theMillwatermag
millwatermotors Classy Cruiser with a Difference
This month, we meet Lee Bowles and learn about his latest motoring passion. Lee moved north from Hawkes Bay a couple of years ago, after deciding that the time was right for a new start, a new area, a new job and new people. Lee has been involved in the motor trade for some 25 years, having started in tyre sales and risen to group leader of tyre shops in Napier and Hastings. He later opened new tyre shops in Hamilton and Wellington for one of New Zealand’s largest, independent tyre distributors. There’s not much Lee doesn’t know about wheels and tyres! After moving North, Lee was first employed in Warkworth but soon afterwards joined Cranefield Automotive & Tyres in Silverdale, where owner Heath Moy leads a great team of happy and skilled auto technicians. Heath, originally from Puhoi, started in the motor trade at the age of fifteen and has owned and operated Cranefield Automotive & Tyres for the past eight and a half years. It was from Heath that Lee bought his dream cruiser about 9 months ago. The gleaming 1968 Chevrolet C10 350 cubic inch V8 ute was imported into New Zealand from sunny California about six years ago. The Chevy is largely unmodified mechanically and has stock running gear. The excellent condition has been maintained since arriving in New Zealand and you might think it similar to other C10s of the same vintage until you look into the loading area, where the finest American oak provides a deck that looks as good as any dining table I have ever seen. Indeed, you could literally eat your dinner off the polished rear deck! Lee uses his C10 as a fair weather cruiser and is delighted with its smooth-running reliability and comfort. Needless to say, with owner Lee being a tyre specialist, it runs on only the very best rubber. Knowing that I would want to photograph the car for theMillwatermag, Lee arranged for it to have the full valet treatment beforehand, including the engine bay, by Silverdale Car Grooming at 4H Titan Place. It was there that I held the photo shoot and thrilled to the sound of the big V8 as it was rolled out. Some of the images are shown here. Asked about his plans for the future, Lee beamed with pride in his present job and company. “There’s no better place I could imagine working” Lee said, “All of the team at Cranefield Automotive & Tyres are the best mates I have known and it is great working for such a committed boss”. Modesty precluded Lee from being photographed beside his pride and joy but you can meet the man himself any day up at Cranefield Automotive & Tyres, applying his extensive skills very happily in the tyre bay.
