Beaded Wheels 383 August/September 2023

Mark Smith is trying to track down information about a friend’s grandfather, Victor Bergamini, who was an early aviator on the West Coast and also operated as a motor engineer in Hokitika. This photo illustrates a motor coach servicing the West Coast to Christchurch route. It appears to be run by Clements’ Motors with possibly Victor Bergamini at the wheel. He later related stories about the difficulties of the route when rivers were running high. If any readers have any information about the White bus or any other information about Victor Bergamini, please contact Mark on surveymarknz@gmail.com. Of interest, Victor’s dad was Carlo Bergamini who was an Italian monumental mason who built many of the South African war memorials around the South Island. A second photograph appears on page 7 of this issue.

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

PO Box 2546, Christchurch 8140 Phone 03 366 4461 Email admin@vcc.org.nz

VCCNZ LIFE MEMBERS

A ndrew Anderson

Roger White

Norm Dewhurst

Rod Brayshaw

John Coomber

VCCNZ MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE

PRESIDENT Diane Quarrie

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

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

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

Murray Trounson 03 339 8830 mgmt3@vcc.org.nz

Please note this information changes annually - these details are valid until the next AGM

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

COMMUNICATIONS & MARKETING comms@vcc.org.nz

ARCHIVIST

Don Muller 03 385 6850 archivist@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

Publisher

The Vintage Car Club of NZ Incorporated

The Historic Vehicle Authority of New Zealand

ISSN 0113-7506 Vol LXXIV No. 383

Typesetting and Design

RGB Design & Print Ltd, Christchurch

Editor: Kevin Clarkson

Sub Editors:

Judith Bain

Rosalie Brown

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 Incorporated.

Email beadedwheels@vcc.org.nz

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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.

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

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*Payment by credit card incurs additional bank fee processing charge of 3%

Closing Date for October/November:

Editorial Copy 27 August 2023

Advertisements 10 September 2023

The Vintage Car Club of New Zealand Incorporated

National Office

Phone 03 366 4461

Email admin@vcc.org.nz

Postal Address: PO Box 2546, Christchurch 8140, New Zealand.

Address: 12 Aberdeen St, Christchurch, 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 Incorporated” 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.

FEATURES

08 Decision Time

Charles Mercer ponders the future direction of his daily drive.

10 Drop Dead Gorgeous Behind The Wheel – 1936 Series 1 Morris Eight Sports

15 Time on the Tools

John Henderson recalls the beginning of a lifelong passion.

18

The Enamelled Badge

Part II of Kevin Casey’s in-depth look at the history

COVER

Terrible weather in the North Island meant last minute alterations to carefully planned routes for this year’s Irish Woman Rally. South Waikato member, Mike Adams tackled the water head on in his 1937 Riley tourer.

It is with mixed feelings that I write my last Beaded Wheels column (my 48th) as National President. I remain passionate about the VCC and have been privileged to work with many similarly committed people over the past years of my role.

The Club is in good heart and with a strong membership base and financial position. You will have seen from the annual mailout that no election of officers was necessary. I thank our outgoing Management Committee and welcome our new team members. I am concerned that once again we have been unable to fill the position of Hon Secretary/Treasurer. While I have covered this role with assistance from Murray Trounson, it is a vital position that needs to be filled.

A further legal opinion on the Club constitution and how it fits in with the new Incorporated Societies Act has been forwarded to branches. The opinion recommended that as we will need to make changes under the new Act anyway, now is a great time to take a look

EDITORIAL VIEWPOINT

Branch News and Branch Reporters

We have recently had two long term Branch Reporters (previously referred to as Idle Torque Scribes) hang up their pens. Tony Becker from Canterbury has been reporting on the activities of his branch for an outstanding 25 years and Kevin Ball from Wairarapa Branch has been on the job since June 2009, 14 years. Both deserve our thanks for bringing their branch activities to our readers. This means that we welcome new reporters to take their place and, as happens every year, there are always one or two new reporters as duties

at our structure and consider whether it still works for us. I personally believe that running such a large organisation with two committees (one of which is itself very large with 46 members), is problematic. This is because circumstances arise where it is unclear which committee is best placed or has the authority to deal with a situation. While it worked for us in the past when the Club didn’t have as many branches, it is difficult to make decisions in a timely manner with so many people involved. It is also clear that there is confusion around what governance actually means in terms of the role of the Executive. As an example, the on-line membership application took five years to get through the Executive. In hindsight, was this actually a governance matter? If members wish to retain the Executive in its current size, then the constitution needs to set out more clearly what its role is.

Over my time as President I have presented hundreds of 50 year membership awards but the most special was to my husband Geoff just recently. It was the first (and maybe the only time) a serving National President has presented such

an award to their spouse. Geoff has been a wonderful support to me in so many ways throughout my Presidency and he has been an integral part of me being able to continue in the role for eight years.

The role of President is not one that can be undertaken without the support of a spouse/ partner, and I wish President elect George Kear and his wife Jorden the very best for George’s term as your next President.

I thank branch committees all over New Zealand who have hosted both myself and Geoff at the many events and functions we have attended, and I sincerely thank those members

who have welcomed us into their homes over the last eight years. I really have appreciated and treasured the support and friendship from many members over the time I have been on the Management Committee and as President. The camaraderie and friendships that Geoff and I have forged over the last 50 and 38 years respectively have been a cherished part of our involvement in the Club.

Best wishes to you all and keep Driving our History.

change commensurate with committee changes at various branch AGMs. Every Branch Reporter deserves our thanks for recording branch activities for other Club members as it can be a thankless task! Let’s not forget those who are still writing after many years: Colin Johnston, Taranaki - 27 years, Rodney Clague, Gisborne – 15 years and John Foot, Central Hawkes Bay – 14 years. As a member, you should feel free to advise your Branch Reporter of anything your branch is doing that you think deserves a wider audience. Without the work that Branch Reporters do we would be much less of a cohesive Club.

We are quite pleased that over recent months we have had

some subscribers become members which means they get the added benefits of being a member of the Vintage Car Club as well as their own copy of Beaded Wheels

Getting Beaded Wheels to members is in the hands of NZ Post and sometimes their delivery performance is less than we expect, and I’m talking mainly about late deliveries here. Our intention has always been to have Beaded Wheels in members’ hands as close to the first Friday of the month of publication as we can. NZ Post are of no assistance with this and some members get their copies up to three weeks later. Hard luck if that part you wanted was advertised and somebody

else snapped it up before you even got your magazine!

One way to solve some of these problems is to have a digital edition available for those who would be happy to get their copy that way. I do, however, get the feeling that most members would still prefer to receive a hard copy magazine, I look forward to hearing your feedback on this idea.

VINTAGE CAR CLUB BRANCH EVENTS

OCTOBER

NOVEMBER

NATIONAL EVENTS

12 August VCCNZ National AGM

20 August VCC Daffodil Rally for Cancer

20-23 October National Commercial Rally

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

NATIONAL OFFICE

Contact National Office for all queries regarding VICs, historic race licences, logbooks, registration of vehicles, lighting endorsement, address changes, subscriptions, membership cards, speed events.

ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTION TIME

Renewal invoices will be emailed to all members in late August or early September 2023, for the subscription year 1 November 2023 to 31 October 2024. For those members that do not have an email address in our system, the invoices will be posted.

If you don’t receive your invoice, please let your Branch Secretary or National Office know before the end of September.

Membership cards will be forwarded to financial members in November. Members who have not paid by 1 November 2023, will show as unfinancial. Reminder notices will be sent before Christmas, and again in January, along with Branch Secretaries being advised of their unfinancial members.

Members whose subscription renewal invoice is unpaid at the time of the March 2024 Executive Meeting will no longer be a member and will lose any previous continuous membership.

Please advise National Office if you have changed your postal address or email address to ensure that you receive your renewal invoice. If you intend to resign it would be appreciated if you notify the National Office by 31 October 2023.

You will be able to pay directly into the Club’s bank account, or via credit card, via a link in the email with the invoice. Cheques are no longer accepted. You must use your full membership number as the payment reference for internet banking.

NATIONAL ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

The Club’s Executive Meeting and Annual General Meeting will take place in Nelson on 12 August 2023. The Executive also meet on 11 August 2023. The Executive is comprised of one delegate from each branch plus the Management Committee members. Your delegate will report back to your branch on the proceedings. The minutes of the Executive Meeting are distributed to each Branch Secretary along with the minutes of the AGM. All members are welcome to view the AGM minutes that the branches will be provided with.

BRANCH ANNUAL GENERAL MEETINGS

Branches around the country have held their annual general meetings and as a result there are some new committee members. We would like to welcome all the new committees and thank all those who have retired for their assistance over the past years. The work that the committees put in to running the

Beaded Wheels

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

Club and assisting with the work undertaken by National Office is greatly appreciated.

BEADED WHEELS DELIVERY

We are aware that there are delivery delays of our Beaded Wheels magazine to some members/subscribers. Unfortunately, this is outside of National Office’s control. Please allow up to three weeks for NZ Post to deliver your magazine. After this time frame please notify National Office that your magazine is late.

CHANGE OF ADDRESS/ DETAILS

Please advise the National Office if you have changed address, phone number, email address or vehicle ownership. Please include your membership number in your communication with National Office.

VEHICLE IDENTITY CARD AND DATE OF MANUFACTURE AND AUTHENTICITY STATEMENT APPLICATIONS

Kindly note that our processing times are generally 2-6 weeks from the point the application is received at National Office. There has been an increase in applications over the past year which has meant that we often are running closer to the 6-week processing time. We thank you for your patience.

VCC VERO INSURANCE SCHEME

Please note: Financial membership of the Vintage Car Club of NZ Incorporated is a requirement to be insured under the VCC/Vero Insurance Scheme.

BOUGHT A VEHICLE THAT HAS A VINTAGE CAR CLUB OF NZ VEHICLE ID CARD?

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) and return it to National Office for processing.

COMMUNICATIONS WITH NATIONAL OFFICE MUST INCLUDE MEMBERSHIP NUMBER

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.

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.

MERCEDES BUS

The very first Auckland Regional Authority Mercedes Benz 0305 Bus No 1301 has at last been acquired for preservation by ARA Heritage Buses Incorporated (an Auckland based preservation group), www. araheritagebus.org.nz

The Mercedes Benz 0305 buses will be well known to some of your readership. They were the backbone of the Auckland Regional Authority, later Yellow Bus Company fleet. In total 298 were produced for the Auckland Regional Authority from 1973 to 1980. They were used to replace a motley collection of inherited diesel buses as well as electric trolleybuses.

The Mercedes 0305 were considered the Rolls-Royce of urban passenger buses when they first came out. They were light years ahead of anything else and set a benchmark standard for urban passenger buses in New Zealand. These Mercedes buses featured a rear mounted diesel engine, automatic transmission, power steering, air bag suspension, powered roof vents, and early models even had an automatic rear door step. Passengers alighting would activate the rear doors. This was later removed.

The yellow ARA Mercedes bus would become an icon of 1980s Auckland. They are well remembered and loved by former staff and passengers. The quality of ride is not

replicated by modern buses!

The story regarding the first ARA Mercedes 0305 bus is a long tale in itself. It was rejected by MOTAT when offered it in the late 1980s by the Auckland Regional Authority. It was sold to Bayes Coachlines and spent 18 years in service there running school services and charters. It then came up for sale a second time, and MOTAT rejected it again. The bus was then sold to a private individual who converted it to a housebus. However, he made sure to leave it in a state that it could later be restored as a bus. It was later sold and ended up in Christchurch. Recently the ARA Heritage Bus Society acquired the bus and it will eventually be returned to Auckland.

They have only a small band of volunteer members and would appreciate any support they can get to help save Mercedes 0305 Bus No 1301. They can be contacted through their Secretary James Peter, email : james@araheritagebus.org.nz. If you have any enquiries please contact James and the society.

CAMS IN BEADED WHEELS

I note with interest that five old ex CAMS members were mentioned in June/July 2023:

Kevin Clarkson (Beaded Wheels editor and CAMS founder), George Begg (CAMS

founder), Bill Veitch (CAMS founder), Murray Hayes and Mac MacGregor. I wonder how many more old CAMS members have continued on to join a VCC Branch.

I raced at Cust in the 1960s and have great memories of the subsequent reunion meetings, also street racing at Waimate and Dunedin.

AT THE RISK OF PROLONGING THE DEBATE….

The continuing mailbag correspondence raised by the publication of the article Electric Cars in BW #380 raises the question - what is the real truth about the social and environmental impact of EVs? Trolling the internet for genuinely unbiased information is problematic. Virtually every contributor has a vested interest: Surely, Chargenet has a given interest in downplaying the negative aspects. The Cobalt Institute, which is a trade association, composed of producers, users, recyclers, and traders of cobalt, claim it’s a technology-enabling metal that is part of the solution to the green energy age.

Elsewhere published papers by academic energy researchers claim that cobalt’s thermodynamic stability is essential in enabling access to higher energy densities without sacrificing performance and safety. They are predicting

that despite announcements made by some manufacturers that they are moving to other cathode chemistries, world demand for cobalt will continue to rise in the foreseeable future. Yet in another vein, the US department of Energy highlights the continued success of zeroCo cathode material research. Its difficult to get an accurate picture but surely the tide will turn completely in favour of EVs, especially in countries that are able to rapidly fully decarbonise their electricity grid.

THE DOMAIN OF THE WEALTHY

There have been a number of issues arising of late; tyres, fuel containers and safety equipment – all this mirroring the Motorsport NZ move to align with the FIA some 20 years ago. This resulted in many retiring their vehicles and themselves from participating, others, like myself, made the move to the VCC. There are huge differences in the level of risk between mainstream motorsport and vintage events. Driving at 200+kph on a goat track surrounded by many immmovable obstacles or at 320kph on a circuit make our events seem almost pedestrian.

Reading Graham Taylor’s Highlands festival speed event article (BW382) has motivated me to urge maintaining the

Continued on page 9

DECISION TIME

I’m retired now, so my car use boils down to two journeys per week to play lawn bowls, a visit to a supermarket and the odd day out. That totals about 60 miles in all. But, during my working life as a sales rep, I have been an outrageous consumer of the earth’s resources by getting through 15 cars, plus two in retirement.

MY MAZDA 3 SPORT

My current car is a Mazda 3 Sport which is six years old and has a paltry 21,000 miles on the clock. It has the Mazda Skyactiv technology which Mazda claims uses less fuel and makes fewer emissions. The in-car computer tells me this year I have saved 31 miles worth of fuel and pollution while the engine was turned off when the car was at rest in traffic. Not much for an individual car, but multiplied over, say, two million vehicles, it’s significant. Add to that a respectable 35 mpg, and you may well be asking would it be sensible to even think about changing my car?

But my mind-set as a consumer has not changed. Like everyone else, I get seduced by the glitter in the showroom and smooth talk of the salesman. It wasn’t always like this.

HALCYON DAYS

The first car I had in my misspent youth was an Austin 10 with cable brakes, a starter handle, and flipper indicators.

It didn’t have a heater, it leaked a bit and burnt oil. None of that mattered because my priorities were different in those days. The car gave me mobility, an engineering hobby, and a babe magnet (OK, I made that last one up) .

FORD POPULAR 103E

Next came a Ford Popular 103E, the old sit up and beg version with a side valve 1172cc engine, no heater, and a mysterious hole in the floor with a cover – you could use it to sweep out the dust. I bought it for £25 near the end of its life, and it was an oil burner. I was able to fix this by dropping the pistons and fitting oversize rings. I re-ground the valves with the stick and sucker – remember how that killed your hands? The car kept going and got me from London to Cornwall and back. The windscreen wiper worked off the carburettor and almost stopped when you went uphill – not good in the rainy UK climate.

CITROËN DYANE 6

I sold the Ford and then bought a Citroën Dyane 6, the UK export equivalent of the French 2CV (deux cheveux). The brief for the design of the 2CV was that the car had to carry four people and 50kg of goods, and be capable of 30mph across muddy fields and paved roads. That sounds like a description of our modern SUVs. But my version could do all of this with a 602cc air-cooled twin cylinder engine developing

33 bhp. I even saw one in France with two sheep in the back. Despite the economical 70 miles to the gallon, there were drawbacks. It would reach 70 mph but it needed a long run-up. You had to stamp on the metal, ‘champignon’ (mushroom) as the French call the accelerator, but it got there. With the legendary Citroën suspension, it would corner in a way which even scared me. And I have to say I loved that car.

THE CONSUMERS’ DILEMMA

Older and wiser now, and more aware of what a destructive force to our environment the automobile has been, I’m now faced with a consumer’s dilemma. Given that the UK government is banning the sale of fossil fuelled cars in 2030 (2035 in Europe) I am going to have to look at going electric. If millions of car buyers change to electric cars, we are simply not in a position to sustain the change.

We barely have enough public charging points to keep the current numbers supplied. A journey on the limit of your car’s range is a gamble because you can’t guarantee finding an unoccupied public charging point. Vandalism and mechanical failure have already taken some of the charging stations out of the system.

VICTORIAN LEGACY

In the United Kingdom, we

have rows of terraced houses courtesy of the Victorian era. These houses do not have garages so cars are mostly parked in the street. How will we supply charging cables for these vehicles? Pavements will have to be dug up and miles of copper cable used. That means more environmentally unsustainable mining. To supply power to these cables, we shall have to burn more fossil fuels because we don’t yet have enough electricity generated by solar, windfarms or nuclear plants. These power generators themselves require more earth resources, and so it goes on. We all seem to be spinning on a magic roundabout and we can’t get off.

MY DECISION

Given the huge investment to buy an all-electric car, I still have the worry about deteriorating batteries. It’s a fact that battery capacity declines over time and it is not helped by cold, northern winters. How would I sell a car if the battery has a problem and needs replacing? I would just be left with a pile of scrap metal and no trade-in value for the next vehicle as I conventionally have now. And I’m forced to ignore the elephant in the room – electricity prices have risen dramatically. So, I think the best thing I can do is nothing – just sit tight, and keep my Mazda 3 going for a few more years.

THE FUTURE

Manufacturers need to be persuaded that alternative technology is available to electric power – I haven’t even mentioned hydrogen. And saving the planet has to come before our demand for luxurious, earth resource hungry cars which are capable of speeding down the motorway at 150 mph. Climate change is in our faces now and it seems we have no choice but to divorce ourselves from the automobile in its current form, and find a new way to keep our independent mobility.

MAILBAG

Continued from page 7

level of common sense that has generally prevailed within the VCC. I sense Graham and others would see us going down the FIA road.

Pondering a comment that Graham made with regards to an incident of a vehicle losing a wheel and its suspension, is he infering the use of Herald suspension was behind this? This has me raising my eyebrows. I have been familiar with Herald suspension for some 60 years. Many individuals and specialist sportscar and race car builders chose Triumph’s

front suspension as it had the qualities of lightness and strength. Triumph itself used the system for over 20 years in Herald, Spitfire, Vittesse and GT6, the latter carrying heavier six cylinder engines. I have not, in my experience, witnessed failures.

I can understand concern from organisers regarding wayward wheels. Mainstream media have always seized on any safety negatives, virtually the only time they give motorsport exposure.

1903

120 YEARS AGO

VETERAN VEHICLES

Clement-Garrards, sold by Oates and Lowry in Christchurch and Cooke Howlisons in Dunedin, proved popular competition motorcycles even with 147cc single cylinder engines developing just 1.75hp at 2000rpm. In December at the Dunedin Cycling Club Sports Day, three 3 hp vee-twin Clement-Garrards won two heats and took the three top places in the final three mile race to take the prize money. First, (£5), second (£2), and third (£1).

1923

100 YEARS AGO VINTAGE VEHICLES

After years of making engines for Helios, Victoria and SMW motorcycles, BMW launched their forever-classic R32 at the 1923 Paris Salon. Sensation was caused by its unified stem to stern design. Suddenly many other motorcycles resembled collections of bought out, often poorly matched bits. BMW put the engine and gearbox in one unit. Introduced silent shaft final drive instead of a noisy, oily chain. Then topped it off with the Max Friz designed 486cc, 8.5bhp, side valve, transverse flat twin fitted with recirculating wet sump lubrication.

1948

75 YEARS AGO

PW VEHICLES

Ninety-five years ago a talented engine designer, Edward Turner, was touting his 500cc Square Four motorcycle engine to find rejection from BSA, but adoption by Ariel. By 1930 the Square Four was on display at Olympia. The definitive 1936 Square Four, the 4G-1000 scored 4288 buyers by 1948 when it was replaced by the Mark 1. Developing 34.5bhp from its largely light alloy ohv engine the big Ariel was ideal for sidecar use and found favour with several Traffic Departments

1973

50 YEARS AGO P60 VEHICLES

BMW launched its new flagship 898cc flat twin model, the R90S. A sporty looking machine with its trend setting fairing, two tone paintwork, and standard equipment which included a first aid kit, a toolkit, hand pump and facecloth emblazoned with a BMW logo. Developing 67bhp the R90S would top 120mph, slower than some Japanese rivals, but its 115mph cruising speed was generally unmatched, as was its comfort, impeccable finish and fine handling. By 1976 17,465 R90Ss had been sold

1993

Pilots, Collectors or Home Based Business

Enjoying direct access to the 6 runway vectors of Forest Field Airfield (NZFF) is this exceptional 4ha property comprising an executive style 4 bedroom home, aircraft hangar, a 5 bay garage and workshop, a 2 bay high stud shed, with an adjoining self contained flat. Total garaging for more than 10 vehicles plus a 15m x 15m hangar! The 2010 home features 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, office and 3 living areas and double garaging. Features include passive solar underfloor heating, a heat transfer system, log-burner with wetback, two heat-pumps and gas and electric water heating, radiant heaters over the patio, built in vacuum, under-tile heating in the bathrooms and butler's pantry.

30 YEARS AGO

P80 VEHICLES

After 70 years of motorcycle manufacture BMW launched the R1100GS dual sport, the only break with tradition being the use of oil cooling to supplement the air-cooling system. It also featured four valves per cylinder, Motoronic fuel injection and a new A arm front suspension called the Telelever. With the larger 1085cc, flat twin developing 80bhp @ 6750rpm the R1100GS was capable of 121mph.

DROP DEAD GORGEOUS!

Terry and Barbara Richards’ 1936 Series I Morris Eight Sports

If you’ve never been lucky enough to have owned a Morris 8 Sports, or at the very least been up close and personal to one of these little gems, then you simply haven’t lived!

Well, that’s what I think anyway, and hopefully, after reading this, you’ll be scouring the internet for one to have for your very own! Okay, so I’m a wee bit prejudiced in that my second car ever was a Morris 8, (albeit a two door sedan) but that simply was a stepping stone to subsequently owning three Morris 8 Sports in the 1960s and early 1970s, so you can imagine how keen I was to get behind the wheel of Terry and Barbara’s beautifully restored 1936 Series 1 Morris 8 Sports, and to re-enjoy all the nostalgia that comes with the experience.

I’m sure that was what Terry was thinking back in 2018, when he was suffering withdrawal symptoms, having owned a Morris 8 Series 1 van as his first car, and then some three other Morris 8s, so he’d been asking around about Morris 8s for sale. As luck would have it, another well-known classic car owner and restorer here in Christchurch, one Russell Woods no less, had this one for sale, albeit as a project. But it did come with four brand new 5.25 x 16 cross ply tyres! Before we delve into the story of this delightful little 87-year-old classic, which looks even better now than the day it rolled off the assembly line at Morris Motors in the United Kingdom, let’s take a minute to check out the history of this marque.

MORRIS PROVENANCE

According to internet sources, The Morris Eight is a small family car that was produced by Morris Motors from 1935 to 1948. It was inspired by the sales popularity of the Ford Model Y, the styling of which the Eight closely followed. The success of the car enabled Morris to regain its position as Britain’s largest motor manufacturer.

The car was powered by a Morris UB series 918 cc four-cylinder side-valve engine with three-bearing crankshaft and single SU carburettor with maximum power of 23.5 bhp (17.5 kW). The gearbox was a three-speed unit with synchromesh on the top two speeds and Lockheed hydraulic brakes were fitted. Coil ignition was used in a Lucas electrical system powered by a 6-volt battery and third brush dynamo.

The body, which was either a saloon or open tourer, was mounted on a separate channel section chassis with a 7 feet 6 inches (2.29 m) wheelbase. The tourer could reach 58 mph and return 45 miles per imperial gallon. The saloons were a little slower. The chrome-plated radiator shell and honeycomb grille were dummies disguising the real one hidden behind. In September 1934 a bare chassis was offered for £95. For buyers of complete cars prices ranged from £118 for the basic two-seater to £142 for the four door saloon with

“sunshine” roof and leather seats. Bumpers and trafficators were £2 10 shillings extra.

Compared with the similarly priced, but much lighter and longer established Austin 7, the 1934/35 Morris Eight was well equipped. The driver was provided with a full set of instruments including a speedometer with a built in odometer, oil pressure and fuel level gauges and an ammeter. The more modern design of the Morris was reflected in the superior performance of its hydraulically operated 8-inch drum brakes. The Morris also scored over its Ford rival by incorporating an electric windscreen wiper rather than the more old-fashioned vacuum powered equivalent, while its relatively wide 45 inch track aided directional stability on corners.

The Series I designation was used from June 1935 in line with other Morris models. Cars made before this are known as pre-series although the official Morris Motors designation was by the model year (35) even though they were introduced in October 1934. Of the 164,102 cars produced approximately 24,000 were tourers.

Back in the 1960s, many a young lad lusted after a vehicle of one kind or another, and some of those from the ‘less well to do’ families, had to make do with mainly Austin 7s, Morris 8s or Ford 8s or 10s, primarily because of not just their availability, but

their low cost of purchase, with prices averaging around £25. In those days, none of my Morris 8s ever cost more than £60, and post 1967, $150.

Another influence, especially in my case were the old Air Ace Picture Library comics which often showed the likes of Battler Briton et al hooning around the wartime air bases in a Morris 8 Sports, and always with the top down, with scarf flying backwards in the wind. Which was not in fact correct, as anyone with a convertible will appreciate, that when driving at speed with the top down, the wind comes at you from the back, so the scarf would generally be blowing forwards obscuring your view, and flapping in your face! But, who cares about a bit of editorial license in comics, right?

HISTORY OF THIS CAR

Despite being 87 years old, the farthest back Terry has been able to trace the history was to around 30 years ago – thanks to another mate having previous knowledge of this particular car. At that stage it was painted black and belonged to another chap who added a 12 foot aerial and some rear wheel spats, along with some red pin striping! The most recent registration was likely to

have been the affixed 1980 label, and it still sported its Tuesday Carless Day sticker. Unfortunately the old warrant of fitness had long since been removed, which was a shame, as it would likely have included an old registration number!

THE RESTORATION

Upon purchasing this trailer load of parts, Terry proudly showed me some photos of it back in 2018, and I thought at the time, ‘lucky sod’! What I didn’t know was that he worked at Upper Classics in Riccarton, which is one of several specialist restoration businesses in Christchurch, so this project was in very good hands.

The motor was in pieces as was the gearbox. The woodwork was non-existent, however the Morris Eight Tourer Club (M8TC), of which he is now president, had all the drawings!

Terry has done all the woodwork himself using Southland Beech and approximately 90% of the panel work. He also did much of the paint preparation. The finishing coats were applied in a proper paint booth at (where else?) Upper Classics! He’s very grateful for the support and help Upper Classics afforded him.

The Series 1 originally had white metal bearings, so Terry fitted a Series E crankshaft with shell bearings, as that is the

more reliable and efficient modification, especially as the motor was already dismantled. The rear axle now has two half shaft seals back to back, as opposed to the original single cork seals.

Terry has made many of the parts himself, including the exterior mirror, the under seat runners, the seat back adjusters and many of the small manufacturer’s badges on the likes of the windscreen and other places.

The upholstery is near perfect, as are the roof and side curtains, and also the running boards, which Terry rebuilt.

The M8TC has been an excellent source of parts both new and used, and when they couldn’t supply the necessary bits, they had the contact details of those who could.

Future plans included ironing out the few little niggly teething problems like the fuel gauge that flickers around the empty mark when full, and maybe adjusting the clutch a tad. The most important plan is to get some more miles on the clock!

The next obvious question was, ‘what did all this cost’? Well, Terry has an A4 Size exercise book (like a cash book) in which he recorded all the costs incurred. Counting up just the first page the total was $2500. However there were 4½ more pages, and the battery went flat in my calculator, but you can get the idea? Worth every cent from where I was sitting!

THE CERTIFICATION PROCESS

To get the car registered Terry first went to the VCC and got them to do a VIC (Vehicle Identification Certificate) which involved supplying as much history as he could, plus photos of the chassis number, engine number and firewall ID plates. The last registration (1980) windscreen was proof enough of its previous registration in New Zealand. He also had to supply a receipt as proof of purchase and a form signed by a JP confirming ownership. Upon visiting Vehicle Testing New Zealand (VTNZ) they gave him a form CA03 to send to the New Zealand Transport Authority (NZTA).

Then he sent the VIC and all relevant information to NZTA to get approval for registration. They in turn sent him form CA12 (VIN/Chassis verification) which gave approval to get it registered.

It was then just a matter of taking it back to VTNZ for a warrant and registration.

OTHER STABLE MATES

The Morris 8 shares garage space with a 1932 Ford V8 woody that Terry also built himself. This is frequently seen at Kustoms Car Club events. There is also a 1952 AJS twin motorcycle and a couple of pedal cars – one of which is a 1936 Ford V8 roadster! His favourite? “I love ‘em all!”

There are no awards or trophies yet. Notwithstanding he’s only covered 170 miles at the time of writing, he narrowly missed out on entering the VCC’s Restoration of the Year Rally as he had only completed one of the two pre-requisite runs.

THE NEXT PROJECT

I wasn’t allowed to discuss this while Barbara was present, but indications are that a woody teardrop trailer is on the cards?

DRIVING TEST

On the way to the rendezvous I was remembering that the Morris 8 had its pedals very close together, and if one wasn’t careful, the accelerator could be depressed accidentally when attempting to brake. Those of you from the rock ’n roll era might remember those winkle picker shoes? Bet you didn’t know that they were actually invented to enable us blokes to drive Morris 8s and Austin 7s – both of which had pedals very close together? Rock and Roll was merely a bonus! Anyway, upon checking the car out, the distance between the pedals was not as close as I’d remembered, but care was still required.

Deciding that the Ruapuna Raceway might afford a suitable spot for the photoshoot, Terry drove us there, allowing me to become familiar once more with the idiosyncrasies of this magical little car. It wasn’t exactly top down weather (actually bleedin’ freezin’!) so we just removed both the side curtains. Unfortunately the track was being used, so we were limited to some pics at the gates. I still have an active motorsport license so some speed laps were always on the cards, but I was worried that one of my infamous handbrake turns might result in some damage to the pristine roof and side panels, so we passed on that. Never mind, the thought was there, eh?

I got behind the wheel for the drive home, and for a while it was like going back some 60 years in time. Same sounds, (although not anywhere near as rattly as mine) same ‘variable’ steering, which is where you anticipate in which direction it is going to go in, and make the correction before it does! A skill many a vintage vehicle owner is possessed of, I’m sure! Not quite blazing acceleration and the skid marks on the road were from some night time hoons.

But it didn’t take long to step back in time and enjoy classic motoring at its best. The only downside was when one of those over-sized 4-wheel drive utes was monstering me approaching

SPECIFICATIONS

Engine: 918 cc Morris Type UB with Series E crankshaft and shell bearings

Gearbox: 3-speed manual, synchromesh on 2nd and 3rd Brakes: Lockheed hydraulic on all four wheels

Wheels: 16 inch wires

Tyres: 5.25 x 16

Suspension: Leaf springs all round with hydraulic shock absorbers

Steering: Worm & peg

Overall rating: WAC (What a Cutie!)

then stretching out! Well, not quite, but it’s a tight fit, if you are trying not to mark the paint or scuff the lovely red upholstery!

Another clever modification Terry did was to make a shelf under the rear parcel tray so as to fit the side curtains when not in use. This leaves the floor area behind the seat clear for luggage and the like. There are four side curtains. The two front ones are secured with two toggle nuts, and a strap in the middle which can be left undone for hand signals. You know, for when indicators are not sufficient enough to advise other motorists of their transgressions?

Hopefully, the selection of photos will afford enough visual data for you to be as enamoured of the little car as I was!

WHITEWALLS

I appreciate that white wall tyres are not everyone’s cup of tea, but in anticipation of any criticism from me regarding his overlooking fitting them, Terry has (at great expense, I might add!) acquired from the United Kingdom, four 16 inch wheel embellishments, that just add that magical element to the overall appearance of the car. So there, I’ve managed to mention whitewall tyres!

the compulsory stop, so I let him alongside, and thus my vision to the left was obscured by his running board! Once he’d moved on I was able to ascertain that it was safe to proceed out of the intersection, having established it was clear from Darfield on my left to the Airport on my right! Well, not quite but extra care must be taken as the little Morris does not enjoy the acceleration of, say, Terry’s V8. Something that Terry has to frequently remind himself about!

He has cleverly adapted some LED lights into the park and tail lights, with a small warning flasher on the dash panel, but minus the noisy ticking! It was about five intersections before I remembered to cancel the indicators after completing my turns.

Given that this little gem has travelled only 170 miles since being back on the road, it is to be expected that there will be a few things that need a bit of attention. He’s already had a bit of excitement with the horn fuse glowing red hot, so an auxiliary horn has been fitted in the meantime. But given that the replacement horn sounds like an approaching Kenworth, it might become a permanent fixture.

OVERALL OBSERVATIONS

Like many others, Both Terry and I liked the look of the Morris 8 Sports. They were very popular back in the day, and still are. The M8TC records approximately 50 tourers and sports in the clubs throughout New Zealand. The nice new roof doesn’t leak – yet! Looking at the quality of both the roof and the upholstery, I’m pretty sure that water ingress won’t be an issue.

Getting in and out is a bit of a mission for us older folk, and in anticipation of that, Morris Motors fitted the Sports with suicide doors – those that open from the front, so the idea is to reverse in, and finally folding your legs up under your chin and

The newest Online Hub for Classic, Vintage, Retro and Antique enthusiasts all over New Zealand

I grew up around cars, motorcycles and scooters, starting with Austin 7s and Morris 8s. 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 convertible and a sedan) owned for 50 years and 45 years respectively. I like anything with wheels especially if it has whitewall tyres! The wish list still includes an E-Type Jaguar. What I can’t get to own I like to write about.

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TIME ON THE TOOLS

Life started for me in Timaru in 1939 with the early years proving uneventful. Changes were afoot when I started a plumbing apprenticeship which opened my eyes to the world of old cars and motorcycles.

My first car was a 1936 Morris 8 followed by a low light Morris Minor then a 1921 Oldsmobile tourer minus the back body.

About this time I was offered a position with Auto Engineers who could not get staff with the manager quoting “We don’t care how long a job takes – within reason – but it must be right”. This is something I never forgot. From then on accuracy always had to be the important. Auto Engineers were a great firm to be employed by, as after a few months the staff gained a key to the workshop for working on their own vehicles after hours. Certainly full advantage was taken of this as I reconditioned the Oldsmobile motor. This great gesture by the firm nearly came unstuck when the foreman came in one night catching one of the staff climbing out the store window which was out of bounds. All the keys were in jeopardy but we were allowed to keep them. It only takes one idiot to spoil it for the rest.

It’s funny the twists and turns life takes. I was reconditioning cylinder heads and reboring motors. So when the bottom stop was set on the first bore the second bore would stop at the bottom automatically and I would wander over to watch old Bill doing the whitemetalling. Unfortunately old Bill died one Christmas holidays so the manager called me to his office asking if I would have a crack at white-metalling. With a background of working with solder as a plumber how could you refuse? Into the fray I went. This was a great job in winter with two molten pots of metal working off a gas flame. In the summer I tried to do most metalling in the mornings. The only metal they would use was called Hoyts which never gave any trouble. For the life of me I can’t remember the name of it but the flux for tinning the cast iron was a black powder which had very good adhesive properties. At that time Morris 8 and Ford 10 conrods were in abundance so we exchanged

s Two Triumphs.

them for worn ones. The largest job I did, in fact two of them, were Model T Ford mains which had to have a lot of clay around leakage points. Everything had to be hot and dry as molten metal will spit at you with any dampness around.

One of my workmates also had an interest in old vehicles and was informed an old Harley-Davidson had been buried in Fairlie not far from Timaru. Handily he also had the exact location. Off to Fairlie we went. Locating the spot we started digging. Went down half a metre then started widening the hole when an old chap appeared over the fence asking what we were up to. Telling him about the buried motorcycle he laughed his head off saying “it’s there all right but in the opposite corner”. I looked at my mate who shook his head so we promptly filled in the hole and went home. No more digging up old motorcycles for me.

The same mate had been informed one of his neighbours was about to dump an old bike. We discussed it and decided he could look at it as I had been busy. He came home with a 1922 big port AJS minus a gearbox for $20. I still kick myself over that one!

The family decided to move to Christchurch and at that time employment held no problem. I took a job with Andrews and Beavan who at that time had a motor reconditioning shop. Once again I worked on cylinder heads and also used a crankshaft grinder. About this time I purchased a 1927 P Triumph along with a 1952 sprung hub Triumph. The early Triumph needed full restoration but the other needed some assembly with the motor rebored. The back wheel needed to be attached. I could see the new pistons through the spark plugs but decided to take the barrel off. Just as well as there were no circlips in the pistons. I reassembled it properly, putting the back wheel on but was never happy with how it rode until a chap told me the wheel was upside down. Oops – didn’t know about that.

The late Barry Stevens informed me they found back end remains of an old tourer at Macetown which they were sure was an Oldsmobile. That Christmas, Ann and I tramped in there with a template of the chassis we already owned, the back fitted perfectly. Barry and his mates brought it home for us which enabled me to to complete the restoration. In 1980 we took this car to the rally at Rotorua which was enjoyable. One memory is still in my mind. On the way back home a fan blade flew off. Fortunately it had four blades so borrowing a hacksaw from a local farmer I cut off the opposite one which enabled us to carry on.

Andrews and Beaven Ltd were closing their automotive shop so I took a position with Smith Regrinds that involved reboring and cylinder head work. The late Dennis Smith was a great boss but after two years I felt it was time for a change and completely changed tack by taking on a Rawleighs run selling door to door. Once again fate took a hand. Talking to one of my customers at New Brighton, Christchurch, about motorbikes she informed me

her son had an old Triumph he hoped to restore. Asking if I could take a look she took me to an old fowl house where, under a sack, lay an old baby Triumph. It was pretty much complete so I said to her if he ever wanted to sell it I would like first option.

Eventually I left the Rawleighs run. Some years later a woman rang asking if I would still be interested in the motorcycle. They wanted $400 for it. I promptly purchased the Triumph, restoring this machine over three years and subsequently rode it in many vintage motorcycle events.

These were some of the early restorations which kept me busy but a lot of others followed. Fortunately I was able to do motor and transmission work and my painting and panelwork were acceptable. I did use a little fibreglass now and again. The important thing with bog was not to place it over rust.

With my own gas plant I would cut rust out then weld in new patches. If panelbeating couldn’t be done easily, I would prepare the surface spotlessly clean. Then with a sharp file etch criss-cross lines into the metal. This gave a great key for the plastic to stick to. It was important not to run my hand over the prepared surface as any grease coud affect the bonding. This all worked for me.

If I had a panel which developed a buckle it is easy to shrink it by using a (small tip) gas torch heating a little spot red hot then placing a really wet rag over it.

We purchased an old treadle sewing machine to do the hood on the Olds and still have it today. Great old machines which go as slow as you want with no motor to contend with.

All motors are different. At one stage I had to fit new valve inserts into a Jaguar head. I am not sure what the interference fit is for these but the only way to remove them was grind the head of an old valve down to fit into the throat of the insert then electric weld the two together. Surprising how much the insert would shrink and knock out easily. To replace the insert (supplied by Jaguar) the head had to be heated really hot and this was the real skill. Heating it until you could spit on it and it sizzled the insert would go in with no trouble. Hows that for science!

Volkswagens were the same but at least not so many valves! Not sure if manufacturers ever thought about replacing this sort of thing.

The Hillman Imp could only be bored out to thirty thou of an inch as it had cast iron sleeves moulded into the aluminium block and you ran the risk of exiting the cast iron. I did bore out one motor to fit oversize sleeves for a customer to race but don’t think it was very successful. I had to be very careful boring out these motors as the pistons had about two and a half thou of an inch taper. If I went any bigger than the bottom size they could rattle after use. Most pistons had less taper than this.

There is so much more I could write but maybe another day. Other fully restored cars were a Morris 8 Sports, a low light Minor, two Morris 8 Series Es, and a Jowett Javelin, all used in the Club at different times. For me the challenge was the restoration but when finished I lost interest and was happy to let someone else enjoy the running of the vehicle. One motorcycle I probably should have kept was the Ricardo Triumph which I half restored then decided motorcycles were too dangerous at my age.

For the future I hope the Vintage Car Club will continue to flourish giving others the same enjoyment I have had.

THE ENAMELLED BADGE

Part II – Words and photos Kevin Casey

The head and wings of an eagle surmounting the body of a lion, the Griffin of mythology, combining King of the Beasts and King of the Birds, adorned 1933 Hudson and Essex cars.

Badges came in all shapes and sizes, the most popular were circular followed by oval, shield, horizontal diamond, triangle (mainly Hudson), and just about any other oddball shape due to the proliferation of winged designs. Wings were extremely popular, sending a subliminal message of grace, airy smoothness, and speed. REO was the standout user of wings which appeared on almost every one of an extensive range of car and truck badges for many years. Bentley, not content with a large, winged badge, gained 10mph in top speed by adding wings

to their flying B mascot. Others used more of the bird. Cole, an eagle head, and wings; Duesenburg, a spreadeagled eagle; FalconKnight, a hunting falcon; Durant, a winged dragon; Wills St. Claire, a Canadian goose; Swift (hopefully) used two Swift birds; Dover depicted Pegasus on their striking badge, and so on. Right there with the proliferation of wings was the readily identifiable winner’s laurel wreath appearing in some form or other on a huge number of badges, still used today by Mercedes, Cadillac, and others. Benz cars carried an attractive black and white enamelled badge featuring their name and a very elaborate laurel border. They came to “an agreement of mutual interest” with Mercedes in 1924, becoming official after a two-year honeymoon, the new Mercedes Benz badge combining the Benz laurel and Mercedes star. Strength and ferocity themes appeared in the form of bison, wolverine, elk, lion, tiger, panther, and more.

Chrysler’s new car debuted in 1924 wearing an emblem that looked like the rosette awarded to champion animals – appealing

▼ Clockwise from top left: REO’s Wolverine has it all: wings, winner’s laurel, animal ferocity, guilloché enamel and gilded finish. Their factory was in Michigan, commonly known as the Wolverine State. Badge design life was extended by changing the colours to transparent blue with black numeral.

The Chrysler-built 1928 Fargo badge indicates worldwide distribution. Its DNA is still in Dodge Ram trucks today. The lovely red pebbled effect is an example of the guilloché enamelling technique. Transparent enamel is enhanced by the underlying decorative design.

Promoting eight cylinders was a useful sales tool, usually shown clearly on the badge. King chose to adopt an 8-shaped badge instead, probably too subtle. Pegasus, capable of carrying Zeus’ thunderbolts, adorned Hudson’s 1929 light truck. The white colour of Pegasus is correct in Greek mythology but Vacuum Oil, who patented their version in 1911, chose red when they rebranded as Mobil.

to a potential huge rural clientele. The King 8 did not proclaim eight cylinders on their badge when it was normal to and useful to do so. Their badge was shaped like an 8 instead, a message probably too subtle for the average Joe. Another subterfuge was to link the world to your product, the most famous, and deserved, being the Thomas Flyer, winner of the first New York to Paris race in 1908. Dodge used the world theme from 1914 to 1938. Chrysler’s Fargo truck name was shamelessly borrowed from the famous Wells Fargo brand. Morris Commercial carried a spectacular badge featuring the world and the logo: “British To The Backbone”.

Who would expect to see a locomotive charging forward on a car badge? This seeming anomaly arose when the American Locomotive Co decided to get into car production, buying the rights to a 4-cylinder car made by the French company, Berliet. This lasted from 1906 to 1908 when the car became obsolete. Berliet carried on using the Loco badge in different forms for many years. A superficial browse through the weighty Standard Catalogue of American Cars turns up hundreds of strange names such as Bi-Autogo, Woonsocket, and Mugee but surely the strangest is Seven Little Buffaloes, a high-wheeler made in Buffalo, NY - sales were “dismal”. Buffalo, New York’s second biggest city, was home to 85 makes of car, the most famous being Pierce-Arrow. Now a city, Woonsocket’s population in 1909 was 1,000. It was common to name your proposed car after its locality as many of the thousands of fledgling makers knew their only hope of getting a start was through local finance and sales.

One company that seemed uncaring about badge cost was the post-war Kaiser-Frazer Corp (1947-53). The very large (140mm) and very expensive to make coat of arms used on the Frazer car belongs to the old Scottish family of Frazer, its banner proclaiming “Je Suis Pret” – I am ready. The Kaiser brand was adorned with a striking buffalo design, also 140mm high. The only badges to outdo these two are the enormous tiger and panther heads gracing Leyland buses. At the other extreme is the tiny Marquette (Buick) badge, its closely spaced lettering causing enamellers to go blind.

Just a few makers incorporated their badge in a mascot. Outstanding among them is Hudson’s 1933 standard equipment beauty. There is also an Essex Terraplane 6 version of the smaller mascot, its colours reversed. In this same year Plymouth offered a lovely mermaid mascot complete with black and white enamelled ship badge. Other makers built a badge into a chromed protrusion that hardly qualified as a mascot although the Graham effort featuring the three brothers surmounting a red enamelled badge was quite good, as was the Standard flag. The English Ford and Morris makes tended to use letters or numbers but at least it was a splash of colour. Darl’mat sports cars, constructed by Peugeot agent, Emile Darl’mat, were based on the 302 and 202 Peugeots from 1936 to 1950. This clever badge makes use of the well-known Peugeot lion mascot by employing its claws to grip the badge, the Phoenician ship is probably from a family coat of arms.

Although not enamelled, and poles apart, two car makers’ emblems deserve mention for their similar novel approach. One we know well: the various models of Wolseley that employed an illuminated cross between mascot and badge, their name red on white plastic, surrounded by a winner’s laurel and complete with go-faster wings. The other, an exceptionally rare beast, was the huge 1917 Fageol (USA), powered by a 13.5 litre Hall-Scott aircraft engine capable of an 80mph cruising speed – only three made at a price that could each buy three Cadillacs. The car’s now illegal ivory badge glowed brightly when the lights were used.

Windsor Corp, a St. Louis subsidiary of the failing Moon Motor Car Co, produced the Windsor car, in 6 and 8-cylinder form, from 1929-30. The only model was the White Prince, its emblem emblazoned in high relief with the white-plumed badge of the Prince of Wales – a neat connection. The royal family, however, are not amused. One needs a royal warrant of appointment to display “The Prince of Wales’s Feathers”, its history dating from the 14th century. Windsor Corp, reluctantly, changed their design, retaining only the name and shape. As discussed in Part 1, Moon had another subsidiary called Diana. Moon Motor Car Co ceased trading in 1930, their last valiant stand with the Windsor and

Diana, an interesting juxtaposition of two names doomed to fail spectacularly in the future.

Considering the tens of millions of cars requiring an enamelled badge the numbers and size of badge manufacturers had to be correspondingly massive – and it was. Information on this topic is hard to ferret out. The UK had around 300 of them, such as J Fray of Birmingham, one of their clients was MG. Then there were all the European makers, Canada with around 40, plus the USA with at least 40 but probably more. The D L Auld Co of Columbus, Ohio, claimed to have 80% of the car badge market by the 1920s and this is quite feasible given they were making them for Ford and Chevrolet plus many more such as Packard’s large hubcap badges, but the Packard radiator badge was by F M Noble of Chicago. Second only to D L Auld was the (Gustave) Fox Co, in this business since at least 1909. Some of their clients were Studebaker, Chrysler, Dodge, DeSoto, Marmon, and Hudson. Badge makers would have been required to tender for contracts and different makers names can be found on a particular make, Studebaker trucks by Auld while the cars were by Fox, for example. Both Gustave Fox and Demas Auld were jewellery makers in the early 1900s but soon switched fulltime to make enamelled badges – there was no shortage of work. Jewellers learned to enamel as part of their trade training, although I’m not sure if this is still so. It was unnecessary to have your logo on the back, who is going to see it? There are plenty of badges that are not marked, but Fox Co was not one of them, using 24 different marks. The Ford Metal Speciality Co, Chicago, did inscribe their name on the outside facing rim on the first, 1912 only, circular Buick badge. A strong magnifying glass is required to read it.

Perhaps the most significant advance in the development of the motor car occurred in the short period from 1933 to 1940. By 1935 GM had devised a method of pressing the roof in one piece, dubbed the turret top. Corners became curves, Chrysler forcing the pace of change with its ground-breaking Airflow. They were not alone by any means. Cord’s dramatic 810 was hugely influential as was the 1934 Traction Avant by Citroen, just one of several European carmakers that helped to rapidly advance streamlining and

suspension in the 1930s. These changes, requiring very expensive tooling to keep up, were another factor in so many makers (and their emblems) exiting stage left.

In the late ‘30s American grille styling became pointed, requiring a change in thinking about badge shape and position. Large round badges made a brief return, notably on Lincoln, Studebaker, and Buick, their transparent enamel highlighting the Art Deco backgrounds in brilliant red or blue hues, these striking badges affixed to the right-hand side of the grille for (US) pedestrians’ benefit. DeSoto, Buick, Plymouth, and Armstrong are some that used a tall narrow design; others such as Dodge, La Salle and Cadillac placed the curved elongated badge above the grille, just one step away from their post-war position on the hood. The Duesenberg J used a small, curved eagle without enamel but that was all about aesthetics – it looked elegant and restrained in conjunction with their graceful mascot. Other makers had moved away from the enamel finish, Chevrolet and Ford leading the pack. With so many smaller carmakers fallen by the wayside there was not the same pressure to conform but the chief reason was cost. Some limited the amount of enamelling to perhaps the border only, others eliminated it entirely, a despairing and futile last gasp.

The glory days of the colourful jewel-like enamelled badge were in terminal decline by 1935, the thousands of carmakers reduced to less than twenty in the US. Many of the badges now gone were miniature art works, not so much in Ford’s case, its design (by Childe Harold Wills in 1907) progressed from an impressed form on the Model T to the famous blue oval first used on the 1927 Model A. This move to accepted practice was most likely resisted by Henry as unnecessary cost, but it was Edsel who was heavily involved in the A’s modern design. However, perhaps to mollify dad, the badge design would result in the cheapest overall cost, having just one colour meaning speedy, cheaper manufacture. Saving money on each small item was the Ford way and, considering that 4.86 million Model As were made, a sensible decision. Black enamel and a brass type with no enamel were also used at times. Apart from Lincoln, Ford dropped the enamelled badge after 1938, Chevrolet by 1933, after its debut in 1914. In that time frame a staggering 7.86 million Chevrolet badges were required; you would have to wonder why management decreed the expensive two-colour design.

Badge collector and historian, Harry Pulfer, was behind the reproduction of many carmakers’ badges in the 1960s. Quality varied but many of them are very good, particularly some complex raised relief types that may have been done with the original dies. A Pulfer origin badge is not marked as that would create an undesirable copyright morass. Usually, small differences in lettering, style, colour, stamping and so on will detect a reproduction which does not have the same value, nor authenticity for a restored vehicle, or a collector. Occasionally NOS (new old stock) badges

surface on the internet: Seagrave, Standard (US), Davis, Marmon, Hupmobile and Graham spring to mind. Badge makers had to stay ahead of car production for the obvious reason. Imagine rows of new cars in storage waiting for their little jewel to be fitted. The badge makers may have had hundreds of new badges in stock for a particular brand and it goes belly up, or marketing strategy means a particular model requires a different badge. An example of that is when Nash offered the new Ajax brand in 1925. Although more than 22,000 sold that year, Nash deemed that insufficient for what was really an excellent car. On the Ajax’s first anniversary it was rebranded as the Nash Light Six. New Nash badges and hubcaps were supplied free to all dealers with unsold stock, leading to an upsurge in sales. Presumably there would have been a stock of unused badges somewhere, but I have never seen one on the internet. They were probably dumped as worthless. A similar scenario occurred when Marmon offered a new model in 1929 with no apparent connection to the parent company. It was the Roosevelt, the first straight 8 under $1,000, identified only by the face of Teddy Roosevelt, who had been dead ten years, but Howard Marmon must have believed his visage would command recognition and respect. Its badge design was unique in that the detail without its enamel is indecipherable. Despite its quality the car did not sell in sufficient numbers, even after the badge was changed to read Roosevelt, and by 1931 it was rebranded as the Model 70 Marmon, its badge now a flowing, obscure again, M. These regularly surface on the internet meaning Fox Co lost heavily on this one.

Part 3 will focus on badge restoration.

Kevin is an automotive engineer who loves colour, teaching himself to enamel badges and make stained glass windows, turning that hobby into a second career 26 years ago. Cars in the stable are: 1941 Cadillac coupe, 1929 Nash Special Six and 1968 Wolseley 6/110. He enjoys researching and writing about subjects that interest him; his first story published in Beaded Wheels in October 2008.

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A BARN-FIND

1968 YAMAHA DT1

I am fortunate enough to spend part of the New Zealand winter in Alberta, Canada, where I have part of my motorcycle collection. While there I look for motorcycles to enhance my own modest collection, and also look for collectibles for a group of friends I have in the UK, New Zealand and Australia. I have made it my goal to try to add bikes to my collection that I couldn’t afford when they were released many years ago.

I also look for bikes that are generally in mostly original condition, and which typically only require modest work to get running. However I have also undertaken many full restorations such as a total rebuild I conducted on a 1979 Honda CBX six that was featured in Old Bike Australasia a couple of years ago.

Over the years I have acquired a 1971 Japanese-market Honda CB750, Kawasaki H1A, 1972 Suzuki TS250 trail bike, 1972 Ducati Regolarita trail bike, 1968 Yamaha XS1 ‘Green Grandad’, the abovenoted 1979 Honda CBX six and a few others.

This tale relates to finding and acquiring another one of my bucket-list bikes, a 1968 Yamaha DT1 trail bike.

BACKGROUND

The Yamaha DT1 was the bike that almost single-handedly kick started the second phase of the trail bike phenomena, after the classic CL/XL/SS/RC and such series of slightly modified Japanese road bikes with high pipes and semi-knobby/trail tyres had run their course.

The DT1 was the first true trail bike as we came to know it, being designed more as a real dirt bike, with the attendant modifications to make it more capable on the trails than necessarily on the road – longer travel suspension, lighter weight, not much chrome, alloy mudguards, proper water-proofing etc. The good news though was

that it was still road legal and more than capable on the hardtop, so long as you were only riding to and from the trailhead or commuting around town and not hitting the freeways.

I had first seen a DT1 when just finishing high school in 1968 in Australia and compared to my antiquated BSA Bantam it was from another planet. Actual suspension, lights that worked when required, brakes that provided real retardation and flawless build quality on every bike, all the time. Oh and it didn’t leak oil and was painted white. But $899 was a king’s ransom to a 16 year old in his final year of high school riding a $25 Beeza Bantam.

Over the years I’ve owned a couple of these bikes but time and finances conspired to cause me to not be able to keep any of the prior examples, including a 300 mile one that I sold to pay my son’s University fees many years ago. So by the time I was in a position to be able to keep one, good, unmolested and not-butchered examples were impossible to find.

Or so I thought. In early 2021 while searching for a 4 cylinder Honda CB400F for a friend, I answered an ad for a DT1 in rural Manitoba, Canada. The photos weren’t great and it was obvious there were a few cosmetic issues but it was complete and although not running, only had 2,500 miles on the speedo. And more good news, I found a flawless CB400F within 150 miles of the DT, so I could combine the pickups into one 2100 mile round-trip from my home in Edmonton, Alberta.

I set off from Edmonton very early on a summer morning when the sun was already almost overhead at 5.30 am and headed east in my rental Ford F150. I’ll digress for a moment – this particular F150 had a ten speed auto transmission and I went there and half way back on a tank of petrol. And for geography buffs, Edmonton is way north and in the middle of summer the sun is already starting to lighten the sky from about 3.30 am and its still light at 11.30 pm. If you are driving late at night in these northern areas, the Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights) can at times be so distracting as to be a real hazard to driving, when the shimmering and awe-inspiring colours seem to touch the ground…

Many miles later, and after an overnight stop at a motel in Brandon, Manitoba, I arrived at the address of the owners in the

small rural town of Bordern, a whistle-stop on the CN Rail line between the capital Winnipeg and Saskatchewan’s Saskatoon, the smaller (but most northerly) of the prairie provinces two largest cities. I was shown to the garage and there the bike stood, still with dirt under the engine and around the footpegs and showing some degradation of the cables and of course the tyres, but it was in remarkably original and un-molested condition. More closely inspecting the bike revealed some minor damage to the front fender and some of the rubber components were degraded and the air filter was a mass of crumbs but the bike had obviously been stored in a heated garage all its life. Fifty years of -30 to -40°F temperatures in a northern winter very quickly does untold damage to all things automotive, so it was easy to conclude that the bike, while not running, had still been properly stored – lucky me!

The seller was the daughter of the original owner and she told me that she could remember as a young girl being taken for rides around the nearby farmland by her dad, and she also recalled when the bike stopped running and despite her father’s best attempts it never ran again. It was rolled into the garage and covered with a sheet and there it sat for about 50 years. She gave me all the original documentation for the bike, including the sales invoice from Trev Deeley Motorcycles in Vancouver Canada, and the shipping documents showing how the bike was rolled into a freight car, delivered by CP Rail to the siding in Borden Manitoba and offloaded by the rail agent. She could also remember her dad walking down to the rail siding to collect his bike, which was sitting on the station platform with the sales invoice tucked under the seat strap.

It was rolled into the garage and covered with a sheet and there it sat for about 50 years.

Interestingly, the seller had fielded a number of enquiries (and insulting low-ball offers) from younger guys intent on turning this classic bike into a resto-mod (oh how and why would that be done?) and another who wanted to turn it into a vintage MX racer. So my guarantee to sympathetically restore it and send them photos when it was done was met with considerable enthusiasm. Amazingly, they also gave me a $500 discount when I reiterated my promise to get it running and make no updates or changes save for safety related items such as brake shoes, cables, light bulbs etc. A very modest amount of Canuckbucks changed hands and I was on my way, with a smile brighter than the sun....

Many, many miles later, I was back in Edmonton; the bike was unloaded and I could then give it a good wash and under 50+ years of dirt and grime I found perfect rims, good spokes and not much more. After all, these bikes really were quite minimalist in every area. The air filter was a mass of crumbs and the seat foam was soft, but really that was about it, with the exception that the bike wouldn’t start due to lack of 1968, or 2021 sparks.

While waiting for a good friend to get to the bottom of the lack of spark, I replaced the brake shoes, all the cables and the air filter and added a thin layer of new batting to the seat foam. Even the chain was very good and although the tyres were not great and showing some minor cracking of the sidewalls, until I could get the correctsized replacements, they would be adequate for the occasional ride down the few gravel roads near my home. I’ll make a point about early Japanese motorcycle brake shoes, in particular those bikes that have spent many years in extremely cold climates such as Canada. The glue will fail over time and damage to both the bike and rider can occur when the linings break away from the shoes and (most likely) lock the wheel….ask me how I know/ learned that tidbit of motorcycling ephemera?

The lack of spark was due to the points heel being broken, so with a new set of points and a condenser (still available from Yamaha dealers at $14.00 each) installed and set up correctly, the

bike started on about the fifth kick and idled fine with no adjustments needed to the carb at all. Since then I have done a little tidying up and made the mistake of repainting the ignition cover, so much so that it looked totally out of place so I bought one at the local wreckers and installed it instead of the painted version. I’ve cleaned the brake hubs to bring them back to a nicer condition, re-greased the swingarm pivot, and replaced the handgrips with period correct waffle grips. Lastly, I burned the coke out of the high-mounted pipe. The tacho didn’t work but I found a correct (and very rare) small version early Yamaha one tucked away on the shelves at the local bike wrecker ... lucky eh! The oil tank has a ding in the top that was most likely caused while it was in storage, however I have no intention of having the ding repaired as it gives the bike ‘street cred’ so to speak.

The bike was an absolute joy to ride in and around the streets of Edmonton Canada and it really gets along when given a good dose of dead dinosaur blood. It also stops remarkably well on its singleleading shoe brakes with weight transfer to the front end actually helping stopping - well within limits of course – a Britten it ain’t! And the smiles-per-mile and thumbs-up I receive from motorists makes this bike a real buzz to ride.

Lastly, I forwarded photos of the cleaned-up bike to the seller and she thanked me profusely for honouring their father’s memories. And that made me feel good also. It was a win-win for everyone. I have a dream bike to add to my collection and the sellers got to see it on the road again in its stock original (unmolested) form.

In 2022 I decided to ship the bike to join my expanding collection in New Zealand as I’d recently acquired a 1972 Suzuki TS250 trail bike which I added to my Canadian collection, so I didn’t need two trail bikes in Canada. My son also now has eleven bikes in his collection, including a few I gifted him, but to which he has added a beautiful fully restored Ducati 350, a 1969 Honda CB750 and a Ducati 125 Regolarita, so I don’t want for a classic bike to ride during my summer sojourns in Northern Canada.

I’m told this model of the original trail bike was never sold in New Zealand only the later DT2 or DT250, so my Manitoban barn-find bike is a keeper and I plan to ride it (slowly) to as many Auckland area VCC motorcycle-themed events as I can manage in 2023.

MORE THAN JUST A MEMBERSHIP

With the Club’s AGM and annual subscription just around the corner we thought it was timely to have a look at what membership of the VCC really entails. Here’s a quick summary of some of what you receive for your annual subscription to the Vintage Car Club of New Zealand

MEMBERSHIP BENEFITS

• Membership of the largest historic motoring club in New Zealand providing fellowship, fun and the odd adventure or two with like-minded people of all ages.

• Free subcription to Beaded Wheels magazine.

• Free classified advertising in Beaded Wheels

• A discount on Inter-island ferry travel.

• Specialised insurance through the Club’s Vero insurance scheme which results in branches and the national body receiving commissions and considerable sponsorship.

• A national voluntary Management Committee working for the betterment of the whole Club.

• A national communication network including email, website, branch newsletters, club magazine and Facebook page/group. This allows branches and members to communicate freely between each other.

• National publicity and marketing through the Club’s website, banners, brochures, facebook, advertising.

• A National Day which publicises the club and raises funds for local Cancer Society branches through New Zealand.

CLUB PARTICIPATION OPPORTUNITIES

• Attendance at International and Annual National rallies held throughout New Zealand.

• Participation in any branch rally or event throughout the country at any one of our 35 branches.

• Yearly AGM and twice-yearly Executive Meetings attended by many members. Our National body supports each branch delegate to attend as required and covers travel costs associated with meetings.

CLUB MEMBERSHIP GIVES YOU

• Access to combined knowledge of members for restoration help and advice.

• Access to VCC branch parts sheds and club buildings and facilities across New Zealand.

• Access to a network of branch libraries for comprehensive technical information.

• Access to the Club’s national archive.

BRANCH AND MEMBER SUPPORT INCLUDING

• Welcome packs and membership cards for new members.

• Financial and administration support provided by the Club’s paid office staff.

• Audited accounting and use of Club funds utilising up-to-date systems.

• Information and support with Club procedures and disciplinary matters.

• A system and administration for length of membership awards.

• Rules, policies and procedures to guide branches and members.

VEHICLE LICENSING AND MOTORING SUPPORT AND SYSTEMS

TO HELP KEEP OUR VEHICLES ON THE ROAD INCLUDING

• A Vehicle Identification Card (VIC) which demonstrates to members, vehicle inspection authorities and the public at large that the vehicle is correctly described, and has the correct major components (engine, chassis etc.) for that make, model and year.

• A Date of Manufacture and Authenticity Statement (DOMAS) to assist when putting a vehicle back on the road after registration has lapsed or where the vehicle has never been registered in New Zealand. A DOMAS issued by the VCC is recognised by the New Zealand Transport Agency for registration purposes.

• A system, regulations and personnel for speed permits and racing licenses which allows members to take part in speed events throughout New Zealand.

• A Lighting Endorsement for vehicles with period lighting that no longer meet modern standards.

• Reduced vehicle registration fee for older vehicles negotiated on behalf of members.

PROMOTION AND LOBBYING TO SUPPORT OUR MOTORING HOBBY AT A NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL LEVEL

• Representation and/or collaboration with the Federation of Motoring Clubs, Low Volume Vehicle Technical Association and Motorsport New Zealand.

• Representation as the sole New Zealand delegate to the Fédération Internationale des Véhicules Anciens (FIVA) which is a world-wide organisation advocating on behalf of its two million members and of which the Vintage Car Club is a founding member.

• A national Management Committee which reviews proposed changes to legislation and advocate on members’ behalf.

• Representation with NZTA and other government departments in relation to historic vehicle matters.

We are always keen to have new members join us – our annual Daffodil Rally for Cancer is the perfect opportunity to come along and find out what we are all about or visit www.vcc.org.nz

A WOMAN’S LEGACY

If Evelyn Graham knew that a story about her and her car was appearing in Beaded Wheels in 2023, she would be amazed and probably bewildered, as to why. It is fair to say that she would have no idea about the legacy she has left.

Evelyn was brought up in Christchurch where her father, who owned a bike shop, refused to let her go to high school in those far off days of WWI. This was in spite of her passing her proficiency exams, and the headmaster of Sydenham School begging for Evelyn to be allowed to go.

But as she grew up this rejection never ate away at her and life moved on. Evelyn had her own opinions, she mixed well with others, she was honest, upright, was independent, liked a “spot” in the evening, usually two, “A bird can’t fly on one wing.”

Evelyn Graham, generally known as “Ev”, became the wool and haberdashery buyer for the DIC department store.

Cars must have been close to her heart, with her brother Len working at Tench Brothers, the Singer agents. She would have sought his advice when she decided to buy a car in 1935. The latest nine horsepower car, known as the IS9, was chosen from the more than 20 models in the company’s range. Like all Singer 9s, the car had the famous overhead camshaft 972 cc engine. It had a four speed constant, or perm mesh, gear box, and free wheel. For an extra £10 an owner could order “Fluidrive”. The IS9’s unique independent front suspension was offered on certain models for about two years, before being dropped, probably because of cost. Like so many other makes, Singers were coach built, with a timber frame, under steel and aluminium bodywork.

The 38 year old Evelyn wasn’t to buy her car in Christchurch. She and her mother were planning a trip to Britain, which is where she would take delivery of her new car. They left for Australia on the Union Line ship Monowai, before they headed to England, arriving at Southampton on 29 May.

On 13 June 1935 the Singer agents in London told Evelyn that they had arranged a visit to the Singer works in Birmingham to see cars being built.

They were able to see, as Evelyn said, “from the wood turning shop, to the finished car. The engines themselves are the only things made in the Coventry works, before being taken to Birmingham”.

The new car in sparkling black and cream, was picked up at the works on Tuesday 2 July 1935 and cost one hundred eighty six pounds 10 shillings, with registration (£4/2s/9d), number plates (8s/6d), British driving licence (5s), and insurance for a year (£12/2s/6d). A grand total of £203/8s/9d. Evelyn was issued with an English AA badge in chromed metal, to be mounted on the car. To keep these costs real, in 1935 a terrace house could be bought for less than £400, and the average salary was around £165.

The Singer company’s delivery note assures the new owner that the car had bumpers front and rear, leather upholstery, and “chemically treated woodwork and strengthened bodywork.”

The two adventurous women headed off for three months of travel, according to the family, “from Lands End to John O’Groats.” This was not only a very different land from New Zealand, but a Britain we’d hardly recognise today. King George the Fifth’s Silver Jubilee had just been celebrated, Stanley Baldwin was Prime Minister, fashion was influenced by the new talkie movies with elegant bias cut gowns for the stars. It was the era of swing jazz, and big bands, while on the Clyde the Queen Mary had been launched. Imperial Airways was flying to the Empire and the Hawker Hurricane made its first flight. Evelyn would have noted that the 30 mph speed limit had just been introduced in towns, and the driving test became compulsory. Malcolm Campbell created a new land speed record of just over 300 mph, but car ownership was not yet normal, although there were nearly 2.5 million motor vehicles of all types on the roads, compared with 39 million today. There were no motorways, but some dual carriageways were being built. Generally though, roads were slow, often deserted, mainly narrow and winding, keeping top speeds to around 30 – 40 mph. The Singer was very suited to the country lanes, the villages, and the countryside. It is assumed that Evelyn would have visited her business contacts during their journeying, but we do know that they went to Gretna Green in Scotland. What a pity that we don’t have trip photos or diaries.

At the end of the trip in September, the Singer was loaded on to the ship Akaroa bound for Lyttelton. On its arrival, Tench Brothers checked it over. Evelyn paid duty, sales tax, insurance

Evelyn … liked a “spot” in the evening, usually two, “A bird can’t fly on one wing.”

and registration, on 30 October 1935. Did she wonder how her beautiful car would cope with the rough gravel roads that were nearly everywhere then? The “strengthened bodywork”, whatever that meant, may well have been a nod to the “colonial” conditions the car would meet in New Zealand.

Late 1935 ushered in the era of Michael Joseph Savage’s Labour Government with all its social reforms. Swing was the popular music genre here too, the top popular songs included “In a Little Gypsy Tearoom” by Bob Crosby, and “Chasing Shadows” by the Dorsey Brothers. In that year the Christchurch City Council bought land at Harewood for an airport, while the newly equipped Christchurch to Invercargill express trains were all spit and polish, and the All Blacks made their Jubilee tour of Britain.

Evelyn Graham never married, but her brother Len had two daughters, Diane and Carole. Carole remembers that her aunt was a woman of principle, always smartly dressed in a suit, with shoes always polished, her own person, she was independent, and it would not have been a good idea to cross her.

“In the ‘40s and ‘50s she took us everywhere in the Singer as she was the only one with a car. We’d all squash in to go to the bach in Brighton, or on family outings for picnics, with a big box strapped to the luggage rack for all our stuff.”

It was in the 1950s that Evelyn had an aluminium panel screwed over the Pytchley sunshine roof as she said it was leaking. She could not have known that this move probably saved the car.

By 1965 Evelyn had a more modern car, a Ford Prefect, which saw the Singer gifted to Diane and her husband Peter, indeed it took Diane to hospital for the birth of their first baby in 1967.

It was in 1967 that I became aware of the Grahams’ car, as I too had an IS9 when I was a student. I even rode in the Graham car to compare it with mine. This poignant picture of the two cars was taken on that day (page 28).

From the late ‘60s, the cream and black Singer began a long hibernation. The family never contemplated selling it. “The car was part of our lives” says Carole. “Whenever there was an important family occasion, Ev’s car seemed to be there.” For years the old car was part of Christmas day celebrations, when it was taken out for a spin around the block. “It became a family tradition” says Carole.

When Evelyn died suddenly in 1971 the family became even more determined to keep her car as a sort of family heirloom. More an artifact than a car to use but a way to remember their much loved aunt. When Carole married in 1981, her husband Antony became enthusiastic for the old car, and a similar car Carole and Diane’s father Len had, originally painted in the same colours. Antony’s father had raced Singer cars.

Over the years the car was insured and registered in a spasmodic fashion, and it was used in Singer Owner’s Club rallies when Antony was president of the club in the late Nineties and early 2000s.

Antony did a lot of work on the car; on the brakes and wheel bearings, there was a valve grind and he rewired it, some external painting was done, and the bumpers were rechromed, as the family’s love of “Aunt Ev’s car” was as strong as ever. There is no record of the engine having been taken apart.

Antony wrote this about 20 years ago after a trip to Timaru “The car will still cruise at 55-58 mph (I think preferably at 50 mph!) and on the trip returned 25 mpg.” It was about this time that Antony coined the name “Evie” for the car.

By 2019 Antony was in permanent care, unable to finish the work he’d started. The car lay in Carole’s Oxford garage, its future uncertain. Antony had not wanted to sell it but realised before he died that it was inevitable that after more than 80 years in one family the Singer’s future hung in the balance.

In late 2022 my wife encouraged me to try to find the maroon and black Singer IS9 that I’d had in the 1960s. As I began my quest, I was almost immediately derailed by the arrival in my life of Evie. I had hardly given the name Singer a thought for decades, other cars having stolen my heart. So it was extraordinary that out of the blue, a friend suggested that there was a “Singer with independent front suspension” a few moments’ drive, from where I live in

Springfield. I was sceptical, assuming the IS9s had all gone years before, never mind the “strengthened bodywork”. I assumed it had to be a later car, but I agreed to go see it. The garage doors were opened, and to my amazement there it was, the cream and black IS9 I had known 55 years ago, Evelyn Graham’s car, still in its well cared for original condition, looking exactly the same, no rotten wood, doors that opened and closed properly, good paintwork, an original interior with a delicious patina, and it ran. And the clock started as soon as I wound it.

It wasn’t long before Evie was in my own garage where I was excited to have a close look. Remember I said that Evelyn always had highly polished shoes? Well under one of the beautifully preserved leather seats I found a neat little shoe cleaning kit including three brushes. “They would have been Ev’s” said Carole when I told her. And remember that chromed English AA badge? That was found under the seat as well. On the back of the badge are the words “This badge MUST be returned as soon as membership lapses”. That would have been in September 1935! The Singer’s original three keys were present, plus the handle for opening the boot, where I found the original luggage straps. Under the bonnet the major tools were in their clips, but the tool roll was missing. Fortunately I had one of those.

A few days of mechanical, and electrical work, sorting indicators and tail lights, new battery, replacing the fuel pump, setting points and tappets, changing oil etc, by my good friend Bill Cockram and I, prepared the car for its WoF, the first since 2008. My heart was in my mouth, as the skilled people at the Springfield Service Centre went carefully over the car, failing it only because the 35 year old tyres had perished.

With four new tyres and registration, I drove the Singer, at a respectful 65-70 kph, the 64 km from Springfield to Loburn, and Bill Cockram’s well stocked workshop. There, we cleaned decades

of “crud” off the engine, transmission, steering and brakes, which allowed us to locate the grease nipples and to see what needed attention. The radiator was removed and flushed, a new water pipe replaced one too corroded to be reliable. The petrol gauge sender was sorted, the steering adjusted, brakes bled, generator and starter motor serviced, all fluids replaced, and gaskets renewed. Bill fitted a temperature gauge and worked out the necessary engineering for an external oil filter. It was all aimed at giving a bright future for this now very old car.

Bill and I know that we won’t be able to resist opening up the sunroof and replacing the tired headlining and carpets. Those projects are for another day.

A lengthy test drive in the sunshine, through some lovely Canterbury countryside, looking for possible faults, made us smile. Everything was as it should be, Bill’s meticulous work all spot on, the Singer now ready for new adventures.

On my subsequent drives I’ve been using the freewheel, which means forgetting the clutch when on the move. The freewheel was an aid to changing gear quietly before synchromesh ended

the clashing of gears. You use the clutch to start from rest, after which you ignore it, simply lifting off the throttle, pausing for the car to go to idle, moving the lever to the next gear and hitting the gas again. The downside is there is no engine braking, so you need to adjust your driving. The freewheel can be locked out in the Singer by pulling up a knob on the floor, after which you use the clutch normally, remembering to double declutch especially changing down.

The car is a charmer, of course reminding me of my first IS9 in the 1960s. It was my wife’s idea that I should try to find that car that led me to all this, a kind of miracle. My red and black IS9, well there’s a most interesting story to tell about that, but that is one for another day.

Thanks to the character of its first owner and the respect her family has had for her down the years this Singer, has not only survived, but is deliciously intact. To drive this survivor, to look at it, or take in that special old car aroma, takes one back to a far-off time when cars were fewer and slower, when life was more relaxed.

As I drove through Oxford the other day, a town this car knows well, I thought about another Oxford, the one with the “dreaming spires”. I allowed myself to imagine this little car had been there, a very long time ago, as Evelyn and her mother continued their odyssey.

So, this is Evelyn Graham’s legacy, one that she could never have contemplated, when she took delivery of her new Singer car in England almost 90 years ago, when two intrepid women set off on an adventure and drove from Lands End to John O’Groats.

Kingpin sets Engine gaskets

Suspension parts Steering joints

Spark plugs Electrical fittings

Engine bearings Shock absorbers

Master cylinders & kits Shackles (pins & bushes)

Rear axles Water pumps & kits

Clutch covers Carburettors

Gearbox gears

Crownwheel & pinions

Wiper motors (vac)

Wheel cylinders & kits

Ring gears & pinions

Clutch plates

Fuel pumps & kits

Brake & clutch cables Pistons Steering box parts

Valves, springs, guides Speedo cables

Timing gears & chains Lenses

Ignition parts

Engine mounts

BOOK REVIEWS

motoring offering. This is a thoroughly researched, beautifully presented and wellillustrated book.

KIWIS AND

CORTINAS

Gordon Campbell. Published

July 2023 by Bateman Books

www.batemanbooks.co.nz

ISBN: 978-1-77689-078-1

RRP $49.99

Review by Charles Rushbrook

So often motoring publications with a ‘Coffee Table’ appearance disappoint. Size, colour and great photography are sometimes not matched by information and substance in the text.

Happily this is not the case in Gordon Campbell’s latest

The introduction and informative, and accurate, section Cortina Evolution lay the groundwork for 36 ownership histories. Each of these reflects a different Cortina journey including useful technical information, such as the Lotus Cortina rear suspension setup (A-Frame and coils rather than leaf springs. Not universally appreciated).

The book effectively covers the entire Cortina range including most New Zealand specific variants from the first Consul Cortina to the final Mark V. Each section reflects substantial research by the author and includes history and material made available by current and former owners. Such is the case with A Champion Racer. A Lotus

Cortina in which the owner’s own work has concluded this is possibly or probably the car driven by Kerry Grant in 1964. His work to establish this is well documented in the book, satisfying my desire for detail. This is enhanced by contemporary photographs.

The chapters about the more workaday Cortina models are no less technically interesting than those of the rarer and exotic cars. Each tale demonstrates an ownership story told through the lives of the owners to delight the social historian.

Don’t expect a procession of similar stories chapter to chapter. In History Preserved we come across the ex-Arthur Moffat Lotus Cortina once powered by a two litre Coventry Climax engine from a Lotus 15. Not a great success apparently. Later owners replaced it with an original power train. Two

chapters later an absolute delight, Possum Bourne’s Cortina, as Campbell describes it, “Surely the most outrageous Cortina rally car ever.”

Gordon Campbell’s photography is excellent and descriptive. The inclusion of contemporary advertising material, historic photos and even original ownership papers add to the sense of history.

I read this book with increasing enthusiasm. It offers an accurate and interesting kiwi perspective on one of the most loved vehicles of the 1960s to 1980s. The Cortina Evolution section truly sets the scene. Readable and recommended.

FOOTNOTE: In his bibliography the author includes Graham Robson’s Cortina: The Story of Ford’s Best-seller. (Veloce Publishing 1998). Both books are recommended reading for any Cortina devotee.

THE ULTIMATE HISTORY OF BRITISH CAR ADVERTISING IN THE 20th CENTURY

Tim Cleave. Published 2023 by AH Publishing (www.auto-heritage.co.uk).

Review by Mark Holman

I’m a sucker for car adverts, so this series of books turned out to be a real delight. What we have here is a series of 16 A5-sized softcovers each with 72 pages. I understand that they are available only from the publishers; the books can be bought separately or as a set, which works out cheaper per volume.

I splashed out and bought one of each, which cost about $210 including postage. It’s hard to pick out highlights, in effect, you get a visual history of the British motor industry while often marvelling at the claims being made by the manufacturers, or at finding out things that you’d had no idea about. Let’s take the 1920s volume, as a sample. Did you know that Clyno was the third-biggest seller in the midtwenties, that Austin sold a light plane called the Whippet, or that Stoneleigh had its steering wheel in the centre of the car, pre-dating the McLaren P1 by decades?

Starting with the dawn of the motoring age, including Daimler and Wolseley from 1900, and running to adverts for the likes of Range-Rover and Bentley at the end of the 20th century, these volumes follow the ups and downs of car manufacturing in the UK as well as fashions, the car in wartime, the gradual disappearance of once-popular marques and much else of great interest. Highly recommended.

BATHURST, 60 YEARS OF THE GREAT RACE

A pictorial history of the Bathurst classic motor race

Hard cover, 140 x 235, 255 pages

ISBN 9780645207019

Gelding Street Press. $39.99

Reviewed by Kevin Clarkson

This book covers every one of the last 60 years of Bathurst from 1963 to 2022. Each year gets a chapter with a brief description of the highlights of that year accompanied by high quality photos (considering the era the earlier pics were taken!) over four pages. There are over 400 photos, and all are comprehensively captioned enabling the reader to get

full understanding of what is happening.

All the legendary drivers are there, Brock, Moffat, Lowndes, Johnson, Skaife, Perkins, Grice, Whincup, Murphy, McLaughlin, Van Gisbergen – and many more.

For those who follow Bathurst year upon year this book is a valuable tool to refresh their memories about what has happened in the past and any others with petrol in their veins will also get much from this book. A great book to sit on the coffee table to dip into from time to time.

Interesting to note the prominence of tobacco company advertising in those early years.

Author Steve Normoyle is currently the editor of the motoring and Bathurst racing bible Australian Muscle Car Magazine. He is a long-time motorsport enthusiast with over 40 years’ experience as a motoring and motorsport journalist and has reported on the Bathurst race for over three decades.

A RARE FIND FROM THE USA

South Canterbury’s Bill Weir has always been partial to large Americans, on his last visit to the USA he managed to pick up the doings of a seriously solid International.

Pre-Covid we were visiting friends in Northern California. Fred tends to gather up projects that others have given up on and upon looking around the yard I noticed an International pickup. I asked what he intended to do with it. He replied that he only bought it for the deck, a neat little six foot step side that would fit a Chev or Ford. Walking back past it I had the urge to look under the bonnet. I looked and looked again, under there was a four cylinder engine, the unit developed from one bank of the 304 V8 and fitted also to four wheel drive Scouts beginning in 1960.

The four cylinder Model C900 light duty, half ton pickup was produced from 1962 to 1967 but was discontinued due to poor sales. Buyers at the time preferred the more powerful six and eight cylinder engines available. I realised that the one I saw in Fred’s yard would be quite rare.

The original owner of this pickup, who Fred had bought it from, had started to restore it so it was in primer paint and the windscreen, grille and bumper were not on it. Luckily all the missing parts were stored in Fred’s workshop. As a plus, the hubcaps and bumper had been re-chromed.

As Fred had no plans for the pickup we negotiated a price and had it freighted to New Zealand.

THE RESTORATION

We began with the usual water blast cleanup, but will the engine run? It was stuck solid, not having been turned over for quite a few years. After pouring various potions down the plug holes to no avail it was down to the mechanic’s shop where with all his tricks he assured me he would get it turning. Result – no luck. He called me in after removing the valve cover where he found the valve gantry full of upholstery materials. Vermin had got into the engine, though how we don’t know as covers and air cleaner were all in place. Maybe up the exhaust? So off with the head. The engine appears to have done only moderate mileage, though the pistons were tight and needed careful removal, and the crankshaft and bearings showed no wear. A gasket set and piston rings from the USA had the engine running sweetly.

Being originally from the dry state of Nevada no body rust was evident. A few small dents were removed and it was into the paint shop where the light green cab interior and deck interior were freshened up. The exterior was painted in the same dark green we have used on our other International farm trucks. It is a similar green to the stock International colour but a little darker and with more life in it.

ASSEMBLY

As the cab is the same as those built in Australia for the New Zealand market, door rubbers and side window tracks were available from BASiS. I had a new windscreen in stock and luckily the necessary rubber came with the project. David Brown Upholstery in Timaru made a nice job of reupholstering the seat in correct period grey vinyl.

Mechanically, after the engine was sorted, the brake shoes were replaced and the cylinder re-kitted. The master cylinder was restored, this one being unusual as both the hydraulic clutch and the brakes use the same master cylinder housing, with separate chambers of course.

TYRES

For me this was a wake-up call. Other International pickups we have owned have been on 16 inch wheels so I was scouting around for suitable 16 inch rubber. I took a wheel to our tyre man and was told – these are 15s. Oops! The C900 being the lightest of the range was on 15 inch wheels. Much to my embarrassment a set of 235/75x 15 tyres was readily found.

Compliance for registration was relatively painless with just a few niggly issues, and then it was onto the road.

PERFORMANCE

I was concerned as to how it would perform as the engine is only two and a half litres (being half of a five litre V8) and drives through a three speed, floor shift, gearbox to a 4:1 ratio differential. I have been pleasantly surprised as it is quite peppy and has good torque. It travels comfortably at highway speeds and gives a creditable 25 mpg.

The pickup has an excellent factory heating and demisting system. I have been using it to drive to work in the winter and it is great, whereas many New Zealand-new

pickups of this era were supplied with less than adequate aftermarket heating units by the local assembler.

It is always an attention grabber at rallies and events. With the bonnet up I show people what looks from one side like a V8 engine but then they see the other side is empty. That is when I get rubbished with ‘couldn’t you afford the other half of the V8?’

All in all a sweet little pickup which is nice to drive and looks great.

A rare find from the USA!

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.

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.

Email your articles and ideas to: beadedwheels@vcc.org.nz

High resolution digital photos are preferred. Or contact our Editor, 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: Fiona Holliday and Simon Williams.

IS THERE SUCH A THING AS A

CLASSIC JAPANESE SPORTS COUPE

What actually is a classic car?

There are varied dictionary definitions of the word “classic” but I like this one: “A classic is an outstanding example of a particular style; something of lasting worth or with a timeless quality; of the first or highest quality, class, or rank – something that exemplifies its class.”

It’s very tempting to write about the Subaru Impreza 22B, the Holy Grail of Japan’s classic high-performance cars or the legendary Nissan Skyline GT-R R34, because these two cars are classics in the basic sense of the term “classic” as defined above. More importantly, they are classics because they’ve earned the right to be called that. However, the Vintage Car Club definition of “classic” is a car at least 30 years old and therefore I shall confine (and restrain) myself to writing about this type of classic!

If I were to attempt to write about the history of cars, this little article wouldn’t be enough to talk about the Japanese car industry’s impact in shaping that history. From humble beginnings to global domination, Japan’s car scene has given so much to the auto world, which includes some of the most iconic car models ever made. Classic Japanese cars have gained popularity in recent years as prime collectibles.

A contender for most desirable Japanese car, the Datsun 240Z is a quintessential 70s icon. It arrived in 1970 at a time when safety regulations effectively placed domestic performance cars in a state of flux. The 240Z arrived like manna from heaven and stood out from the crowd with a drop-dead sexy design reminiscent of the

exotic European cars of that era. From the Porsche headlights to the Jaguar body and the Aston Martin profile, the 240Z was an affordable performance car that looked more upscale than it actually was.

The 1980s were definitely a roller coaster when it came to good and bad cars, but most of the cars that came out of Japan in that decade, particularly sports and performance-oriented models were truly great. Nearly all Japanese cars from any decade are excellent, but the 1980s were among the very best years for Japanese cars, and particularly for performance models.

Mazda gained millions of extra fans worldwide thanks to the RX-7. The RX-7 debuted in 1978 and became Mazda’s first massproduced sports car. It eventually became the best-selling rotary engine car in history. The distinctive howling of the RX-7 twinrotor engine reverberated on race tracks in Europe and beyond from the start of production. The RX-7 won the British Saloon Car Championship in the 1600cc–2300cc Class in 1980 and 1981 and demonstrated its reliability by winning the Spa 24 Hours, also in 1981.

1985 TOYOTA CELICA SPECIFICATIONS

Engine 5M-GE DOHC 2.8 litre straight six giving 178 hp 0 to 60 approximately 8.4 seconds

Gearbox 4-speed automatic A43DE gearbox with overdrive

Powertrain Front engine, rear-wheel drive, 2759cc (168.4 cu in) DOHC 5M-GE 133 kW (178hp) 212lb ft (287 Nm) of torque

Brakes Disc brakes all round

Body 3-door lift back (4 seats), wide body sports coupé, pop up headlights, high mounted rear spoiler, sun-roof, fender flares and digital dash

Wheels 14” original factory alloy wheels

One of the few cars in history to deserve its nickname as a “mini Ferrari,” the MR-2 arrived in 1984 and it featured a mid-engine design and two seats hence the name MR2 = Midship Runabout with Two Seats. The MR-2 was a fantastic, affordable sports car that was also incredibly lightweight and there was even a supercharged version of the first-generation AW11 model. Oh and it had pop-up headlights – it doesn’t get more 80s than that.

Mitsubishi developed the new GTO as a technically advanced sports coupé to compete with the Mazda RX-7, Nissan 300ZX, Skyline GT-R and the Toyota Supra. They resurrected the GTO name, and the car went on to serve as Mitsubishi’s flagship for the remainder of the decade. However, outside of Japan it was called the Mitsubishi 3000GT because Mitsubishi was concerned that connoisseurs would object to the evocative name from the highly regarded Ferrari 250 GTO and Pontiac GTO being used on a Japanese vehicle.

So, this brings me to our own Japanese sports coupe. We have a 1985 Toyota Celica Supra wide body sports coupe, which is now 38 years old. This car is New Zealand new and on the original plate, having been registered on 9th August 1985. It is eligible for a VIC, which we have acquired and the status is Original, vehicle classification is A2, category is P80V CP, so the VCC has accepted it as an eligible vehicle, but will you purists out there?

Supra – Latin prefix, meaning “above” – “to surpass” or “go beyond.”

Celica – Latin word coelica meaning “heavenly” or “celestial.”

We purchased this second generation (A60) Celica Supra in August 2021 from a local collector who has a varied selection of interesting and classic cars. When we first saw this lovely car, it was under a custom made full cover. The cover was lifted away to reveal this pure white beauty in all its glory. We just had to have this car so we paid for it and picked it up the next day.

After spending quite a bit of time just gazing at it and drinking a few cups of tea, we got down to sprucing up the interior. The dash is a typical “quality” plastic Japanese dash of the era and is in remarkably good condition. After lots of hard hand polishing and a little play with the electric polisher on the paintwork, it looked as good as new. The wheels came off for a clean, even the inside of the rims. The engine bay is a typically Japanese mass of engine, wires and air intake pipework.

We bought any parts we needed from the USA, such as rubber bonnet clips, stoppers, and bits of trim just to finish the job. The pop up headlights were adjusted, the aerial fixed and we re-fitted some of the exterior side trims. Altogether, this took hours in the garage and more time patiently waiting for the mail to come with the parts from the USA, but we have to admit that we enjoyed this “getting familiar” period.

The MKII Celica Supra was manufactured from 1981 through to 1985/86. It was available with a digital instrument cluster like ours. Overdrive was standard on automatic versions also like ours. The name separated into two distinct models from 1986, the MKIII was then known as the Supra and the Celica name was used on a completely different model range. There have been five generations of the Toyota Supra model now dating from 1979 through to 2022. That is 43 years of just one model of Japanese sports car.

Our Celica Supra gets a lot of attention, particularly from the younger generation, at a VCC event or in town and even when it is visible from the road when the garage door is open. We’ve had kids walking home from school ask to see the Supra and people have parked outside and wandered over to have a look and a chat. We think this is because you just don’t see them around anymore.

Our Celica Supra is a pleasure to drive, a complete show pony and a popular, but rare classic car.

So, now back to the original question, is there such a thing as a classic Japanese sports coupé? We definitely think so, but what do you think?

Fiona Holliday I have been a member, with my husband, of the Taupo Branch for about three years. My interests include some voluntary work with the SPCA, lots of reading and now writing things for the Taupo Torque monthly branch magazine and for Beaded Wheels Within Taupo Branch I am librarian, committee member and part of the events team. I’m real car enthusiast and especially love old sports cars. We have a 1978 MGB GT and also a 1985 Toyota Celica Supra, both of which we take to shows and on club runs (but only if it’s not raining).

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CONSERVING MOTORING HISTORY A SURVIVOR

In 1913 William Morris (later Lord Nuffield) manufactured the first Morris production car, a 10hp Morris Oxford, which was despatched from the Temple Cowley factory on 29 March. The UK Bullnose Morris Club’s registrar Margaret Goding states there are only 17 White & Poppe engined 10hp Oxfords from that year still in existence. Two examples are cars that were exported new to New Zealand and are included in The Bullnose Morris by Lytton Jarman and Robin Barraclough, published in 1976 .1

Car number 192 (pictured in the left of this photo) was restored by Norman Findlay in Napier in the early 1960s. The other car, number 332 was, at the time this photograph was taken in 1964, owned by Jack Morrison of Geraldine, who had rescued it after many years of neglect following a disastrous flood.

These are two of 57 cars sold to Morris’s export agents Tozer, Kemsley & Fisher (TKF) in 1913 from a total production of 393 vehicles that year, for export to

1 Plate 9 in the 1976 Revised Edition “The

Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. Today number 332 is owned by Jack’s nephew Peter Morrison and stands proudly in the Geraldine Vintage Car and Machinery Museum.

This car was initially sold to TKF on 16 September 1913 for export to New Zealand where it was allocated to the motor firm Watts & Grieve Ltd of Invercargill. This company was a very

successful dealer for Morris cars, actively promoting every new model produced by the Company. Soon after the first car was landed it made a public appearance at a hill climb organised by the Otago Motor Club on 22 November 1913. This was held at Signal Hill, Dunedin, and the little car created a sensation being easily the fastest light car on the day and was close behind the larger more powerful models.

Number 332 was sold to prominent Dunedin doctor William Carswell. In 1919 he was appointed to the Department of Eye, Ear, Nose and Throat of Dunedin Hospital, and shortly after he sold the little Morris to a Mr Garden Reid who was farming at Henley, a small rural settlement on the Taieri River south of Dunedin. Presumably the doctor needed something larger.

A photograph taken in the 1920s shows the Reid family with the car at a motoring picnic. The young girl leaning against the car is Eunice Reid and looks to be aged about 18 – which would date the photograph around 1925. Her younger brother Bill is standing to the right. Not much is known of the car except that newspaper reports record that in April 1935 Mr Reid was fined 15 shillings for driving the Morris with one headlight, and for driving an unlicensed motor car he was fined £1 10 shillings.2 This little episode highlights the rather strange rules regarding car registration in early New Zealand motoring. In 1906 the Motor Registration Act required that each local council authority was responsible for registering cars and owners, and number plates were transferred when the owner purchased a new car. Councils with less than 5,000 residents were exempt. In 1924 the Act was amended requiring all vehicles to be registered and issued with number plates by central government.

It seems Mr Reid never got around to registering the car, and there were no plates on it when it was recovered by Jack Morrison a great deal later. Readers might also have noticed in the picture of The Bullnose Morris that while both cars are standard models, the Morrison car is fitted with slightly more curved front and rear wings like those fitted on the Deluxe models from the end of 1913. Another curiosity is the fitted fabric side valances. Cars leaving the Cowley works were never fitted with any form of valance. These also appear in both early photographs, which also reveal much more clearly that in the 1920s the front and rear wings are definitely not the standard type. Several historians have confirmed that they are most probably those usually fitted to the Deluxe model Oxford. Quite how this came about and the reason for it is a mystery. Could this be an early example of a customerrequested remodelling, or were these more elaborate wings fitted to the vehicle before it left the works, due to shortages of the standard type?

Jack was the grandson of Mr Robert Morrison, an early pioneer from County Down, Northern Ireland, who after a short time in Australia, eventually settled in New Zealand. He established a general store in the South Island town of Geraldine in 1867 to serve the growing timber business. Although times were hard the business slowly expanded and by the turn of the century it had become a substantial department store. A few years into the new century, his son Robert Junior noticed advertisements for cars appearing in the trade magazines and expressed a growing desire

2 Mosgiel Court register 12 April 1935

to purchase one for himself. Eventually, in 1908 he purchased a 10hp REO. This was quickly followed by a 4-cyclinder Darracq, and in 1912 a Hudson, when they acquired a local agency. A few Hudson and Dodge cars were sold, despite interruptions by the war. After the war when the Essex cars arrived, Robert sold the first one in the South Island, and activity was focused on these marques in the early 1920s.

In 1923 he made a trip to England where he was greatly impressed with the Bullnose Morris Oxfords and Cowleys. He lost no time in making arrangement to ship several to New Zealand, forming an enduring relationship with the Morris, and later the Nuffield organisation. In 1925 a motor car department workshop was established with space for about 25 cars. Jack joined the motor business in 1927 and soon proved his considerable mechanical ability and organisational skill, working his way up to managing the motor department. In his spare time he began purchasing interesting vehicles as well as restoring vehicles abandoned by their owners, eventually accumulating a small collection of cars. When nephew Peter left school he joined his uncle in the family business and began a motor mechanic apprenticeship.

One day in early 1952, just after Peter had commenced working for Jack, a travelling salesman from Timaru called into the garage and, during a conversation with Jack, claimed he knew where there was a pre-war White and Poppe engined Oxford. Jack, who had by this stage developed good connections in the motor trade, replied: ‘You must be mistaken … it’s most probably a Continental engined car.’ After a brief exchange the man introduced himself as Bill Reid, revealing that the car belonged to his older brother Garden, and it had been badly damaged by a major flood on the Taieri Plain. He was able to confirm that it was in fact a White and Poppe engined car, and it was now in a shed in the small rural town of Kaitangata, several miles to the east of Balclutha on the banks of the Clutha River.

Jack eventually went to see the car but had some difficulty persuading the owner to sell it before Mr Reid finally agreed to accept £50. After his return to Geraldine Jack sent young Peter and the foreman, Albert Titheridge, in the Morris LC3 truck to retrieve it. On arrival in Kaitangata they were surprised to find the car relatively intact but rather scruffy as it was full of river silt.

Ironically in 1929 a large flood of the Waihi

River which passed through Geraldine, undermined the foundations of the Morrison garage. Five vehicles including two Morris Cowleys belonging to customers, a brand-new Morris Minor, and a 1924 Delage D1 belonging to Mr Robert Morrison Junior all ended up in the river and were found the next day about a mile downstream. Jack was destined to gain experience in restoring flood damaged vehicles!

On arrival back in Geraldine the little Morris was unloaded and placed in a corner of the workshop and worked on spasmodically. In May 1956 Jack reported to local Vintage Car Club members that progress had been steady on the Morris but he was still waiting on the arrival of some parts from England. When it was finally completed it stood in the window of the spare parts department and attracted a great deal of interest.

By the early 1960s Jack had run out of space to store his assortment of cars so he organised the construction of a new building on another site to house his collection of about 18 cars, which included a 1925 bullnose Cowley, 1929 flatnose Oxford , a 1927 one tonner, a 1927 Empire Oxford, the 1924 Delage, as well as a number of post vintage Morris cars and other marques. The collection was open to anyone interested as he just wanted the museum to be an added attraction for his beloved town of Geraldine. Jack was soon approached by the Vintage Machinery Club looking for a space to display their members’ farming machinery. This led to the formation of the Geraldine Vintage Car & Machinery Club Museum.

Disaster struck on 1 Jan 1979. A fire broke out in the main hall destroying the building and all the cars. Many had to be written off and sold for parts but seven of the original cars have since been fully restored to a roadworthy condition. The remains of the Delage were sold and it was later fastidiously restored by David Barker of Christchurch. The original all-aluminium body panels were beyond recovery so David fitted an elegant fabric coach. The car was purchased back by the Morrison Family and is now in the Museum. After Jack started the clean-up process he gave the remains of the Oxford 10hp to Peter, who was determined to rebuild the car once more. Fortunately, one of the staff involved in the original restoration of the engine still worked at the Morrison Motor Car Garage and was able to assist with the rebuild. Fire had badly warped the chassis necessitating a complete disassembly and re-riveting of the frame. Peter reskinned a new wooden frame himself, and remembers that the most difficult part was the scuttle as there was nothing left to use as a shape reference. A motor trimmer in Christchurch made a new hood and seats. He was extremely fortunate to find the correct ‘Morris’ version of the P & H acetylene headlamps, which are left and right handed, one

from an Auckland club member and the other sourced from the UK. It was a 20-year project to locate items that were damaged beyond repair and it wasn’t until 1999 that the little Morris was finally travelling under its own power again. After the fire Jack arranged for the Vintage Machinery Club to take over the responsibility of rebuilding and operating the museum. The work was completed by club members, local builders and many volunteers from the town and the building was officially opened on 24 April 1982. Jack transferred ownership of the property to the Vintage Machinery club, for the sum of $1, the following year.

In 2002 the Morris took part in Otago Branch Dunedin Brighton Rally. This annual event takes the cars approximately 20 km from the centre of Dunedin to the domain at the small sea-side town of Brighton. This event first took place in 1955 and was inspired by the well-known London to Brighton Veteran Car Run. By now Peter had discovered that the two surviving Reid siblings were living in Dunedin and he considered it fitting that

he should re-unite them with the car that they had first encountered as children more than 80 years previously. The meeting took place on the day before the rally and the excitement was clearly evident when they were carefully assisted into the little car, Eunice exclaiming, ‘This is wonderful, I could never forget’, and Bill rather vigorously pumped the accelerator when the engine was started before being diplomatically reminded that a little more care was due. Eunice later recalled some wonderful memories as a teenager using the car on the farm to transport meals to around 20 men who were harvesting on her parents’ farm.

I first became interested in Vintage cars when my father purchased a very rundown Flatnose Morris Cowley and I joined the Auckland VCC in 1967. After a very poor attempt at restoring it, the project was parked as work, children and significant overseas travel took precedence. Its now fully restored with a shiny new VIC. My other car is 1930 20/25 R-R which was seriously damaged after being fully submerged in the 2023 Auckland Floods. I am the Auckland Club Library Team leader.

THE WAY WE WERE

CAPTAIN’S LOG

DAFFODIL RALLY FOR CANCER

Sunday 20 August is the Vintage Car Club’s National Day, our Daffodil Rally for Cancer. From Kaitaia to Bluff the yellow daffodil will be on display as New Zealand Vintage Car Club members get the opportunity to promote the VCC while fundraising for the New Zealand Cancer Society. All funds raised go to assist your local branch of the Cancer Society.

back country roads, challenging both vehicles and drivers. I recognise that I am among this group of thrill seekers for whom adventurous motoring rates highly. My passion has grown out of attending the annual Irishman Rally, the R’Oil Can, the Irishwoman Rally and the Highland Fling. All four events are highly popular among members of all ages.

Last issue featured Mollie’s Humber from our number two garage at 20 Hackthorne Road, Christchurch. Number one garage had succeeded in giving my T77 40/50 Napier sufficient TLC to enable it us to run in to Godfrey Hall’s Terrace Station on 3 October 1954. Still sporting the very chancy 895 by 135 beaded edge tyres at the front and their well-based successors at the rear. Rob and I in front with Molly and Belle Shand in its very spartan rear, together with my old neighbour and school friend John (Jack) Weymouth. Jack was back for a visit from prosperous Ian Smith’s Rhodesia where

he had a very successful cattle ranch.

Jack was to die in Rhodesia before the Pom’s handed over the whole show to Robert Mugabe thus ensuring not only the end of the name of Rhodesia but also the end of any vestige of prosperity.

Although the fundraising events will differ from branch to branch the common theme will be an assembly of historic vehicles, their owners, and passengers. Whether you drive a 1911 Ford Model T or a 2022 Kia Sorento, are a VCC member or just interested in a day out –everyone is welcome to come along and participate.

MOVING ON

I take pride in the fact that the VCC is striving to provide many different event types for our members to choose from. In my final log as your North Island Club Captain, I would like to highlight the ever-growing appetite for adventurous motoring that I have witnessed within our Club. Many members love taking their historic vehicles over

My most recent adventure was motoring 5,000 kms over 20 days in the back country of the South Island to participate in two rallies, including the infamous Irishman! Entrants were truly privileged to be able to motor through numerous farms and private properties across country that the average New Zealander just doesn’t get the opportunity to travel. I encourage all members to use our vehicles as they were intended, take part in club events and to continue to spread the word about Driving our History.

50 YEAR

Collins, Dave Wellington

Clark, Geoff Nelson

Goldingham, Ian Waitemata

Hansen, John Nelson

Henderson, Jeff South Canterbury

Congratulations to the following members who have recently been awarded their

60 YEAR

Nicoll, Wayne Southland

Jones, Esme South Canterbury

Matthews, Peter Far North

Nightingale, Peter Horowhenua

Quarrie Geoff, Central Hawkes Bay

Revell, Graeme Gisborne

Wiblin , Graham Marlborough

RALLY SNIPPETS

A round up of notable rallies and events from around our branches

IRISH WOMANS RALLY

South Waikato Branch

March 11/12 2023 Words Pieter Deutz Ebeling, photos Vanessa McCluskie

With only ten starters it was a smaller than usual field for this year’s Irish Woman’s Rally. Organisers had to drastically modify the originally planned routes at the last minute due to the impacts of Cyclone Gabrielle and ongoing rain. However those who took part enjoyed two great days of country motoring at places no vintage vehicle normally goes. Breakdowns reduced the field for the second day where we tackled Rangitota Station tracks – this is always a run with incredible views. We clocked up a total of 146 miles over the two days and are busy planning new tracks for 2024 - just need the weather to play ball.

IRISHMAN

It was a another large entry of 196 vehicles that took to the hills around Fairlie for this year’s Kings Birthday event. As one of this year’s joint organisers, John McDonald still managed to record these images for Beaded Wheels.

Daffodil Rally for Cancer

All drivers and any vehicle welcome

It’s the Vintage Car Club’s National Day and throughout New Zealand, hundreds of vehicles will be on the road or on display to raise money for your local Cancer Society.

To find out more about your local Da odil Rally for Cancer, and the details of the local coordinator, please visit...

www.vcc.org.nz

ROSCO SPORTING TRIALS

West Coast Branch, 18 June 2023

Words and photos Zoe Gough

The weather couldn’t have been better for this year’s Sporting Trial held as usual at Rosco’s Yard, Reefton.

Competitors were fewer in number than last year, but showed great determination and enthusiasm. Wet morning ground conditions made the going tough over the rough farmland. Though dryer underfoot later, making the course easier, it was still very challenging.

We welcomed two first timers this year, Chris McSherry, Westport in a special and Robert Trompetter from Dunedin in an Austin Seven. I am sure both went home sore but elated.

Third time winner was Avon Hyde driving Doris II, an A35 powered Austin Special. Second was John Fowler, Greymouth, in

another Austin. Griffin Tucker came in third driving Allan Giles’ special, his own car not making it to the start.

Thanks to Rosco for allowing us to use his excellent trials venue once again. Special mention needs to be made of Nick Harrison who organised all aspects of the day including the barbecue and prize giving. Tom Griffin checked all vehicle entries. They were supported by a team of people who marked the courses, spotted, kept scores, crewed recovery vehicles, ferried folks and offered first aid.

This was my first full time attendance at a trials event. I was astounded by the beating the vehicles and their drivers took. Altogether, their performance, the great location and excellent organisation provided a very enjoyable day.

WANGANUI ANNUAL RALLY

Wanganui Branch

It was a fine crisp morning for the 51 entrants at the Wanganui Racecourse for our Annual Rally. Vehicles were set off at regular intervals by Rally Secretary Christine Savage. The cavalcade of yesterday’s motoring masterpieces made for an interesting spectacle as they set forth. No tyre squealing or wildly revving engines, just a refined array of immaculately prepared vehicles leaving in an orderly fashion.

Proceeding through Wanganui East and onto Number 3 Line, the rally run sheet directed entrants onto SH3 and the start of the timed section. From here navigators were kept on their toes and ending up on Turakina Valley Road before heading into Fordell where the timed section finished. After lunch at the clubrooms entrants headed out to negotiate the rural settings of Rapanui crossing SH3 to Rangitatau Road, three

HADSTOCK AND NIGHT TRIAL

Banks Peninsula Branch, Words Don Gerrard, photo John McDonald

This year’s Hadstock Field Tests saw a smaller entry skid and skate in very wet conditions.

Resembling more like a mudplug for the bikes entered, the riders did a remarkable job of staying upright with Neale Elder on his Honda just pipping the Triumph Metisse of John Foster for top honours with Paul Tayler’s Yamaha third. The clock kept ticking while Josie Morrison’s MX5

completed many neat 360s and Glen Wedlake’s E-Type Jaguar scrambled for traction – some entrants even requiring a push start to provide forward motion. However, it was business as usual for Brad Govan in his A7 Hawke taking home the top award with Avon Hyde in the BMC Special second and surprisingly, Michael Williams in the Citroёn GS, third.

Not even the Super Rugby final could put off 15 keen crews, including a top-down Morgan, from tackling the June Night Trial which ventured to the east of the city, traversed the base of the Port Hills and then headed south into the countryside. A powerful torch was required to illuminate many of the answers to searching questions, as the instructions soon had the

more turns brought the group on to the Blueskin. The well thought out route from here was onto Brunswick Road, through Aramoho and across Dublin Street Bridge back to the clubrooms. There were several strategically placed silent checks throughout the rally, displaying various car and motorcycle makes to keep navigators and drivers alert.

The day concluded at the Wanganui Racecourse Function Centre. The overall winning entrants were Karl and Rebecca Brown in their stunning 1962 Chevrolet Bel Air. A remarkably close result with only two points separating the first three placed contestants.

It was great to see so many out-of-town folks, who year in year out, venture to our fair city to ply their rallying skills and to enjoy the comradeship.

cars headling in a westerly direction including some ideal shingle roads, ending up at the Kirwee Hostelry for prizegiving. Congratulations went to Team Wright in their Land Rover MK1, separated by just one point from the Webb’s Saab, with Digby Gemmell in the Graham Paige picking up the chocolates for the oldest vehicle.

Beaded Wheels 45

SOUND LEGACY

Old 1930s Ford 16” + Ford 12” + 1950s

Rootes Group 12”

Promotional Vinyl records.

It is well known that the Ford Motor Company built an assembly plant at Petone in 1936, assembling CKD (completely knocked down) vehicles until it closed in 1988. From 1936 to 1942 the popular Ford V8 cars and trucks were assembled there in their thousands. To compete against other makers, manufacturers had to promote their products.

A few years ago, when I became the Archivist, I was intrigued with the unique collection of 13 large vinyl promotional records put out by Ford Motors USA from 1934 to 1942. They were in large flat cardboard boxes and were originally the property of Lewis Bros, the Ford agents in Blenheim in the 1920s and 30s. Some of the boxes included a Lewis Bros seal dated 1935.

The reason I was intrigued was, everyone is familiar with the normal LP domestic audio record of 331 3 rpm, which measures 12” (300mm) in diameter, well these measured 16” (400mm). I had never seen anything like this before. Being from the 1930s I would have expected them to be 78 rpm and being of a solid composition, but they were 331⁄ 3 rpm and made from the same flexible material as the modern audio record. These vinyl records were used for promoting the Ford range of cars and commercial vehicles from 1934 to 1942. There were also some other 12” Ford 1934s and 1950s Rootes Group promotional records.

Back in the 1930s these records were played simultaneously to an audience by a person operating a hand operated black and white slide film projector. They would start the record player and at the end of a chapter there was an audible beep and the slide projector was wound on to the next frame and so on.

The problem was, where in 2016 do you find a 16” record player that I could use to investigate the contents of these interesting old records? During my school days, I always had an interest in old valve radios, amplifiers, record players and turntables and enjoyed tinkering with them. So I called some friends who had a similar interest, but with no luck. After two years of hunting a friend kindly offered to make up from parts a 16” turntable with a pickup arm.

Using a great free program called Audacity which has great editing functions, such as filters for reducing record scratch and with a suitable interface, I was able to download the 36 records to the Archive laptop.

The introduction to the subjects, sounds like a circus master introducing the grand parade, with very dramatic music.

Once I had downloaded records most of them were of good quality with minimal scratches and audibly clear.

Some of Ford’s promotional

subjects are:

• 60,000 miles or more

• 1936 Ford Lecture

• Without a Price Class 1934 Ford V8

• New Ford V8 1936,

• Performance and Economy Ford V8 1936,

• 1935 Ford V8 Cars and Trucks,

• Ford V8 truck 1934 The average playing time is 22 minutes for the 16” and 12 minutes for the 12” records.

When I was recording the interesting 12” record of “NZ Ford Factory Tour 1939” which was made in NZ by Staradio Ltd, I was puzzled that when I placed the pickup arm on the outside of the record it fell off and it wouldn’t play. You know what everyone says, “Read the Label”. There on the label of the record it says, START IN, which means, place the pickup arm in the CENTRE of the record and the record plays from the centre to the outside, I have never seen that before. On the cover of this record it says, “ SLIDE FILMS WILL HELP YOU SELL,” with a large Ford V8 logo at the bottom. There are only a few of the Ford film strips that accompany each of the records, at the Archive.

There are also ten, 12” 331 3 rpm records from the 1950s made for the Rootes Group, dealing with Hillman, Humber, Singer and Talbot cars. There are 10 nicely presented cardboard

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.

boxes containing a record, a film strip as well as details of all the 90 film strip frames, a pocket manual book which describes the various subjects including valve train, Zenith carb 30V1, Wade blower, pistons and Laycock overdrive.

If anyone would like a digital copy of the above records, email: archivist@vcc.org.nz

MARKET PLACE

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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 par t thereof.

Text in a Boxed Ad : $24 non-members*

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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.)

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FOR SALE

1929 PLYMOUTH. Unrestored original car, RHD and runs very well. Includes a wide range of spare parts, timber spoked wheels. Registration on hold, last registered 2018. Can be viewed at Hahei. Offers over $22,500. Phone Rob, 021 965 493, rob. allen.hahei@gmail.com

VINTAGE C AR REPAIRS

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

DRIVESHAFTS DRIVESHAFTS DRIVESHAFTS

1937 PLYMOUTH MOTOR AND GEARBOX. Complete. Front and rear axles, differential, driveshaft, springs, etc plus steering box. Complete. All in great working condition and just removed from car. $2000 the lot. Phone 027 201 2706 Ian Higgins. MEM

1989 TOYOTA CORONA TWIN CAM. Mint condition. Two owners, Cam belt, water pump, alt belt, fuel filter, front pads and flush, new windscreen, body tidy. interior trim done, Chris Amon suspension. Owes me $6500. Realistic offers considered. Photos available via email Ivan  playsafe@xtra.co.nz MEM CANTERBURY

CARBURETTOR RECONDITIONING including classic and performance makes. 40 plus years trade experience. Free advice. Contact Graeme Tulloch, Tulmac Carburettor Specialists on 027 612 2312 or (Levin) 0 6 368 2202

COACHWORK For 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

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 74 63, email: info@mscoombes.co.nz

TYRES FOR SALE. Near new pair, 500 x 19 Cross ply $500 ono. Ph Alan 027 478 5011.

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 competiti ve prices. M S COOMBES LTD 344 ST ASAPH ST, CHRISTCHURCH Ph: 03 366 7463 E: info@mscoombes.co.nz

PENRITE ENGI NE COOLANT

MEM CENTRAL OTAGO

AUTOMASTER DIGITAL WHEEL BALANCER, and accessories, 5 years old, little use $1200. Chinese ML7 metal lathe on stand with some accessories, $600. Both surplus to requirements; Photos and further details on application.  gtml@xtra.co.nz

MORRIS MINOR REAR AXLES X 2, gearboxes x 2, cyl head and a short block. Open to offers. Ph Graeme 021 415 850 CANTERBURY

MOTORCYCLES – TIME TO SELL. 1929 CN Triumph and sidecar ( Beaded Wheels 381 page 41) 500 cc sidevalve and some spares. Haggle at $20,000. Also my 1953 MAC  350cc Velocette. Haggle at $10.000. Not really restored  but tidy and usable. I am getting a bit long in the tooth and have had in excess  of 50 happy years in the VCC, Ashley Bell Invercargill 03 215 6154 MEM SOUTHLAND RENAULT 12TL PARTS AVAILABLE; two windscreens; one rear screen plus three side windows, plus other assorted spares Available Marlborough. Reasonable offers. D J Doyle Ph 027 757 5147 (evenings) or email  gumnut49@yahoo.com MEM MARLBOROUGH

GOT VIBRATION PROBLEMS?

The 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

A colourless hybrid-organic non glycol based corrosion inhibitor designed specifically for use in Veteran, Edwardian, Vintage and Classic Car cooling systems. M S Coombes Ltd, 344 St Asaph Street, Christchurch 8011, Ph 03 366 74 63, email: info@mscoombes.co.nz

VETERAN CHEV 1918 MODEL 490. 95% complete, some new parts, most tinware new, no bonnet, back doors missing. Two motors, two diffs, one complete gearbox plus spares. Good radiator. Two sets of wheels, early 18 and late 18 w ith rims. Ph David Vernall 022 401 6986, davidvernall1964@ gmail.com  MEM SOUTH CANTERBURY

ROVER ENGINES: 1935-40 6-cyl OHV 14hp dry stored 50 years, dismantled, complete (?). Also 1963-64 P4 110 model, turns over, complete front to clutch, head, genny, carby, starter. Both need understanding homes. $ — nearly free. Stored Tokoroa. North Island delivery possible. Text/ph Richard Chelley 021 106 9999 MEM BOP

VINTAGE AND CLASSIC VEHICLES RECENTLY  LISTED FOR SALE WITH RUSHMORE MOTORS LTD. 1929 DA Dodge. Needs work. 17k. 1939 Chev van. Needs work. 29k. 1956 Chev Pickup. Reg & WoF. 45k.1988 Chev Silverado. Reg & WoF. 38k. 1936 Vauxhall Bedford. Reg & WoF. $9,500. Rushmore Motors 027 2245 045 inc a/h.

PENRITE OILS We 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 74 63, email: info@mscoombes.co.nz

1935 CHRYSLER ROADSTER, excellent condition however it has been stored for 15 years and rego lapsed. Original colour metallic blue. Three owners including my father. Many spare bod y panels. Cell 0274 357 123, email: grant-family@xtra.co.nz

REAR SCREEN, “PERFECTA”, FOR SALE. In mint condition. Purchased for my car but it doesn’t fit. Garry Moore, 021 427 796 or garry@garrymoore.nz MEM BANKS PENINSULA

1916 MAXWELL. Excellent restoration. $115,000. Info supplied upon request. Rushmore Motors 027 2245 045 inc a/h.

1948 SINGER 10 near rust free, motor reconditioned but block missing. Extra motor offered, also 2nd car, reconditioned chassis needs total overhaul. Ph paul 027 603 9730, can email photos. MEM CANTERBURY

LUCAS KING OF THE ROAD L AMPS #742 ex Ken Haine’s estate. 350 high; lens dia 170; stirrup across 145. No burners or base and a few small dents. Offers to Ron at ron.elton@kinect.co.nz or 07 579 9621.

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

1936 ROLLS ROYCE 25/30 SEDAN An early barn find driveable survivor. Appealing body style, easy starter, reliable runner, unrestored body presents tired patina that we periodically weekend drive with Club rally use. Ph Tony 021 333 060, Tauranga. Price $55,00 0 MEM BOP

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

1916 OVERLAND ENGINE. Seized, but castings look ok. Cost: donation to the North Shore Branch. Also, we have a selection of early brass carburettors. Phone Arnold 027 276 5336. NORTH SHORE BRANCH PARTS SHED

1954 SINGER 1500 2 owners 70,000 miles. Reconditioned motor 6,000 miles ago. Rust free, column shift, full overhaul of fuel system and brakes this year. Probably the best one around. Motors well. Ph Paul 027 603 9730. MEM CANTERBURY

AUDI QUATTRO COUPE 1986 Stunning condition, NZ new, original, well maintained, drives beautifully. A rare example of the non-turbo Quattro coupe. Owned for 18 years. I need the storage space. Valued at $65,000 (March 2022) but not expecting that for it. John Stokes 027 537 9491 Email tourist.times@xtra.co.nz MEM WELLINGTON

ROYAL ENFIELD 1937 MODEL G 350CC. Recent engine rebuild, gearbox, front forks, front wheel, speedo, and all other mechanical parts, but still maintaining original patina. Well sorted and runs nicely. Email paulgrumpenmeiser@gmail.com or ph 021 794 897. MEM WELLINGTON

VINTAGE ENGINE SHORT BLOCKS

We can in most cases rebuild your short block using modern shell bearings, new pistons and rebuilt oil pump. Please contact us for more in formation. M S Coombes Ltd, 344 St Asaph Street, Christchurch 8011, Ph 03 366 74 63, email: info@mscoombes.co.nz

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

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@x tra.co.nz

BALANCING BALANCING BALANCING, We can balance most vintage and single cylinder engines, fans, driveshafts etc. Work is carried out on a modern digital machine. M S Coombes Ltd, 344 St Asaph Street, Christchurch 8011, Ph 03 366 74 63, email: info@mscoombes.co.nz

Looking for Vehicle Parts?

Motors, gearboxes, carbs, panels, wheels, accessories, miscellaneous & more. What do you need for your restoration? Contact Marlborough VCC. We have sheds full of used parts. Email: TANDHWIN@XTRA.CO.NZ

VINTAGE DODGE PARTS. 1927 C series, 6 volt, engine with new +30 pistons and rings, no electrics. Complete 1926 rear differential/axle. Pair 1927 head and side lights, bullet style, no lenses. Two 1929 DA engines plus set of new pistons, no electrics. Rebuilt steering box, new worm and bush. Rebuilt differential for DA, with new crown wheel, pinion and bearings. 4.1:1 ratio approximately. Other odds and ends. Ph Stipe  021 727 024. MEM AUCKLAND.

VOLVO PENTA STERN DRIVE MOTOR, 3 litre overhead valve triple carburettors, 164 Volvo, see 303 military vehicles. Stored 30 years. Phone 06 87 88 536, Hastings.

MID 20S E&J TAIL LIGHT PARTS excellent font & 1926 coil box + lid $59. Ford T parts; 1911 Jacobson-Brandon master coil in dovetailed box. Good buzzer but new points required, $150. Heinz coil circa 191, needs new points $95. New leather fanbelt $25. One T block circa 1923 #583703 and crank, cyl head all for $80 ono. Freight extra. Ph Roy 0211 598 319 after 7pm. MEM SOUTHLAND

Has been seen in a showroom in Raetahi with original mileage of 40K miles by club members. Good condition. Current odo 41,800 miles. More details & pictures viewable under its “1938 Vauxhall” TradeMe listing. Ph 06 348 4773. colonel.blimp @ymail.com

Due to a change in circumstances we need to sell this very rare unfinished project. Any realistic offer will be seriously considered. For more information contact Brendon Fox Ph 06 362 6564 or 027 447 1891.

Call me for further information. POA. Ph 027 567 3874.

1962

64,000 original miles. Recent bare metal respray, faithful old family car. Reg on hold, health dictates it should move on. $7,500, as is or $8,500 with WoF & rego. Ph 027 473 3035, neilgamble8@gmail.com

1960 ROLLING CHASSIS Dry stored 35 years 6.25 litre engine, currently won’t turn. We’re only 2 weeks into WD40 + diesel soaking, probably rotating by the time you read this. Chassis in great condition. Suitable for period special or rebuild your S2. Ph

1923

SIX RACEABOUT For sale by tender, normal conditions apply, closes 30 August For further information email khmercer@xtra. co.nz or phone 027 2009 474 View video https:// www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLtIw_Cc_CY&t=19s

EARLY 1920 S, chassis rebuilt, new two seater body, 4 new tyres, about 90% complete, has been in storage 20 years, must sell. $5,000. Also for sale Chrysler 66 1930 4 door sedan, minor work to be able to drive home. $10,000. Ph 021 728 381 forkpart@xtra.co.nz

1967 DAIMLER MK11 V8 Having owned and driven this trouble free beautiful car for over 6 years we now need garage space. Very good condition. 5 wire wheels, Coombes spats, power steer and brakes, stainless steel exhaust, elec ignition, full tool kit etc. $35,000. Ph Warwick 027 287 1634 for full info.

1937 CHEVROLET SMGA DELUXE. This car has been well maintained by current owner for last 47 years including recent motor and front suspension overhaul. Current reg and WoF. Many spares included. Phone Stu 027 695 7045.

VAUXHALL VELOX One owner for most of its life. Inland Canterbury. 55,000 miles. This 1950 gem is a beauty. Upgrades inc tyres, brakes, battery and carpets. Proudly displaying a carless day sticker. Email for photos bobandree74@gmail.com or 03 352 1449.

1952 MORRIS COMMERCIAL. Stripped to chassis and sandblasted including cab. Brake system overhauled. Wheel bearings as needed. Parts to complete asssembly on hand. Runs well. Offers. Mbl: 027 432 2154, goughspraying@xtra.co.nz

MODEL A FORD SHOCK ABSORBERS New Zealand made, new as original. If your old shock can be rebuilt, cost is $240. Postal Delivery extra. Arms and all connecting parts available. Phone Jack 03 352 6672, 0274 322 041 Christchurch.

A RARE OPPORTUNITY to acquire an imposing motor-car in “Bagheera” the 1934 Railton Straight 8 Berkeley sports tourer commissioned by Wally Scott of Y2 Vauxhall fame. All realistic offers considered. Email gandajones@kinect.co.nz for full details.

1939 STUDEBAKER COMMANDER Current WoF and Rego. Original motor with overdrive, runs very well. Body unrestored, in good condition. Interior rooflining, upholstery, carpets renewed recently. Original 1939 service manual & registration history from April’39. $27,000 ono. Phone 022 625 3656.

1925 WILLYS KNIGHT, donated to Northland Branch Chassis restoration incl. brakes/wheels complete, all other aspects require restoration. Virtually all parts present, multiples of several items inc. engines gearboxes and axles. Includes brand new tyres, lots of documentation. Car must be restored rather than used for parts. $2000 ono. Ph Lawrence Hillier 09 434 6457, northland@vcc.org.nz NORTHL AND BRANCH

1965 JAGUAR 3.4 MOD Very good condition. Receipts. Recent engine, P/S, full brake overhaul, partial panel and paint, front seats reupholstered, new seatbelts, some new chrome, new wire wheels. Beautiful in opalescent pale blue and navy trim. Sublime to drive. $48k peterinpuahue@ gmail.com 027 932 0624.

1936 VAUXHALL/BEDFORD UTE, 1781cc light six, Model ASXC. New tyres on front, practically new ones on rear, also very good spare, plus two not on wheels. complete history, Vin-ed, warranted and registered, reasonable offers please. Ph 03 439 5207 or blunden@slingshot.co.nz

WOODEN WHEELS made for your metalwork. Steam-bent felloes, any shape spokes. New beaded rims available in some sizes. Ph Vern Jensen 06 323 3868, 16 Osborne Terrace, Feilding, sandvo@callsouth.net.nz MEM

1937 CHEVROLET MASTER. Older restoration. In same family ownership from new to restoration and subsequent sale to current owners in 2004. Full engine rebuild 2005. Maintained and serviced by same mechanic since 2004. Current Rego and WoF. Phone 027 244 5938. MEM

Lovely car to drive. $45,000 ono. Ph 021 181 1833.

1930 AUSTIN 7 SALOON complete and original. Rallied over 55 years lots of spares plus reconditioned engine, new tyres. $20,000 ono. Ph 027 241 4994, austinbee@hotmail.com

WANTED

1923 DODGE RESTORATION – parts needed to help me. 1 rear hub, 1 rear brake drum, 1 rear tail light, 1 inner and 1 outer door handle. Also need two spare wheel rims (one which is original Dodge 24 inch and the other a 21 inch which uses the Dunlop rim clamps, vehicle has been cut down from a touring into a truck, and 21 inch wheels fitted to the rear.) I’m new to the VCC so hopefully someone out there can assist. Ph Dereck Mackay, 92 Landing Rd, Kerikeri 0230, Northland. ph 0211 514 534.

MEM FAR NORTH.

1927 FIAT 503 STARTER MOTOR AND GENERATOR. Also a diff pinion in good order. Contact Ces. ph 06 2410 454, tqman66@gmail.com

MEM TARANAKI

BSA DANDY PARTS WANTED  Kick Start and side cover that covers the carburettor, plus any other parts available. Phone Barry on 021 310 458.

MEM CANTERBURY

1964 MORRIS MINOR UTE . Mint condition. I have owned for past eight years. WoF and rego. Drives well. Ph Trevor 027 388 7841, evanst.m@xtra.co.nz

MG VA tachometer drive reduction box 2.66:1 ratio same as fitted to the MG TA. Would also consider the 2.25 : 1 ratio as fitted to the MG TC/ TD models. Need good front and back plates. John Gray, Ph 0274 345 621, jbgray@xtra.co.nz, MEM

FORD ESCORT SPORT, original or any other condition wanted. Phone 06 278 6937, email ijs@xtra.co.nz.

1928 CHRYSLER 65 TRUCK. Older restoration. Needs minor work. $27k, as is / where is. Motueka. Reg on hold. Rushmore Motors 027 2245 045 inc a/h.

BTH MAGNETO  Type D4KR Required as a spare for my 1914 Rover delivery van. Preferably complete and or repairable. Neil Farrer 027 457 9634 or nfarrer@xtra.co.nz

MEM WANGANUI

HONDA CBX1000 WANTED. Any year and condition, running or not. Ph Rory 022 341 0608.

MEM AUCKLAND.

INDIAN 741B (ARMY INDIAN) PARTS, looking for rear frame section, petrol tanks, front and rear wheels, or any stray odds and ends you have laying around and might like to sell. Also would like to buy ‘AZ’ prefix NZ registration plate to complete collection. Phone/email Evan Forsyth 021 335 003, 06 345 4250, fivesyth@gmail.com

WANTED TRIUMPH FRAME OR PARTS of as pictured. Also rear fork parts email veterantriumph@gmail.com.

MEM WANGANUI

J TYPE LAYCOCK OVERDRIVE UNITS any condition. Reply to Ross 021 941 002.

MEM WELLSFORD/WARKWORTH

OBLONG SIDE MIRROR 1920-30 Curved convex with spring loaded adjuster on back, 160mm x 80mm. Ph 021 1598 319 after 7pm.

MEM SOUTHLAND

PARTS FOR 1918 HARLEY-DAVIDSON.  Brake plate for back wheel, 1918 crank cases, right hand tank.  Can buy or have 1925 frame and motor and 1916 gearbox to swap.  Phone Russell 036159316 or email dale123@xtra.co.nz

MEM SOUTH CANTERBURY

ROVER P6 OWNERS Any P6 owners in the Hawke’s Bay area interested in forming a group for get togethers on a regular basis please contact Laurie Malcolmson on 021 579 133 or 06 374 9823.

MEM CENTRAL HAWKE’S BAY

1920S PANTHER HWT PARTS WANTED for a later 1920s Panther HWT, including, petrol tank (wedge shaped or teardrop), gearchange mechanism, primary & rear chaincase (sometimes combined). Also engine, frame, lighting set, levers. Possible exchange for postwar Panther parts. David Broadhead 021 324 762 dbroadhe@xtra.co.nz

MEM AUCKLAND

SANKEY RIMS  23” / 5 STUD with 4” centre. Call John 027 448 1430.

MEM CANTERBURY

TRIUMPH PRE-UNIT PARTS for 1950 Speed Twin. Mk2 sprung hub, any other parts considered. Also after BMW R65 parts. Anything considered. Ph John 021 651988 or email guzzimonza@gmail.com

MEM AUCKLAND

1930 RUDGE MOTORCYCLE Trying to source a fuel tank. Ph Tony Perks 027 156 866, tonyperkstarawera@gmail.com

MEM ROTORUA

You are invited to register your interest in the above event. This is a well established over night event with a strong emphasis on participation. We encourage all those who haven’t entered before to join us and experience the great roads Otago has to offer.

Saturday 30 September 2023 • Manfeild Stadium

SELLERS

AUTOMOBILE ANCIENNE

Plan your own start point/time/route to achieve maximum points for your particular vehicle/crew/equipe. You may choose to motor from or after the stroke of midnight on Friday 17th to a late afternoon checkpoint on the 18th.

Start point – anywhere south of Mangatainoka Brewery. Finish – the French enclave of Akaroa, Banks Peninsula.

Competitive motoring is restricted to the day of the 18th. Individual and Equipe Awards are again at stake. Saturday evening function in Akaroa is part of the event.

ENTRY FORMS & ADVICE

Email: bankspeninsula@vcc.org.nz

Phone: 021 212 3074 www.bpvcc.org.nz

CLOSING DATE FOR ALL ENTRIES

20TH OCTOBER 2023

2024 National Veteran Rally

Incorporating the 70th Dunedin-Brighton Veteran Rally and Prince Henry Tour to be based at the The Edgar Centre in Portsmouth Drive, Dunedin

Weekend programme

Thursday 25th January: registration plus noggin and natter

Friday 26th: National Veteran Rally

Saturday 27th: 70th Dunedin - Brighton Rally followed by prize-giving dinner for both events

Sunday 28th: BBQ lunch and farewell

Monday 29th: Start of the Prince Henry Tour

Entry forms will be available from branch secretaries following the National AGM in August. Contacts:

ASHBURTON TREVOR BEGG

We welcome new member Michael Bell with a 1970 J1 Bedford truck.

The monthly week-day runs are proving very popular, with good numbers turning out. Our annual swap meet was held on 6 May and was very successful, with a good attendance from the public.

Our Club Captain and a helper put together an overnight run to Oamaru on 10/11 June, travelling exclusively on back roads. We had 11 vehicles from Ashburton, one from Canterbury Branch, as well as another 10 from Timaru Branch, all meeting up at Pleasant Point. They then travelled via Waimate, Kurow and Duntroon to Weston, and ended up at the Oamaru Branch clubrooms. On Sunday they visited Rod Tempero Motor Body Builder Ltd workshop on the outskirts of Oamaru. Temperos have been building cars from scratch for many years, so this was a very interesting visit. Our Branch AGM was held on 15 June with

a good attendance and all positions are filled for the coming year.

AUCKLAND JOCELYN MCALPINE

Following our AGM we have competent and dedicated members at the helm and can look forward to an exciting year. There were eight 25-year awards and three 35-year awards given out. John Stokes was given the Bill Shears Memorial award. He also now owns a 1937 Buick sedan, a big step for a Whippet man.

Steve Keys took to our 1930s petrol pump and did a fantastic restoration. Roy Sharman has expanded his fleet with a Mk VI Bentley.

Last month’s veterans meeting was well attended by 16 members, diving into all sorts of bits and pieces brought in for discussion. The vintage section reported on Neville Holland’s trip around Coromandel in the ‘29 Chev. John Towers made a new seat for his Humber and Tony

Grey is lamenting the difficulty in getting replacement bitumen for coils.

Motorcycle guest speaker Les Harris displayed his 175 Bantam in front of the clubrooms and at 98 is confirmed by the Guinness Book of Records as the oldest motorcycle racer in the world. More next issue.

BANKS PENINSULA DON GERRARD

We welcome new members: John Gillman with ‘34 Ford Tudor sedan, ‘30 Ford roadster and ‘57 Ford Victoria coupe; Bruce and Julie Reid with ‘65 Sunbeam Tiger, ‘71 Sunbeam H120 coupe, ‘80 Ferrari 400ia and ‘71 Honda CB750; Desmond and Julie Shackel with ‘52 Citroën Light 15, ‘39 Ford V8 coupe and ‘83 Mitsubishi L300 truck.

At our AGM we welcomed Tracey Barrett into the position of secretary, and her husband Mark as a committee member. After 13 years of great service

to the branch Pat O’Connell stood down from the committee, as has Ron Hasell after countless years of toil. However he will remain as treasurer and competitions secretary. The recipient of our Annual Branch Award was John Rapley, 1962 Brabham BT2, picking up the Bruce Pidgeon Memorial Trophy.

The final race meeting of the season was in May at Timaru, and it was great to see Russell Greer with the Stanton Corvette out to play at the front, until an oil leak put an end to its day. The Barretts’ Lotus 23B Reps were also circulating in fine winning style, with Russ Haines MG V8 and Bill Cowie’s Spangeralli Holden fighting for track space. Doug Moody piloted the Bayer Bello singleseater, and as his lap times fell the grin on his face got bigger. Colin Hey kept the saloon flag flying with the rapid Wolseley, ahead of Maureen Cowie in the Shadetree Special, after Neil Kay had to retire his Mallock with suspension maladies.

CANTERBURY TONY BECKER

Pre-dawn frosty darkness covered Rangiora Racecourse, shadowing 177 pre-1932 VCC vehicles awaiting final instructions for their 7.30am dawn crank-up and away on Irishman Annual Rally No. 69. New Zealand wide entrants rubbed shoulders with locals for their highly anticipated King’s Birthday fun weekend, challenging South Island´s highcountry on that brilliant morning. Several labelled 4WD support vehicles followed with their occupants rather more comfortable than many of their charges.

Another popular event was the Annual Rural Run, this year terminating with a raid on member Andy Fox’s

well-presented farm, museum and classic cars. Our Cutler Park home base became well used in May/June. As well as the usual Noggin ’n’Natters and open parts sheds, extra uses included a recently added fun event, the Ross Butler Memorial Grasskhana, which attracts young and old. The growing OCBC mornings (Old Cars Bikes & Coffee), held each 3rd Sunday monthly for public inclusive displays, has proved a real winner for Cutler Park. Veteran & Vintage Annual Rally as well as Restoration of the Year was topped off with the Canterbury Branch Annual General Meeting there. We cannot let pass the superb presentation of our grounds. Even now, in winter, a rewarding sight. Full credit to our small team of enthusiasts. Likewise, the friendly advice found in the Parts Department. That massive orderly selection continues to save many worthy vehicles from dying under dust in a dark shed. Finally, the two vehicle displays put on by members in support of the RNZAF 100 Years Anniversary Celebrations at Wigram Military Air Museum earned very well-deserved accolades. This report concludes my 27 years pleasure of contributing to the Branch News section of Beaded Wheels for Canterbury Branch. I sincerely wish able successor Colin Hey very best wishes for the next 27.

CENTRAL HAWKE’S BAY JOHN FOOT

Due to changing personal circumstances this is my last Branch News column, but it will be very ably carried on by Heather Cheer. Our AGM was held on 20 June at the Waipukurau Bowling Club rooms and was attended by 48 members. Voting was in favour of all committee

members being reinstated for the next 12 months. Planning is now under way for the August National Daffodil Day event, which this year is being held at an iconic local homestead.

Ten cars took part in the May event that took us to the revitalised Tokomaru Steam Museum, which is now open by appointment only. All the machinery is very well presented, and the Museum also houses the Helen Pratt model village. The second visit of the day was to John and Judy Callesen’s highly sophisticated grain drying operation, followed by a look at his Newton-Bennett restoration project. Unfortunately, our June event was cancelled due to our host’s ill health. The branch however is in good health with a slowly increasing membership.

CENTRAL OTAGO DON YEAMAN

After a relatively busy summer our branch has started to slow down a bit for winter.

Instead of our normal monthly Sunday run in May, we all met at the Bannockburn Hotel for lunch to recognize the significant efforts that our retiring club captain, Bert Turnbull, has put in for the past three years in finding us an endless supply of guest speakers and interesting places to visit.

Unfortunately our King’s Birthday weekend run to the Haast had to be postponed because of a dreadful weather forecast.

Our AGM was held on Sunday 18 June. We now have a few new faces on the committee including a new chairman, John Martin. John was presented with his 35-year badge and Wendy Martin with her 25-year badge.

The clubrooms refurbishment is nearing completion, and should be all set for the summer season, something we are definitely looking forward to.

EBOP BRUCE SEDDON

Our mid-month run in May was held in conjunction with members of the BOP Branch. Our 20 members in 10 cars met at Matata to travel west to Little Waihi near Maketu where we met the BOP group. The combined parade of cars then headed to Whakatane via Pongakawa on the Old Coach Road, out to SH2 and Matata, then through the plain’s roads to Otakiri, Te Teko, Awakeri and to the lunch destination.

The monthly club run later in May saw us venture out east to Opotiki. Twentyfour members travelled to a country farm-machinery museum where there is an impressive collection of preserved farm implements from the first half of last century. The founder of the museum, a retired farm contractor, now departed, had the wonderful habit of filling large sheds with well restored machinery and simply building additional sheds as the previous one was filled. The museum is now run by his daughter and family. Much of what we looked at had finished its lengthy working life before most of us were born. Simon and Annie Cherrington were able to display their latest addition – a beautifully presented Series 1 Jaguar.

The main points arising from our AGM are that Bevan Lange has stepped forward as chairman, and he will be assisted this year by James McCarthy as club captain.

The end of June was time for our annual mid-winter Night Owl Run. The route is kept reasonably local – out through Ohope to Ohiwa via Ocean Road and Harbour Road, then back to Whakatane via Hillcrest to get back to town before dinner gets cold. This year’s champion Night Owlers were Bevan Lange and James McCarthy travelling in the comfort of Bevan’s 1963 AP5 Valiant.

FAR NORTH MURRAY CORMACK

We were recently saddened by the sudden death of George Vuletich, a longstanding active member who had been our Kerikeri VIC officer for many years. He was great company, a mechanic extraordinaire, and a passionate Ford man.

Our AGM saw the election of new officers for the coming year, with all positions filled and new faces in senior positions.

Our May Mother’s Day rally was wellattended, and featured a walk through the Awanui shops and commercial area viewing the recently mounted photographic history of the town. A local drive, then back to Awanui for lunch to cap off the day. Sometimes close and seemingly ordinary places can reveal new and interesting stories and services.

The June Malloy Trophy Rally saw a big turn-out of members and their cars. A special feature was Matt and Bev Sharpe’s 1954 Humber Super Snipe which had been off the road for the last 18 years. A beautiful clear day made the scenic coastal drive through Matauri Bay and Mahinepua most relaxed and enjoyable, with the Whangaroa Game Fishing Club as our lunch stop. Two great runs enjoyed by members appreciating our varied region.

GISBORNE RODNEY CLAGUE

A change of some branch officers at our annual general meeting saw Gavin Bartlett take over as chairman, the treasurer’s position was taken jointly by Gavin and Helen Leckner and Tony Bartlett took on the club captain’s role. Brian Hall was elected to the committee, with Gordon O’Neill and Welsley Tarr continuing on the committee for another year. The remaining positions on the committee were rolled over.

We record the recent passing of member Brian Harvey who had restored a 1951 Austin A40 and a 1953 Austin A30, and also owned an original 1934 Chevrolet. We also record the passing of Joe Clifton, who joined our branch in 1983 after moving to Gisborne from the North Shore branch. He resigned in 2004 due to illness.

Our branch celebrated 50 years on the weekend of July 14-16 with a noggin ‘n’ natter and barbecue on the Friday, then a

run and celebrity dinner on the Saturday. We also took the opportunity to present Graeme Revell with his 50 years continuous membership certificate and badge. We were pleased to welcome some members from the Eastern Bay of Plenty branch for the weekend, as well as former Gisborne branch members Colin and Lucy Smith from Hawke’s Bay.

A barn-find 1953 Austin A40 Somerset has found a new home with David McLean, while Brian Hall’s veteran 1912 Humber restoration had its first outing recently - a family team pushed it out of the shed,

gathered around it for the photos then pushed it back in the shed again. There is no record of any of the family wishing to assist with the restoration.

GORE BILL SHEDDAN

As getting the 20 plus branch trophies back in time for the annual awards has been difficult, they will now be engraved, presented, and kept at the clubrooms. Members have obtained an old display cabinet which skilled hands will modify to suit the purpose.

Matt Cook organised the Night Trial on a calm cold night in May. Unfortunately, Night Trials are not everybody’s cup of tea nowadays, as only six cars fronted up. The Rally consisted of a drive around country gravel and sealed roads, followed by supper at the club rooms. A pleasant way to fill a Saturday evening.

Tuesday Ramble was a return trip to Winton for lunch then a visit to the Andrews’ museum, another collection of everything that a house and workshop would have from yesteryear. A lot of us felt rather dated, as we used these appliances in our younger years (for example, a wringer washing machine, now a museum piece).

Rod Bell marshalled 14 cars for the End of Season Run of about 60 miles on sealed roads north and east of Gore, returning to the clubrooms for afternoon tea.

The Branch AGM saw almost all positions filled. Paul Herron was re-elected Chairman unopposed. With his busy auto painting business and his involvement in the auction of the late Robin Dickson’s collection, one would think he had enough

on his plate but with the help of members when required Paul can handle it.

HAWKE’S BAY ESTHER SMITH

Recent club nights have had a strong motoring theme. In April Robert Benge came to talk to us. Robert has been a member of the Club for 44 years, and is now living in Hawke’s Bay. He has lived in the USA for many years, and he talked about the vehicles he found there as well as the long list of cars he has owned over the years, including the ones he wished he hadn’t sold. Our May speaker was Richard Anderson, who had on display his recently purchased 1967 Bryham Formula 4 single seater racing car, and he told us of the car’s history. A small car, not suitable to those who could have difficulty fitting in the driving seat.

On recent Club runs we visited the restored historic Coles Brothers joinery factory in OngaOnga, an interesting addition to the local historic village, then viewed a nearby Riley restoration, followed by a collection of 18 working Ford and David Brown tractors. June’s outing was our departing club captain’s Swansong Excursion. Paul Anderson took us on a good country run, with a stop off at the Patangata pub. Our annual Back to Basics Swap Meet, organised by Steve Donovan, went well, attracting a variety of sellers and keen buyers.

At our monthly Mix and Mingle evening we held a new members’ night. It’s been a while since we have held such an event and it was great to be able to have an evening focused on welcoming them to the branch.

The AGM was a success with good support from branch members. We also welcomed some new committee members.

HOROWHENUA BRUCE JAMIESON

Our Ladies Rally was held in May. Women, who usually navigate, got their chance to drive, while the men, who usually don’t follow instructions, took over the navigation. As well as the usual navigation there were some special tests to be completed. We finished at club members Dave and Debbie Hobbs’ property to view his collection of cars, motoring memorabilia, and his recently opened reproduction of a past era grocer’s shop.

One of the branch’s founding members, Peter Nightingale, has completed 50 years membership, and VCC President Diane Quarrie attended at our AGM and presented him with his badge and certificate.

Four members have completed 35 years, another member 25 years, and their medals were presented at our mid-winter lunch.

Our spare parts room is getting so full that a mid-winter sale was organised to try to shift some stock. Helped (no doubt) by an advertisement in Beaded Wheels, we had a great attendance, with lots of items finding new homes. We will probably have another sale next year.

The Night Owl Rally was well supported, but due to the inclement weather most the old cars with vacuum wipers and no heaters (or even side windows) were left at home, and a fine array of Toyotas, Kias and Nissans took flight. Despite the name, this event takes place in the daytime these days, and we had a reasonably straight forward course for a good day out.

The monthly mid-week runs, where we join forces with Wellington Branch, continue to be to interesting destinations and are well supported.

KING COUNTRY

NORMA DOUGHTERY

We have had monthly trips in December, January, and February. In March we went on a mystery trip organised by Wayne and Julie Gilbert We travelled in a northerly direction and ended up in the village of Benneydale on SH30 for coffee.

On 30 April Dave and Jacki Sinclair organised a trip around Ongarue and Ngakonui, finishing at Dave and Jacki’s place for afternoon tea.

In late May we had our AGM with a good attendance and all positions were filled.

In June we had practise in straight line navigation around our township.

We are currently sorting out the route for our Journey Through Time Rally

on 14 October. We hope to get plenty of entrants from nearby branches.

MANAWATU BRYAN ABRAHAM

Early in May entrants converged on Palmerston North from Wellington, the Horowhenua and Whanganui to join local members on the Manawatu Branch Post Era Rally. A total of 27 entrants were not fazed by the 160-mile run, which headed north to the Wanganui Branch clubrooms for both the lunch stop and the opportunity to raid their parts shed, then went back to Palmerston North. During the morning the straight-line navigation section around Halcombe challenged a few, but everyone made it to the lunch stop, and later back to the Manawatu Branch clubrooms for prize giving.

Mid-May saw Alan Hardacre bring his 1923 Dodge tourer to the clubrooms for club night, and after it was ‘inspected’ by members Alan gave a talk and answered questions on it.

The June Sunday Jaunt was well patronised, with 16 participants taking part in a drive from Feilding, out through Colyton towards Pohangina, then back through Ashhurst to the clubrooms.

The June Night Trial this year took the 16 entrants over the Pahiatua Track, north to Woodville, then back over the Saddle

Road to the clubrooms, with the intention being that the city lights would be visible from both crossings of the ranges. The trial was timed and entrants from other branches took all places.

Mid-June saw Alan Hardacre bring a couple of motorcycles along to club night for members to check out - a Matchless 500 and a Honda 500.

MARLBOROUGH LINDA LAING

Sadly the Marlborough Branch has lost two of its long serving members in the last month. Kelly Landon-Lane and Lyall Mooney will both be missed. Both had been past chairmen, and Kelly had, until recently, been part of the committee. The work that they have both accomplished will not be forgotten.

The AGM in May brought a few changes to the committee. We now have two new members, Gary Vercoe and Jim McLean, with Gerry Roodacker as our delegate to the Brayshaw Park committee.

We are still waiting on final design work and engineering for the shed rebuild, which will hopefully be completed by the end of the year.

A combined motorcycle run with Nelson was well attended with 57 motorcycles gathering at the Rai Valley Tavern, and for once the weather was kind.

On the last Friday night of May we held our Night Trial, but we are considering changing the day next year, as Blenheim on a Friday night at 5 pm in winter is not the best time for the cars to be out.

A trip to Linkwater with both cars and motorcycles is always a good day out.

Cars go via Havelock, and the motorcycles via Picton and Queen Charlotte Drive. This is reversed on the way home. Due to the flooding in July both roads are challenging to ride and drive. This year the motorcycles pulled out as the weather was not kind.

NELSON RAY ROBERTSON

We had a great turn out for the Maureen Joblin organised Ladies Run, where the Anne Egan trophy is up for grabs. This year’s overall winner was Debbie Robertson, chosen because of her superb driving skills (and ability to ignore her navigator husband).

A club run to River Haven Café, located in the picturesque Motueka Valley, was well supported with 68 people attending

in 40 vehicles. The café is owned by Noel Edmonds (of the Top Gear Series) who gave a very interesting talk on his exploits in British radio and television. Noel has his own collection of interesting cars including two Aston Martins.

Our AGM is always run in conjunction with our Restoration of the Year, won this year by Roy Eaton for his Model A ute. We had six entries for our Pride of Ownership award, and Leigh Joblin with his Chevrolet Truck won this year.

George Kear addressed the meeting and presented two 50 year, three 35 year and six 25-year awards.

The branch is a hive of activity at present with our Annual Snow Run to Lake Rotoiti on 16 July. Planning is well under way for our Daffodil Rally and the National AGM is being held in Nelson in August. This will be followed by our Biennial Rally which this year will be held in Murchison – being equal distance from Nelson, Marlborough and West Coast - we are hoping for a good turnout.

NORTHLAND RAY SANDERS

Winter in Northland really isn’t too bad overall if you don’t mind rain.

Fortunately, the annual Motorcycle Rally wasn’t too badly affected, being a very successful day with 61 entries, and a visit to an interesting shed along the way. As usual the prize giving was a dinner event with accolades to many. The Northland Motorcycle Rally is always popular because of the interesting routes plotted, and the great lunches and points of interest.

Motorcycles featured again with a branch visit to the collection of the late Les Andrews, housed on a farm near Dargaville. This collection was assembled over many years and will shortly be split up, so this was the last time to see it in its entirety. Featured were many rare British bikes including Ariel Square Fours, Vincents, Velocettes, a brand-new Triumph still in its crate, plus an ex-Bob MacIntyre Manx Norton. There were even a few cars for four wheeled afficionados.

Northland Branch was recently tasked with finding a new home for a partially restored Willys-Knight owned by a member who is unwell. Many visits were made

to recover the car and the mountain of spare parts from the owner’s shed. This amazing old car is available to any branch or member who is prepared to complete the restoration.

NORTH SHORE RICHARD BAMPTON

Our big event was the 50th Anniversary lunch at the end of May. Our newly decorated clubrooms were full of guests, including three founder members – our own Bob Fairbairn, and now-Waitemata members, Ian Goldingham and Keith Humphreys. A sumptuous meal and only one (good) speech, made for an exceptional evening. To round off the celebration Ian Goldingham organised a re-run of the first NSVCC rally, starting from Devonport and taking members up to and around Warkworth, with Ian driving the Sunbeam that completed the run 50 years earlier.

With Peter Lloyd driving, a huge Bayes motorcoach conveyed members to two excellent collections. The Ross Brothers’ collection of mainly American muscle cars, with earthmoving equipment in a second shed, amazed us. Lunch was provided for us by Waikato Branch in their Cambridge

clubrooms, and their spares shed was visited. However the behind the scenes view of the Bugatti Atlantic replica, being built to an incredibly high standard by Tom Andrews of the Hamilton Classic Car Museum, was the icing on the cake.

At the AGM, Chairman Tony Sparkes stood down, to be replaced by John Higham. Also retiring were committee members Peter Lloyd and Barry Thompson. All the remaining officers and committee members were voted back in, augmented by James Liu and Barbara Stubbs. Arnold van Zon’s 1942 Harley-Davidson WLA justifiably won Restoration of the Year. When the paperwork is sorted badges will be presented to Arnold Van Zon (50 years), John Higham (35 years) and Ian Watson (25 years). Founder member, Bob Fairbairn.

ROTORUA RONALD MAYES

Our Annual General Meeting was held in May, and a “Car in the Room” was featured to attract members’ attendance. The 1966 Austin Healey Sprite Mark IIIA of Tony Perks proved to be of great interest. The AGM was dealt with rapidly, and new, young member Hayden Duncan is taking on the secretarial duties under the guidance of Dennis Whimp, who plans to now have more time to complete his

restoration project. Committee membership otherwise remains unchanged.

The annual night rally changed into a twilight run this year, followed by dinner at the clubrooms. With the sun low in the sky some difficulties were encountered, so maybe a breakfast run will feature next year.

The Prize Giving Run was held on a June afternoon and took us on an enjoyable drive around posh eastern suburbs to Lake Okareka and the Blue Lake. Navigators could keep their drivers on course and enjoy the scenery as there were no questions to answer. Afternoon tea was laid on at the clubrooms at the end of the drive and the trophies were presented. Twenty-five-year membership badges were presented to Pat Burr and Doreen Green.

On 26 August we will have our annual Sulphur City Rally, planning for which is well under way. Always a popular event with participants from far and wide.

SOUTH CANTERBURY SHANNON STEVENSON

The end of season run was held on the last Sunday of May, attracting 29 vehicles. The run, set out by Tony and Gloria McGillen, took participants north of Timaru, taking in Pleasant Point, the

Richard Pearse monument at Waitohi, Geraldine, and Clandeboye.

At our AGM 25-year badges were awarded to Peter Cooke, Bob Austin, Tim Hayman, Penny Stevenson, Grant Jones, Evelyn Milliken, Mark Hervey and Glen Hawkins. Thirty-five year badges were awarded to Neil Manchester, Ashley Milliken, Davey Jones. Gareth Heywood and Grant Stewart. Krystal Munro and Ashley Milliken have stepped down from the committee, while Sandy McMillan has joined as clubroom convenor, and all other committee members are continuing in their roles.

The Annual All British Day took place on King’s Birthday weekend Sunday, attracting 79 vehicles. The run, organised by Gavin and Michelle Munro, took participants west of Timaru through Taiko, Totara Valley, Raincliff and Cattle Valley, finishing at the Silverstream Hotel at Kimbell.

We are saddened to hear about the passing of Donald ‘Stick’ Campbell. Stick was a member for 49 years, and along with wife Ruth was a keen supporter of branch activities, most notably being a key component of the annual Safari weekends, having not missed one since 1982.

A joint weekend winter run to Oamaru was held by Ashburton and South Canterbury members on 10–11 June,

travelling along back roads via Pleasant Point, Waimate and Kurow.

SOUTH OTAGO NOELINE MILNE

It is winter mode for travel now, so Wednesday Runs are subject to road conditions when deciding on a route to follow. The April outing with 20 people took in views across Hillend, Lovells Flat then went to Kaitangata Tavern for refreshments. The Ploughing Championships were held in Milton, drawing folks out in various forms of transport. A family reunion for the Duthies, who were very early pioneers, saw an influx of vintage vehicles about the district as several are owners who enjoy getting out and about in their pride and joy, several of the Wolseley variety. Chairman Robin organised two places of interest to visit in the Clutha Valley area for the May outing. Graham King welcomed folks to see his extensive collection of vehicles, many of which are farming related that he has adapted to suit the job at hand. His engineering skills are to be envied. Michael Williams also shared his stable of vehicles. The June outing was a good travelling day despite a foggy start, with clear skies by afternoon enabling the group to travel SH1 to Clinton, Owaka Valley, Slopedown, then to The Wisp for great views. This is

where many thousands of trees will be a large feature of the area. We then went to Owaka for a welcome stop for refreshments. We had a social time with Fish and Chips before the AGM, which saw no changes to office bearers, and various discussions for the year ahead, with a club captain still being sought.

TARANAKI COLIN JOHNSTON

Our Sunday Run in May attracted a good turnout of members to see local member Laurie Callender’s collection in Tariki, where he has a purpose-built building to house his collection of early speedway racing cars, memorabilia, and the iconic Mountain Goat farm bike. The Mountain Goat was the first motorcycle made especially for farm use and was designed and built in 1963 by Cyril John (Johnny) Callender of New Plymouth, Laurie’s Father.

From 1965 130 Mountain Goats were manufactured by Johnny at Callender’s small workshop in New Plymouth behind his motorcycle shop. From 1967 they were made under license by Clive Campion and Arthur Bolton at Waitara. In 1970 an Auckland based company, Motor Components, took over production. The first model that Johnny made was taken

to Nepal by Sir Edmond Hillary, where he and his climbing partner Peter Mulgrew christened it The Mountain Goat. This bike was returned from Nepal, and is now in the Puke Ariki Museum in New Plymouth.

Laurie’s collection has one of each model Mountain Goat made in Waitara. These are all restored and on display, including his father’s TQ Midget racing car which was raced at the New Plymouth Waiwakaiho racing track in the 1960s.

Our very popular End of Rego Run to the Stratford Mountain house was held in June, with 50 members meeting at the lodge for lunch and a social get together. It was wonderful to see our cars parked in front of the Lodge, and the mountain views were spectacular.

TAUPO BRANCH FIONA HOLLIDAY

Our first Sunday of the Month breakfast is very popular with attendances now reaching epic proportions. We meet for our Petrolheads Coffee and Cars morning at a different coffee establishment around Taupo each month

National President Diane Quarrie visited Taupo to present a 50-year membership award to John Harvey. Bruce Jefferies, James Cowie and Eric Foley received their 30-year membership awards.

Sadly, on 19 May we farewelled one of our members, Noel Henderson. Noel’s mechanical knowledge was immense, and he was always happy to lend a helping hand. He will be missed.

On 6 June we had six cars entered in the Inaugural Alpine Vintage and Classic Car Show held at National Park Village School. There were cars from all over the North Island, and a lot of locals were there as well. It was bitterly cold and rainy up in the mountains, but we hung in there until the end for the prize giving, when George Holliday’s white Celica Supra and Bryce Gliddon’s yellow Heron won their respective classes.

Our June club night was a movie night in the clubrooms. This was a change from the usual club nights, but it was popular even though it was icy cold and dark outside. It was a fun evening and we even had ice cream at half time.

The annual Brass Monkey Rally on 18 June involved driving a set route around Taupo, following instructions, and searching for clues. This year’s winners were Jill and John Roberts, who now have the privilege of organising the event next year.

On 8-9 July the 2023 Hobby Expo took place in Taupo, and several of our members’ cars were on show there. This annual event is popular with the visitors to the Expo, and our presence gives us a chance to chat with interested people and attract new members.

WAIKATO ELLE TERRILL

Waikato has had a busy couple of months. One highlight was our Last of the Autumn Colours club run on 7 May, arranged by one of our long-standing club members Paul Clark. The event was well supported, with 20 cars travelling some of Waikato’s finest winding roads with great views. Following lunch at the clubrooms a variety of cars set off to enjoy the autumn landscape.

We welcomed the North Shore Branch on 21 May, and hosted their club lunch at our clubrooms. Sixty people were on a day trip to the Waikato, and visited both our parts shed and workshop, as well as other site visits.

Our branch’s popular Double Fifty (aka 50/50) run occurred on 10 June, with 60 entries from all classes (veteran right through to P80), and six branches

represented. The weather was perfect for the mid-way lunch at Ngaroma War Memorial Hall. The day started and ended at our clubrooms, with breakfast in the morning. and a dinner and prize giving to close off the day. Another successful Double Fifty.

WANGANUI IAN HIGGINS

Sadly, we recently farewelled valued member Trevor Roberts. He was a real stalwart of our branch, and served on the committee in the past. He remained a vital member of the parts team until his passing. A gifted mechanic, his expertise was continually sought by members restoring older vehicles. Our condolences go to his wife Maureen and his family. RIP Trevor.

At our recent AGM we had some new blood elected, with five of the old committee standing down. The new team is ably led by existing chairperson Andrew Dittmer.

Over the last two months three members have showcased their vehicles for our branch newsletter, Rivet. The James brothers, Branch Secretary Frank and Vice Chairman Bill, all brought an insight of their membership to the Club and the vehicles they treasured. Frank’s favourite set of wheels appears to be his much-rallied 1959 Austin A35, and a 1979 Suzuki GT 125, while brother Bill, by his own admission, is a bit of a speed nut. His classic racer, an AJS, was rebuilt by Bill and raced all over New Zealand and twice in Australia. He has quite a collection of motorcycles in his shed.

The next member to open his garage doors was Mike Marshall. Motorcycles, cars, or light commercials, he either has them or has restored them. There are Austins everywhere one looks, either in the flesh or photos of ones he has owned. On being pressed to name his favourite, Mike chose his 1937 International D2 truck.

The Branch is in a strong position with club nights being well attended along with a very sociable working bee.

WELLINGTON JOHN STOKES

I usually protest the over-use of the word iconic. If one thinks about it very few things are, in fact, iconic. A good example of that which is not iconic is Neale Ryder’s E-series Vauxhall Vagabond. On the other hand, if you look at any 1950s-60s streetside photo

of New Zealand, almost certainly there will be an E-series Vauxhall sedan in it –an icon of the era. But the Vagabond was not. Only around 800 were built, and not by General Motors in Britain but by Holden in Australia. Neale presented the rare car at the June club night where he received a Meritorious Restoration Award. For more on the Vagabond, see June’s Motoring Spirit magazine online at the VCC website.

There was a good turnout of cars and competitors for June’s Monumental Treasure Hunt. As the name suggests,

participants were required to find various monuments and treasures around the Wellington region, some of which are indeed iconic.

One Wellington asset that some would call iconic, the Southward Car Museum, was the destination for the Kapiti mid-week run of 31 May. This well-known venue is a “must-visit” as it is where one will find auto treasures, from the most ordinary to the unique, elaborate and expensive. A recent re-arrangement of exhibits caused all 40 or so of us to notice things that may

always have been there, but now are more apparent. We were also treated to a tour of the restoration sheds. While no restorations are under way at present, it was interesting to see the “awaiting restoration” collection, which includes a Zim – a Soviet-era luxury government car produced by Gorky Automotive (GAZ). A former embassy car, its front bumper and grille are missing, so probably it won’t be restored unless replacements can be found. Zims and their bumpers are, you see, not iconic.

WELLSFORD/WARKWORTH CHRIS HARVEY

The weather has undoubtedly been a factor in the low turnouts we have had for some events such as our Club Night in June. On the other hand we have had reasonably good attendance at our midweek café lunches.

A memorable day was Sunday 14 May when we hosted the finish of North Shore Branch’s rally celebrating the 50th Anniversary of their first rally. The rally followed the same route as before, from the Ferry Terminal in Devonport to Warkworth, and it was good to have our rooms full and our carpark overflowing with a wide range of cars makes.

Rileys were very much in evidence, with five different models. Pride of place in the parking area went to the blue 1924 Sunbeam roadster - the only car to have been driven in the original rally, 99 years old and still going strong.

A major benefit for us has been the opening of the new highway from Puhoi to Warkworth. Traffic on the old SH1 has been hugely reduced and it has cut out the stress of that nerve-wracking right turn from the end of our Satellite Station Road onto the old SH1. With the traffic on the old road doing 80-100 kph in both directions It was becoming well-nigh impossible to cut across the south-bound lane in order to join the stream of traffic going north to Warkworth. This is a boon for us on club nights, and will make life easier for our rally planners who have had to avoid this right turn until now.

WEST COAST ZOE GOUGH

Around 50 members of our West Coast Branch turned out to honour John Boyes’s 47 years membership and service to the Club. John joined the Club in Invercargill, serving 12 years there, he then moved to Greymouth and became a member of the West Coast Branch 35 years ago. Our

branch Patron, Tom Griffin, presented John with his service certificate. John then recalled humorous anecdotes of happenings in the club. Roger Devlin and Robin Ross both spoke with respect and warmth towards John not only for his assistance, quiet generosity, support, encouragement to new club members, but also for all he did in the wider circle of his life on the West Coast. It was a very special event to honour a special man.

Our AGM attracted a good turnout on what was a very bleak day. Chairman John Canning gave his thanks to the outgoing committee for all their work in making our 40th Rally a success and leaving the club in a good heart, especially as many of the committee were new to the role. Bruce Heyward took up the role of Club Captain, and Don Scott is new on the committee. David Campbell, Brent and Marie Woolhouse were presented with their 35 year badges. I was shocked, pleased and humbled to have been awarded the Frances Hunter Memorial Trophy. Our branch is only small in the national scale of things but we have a wealth of kindness, support, knowledge and much more, and they have all been shown to me in my role on the committee so thank you all.

PASSING LANE

DRIVING OUR HISTORY

Brookland, Lesley Canterbury

Campbell, Donald South Canterbury

Forbes, Bruce Canterbury

Gordon, DG ‘Graham’ Wairarapa

Green, Victor Gore

Handley, Rex Marlborough

Harvey, Brian Gisborne

Holmes, Ruby Wairarapa

Landon Lane, Robert Marlborough

Ludecke, Michael Canterbury

McBurney, Robert (Bob) Southland

McDonald, Dennis Wellsford-Warkworth

Mason, Bruce South Canterbury

Mehrtens, Jerome Canterbury

Nicholls, J D Canterbury

Osbaldiston, Warren Northland

Patterson, Colin Waikato

Roberts, Trevor Wanganui

Robertson, Bruce South Canterbury

Seaton, Christine Canterbury

Shaskey, Kay Canterbury

Taylor, Jim Southland

Vuletich, George Far North

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COME AND JOIN US WHATEVER YOUR WHEELS

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.

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.