Banks Peninsula VCC _ October 2019

Past Events.

The Opening Run. A typically diverse range of club vehicles turned up at Little Poms in Kilmore Street for our first motoring event of the season. Proper vintage cars were represented by the majestic Vauxhall 23/60 of George and Karen Calder, the Pidgeon Fiat 501, and the Lightfoot Standard. There were a trio of MGs, including a modified MGA recently here from Australia, an Austin Healey 3000, a Citroen D, and for the first time in some years the Pidgeon family 1966 Prince B200, driven by Meg and Kate, bravely representing the next generation. Michael bought the Prince in the 1980s, before he had acquired taste and discernment, and after it broke down, very sensibly put it in the back of his cavernous garage, where one might have reasonably assumed it would rust to death. However, this Prince was made of sterner stuff, or better metal than other Japanese cars of the era, and over the years, through a process of attrition and pressure from female Pidgeons, fought its way out into the daylight and onto the road, much to the delight of Meg and Kate.

The route took us past Deans Bush and over the Kahu Road bridge by the back of Boys High, where, in the far off 1960s, so I am told, it was possible to make a car airborne if approached fast enough, and several irresponsible pupils, all pillars of society these days, did just that in the family car that their trusting parents had let them take to school. My father’s Singer Vogue was never the same. The route continued out to the south west of the city and then headed west via Clintons Rd, Ridgens Road and Coaltrack Road to Hororata where Kate and Richard Foster joined us in their 1923 Sunbeam. It was also noted that the Calder Vauxhall had avoided the shingle road section and gone straight to morning tea. While we were all in the Hororata Domain, a Model A tourer came puttering past, and after a quick chat and suitable introductions from Richard Foster, decided to join us on the rest of the run. The owner, Glen Kimber, has recently purchased the A, and much persuading was done to try and get him to join the branch.

The rest of the run was a straightforward drive through the Rakaia Gorge and onto Methven and our destination, the collection of our host Bruce Williams. Bruce McIlroy was already there, having set off at dawn in the Silver Ghost from Ashburton, and he chugged bravely into the paddock just before us, having managed the long climb from Ashburton. Bruce Williams, (no relation) has a very interesting collection of Citroens, and I had long felt that the sight of massed Citroens, all bristling with technical innovation, would bring joy and wonder to the owners of British cars. And I was partially correct, as some of them wondered why anyone would bother! Pride of place is a 1929 Citroen Kegresse, a half track vehicle based on the Citroen B series of the 1920s. Kegresses were the first vehicle across the Sahara, Central Africa, the Russian Steppes, and many other supposedly inaccessible places, as Andre Citroen sought to publicise the Citroen marque in the 1920s. Very few survive today and Bruce’s example is one of two in the Southern hemisphere. Another interesting vehicle was a 1937 Citroen Diesel truck, one of the earliest diesel vehicles in production, and one of three survivors.

According to Bruce, it’s slow, noisy and smoky, which tragically means that a Citroen model and Austin 7s have something in common. There was a 1924 A series Cloverleaf model which was bought from Dutch museum, a 2CV, a Light 15, a D Safari, a CX Turbo 2, and a CX Turbo Diesel that holds the speed record for a diesel car travelling from John O’Groats to Lands End. There was a Porsche GT3 and GT4, and a 2018 Citroen C1 diesel that Bruce imported which does 80mpg. All in all, a fascinating and diverse collection of vehicles, and even the diehard Eurosceptics were impressed.

Many thanks to Bruce for his hospitality, and to Louise Russell and Michael Pidgeon for organising an interesting route.