NZCC 355 preview

GRAEME CROSBY — TT, SUPERBIKE, AND 500CC SENSATION NEW ZEALAND CLASSIC CAR JULY 2020 ISSUE 355

FORD FALCONS XP AND XA • AMC JAVELIN • MINI 1000 • TAIPAN • SLOT CARS PART TWO

MUSCLE GARAGE SU N DAYS O N

N O O L A S ND FAMILY A E P U O C R VOU A L F L L FU

S N O C L A F E T I R U O V A F O TW

ISSUE 355 $10.99 INCL. GST JULY 2020

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MINI 1000

YO U N G L O V E

MOTORMAN

THE 911 EXPERIENCE

AMC JAVELIN

SUBTLE MUSCLE

S LOT CA R C LU B S — TH E HA PPE N I N G ’60 S AN D ’ 70 S SCE N E FO R COO L KIWI KI DS

IN THIS ISSUE

#355

July 2020

FEATURES

2

6

XP Ford Falcon sedan

16

XA Ford Falcon coupé

26

AMC Javelin

36

Slot cars rule!

48

Leyland Mini

F A M I LY H E I R L O O M

B O L D , B R I G H T, A N D B E A U T I F U L

PITCH-PERFECT

A H I S T O R Y O F TA B L E -T O P M O T O R S P O R T PA R T T W O

JOURNEY OF DISCOVERY

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26

6

48 COLUMNS

56 KITS AND PIECES

Taipan — quirky Kiwi 62 LUNCH WITH

Croz talks 68 MOTORMAN

911 excitement 78 PRICE ON

Enjoying Level 1 80 MOTOR SPORT FLASHBACK

Unleashed by TV

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Feature: 1965 Ford Falcon

ONE ONE LADY LADY OWNER OWNER 6

NEW ZEALAND CLASSIC CAR

When Trevor sold his much-cherished 1965 Ford Falcon in 2003, little did he know that 12 years later it would be back in his tender care

By Trevor Stanley-Joblin, photography Sophie O’Grady and John McDonald

I

n late 1994, my wife Lorraine and I were running the Annual All Ford Day, which we had started back in 1986. The venue for that event was at

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Queen Elizabeth II Park, commonly known as QEII Park, site of the 1974 Commonwealth Games.

About a week before the event in

November, Lorraine received a phone call from a lady saying she wished to sell a 1965 Falcon that she had purchased new. When I came home, Lorraine enthusiastically told me about the phone call. I wasn’t all that keen as we already had too many vehicles. But with Lorraine’s encouragement, I went along to see it anyway.

Well, as soon as the lady opened the garage doors, I knew I was going to buy it. Dark metallic blue with two-tone blue vinyl trim, with a cream Americanstyle steering wheel — I just could not believe my eyes! The Falcon was in as new a condition as you could expect ISSUE 355 / JULY 2020

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Feature: 1973 Ford XA Falcon 500 coupé

16

NEW ZEALAND CLASSIC CAR

LEMON LEMON SQUASH SQUASH THEMOTORHOOD.COM

When the opportunity arises to rescue a car that just about fits in your collection, and you are Bryan Menefy, you jump at it By

By Shane Shane Wishnowsky, Wishnowsky, photography photography Aaron Aaron Mai Mai

ISSUE 355 / JULY 2020

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Feature: 1970 AMC Javelin

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NEW ZEALAND CLASSIC CAR

SUBTLE MUSCLE If there is such a thing as a subtle muscle car, the AMC Javelin is a strong contender

By Ian Parkes, photography Cameron Webster and Ian Parkes

I

ts lines are undeniably muscular with period-correct bulging haunches and the long fastback flying buttresses. This first-generation AMC Javelin also has an era-defining, deeply recessed, squared-off ‘venturi’ grille. The pillarless doors create a perfectly proportioned aperture when the front and rear windows are wound down, and it has the correct big V8 rumble from its twin tail pipes.

This 1970 example’s Golden Lime paint is also pitch-perfect, straddling both the ’60s and ’70s, familiar and unfamiliar at the same time. It looks right but you

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won’t recognize it as a standard colour from any of the big three American motor manufacturers. Which is another subtle success because the car was made by a company actually called ‘American Motors Corporation’ (AMC).

Owner Donald Webster says the reaction from almost everyone, and especially from muscle car fans, is, “What is it?”

It’s something of a coup to have a coupé that is undeniably a muscle car — almost a perfect expression of the genre if you don’t subscribe to the bigger-is-always-better mantra — yet

Donald’s not a fan of American cars’ driving dynamics; he finds Mustangs impossibly vague which is bafflingly unknown.

Donald rates it above Mustangs, which, for all their popularity, aren’t famous for their handling.

Donald’s not a fan of American cars’ driving dynamics; he finds Mustangs impossibly vague. He drove a ’67 Mustang not overly endowed with the kind of power that can get you into trouble, but Donald, who is a keen participant in the annual Targa New Zealand tarmac rally and therefore no mean wheelman, said he “never knew where it was going to go”.

ISSUE 355 / JULY 2020

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Feature: 1979 Leyland Mini 1000

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NEW ZEALAND CLASSIC CAR

Mini mission, big rewards In his classic Mini restoration, young Ben Leathwick found new friends, new interests, and went on more than one journey of discovery

By Quinton Taylor, photography Quinton Taylor and Rebecca Dore THEMOTORHOOD.COM

ISSUE 355 / JULY 2020

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Star Insurance marketplace Send your enquiries, questions, and comments to carsforsale@classiccar.co.nz

Elise Series 2

FLOWER POWER

Some think Lotuses are delicate. They have their fans here but the Elise could always handle more

By Ben Selby

L

otus founder Colin Chapman was a bright fellow to say the least. His mantra of “simplify, then add lightness” was revolutionary when it came to making cars. In Colin’s mind, even washers on some of his Grand Prix cars were considered to be extra weight.

However, after Chapman’s death in 1982, some argued Lotus’s move to sell upmarket luxury sports cars did not reflect the lightweight heritage the Hethel-based company was known for.

In 1996, Lotus went back to its roots with the Elise, a sports car offering the bare essentials of driving, without sacrificing day-to-day usability.

The Lotus Elise has been a part of George Maddever’s life for 20 years.

Having owned, raced, and modified just about every variant of the car, he knows better than most how the Elise saved Lotus from bankruptcy.

“Cars like the Mazda MX-5 showed there was a market for back-to-basics driving-thrills minimalism, and Lotus had

failed to tap into that with the M100 Elan of the early ’90s. The Elise was no less usable than a traditional sports car such as the MX-5 or Porsche Boxster, but it was just so much better to drive. Yes, it was minimalist, but only in terms of luxuries; the necessaries were all still there,” says George.

Malcom James is the owner of a Series 1 (S1) Elise and reckons that the Elise is underappreciated in New Zealand.

“In a country where horsepower is what a lot of people crave, not everyone sees the appeal of a little 1.8, but the power-to-weight ratio and the handling on a twisty hill road are hard to beat. The fact the design is so true to the original after over 20 years is a great testimony to the concept,” he says.

Overlooked and underappreciated

Because of this Kiwi reluctance to embrace the Elise, it has never been

as highly sought after as some of its European alternatives, leaving many enthusiasts having to import cars privately.

“The market in New Zealand is a bit isolated from the rest of the world, so it does vary from time to time. There have been times when it’s been much cheaper to import an Elise from the UK than to buy locally, and also the other way around,” says George.

With so many special editions of the Elise around, it is unlikely yours will be the same as your friend’s.

The S1 is starting to creep up in value as the Elise that started it all ascends to classic status. “Standard S1s are likely to fetch up to the early $30K mark for really tidy cars and rarer variants. In the UK, S1 values are climbing as good cars get scarcer. The S1 and earlier S2 [Series 2] cars represent the most affordable way into Elise ownership. A Rover-powered S2 in New Zealand can probably be had for somewhere in the low-to-mid $20K range, whereas a supercharged 111S is probably

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more like $30K to $40K,” he says.

After 2005, the Elise got Toyota power thanks to the rev-happy 2ZZ-GE VVTi four-cylinder. As a result, prices for these cars creep up slightly.

“Toyota-engined cars sit at around $30K though to $40K, with a late supercharged car being more a $40K to $50K car,” George explains.

This is confirmed by Malcolm. “Later S2s with Toyota motors are likely to be $30 to $40K, and be prepared to pay more for high-revving VVT engines and supercharged SC versions,” he says.

The Series 3 (S3) is the current Elise and was the last one to be sold new in New Zealand before Lotus left this market a few years back. As a result, with many of them just out of their manufacturer warranty, this modern classic is worth the most.

“For 2010 models onwards, be prepared to pay in excess of $50K to $60K, depending on the model and history,” Malcolm tells us.

Buy on condition

According to George, an Elise will hold its value: “Elises tend to depreciate very slowly. Obviously, there’ll always be cars with dodgy history that’ll go for cheaper and special edition cars, which can go for more.”

Once you have set your sights on the Elise of your dreams, you must do

your homework on maintenance and running costs. However, the old rather unfair suggestion that ‘Lotus’ stands for ‘Lots Of Trouble, Usually Serious’ doesn’t necessarily apply to Elises.

One of the world’s greatest classic sports cars, period. It offers one of the most epic drives for under $50K “In reality, they’re very cheap cars to run. They’re frugal on fuel and consumables and whatever engine they come with. The engine itself was designed for a mass-market hatchback, so it’s not terribly exotic or expensive to get spares for or maintain,” explains George.

The biggest thing buyers need to be aware of is the condition of the Elise’s revolutionary aluminium chassis, undertray, and clam-shell body panels, as any significant damage to these can be an expensive fix.

“Even minor damage can be expensive to repair given the large clam-shell body panels, and any

Elise Series 1

chassis damage can pretty much write a car off, as the bonded aluminium tub isn’t really repairable in the same way as a steel-monocoque or tube-frame car is,” reveals George.

The Rover K-series engine found in the S1 and earlier S2 Elises developed an appetite for head-gasket failure, but this can be sorted easily.

“Most would agree the Toyota reliability is a major draw, although some say they lack character and torque. In reality the Rover gets a raw deal due to the head gasket failure reputation, but the problems are well known and can be fixed if dealt with competently, and if you don’t overheat the engine excessively. They’re a really neat engine when well sorted and looked after,” says Malcolm.

The Elise is not only one of Lotus’s greatest hits, it is also one of the world’s greatest classic sports cars, period. It offers one of the most epic drives for under $50K. If this tickles your fancy, buy on condition and service history rather than on age or mileage. Talk to the previous owner or owners, and do your research on the car itself. Also, get involved with the New Zealand Lotus community. Many owners know of the condition and history of a large number of the Elises residing in New Zealand.

Keen drivers queue here. 

Elise Series 3

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