Sunbeam starts chuffing, we have blown an exhaust gasket, she now sounds like a veteran. The weather improves as we head to Taupo and is autumnal as we drive to Napier, the road still under repair from last year’s storms. We now have a couple of days to make the Sunbeam ready for the toughest rally we have ever done. Mike and Ian work late into the evenings making new gaskets and finding every loose part, checking, tightening and greasing.
Sunday morning, the Alvis and Sunbeam packed, Tony Prebensen’s 1928 Model A, Graham and Ester Smith’s 1929 Chev and Tom Davy’s 1928 Chev turn up and we are off to pick up Diane and Geoff Quarrie 1931 Chev and Peter and Susanne McCool in 1929 Model A, along the way. We head for Waipawa, Pat and Mike have planned an interesting route to take the best roads for vintage cars. Pongaroa to Carterton perfect motoring weather.
Next morning over the Remutakas to Wellington to catch the ferry … bit of a delay as the “Kaiarahi” has problems ... as we have travelling companions it just gives as extra time to get to know them better. It’s a bit rough out of the heads and we don’t make it to Picton till after dark, it is certainly cold. We spend the night in Blenheim and the next morning a quick raid on the spares shed and final provisioning for the trip ahead.
The convoy of 6 head out over Taylors Pass under blue skies, Mike has certainly looked for the roads least travelled, and end up in Kaikoura for the night, via Lovers Lane, a pretty little detour.
At this stage the party splits, the expeditionary force carries on, we spend another night as we wait for the second HB group to catch us up. Oliver and Nicola Midgely and Howard and Janice Wood now join us with 2 model A’s, Grabbit and Leggit and a 1930 coupe. The Midgley Sunbeam 20/60 is still under restoration from the floods. A pleasant evening is spent in Kaikoura before heading off in the morning down the Inland Kaikoura Rd to Hurunui. The weather is stunning blue skies and the mountains dusted with snow.
We head to Christchurch to spend the night and pick up our Rally Packs at McLean’s Island the headquarters of the Canterbury Branch. Tomorrow Friday is the start of the 70th Irishman Creek Rally. We have already done the equivalent of 4 rallies.
Day 1. King’s Birthday Weekend 2024 70th Irishman Creek Rally. This weekend is going to be something special. For a start it is a 3-day event instead of the usual two. 213 vintage and veteran cars have meet up from all over the country. To cope with number of entrants everyone has to sort out their own accommodation, food and drink for the rally. We meet in a yard in Rangiora, it is dark and cold as the sunrises the impact of 213 Vintage cars and their crews is overwhelming. 115 Model A’s, Chevrolets, Essex’s, Dodges and Buicks make up the majority, a great turnout of Austin 7’s, 3 Rolls Royce, 3 Sunbeams 1 Talbot (the Weta) 1 Alvis and a Bentley complete the paddock.
At 8.00am we set off and head north and soon are on private property crossing paddocks and getting a taste of things to come, the weather is dry and we don’t have to put chains on, but it helps to take a good run at some of the hills, if you stop you need a bit of help to get
over the crest, as we found out when the car in front of us stopped. The instructions are clear with back up crews to help out.
We travel through the Hurunui Valley, the lunch stop is at Hawarden, there is one card operated gas pump and 200 cars wanting to fill up! The afternoon Station is MacDonald Downs it is stunning scenery, dry. We then enter the forestry stage the gravel roads are corrugated and tough on the cars and drivers. We get through and out onto sealed roads only to have the side wall of the back tyre and tube blowout from a 4” gash. A change of wheel and off to Rangiora for the night. Ian contacts a friend in Christchurch, who owns Sunbeams, he comes to our rescue with a replacement tyre delivered to our hotel. All we need to do is get it fitted in the morning. This is the true spirit of vintage motoring at its best.
Day 2. Another early start in the dark. Ian has to wait for the garages to open to fit the tyre, so it is decided I will travel in the Midgley’s Model A, Grabbit and Leggit. I am swapped for 2 pieces of luggage and settle comfortably into the back seat. Our starting point is in Sheffield, 200 vintage cars park around the edge of the paddock, an awesome sight. Our briefing is started with the firing of a pumpkin out of an air cannon and we are off.
Our destination today is Mesopotamia Station It is located in the high-country at the headwaters of the Rangitata Gorge at about 457 metres (1800 ft) above sea level rising to 2660 metres (7500 ft) it is just over 15,000 acres and currently runs 11,000 merino sheep, 3000 deer and 500 cattle. The weather changes as an alpine squall sweeps down the mountain, it is freezing cold, raining hard with extreme wind gusts, we see cars coming back as visibility becomes a problem and there are concerns the road will become impassable in the rain.
We continue on and the weather lifts, the views of the mountains are stunning. As we sit round eating lunch, I wonder how people settled in this remote land, with their families, the isolation and lack of resources.
We hear that Ian had got tyre fixed by 8.15am, the boys at Bridgestone Darfield had treated it like a Formula 1 pitstop and wouldn’t accept payment, as they thought we must be mad, driving 100-year-old open cars in winter, across goat tracks. Later when I catch up with Ian at Fairlie he’s says the weather front made for one of the worse driving conditions he has encountered in a vintage car rally.
Day 3 This is the first year in many years the rally organisers have had access to Irishman Creek Station. The 70th Anniversary has opened gates! This is the stuff of legends. It is quite a sight as 200 Vintage Cars leave Fairlie via Burkes Pass for Irishman Creek Station The station is Mackenzie Country tussock and open farmland bordering Lake Pukaki, with views of the Southern Alps and Aoraki-Mt Cook, the station runs about 8000 merino sheep, 3300 red deer, and 600 Angus cattle. This was home of the Hamilton family a place engineering and invention. We spend time walking around the workshops and dam learning the history of Irishman Creek and the Hamilton family.
In 1927, when Bill needed electricity for the station's new homestead and workshop, he designed and built a tractor-drawn scoop to construct a dam to provide water for a 17.5kilowatt hydroelectric plant. This is the home of Hamilton jet boat. The Hamilton family loved good cars and racing. During their visit to England in 1929, Peggy Hamilton bought a 4.5-litre Bentley, which Bill promptly set about modifying, entering the Bentley in the Brooklands Easter Meeting, he won all three races. He then bought a 1914 Sunbeam and shipped home to NZ. Bill won a series of motor races in the 1914 Sunbeam and in 1925 became the first driver in Australasia to exceed 100 miles per hour; in 1928 he set a new record of 109 miles per hour.
The weather is perfect, a crisp winter day, ice in the water throughs and blue skies. The rally starts off gently, 200+ vintage cars in the tussock pastures. The scale is deceptive and the cars soon spread out and disappear, this is serious driving the slight dips are escapements and then there are the river crossings before we then rise to the road beside the canal.
I look back across Irishman Station and wonder at the resolve of the people that have lived on this harsh land. Time for the Iconic Irishman Creek Rally photo by the Irishman Creek mailbox.
We meet up with the expeditionary forces at Tekapo and procced to Fairlie via Mackenzie’s Pass, again the road least travelled.
We stop at Shands Patch, Strathconan where cars are trailing in the Paddock. Rob Shand’s father In-law was the first owner of our 1924 Sunbeam and had given us pictures from the family albums taken in the UK in 1924. We get permission to go up to the homestead and meet the current owners. We continue to Fairlie and gather at community hall to share the stories of the past 70 years of Irishman Creek Rally and find out who the lucky person to organise next year’s run.
The next morning most people head out of Fairlie early in the morning. We are spending another night and move in to the old School house. The expeditionary forces are planning to go the long way home and we decided to join them. Quick phone calls are made to procure accommodation at out of the way places.
We leave Fairlie headed for Arthur’s Pass. We head through stunning land and stop at Methven for lunch, we head through the Rakaia Gorge, then head up Zig Zag Road and beside Lake Coleridge, once again Pat and Mike have organised an interesting way home. We make Arthur’s pass just before night fall and empty the radiators not using antifreeze and wrap the cars up for the below freezing weather.
Wednesday 5th July see’s us heading to Reefton We are joined by Michael Stanley in his Riley from the West Coast and we head to Blackball for lunch via Lake Brunner. At Blackball we meet up with John and Zelma Stanley who have driven from Westport in their Riley. Richard and John Stanley rebuilt the 14/40 sports 1924 Sunbeam in the late 1960’s This is an historic moment for me, the 100-year-old Sunbeam and John and we celebrate at the local pub. The history and provenance of these cars is what bonds us together.
John Stanley reunited with his brother, Richard’s Sunbeam 14/40 Sports.
Next morning we leave from Reefton and head for St Arnaud’s via the Maruia Saddle. A stunning piece of the country we are definitely on the back roads.
Murchinson for Lunch and then on to St Arnauds. The majority group take the back roads but the Quarrie’s and Goldingham’s decide to do the ladies rally and have a quieter afternoon taking SH63, which gave me a chance to do a bush walk down to Lake Rotoiti, before the others arrived. This turned out to be a good decision as the others had to spend the evening tightening bolts!
Friday, we head to Picton via Blenheim. We stop at Omaka Aviation Heritage Centre to check out the new Dangerous skies WII Exhibition with the Mosquito.
Tonight is our final night, tomorrow we catch the ferry Back to the North Island.
The 6 cars have travelled well as a team, we have had the usual break downs and repairs on the road and plenty of laughs. This is the shared experience the 70th Irishman Creek Rally.
We catch the ferry and land in Wellington on Saturday afternoon, we head to Feilding booking accommodation at Raceway Court Motel on the way. Ian has some archive contacts to meet and then we head for home. The weather is deteriorating as we hit the Desert Road, visibility becomes hard in the rain and low cloud and you can hardly see the brake lights of the car ahead. We push on and the weather improves at Taupo only to deteriorate again in the Waikato. We push on towards home in the rain and dark on the southern Auckland Motorway, always the worse part of the journey.
I always held the people who do rallies like the Irishman in high regard. These were 30year-old men in 50-year-old cars. I have just completed 17 days motoring including 3 days of Irishman Creek rally in my late 60’s with a 100year old car I now am part of that history. I thank Ian for supporting me on this adventure and fellowship of the wonderful people we travelled with and met along the way.
Jacqui Goldingham
Chairmans Report.
Having been based in Wanaka for the last ten days I have become acclimatised to the cold. However, the rain is nonexistence as there is a drought down here. This would explain the large number of prewar cars I have spotted both on weekends and during the week. Talking to an owner of a MG TA he said that the combination of 5 minutes out of his drive, he is on the open road, lack of traffic except for bloody tourists and dry conditions makes him use his MG at least once a week. We should be so lucky. So, a hearty good luck to all' R'oil Can' entrants and just please remember stay warm.
Chairman Rob
Editorial comments.
It has been a while, and there are a few comments that I would like to share with the audience in this issue. I fight valiantly with the technology to put out this august publication with some success and occasional failures that new tools may solve ( I can hear the muffled comments coming over the air waves) I will struggle on until new equipment arrives.
With joint events occurring, I will report on one that sat below the radar. I am often asked by many groups where to find suitable speakers on a variety of topics. Usually, I am able to provide suitable applicants. One call came from Martin Spicer, Entertainment Co-ordinator for the Auckland Branch VCC, seeking candidates for their monthly speaker. I suggested the renowned Vintage driver of Talbot and Riley Marques, Kevin Beesley. I attended the evening to give moral and physical support to Kevin and was entertained with the Auckland members of the various cars and events that make up Kevins lifetime interests. Few had heard of the Invincible Talbot and Riley, always in the picture.
Our own Branch has many tales that can be told and shared as shown with the diversity of makes and models that make the Branch what it always been, sporting, top of the game and unique. Don’t worry, your turn may not come; many are called but few are chosen!
We all have received the latest issue of Beaded Wheels No. 388 June/July and have looked in the for-sale section first. Turn to page 53.
Proposal to develop VCC wooden body guidelines.
Please read and inwardly digest! Proper Cars have wood framed bodies. We have these cars and are involved in restoring and creating them. Can we discuss this at a club night, join together many of our ideas, thoughts and skills and present it to Neil Beckenham for consideration. It is to our benefit that we plant the flag, even write the words to it as it will improve our standing with NZTA and make to process of coachbuilding stand alone and not be overseen by low production ‘specialists’ who only seen metal as the construction medium. This will foster and create more interest in the trades, skill bases for members and help the future sustaining of vintage cars on the road for use. If you want to do something for the Vintage Movement, this is it!
Co-Respondents ( Letters to the Editor?)
Letter by Air Mail from our Aviation Reporter, John King.
Hi Michael,
Regarding your otherwise fine report on the Kaipara Flats Wings & Wheels, I think William Piper would have been surprised to learn that he was responsible for the Bird Dog military observation aircraft. Clyde Cessna, on the other hand, might have been miffed at being left out.
For many years before I bought it in May 1965, my Riley 9 tourer was known as a Lynx, but being pre-1933, when the Lynx was introduced, it was catalogued by the company as a four-seat tourer on the Plus Ultra chassis. The first Lynx was a two-door four-seater with a disappearing hood, but subsequent Lynxes had four doors and a furled hood sitting on top of the boot where you could keep a proper eye on it (and use the boot space for things other than the hood).
Anne Richardson's 1934 14/6 Lynx is a rare and fine example of the breed, and I enjoyed being able to take some photos to show how the Lynx drew on the body style of its immediate predecessor. Both cars wear their original bodies, complete with cutaway, kidney-cooling front doors, but the sloping lines of the lower radiator and bonnet give the Lynx a more rakish line, in keeping with the mid-1930s.
I'd always thought Kevin's lovely Talbot 90 was a large car, but parked behind my Riley it was dwarfed by the Studebaker straight-8 next to it. At least my Riley is bigger than the fighter-bomber version of the Morgan three-wheeler next to it.
After its magneto contretemps it's nice to be back on the road. A bit of misfiring to Warkworth and back has responded to a couple of flats on the SU carburettors.
Cheers, John King (also supplied the pictures below).
From our Esteemed Kaumatua and Motorist, Harold Kidd.
Hi Mike,
Apropos Russell Ward’s letter in Progress the engine I stored in the VCC North Shore Branch’s shed at Clarence St Devonport was in fact a Green 120 – 140 hp 6 six-cylinder sohc aero engine of about 1913, bore 5 ½ inches stroke 6 inches.
It had been original equipment in an AVRO seaplane which set some sort of record flying around Britain in the pre-war period. It was laid out quite like a Hall-Scott aero engine and from the moment it turned up in the shed, the “aircraft hidden in the tunnels of North Head” brigade began pestering me for it on the grounds that it was from Boeing #1.
I found it in a barn on a farm near Matakana. The camshaft was propping up the barn door. The rest of the engine was in quite good order and all there apart from carbs and ignition. War-surplus aero engines of this sort were imported in reasonable numbers from England and the US. Orphans like the Green and Beardmore were about 25 pounds each. The 90hp Curtiss V8s were more like 50 pounds each.
My research satisfied me that this engine came from the 28ft vee-bottom runabout Karamana owned by FB Cadman which had been built for him by Bailey & Lowe in 1923 to a Hacker design. His second Karamana in 1924 had a Curtiss V8. These were the first of several Cadman Karamana’ s finishing up with a Fairmile post WW2.
Eventually, the pleas of the North Head Brigade convinced me to sell it to them, stupidly.
What an Edwardian monster it would make these days!
Cheers, Harold Kidd
As Editor, I get sent many contact details of online publications and articles which I find suitable for the membership to savour and enjoy. Our celebrated photographer and journalist and noted driver, Keith Humphries, gave me the link to many a journal of very high calibre and one that I have enjoyed is
“Country Motor Australia”, an E-magazine. Through the editor of this magazine, I was able to contact Jim Dalton in England who wrote about his Fiat, its history and rebuild. He kindly sent the article which I have placed for your enjoyment.
It all started when I graduated in Chemistry in 1966 and looked for an interesting job. I already had a passion for pre-war motoring.
I joined Pirelli Tyres Ltd as a graduate trainee and, after five years of various projects, I was sent to work in Italy on the then new tyre technology of P3 and all its successors.
I had a FIAT 128 provided and was involved in the engineering and technology of both the tyres and the machinery that made them. I have been Italophilic ever since but avoid conversation about production quality of that period and prefer to talk about the technology.
Back home I was back in a position to return to my old car passion as previous old cars were all sold to provide a deposit on a house for wife and babies. Looking in Exchange and Mart as I remember, there was an advert for FIAT 509 vehicles plural. So, I rang up and found an interesting story.
A Merseyside businessman with a car passion had taken in his later years to passing the winter in the Canary Isles where he looked out old cars in barns. He found initially a few 509s, a 2-door saloon, a 4-door saloon, a van, a kit of parts to make a 2-seat tourer and also a heap of bits. He shipped them all back to Liverpool and then on to his rather large house on The Wirral.
He started restoring the 4-door saloon, but in the meantime bought, in the Canaries, a 1924(?). Alfa RM tourer (smaller cousin of the RL) and shifted his attention to that. There were also rumours of a Delauny-Belville.
Sadly, he died before the ALFA was finished and as far as I know it remains as a part restored car as below.
Before he died however, he sought to dispose of all but one of the 509 cars: hence the advert. I initially bought the 2-door red saloon that you may know. However, that was a bigger job than I thought it was going to be. At that point he rang me and offered the van at a very low price as someone had offered to buy it just to get the instruments and scrap the rest. I bought it. Photo of them dockside in Canaries and then the van as used by me for several years
After re-panelling and some minor woodwork, the body was sound, so I did the mechanicals, created a seat and got it on the road in 1980. There were two problems which I should have foreseen. Firstly, there were not many opportunities in 1980 to use a vintage commercial if you lived in Carlisle. The second one was that it was built for people of shorter stature than my 6ft 3inches.
Later I could not find a chassis number where there should have been one, but the DVLA had used the number on the Spanish government identification plate; fair enough! That plate also included the name ‘Antonio Rodriguez Morales’ as the owner and Tafira, Las Palmas as the address in Gran Canaria. Happily, the saloon had a plate similarly engraved. The Spanish reg numbers were GC1837 and GC1925.The registration documents that came with the vehicles indicate that he had owned both of them since 1936, or maybe longer. That means that for all but 11 years (at most) of their lives they have lived together in the same ownership (which has changed twice!).
Having restored the saloon and put it to use on VSCC and LCES events, my thoughts changed to the van. Research showed it to have been a ‘re-body’ and probably in the mid-1930s when Franco’s Spain was blockaded and anyone with suitable land grew tobacco. After 1945 that changed to growing exotic flowers. Mr Morales had land but needed a van. I have no idea who made the van or what was on the chassis before that, but I think I have found via Google Earth and Streetview the house that he lived in!
Back to the FIATs. In the family we have four of them now (the two 124STs and the 124CS spider which had been enjoyed have long been sold), being the two 509s, a 501C which I imported from Australia and a UK registered 503 saloon that had been sleeping in a barn in Wiltshire for 50 years. Two other stories there!!
In restoring the saloon, I somehow got into contact with Richard Unkles who is the Vintage FIAT guru in Australia. Whilst on holiday there after retirement I met him at his house where he has a genuine 509S with bolt-on wire wheels. I believe the body had suffered some fire damage in a bush fire, but the rest is original and real. THAT was the moment I decided to make the van into a replica 509S. After all the chassis and running gear are the same as any other 509 with just a ‘longer’ back axle ratio and a lightly tuned engine.
All 509S are based on the 509 and not 509A, but that is another story. Fiat only built about 900 or so 509S so that is not even 1% of the approx. 100,000 they made in total in about 4 years. In Lingotto Fiat must have been making about 100 of the 509 cars every day for four years!!
I took lots of photos of Richard’s car and made many measurements. It is the only real 509S I have ever touched. There are perhaps 5 real ones left in the
501 503
world plus maybe another 5 replicas. Figures subject to correction by anyone who knows better please.
I then researched further in UK and have period photos of about 8 different cars which competed in various UK events. The most famous owner was Vic Tuson whose 509S LAPPED Brooklands at an average speed of 73mph. He later went on to racing a Ballila S. I chatted will Alan Cameron fairly recently and it seems Vic was a friend of Alan’s.
The other regular competitor was Peggy Wilson. She had one of the laminated wood versions. She only did concours and road tour type of events as far as I can tell, but any extra info is also welcome.
With the photos of Richard’s car in Australia and various bits of advertising material I felt I has enough data to make a fair copy of the original design so using my (by then) rusty Italian I rang Fiat Centro Storico to ask what drawings and data they had on 509S. The answer I got was none, as such records were all destroyed in Allied bombing in 1942/3. That stopped the conversation. I obviously did not mention that my uncle may well have been in one of the Lancasters that took part.
As far as I know there were three versions of the 509S body, but all the wings were the same. I say the same but at that volume ‘same’ means hand beaten to fit, I think.
The body versions were:
The laminated Cuban Mahogany
A similar version in plain wood panelling
The ultra-light aluminium ones which did not have the compound curves.
I chose to build the compound curve wood panel body, but then I realised how difficult that would be.
However, a petrolhead friend Tim in a neighbouring village turned out to be an expert in wooden structures having had at one time his own small yacht building business and also makes and flies large model aircraft of pre-war designs. From the basis of these three period photos below, he could dimension the drawings because we know the wheelbase of a 509.
Tim then made the drawings, from which he built the body and the bucks for the wings.
The photos of the stages of production of the body are below.,
TEMPLATES
CURVES .
SKIN .
BOOT-LID .
After the spell of relative inaction courtesy of the pandemic, the car was sufficiently finished to enter and successfully climb Kop Hill this year. Now back to snagging
Looks pretty close to this period picture, I think. Watch this space for bolt-on wire wheels.
Next project? CLEAR UP THE WORKSHOP!!!!!!!
The Enchanted and possibly Haunted Sheds of Uncle Mike.
These hollowed halls still stir the hearts of many with the non-jewelled faceted material still available at sparingly affordable prices ; there, a
kit set trailer with 15” wheels, couplings, guards and tail lamps; in the shedlet ( smaller shed), solo Rotax and Lucas lamps, from the proper period ; domestic ‘30’s light switches suitable for dash boards to complement ceramic pole insulators, NZ made valve radios and nestled in the corner a 2hp British Seagull ready to putt its way across the Gulf.
A 1978 Yamaha SR500 (second owner) awaits a new custodian. Disc back and front, alloy wheels. Registration on hold, new battery, new piston, uprated oiling , braided brake lines, new tyres, original panniers supplied by the agent, original purchase paperwork and workshop manual. Has a VIC, suitable for touring two up, National Rallies and occasional speed events. Reason for selling is to many things, not enough time to enjoy them all. Asking $6.5K As is.
Uncle Mike at 027 24 55 786
From the lens of Keith H. I remember these people and objects in colour. Please send your recollections and stories. Memories, memories.
➢ Gentlemen of Note in the Trade.
Roger at Action Bike Wreckers. : Still doing WOF for motorcycles on 62A Barry’s Point Road. Call for an appointment.09 489-7987
Don’t forget Mac’s Garage. Top advice, professional service and well known and respected in the Vintage Austin and Riley world. 09 443-3733, found at 4 Ashfield Road, Glenfeild.
Aegis Oil is a local firm headed by Paul Radisich, famous on the track. He gave a talk at the Auckland Clubrooms on the products of the company. There is a Vintage and Classic range and well suited to our vehicles. Please support them. Members gave testimony to the use of soluble oil in the radiators at 5% rather than antifreeze.
On the Shore firms that will do WOF for older vehicles with understanding and respect.
Tipace Car Services 11 Parity Place, Hillcrest, 09 443 5996
Rolch Automotive 1-29 Ashfield Street, Glenfield 09 443 6805
Another business that is familiar with vintage cars and bikes in Devonport is... Wynyard Motors 1 Wynyard Street, Devonport 445 1357
Please use their expertise and services as such skills are diminishing. Also tell them where you came across their details.
PHOENIX
The OFFICIAL NEWSLETTER of THE WAITEMATA BRANCH of the VINTAGE CAR CLUB OF N.Z. INC.
Bill Hamilton at Irishman’s Creek workshop with his 1914 TT Sunbeam
CLUB NIGHT
Tuesday 2nd July.7.30 pm at the RSA Room, King George V Memorial Hall, Library Lane, Albany.
Take Exit 410 Oteha Valley Road. Travel west along Oteha Valley Road, ahead through 2 roundabouts and straight ahead at Traffic Lights into Albany Highway then almost immediately RIGHT into Library Lane then very soon go right again into the parking area. The RSA Room is at the rear.