Beaded Wheels Issue 347 August/September 2017

CLASSIC, VINTAGE AND VETERAN MOTORING FOR 70 YEARS

Beaded Wheels No. 347 August/September 2017

NEW ZEALAND’S FOREMOST HISTORICAL MOTORING MAGAZINE $7.95

HADSTOCK GYMKHANA

9 418979 000012

EARLY AUCKLAND COMMERCIAL VEHICLES MGB ROAD TEST MAGAZINE OF THE VINTAGE CAR CLUB OF NEW ZEALAND

Brian Walker, Dunedin, supplied this photograph. It came from his recently deceased neighbour Kate Thompson with the following information.

Frank Warrington Oakden age 16 went to Napier from Dunedin to train as an engineer. His father, also Frank Oakden, sent his daughter Vivienne Oakden, age 21, to look after him. After back arriving back in Napier she was given this car for looking after him.

It is believed that she was one of the youngest New Zealand women

management committee Contact National Office for all queries regarding VICs, logbooks, historic race licences, lighting endorsement, registration of vehicles, address changes, subscriptions, membership cards, speed events.

The Vintage Car Club Of New Zealand (Inc.) National Office, PO Box 2546, Christchurch 8140 Phone 03 366 4461 Fax 03 366 0273 Email admin@vcc.org.nz

branches ASHBURTON PO Box 382, Ashburton 7740 ashburton@vcc.org.nz AUCKLAND PO Box 12-138, Penrose, Auckland 1642 auckland@vcc.org.nz BANKS PENINSULA 27 Showgate Ave, Riccarton Park, Christchurch 8042 bankspeninsula@vcc.org.nz BAY OF PLENTY PO Box 660, Tauranga 3140 bayofplenty@vcc.org.nz CANTERBURY PO Box 11-082, Sockburn Christchurch 8443 canterbury@vcc.org.nz CENTRAL OTAGO C/- 4B Roto Place, Wanaka 9305 centralotago@vcc.org.nz

2 Beaded Wheels

to own a car. According to her, now 97 year old, daughter Kate Thompson, she was never a good driver so it was just as well the speed limit was only 25 miles an hour.

Please note this information changes annually - these details are valid until October 2017.

PRESIDENT Diane Quarrie 06 876 4009 president@vcc.org.nz

REGISTRAR Rod Brayshaw 07 549 4250 registrar@vcc.org.nz

CLUB CAPTAIN NORTHERN REGION Paul Collins 027 292 2204 nicc@vcc.org.nz

SPEED STEWARD Tony Haycock 021 662 441 speedsteward@vcc.org.nz

CLUB CAPTAIN SOUTHERN REGION Alon Mayhew 027 202 9491 sicc@vcc.org.nz

BEADED WHEELS CHAIRMAN Kevin Clarkson 021 0270 6525 kevin@vcc.org.nz

SECRETARY/ TREASURER Michael Lavender 03 325 5704 hon.sec@vcc.org.nz

COMMUNICATIONS & MARKETING OFFICER Ross Holden comms@vcc.org.nz

Ed Boyd 06 348 4547 mgmt3@vcc.org.nz Tony Bartlett 06 867 9850 mgmt1@vcc.org.nz David Yorke 06 358 8060 mgmt2@vcc.org.nz

ARCHIVIST Don Muller 03 385 6850

archivist@vcc.org.nz

A full list of branch addresses and contact details can also be found on the VCCNZ website at www.vcc.org.nz CENTRAL HAWKE’S BAY C/- 94 Mt Herbert Road, Waipukurau 4200, centralhawkesbay@vcc.org.nz EASTERN BAY OF PLENTY PO Box 2168, Kopeopeo Whakatane 3159 easternbayofplenty@vcc.org.nz FAR NORTH C/- 64 Mangakaretu Road, RD2, Kerikeri 0295 farnorth@vcc.org.nz GISBORNE PO Box 307, Gisborne 4040 gisborne@vcc.org.nz GORE PO Box 329, Gore 9740 gore@vcc.org.nz HAWKE’S BAY PO Box 3406, Napier 4142 hawkesbay@vcc.org.nz

HOROWHENUA PO Box 458, Levin 5540 horowhenua@vcc.org.nz KING COUNTRY C/- 34 House Ave, Taumarunui 3920 kingcountry@vcc.org.nz MANAWATU PO Box 385 Palmerston North 4440 manawatu@vcc.org.nz MARLBOROUGH PO Box 422, Blenheim 7240 marlborough@vcc.org.nz NELSON PO Box 3531, Richmond 7050 nelson@vcc.org.nz NORTHLAND PO Box 17, Whangarei 0140 northland@vcc.org.nz

NORTH OTAGO PO Box 360, Oamaru 9444 northotago@vcc.org.nz NORTH SHORE C/- 7 Godwit Place, Lynfield Auckland 1042 northshore@vcc.org.nz OTAGO PO Box 5352, Dunedin 9058 otago@vcc.org.nz ROTORUA PO Box 2014, Rotorua 3040 rotorua@vcc.org.nz SOUTH CANTERBURY PO Box 623, Timaru 7910 southcanterbury@vcc.org.nz SOUTHLAND PO Box 1240, Invercargill 9840 southand@vcc.org.nz

SOUTH OTAGO C/- G. Beaumont, Tuapeka Mouth, RD 4, Balcultha 9274 southotago@vcc.org.nz SOUTH WAIKATO PO Box 403 Tokoroa 3420 southwaikato@vcc.org.nz TARANAKI C/- 297 Huatoki st, New Plymouth 4310 taranaki@vcc.org.nz TAUPO PO Box 907, Taupo 3351 taupo@vcc.org.nz WAIKATO PO Box 924, Hamilton 3240 waikato@vcc.org.nz WAIMATE 4 Harris St, Waimate 7924 waimate@vcc.org.nz

Please note this information changes annually - these details are valid until October 2017.

WAIRARAPA PO Box 7, Masterton 5810 wairarapa@vcc.org.nz WAITEMATA C/- Embroidme, 23E William Pickering Drive, Rosedale, Auckland 0632 waitemata@vcc.org.nz WANGANUI PO Box 726, Wanganui 4540 wanganui@vcc.org.nz WELLINGTON PO Box 38-418, Petone, Wellington 5045 wellington@vcc.org.nz WELLSFORD/WARKWORTH PO Box 547, Warkworth 0941 wellsfordwarkworth@vcc.org.nz WEST COAST C/- 17 Loris Place Greymouth 7805 westcoast@vcc.org.nz

Beaded Wheels

Beaded Wheels

Issue 347 August/September 2017

Publisher

FEATURES

THE VINTAGE CAR CLUB OF NZ (INC.) The Historic Vehicle Authority of New Zealand ISSN 0113-7506 Vol LXVIII No. 347

Editorial Committee Kevin Clarkson (Chairman), Judith Bain, Bevars Binnie, Rosalie Brown, John Coomber, Mark Dawber, Marilyn McKinlay.

Material for Publication Reports of restorations, events, road tests, historical and technical articles should be submitted to beadedwheels@vcc.org.nz.

Email of text and photos is preferred, digital photographs should be high resolution eg 300dpi. Alternatively mail your contribution to PO Box 13140, Christchurch 8141, typed or neatly printed, double space on one side of paper only. No payment is made to contributors. The opinions or statements expressed in letters or articles in Beaded Wheels are the author’s own views and do not necessarily express the policy or views of The Vintage Car Club of NZ (Inc).

Stuart Francis gives his Velocette MAC a full strip down, see page 12.

Email beadedwheels@vcc.org.nz

Advertising Address Classified and Display Advertising to: PO Box 13140, Christchurch 8141.

Phone 64 3 332 3531, Fax 64 3 366 0273 Rate schedule available on request.

12

1946 Velocette MAC

16

Commercial Vehicles in Auckland prior to 1915

22

No Minor Feat – 2017 North Island Club Captain’s Tour

24

John McIntyre’s MGB Behind the Wheel of a 1965 MGB roadster

30

2017 Hadstock Park Gymkhana

33

The Joys of Owning my First Car

34

Irishman 2017

36

Rally Snippets Wanganui – 100 Years Parapara Highway Celebration Wellsford/Warkworth – Winter Woollies Wander Nelson – Sandy Bay Hillclimb

Back Issues Available on request to PO Box 13140, Christchurch 8141.

Correspondence & Editorial Contributions Phone 64 3 332 3531, Fax 64 3 366 0273 PO Box 13140, Christchurch 8141.

COLUMNS

Subscriptions

4

President’s Message

4

As We See It

5

VCC Events

6

National Office News

Typesetting & design by RGBDesign Printed by Spectrum Print Ltd, Christchurch.

7

Mailbag

Closing Date for October/November Issue

9

Mutterings of a Mature Motorcyclist

9

Captain’s Log

10

The Way We Were

11

Timelines

38

Brass Notes

40

50 Year Awards

42

Book Reviews

43

Marketplace

49

Swap Meets & Rallies

52

Idle Torque

62

Passing Lane

Beaded Wheels subscribers change of address to PO Box 2546, Christchurch 8140.

Phone 03 366 4461, Fax 03 366 0273 Annual subscription (6 issues) $45* inc GST Australian subscription (6 issues) NZ$76* Other countries (6 issues) NZ$136*. *Payment by credit card will incur additional bank fee processing charge of 3%

Wanganui members celebrated 100 years of the Parapara Highway, see page 36.

Production

Editorial Copy Advertisements

24 August 2017 10 September 2017

The Vintage Car Club of New Zealand (Inc.) National Office Phone 03 366 4461 Fax 03 366 0273 Email admin@vcc.org.nz

Postal Address PO Box 2546, Christchurch 8140, New Zealand.

Address 12 Aberdeen St, Christchurch, New Zealand.

Website www.vcc.org.nz Copyright Information The contents are copyright. Articles may be reproduced complete or in part provided that acknowledgement is made to “Beaded Wheels, the magazine of The Vintage Car Club of New Zealand (Inc)” as the source. Beaded Wheels reserves the right to digitally store all published material for archival purposes.

If you’re inspired by Greg Price’s MGB roadtest (pg 26), this little beauty is up for sale, see marketplace page 43.

COVER Like us on facebook Beaded Wheels

George Kear Junior (Morris Mini Cooper) on his way to finishing 2nd overall at the Hadstock Park Gymkhana. See page 30.

Photo: John McDonald Beaded Wheels 3

president’s message

Since writing my annual President’s report, the long awaited Earthquake-prone Building Amendment Act into effect as of 1 July 2017. The 30 year timeframe mentioned in my report was based on advice received from the Christchurch City Council prior to that date. As of 1 July, the new Act removes local councils’ requirements to have their own individual policies and creates a single national policy. As a consequence we have 15 years (until 30 June 2032) to complete the required upgrading and repairs to National Office, unless the building is assessed as low risk and low use in which case it may be possible to seek a 10-year extension.

It was interesting to read that France has announced that it will outlaw the sale of all petrol and diesel vehicles by 2040.

France is by no means the only country aiming to ban combustion-powered cars in some form. Germany wants to do away with 100 percent combustion-powered vehicles by 2030, as does India. The Netherlands and Norway wish to do so by 2025.

This will eventually have a flow-on effect in New Zealand as our government agencies look to what is happening overseas when considering policies and regulation changes. I am not sure what this may mean in terms of being able to continue to drive our historic vehicles wherever we wish but the Vintage Car Club must be ever vigilant to ensure that this can continue.

As discussed in my last column, membership numbers are now the highest they have ever been. Of interest is that over the last ten years we have gained an average of 574 members every year. It is disappointing that also over the last ten years, an average of 440 members resign each year. This figure does not include those members who have died. The loss of this number of members every year tells me that we are not looking after our members (particularly newer members) and perhaps they do not feel welcome or part of the Club. This is an area that we can all work on. Retaining a major portion of these members every year would make a huge difference to our membership base.

I would like to make a correction to the message from the Management Committee which was inserted in the last 4 Beaded Wheels

as we see it issue of Beaded Wheels regarding Notice of Motion (2) in which it was stated that the rationale from the Proposer and Seconder of the motion suggested running two programmes side by side. This was not correct and their rationale did not propose that.

You will all have your voting papers for the two Notices of Motion. These must be returned to National Office by 8am on 7 August 2017. Please refer to the insert in the last issue of Beaded Wheels for information. If you are unable to find it, contact the National Office and they will forward you a copy.

After the AGM last year I made mention of the disappointing attendance from members at AGMs over the last few years. Maybe for members from outside the area, the travel and accommodation costs of the weekend precludes them from attending. If so, what can we do about that? Could it be that the use of modern technologies has increased the communication among us all and members are getting all the information they need by these avenues? Or could it just be that as long as our subs don’t go up and members can continue driving their old vehicles and having fun, then they are happy to leave the governance of the Club to others?

I urge those members in the Marlborough region to come to the meeting this year which will be held in Blenheim on 12 August. It is chance for you to meet the Management Committee and to socially interact with members from all over the country. I look forward to seeing you there.

Our VCC National Day is all revved up and ready to go. See the advertisement in this edition of Beaded Wheels. This is a simple concept with, hopefully, big returns to the Cancer Society and also to our Club in terms of publicity and public perception of what we are about. I am disappointed that some branches have elected not to participate in the day but hopefully they will be able to gear up for next year and, if practicable, maybe those branches that are not taking part could join in with a neighbouring branch for this year. I thank those branches that are participating for their enthusiasm and contribution to this event and I ask all members to support their Branch and their Club on our National Day. Diane Quarrie VCCNZ National President

Volunteers, the country runs on them.

Everywhere you go there are volunteers doing things for their community, for their clubs and for other people. The VCC, a large club covering the length and breadth of New Zealand, is run by volunteers. Sometimes those who don’t know or understand how things work, snipe from the sidelines. That’s OK – we get used to that. Only recently a speaker at the Federation of Motoring Clubs AGM took a shot or two at the VCC. He said that membership is dropping – it isn’t, we have more members than ever before. Of course, we are not resting on our laurels in this respect and are always encouraging new members. He also indicated that we should welcome members of any age and sex. Does he think we do not allow women into our club? Many of our members are female, as is our National President.

He also suggested that we change our name. All this from a person who is not a member and therefore could not know what we are doing or know in any detail how the club works. As always, when faced with criticism we can benefit most if we take on board the good points and discard the rubbish.

The members of the Management Committee, its sub-committees, the officers of our 36 branches and the members of their branch sub-committees are all volunteers and without their input nothing would happen. When a member feels that we are not doing enough, or maybe doing something they regard as being wrong they, quite rightly, are not shy in coming forward to tell the volunteer in charge of that particular aspect that they should reconsider. Sometimes they are less than polite when they offer their sage advice which is a shame.

Frequently I get compliments from members about Beaded Wheels and occasionally a brickbat or two (a snipe from the sideline) just to keep my feet on the ground. Whenever I am complimented I point out that Beaded Wheels is produced by a team of volunteers and I usually pass the positive comments onto the team at the first opportunity. Any worthwhile suggestion is always considered.

Kevin Clarkson Chairman, Beaded Wheels

This list of events is compiled from the VCCNZ National Calendar of Events, and branch events as listed in each branch newsletter. Any deletions, additions, alterations need to be notified to Beaded Wheels by the Branch Secretary before 10th of the month prior to magazine publication

2017 VCC National Events

16 Manawatu 16-17 Taranaki

11 August 12 August 27 August

Executive Meeting, Blenheim National AGM, Blenheim VCC National Day

AUGUST

5 6 6 12

Taranaki Canterbury Marlborough Canterbury

Brick Run Winter Run Onamalutu Run Annual Round the Bays M/C Run 12 Marlborough National AGM 13 Waikato Motorcycle Run 13 Wairarapa Janice Groves Memorial Run 15 West Coast Morning Tea at Shantytown 20 Canterbury Night Trial & High Tea 20 Marlborough Marlborough Trials 26 Rotorua Sulphur City Rally 27 National VCC National Day 27 Canterbury Rally for Cancer 27 Marlborough Car Show at Brayshaw Heritage Park 27 Gisborne Club Run 27 Otago Rally for Cancer 27 West Coast Club Run 31 Otago Mid-week Run

SEPTEMBER

2 2 3 9 9

Banks Peninsula Waimate Sth Cant Canterbury Marlborough

9 Otago 10 Auckland 10 Wairarapa

Levels Race Meeting Swap Meet Opening Run with Ashburton Women Drivers’ Rally WOF day, Blenheim Testing Station Night Rally PV / PW / P60 / P80 Rally Peter Smith Memorial Rally

Vintage Rally Rubber Duckie Motorcycle Rally 17 Canterbury Motorcycle Rough Run & VICs 19 West Coast Morning tea Shantytown 23 Central Otago Blossom Rally 23 Canterbury Awards Dinner 24 Waikato PV / PW / P60 / P80 Rally 24 West Coast Club Run 24 Central Otago Wings & Wheels Alexandra Airport 30 Otago Dunvegan Motorcycle Rally

OCTOBER 1 6-8 8 14 14 14 14-15 15 15 17 20-22 21-22 22-24 28 28-29

Waikato Canterbury Wairarapa King Country Southland Manawatu Canterbury Otago Waikato West Coast Hawke’s Bay Auckland Sth Cant Sth Waikato Wairarapa

29 Canterbury 29 Gisborne

NOVEMBER

3-5 Northland 4 Canterbury 4 Otago 4 Southland 4 Wellington 5 Sth Cant

Kairangi Hill Climb Swap Meet New Members’ Rally Journey Through Time Vintage / PV Rally Swap Meet Girder Fork M/C Rally PV/P60/P80 Rally Motorcycle Run Morning tea Shantytown Safari Hunua 100 Rally Mt Cook Rally Dam Run Peter Chisholm Memorial Rally Veteran Annual Rally Club Run

VCC Events 5 11 11 11-12 11 12 12 18 18 17-19 17-19 19 19 19 19 21 24 25 26 26 26 26

Waikato Canterbury Nth Otago Southland Sth Otago Bay of Plenty Wairarapa C. Hawke’s Bay Otago Auckland Canterbury Horowhenua Sth Cant Taranaki Waikato West Coast West Coast Wairarapa Banks Peninsula Canterbury Gisborne Sth Waikato

Veteran Rally Vintage Rally Swap Meet Arrowtown Motorcycle Rally Clutha Rally Swap Meet Stretched Gymkhana Veteran Run Commercial Veteran Rally M/C Rally & Swap Meet Show Weekend Tour Tararua Trundle Rally Vet/VV /Commercial Rally Potters Paddock Gymkhana Swap Meet Morning tea Shantytown Club Run Gold Medal Motorcycle Rally Ruapuna Homestead Run Ladies’ Run TTT Rally

Far North Tour Annual Motorcycle Rally Taieri Tour Commercial Rally 60th Annual Rally Motorcycle Rally

While Beaded Wheels makes every attempt to check the accuracy of the dates published in this column we advise readers to confirm all dates with the individual branch concerned.

Find out more about the Vintage Car Club Join our enthusiasts as they motor their classic cars, trucks and motorcycles.

Visit vcc.org.nz to download membership application forms or contact your local branch directly for application forms and details.

See page 2 for contact details of your nearest branch.

Beaded Wheels 5

Julie Cairns-Gee

National Office Manager VCCNZ Inc National Office, PO Box 2546, Christchurch 8140 ph 03 366 4461 fax 03 366 0273 email admin@vcc.org.nz www.vcc.org.nz Office Hours Mon – Thur 9-5pm

national office news National Annual General Meeting The Club’s Annual General Meeting and Executive Meeting take place in Blenheim on 12 August 2017. The Executive also meet on 11/12 August.

The executive is made up of one delegate from each branch plus the Management Committee. Your delegate will report on the proceedings. The minutes for the Executive Meeting are distributed to each branch secretary and all members will receive minutes of the AGM, branch office details and a list of calendar of events as an insert in the October/November issue of Beaded Wheels.

Branch Annual General Meetings Branches around the country have all held their annual general meetings and as a result there are a number of new committee members. I would like to welcome all the new committees and thank all those who stood down for their assistance over the past years. The work that the committees put in to running the Club and assisting with the work undertaken by the National Office, is greatly appreciated.

Vehicle Identity Card (VIC)/ Authenticity Statement Requirements Vehicle Identity Card/Authenticity Statement applications must go to your branch which will deal with them. The only exception is a straight change of ownership with no alterations to a vehicle.

In this case, ask your branch secretary for

a VIC change of ownership form, complete this and return it to the National Office.

All applications for Vehicle Identity Cards and Authenticity Statements must include photos of the vehicle. Applications cannot be processed without these.

If you require a lighting endorsement for a vehicle, you must complete both the Vehicle Identity Card/Authenticity Statement application form and Lighting Endorsement form and return these to your branch secretary for processing.

Change of Address Please advise the National Office in writing if you have changed address or vehicle ownership.

Branch Transfer To transfer between branches complete a transfer form. This can be obtained through your branch secretary.

VCC Speed Events It is compulsory for any member entering a VCC Speed Event to hold a current VCC Historic Racing Licence and VCC Log Book for the vehicle they are using.

If you currently hold a VCC Historic Racing Licence, please keep an eye on the expiry date and if it needs renewing please complete the Historic Race Licence Renewal Form and forward it, along with $23, and a new one will be issued.

All application forms for the above are obtainable from your branch, the VCC website or the National Office.

VCC ID Cards Renewals Please note that all VCC ID Cards expire upon change of ownership, or 10 years after the issue date (whichever comes first). The VCC National Office will send a renewal advice out to owners of vehicles who have VICs due to expire.

EVERYONE WELCOME For more information, including cost to enter, more specific event details and the local contact person, visit vcc.org.nz

VCC NATIONAL DAY SUNDAY 27 AUGUST 2017

Subscription Time Again!

Renewal invoices will be sent out to all members in September 2017 for the period 1 November 2017 to 31 October 2018.

To receive the discount of $11.50, payment must be received by the National Office no later than 20 October 2017. If you don’t receive your invoice then please let your branch secretary know before the end of September so they can advise the National Office. You don’t want to miss out on the discount because the postman has lost yours!

Members who have not paid by 1 November 2017 will show as unfinancial.

One reminder notice will be forwarded and the $11.50 will be payable.

Membership cards are forwarded to financial members in November Please advise National Office if you have changed your address or sold/ purchased any vehicles. It is also appreciated if you notify the office that you wish to resign, by 31 October 2017.

The option is given for payment direct into the Club’s bank account. Please remember, you must put your membership number as the reference for the payment.

This is very very very important!

Beaded Wheels Beaded Wheels is the voice of The Vintage Car Club of New Zealand (Inc.) and its 36 branches covering the length and breadth of the country. The efforts of our members continue fostering and ever widening the interest in this segment of our country’s history. It is to these people, who appreciate the fascination of age, the individuality and the functional elegance of vehicles from a bygone era, that this magazine is dedicated.

Beaded Wheels – Our long established title may have readers wondering about its origin. By way of explanation beaded edge wheels use beaded edge tyres that are kept in place by reinforced rubber beads, which fit into the rolled edges of the wheel rim. This style of wheel was a distinctive feature of early motoring being used on early bicycles, many pre-1924 cars and most motorcycles until 1927.

In March 1955 The Vintage Car Club of New Zealand adopted the title Beaded Wheels for their club magazine which was the successor to the monthly Guff Sheet.

mailbag The editorial committee reserve the right to p­ ublish, edit or refuse publication of any item ­submitted as comment. The views expressed herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily express the policy or views of the Vintage Car Club of New Zealand (Inc.) or the publishers. Letters may be edited for length and clarity.

Setting the record straight Beaded Wheels issue 345 carried part one of my article Early Indians and the 1914 electric-Start Hendee Special. A couple of errors were made which I would like to correct. Over 200 different marques of motorcycles were marketed in the US between 1900 and 1936, not, as stated in 1901 when Carl Oscar Hedstrom was designing the first Indian. Also, of that number only about 60 marques were built for two or more years.

Regarding the production of Indian ‘clone’ motorcycles during 1903–1907 years. It appears that the Aurora Automatic Machinery Company, who built the Indian motor, also sold complete sets of parts (motor, frame, forks) sufficent to build exact Indian replicas such as the Thor, Thor-Bred, Thoroughbred and Reading Standard (plus others), rather than Aurora building them in-house as stated. Some enthusiasts of the day rather condescendingly referred to these clones as half-breeds. Today we would use the term badge-engineered as a more polite description. This practice appears to have faded from the scene once Indian began producing their own engines at the newly acquired State Street factory in 1907. By 1905 Reading Standards appeared with their own fuel tank, oil tank and front fork, a sign that they were already showing new designs and moving away from the Indian camel-back look. My apologies for any confusion regarding the above points, may I put it down to having a senior moment or two.

I would also like to acknowledge the following authors and their books which comprehensively cover the Indian marque, I am indebted to them for their many years of research and study on the subject. The late Harry V Sucher, The Iron Redskins; Tod Rafferty, The Indian–The history of a classic American motorcycle; Jerry Hatfield, Indian Motorcycle Photographic History; Antique American Motorcycle Buyers Guide (1903-1936 From Ace to Yale) and Standard Catalog of American Motorcycles 1898-1981.

Bob Bullock Name Terminology Our dating system is obviously confusing not only to members and the general public but also to our Registrar

mailbag who wrote the article on page 30 of Beaded Wheels 346.

In his opening sentence he states “It is generally accepted that an Edwardian vehicle was manufactured before 1905”. I don’t know of any country where this is so.

The Veteran Car Club of GB when founded in 1930 only accepted Veteran vehicles manufactured before 1905. In the 1950s it was decided that they would accept vehicles manufactured after this date and up to the end of 1915 and these were classed as Edwardian. Why this was decided on, who knows, as Edward VII was king from 1901 until 1910.

In 1934 the Vintage Sports Car Club was founded and catered for vehicles built Post WWI. This left a gap between Edwardian and Vintage so about 1960 the VCC of GB extended the Edwardian class to include vehicles up to 31 December 1918.

We, the Vintage Car Club of NZ, decided to put both Veteran and Edwardian vehicles into the same class and call them all Veteran. I don’t know why as we have far more than a handful of “proper” Veteran vehicles in our Club.

Dale Conlon Member Nelson Branch Help Needed Between the years of 1982 and 1986 I restored a 1937 Chrysler cabriolet.

I managed to get it completed with just a week to spare before the 1986 Pan Pacific Rally held in my hometown of Christchurch. This great rally was its first outing. Fingers were crossed that there would be no teething problems. Not a single one cropped up. The following year she featured on the front cover of Beaded Wheels number 168, the OctoberNovember 1987 issue. The Chrysler restoration is published on pages four and five.

Unfortunately I had to sell it some years later (a decision I now deeply regret) to finance my 1936 Ford V8 restoration which took 13 years to complete. I sold it to a Mr Mark Ball, an Auckland car dealer. Recently, I was informed that he had passed away and the car is in new ownership. Possibly north of Auckland, I was informed. I would like to contact the current owner in order to have a chat about the Chrysler. Can any of our VCC members help me locate the owner?

Registered number is MI 37. It appears in photos my sister took at the 2017 Art Deco Week in Napier.

Trevor Stanley Email stancar_nzcc@hotmail.com Phone 03 314-8628 fax 03 314-8618

Clipons Vs 50s With reference to Beaded Wheels 346 page 19 entitled Those Fab 50s and in the middle column ‘Something for everyone’.

The following are the correct details which apply.

Clipon – motors that are from 26cc to 50cc that are fitted to a push bike and motor at no more than 35kph. These motors are Cyclemaster, BSA Winged Wheel, Power Pak, Mosquito, Mini Motor, Vincent Fire Fly, Cycleaid, GYS, Motamite, Cairns Mocyc, Rex, and the list goes on including the Cucciola, that was fitted to a pushbike. Velosolex made their motor and their bike and they fall into this category.

Moped – these are specially built and are normally 50cc and most have the Sachs engine with either a two speed or three speed gearbox. These include Cresent, Goricke, and other numerous Sachs engine machines. Phillips Gadabouts, Puch, NSU Quickly, Ducati M55, Mobylette, Victoria Vicky, Zundapp come into this category and they have their own built engines.

Stepthru – These are Honda 50s, Suzuki 50s and similar machines.

I hope this clarifies the story written by Peter Cooper.

Alister McKenzie Member Canterbury Branch Information of whereabouts or add to history 1924 Jowett short two with Dickey seat.

1926-27 number plate on car.

Photo taken in 1927, person on left is George Tatterson but it is not known where photo was taken. George was a meat buyer for the Canterbury Frozen Meat Company and he lived in Rakaia. It is not known whether the car belonged to him or the company.

This car was later fitted with an unused Cooper & Price Triumph 7 body and was sold to someone in Dunedin and from there the trail goes cold.

Sid Bradford chorselght@gmail.com

Beaded Wheels 7

mailbag Where’s the challenge in a modern starter?

Way back in 1957 I was the proud owner of a 1936 Y type Ford 8. It was a good one, only 21 years old, and it had survived the war. One Saturday morning I decided that as I could afford the one shilling and seven pence ha’penny for half a gallon of petrol I would take my fiancé into town in style.

The car was kept parked outside on the side of a meadow opposite my place in East Anglia, England and this morning showed a remarkable resistance to start.

Having explained to my young lady, who was unable to drive, just what to do with each pedal I tried unsuccessfully to push start it along the road. Lifting the near side (left) bonnet flap I was endeavouring to pump petrol up to the carburettor when at that moment we were being overtaken by a horse-drawn two wheeled dung cart the horseman momentarily lost control of his hairy Clydesdale creature. The nearside wheel of the dung cart, a big fat balloon tyre, climbed onto my offside (right) running board and ran right up the front mudguard, quite flattening it, and almost tipping the dung cart over. We went on the bus!

Fortunately I was able to pick up a perfectly good mudguard, complete with an exceptionally good headlamp, for just thirty shillings from a wreckers. This was actually an improvement as the lamp bracket on the destroyed mudguard was rusted away and the light would wave around all over the place, generally in the trees where thankfully it didn’t dazzle oncoming motorists.

A sequel to this is that some wise person informed me that my engine wouldn’t start on a frosty morning because the coil was cold. This got me to thinking.

Using a little paraffin lamp designed for a baby’s bedroom with a flame as big as a candle flame, I stood it on the chassis under the coil on the opposite side to the petrol, then covered the bonnet with an old mat. The next morning when I came out the car was covered with 10 inches (25cm) of snow so I put my two hands under the snow on the bonnet and pulled the mat off complete with the snow. I unlatched and lifted the offside bonnet flap and removed the tiny lamp which was still burning. I then turned the key on, pulled the choke out and took the crank handle out from under the seat. I poked the crank into the little hole of the radiator and fiddled it around until it located with the notches on the end of the crankshaft, gave it a tug upwards and it started first time.

The nearside wheel of the dung cart, a big fat balloon tyre, climbed onto my offside (right) running board and ran right up the front mudguard, quite flattening it and almost tipping the dung cart over.

Nowadays I get into my car, dab a little butto, the engine starts, my seat goes forward and I’m away. I think that manufacturers have taken all the fun out of starting a car. Times were when one could take some measure of pride in his ability to start an engine on a frosty morning. Though it’s just as well I suppose, now that I am old and grumpy,

it’s as much as I can do to push start my little motor bike and I still keep a wary eye open for horse drawn dung carts.

David Mayhew Rotorua 1948 Hudson Commodore It was interesting to read the recent letters regarding these very rare American post war Hudson cars which appeared on New Zealand roads mostly as private imports. This accounts for their rarity because the distributors did not utilise their valuable licences just to bring just a handful of expensive US built cars into the country competing against cheaper Canadian sourced CKD units assembled here by GMNZ and Ford NZ. The customs tariff for fully imported US built vehicles was about 40% at that time while most Canadian built cars attracted only 16% duty because of prevailing Commonwealth preference tarriff rates.

However, when the 1948-53 step-down Hudsons arrived in New Zealand they caused a sensation wherever they were parked. Auckland and Waikato areas seemed to have a lot of these cars but it was in Wellington that I recall two of the most attractive examples, a 1949 Pacemaker convertible in light blue and a 1951 Hornet convertible in maroon owned by a local motor vehicle dealer.

Only a few of these unit-built cars survived because rust took a massive toll of their frameless underbodies and there was a parts problem too. Better to have bought that Dinky toy model.

Colin Miller

6

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Big End Knocks

mutterings of a mature motorcyclist I’ve been reading again, always a dangerous pastime because it sets my twisted brain working. I found Geoff Hockley’s account of the very first Christchurch to Akaroa and return sidecar reliability trial on 6 June 1913. It was 104 years ago when the 11 masochists lined up in Manchester Street to set off at 8.30am with an observer in the side car complete with stop watch and note book. The object of the trial was to try and achieve a nonstop run and a possible score of 1,000 points. An engine stop or a wheel stop cost points. Bear in mind that even the main road was a mix of mud and wagon ruts with, no doubt, a few horseshoe nails. The field consisted of four King Dicks, a couple of Matchless’, a pair of Triumphs, a BSA, Rudge, Rover and a Douglas. This event was won by one Harold Jones on his King Dick twin with 983½ points and next man was Fred Howarth just 2½ points behind on his Triumph outfit.

Alon Mayhew South Island Club Captain

captain’s log I have been encouraged lately by the response from members about gaining more interest in the club, especially from younger people. Most branches I speak to have ideas on how to coax people along.

In fact talking with Julie at head office we have hit an all time high for membership numbers.

I am excited about our National Day on the 27th later this month. It has

When you consider they had belt drive and fragile hub gears, and common practice was to fit chains on the back wheel for grip in the clay, the mind boggles.

For the 1914 trial the committee of sadists decided it had been too easy in 1913 so they decided the route would be a little more difficult. Same starting point in Manchester Street then off to Lyttelton, Purau, Port Levy over Wild Cattle Hill to Pidgeon Bay, Duvachelles via the Summit Road, Akaroa for lunch and return by way of the main road.

No less than 26 starters lined up for this event again with the intrepid observers in the chairs where they had to stay for the whole trip, strong bladders being essential.

The field once more was dominated by King Dicks and Triumphs (all belt drive) but a team of four Clynos with all-chain drive showed promise. The rest of the field was made up of BSAs, Chater-Leas and an Indian that would also have been chain driven. To achieve a non-stop run over that route even today seems like an impossible task and to a third of the starters so it was. The choice of sidecars was interesting. Wicker-work jobs were the choice for lightness but there were still the coach built bodies that at least gave the observer a modicum of comfort. Even today that route is the sort of trip that most people would think twice about with their modern machinery and the road is now

mostly seal and not too horrible gravel.

I don’t know quite what form the tyre chains took but if you wanted a non-stop run they had to be fitted at the start.

Anyway Harold Jones did it again on his King Dick with a perfect score of 1,000 points. I can only say he must have been one heck of a tough cookie and scored a nice lightweight observer in his basket.

The second man home was ‘Smiler’ Smith with his Clyno and 999 points. This was questioned and he lost a point for stopping to light his gas lamp. Harold’s observer then confessed that his charge had also stopped to light his lamp so it was evens at 999. But that wasn’t all, poor old Smiler’s bloke said that his man had stopped again to light the rear light so bang went another point so 998.

How many sidecar outfits are there in the club? It would be quite an event to re-enact sometime in the future. The modern three-wheel brigade might even be coaxed in to joining the fun.

As an aside did you know how the King Dick got its name? The firm were toolmakers and living next door to the factory was one “Abingdon King Dick” a champion bulldog. It seems he frequented the workshop and became sort of a mascot and his head is depicted on the spanners they made and on the crankcase of their motors. There you are, another gem of useless information you didn’t want know about.

BW

the capacity to lift our profile in the community extensively. Everybody likes to support a good cause and the Cancer Society is as good as they come. I don’t think there is anyone anywhere who has not been affected in some way by cancer.

With the invitation to all car-related groups and every mum and dad, with kids and dogs in tow, we can expect the day to be a huge success. If what South Canterbury Branch did a while back is anything to go by then the public at large are in for a real treat and this National Day event will be all that it hoped to be. A word of warning though, that we as older vehicle drivers, (the cars not us), need to be very aware of how we drive and how we are seen to drive or we will have the opposite effect on those we are trying to attract. I have mentioned previously in my log that I consider the best way to get younger people interested in our hobby is to get them behind the wheel and let them have a drive. I don’t think any of the

branches are planning long excursions on the 27th so why not try it and see the faces light up at the prospect. This year is only the beginning and next year we can build on the success and go from strength to strength, so encourage all your friends and family to come along and enjoy the day.

On a different note, winter is a good time to do those jobs that you have been putting off till you aren’t motoring.

Replacing that bit of wire holding the muffler up or the temporary fix you did for that sticking door catch. Also a great time to check the oil and maybe change it ready for spring and hitting the road again, and don’t forget the antifreeze! And for those hardy souls, who are still doing it out there pounding the pavement, good on ya.

We are fortunate in New Zealand to be able to motor when and where we please and we have so many service groups to keep us that way. Long may it continue, but we must do our part.

Beaded Wheels 9

Andrew Anderson

the way we were Last issue the “brash youngsters” carried out the first highway closure for motor sport for our first Kiwi hill climb and invited moderns along. Needless to say, the younger and sportier of the modern Club’s members weren’t slow in getting the message and very close cooperation with these Canterbury Car Club members, and our speed committee, ensued. Our climb was in September 1948 and by December the Canterbury Car Club had got an early morning closure of the Main West highway between Aylesbury and Kirwee for both standing starts and flying sprints.

Charlie Stanton, after his very impressive run with the ex-Scott ex-Bruce Stewart 3 litre Bentley at the Kiwi, was determined to really take it to the moderns at Aylesbury and duly did so with a 90.14mph average in both directions for the flying quarter. Bear in mind that the west road has a distinct gradient! The Vintage cars turned out in support and I gave the Panhard et Levassor one of its first major runs as restored. New running boards, a set of rings and gudgeons, paint job, valve grind and good clean up gave us a good 45mph cruise. Years later, the Turnbull twins were to give the car a real restoration and would regularly put 50 miles into the hour.

The Vintage/modern cooperation had rapidly further developed into the Motor Racing Club and its support company, NZ Motorsports Ltd (75% modern, 25% VCC)

Andrew Anderson and John Waymouth returning from viewing the Stanton 90.14 mph at Aylesbury December 1948.

that was to stage New Zealand’s first full scale motor racing meeting at Wigram, 26 March 1949.

Whilst this was going on, it gave members a real buzz and increased our networking and interaction. The limitations of the one-day runs and excursions were becoming obvious and pressing and once again resulted in a New Zealand pioneer effort, The Weekend Rally. Our long association, via the McLaughlins, with the Ellesmere district made Leeston our obvious choice and Ashley Fagan, the proprietor of the Leeston Hotel, an understanding and terrific host.

A good entry of interesting cars, a challenging morning timed trial to a Doyleston lunch break and on to John’s Taumutu “track,” finished with an excellent session and dinner at the hotel followed by everyone going to a country dance. Mrs Fagan’s unfailing hangover-

curing breakfast, a gossip session in the hotel yard (see photos below) and we were off to another session of short match races and sprints at Taumutu and a drive home, Panhard with two grass-stuffed tyres on arrival.

There’s nothing to beat a good convivial evening without having to drive home. And shared hangovers beat having one all on one’s own.

BW

2-3 April 1949. Leeston –14/40 Sunbeam and Panhard. Brian Joyce, Harry Newbery, Rob, Frank, Tony, Keith Newbery and AAA.

Rob Shand MG TA (with Wigram number still up) at Leeston. Rob and Tom Clements 2-3 April 1949.

10 Beaded Wheels

2-3 April 1949. Leeston – Fiat 510S. Keith Newbery, Harry Newbery, Tony Brogues, Rob, Frank, AAA and Bill Clark.

historical snippets of motoring interest from years gone by Graeme Rice

timelines 100 YEARS AGO

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1917 – When tendering for supply of staff cars for use by the US Army in France, makers had to quote their output. Ford claimed they could build 1400 cars a day, Dodge 200, Overland 110, Studebaker 35, Saxon 35 and Scripps Booth 16. “Some delivery schedules display the immense output of the big American makers” stated the Motor magazine.

75 YEARS AGO 1942 – NZ Motor World got to road test the New Zealand built Universal Bren Gun Carrier describing it as a light, hard hitting armoured fighting vehicle weighing about four tons. It was a triumph of 50 manufacturers nationwide working together to produce the 1120 parts needed for each vehicle. Production of 40 carriers a month was planned for the first five months, but monthly output rose to 130 after just three months.

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1967 – Alvis cars fell victim to mergers because of a lack of enthusiasm on the part of its parent company and years of underinvestment in new models. Manufacture ceased in September 1967 after 48 illustrious years with around 20,500 high performance cars sold. Arguably the company had peaked in 1938 when the 4.3 litre was described as the fastest unsupercharged production car in the world. In August 1938 Autocar magazine concluded “In the scheme of things there are cars, good cars and super cars – Alvis definitely falling into the latter category.”

30 YEARS AGO 1987 – If ever there was a case of false advertising going unpunished, 1987’s notorious Tyvec® paper lifetime licences would have to be top of the list. Replacing popular little booklets which could record a driver’s entire history by way of the coloured coupons added annually, the lifetime licences quickly became dog eared and tatty. Originally intended to last 50 years, they were replaced in 1999 by the credit card sized photograph licence. A short lifetime.

Beaded Wheels 11

1946 Velocette MAC Stuart Francis

1946 Velocette MAC.

The story starts in 2014 when Mossy (a local character with an eerie ability to unearth old motorcycles) told me, and my friend Donald, about a stash of barn find motorcycles that the owner wanted to sell. To whet our appetites he had a couple of photographs of the machines.

I call them photographs but they looked like they were taken at the bottom of a disused coal mine with a box brownie using a failing torch for illumination! Donald and I were sufficiently interested to quickly arrange the 10 hour trip north to Kaikoura before anybody else stepped in. I was particularly interested in the near complete 1938 Velocette MAC which the owner said was virtually ready to run.

12 Beaded Wheels

W

e arrived at the appointed time to find the owner wasn’t there but would be back in five minutes – he turned up two hours later.

The place was a boat repair yard, car customisation yard, scrap yard and rather disorganised. After squeezing our way into the dark recesses of the boat repair shed we were shown into a large unlit store room where the machines were located.

Half an hour later we had some lights and found a treasure trove of machines ripe for rebuilding or restoration. I bought the Velocette, a 1924 L24 BSA and a 1915 Douglas. Donald bought a 1918 BSA and a 1924 Douglas CW. After spending half an hour cutting a path through dense undergrowth around the back of the boat shed we were finally able to extract the machines and load them onto our trailer.

The first M series Velocette, the 250cc MOV, was introduced in 1933 and the sophisticated well engineered machine sold well. Velocette quickly introduced the 350cc MAC which continued in production relatively unchanged until 1951, when a new aluminium cylinder head

and barrel were introduced. The “Ally” MAC continued in production with a swinging arm frame, telescopic forks and a new gearbox until 1960. The 500cc MSS was introduced in 1935. Housed in the stronger KSS frame it continued until 1948. An updated MSS was introduced in 1954 with a swinging arm frame and a new aluminium cylinder head and barrel, continuing until 1969.

It was a week later that I finally got the Velocette up on the work bench and had a really good look at what I had bought. It was at this point I started to have doubts; the heavy weight girder forks were only loosely assembled, the steering column was back to front, the lower frame was a casting like the military model and the frame number had a different suffix to what I expected. I did check the engine number in the gloom of the storeroom, but now realised what I thought was a three and two were actually an eight and seven. After a bit of head scratching and detective work I found out I had a 1946 MAC, one of a batch shipped to

MAC Velo.

Initial strip down.

MAC Velo cylinder head.

Ally MAC racer before rebuild - wrong engine.

New Zealand just before Velocette introduced Dowty forks.

My next step was to check over the engine and gearbox. Turning the engine over showed little compression and it made a slight clicking noise. Checking for a spark produced an occasional anaemic glimmer. Hoping for better from the gearbox, I could only find three gears and a clutch that did not seem to want to separate.

I had already decided that this was going to be a rebuild, not a restoration, retaining as much patina of age as I could.

The first thing I tackled was the lack of compression. Removing the rocker covers revealed the reason, the inlet valve was partially stuck open and the clicking noise was the pushrod that had jumped off of its rocker end. A light tap with a drift and the valve snapped back in to place.

I then decided to whip the head off, redo the valve seats, ream out the valve guides and check the inlet pushrod for damage.

I was pleasantly surprised with the state of the head with only a tiny bit of rust in the inlet guide, the probable cause of

the sticky valve and an indication the machine had been standing for a long time. The inlet port had been polished and opened out slightly. The pushrod was also in good condition with just a couple of small witness marks.

The cylinder bore was in reasonable condition but the earlier type barrel, with less finning, had a number of damaged and cracked fins. Fortunately I had a later barrel in the pile of spares that came with the bike and after a quick hone and with new piston fitted it looked good. A quick check for end float and big end wear indicated the bottom end was ok.

The next job was the magneto. After taking off the timing cover I noticed that one of the screws was only held by gasket goo. Velocette magnetos have to be in top form to get a good starting spark as the low geared kick starter only turns the engine over about half of the speed of most other machines. A good clean up, re-magnetising, replacing the pickup and resetting produced a very healthy slow speed spark. The magneto was run on my homemade test bench for an hour to make

MAC racer after rebuild.

sure everything was ok. The loose timing cover screw was a bit of a pain, the lug it screwed into had split, however a repair with plastic metal soon had it fixed.

The gearbox was a bit of a mystery.

Everything seemed to be in the right place with perhaps a touch too much end play, however the gear-shaft bearing retaining cup and nut on the end of the gear-shaft were missing. A careful rebuild getting the end float just right and making a bearing retaining cup produced all four gears and a smooth gear change. The clutch was another matter altogether, broken springs, badly repaired clutch plate drive dogs, friction inserts missing and home-made clutch release pins of slightly different lengths. The Velocette parts book was invaluable in sorting out what I needed and the nice people at Grove Classic Motorcycles sent me all the bits by return post.

There are a lot of myths and legends about setting up Velocette clutches because of the unusual clutch release mechanism, however after following the handbook instructions I have never had Beaded Wheels 13

Spares.

Finishing the wiring.

gentle adjustment with a piece of wood and a hammer soon had it fixed.

Test riding the MAC Velocette.

any problems. The only issue I have had is with a machine that had the wrong clutch lever, the distance between the centres of the pivot and nipple hole should be 11 ⁄16", any smaller and there is insufficient clutch cable travel.

Fabricating the missing mudguard stays was a tedious process. Getting them to sit properly and line up took more time than I care to remember. After rebuilding the front forks I fitted a new front tyre which rubbed on the mudguard. A quick check found the new tyre was slightly wider than the old block pattern one but not enough to account for the rubbing. After a lot of head scratching, checking the front wheel, measuring the rim to fork clearance and consulting the front wheel drawing in the handbook, I came to the conclusion that the wheel had been rebuilt with the wrong rim offset. A few hours work with a spoke key soon reset the offset.

The rest of the rebuild was relatively straight forward. A new wiring loom in cloth covered cables and the exhaust pipe and silencer (well past the point of re-chroming) blasted and painted in high temperature matt black, finished it off nicely. She was ready to run five months after I bought her.

The unusual Velocette starting drill is well known so I won’t repeat it. After a few 14 Beaded Wheels

kicks and a bit of carburettor tickling she burst into life for the first time making a screeching noise like a bacon slicer trying to cut through a piece of metal. A quick check found the dynamo pulley rubbing on the inner dynamo cover, gentle adjustment with a piece of wood and a hammer soon had it fixed. After a bit of carburettor tweaking the engine ran cleanly, it returned oil and sounded great. The first run up the road gave a hint of what a great machine this was.

MAC engines are well known for wet sumping. On her first public outing she disgraced herself by depositing a cup full of oil on a school hall floor at a local motorcycle show – boy, was I popular! I have now installed a tap.

The first real test was the Switzers Run, a local two day rally for girder fork and low powered machines. Things went well on the first day until changing gear just felt odd, I thought my foot had gone to sleep but it turned out the gear pedal adjuster was slipping; easily fixed. On the way home the following day, (having just left the Mandeville British Bike Day – where she won a prize) the clutch became difficult to operate with an increasing amount of slack in the cable. The clutch-less ride home was challenging.

The subsequent strip down revealed the

MAC café racer.

gearbox output bearing retaining ring had come loose allowing the whole clutch to move sideways; easily fixed.

So what is she like to ride? The first thing I noticed is how small it feels with a 29 inch seat height, but even somebody of my bulk can feel comfortable. Once properly set up it starts easily if you follow the Velocette routine and first gear snicks into place cleanly. Acceleration is good, even with my weight, and it moves quickly through the gears, I usually change into top at 25mph. She will easily get to 60mph, probably has a bit more to come, and can keep up with most of the 500s from the same era. Brakes are a bit of a disappointment. Like most from that era they lack bite and fade too easily. The handling is good, steering is very light and positive, it steers straight hands off. I ride with the steering damper just biting.

She has a solid dependable feel with a bit of vibration through the handlebars and footrests around 50mph. I use the sidestand most of the time as the rear stand is a bit of a pain to get down.

Despite all of these problems the bike got under my skin and I really enjoyed rebuilding and riding her. I must say I was impressed with the overall concept and engineering quality of what is really an early 1930’s design.

Rigid MAC racer part way through rebuild.

Donald wrangling the five motorcycles.

Checking end float on the café racer.

Epilogue About a year after buying the MAC, a friend of a cousin phoned to say he had a 1938 MAC restoration project plus a few other Velocette bits and pieces that he wanted to sell. He lived on the outskirts of Christchurch and was thinning out his large motorcycle collection before his house was finally rebuilt following earthquake damage. After another quick discussion with Donald we arranged to go up, the vendor told us to bring a big trailer. When we got there we found out he was selling far more than the 1938 MAC, the package included: a MAC café

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racer project with a swinging arm conversion, a rather rough MAC racer with a swinging arm conversion, two rigid frames one which had lugs for rear-sets, a set of girder forks, tanks, crankcases, barrels, heads, tin-ware and about 250kgs of bits!

After getting home I took a long hard look at what I had, quickly concluding that the 1938 MAC would be a ground up restoration and little different from the 1946 MAC – I eventually swapped it for a 1926 Rudge basket case. However the other bikes really took my interest. The MAC café racer project, with the swinging arm conversion, had been very neatly done

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Some of the treasure left behind.

with just a few things to be finished off, including replacing a cracked crankcase, easily undertaken with all the bits I had.

The MAC racer with a swinging arm conversion and Triumph front forks and brake, had obviously been up the road a couple of times but it had lots of potential.

The rigid frame with lugs for rear-sets and the girder forks seemed a good basis for a rigid racer. So I now have four Velocette MACs all with very different looks and characters.

BW

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FREEPOST 1757, Beaded Wheels, PO Box 13140, Christchurch 8141 Beaded Wheels 15

ck.

Andrew & Andrew tru

Bus purchased for Aucklan d City Exhibition.

Commercial Vehicles in Auckland prior to 1915 Words Barry Birchall

Ryan & Co for ton truck imported by The Milner-Daimler 5 w Plymouth.

Ne of m llu Cu Mr Mc

The first motor cycle arrived in Auckland in 1899, the first car a year later and these have been well documented. It was another five years before the first commercial vehicles arrived.

T

he Auckland City Council passed a resolution in 1903 forbidding motor buses and lorries on the roads unless the vehicle was preceded by a man walking with a red flag. I could not see where they enforced the law. Smith and Caughey purchased a single cylinder Cadillac through Dexter and Crozier in 1904. The van body was built by Cousins and Cousins in Lorne Street and it was 16 Beaded Wheels

first sighted on the streets of Auckland in October 1904. Smith and Caughey replaced the Cadillac in 1913 with a 15hp Albion.

In 1904 W A Ryan imported three Milnes-Daimler 20hp chassis from England. One was sent to Mr McCallum in New Plymouth as a truck to move coal and the other two were bodied in Auckland by Cousins and Cousins with large tram-like bus bodies. The first bus, named Pioneer, seated 16 passengers and the second, Advance, seated 25. Pioneer was used on the run to Howick which started on 2 June 1904. The bus left the Northern Club at 11am and returned in the afternoon. There was quite a party in Howick the day the first bus arrived. When the vehicle broke down or got bogged, as it did in the winter,

Early truck , no further details avai lable.

they would send the mechanic out in a single cylinder Oldsmobile, or by horse and cart, to assist. It would have been no mean feat for the mechanic to move a three ton vehicle on solid rubber tyres stuck in the mud. It was reported in the New Zealand Herald at the time that the noise from the bus resembled a traction engine and that the ride was very rough. On 15 September 1904 the newspaper reported that the bus had broken four axles in two weeks and would be off the road for a few days.

The horse bus had been taking two and a half hours to make the journey to Howick but the Milnes-Daimlers could make the journey in an hour if they did not peel off a tire, break an axle, have problems with the steering gear or get stuck in the mud. In October the Milnes-Daimlers were taken

Devonport Steam bu ses.

details available.

Early truck, no further

1 ex 1910-191 Ariel Simpl

off the Howick run and used instead on runs to Mt Roskill and Mt Eden where the roads were better. The two buses were apparently not a success as by 1906 they had been sold to a bus company in Timaru.

A fourth chassis was imported for a bus service between Dargaville and Te Kopuru but whether it went there we can’t be sure.

We do know a third Milnes-Daimler went to Howick and this could have been sold later to the same company in Timaru. In December 1906 W A Ryan had a major fire and lost one truck and 15 cars. Was it the fire or warranty issues around the buses that caused the name to disappear in 1909?

About three months later the Takapuna Bus Company purchased a 1904 GardnerSerpollet steamer and two Chelmsford steamers which were based in Devonport.

Early Dennis fire engine.

Cousins and Atkin in Auckland were the agents and also built the bodies on the three vehicles. The Chelmsfords seated 16 people and the Gardner-Serpollet nine.

The Chelmsfords were used between Devonport and the lake while the GardnerSerpollet was used for auxiliary services off the main route. The vehicles were fitted with 30hp steam motors with an ordinary working pressure of 350 lbs and heated by kerosene. In 1905 two more GardnerSerpollets were added to the fleet and the bodies extended to carry 12. The steam buses were not a great success and within two years the company had disappeared. In September 1907 the two Chelmsford steam buses and the three Serpollet buses were for sale in Henning’s garage. Henning’s were unable to sell all of them and they

may have been broken up for scrap. A motor for one of these Gardner-Serpollets was recently for sale on the internet. The Devonport Ferry Company, a new company in 1913, acquired three 28hp Dennis buses which they ran between Devonport and Milford, and purchased a fourth one a year later. The ferries, steam tramway system, and the buses on the North Shore were established by a syndicate of property developers.

In 1905 the Auckland City Council acquired a large Straker steam ‘waggon’, imported through Norman Heath & Co in Wellington. The vehicle was first exhibited at the Olympia Motor Show in London in 1905 and was referred to by the media as “a monster tipping wagon made for the Auckland City Council by an English Beaded Wheels 17

Birkenhead bus.

firm�. The Council purchased a second Straker two years later. In 1908 the council made some alterations to the tipping mechanism and the drawings for the alterations are still held in the council archives.

By 1908 Norman Heath in Wellington had sold about 25 of these vehicles to councils, private contractors, the State Coal Board, and the Meat Export Board in New Zealand. A few years ago when some contractors were working in Newmarket Park they uncovered the remains of one of these giant steam vehicles and Cliff Waite took it home. I am not sure what became of the chassis after Cliff passed away.

In 1906 the Auckland Fire Brigade acquired an Ariel-Simplex which was used for many years as a hose tender and to carry a small extension ladder. It arrived in Auckland as a car and was modified to be a fire tender by Cousins and Atkins. The space where the back seat was normally situated was altered to carry a thousand feet of hose. The 38hp Simplex attended its first fire at the premises of P Book and Company, manufacturing chemists, on

John Andrews bus.

9 October 1906. The Simplex was often seen on the streets of Auckland with seven firemen aboard and was clocked on its first run between Pitt Street and Onehunga in seven minutes. Try to do that today! It was regarded at the time as the fastest vehicle in the country.

In 1909 the Auckland Fire Brigade purchased, through Spinks and Miller, a 45hp, 6 cylinder Thornycroft fire appliance built on a large truck chassis. It was the first Thornycroft to be shipped to the colonies.

In 1910 R & W Hellaby purchased a steam truck and J J Craig purchased a 40hp Daimler from George Henning. The Auckland Fire Brigade purchased their first Dennis the same year.

In 1912 Philip Brodrick purchased a 33hp Crow and The Great Northern Brewery acquired a 40hp Dennis from the Auckland Motor Company. The Auckland Fire Brigade acquired a battery electric Simonis with an 87 foot turntable ladder.

The Mount Eden Borough Council purchased a Commer fire appliance which

was later passed on to the Auckland Brigade when the services amalgamated. In 1934 it was sold to A B Wright and Sons.

The Otahuhu Borough Council had a fire appliance built on an Overland car chassis.

Trucks did not arrive in big numbers until 1913. The Electric Tram Company purchased six 30hp Straker-Squires in chassis form and D S C and Cousins and Cousins built the bus bodies. The buses were purchased to carry crowds to the Auckland Exhibition in the Domain.

Auckland Rapid Transit had a Daimler bus there to deliver people to the Exhibition but I was unable to establish who owned the vehicle. About the same time the Tram Company acquired a 40hp Leyland truck.

Exhibition Drive was constructed at that time as they did not want the heavy buses to cross the new Grafton Bridge and the council still holds a lot of correspondence on this subject.

Hennings were now importing trucks before they had buyers. On 21 May they used a Leyland truck to shift three tons of grain between the waterfront and Epsom,

Auckland suburban motor-bus service. Two of the three charabancs which commenced their running at Devonport this week. Auckland Weekly News 23 October 1913. Photo: Sir George Grey Special Collections, Auckland Libraries, AWNS-19131023-42-3 18 Beaded Wheels

Auckland City Council stea m truck.

the run was timed in both directions.

George Henning had a Daimler bus there and invited all the media along for the ride to watch. It could have been the same Daimler bus we saw at the Exhibition. It took them 17 minutes to make the journey to Epsom. They had to unload the grain and make the return trip to the city. The whole trip was accomplished in 42 minutes.

Albert Mattson, milk vendor and farmer, purchased a Straker-Squire truck and George Wood, farmer, had a 16hp Thornycroft. A year later, when the council tendered for some vehicles, George Wood provided a great reference and in the letter said the truck had now covered 14,000 miles and the only item he had replaced was the petrol filter. John W Andrew in Eden Tce, J H Adams, engineers, J J Evans, carrier of New Lynn, and John Evans, carrier from Mt Roskill, all purchased 40hp Daimler trucks. John Evans had the first truck to come in with electric lights. The truck had a locally built body suitable for carrying goods and passengers.

He provided a service between Mt Roskill and the city. Archibald Brothers, fruit canners from Waikumete, John Crawford, owner of a livery stable, and Stonex Brothers milk vendors all purchased 38hp Lacre trucks from Hoiland and Gillett.

Andrew & Andrew and Grey Menzies, aerated water and cordial manufacturer of Eden Tce purchased Kissel Kar trucks from D S C and Cousins & Cousins. Andrew and Andrew could convert the vehicle to a charabanc if required. John Watson from Eden Terrace had a 30hp Chase truck.

Stewart Brothers in Helensville had an Albion truck. Bertram Buscomb, a farmer from Kumeu, had the first motor tractor registered for road use. The Auckland Fire Brigade purchased their second Thornycroft from Spinks and Miller.

In 1914 Hennings brought in another 40hp Leyland for the Auckland Electric

First Howick Bus.

Tram Company and had a tower built on the vehicle. J H Adam, engineers in Albert Street, and J J Craig also purchased 40hp Leyland trucks from Hennings. Francis Herring, carrier of Ponsonby, and H J Wymer of Otahuhu had 30hp Daimler trucks. Henry Wymer had a bus body built on his Daimler and there is a photo of the vehicle in Pam McLean’s book, Vintage Motoring in New Zealand, with about 50 people aboard. John W Andrew in Eden Tce added a second truck to their fleet, a 40hp Chase. The vehicle could be converted into a charabanc to carry 31 people. Emmanuel Marbeck a farmer of Mt Eden, purchased a 25hp Chase motor lorry from John W Andrew, who by now had the agency.

The Auckland Hospital Board placed an order for their first ambulance which was to be supplied by Spinks and Miller on a Napier chassis. The ambulance cost £650 and was to be paid for by public donations and a small contribution by the Government. The hospital board received 18 quotes for the ambulance. With the war in Europe just starting I don’t think the ambulance ever arrived. C Little and Co, the undertaker, had just had hearse bodies built on both a Kissel Kar and a Daimler chassis.

Robert Ainsworth in Onehunga had a 20hp Thorneycroft, and carrier Frederick Rackham of Rosebank Road had a 25hp Straker-Squire. Harrison and Gash, carriage builders from Newmarket, had an Albion but as they were also motor importers they might not have kept the vehicle. M Mennie Ltd, A C Scott, aerated water manufactures, and Hutchinson Brothers, grocers, all had Albions. A B Smith, carrier from Parnell, had a very attractive 20hp Lacre parcel and luggage van. Auckland Rimu Timber Co of Newmarket and Andrew and Andrew purchased Kissel Kar trucks. Andrew and

Andrew sold grain and had livery stables in Market Square and Otahuhu.

In June 1914 the Auckland City Council called for tenders for three small motor lorries for the Water Dept. It only came about because there were problems in the Waitakere one night and staff could not find transport. They received 14 tenders for the three trucks. The prices went from £517 for the Dennis to £716 for a Commer.

They purchased a Dennis because the supplier had the best price and the vehicle was of good British stock. They bought a Thornycroft because Spinks had a friend in the council and the vehicle offered was of fine British stock. The third vehicle purchased was a Halley and that was only purchased from Dalgetys in Wellington because they had the vehicle in stock.

The Halley delivered to Auckland cost £730. The town clerk said he would not consider the Jeffery or Kissel because they were built in America and parts could be a problem. Some of the vehicles offered had self starters, electric lights and twice the horse power. Those factors were never considered. The council did employ a consultant to look at the tenders but then ignored the consultant’s report. The consultant had suggested they purchase Leylands or Argylls. He said the 16hp motor in the Dennis was too small and the wheels and tyres could be a problem. He did get a quote from Auckland Motor Co to fit a 20hp engine and fix the tyres on the Dennis but this work was never carried out. Most of the companies that submitted tenders supplied the Council with hand books and workshop manuals and these items are still held by the Council among the original tender documents.

Auckland Farmers Cooperative Milk Supply Co and Cunningham & Co both had 40hp Velies. Cunninghams had a regular freight run between Queen St and Otahuhu. Robert Finlay, a coachbuilder Beaded Wheels 19

from Ponsonby, purchased a Dennis and J M Mennie, biscuit and confection manufacturer, acquired a second vehicle, a 35hp Willys. Ernest Griffiths the coachbuilder from Morningside had a 10hp Adams-Hewitt light truck, and Thomas Tooman of Remuera had a Ford T with a van body. Carr and Haslam and the National Piano Coy purchased Jefferys from Dexter and Crozier.

In 1914 the Auckland Fire Brigade purchased three American Kissel Kar fire engines. Maybe it was because the war in Europe had started and they could not get commercial vehicles from the United Kingdom. One of these Kissels has survived as a wreck in Opotiki. The Auckland Fire Brigade also purchased a Ford Model T pickup which was used as an inspection vehicle. Onehunga Borough Council purchased a Kissel Kar fire engine and Devonport Borough Council purchased a fire engine built on a Ford Model T car chassis. This vehicle is now with the Bremner family in Papakura. The Mt Albert Borough Council bought the 1906 Ariel-Simplex from the Auckland Fire Brigade but it went back to the Auckland Fire Brigade when the services amalgamated. On the waterfront the Auckland Authorities ordered a 100hp Dennis Fire engine with a pump that could deliver 800 gallons of water per minute. It was the largest fire engine built by the Dennis brothers at that time. I could find no record of the vehicle arriving here, again maybe due to the war in Europe.

The fire brigades were the first to make the transition from horses to mechanical vehicles whereas the cartage companies in Auckland were very slow to make the change. Maybe the carriers had seen the issues with the early buses at Howick and

Devonport as most didn’t make the move until after WWI. Winstones, New Zealand Express, Laidlaw Leeds, and A B Wright had not purchased a truck in Auckland by 1914. J J Craig only had two trucks and had 350 horses stabled in the city each night at that time.

In 1915 we see the establishment of L J Keys which ran a bus between the tram line in Remuera and St Heliers, and on the North Shore, Birkenhead Transport.

Both used buses built on Chase chassis. By 1915 Crawfords in Howick had replaced their horse-drawn vehicles with new motor buses. After the war the local bodies put a lot of pressure on the Government to import trucks that had been used in the war. The War Office in England would only let the vehicles come out to the colonies if they had been refurbished by the manufacturer first. This could have been to create work for solders returning to the work force. After the war a lot of second hand commercial vehicles did come out to New Zealand from Europe. As an example the Renault charabanc owned by the Auckland Branch was built as a truck in 1915, refurbished in the Renault factory after the war and shipped to New Zealand in 1920. In 1919 the Auckland Hospital Board acquired their first ambulance, a 1914 Daimler, which was war surplus. I have seen photos of Winstone’s fleet taken in 1920 and many of those trucks were pre WWI types imported second hand.

I have to thank Barry Robert, Bruce Madgwick, Alan Meredith, Forbes Neil, Jane Ferguson and Mike Curry who located and copied material for me which I used in this article.

Extract from Progress, 1 November 1905.

Source: National Library of New Zealand, www.paperspast.natlib.govt.nz

BW

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WIN

this limited edition Beaded Wheels cap Here at Beaded Wheels we are always on the lookout for a good article for a future issue.

To encourage you to put pen to paper two lucky authors or photographers per issue will win a limited edition Beaded Wheels cap.

We can accept articles in handwriting, typed or via email.

Post to: Beaded Wheels, PO Box 13140, Christchurch 13140 or Email: beadedwheels@vcc.org.nz High resolution digital photos are preferred.

Please contact me if you wish to discuss an idea for an article. Kevin Clarkson, Chairman Beaded Wheels Editorial Committee. Phone 021 0270 6525 or email kevin@vcc.org.nz Our lucky winners of the Beaded Wheels caps for this issue are Roger Douglas and Owen Wilson

Beaded Wheels 21

2017 NORTH ISLAND CLUB CAPTAIN’S TOUR

No Minor Feat

Words Tony Becker from notes and photos by Annette Meikle Awakino Tunnel.

Two retired Canterbury Branch couples bravely motored a pair of ‘56 Morris Minor convertibles to April’s North Island Club Captain’s Tour. South to North and return is quite an adventure these days, particularly in our old cars.

Peter at Stratford Motel.

Cars at Orakai Korako thermal area.

22 Beaded Wheels

Tony at Stratford Motel.

Outside Taumaruni Museum.

T

he first and last legs of the journey between Christchurch and Picton took nine and a half hours alone, over the extra-long post-quake route.

The dangers of sharing this narrow road with hundreds of road-trains, themselves struggling to match the capacity of unavailable freight trains, plus volumes of other traffic, is downright stressful. The supplementary highway, much of which was new to heavy use, caused several timeeating rebuild and earthquake road repair holdups. Both Peter and Pamela Yeatman and Tony and Annette Meikle’s Morris Minors performed surprisingly well in testing conditions. After driving in tandem from the ferry at Wellington on unfamiliar North Island highways, they received a very friendly meet and greet welcome at the Taupo rally start.

A tour of Orako Korako thermal area was a highlight of the first day. Overnight stays at Taumaranui and National Park followed, taking in the Raurimu Spiral and central North Island mountain plateau scenery. Here the tail end of Hurricane Donna hit, but fortunately the Morries’ lids stayed firmly shut keeping their occupants dry.

On thursday we explored Horopito’s deceased former pride and joys, a dismal sight on a rainy day. Donna’s rain kept pace all the way to the Wanganui overnight

stop and into the next day. On Friday, Ed Boyd’s Museum and Bruce Ardell’s collection impressed. Whanganui Branch were great hosts making everyone welcome, capping the day with a relaxed dinner for tired rallyists.

Saturday was off to Hawera visiting the delightful Tawhiti Museum before motoring to Stratford. Continuing on Sunday, the rally motored the ForgottenWorld Highway, through Whangamomona to Mokau. An afternoon boat cruise beckoned.

Monday’s drive took them to Waitomo and the Kiwi Culture Show before heading to Raglan and taking their evening boat cruise. On the final day, Wednesday, visiting Nikau Caves was a great way to finish the North Island Club Captain’s Tour from which the four Cantabrians took their leave via Port Waikato to Auckland, heading off to support their Easter Rally.

The two South Island entries bolstered only 62 in total which seemed a bit light

by Canterbury Branch standards for their Easter event. After the obligatory Sky Tower visit it was farewell to the far north as they pointed homeward. Overall, Peter, Pam, Tony and Annette covered 2,862 miles (4,608 km) without serious trouble.

BW

Ian Chamberlain’s musical truck at Whanganui.

Whanganui River in flood.

A garage at Whangamora.

Lined up to for the ferry crossing to North Island.

On the road near Hanmer.

Daisy at King Country Car Club.

Beaded Wheels 23

HIN BE

D THE WHE

EL

John McIntyre’s MGB Words and photos Greg Price

“Old Faithful – Without doubt the most popular of all British Sports cars, the MGB was also a great survivor – remaining in production for almost 20 years” So said the UK’s Classic Car magazine, which once determined that the MGB was one of the ten best sports cars.

24 Beaded Wheels

A

t least with this assignment, an MGB was not totally foreign to me, and there were similarities in how we each came to want one. In my case, back in the early 1970s, a work colleague and I used to hang out together as we lived close by. I had a 1956 Mark I Jaguar and he had a 1965 MGB GT. As we both lived approximately five miles from the main highway, we often used to race each other home along a somewhat narrow winding road with limited passing opportunities, save for several long straight bits. The MGB GT was faster on the many corners, whereas the Jaguar excelled on the few straights. Our best time for covering the five miles was 3½ minutes.

Stopping was fun as this particular piece of road went from seal to rough metal within about 25 metres from where we had designated our finishing line. One such ‘race’ resulted in both his sealed beam headlights getting cracked by stones thrown up by the Jaguar’s wheels. Not too much of a problem save for the fact that his wife was about due to produce their first child, and when it was time for her to go to the hospital a

few days later (in the middle of the night – when else?) he had no lights, so he came knocking on my door to borrow a car. Not the Jaguar, of course, after all I knew what his driving was like.

It was not until 2008 that my wife and I decided that we ‘needed’ an MGB, and finished up with a very nice red MGB GT. Keeping it in the family, our nephew also splashed out and bought one of the earliest (1964) MGB roadsters – which he still has.

Unfortunately the earthquakes resulted in us having to part company with our MGB GT (and some other vehicles), but that did not dampen my enthusiasm for the marque, so when Editor Kevin suggested John and Junette McIntyre’s 1965 example for a Behind the Wheel article I jumped at the opportunity to get up close and personal once again.

Back in 2009 John was looking for a driveable classic car for use when he eventually became a ‘kept citizen’ courtesy of his pending retirement, so he went looking for a sports car and eventually settled on an MGB. Initial searches off-shore produced an example in

As purchased.

Finished and ready for action.

Australia that would have set him back about A$30,000, and he would still have had to get it over here. UK examples were just as expensive, and given they use salt on their roads in winter time, buying one sight unseen was fraught with potential problems, given their chassis-less construction, and the potential for them to rust on their inner sills.

However before getting too deep into John’s tale, it is probably opportune to look at the history of the MGB. History of the B series Like many other makes and models, without the second model in a series, the first model might not have gained its eventual name. For example, the Ford Mark One Zephyr did not become known as the ‘Mark One’ until there was a ‘Mark Two’. Likewise with Jaguars, although my 1956 Mark One followed the 1955 Mark Seven – or was it the Mark Eight?

(Go figure.) And don’t start me on the Holden sequence of models. Thus without the MGA, there might not have been an MGB.

According to my research, the boffins at BMC (British Motor Corporation) weren’t looking to build anything revolutionary, rather something to compliment the MGA. BMC also decided to produce the ‘Midget’, which was a revised slightly smaller version of the MGB. The Midget was cheaper and more simple so the MGB was a significant step upwards in comfort and size – and price. There was also a rumour that Pininfarina may have had some input into the styling, and aficionados of this marque could probably show you the similarities in the MGB to other Pininfarina designs. I needed only a glass or two of quality wine to be able to see the Pininfarina influence. Another interesting fact was that the monocoque chassis was decided upon by BMC once the unitary-constructed Sunbeam Alpine was introduced in 1959, and this, together with the success of the stylish Renault Floride, cemented the idea in the mind of MG’s Don Hayter, and the new MGB made its debut at the 1962 Earls Court Motor Show. It quickly became a best seller.

The powertrain included the basic B-type BMC engine that was introduced in the MG Magnette – a favourite with the British Police. The B series engine can trace its beginning back to the Austin A40, which had a displacement of just 1200cc. In the A40 the bore was 65.5mm, whereas in the MGB, the bore was 80.3mm. The MGB’s displacement was 1798cc, which was quite close to the original 1925 MG’s 1802cc. Boring the A40 block out to 80.3mm came at the cost of water cooling between the front

pair of cylinders and the rear, so an oil cooler was fitted in front of the radiator.

In addition holes were added for more cooling spray and more cooling lubricant on the undersides of the pistons. With coil and wishbone front suspension, and a live rear axle, the MGB produced better handling than the MGA. If you want any more technical stuff it’s easy to find on the internet – or just ask to read John’s folder of information. Suffice to say that the MGB is a smart looking little sports car capable of speeds in excess of 100mph.

That’s no slug.

Import? Or buy local?

Is a question that is often bandied about in living rooms near us all. Over time we have all heard horror stories of internet purchases that looked good on the screen but differed markedly once the vehicle was landed in New Zealand. Some years back I viewed a 1959 Chevrolet Belair that looked pristine down the driver’s side (which was the side featured in the internet pictures), and was purchased on the presumption that the other side was similar. However upon arrival in New Zealand, it was found that the passenger’s side had been sideswiped by something akin to a large truck, and was – well, as I would have stated ‘completed stuffed!’ Needless to say the New Zealand buyer was devastated. I don’t think that Chevrolet ever made it back onto the road. In another publication I have frequently cautioned about buying anything unregistered/un-complied and already here in New Zealand that ‘just needs VINning’ (read certification and inspection prior to being allowed Beaded Wheels 25

on New Zealand roads). I have always maintained that for a vehicle for which the seller wants $40,000 plus, common sense would dictate that spending the extra few grand to ‘VIN’ it, would enable it to be sold registered and warranted – a far more satisfactory prospect for the cautious buyer.

But as it is with most things, if a system can be messed with, someone will mess with it. One of the reasons behind a seller not VINning a vehicle is to avoid setting off the NZTA’s radar for individuals selling more than three imports per year. And, something I learned recently is that the importer has to sign some of the paperwork in person, before registration can be finalised. Which is a bit of a problem if you have bought the vehicle from someone residing in Auckland and you are in Christchurch. Be warned. NZTA’s net is cast very wide and simply changing your TradeMe profile name after twelve months doesn’t prevent them cottoning on to your antics.

There is also another old adage that goes like this, “Why do all the hard work yourself when you can simply enjoy the fruits of some else’s labour and money”?

Thus having decided to buy local (within New Zealand) John did the 26 Beaded Wheels

customary internet search of the various auction sites. His attention was drawn to a local Christchurch listing for a fully restored 1965 MGB roadster that had a reasonable starting bid, but no Buy Now. Reading the description, this was looking like one of those ‘too good to be true’ stories, given that seemingly gazillions of dollars had been spent on the restoration,

Reading the description, this was looking like one of those ‘too good to be true’ stories, given that seemingly gazillions of dollars had been spent on the restoration, but this expenditure was not reflected in the start price.

but this expenditure was not reflected in the start price. John went to have a squiz at it and was immediately impressed. So much so that he made a cash offer of some several grand more than the opening bid.

However the seller opted to ‘let the auction run its course’, with a consequence that John subsequently being the sole bidder

scored this great machine for the opening bid. I’m sure the seller was later contemplating that hindsight is a wonderful thing.

The MGB Roadster This particular car was sold new in the United States in 1965. It was apparently in storage from 1990 until 1996. Interestingly the pink slip which is the USA equivalent of our registration certificate (ownership papers), does not show the date / month of registration when new. Notwithstanding this, the MGB was imported from Nevada City, California in May 1996. At that time it had had just two US owners. Looking at the documentation involved in the sale it was interesting to note that the net cost of the vehicle ended up being just over twice the sale price. If you have not been involved in the importation of a vehicle, there are other costs that can ratchet the price upwards significantly.

Not the least of which is GST, which is calculated on the landed price, which will include shipping. Steam cleaning, customs clearance, agriculture permits, inspection fees, do not come cheaply, and of course GST is calculated on the total of these as well. Once the car gets to New Zealand shores, there are more fees, made up of

Customs costs, registration, MAF fees, container unpacking, steam cleaning, and (back in 1996) a left hand drive permit.

The importer by this time had spent nearly twice as much as the sale price just getting it here – and then he decided to restore it, and convert it to right hand drive at the same time. The importer consigned this work to Derek Prentice Classic Cars here in Christchurch, and a professional restoration from the ground up was carried out. The photos show the vehicle when it first arrived (still sporting its California plates) and others show the car once the work was completed. Some 12 months after arrival the MGB was finally registered and warranted. Features include wire wheels, black upholstery with red piping (nice), and the colour is the original Tartan Red. The first New Zealand owner used it as a daily runner for some eight years and fastidiously maintained it (I’ve seen the receipts.). It was converted to right-handdrive, and the engine was modified to run on unleaded petrol. After 2005, the car

was used infrequently, and in 2009, the owner declared that he was ‘over’ MGs, and it was put up for sale having covered just 29,746 miles since its restoration – and John snaffled it up.

In John’s Care As one does when a new ride is sourced, the new owner generally likes to put their mark on the vehicle, and when it is already restored, there is often not too much else that can be done or added. Nevertheless, John decided that a new soft top was in order, along with a new tonneau cover, so these were sourced from the UK, and fitted. As you can see from the pictures, it is a good fit, and looks great.

When John got the MGB, the previous owner passed on all the documentation and receipts including the US pink slip, all of which made for a very interesting read for this scribe. The receipts alone indicated that in excess of $NZ51,000 had been spent on the rebuild. John has had to do a few maintenance tasks on the car.

For example, on noticing that one of the cylinder head stud holes was seeping a little water, the head was removed and heli-coils were fitted to all studs. A valve grind was also carried out at the same time. Other modifications included fitting two 12 volt batteries in parallel to give more cranking power to the starter. MGBs originally came out with two 6 volt batteries in series to produce 12 volts, mounted under the rear seat area.

John’s MGB motor is the later 5-bearing crankshaft, and it has the electric overdrive fitted.

John and Junette have driven the MGB on many VCC events including the 2013 Annual Rally Concours, and scored a 2nd place in the P60 category (excluding concours). In John’s words, they have ‘done a few trips’ including VCC runs to the West Coast (twice) and a trip to Nelson and Murchison for a weekend rally. But best of all, when he was in the MG Car Club, he participated in a club day at the Ruapuna Raceway and managed to take out the lap

Beaded Wheels 27

record for his class (non-competitive). That would have involved some tyre squealing I reckon, especially on the hairpin. I bet he was doing more than 4000rpms down the main straight, too.

The Test Drive And now that part you’ve all been waiting for…..(I certainly was on the day), the test drive. Slithering down into the seat is not that difficult (think Alvis) and there was adequate room for my legs.

Although the brake and clutch pedals are spaced well, the throttle is fairly close to the brake, and also very close to the scuttle which has a speaker mounted on it right where my foot wanted to go. So I had to try not to kick the speaker off every time I went to boot it. With the two 12 volt batteries, the motor turned over briskly and started almost instantly. Synchromesh is not present on first gear and, like so many other English machines of the era, first gear was considered only necessary for hill starts, so John recommended starting in second gear – which I did. There was heaps of grunt for a second gear start. John took it out on to McLeans Island Road and showed me where everything was, then pulled over and we swapped places. Having previously had one, albeit an MGB GT, the recollections of how best to drive it came rushing back, and we drove away in the direction of Off. Acceleration was very good, and the tweaking that had been done to the motor was evident. There was also a really nice cackle to the exhaust, which one can hear as one accelerates and then throttles back. The rack and pinion steering was very direct, and the great28 Beaded Wheels

looking Moto-lita wooden steering wheel, was comfortable to grip and responsive.

There was some vibration from the front suspension which I could feel through the steering wheel but John assured me that nothing would fall off, rather it was caused by the adjustments being a bit more flexible rather than being too stiff.

Remembering that the only power steering in MGBs is ‘armstrong’, I guess that if it was too tight, then manoeuvring tight spots would require much more effort. The overdrive works in both third and fourth gear, (effectively giving six forward gears) and if overdrive is selected in fourth (top) gear, the revs drop by about 1000 so open road cruising would be more comfortable and economical. This is probably why any time an MGB is advertised for sale, the first question asked seems to always be ‘Has it got overdrive’? The gauges are easy to read and are well placed in front of the driver. The hand brake is not the type that requires the button to be pushed to lock it on, so I wasn’t able to demonstrate my handbrake turns. While it was a beautiful fine day, the temperature was not much above about five degrees, so while we had the top down (obligatory in a sports car), I actually didn’t notice the cold air swirling around – until we went past a stand of tall trees, which is when it dawned on me why John had worn a deer-stalker’s hat to the venue. When driving solo, the tonneau cover unzips so that only the driver’s area is open and that aids heating the bottom half. It was probably a bit mean of me to insist that John put the roof up for the photo shoot, knowing that when it’s very cold, stretching the vinyl hood over the

various clips is a bit of a mission. And then having watched him put it up, I then asked him to put it down again. Mean, eh?

This MGB still looks great after some 20 years although there is now some evidence of it having been enjoyed – which is what these cars are for. I didn’t see the need to nit-pick any faults as it was not being presented as a concours car. However John reportedly gets a few nit-pickers’ telling him what isn’t original on the car. I suggested a suitable response to such critics, but I doubt if the editor would permit it being printed here. At the end of the day, who cares if some part is ‘not original’, or that there is a stone chip or three? This car, looks, sounds and drives great, and if ever John offered it to me, at the same time as George Kear offered me his E-Type, then I would grab – the E-type. (Sorry John, but your MGB roadster would be my second choice.)

We need more people like John and Junette who at some point in their lives decide they want a useable classic car – and then go and buy themselves one. If we want the VCC membership to grow, let’s not discourage potential members by nit-picking their purchases. It may not be what you like, but it’s what they like, and that’s what counts.

BW Technical Specifications

Production 1962–80 Body style 2-door roadster Engine 1,798 cc (1.8 l) Wheelbase 91.0 in Length 153.0 in Width 60.0 in Height 48.0 in

VCC NATIONAL DAY SUNDAY 27 AUGUST 2017

All across New Zealand, hundreds of vehicles will be on the road at the same time for a great cause...to raise money for the cancer society.

NORTH SHORE AND WELLSFORD WARKWORTH

NORTHLAND

Join in for a fun, family friendly day where you can take in the sites of Northland whilst raising funds for the Cancer Society Northland.

Assemble at 10am at Kensington Park.

Joining with the Caffeine and Classics event, meet at 10am at Smales Farm then set off out of Auckland and travel up the West Coast to finish in Warkworth for a car display.

EASTERN BAY OF PLENTY

Meet at the Bunnings car park (Phoenix Drive) at 1pm, followed with a tour of Whakatane.

AUCKLAND

Assemble at 1pm to enjoy lunch and a look around the Howick Historical Village in Pakuranga and then head off on a rally at 1.30pm to finish with a cuppa and explore at Ambury Farm Park.

GISBORNE

Meet on the corner of Roebuck and Childers Roads by 1pm. Head off up the East Coast with places of interest along the way, BYO afternoon tea.

BAY OF PLENTY TARANAKI

Meet at the East End Beach Reserve at 11am for a short run. BYO picnic lunch and finish back at the Reserve for a public car show and car rides.

WANGANUI Get ready

for a ‘poker’ of a run that sets out from 1pm from the clubrooms in Patapu St. Winding it’s way around town, the run finishes back at the clubrooms for afternoon tea and presentation of prizes.

WEST COAST

Meet at the Karoro Suburbs clubrooms 12.30pm for a short run through town and the Aorangi Reserve. Finish at the clubrooms for afternoon tea and a cars display, tea and coffee provided but please bring a plate.

Enjoy a country run that starts and finishes at the clubrooms on Cliff Road, Tauranga. Assemble for a 1pm start with the day ending with a potluck tea.

ROTORUA

Assemble in the Mitre 10 car park at 10am, with a short run through town to follow.

Head off from the Sandy Road, Meeanee clubrooms at 1pm and take in some places related to the cause along the way. Finish with a BYO afternoon tea.

TAUPO

Meet at the clubrooms in Hickling Park at 1pm and then head out for a run towards Motuoapa.

NELSON

Meet at the car clubrooms in Founders Park, Atawhai Drive at 1pm. From there, choose one of two rally routes which will take you out through some country towns and finish back in the city for a BYO afternoon tea.

CENTRAL OTAGO

Meet at the Warbirds and Wheels car park, Wanaka Airport at 1pm, followed by an afternoon of touring the beautiful countryside.

GORE

Leave from 1pm from the Gore Town and Country Club car park, head off on a sealed run and finish up in Lawrence.

SOUTHLAND

HAWKE’S BAY

Head off from Ariki Ave clubrooms at 1pm for a run taking in town and country, returning to the clubrooms for afternoon tea.

CENTRAL HAWKE’S BAY Join the fun with a car rally out to a rural property with a competition along the way. Leaving from the car park by the Waipukarau pool at 1pm, an afternoon tea will finish off the afternoon ($7pp).

MARLBOROUGH

Come along and see a huge amount of vehicles at the Brayshaw Heritage Park from 10am-3pm for a gold coin donation. There will also be a BBQ, tea, coffee and sandwiches.

WAIRARAPA

Starting from The Square in Martinborough at 1pm, enjoy a meander through to Masterton where the cars will be on display to the public and a simple gymkhana will be run.

ASHBURTON

CANTERBURY

Meet at the Cutler Park clubrooms at 10am then choose one of the 45 minute run themes. BBQ lunch on return and cars on display to the public from 1pm.

NORTH OTAGO

Assemble at 12noon, for a public car show at 151 Awamoa Road. There will be a cost to display a car, and a gold coin entry for the public to attend. Food will also be for sale.

SOUTH CANTERBURY

Get ready for a day of mystery!

Meet at the Caroline Bay carpark at 9.30am before heading out for a day of motoring where you will visit a back country station for lunch and take in some history along the way.

EVERYONE WELCOME For more information, including cost to enter, more specific event details and the local contact person, visit vcc.org.nz

Get ready for a ‘scatter’ of a rally where in a set time you need to collect as many points as possible from different map locations! Meet at the VCC clubrooms in Maronan Road at 12.45pm for a 1.30pm start time.

The 2017 Hadstock Park Gymkhana Words Andre LeFebvre Photos John McDonald Rod Corbett, Austin 7 Special, 3rd overall.

Thrashing about in a paddock is a time honoured tradition for Banks Peninsula members.

W

hen the usual group of outwardly nonchalant but inwardly intensely competitive Banks Peninsula members gathered at Hadstock Park for their annual ploughing, discing and harrowing event, known more commonly as a gymkhana, there was one new ingredient: The Young Ones! The Young Guns! Yooff! Call them what you will, there they were in such quantities that over a third of the entrants were

under 25 which is such a positive sign.

Fortunately, youthful exuberance was in general no match for age and cunning, so the top places went to the more mature members, but it was wonderful to see them having so much fun driving ‘70s and ‘80s cars that they consider old. Maybe the 30 year rule has a point after all.

Hadstock is made up of four driving tests around a slippery paddock, which was a pleasant change after three years

Neale Elder explaining the inner workings of his OHC Minor special to his son.

30 Beaded Wheels

of drought. Everyone gets two attempts at each event as getting confused amongst the cones is all too easy, especially for the more mature members. There was a great variety of cars this year. It was an absolute pleasure to see and hear Michael Pidgeon’s Type 37A Bugatti competing.

Likewise the XK120 Jaguar driven by Courtney Chamberlain, daughter of our generous and tolerant hosts John and Cindy Chamberlain. Courtney is the third generation of the family to be driving the Jag. There was the usual over supply of highly modified Austin 7s, but these were counterbalanced by the classic DS Citroen of Michael Williams and the Jaguar Sovereign of Craig Keenan. Neither could be considered ideal gymkhana cars but both did remarkably well, something to do with age and cunning I suppose. At the other end of the scale Mark Dawber provided endless entertainment in his mercifully rare Toyota Crown coupe (yes really), as he attempted to get traction even in a straight line. I guess age and cunning doesn’t always work. Three generations of the Kear family came in four cars, and two generations of Dawbers came in three cars, thus illustrating the broad demographic that all VCC branches hope for. Branch godfather Peter Croft, in his splendid HRG came out to spectate and

Young drivers driving old cars admiring younger cars.

Zac Knopp on his way to 5th overall in the Austin 7 special.

Brothers Evan and Fraser Kear shared their Austin 7 Michael Pidgeon (Bugatti Type 37A) on his special to achieve 8th and 14th places respectively overall. way to 9th overall.

Brian Smith searching for missing horsepower from the Morris 8 Sports. Brian finished 13th overall.

Beaded Wheels 31

Michael Williams championing Citroen’s cause with a fine 6th overall.

dispense delphic advice without exposing the HRG to competition.

The first event is The Slalom, or wiggle woggle for those with a scouting background. Small cars usually dominate this and Avon Hyde in his Austin special and Brad Govan in his Austin 7 Hawke did just that. The Pidgeon Bugatti did extremely well and Craig Cowie, having a works outing in a Morris 8 sports, proved that age and cunning do work, with a surprisingly good time. The two Mini Coopers were also competitive.

Test two was The Cambelt, which after many years of familiarity, most mature members can master without error. Yet again, Avon Hyde blitzed the field, with Brad Govan in second place, just ahead of Michael Williams in the DS Citroen, rolling around like the Cook Strait ferry in a southerly. Mark Dawber in the Crown coupe put on a masterful display of ploughing. and may well be offered a job as a tractor driver on Hadstock.

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Harry Dawber (Morris Marina Estate) shows what is power without control. He finished 15th overall.

Test three was a new one, thus sending shudders of horror through the ranks of the mature members, so the Young Ones were sent out to show them what to do.

They did so rather too well but many first runs for the mature members were a total disaster, as change is not embraced by all.

Yet another illogical and confusing course for the small cars with the usual suspects in the top places. George Kear junior, in the mini, was starting to break the stranglehold of the Austin 7s, and his handbrake turns were a joy to behold, even though his headlight bulbs were clearly illegal.

The protest by the French contingent was ignored by the xenophobic organisers. The Pidgeon Bugatti had an excellent run, correct headlamp bulbs gleaming in the sunshine.

Test four was Ever Increasing Circles. It is something of a speed event and virtually impossible to get wrong. But the red mist descended upon Brad Govan just as he was challenging Avon Hyde for the lead, and many points were lost. Rod Corbett in his

Nelson-built Austin 7 Special had another very competitive result, as did Zac Knapp in a Mini Cooper (sort of), competing in his first gymkhana and learning from watching the lines taken by the other Mini Cooper. Great to see.

After the dust had settled and the Austin 7 hotrods had been safely wrapped up in their mink lined trailers we retired to the Rabbiters Rest to hear the results and lodge noisy but futile protests. Inevitably and deservedly, the old master Avon Hyde, in his very clever Austin, won by 17 seconds, a massive margin, which reflects both his skill and cunning, and his ability to construct an amazing car. George Kear in the Mini Cooper was second, and Rod Corbett A7 special third. Of the top six cars, three were front wheel drive and were factory original cars. And so ended another brilliant day of skill, heckling. hilarity, emotional trauma, tolerance and friendship. But best of all, The Young Ones have vowed to return.

BW

I

have attained the ripe old age of 77 years. Sixty years ago, I decided that I must have a car.

Having chauffeured my aging grandmother in her 1937 Austin Seven Ruby, I concluded that that was the model of car I should have. With the £45 that I had saved, and a loan of £50 from my kindly grandmother, I was able to buy a nice blue Austin Seven for the princely sum of £95.

My joy at my acquisition was short lived however. A month or two after acquiring the car, there developed an ominous rattle in the engine. Yes, you’ve guessed it, A big end bearing had chewed out.

For the uninitiated in the peculiarities of the Austin Seven, oil is fed to a gallery on one side of the cast crankcase, and delivered to each big end by squirting a jet of oil at each big end as it rotates past. There is a scoop shape in the big end which catches the squirted oil to lubricate the bearing. The problem is that a jet can become blocked by oil sludge, starving the relevant bearing of oil.

Overheating and bearing collapse will result. But clever Mr. Austin provided two accessible screwed plugs in the top of the oil gallery so that knowledgeable owners could regularly remove each plug and clear the jet of any sludge build up with a piece of thin wire.

Muggins didn’t know that did he? So I had the rattle to deal with!

Fortunately, one of my mates had started a mechanical apprenticeship in a large engine reconditioning company. He explained to me all about white metal bearings and how they could be remetalled and scraped to size. Whoa you will say, white metalled bearings of that type went out with the ark. Unfortunately, I didn’t know that. And more importantly, neither did my mate!

So, with a bit of bravado, we removed the pistons and con rods, and he arranged for the magic white metalling to the big ends. Applied the blue dye and scraped off the high spots, and Bob’s your Aunty. But it wasn’t! Two days after getting the engine back together, rattle rattle rattle. Oh no! A big end had chewed out again.

So, with complete faith in my mate, we repeated the white metal repair process.

And … the same thing happened again!

Dammit!

By this time, I was beginning to suspect that my mate was probably not as knowledgeable as he thought he was. I certainly didn’t have any appropriate mechanical

THE JOYS OF OWNING

no – they had a cast steel block in which the pistons stroked up and down, and a separate, and in my opinion, beautiful cast aluminium crankcase. The two were bolted together with four short studs, and separated by a thin cardboard gasket.

But, and this is an important ‘but’, the arrangement of the crankshaft main bearings was somewhat unique too. Most engines of the day had shell main bearings. After removing each bearing cap, the crankshaft can be lifted straight out. (Note: The flywheel and timing gears, and big end bearing caps having already been removed.)

But not so the 1937 Austin Seven engine. It had three main bearings. The centre one being a shell bearing with a removable bearing cap. Good so far. But the tricky bit is that the rear main bearing is a roller race, which has to be carefully tapped out with a brass drift after having removed the circular back plate holding it in position.

Now the interesting part, is that the front main bearing consists of two ball races, installed back to back. These need to be carefully tapped out together, with a brass drift, again after having removed the front cover plate holding them in place.

Now you think, I next need to remove the crankshaft! But how do I get it out?

There are no main bearing caps front or rear that can be removed. That is when the Houdini Act must take place. Grip the centre of the crankshaft with your right hand, and very carefully rotate and slide the shaft backwards until the front is clear of the bearing housing. Then, and after raising the front of the shaft, move it forward until the rear is clear and bing, you have it out.

A local machine shop reground the crankshaft big end journals and centre main bearing journal, supplied the appropriately sized shell bearings and ball and roller races and that was it.

I reassembled the engine in more or less reverse order from the dismantling.

Installed it in the car, together with oil and water as appropriate, reset the tappets and distributor points, and after a careful final inspection started it. Wow. It ran like charm.

A big lesson learnt. One never forgotten. Later came the flywheel rumble.

But that is another story.

BW

My First Car Words and photo Roger Douglas

knowledge, After all, I was training to be a carpenter.

So I hived off to the local garage and had a long chat with the mechanic, with whom I had struck up a casual friendship.

With quite some empathy for my lack of knowledge of things mechanical, and great patience, he explained in detail about shell bearings, and crankshaft regrinding, and what would need to be done.

But that was going to be expensive, and I had little spare cash.

I decided that I would strip the motor down myself. I acquired the appropriate Austin Seven service manual, and read it several times until I had gained some understanding of the task ahead.

Getting the engine out of the car was reasonably straight forward after having removed the hinged bonnet, front grille and radiator. There was no water pump to remove as the engine had a thermo syphon cooling system. I disconnected the gearbox, exhaust manifold and carburettor, and then removed the four bolts holding the motor down on the chassis – quite easy really.

I lifted out the motor and placed it on a suitable workbench. Dad’s garden shed was just right for my labours.

Now you need to understand that, unlike most car engines of the period, Austin Seven engines did not have a one piece cast steel block and crankcase. Oh

Beaded Wheels 33

Brad Govan, Austin 7 Hawk marooned mid stream.

Irishman 2017 Photos John McDonald Somewhere West of Laramie? Dodge leading Ford during Day one.

Ford’s Model A dominate the assembly, one sporting a topical road safety message.

Running out of room, well motored Dodge utility sports previous commemorative reminders.

An excellent example of being adequately prepared for the conditions.

Traditional bonfire at Shand’s Patch much appreciated in the raw afternoon.

Austin 7 shows the handily placed headlights come in useful for stowing the emergency tow rope.

34 Beaded Wheels

Final river crossing observed by critical and vocal spectators.

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Beaded Wheels 35

rally snippets

Wanganui: Wendy Ryland – best dressed lady on the day. Photo P Hardy.

100 years - Parapara Highway (SH3) Wanganui Branch

Words and photos Neil Farrer

In March 1917 the first car, a Buick, travelled up the new Parapara Road from Wanganui to Raetihi. It took nearly five hours to cover what we can do in an hour today. Bridges were very basic and parts of the road were not well formed at that time.

This year it was decided to celebrate the 100 years by having a special event in Raetihi. Unfortunately it was not possible to do it on the same date (25 March) as the original but on 1 April over 50 vehicles and almost the same number of motor bikes travelled up from Wanganui to Raetihi.

Two Veterans made the trip. Cars that is, although the drivers are certainly not young either. Trevor Roberts in his 1916 Overland and Neil Farrer in the 1914 Rover delivery van made the trip. In Neil’s case he started from Wanganui at 7.30am ahead of the main party as he was not sure that his vehicle would make it. A 30mph maximum and, much less on the hills, meant extra time was needed. Trevor started with the main group at 8.30am.

Morning tea at Raukawa Falls Camp to

Wanganui: Angus Pitkethley – best dressed man standing by 1914 Rover van. Photo N Farrer.

36 Beaded Wheels

Wellsford/Warkworth: Brian and Lyn Wrack’s 1937 Plymouth P4 resting with Tom Brough’s 1938 Buick 46 cconvertible at Pakiri.

meet with the Wanganui Classic and Norton Motor Bike clubs and then on to Raetihi arriving at 10.30am.

The main street of Raetihi was closed for the display of vehicles, bikes and horse drawn carriages. A festive occasion with many people dressing in period costume.

Our Angus Pitkethly won a prize as the best dressed male and our Wendy Ryland the best dressed female.

After speeches and lunch it was back to Wanganui for the VCC members. Trevor and Neil, along with a few others, decided to journey back via the River Road. Things got exciting going down to Pipiriki – Neil was grinding along in second as his brakes are not fantastic, Trevor elected to use his brakes more – and by Pipiriki smoke was seen coming out of the rear hubs.

Time to stop and cool down. However the trip continued along River Road and was made without incident, cool down time and more water sorted that out.

Total round trip was 191 km according to Google Maps. Neither car has a reliable distance recorder. So who says that Veteran cars cannot travel longer routes. They were built tough to handle the conditions of the day – it just takes a bit longer.

Wanganui: 1920 Dodge, Jim O’Neill who transported Wanganui Mayor Hamish McDouall.

Photo P Hardy.

Winter Woollies Wander Wellsford/Warkworth Branch

Words Leon Salt, photos Chris Harvey 1–2 July 2017

The Wellsford/Warkworth Branch Winter Woollies Wander is growing in popularity each year. For the first time, the organisers needed to print a car number 70.

For those looking forward to a winter’s day in the north, the weather did not disappoint. Departing clean and shiny from the Warkworth town centre, the mud and slush was adding a new tone to most by the time they had passed through Kaipara Flats. A short run up through the Dome Valley and west through Wayby, took the participants back through Wellsford then out to Lake Tomarata. A run on the seal down the Whangaripo Valley led everyone to the lunch stop at the Pakiri Hall where the children of the school, all 10 of them, provided entertainment while their parents served lunch.

By the time lunch was over, a slip on the Pakiri hill had been cleared to allow a free but slushy climb to the summit. After a run out to Martin’s Bay and back, the run ended at the wharf in Warkworth. Overall winners were Graeme and Raewyn Fenn

Wellsford/Warkworth: Nigel and Julie Hawkes with our youngest navigator, Jacob, at the finish.

Nelson: Jared Dacombe, Nash Metropolitan.

(Bay of Plenty Branch). Local winners were Brian and Vivienne Guest. Rally plotter Frances Ross and assistant Noelene Quedley set out to plot a 100 mile rally showcasing the countryside surrounding Wellsford and Warkworth. A rally enjoyed by locals and visitors alike.

Our Sunday activity involved a visit to motorcycle racing legend Graeme Crosby’s workshop and the adjacent Vivian Gallery in the Omaha Valley. After the traditional barbeque lunch at the clubrooms, our visitors left for home, those from the south hoping they had beaten the Sunday traffic.

Nelson: Jim Bennett, Furi Impulse single seater.

The Sandy Bay Hillclimb was a co-operative event between the Nelson Branch of the Vintage Car Club and the Nelson Car Club. Eleven drivers from the VCC and 20 from the Nelson Car Club took the up challenge to tackle the hill on a crisp, cold and sunny morning.

I was unable to enter this year but thoroughly enjoyed the spectacle of the event as a spectator.

The road was mostly dry with a few wet spots in the shaded areas and these remained throughout the day which meant that going fast was probably not as easy as it looked from the side of the road.

Joe Gillman, now recovered from his accident, entered in his repaired, iconic Ford V8 coupe from Greymouth.

Unfortunately overheating problems, which he was unable to sort out in time, resulted in his heading back home.

Russell Greer showed up with his interesting Stanton Corvette chain-driven race car, the first time for this car at Sandy Bay. I think it had the best sound. He improved his time with every run and finished up with the second best time.

We are already used to seeing Jim Bennett, all the way from Dunedin, going up the hill in the fastest time in his Furi Impulse single seater but it is still amazing to see him going around corners. Jim took out the trophy for quickest on the day for the second year running.

Doug MacDonald in his Alfa Compezione had the third fastest time with only 0.25 seconds between his runs.

He is 85 and still going fast!

Murray Schwass in the Ford special was last, but with only a fraction of the engine power of the others, he had no chance to do better.

Nelson: Gordon Dacome, Daimler SP250.

Nelson: Murray Schwass, Ford special.

Sandy Bay Hillclimb Nelson Branch

Words Burkhard Strauch photos Ryan Oliver & Ray Robertson

I am talking here of best or fastest time but because all the cars are from different periods and different styles they can’t be compared with each other. Everyone is racing against himself and trying to get the best out of his car and the main thing is to have fun and improve your time.

This was a great day. A big thank you to organiser Ryan Oliver and his team of helpers. Thank you also to the Nelson Car Club. We couldn’t do it on our own.

Nelson: The duelling family Mk II Jaguars of Evan and Wilfred Henderson Beaded Wheels 37

Diane Ross 38 Keenans Road RD 2, Ashburton randross@kinect.co.nz

brass notes Some months ago I mentioned the 1902 Mathieu, a 9hp one cylinder, approx 1275cc engine with auto inlet valve car owned by Brian Rankine of Manawatu.

The engine was made by E Mathieu and is not typical of most other similar cars in that it has the maker’s name cast on it and a brass plate on the cylinder block marked “174 MATHIEU PARIS.” Apparently Mathieu shifted to Belgium about 1902 after the River Seine flooded the industrial area in Paris. The vehicle is governor controlled with an overriding hand lever.

The original large brass carburettor is water heated. The tubular chassis has No. 42 stamped on it. It has a cone clutch, 3 speed and reverse gear-box, open drive shaft with the foot brake attached to the differential. The large hand lever works the rear wheel brakes. The differential has been made 5:1 as was customary even in that time. Great progress has been made on the rebuild of this very rare car after trawling the globe with little luck to find a similar model to help with specifications.

Many parts have been built by specialist manufacturers.

The Mathieu was imported new into Nelson by Dr William Alfred Andrews then passed through two owners before being moved on to Lou Quinney, but it was only used as a car for a short time before being converted and used to drive a saw bench and a chaff cutter. Brian got it from Ken Silke who purchased the

1902 Mathieu owner Brian Rankine Manawatu.

1902 Mathieu original owner Dr Andrews, Nelson.

remains years ago. He has come to the conclusion that his could be the only surviving example but would love to hear if this is not so.

Having been spurred on by an overseas friend to take a car to the London to Brighton Rally in the UK and needing a four seater Veteran manufactured prior to the year 1905 the rebuild began.

Photos from the Nelson Museum, one copied from the first car rally held in Nelson in 1903, enlarged from glass slides, and a copy of the original factory patent have been helpful for measurements and were used to work out cc ratings and diff ratios suitable for a car of that era. The mechanicals are almost finished. The next task is to build a radiator and find two self generating headlights and a tail light.

Mike Khull of Foxton has been using his skills to do the front seat woodwork.

At some point the original rear seats were removed and stored in a barn. Whoever did this must have been very particular as

they have survived in exceptional order without the rodent damage that may have been expected. Although the leather had hardened, with dressing it is now becoming more supple.

Wanganui’s well known restorer, Ian Chamberlain, has done the body paneling.

The original back section of the body is correct for this car and similar to those fitted to many French cars of that era, known as “rear entrance tonneau.” Luckily it had been carefully stored and was in good condition. The bonnet was not so lucky having been used as a dog kennel for about 50 years. While the car was in Wanganui it had its first public appearance for well over 100 years sitting alongside the Chamberlain Reo at a charity event.

Brian has it all together now back in his shed and maybe it will be ready to fulfill the dream of taking part in next year’s London to Brighton.

1902 Mathieu, restoration project.

I am always happy to receive historic or restoration articles and updates on Veteran vehicles as it is only by readers’ input that this column can continue. Email your Veteran stories to me at randross@kinect.co.nz 38 Beaded Wheels

1913 Unic owner Duncan Grant Ashburton.

In Ashburton the Veteran car fraternity is growing, Duncan Grant is now the owner of the 1913 Unic previously belonging to Brian and Gwen Black.

Gavin Hunt is getting to the end of the restoration of the 1903 Darracq started many years ago by his father. The Oakley’s 1915 Rover is starting to look like a car again and our own 1906 Cadillac is about to hit the upholsterer’s shop and should be on the road by the time warmer weather arrives.

Jim Baird in Patea has his 1917 colonial bodied Buick Doctor’s Coupe on the road.

It was a complete wreck purchased at an auction held by the Horowhenua Branch.

Much of the car’s history has been lost but it came to New Zealand as a rolling chassis. The body was built by J Bath & Sons in Invercargill for a doctor. Jim had experts rebuild the new body and do the painting and upholstery while he completed the mechanical work.

Neville and Chris Digby have sold their 1911 Renault AX to Brian Dunnick in Invercargill.

I recently came across some interesting details on early motoring in New Zealand with the main focus being on Dunedin.

New Zealand rapidly became one of the most motorised societies on earth. Cars may not have been all that fast but their speed was well in excess of their ability to stop or manoeuvre safely. Drivers had little or no training yet held firmly to the idea that it was everyone else’s responsibility to get out of the way, an attitude that has not entirely vanished, you may have noticed.

In Dunedin, car owners were usually owners and managing directors of large firms and professional drivers were often engaged to maintain and drive the cars.

For instance Sir James Mills, managing director of the Union Steam Ship Co owned a Gardner-Serpollet steam car. This was replaced with an Oldsmobile and then in 1906 with a large Daimler limousine.

Mills had at least four chauffeurs between 1905 and 1909, one of them appropriately named Carr. Often vehicles were owned for prestige rather than transport. After all, the railway, tram and cable-car network could get you pretty much wherever you wished to go. You could always use a horse for the places between.

Doctors quickly took to motoring as they believed it would be convenient and cheaper. One Dunedin doctor, Bertrand De Lautour, purchased a Stuart car in 1907 to replace the three horses a day previously needed to carry out his rounds. Instead of being made redundant his groom was trained as a chauffeur.

Early parking in Dunedin was often in the middle of the road so as not to obscure shop windows. The earliest known

Relations between motorists and riders of horses were not always good. In one incident in 1906 two elderly well dressed riders deliberately blocked the path of several cars on a country road and jeered at their drivers when they tried to pass.

domestic garage in Dunedin was built in 1912. Amazingly it still retains its original doors. It was built by Angus Marshall, the principal of King Edward Technical College. He was a rare example of a teacher with a car before the 1920s. One way of spotting an early garage is that they were built as far away from the house as possible because no-one wanted to stare at the back of a large brick outhouse. They were also smelly, and potential fire hazards.

Motorists kept petrol, oil and lots of spare parts in their garages. “Motor Spirit” came in four gallon tins made of metal so thin that they were called ‘flimsies.”

All sorts of things were made from flattened Big Tree or Plume petrol tins.

They came from the refinery in wooden boxes that were reused for many purposes in the years to come. To fill up you would park your car outside a motor garage in town and the attendant would puncture

a petrol tin that was placed on a sort of a hopper on a tripod. The petrol would run down a hose into the tank. You couldn’t tell how clean the petrol was which is one reason why, when bowsers were introduced there were glass tanks that let the customer see what they were getting.

Motor garages were a sort of all-in-one facility. A livery stable would feed and house your horse and early motor garages did the same. In many cases they were at first the same business. One example was the Empire Motor Garage next to the railway station in Palmerston. It began catering for travellers to the gold fields in 1863. By 1916 it was advertising its new fireproof brick building, hiring motor cars but also still operating as a livery stables.

Stabling for the horseless carriage was needed as, in theory, in the early days you weren’t allowed to park your car anywhere, legally the King’s Highways were public thoroughfares and could not be used for ‘storing’ vehicles commercial or private. As a temporary stop-gap long stay parking was allowed in a few designated streets.

One of the first instances of car conversion was in 1914 when one George Stewart walked into a motor garage next to the Knox Pharmacy and drove off in one of their cars. A policeman caught up with him and made him return it.

Other motor dealers came to the business by way of bicycles. Some such as Cooke Howlison, sold motorised bicycles that look to the modern eyes like a bike with a motor attached. Several well established bicycle manufactures such as Rover diversified into car production.

Because of damage to the roads limitations were tried to curtail early motorist’s jaunts into the country. A toll gate at Green Island was put in place to help pay for repairs and there were attempts to restrict traffic on the Otago Peninsula.

Relations between motorists and riders of horses were not always good. In one incident in 1906 two elderly well dressed riders deliberately blocked the path of several cars on a country road and jeered at their drivers when they tried to pass.

There were early speed humps too. An early version of a judder bar was installed in Petone in 1913 to slow down motorists ‘scorching’ to and from the races at Trentham. It was called a motor hurdle and was a foot high. Unsurprisingly drivers complained that it damaged their suspension.

BW

Beaded Wheels 39

50 Year Awards Jack Anglesey Nelson It started with Ron Galletly suggesting Jack go with him to see a lady in Ashburton with a Dodge roadster. Jack was so impressed he bought it.

Jack probably has the largest collection of cars in the Nelson district, in acreage as well as physical numbers.

His main passion after Tuppy (his wife) is with Dodge cars although he is always recognisable in his ‘64 Plymouth (he still mostly uses it as his everyday car), also his red Dodge Victory.

Bob Helm was a good friend and support for Jack as Jack’s place was a good storage space for Bob and others He has been restoring a 1926 Dodge roadster, bought from Houston Motors, since his late teens and by all accounts it is very near completion.

Jack has lived and farmed in the Tadmor Valley all his life and he even has two old Dodges as his everyday farm vehicles.

Tony Hanson Nelson Tony joined the Marlborough Branch in 1966 at age 15 when he was given the Hanson family 1929 Model A Ford 4 door sedan, which he restored. This car is still owned by a VCC member in Oamaru Tony attended the 1968 National Easter Rally in Timaru, travelling down in another member’s car. Since then he has entered most National Rallies and other major rallies in the South Island.

He sold the ’28 A in 1978 and purchased a 1928 Model A tourer which he restored. This was sold and replaced with a restored 1930 Model A coupe in which Tony and Marie motored extensively. Since then he has owned another Model A coupe, a Model A roadster, and finally a 1939 Chevrolet coupe.

In 1968, at age 16, he was appointed assistant Club Captain of Marlborough Branch and was Club Captain from 1972 – 74. From then until 2002 he served on the committee in various positions including branch chairman. Tony and Marie moved to Nelson in 2003 and became involved in the Nelson Branch Committee. Unfortunately, in 2016 he suffered a severe stroke but he still has a strong interest in the Club and regularly attends the Wednesday morning teas and outings when a ride is available.

40 Beaded Wheels

Ian Bade Horowhenua Ian first attended a Wellington Branch meeting in February 1967 and shortly after.

In 1973 he shifted to Raumati and transferred to the Horowhenua Branch.

Ian’s interest is motorcycles and he has been a regular attendee of local and national motorcycle rallies. His first rally being the second North Island Rally in 1968 with his 1913 LMC 3.5hp touring model. Ian still rallies this bike which came to him in 1961.

His second bike was a 1912 Bradbury which has been sold.

In 1976 Ian purchased a rare 1938 BSA C10 250cc with girder forks and a hand change gear shift. He regularly rides this bike also.

His latest purchase, in 2015, was an unrestored 1913 LMC 4hp touring model on which Ian has just completed restoration and combined with a 1913 chassis Mills-Fulford sidecar that he rebuilt. This bike is only four frame numbers different from his 3.5 hp model. He showed his latest restoration at the 25th National Motorcycle Rally in Waitomo earlier this year.

Ken Harrex Otago Ken joined the Club with a 1925 Jewett.

He and the family were inclined to use it more for open road driving and towing the caravan on their holidays. It participated in two international rallies and the 100 years of the Motorcar Rally in 1985.

In 1997 he purchased a 1927 Federal truck which he has restored. Most recently Ken has used his Federal truck to take part in commercial rallies both locally and around neighbouring branches, and it has been displayed at our local Autospectacular Shows.

Ken has offered his property to organisers of the Taieri Tour a couple of times, as it was a good venue to use for gymkhana /field tests.

Ken considers himself as having been a good social member of the Club especially in the earlier years when he would join fellow members at the Clubrooms in Park Street on Saturday afternoons. This group was often referred to as the Birthday Club!

Richard Caldwell Horowhenua Richard served his apprenticeship with Aircraft Engineering Ltd in Rongotai.

His interest has always been motorcycles starting when he rode a school friend’s LMC. Richard’s first bike was a 26/27 Indian Scout followed by a Coventry Eagle. Later came an Army Indian and then an Austin 7.

Richard spent 1955 to 1958 based in the UK and owned a 25cc Cyclemaster, then a Vespa 125 on which he toured around Europe, Ireland and Scotland.

While in England he lived in Cambridge and worked for what is now MarshaIls Aerospace.

Back in Wellington he bought another Army Indian and joined the Wellington Branch in 1967. He also purchased a 750cc Excelsior which cost him one week’s wages plus a bottle of Tia Maria for his wife Audrey. Richard then acquired the 1928 Indian Prince which he still owns.

He has attended four international rallies the first being in Rotorua.

He inherited the 1936 Chevrolet which his father bought new. Richard rallied the car until its recent sale.

Richard has been an active participant in branch events over a long period.

Alan Hawke South Canterbury Alan lives in Winchester and upon leaving school he became an apprentice mechanic. In 1967 he bought a 1930 Humber Snipe and restored it over the next five years. Alan wished to restore another car and a number of projects were purchased and then sold. These included a Whippet, a 1924 Reo, an Austin 12/4, a 1916 Dennis fire engine and two more Vintage Humber Snipes. Alan finally settled on the restoration of a 1908 Darracq 25/35 – a big four cylinder car.

The Darracq was restored over the next 14 years. This was a major undertaking as the car was pretty well worn out. A time consuming job was the reconstruction of the radiator with some 3,500 fins being sweated onto tubes. Alan also purchased a 1968 Daimler V8 saloon in 1977.

Alan and his wife Nora have attended a number of international rallies and have enjoyed the fellowship that these and local rallies bring. The 1930 Humber Snipe was recently sold with Alan and Nora now attending rallies in the Darracq or Daimler.

Alan was one of the original committee members of the Winchester Swap Meet, and has helped ever since.

Barry Smith South Canterbury Barry Smith’s father was the owner of a 1927 Erskine sedan which Barry subsequently took over and then joined the Vintage Car Club with this beautifully restored car. It has been motored extensively and is still regularly exercised. The Erskine, being a Studebaker product, inspired an interest in Studebakers and Barry and wife Lynette had a 1963 Lark as a family car for some years with it ultimately becoming a club eligible vehicle.

A smart 1960 Studebaker Lark is now its replacement in the garage.

Barry was also the owner of a late Vintage Indian Scout motorcycle that he restored and attended many events with, both in South Canterbury and beyond.

Barry has been loyal and active during the whole of his membership, serving terms on the committee and two years as branch chairman. He currently enjoys participating in the Wednesday group at the parts department.

Derek Prebble Ashburton In 1918 Derek’s father bought a farm in Mount Somers and transported his family there from Christchurch in his 1906 9hp Clement Talbot. After using the Clement Talbot for a few years he purchased a 1914 Hupmobile and the Talbot was dismantled and the parts used to make a horse cart and saw bench.

When Derek started high school in 1944 the school bus stop was four miles distance from home. Derek’s father purchased a wrecked 1910 Triumph motorcycle and once going it was pressed into service as transport to meet the school bus. Derek still has the bike and last used it in 2016. In the early 1950s the farm was sold but luckily Derek had the foresight to collect up the parts of the Clement Talbot and took them to Ashburton, and later to Coldstream to a new farm. In 1997 restoration of the Talbot began and it went back on the road in 2008.

Derek purchased a 1928 Chevrolet for £5 while in Ashburton which was then rebuilt rather than restored and later put into service as a farm truck on the farm at Coldstream Derek’s neighbour at Coldstream, Clem McLaughlan, (a founding member of the

VCC of NZ) suggested in 1966 that Derek join the Vintage Car Club, starting his long association with the Club which continues to this day.

Jim Boaden North Otago Jim Boaden joined the North Otago Branch in 1967. At the time he had completed the restoration of a 1925 Ford Model T truck. Prior to joining the VCC he owned a 1931 Chevrolet coupe.

His next restoration was a 1925 Chrysler 4 tourer which he drove to Nelson for the 1972 International Rally. Later he built a 1918 Austin bus, a replica of the first bus in Oamaru. He also restored a 1950 Bedford breakdown truck. He owned a 1946 Bedford bus and a 1962 Albion that now reside at Richardson’s museum.

He served as branch chairman from 1971 to 1973 and as secretary from 1993 to 1998.

In 2003 Jim transferred to Ashburton Branch but returned to North Otago Branch in 2013. The Vintage eligible vehicles he now owns are a 1925 Chrysler 4, a 1913 Matchless motorcycle, a 1925 Buick Master 6, a 1928 Buick sedan, a 1952 Austin Sheerline, a 1969 Rover 100 and a 1974 Mini 1000.

Warwick Woollams Far North As a school boy Warwick built go-carts and helped revive an F20 Farmall tractor.

With a friend, they put in £5 each and bought a trucked 1929 Model A Ford which they had lots of fun with. The truck was sold and upon starting work he was able to buy a 1931 Model A roadster. He joined the Auckland Branch in March 1966. Next came a 1931 Model A coupe then another roadster was obtained and the first one sold. He also had a 1925 Ajax. After marrying Penny in 1970 a number of daughters started arriving and eventually the coupe and the Ajax made way for a 1924 Buick Master 6 tourer.

This car happily conveyed four daughters on many adventurers around the country.

A Model A Fordor sedan also came and went. In 1989 the Model A roadster was sold to purchase the 1937 Brough Superior car, which he still owns. A 1965 Mustang is also languishing in the shed awaiting restoration and a 1930 Model A coupe has replaced the Buick.

Now living in Kerikeri he is currently is chairman of the Far North Branch.

Joe Webber Gisborne Joe Webber joined the Hawke’s Bay branch in 1966. He purchased a 1928 Austin 7 which was restored in time to take part in the Cook Bicentennial Rally in Gisborne in 1969. Later he was involved in forming a sub-branch at Gisborne until in 1973 Gisborne became a branch where he became the first chairman and served in various positions on the committee over the years. He was instrumental in obtaining the 1929 Morris Commercial truck which is still in the branch’s hands today. In 1969 Joe’s wife Merle became a staunch follower of branch affairs, followed

by Merle’s sisters Ida and Thea and their respective husbands Ivan English and Les Lucas, all with club-eligible vehicles.

He and Merle took part in the 1972 international rally in Nelson with the Austin 7 and they have attended all the International and Pan Pacific rallies throughout New Zealand apart from the 2006, 2012 and 2016 rallies Joe later purchased a 1931 Austin 12/6 Harley which he restored and has used on several rallies around New Zealand. A 1968 MGB also joined the stable and he has restored a 1951 James motorcycle.

Over the years, Joe has turned his woodworking skills to good use, making the wooden components and bases for several of the branch trophies. He has been generous with his advice and assistance over the years, making parts from his collection of spares available to help others with their vehicle restorations. In Joe’s own words he “has had a hell of a lot of fun out of being a member of the Vintage Car Club”.

Beaded Wheels 41

book review puSmall-Group oSmall-Group rG-llamS Motorsports Tours ru oT stropsrotTours o M Motorsports And More! !erAnd o Md nA More!

Red Dust Racers

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Untangling The Mystery: New Zealand and the 250F Maserati

By Terry Collier

Soft Cover, A4 size, 56 pages, RRP $35 Published by Venturo Publications ISBN 978-0-473-36810-2 Reviewed by Kevin Clarkson

Before reading this book I had not realised that there was a mystery surrounding the 250F Maserati cars in New Zealand however this book does a great deal to document the cars and their history. The 250F is one of the world’s most recognisable Grand Prix cars and many stories, legends and myths have surrounded them over the years. The author has done a great deal of research to put together probably the most definitive work on these cars, particularly the New Zealand cars and drivers. There is full information about the 250F race entries with results covering the years from 1955 to 1962 and technical specifications are also included. The book is easy to read and has many photographs of the era.

The author is a member of the Motorsport New Zealand Historic and Classic Commission and a long time contributor to magazines and other media on New Zealand motor sport history.

He currently races classic and historic vehicles.

This book can be requested from any book shop by quoting the ISBN number. It can also be obtained by calling the author on 021 238 9264 or emailing venturopublications@hotmail.com

This book is a centenary history of the racing at Lake Perkolilii and the history of motorsport in Western Australia from 1914 to 2014. It also covers in detail the early days of the motor car in West Australia, complete with many photos taken in those times.

Lake Perkolilii is a flat, very smooth, dry clay pan for most of the year and ideal for motor racing. It is situated not far from Kalgoorlie in West Australia but is a long way from Perth. However its reputation was such that it even attracted contestants from the east coast of Australia.

The author has given us some great detail of events relating to the emergence of the motor vehicle in West Australia and as you move through the book there is detail on the people, and the personalities, who raced there along with the vehicles.

There are many photographs throughout the book, most never before published, and these are interesting in their own right.

This is a large book. 360mm wide, 255mm deep and 45mm high. There is a lot of reading in there! This first edition is limited to 1,000 copies and each is numbered. A handsome book with its thick pages edged in gold it is well suited to display on the coffee table ready to be picked up to study some aspect of those early days of racing in West Australia.

marketplace CLASSIFIED RATES Due to space limitation, classified advertisers should refrain from the use of dashes, spaces, logos, blank lines and formatting. All classified rates include GST. The 65 word limit includes contact details. Advertisers requiring ads longer than the standard 65 words, or who require typography or space, must apply display rates. The advertising department reserves the right to edit or return classifieds not meeting the criteria Member of Vintage Car Club No charge for text or photo classified advertising.

Members must be financial and identify their Branch.

Non Member $21 for first 40 words or part thereof, thereafter 15 cents per word to a maximum of 65 words per advertisement.* Text in a Boxed Ad $24 non-members,* Colour Photo Ad in Box $56 non-members, enclose a clear photo and an SAE if return required.* Above rates apply for each advertisement.

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All display rates quoted exclude GST and are for finished digital artwork ­supplied. Artwork can be arranged at an extra charge.

Deadline for copy 10th of month preceding publication.

Beaded Wheels will consider articles of a technical nature for inclusion in its editorial space. Beaded Wheels however regrets that it is not able to offer editorial space for advertisements nor for the promotion of products.

Marketplace advertising cancellations received in writing prior to advertising deadline will be refunded in full.

Where possible Beaded Wheels will refund 70% of the advertisement cost for any cancellations received after the booking deadline. *Payment by credit card will incur additional bank fee processing charge of 3% Beaded Wheels makes every effort to ensure no misleading claims are made by advertisers, responsibility cannot be accepted by Beaded Wheels or the Vintage Car Club of New Zealand (Inc.) for the failure of any product or service to give satisfaction. Inclusion of a product or ­service should not be construed as endorsement of it by Beaded Wheels or by the Vintage Car Club of New Zealand (Inc.).

No liability can be accepted for non-appearance of advertisements and the text of all advertisements is subject to the approval of the editor who reserves the right to refuse any advertisements which are not compatible with the aims, objectives, and standards of Beaded Wheels or the Vintage Car Club of New Zealand (Inc.) In accordance with the provisions of the Human Rights Commission Act 1977 Beaded Wheels will not publish any advertisement which indicates or could reasonably be understood as indicating an intention to discriminate by reason of sex, marital status, ­religious or ethical beliefs. Advertisers should take all care in drafting advertisements as they could be held liable, as well as Beaded Wheels and the Vintage Car Club of New Zealand (Inc.).

1906 DE DION BOUTON 8HP. Nearly completed restoration. New 2-seater body, wheels, tyres and many mechanical parts. Reconditioned engine, gearbox and diff. Numerous parts as spares.

Genuine reason for selling, price $35,000. Phone Garry Moore 021 427 796. MEM BANKS PENINSULA 1913 FABRIQUE NATIONALLE t ype 1950 Reg on hold, rolling chassis, full recond motor, original body parts, doors, mudguards, rebuilt rear guards, scuttle, spare motor, gearbox, diff, handbook and dating certificate. A90 Atlantic, glass rear centre window. MORRIS MINOR 29-34 ohc and sv mechanical and body parts. Phone Neville 06 845 3333. MEM HAWKES BAY 1925 RUGBY TOURER $13,000, 1928 National tourer $13,000, 1928 Oldsmobile sedan $14,000.

All complete and been shed stored. Phone 07 853 3400 evenings.

1938 P6 PLYMOUTH SEDAN $7000. Partially restored, is offered for sale to make room for other projects. Original ownership papers and documentation. Engine, gearbox and brakes have been overhauled. The dash and window surrounds have been redone in original wood grain style.

Numerous new spares including new running boards. Wiring loom, front screen and screen rubber. Other parts and spares too numerous to list. e-mail: peterjjenkz@hotmail.com or phone 03 327 9227. MEM CANTERBURY

BALANCING BALANCING BALANCING, We can balance most Vintage and single cylinder engines, fans, driveshafts etc. Work is carried out on a modern digital machine. M S Coombes Ltd, 344 St Asaph Street, Christchurch, Phone 03 366 7463, Fax 03 366 7462, Email: mscoombesltd@clear.net.nz COACHWORK F or all your coachwork, woodwork and timber rim steering wheels for your Veteran, Vintage or commercial vehicles contact Designs N Wood, John Martin, 11 Bell Avenue, Cromwell.

Phone/fax 03 445 0598, 021 109 1309 or email martin_jw@xtra.co.nz MEM CENTRAL OTAGO

GOT VIBRATION PROBLEMS? T he crankshaft pulley/balancer/damper may be the cause. Rubber perishes over time. John at Harmonic Damper Rebuilds can rebuild your pulley like new. He has a proven system to re-rubber and re-sleeve dampers. Most can be rebuilt as good as new and save you money and engine repairs. 027 666 3350 or 07 863 3350 damperdude@gmail.com CARBURETTOR RECONDITIONING — including classic and performance makes. 40 plus years trade experience. Free advice. Contact Graeme Tulloch, Tulmac Carburettor Specialists on 027 612 2312 or (Levin) 06 368 2202

1940 MORRIS 8 SERIES E 2 DOOR. Heaps of spares. HUBCAPS – any problems contact me.

Reg on hold. Workshop manual. Stripped ready for I now produce either hubcap skins or complete restoration. Personalised number plate included hubcaps. These are top quality replicas. Pressed in price of $1,200 ono. Phone Colin 03 236 8428. not spun to the closest possible original specifications. I can manufacture any model

M EM SOUTHLAND that uses the skin system plus many others 1952 VAUXHALL VELOX LIP 6 CYLINDER. Recent provided they do not exceed 10½" in diameter. refurbishment & VIN, reg, wof. Radial tyres, new For more information phone Dave Patten paint. Great condition, 105,000 miles. $9,985. Replica Manufacturing (2003) Ltd, Phone 027 Photos available. Phone A G Pearson, 09 437 6317. 247 7956, 160 New York Street, Martinborough.

MEM NORTHLAND dave.patten@wise.net.nz 1959 FC HOLDEN. U nrestored needs paint, good MAGNETO AND COIL WINDING SERVICES Magneto running order registration on hold. $12,000. Also repairs, coil rewinding, work guaranteed. We buy 1974 Mini 850cc, running order. $5000. Phone 022 and sell magnetos of all types except aircraft.

636 9961, or Russell 03 615 9668, Temuka 728 Waimutu Road, RD2 Marton 4788.

Phone Warwick 06 327 3849, 027 281 8066, DISTRIBUTOR & FUEL PUMP walandlynn@farmside.co.nz MEM PARTS AND SERVICE ASTON MARTIN SALES BROCHURE i n excellent We rebuild distributors, vacuum advance units, condition. Features the Mk II sports and includes mechanical fuel pumps and supply parts new, specifications. Size approx 300mm wide x 250 mm NOS, remanufactured and used. high. $150 ono plus postage. Phone Russell Barnard Vacuum advancers restored.

03 349 8869. MEM CANTERBURY Electronic ignition kits to eliminate points.

EARLY YEARS B/W PUBLICATIONS before they Quality Rebuilds, were numbered. The following issues are for sale; 85 Polo Prince Dr, Manurewa, Auckland, 2576.

Dec: 1964, June: 1965, Apr:65, Sep: 65, Dec: 65, email: peter@qualityrebuilds.com Mar: 66, June: 66, Sep: 66, Dec: 66, Mar: 67, www.qualityrebuilds.com June: 67, Sep: 67. All in good order $5 each plus PHONE PETER 09 267 4700 postage. Contact l.m.ashley@xtra.co.nz or phone DRIVESHAFTS DRIVESHAFTS DRIVESHAFTS 04 563 8340. Wellington We can alter or make driveshafts with fabric components to take modern universal joints and yokes, as well as performing dynamic balancing. PENRITE OILS We carry a large range from We also carry a large range of driveshaft Vintage to Modern engines. Gearbox, diff, components for car, trucks, industrial and S.U dashpot and water pump grease. marine. M S Coombes Ltd, 344 St Asaph Street, M S Coombes Ltd, 344 St Asaph Street, Christchurch, Ph 03 366 7463, Fax 03 366 7462, Christchurch, Ph 03 366 7463, Fax 03 366 7462, Email: mscoombesltd@clear.net.nz mscoombesltd@clear.net.nz Beaded Wheels 43

ESSEX 1929 SURPLUS PARTS 1 928/29 left rear guard NOS, pair front guards, front door skins, front axle, rear axle assy’s, rear hub puller, rear axle bearings, exhaust, inlet & water manifolds, head and parklights, spare wheel bracket, engine complete but rough, and many loose engine parts.

Set of wheels, 20in split rims, rear bumper, radiator shell, new windscreen rubber and more. Paul Phone 04 907 4904, paulgrumpenmemeister@gmail.com.

HUDSON OR TERRAPLANE 1934 / 1935.

Diff complete 4 stud, rough. Hub puller, hubcaps, clutchplate and 1936, 6 volt horn in working order.

Tyres, 600x16 whitewall suitable for retreading or spare, 520x13 new retread been on rim but not on road. Also Morris Minor Series 1 or 2 rear seat squab and back, colour grey. Paul Phone 04 9074904, email: paulgrumpenmeister@gmail.com.

PISTONS PISTONS PISTONS ­PISTONS FOR VETERAN, VINTAGE, CLASSIC & ODDBALL ENGINES. We can supply piston sets for most makes and models. All piston sets come complete with rings and gudgeons. We have over 700 listings at competitive prices.

M S Coombes Ltd 344 St Asaph St, Christchurch PH 03 366 7463, FAX 03 366 7462 PENRITE ENGINE C O O L A N T A colourless hybrid-organic non glycol based corrosion inhibitor designed specifically for use in Veteran, Edwardian, Vintage and Classic Car cooling systems. M S Coombes Ltd, 344 St Asaph Street, Christchurch, Ph 03 366 7463, Fax 03 366 7462, mscoombesltd@clear.net.nz

WOODEN WHEELS made for your metal­ work. Steam-bent felloes, any shape spokes.

New beaded rims available in some sizes. Phone Vern Jensen 06 323 3868, 16 Osborne Terrace, Feilding.

MEM .

VALVES exhaust quality stainless for Vintage engines. Available in blank form or machined to size required. George Calder, 307 Hoon Hay Rd, Christchurch. Phone 03 338 5372 or email gandkcalder@clear.net.nz

VINTAGE CAR REPAIRS

Unit 1 11 Penn Place, Upper Riccarton, Christchurch (formerly 15a Empire Road, Belfast) Phone 341 5100 Fax 341 5101

All Classic and Vintage Car restoration.

• Panel making • Wooden body repairs, • Bumpers and moulding repair 37 years experience • Competitive hourly rate.

44 Beaded Wheels

LATE LOTUS TWINCAM FOR SALE Stromberg, low mileage, no corrosion, dissembled. offers to Robin 07 571 8339 or robinleroy@hotmail.com REPCO CV JOINTS – 2 x new in package for sale.

Rev 715 for Mark 1 & II 1967–82 Mini Clubman. $200 the pair. Spline 19 inner, 19 outer. Phone 022 019 3633. MEM BAY OF PLENTY

VINTAGE TRUNKS made to order or stock sizes.

Dust proof and waterproof. Phone Allan on 06 844 3959 or 0274 469 331 Napier. MEM

VETERAN ROVER 12hp 4cyl project for sale, circa 1912 collection of parts to be sold as one lot. radiator, engine, gearbox, diff, steering box, scuttle etc. No chassis. Parts are in Napier. Phone 027 871 3536 or email b.dyer@xtra.co.nz MEM WAIKATO

VINTAGE ENGINE SHORTBLOCKS We can in most cases rebuild your shortblock using modern shell bearings, new pistons and rebuilt oil pump. Please contact us for more information.

M S Coombes Ltd, 344 St Asaph Street, Christchurch, Ph 03 366 7463, Fax 03 366 7462, mscoombesltd@clear.net.nz

VINTAGE & CLASSIC QUARTZ h alogen bulbs.

Replace your existing bulbs without rewiring the headlamp assemblies. Up to 100% brighter than your existing Tungsten bulbs. Will fit most reflectors fitted to Pre & Post war cars and motorbikes. Also available in single filament 55 watt P22 & BA 15 bases for use in spotlamps and mechanical dip reflectors. Most bases and configurations available in 6v & 12v. Further info: Norm & Jan Sisson, sole NZ Agent. Phone 03 389 0643 Model Boat Supplies, 38 Ottawa Road, Christchurch 6.

Email modelboatsupplies@snap.net.nz

VCCNZ 70th Anniversary Lapel Pins

MODEL A FORD REBUILT SHOCK ABSORBERS, as original. With exchange $195 each or $230 outright. Arms and all connecting parts available.

Postal delivery extra. can be seen on Site no. 153, Canterbury Vintage Car Club Swap Meet October 6,7,8. Phone Jack 03 352 6672, 0274 322 041.

Christchurch.

1975 TRIUMPH DOLOMITE 1850 M anual overdrive gearbox. Sitting on Dolomite sprint alloys. Recent motor gearbox overhaul. $5250 ono. Phone Ian 03 308 8437 MEM ASHBURTON

Lapel pins produced to commemorate the club’s 70th anniversary are now available. Contact VCCNZ, National Office, admin@vcc.org.nz to order and arrange payment. $5 plus $1 postage (within New Zealand) VINTAGE AND VETERAN CAR MARKETING. I maintain a database of buyers and sellers of Veteran, Vintage and Post Vintage vehicles, placing buyers and sellers together. Free to list.

No hidden costs. No computer, no problem. Just call me. Whether buying or selling a Veteran, Vintage or Post Vintage vehicle, contact Les at Rushmore Motors Ltd. Best is 027-22-45-045. or 03-528-7924. vintagecars@xtra.co.nz Finance may be available on most vehicles.

1920 OAKLAND ROADSTER. M odel 34C - 6 cyl ohv, exposed push rods and valve gear. WOF & Reg. Fully restored 2014 – 2016. Three speed crash gearbox. Engine completely overhauled. 4 new tyres & tubes. Body work – all woodwork replaced.

Hawkes Bay Branch Best Vintage Restoration June 2016. Marketed on behalf of owner. Ph 027 2245 045. Priced at $42,000. Finance may be available.

Phone 027 224 5045.

1927 CADILLAC LASALLE ROADSTER

Reluctant sale after 13 years of ownership.

This is a grand car with huge presence.

In very tidy condition, great running V8.

Great collector or rally car.

Price by negotiation however seriously for sale More information at this link https://www.netcarshow.com/cadillac/1927-lasalle

CALL CHRIS 027 449 3625

1926 CLYNO TOURER This rare car was purchased by the present owner’s late father in 1960. Older restoration with original upholstery.

The car is a runner. Reg on hold. Always been shed stored. Comes with numerous spares. Phone 03 342 3965 or athlone@amuri.net MEM GISBORNE

BROUGH SUPERIOR 1934 1150cc Deluxe. Matching numbers, original English number plate, always a complete bike, well maintained since 1934. Supplied to Alec Bennett, known history since then. One of 28 built with sprung frame and Castle forks. Front cover of Classic Bike Feb 1984. For details Phone Steve on 09 483 4075 or 021 295 4482. MEM NORTH SHORE

A CHANGE IN CIRCUMSTANCE RESULTS in this original, reliable, sound and tidy 1975 XJ6 requiring a new home. Shows patina but no rust. Performs very well. 100,000kms since engine recond. New diff seals, suspension bushes and a lot more. Recent wof and reg. $5,000 or offer, must sell. Ph 0274 836 666.

MORRIS 8 SERIES E 1939 2 DR. Nothing to do, just drive. Has had bare metal respray (PPG system), good motor/gearbox, steering box done, Morris 10 diff. carpet replaced, good interior. Four new tyres and correct new hubcaps. Rewired and recent valve grind.

Spares, owners h/book, workshop manual. Offers considered. Phone 06 843 6717. MEM HAWKE’S BAY

HRG DERRINGTON 7 port cross flow alloy BMC B series cylinder head for sale. Has MG B valves in but no springs. No inlet manifold. Looks ready to use.

Not sure of its value so information or expressions of interest appreciated. Guru in USA says it is early small chamber head for MGA. Phone Kevin 021 0270 6525 or kevinclarkson1@gmail.com MEM CANTERBURY

JAGUAR XJ6 3.2 LITRE LWB 1997 Very good order. Well maintained. Current WOF and reg. $4,750. Phone David on 07 863 9497 or email h.hayward@xtra.co.nz MEM BAY OF PLENTY

Want to find out how Vero has made home insurance go further?

See our ad on the back page

1970 MGB GT AUTO good condition no rust $7,000 ono. Ring me for more information. Phone 027 201 1942 or 03 688 2112. MEM SOUTH CANTERBURY

Beaded Wheels 45

1942 DODGE CUSTOM COUPE. Other than a repaint at some stage this is an all original Very rare car. Drives and runs well and is very reliable. (it’s a Dodge!) For more info and photos give me a call 021 638 452 or 04 298 6519. $39,900 ono.

1953 HUMBER SUPER SNIPE. Basically orig condition, carpets tatty but motors very well. Reg & WOF, low mileage. Full history of car since 1953.

NZ Classic Car article January 2008 gives more info. $9,950 ono. Info on request, phone Neil Farrer 027 457 9634, nfarrer@xtra.co.nz MEM WANGANUI

MERCEDES 560SEC 1987 5.6 litre V8 225 kw motor, full beige leather, auto, air con, cruise control, sun roof, a pleasure to drive. $15,000. Phone 07 308 2498, 027 271 0094.

MEM EBOP

MORRIS 8 FOUR SEAT TOURER 1937 English assembled 3 owners from new. Rebuilt in 1972 before being driven to New Zealand. A very tight body and all original except for telescopic shock absorbers.

Full rear seat unlike the Sports models. On UK 17” wire wheels. $14,000 021 0298 6213, alan.gulleford@clear.net.nz Phone. MEM ASHBURTON

1982 XJ6 JAGUAR SERIES 3. Looks and runs great. $3,500 ono sold with new WOF and Reg. Phone 027 445 3199. MEM CENTRAL HAWKE’S BAY

1938 MG VA 4 SEATER TOURER Imported to New Zealand in 1998, present owner since 2005.

With tonneau, hood cover and full “wet weather gear” plus tool kits, instruction manual and service parts list. Offers: Contact brehauts@xtra.co.nz

NORTON DOMINATOR. No Reg. Needs some work on the transmission. Motor has been overhauled. In overall good condition has been housed for a number of years. Offers required for this desirable motor cycle. Contact Phone 021 131 6699. Taranaki

1972 MGB GT, M allard Green. Three owners since 1972, in current ownership for last 23 years, now travelled 102,156 miles. Carefully maintained in original specification and condition. Brayshaw restoration carried out in 2005. Outstanding example of this classic vehicle. $22,000 Phone 07 576 3554 or 027 271 0146. MEM BAY OF PLENTY

EARLY VETERAN TALBOT ENGINE for tender closing 30 Oct 2017. Presumed as model 2VB 8hp, 8-10 Year 1905/06, 2 cylinders, bore 85mm, stroke 110mm, motor no. 1897. Car no. 1501, capacity approx 1248cc. Ph 03 344 21351, Bruce Jones 18 Inverness Crescent, Arrowtown. Email for description /pics and tender docs bejones1818@gmail.com

1969 FORD CORTINA MKII, 1600 SUPER. Reg and WOF. Tidy original condition. Currently used for club runs. Workshop manual, receipts/paperwork and a few spare parts included. $9,000. Contact carl.lou@ paradise.net.nz for more information. Phone 03 960 6572 MEM CANTY

1950 MODEL K BEDFORD n eeds total restoration.

Completely dismantled, cab has surface rust, chassis 99.8% rust free, good motor and gearbox. Heaps of spares, selling as one lot. Lower North Island. $5500. ono Contact a_judd@xtra.co.nz MEM HOROWHENUA

1956 JAGUAR MARK 7M 107,000 miles. Older restoration but still well presented. Running very well. Consistently maintained incl: recon gearbox/ overdrive, servo replaced, brakes overhauled, clutch rebuilt, and head overhauled. Inc a range of parts.

Used by owners for 23 years. $8000 ono. Email donovanz@xtra.co.nz, phone 07 312 5848. EAST BOP

46 Beaded Wheels

1979 FORD ESCORT station wagon 1300cc, 87,000km. Tidy original condition, mechanically well maintained. 3 owners. $6,000. Phone 022 693 4363 MEM BAY OF PLENTY

1929 AUSTIN 12/4 CLIFTON TOURER Second current owner since 1974. Current Rego, WOF. Garaged. Motors well. Tidy condition and well maintained. Original leather upholstery, spare parts, original ownership papers and handbooks included. $25,000. Phone Dennis 06 323 8030 MEM MANAWATU

PARTS Any offers please for parts in photo to Graham, phone 06 378 7422 MEM WAIRARAPA

MORGAN 4/4 1976 FOUR SEATER i n excellent unrestored condition. 1600 cross-flow eng, Gemmer stg box, chrome kingpins and Koni adj. front shocks. Royal Ivory with tan leather and reclining seats. Hood and tonneau cover. VIC and factory cert. 112,000kms $39,600. Phone Murray 04 293 3601 MEM WELLINGTON

1954 MORRIS MINOR FLAT DECK TRUCK Reg and new WOF. 1100 motor, Macrocarpa deck with cover, good runner. Phone 027 231 2938 MEM PICTON

TRIUMPH 2.5 TC Registered and warranted.

Immaculate original order. Reconditioned auto August 2016, new tryes, carbs recently balanced etc.

Receipts for all. Drives beautifully, genuine reason for sale. Phone 03 310 8303 or 027 609 7316 MEM NTH CANTERBURY

FREE ADVERTISING

*

$21 Text only advertisement.

Up to 45 words including phone number, no photo.

Additional words over 45 up to a maximum of 65 words, 15 cents per word.

Classified advertising in Beaded Wheels magazine is free *for all current financial members of the Vintage Car Club of New Zealand Inc buying or selling club eligible vehicles or parts. Our standard advertising charges apply for all non-members or members wishing to advertise commercial services.

Email your advertisement to beadedwheels@vcc.org.nz or complete the form below and post to Marketplace, Beaded Wheels, PO Box 13140, Christchurch 8141. See page 3 of this issue for deadline for receipt of advertisements and payment for our next issue.

$54 Text and colour photo advertisement.

Up to 45 words including phone number. Supply a colour photo of your vehicle. Include SAE for return of photo, digital photos may be submitted to our email address: beadedwheels@vcc.org.nz

I wish to advertise in Beaded Wheels. Payment where required must accompany your advert.

WANTED

FOR SALE

I am a current financial member of the VCCNZ and wish to advertise for FREE. My VCCNZ Membership number is

Tick which column you require

Name (block letters) ______________________________ Phone ________________________________________

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CONDITIONS OF FREE ADVERTISING stamped addressed envelope is supplied by the advertiser. Digital • • Free advertising is limited to one advertisement per financial photographs may be supplied by email in format, send a high member of the Vintage Car Club of NZ per issue. Members resolution file to achieve best results. must state their membership number when submitting the • Advertisements must be resubmitted for each issue they are advertisement. required to appear in.

• Advertisements must be of a non-commercial nature.

• The recommended length of advertisements is 45 words – the • • Advertisements must be submitted in writing, by email maximum space available is 65 words. Beaded Wheels reserves (preferred), post or fax. Photographs will only be returned if a the right to edit all copy.

Advertisements will be published on a first come, first served basis. While every attempt will be made to include your advertisement in the issue immediately following receipt – limited space may mean some advertisements will be held over until the following magazine for publication.

All free advertisements will automatically be listed on the VCCNZ website.

Payment where required must accompany your advert. Cheque should be made payable to Beaded Wheels. Post payment & advertisement to marketplace, P O Box 13140, Christchurch 8141. VCCNZ members must be financial and state their branch to receive free advertising.

Beaded Wheels 47

VAUXHALL 12-4 CALÉCHE 4 SEAT DROPHEAD

by GM Holden Aust. circa 1940. OHV 1460cc 4 cyl motor recond, and body off restoration completed 1984. Loads of spares incl. new o/s pistons.

Offers over $15,000 considered. Phone Tom Clements 03 352 7457 MEM CANTERBURY

1936 MORRIS 8 SPORTS 2 SEATER $15,000.

46,600 miles. Current WOF and registered since 1974.

Reluctant seller. Phone 06 345 1515 email suerv@ xtra.co.nz MEM WANGANUI

1955 BUICK SUPER RIVIERA, 322CI V8 2 Stage Auto, electric ignition, electric wipers, alternator, Holley 4BBL 600 carb. Everything completely rebuilt.

Rust free body, Top cruiser 66,000mls. Some spares Incl 2 new tyres $58,000 Phone 07 862 7418 MEM WAIKATO

1958 AUSTIN A35 DELUX 4 door $4,750 has heater, fog lights, GPS port, CD/radio. Current WOF and registration. Reluctant seller. Phone 06 345 1515 email suerv@xtra.co.nz MEM WANGANUI

1923 BULLNOSE MORRIS. Fully restored. Reg on hold. 300 miles since full restoration. Leather upholstery. Brass headlamps and dash fittings, Single door. Dash polished timber. Brand new guards and brake rods. Artillery wheels. New tubes / rust bands.

Rumble seat. Marketed on behalf of owner. Finance may be available. Phone 027 224 5045. $22,000.

Please advise National Office of any changes of address or sales/purchases of vehicles.

Email admin@vcc.org.nz or post details to VCCNZ, PO Box 2546, Christchurch 8140

wanted to buy RENAULT R8 OR R10 t op radiator hose. 42mm inlet id and 23mm id outlet. (Old one is labelled Renault 0428-492-800 Kleber Industrie 10-83) email lloydgleeson@gmail.com or phone New Plymouth 06 758 4218 MEM TARANAKI RILEY MAINTENANCE MANUAL w anted. Covers the years 1930-1956 written by S V Haddleton. Phone Russell 03 349 8869. MEM CANTERBURY

LEFT FRONT BRAKE DRUM and hubcap for 1954 Aussie assembled Dodge Kingsway. Email: renegade542002@yahoo.com.

MEM NORTHLAND

TOYOTA CRESSIDA prefer reg and wof in good condition. Phone 03 327 7111 or annettemeikle1@ slingshot.co.nz M EM CANTERBURY

CHRYSLER, DESOTO 1928 TO 1929 COWL LIGHTS and cowl chrome moulding, might also be the same TUBES AND LINERS. tube with long valve stems and as dodge? in good-ish condition or good enough to liners to suit 500 x 23 inch tyres. any number. Phone re chrome please. Phone Mike 027 272 0757, email Jim Baird 06 273 8717, pre39hq@hotmail.com MEM mdwood@xtra.co.nz MEM AUCKLAND

1930 CHRYSLER HEAD. Silver Dome. Casting numbers 303288---. Also water pump to suit same motor. Impeller fits in the block. Driver side intake.

FRONT & REAR OVER RIDERS WANTED For 1939 Getting desperate. Please phone or leave a message Chevrolet Deluxe, Also a whip aerial. Robert Kyle 03 236 1408. MEM SOUTHLAND 06 879 5750. MEM HAWKE’S BAY 1953 – 1954 FORD ANGLIA 100E w anted for spares, LOOKING FOR HOTWIRE MAGS 13x7 with 110 any condition acceptable. Phone Clive 03 439 5207 pitch. Looking for one set, suit series 1 RX7. on blunden@slingshot.co.nz.

MEM NORTH OTAGO Phone Stephen 03 615 6383. MEM MARLBOROUGH 20 X 6.5 OR 7.0 TYRES. Any condition, WOF MORRIS MINOR TRAVELLER with WOF and Rego. standard not required. Phone 03 5486897.

Small amount of cosmetic work OK but no projects cgbarrow@xtra.co.nz thanks. Contact 07 576 1124 or gandajones@ AUSTIN A95 WESTMINSTER wanted to buy. Don’t kinect.co.nz” M EM BAY OF PLENTY mind minor repairs but would prefer tidy and in road OLD LANDROVER WANTED d oes not have to run or worthy condition. Ph 03 615 8211. MEM STH CANTY have reg, or wof to stand outside my shed and talk MAGNETO WANTED AS PER PHOTO, possibly DODGE AT4 OR DN5 HUBCAPS WANTED, any about old times. Must be complete in any condition. no manufacturers markings, to suit V Twin number in good condition. Also MGBGT 1972–74 Can collect anywhere in Waikato. Phone Barrie 027 Moto-Reve. I would also be interested in any NZ new chrome bumper, looking for an original car 561 5783, plann@xtra.co.nz M EM WAIKATO other Moto-Reve parts. Phone 03 329 5148. in top condition. Phone 0274 350 979 protheroe@

M EM BANKS PENINSULA xtra.co.nz 48 Beaded Wheels

SWAP MEETS & RALLIES Gasco & Pipeline CANTERBURY BRANCH

BOOK NOW

CLUB DISPLAY THEME: GOLDEN TIMES

September 16 2017

In support of

9am-4pm Edgar Sports Centre Cnr Portsmouth Drive & Midland St, Dunedin Spectacular Vehicle Displays, trade sites and small swap meet.

Special features are 70 years of Ferrari, tyre 60 years of Camaro and Hot Japanese Cars..

$1,000 voucher door prize

For information and sites Kevin Casey Phone 03 453 0818 email caseyleadlights@xtra.co.nz www.otagoclassicmotoring.co.nz

courtesy of Mag & Turbo Ltd

VCCNZ Manawatu Branch presents

6, 7 & 8 OCTOBER 2017 Cutler Park – McLeans Island Road Friday/Saturday 9am-4.30pm, Sunday 9am-2pm Join us on this fun weekend and visit the Mecca of Vintage Motoring of New Zealand Admission Friday, Saturday and Sunday $5 per day or $10 for a three day pass Accompanied school children free Due to major landscaping changes some sites have altered.

Be sure to purchase a $5 Handbook to get the updated map

Saturday 14 October 2017

Sellers from 7am

Kawakawa Rd Entrance

Public from 8am

South St Entrance

Contact Trevor Hardy 06 323 4040 t.s.hardy@clear.net.nz

For information email kevinclarkson1@gmail.com or phone Kevin 021 0270 6525

www.theswapmeet.org.nz

South Island National Easter Rally 30 March – 1 April 2018 Hosted by the Southland Branch The road that takes you to Invercargill the Classic Motoring Capital is a motorist’s dream. The Southern Scenic Route has been voted one of the top 10 drives in the world – the 610km journey is on roads that wind through some of the most beautiful countryside in New Zealand.

In the words of the recently re-made famous New Zealand film, Goodbye Pork Pie, “We’re taking this bloody car to Invercargill” and with the windows down and the engine purring, there’s no better way to arrive!

We have a great weekend planned; please visit www.sporty.co.nz/southlandvintagecar for updates and accommodation options – as there are other events on in the city we suggest you book your accommodation early.

Enquiries welcome please phone Glenys 021 388 649

Beaded Wheels 49

WAIKATO VINTAGE

SWAPMEET

KARAPIRO DOMAIN, CAMBRIDGE Sunday 19 November 2017 Gates open 7am • Public Entry $5 • Children under 12 Free Sites $10 • Commercial sites $50

FAR NORTH TOUR

It’s all happening again with a bonus

3–5 November 2017

PLUS… … a bonus tour to Cape Reinga to follow for those who haven’t had enough fun

Details to be finalised but a lay day on Monday 6 November for R&R or explore Doubtless Bay. Off again on Tuesday 7 November to the Cape.

A run around Taipa on Wednesday 8 November then home.

Organised by Waikato Branch of VCC and Waikato Vintage Tractor & Machinery Club

CONTACTS

Enquiries Ph Jeremy Brook 07 824 1641, George Gardner 07 839 1822

Club Captain. Lester Appleton lesterappleton55@gmail.com ph 09 432 3266

For more information visit www.wvvcc.co.nz

BIENNIAL RALLY SUNNY NELSON

13 – 15 October 2017

Chairman. Keith Taylor keith.taylor55@gmail.com ph. 021 168 5928 Secretary. Mike McGee northland@vcc.org.nz ph. 022 087 2128

VCC NZ NORTH OTAGO BRANCH

SWAP MEET

Saturday 18 November 2017

A&P SHOWGROUNDS, ETTRICK ST, OAMARU Seller’s Entry: 7.00am; Caledonian Road Only

Enquiries to; Rally Secretary; Email jimnkyra@xtra.co.nz 4 Marchwood Gr. Richmond, Nelson 7020 Ph. 03 544 9998 Mob, 027 544 9998

Join us for a fun and relaxing weekend in the Tasman‑Nelson area.

A SPECIAL INVITATION TO EARLY VETERAN CARS (100 YEARS PLUS OLD) from HBVCC COME TO NAPIER AND JOIN THE HBVCC FOR

30TH ANNIVERSARY OF ART DECO WEEKEND 16 – 18 FEBRUARY 2018

We want to show the public what the earliest cars look like, how they perform and where it all started from.

For 2018 we have moved the annual rally to Friday.

We plan to have a 3 or 4 hour run and picnic lunch at an historic Hawke’s Bay homestead. There will be a special rally route for the early veterans (plotted by early veteran owners) to get you to the picnic on time. Special prize draw ($250 of petrol vouchers) just for the 100 year or older cars entered in the 2018 rally event.

ACCOMMODATION IN NAPIER IS ALREADY FILLING UP FOR ART DECO WEEKEND SO BOOK NOW TO AVOID DISAPPOINTMENT.

Buyer’s Entry: 8am Hot Food and Coffee available Enter your Vintage, Classic Car or Hot Rod in the Show & Shine Site Holders: $15 including one entry free Public Entry: $5 Adults, accompanied children free.

Enquiries to: Lynette Newell 0277800182 Email: northotago@vcc.org.nz

DUNVEGAN MOTORCYCLE RALLY 46th

30 Sept – 1 Oct. 2017

You are invited to register your interest in the above event. This is a well established overnight event with a strong emphasis on participation.

We encourage all those who haven’t entered before to join us and experience the great roads Otago has to offer.

For information email metalsprings@xtra.co.nz or phone Bill on 027 201 0565 or 03 489 1626

CONTACTS

Steve Trott stevetrott@xtra.co.nz

Steve Donovan stevedon@xtra.co.nz

Visit HBVCC website for entry forms. (www.hbvcc.org.nz) Available from Mid-August 2017.

You will need to arrive on Thursday 15 February to be ready for the rally on Friday 16 Feb.

50 Beaded Wheels

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Ashburton: 1903 7hp Darracq under restoration.

Ashburton: 1903 7hp Darracq under restoration.

Auckland: Bill Hulse, Model A Ford.

Auckland: Don Green’s 1916 Triumph.

Auckland: Neil Otway’s Brockway ex Bryan Belcher.

Ashburton Owen Wilson We welcome new members Jo and Finn Wolfreys, 1970 Morris Minor ute, and Duncan Grant, 1913 Unic.

Our swap meet was the usual outstanding success and it was great to be on the Bill Hohepa Low Gear programme on Face TV. He interviewed our Chairman Trevor Begg and parts shed manager Gavin Smith. Cliff Begg was interviewed on his Bedford TK. Changes at our AGM: Peter Lambie became vice club captain and Rod McKimmie and Colin Sweetman became committee members.

I visited Gavin Hunt’s workshop to view the restoration of his grandfather’s 1903 7hp Darracq. His grandfather got it second hand and after driving it for a while he took the motor out to run something in his blacksmiths workshop. Gavin’s father, who can remember going to school in it, looked after the rest of the car until Gavin decided to restore it. Over the years a few parts have gone missing so Gavin has had to source parts from all over the place including England and Australia. Someone gave him a differential, someone else a gear box. This car has a column gear change and three 52 Beaded Wheels

forward gears. The water pump was missing so Gavin manufactured one. As you can see he has completed a beautiful restoration.

Gavin’s ambition is for his father, who will be 100 years old in September, to have a ride in this vehicle.

Auckland John Stokes Motorcycles: We welcome new members Steve Collett, 1927 Triumph and an ‘80s Honda VFR; Chris Good, 1954 MAC Velocette and 1928 Ariel; Alan Greenslade with a collection of BSA, Moto Guzzi and Ducati and Geoff Stoner, ‘51 AJS 350, ‘53 MAC Velo and a 1989 Lombardini diesel.

Veteran: We welcome Roland and Janice Howell, 1912 Model T Ford. Kit Maxwell has sold his 1909 Briton. Several Veteran owners attended the D - Day commemoration at Ardmore. Gary Bax and Murray Atkinson are busy repairing the 1914 Saxon. Denis Lowe showed us some hood irons he has had cast for the 1903 Curved Dash Oldsmobile. Alan Meredith spoke on his book about Veteran Talbots in New Zealand.

Vintage: We welcome Andrew and Marlene Costello, 1930 Ford Model A

Auckland: Rodger and Val Ball’s presentation.

roadster. Russel and Jocelyn McAlpine won the Experts Rally in their 1930 Model A Ford. Bill and Sherrill Hulse won the Vintage section of Taranaki’s Maunga Moana in their 1929 Model A. Wayne and Carrie Roberts won the slow Vintage section of the Waikato Double Fifty in their 1929 Willys-Knight.

Classic: We welcome Sean White and Toni Stowers, 1968 Triumph 2000 and Phil Prior with a 1952 Sunbeam Talbot. Stephen and Ryan Winterbottom were second overall at the Maunga Moana rally in their 1962 Vanguard.

General: We extend condolences to the Steadman family on Peter’s death, and to the Cope family on the death of Roy, who was responsible for taking the independent Auckland VCC into the national body.

Roy was in his 60th membership year. The branch library lent some of Clifford Irvine’s early NZ Grand Prix footage to the makers of the McLaren film, as a result librarian Barry Robert got his name in the films credits. Rodger Ball has retired as branch secretary after 31 years’ service, surely a national record.

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Bay of Plenty: Bugatti.

Bay of Plenty: Coulthard.

Bay of Plenty: Packard roadster restoration.

Bay of Plenty: Packard roadster restoration.

Central Hawke’s Bay: Chrysler 77, Studebaker and Model A at Norsewood.

Central Hawke’s Bay: 1938 Desoto on first club run at Norsewood.

At our AGM Martin Spicer was elected chairman. Twenty-five year awards were presented to Vic Brickell, Len and Jan Harvey, Nick Frame, David and Lynda Jones, Bryan and Judy Jackson and Don and Noeline Huggins. Thirty-five year awards were presented to John Bryant, Doug Ormrod and Matt Cox.

We then viewed the fantastic Packard phaeton, 1912 Model T and a beautiful 1973 BMW E9 coupe at the home of Theo and Michelle de Leeuws. T ​ hey also have a Packard roadster under restoration. ​Our sincere thanks for allowing us to view these treasures.

Another well attended and successful outing was the mid-week run in June organised by Don and Ngaire Wade. Over 40 members met at Haiku Park in Katikati, then went to Athenree Homestead, the 1878 historical restored home of Hugh and Adela Stewart who were among the first Irish settlers in the area. This was followed by lunch at the Waihi Beach RSA.

we travelled to Makotuku where we had lunch at the Black Dog Tavern. Our next branch outing was the June Garage Raid.

We visited four garages, the first was to view a Veteran Overland and a couple of Model Ts, one in the rebuild process and the other for sale. Our next visit was to a couple of Chrysler Corporation products and a Morris Eight with the third being to view a 2000 Mustang and a 1994 Corvette.

While the men folk were showing us their pride and joys their wives/partners were entertaining our women folk with their hobbies. The last visit was to a local garage where owners Garry and Kaye Carswell (branch members) gave us a brief talk on their individual motoring hobbies, Kaye with a 38 De Soto and Garry with a Mazda rotary race car. Wednesday 21 June was our AGM, all positions were retained except for branch chairman (whose three year term had expired) and Lynn Cross was elected unanimously to that position.

Bay of Plenty Bryce Strong At our AGM new Branch Chairman John Redding was elected. He will prove to be a popular and effective leader.

Fortunately most of the current committee members are continuing and the branch will benefit from their experience.

Club Captain Kaaren Smylie has not only volunteered to continue in that position, but has also taken on the role of North Island Club Captain. She will be very busy but we know that her husband Jim will provide plenty of assistance now that he has retired as our Chairman.

Our May end of month run, organised

by Jim and Kaaren, to the workshop of Dave Nordell was amazing - various model Bugatti cars in different stages of restoration.

And what a superb restoration job he does.

Central Hawke’s Bay John Foot On 6 May several members attended the auction of automobilia and collectibles, the hot rod and classic car festival and swap meet at the Hawke’s Bay Branch clubrooms.

The May branch event was organised by Branch Chairman Bruce which took us through some good back country roads to arrive at Norsewood for the Norsewood National Day of Norway where we had a display of some 12 vehicles. From here

EBOP Peter Donovan Our AGM reflected upon a successful year and brought new people onto the committee. We have a new secretarial Beaded Wheels 53

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EBOP: Burma Hill Road.

EBOP: Branch cars at Te Kaha.

team, Graham Guy with assistance from his wife Thava, and further involvement from long standing member Barry Keene as club captain. Grateful thanks to outgoing secretary Gail Costar for her long and conscientious service.

On 29 April, 11 cars with 23 members and families took part in a run which took us through Whakatane, up Hillcrest and on to Kohi Point, back down Gorge Road, up Melville Drive to take in the views, back through the residential area of town, then Keepa Road to end at the White House for afternoon tea.

Joining with other local car enthusiasts, the Classic Car Breakfast on 7 May saw 12 club cars together with 20 members along with a total of 85 cars of all types. A great way to spend a Sunday with like-minded people.

For our club run on 21 May eight of our cars joined with the Ford Falcon Club’s 20 or so cars on their annual run to Te Kaha.

Those who couldn’t make it missed out on a great drive to Te Kaha and a picnic lunch with a great group of people from the Falcon Club.

The Growdens and Costars attended the Wanganui Burma Rally on Queen’s Birthday Weekend plus adding a couple of extra days away, returning home via the Wanganui River Road to Jerusalem, through to Raetihi and staying at Turangi before returning home. Although EBOP didn’t gain any placings for the rally Joy won Best Dressed Lady at the rally dinner.

Far North Dave Duirs Our AGM created a few changes and we thank those who have served us 54 Beaded Wheels

Far North: Mothers Day. Time to compare

EBOP: Joy, best dressed at Burma Rally.

Far North: George and Jan Vuletich’s restored Zephyr.

well. Planning for the Autospectacular in January next year has started and the monthly noggin’n’natters have fuelled some ideas for the years’ activities.

Margaret Wallace did a sterling solo job of organising a busy Mothers’ Day run which started with morning tea in Taipa where participants were encouraged to start creating an appropriate card for the day.

The look in at Dilly Dally Orchard was an inspiring example of what can be done on a small piece of ground producing fruit, jams and pickles. The route continued along the Far North East coast with stops at several bays to collect items for the cards and check out the cars....the Vuletich’s newly restored Zephyr was a stunner! A silver service lunch with plenty of time to mix and admire the handiwork which went in to amazing cards made for a great day out. Dot and Steve Wynne demonstrated best card/montage skills and Win Matthews and his car load of guests took out the Topp Trophy.

We think it’s great that a good number of cars have ventured south to support other branch’s activities.

Gisborne Rodney Clague The year has commenced well for our branch with no fewer than six new memberships received so far, with two more prospective applicants about to join.

Our annual Neil Peterson Trophy Run attracted a good number of entries. The run is always centred on Wairoa, the home town of the late Neil Peterson. This year organisers Gail Menzies and Mike Little sent the teams to Iwitea, just north of the town, where we spent an interesting day looking at two of the earliest woolsheds in

the district, followed by a visit to the local marae where we learned a lot of history of the area.

The Chairman’s Run in May sent us on a circuit around the outskirts of the district to arrive back at the clubrooms after a very damp trip.

Our annual general meeting saw Naomi Neill elected as our new treasurer while most other positions remained unchanged.

All the mechanical work on the motor of the Carlton car has been completed and it is now ready for reassembly. As the work on the motor is being done “in between jobs” it has been a time consuming task but we hope to have it running by summer.

An original 1937 Austin 7 Ruby has been acquired by Ben Sutherland and a Model T coupe has also arrived in town and is getting a makeover before receiving the necessary paperwork to get it on the road.

Gore Jim McFadzien A lot of thought and time by Bill Sheddan put a different slant on our annual Night Trial in May. He had photographed about 60 different commercial and shop signs around Gore. He then only printed half of the sign for us to identify – something new and surprisingly difficult.

We then had to locate these signs by the shortest route and our mileage was recorded.

A very comprehensive quiz session to follow proved how little we know or have retained.

Des and Janet Brewster had a clean sweep of the questions.

We wound up the season with the Closing Run on 10 June. The 17 entrants left the clubrooms at intervals after a short

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Hawke’s Bay: “God’s Own Brewery” at the end of our June run.

Hawke’s Bay: Salisbury Rd, good to have country roads where there is no traffic!

quiz. Fifty-eight miles of tar seal took the cars through Knapdale and Otama, then crossed the Mataura River at Freshford, north to Wendonside, and south through Balfour. We went past a farm growing tulip bulbs, the Balfour Limeworks and on to Highway 94 finishing at the Riversdale property of Greg and Daphne Elder. We all crowded into Greg’s workshop for a cuppa surrounded by his various projects – a Ford Model A, a Ford V8 (their own farm truck).

There were his three Star cars from the 1920s – a roadster and two saloon models, his Falcon GT and his majestic Cadillac V8 of 1917. Also the fast stuff, a Honda, TVR Tuscan and Pontiac Fiero ready to hit the track. Greg organised the run and generously supplied the first three placegetters of the quiz, Neil McVicar in his 1949 A40, John Tremaine and Murray Proctor, with a pack of frozen whitebait.

Hawke’s Bay Esther Smith Art Deco 2018 is the 30th anniversary of the Art Deco weekend celebrations. It will be a great weekend and naturally we will be involved. Our rally will have a revised format. The Feature Marque will be Simply the Best featuring Star Cars and Motoring Legends. Our objective is to bring together 30 of New Zealand’s best/most interesting cars, whatever the make, instead of the traditional one make feature marque. We will have cars dating from 1896 (Benz), including an 1899 Locomobile steam car and a 1904 Baker electric car. There will be many iconic makes including Alfa Romeo, Cadillac V16, Duesenberg, Auburn, Cord, Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost, Hispano Suiza, American LaFrance, Bugatti, Stutz and

Packard to name a few. We would like to have as many as possible early Veterans attend the weekend and will be setting separate rally events for them. Contact Steve Trott if you are interested in bringing your early Veteran. (021 460 159).

Our AGM meant some changes to the committee: new Chairman, Ian Elmsly, Club Captain Esther Smith and Secretary Peter Ball. Committee members are Malcolm Blair, Derek Gordon, and Trevor Chairman.

This year we have a new branch award called the Southward Family Award. A prestigious award which will be awarded to members who are deemed to have given outstanding service to the club, the recipients this year were Mark Jenkinson for his outstanding work as Project Manager for the new clubrooms and all his years of work from the germ of the idea to when the opening ribbon was cut. The award was also presented to Steve Donavan for his contribution as chairman for the past seven years, ably steering the branch through both the rough and the smooth times.

Horowhenua: Secretary Michael Gaffanny reading minutes at AGM

Horowhenua: Morris Minor alongside Bernard Scott’s T race-about at picnic BBQ

Horowhenua: Farm machinery club tractor line at picnic BBQ

Horowhenua Peter D Nightingale Fourteen members drove up to the Queen’s Birthday Rally in Wanganui.

A great weekend with metal roads and all things that motoring should include.

As usual it was a well organised social weekend and a chance to catch up with Horowhenua: Mike Kuhll’s MG and Ivan Horn’s T race-about at the picnic BBQ many friends.

This year our Branch is celebrating 40 years and our winter dinner and get together will reflect this. Branch cars will be photographed at the clubrooms and many old branch events and historical Beaded Wheels 55

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Manawatu: May run to Kimbolton cafe, socialising.

Manawatu: Winners of the night run, Club Capt.

Bryan Abraham (L) presenting the trophy to Roger Begg, Levin, 1960 Dodge Dart.

Manawatu: Waiting for the start.

notes will be the theme of our newsletter the Spark. The annual get together of the farm machinery barbecue and VCC members was held at the clubrooms. Here the two Model T raceabouts owned by Ivan Horn and Bernard Scott were put through their paces in the paddock adjacent to the clubrooms.

At our AGM some new members came forward for committee. New ideas are what keeps us all going. Spares are still coming in and the new parts are now easy to find with the extra space and shelving. The Night Rally, a social run, is next on the agenda so with the weather improving it should be a fun outing.

similar number participated in the run. It is always pleasing to see members coming from some distance to take part in our runs.

Coming up in August is our combined meeting with Central Hawkes Bay. This has been held in Dannevirke for three years and is a good way to catch up with friends over an evening meal. See you there.

Manawatu Ian Howell Recently we have run our annual PV/ PWV Rally, and the Night Trial. We have also visited a collection of 30 Holden Commodores, most of them mobile, and visited several small country towns to sample the local coffee shops, socialise, and wave our flag.

The PV run on 6 May took us over both sides of the ranges and involved a climb over Saddle Road as the gorge was still closed. Lunch was in Pahiatua and the run finished at the Ballance Café adjacent to that infamous gorge. For most that involved another climb over the hills to get home.

It was good to see a number of outside entrants.

The Night Run occurred on 23 June, not quite the shortest day. Cars left the clubrooms about 5pm for a 2½ hour run around Feilding, then south to Rongotea, finishing at Longburn pub for a meal. A 56 Beaded Wheels

Marlborough Carroll Wiblin Our Wednesday morning get-togethers are very popular and often there are around 60 members enjoying a cuppa and a chat.

When first introduced it was not taken too well but time has proved it to be a good move as the numbers have increased dramatically. It has now become part of our lives.

Following our AGM we have a new chairman, Kelly Landon-lane, who has taken over from Lyall Mooney who has done a sterling job in his term as chair.

In May we had a very successful Mother’s Day run which involved entrants visiting wineries for lunch before returning to the clubrooms where they were served afternoon tea by the men folk.

We recently held our night trial which was run by last year’s winners Brian and Jan Tuffy. A very thought provoking experience with entrants needing to think outside the square. Also held recently was our events trophy day. This was held at Brayshaw Park and involved some very challenging events with interesting results. A few broken eggs were seen in the grass!

At a recent Wednesday morning Anthony from BASIS along with a rep from

Penrite, gave a talk on Penrite oils. They also very generously donated prizes for a raffle.

Work continues in our spares department and one of the old sheds has had the floor levelled up after slumping caused by settlement. We have some great members who help with hard fill to remedy these situations.

Nelson Ray Robertson We have been putting the finishing touches to our three year new clubroom project in time for our formal opening day celebrations. What a fabulous day it turned out to be. Invitations had been sent out to many Nelson car or motorcycle enthusiast clubs to come along and join the occasion.

We were not disappointed. 140 branch vehicles were put on show and supported by many of the other clubs also showing off their machines. The John White Restoration of the year and John Stickney memorial Gymkhana rounded out the day Club nights have seen a viewing of old 1960s Tahunanui Beach Racing movie followed by a very enjoyable quiz night.

Our AGM saw some of the branch management/ committee opting to take some well-deserved time out. We have the makings of a great new team led by stalwart Jim Wareing with everybody eager to get on with business.

We have seen presentations made to Malcolm Baker 25 years, Max Smart 35 years and 50 years Jack Anglesey and Tony Hansen – congratulations to all.

idletorque There is plenty of focus on events over the next year. A complete calendar of these is being planned by management, giving members a year-long driving diet to plan around.

The feature car this issue could be bought, when new, for $710. It’s the 1935 Donna Nobilo owned, Dodge DU coupe, made in the USA, in its original colour too.

It was a Pukekohe swap meet deal back in 1977. At the gallop, the 6 cylinder motor spins out a grunty 87 horsepower. This Northland Bruce Cosson is a lovely car in superb condition. Sleek, Once again, the Annual General powerful, fast, and driven in the Tutamoe Meeting was very well attended and expertly Wilderness rally by enthusiastic owner run. Almost all positions of responsibility Donna, ably assisted by best mate, Noelene were rolled over and a tireless Keith Taylor Quedley. They are from the Wellsford/ gets another shot at the controls. Excellent. Warkworth Branch.

There was a real ‘General Biz buzz’ about Clive Blunden the success of the spares shed (mentioned North Otago Thanks to Wendy and Gordon Pringle last issue). The Hillier team have created a new social space. And you don’t have for organising a great Mother’s Day run. to shop for a diff or a drag link. The All Wendy planned her Kowhai Run in aid of Welcome invitation is out there to meet the hospice (the Kowhai is the Hospice and mingle, while Lawrence’s favourite emblem). During the 35 mile run we had 1950s plastic radio blends a mix of period to note down where we saw Kowhai trees ambience with a bit of boogie. Open each in the beautiful North Otago countryside.

Wednesday morning, and last Saturday of After field tests a quiz had been arranged the month at 2pm. Bring a thermos and a and all the ladies were given a handmade Kowhai pin. This was followed by a couple of cups delicious afternoon tea. The 28 participants

paid $5 each and the proceeds of the run were donated to the hospice.

Eleven vehicles assembled at Kakanui school for the Anzac Day Field Tests and Regularity Run. The tests included driving two left wheels along a white line; one revolution of the wheel and parking the two front wheels on a rope shaped like a V.

Nelson: The two most recent 50 year badge recipients Jack Anglesey and Tony Hansen.

North Otago: The Rope.

We take further heart with seven new members and several serious enquires by others.

Finally another successful joint hill climb was run by the branch and Nelson Car Club on the Sandy Bay Hill Road. This event continues to gain popularity with more and more competitors venturing to Nelson for the event. We are very indebted to the locals who live on the road for their continued support of the event.

Northland: 1935 Dodge coupe DU

1 R. Hutton 2 J Boaden 3 N and N Rooney

1959 Triumph 1974 Triumph 1972 Buick

After completing that the drivers were given instructions to drive around the community and back to the start, then complete the same in reverse order and in the same time.

1 V Chambers 2 N and N Rooney 3 R Hutton

1971 MGB GT 1972 Buick 1959 Triumph Motorcycle.

We then retired to our chairman’s place for afternoon tea.

North Shore Richard Bampton We welcome Philip Soar, John Hudson, Paul Brinsten, Maurice Hinton, Brett Houston and Bill Rayner The Northern Raid is North Shore’s calendar event and this year’s afternoon rally in April attracted a turnout of 19 cars on a well plotted run through both suburban areas and along scenic country

Nelson: New clubrooms opening day L-R Jim Wareing Branch Chairman, Ken North Otago: Rod Hutton’s Triumph.

Ivory Club Patron (and oldest member), Jarod Carston ( our youngest member), Dianne Quarry National President and Kevin Mercer Building Project Manager.

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North Shore: The branch Morris 8 leads the Northern Raid away.

Rotorua: Bill and Adelai Skelton (Austin 7) at start of the prize-giving rally.

roads. This was followed by a good meal, the usual car talk, post-mortem and prize giving. The winners were Dave and Barbara Albon (Auckland, Triumph Stag) and top scorers for North Shore, Kevin Lord and Marlene McGinty (Zephyr ute).

In May the prospect of learning about the upkeep of golf greens and the gear needed for maintenance, plus the promise of lunch at Huapai Golf Course, drew 38 people in 19 cars. A short drive followed by a visit to the groundsman’s shed to hear from head greenkeeper Matt Chatterton about their early start at 6.00 and to see the imposing line-up of new John Deere equipment.

At our AGM Peter Lloyd retired from the committee after many years of service and Michael Dorbeck was thanked for his years of work as treasurer. Michael is replaced by Ross Moon. Kevin Lord was elected branch vice-chairman. Richard Bampton has succeeded Mary Lloyd as Beaded Wheels reporter. The members thanked Mary for her 12 years in that role.

The rest of the officers and committee were re-elected unchanged. Dick Andrews was presented with his 35 years badge while Michael Dorbeck and Danny Rook were presented with their 25 years badges.

Otago Graeme Duthie Our AGM afternoon started with the presentation of a 50 year membership certificate and badge to Ken Harrex by South Island Club Captain Alon Mayhew.

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Otago: Bus trip to Invercargill, team photo outside at the Feldwick Gates.

Rotorua: Kevin Scott makes fine adjustments to his Ford V8’s brakes before the rally.

It is great to see members achieving this milestone. A new committee was elected with two changes, so we welcome David Mills and Keith Moore. It is good to have new blood and new ideas. Twenty-five year badges were presented to Chris and Mary Whelan and Alistair Drummond. Absent were Graeme Jenks and Kevin and Denyse Priston who will receive their badges at a later date. Branch annual awards were also presented.

We have no large organised rallies at this time but the monthly mid-week rally continues as does Sparkoholics. We have Tech Talk on Friday 25 August 8pm.

This is about Power Up – The Ultimate Lubrication for your vehicle.

We are looking forward to the Cancer Society Daffodil delivery day and the National day with the Cancer Society, and Spring when it arrives to kick start the rally season.

Rotorua: Prizegiving.

run on Sunday 18 June took participants into fascinating quarters of Rotorua such as Hinemoa’s Point and Ohinemutu. It was good to see Bill and Adelai Skelton out in their 1929 Austin 7 again – the car had not been used for some months while Bill ran-in a new knee joint. As usual the car’s engine started with a gentle pull on the crank handle or, on a very slight slope, engaging the clutch just as soon as it began to move. Last year chairman David Tomlinson was embarrassed at receiving four trophies. This year the writer even more so as he and his navigating wife could not remember scoring particularly well in any of the events.

Bob Mackay continues to find new places to visit on monthly mid-week runs and in May we drove to Mamaku and back to town via country roads, had lunch at a lakeside cafe and visited the National Fire Service Training Centre at a business park opposite the airport. We were impressed Rotorua Ronald Mayes with the high professional standards Our swap meet, will have been held required for this specialized and dangerous by the time this appears. Once again the occupation.

Paradise Valley raceway is booked and more under-cover areas will have made the site South Canterbury better than ever.

Shannon Stevenson Our AGM saw David Tomlinson Our Post Vintage Rally, organised by returned as chairman, and many experi- Ashley Milliken, was held on 14 May and enced members returned to committee or attracted over 50 vehicles. Field tests took other posts, but we await a volunteer for the place in the Timaru International Motor position of club captain.

Raceway pit lanes and entrants ventured Monthly runs continue, always with through the Temuka, Clandeboye and somewhere new to see. The Prize-Giving

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South Canterbury: Ross Parker’s 1934 Chevrolet South Canterbury: Dick Edwards conducts a field test at Woodbury Domain on the Post Vintage Rally. on the Post Vintage Rally at Timaru International Motor Raceway - the objective being to line up the back axle with knots on a rope.

Taranaki: A lineup of members cars at the Stratford Mountain House on Mount Taranaki (Egmont).

Orari regions to reach the lunch stop and prize giving venue at Woodbury domain.

Mid-week runs are successful. The May run, organised by Kevin and Ngadia Manchester, involved members travelling south west of Timaru to Holme Station and Otaio Gorge, the end venue being at Don Campbell’s property at Fairview. The June mid-week run, organised by John Foster, took members north of Timaru to Te Awa hall near Winchester.

For our June Noggin evening the guest speaker was Bruce Washington, who gave us an enlightening presentation of his experience in the 2016 Peking to Paris rally, piloting his 1929 Chrysler 77 with son Harry.

The Timaru All British Day was held on 5 June. Organised by Neil Manchester and attracting over 120 vehicles this event, held in inclement weather, took participants on a scenic trip south of Timaru, the end venue being the Blue Cliffs Hall.

The Restoration Run took place on 19 June, organised by the Irving family. This event took 15 member’s vehicles through Beaconsfield, Raincliff and Middle Valley to reach the Fairlie Heritage Museum. New restorations on this rally included Graham Taylor’s 1928 Whippet roadster, Jim Geddes’ Triumph based roadster, and Grant Mitchell’s 1980 Mini 1275GT convertible, originally built by late member Barry Lovegrove.

Taranaki: Tiddly Cox sitting in his newly acquired 1915 Ford Model T raceabout which was purchased from Brian Morris in Taranaki.

South Canterbury: Grant Mitchell’s 1980 Mini 1275GT on the Restoration Run. This was the first of several Minis turned into convertibles by the late Barry Lovegrove.

South Otago: Devon and Jeanette Baird’s 1929 Model A.

South Otago John Cook The branch’s annual night trial held in late May, put together by Devon and Jeanette Baird, was a great run. The route took us to Warepa and onto Blacks Bridge Road to Clydevale and returning down Clutha River Rd to Balclutha then back to the Clubrooms. Overall winners were David and Kathy Renton in their Toyota.

Three of the branch’s motorcyclists attended North Otago Branch’s Gerald Lynch-Blosse Memorial Rally held at Oamaru.

Don Jenks’ restoration on his 1918 Chevrolet truck is progressing with body parts sourced from here and Australia through contacts made by attending the Bendigo swap meet. Son-in-law Peter Post is restoring a 1937 Chevrolet sedan and work on that is also progressing.

Devon and Jeanette Baird have purchased Alan and Faye Martin’s (Southland Branch) 1929 Model A. I don’t think it’s had much of a chance to get cold since they bought it.

raceabout and we look forward to seeing this back on the road again. John Muter has purchased a 1936 Austin 14/6 Goodwood which is the last model with the 16 inch wire wheels. It had been sitting in a shed for many years, is complete and in very original order with a little work to be done on the motor. It still has its original paintwork and leather upholstery. The car was originally sold by Seabrook Fowlds Motors in Auckland on 15 November 1936.

Steve Low of Waitara has built a new C cab for his 1925 Chev truck as the one he previously made was too small.

There was a change of chairperson at our AGM and we welcome back Veronica Oliver as chair. Steven Oliver and Alan Henry have also joined the committee.

The annual End of Rego run up the Stratford side of Mount Taranaki to the Mountain House attracted another excellent turnout with over 50 members attending. This is a good test to drive our vehicles up the fully tar sealed roadway winding up through the mountain bush line. Twenty two vehicles took part with Taranaki Colin Johnston 11 Vintage cars featuring Model As, Essex, Over recent months there has been a lot Dodge, Nash and Willys Knight. of restoration taking place. Bill Durling is working on a 1953 Sunbeam Talbot 2 door Taupo Greg Nattrass convertible. This car has a 2.5 litre engine At our AGM the most significant and a column gear change. A lot of the car change was Maureen Ransley stepping up and parts had been disassembled so this will to the treasurer’s position. We welcome new be a complete rebuild. committee members Pam Mannington, Tiddly Cox of Egmont Village has John Lucas and Kelvin Trim. Stepping down purchased Brian Morris’s 1915 model T are Marty and Lynne Sutherland, Terry Beaded Wheels 59

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Wairarapa: Reliability run riders at Akitio. Photo by Ash Blair.

Wairarapa: Diane and Geoff Quarrie (1915 GWK Runabout) at Cobblestones Museum.

Wairarapa: Looking for action ... Bruce Hutton in his fire engine at the Veteran rally.

Wairarapa: The lovely Alvis driven by Les Poole.

Nielsen and John Godfrey. The Navigators’ Run was set by last year’s winners, Rod and Helen Campbell. The run saw us on the outskirts of the town, finishing up at the Le’ art cafe just out of Acacia Bay where this year’s winners, Kelvin and Jan Trim, were announced.

In June we visited the local cinema for a screening of the film McLaren. This was followed later in the month by the mid-winter pot luck dinner. As always, a great night. Bruce and Trish Jefferies had the privilege of setting our outing of the brass monkey. The run saw the group heading south of town before changing direction at the airport and heading out towards Acacia Bay, Kinloch direction.

We travelled a few country roads towards Wairakei then back to town for a meal and fellowship. The twist this year was that each car had to select a playing card, which at the end, was the way this year’s winner was chosen, the winners were our chairman, Neil Chave and his wife Lorraine.

Waikato Gaynor Terrill In preparation for the Double 50 a well attended training day was held late in May where participants took part in a number of short rallies to practice the skills of line of least deviation, straight line navigation and interpreting written instructions. The general consensus was that it was a useful day with all looking forward to putting their refined skills and knowledge into rallying.

60 Beaded Wheels

The branch had a busy month in June starting with the Double 50 Rally at Queen’s Birthday weekend. The route took the 58 participants south towards Te Awamutu, to Te Kowhai for lunch and back to finish at the clubrooms in Cambridge. Congratulations to Wayne and Carrie Roberts from Auckland, the overall winners, and also Wayne and Tracey Hayward, ably assisted by Tracey’s sister, Carey-Ann who were the first Waikato members. Auckland Branch won the coveted trophy that is competed for between Auckland and Waikato.

At the branch AGM Ian Patton took over the chair from Graeme Pate and some new faces were elected onto the committee.

The AGM also saw a policy being adopted for branch calendar events where Vintage vehicles are able to participate in the Veteran Rally and post vintage vehicles are able to participate in the Vintage Venture Rally.

Some members of the branch are about to undertake an interesting project where they are going to be involved in building a replica Veteran vehicle, just chassis and body, to be permanently displayed in the Mansfield Garden currently under construction at Hamilton Gardens. We look forward to seeing this progress.

Wairarapa: David Hunter gave the family Mustang an airing.

Wairarapa: Jean and Tom Mitchelmore get their Winter Wander goodies from Willie James.

to Wairarapa’s calendar. The non-competitive run was organised by Will and Ruby Holmes (1910 Austin 18/24) and began and ended in Greytown with lunch being taken in Martinborough. Of the 20 cars entered nine were local and were joined by cars from Hawke’s Bay, Central Hawke’s Bay, Wanganui and Manawatu branches. We were privileged to have the presence of our National President Diane Quarrie and her husband Geoff in a 1915 GWK runabout.

The resurgence of the motorcycle division continued with 17 bikes turning out for the two-day winter reliability run in May. The route took the bikes to Akitio on the coast. The branch’s oldest active member, 87 year old Willis St Clair, rode the whole weekend with his throttle cable taped to the twist grip after the nipple pulled out. For that effort he received a trophy.

The Winter Wander attracted a big turnout. Cars were sent on a 60-mile run from Masterton to Pahiatua where 30 or more people descended on The Black Stump Café followed by a leisurely return to Masterton.

At our AGM Willie James was elected chairman, replacing John Clark. Two key members stood down from the committee.

Myrna Lane has done a fabulous job with the branch magazine. Club Captain Gary Wairarapa Kevin Ball Lang also relinquished his role.

Following a successful event in April The branch has enjoyed an influx of an annual Veteran rally has been added young members and is exploring new types

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Waitemata: Waitemata visit motorcycle legend Graeme Crosby.

Waitemata: Novice Waitemata panelbeaters with Mark McAlpine.

of event to meet their interests. Some of them have got involved in turning an old Bradford van into a club car, this work being done by the Beer and Bangers team on Sunday afternoons in winter.

Waitemata Diane Humphreys Brendan Lamain’s Drive and BBQ held in April was well attended and we ventured north to visit motorcycle legend Graeme Crosby and his collection of motorcycles at Matakana.

At our well attended AGM we lost one committee member but we gained another good bloke and now have a Vintage flyer amongst the team.

A Tech Night held in June saw us at Mark McAlpine’s panelbeater’s shop. This is one of the few shops left in Auckland that does Vintage, classic and hot-rod vehicle repairs. The team are very skilled and the workmanship is excellent. Mark also holds panelbeating courses throughout the year.

Keith’s afternoon run to Av Specs on Sunday 18 June saw a great turnout of Waitemata’ites, F.O.Bs, and Daimler Darters visit the third Mosquito under construction.

Going to places like Mark’s and Av Spec’s gives one confidence that there are still some young and very talented people in the country. A Piper Cub and a DH Fox Moth were available for anyone to take a short flight and it was great to see granddads and grandchildren taking advantage of this

Wellington: Marshalls Trevor Barnes and Doug Banks explain the next test to Lyn Baines in a 1972 Triumph Spitfire.

Wanganui: Best dressed gentleman (Tailend Charlie) also known as Dick Mottram!

offer. From the air the countryside looks so manicured and beautiful.

The last weekend in June we have our mad, fun Mid-Winter Christmas at Whatipu Lodge with one weekend to recover and then it’s the R’Oil Can Rally weekend. July continues the busy trend with Ryders Drive, Dine and Movie Night and a Flyin/Drive-in Day at Kaipara Flats Airfield.

Wanganui Fay Chamberlain Despite the changeable weather the Wanganui Branch has had some very enjoyable activities over the past couple of months. The Annual Rally held over Queen’s Birthday weekend drew 72 entrants. After enjoying a very scenic tour through the river roads, the back roads, and even a private road it was anybody’s guess who might win this one. The overall winners were Gerald and Anne Enright from Hamilton in their 1965 Holden Premier X2.

The monthly Sunday runs continue to be well supported, including the annual Gymkhana held in Craig and Wendy Ryland’s paddock. The winner was John Bullock in his Ford Model A ute.

We had a good turnout for a spruce up and clean out of the clubrooms.

Club nights have been well attended with some interesting speakers. At our AGM Peter Hardy handed over the chairman’s reins to Bruce Ardell, another long standing member of the Wanganui Branch.

Wanganui: The winners were Gerold Enright and Anne Enright from Hamilton, driving a 1965 Holden Premier X2.

Community activities would not be complete without the old vehicles. From the Road Rodders Park Up, to the domain next door to raise funds for a wee boy with cancer.... the Wanganui Branch is much appreciated. Well done everybody.

Wellington Claire Benge We mourn the loss of our long-time Patron Lady Southward, who passed away in February this year.

In April a contingent of members headed for the top of the Rimutaka Hill to see the sun come up on our annual Dawn Breaker Rally. It is amazing that people are willing to leave a warm bed to drive a car in the small hours of the morning to hopefully see a bit of sun. But they do and they did, a stunning dawn, before driving down to Greytown for breakfast, then joining the Wairarapa Branch at their clubrooms for morning tea. We followed the Veterans on a rally to Martinborough for lunch, then home after a long day.

The annual Ladies Rally in May is where the men get a chance to appreciate the difficulties of navigating and the ladies drive the older cars. After a run around the Hutt Valley we ended up at the clubrooms for afternoon tea baked by the men, and a demonstration of chocolate making. Cathye Haddock and Peter Simpson took all the prizes with Cathye driving Peter’s 1937 Morris 8 and Peter making delicious feijoa friands.

Beaded Wheels 61

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West Coast: Mr Rosco aka Ross Moore in action. Photo Brent Woolhouse.

Wellsford Warkworth: Franz Edgar’s MGB.

West Coast: L to R - Kevin McGirr, Allan Giles, Kevin Tucker, John Fowler, Keith Bradley. Photo Brent Woolhouse. absent David Ferris and Wouter van Plateringen.

Kirichuck from Puhoi Organic Distillery, which should be interesting. Mid-week cafe runs have replaced the summer picnics but with some of this glorious weather it is a shame to be sitting inside.

Two interesting Sunday runs were also very well attended. The first went down to Clevedon to inspect Richard Longridge’s amazing collection of Rolls-Royces, plus a few other oddities. It was amazing to hear Richard relate the history of all of the cars, plus the trials and tribulations that went with each restoration. Our men were drooling over the wonderful garage facilities as well. Then it was a shed raid to visit Anne and Grahame’s Studebakers and Holden and our assorted collection ranging from the 1904 Cadillac to the 1911 Cadillac and 1924 Standard, all in various states of restoration.

A few members took the opportunity to show off their new or recently restored cars including Phil and Viv Maurice’s Riley Merlin, Dave and Barbara Coop’s Riley RMF and Franz Edgar’s MGB. By the time this goes to print the Winter Woollies will be done and dusted. The weather forecast not looking good but we hope for the best.

June sees the Leprechaun (small Irishman) Rally following metal roads to Tora on the East Coast of the Wairarapa to continue our monthly series of local rallies.

A small but enthusiastic group participate, but the club nights have a large attendance, with a debate, a restoration and electric cars being some of the upcoming talks.

West Coast June Campbell We welcome new members Ron Wellsford – Warkworth Coleman (Canterbury) and Norman

Anne Hamilton Lawrence (Auckland) who have transferred We welcome new members; Nigel to our branch. New to the club are Ross Robinson, 1975 Mercedes; Dennis and and Diane Brockbank and Michael Meuli Anne McDonald, 1965 MG 1100. who hail from Hokitika.

Winter doesn’t slow down the action at Our May club run was a trip down to all. The monthly dinners continue to be Hari Hari on a beautiful winters day. Thirty well patronised with 50 or more turning up plus members joined up for a lunch and on a regular basis. July’s guest speaker is Alex a get together. A stop at Ross on the way 62 Beaded Wheels

home to see who could putt a golf ball into a bucket on a raft set up in the lake, created by gold dredging, gave everyone some ideas of who has the best eye/arm coordination.

At our AGM service badges were presented. Twenty-five years to Kevin McGirr, Kevin Tucker and Woulter van Plateringen. Thirty-five years to David Ferris, John Fowler and Keith Bradley.

Allan Giles has been elected as our new chairman replacing Kevin Tucker who has led us so well for the last three years. Kevin presented the Frances Hunter Memorial Trophy to June Campbell.

The Rosco Trials at Reefton, organised

by John Fowler, has kicked off the 2017 circuit with 31 entries. Avon Hyde (Canterbury) was this year’s overall winner and Linda Topliss (Nelson) was the first lady driver. This event is attracting more of our own local members to compete each year.

Passing Lane In this column we acknowledge the recent passing of club members.

Information is supplied to Beaded Wheels by VCCNZ Branch Secretaries.



Clode, Gordon Grant, Jeffrey (Jeff) Jarvie, Graeme Lange, Keith Lupton, Cecil Pratt, Helen Margaret Roy, Cope Parrott, John

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*Incorrectly published in Beaded Wheels issue 346

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