Wanganui Midweek - MTA 100yrs Feature

Celebrating 100YEARS 1 00 YEARS O OF FT THE HE M OTOR T RADE ASSOCIATION MOTOR TRADEASSOCIATION 1 917 - 2 017 1917 2017

The Cars I’ve Seen!

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hink of all the inventions that the human race has witnessed and it’s very hard to not to place the car at the top of most lists.

In fact the first car powered by an internal combustion engine was mobile in 1808. It used hydrogen as a fuel source so it was not the petrol engine we usually think of. Think on that for a moment. That’s more than 200 years ago.

The early efforts were definitely rudimentary in every respect. But progress has wrought massive change and it’s fair to say the generations from the mid-20th century onward have witnessed huge change in automobile evolution.

Essentials like a steering wheel, a clutch and brakes didn’t arrive until the 1880s but

from that point on development accelerated. It’s interesting to note that in the clamour to have clean green power for our modern-day cars, some of those inventive gentlemen were tinkering with battery-powered vehicles at the turn of the 20th century. It’s taken this long for focus to shift away from petrol and diesel combustion engines to more eco-friendly electric power sources.

But what truly set the world’s wheels in motion was Henry Ford’s move to mass produce cars off an assembly line. The motor industry never looked back.

I’v e always had a fascination with cars, not to the point where I spent innumerable hours fiddling about with engines or customising old cars as some

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people do. But I was born into a family that had a transport and contracting business in central Taranaki, started by my grandfather and carried on by my father. Between the two world wars and beyond they shifted product around

RIVERS SPEED & SPARES LTD All Mechanical Repairs

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the province and that included hauling coal out of Ohura, livestock around the province and building roads.

My brother became a dab hand at performance engineering; in his younger days his garage was a go-to spot

for young blokes wanting their cars “souped up”. He built TQ midgets, midgets and stockcars for mates, and successfully bolted a supercharger into his Morris Minor. He destroyed a couple of engines in the process but eventually it worked. It went like a scalded cat and thankfully never left the road or hit anything.

So what has this trip down a personal memory lane got to do with the MTA in Whanganui celebrating 100 years? It serves as an example that our family was typical of many Kiwi families – certainly in the midway point of the 20th century. If we owned a car or truck we spent a fair amount of our time keeping them going or, in my brother’s case, making them go faster. There will be many across the Whanganui region who can relate to that.

When I started road testing vehicles for the Wanganui Chronicle more than 30 years ago the innovations carmakers brought with their new models

included such exotic things as electric windows and velourcovered seats. It was top drawer stuff way back then.

But advances in engine performance and economy, and especially passenger safety, have rapidly accelerated in motoring evolution. Nowadays motor vehicles are diagnosed via a laptop computer rather than relying on the uncanny nous of an experienced mechanic.

Most people wouldn’t dare lift the bonnet to sort out a problem given the engine bays of cars these days look as if they’ve been put together by a gang of crazed plumbers.

But those mechanical and design advances mean new cars require less servicing, deliver economy way ahead of what their ancestors were ever capable of achieving. Most importantly they carry driver and passenger in comfort and in supreme safety.

Think of what the modern day family car comes

equipped with now - satellite navigation systems, lane departure warnings, reversing cameras and steering guidance systems that will literally keep the car on the path it should be taking if your concentration drops. Selfdrive cars are already here and it’s a given those numbers will rapidly increase, so to the rise in all-electric vehicles. This sort of advance is a long way from the first car I road tested in the 1980s!

When I was growing up not every family had a car; they were a true luxury item.

And if a car was bought brand new it was often a vehicle the family had forever.

This all changed dramatically

when the importation of used Japanese vehicles started, which brought the car within reach of the masses.

In the last couple of years the new car market has surged to unprecedented levels and shows little sign of abating. The cars are cleaner, better built, more economical and most importantly far safer. Some carry design features to curb potential serious injury to pedestrians.

An awful lot has happened in the motor trade business in a span of 100 years. Most of us have lived to see some remarkable engineering and technological advances. We will continue to be amazed.

– John Maslin

The Coach House

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DAVID JONES MOTORS Locally owned & operated since 1984

300 St Hill Street, Wanganui • 06 349 1122

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he Jones name has been synonymous with the motor vehicle trade in Whanganui for three generations but that sort of longevity doesn’t happen by chance. It’s all about diligence, product and customer service.

The expansion of David Jones Motors signals another milestone in the evolution of what remains a staunchly family-based company.

Douglas Jones, David’s father started selling vehicles in Wanganui for Peter Spurdle who had the Landrover franchise where Gull is currently on Victoria Avenue.

Herby Dyke, the former owner of Wanganui Motors approached Doug to be sales manager of his Ford dealership, he held this role for 10 years.

David Jones followed his father Doug into the motor vehicle business by taking the opportunity as a sales cadet at Ian Wilks Motors.

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David soon found his ‘gift of the gab’ and customer service style, winning Salesman of the year for General Motors NZ many times over his 10 years with Ian. David and Robyn Jones set up River City Motors in 1984, starting with just 20 cars in stock. Those early years weren’t always easy.

The share market crash in 1987hit the whole community hard and times were tough. But as a small, leandealership the company survived.

Importing Japanese used cars helped them through, and in the 1990s demand increased as the economy recovered.

In 1992, they purchased Regent Motors Daihatsu and over the next 10 years the business grew. The Suzuki brand came to the Avenue yard in 2002 and since then has been joined by SsangYong and LDV vans.

DAVID JONES MOTORS Locally owned & operated since 1984

276 Victoria Ave, Wanganui • 06 345 5115

D

ecember 2015 saw the expansion of the third generation, David’s 3 sons Nick, Richard and Gareth were all in the business, and with a great opportunity to grow by purchasing Watkins Honda and Nissan.

December 2015 saw the expansion of the third generation, David’s 3 sons Nick, Richard and Gareth were all in the business, and with a great opportunity to grow by purchasing Watkins Honda and Nissan. Lindsay is well respected in the trade and owned his business for 30 years.

Honda and Nissan were great brands to add to our current brands Suzuki, Ssangyong and LDV with a large model mix and high level of quality. David Jones Nissan and Honda has been award winning for the past 20 months for both sales and customer service, which is providing good competition between each dealership.

Nissan and Honda have been operating from

the corner of St Hill Street and Dublin Street for many years but December 2017 Wanganui will see a change of premises. The new yard will be next to McDonalds on Victoria Avenue, previously owned by BP. This new site will offer the perfect flow giving our customers the service they deserve when buying a new vehicle, purchasing parts or having a vehicle in the service department. The new dealership site is due to open December 2017 which is exciting for the family and for Wanganui to have a new modern building on a site which has been empty for the past few years on Victoria Avenue.

David Jones Motors is a growing family business that takes pride in being part of the Wanganui community. We are proud to repay our local customer loyalty by giving back, supporting various local events, clubs and organisations.

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1962 The Colemans lay the foundations for Suzuki in NZ 1973 Rod and Bob take over Colemans Suzuki 1982 The Colemans and Suzuki create the world’s first four-wheel ATV

SUZUKI NE EW ZEALAND MADE IN WANGANUI 1984 19 4 Suzuki Suzzuki purchase the company & rename it Suzuki Suzuk New Zealand Su 1988 finishes, importing 19 8 Local Loccal assembly aass operation op perat atii continues 2017 7 Suzu uki NZ thriving in New Zealand with Suzuki a nat national na tioonnnal automobile and motorcycle network netw work of 74 dealerships

Right from the start the Colemans knew the reliable 360cc, 2-cycle LJ Jimny 4x4 would be perfect for our rugged Kiwi environment. They were right and as Suzuki’s popularity grew in NZ, the business 4!'.!46 3%') @( 0)&'%#4%; #' @( @$$4)?.4%; @(6 8(@..=; #' @ (@#0'(@. ?@$4 '3 '&4%@#0'($: 9''/0(2 @# #'6@=-$ %@(24 '3 3"( $)@.. 7@%$ @(6 45704(# ,+*$ 0#-$ '?!0'"$ ,"<"/0 1@$ 7')4 @ .'(2 >@=: But wherever the future takes us, Wanganui will always be New Zealand’s home of Suzuki.

SUZUKI NEW ZEALAND LIMITED, 1 HEADS ROAD, WANGANUI NEW ZEALAND. WWW.SUZUKI.CO.NZ

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Greetings from MTA Wanganui Branch

This year marks 100 years of the Motor Trade Association in New Zealand

M

TA over the years has done many things; not only looking after the interests of its members, but also the general motoring public. Early in its life MTA established the Motor Industry Training Scheme and developed a Road Code long before the government introduced a guide to safe driving practices and traffic law.

In the 1930s MTA introduced the ‘A Grade Mechanical Certificate’ and the ‘A Grade Garage’ schemes to promote industry standards and improve customer satisfaction.

MTA also introduced MTA gift vouchers and gift cards to encourage the motorist to use MTA members.

MTA helped set up the first warrant of fitness scheme in 1937 and have lobbied for and against changes in regulations and laws ever since.

The Wanganui Branch was established in 1941 and its first president was EW Merewether. Many well known Wanganui personalities have held the role of Branch President over the years: Fred Hackett (Hackett Motors) 1945-49, AS Guthrie 1955-57, HS Dyke (Wanganui Motors) 1962-63, Miles Bockett 1969-72, Mike Green (Shell Dublin Street) 1981-87 and Peter Sloman 1987-91, to name a few.

Locally, MTA Wanganui Branch introduced the MTA Awards, recognising excellence in not only local

businesses, but also their skilled staff. After the success of the Wanganui events, many other branches followed suit with their own awards.

This year MTA Wanganui is not having an Awards evening, but are organising a 100th anniversary celebration of MTA in New Zealand and 65 years of the local branch – an evening dinner function and a motor show.

The motor show will run at Springvale Park in association with the Home Show and will showcase 100 years of motoring in New Zealand. On display will be an inspiring range of vehicles – veteran, vintage, classic, sports, performance, luxury, unique and ultramodern, plus boats and other specialised vehicles.

Lastly, I would like to thank all the motorists who have supported and put their trust in MTA member businesses over the years.

Mike Johnston President MTA Wanganui Branch

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In conjunction with the Wanganui Home Show Springvale Stadium August 19 & 20th Motor Trade Association Wanganui Branch would like to showcase vehicles from 1917 to 2017

Saturday night there will also be a function from 6pm at the Wanganui Racecourse, featuring Freddie Flash and the Firebirds!

Tickets are $60 from Holdaway

• Custom Cars • Classics • Vintage Cars • Sports Cars • Bikes • Competition Car

19th & 20th of August 10.00am to 4.00pm Gold Coin Donation

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The

MTA T

he MTA is a modern, effective organisation that acts as a single umbrella group for every arm and aspect of the greater motor trade. New and used-car dealers, service stations, garages, workshops, panel-beaters, car-painters, the motorcycle industry – are all represented in MTA membership. Membership is voluntary but on the eve of the centenary of the organisation, there are 3659 members nation-wide, serviced by 42 staff including some out in the field, clearly indicating the size of the association.

Established in 1917, less than 20 years after the arrival of the first motor car into New Zealand, the MTA was initially formed to solve issues and problems that existed and to bring a sense of coordination and consistency to the fledgling motor industry.

Tyres, petrol, and the prospect of employee difficulties seemed to be the main preoccupation at birth. However, the focus of the association changed several times as the industry grew and boundaries shifted. Along the way there were relatively minor name changes that represented shifts as the association adapted to the then current developments within the industry.

For much of the past century, the motor industry operated in a heavily regulated environment with governments of the time having a great deal of say in how, not only the motor industry in New Zealand was run, but also every other industry.

However, in the past 30 years, governments of both left and the right persuasion, have undone

the knots of regulation, allowing greater freedoms for everyone.

As an example, for most of last century the used-car industry in New Zealand was a largely unregulated part of the motor trade. But in 1959 the Nash Labour government decided that everyone who was buying and selling car for a profit had to be a registered car dealer – a Licensed Motor Vehicle Dealer (LMVD). In 1973, the act under which this law was passed was made even tighter, with more regulations and more requirements including compulsory membership of the Motor Vehicle Dealers Institute (MVDI). At this stage, few used-car dealers were members of the MTA. Then, in 2003, the MTA and the MVDI merged as the government deregulated the car industry, meaning new- and used-car dealers were no longer bound by the bureaucracy of the previous 44 years. As it was no longer compulsory, not every car dealer stayed with the MTA, but most did – recognising the benefits of being a voluntary member of an organisation that set business and trading standards that the public could have confidence in.

Today, instead of just looking after the interests of its own members, the MTA is increasingly a link between those members and the public. A visit to the MTA website shows clearly the scope of public interest the association has. A business that is operating within the greater motor industry and is an MTA member, will display the clean, modern MTA sign in its distinct cyan and white colours, indicating that it operates within the code of

conduct and ethics of the association. This means the car owner can have faith in that business to operate to a high set of standards. An example of this is the MTA

Mediation Service – any car owner who feels he or she has not been treated fairly and honestly can use the service to take a look at their case.

Congratulations on the Milestone!

Looking forward to future clients & the return of existing clients

Tom, Kelsey, Craig & Brett Over 100 years experience between us!

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NZ MADE CARS

Jim Bennett’s Furi – the last in a long line of Furi cars

New Zealand converted Triumph TR2 GT

One-off Marlborough/Carlton

Steel Brothers Lotus 7

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The Rod Tempero-built Ferrari GTO replica

Ferrari P4 built by Rod Tempero

Congratulations MTA on 100 years!

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A classic on display

T

he M22 was largely an unrated M10B, with mainly suspension and steering geometry revisions, as well as a new nose., Development in F5000 had moved very fast and whilst the M22 McLaren looked absolutely gorgeous with its M19 F1 style air box and nose cone derived from Jody Scheckters Formula Two McLaren, it was behind the times before it turned a wheel. Lolas were getting lower and lighter and had hip mounted radiators both sides of the driver, giving better aerodynamics, better cooling and better weight distribution.

The M22 prototype was raced by David Hobbs in the Tasman series. A prototype M18/22 had been raced with some success in the 1972 Tasman Series by the excellent British driver, David Hobbs. Hobbs scored a 3rd at Pukekohe, 4th at Surfers Paradise, 3rd in the Australian Grand Prix at Sandown and won the Adelaide International.

The M22 was the last Trojan built car to carry the McLaren name marking the end of a long and mainly successful relationship, but one which soured after Bruce was no longer around to smooth over the ripples.

The M18 and M22 were built because Trojan needed a cost effective product, rather than one single minded developed to be a great racing car. McLaren were effectively consultants rather than leading the design and development.

The three M22 F5000’s were the end of the line for McLaren customer’s cars and in fact this M22-3-72 has he distinction of being the very last McLaren customer car to be built.

Unlike most purpose built single seaters the M22 is absolutely huge inside, built to take the largest of drivers without modification, It is very easy to get into less easy to out because you cannot load up the Perspex wrap around screen with your body weight.

This car a built for American Tom Jones to race in the SCCA Series. The M22 was destined to have little success in the hands of Tom Jones, no not the Tom Jones (entertainer) Tom C Jones from Texas! Tom raced at most F5000 races in 1973 usually finishing mid field. The car was then sold to Vic Topia who raced in L&M Series, SCCA and regional events through to 1978. In fact when Vic Topia Raced the M22-3-72 at Road America in

1976, it was the only McLaren in the large field of F5000 cars. How things had changed.

The M22 is a McLaren and as such a very valuable commodity. Unlike the more fancied McLaren’s, it has rarity value too, and its provenance can be traced right back to the factory and its original log book.

Since the purchase by the Rush Family in 2008,

the car has been raced at 4 Australian circuits, and in rounds of the NZ Formula 5000 championship driven by Tim Rush and now resides in the Rush Collection in Feilding. The car has just been finished from a major rebuild after being involved in a 4 car pileup at Hampton Downs, 2015.

You can see this beauty at the show!

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Homemade car of Trevor Barker Appleby of Kurow

The

CARS WE DROVE

T

he hero car of this period was the Ford Model T. In fact, it’s the hero car of this entire history. From the perspective of 2017 it’s difficult to understand just how complete the domination of the Tin Lizzie was, but to say it was the car that put the world on wheels is more than a cliché – it’s the overwhelming truth.

It was the simplicity of the design that allowed the Model T to be built on the world’s first successful production line, speeding up build times and reducing price.

It wasn’t totally conventional but the overall design was – a straightforward four-cylinder side-valve motor with no oil pump and no water pump.

The engine was lubricated by moving parts throwing oil to the farthest corners of the internals, while water was circulated on the simple principle that heat rises; so hot water went to the top tank of the radiator and was cooled as it flowed to the bottom. There

was no fuel pump; instead, there was gravity feed from the petrol tank which was mounted higher than the engine.

Famously, if you were low on petrol and the hill was steep, the gravity system wouldn’t work, so you reversed up hills.

The transmission was definitely not conventional.

While other car-makers were perfecting a gearbox using clusters of gears and a clutch, Henry Ford chose a two-speed system that used planetary gears and bands; there was no clutch as such, but there was a footbrake that operated within the transmission.

Initially there was no electric starter – that would come later, as did electric lights. At first there were carbide lights.

When it was running, the Model T used a magneto built into the back of the engine. To start, the ignition switch had to be turned the other way to operate a set of four boxes on the scuttle which used tremblers to supply a constant spark.

Once the motor fired, you

PERIOD ONE The beginning to 1930 THE FORD CAR – THE MODEL T

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turned the ‘key’ to the other side and used the magneto.

The Model T was not easy to drive because of its unconventionality.

On the floor were three identical looking pedals – left was a ‘sort-of’ clutch/low gear, centre was reverse and right was the footbrake.

On the steering column were two levers – on the left, the throttle (accelerator) and the right lever advanced or retarded the spark.

On the right of the driver’s area was the handbrake which operated on the rear wheels (using cast-iron linings).

The handbrake had three positions – fully back was the handbrake on, midway was neutral, fully forward was top gear.

It was always easiest to roll start the car because cranking was so difficult and fraught. For a crank start you pushed the spark lever right up to maximum retardation, then opened the throttle a notch or two. You checked the handbrake was fully ON, as vibrations from

the coarse motor could cause the handbrake to slip forward into top gear and the car to run over the cranker!

Checklist completed, you switched the ignition to trembler and then walked to the front, engaged the permanently attached crank handle, making sure you wrapped your thumb around the handle along with your other fingers as the engine could spit back and broken thumbs were common.

Then you’d pull out the choke – a wire at the bottom of the radiator, and pull the crank handle up a couple of times just to turn the motor over before you set your shoulders and got stuck in.

If you were lucky, three or four good pulls would see the engine rattle into life.

If you weren’t lucky … well you could be there all day!

The released crank fell back into its ‘park’ position and you settled behind the steering wheel, switched over to magneto and advanced the spark.

Experienced Model T drivers would press down on

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HONOURABLE MENTION Austin Seven

The car that deserves an honourable mention here is the British Austin Seven, or Baby Austin. In many ways it was the British answer to the Ford.

Launched in 1922 it saw service through to 1939, but, unlike the Ford, the Austin went through some serious changes along the way.

So successful was the small Austin that it became a global car – it was built the left pedal to the halfway stage, just before you could feel the bands beginning to bite – then you had neutral and could release the handbrake, pushing the lever all the way forward, into the top gear position.

Giving it a bit of throttle, you pressed down on the left pedal, slowly engaging bottom gear, like a clutch pedal in reverse.

As you pushed down, you gave it more throttle until you were on the move and your foot had the low-gear pedal fully depressed.

Once you had reasonable road speed you lifted your foot off the low-gear pedal and – because you were an experienced Model T driver, you had already engaged the brake lever into the fully forward position – the car just glided into top.

For reverse, set the handbrake in the middle position and press down on the pedal while feeding in the gas.

The transmission foot brake took a delicate touch.

In contrast to the rest of the car the differential was fragile. A heavy push on the brake pedal would only lock the rear wheels if you were lucky, but if you were unlucky you’d hear an explosion as the differential gears shattered. It happened often.

Lots of idiosyncrasies – no dip-stick for checking the oil – just two brass taps. If no oil ran out of the lower tap you needed oil. If it ran out of the top tap, you didn’t.

as a BMW Dixi, in France as a Rosengart and in Japan, Nissan copied the design. There was even an American Baby Austin.

While the Austin was a baby in size, it was a giantkiller in many other ways and New Zealanders took to it in surprising numbers – and then put them to the acid-test of driving them on New Zealand’s primitive roads. They passed with flying colours.

This was the car that New Zealand and much of the world was built on. So refined was the production system and so all-encompassing was the global sales network, that each time another car-maker got close to Ford’s sales figures, Henry reduced the price, which increased demand.

In November 1925 – nearing the end of the T’s life – the retail price of a brand new tourer, with a spare tyre, was £153 if you were prepared to crank start it, or £169 if you wanted an electric starter.

By comparison, an Essex tourer was £312 and Adams, the Studebaker importer was boldly proclaiming ‘lower prices’ with the entry-level tourer priced at £434.

A baby Austin was £238 – so no wonder the Ford sold in such numbers!

Simple, honest, reliable, easy to repair and plentiful, so parts – preferably used – were never in short supply.

History tells us Henry Ford didn’t give the Model T the fairy-tale ending it deserved.

He clung to the bad bits of the car for so long that the car almost became an embarrassment, at least among new car buyers.

Up until the mid twenties, Ford had what looked like an unassailable lead in the sales race, but by hanging onto the Model T two or three years longer than he should, Henry relinquished that lead forever.

The Model T deserves to be known for more than that.

For it’s time it was absolutely brilliant.

PERIOD TWO 1931 to 1948 THE FORD V8

One of the most desirable of all early Ford V8s was the original – hot rodders loved the ‘32

I

t wasn’t the best car of the period, but it was the car that defined this time more than any other.

When Henry Ford ordered a V8 engine to replace the simple four-cylinder engines that had powered the Models T and A it was a preposterous notion.

When the Model A was launched most of its competitors were already using six-cylinder engines which offered superior power and refinement. But rather than join his rivals, Henry Ford leap-frogged them, elevating the Ford brand into supercar status. Only luxury brands offered a V8 motor.

The engine wasn’t perfect; it suffered from an overheating issue throughout its considerable life, due to the centre cylinders on both sides of the Vee having to share an exhaust port, right through a water jacket!

And the cars that Ford installed the new motors in were also far from perfect.

Henry insisted on using the transverse leaf springs, front and rear, as originally introduced with the Model T, as well as mechanical brakes. It wasn’t until 1939 that Ford utilised hydraulics to stop his cars.

Despite these issues, the Ford V8 had an image of power and speed, causing the noted bank-robber Clyde Barrow to famously write a note to Henry Ford saying how much he liked the performance of the V8.

In New Zealand the Ford V8 was consistently one of the biggest-selling cars during this period, loved by farmers for its rugged power and by citydwellers for its racy image.

The engine was used in Ford passenger cars from 1932 until 1953 overseas, but continued until 1954 in

The glamour of a Ford V8 coupe.

This is a ‘35 model beneath the girls

HONOURABLE MENTION The Ford Ten

Without wanting to turn this into a Ford-fest, the entry of the new small British Ford onto the global market was the same sort of genius stroke that created the Model T. In the thirties, most British cars were relatively complex, but the small Ford was pure Ford simplicity, built on a smaller scale – transverse leaf springs, mechanical brakes

New Zealand. However, it had a huge number of other applications – trucks, buses, tractors and it was probably the most widely used engine in World War Two. But the impact of the Ford V8 didn’t cease with the end of production. Because of a mix of its image and its ability to produce power, the

and a simple but sturdy and reliable side-valve engine that would see service through into the sixties.

Over the years, ‘the Ford 10’, from the Y-Model to the last-of-them, the Ford Popular, provided hundreds of thousands of New Zealanders with solid, honest, reliable, economical, tough-as-boots transport.

Ford V8 became the car for the teenage rebels of the late fifties and early sixties, the so-called Milkbar Cowboys.

It also became a cornerstone in the world of hot rodders as well as providing power for countless, home-made racing car ‘specials’.

It was probably a giant with feet of clay.

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15

PERIOD THREE 1949–1980 SIR ALEC ISSIGONIS

T

his was a period of change and counterchange and, to be honest, we find it impossible to separate the two cars that represented everything that was so brilliantly good and so appallingly bad about the British motor industry.

So Alec Issigonis, the designer of those two cars – the Morris Minor and the Mini – was the most influential person during this period.

The Morris Minor should have been 100 per cent totally new, but it wasn’t. Morris bean-counters meant Issigonis’s dream for a revolutionary small car was somewhat diluted. However, the end result was still revolutionary.

The original low-light Morris Minor. It transformed ride and handling expectations of small cars

Issigonis wanted it to be powered by a new, horizontally-opposed engine and he designed the engine bay big enough for it, but the accountants said ‘no’ so the car had to make do with the side-valve engine that had powered pre-war Morris Eights and the post-war Series-E cars.

Despite this handicap, the combination of interior space, cute looks as well as ride and road-holding that might have come from another planet, won the Minor high levels of praise.

When he looked at the first complete engineered car, Issigonis said it was too narrow

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and ordered it to be four inches wider. In order to keep costs down, the body presses were cut and had a centre ridge added. And because tens of thousands of front bumpers had already been made, they were cut in half and bolted by an exterior plate painted the same body colour as the car.

And then when the Minor was ‘Americanised’ and had to have higher headlights to meet US rules, Morris simply added on headlight shrouds and so lost that pure, early, low-light look.

But, there was good news: the engines got better

when Morris merged with Austin – first getting the same overhead-valve engine as the Austin A30 and then, the bigger ‘Thousand’ engine from the A35.

The Morris Minor touched the lives of many New Zealanders.

It came as a two-door sedan, four-door sedan convertible, woody wagon, pick-up and van, continuing in production in the UK until 1971.

The enduring love, coupled with remarkably robust build, means the Morris Minor is possibly the most common classic car in New Zealand today, with many lurking in paddocks, under hedges and in old sheds, looking for owners to either restore them or use them as a parts car.

As enormously successful and much loved as the Morris Minor was and still is, Issigonis’ second great car, the Mini, surpassed the older car in every way – except maybe longevity.

By comparison with the Minor, few the original Minis from the swinging sixties remain.

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44-50 Dublin Street, Wanganui (06) 345 0233 • www.harveyround.co.nz 16

Still going strong, the 2009 Toyota Corolla

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HONOURABLE MENTION The Mazda MX-5

PERIOD FOUR 1981 to the present THE TOYOTA COROLLA

I

t’s almost a little unfair to name the Toyota Corolla as the car having the most influence on this period when the first model was released in 1966. While it has undergone many total redesigns and changed configuration in that time, it is the best selling ‘name plate’ in the history of the car, and in New Zealand, as elsewhere around the world, it’s the car that is totally synonymous with the Japanese Revolution that transformed what we drive.

There is no other car that sums up the impact made by the Japanese motor industry in terms of build quality, reliability, refinement and value-for-money.

Like most Japanese cars, the Toyota Corolla is conventional and

conservative, but it’s the Swiss watch of the car world.

Despite that automotive conservatism, some of the earlier model Corollas are to today’s younger petrolheads what the Ford V8 was to the teenagers of the fifties – a cult, ‘go-faster’ car.

Largely however, the Corolla represents the way that the car today is regarded by many as an ‘appliance’.

It’s there to be used and it does so seamlessly.

The enormous impact that the Toyota Corolla has had on New Zealand is that it provided affordable, economical, quality transport with a level of sophistication that wouldn’t have been believed 40 years ago, with breathtaking levels of reliability.

For many people, the Toyota Corolla represents the modern motor car, in the same way that the ‘Ford car’ represented it for the first quarter of last century.

AUTOMOTIVE SPRAYPAINTING Cnr London & Barrack St, Wanganui Tony Rees ph: 06 343 6551 trcustomcolours@hotmail.co.nz

The really important thing that the Mazda MX-5 did was to turn back the clock and show manufacturers that there was still a place for an affordable little car that provided as much fun as it did basic transport.

Legend has it the MX-5 was conceived on a serviette in a Hiroshima restaurant by two reasonably senior Mazda staff members after cups of sake with their meal.

The small, two-seater, fun-to-drive sports car, built using proprietary parts – as originally conceived by MG in Britain – had been dropped by just about every car-maker in the world who deemed there was no market for them anymore. But those two Mazda men – an American and a Japanese – thought otherwise. They showed their concept on the serviette to management, the seeds were sown, and the MX-5 showed that there were still people in the world who wanted to have fun and enjoy their driving.

While the MX-5 has been sold new in New Zealand,

most were used cars that were imported from Japan in the early nineties. Its contribution to this period has been pure and simple windin-your-hair driving pleasure.

But let’s just sneak a couple of much more modern cars in as a nod to the future.

The Toyota Prius hybrid has been the advance guard of the near future and has shown, particularly the second-generation car, that the future is totally practical.

And there’s the Nissan Leaf – an electric car, not a hybrid.

Not a success as a new car in New Zealand because of price, but remarkably successfully as a JUC (Japanese Used Car) because shortage of range and ‘battery anxiety’ hasn’t stopped people wanting to buy them when the price is right.

And with kerbside recharging stations now popping up like mushrooms in small towns, it has become more practical by the day to drive the future – electric.

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PERIOD ONE Beginning to 1930

TIMELINE

Significant events in the history of motoring in New Zealand.

W

hen looking back at the history of anything, there comes a time when you’ve got to stop looking back, in order to start going forward again.

With this timeline, it was decided to go back beyond the first cars in New Zealand

to a time when roading began – that seemed to be back far enough!

And, reading back over the timeline, it’s obvious that Ford played a major part in the history of the motor vehicle in New Zealand. This is not to give any favour to the brand, but simply to recognise the fact

1843

The first organised road building as British soldiers begin work on the Great South Road out of Auckland.

1859

It takes a bullock wagon a week to get from Wellington to Greytown over the Rimutakas. Today, it’s a 90-minute drive!

1859

Early settler William Bishop Black establishes a one man coach building and repair business in Wellington at 89 Courtenay Place.

1870

1880

1885

1896

Chavannes Garage, Maria Place, 1915

1905

The newly formed AA of Auckland organises a long distance run to Taupo and back. It is won by a Darracq, followed by a Rover.

1900

The first electric tram arrives.

1906

The Automobile Company of New Zealand is founded in Wellington

by Frederick Robert Nathaniel Meadows and becomes the first Ford importer.

1900

Frederick Dennison designs and builds a three-wheeler which he converts to four wheels and drives from Christchurch to Oamaru.

1908

1901

The first motor race is staged between four cars in Christchurch. It is won

by Nicholas Oates driving one of the two Benz Velos imported by William McLean.

1908

1898

1901

Scottish immigrant Charles Todd opens a wool-scouring business at Heriot in West Otago. This is the start of the Todd Empire.

1896

1897

William McLean MP goes to the UK and returns with two Benz cars, but finds they are illegal to use on the roads of New Zealand.

Nicholas Oates appears in the Christchurch Court charged with exceeding 4mph and frightening horses. He is fined £1 – about $180 in today’s money. Today his car is in the Southward Museum.

1902

The Motor Cars Regulations Act gives local bodies the right to impose their own local laws.

1903

Dr George Thomas Humphrey de Clive Lowe of Auckland suggests to his friends the formation of an automobile club – the AA is born.

1905

The first recorded trip by car from Wellington to Auckland takes seven days. There seems to be no record of make of car or identities of the crew!

Timaru engineer Cecil Wood builds an engine and powers a bike with it.

Vacuum Oil of New York opens a Wellington office.

through growth, into and out of war, then to a period of fantastic growth as it went from being a novelty, to a plaything of the wealthy, to ultimately become a major contributor to our way of life. And it ends with a calamitous crash – the Great Depression

McLean introduces into Parliament the McLean Motor-car Act, which allows people to use the machines under very stringent conditions.

Steam buggies are imported from Edinburgh by Mr Empson of Christchurch and J L Gillies of Dunedin.

William Bishop Black goes bankrupt and his business is bought by Frederick Rouse and Henry Hurrell and becomes Rouse & Hurrell Carriage Building Company Limited.

that, in the first 25 years of last century, Ford’s dominance of the New Zealand market by both the Model T itself and by its importer and distributor, CMC, was so complete as to make it virtually the only show in town.

The motor vehicle went from stumbling first steps,

1910

Meadows sells the company to Rouse & Hurrell Carriage Building Company Limited who order 12 Ford Model Ts through the New York dealership Peabody’s. Hurrell resigns, leaving Rouse to run the business.

A conference of farmers wants cars locked out of top gear in order to slow them down!

Rouse & Hurrell Carriage Building Company Limited cease building carriages and trams to focus on Ford cars, and changes its name to The Colonial Motor Company Limited (CMC). They also embrace the Belize and Itala car agencies, but give them up two years later.

1911

Shell’s first oil exploration in New Zealand is at the Ko ¯ tuku Oilfields on the West Coast.

1912

Already there are more than 1000 Ford cars, the Model T, on New Zealand roads.

1912

CMC lends Arthur Chorlton a Ford Model T roadster for a motor car trip from Wellington to Auckland. It takes eight and a half days, with the journey through the King Country “almost impossible”.

19

1913

1913

1915

1916

1917

1917

Charles Norwood resigns as a director of CMC to focus on his new company, The Dominion Motors Limited – later to be the New Zealand agent for all Nuffield Products.

Charles Larmour, Managing Director of CMC, braves the Rimutakas to visit Gordon Hughan who has established Ford dealerships in the Wairarapa.

Hughan has just bought a Model T as salvage off the steamship Devon that had gone aground off Wellington Heads. The car had been submerged in the ocean, but dried out, and it is used by Messrs Hughan and Larmour for a 320 mile round trip to Napier and back.

CMC buys a block of land on the corner of Taranaki and York Streets in central Wellington. A major assembly plant is planned and land is also purchased for branches in Auckland (Fox Street, Parnell) and Timaru (Sophia Street).

Six people in two Model Ts set out on a ‘round the North Island holiday’.

There is a newly-wed couple in a two-seater and four women in a tourer.

Despite there being no recognised network of roads, they make it from Wellington to Auckland up the East Coast and back to Wellington via Taranaki.

The Motor Garage and Cycle Traders Association of New Zealand (later the MTA) is formed in the greater Wellington/Manawatu region, principally because of concerns among garage owners that tyre companies are selling tyres directly to motorists at discounted prices.

The first famous Parliamentary Tour of Northland is organised for 130 MPs and other important persons to show them that the Far North is not a quagmire of muddy roads, but a nice place to visit. Tour organiser Colonel Alan Bell, the public relations manager at Kaitaia, coins the phrase ‘the Winterless North’ for the expedition.

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1918

Retail margin on a four gallon tin of petrol is 6d (six pence).

1921

A change of name – the ‘Motor Garage and Cycle Traders Association of New Zealand’ becomes ‘The Motor Trade Association’ – the MTA.

1918

Christchurch City Council lands a Walker Electric truck.

1921

First motor races at Muriwai Beach near Auckland.

1918

Dunedin man George Scott gains the Austin dealership for all of New Zealand and forms the Austin Distribution Federation.

1918

1919

1920

Charles Larmour sells his interest in CMC to farmer-businessman, Hope Gibbons. Originally from Tasmania, Hopeful Barnes Gibbons and his sons have interests in farms, breweries, flax mills, quarries and a wholesale company, JB Clarkson Limited, that is later renamed Hope Gibbons Limited, and which becomes one of the largest automotive parts suppliers in the country.

1922

1922

The ‘baby’ Austin Seven arrives.

1923

The Apprentice Act comes into being, opening the doors for tens of thousands of young New Zealanders to join the motor industry and receive first-class training.

1924

The Main Highways Board is set up – the Parliamentary Tour of 1917 has shown politicians that New Zealand needs a better network of main roads.

1924

New Zealand has the second highest car ownership in the world per head of population! The USA has 143, New Zealand 71 and Australia 23.

1925

All cars used on the roads must be registered with a central, national register and new pressed-steel number plates are issued every year.

Mechanics get a 10 per cent increase in wages. They now get £228 a year.

The MTA launches Radiator magazine with JF Cousins as Editor. It is today the longest-running trade magazine in New Zealand.

1920

We import more than 12,000 cars in a single year.

1920

The Auckland Automobile Association begins its sign-posting system to help its members.

The new nine-storied CMC building in Courtenay Place, Wellington, is opened. The building is constructed to Ford plans and famously is back-to front-for the Southern Hemisphere sun.

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20

1925

1925

1925

1926

1926

The Motor Vehicles Act is passed into law and one of the effects is to ban toll roads.

General Motors opens shop in a large new assembly plant at Petone, opening the door for Chevrolet to challenge the supremacy of Ford in the market place. GM also acquires the British company Vauxhall the same year.

Taking advantage of the boom in roading, the Gibbons family (of CMC) launch a new company, New Zealand Roads Limited.

Surprisingly for a Gibbons’ company, it doesn’t make money and is eventually closed. However several notable projects are completed – the Waioeka Gorge Road, the Great North Road out of Auckland and the Paekakariki Hill Road among them.

Profit margin on petrol is 3d (three pence) a gallon. Industrial users to pay a penny-halfpenny a gallon more than resellers.

Mud is the problem! Twelve cars are bogged for several days at Christmas on the Hamilton to Rotorua highway.

1926

1926

1926

1927

Bulk petrol supplies are introduced to New Zealand by the British Imperial Oil Company Limited under the Shell trade name. They open a major depot at Miramar in Wellington. Kerbside pumps (bowsers) are on the way.

The first railcar runs on New Zealand railway lines. It is based on a Model T truck chassis and, because of its boxy shape, it is called ‘The Piecart’.

The society that represents British car makers, concerned at the poor penetration of the New Zealand market, decides to embark on a massive ‘Buy British’ campaign to coincide with the end of the Model T when Ford will be vulnerable.

1928

The first Ford Model As arrive, but numbers are small and all are pre-sold.

This allows Chevrolet to beat Ford for the first time in the annual sales race.

1929

The Factories Act is changed to allow the employment of boy assistants and apprentices on Saturday.

1929

The MTA introduces a ‘Sunshine Day’ where the motor trade takes orphans, the elderly and hospital patients on outings in motor cars.

1929

Todd Motors opens an assembly plant in Napier Street, Freemans Bay, Auckland for the new Chrysler brand.

1929

The government sets up the NZ Transport Department as a separate organisation to the NZ Police. The ‘enforcers’ will be called ‘Traffic Inspectors’

1929

October sees the start of the Great Depression – by the end of 1930 its bite is savage.

1930

The Mortgage Relief Act is passed in Parliament saving thousands of farmers and even more home-owners.

The last shipment of Model Ts arrives in New Zealand.

1927

The New Zealand designed and built Marlborough car, begun in Blenheim, is completed in Gisborne. It still survives.

1927

80 per cent of cars imported come from North America (USA and Canada).

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Email: guthriesauto@xtra.co.nz 21

PERIOD TWO 1931–1948.

TIMELINE

Significant events in the history of motoring in New Zealand.

R

ebirth; the world struggles through, and then emerges from the trauma of the Great Depression, and life and cars are both better than ever. Sadly, the respite is sweet but brief, before the world is plunged into the most devastating catastrophe in history – World War Two.

1931

1931

1931

1931

A census shows that Wellington East is the most motorised place in New Zealand with one car to every 7.1 persons. Wellington West and Auckland South are the least motorised with one car for every 12 people.

Mount Victoria road tunnel in Wellington opens.

A side-effect of the depression is the work-schemes that see unemployed men conscripted into an army of road builders.

In the Great Depression the government spends £10 million on road building, the money is raised through taxes on tyres and petrol. Wages are cut 10 per cent and a proportion of that is put into a special fund to pay the conscripted men. There are riots over food shortages around the country.

The government blames communists, but it is obvious the country is unhappy at the way it is being run.

Partly as a response to high petrol prices, Todd Brothers create the Associated Motorists Petroleum Company and import 77 octane (there is also 66 octane) petrol, initially from Russia, calling it Europa, and they cut prices. Two years later, petrol prices in New Zealand have dropped 21 per cent to 1s 7d a gallon.

1932

Merewether Motor Company, 30 year celebration The first Ford V8s arrive. These are officially called the Model B, but it’s a term that’s seldom used. The car is available with either a four cylinder or the V8 engine. There are also two sizes of each engine, but the smaller sizes sell in very small numbers – so few as to be almost non-existent.

1933

1932

Todd Motors close their Auckland factory and sell the premises to J Gadsen & Company for making tin cans.

1932

Rover is one of the earlier companies to start assembling cars in New Zealand with a factory in Jackson Street, Petone.

1933

1933

To combat the financially draining effects of the Depression, the government introduces a sales tax and increases duty on petrol.

1934

Todd Motors open their large factory in Petone.

1935

Looking for a new direction, the country votes in the first Labour government and great change is on the way.

In an attempt to cheer the populace, the Prosperity Grand Prix is staged on roads around the Auckland suburb of Orakei and is won by Arthur Dexter in a Riley.

1933

The Rover factory closes and is occupied by J Gadsen & Company, making tin cans.

A start is made on the Milford Road using the unemployed under the emergency laws of the time. It is an opportunist work creation scheme and is only partly finished when the Depression ends. The unfinished project is handed over to the Main Highways Board for completion, but this draws howls of outrage and critics feel there are more pressing roading schemes for ordinary motorists, rather than a tourist highway.

The government starts to look to the motor industry for change. They want greater New Zealand content which means increased local assembly. At that stage only General Motors and CMC are assembling cars here. The government also makes it clear that ‘Home’ (British) makes are going to be encouraged by way of favourable duties and taxes. This is looking after ‘family’.

1935

1936 1843

With an end to the Great Depression in sight, trading conditions improve, cars are being sold again, and Reidrubber establishes a tyre and rubber-goods factory at Penrose in Auckland.

1936

Ford arrive in New Zealand as a factory shop and open a large assembly plant and office in Petone, taking over importing of product into New Zealand, and eventually leaving CMC to look after their impressive retail chain of dealerships and other interests. It’s not an entirely happy time for CMC as they had expected to be left in charge of distribution, i.e. making the decisions on dealerships, but Ford demanded that right for themselves.

A nameless bank loses the New Zealand business of the Ford Motor Company because when the two Ford North America executives arrive at the bank at the appointed time, the manager is out for lunch. The two go next door to the Bank of New South Wales and open the Ford account there.

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1936

Motor Assemblies Limited is formed to assemble Dodge and Standard cars in Christchurch. Studebaker is later added.

1936

The Motor Vehicle Amendment Act is passed into law setting a maximum speed of 30mph in built-up areas. As yet, there is still no open road limit.

1936

1936

1937

The MTA puts a case before the Arbitration Court over the then novel 40-hour working week, which results in a 44-hour week for garage and petrol station attendants, and a 40-hour week for mechanics and assemblers.

A windscreen wiper becomes compulsory on all vehicles.

A Traffic Code is published and delivered to every home in the country.

1937

Seabrook Fowlds open a factory to assemble Austins on the corner of Great South Road and Manukau Road in Auckland.

1937

The government introduces a Warrant of Fitness scheme that, by today’s standards, is cursory at best - headlights must be dipping. The testing to be carried out only by A-Grade garages.

1938

The government introduces import control and exchange controls to try to stop the flow of money out of New Zealand.

1938

The Dominion Motors opens a new factory to assemble Morris cars in Mortimer Pass, just off Broadway, Newmarket. The building is today a shopping mall.

1939

The Ford V8 finally gets hydraulic brakes.

1939

The contents of imported CKD car packs is reduced meaning upholstery, seats, batteries and many other items now have to be sourced from within New Zealand, but…

1939

The world is thrown into turmoil – WAR!

1939

1940

The government passes the Emergency Regulations Act that rations petrol and then food and clothing. Petrol is rationed according to the size of the car, allowing about 150 miles per month. The government requisitions all 1938 and 1939 model vehicles.

Another name change, this time the MTA becomes the RMTA – NZ Retail Motor Trade Association.

1941

To save steel in wartime, new number plates are issued once each five years.

1940 – 41

Difficult times now with the war in the Pacific. Many able-bodied persons (mainly men) are in the military and overseas.

1940 – 1945

1942

1944

1944

Factories all over New Zealand are put to producing goods for the war effort.

Ford and General Motors produce huge quantities of military machinery and armaments. In the remote Mackenzie Country, at his Irishman Creek property, Bill Hamilton turns his impressive workshops into producing shell cartridges. Later, he invents the worldfamous jet-boat in the same workshops.

The RMTA is 25 years old.

Those New Zealanders who are prisoners of war in the Mühlberg Prison Camp in Germany and are passionate about cars, are involved in producing their own immaculately crafted, hand-drawn regular motoring magazine. It is a work of art.

With the war in Europe and the Pacific seemingly going to be won, men are released and return home, easing skill shortages. Babies are expected and are to be called ‘baby boomers’.

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23

1945

The war ends and peace is declared.

1945

A new assembly plant opens in Christchurch to assemble Standard and Studebaker cars.

1945

Christchurch finally has a rail link with Blenheim as the difficult and dangerous Kaikoura Coast is conquered. This is the beginning of the end for the traditional ‘Steamer Express’ link between the North and South Islands when motorists watched with bated breath as their precious cars were loaded and unloaded onto the ferries that sailed between Lyttelton and Wellington.

1946

1947

1947

1947 1945

1946

In June the government announces car Import Licenses that are 75 per cent of that of the first six months of 1938, and only for CKD vehicles. Trucks get 100 per cent and British product is favoured.

BP arrives in New Zealand – and is still here.

1947

1947

The used-car industry (as we know it today) is established as men coming home from the war want transport, and this is supplied by cars released from government requisition and also from out of storage. There’s a car buying spree, and because there are so few new cars the previously despised used-car is now an object of affection.

All motor mechanics holding relevant qualifications will be eligible to apply to the NZ Motor Trade Certification Board for registration as a Certified Mechanic.

The back-to-front Studebaker arrives in New Zealand and we are perplexed – which way is it going? French designer, Raymond Loewy gives the world a car in which the boot is the same size as the bonnet, creating the classic three-box design that still exists.

Two Ford giants pass on. In New Zealand, Hopeful Barnes Gibbons of CMC dies at the age of 90, and in Michigan, Henry Ford dies at the age of 83.

The Association of New Zealand Car Clubs is formed, giving the country its first national motorsports body.

The country’s first traffic lights are installed and switched on. They’re at the intersection of Queen and Victoria Streets in downtown Auckland.

When we say ‘back in the day’...

Congratulations to the MTA on their

we think of the Studebaker we insured in 1926.

The cars we insure have since move on, but thankfully our focus hasn’t moved on with them.

Visit Alison and the friendly team at AMI Wanganui today.

We’re right here, wherever your journey takes you.

83 Victoria Avenue, Wanganui 06 348 1190 I ami.co.nz Open 9am-5pm weekdays

24

There is no country in the world where a motor car is more of a necessity than New Zealand; there is no country in the world to which the motor car has brought more benefits. The backblock farmer is no longer isolated from civilisation. The motor vehicle provides economical contact with busy centres; it conveys stores to his homestead; it carries his children to school; it delivers his produce to the factory or the market.

In a thousand-and-one ways the motor vehicle has contributed to the efficiency and contentedness of the man on the land. A sign of the times is the growth of secondary industries in New Zealand, and all industries – foundries, freezing works, timber mills, flax mills, tobacco factories – everything – is dependent upon transport. Raw material must reach the factory; workmen must be conveyed to and fro; the finished product must be delivered through its various channels until it ultimately reaches the consumer.

All these processes would be paralysed without swift and efficient transport.

Today the motor industry itself ranks as the second largest of all New Zealand’s industries, and General Motors have contributed much towards the wealth and prosperity, not only of Petone but also of the Dominion as a whole.

100 Year Anniversary

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W

anganui Toyota - the quiet achievers of the Wanganui Motor Vehicle Industry.

The association with Wanganui and the car trade and MTA all started back in 1999.

Richard began his career in the automotive industry at Wanganui Toyota in 1998 as a keen salesman. After spending 9 years away advancing his knowledge & experience he returned to become the CEO, and to help the branch flourish into the successful business it is today.

Since then it has grown enough to take up nearly the whole block on Guyton Street, between Ridgway and Hatrick Street.

Business is booming, so to keep up with the motoring needs and demands of Wanganui, our little staff has grown from 16 to a massive 28 employees. Constantly filling the workshop and offices with laughter - creating the happy family feel every time you walk in.

We also have a strong connection with the community, supporting local events and various sports teams around the region.

Before

Raetihi/Ruapehu Toyota

Guyton Street, Wanganui • Phone 06 348 8850 www.wanganuitoyota.co.nz FINANCIAL SERVICES

25

PERIOD THREE 1949–1980

TIMELINE

Significant events in the history of motoring in New Zealand.

W

e emerge from war and it takes us a while to find our feet and pick up from where we left off. This is a period of economic start/stop in New Zealand and we watch as the British motor industry self-destructs, and then embrace the excellence of Japanese car making. At the end of this period, we forget what it was like at the start. And we marvel that we have survived without our great love of the earlier periods – the American car.

1949

The first Ford Fortyniners arrive (the first actually arrived late in 1948). This is the car that saves Ford – a company in a parlous state. Henry Ford had become too old to make the right decisions, so his grandson, Henry Ford II, was pulled out of the military to take over running the company. He knew the company needed a new and winning car – and that was the Fortyniner.

1949

The Morris Minor arrives in New Zealand. It’s a car that will set ride and handling standards for all cars, regardless of size, for the next 10 years. It becomes a much loved and admired car.

1950

New Zealand’s first compulsory STOP sign is erected.

Tyres & Wheel Alignments

Ian Wilks Motors Ltd, staff photo of 1974

1950

New Zealand’s first stretch of official ‘motorway’ is opened – Takapu Road to Johnsonville in Wellington. It is just five kilometres long.

1950

The No Remittance scheme is introduced in New Zealand as a way of easing the shortage of new cars. If you have funds overseas, you could use them to buy a car and bring it back.

1950

Petrol rationing, introduced as a wartime measure, finally ends.

1952

Ford begin New Zealand assembly of the Five Star Cars – the Consul and Zephyr. Despite some faults, the cars – the Zephyr in particular – quickly earn huge followings.

1952

Matching Ford blow-for-blow in the British ‘big car’ stakes is the all-new EIP Vauxhall which, like the Ford, is available as a four (the Wyvern) or a six (the Velox). And like the Ford, the EIP is Detroit designed with a massive chrome grille. This is ‘Little America’.

1952

The first stage in Auckland’s north-west motorway is completed.

1953

The first section of Auckland’s southern motorway is opened.

1953

1953/4

It becomes possible to renew both driver’s licences and vehicle registration by post.

The Royal Tour. The Queen and Duke use Daimler, Humber Super Snipe, a Sunbeam Talbot convertible and Land Rovers – as well as trains.

1954

The entire length of the highway between Auckland and Wellington is, at last, fully tar-sealed.

1954

The Main Highways Board (established 1922) is replaced by the National Roads Board.

1954

The first Volkswagens arrive in New Zealand as both the ‘beetle’ sedan and then the box-like Kombi. Owners are so enthusiastic they want to gather, talk and swap notes, so Volkswagen Owners’ Clubs spring up everywhere!

1954

The government authorises 6000 individual import licences for cars – 1200 from North America – and this is repeated in 1955.

1954

The first Holden arrives fully built-up.

It’s the FJ and, while we might have missed the FX, at last New Zealanders can judge for themselves what the fuss across the Tasman is all about.

• Servicing • Brake Repairs • Suspension • WOF Repairs • Batteries • Oil & Filter • Diagnostics • Exhaust Repairs

All vehicle repairs • FREE Quotes 7 Churton Street, Wanganui • Phone 06 345 3228 Monday - Friday 7.30am-5pm • Saturday 9am-1pm 26

1954

1954

1956

New Zealand gets the last Ford to be powered by the side-valve V8 motor that was introduced in 1932.

American Fords in 1954 get all-new overhead valve engines, but we have to make do with the old motor.

Tariffs are removed from four-wheeldrive vehicles as they are needed for farm work.

1958

1958

The year of Arnold Nordmeyer’s infamous ‘Black Budget’.

1958

A large factory is established in an old bus depot to assemble VWs on Auckland’s Great South Road, near the Otahuhu shopping centre.

Import licensing is reduced by one third!

1959 1956

1956

1955

1955

1956

1956

Mark II Consuls and Zephyrs arrive.

Buck Rodgers comes to town. The first of the unbelievably futuristic Citroën DS19s (Goddess) arrives and owners could charge a fee to let people watch as they raise and lower them on their hydropneumatic suspension.

Motorists passing a stopped school bus must slow down to 10mph.

Russell Wright riding his Vincent sets a new world speed record for motorcycles on Tram Road near Christchurch of 185mph (298km/h). His mate, Bob Burns sets a side-car record of 162mph (253km/h) the same day.

Electric trams in Auckland and Dunedin make their last regular service runs.

1957

‘GIVE WAY’ signs now appear, supplementing the words painted on the road surface.

1957

The first permanent motor racing circuit in the South Island is opened at Teretonga on the outskirts of Invercargill.

1959

The Kapuni hydrocarbons field is discovered by Shell, BP and Todd.

1959

Auckland Harbour Bridge opens – with toll gates. We now have two toll bridges (see 1969).

1962

The Aramoana, on the Wellington to Picton run, is New Zealand’s first roll on/roll off ferry.

1962

First Nissan arrives in New Zealand – a Datsun Bluebird 312.

1963

The end of an era - service stations offering a variety of petrol brands are no more, and along with them go branded petrol vouchers.

1963

Campbell Motors establish an assembly plant at Thames to build Ramblers.

Toyota, Peugeot, Hino Contessa and Isuzu Bellets will soon follow.

1963

Another Royal Tour. This time a Ford Zodiac MKII convertible is among the tour cars, and everyone wants to buy it.

1964

1964

The MTA organises a questionnaire to get an accurate picture of the motor industry so as to present a better case when it lobbies government.

Marsden Point oil refinery opens.

1964

Permanent aluminium number plates are introduced – permanent, they aren’t.

1964

The Lyttelton Road Tunnel opens, ending the long drive up and over the Port Hills from Sumner.

1964

The first Chrysler Valiant AP5s roll off Todd Motors Petone assembly line, bringing new levels of performance to the six-cylinder market.

Hot Mix, Chip Seal & Timber Edging Section Clearing & Landscaping Excavator, Bobcat, Trucks & Paver

The first purpose-built, permanent motor racing circuit in New Zealand is opened at Levin.

1957

The first Minis arrive and New Zealanders aren’t sure what to think. What we initially see is something small and boxy with folded edges. But we learn to love it, just like the rest of the word.

The first Ford Cortina arrives.

Motorcyclists must wear crash helmets when travelling at over 30mph.

Obviously we like Holdens, so we’re now getting them in CKD form. The first New Zealand assembled Holden, an FE, is completed at Petone.

1959

The Motor Vehicle Dealers Act becomes law – selling cars for a profit now requires a motor vehicle dealer’s license.

1962

1962 1956

New Zealand gets its first Ferrari, ten years after Enzo Ferrari first started building cars under his name. But it’s a racing car, not a road car, and is imported by wealthy Christchurch garage owner Pat Hoare.

The open-road speed limit increases from 50mph to 55mph.

Council Approved Find Tartek on FACEBOOK FREE QUOTES

1962

The Austin and Morris 1100s arrive in New Zealand – basically ‘bigger Minis’ that are more practical and comfortable, they sell well and become family favourites.

1962

The MTA approaches the government for more vehicle imports.

1963

Annual licensing or registration is introduced. The annual licence period is from July 1 each year.

Ph (06) 347 9657 or Tristan 021 710 937 Email office@tartek.co.nz www.tartek.co.nz 27

1964

Steel Brothers of Christchurch start assembling Prince Glorias. Bigger things are to follow.

1965

The first Toyota is sold in New Zealand. It’s a Corona.

1965

The Lyttelton–Wellington ferry Ma-ori is converted to roll on/roll off. But more and more travellers are preferring to drive up and down the Kaikoura coast.

1965

The abandoned cotton mill at Nelson becomes the new assembly plant for Triumph. Jaguar and Rover are to follow and then Honda.

1967

1968

The open road speed limit increases to 60mph (96kph) on selected stretches of suitable road. It’s eventually rounded out to 100kph.

The first New Zealand assembled Toyota Corolla leaves the Campbell Motors plant in Thames.

1969

The generic MTA Gift Vouchers are introduced.

1969

The Maui natural gas field is discovered.

The privately owned Opiki toll bridge over the Manawatu River near Palmerston North is superseded by a national highway and bridge, 31 years after the government said it had to go.

1965

All new cars must have seat belts fitted.

Diagonal will do to start with.

1969

1965

Henry Ford II visits New Zealand for the first time and vetoes plans for local expansion. Observers say he’s in a bad mood.

1970

Bruce McLaren is killed in a testing crash at Goodwood in the UK.

1970

1966

The first Ford Falcons roll off the New Zealand assembly line and battle begins against the Holden and Chrysler.

The New Zealand Motor Corporation is created out of the Austin Distributors Federation and The Dominion Motors.

1966

1967

One of New Zealand’s greatest sporting achievements, Bruce McLaren and Chris Amon win the 24 Hours of Le Mans driving a Ford GT40 MkII.

BMW is officially represented in New Zealand when Ross Jensen gains the franchise and opens a showroom in Newmarket Auckland.

1967

The golden jubilee of the MTA and the opening of the association’s eightstoried office block on Kent Terrace.

This is named Motor Trade House and is home to the association for 34 years.

1967

The Trekka is launched. Using Skoda basics, it is New Zealand’s most successful home-grown car in terms of numbers built and sold.

1967

Burt Munro rides his Indian motorcycle at Bonneville to set a world speed record of 295.453kph that still stands today.

1967

Decimal currency replaces the old pounds, shillings and pence.

1967

Denis Hulme becomes New Zealand’s first, and only, Formula One World Champion.

28

1970

1971

1970

1971

1971

1972

1972

British Leyland, anxious to get involved in the Australian market with a dinkum Aussie, create the Tasman and Kimberley and they are launched simultaneously on both sides of the Tasman.

The new car situation begins to ease for the first time since the war – in some cases it is possible to buy off the floor, but it’s inconsistent for many years.

Nissan sets up a factory shop in New Zealand at Felton Mathew Avenue, Glen Innes, Auckland.

Todd Motors adds Mitsubishi to its Chrysler and Rootes products. The first model is the 1.6-litre Colt.

1972

The wearing of seat belts becomes compulsory from June 1 in cars first registered in New Zealand after January 1, 1965.

1972

There’s a marked preference for builtup cars as opposed to CKD because of the higher specification (and quality).

1972

When the Mangaweka Deviation is being planned, the government approves lowering the height of the crest by 20 metres because it is calculated that $15 million a year will be saved in reduced fuel consumption!

1973

The Motor Vehicle Dealers Act makes it tougher to be allowed to sell cars for a profit and various categories are introduced along with window sheets.

1973

Ford opens its new plant at Wiri in South Auckland to assemble Falcons, but keeps Seaview in Wellington operating.

1973

New Zealand’s first road-going Ferrari is a sleek Daytona owned by Napier businessman Bruce Lindeman who also represents the factory.

1973

Steel Brothers in Christchurch produce the first of 93 Lotus Seven sports cars, using kits supplied by Lotus. The last is sold in 1979.

1973

The country reels from the first oil shock.

Petrol soars from 48c a gallon to 79c.

1974

The government introduces a new sales tax regime designed to favour small cars.

1975

Yet more control on car dealers – the dealer section of the MTA is forced by statute to join the Motor Vehicle Dealers Institute (MVDI).

1975

The country undergoes metrication of road signs and speeds.

1975

The government introduces differential motor registration, with smaller cars less costly to register. It’s another attempt to get New Zealanders to start ‘thinking smaller’ about the cars we drive – and it works.

1977

The government launches a Commission of Enquiry into the way car parts and accessories are marketed and freezes profit margins for 12 months.

1978

Road User Charges come into effect.

1979

The second oil shock. This time we have carless days – you get to choose your own. Sales of CNG and LPG soar.

Henry Ford II visits again. This is a happier visit and he approves the new plant at Wiri in South Auckland.

The first course conducted by the Institute of the New Zealand Motor Industry for motor vehicle merchandising.

The first official imports of MercedesBenz which follows a number of private imports over the previous decades.

PERIOD FOUR 1981 to present

TIMELINE

Significant events in the history of motoring in New Zealand.

S

till more change. Perhaps change as we had never expected. Free markets and deregulation become the economic catchphrases. Japanese cars are our automotive cornerstone giving us quality and reliability undreamed of, at affordable prices. What’s a spark plug? Haven’t seen one for decades.

British cars – what were they? Basic cars

1981

Datsun rebranded globally as Nissan.

Datsun owners can get little black and gold ‘Nissan’ badges to put on the grilles of their cars, if they want to be part of the change.

1981

The Industries Development Commission recommends to the government that the motor industry be deregulated.

1982

In a bid to hold down rampant inflation, the government introduces a wage and price freeze.

1983

1983

1983 – 86

1984

1984

1984

with no extras – what were they? Local assembly – what was that? European cars? Yes please, in big numbers thanks.

Oh yes, the Americans still do make cars, we’ll take some thanks. How about some South Korean cars as well?

The road toll soars – and plunges.

Electric and self-driving cars? That’s them ringing the front door bell!

The speed of change is dizzying.

1984

General Motors moves from the plant at Petone to a new one further up the Hutt Valley at Trentham.

1984

Tolls are taken off the Auckland Harbour bridge which means the country is now ‘toll free’.

1984

The country gets another Labour government which sets about deregulating everything.

We enter into Closer Economic Relations (CER) with Australia.

New Zealand reaches peak local assembly with over 100,000 vehicles produced. From here on, it’s downhill as we import more and more built up vehicles, as well as masses of used cars.

Over a period of three years, heavily restrictive Transport Licensing that had been introduced in the thirties to protect rail, is finally phased out.

1984

Colin Giltrap imports the first of a new brand of car from a country we’ve never seen a car from before – it’s the Hyundai Pony from South Korea. It takes us a long time to (a) appreciate them and (b) to learn the name is not pronounced to rhyme with high and dry.

In a remarkable move the ‘Baggage Cars’ period starts. Organised trips are made to (mainly) Japan and travellers return with late-model, low-mileage, highly spec’d cars, many being luxury or sporty models unobtainable in New Zealand. In the space of a few months, cars like the Mazda RX-7 rotary-engined sports car, are parked in almost every street! Many people can’t believe it. The JUC Revolution – Japanese Used Car – is underway and changes everything.

1985

Open-road speed limit increases from 80 to 100kph.

1985

Honda Japan acquires 25 per cent of New Zealand Motor Corporation.

Soon it will have 100 percent.

1985

New Zealand has 14 motor vehicle assembly plants.

1985

The first Nissan Mobil street race is held in Wellington. It is a huge success.

The first EFTPOS transaction is between a Shell service station and the ASB.

Wally Sutherland of Whakatane is the first RMTA national president to have also been president of the NZ Motor Body Builders Association (now CRA).

Ford on display at an A & P show held at the Wanganui Racecourse

1985

Computers make their mark on day-today business life and the New Zealand motor industry is no exception.

1986

New Zealand gets a new tax. The Goods and Services tax of 10 per cent is applied to everything, without exception.

1987

A three-stage driver licensing system is introduced.

1986

New reflectorised number plates are issued. These are pressed steel with black figures on a white background.

1987

A record 795 people die on New Zealand roads.

1987

Todd Motors is bought by Mitsubishi Motors Corporation of Japan and becomes Mitsubishi Motors NZ Limited.

1987

1988

1988

Since 1984 the new Labour government’s massive policy of deregulation, life and lifestyle in New Zealand has changed dramatically, with thousands of overnight ‘paper millionaires’. It all comes down to earth via an international share market crash.

The Tauranga Harbour Bridge is opened.

Japanese-controlled Subaru New Zealand takes over importing and distribution of all Subaru vehicles in New Zealand. Subarus are assembled in the small Taranaki town of Waitara.

1988

Personalised number plates are introduced.

1988

The organisation that began as the Public Works Department (1870 – 1948) and then became the Ministry of Works and which was responsible for building so much of the country’s roading infrastructure, is dismantled.

1988

The Ford plant at Seaview in Petone, opened in 1936, closes and all Ford (and Mazda) production is centred on new premises at Wiri in South Auckland – this is called Vehicle Assemblers of New Zealand – VANZ.

29

1988

1988

1989

The government ends 55 years of tightly controlling petrol prices in New Zealand and deregulates the industry. Oil companies can now own service stations. The public expects massive change – but is disappointed.

Fletcher Industries become the first significant new player in decades with the Challenge brand.

Colin Giltrap’s company is named Mercedes-Benz dealer for New Zealand. Later this becomes a joint-venture with the factory and then factory-owned through Australia.

1990

General Motors becomes the first vehicle manufacturer in New Zealand to walk away from local assembly.

Other manufacturers follow swiftly, leaving Nissan and Honda to be the last. The GM plant at Trentham is eventually used by the NZ Army and Weta Workshops.

1992

1992

An Auckland man pays $111,111 for registration plate ‘1’. Many people think this is a wanton waste of good money.

The New Zealand Motor Industry Training Organisation is launched.

Toyota New Zealand Limited is created out of Campbell Industries in Thames, Consolidated Motor Industries (a joint venture between Cable Price Downer and Wright Stephenson, later owned

by Challenge Corporation), and Steel Motor Assemblies Limited of Christchurch.

Carrying out an election promise, Minister of Police John Banks gives the country more ‘police’ – by merging the Ministry of Transport officers with the regular police. The Police Department now assumes road enforcement.

1992

Ford lift a ban on dealerships using their name – old established companies change their name; for example, Napier Motors in Dunedin becomes Dunedin City Ford.

1993

The VIN (Vehicle Identification Number) system is introduced.

1993

Speed cameras are introduced and, generally, the public is happy – until they start getting speed camera tickets in the mail. Few people realise how often they unknowingly break the speed limit.

30

MTA House on Wellington’s Kent Terrace sold and the RMTA moves to a new building at 79 Taranaki Street.

2002

RMTA opens National Office Call Centre for consumer enquiries.

2003

RMTA merges with the MVDI before the Motor Vehicle Sales Act which pretty much deregulates the car sales industry and undoes the bureaucracy which had been put in place in the early 1970s.

2004

The RMTA rebrands as the MTA and introduces the current MTA-assured logo and cyan becomes the theme colour.

2007

There are 32 new Ferraris registered in New Zealand.

2007

MTA marks its 90th anniversary.

2009

The Northern Gateway Orewa bypass opens, bringing tolls back onto public roads.

New vehicle standards are signed into law covering frontal impact, exterior projections, steering systems, interior fittings, head restraints and door retention systems.

2009

New Zealand now has 15,600 road bridges.

1998

The last Mitsubishi to be assembled in New Zealand leaves the former Todd Motors plant at Porirua.

2010

1999

RMTA purchases VTNZ from the government for $19.2 million.

2016

The last Ford Falcon in either New Zealand or Australia is built!

1999

Photographic driver licences introduced. Much public debate.

2017

The MTA is 100 years old!

1995

The registration plate ‘1’ is sold at auction for $630,000. It had been a great investment!

Unleaded petrol is introduced.

The four major oil companies, Mobil, Caltex, BP and Shell join with the RMTA to offer branded gift vouchers.

1992

2001

1994

1996

1990

1991

2000

The car market is upside down from where it was 20 years earlier, with imported used-cars, mainly from Japan, dominating the scene. The newcar industry is not happy about it.

Vehicle Testing New Zealand Limited (VTNZ) is launched as a State-Owned Enterprise.

1996

1997

1997

1997

1998

1998

David Loughlin of Tauranga becomes first National RMTA President to do more than one term. New RMTA Training Passport introduced.

The sale of leaded petrol is banned and not everyone is happy – particularly owners of older cars.

The joint Ford/Mazda (VANZ) plant at Wiri closes.

Subaru New Zealand adopts an exclusive All-Wheel-Drive philosophy.

The government introduces the new system of Continuous Licensing for cars. Cars not used must now have registration put on hold to avoid a costly re-registration and ‘re-vinn’.

The RMTA’s first woman National President, Trish Campbell of Palmerston North, is elected and Brian Nelson retires after eight years as CEO.

Shell sells its network of service stations etc. to Infratil and the ‘Guardians of NZ Super’ and becomes Z Energy Limited.

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Written by New Zealandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s favourite motoring writer, Allan Dick, MTA 100 is much more than a history of the Motor Trade Association â&#x20AC;&#x201C; through text and illustration, this edition highlights the people of the Motor Trade Association and the intertwined history of over 100 years of the motor vehicle in New Zealand

MTA100 standard softcover edition $19.95 $ RRP MTA100 collectable hardcover edition includes MTA100 poster $49.95RRP available online only.

On sale all good magazine retail outlets or order online: rnrpublishing.co.nz 31

Wanganui Motors congratulates the Local MTA on their 100th Anniversary ‘from Wanganui’s oldest Motor Vehicle Dealer’

PROUD TO BE SERVING THE WANGANUI REGION FOR 54 YEARS

82 Ridgway Street | Wanganui www.wanganuimotors.co.nz www.wanganuimotorsford.co.nz

PH 06 349 0930