Preview: New Zealand Classic Car Issue No. 318

A SOUTH E R N R EC R E ATI O N — LE G E N DA RY JAGUAR C-T Y PE NEW ZEALAND CLASSIC CAR JUNE 2017 ISSUE 318

C O N S E R V A T I V E BUICK ROADMASTER • JAGUAR C-TYPE • PORSCHE 996 TURBO • ASTON MARTIN V8 VANTAGE

ELEGANCE

1957 BUICK ROADMASTER 50 YEARS OF CAMARO

ISSUE 318 $9.99 INCL. GST JUNE 2017

THE WHOLE STORY

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ASTON-ISHING MARTIN ASTON MARTIN V8 VANTAGE

CONTENTS

318 JUNE 2017

4 4 CONSERVATIVE ELEGANCE

1957 BUICK ROADMASTER

16 RECREATING THE LEGEND

JAGUAR C-TYPE

26 CHEVROLET CAMARO

CELEBRATING 50 YEARS OF CAMARO

36 PORSCHE 911 (996) TURBO

UGLY DUCKLING OR FUTURE CLASSIC?

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42 HARLOW’S MODELS

A PASSION FOR COLLECTABLE MODEL CARS

70 THE BOND EFFECT

ASTON MARTIN V8 VANTAGE

COLUMNS

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MOTORMAN KITS & PIECES MOTORSPORT FLASHBACK LOCAL MARKET REPORT PRICE ON

LIKE US ON FACEBOOK — SEARCH ‘NZ CLASSIC CAR ’

EVENTS 82 84 85 86

INTERNATIONAL RALLY OF WHANGAREI MTA 100 JENSEN RUN VW NATIONALS

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REGULARS

46 READERS’ WRITES 48 ONLINE THIS MONTH 50 SUBSCRIBE AND WIN 78 NEWS 88 EVENTS DIARY 92 BEHIND THE GARAGE DOOR 94 CLUB CORNER 96 QUICK QUIZ / CROSSWORD 98 AUTOMOBILIA 102 SELL YOUR CLASSIC 103 EDITOR’S PICK 104 CLASSIC CARS FOR SALE 110 LOCAL SPECIALISTS 112 NEXT MONTH

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FEATURE

1957 Buick Roadmaster

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C O N S E R V A T I V E

E L E G A N C E

ROADMASTER — BUICK’S KING OF STYLE AND POWER Words: Ashley Webb Photos: Adam Croy

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uick’s Roadmaster arose from anything but humble beginnings. The brand’s new flagship was intended to spark images synonymous with power, handling, and elegant styling — all elements missing from General Motors’ Buick division since the 1928 model year.

So Roadmasters were among the first in line to receive Buick’s latest and most powerful engines, the most recent suspension upgrades, as well as interior

comfort and conveniences that rivalled Cadillac and other luxury brands. When the Roadmaster was first released in 1936, the advertising stated: “So we built this great-powered, trigger-quick, light-handling Buick Roadmaster, and it literally named itself the first time a test model levelled out on the open highway.” Over the next 20 years Buick’s stylish new Roadmaster was to be a status symbol targeting a more youthful market audience with moderate means, as well as the affluent.

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Fast forward to the 1950s, and catchy advertising slogans such as “The joy that only the finest can give” and “This you take in glowing pride” helped propel 1955 Roadmaster sales to a respectable 64,527 units.

The sharp, less curvaceous lines, an extended bonnet, and a taller rear boot-lid combined with an overall more aggressive body stance, instantly rendered previous models as out of date. In essence, the new Roadmaster body was contemporary and stylish.

Additionally, ongoing suspension development continued to improve the silky smooth drive, regardless of the road surface, and it was touted as the “Million Dollar Ride.” Further refinements were ongoing, but despite Buick’s best efforts, production and demand for large, medium-priced cars began to wane.

The 1956 recession certainly didn’t help Buick.

However, according to many, the styling refinements made during this tumultuous time were a vast improvement over the previous year. Such upgrades included a new grille and a V-shaped front end, while chrome trim remained slim and tastefully applied.

However, that tasteful philosophy was short-lived thanks to the reintroduction of a chrome-laden three-piece rear light on select Roadmasters. The car was lengthened once again, and lowered, but customers and critics alike criticized the suspension for being far too soft.

In its last incarnation, the 1958 Roadmaster was either viewed as stunningly beautiful or a demonstration of excess in chrome — after all, it was the late ’50s. After Roadmaster sales reached a

dismal 14,054 units, its replacement, the Electra, was ushered in for the 1959 model year, thus ending production of one of the most iconic models in American automotive history.

The Roadmaster name still resonates with collectors today, much as it did when new. Fifties-era Roadmasters are undoubtedly comfortable highway cruisers, with interiors better described as a lounge on wheels, and offer unpretentious luxury at a fraction of the cost of a typical luxury collector car.

Featured Roadmaster According to the owners of our featured 1957 Buick Roadmaster, Shaun and Rita Eastell, “Burger King has got a lot to answer for in our house. That is where the Buick story began”.

Way back — when it featured the old chequerboard vinyl and chrome, with rock ’n’ roll photos and ’50s car brochure shots — the burger joint was a drop-in treat.

Whilst queuing one day and perusing the literature on the walls, Shaun spied a beautiful sleek, long and low stunner that really caught his eye — a 1957 Buick Roadmaster. That was that! The poster had him dreaming at every subsequent visit.

Many years later, after a long flight, he got lost and arrived late one night at a relative’s home in New Jersey, USA. It had been a tiring day, and after a quick catch up, the ladies retired for the evening. Alas, that left the boys to their own devices, and as they didn’t feel sleepy, out came Jack’s finest. Shortly after, the topic of choice became classic cars, and a discussion ensued about their

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FEATURE

Jaguar C-Type Replica

RECREATING THE LEGEND

JAGUAR C-TYPE “THE CAR IS THE CLOSEST THING WE’LL E VER C R E AT E TO S O M E T H I N G T H AT I S A L I V E ” — S I R W I L L I A M LY O N S Words: Quinton Taylor Photos: Adam Croy, Quinton Taylor

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any in the classic car industry have accepted challenges and achieved their ambition to create something to look back on with pride in later years. Despite the odds, they succeeded in creating something of beauty in metal.

From a discreet workshop in Gore, Brian Dwyer has put into reality his passion for Jaguar’s C-Type sports cars. The result has been cars with stunning looks, that still possess levels of handling and effortless performance impressive even by today’s standards.

“There are not many 1950s sports cars that not only look good but also handle and perform well. The C-Type Jaguar does all these very well,” Brian said.

Designed for one thing — to win at Le Mans — they were a car of their time when the prestige of winning the great 24-hour race was enormous.

Yet Jaguar’s William Lyons took some months of persuasion before he recognized the importance and prestige of this race for the company he created.

‘Lofty’ England, the driving force behind Jaguar’s racing programme, saw the opportunity. In 1950, he travelled to Le Mans with Jaguar engineer Bill Heynes, to watch the 24-hour race. Along with Claude Bailey and Walter Hassan, Heynes saw at first-hand the potential of his new engine to give Jaguar success at Le Mans. Three of the new Jaguar XK120s prepared at the factory, but privately entered, took part in the race, and acquitted themselves well against mostly mundane opposition.

Birth of a legend Heynes and England were convinced that using the XK engine in a streamlined bodyshell and lightweight tube racing chassis was the way to go, and, following the launch of Jaguar’s new Mk VII saloon, they finally convinced Lyons to get involved. With the help of Bristol aircraft aerodynamicist Malcolm Sayer, they set to work, and development began with the team of Claude Bailey, Bob Knight, and Tom Jones. Engine testing was done by Jack Emerson, with the team supervised by Phil Weaver.

Initial test driving in 1951 was done at nearby Lindley airfield, by Ron Sutton. Then, in 1952, the legendary Norman Dewis came on board as the main test and development driver, beginning a long association with Jaguar.

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The cars were entered as Jaguar XK 120C private entries, in the names of Stirling Moss, Peter Walker, and Leslie Johnson — that way, Jaguar would not look quite so bad if there was any negative publicity. The other drivers were Jack Fairman, Clemente Biondetti and Peter Whitehead.

On race day, the three Jaguars were running one-two-three by 8pm. Not long after, Biondetti brought his car in with no engine-oil pressure. It was discovered that at a certain high rev, an oil pickup pipe had broken due to vibration. The other cars were instructed to keep their revs down, but both eventually retired with a lack of oil pressure.

So, it was left to the Walker-Whitehead C-Type to carry the flag, having finished with a great win first time out for Jaguar the previous year.

That 1952 year was a low point, with the new bodywork contributing to overheating.

Later testing identified a number of areas where modifications could correct the issues.

For the coming season, Jaguar reverted to the earlier body shape.

Jaguar was back with a vengeance for the 1953 24 Hours of Le Mans, this time along with disc brakes and three side-draught Weber carburettors lifting power to 164kW (220bhp), tried for the first time. These modifications contributed to the win in the hands of Duncan Hamilton and Tony Rolt — the first time disc brakes had been used in an application on a race car. C-Types also romped home in second and fourth places.

It was the beginning of Jaguar’s remarkable run of wins at Le Mans.

The Jaguar C-Type was last run in the 1954 Le Mans by the Ecurie Francorchamps team, driven by Roger Laurent and Jacques Swaters, and placed fourth.

Lofty England remarked in an interview with Jaguar Quarterly in 1991, “This was a remarkable achievement in the first race for a car designed, built, and developed by so few people in so short a time, and at minimal cost.” By then, it was time for another legend — the Jaguar D-Type.

Recreating the legend The build of a complex recreation in hand-formed aluminium is a challenging prospect. Gathering together all the parts to make it as close as possible a representation of the original great Le Mans–winning sports car is no easy task. Accomplishing that successfully in a location far from main centres, in a small country, thousands of kilometres away from where the originals

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were created, is an example of sheer tenacity and a good bit of Kiwi ingenuity. Brian Dwyer has those attributes and a lot more, along with close family support from his wife Susan and son Simon, who are also involved in the daily process of recreating these great cars.

Brian learned his trade at Vincent panel beaters in Alexandra, Central Otago. A move to Mandeville, near Gore, to work at vintage aircraft restorer The Croydon Aircraft Company proved to be the turning point, as creating complex curved panels for the likes of vintage De Havilland aircraft furthered Brian’s ambition to build a C-Type Jaguar. I asked Brian, why a C-Type?

“They just look right. I love the C-Type shape, which is very different to the D-Type.

They just seem to have more practical appeal as a road car, too,” he said.

Time to get serious The time had come to make some serious decisions as to the future direction of building these cars. Brian took the courageous decision to go out on his own, building them full time. Interest from buyers appeared to be there. He took on the challenge in what was a huge leap of faith in a relatively unknown market and at a time when classic motoring was certainly not as well-developed or as popular worldwide as it is today.

I first caught up with Brian in early 2002, while I was working for a rural newspaper.

Vintage aircraft fascinate me, and I had

“It doesn’t cost any more to make something pretty!”

— Jaguar founder, Sir William Lyons

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FEATURE 50 Years of Camaro

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50 YEARS OF

FIFTY YEARS AGO THE BRAND-NEW CHEVROLET C A M A R O W O N A M E R I C A’ S H E A R T, A N D I T ’ S S T I L L G O T I T. F O L L O W T H E C A M A R O ’ S S T O R Y, FROM 1966 TO NOW …

Words: Connal Grace Photos: Adam Croy, NZCC Archive

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