CLASSIC, VINTAGE AND VETERAN MOTORING FOR 77 YEARS
No. 379 December 2022/January 2023
New Zealand’s Foremost Historical Motoring Magazine $8.95
CANTERBURY
9 418979 000012
VETERAN RALLY MARKETPLACE
VEHICLES FOR SALE AND WANTED
BEHIND THE WHEEL HUDSON TERRAPLANE DRIVING OUR HISTORY
Nigel Morgan of Foxton found this splendid original photograph, mounted in an oak frame, in a junk store in Levin. He thinks the photograph was taken in Feilding as the post office features prominently in the background. Photographs Required: Submissions of suitable prints and information are welcome. Post or email original photographs or high resolution digital files of historical interest with any available information to: beadedwheels@vcc.org.nz or Beaded Wheels, PO Box 2546, Christchurch 8140. Laserprints/photocopies are not suitable. Photos will be returned as soon as practicable.
NATIONAL OFFICE
The Vintage Car Club of New Zealand (Inc.) PO Box 2546, Christchurch 8140 Phone 03 366 4461 Email admin@vcc.org.nz
VCCNZ LIFE MEMBERS Andrew Anderson Roger White Norm Dewhurst Rod Brayshaw John Coomber
VCCNZ MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE
PRESIDENT Diane Quarrie 06 876 4009 president@vcc.org.nz SECRETARY/ TREASURER
CLUB CAPTAIN NORTHERN REGION Kaaren Smylie 021 664 341 nicc@vcc.org.nz CLUB CAPTAIN SOUTHERN REGION Alon Mayhew 027 202 9491 sicc@vcc.org.nz
REGISTRAR Neil Beckenham 09 426 5831 registrar@vcc.org.nz SPEED STEWARD Tony Haycock 021 662 441 speedsteward@vcc.org.nz EDITOR, BEADED WHEELS Kevin Clarkson 021 0270 6525 kevin@vcc.org.nz Tony Bartlett 06 867 9850
mgmt1@vcc.org.nz
George Kear 027 221 4332
mgmt2@vcc.org.nz
COMMUNICATIONS & MARKETING comms@vcc.org.nz ARCHIVIST Don Muller 03 385 6850
archivist@vcc.org.nz
Murray Trounson 03 339 8830 mgmt3@vcc.org.nz
Please note this information changes annually - these details are valid until the next AGM
VCCNZ BRANCHES A full list of branch addresses and contact details can also be found on the VCCNZ website at www.vcc.org.nz ASHBURTON PO Box 382, Ashburton 7740 ashburton@vcc.org.nz AUCKLAND PO Box 12-138, Penrose, Auckland 1642 auckland@vcc.org.nz BANKS PENINSULA 27 Showgate Ave, Riccarton Park, Christchurch 8042 bankspeninsula@vcc.org.nz BAY OF PLENTY PO Box 660, Tauranga 3144 bayofplenty@vcc.org.nz CANTERBURY PO Box 11-082, Sockburn Christchurch 8443 canterbury@vcc.org.nz CENTRAL OTAGO C/-114 Shortcut Road, Luggate, RD2, Wanaka 9382 centralotago@vcc.org.nz CENTRAL HAWKE’S BAY C/- 448 Tukituki Road, RD1, Takapau 4286 centralhawkesbay@vcc.org.nz EASTERN BAY OF PLENTY PO Box 2168, Kopeopeo Whakatane 3159 easternbayofplenty@vcc.org.nz
2 Beaded Wheels
FAR NORTH C/– PO Box 312 Kaitaia 0441 farnorth@vcc.org.nz GISBORNE PO Box 307, Gisborne 4040 gisborne@vcc.org.nz GORE PO Box 329, Gore 9740 gore@vcc.org.nz HAWKE’S BAY PO Box 3406, Napier 4142 hawkesbay@vcc.org.nz HOROWHENUA PO Box 458, Levin 5540 horowhenua@vcc.org.nz KING COUNTRY C/- 923 Taringamotu Road, Taumarunui 3994 kingcountry@vcc.org.nz MANAWATU PO Box 385 Palmerston North 4440 manawatu@vcc.org.nz MARLBOROUGH PO Box 422, Blenheim 7240 marlborough@vcc.org.nz NELSON PO Box 3531, Richmond 7050 nelson@vcc.org.nz
NORTHLAND PO Box 17, Whangarei 0140 northland@vcc.org.nz NORTH OTAGO PO Box 360, Oamaru 9444 northotago@vcc.org.nz NORTH SHORE C/- 7 Godwit Place, Lynfield Auckland 1042 northshore@vcc.org.nz OTAGO C/- 125 Forbury Road, Saint Clair, Dunedin 9012 otago@vcc.org.nz ROTORUA PO Box 2014, Rotorua 3040 rotorua@vcc.org.nz SOUTH CANTERBURY 19 Redruth St, Timaru 7910 southcanterbury@vcc.org.nz SOUTHLAND PO Box 1240, Invercargill 9840 southand@vcc.org.nz SOUTH OTAGO C/- 1931 Breakneck Rd, RD 4, Balclutha 9274 southotago@vcc.org.nz SOUTH WAIKATO PO Box 403 Tokoroa 3420 southwaikato@vcc.org.nz
TARANAKI C/- 7 Leatham Ave, Strandon, New Plymouth 4312 taranaki@vcc.org.nz TAUPO PO Box 907, Taupo 3351 taupo@vcc.org.nz WAIKATO PO Box 924, Hamilton 3240 waikato@vcc.org.nz WAIMATE 4 Harris St, Waimate 7924 waimate@vcc.org.nz WAIRARAPA PO Box 7, Masterton 5840 wairarapa@vcc.org.nz WAITEMATA C/- 8 Jean Place, Stanmore Bay, Whangaparoa 0932 waitemata@vcc.org.nz WANGANUI PO Box 726, Whanganui 4541 wanganui@vcc.org.nz WELLINGTON PO Box 38418, Wellington Mail Centre, Lower Hutt 5045 wellington@vcc.org.nz WELLSFORD/WARKWORTH PO Box 547, Warkworth 0941 wellsfordwarkworth@vcc.org.nz WEST COAST C/- 143 Ward Street, Cobden Greymouth 7802, westcoast@vcc.org.nz
CONTENTS
Beaded Wheels Publisher
The Vintage Car Club of NZ (Inc.) The Historic Vehicle Authority of New Zealand ISSN 0113-7506 Vol LXXIV No. 379
Issue 379 December 2022/January 2023
Typesetting and Design:
RGB Design & Print Ltd, Christchurch
FEATURES
Editor: Kevin Clarkson Sub Editors:
Judith Bain Rosalie Brown John Coomber Mark Dawber John McDonald Greg Price Charles Rushbrook
Material for Publication
Reports of restorations, events, road tests, historical and technical articles should be submitted to beadedwheels@vcc.org.nz. Email of text and photos is preferred, digital photographs should be high resolution eg 300dpi. Alternatively mail your contribution to PO Box 2546, Christchurch 8140, typed or neatly printed. No payment is made to contributors. The opinions or statements expressed in letters or articles in Beaded Wheels are the author’s own views and do not necessarily express the policy or views of The Vintage Car Club of NZ (Inc).
Email beadedwheels@vcc.org.nz Advertising Enquiries
Classified and Display Advertising to: PO Box 2546, Christchurch 8140. Email beadedwheels@vcc.org.nz Phone 64 3 332 3531 Rate schedule available on request.
11 12 14 20 24 28 30 32 36
Back Issues Available on request to PO Box 2546, Christchurch 8140.
Correspondence & Editorial Contributions
Phone 64 3 332 3531, Fax 64 3 366 0273 PO Box 2546, Christchurch 8140. Email beadedwheels@vcc.org.nz
Subscriptions
Beaded Wheels subscribers change of address to: PO Box 2546, Christchurch 8140. Phone 03 366 4461, Fax 03 366 0273 Annual subscription (6 issues) $52* inc GST Australian subscription (6 issues) NZ$112* Other countries (6 issues) NZ$185* Digital subscription (6 issues) NZ$39 available from vcc.org.nz or issuu.com. *Payment by credit card incurs additional bank fee processing charge of 3%
Closing Date for February/March: Editorial Copy Advertisements
6 January 2023 10 January 2023
The Vintage Car Club of New Zealand (Inc.)
Missing in Action From Fire Pumps to Formula One Behind The Wheel 1936 Terraplane town sedan
Christchurch 8140, New Zealand.
Address: 12 Aberdeen St, Christchurch,
11
Chev Master Deluxe
32
North Island Club Captain’s Tour
36
Market Place
44
A Young Lad and an Old Talbot The final instalment of Alistair Robinson’s Talbot journey Success on Two Wheels Part 1 of Ashley Blair’s research into the origins of New Zealand developed motorcycles. An Adventure with a Morris 8 Series E Prefection Ray and Sue King’s 1959 Prefect gets a once over not-so-lightly. Chevrolet Master Deluxe Rally Snippets 34 Rubber Duckies 2021 and 2022 – Auckland Branch motorcyclists on tour 36 North Island Club Captain’s Tour 38 Annual Rally – Wellington Branch 39 A Cracker Club Run – West Coast Branch 40 Annual Veteran Rally - Canterbury Branch
COLUMNS 4
President’s Message
44
Marketplace
4 5
From the Editor
50
Swap Meets & Rallies
VCC Branch Events
53
Trade Directory
6
National Office
54
Idle Torque
7
Mailbag
66
Passing Lane
9
Timelines
10
The Way We Were
29
Book Review
42
Archivist News
National Office Phone 03 366 4461 Email admin@vcc.org.nz
Postal Address: PO Box 2546,
Missing in action
COVER
New Zealand.
Website: www.vcc.org.nz Copyright Information
The contents are copyright. Articles may be reproduced complete or in part provided that acknowledgement is made to “Beaded Wheels, the magazine of The Vintage Car Club of New Zealand (Inc)” as the source. Reproduction of articles must be at least 12 months after original Beaded Wheels publication date. Beaded Wheels reserves the right to digitally store all published material for archival purposes.
Like us on facebook Beaded Wheels
John and Elaine Lynn crossing the Eyre River in their 1920 Davis Series 51 during the Canterbury Branch Annual Veteran Rally, 25 September 2022, see page 40. Photo John McDonald
40 The Fédération Internationale des Véhicules Anciens (FIVA) is the worldwide organisation dedicated to the preservation, protection and promotion of historic vehicles and related culture. The Vintage Car Club of NZ (Inc) is a founding member of FIVA. VCCNZ Registrar Rod Brayshaw is the New Zealand delegate to FIVA and also a member of the FIVA Technical Commission.
DRIVING OUR HISTORY
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE I am pleased to let you know that we received three expressions of interest for the next Vero International Festival of Historical Motoring. In the new year a sub-committee of the management team will visit the areas, look at venues, meet with local representatives and talk with possible Festival Directors. As a result of receiving the bids, I was able to meet with Vero Insurance regarding sponsorship for not only the Festival but also annual national events and I am delighted that Vero have agreed to continue with their support. The VCC and Vero have had a 60-year relationship commencing in 1963 when Phoenix Insurance created a vehicle insurance policy specifically for VCC members’ vehicles. Fast forward to the present via many name changes and Vero continues with this insurance arrangement where the scheme is available only to VCC members and tailored to suit our vehicles and activities. Over the years Vero has contributed well over $1,000,000 in sponsorship for VCC major events, such as International Rallies and National Events as well as branch commissions and profit share. I recently attended a meeting
FROM THE EDITOR Hard Copy or Digital? For some time now many VCC branch newsletters have, in the main, been available as a digital issue, usually as well as a paper copy which is often posted or sometimes made available to members to pick a copy up at their monthly meeting. This seems to be working well although there may be members unhappy with some aspects of this way of doing things. On the one hand the low cost of distributing the digital copy 4 Beaded Wheels
of the Low Volume Vehicle Technical Association (LVVTA) at which we were advised that in agreement with NZTA, the LVVTA have established a category of new certifiers expressly for pre-1990 vehicles. Everything is in place and some new certifiers will be in place by the middle of 2023. This will make getting deregistered vehicles back on the road easier. The LVVTA are working to ensure that their system aligns with the scope of the Land Transport Vehicle Repair Rules which state at s1.2(2) that “This rule applies to repairs that could affect the safety performance of a vehicle, its structure, systems, components or equipment”. The Low Volume Vehicle Code (the Code) sets out the legal framework under which the LVV System operates and has been developed by the LVVTA with the approval of NZTA. It is an umbrella document that sets out the legal framework under which the low volume vehicle certification system in New Zealand operates for all modified and individually constructed (scratch‐built) vehicles. They have also developed a look-up system to find out if LVVTA certification on a vehicle is legitimate. There are fake certification plates being sold via the internet, indeed, just recently a fake plate could be is attractive but there still remains a need for the printed copy with its attendant printing and postage costs. Some members are fine with a digital copy and have no problems keeping a current copy on their computer desktop to dip into as required (I am one of those). On the other hand, printed version users will say that having it available in hard copy to read as required is just fine. Indeed, some of those may not even have a computer. As I have previously mentioned, printing and postage costs for Beaded
purchased from AliExpress. Fortunately, NZTA (via their lawyers) have intervened in that particular case. But it is worth noting that if you are purchasing a vehicle with a LVVTA certification plate, you should be checking (via the look-up system) that it is legit.
members as well as raising its profile; Branches received pull-up blinds to be used as an aid to publicity; a new Club brochure was produced; and after a hiatus due to Covid-19 a very healthy number of bids for national events in 2023 and future years were received.
Also, at the LVVTA meeting we had a very interesting presentation on emerging technology about Hydrogen Fuel. The development of H2 as a fuel for internal combustion engines is accelerating with manufacturers of massproduced vehicles working on developing products. H2 as a fuel will likely become mainstream as technology and infrastructure develop. However, it is only one of many possible solutions and whether it can be utilised for our earlier VCC vehicles is unknown at this stage.
Looking to next year we have updates to the Club’s strategic plan, Club manual and Vehicle Technical Code; work will commence on new Club and Branch constitutions to bring them into line with the new Incorporated Societies Act; an online VIC application will be developed; dialogue with NZTA regarding 12-month WoF and other issues will continue; the location and date for the next Vero International Festival of Historic Motoring will be announced.
As we move close to bidding 2022 farewell, it is important to look back on our achievements over the year: we have continued with the restructure of national office systems, the very successful Vero International Festival of Historic Motoring was held; an On-line membership application was introduced during the year and is proving to be very successful; our National Day raised over $75K for the Cancer Society and the Club gained many new
Wheels seem to be on an ever-increasing spiral. We are managing the impact of those cost increases and there are no plans in the pipeline to cut costs by having a digital only copy so rest assured that your Beaded Wheels will remain a printed version as it is at present. However, I do wonder what demand from members there could be for a digital copy of Beaded Wheels instead of a hard copy issue. And if there is such a demand then how we would satisfy it. I am pretty sure that most members would wish to have
On behalf of the Management team, we wish you a safe and relaxing holiday season and I hope you have the opportunity to enjoy your vehicles whether it be fettling, restoring or motoring them. Stay safe, take care and keeping Driving our History.
Diane Quarrie VCCNZ National President
a permanent hard copy to pick up. I have the capability of reading e-books on my phone or computer and have a library (yes, that’s what they call it) of books there awaiting my attention, yet I always go for a real book every time. Maybe I’m not ready for digital everything yet!
Kevin Clarkson Editor Beaded Wheels
VINTAGE CAR CLUB BRANCH EVENTS
Nelson Branch
DECEMBER
3 Canterbury 3 Manawatu 3 Northland
DRIVING OUR HISTORY
Vintage Annual Rally Christmas Run & Dinner A&P Show Display
3 North Otago Windsor Rally 3 South Canterbury Christmas Party 3 Taupo Christmas Parade & Dinner 3 South Otago Moped Rally 4 Auckland Christmas Picnic 4 Gisborne Club Captain’s Wing Ding 4 Taranaki Combined Clubs barbecue 4 Waikato Veterans Run (including all ages of vehicles) 4 Wairarapa Groves Memorial Rally 4 Horowhenua Christmas Dinner 4 South Otago Moped Run 4 Wellington Children’s Christmas Party 6 Northland Motorcycle Run 7 Wanganui Restoration of the Year 7 Wellsford/Wkwth Midweek Picnic 9–11 South Canterbury Three Day Tour 10 Canterbury Christmas Social Evening 10 Central Hawke’s BayChristmas Party and Gymkhana 10 Far North Christmas Dinner 10 Wanganui Christmas Parade 11 Otago Christmas barbecue 11 Gore Christmas Run 11 Manawatu Crosshills Picnic 11 Northland Christmas Lunch 11 Waikato Motorcycle Run 11 Waimate Christmas Run 11 Wellsford/Wkwth Christmas Lunch 13 Hawke’s Bay Christmas Club Run 14 Waikato Award Dinner & Christmas Breakup 14 Taupo Coffee & Cars, Lacas Cafe 14 Central Otago Christmas Dinner 14 Bay of Plenty Mid week Run 15 Auckland Christmas Dinner
16 North Shore 18 Canterbury 18 Rotorua 18 King Country 26 Canterbury
Christmas Event Children’s Christmas Picnic Christmas High Tea Run Christmas Dinner Boxing Day Run
JANUARY 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 4 8 8 11 11 15 18 20 21 21 21-22 22 22 22 22 28 29
Ashburton Auckland Banks Peninsula Bay of Plenty Manawatu South Canterbury
New Year’s Day Run New Year’s Day Run New Year’s Day Picnic New Year’s Day Picnic New Year Day Picnic Fairlie New Year’s Day Parade Wanganui Gumboot Rally Wellington New Year’s Day Picnic Wellsford/Wkwth Midweek Picnic, Scandrett’s Bay Wairarapa Coastal Run Waikato Blue Smoke & Pedals Banks Peninsula Pomeroy Trophy Wanganui BBQ Picnic Otago Jackson Rally Auckland Mid Week Tourers Wellington Club Captain’s Monte Carlo Rally Wanganui Wheels on Victoria Ave Waimate Kick Start Rally Otago Dunedin-Brighton Veteran Rally Central Hawke’s BayBeach Run Central Otago Swap Meet combined with Alpine Street Machines Car Show Rotorua Lakefront Car Show Wanganui Burma Rally Ashburton Annual Rally South Canterbury Ladies Rally
FEBRUARY
3-5 Banks Peninsula 3-6 Southland 4 4-6 5 6
7 11 11 10-12 10-12 12 12 12 12 15 15 15-19 18 18 19 19 21 25 25 25 25 25-26 26 25 26
Skope Race Meeting National Motorcycle Rally Southland Southland Rally South Canterbury Weekend Away E Bay of Plenty East Coast Rally Marlborough Heritage Day, Brayshaw Park Northland Motorcycle Run Canterbury Boot Sale Waimate Wallaby Rally Banks Peninsula Levels Race Meeting Gisborne Three Rivers Rally Manawatu Veteran Rally Rotorua BBQ Run Wairarapa Rememberance Run Waikato Club Run Picnic, Cambridge Lions Market Day Auckland Mid Week Tourers Waikato Wednesday Wander Hawke’s Bay Art Deco Festival North Otago All British Rally Far North Northern Club Captains’ Run Central Hawke’s BayCHB Art Deco Run South Canterbury Chairman’s Run Ashburton Club Captain’s Run & BBQ Auckland Annual Veteran Rally Wellsford/Wkwth Swap Meet Central Hawke’s BayHoe Down North Otago A & P Show VCC Parade Canterbury Annual Rally Gisborne Club Run South Canterbury Open Day Wanganui Sunday Run
NATIONAL EVENTS 3-6 February 2023 National Motorcycle Rally, Southland 24 -26 February 2023 National Veteran Rally, Auckland
This list does not contain all branch events – Check branch newsletters for up-to-date details of smaller events. This column is compiled from the VCCNZ National Calendar of Events, and events as listed in each branch newsletter. Any deletions, additions, alterations need to be notified to Beaded Wheels by the Branch Secretary before 10th of the month prior to magazine publication.
While Beaded Wheels makes every attempt to check the accuracy of the dates published in this column we advise readers to confirm all dates with the individual branch concerned.
A valid Vehicle ID card (VIC) is required for any vehicle entered in a National VCC event. Visit www.vcc.org.nz for more information on how to obtain a VIC for your vehicle.
Beaded Wheels 5
NATIONAL OFFICE NEWS
BOUGHT A VEHICLE THAT HAS A VINTAGE CAR CLUB OF NZ VEHICLE ID CARD?
Contact National Office for all queries regarding VICs, historic race licences, logbooks, registration of vehicles, lighting endorsement, address changes, subscriptions, membership cards, speed events.
The office has been very busy with member’s subscription payments, telephone calls, membership applications and VIC applications over the past month.
invoice is unpaid at the time of the March 2023 Executive Meeting will be struck off, as per the constitution, and will lose any previous continuous membership.
SUBSCRIPTION INVOICES
If you intend to resign it would be appreciated if you notify the National Office.
In mid-September the annual invoices for membership for the year 1 November 2022 to 31 October 2023 were sent out. These were sent via email or for those members that do not have an email address in our system, the invoices were posted.
CHANGE OF ADDRESS/ DETAILS
Please advise the National Office if you have changed address, phone number, email address or vehicle ownership.
If you haven’t received your invoice, let your Branch Secretary or National Office know asap. Membership cards were posted to financial members in November. Members whose renewal
THANKS NEW ZEALAND
– NEWS FLASH – WARKWORTH/WELLSFORD NORTH SHORE AUCKLAND
HAWKE’S BAY
HOROWHENUA NELSON
CANTERBURY
CENTRAL OTAGO
SOUTHLAND
WAIMATE
SOUTH CANTERBURY OTAGO
GORE SOUTH OTAGO
CENTRAL HAWKE’S BAY
WAIRARAPA WELLINGTON
MARLBOROUGH
ASHBURTON
NORTH OTAGO
GISBORNE
MANAWATU
An awesome result from all our members, WEST COAST I cannot thank you enough. Kaaren Smylie National Day Coordinator
EASTERN BAY OF PLENTY
TAUPO
$75,000!
6 Beaded Wheels
BAY OF PLENTY
WANGANUI
To transfer between branches, complete a transfer form. This can be obtained through your branch secretary or from our website. Please note that the transfer form must be signed off by both branches involved in the transfer.
The office will be closed on Friday 23 December and reopen at 9.30am Wednesday 28 December 2022. The office will be closed for the New Year Public holidays only. The Beaded Wheels office will be closed from 22 December until 9am 10 January 2023.
Linda Duffell Vintage Car Club of New Zealand Inc Office Administrator
Beaded Wheels
Daffodil Rally for Cancer
The total funds raised by our branches from our 2022 VCC National Day, the Daffodil Rally for Cancer is …
NATIONAL OFFICE CHRISTMAS HOURS
BRANCH TRANSFER
Mon-Fri 9.30am to 1.30pm. Email us on: admin@vcc.org.nz
Please note: Financial membership of the Vintage Car Club of NZ Incorporated is a requirement to be insured under the VCC/Vero Insurance Scheme.
WAIKATO
Please include your membership number in all communications with National Office including payments to the National Office bank account. This can be found on your membership card in the top right-hand corner.
NATIONAL OFFICE HOURS
VCC VERO INSURANCE SCHEME
NEW TOTAL
Upon a change of ownership, the Vehicle ID Card is no longer valid. It is easy to transfer this into your name. Complete the VCC Change of Ownership form (found on the Club Website, through your branch, or direct from National Office).
COMMUNICATIONS WITH NATIONAL OFFICE
Beaded Wheels is the voice of The Vintage Car Club of New Zealand (Inc.) and its 36 branches covering the length and breadth of the country. The efforts of our members continue to foster and ever widen the interest in this segment of our country’s history. It is to these people, who appreciate the fascination of age, the individuality and the functional elegance of vehicles from a bygone era, that this magazine is dedicated Beaded Wheels – Our long established title may have readers wondering about its origin. By way of explanation beaded edge wheels use beaded edge tyres that are kept in place by reinforced rubber beads, which fit into the rolled edges of the wheel
rim. This style of wheel was a distinctive feature of early motoring, being used on early bicycles, many pre-1924 cars and most motorcycles until 1927. In March 1955 The Vintage Car Club of New Zealand adopted the title Beaded Wheels for their club magazine which was the successor to the monthly Guff Sheet.
MAILBAG The editorial committee reserve the right to publish, edit or refuse publication of any item submitted as comment. The views expressed herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily express the policy or views of the Vintage Car Club of New Zealand (Inc.) or the publishers. Letters may be edited for length and clarity.
1927 STUDEBAKER ERSKINE BUSINESS COUPE I have been unable to discover any information about surviving 1927 Studebaker Erskine Business Coupes here in New Zealand. (Restored/unrestored/ parts cars/parts).
The VCC has no listings for this model in its members’ database. Unfortunately it appears the production numbers for specific 1927 Studebaker Erskine models including the Business Coupe did not survive and if there was ever a register of 1927 Studebaker Erskine models that were imported / sold in New Zealand, that also appears to have disappeared. Anyone with any helpful information could email me please: mark@commer.co.nz. Mark Erskine
1926 TO 1930 STUDEBAKER ERSKINE OWNERS Owners of all models of Studebaker Erskine cars (restored/unrestored/parts cars /parts) are invited to join a new Erskine Owners Register, for tech support, repairs, maintenance, parts, shared knowledge and history.
If interested, please email: mark@commer.co.nz or phone 021 254 1939 Mark Erskine
MEMORABLE DRIVES
In the Auckland bit of Idle Torque in the current issue 378 there is a photo of John Morrison’s Lago Talbot which really sparks my nonagenarian memory banks! I suspect that if John sets about the history of his car, he will find that its original importer was our fellow founder member, the late Rob Shand and so the car itself was the personal car of
the late Tony Lago himself. On its acquisition and having got himself well acquainted with the car and its performance possibilities, Rob decided to pay a visit to the then current Waimate “round the houses” race meeting. He invited Leon Witte and me to accompany him on this expedition which, needless to say was smartly accepted and we all gathered at his Glandovey Road mansion, loaded up for a long weekend and set off for what can only be described as a ‘fantastic drive’. Once clear of Templeton, the speedo reading hit 130kph and stayed there with barely a flicker upward or down with gaps only for Ashburton and Timaru. Temuka involved a drop to 100kph for smooth drift down into Vine St and back to 130 to Timaru. Here Rob took us through the city centre on Stafford St and straight back to 130 on crossing the Saltwater Creek bridge. At Waimate we packed ourselves in what is now the William Boland Park on the Goldsmith St leg of the circuit which proved a good choice. It offered an excellent view of the High School corner and also the Queen St double up sector. There we were soon joined by Angus Hislop and my old school contemporary Ian McKellar whose 4 CLT Maserati had mangled its blower drive and retired.
engine, which is a story in itself. We successfully talked Ian out of the enormous complexities of the 4CLT Maza and he finally settled for a lovely M45 Lagonda with which he helped us marshal the Haast in 1965. Now that both Leon and I are both keen high-speed motorists that prefer to do it ourselves it speaks volumes for Rob’s driving that we both hugely enjoyed and relaxed for that fantastic 130 kph trip to Waimate and remember it with pleasure. The car was later sent up to Bert Tonks in Wanganui for some bodywork and was still there and passed to receivers on Rob’s guarantee problems. There must be many members of the club with similar memories of fantastic drives not necessarily involving 130 kph, what about telling us about them? Andrew Anderson
TARGA NELSON Having recently completed the two day VCC/Targa Time Trial event in Nelson, I thought I would like to put forward my thoughts on the event. Firstly, I said that we completed the event rather that competed in the event because our focus on the time trialling aspect is somewhat limited. We tend to be relegated to the back of the group, which allows us to drive the stages with some enthusiasm without getting in the way of the more serious time trialers too much.
The race featured the one and only monoposto F1 Aston Martin of which great things were expected but proved a disappointment.
The time trial event itself is a great format that is attainable for many VCC cars. An average speed of around 70 kph is required, so coming up with a suitable car isn’t too hard. A look around the carpark at the start of the event highlighted this, there was everything from Jags to MGs, Ford Sierras to Holden Toranas, Datsuns to Minis, from an Alfa to a Renault to a Jowett Javelin.
Discussion as to where to spend the night after all the usual post-race carry-on resulted in us all staying at Ian’s spread near Tinwald and a day of steam with his great traction
I have to say that there were some beautiful cars entered (it’s great to see them actually being driven, not just being polished) but the cars that brought a real smile to my face were the less
likely contenders like the father and son Mini, or the Renault 12, which may not be a first choice for this sort of event, not forgetting the Jowett or the two stroke Saab. Seeing these being driven in a spirited fashion and seeing the grins on the faces of the drivers was great, and I’m sure very fulfilling for the organizers. To me, this does highlight the fact that this event could be entered by almost any VCC member, in almost any VCC car from the 1940s on (and many pre ‘40s as well), regardless of age or experience, who wants the opportunity to drive their car in a bit more sporting fashion than ordinary roads usually allow. Having the roads closed and having the road book to guide you makes for a truly unique experience. It completely changes the way you look at a piece of road. As the navigator in the event, I caught myself out ‘narrating’ the road to myself as I was driving home after the event, giving myself instructions as I approached corners or one lane bridges. I would encourage everyone to put some thought into entering next year’s event, particularly some of the more ‘vintage’ cars. From what has been announced so far, it will be a fantastic event. I can’t finish without a brief word of thanks to the URG group and Rod and Anne Corbett who put the event together. The work involved in dealing with various councils, community groups, emergency services, land owners and local organisations is mind boggling. Also needing a mention are all of the volunteers (many were local VCC members at this event) who timekeep, marshall, close off roads and a dozen other things that allow the event to go ahead. Thank you all. Ken Hawkes aka The Southern Navigator
MORE TO THE ROLLS-ROYCE STORY I too was intrigued by John McDonald’s 1922 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost story and can add a little more to it.
Beaded Wheels 7
tricks of the trade I am surprised at the lack of mention of Ultra High Pressure (UHP) Water Blasting for paint stripping on old cars. In restoration articles we read of sand blasting, chemical stripping, acid dipping and so on but never water blasting. My experiences may be of interest. UHP blasting can be performed up to 40,000 psi which A friend and I have used with great success. In my case I had a 1952 R Type Bentley which, when purchased, had the original awful green paint in less than showroom condition. I had the car professionally chemically stripped, a filthy time consuming and bordering on dangerous job, and then resprayed to the highest standard with modern finishes. It looked great for a few years and then tiny pimples appeared, particularly on the guards. These were stripped and painted again at a discounted rate but after a time the same thing happened again. It was time for some serious research which revealed that this was a relatively common occurrence particularly with cars from the 1950s period. An inspection by paint technicians using ultra magnification showed that the metal panels were covered with microscopic pitting which despite two strippings still contained a minute quantity of the original paint. It was pretty obvious that the modern paint chemicals were reacting with the old stuff. Now, how to get rid of the offending material. I was not happy with sandblasting for various reasons and was told by the experts that it could not be guaranteed to remove all the material in these microscopic pits. Enquiries directed me to a company in Wiri, whose name I forget, who specialised in UHP water blasting. I was very impressed by what I learnt which included UHP stripping of light aircraft aluminium fuselages with absolutely no damage to the metal. An aircraft could be stripped with no grit, no chemicals and no residue, just bare shiny metal. They had also been commissioned to strip the dome on the Sky Tower which was suffering from corrosion. A friend with a 20/25 Rolls-Royce with soft aluminium body decided to take the plunge and had the car stripped with absolutely no panel damage. Encouraged by all this I ordered the UHP blasting. The team arrived with a fairly large truck which housed a large diesel driven high pressure pump. They had clever ways of dealing with the paint residue so that there was no environmental concern. The flat nozzle on the hose had many pin hole sized jets which despite the 40,000 psi did not have the effect of a large pressure area on the panels. To see the paint just peeling off was absolutely fascinating and in no time we were faced with gleaming steel panels. No damage to rubber ware nor to any glass. The job was done in a remarkably short time and the cost if I remember correctly was $1800. This was quite a long time ago and the cost will no doubt have increased. The car was repainted to a very high standard and today it retains its perfect finish after probably about 25+ years. My recommendation. Forget the acid bath, forget the grit blast, forget the chemical strip. Go for UHP water blasting Supplied to Beaded Wheels by John Stewart
Beaded Wheels is always looking for hints of a technical nature. If you have a top tip that deserves a wider audience email us today and we can help spread the word.
8 Beaded Wheels
MAILBAG
In the 1960s and ‘70s I spent many weekends shooting in the Otira area on Kellys Hill and in the Hunt Basin with Murray Whyte. Murray worked for the NZED and Roly Parker managed the substation at Otira so they knew each other well. I had the pleasure of meeting Roly and seeing the Rolls-Royce. The flood and subsequent rebuild is also correct and after each fresh flood in the Otira River Roly would go looking for more pieces of the car that may have appeared from beneath the shingle. After the rebuild Roly took the Rolls on a trip right round the South Island to celebrate its completion and I believe the photo of the Rolls attributed to the Nelson Photo News which received quite a bit of publicity at the time was taken during that trip. Roly also had a beautiful little Manlicher carbine and in his younger days shot a lot of deer in the Hunt Basin. He would finish work on Friday night, then with his pack and rifle climb over Mt Barron into the Hunt, fly camp and shoot deer on Saturday and Sunday morning, then tramp back over Mt Barron on Sunday afternoon with a pack of tails to cash in. When I was going into the Hunt we used to pass the remains of a bivouac made from timber and malthoid that Roly had carried over Mt Barron a bit at a time on his pack to make the nights in there a bit more comfortable. The other part of the story I found interesting was that the car could have originally belonged to Robert McDougall. About 1950 when I was a kid there was a lovely old man who moved into a little cabin beside the main water race in Waddington and he lived there on his own for many years. That man’s name was William Armstrong and all the local kids called him Uncle Bill. It is very likely that our Uncle Bill drove that Rolls-Royce because William Armstrong had been Robert McDougall’s chauffeur. Fred Bull Member Canterbury
IN APPRECIATION OF VCC BRANCHES AND MEMBERS.
In early November a group of VCC Canterbury members travelled south to join the 50th Taieri Tour. We decided to take an extra couple of days each way and take the long and winding roads. Our first stop was the Ashburton VCC clubrooms where we expected hot water only. We were treated to a great morning tea. We then had a late lunch at Waimate VCC clubrooms. Next morning it was North Otago VCC clubrooms at Oamaru and another great morning tea. After the tour we had our fish and chips at the Central Otago VCC clubrooms in Cromwell. We wish to sincerely thank the members of the above clubs for their warm welcomes and hospitality. I would also like to thank Ernest George (North Otago), Travis Michelle and David Mills (Otago) and Beau Trevathan (Central Otago) for their help in setting out our rally routes with knowledge of their local areas. We all thoroughly enjoyed the Taieri Tour. Well done Otago branch! Dave Inwood Member Canterbury
NOT JUST ANY TALBOT Thank you for your comments Ian and for your word picture of the ‘90s auction scene.
Bill Shannon’s car is now in England. It was offered by its last New Zealand owner in Blenheim in immaculate condition at a very reasonable price, but in the end it seems the only interest was from the UK. The Te Awamutu Talbot saloon is the car that is pictured in the large colour spread in the Aug/ Sept BW. I bought the car from Noel Locke in Te Awamutu, then ended up with the 90 and so sold the BA saloon to Lawrence Poolman, so I could focus my attention and resources on the 90 rebuild. I have once again bought the saloon back from
TIMELINES
Alistair Robinson
PHOTOS FOR IDENTIFICATION.
I am hoping to get some some feedback that will help identify this motor. The motor would be for sale. Geoff Quarrie quarrienz@gmail.com Sales brochure 1972
Lawrence in 2012 and have restored the car with help and assistance from my friend Dave Coop of Wellsford. It’s registered and warranted and waiting for me to finish it off with the proper headlights, radiator shutters and scuttle vents. This car appeared to be missing a box load of small bits, many I’ve located in the UK, but some I’m still looking for. So if anyone in the Waikato has turned up such a cache of bits I’d be very happy to hear from you.
ENGER MYSTERY
Is anything known about the Enger motorcar? I had never heard of them, but a friend had a radiator emblem from one that apparently belonged to a doctor from Levin. About 20 years ago he gave the emblem to Southwards, I have always wondered about the make and asked people but no one has heard of them. I have searched on Papers Past and found mention of a V12 that could be run on 6 cylinders, the exhaust valves being held open on one bank by moving a small lever on the steering column located under the steering wheel. Although I don’t have a vintage car myself I am interested in motoring history. Peter Meacheam Sanson Manawatu.
1902/03
120 YEARS AGO VETERAN VEHICLES
1922/23
100 YEARS AGO
In a Surrey court a constable swore he’d run after and caught a motorist who was doing 25mph and had failed to stop. When challenged about this magnificent feat the constable claimed it was easy, as he was an athlete and had been known to run a mile in a minute! Worse still, a second constable claimed this was true, but that he could run faster still! No doubt some brave Surrey motorists were tempted to put the constables’ claim to the test.
VINTAGE VEHICLES
Just how J G Parry-Thomas persuaded the Leyland directors into producing a super-car is a mystery. Sadly it was all over after 1922 when the Leyland Eight was seen in public for the last time at the Olympia motor show. Two years earlier it had been labelled ‘The Lion of Olympia’ by the motoring press, a label deserving of a straight eight, 6967cc, 145bhp, 90mph car with a chassis price of £1,875.
1947/48
75 YEARS AGO
PW VEHICLES
Said to be the favourite car of King George VI, Ford’s 1947, ex American 1936, 3622cc flat head 85bhp, V8, was resurrected in Britain as the Pilot. It was a mix of old and new with vacuum wipers, umbrella handbrake, strip speedo, curved gear lever, opening windscreen and a Jackall jacking system. Capable of 0 to 60mph in 21 seconds, an 80mph maximum, a 60–70mph cruise and 18 to 22mpg, the big Ford won the Tulip and Lisbon Rallies, and sold 22,155 units.
1972
50 YEARS AGO
1992
30 YEARS AGO
P60 VEHICLES
Borrowing the Mini’s front engine, front wheel drive layout and refining it, Honda set new standards with the launch of the Civic. Those who knew the Mini found the Civic a revelation. Smooth, silent and well equipped, the 1169cc 60bhp engine offered 140km/h and a 0 to 100km/h time of 13 seconds. There was a choice of a fourspeed manual or Hondamatic two speed automatic.
The only identification on the motor is the numbers in one of the pictures. The mag is a Bosch.
P80 VEHICLES
Lada’s basic off roader, the Niva, was upgraded with white wheels, a bullbar, wheel arch flares, custom graphics, side mouldings and a stereo-cassette player. Called the Turist, it was priced at $19,495. Its stable mate, the $21,000 Cossack, remained the top of the line with more luxury. All were powered by the four cylinder 1600 engine, with a five-speed gearbox, high and low ratios and diff locks.
Compilation of developments in the motoring world this month in history. Graeme Rice QSM
Beaded Wheels 9
THE WAY WE WERE A QUIET WEDDING The best laid plans …...! You’ll perhaps recall that on the sailing of self and the good ship Orari from Dunedin, it had been decided that Mollie would save furiously and sail off for her great OE in approximately one year, then we would get quietly wed over there and spend some time hitching around UK and Europe.
the provision of a suitable base was of prime concern.
Well! Towards the end of my time with Firth Vickers, I learned of the sailing of the New Zealand steamship company’s SMS Rangitiki with no less than a battalion of girls. Molly, her two elder sisters, and her three best friends and another friend of the family on the way and were requiring a London base and collection from Southampton and delivering thereto. Also, far from a quiet wedding, my very sociable Aunt Gladys, with our parental connivance was concocting a huge affair with every possible UK relative and connection!
My last day with Firth Vickers was 27 February and then I hot footed it to London where New Zealand House had a list of people prepared to rent places to Kiwis. A great four storey place in Hampstead offered the complete two top storeys which would accommodate our complete company including me. The owners, obviously not aware of the upcoming coronation, signed up a very satisfactory contract and 51 Netherhall Gardens, Hampstead was to prove a wonderful and very central base with its own outside staircase entrance quite independent of the owner’s bottom two storeys. A hired Super Snipe Humber with roof rack took me to Southampton to meet the ship, crammed in the complete harem and vast quantities of baggage and dropped these at Netherhall Gardens.
All was further complicated by the death of King George VI and the upcoming Coronation of Elizabeth which would obviously draw vast crowds to London. So,
By 3 May, the whole team resettled in Leigh for the vast wedding from which Mollie and I duly escaped, in the 12/50 Alvis, and off to Dover and
our planned tour of Europe. Through the Ardennes, to Luxembourg, to Germany, Austria, Switzerland, to the Dolomite country at Bolzano and a drive up the 7000-foot Sella Pass leaving many boiling Mercs. After some days there, we’re off via Lake Como to Genoa and along the coast to Nice and Monte Carlo for some days, then via the Route Napoleon to Paris for some more days until arriving home to catch the Coronation.
Engine gaskets Steering joints Electrical fittings Shock absorbers Shackles (pins & bushes) Water pumps & kits Carburettors Pistons Speedo cables Lenses
VCCNZ FOUNDING & LIFE MEMBER
Gearbox gears Crownwheel & pinions Wiper motors (vac) Wheel cylinders & kits Ring gears & pinions Clutch plates Fuel pumps & kits Steering box parts Ignition parts Engine mounts
MECHANICAL RESTORATIONS VINTAGE & CLASSIC SPARES (1980) RD 7 • Fordell • Wanganui • Phone/Fax 06 342 7713 10 Beaded Wheels
Remembering the origins and very early events of the Vintage Car Club as recalled by Andrew Anderson
ANDREW ANDERSON
ENGLISH AMERICAN CONTINENTAL AUSTRALIAN JAPANESE
Stockists of new AUTOMOTIVE PARTS CAR, TRUCK & TRACTOR 1912–1997 (85 year span)
Kingpin sets Suspension parts Spark plugs Engine bearings Master cylinders & kits Rear axles Clutch covers Brake & clutch cables Valves, springs, guides Timing gears & chains
▲M ollie rugged up in the Alvis touring the alps.
CAST IRON WELDING
Powder Spray Process, Cylinder Heads, Manifolds, Cooling Fins, Castings, Mechanical Repairs & Rebuilds Thomas Rowe Motoring Engineer ltd 6 RD Palmerston North
PHONE
06 324-8707
A young David Barnes on the Indian, circa 1960s.
Robert Simpson and David Barnes at Waikato 50/50.
MISSING IN ACTION Words and photos Ian Patton
Back in 2016 at the Waikato Branch Double Fifty Rally motorbike member Robert Simpson joined the line up on his 1941 Indian 741B motorbike. Late to register, Robert was back in the field when he rocked up to the start line, under the control of Model A truck pilot and long-time member, David Barnes. As the seconds ticked by David revealed “I owned a bike like this once, sold it to a fella Simpson from Huntly”. Robert yelled back “This is it” and without further fuss rode off to find his way to
Indian 741 used as a farm bike in 1971.
lunch. Robert told me about this at the end of the day so I decided to get the two together. As it turns out, David and his Dad had bought the bike locally in the 1960s to use as a farm bike on their Te Kowhai dairy farm. Robert’s wife Mattie had worked with David’s Dad at a Hamilton accountancy firm and when the bike was to be sold for a new and proper farm bike she stepped up with $200 and bought the bike for Robert as a gift, this was in the early 1970s. The bike was still running but Robert set out to restore it. He says it took him a couple of years to scrape the cow muck off it. The motor, gearbox and clutch were rebuilt professionally and Robert did the rest. He sometimes bought parts and accessories at lunch time from the Army Surplus Store, Valentines, which burnt down in 1979. The bike is army colours with a number on the side, a close match to the colour David had made it. David was quick to point out a few bits that weren’t on it when he had it. He also showed us the low bits that used to catch on the ruts if you were not wide awake early in the mornings! He regaled us with the story of the time he didn’t quite make it to the top of a hill with suspect brakes and going backwards he had to use the side of the bank to stop, “It took forever to dig the dirt out of the exhaust” to get it to run again. I don’t think we will see Robert rounding up cows on his bike anytime soon but we hope to see him back at the Double Fifty, you never know who you will meet up with!
Beaded Wheels 11
▲ Coventry Climax FWMA engine Coventry Transport Museum.
▲ Coventry Climax FWMC engine dohc 742cc.
FROM FIRE PUMPS TO FORMULA ONE Words and photos Jim Bennett
The story of a small industrial engine which became the basis of a Formula One winner. Sounds like a fairy tale! I have known since its introduction that there was a connection between a Coventry Climax engine and the Rootes Group Hillman Imp engine. What I was unaware of was that this industrial engine was the basis for a power unit fitted to cars that won 22 Formula One races and powered Lotus to World Championships in 1963 and 1965. The original FWP (feather-weight) combination water pump and petrol engine was designed in 1950 for the British Ministry of Defence (MoD), who were supplied with 5,000 units. This engine was subsequently manufactured for the car industry and in particular for motor sport. The original engine of 1020 cc was altered internally and produced for various categories as small as 750cc and up to 1460cc. In 1957 Lotus won the 750 cc class at Le Mans as well as the Index Of Performance with the engine running regularly to 8,000 rpm for the 24 hours. The 750 engine developed 59 bhp at 8,000 rpm. By the mid ‘50s the company was aware that they could produce a newer 35 hp general purpose power unit to meet the specification for the government (including for Search Lights and Generator Sets) using a smaller displacement engine. This resulted in the development of a single overhead camshaft FWM unit of 654 cc (2.35 inch bore x 2.25 inch stroke) in 1957, which basically was a miniaturised version of FWP. This unit was 100lb lighter that its predecessor. FWM was then developed as an automotive engine, FWMA, of 742 cc with larger 2.45 inch bore and 2.4 inch stroke in 1959. Several versions of FWMD diesel utility engines (including a marine version) followed. This engine was further developed using a double overhead camshaft, two valves per cylinder, cross flow cylinder head and became the FWMC, succeeding FWC (the larger engine) as the all-out racing engine for the 750cc class. FWMC became known for the unusually loud and high-pitched exhaust note when installed
12 Beaded Wheels
in a specially made super-light version of a Lotus 23 run by UDT Laystall in 1961. These engines produced 83 bhp at 7,000 rpm. It was this four cylinder DOHC FWMC that was used as the basis of the successful FWMV V8 for the 1.5 litre Formula One in the early 1960s. To streamline the production, the 63mm x 60mm sizes of the V8 were later applied back to the four cylinder engine to form the 748 cc FWMB using the same single cam cylinder head as the FWMA.
FWMV The 1.5-litre FWMV V8, developed from the four cylinder 750cc FWMC, was designed in 1960 using a five main bearing crankshaft and ran for the first time in May 1961. It produced 174 bhp at 8,500 rpm with 11.5:1 compression ratio, using 100 octane fuel and made its debut ▲ FWMV F1 1.5L V8 engine Coventry Transport in a Cooper T58 at the Museum. 1961 German GP in August. By the end of the 1.5 litre F1 class in 1965 these engines were producing over 200 bhp at 9,750 rpm. A few 2 litre engines were produced for the new 3 litre formula, the final versions producing 244 bhp at 8,900rpm. These units were also used with success in the Tasman series.
HILLMAN IMP The Mk2 875cc FWM engine was the basis for the Hillman Imp. After agreement between the companies to use the FWM design, in the early ‘60s a Rootes Group designer worked in the Coventry Climax drawing office for a time, to re-design the engine to make it suitable for high volume production and installation in the Imp. Some of the design changes that were made by Rootes to simplify production were against the advice of Coventry Climax (CC) engineers. However Rootes went ahead, and the problems documented by CC occurred. Because Coventry Climax had given the design to Rootes they had no say in the matter. No doubt they wouldn’t have given away their design if they had foreseen that their engineers’ advice would be ignored. The Hillman Imp engine required significant modifications for it to become a reliable high performance engine. The first 998cc Rally Imp engines were simply converted by boring out the original 875cc dry cylinder liners and fitting larger ones. These engines were unreliable so Rootes commissioned Coventry Climax to develop them. They did significant machining of the block to convert them to wet liners with Coopers Mechanical Joints gaskets used to seal the combustion chambers. Later it was found that high revving engines required a girdle plate bolted between the block and sump to stiffen the unit to further improve reliability. I have a small Rootes-manufactured engine, similar to the FWM, in my FURI Impulse single seater, which has been modified in the above way. It has been very reliable since fitting in 2017. This 998cc engine uses an Imp Sport cylinder head, forged pistons, stock 10:1 compression and is supercharged to 10lb boost. I run it on 65% methanol/98 petrol mix. A moderate performance camshaft grind allows the engine to run regularly to 7000rpm with good torque from 3500rpm. Power is estimated at around 120hp. The car weighs about 450kg ready to race. It has competed at VCCNZ speed events in the South Island since 2010.
Jim Bennett Jim Bennett is married and has two adult children. Prior to retirement he managed a precision engineering business where he began work as an apprentice toolmaker. His hobby since high school has been building and racing cars and he has been involved in the design and construction of more than a dozen, eight of which are road legal. A member of the VCC since 2009, he has participated regularly in various branch speed events through out the South Island in his ninth car.
▲ Hillman Imp engine.
▲ J im Bennett with the Impulse and Banks Peninsula Branch award.
Beaded Wheels The Beaded Wheels team is always on the lookout for a good article for future issues. To encourage you to put pen to paper two lucky authors or photographers per issue will win a limited edition Beaded Wheels cap.
writers wanted
Alas we are not in the position to provide financial recompense for services rendered but we are sure you will be compensated by the satisfaction of seeing your words and photos in print. Email your articles and ideas to: beadedwheels@vcc.org.nz High resolution digital photos are
preferred. Or contact our editorial committee chairman, Kevin Clarkson, if you wish to discuss an idea for an article. Phone 021 0270 6525, kevin@vcc.org.nz Our winners of the Beaded Wheels caps for this issue are: Alistair Robinson and Murray Cormack Beaded Wheels 13
“In the air it’s aeroplaning, on the water it’s hydroplaning, on the ground, hot diggetty dog, that’s Terraplaning” (per Gilbert’s Hudson Essex Terraplane Club tee shirt)
GILBERT & ANDREA DALLOW’S
1936 TERRAPLANE TOWN SEDAN Words and photos Greg Price 14 Beaded Wheels
HIN BE
D THE WHE
You hear lots of different stories about how people came to acquire their particular vehicles, some are quite simplistic and some are quite remarkable, but this is the first time ever that I’ve heard anyone say they got their car to save it from drowning! True! I kid you not. But if you think about the old (now flooded) settlement of Cromwell, the Loburn Bridge and Lake Dunstan, it all starts to make sense. Yes, this is an ex-Cromwell Terraplane, that would have become submerged when Lake Dunstan was formed in 1992. As can be seen in the photos, one car was not so lucky, but given its decrepit state, I suspect it was added after the flooding commenced! I first saw the Dallow’s Terraplane back in 1988, when it was looking splendid after its first rebuild. What was especially eyecatching was the grille, which is known as a waterfall grille. Check out the photos, and you’ll see why it is called that. The occasion was the McLeans Island Swap Meet so it is a familiar car to me. It is also a familiar car to Editor Kevin, so it was logical that we would both be keen to see it feature as a Behind the Wheel subject. The only issue was going to be ‘who would do the write up’? Throwing my toys out of the cot unless I was allowed to do it was my successful tactic and thus I got the task. I mean, the car has white-wall tyres! Who did he think should do it?
MEANWHILE BACK IN CROMWELL IN THE 1980s
Back in 1982, the writing was on the wall for the demise of the old Cromwell town centre, and much of the surrounding area was going to be flooded to create the lake behind the dam – a successful Muldoon-era ‘Think Big’ project. Being Dinkys, (double income no kids yet) Gilbert and Andrea were on the lookout for a project and the Terraplane fitted the bill. The old Cromwell township was, at the time, the centre of the stone fruit growing area and stood on a narrow strip of land bordering the junction of the Kawarau and Clutha rivers. The Terraplane was parked up on a now-flooded part of the old Cromwell neighbourhood, along with some other cars, looking sad and in need of a new home, preferably above the new waterline. The Dallows obliged and removed it to Christchurch, where, over the next three years they brought it back to its former glory, with a few embellishments of the period. Part of the acquisitioning process was to join the Hudson Essex Terraplane Club, and upon becoming members, Gilbert was presented with the aforementioned tee shirt which he still has.
Beaded Wheels 15
EL
SPECIFICATIONS Engine:
Carburettor:
six cylinder, side valve. Bore 3 inches, stroke 5 inches Displacement 212 ci. (3474 cc) 88 HP at 3800 rpm. Three bearing crankshaft, oil pressure 3 lbs, coil ign. Carter
From what they have been able to establish, this Terraplane was at one time a GI army vehicle, given the remnants of a large star on each front door, but it is unclear if this had been in the USA or New Zealand. It is known that the Americans left behind a number of vehicles, so whether or not this was one of them, is moot. It is right-hand-drive though, so who knows. What is known though, is the history of the Terraplane in New Zealand.
Brakes: Four wheel hydraulic. Mechanical handbrake on rear wheels. Clutch: Single plate cork insert type operating in oil. (Oil requires replacing every 500 miles!) Steering: Worm & sector type Wheel Base: 115 in.
BRIEF HISTORY OF TERRAPLANE IN NEW ZEALAND
Hudson and Essex vehicles were imported into New Zealand by Dominion Motors of Wellington which began operations in 1912. After Dominion Motors amalgamated with Universal Motor Company of Christchurch in 1919 the company added other marques from the United States and Britain. Vehicles, including Terraplanes, were assembled in-house from knock-down kits. In the South Island Hudson and Essex vehicles were imported by W.G. Vining Limited of Nelson, beginning in 1912. Other American and European brands were added and after the business was sold on 30 September 1927 Vining’s son formed a new business, P. Vining & Scott, and continued the Hudson and Essex franchise. From 1935, Hudson and Terraplane vehicles (along with Nash, Studebaker, and Standard) were assembled by Christchurch company Motor Assemblies Limited. Production of all other marques ended when the company was acquired by Standard-Triumph International in 1954. On that basis, and given this car is righthand-drive, it makes sense that the Dallow’s car was most likely New Zealand-assembled, as it was registered in Wellington as a new vehicle on 1 March 1936, and was simply commandeered during the war for military use, which was something that happened to many privately-owned cars during the war — hence the white stars. A TOUR AROUND THE TERRAPLANE
Remembering that this is a Town Sedan, which had no boot, and did not have side mounted spare wheels, the first thing you notice is that it has a single side-mounted spare on the passenger side. With a growing young family of two, and a propensity to holiday at remote locations, and in the absence of a large boot (like the Country Sedan) a solution to increase the boot space was to fit the spare wheel externally on the front guard. This necessitated 16 Beaded Wheels
acquiring another left front guard, which they did – from a complete car purchased on the West Coast. Another option to acquire one for the driver’s front guard was unsuccessful, thus the solo wheel! The doors are what are known as suicide doors, in that they open from the front, which can be a bit of a problem if they were to open while at speed, but they do afford easier access for those of the older age group who may have difficulty getting in and out. Once inside, especially the rear section, there is room to party. Like so many other early American cars of the era, the gangster element is catered for with the rear quarter light windows opening just far enough to not only let some fresh air in, but also to poke your Thompson sub-machine gun out and pepper the bystanders with a hail of bullets. Or in the Dallows’ case, enough room for their youngest lad to put his hand out and get his fingers caught in the rear door when it was shut, compounded by the fact that the door was locked, so Gilbert had to scramble over from the front seat to unlock it from the inside. The youngster’s fingers eventually recovered you’ll be pleased to learn. Below the speedometer facia there is a blank panel which is where the original factory radio would have been sited. Other interesting fittings are the twin ashtrays behind the front seat, and the holes where the rug holder is normally mounted. That’s the rope thingy that fits along the rear of the front seat, which I always believed was the gadget that you grabbed when exiting the car, but it isn’t, and I’m grateful to Andrea for that snippet of information – I seriously had never heard it called that! (See? I still don’t know everything!) Another practical addition is a secret switch under the dash panel which connects to an electric fuel pump, as the car has a tendency to develop a vapour lock, and the electric pump resolves
this problem easily by providing another method of delivering petrol to the carburettor. THE RESTORATION
As mentioned earlier, the restoration, which began in 1982, took approximately three years. The photo album shows some great shots of (for example) Andrea kitted out in overalls doing some of the dirty work cleaning the engine block, while another has Gilbert in shorts and singlet wire-brushing the chassis. Andrea also excelled herself with her upholstery work on the velour interior, with Gilbert doing the bloke stuff like removing and replacing the engine block — wearing a shirt that time. THE TEST DRIVE
There have actually been two test drives — one by Editor Kevin during the Daffodil Rally and one by me during the Coffee Morning, so this part of the write-up is a compilation of both experiences, although we are pretty much on the same page with our views. It is a large American sedan, so it’s a bit like driving your lounge. It starts nicely and idles very quietly and you really have to listen to hear the smooth-running flathead six. There was a slight graunch when selecting first gear but Gilbert assured me that was normal. There is some growling in first, but the remedy is to quickly shift into second. First gear is basically for moving off. Starting in second is okay on the flat – as I discovered, more so because I forgot I was not in first when exiting the Orana Wildlife Park complex. The clutch is the cork in oil type which is evidenced by the smooth operation. It pulls away nicely and 50mph is easily attained in this 85-year-old car. Steering is a tad imprecise, but that is overcome by a tactic I was taught way back Beaded Wheels 17
C
M
Y
CM
MY
CY
CMY
K
when I first learned to drive in a Morris 10 that had about 14 inches of free play. I was told at the time to anticipate which way the car would wander and correct it before it did. A slight exaggeration perhaps, but the tactic works in many an older car with (as Kevin described it) imprecise steering. It is interesting how quickly one grasps the technique. Acceleration was good and cruising on the open road would be enjoyable – which is what the Dallows do quite often. The handbrake is an umbrella type located under the dashboard, which makes my now infamous handbrake turns nigh on impossible without leaving the comfort of the driver’s seat. The speedo is centrally mounted and easy to see. It is flanked by a petrol gauge on one side and the ignition and warning lights on the other. The petrol gauge is called a gas gauge, remembering that gas is the American phrase for petrol. Liquid Petroleum Gas (LPG) wasn’t an option in 1936. Riding comfort is good with the seats absorbing much of the road imperfections which weren’t taken care of by the suspension. I must have been going way too fast as, upon returning to the Cutler Park entranceway, the mighty Terraplane stalled – embarrassingly as other attendees of the coffee morning were attempting to leave. I smiled knowingly while Gilbert fumbled around for the switch under the dash and we eventually got going again. Who knows what the passengers in the exiting car were thinking when they saw Gilbert’s head pop up again? It was all innocent. Honest! The good news is that I managed to get the car safely back to the park without scratching the nice new paint. When I first saw the Terraplane back in 1988 it was resplendent in a nice chocolate brown paintjob, and thus on the recent coffee morning, I was looking for a chocolate brown car. When I saw the caramel and tan Terraplane arrive, I thought it was yet another one. I’d have to say it looks even better now, but I also have to say that the white-walls make such a difference to its ‘standoutness’ – there, I’ve invented a new word!
OTHER INTERESTING STUFF ABOUT THE DALLOWS AND THE TERRAPLANE We’ve all had people come up to us and say things like “I used to have one of these/those” and also the “I used to own this” when you know quite well that they’ve never owned this particular example. The Dallows had one person claim to have owned the car previously, but hadn’t, but when another chap approached them at Lyttleton one day and claimed to have previously had the car from new, he not only produced the original registration certificate, but also the original driver’s handbook, complete with his handwritten notations of service and mechanical information. How often does that happen? The car has been rallied extensively: They won second in class in the 1992 Pan Pacific rally, and were first in the 2000 Vero Rally at Mystery Creek. They won first place in the annual PV PWV Rally in April 1992, and scored second place in the same rally in 1993. They also finished first in the timed section of the PV PWV P60 Rally 2003. If that wasn’t enough, they got second place in the 2016 Diamond Jubilee Rally in the PV section. Way to go, eh? With its new lease on life (the new paint job) we’re going to be seeing a lot more of the Terraplane out and about. Elsewhere in the Dallow’s garaging lurk a Hudson Jet and a 1927 Essex, which Gilbert prepared specifically for the Irishman rallies. Did I mention how good the Terraplane looks with the white wall tyres? Gilbert has assured me that he has another set of the clip-ons on order, so it will look even more gooder! (Another new word!) I grew up around cars, motorcycles and scooters. Significant milestones in the hundreds of vehicles that have graced my garages over time included a 1959 Cadillac Fleetwood (owned over 16 years) and currently two Mk 1 Zephyrs (a sedan and a convertible) owned for 48 years and 43 years. I like anything with wheels especially if it has whitewall tyres! The wish list includes an E-Type Jaguar. What I can’t get to own I like to write about Greg Price
18 Beaded Wheels
SUPPLYING NEW ZEALAND
with a comple te range of Shipping out of COKER USA monthly
HALF PAGE FOR COKER
18 Parkwood Place, East Tamaki, Auckland
AUTOMOBILIA AUCTION Rata Auctions, 9 Cooper St, Havelock North • Saturday 4 March 2023
• Petrol Pumps
• Enamel Signs
• Tools
• AA Badges
• Hi Boy Oil Tanks
• Truck & Car Badges
• Motor Bikes
• Number Plates
• Grease & Oil Cans
• Tyre Equipment
• Pedal Cars
• Spark Plug Equipment
• Oil Bottles
• Battery Equipment
• Collectable Automobilia
• Petrol Cans & Boxes
www.rataauctions.co.nz
Peter 021 279 5455
hello@rataauctions.co.nz
facebook.com/rataauction
A YOUNG LAD AND AN OLD TALBOT Part Three of Alistair Robinson’s Talbot tale After a few weeks of toiling in the azalea beds at Shands’, I was ready for a break. I collected my pay which was a full tank of petrol from the farm pump and a couple of extra cans nestled in the back seat foot wells. I rang my friends the Stanleys in Nelson, and after lunch booted the old car down the drive heading for Nelson 365 miles to the north. I followed the eastern side of the Alps along the edge of the Canterbury Plains, then dropped down over the stunning icy blue waters of the Rakaia River, at the bridge over the gorge, heading into the foothills of the Alps past Lake Lyndon to cross to the West Coast at Arthur’s Pass. Once over the pass I turned north along a little-used road and had miles and miles with overhanging forest along smooth surfaced gravel covered with a fine layer of beech leaves. Pure bliss! Wonderful memories. I had no idea which road I was on.
▲ IU6037 on the road less used. ▼ Talbot AM90 A Robinson, Catlins 1978.
▲ Talbot AM90 A Robinson, Fiordland 1978.
20 Beaded Wheels
We stopped at the small town of Inangahua and luck would have it, there was a tea room open for a timely cup of tea and would you believe it? An Eccles cake, my favourite. These were the days before the cafe culture had taken a grip on New Zealand, when every small town had its old fashioned tearooms. Campbell the dog stretched his legs against the fence posts and we were off again with the Hope Gorge and Saddle ahead. This was a place of long shadows, of bitter coldness, a place to get through before the cold and dark really set in. Arriving at John and Zelma’s we were welcomed inside to the gorgeous smell of roast lamb. There was a VCC Nelson Branch run happening on the coming weekend and a couple of old friends were driving up from Christchurch in a 3 litre Bentley to join in. Robin (Bob) Beardsley, the owner of the Bentley, was an interesting character. He had collected most of the bits and pieces to do the reconstruction of the 1906 four cylinder 14 litre Darracq, the car that Wallace McNair later got on the road and Anne Thomson drove with gusto at events throughout New Zealand and Europe. (As a gendarme in France commented to her about her heroic driving through pressing crowds, “Lady, you have balls”). We thought the Bentley would arrive in the early evening, but at midnight we gave up waiting and headed to bed. It seemed we had only just got off to sleep, but in fact it was 2am, when the rumble of the 3 litre’s exhaust awakened the neighbourhood. They had experienced generator problems and had ended up driving the last hours by moon and torch light. Both Robin and his companion Mike Poynton were exhausted. Mike was a great admirer of Talbots and had saved several of the cars that are still in NZ including my two 1930 Talbot AO 70s and the Keenans’ 1936 Talbot BG110 . Next day the two latecomers were slow to rise, and it was soon decided that they would come on the run in the 90. Bob sat in the back seat and promptly fell asleep. Mike was meant to be navigating but I needed to keep reminding him of his job. We’d been cruising through the landscape surrounding Nelson for about an hour and came into an area of pine forest. The road ahead was straight and
slightly downhill, Robin was still asleep and Mike was thoroughly enjoying the ride and so I gave the old car full throttle. 80……. 90…….. 100mph, it must have been doing about 5000 revs with the engine just as smooth as a turbine. Robin’s eyes blinked open, I had him in the rear vision mirror. He looked about then leant forward between the seats to look at the gauges, his face lit up with a grin ear to ear. I enjoyed that moment! Back in Christchurch, I had returned to my second home at the Moores’. Pammy was heavily pregnant and a little overdue. Being a nurse, she was not looking forward to what she might have to go through if this baby didn’t get its act together. It was a mild late afternoon and she asked if I’d take them for a drive over the Port Hills in the Talbot. She thought it might help her relax! We drove off through the seaside village of Sumner and over the winding Evans Pass Road to Lyttelton. I always enjoyed this road with the burble of the Talbot’s exhaust, lots of chances to enjoy gear changes with the silent-third box and all in the company of good friends. Pam was really enjoying the ride, egging me on to go faster. We got to Lyttelton and decided we couldn’t go further without a beer for the blokes. We then took the road towards Governors Bay, heading off up Dyers Pass Rd past the historic Sign of the Kiwi. This road is built for Talbots. Steep with so many corners, it was no longer a burble from the exhaust but a howl. Second gear into third, then back into second, corner after corner, then all too soon we were dropping down into the suburbs of Christchurch and home to Redcliffs. It had been a very enjoyable interlude. Next morning Garry bounced into the kitchen announcing his fatherhood and the birth of a beautiful little girl, Anna. “That ride in the Talbot did the job you know, bloody stiff riding thing it is. At three in the morning I had to rush Pam to hospital and it’s all your doing Al, driving like a man possessed you were, haha!”
After one of my stays with the Moores, I thought it time to challenge the Rob Shand record for the trip from Christchurch to Fairlie. I rang Rob in the evening just before leaving Garry and Pams’ and told him to set the clock, I was out to beat the record he set in the Railton. “You’ll never do it” Shand said to me down the line, “We’ll see about that!” There’s nothing like being told I’ll never be able to do something for me to make sure I will. The old car was running extremely well and the road as far as Geraldine was across the flat plains. In those days cops were rare on the ground, especially Sunday evenings. From memory I tried to limit the speed to 4000rpm which was around 75 to 80 mph. Garry had told me the roads to take for the most direct route, and it was on. Campbell wasn’t worried, as long as the wind was in his hair he seemed happy. The old car just flew that night. The winding road between Geraldine and Fairlie was taken without a lessening of the pace. It was one of those nights when between myself and the car there seemed a secret communication, we could do no wrong. The last corner coming up to the homestead at Strathconan was a sweeping right hander and was taken under full power in second with the tail just starting to break away. I pulled up in front of Strathconan and Rob was standing there, “You knocked seven minutes off my time, bloody good going there Robinson”. From what I remember it was something like 120 miles covered in 109 minutes. Average 68 mph, I don’t think I could have done it any faster! The Talbot was now back at Fifeshire Crescent in Nelson and after walking the Heaphy Track with John, I planned a couple of days relaxing before heading once again to Christchurch and Garry and Pams. I wanted the car to be in top shape as the Banks Peninsula Branch of the VCC was running a Pomeroy Trophy event
▼ Now known as the “TT Talbot” due to the prior ownership of the late Trevor Timms, on the south side of Dansey's Pass during the 2019 Talbot Antipodean Tour.
Beaded Wheels 21
▲ Talbot 90 with Dr Dianne and the Newells in the 30-98.
see how the car would perform against others on the track but in reality we all ended up so spread out that I didn’t get to dice with other cars. It was all good fun and the first time I’d had the car on a circuit. Sadly Gavin Bain suffered a puncture, but in the heroics of the occasion he finished the required number of laps on the flat tyre and when the tyre flew off he carried on, on the rim, destroying it in the process. It was only after the Pom was over that I found out the first test of the day, the high speed wiggle-woggle, had one car to go when I returned from changing tyres, however I was waved through to the second test and so forfeited any possibility of being counted at the end. Gavin came in first with 357.079 points in the 3 litre Bentley and Warner Mauger in the 20.9 Sunbeam was second with 309.891. It seems the 90 would have probably done quite well on the formula. After a visit to Trevor Timms in Dunedin, I decided to take the less-used route north, so headed inland and across Danseys Pass and then Hakataramea Pass. Way out the back of beyond I came across a couple of girls riding their horses. I think they were as surprised to see me in an old car as I was them on horseback. From the gate at the top of the Hakataramea looking out across the Mackenzie Country the snow started falling, turning the landscape into one of enchantment. For those not familiar with this country, I was probably an hour’s drive away from any sort of civilisation at this point. This was an area of large sheep runs. I decided to take the Mackenzie Pass, as being the shortest route back to Strathconan in Fairlie and had some concerns about the amount of snow now falling. The Mackenzie Pass has a monument to McKenzie the sheep rustler who discovered the pass and stole sheep off other farms, driving them up the pass into the unknown Mackenzie Country. I was heading towards that monument at speed, went to apply the brakes as the road takes a 90 degree turn and the pedal was solid, no
▲
for the first time the following weekend and I was keen to see how the 90 would fare. I was a day late getting to Canterbury and still had a tyre on the back that needed replacing and the Pom was getting closer. Scrutineering was at 9.30 at Ruapuna the next morning. Garry was definitely the wrong person to stay with when I had things to do and stuff to check on the car. “Come and have a drink with us Alistair, there’ll be plenty of time to change the tyre later.” So we headed for the lovely old bar in the United Services Hotel in Cathedral Square where the old car people drank and the tyre never did get changed. At some terrible hour of the morning the alarm went. I managed to get vertical and headed for Ruapuna circuit. The tyre was the first thing noticed at scrutineering. “There’s a petrol station about 15kms down that road over there. Hopefully they’ll be open and can change it.” Off I headed, the tests were going to be starting in an hour so I had no time to spare and 15kms seemed to become 25 by the time I found the place. Back at Ruapuna the tests had started and I was waved through to a line of cars and entered into the spirit of the occasion. The 90 was well suited as there was plenty of room for two suitcases in the back and though she was a bit slow off the mark, once moving she was no slouch. I remember the braking test as opening a few eyes. I accelerated the car as hard as she’d go until a couple of car lengths from the line we needed to stop astride, then hit the brake pedal. All four wheels locked and we did the perfect slide, stopping with the line just in front of the back wheels. I was impressed. So were the guys manning that test. Talbots have very powerful brakes! The next tests were the standing start ¼ mile sprint, and the flying start ¼ mile. The 90 was a lot happier with the flying start. The final event for the day was the 20 minute high speed reliability test. This was the one I was looking forward to. I wanted to
▲ Keenans’ BG110, St Bathans.
Kevin Beesley and Talbot 90 at Bone Ridge.
▲
Talbot 90 Warwick Wright advert.
22 Beaded Wheels
▲ Alistair being consoled by Garry Moore on Janet’s departure. ▼ Talbot 90 with Dr Dianne puffing on pipe.
Talbot AO90s Irish Grand Prix 1930 start.
brakes! There wasn’t time to think. I threw the car sideways into the corner and booted the throttle. What a machine! Through we came as if this was all in a normal day’s motoring. Stopping to sort out the problem I could find nothing amiss and the brake pedal worked perfectly, but what was amiss was the steady flow of petrol where a stone had punctured the tank. I cut some leather from the end of Campbell’s collar and found a self tapping screw in the assortment of nuts, bolts, screws and things that I carried with me. The temporary repair worked and then we were underway again. The snow was starting to build up and an early darkness was settling in over the countryside. The old house at Strathconan was a very welcome sight as we pulled in under the portico and got the hood up. The snow fell for a couple more days, making it very cosy inside with an open fire. My time in the South Island felt like it was coming to a natural end. Rob and Moya’s azalea beds were completed and now looked fabulous as the old plants burst into the full flowering of spring. Garry had mentioned the Banks Peninsula Branch was holding a one day run which I thought would be a good occasion to say farewells to South Island friends. There was also a young English doctor who I had met through Pam who I wanted to see again so I invited her to come on the run. She asked if she could bring a friend, which wasn’t quite what I had in mind, but what the heck, yes okay! So saying my farewells to the Shands, the old car was loaded with stuff that had been accumulated over the previous months. Important items for backcountry travel like a wind up gramophone with a collection of 78 rpm records, a portable kerosene Primus stove, in case a meal needed to be prepared out the back of beyond, and a Thermette, a water jacketed device that you’d burn twigs in to heat water for a quick cuppa. There were also a couple of bags of Rob’s best fleece as a present from the Shands for my mum to spin. I had picked up some nice examples of period luggage, one suitcase in particular I remember being a woven cane one with beautiful silver catches. I lost track of that one. It’s probably still at a friend’s somewhere packed with all manner of treasures. The day’s run was good. It’s always enjoyable to be on roads without much traffic, along with friends who know how to motor their old cars. I particularly enjoyed motoring in company with Jack and Leith Newell in the 30-98 Vauxhall Wensum, the cars were well suited to each other. Garry and Pam’s 14/40 Vauxhall was a remarkably willing performer as well.
At the afternoon tea stop I was amused when I looked across at the 90, Dianne was sitting in the back seat taking a quiet pipe. Something I hadn’t expected from a quiet English doctor in her 20s. I was on a roll now heading back north, so with much gratitude I bid my farewells to the Moores. Next stop was Fifeshire Cres in Nelson to thank the Stanleys for their hospitality over the last year. This all happened back in 1978 when the car was in its late 40s. In this first year of having the 90 on the road, we had covered 23,000 miles together. The paint had suffered in places where gravel from the roads had blasted the surfaces, but on the whole the car had been very reliable and a source of much joy along with being a pleasure to drive. After some years I got involved in ocean sailing and decided to sell the Talbot. Kevin and Marietta Beesley took on the car. After 39 years they still love it so much that they won’t sell it back to me. I recently tried to find a 90 and was successful in the UK. However while the owner initially agreed to sell me his late father’s car, he then had a change of mind, deciding to get it restored himself. So now I’ve embarked on a project of rebuilding an 18hp Talbot. I bought a car that has been dismantled for at least 70 years, a 1930 Talbot AO70, a very early 18hp, Engine No AO14, Chassis No 29010. This was another car that Mike Poynton in Wellington had saved back in the 1950s. Jim Riley did a lot of good work on this car at some time in the ‘80s or the ‘90s. I now have worked through the mechanical components and it’s close to being ready to assemble. Bodywork next. “Hopefully, before too long, once this car’s on the road, I might have some more adventures, but this time it will be, “Stories of an Old Man and an Old Talbot”.
Alistair Robinson, according to his partner, is “a car freak from the cradle to the grave”. Starting at the age of 15 with a Baby Austin (I guess that’s the cradle part) fabric saloon that he still owns, it looks like his later years will be total immersion in Talbots, with a quartet of them to motor and restore. He lives with his partner near Mangawhai Village, North Auckland. Photo is of Alistair and Lola in the 1930 Talbot 2.2 litre, AO70
Beaded Wheels 23
▲ Jessep and Every cycle shop, Temuka. Photo Temuka Courthouse Museum.
SUCCESS ON TWO WHEELS THE FIRST SUCCESSFUL MOTORCYCLES BUILT IN NEW ZEALAND By Ashley Blair
The early twentieth century was the beginning of the golden age of cycling in New Zealand. Bicycles were affordable and used not only for getting to work, but for recreation and racing.
▲ Advertisement for Jessep and Every, Temuka Leader 11 January 1900 p2.
24 Beaded Wheels
A 20% tariff on imported bicycles encouraged local manufacture and in 1900 there were 25 cycle factories in Christchurch from a total of 71 in New Zealand. Canterbury, relatively flat compared to other provinces, was the centre of cycling in New Zealand with its very own cycling magazine The New Zealand Wheelman, published in Christchurch from 1892 to 1902 by Alex Wildey. This magazine, together with the cycling columns in newspapers, reported early developments in motoring, and in particular motor bicycles which were seen as an offshoot of cycling. Every town had at least one cycle shop with a fully equipped workshop serviced by highly skilled cycle mechanics. Most of the early initiatives with motorised vehicles in New Zealand originated in cycle workshops. In July 1899 Raymond Henry Every, a 21-year-old cycle mechanic, formed a partnership with Charles Thomas Jessep, a cyclist of some note. Jessep set the record for Temuka to Winchester and return in May 1899. His time for the eleven miles was 22½
minutes, “a really splendid performance” according to the Temuka Leader. Jessep and Every started the Stella Cycle Works in a wooden building on the main street of Temuka. A large crowd gathered for the Saturday night opening of the Stella Works, attracted by the novel sight of acetylene lighting which showed the American made Potomac and Envoy bicycles displayed in the showroom windows “to perfection”. Temuka, with a population of 1,465 was, according to The Cyclopedia of New Zealand (Canterbury Provincial District), “a pleasant country town, with broad clean streets, and fresh water running in the side channels. It is well supplied with schools, churches, hotels, and livery stables. Many of the buildings are in brick, and the shops are supplied with articles equal to those to be seen in the larger centres of population. There are two doctors, two chemists, and one dentist in the town, which has a well kept park and domain, with a bicycle track, and tennis, cricket and football grounds.” An ideal town for a cycle business.
“…a motor bicycle may be roughly Raymond Henry Every was born in Oamaru on 9 September 1878 the fifth of nine children of Frederick, a carpenter, and Henrietta Every. He was a pupil at Oamaru North School from 1885 until June 1890. Every studied engineering through The American School of Correspondence based in Boston, USA. This was started in 1897 by a group of graduates and faculty members from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University. This institution was one of the first distance education organisations and offered technical education by mail in steam, electrical, locomotive, marine, or mechanical engineering. In December 1901, at the height of his time of prominence in newspapers, Every was happy to endorse the school by saying, “I have come to the conclusion that the money spent in joining it is the most profitable investment that I have ever made.” When he was apprenticed at the Federal Cycle Works in Oamaru Every would have learned the practical aspects of cycle mechanics. The Federal Cycle Works used BSA parts to make custom bicycles which sold for £17 10s. In November 1897 the Federal Cycle and Engineering Company won an award for their display of bicycles at the North Otago Agricultural and Pastoral Association Show. In his spare time Every gained a reputation for trick cycling and gave demonstrations at events such as the Oamaru Gymnasium Club’s public evening and a social organised by the Temuka Bicycle Club in the Drill Hall where he gave a very clever exhibition of trick riding on his bicycle. Every became the “thoroughly efficient” manager of the Federal Cycle Works before he moved to Temuka and joined Charles
▲ Raymond Henry Every. Photo Christine Allan-Johns.
described, as an ordinary bicycle, upon which has been placed a motor that makes the machine self-propelling; all the rider has to do is to give it a start and then attend to the steering.” THE STAR 1901
Jessep to form the Stella Cycle Works. Here he was in charge of building and repairing bicycles. Two months later they advertised in the Temuka Leader that they were now building to order high grade bicycles from BSA parts. Birmingham Small Arms were world leaders in bicycle components at the time and many New Zealand cycle shops built up bicycles using BSA fittings. The first of these bicycles built in Temuka was displayed in the window of the Stella Cycle Works in September 1899. It was described as being thoroughly up to date and fitted with the best BSA parts, Westwood rims, Dunlop tyres, and appeared to be a very neat, light, and serviceable machine. This bicycle was called the Stella. The business was an immediate success with an additional mechanic employed four months after opening. In February 1900 Jessep and Every were congratulated by the Temuka Leader for their success and enterprise. The company gained a reputation for the high standard of their bicycles, so it was somewhat of a surprise when in August 1900 the partnership was dissolved by mutual consent. C T Jessep and Company now ran the Stella Works while Raymond Every carried on as an employee in charge of the workshop. Every would have seen the first car to arrive at Temuka on the evening of Monday 17 June 1900. Constructed by another cycle maker, Fred Dennison of Christchurch, this small single-cylinder vehicle was mounted on four bicycle wheels. Dennison drove this vehicle, the first motor car constructed in New Zealand, from Christchurch to Oamaru. 1 After seeing Dennison’s vehicle, and reading about developments overseas, the possibility of fitting a motor to a bicycle would not have escaped Every’s notice. At the November 1900 Timaru Show the Stella Cycle Works display of bicycles built by Every was well received and attracted a considerable amount of attention. C T Jessep and Company were now the largest bicycle manufacturers in South Canterbury. Late in October 1901 they announced, 1
Temuka Leader, 21 June 1900, p. 2
“We shall have on Exhibition at the Christchurch, Timaru, and Oamaru Shows a MOTOR BICYCLE, which is the first manufactured in the colony.” 2 This motor bicycle was constructed by Raymond Every. He used a Minerva motor, one of the 3,000 produced during 1901 at the Antwerp factory in Belgium and imported by A G Healing & Co. of Christchurch. Minerva sold a kit consisting of a 211cc 1¼ hp motor and all the accessories needed for operation. The Minerva motor, regarded as one of the most reliable at that time, was clamped onto the bicycle down tube by four bolts. Included in the kit was a flat-sided tin box which hung from the top tube and contained the oil tank, the petrol tank and surface carburettor, battery and trembler coil. The controls were mounted on this box and a separate smaller triangular box underneath was the silencer which also warmed the petrol. Wednesday 30 October 1901 was the momentous day when Every’s motor bicycle, which he named “The Stella”, 2
Temuka Leader, 29 October 1901, p.3
▲ Cecil Wood on his motor tricycle outside the Tourist Cycle Works, Timaru. Photo South Canterbury Museum.
Beaded Wheels 25
▲ Clipping from Temuka Leader 31 October 1901 p2, collected by Raymond Every. Image Nigel Every.
had its very first run on the road and also on the Temuka cycling track. It was only a brief test and, although further work was needed, the trial was a success. This was the first successful run of a New Zealand made motor bicycle described in a contemporary newspaper. The Temuka Leader squeezed their report of this historic event between an item covering a local wedding and news of the Temuka Croquet Club: “The generating fluid is ‘petrol,’ and the nominal power is equal to that of an engine of 1¼ horse power. The bicycle is similar in shape to the ordinary machines in use, for the special mechanism, which is carried on the saddle bar, can be attached to any machine. If desired, the ordinary pedal action can be used.” The reporter went on to record that: “…universal attention was directed to the speed and smoothness with which the machine travelled, and there being little noise or vibration, horses which were passed showed no fear.” 3 The usual speed was 20mph but under favourable conditions 30mph could be reached. There were no springs in the front forks and Every said later that riding on gravel roads was diabolical as his hands were paralysed by the vibration after just a few miles. Raymond Every recalled making the frame of The Stella: “I built a heavy one out of BSA fittings. When I say heavy I reinforced all the joints – poked a bit of tube in and brazed round, 3
Temuka Leader, 31 October, 1901, p.2.
26 Beaded Wheels
Raymond Every and The Stella. Photo Nigel Every
fish tailed the ends of all those insertions and brazed them all in carefully and built up the machine which made it quite a bit heavier. I put heavier spokes in the wheels. In the back wheel, of course, the drive was taken up by the spokes because I had to clamp a rim all around to the spokes. There were some difficulties to overcome: Well, when I put this machine together I’d got the machine all ready and when I clamped the rim, the driving rim, on the back wheel and tried to put it in the forks of the bicycle there wasn’t room. So I had to go to the local blacksmith and ask him to forge me a U-shaped piece and cut the back fork and file it all up, no emery wheels, all had to be done by file. File it all up, fit it in and braze and that gave clearance for the rim, the driving rim. And then the belt was twisted hide and if the belt slipped all you did was jump off, undo the clip that held it, the two ends and give it a few more twists.”4 Early in November 1901 Every took The Stella by train to Christchurch for Carnival Week. It made its first public appearance 4 Every, R.H. (1968). Recording of interview with Gordon Powell.
at Lancaster Park on Monday 4 November at The Canterbury Athletic and Cycling Club carnival meeting held under electric lights. The evening began with a procession from Cathedral Square to Lancaster Park. There were cycle races, a race between a local scorcher (then slang for a cyclist who rode furiously) and a trotting horse, highland fling, hornpipe and piping competitions, fireworks and musical selections by The Woolston and Engineers’ Bands and Raymond Every demonstrated The Stella. The 23-year-old Every, described in one newspaper as “a lad”, circled the track several times at almost 20 miles per hour. It was regarded as a “a particularly successful debut.” The motor bicycle was such a novelty that The Star published a description for readers who did not get to the show: “…a motor bicycle may be roughly described as an ordinary bicycle upon which has been placed a motor that makes the machine self-propelling; all the rider has to do is to give it a start and then attend to the steering. To the motor-cyclist the head-winds and up-grades have no terrors, he simply turns the tap at full steam ahead
to ride it in half an hour. 7 Great interest was again shown in The Stella at the Timaru Show. It was only run occasionally on its stand as the ground was unsuitable for riding. Every rode The Stella from Temuka to Oamaru and then from Oamaru to Dunedin, a total of 135 miles. The Otago Witness of 11 December 1901 published a photograph of Raymond Every with The Stella. In 1968 Every recalled, “… if you came to a hill that was a bit steep then you pedalled. Going from Oamaru to Dunedin all the pedalling in the world was no use. I very nearly pushed the thing over the bank and let it go to the bottom. It was hopelessly underpowered, it was only one and a quarter (horsepower).” 8 Back in Temuka after his successful promotion tour, Every demonstrated The Stella at a Temuka Bicycle Club meeting where a cyclist was to make an attempt at the five mile record for the track. Every, riding on The Stella, was to set the pace for the cyclist, a common but controversial method of breaking cycling records at the time. However the event was cancelled owing to an accident to the Stella. In midDecember Every demonstrated the Stella outside the offices of the Timaru Herald. The Herald reporter noted that, “To see the rider sailing by at a good pace, comfortably idle, furnished a strong temptation to break the tenth commandment. The motor is not exactly silent, and there is a visible vibration of the rider’s lower limbs.” 9 The reporter was intrigued with the question of how the battery, known then as an accumulator, could be charged “up country” as the Stella had no form of generator. It was speculated that on tourist routes hotelkeepers might have small dynamos run by either a waterwheel or a windmill or even large
batteries which could charge the smaller motor bicycle battery. People of Temuka were now quite used to the Stella “puffing every day in the week.” When Every rode the ten miles between Timaru and Temuka it took him just over half an hour. The Timaru Herald reported that the machine was, “an unqualified success. The machine is always ready. It can be set going in the twinkling of an eye, or stopped with equal readiness. All that is necessary is to switch off or on the electric current, and the desired effect is produced.”10 The last newspaper record we have of Raymond Every riding The Stella is at the South Canterbury Caledonian Society New Year’s Day Sports Meeting at Timaru in 1902 where he made several demonstration runs on the track. 11 Among the newspaper clippings saved by Every and now held by his grandson is this notice: FOR SALE, A Thoroughly Reliable Motor Bicycle, which has been well tried; it runs splendidly at any speed between 6 and 24 miles per hour. A trial may be arranged. Apply. MOTOR, Temuka. 12 This advertisement which ran for four days in the Lyttelton Times can only have been for The Stella. This was a few weeks before Every left New Zealand. Continued next issue
5 Star 5 November, 1901, p.2 6 The New Zealand Wheelman, 13 November 1901, p.9 and p.20
7 Ashburton Guardian, 12 November 1901, p.2 8 Every, R.H. (1968). Recording of interview with Gordon Powell. 9 Timaru Herald, 13 December 1901, p.3.
10 Temuka Leader, 17 December 1901, p.2 11 Timaru Herald, 2 January 1902, p.3
R.H. Every and The Stella motor bicycle. Photo Temuka Courthouse Museum.
▲
and proceeds merrily, fanned by the additional breeze his motion causes.” 5 On Wednesday 6 November 1901, the Canterbury Agricultural and Pastoral Association Show opened at the Addington Show Grounds. This was the day for machines, implements and articles manufactured in the Colony. The Stella, considered by The Star reporter to be one of the most attractive machines in the cycle section of the Show, was on display in the tent of Christchurch cycle dealers Messrs Barker and Lewis. Four thousand people turned up at Lancaster Park on the evening of Friday 8 November 1901 to watch fireworks as well as cycling and athletic events organised by the long-established Pioneer Bicycle Club. The sensation of the evening was an “automobile handicap”. This was the first official motor race ever held in New Zealand and possibly the first in Australasia. The distance was three miles and although six entrants were expected, on the day only four turned up: A Lowry with a “motor-quad”, Nicholas Oates with his 4½ horsepower Voiturette, H J Shaw, with a Comiot motor tricycle and R H Every with The Stella motor bicycle. The handicapper had an impossible task. The Stella was given 150 yards and won by almost a lap in 11 minutes 18.2 seconds. The New Zealand Wheelman, in their “Maoriland Motorist” section, described The Stella’s performance: “The motor’s beautiful running qualities were seen and lustily applauded by four thousand people, the excitement recalling vividly the early days of racing.” At the same time traditional cyclists, “felt a pang of regret as they reflected on the fact that the days of the good old bike were numbered.” 6 It is hard to imagine the impact a motor bicycle had on people who had only ever seen steam powered transport. The day after the race Every parked the Stella outside a shop while he went inside. A short time later a policeman entered the shop to ask whose motor bicycle was parked outside. Every was told to move it as the large crowd admiring The Stella had almost completely blocked the road. After his Lancaster Park success Every took The Stella to the Timaru Show. They attracted more attention on the way at Ashburton where he had “a few spins through the main streets”. The Ashburton Guardian reported that the motor was easily manipulated, speed could be regulated from a walking pace to 25 miles per hour and any intelligent cyclist could learn
12 Lyttelton Times, 14 March 1902, p.1 Beaded Wheels 27
Morris Series E as illustrated in original sales brochure
AN ADVENTURE WITH A
MORRIS 8 SERIES E Words and photo Roger Douglas
Way back when I was a very young married man, I became the proud owner of a Morris 8 Series E. Proud because my previous cars were an Austin Seven, mentioned in a previous article, and three pre-war Morris 8s. And proud because the Series E was a very modern vehicle compared with its predecessors. I loved it. I loved it so much and was so confident about its constitution, that in 1962, I decided to drive my wife, our baby daughter and my mother-in-law to Paihia in the Bay of Islands, some 227 kilometres north of Auckland. Not an inconsiderable distance bearing in mind the age of the car and its precious cargo. The plan was to drive up on the Saturday afternoon to the home of a relative, leave my passengers with said relative for a one-week holiday and return the following Saturday to bring them all back home. I was to return to my job in Auckland. We confidently set off, the route being across the Auckland Harbour Bridge and then north on East Coast Road and thence on the main highway north to Whangarei, Kawakawa and eventually to the Bay of Islands. It was a lovely fine afternoon and all was well with the world. Then our happiness was destroyed in a split second, or mine was. I knew very well what that noise coming from the engine was, after all I had had a lot of experience with big end bearings in the Austin Seven. We had only travelled a few miles and were still in East Coast Bays. What to do? Cancel the journey and head home. A sensible person would, wouldn’t they?
Thoroughbreds at Wheels rest. 28 Beaded
Nah, nurse the car north. They deserved their holiday and I was damned well going to get them there, no matter how long it took. Trying to nurse the car along with out hammering the damaged big end bearing too much was not easy. The hills are clearly a problem because you need the power. Cruising on the flat sections of road is easier as you can minimize throttle input. But I hadn’t quite got my head around that yet had I? I know (don’t laugh), Disconnect the spark plug lead to the cylinder in question and run on three. Quickest way to produce a gutless wonder with no power. Stupid boy! So, on we crawled, coasting down the hills and wondering how we were going to manage the next hill. We were probably averaging about 15 mph. By the time we got through Kawakawa it was getting dark. For those of you who know the road between Kawakawa and Opua, there are one or two very steep hills. And on the last hill before the top above Opua, the hill was just too steep for the sick engine. Everybody out. Dear lady wife drive, and me and the rest of us will walk up. And we eventually made it to the top in pitch blackness. I kid you not. Now during the long hours of the journey, I was debating with myself how to efficiently deal with the car repair. Nurse it back home on my own the next day? NO. That would probably kill it altogether. I know. I have some tools with me. ( Funny that). I’ll strip the engine down and take the pistons, con rods and bearings back to Auckland by train, Yes, there were trains from Opua then, or Kawakawa or somewhere. A good night’s sleep and I’ll be ready for anything.
Next morning. Bugger that! I’ll drive the car back to Auckland. So, I did and it was magic. I had learned the hard way that the trick was to apply power judiciously when you needed to, and ease off the throttle when cruising. The darn thing hardly rattled at all. Got home to Titirangi midafternoon, got the neighbour to help me lift the engine out of the car, loaded into the back of my company van, and come the ‘morrow, took it to work with me. Now it so happened that I worked for a large civil contracting firm. Of necessity they had their own mechanical engineering shop. You know, diesel engines, bulldozers, and motor scrapers and all that. A lovely group of guys. Salt of the earth. Just leave the engine with us Roger says Morrie, and we’ll strip it down and get it sorted. Well they did. Pulled it completely to bits. I mean it, completely. That was a shock. Come Friday afternoon, I was presented with the assembled block but I had to assemble the head and sump and all of the relevant peripherals. So, I got stuck in and did it. The interesting thing was, there was absolutely no damage to the crankshaft journal of the offending big end bearing. All that was required were replacement shell bearings throughout. The crankshaft did not need to be re-ground. Marvellous. But that is not quite the end of the story. Got home. The neighbour helped me to lift the engine back into the car. Got everything bolted back together. Fresh oil in the crankcase, water in the radiator and it all looked good. Ok here we go, let’s start the engine. CLANG, CLANG, CLANG . After all that. What in the Deity’s good name have I done? THINK MAN THINK! I know, I’ll phone a cousin’s husband. He’s a mechanic. So, Roger, explain to me in detail what repair job you have done and what the sound is like when you run the engine. When you assembled the sump, do you remember fitting the splash plate in the sump? And do you remember fitting the rear end of the splash plate into moulded slot at the rear of the sump? Well Roger, I think that you will find that the splash plate is not inside the groove but is on top of the molded bracket. The number four big end is hitting the splash plate and is playing a tune on it! Thanks John. So, I got under the car, drained the oil, unbolted the sump, repositioned the splash plate, reattached the sump and filled with oil. Held my breath and started her up. Ran as sweet as a nut. Needless to say, the Series E ran to Paihia and back to Auckland with a big smile on its face.
BOOK REVIEW
KIWI BIKERS — 85 NEW ZEALANDERS AND THEIR MOTORBIKES By Ken Downie
Hard Cover, 260 x 260mm 263 pages, 137 photographs, and at least 19 illustrations Published by Massey University Press Price? $55- $65 depending on where you look! Reviewed by Greg Price The first thing that grabs your attention with this book is its cover. I know, you can’t tell a book by its cover but in this case, I reckon you can. It is because it features the author’s specialist photography skills, using his Canon 5D camera, and the effect is almost painting like. This type of photography allows the subject matter to be the main feature, or just part of the whole picture. Check out the background details in some of the photos. Ken hails from Dunedin, and came from a motorcycle family. He admits to initially not knowing many of his featured subjects, and many were referrals from others he interviewed. Among the featured are the likes of Hugh Anderson, Bill Veitch, Mike Pero, Avalon Biddle and Shontelle Feeney, and familiar to VCC types, Canterbury Branch members Ian and Marilyn McKinlay – to name just a handful of the 85 others featured.
The motorcycles include everything from a Britten to a CZeta. Honda, Suzuki, Yamaha and Kawasaki et al represent the Japanese manufacturers and Triumph (of course), Norton, BSA, Ariel, BMW, Henderson, and Brough Superior, are just some of the British marques. Indian, Harley-Davidson, Ducati, and many, many more are also sprinkled throughout this book. In addition to the stories about the owners and their bikes, are additional write-ups and pics from three unique bike events – the Pukekohe Classic Festival 2021, The Burt Munro Challenge 2021, and the last Brass Monkey Rally also of 2021. Ken’s brother, Greg Downie provides a number of excellent illustrations of his favourite bikes! Altogether a good, entertaining and interesting read for the motorcyclist aficionado, and even the photography buff, maybe? Growing up around motorbikes, the author acknowledges that he wanted to make his book a bit like a book of portraits called Working Men that came out about 40 years ago, which featured a series of portraits along with short biographies of each sitter. I believe that Ken has achieved this with his efforts here. Maybe Santa will bring you one for Christmas, but only if you’ve been good!
Beaded Wheels 29
PREFECTION Words and photos Ray King
Money can’t buy happiness, but it can buy a 100E, and that’s close enough! Ray and Sue King have a 1959 example, albeit with some Datsun input. Starting my mechanical apprenticeship with the Ford Dealer in Palmerston North (Selwyn Motors Ltd) and remaining there for 13 years, I got to know Fords inside and out, or so I thought at the time. One winter’s day in Taupo, where we now live, it was pelting with rain. My new occupation as a taxi proprietor saw me dispatched to one of the local supermarkets to pick up a lady customer with her groceries. When we arrived at her residence, I decided to drop her off at the rear of the house by the carport. Behold, parked under the carport was a bedraggled 100E Prefect. This sad looking car with its chalky black paintwork had obviously not been running for some time. As you do, I asked her what she proposed to do with it. She replied “to the dump one day, as it wasn’t worth repairing”. So I made her an offer which she happily accepted. A few days later with a battery and jumper leads we got it started, and running on three cylinders with thick blue smoke belching from the tail-pipe I drove it home. On my next day off I decided to give it the ‘once over’ so I removed the cylinder head to reveal a hole in one piston the size of a 10 cent piece. Surprisingly the body was almost rust free considering it had been used in the UK prior to being imported to New Zealand by a previous owner. In my spare time it was dismantled into 1,000 or so pieces and many of the parts sorted out. Meanwhile on another work day I spied a very rusty Datsun 1200 30 Beaded Wheels
in another back yard, and after checking the oil (which was very clean) and the motor was clean and still nicely painted, I made an offer for that too. This was eagerly accepted, so that car was towed home and the required mechanicals were removed. The rest of the Datsun was dumped. Once the 100E body was tidied up I began to transplant the Datsun mechanicals into it, which included the diff, four speed gearbox, steering box and the motor. The only major job was to fabricate a new rear cross member to support the gearbox and a plate to secure the steering box. The rest was pretty simple including the front struts with disc brakes. Now repainted, reupholstered and certified (which was much easier back then) it was ready to go, which was great and quite nice to drive. As you can see the motor fits very snugly, very similar to the OHV motor in the last of the Prefects (107E) with the Anglia motor. The only pitfall was the radiator. The skinny absolutely rotten radiator from the Datsun was discarded and the thicker Ford radiator was used. Being slightly longer, a fan could not be fitted, but it has never overheated. With the Datsun 12 inch wheels which I used versus the Ford 13 inches it sits a little lower, but not visibly different. With the almost unbreakable Datsun 1200 motor and a 4 speed gearbox it is quite nice to drive, peppier and a lot smoother than the original 1950s form. The only improvement would be a 5 speed
▲ Prefect arriving.
gearbox but it wouldn’t fit in the space. So the car can be described as a toy for us oldies, used mostly during the summer and not allowed out on wet days When sitting at the traffic lights and having some members of the younger generation pull up beside us, when the lights change to green we are gone, much to their amazement. Quite satisfying and amusing for us. As I have neglected to mention, originally this car was a very basic model with no chrome (painted bumpers), no interior light and only one sun visor on the driver’s side. Prefects in this form were not available in New Zealand. . According to the original registration certificate, the Prefect was imported from the UK by a Hastings resident who had toured around the UK in it for some 18,000 miles. It then came to Taupo, passing through the hands of six lady owners with my wife Sue being the seventh.
Beaded Wheels 31
CHEVROLET MASTER DELUXE Words and photos Keith Moore
Ever since the introduction of its Model 490 in 1916 Chevrolet had competed head-on with Ford at the lower end of the US car market. It gained an advantage in 1929 with its new ‘Stovebolt’ six but even though Ford came out with its new V8 in 1932, Chevrolet managed to outsell Ford right through the 1930s. Beginning in 1933 Chevrolet ran a two car model range with the lower price Standard model (the Mercury), with a smaller engine and a shorter wheelbase chassis, competing with Ford’s four cylinder model and the larger Master Eagle competing with Ford’s V8. For 1934 the highest price Chevrolet model was renamed Master Deluxe, a name which was carried though until the outbreak of WWII, although for 1940 a higher price Special Deluxe model was added to the range. The 1934 Master Deluxe featured Dubonnet type ‘knee action’ front suspension while the lower price models retained a beam front axle and leaf spring. For 1935 the Master Deluxe got a new, more-rounded, body with a ‘turret top’ steel roof while that year’s Standard model retained the older 1934 styling. For 1936 the Standard also got a turret top body, although Chevrolet still retained two different length wheelbases. Though the 1933 and 1934 Chevrolets had used two different size engines, the 1935 and 1936 models used the same size engine (206 cid), however the Standard version was less powerful. The 1936 Chevrolets were the last to use the three main bearing six cylinder engine first seen in 1929, though for 1936 there was new, full depth, water jacketing on the cylinder block, which better controlled engine temperature in sustained high speed driving.
Two other important improvements for 1936 were the introduction of hydraulic brakes – three years ahead of Ford but 12 years after Chrysler – and a change to conventional front-hinged front doors. The ‘new style’ 1935 GM cars all used ‘suicide’ type, rear hinged, front doors. For 1937 there was totally new styling, along with a completely new, four main bearing, engine and a return to a single wheelbase for both upper and lower price lines. Chevrolet’s calendar year 1936 production amounted to 431,016 Standards and 499,996 Master Deluxes for a total of 975,238 cars. In comparison Ford’s 1936 output was 791,812. In New Zealand for 1936 Ford and Chevrolet were by far the biggest selling large cars with Ford at 3,392 just edging out Chevrolet with 3,238 new registrations for the calendar year. Ford continued to just outsell Chevrolet in the large car class right through to 1940. ▲ circa 2013 prior to restoration.
32 Beaded Wheels
1936 CHEVROLET MASTER DELUXE LEG515 (ENGINE NUMBER MR72905, PREVIOUSLY REGISTERED GT1936)
Our subject car was first restored in 1970. I have seen a 1975 copy of Restored Cars magazine 1975 which contained a photo of the car, then registered GT1936 (I still have those plates). It was noted as restored by Alan Markby then president of the Post Vintage Car Club. Sometime later it had been sold by Garret and Kramer Motors of The Oval in Dunedin. In 2011 while working as a stock and station agent I had seen what I thought was an old American car in an open barn. It was two years later that I finally got around to looking at the car. The body was in not-too-bad shape and the bonnet was in the loft. The farmer offered to sell it to me if I intended to restore it. The price was agreed on and it was promptly picked up the following day by my son and me. The Chevrolet was covered in bird dung and dust so the first job was to clean off as much dirt as possible and assess what needed to be done. I stripped off all the deep blue paint back to bare metal. What a job - I had dust in most places in the garage for the next six months, much to my usually placid wife’s dismay. The seats were then removed. The floor pans and the rest of the interior were found to be not too bad. I elected to keep most of the inside in its original condition. The next stage was where the expertise of some older club members came into being. Chris Whelan and Stuart Campion,
long-time Chev Club members, had many old stock parts and information for me. Stu Campion gave a lot of support and advice with the carburetor, brake components and brake master cylinder. George Martin rewired the car to 12 volts and another Chev man, Bill Partel, helped with a few parts, mainly the knee action front suspension. Brake master and wheel cylinders and petrol pump, and carburetor tuning were done by Keith Dunstan and, to his credit, the Chev starts easily most times. As most car restorers can probably agree, I could write a book on time spent on this car. The chrome work was done at Shiny Parts in Geraldine who did an excellent job. The seats were upholstered in the old style of pleating by A1 Auto Upholsterers of Kaikorai in Dunedin. It was then taken to be vinned and yes, there were more things requiring repair; new rear suspension shackles were needed, rust on middle pillars needing fixing and new engine mounts needed. ‘An extra chapter in the book’ for these jobs but all were finished in three weeks. The Chev was finally on the road and mostly restored in 2019 though there were a few bits and pieces to finish, including new window rubbers and new rear window blinds. Registered and with a new warrant of fitness, a trip was planned. The Chev ran with no problems at 40-50 miles per hour; a credit to the tuning and expertise of many club members.
Beaded Wheels 33
RALLY SNIPPETS
A round up of notable rallies and events from around our branches
SI SENOR, EL CAMINO ES DE GUIJARROS – THE RUBBER DUCKIE 2021 AND 2022 Auckland Branch members on tour to join the New Plymouth Annual Rally Text and photos Graeme Cawley
The New Plymouth branch of the VCC ran an unusual motorcycle rally this year. Due to cancelling the 2021 Duckie but having made those expensive badges dated 2021 already, their novel solution was to run two rallies in one rally. Consequently, we set off in the morning doing the 2021 rally and after the morning tea, (again a cracker effort by their team), we proceeded to do the 2022 timed section. The other novelty was the change to big yellow rubber duckies as silent checks. I and many others thought, “you can’t miss them”! Wrong, you can miss them. The other novelty was the weather which was perfect, not too hot, certainly no rain, very green countryside but one thing was consistent, there was no sign of the mountain which was at least one constant to hold on to. We of course are the Auckland crowd. Some of us are well into double figures for attendance at the Rubber Duckie and some of us are even well past 20 years. Thinking about it, the rain has been a constant until recently as well. One year was so wet most of us gave up at lunch time. The lunch was at a country hall and I imagine the floor is still drying out! It was a great lunch though. As Covid had confined us for so long most of our bikes were sporting a few cobwebs, most of the oil was on the floor under them, and routine maintenance was long overdue so it was lucky we decided quite early on to ride down to the rally over a two-day trip there and another two days to get home. Before we set out the essential maintenance was done, some bikes were even cleaned and, close to departure day there were 15 of us registered for the trip. Unfortunately Paul and Jody Tomlin could not come so we were 13 in the end. The route to get to the rally had to accommodate two distinct groups. One group were the “Shinglies”, and the other were the “Bitumens” on account of the fact that the shingle route was down the very windy, rough, grass-in-the middle west coast road more or less from Pukekohe to Raglan then more rough coast road to Kawhia. We departed on Thursday once Marshall had turned up and gasp horror, he is on a Ryker three-wheeler thingy! He certainly kept that 34 Beaded Wheels
quiet! The Ryker took a bit of time to master and evidently it was a bit of a handful on our cambered roads because Marshall always arrived more than an hour behind the rest of the bitumen team. Unfortunately, the bitumen route, which was plotted on Google maps, had a T junction which said turn right into XYZ road, go 100 metres then turn left. However, when Mike O’Kane arrived at the T he found ZYZ road was only going left and right was a different road name. Mike chose to go left rather than right in order to stay on the road name but this road ended up being a long way on shingle – so much for the bitumen route! Oh, there was no left turn after 100 metres but Mike missed that detail unfortunately. He said he actually enjoyed the shingle stretch but we never heard what Marshall thought of it on his Ryker! Not everyone came from Auckland. Three joined us for the night in the Kawhia Hotel which turned out to be a great place to stay; very reasonable, clean and the pub had a bunch of friendly people spending their Thursday “earnings” in there even if they did ask us nicely to go have a shower as we smelt of petrol. We think this was down to Peter Alderdice’s unwashed leather riding pants so Pete went off and changed. Hopefully the new owners will be as friendly and accommodating for our next stay there. Not all of us were on bikes since Leo Fowler was in his faithful Toyota van, recently fitted with its sixth cam belt (that’s one every 100,000km – you work it out) and two others came along for the trip in their motorcars. The morning run passed through Te Akau (the beach), a tiny village with nearby hot springs and a big history. Just for interest here is a bit of that history: It was settled in the 15th century said to be by the Tainui Waka sailing down from Port Waikato, but thereafter ownership changed hands by warfare many times. The length of occupation is evident in the middens near the beach. The colonists arrived after Te Ākau was confiscated in 1863. One of the requirements to get the land was to ‘improve’ it. Bill Richards moved to Ruakiwi in 1912 and described, “The kaka, or bush parrot, was killed and eaten in large numbers. If by chance one was wounded it would hang by its beak on a limb and call out. In
a matter of minutes thousands would answer its call. It was often possible to fill a sack without shifting.” He also described how the bush was cleared and how soon kiwi and kaka became rare. Of the 60,000 acres confiscated they did set aside 50 hectares as a bush reserve! We traversed the road from Raglan along the coast some years back. Whilst it had not changed much it did seem a little less rough but it still managed to rattle out the bolts of Jeremy’s fairing requiring cable ties to rescue the situation. As with the morning leg the views are quite dramatic from this road. Arriving at Kawhia we were met by the rest of the team coming in from Coromandel, Kihikihi and Ngatia, spent the evening in the pub as mentioned already where we ate the very nice pub fare in the restaurant for dinner. Next morning was fine again and we rode via the coastal village of Marokapa where the tea shop had ceased to exist which is a loss, so we carried on over the large hills to come out on SH3 Te Kuiti to New Plymouth. The oldest bike was Peter Alderdice’s 1924 HarleyDavidson. Fortunately, 1000 cc meant Peter kept up with everyone else more or less with ease. It is an amazing old bike. On the hills, just three speeds, hand change, foot clutch – try it sometime to appreciate Peter’s perseverance. On my 1955 Ariel Huntmaster 650 I was going up and down the gears like a yoyo but the Harley more or less changed down just for the downhill bits since it has only a rear brake. On this section Alice Leney became deflated just before we reached SH3. The 1938 Norton front wheel proved to be relatively easily removed and Alice had the tyre off and a new tube fitted in no time at all. The more wonderous thing about this episode was that the hand pump Alice had, actually worked – the proof is in the picture! We arrived on schedule into the Top Ten New Plymouth, had the usual noggin and natter and Friday dinner. Again, not too many were hanging around by 9pm. The rally next day was up to the usual high standard with the quirks mentioned above to make it a little different and the prize-giving dinner that evening was excellent as was the compere, Bruce Davidson, who somehow managed to observe quite a few peccadillos committed en route and embarrass as many of us as he could. How did Alice Leney (Norton -Coromandel) and Steve Barker (Ariel – Foxton) both in our party, manage to win their section after spotting no Duckies and two Duckies respectively out of nine and ignoring all attempts to go the target speed? There is no justice! The problem was that quite a few of us somehow got into the slow group and the speeds really were slow! I think if I had stayed in second gear and tossed out an anchor, I might have done alright but as it was, I was way too fast and even sighting seven Duckies did not save me. As I said, there is no justice. The return to Auckland was 60 km north up the coast to a turn off to Ahititi on a road that links SH3 to the Forgotten Highway. When plotting this using Google Maps street-view it seemed to be a one-way shingle track winding through over-hanging bush. That was enough to send the Bitumens straight up SH3 to Te Kuiti and on to Waitomo whilst the Shinglies turned off steeling themselves for the challenge ahead. At first, once the seal ended, the road started to look like it was going to be the challenge expected but to our great surprise, once past some greywacke cliffs, the road opened out, bitumen reappeared and farms abounded! The only real challenge was one hill which must be 1 in 4 or at best 1 in 5 which had everyone down lots of gears to get up. Pete thought he may run out of huff on that one but the old Harley made it. We passed Mount Damper Falls but the one kilometre walk in bike gear was too much and continued through to the Forgotten Highway. This turned out to be in pretty poor shape with many potholes so everyone had to remain alert. It is strange when a state highway has less seal than a minor side road leading into it! Everyone arrived in Ohura safely after ignoring the
▲▼ At Ohura we had a trip highlight. Ohura has long been a food desert. Finally, a very nice lady called Michelle Foris, who lived in Mexico for some time, has opened a café called the Fiesta Café. It is Kai Kart really but, in the sun, in the garden with a nice plate of rice, beans, salad and corn chips with sauce, we thought we were in heaven for a while.
“Road Closed due to significant slips” sign at the Taumarunui turnoff about 12km before Ohura. Luckily a local farmer told the first arrivals to ignore it but the café lady mentioned above had already told me by text so we would have gone around the sign in any case. Thanks to that sealed road through to the Forgotten Highway we arrived in Ohura at noon which was on schedule even though we left an hour late from New Plymouth.
SI SENOR, EL CAMINO ES DE GUIJARROS OTRA VEZ (Yes mister, the road is shingle again) Out of Ohura about 1pm we elected to stay on the proposed route even though it meant another 20 kilometres of shingle up a road to the left a short way from Ohura. Although shingle it was in pretty good condition and relatively easy riding. It follows a valley through the rather wild topography with just a moderate hill or two eventually emerging onto SH3 at Piopio which fortunately has a petrol station. The proposed route then took us directly north from Piopio again on shingle for just 12km but which I personally found rather trying as did Ian Hubbard but we could not work out if we were just tired or if it were substantially more difficult than earlier shingle sections. Anyway, this road eventually connects to Te Anga Road near Waitomo caves where we had booked in the Top Ten for the night. Dinner in the pub over the road started early and quite a few ales were consumed and a great evening was had before we toddled off to bed faced with a 100% chance of rain for the next day. Rain began at 4am but miraculously, by 6am it had more or less stopped and everyone made it home in the dry.
Beaded Wheels 35
NORTH ISLAND CLUB CAPTAIN’S TOUR Entrants gathered for a convivial barbecue and meet and greet on 21 September at the BOP clubrooms. This event set the tone for an excellent week of motoring and socialising. DAY 1 TAURANGA TO CAMBRIDGE
Words Raewyn and Trevor Hughes, 1965 Rover 2000 Tuesday morning and we had 33 cars assembled ready to go and once Alistair Jones had done the drivers briefing they were off. Nobody had to worry about keeping up with the traffic because of the 50 and 30kph speed limits until we got to Waihi. People had stopped at various places for morning tea, Katikati, Waihi Beach town, or Waihi itself. We continued on through the Karangahake Gorge, turning left at Paeroa to the Te Aroha RSA for lunch after which we walked across the road to Adrian Worsley’s art workshop. In addition to his spectacular engineering art was a collection that some would call rubbish however while walking through members thought it was amazing and well worth having a look around. We then drove on through the beautiful Waikato to climb Sanitorium Hill, the old tuberculosis centre - in operation from 1903 to 1921. This place had significant meaning to me as I used to take my then girlfriend, now my wife up there of an evening, I think we used to say we were possum shooting. Then on down the significant decline into Cambridge where everyone found their accommodation for the night and we all met up at the Prince Albert Hotel. DAY 2 CAMBRIDGE TO RAGLAN –
Words Julie and Frank Ward, Austin 1300GT The skies were clearing as we gathered around the town square before moving off to Ross Bros museum at Hautapu where a Kenworth truck cab hanging out of a large building wall got our attention. The first part has an incredible collection of muscle cars, dragsters, motorcycles and a stunning American Diner
where many of the women waited while the men gawped. Moving on through some sliding doors and exiting out of a huge “sliced” excavator bucket into the earth-moving section we had the world’s largest bulldozer facing us. All the machinery was of a gigantic scale and a dump-truck that was put on display by taking out the end wall of the massive building had tyres weighing almost five tons each and costing almost $90,000 apiece. The toilets deserve a special mention with hand-basins mounted on old transmissions, jerry-can cisterns, and truck doors for the toilet doors. It was then time for lunch before enjoying free travel through a South Waikato countryside that is now broken up into what must be very expensive life-style blocks. A quick stop at Te Uku windfarm left us wondering how many more windfarms will be needed to meet the government EV target. On arrival at Raglan the rumours spread that another Model A had suffered a mechanical derangement that required the MRM (Master Roadside Mechanic) Jim Smylie to assist Bruce Waterworth in replacing a timing-gear. Raglan Club provided the evenings refreshments and we finished the day wondering what the tour organisers had in mind when they said it was the calm before the storm. DAY THREE RAGLAN TO TAUMARUNUI VIA THE SCENIC ROUTE(S) APPROX. 210KMS/137 MILES
Words by Graeme and Esther Smith 1929 Chev International From Raglan we set off along Kawhia Road, the coastal route towards Kawhia, on a great morning to go topless in the Chev. It’s
▼ Debra Hobbs, Sue Jones, NICC Kaaren Smylie, Jenefer ▼ Bruce Waterworth - 1928 Ford Model A truck. Taupo Waterworth in front of Hobb’s 1964 EH Holden. Branch.
36 Beaded Wheels
▼ Bay of Plenty member Joe Scott’s 1929 Model A Truck provides a handy photo back drop.
▲ Knud and Kay Nielsen’s car at the start of the NICC Tour.
about 45 kms of ever-changing vistas, one minute in the bush and then the next expansive views out across the Tasman Sea. North to south is the best direction to travel this road and the Targa Rally was going to use the same route the next day. The instructions said left at T to head towards Otorohanga but many disobeyed Captain’s orders to take a 5km detour to have a look at Kawhia, a pleasant spot that hasn’t changed much since we took the children there about 20 years ago to swim at the hot water beach. Back to Otorohanga Club for lunch before the cars did a tour of the town, the main purpose to salute Haddad’s Menswear Store, an Otorohanga institution. The store has been operated by brothers Karam and John Haddad for over 50 years. Unfortunately, Karam had been killed in a road accident several weeks earlier so the drive-by was a salute to Karam and a show of support for younger brother John who stood at the door to acknowledge us. Then off via the back roads to Te Kuiti where a statue of its most famous son, Colin Meads, still holds pride of place in the main street. More backroads and a navigational problem for us meant a slight detour but that was soon sorted and we went on our way passing through the bereft remains of several old timber towns on the way including Waimaha and Ongarue. As this area was a huge supplier of native timber. Finally, we drove into Taumarunui and after the usual scramble to find our accommodation it was time for a rest before starting it all again tomorrow. FINAL DAY TAUMARUNUI TO NEW PLYMOUTH
Words Glyn Clements, Club Captain – Manawatu Branch 1959 Rover 90 The last day of the Tour and Alastair Jones had promised us that Kiwi Road would be a challenge - and he was right! The day started with us waking around 5.30 am to very heavy rain. The peace was shattered when shortly after 6.30 am the sound of a Hudson Straight 8 engine trying to burst into life was heard! Phil Kidd’s Railton was not playing ball and refused to start! Phil was muttering about the Holden carb fitted to the car and surmised he had flooded it. We had two “Holden Experts” on the Tour, Dave Hobbs, Horowhenua Branch with his EH Premier and Allan Jones, Hawke’s Bay Branch, with his HR Premier. Both experts offered advice but to no avail. Our last sighting of the Railton was on a rope behind the HR as we headed to the start of the day’s events in Taumarunui’s main street. Eventually Something must have gone right as the Railton arrived under its own steam and never faltered again that day. After the morning briefing we headed out for Ohura and encountered a road closed sign. There had been a massive slip 33 km in on this road. We were car number two in the line-up so a quick decision saw us do a U-turn back to Taumarunui and onto
▲ Bryan Cossey 1924 C Cab - Waikato Branch.
the Forgotten Highway to enter Ohura from the south (the rest of the field had waited on Alastair’s arrival) then carried on towards the slip as it was passable. From Ohura it was westward over the Waitaanga Saddle towards Ahititi. Nice winding gravel roads with spectacular scenery all round made it even more enjoyable with light misty rain, giving that rain forest atmosphere. Before Uruti and SH3 was a short road tunnel, an ideal stop for a photo shoot, then do a U-turn to head back to the “dreaded” Kiwi Road. Graeme and Esther Smith (‘29 Chev) led us in with the Rover 90 hard on their heels. We were the last two cars to go through and Alistair was right, it was challenging! Tight, narrow, and in places holes you could lose yourself in if not careful! Having survived Kiwi Road, we finally arrived at Urenui, our lunch stop. Everyone was sharing their Kiwi Road stories and adventures. After lunch it was an easy drive on sealed roads to the northeast of New Plymouth, finally bringing us out in the Lepperton area and in to New Plymouth for the final evening at the Plymouth International Hotel.
A final word from our North Island Club Captain Kaaren Smylie What a huge success! Seventy members began the Tour in Tauranga, the motoring for all drivers and their passengers was brilliant, and five days later they arrived at their destination in New Plymouth. To make this Tour the success it was I am very thankful for the assistance from my fellow Tour Coordinator, Alastair Jones (Chairman BOP Branch). Many of the roads were new territory to some and I am pleased to report we had no motoring breakdowns to speak of and all navigators were still taking to their drivers! We had a great mix of people on tour that included our youngest travelling companion, 12-year-old Leon Blackbourn, and our eldest was Leon’s 91-year-old grandfather Geoff. It was great to have four members from the South Island make that special effort to be part of this Tour. Amongst our most experienced Tour members we had three current branch chairmen, several past chairmen, a past NICC, and our special guests Life Member, Norman Dewhurst and his wife Pat. An extra bonus to the mix was the large representation of members from over half of our branches, a tremendous turnout and fantastic support! Several tourers indicated to me they enjoyed the Tour so much they are really looking forward to the next Club Captain’s Tour, which will be my colleague SICC Alon Mayhew’s Tour in March 2023. They are counting down the weeks! Beaded Wheels 37
Winner takes all. Ray and Tasi Bettridge’s 1929 Model A Ford, which went on to take overall honours, beside Phil and Coral Kidd’s 1935 Railton. Photo: Angelica Edgely
WELLINGTON ANNUAL RALLY Saturday 5 October Wellington Branch Text and photos John Stokes
Ask that man Michael Taylor – he owns one. Photo: Warren McCorkin
Country cruising - Barry and Hilary Pettengell and their 1927 Chrysler sedan. Photo: Will Chaney
Vauxhall pursuit. 1966 Vauxhall Viva SL90 (Trevor Stone) chased by Howard Anderson’s 1964 Vauxhall Cresta. Photo: Will Chaney
38 Beaded Wheels
Twenty-nine vehicles and lots of people from far and wide (Taupo, Hawke’s Bay and Horowhenua) joined in on Wellington’s 65th Annual Rally. The weather was picture perfect with not a breath of wind. The rally departed the clubrooms for the Kapiti Coast via Korokoro and Maungaraki, with a timed section beginning at Grounsell Crescent (part of the original Hutt Road), over Haywards Hill and the old coast road, ending at Raumati. Then on through Paraparaumu and Waikanae to the magnificent Nga Manu Nature Reserve. One car entered with a great story to tell was the 1964 Vauxhall PB Cresta in red, white and black. It is a replica of the car driven from London to New Zealand in 1969 by Wellington members Howard and Ruth Anderson. Behind it, their caravan followed them all the way home! The original car was lost and this recreation rekindles the memories. That evening was dinner at the clubrooms, prizes for the day and presentations of long-term membership badges by Dianne Quarrie. Ray and Tasi Beveridge (1928 Ford Model A coupe) were outright 2022 Annual Rally winners. Sam Hamilton, aged 12, having ably directed the driver of the red 1930 Packard 740 (pictured at left), won the Young Navigator award. Life-member Roger White, who usually is in the background as an organiser, entered as a competitor in his 1929 De Soto roadster – a first for him for many years. Fred and Elizabeth Smits, of the Wellington Branch, won the annual Club Captain’s Award as ambassadors to the club and to New Zealand. These two are travelling the world as “Classic Strider” in their 1957 Mercedes-Benz 220 – which makes it the same age as the Wellington Branch! t Picnic at Nga Manu – Julie Engebretsen and Robyn Simpson dissect their day beside their 1968 Riley Elf; Trevor Barnes’ Suzuki and sidecar look on.
F ROM
E RS K I N E TO E T Y P E
▲ West Coast: Anton Becker’s farm runabout!
WHATEVER YOUR PASSION Award Winning Restorations
Mechanical repair and rebuilding. Panel repair and creation. Premium Spray Painting. Precision Engineering. Vehicle Servicing WOF. Vintage/Classic Cars and Motor Cycles.
▲ West Coast: September club run - one out of the box.
A CRACKER CLUB RUN 25 September 2022 West Coast Branch Text and photos Zoe Gough
Superb weather made this club run something special as it was beautiful and sunny from Reefton all the way down the West Coast. There was a good turnout with about 10 vehicles and 25 members including a couple of new additions, Pauline Robbins (Hokitika) 1961 Morris 1000 and Bruce Heyward (Reefton) 1963 Standard Vanguard 6. John and Janis Fensom joined with their interesting “new” car – a 1994 Cadillac de Ville. It came out of Russia or Ukraine around 1997. Its owner had it for 25 years before selling it recently to John and Janis. We left Greymouth in good cheer to visit Ray Taylor’s shed in Dobson. Here we were met with a warm welcome and a very neat shed housing a Nash, Singer Gazelle and Zephyr. Next stop was the moss farm at Ahaura owned and run by Anton Becker. The branch’s patron, Tom Griffin, shared some of the amazing local history. In the 1800s there was a vibrant gold mining settlement on Napolean Hill, located in the range of hills known as the Dardinels. All that is left now is a cemetery which has wooden head markers. Ahaura back then was a busy town with sawmills, school, hospital and many businesses. Its history is well explained in the small heritage park in the centre of Ahaura. Anton gave us a fascinating insight into the sphagnum moss industry. This natural living plant is found readily on the West Coast due to the wetness of the area. Anton also displayed his barn find Model A pickup (once a sedan) that is used on the farm as a run about. After a quick line up for photos we headed back to Ahaura to the pub for a warm welcome and great lunch. A great day, good weather, good company and a great insight into our local area.
Contact George Kear: +64 3 366 9988 e: george@autorestorations.co.nz w: www.autorestorations.co.nz 10 Kennedy Place, Christchurch, New Zealand.
▲ West Coast: Spagnum moss sheds.
Beaded Wheels 39
ANNUAL VETERAN RALLY CANTERBURY BRANCH Sunday 25 September Words Colin Hey, photos John McDonald
Effectively the opening run for the season for this group. To bolster our numbers two-wheel braked vintage-era cars were also invited. To keep away from busy roads and make the day far more enjoyable, our meeting point was the West Eyreton Domain – an out-of-the-way location right next door to the West Eyreton school about 30km north east of Christchurch. It is a green and sheltered domain on quiet roads that provided a safe start location. I got there at 9.15am to find Tom and Jenny Stephens (1911 Model T) and Don and Judy Bennetts (1912 Albion) already there waiting for the gate to be unlocked, and from then on it was all go dispensing rally numbers and instruction sheets for our 10am departure as the other cars arrived. The first part of the run was the timed section, with an outof-view checkpoint exactly 14km along the route. Most cars came through individually, although there was a short procession of five cars in a row which kept the time-keeper busy. From there it was another 8km to Oxford where the short run stopped for a break, or another 20km for the long route participants who journeyed out as far as View Hill before returning to Oxford. Once there all the cars were parked in the Victoria Park oval near the Men’s Shed, and there was time to go and find a coffee from one of the cafés in the main street. At 11.15 we all made our way to Ribblesdale Garden on the corner of Route 72 and Barracks Road, where our hosts Denise and Robin Illingworth were waiting with the sun shining and the garden in full spring bloom. Picnic chairs were found, and everyone settled in for a delightful picnic lunch on the lawn in the middle of the garden. This was followed by a stroll around the different areas of the garden – some parts of which were still in hibernation, others emerging with the new season coming, and others in their full spring splendour. The cars were all parked on the driveway inside the property and looked impressive in that setting.
40 Beaded Wheels
Tom and Jenny Stephens, 1911 Ford T approach the end of the timed section.
At 2pm it was time to fire the cars up again and head back to West Eyreton domain where the field tests were held. A few questions and some simple driving and blindfold navigation tests soon sorted out the winners in time for a simple prize giving about 3pm. A new car to our group for this run was a black 1914 Model T roadster which has just been purchased by Malcolm and Anita McGibbon. It was their first outing in the car, and although it proved a little temperamental they did successfully complete the run, albeit with it steadfastly refusing to start again after it stopped half-way through the field tests. It did redeem itself though by placing first in concours – this being the third veteran car Malcolm and Anita have won that award with over recent years. The field tests were won by Don and Judy Bennetts in their 1912 Albion, and the Time Trial by Bob and Andree Hayes in their 1909 AX Renault. The overall winners were Don and Judy, who were a very close second to Bob and Andree in the time trial. As well as the veterans, it was good having a number of early vintage cars on the run, and especially pleasing to be joined by two cars from Ashburton – David and Marion Oakley in their 1914 Rover, and Bruce and Philomena McIlroy in their 1922 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost. It was also good to see John and Elaine Lynn out on their second run in the 1920 Davis which John has just completed, and top marks too to Kelvin and Lesley Finlay who filled their 1915 Hupmobile with friends John and Diane Kimber to enjoy the day with. This was another very good veteran outing for our branch, completed on a perfect spring day with a beautiful garden to admire at our lunch stop as well. As the season progresses we can look forward to a display at the Hororata Highland Games in November, and perhaps a reinvented version of a Brighton run in February or March on top of our normal branch summer picnic outings. A contingent of Canterbury members will also be making their way south for the Dunedin to Brighton Run in January, and perhaps a couple to the National Veteran Rally in Auckland. News has come to hand too of Malcolm McGibbon being seen touring the Darfield area near his home recently, having now sorted the Model T properly.
Bruce McIlroy inspects the workings of the Hayes 1909 Renault
Graeme Sword’s wellrallied Overland.
▲ Queueing up for field tests.
▲ Tom and Jenny Stevens wrapped for the morning run.
David and Marion Oakley leave the domain in their 1914 Rover.
▲ Tony and Leigh Craythorne with their 1925 Morris Van
Graeme Sword navigates in the Overland. Bob and Andree Hayes set off in the 1909 Renault.
Anita and Malcolm McGibbon, first outing in the ‘new’ 1913 Model T
Beaded Wheels 41
ARCHIVIST NEWS Our club archive is located at the VCCNZ National Office in Christchurch and is open to visitors on Friday mornings. It contains a wealth of historic material, a lot of which has been digitised. It is well worth a visit or if you have any queries do get in contact with our archivist Don Muller phone 03 385 6850 or archivist@vcc.org.nz.
POINTING THE WAY
Old AA signs in New Zealand Today, motoring around New Zealand is a far cry from the early 1900s, our roads are now well sign posted, we have good maps, a GPS that is either on your phone or a dedicated device. Lighting on street corners, as well as efficient car headlights, all make it easy to get directions to your distant destination. With today’s good roads and reliable cars, people travel more and they know where they are going. None of the above was applicable in early days, there were some wooden pointer signs and stone milestones that marked the distance from a given town. Today, a few milestones still exist. At the Archive I came across an interesting 1922-23 CAA (Canterbury Automobile Association) Year Book, with an interesting section on road signs. The following quotes from the book, are as written and are a little hard to follow. “They emphasised that the most important work that the CAA was doing, was to provide good direction signage so that the motorist could not get lost. Many a farmer had been woken up in the middle of the night by as ‘lost’ motorist who was nearly out of petrol seeking advice, of what road or track to take because there were no signs. Rather than the local bodies erect road signs in the counties, the AA took on this responsibility. The motorist thinks that all you have to do is write a sign, dig a hole and put it in the ground and that was it. There is more than that, the sign had to be properly made of suitable timber that would last, a post of hardwood like Jarrah and positioned correctly. It has to be suitably strapped with metal and bolted which made it strong, to withstand the treatment they had to undergo at times at the hands of “Hoodlums” or individuals of the like, who think that such signs are erected for their benefit as targets for rifles, shotguns, or something in the nature of a boulder (Any individual found defacing or destroying these useful signs, should be treated as a criminal and will be dealt with accordingly.)”
▲ Church Corner 1922.
▲ Church Corner 1956.
▲ Church Corner 2022.
“It was found that by using cream paint as the background rather than white, they had a better lasting quantity and withstands the weather better. The writing should be plain block letters in black, with no flourishes or other ornamentation. “ “Rivers are acknowledged to be one of the best landmarks to a motorist. Guidebooks or maps mention the rivers and those rivers are easy to find when the name appears at the end of the bridge.” “If you are not a member already, join up now, if a member finds out, those of your friends amongst the motorists who do not belong to the C.A.A and induce them to join. A strong appeal on this roadside point alone should bring home to any right-thinking man the benefits he is getting from these signs. “
▲ Signs ready to be erected, 1922.
I have included three photos of road signs at the same corner, Yaldhurst and Riccarton Roads (Church Corner) in Christchurch from this 1922-23 book. In 1956 this magnificent sign was neon lit at the top. One hundred years later at the same corner in 2022 there are now no signs. The photo of the room full of signs waiting to be erected, would have kept the sign writer busy.
42 Beaded Wheels
Don Muller Archivist archivist@vcc.org.nz
▲ 37 miles to Springfield Milestone. SH 73 near Mt White turnoff. Photo Ray Derry 2022.
½
– BEADED W HEELS
subscription to Beaded Wheels will save on the newstand price Aand guarantee you don’t miss a single issue at the same time.
CLASSIC
E AND
N VETERA
ING MOTOR
FOR 70
YEARS
CLASSIC, VINTA GE AND VETER
INE $7.95 ING MAGAZ CAL MOTOR ST HISTORI D’S FOREMO NEW ZEALAN
No. 352
No. 361 December
Payment by
Cheque or
FOREMOST
HISTORICAL
MOTORING
9 00001 9 41897
E OF THE MAGAZIN
CAR VINTAGE
CLUB OF
NEW ZEAL
AND
HOW TO ENJO Y YOUR CLA
MAGAZINE
SSIC CAR BMW ISETTA | HUMBER SCOTT MOT ORCYCLE
OF THE VINTAG E CAR CLUB
OF NEW ZEALAN D
Credit Card Expiry Date: ____ /____
DRIVING OUR HISTORY
Send Renewals to: (if different to delivery instructions) Cardholder Signature: Subscribers Name:
Magazine Recipients Name:
Telephone:
Telephone:
Email:
Email:
Address:
Address:
Postcode
$7.95
Or join your local branch of the VCC and receive Beaded Wheels for free. see vcc.org.nz
Card Number
Name on Card:
MAGAZINE
IAL A TIME TR G AND AND CHELSE RACIN A CLASSICOM RUAPUN N KRTT N FR VIDSO ACTIO RLEY-DA 1960 HA
SUBSCRIBE TODAY AND SAVE
Visa/Mastercard only (Amex & Diners not accepted) Processing by credit card will incur additional bank fee processing charge of 3%. NZ Post money orders not accepted.
OVER 70 YEAR
2019/Janua ry 2020 NEW ZEALAND’S
9 418979 000012
Please send a subscription for 6 Issues - New Zealand $52* (inc p&p) 6 Issues - Australia NZ$112* 6 Issues - Elsewhere NZ$185*
AN MOTO RING FOR
y 2018 June/Jul
2
Beaded Wheels
, VINTAG
Postcode
3 ways to subscribe: Order online at our website vcc.org.nz or email to: beadedwheels@vcc.org.nz or post to Beaded Wheels, PO Box 2546, Christchurch 8141.
S
MARKET PLACE FOR SALE Terms and conditions CLASSIFIED RATES Due to space limitation, classified advertisers should refrain from the use of dashes, spaces, blank lines and formatting. All classified rates include GST. The 45 word limit includes contact details. Advertisers requiring ads longer than the standard 45 words, or who require typography or space, must apply display rates. The advertising department reserves the right to edit or return classifieds not meeting the criteria Member of Vintage Car Club: No charge for text or photo classified advertising. Members must be financial and identify their Branch. Limited to one free advert per issue, maximum of three insertions per advertisement. Non Member: $21 for first 45 words or part thereof. Text in a Boxed Ad : $24 non-members* Colour Photo Ad in Box: $56 non-members, enclose a clear photo and an SAE if return required.* Advertisements should be typed or clearly printed or submitted through vcc.org.nz/ beadedwheels. Advertising Email address: beadedwheels@vcc.org. nz Advert and Payment: to arrive not later than 10th of month preceding publication. Payment by Credit card or Internet banking (for Internet banking details email beadedwheels@vcc.org.nz). DISPLAY RATES* (gst exclusive) Casual (per issue) 3 Issues (per issue) Full Page $900 $720 Half Page $530 $390 Horizontal ¼ Page $270 $216 All display rates quoted exclude GST and are for finished digital artwork supplied. Artwork can be arranged at an extra charge. Deadline for copy 10th of month preceding publication. Beaded Wheels will consider articles of a technical nature for inclusion in its editorial space. Beaded Wheels however regrets that it is not able to offer editorial space for advertisements nor for the promotion of products. Marketplace advertising cancellations received in writing prior to advertising deadline will be refunded in full. Where possible Beaded Wheels will refund 70% of the advertisement cost for any cancellations received after the booking deadline. *Payment by credit card will incur additional bank fee processing charge of 4% Beaded Wheels makes every effort to ensure no misleading claims are made by advertisers, responsibility cannot be accepted by Beaded Wheels or the Vintage Car Club of New Zealand (Inc.) for the failure of any product or service to give satisfaction. Inclusion of a product or service should not be construed as endorsement of it by Beaded Wheels or by the Vintage Car Club of New Zealand (Inc.). No liability can be accepted for non-appearance of advertisements and the text of all advertisements is subject to the approval of the editor who reserves the right to refuse any advertisements which are not compatible with the aims, objectives, and standards of Beaded Wheels or the Vintage Car Club of New Zealand (Inc.) In accordance with the provisions of the Human Rights Commission Act 1977 Beaded Wheels will not publish any advertisement which indicates or could reasonably be understood as indicating an intention to discriminate by reason of sex, marital status, religious or ethical beliefs. Advertisers should take all care in drafting advertisements as they could be held liable, as well as Beaded Wheels and the Vintage Car Club of New Zealand (Inc.).
44 Beaded Wheels
1926 MODEL T PARTS. Should be enough to make one or more cars. Location Keri Keri. $2,995. More pics and info available. Contact Rushmore Motors Ltd. 027 224 5045 inc a/h.
DRIVESHAFTS DRIVESHAFTS DRIVESHAFTS We can alter or make driveshafts with fabric components to take modern universal joints and yokes, as well as performing dynamic balancing. We also carry a large range of driveshaft components for car, trucks, industrial and marine. M S Coombes Ltd, 344 St Asaph Street, Christchurch 8011, Ph 03 366 7463, email: info@mscoombes.co.nz
1928 CHEV 4 TOURER PARTLY RESTORED. New parts and panels. Complete car, new tyres, extras plus a lot of spares Phone Jack 021 100 3444 EARL PARTS, r adiator with surround good MEM AUCKLAND condition, several starters and carbs, 2 wheels 1930 MODEL A TRAVELLER. Location New 2 dash boards + other parts. Humber 1921 Plymouth. $57,000 ono. No certification, reg or new body, chassis done, 4 new tyres. Chrysler wof. Contact Rushmore Motors Ltd. 027 224 5045 66 1930 very solid minor work to drive home. MGB x 2 offers over $10.000. Ph 021 728 381, inc a/h. for more info and pictures. forkpart@xtra.co.nz BALANCING BALANCING BALANCING, FOR SALE 1928 RUGBY S4 pickup older We can balance most vintage and single restoration, new hardware on deck. Green black, cylinder engines, fans, driveshafts etc. Work side mount spare, converted to 12v. Reg on hold. is carried out on a modern digital machine. As is where is $17,000 ono phone David Manson M S Coombes Ltd, 344 St Asaph Street, 03 443 7906 or email skoda_dave@hotmail.com. Christchurch 8011, Ph 03 366 7463, email: MEMBER CENTRAL OTAGO info@mscoombes.co.nz LESTER TIRE COMPANY 7.0-21 set of 4 tyres for 1935 AUSTIN 7 R eg and Wof great condition sale. Have been used but plenty of tread on these $8000. 1932 Austin 12/4 Reg and WoF great tyres. Photos available. Normally $600 new per condition $14000. Phone 04 237 9029 or horokiri@ tyre. Set of 4 for $800 ono. Phone John 027 448 gmail.com 1430. MEM CANTERBURY 3 BEDROOM COTTAGE IN DANNEVIRKE with NOS 60s? Hillman doors $400, grilles 54/56/58 undercover garaging for 14 cars. Phone Ian and $500 each. ‘52 Plymouth doors and bootlids $75. Sarah Howell 021 088 53483. MEM WANGANUI 1951 Vanguard overdrive $500. 1956 Daimler parts car $350. Renault 18gts 5spd parts car $250. CARBURETTOR RECONDITIONING including Ph 03 214 0426 MEM SOUTHLAND classic and performance makes. 40 plus years trade experience. Free advice. Contact Graeme Tulloch, Tulmac Carburettor Specialists on 027 612 2312 or (Levin) 06 368 2202
COACHWORK F or all your coachwork, woodwork and timber rim steering wheels for your veteran, vintage or commercial vehicles contact Designs N Wood, John Martin, 11 Bell Avenue, Cromwell. Phone/fax 03 445 0598, 021 109 1309 or email martin_jw@xtra.co.nz MEM CENTRAL OTAGO 56 OXFORD & 53 SUNBEAM BOOTLIDS, 3 7 Chev truck bonnet and doors, Stag wheels, Tr 2/2.5 NOS hubs & discs, ‘29 Buick and A60 recon. block, New Departure bearings, wood split rim wheels, PWV hubcaps. Jack 07 5766346 BOP PARTS SHED.
GOT VIBRATION PROBLEMS?
T he crankshaft pulley/balancer/damper may be the cause. Rubber perishes over time. John at Harmonic Damper Rebuilds can rebuild your pulley like new. He has a proven system to re-rubber and re-sleeve dampers. Most can be rebuilt as good as new and save you money and engine repairs. 027 666 3350 or 07 863 3350 damperdude@gmail.com CADILLAC 331 OHV V8 ENGINE. Block requires recondition but all ancillaries including heads are recon/rebuilt. New gaskets/bearings with the engine which is in Pukekohe. Please email for full details bernie.snalam@gmail.com VCC MEM
ROYAL ENFIELD AND VANGUARD SPARES. Trailer load of British Royal Enfield spares for models J and J2, model G and Bullet. $200 the lot. Plus excellent J tank $150. NOS J2 head unused $150. 2x Indian Enfield speedos $60 each. Plus assorted spares for Vanguard Six. RH front mudguard, engine (disassembled), gearbox etc. Bruce Heyward 03 732 7060 or email gen4use@gmail.com MEM WEST COAST SHED CLEAROUT: 1925 Maxwell pickup; 1923 Maxwell tow truck; 1928 Chrysler sedan, reg hold; 1929 Oldsmobile, reg hold; 1934 Plymouth Tudor; 1934 Oldsmobile; 1948 Chrysler Windsor; plus numerous parts for 1923-54 Dodge/Plymouth. Phone 032187731. MEM SOUTHLAND PENRITE OILS W e carry a large range from vintage to modern engines. Gearbox, diff, SU dashpot and water pump grease. M S Coombes Ltd, 344 St Asaph Street, Christchurch 8011, Ph 03 366 7463, email: info@mscoombes.co.nz RUSHMORE MOTORS LTD can market your Veteran, Vintage or Classic car immediately. We have great success with most makes and listing a vehicle it is completely free. We hold a huge database of prospective buyers and we endeavour to match sellers with buyers. If you have an unused vehicle sitting in your garage and would like your bank balance considerably enhanced, give us a call on 027 2245 045 inc a/h. rushmoremotors@xtra.co.nz
1938 RILEY BLUE STREAK ADELPHI PROJECT. 2½ litre 3 speed o/drive 2nd & top. Very rare car less than 250 ever built. Only one new NZ. Most of timber frame replaced. Many other parts rebuilt. New headlamps. Please help save this car. $5000 Ph 021 2709620. MEM WAITEMATA
1991 TOYOTA COROLLA 1 6 valve 5 speed manual. Mileage 123.000kms. New Rego & WoF. This car is in an exceptional original condition. Only two owners. Very tidy inside. Has to be seen to be believed. $10,000 or nearest offer. Ph Greg 027 437 0275, carshedgreg@gmail.com MEM WGTN
1929 CHRYSLER 77 ROYAL COUPE E xcellent condition and winner of the Chrysler Restorers Club, 2022 Todd Cup (People’s Choice) Email dandboliver2017@gmail.com by 20 November 2022 to register your interest. Ph 09 378 0114 or 021 422292 MEM AUCKLAND
1981 BMW R65LS 6 9,000 miles. MPH speedometer. 2 correct Panniers. Unfitted — 2 fairings and carrier. Twin disc front brake with new hoses. Has VIC. Rego on hold. Toured by overseas guest and went very well. Price $4900 Graeme gandm.crawley@gmail.com 09 5249 255
1984 TOYOTA CRESSIDA. 2 000cc fuel injected o/head cam 6 cyl motor with 4 stage auto. 169,000km. Power steering, electric windows and mirrors. Factory alloys and stereo. $7,250. Ph Ian 03 308 8437. MEM ASHBURTON
1926 STUDEBAKER CALIFORNIAN DUPLEX. Fully restored. Reg and wof. Runs well. Engine overhaul. 4 new 6 ply tyres, tubes & inners New internal roof lining. Complete rewire. New vinyl upholstery. Some spares + tools. Roller blind curtains, power brakes, cruise control. $34000. Rushmore Motors Ltd. Ph. 027 2245 045 inc a/h.
SMITHS 5 INCH BLACK FACE TACHO 8 cylinder PENRITE ENGINE COOLANT 12v impulse calibrated to 6500 rpm circa late A colourless hybrid-organic non glycol based 60s, very nice instrument $150. Lucas Magneto corrosion inhibitor designed specifically for use ex Coventry Climax 4 cylinder model 4VRA, type in Veteran, Edwardian, Vintage and Classic Car SA26, good working order, $100. Volvo P122 bare cooling systems. M S Coombes Ltd, 344 St Asaph cylinder head plus springs seats and retainers Street, Christchurch 8011, Ph 03 366 7463, email: also camshaft – free to Volvo owner. BMC A series info@mscoombes.co.nz cylinder head (12G202). Inlet manifold with 1 x 1½
BOOK YOUR ADVERTS ONLINE
Just visit the club website vcc.org.nz to book your classified advertisement for the next issue of Beaded Wheels. Our deadline for receipt of advertising for our February 2023 issue is 10 January.
1983 BENTLEY MULSANNE TURBO. E ngine V8 (6.75 l) done 127,270kms (genuine). Reg and WoF. Electric windows and wing mirrors. Central locking. Power steering. Discs all round. Beige leather upholstery. This is a classic show stopper. Offers on $28,000. Phone 021 399 639.
SU carbs $250. B series twin 1½ carbs and airbox. Suit 4/72 and similar $70. Phone 03 541 9391. MEM NELSON.
MG BOOKS 20 in the collection. All excellent condition. Covers OHC Model. T Type & MGA can be sold as one lot or individual copies. Please call for full details. Dennis 07 348 8448. MEM ROTORUA
1933 RILEY 9 TOURER – Reluctanct sale after 20 years of fun. Time to let go. Recent concours winner. Twin carbs and new crank. Four seater convertible. Very comfortable, presentable and reliable. $39,000. Ph 07 855 2631 to discuss. MEM WAIKATO
1910 (?) MORS IN PARTS, SESYLL ENGLAND ESTATE Auction in Nelson 28 & 29 January 2023. John Walker Auctioneer 027 443 2525. Photos/Info: www.jwauctions.co.nz
1949 MORRIS MINOR – M orris 1000 motor and gearbox fitted. Runs well. Tidy reliable little car. Great condition. Reg & WoF. Reasonable offers. Phone Robert 027 444 1333. MEM HOROWHENUA
Beaded Wheels 45
MARKET PLACE
1930 MORRIS COWLEY LIGHT TRUCK. ROLLS-ROYCE 20/25 DIFF FOR SALE. Please 1997 XK8 JAGUAR. W oF, reg. and battery. Jaguar Chassis built April 1930. Original body built by contact Neville on 09 434 6690 or 027 491 4420. personalised plate. Only 120,000 km. 85 year old Stevens & Sons ChCh. Rebuilt 1968-72 Good tyres, MEM NORTHLAND owner reason for selling. Best offer over $14,500. engine reconditioned Nov 2000, new clutch 2019. Ph 04 902 1718 or 021 231 6157. MEM WELLINGTON Current Reg & vic. $10,000. Ph Lyndsay Hossack, 03 689 9898 or cowleydale@icloud.com MEM WAIMATE
2002 RENAULT MEGANE CABRIOLET. Genuine FIAT 501 1920 C C rating 998. VIN/chassis no 1,100 kms as new. Fitted with roadbox as 1122341. Engine no 101 TIPO. Convertible, Rego and per photo. $12,500. Complete with new WoF. This vehicle is in Oamaru. Available to view by upholstery. Phone 09 298 6546, 021 797 340. appointment. Contact Richard Main 021 824 573 MEM SOUTH CANTERBURY mainbuzz7@gmail.com
LARGE SURPLUS OF NOS New Old Stock packs of 150 nuts available at our branch. We offer for sale including the packaging and freight at $50 per pack of (3kg in weight) 150 New Old Stock ½” BSF Nuts. Email Jack Nazer jack_nazer@yahoo.co.nz or 0274 836-666. AUCKLAND BRANCH
AA BADGE FOR SALE $ 75.00 very tidy. Phone 03 217 9734 MEM SOUTHLAND
1964 ROVER P4 110 Runs well, recent new carpets, VETERAN PARTS, b rass oiler 5 oil lines, brass door rubbers, front disc brakes Current Rego side vents, Nonpareil bulb horn working, Bosch and new WoF. Selling due to storage situation, coil, speedo drive, Rotax jack with handle, Lucas deserves a better home that I can currently bulb horns, Bosch zu4 dual mags. Ph 07 348 4227. provide $8,000 ono. Phone John 07 377 2280, 027 MEM ROTORUA 496 3143, john.godfrey@xtra.co.nz MEM TAUPO
1949 MORRIS MINOR Morris 1000 motor and gearbox fitted. Runs well. Tidy reliable little car. Great condition. Reg & WoF. Reasonable offers please, phone Robert 027 444 1333. MEM HOROWHENUA
1930 RILEY 9 TOURER, R ecent engine overhaul TWIN ENGINE (4WD) 1972 MORRIS 1300 Certified, (rebore, rings, bearings, cams, mag). Colonial bodied Reg, WOF and VIC. Can be driven front engine only, and full wet weather hood etc. New WoF. Current rear only or both together. For more information owner 18 years. $17000 ono. Call Mike 021 936 062. see write up in Shed magazine issue 88 (Jan-Feb MEM WAITEMATA 2020) Offers. Ph Albert Gordge 027 858 8072. MEM TARANAKI
46 Beaded Wheels
MARKET PLACE
1930 FORD MODEL A TOWN SEDAN. Older restoration, runs well and looks good. 12 volt. Current WoF and Rego. S.S luggage rack, Very tidy inside, $32,000. Ph 027 612 7917 email bruce73@ xtra.co.nz Mem Horowhenua
1910 FIAT TIPO 3 TOURER – SESYLL ENGLAND ESTATE Rego on hold, Auction in Nelson 28 and 29th January 2023. John Walker Auctioneer 027 443 2525. Photos/Info: www.jwauctions.co.nz
1926 RUGBY SEDAN RESTORATION PROJECT. Most parts to complete restoration available plus many additional spare parts. Car has been in dry storage for 40 years. $4,500 ono. Contact Neal 027 687 5094. MEM HAWKE’S BAY
UNIQUE MOTOR HOME, professionally designed & built 1988 using BMC mechanicals with Isuzu turbo diesel engine, restored over last 12 months after years of off road disuse. WoF & reg for onroad or ideal as tiny house self contained independent accommodation. Has EWOF & self contained for 4 – shower/toilet etc. Realistic offers sought as have accumulated too many vehicles and years. Stan Consultech@xtra.co.nz MEM MARLBOROUGH
1951 RILEY RMB Rare opportunity to take over a restoration project ready for painting and other finishing work. Rebuild is complete and overhauled 2.5 litre engine runs. Comes with most finishing parts including new lights, mirrors, hubcaps. Offers invited around $6,000. Also available is a restored and very usable 1951 RMB if wanted for copying. Ph Brian 0274 848 718 for more details.
STATIONERY MOTORS - SESYLL ENGLAND ESTATE Approx 10 in restored condition. Auction in Nelson 28 & 29th January 2023 John Walker Auctioneer 027 443 2525 Photos/Info: www.jwauctions.co.nz
1974 TRIUMPH DOLOMITE SPRINT, full rebuild 15yrs/20,000 miles ago by previous owner. Nothing to spend. Adjustable suspension added. A joy to drive, lots of looks and comments. OD on 3rd & 4th. Regularly used. Asking $30,000. In New Plymouth. Tony 027 320 2163
1922 WILLYS KNIGHT MODEL 20A Brought into NZ as a tourer, the sedan body was built in 1924 by Nielson’s of Dannevirke. Magneto completely overhauled in 2022. Reg, WoF & VIC. Lots of mechanical parts in bins. $25,500. Ph Brian 06 753 3313, aliebolly@hotmail.com. MEM TARANAKI
1937 NASH LAFAYETTE V ery nice condition with many factory extras inc o/drive, radio, heater and wheel spats. Fully refurbished interior, w/wall tyres. Good usable classic. Reg & WoF. $21,000. Ph Ray 027 696 2965. MEM WEST COAST
1933 DOORLESS BODIED SUPERCHARGED MG J2 ROADSTER. J3446 for sale on behalf. In very good condition. Recent mechanical work carried out. New tyres and wheels. Original bonnet top, doors plus some mechanical spares included. VCC sporting history. Ph Peter Croft 03 3849 534 bovett.croft@gmail.com MEM BANKS PENINSULA
1927 FORD MODEL T RACEABOUT. Lengthened 6” and lowered the chassis 6”. Ex. body and mech. Higher compression engine. Model A crankshaft – bored, pressurized and filtered. Front wheel brakes fitted. Ruckstell diff. Exhaust whistle. No hood kit, but body fitted tonneau covers. Rego on hold. Ford wire wheels. $45,000. Contact Rushmore Motors 027 2245 045 inc a/h.
WOODEN WHEELS m ade for your metal work. Steam-bent felloes, any shape spokes. New beaded rims available in some sizes. Phone Vern Jensen 06 323 3868, 16 Osborne Terrace, Feilding, sandvo@callsouth.net.nz MEM MANAWATU
MEM BAY OF PLENTY
Beaded Wheels 47
MARKET PLACE
MAGNETO AND COIL WINDING SERVICES Magneto repairs, coil rewinding, work guaranteed. We buy and sell magnetos of all types except aircraft. 728 Waimutu Road, RD2 Marton 4788. Phone Warwick 06 327 3849, 027 281 8066, walandlynn@farmside.co.nz MEM
ONE PAIR OF CLASSIC LUCAS SPOTLIGHTS Very little use, excellent condition. Also Assorted Austin Healey parts. $50 ono. Contact Wayne 027 346 0069
PISTONS PISTONS PISTONS PISTONS FOR VETERAN, VINTAGE, CLASSIC & ODDBALL ENGINES. We can supply piston sets for most makes and models. All piston sets come complete with rings and gudgeons. We have over 700 listings at competitive prices. M S COOMBES LTD 344 ST ASAPH ST, CHRISTCHURCH Ph: 03 366 7463 E: info@mscoombes.co.nz
WESTCOTT SERIES 18. 6 cylinder, continental 9N engine. Approx 5 litres. 52hp at 1800 rpm. Location Auckland. Rego & WoF. Priced at $47,000. More pics available. Contact Rushmore Motors Ltd. 027 2245 045 inc a/h.
RUSHMORE MOTORS LTD can market your Veteran, Vintage or Classic car immediately. We have great success with most makes and listing a vehicle it is completely free. We hold a huge database of prospective buyers and we endeavour to match sellers with buyers. If you have an unused vehicle sitting in your garage and would like your bank balance considerably enhanced, give us a call on 027 2245 045 inc a/h. rushmoremotors@xtra.co.nz 1925 DAVIS TOURER. W hite wall tyres are new. Hydraulic brake cylinders re-sleeved in stainless steel. 6 cylinder continental flat head motor and paint in good order. Beautiful car to drive, steers very well and rides smoothly. Rego & WoF. Location Auckland. $58,000. Contact Rushmore Motors Ltd. 027 2245 045 inc a/h.
1993 SAAB 900I AERO CLASSIC 2 .1 16 valve 3 door Auto Combi coupe. Engine overhaul in 2020 with many components renewed. Most collectable model for Saab enthusiasts. Some spares. Sold with rego & WoF. $12,500 ono. Contact Dennis, ph 04 4757 413, nisbetdd@xtra.co.nz
VINTAGE TRUNKS made to order or stock sizes. Dust proof and waterproof. Phone Allan 06 844 3959 or 0274 469 331 Napier, acjones760@gmail.com MEM VINTAGE CAR REPAIRS
1926 VAUXHALL 14/40. Location Gisborne. $52,000 ono. Rego & WoF. Previously owned by Sir Len Southward and his name is in the old log book. It is a very original car. Upholstery replaced in the 1960s. Contact Rushmore Motors Ltd. 027 2245 045 inc a/h.
VINTAGE & CLASSIC QUARTZ halogen bulbs. Replace your existing bulbs without rewiring the headlamp assemblies. Up to 100% brighter than your existing Tungsten bulbs. Will fit most reflectors fitted to Pre & Post war cars and motorbikes. Also available in single filament 55 watt P22 & BA15 bases for use in spotlamps and mechanical dip reflectors. Most bases and configurations available in 6v & 12v. Further info: Norm & Jan Sisson, sole NZ Agent. Phone 027 311 6563 , Amuri Motorcycles, 2C Birmingham Drive, Christchurch. Email modelboatsupplies@snap.net.nz 48 Beaded Wheels
All Classic and Vintage Car restoration. • Panel making • Wooden body repairs, • Bumpers and moulding repair • Competitive hourly rate. Unit 1 11 Penn Place, Upper Riccarton, Christchurch
Phone Grant 341 5100 or 027 223 9474 granttvin@gmail.com
1925 AUSTIN A/40 SPORTS CONVERTIBLE. Location Tinwald. 4011 built of which only 20 came to NZ. Body off restoration. Pics available. Reg & WoF. $22,000. Contact Rushmore Motors Ltd. 027 2245 045 inc a/h.
VALVES exhaust quality stainless for vintage engines. Supplied semi finished with a range of stem and head sizes for machining to dimensions required. Contact George Calder, phone 03 338 5372 or email gandkcalder@ gmail.com VINTAGE ENGINE SHORT BLOCKS We can in most cases rebuild your short block using modern shell bearings, 1926 MODEL ‘T’ TOURER. $32,000 ono. Location new pistons and rebuilt oil pump. near New Plymouth. Restored in 1972-73. Running Please contact us for more information. a distributor, but coils tremblers still in place. M S Coombes Ltd, 344 St Asaph Street, Mileage 3000. Reg. is lost. Fitted with a Ruckstell Christchurch 8011, Ph 03 366 7463, email: 2 speed diff. Price negotiable. Contact Rushmore info@mscoombes.co.nz Motors Ltd. 027 2245 045 inc a/h.
MARKET PLACE WANTED 1929 DESOTO K SEDAN. T rying to get back on the road, looking for any literature, exploded views to help. Also would be great to view a restored vehicle and if possible take photos and maybe measurement to fabricate parts. smithtony1955@ gmail.com 027 432 7278 MEM CANTERBURY
1928 MODEL A N ew reg & WoF. Reconditioned motor. Gearbox, diff work done. New tyres and brakes. Drives very well. $25,000 ono. Phone 09 403 8087. MEM FAR NORTH
1972-1974 ROVER P6B 3500 V8, automatic transmission. Prefer a club running. Must be in good condition, prefer to buy in lower North Island. Phone Pierre 06 345 6977, email jpszeilstra@gmail. NEW ZEALAND NUMBER PLATES ALL YEARS com MEM WANGANUI. From County plates thru to 1966. In particular ALFA ROMEO 33/ALFASUD. W eber or Dellorto with prefixes A, B, C, D, E, H, L, P, R, S, T, V, X, 36IDF Carburettors. Phil 027 261 1181, philipNT@ DPL, GOVT, GVT & motorcycle plates similar to xtra.co.nz MEM OTAGO samples above. Will purchase singles thru to entire DESPERATELY WANTED FOR MY AUSTIN 7 collections, and accumulations. Good prices paid. CHUMMY. Side curtains set, new, used or even just Phone Graham 03 349 4779 or 021 365 449. Email MEM CANTERBURY the frames. Also 4 speed gearbox. Maybe other A7 graham.freeman@xtra.co.nz parts if you have some. Ph 07 378 9291. MEM TAUPO
DODGE 1928 STD6 ( two cars) need split rims and hubs for wooden spoke wheels 19in & 21in to rebuild or upgrade existing wheels on two lovely cars. Bruce Seddon bruce.seddon@xtra.co.nz ph 027 279 7923 Whakatane MEM EBOP FORD MODEL A Original electric windshield 1929 ROVER 2 LITRES SPORTSMANS COUPE wipers, brands required, Owen Dyneto, Heinze, Restoration completed and registered 2005. E.A Laboratories, Complete wipers or parts. Excellent condition bodily and mechanically. Last Ph Ross 022 392 3640. MEM AUCKLAND major rally 600 mile round trip to 2019 Ashburton model 741B Scout Easter Rally. Many spares. Insurance value INDIAN MOTORCYCLE - $18,000. Price negotiable. Ph Barry 03 578 1587. WANTED TO BUY. Preferably unrestored but complete. I am based in Wellington but happy to MEM MARLBOROUGH travel nationwide to view and or pickup. Please give us a call on 027 204 2296. Kester Bronlund.
H & B ACETYLENE HEADLAMP w ith a nine inch diameter nickel rim wanted to complete a set of lamps for a veteran currently under restoration. Please contact John on 0273 558 822 or hastilowfamily@gmail.com MEM CANTERBURY
JAMES ML 125, James Cadet or Excelsior 197cc parts please looking for engines, gearboxes or anything else to help get my two strokes back on the road. Phone or Text Bryce on 027 965 0447 MESSERSCHMITT WANTED i n any condition, not necessary complete. Phone 021 102 8717, sangimmie@gmail.com MEM HAWKE’S BAY MGB MK1 OVERDRIVE GEARBOX WANTED for a 1967 car. Please phone/text Peter 027 332 6874 or email amisfieldbay@gmail.com MEM OTAGO
1958 FIAT 600. 54,000 miles since new. Great little car, used as a town shopping basket.call Matt on 027 3341656 (Christchurch). $17k ono. PARTS FOR A 1935 FORD V8: Rear mounted MEM CANTERBURY luggage rack (can need work on). 16 inch wire wheels for a spare pair. Clock that goes in glove box door – going or not, approx. 60m-65mm diameter. Phone Graham 03 542 3847. MEM NELSON PLYMOUTH/DODGE 1939 F ront brake drum. 10inch 2inch deep 5 Ssud (4 fins on casting) Ph Keith 04 589 5495 or shaab@xtra.co.nz
UPDATE YOUR CONTACT DETAILS Please advise National Office of any changes of address or sales/purchases of vehicles. Email admin@vcc.org.nz or post details to VCCNZ, PO Box 2546, Christchurch 8140
PANTHER MOTORCYCLE PARTS WANTED H WT – 1938 M95 or M100 – to build a complete bike from a partial M95 engine. Looking for frame, petrol tank, Lucas magdyno, Burman BAP gearbox kickstart cover, Brown & Barlow horizontal carb, 8in half hub rear wheel, tinware, handlebars, levers, rear light. LWT – 1952 M75 – everything except the engine, frame and forks. Possible exchange for M75 engine parts. Phone or text David Broadhead 021 324 762 dbroadhe@xtra.co.nz MEM AUCKLAND
SUNBEAM RAPIER SERIES IV OR SERIES V will pay for one in restored condition. Phone 027 430 4177 rockmoor@xtra.co.nz MEM ASHBURTON FRONT BRAKED AXLE OR BRAKE ASSEMBLY f or vintage Sunbeam member Andrew 027 438 6900 MEM CANTERBURY STOLEN. 1934 Chevrolet bonnet mascot and two ORIGINAL CRANKHANDLE WANTED for a 1925 Vauxhall emblems were stolen from the Hastings Rugby. Phone Graham 07 308 7683, 0274 773 731. area. Should this Phoenix arise from the ashes or MEM BAY OF PLENTY the Griffins appear please contact NZ Police, or call/ 1935 SLANT BACK FORD V8 SEDAN Wanted text 021 027 09569. to purchase. Fully restored mob 027 682 4040. MEM HOROWHENUA
Beaded Wheels 49
SWAP MEETS & RALLIES
All vehicles entered in National And International Rallies must hold a current VehicIe Identity Card (VIC).
2023 SOUTH ISLAND
CLUB CAPTAIN’S TOUR Friday Saturday Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday
18 March 19 March 20 March 21 March 22 March 23 March 21 March 24 March 25 March
Ashburton Rangiora Cheviot Hanmer Murchison Hokitika Hanmer Springs Haast Cromwell
Entrants may join and leave at any point of the tour. Accommodation list and entry forms are available from Alon Mayhew 027 202 9491 Email sicc@vcc.org.nz or alon.tracy@xtra.co.nz As there is limited accommodation in some areas, prompt booking is recommended.
DRIVING OUR HISTORY
50 Beaded Wheels
Swap Meet Gore Swap Meet And Boot Sale Run by the Gore Vintage Car Club
SUNDAY 19 MARCH 2023 WAIMEA STREET, GORE – 8AM START Hot Food Available Admittance Adults $5 Accompanied Children Free
Sellers’ Stalls $10 (includes one free entry) (If you have items you wish to sell please come along and set up a stall) Enquiries to Gerry 03 208 5806, 027 233 4634 or Katherine 021 261 6986
Pre
‘56
H O O D A E R O D OM E
M AST E RTON
OVER WAIRARAPA
AIR FESTIVAL
• Blenheim • 11 – 15 March 2023
24-26 FEB
National Rally for all MGs from Old No.1 to TF 1500 (MGAs also invited) Contact: bovett.croft@gmail.com
• phone 03 384 9534
GISBORNE BRANCH ANNUAL
THREE RIVERS RALLY FEBRUARY 10-12, 2023 Come and join us on our “Six Sisters Safari” over scenic roads and emerald hills ambling to places unknown. Another sun and surf weekend • Entry forms now available
Enquiries: Brian Williams Phone 09 361 1632 Email: Zakman77@gmail.com More information at gisborne@vcc.org.nz
BOOK YOUR TICKETS TODAY
www.wings.org.nz
SOUTH CANTERBURY BRANCH Fellow members are invited to join a 3 day tour in December 2022. Leaving from Timaru • 1st night, Oamaru Friday 9 Dec • 2nd night, Omarama Sat 10 Dec • 3rd night, Timaru, 11 Dec.
3 DAY TOUR 9, 10, 11 DECEMBER
Your choice of all sealed roads or a combination of sealed and unsealed roads. Accommodation and meals are entrants’ responsibility. Get in early to book your accommodation.
DRIVING OUR HISTORY
Entry forms from nola.day@xtra.co.nz Enquiries to Grant Stewart 027 378 6149 or Alistair Day 027 202 5007
VCCNZ Ashburton Branch
SWAPMEET
Saturday 6 May 2023 Club Grounds 86 Maronan Road, Tinwald Ashburton No Dogs Allowed • Catering by Ashburton Lions Club
Site Bookings to Karen Bell 72 Creek Rd Ashburton 7700 Email: funky_gran117@yahoo.co.nz Phone 021 0243 1955
Gates Open 7.30am
Saturday 25 February 2023 Swap Meet starts at 7.00 a.m. Entry: Sellers $10.00 Buyers/Browsers $5.00 Children (under 12) Free Vintage Car Display - Car Parts Old & New - Motoring Books & Manuals Collectibles – Bric-a-Brac Refreshments – Sausage Sizzle – Bacon Butties
Venue: Wellsford/Warkworth Vintage Car Clubrooms Satellite Station Rd –off SH 1 – 3km south of Warkworth All enquiries to 027 423 8122 or wellsfordwarkworth@vcc.org.nz
Beaded Wheels 51
Presents
Sunday 16th April 2023, Te Kawau Recreation Centre, Wye St, Rongotea from 10am – 2pm
All classics, future classics, vintage, and veterans etc welcome. Swap and boot sale area. Display entry: $20/vehicle including 2 people. $5 pp thereafter. Public entry: $10 each or $25/family (Mum, Dad and 2 kids)
Prizes and entertainment, food and drinks for sale. Eftpos available. All proceeds to charity. Contacts:
Bernard Lilburn - 0274425913 or bernard.l@inspire.net.nz David Calow – 0272392311 or windings2054@gmail.com
NELSON
SWAP MEET
BAZAAR 11 MARCH 2023 Speedway Grounds – Lansdowne Road, Richmond Site sales and registrations now open online at
2023
NORTH OTAGO BRANCH
Featuring the Morris in recognition of its 75th Anniversary Public display and registrations Friendly Bay Reserve Wansbeck St 9.30am. First car away at 11.00am BYO Picnic Lunch Prizes and certificates will be awarded for Best Morris • Best British Car • Best Original Car • People’s Choice • Best Motorcycle
ENTRIES ON THE DAY
$20 PER VEHICLE
www.nelsonvcc.org.nz/book-a-site EMAIL nelson@vcc.org.nz
Food and drink available on site Site and Cars for sale : $15 (Both above include 1 entry) Entry non-site holders $5 Gates open; 7am Stall Holders 8am Public. 52 Beaded Wheels
Contact Clive Blunden 021 184 2435 Proceeds to Waitaki Event Centre Project
TRADE DIRECTORY
Repairers and Restorers of Vintage and Classic Instruments Speedo Cables repaired or made new to order 13 Fleming Street, Onehunga, Auckland
Hamco
INSTRUMENT REPAIRS
UPPER CLASSICS
INDUSTRIES
NEW ZEALAND
Motorcycle & Car a Wire Wheel Repairs & Restorations
Experienced expert technician Bruce Chaytor ph 021 631 700 Nicolette Prangley 021 166 8374
We Specialise In • Custom Made Spokes • Speedway Wheels Rim and Frame Lining • Wheel Building & Truing • Complete Wheel Restoration
nap.chaytor@gmail.com 5 Gibbs Place, Kinloch, RD1, Taupo 3377
Vintage – Classic – Modern Craig & Debbie Hambling
Phone 06 324 8345 Mobile 027 231 7864
FOR THE REPAIR & RESTORATION OF ALL CLASSIC OR VINTAGE CARS & MOTORCYCLES
410 Green Road, RD 6, Palmerston North Day or Night
MARLBOROUGH MAGNETOS
CARBURETTOR SPECIALISTS
Hard-to-get parts manufactured
Coil Only service for DIY assembly
Magdyno and Maglita units restored
Curiosities investigated
☎ 027 577 8328
Contact Paul Radmall at paul@magnetos.co.nz
▼
Exchange armatures available
▼
Magneto repair and restoration undertaken
▼
Magnetos Rewound in New Zealand using the best available materials
Full reconditioning service Carburettor body, re-bushing and shafts supplied. Specialising in Weber, Holley, SU, Stormberg, etc
40 YEARS TRADE EXPERIENCE Contact: GRAEME TULLOCH Ph: 027 612 2312 or 06 368 2202 Email: tullochfamily@xtra.co.nz ı tulmac.co.nz
FREE ADVICE
RESTORED CARS MAGAZINE AUSTRALIA First published in 1973. Most back issues are available. All vehicles featured are restored or in original condition. Events, How To’s and Australian motoring history are a specialty. Subscription Rates Australia 6 Issues $69 or 12 issues $135 New Zealand 6 Issues AUD$117 or 12 issues AUD$231 Overseas 6 Issues AUD$150 or 12 issues AUD$297 VISA – MASTERCARD AVAILABLE EDDIE FORD PUBLICATIONS P/L 29 LYONS ST, NEWSTEAD VIC 3462, AUSTRALIA.
PH 61 3 5476 2212 RESTOREDCARSMAGAZINE.COM
Beaded Wheels 53
IDLE TORQUE A round up of events, personalities and branch gossip from VCCNZ branches around the country
ASHBURTON
ISLA JONES
Our branch has recently lost two very valuable members, Samuel James Cullimore and Jim Lawton, both of whom did a tremendous amount of work for the branch in years gone by. Our Daffodil Day was a great success with over 160 vehicles on display. A good number of spectators came to see it. Our effort gathered another $3100 for the Cancer Society. Some of our members went to the South Canterbury Branch Opening Run in Timaru. It was a great run through back country roads from Timaru to the White Horse Monument on the hill overlooking Waimate. The monument, and the area surrounding it, have been tidied up so it is now a top-class facility with great views of Waimate. Our Spring Run was held on 25 September, starting from the club rooms about 1.30pm. Twenty-five cars and three motorbikes travelled through the eastern-side farm area and finished on the green at the South Rakaia Huts for afternoon tea and a catch-up. On 17 September members in five cars assisted at the opening of the new NZMCA motorhome/caravan park. At Labour Weekend we had 10 cars on display at the Ashburton Aviation and Military Extravaganza weekend. It was a good opportunity for the public to see the old military vehicles as well as our members’ cars. The Armstrong Siddeley Rally was held in Ashburton over the same weekend. Peter Jacob arranged the field tests at our clubrooms, and opened our museum and parts shed for them.
AUCKLAND
JOCELYN MCALPINE
Entrants in our PV, PW, P60/80 Rally, plotted by Gavin Welch and Sophie Zhao, were treated to a rural run with lovely scenic views in the sunshine.
54 Beaded Wheels
▲ Auckland: Jack Clark’s 1963 Matchless G12. ▼ Auckland: AVVCC Barn – workshop and home to the Charabanc.
▲ Banks Peninsula: A fine line-up of marques at Terrace Station. Photo Michael Pidgeon.
▼ Auckland: Ron Richard’s 1915 Model T at the Waiuku Branch Railway Centennial.
▲ Banks Peninsula: Neil Kay’s Mallock MK IV at Wigram Revival. Photo Don Gerrard.
Overall winners were Russel and Jocelyn McAlpine. The Cecil Light Restoration Trophy was jointly awarded to Graham Waters with his 1972 Norton Commando, Jack Clark with his 1963 Matchless G12 and Graeme Crawley with his Ariel special. Our “Barn” has had a multi-purpose life of late, with our clubrooms out of action because of basement flooding. It has now had the outside refurbished with new coat of paint and a brand-new roof, thanks to a great group of club volunteers. The reopening and the installment of our huge library was welcomed by all. Our condolences for their loss go to the families of Jim Boag and Bryan Belcher.
BANKS PENINSULA
DON GERRARD
It is with sadness that we report the passing of two stalwarts of our Branch. Bruce Bartlett was very much involved
in the early days with the setting up and running and we extend our condolences to his family. After a long illness, Russell Yates died recently and will be greatly missed. He was a talented driver and fierce competitor, gaining many successes in various categories of motorsport. We extend our condolences to his wife Brenda and family. In September we held our inaugural Richard Foster Memorial Picnic at the family homestead, Terrace Station North Canterbury. Members enjoyed the wonderful gardens, barns and sheds full of interesting and rarely seen treasures. Our Opening Run in early October took a meandering route through the North Canterbury countryside to arrive at Foxdown, the Scargill Valley farm of Andy and Kath Fox. A very impressive and eclectic car collection from Rolls-Royce to Studebakers was on display, together
▲ Banks Peninsula: Historic Citroën Spyder at Wigram Revival. Photo Don Gerrard.
▲ Bay of Plenty: A pristine Ford Thunderbird which is part of the Thrupp Museum in Oropi.
▲ Banks Peninsula: J ust some of the Foster Family Collection at Terrace Station. Photo Michael Pidgeon
▲ Canterbury: Veteran Run see full report on page 40,
with a museum of farming and general memorabilia. In late October the Wigram Revival Race Meeting was held at Ruapuna, and 16 drivers faced the starter for two days of action. The Barrett equipe took first and second places both days with excellent drives - Tracey in her Lotus 23C Rep, and Mark in his 23B Rep. Jim Bennett in the Furi Impulse was always in contention. Likewise was new man to our racing fraternity Neil Kay in his Mallock MK IV, and he was thoroughly enjoying himself. Ethan Kemp had the 1951 Citroën Spyder going great guns
BAY OF PLENTY
DONN WHITE
Our End of Month Run in September took us to Whangamata, where some 45 members visited a workshop filled with quality Americana. Our host, Allan Rees, showed us his extensive collection of
▲ Bay of plenty: Our members enjoyed a visit to a museum in Whangamata owned by Allan Rees, specialising in Ford Mustangs and Elvis Presley memorabilia.
vehicles, including Ford Mustangs, a very low mileage Chev Corvette, and an impressive amount of Elvis Presley memorabilia. Recently we visited J. Swap’s HQ in Matamata, where we were given an extensive tour taking in the vast trucking workshops, and were then driven out to have a look at the quarry at Taotaoroa in courtesy vans. One of our Mid Week Runs took in the Thrupp Museum near Oropi, just out of Tauranga, where host Graham Thrupp showed us magnificently presented vehicles and Americana, dating from the late 1950s/early 1960s. It never ceases to amaze just what is in collections that have been built up by baby boomers in our catchment. A number of our Mini owning members attended this year’s Mini Nationals in Auckland over Labour weekend. Three generations of the Sutton family picked up several awards in the Show and Shine
and the Navigational Trial with a total of four Minis entered. Deidre Rennie finished a commendable third overall for the weekend’s competition, and the writer entered a 1970 Mini 1000, which finished second in the Show and Shine Survivor category.
CANTERBURY
TONY BECKER
The main event of 2022 featured our first Swap Meet and Display in three years. And what a crowd! Swap meet sites, both selling and camping, exceeded expectations. Some sites had reportedly sold out of goods in the first two busy selling days. Displays of trucks, tractors, and stationary engines, as well as members’ vehicles and one-make club cars held strong interest throughout, resulting in many new memberships. Food vendors proved popular, as did site bookings for next year. Needless to say the rare run of three fine
Beaded Wheels 55
▲ Central Otago: The four stalwarts parked up in the old Teviot Station wool shed are Bert Turnbull -1973 Rover, Graham Taylor -1963 Morris Minor, Noel White -1957 Chevrolet and Bryan Anderson -1967 Daimler.
▲ Central Otago:Blossom Festival Show and Shine in Clyde.
swap meet days helped. Recent motoring events include the popular Women and Young Drivers’ Rally, which successfully encourages a wider family involvement, as well as the All British Day that started from Cutler Park´s impressive October Old Cars Bikes and Coffee (OCBC) gathering. A very large entry of British steel from baby Austins to Jags, Rollers, and everything in between, graced the many picnicking groups that converged on the vast Selwyn Huts Domain last week. The motorcycle section hosted 25 young classic trialists whose competitive balancing skills provided September’s OCBC gathering some lively entertainment. The popular Velosolex Owners Group (VOGs) monthly rides are rather less competitive, a recent tour of the Red Zone more typical of their fun. Our Annual Awards Dinner honoured branch stalwarts for their 25 to 60 years continuous membership with award badges, thus reminding us of our constantly ageing but loyal membership. With Spring
56 Beaded Wheels
▲ Central Otago: Show and Shine in Clyde (how did that modern get in there).
things and daffodils far behind us we look forward to a busy summer season.
CENTRAL HAWKE’S BAY JOHN FOOT Another year has bitten the dust. They seem to be getting shorter. The September event was organised by the Cheer, Domper and Halford families. The event took members in and around the Norsewood area in support of the celebration of 150 years since the arrival of the first Norwegian settlers in 1872. Also in September, two cars and four members took part in the very enjoyable North Island Club Captain’s Tour, which took us through some very interesting back country roads. The October event was the East Coast Adventure Tour organized by Rod and Scarlett McKenzie. Sixteen cars and 31 members took part in this event, starting in Wairoa and travelling through Waikaremoana (never seen so many potholes in my life) to Whakatane, Lottin Point, Gisborne, then home to
Waipukurau. At Whakatane the Eastern Bay of Plenty Branch catered a very nice meal. On the final day several members visited the Eastwoodhill Arboretum before travelling back via Tinoroto Road to Wairoa then home. Labour Weekend saw two cars and three members take part in the Manawatu Branch Diamond Jubilee celebrations.
CENTRAL OTAGO
DON YEAMAN
Our annual Blossom Festival Rally was on 24 September with the organisers, Ewan Duthie and Brian Anderson, introducing a change in format this year. Everyone gathered on the old main street of Clyde at 8:30am for a Show and Shine before the 9:45 briefing. The entrants then had a choice of one of four runs, including a short one for those wanting to enter the parade at Alexandra. The rally winners were chosen using a points system based on questions at various points of interest,
and everybody finished at the clubrooms in Cromwell for a meal. Our Sunday Run for October was a bit longer than usual, so more people opted to use their modern car. However we still had four stalwarts who showed up in their club eligible vehicles. From the Cromwell clubrooms we went to Alexandra, where we joined the rest of the crew. We all then motored down the true right of the Clutha to Beaumont where we crossed the bridge and went back up the true left to Millers Flat. On the way we stopped to see “The Lonely Graves” (Google it, it’s a good story). After lunch at Faigans Café in Millers Flat we carried on up the true left of the Clutha to see the ruins of the old Teviot Station woolshed (again Google it as it’s a great bit of history). It was a massive building of 137 by 47.3 metres. We then all made our own way home.
EASTERN BAY OF PLENTY
BRUCE SEDDON
In Mid-September some members went over to Paeroa for the Rotary Club organised Paeroa Vintage Weekend. This year’s event was a welcome success and the display area was overflowing. In September Barry and Marianne Spry led a large enthusiastic group of members on a run south to Galatea to visit the two Steiner brothers’ museums. Eric Steiner’s museum contains a barn lined wall to wall with a large collection of colourful beer cans sourced from all around the world.
These cans surround a collection of classic Fords (and one special Mini), with pride of place given to a 1906 Ford Model N. All cars are registered and exercised regularly. Finally, in some large contractor’s workshops is Eric’s contracting machinery and tractor collection. As with the cars, all are in excellent operating condition. A short trip to a property across the road saw us gather at Alf Steiner’s Museum and workshop, containing another large collection of tractors, stationary engines, models, period clothing and artefacts. Like Eric with his cars and machinery, Alf works hard to preserve his historical collection of farming equipment in operating condition. Both collections captivated us, and eventually Barry had to cajole drivers to leave and head to Lake Aniwhenua to gather for a lunch. In mid-October we hosted Central Hawke’s Bay Branch members to dinner during a tour of Eastland (northern Hawkes Bay, Eastern Bay of Plenty, East Coast and Gisborne). We joined them for a dinner and social after a day when they travelled from Wairoa to Whakatane via Lake Waikaremoana and Galatea – a challenging trip for classic and vintage cars. They travelled around East Cape to Gisborne after leaving us. This was a display of the fellowship of our club.
FAR NORTH
included a pleasant run to Houhora, and featured photo identification and sequencing. Extra special concentration is required by all car crews for this type of rally. The Caffeine’n’Classics monthly events in Taipa continue to attract a wide variety of motoring enthusiasts from all over Northland. Our yearly Open Day at our clubrooms, incorporating a car-boot sale, was held with great success in mid-October. The local Rod and Customs Club and the public swelled the numbers and made it a very enjoyable day. Rummaging through second-hand parts and socialising are always popular activities with our members. We hold our September monthly meetings in Kerikeri every year, recognising the
▲ EBOP: Paddock parking for club cars at Galatea.
MURRAY CORMACK
The club’s annual Father’s Day Rally in September was a well-planned event which
▲ Far North: Caffeine ‘n Classics .
▲ EBOP: Club Fellowship – entertaining Central Hawke’s Bay to dinner.
▲ EBOP: Eric Steiner’s 1906 Ford N at Galatea.
▲ Far North: Caffeine ‘n Classics continues to attract motoring enthusiasts from all over Northland.
EBOP: James’ Morris 8 Sports ready to lead the way to Galatea and Lake Aniwhenua.
Beaded Wheels 57
long travel for southern members to our clubrooms. This is appreciated by members in the south. The 50th annual Far North Tour rally organised by Northland Branch will be a major event in November. A big thanks to our Chairman Winston Matthews, who is organising the famed Saturday dinner in his museum. This is for all entrants, and a good number of our Far North members who will not be on the rally. This will be a milestone event for our club and will include a 50-year membership presentation to Winston. We all appreciate his tremendous contributions to our branch over the years.
GORE
BILL SHEDDAN
We welcome new member Donald McFadzien with his Land Rover and Morris Minor. The monthly Tuesday Ramble attracted 14 cars in August. We visited the Gore District Council’s revamped information centre, and the Hokonui Moonshine Museum. Later in the afternoon, we visited the old East Gore Church, which the Eastern Southland Gallery, under the direction of Jim Geddes, is restoring and converting into an arts centre, with accommodation for artists in residence. With help from a very enthusiastic group of artminded people, and the donation of a large lithographic printing press, Jim has established another asset to our town. The branch has been helping dispose of
part of the late Robin Dickson’s vast collection of vehicles. These range from early veteran to Post 60. The first sale required moving more than 30 cars from his large shed, where some have sat for 30 or more years, and transporting them about 20km to the Field Days site at Waimumu. A good turnout of members equipped with cars and trailers, compressors, ropes and winches did this in two days. The auction, held on 24 September, was very successful with all lots sold. The highest bid of $61,000 secured the bidder a nice original 1959 Cadillac. Branch members were there with a refreshment stand. The second auction of the older veteran cars will be held sometime next year.
HAWKE’S BAY
ESTHER SMITH
Our flagship Art Deco Rally is open for entries and filling fast. The branch and no doubt fellow Art Deco devotees, both Hawke’s Bay locals and visitors, will be looking forward to the rally and the wider Art Deco event running at full strength unhindered by restrictions. This summer the cruise ships are back in full force. Our branch contracts to the Napier Port to supply a number of Art Deco era cars, with drivers dressed appropriately, to mount a static display by each ship as the passengers return. The number of cars required varies between 6 and 12 depending on the size of the ship. They are a unique attraction, some passengers love to come and look the cars over, discuss the
cars and meet the drivers. As there has been a two and a half year hiatus, it has meant a significant amount of work to reactivate the process. We appointed Colin Barnes as cruise ship co-ordinator. On one hand he had the job of liaising with the Port authorities, and on the other organising a revitalised group of volunteers to provide suitable cars. The volunteers then had to do a H and S induction and get Port passes all in time to provide a one off 20 car contingent to welcome this season’s first cruise ship, Ovation of the Seas. Cars will be present at over 40 ship visits this season so it’s quite a commitment. Our annual Safari had a significant change this year. We have always held it over Labour Weekend, but, due to accommodation restrictions and traffic/driving issues, we decided to move the date by a week. This year’s Safari to Rotorua was a much more relaxed affair, proving it was the right decision.
HOROWHENUA
BRUCE JAMIESON
On 18 September we enjoyed a simple no-tricks (according to the organiser) rally to the tram museum at Paekakariki. There were more than 20 cars at the clubrooms for the start, and the crews embarked on a course that meandered around the eastern area of Horowhenua and Kapiti. Arriving at the tram museum, we were given a very interesting talk about the history of the tram service in Wellington. We were then able to inspect the museum
▲ Gore: Gore Branch members manning hot dog stand at Dickson car auction. ▼ Horowhenua: All aboard for members.
▲ Gore: Restoration project from the Dickson auction. Gore: Dickson car auction.
58 Beaded Wheels
▲ Horowhenua: Branch members at the Paekakariki Tram museum.
▲ Hawke’s Bay: John Cocking alias “Bertie” and his Austin welcoming the cruise ships.
▲ Hawke’s Bay: The welcoming display of cars includes Judy Barnes in ▲ Hawke’s Bay: Lesley Blair at the Bluebell her 1933 Austin 10. display in the soundshell.
▲ Manawatu: Members preparing themselves and their bikes for the Manawatu Branch 2022 Motorcycle Rally.
and workshops. It is great that so many of these old trams have been saved and are now in the process of being restored. Many spent years parked outside before the large sheds could be built, and now all of them are sheltered. There are four in running condition, and we were able to take a trip on the line down to the beach. Oh, the memories came flooding back – of clattering around the streets of Wellington. Or perhaps, of sliding off our motorcycles and pushbikes on the wet tram lines!
KING COUNTRY NORMA DOUGHERTY Over the last month we have had a visit from the Club Captain’s Tour group on Thursday 22nd September, led by Kaaren Smylie, the North Island Club Captain and
▲ Manawatu: Branch cars at the Julia Wallace Retirement Village giving residents the opportunity to reminisce and take rides if they wished.
the co-organiser Alastair Jones. They were travelling over to Whangamomona and then to New Plymouth. On 29 October we held our Journey Through Time Rally, which is a noncompetitive run, and after leaving Taumarunui we travelled in a north-west direction to Matiere School for lunch. The oldest car was Greg and Jane Oliver’s 1929 Ford Model A, all the way from Foxton Beach, and the youngest car the 1950s Hudson of Butch Erni. After lunch they travelled in an easterly direction before returning to Taumarunui. There they had afternoon tea at the clubrooms (the old goods shed at the Railway Station). The goods shed has also become a place for storage of some old vehicles and a large crane. There is also a model railway set-up on display. The vehicles trav-
elled on some of the roads that were used in the famous first trip from Wellington to Auckland by a motor vehicle in November 1912. However, the conditions were much better today with the tar sealed roads. A great day was enjoyed by members.
MANAWATU
BRYAN ABRAHAM
A busy two months started with 12 vintage cars from the branch attending a local retirement village, giving residents the opportunity to view, and if they wished go for rides in the cars. Many members appreciated seeing monthly Sunday runs reintroduced. A new format of a run from Feilding to the clubrooms for a BYO tea bought a dozen cars out for the first such outing, which was pleas-
Beaded Wheels 59
Manawatu: Members and ex-members settled in for the branch 60th Anniversary Saturday evening meal at the clubrooms. Marlborough: Bill and Dale Nicholas in their 1965 Vanden Plas 1100.
Marlborough: Jenny and Dale Conlan in their 1951 Alvis TA.
Marlborough: Damage from the devastating parts shed fire. Photo: Tristan Winstanley.
Nelson: Wayne Logan in his Austin-Healey also an entry in the Targa.
60 Beaded Wheels
ing given that the day clashed with Father’s Day. The September Vintage Rally saw early spring weather being taken advantage of by the nearly 20 cars, which headed off on a timed morning section to Kimbolton, negotiating a mix of sealed and unsealed roads. Lunch was at the Heritage Park, followed by a route involving straight line navigation, silent checks, and ‘taking the line of least resistance’ back to the clubrooms for afternoon tea. September club night bought 50 people out to hear Wayne Stewart talk about the new road which is currently being constructed over the ranges to replace the closed gorge road. Early October the branch held a successful Swapmeet at Manfield in Feilding. Labour weekend was the big one for the branch – the Diamond Anniversary celebrations. On Saturday nearly 60 cars and 90 people motored to the Apiti Tavern for lunch and returned to the clubrooms for evening dinner. There were scatter runs to a variety of local venues and a barbecue evening meal on Sunday.
MARLBOROUGH
▲ Nelson: L-R Rob Thompson, Dave Bell, Karen Thompson and Yvonne Bell arrive at the Posh Picnic.
CARROLL WIBLIN
Our Branch had a nasty shock at the beginning of November with fire razing our Trevor May Parts Shed. We were fortunate that members of Vintage Farm and Machinery were vigilant on the day. They alerted our members who were having afternoon tea in the clubrooms and I believe were the ones who rang the fire brigade. The result could have been worse but for their prompt action. We are eternally grateful for their timely response. Tris, Earl, and their team now face the unenviable task of sorting through all the damaged goods and deciding what is salvageable and what will be scrap. A mammoth task, but they have been offered all sorts of help. It will certainly keep our members busy until a new shed is built. We welcome new members Brian Reid, 1949 260M Zephyr Open Wheeler race car; Kim Saunders-Singer, 1967 Austin taxi and 1961 Rover P5; Carole Crawford, 1973 Austin London taxi and 1977 Austin London taxi: and Dale Harris, 1962 Fiat 500 and 1958 Vespa 42L2. We look forward to seeing you all out on future runs. A trip to Johnsons Barging in Havelock proved to be a very informative trip. We learned the history of barging in the Pelorus Sound and how it all evolved. Then it was on to see Peter Harts
▲ Nelson: Chris and Tim Milne at the Posh Picnic.
▲ Nelson: Bruce Farley Nelson VCC Highly commended in Targa.
vintage boat. This was built in 1912, and has been very well cared for. Lunch was at the Slip Inn, which is, as the name suggests, right on the waterfront by the slipway. A very pleasant way to finish off the trip. Our Wednesday morning teas are as popular as ever, and we now have members giving their “life story” talks, which are very interesting. We learn how they decided to become members, what vehicles they have and how they have contributed to the branch. Entries to our Biennial Rally were less than normal at 32. It was a very relaxed run with good clear instructions, and a great lunch provided by the Seddon school ladies. The informal rally dinner was held at Brayshaw Park. The prize for the furthest travelled went to Pat and Elaine Knowles from Greymouth.
NELSON
RAY ROBERTSON
With the rain, swollen rivers and mayhem caused to property and infrastructure by the weather bomb now two months behind us, the Nelson Branch was really looking forward to a great turnout for the Daffodil Rally for Cancer. As prepara-
tion for the rally, we had been loaned a TNL Freighting curtain-sider as the presentation stage. After so much deprivation Club Captain Rob Thompson decided to hold a drive-in movie, which was projected on to a white PVC cover placed over the curtainsider. Rally day arrived and we were not disappointed. The local auto clubs and the public turned out with 227 entries for the rally itself, and another 50 or so who put their cars on display. We were very pleased to hand over to the Nelson Cancer Society the sum of $7300 from an awesome event. An invitation to join the local Vauxhall Club in a run organised by Charil and Chris Milne, culminating in a Posh Picnic, saw a group of participants romp it up at Faulkner Bush. The final crowning was the Nelson Targa with a number of locals taking part in the VCC Targa Trial and a greater number of our team assisting Rod Corbett in scrutineering and stage timekeeping. On a sad note, we report the passing of long time Nelson Member, Ses England who held a life time interest in the VCC and in particular veteran and Mercedes vehicles. Beaded Wheels 61
North Otago Branch continues to get an encouraging turnout for its mid-month coffee runs. October’s run brought out several classics not seen for a while
▲ North Shore: Treasure Hunt winners, Derek and Lucia Leifting receive their prize from Chairman Tony Sparkes.
North Shore: The Spring Tour line-up of cars.
▲ Northland: 1936 Austin 7, Kauri Heritage Museum 60th Anniversary.
▲ Rotorua: Alan Judd and his XJS.
▲ Rotorua: 1892 McLaren traction engine and its rego information.
▲ Rotorua: XJS Engine: Foreman; “Change the spark plugs, lad.” Apprentice: “Er, where are they, guv?”
NORTH SHORE RICHARD BAMPTON September is the time for the Spring Saunter, as always ably organised by Paul Collins, and attended by 23 cars (although, in a sign of the times, half were 60s/70s and most of the remainder moderns). On Friday the tour went north, avoiding SH1 whenever possible, with stops at the Te Hana Te Ao Marama centre, a detour through Mangawhai and Waipu, La Nonna Bakery, Kaiwaka (for pies), visits to the Northland Branch clubrooms and Jack Morgan’s museum, before arriving in Kerikeri for a well-earned evening meal. Saturday’s run ended at Kaitaia after a visit to Kerikeri Markets, the Stone Store and Rainbow Falls, then the fabulous drive over to Matauri Bay and onward to Mangonui, for possibly the best fish and chips in New Zealand, before a visit to Winston Matthews’ amazing collec62 Beaded Wheels
▲ Northland: 1958 Rambler at the Kauri Heritage Museum 60th Anniversary.
tions. Sunday was a trip to Cape Reinga with a visit to a collection of Ford trucks and cars. The journey home on Monday took in the west coast, with a ferry crossing of the Hokianga River, a visit to Tane Mahuta and then the interesting Dargaville Machinery Museum, before dinner with members of Northland Branch at the Northern Wairoa Hotel. On Tuesday some folk rode the railcars on the old railway line beside the Wairoa River, over bridges and through tunnels to Waiotira, then back before finally heading home. October’s run along the Wangaparaoa Peninsula followed simple instructions to various beaches, but with cunning questions that tested general knowledge, observational and cryptic skills, then ended at the Gulf Harbour Golf and Country Club. The winners of the Treasure Hunt were new
members Derek and Lucia Leifting in their 1948 MG TC.
NORTHLAND
RAY SANDERS
Spring has arrived in Northland, much to the relief of many. We are hoping that this will result in more members coming out on our local runs, because numbers have been down a little over the winter. We are only a couple of weeks away from the 50th Far North Tour. Roger Billing and I have just completed a final recce of the rally route and instructions, with all roads being intact, if a little worse for wear after the winter storms. Along the way we discussed what Northland was like in the early ‘70s, and concluded that some things have changed markedly, but others, like roads, not so much.
We are looking forward to meeting our compatriots from other branches, and having a two-day event which will take us right up to Cape Reinga, rain or shine. A recent run for the branch was to the Matakohe Kauri Heritage Museum, where a 60 year celebration was being held. Members attended from Northland and other branches, such as Wellsford/Warkworth, with an excellent turnout from the Dargaville contingent. We have begun adding a members’ swap meet to our monthly Saturday parts afternoon so that members who are downsizing their own parts stock can offer them to others. So far, this initiative seems to have met with good reviews. In Northland we are looking forward to a great 50 Year Tour and an enjoyable summer.
ROTORUA
RONALD MAYES
The branch has been busy with Sunday and mid-week runs to places of interest, including two properties with very large collections of vehicles and parts. Members are encouraged to take their wives on these runs – when they see the size of these collections, they should never again complain about their husband’s collections of items which “might come in handy one day.” A mid-weekers’ run to the New Zealand Timber Museum near Putaruru showed
that it had expanded greatly since the last visit by the writer, and now resident in it is an 1892 McLaren traction engine. It was rescued from a playground many years ago and restored by member Alan Estcourt. It is registered for road use and is apparently exempt from requiring a Warrant of Fitness. The Car in the Room at the October meeting was not quite club-eligible, having been built in 1995. Owner Alan Judd sold his Jaguar E-Type and bought this XJ-S V12 from Japan. It is a magnificent example and one of a very few with right-hand drive. The branch’s annual Lakefront Car Show, a popular event which has attracted over 400 vehicles, was to have been held in October after Covid-related delays. It has had to be postponed again, as a serious weather system was forecast to hit Rotorua on the day. It will now be held on Sunday 22 January 2023.
SOUTH CANTERBURY
SHANNON STEVENSON
The Opening Run with the Ashburton Branch took place on 4 September and attracted more than 30 members’ vehicles. The run took participants over scenic back roads, a number of which were gravel, to Waimate, the end point being the newly landscaped and refurbished White Horse Monument, above the Waimate township. At the September Noggin and Natter, the
▲ Taranaki: Kevin Fabish at the check point ▲ Taranaki - Entrants and bikes at the Taranaki branch clubrooms asking how many yellow ducks entrants for their lunch stop. saw on the Rubber Duckie motorcycle rally.
▲ South Canterbury: 1966 Iso Grifo, one of the rarer cars on ▲ Rotorua: 1956 Morris camper van. the Continental Rally, Waihao Forks. Note the Housing New Zealand label.
guest speaker was branch committee member Colin Hawke, who gave us an enlightening talk covering his international rugby refereeing career. The Swap Meet took place on 10 September, although a last-minute change of venue had the event held at Orari Racecourse. The day proved successful, with several thousand through the gates, and few going away empty-handed. The Continental Run, organised by Kevin Manchester and Ron Hammer, for vehicles of mainland European origin, was held on 25 September. This run took participants to Waihao Forks Hotel, south of Waimate. A number of members and their vehicles participated in the South Canterbury Traction Engine and Transport Museum’s Horse Power Rally held at the Timaru International Motor Raceway. The Annual Mt Cook Rally took place at Labour Weekend, attracting more than 60 entrants, a fair number being from other branches. The rally took participants to Twizel via Waimate and the Waitaki Valley on the Saturday. Mt Cook was reached on Sunday, where the vehicles parked on the Hermitage lawn gained the attention of the tourists’ cameras.
TARANAKI
COLIN JOHNSTON
We had a surprise visit by Karl Hamson and son Paul from Vancouver Island in
▲ Taranaki- Past member Karl Hamson (left) and son Paul inspecting the Fabish Essex collection in Inglewood on their way to the South Island HET tour and Mt Cook Rally.
▲ South Canterbury: Participants at Mt Cook Hermitage, Mt Cook Rally.
Beaded Wheels 63
Canada. Karl was a past member of our branch, and his visit brought back many memories of when he was living in Waitara and working at Borthwicks Works in the drawing office from 1966 to 1972. Paul and his sister Jody were born in Waitara. Karl owned a 1929 Hudson sedan and Essex motor cars which he took with him when he returned to Canada. Paul now owns the Hudson. They have come to join in the 50th celebration of the Hudson Essex Teraplane Club South Island Tour and to attend their AGM. Karl visited Kevin Fabish’s collection of Essex cars in Inglewood and caught up with Rob Thomson, Bill Durling, Ashley Smith and me, and there was plenty of reminiscing of days gone by. A very successful Rubber Duckie Motorcycle Rally was held in September, with more than 48 entries enjoying two rallies, incorporating last year’s rally which was postponed because of Covid, and this year’s event. Instead of the usual named silent checks we used yellow duck signs. Overall winners were Warwick and Dawn Dahlberg from Whangarei.
TAUPO
NEIL CHAVE
In August we held our Daffodil Day run with a good muster of club members and the public travelling from the clubrooms to various points of interest in and around the Taupo district. On the following Monday a team of members were on hand to deliver bunches of fresh daffodils to a number of local Taupo based businesses and individuals in support of the fund-raising effort. Our Club night was all about the geothermal energy developments in the Taupo area. The project manager from Contact Energy provided an informative overview of some of the developments currently under way, and the very large financial investment required for renewable energy assets. One of the major challenges is finding qualified people to get the job done. The annual Brass Monkey run was held with a good turnout of members, with the winners this year being Murray and Barbara Stanley, who now have the task of setting next year’s run. The club night in October was a chance to go indoor bowling at the recently opened Landing in Taupo, with many of our members showing their bowling skills. The run for October had members out in their cars on a treasure hunt with some heading in opposite directions looking for an elusive list of exhibits based on the clues provided. This event is quite a challenge, 64 Beaded Wheels
and although the number of participants was not great, the quality of what was presented for judging was excellent. Greg Nattrass and Hendrick Kant were the outright winners and took home the first prize.
WAIKATO
GRAHAM PATE
Our Annual Post Vintage Rally started at the Fire Pot Café in Gordonton. Armed with instructions we all set off to travel some back roads, and by doing some straight-line navigation we ended up at the clubrooms for lunch followed by a Gymkhana, with the top prize taken out by Lorraine and Brian Cossey. The Ventures group, which caters for the old timers, vehicles - not people, had an outing starting at Te Kowhai, and enjoying a scenic drive to the Nikau Caves for lunch. The Road Runners group, which caters for the faster and more modern vehicles, met in Matamata and took the long route to Rotorua going over the Kaimai Range, down Pyes Pa Road, past Hamarana and the lake to Holdens Bay, where we stopped at the Settlers and Steam Museum. What a fascinating place to visit, and it was their live steam day which made it even more interesting. The boiler was fired up and steam engines and pumps were chuffing away. The Museum is based around the heritage Douslin House, and has a large collection of Māori and European artifacts. Our new workshop is performing very well with the Thursday open days being well attended and projects being worked on. Hopefully it will soon be open in the weekend too. The hoist is being well used by members for maintenance work on their own vehicles. In the past two months we have welcomed 14 new members and one transfer. Most of the new members came from our involvement in the Club’s National Day, with promotion of our branch tied in with the Fund Raising for the Cancer Society.
WAIRARAPA
KEVIN BALL
The Spring rally in September saw a convoy of some 10 cars and 17 people celebrate the season by heading north, first to Woodville for a picnic lunch, then to Dannevirke to check out the fabulous Mills Museum. This features a trio of huge and immaculate Kenworth trucks, HarleyDavidson motorcycles ranging from veterans to a huge modern drag racer, and an assortment of other exhibits, among them a replica of a steam motorcycle.
We started this month with a change of format on club nights and a return to 7.30pm start times. Malcolm Fletcher and Gina Jones’s MG Midget was the main attraction. Malcolm provided an energetic and humorous talk about the car and their rally experiences. November’s club night featured a 1914 Saxon. The New Members’ Rally was a great success with 12 entries. Old hands and new members got an introduction to aspects of rallying they will encounter in our activities, including marshalling. The November club activities included the Gold Medal Motorcycle run on Saturday 26 and the Mangatainoka Vintage Car Day on Sunday 27.
WAITEMATA
ROBERT CHAPMAN
Waitemata has a tradition of open car motoring, but there is a softer side as we are also Patrons of the Arts. We have an annual thespian film evening. Not too formal and always humorous, it is held at Ryders Theatre which is tucked away in a no exit street in the back blocks of Avondale. Admission is by invitation only. A meal is provided on a coal range (converted to gas) for the members’ enjoyment, and a modest amount of alcohol is consumed before the movie. This year Jacqui Goldingham had the honour of choosing the movie Those Daring Young Men in Their Jaunty Jalopies. The evening was judged a great success. Club Captain Stan Smith, in keeping with our Patrons of the Arts theme, organised a tour highlighting Hobsonville Air Base historical locations. Some of the airbase buildings have been removed for an extensive new subdivision on the old base. However, a few remain like the Sunderland Lounge and the flying boat hangers, as well as the old WAAF accommodation.
WANGANUI
IAN HIGGINS
Recently I interviewed Bruce Thomas about his passion for Vauxhalls. Bruce has Vauxhalls in his blood as both he and his late father worked at the Wanganui dealership for these fine English cars. Bruce has almost finished restoring a 1956 Cresta to keep his mint 1950 Wyvern and 1952 Velox company. The next members to open their garage doors were Noeline and Shane Hobman. Their passion is Chevrolets. A 1957 Bel Air is their main rally vehicle. Another Bel Air, a 1962 coupe, is a regular entry for Beach Hop. I have a suspicion that the couple’s favourite is a beautifully restored 1928 Chev
▲ Wairarapa: Winners, Phil and Liz Brown.
▲ Wanganui: A nearly completed 1956 Vauxhall Cresta belonging to Bruce Thomas of Wanganui. Only hubcaps, a rear window and some internal work required to complete this stunning example of English motoring.
roadster which Shane rebuilt from a trailer load of parts. Our annual Shiny Parts Auction was a roaring success, an old parking meter fetched the highest bid. Branch stalwart Ian Chamberlain was recently awarded his 35-year VCC membership badge. Our guest speaker for Club Night was Nicola Stevens of Stevens Shoe Store in Marton. They manufacture, or procure offshore, hard to find footwear, including those of gigantic proportions. A moving and memorable function was the unveiling of the sign above our well stocked parts shed. The Ed Boyd Parts Shed is named after the late Ed Boyd, who touched the lives of so many, both at branch and national level. Ed’s forte or superpower was in fundraising, and being able to delegate to get things done. This former recipient of the VCC John L Goddard award was forever offering that helpful hand. An example is his donation of a car and his organising a national car raffle for Christchurch Branch members in the aftermath of the devastating earthquake they suffered. His contribution to Wanganui Branch, notably our new parts shed, was immense. Obviously not one individual can take the credit for every good deed undertaken, but often it takes one individual to get the ball rolling. That individual was Ed Boyd. Rest in Peace, Ed.
▲ The immaculate Mk2 Jaguar of Josh and Logan Taylor.
▲ Wellington: Des Vinten paints his story.
WELLINGTON
▲ Wanganui: Hinemoa unveiling the sign above the Parts Shed, in recognition for her late husband’s huge contribution to our branch and the VCC.
▲ Wellington: The Ford Jeep and Bantam trailer restored by the late Alasdair Brass, Christchurch.
JOHN STOKES
The Origins Of The Jeep: Our scheduled October guest speaker had to postpone at the last minute and young Des Vinten – aged 90+ but who neither looks it nor acts it – stepped in at the last minute with an impromptu yet entertaining and informative talk, devoid of any props. His colourful memory and words painted the pictures…. Des explained that he had recently overheard a conversation debating what the first off-road vehicle was, from where today’s SUVs originated. They concluded it was the Land Rover. Des could not stop himself: “Have you chaps never heard of the Jeep?” Des served in the Korean war, posted to courier duties, which meant picking up and delivering despatches and using a Jeep as transport. Typically, they’d drive 40 or 45 miles in a day doing this – but roads were just farm tracks or bullock trails, many chewed up by large tracked military vehicles, such as tanks and trucks. In winter they were operating knee deep in mud. And not all the dangers came from the enemy. One day Des, driving his Jeep on a mission, had to weave amongst a convoy of six Centurion tanks also on a mission. Des had to stop – but the Centurion behind didn’t see him and the poor wee Jeep was squashed. (Not quite the M*A*S*H as seen on tv.) Running up 6,000 miles during his time in Korea, Des fell in love with his tough and reliable wheeled servants. The NZ Army in Korea used MB Jeeps – the original type
used so extensively during WWII. The need for such a vehicle was identified by the US government before America entered the war. The final design was a prototype from Bantam (a very small manufacturer) with ideas included from the Willys and Ford designs. But Willys and Ford were chosen to build them, because of their mass-production capabilities. From 1941, 600,000 were built in a very quick time. Bantam was awarded other contracts for war production, which included specialty trailers for Jeeps. Des is one of the reasons I love the Vintage Car Club. The membership is made up of such a variety of interesting, knowledgeable and talented everyday folk who are great to be around.
WELLSFORD/WARKWORTH
CHRIS HARVEY
At our club night on 8 September we had a good turnout of members to hear a presentation by Jonathan Greene. He spoke about the Northern Expressway, some interesting aspects of motorway construction, and the progress made so far towards the opening, due in 2023. At present we enjoy a small taste of what the new motorway will be like as deviations put us on short segments of the new road while the constructors deal with the complications of aligning the new road with the old while keeping it open for traffic. Our Sunday Run on 18 September was to Scotts Landing, where three of our members live in adjoining houses and have Beaded Wheels 65
▲ Westcoast: Lineup on branch run.
Wellsford: This well presented Wolseley 6-80 always attracts interest.
▲ Wellsford/Warkworth: Ford V8
▲ Wellsford/Warkworth: Morris 8
a varied collection of cars, most running and others still in the throes of restoration. There was an impressive range of cars: Cadillac, Chrysler, Fiat, Morris, Riley, Scripps-Booth, Standard and Studebaker. Our run on 15 October was from Wellsford to Matakohe to help the Kauri Museum celebrate its 60th Anniversary. A large number of families took part, and a good selection of classic cars from Northland was displayed, ranging from a Rolls-Royce to an Austin 7. The museum has a huge and fascinating display of equipment for logging and kauri gum extraction. There were many contemporaneous photos on display, depicting the hard life of the bushmen. One machine on display is a 60 hp Caterpillar tractor which was acquired in 1930 to replace no less than 112 oxen which were used to drag the cut logs out of the forests. The photos reveal the huge depredations of the kauri logging industry and urge us to conserve the few that are left.
WEST COAST
ELSPIE MITCHELL
A visit to Ray Taylor’s shed in Dobson impressed. It housed a varied array of automotive items including books and spare parts. The run then set off for Anton Becker’s Moss farm at Ahaura on a glorious day. In the 1800s Ahaura was home to a vibrant settlement of miners, and there is still a
66 Beaded Wheels
cemetery there with wooden head markers. The route to the farm eventually comes out at Waipuna/Ikamatua. Amazing the history and old roads that are now hidden by the bush. We were given a fascinating insight into something many of us knew little of - the sphagnum moss industry. It is a natural living plant found readily on the West Coast, largely because of the wetness of the area. It is harvested by hand, and taken into long, open ended, low, covered wooden drying sheds. It is turned several
▲ Wellsford Warkworth: Caterpillar.
▲ Wellsford/Warkworth: Cadillac 1904 and Scripps-Booth.
times, then taken into the sorting, grading, and packing shed, where it is packed into cartons for export overseas to many countries including Taiwan, China and Europe. The main use of this moss is for growing orchids in hanging baskets, and I guess anything that would need strong absorbent lining/base in horticulture. Anton also has a Model A pickup barn-find that he uses on the farm as a runabout. A line-up was done for photos, and we headed back to Ahaura for lunch.
DRIVING OUR HISTORY
PASSING LANE In this column we acknowledge the recent passing of club members. Information is supplied to Beaded Wheels by VCCNZ Branch Secretaries.
Banks, Doug Wellington Belcher, Bryan Auckland Boag, Jim Auckland Brierley, Tony (Anthony) Waikato Clifford, Frederick Auckland Cochrane, Stephen Waikato Cook, David West Coast Davis, Kelvin Waikato Dempster, Alexander Central Otago
Dewstow, Eric South Waikato Dodds, Clive Banks Peninsula Hamer, Fred Wellington Harris, Howard Northland Houston, Arthur Auckland Smith, Ralph Central Otago Winchester, Edward Ashburton Yarrall, Jacquelyn South Canterbury
www.basisnz.co.nz Supplying new parts for Vintage, Classic and Modern Vehicles for over 34 years, BASIS is your established and trusted parts supplier. Classic Accessories incl. badge bars, goggles and mirrors Door windlaces, push on & tack on, most types and colours Rubber bushes, gaskets, mounts, pedal pads, seals etc.
Shop: 31 High St, Renwick. Marlborough (SI) Address: PO Box 20, Renwick 7243 Phone: +64 3 572 8880 Email: sales@basisnz.co.nz
COME AND JOIN US WHATEVER YOUR WHEELS
DRIVING OUR HISTORY
Vehicles, motorcycles or trucks from 1890 to 1990 are club eligible. Or just join us and grab a ride with another member. visit www.vcc.org.nz and get motoring with us today.
Photo Graham Bailey
Are you looking for an excuse to get your car out of the garage – we have 36 active branches around New Zealand. Our events range from weekly runs and coffee get togethers, to hill climbs, speed events and touring. For the more intrepid, our infamous off-road adventures are the stuff of legends.
Beaded Wheels 67
DRIVING OUR HISTORY
Vero and VCC. Together we go way back. At Vero we’ve been supporting the Vintage Car Club for over 30 years. For a quote on house, contents, vehicle (every-day and vintage) and boat insurance, please contact us and provide your VCC membership number.
Call for a quote on 0800 658 411 and select option 2, or email veropersonallines@vero.co.nz Excesses, terms, conditions, limits and exclusions apply to these policies. The provision of cover is subject to the underwriting criteria that apply at the time.