Waitemata VCC November

PHOENIX Number 270

NOVEMBER 2017

PHOENIX NEWSLETTER OF THE WAITEMATA BRANCH VINTAGE CAR CLUB OF NEW ZEALAND NUMBER 270

CHAIRMAN: CLUB CAPTAIN: 1st OFFICER: SECRETARY: TREASURER: BRANCH DELEGATE: EDITOR: COMMITTEE:

NOVEMBER 2017

chicksmart73@gmail.com DI HUMPHREYS 021 025 75624 HAMISH ANDREW 027 296 9665 h.andrew@orcon.net.nz STAN SMITH 0274 775 475 vintageaircraft@xtra.co.nz VIV SCOTT 021 837 402 robandviv06@yahoo.co.nz JOHN GAIRDNER 09 480 4414 GRAEME BANKS 027 500 3806 graban@ihug.co.nz KEVIN BEESLEY 021 765 860 k.m.beesley@orcon.net.nz MIKE HOPE-CROSS, MAX JAMIESON, BRENDAN LAMAIN and MIKE GREIG.

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PHOENIX Number 270

NOVEMBER 2017

COMING EVENTS Looking Forward………

Month

Waitemata

NOVEMBER

Club Night 50 Year Awards 2 Chelsea W.A.L.S.H. 5

DECEMBER

North Shore Aerodrome Time Trial tba New Year’s Eve tbc Lochinver – 20-21

JANUARY FERUARY

MARCH APRIL

Other Events Auck. Branch m/c rally and swap meet 17-19 Maungaturoto Primary School Car & Bike Show 26 HRSCC Race Day H.D. 26

Swap Meets Waikato Br. Swap Meet 19

Hooters Tasman Revival Taupo. 7 Art Deco Weekend Napier 16-18 Western Springs Galaxy of Cars 18 Ellerslie Intermarque Concours – tba Hooters Legends of Speed Puke. 25

Hooters ‘Roycroft Trophy Meet’ 18 Hope-Cross Mud Pug - tba

MAY

Drive & Dine - tba

JUNE

AGM 7

UP NEXT…

Club Night 8.00 p.m. Thursday 2nd NOVEMBER

At the usual place - the RSA Room, King George Coronation Hall, Library Lane, Albany, but not your usual gathering.

We’ll be celebrating Wallace McNair’s 50-year membership of the VCC. Festivities will commence with a BBQ firing up at 7.00 pm. The Branch is providing the BBQ and salads, BYO everything else, including plates, eating irons and refreshments. Our fair North Island Club Captain will be attending to honour the occasion.

Be sure to be there.

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PHOENIX Number 270

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Then…

CHELSEA W.A.L.S.H. HILL CLIMB Sunday 5th November 2017 9am – 3pm NO Rain Day Chelsea W.A.L.S.H. Hill Climb is open to all VCC eligible vehicles pre-1945 & up to Pre-1960 by prior consultation with the Waitemata Branch Committee.

ENTRY FORMS etc. are available in this issue of PHOENIX & NEED TO BE WITH Secretary VIV SCOTT 200A Greenhithe Road, Greenhithe, Auckland 0632

by Thursday 2nd November 2017 Scrutineering will be held at Mac’s Garage (4E Ashfield Street, Glenfield) Saturday 4th November 2017 from 9am till 1pm. This service will be carried out by Ryan McDonald & Kevin Andrew.

Scrutineering at the venue is ONLY AVAILABLE to OUT OF TOWN ENTRANTS by appointment with the above scrutineers.

Please make arrangements with Ryan McDonald (09 4433733 wk.) / Kevin Andrew (0274989454 wk.)

MARSHALS are REQUIRED can YOU help?? please contact Di Humphreys 09 4460916 chicksmart73@gmail.com The event will NOT happen unless we have some VCC members as Marshals

All Marshals MUST be at MARSHAL BRIEFING in Pit area @ 8.30am ALL DRIVERS are REQUIRED to ATTEND DRIVERS’ BRIEFING @ 8.45am.

(If you are not at Drivers’ Briefing you cannot enter the event.)

The after-event BBQ will be available for Entrants, Marshals, Radio team.

IF others wish to partake of the BBQ they must pay $5pp and they must let Di/Keith Humphreys (09 4460916) know for catering purposes before 2 nd November 2017 Page |3

PHOENIX Number 270

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Coming Up… DECEMBER.

Circumstances have dictated that we cannot run our December North Shore Aerodrome Time Trial event as planned and efforts are being made to see what alternative arrangements may be possible. Watch this space. You will be advised as details are developed.

Going Further out…

Early days yet, but, looking like it’s back by popular demand, a gymkhana, pot luck dinner (with Mike and Kris supplying the meat for $10pp) on New Year’s Eve at the Mike and Kris Hope-Cross estate, 10 Anzac Valley Road, Waitakere Township. Confirmation and full details next month.

and…

LOCHINVER 20-21 January 2018 Not so far away now AND NUMBERS ARE REQUIRED TO ENABLE GOLDIE TO FINALISE THE ARRANGEMENTS. DELAY NO LONGER! LET IAN KNOW NOW OF YOUR INTENTION TO ATTEND. Remember, attendance is limited to around 20 persons and places are being taken. Contact Ian Goldingham (goldie@kiwilink.co.nz or ph 09 4458811) NOW!!

Take it from one who has been, this is not merely an event, it is an experience - a unique opportunity to couple our car enthusiasm with our culture. An opportuunity for motoring adventure in a fascinating section of the country you are otherwise unlikely to have the good fortune to visit. Most of our club eligible vehicles are capable of the journey – it is mildly challenging but not punishing. Do not deny yourself – take the opportunity while it is there.

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Plus…

AUCKLAND BRANCH MID-WEEK RUN Wednesday 15th November 2017.

Starts from The Warehouse Carpark, Westgate. 10-00am for a 10-30am departure.

Murray Firth has organised a run finishing at the renowned Mincher Gardens for lunch (BYO) before those who wish to, go on to a nearby interesting collection of cars and trucks. There is an admission charge to the Gardens, but Murray has negotiated a discounted rate for us of $15-00 pp. That’s good value for one of the most outstanding show piece gardens in NZ.

The Dewdrops tel. 09 232 0245 email dewdrops@xtra.co.nz

And don’t forget…

The HRSCC (Historic Racing Sports Car Club) invite to Branch members to join the HRSCC in a

Race Day at Hampton Downs on the NEW CLUB CIRCUIT. November 26th, 2017 The Waitemata Branch obtains a VCC Permit, Clerk of Course & Scrutineer for this event and this covers VCC members during their track time.

Cost is $220 per entry.

If you haven’t already done so, REGISTER your interest now in taking part by contacting Graeme Banks. mob. 0275003806

email.

graban@ihug.co.nz

Entry Forms are available from Graeme Banks.

As always it is great to join the HRSCC and how exciting to be using the new Club Circuit at Hampton Downs.

So… check the brakes, check the oil, fill the radiator, dust off your helmet, check the overalls still fit, get your entry form, fill it in and get it off to Graeme.

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Also…

Waitemata Branch members are invited to the Sunbeam Talbot Darracq Register Christmas Lunch. A venue has been booked for this that strikes a happy balance between availability, location, ease of travelling and parking.

This venue is the Red Shed Café and the booking is for Tuesday, 5 December, time 11.30 am to get orders in before the rush. The Red Shed is a café with a difference and is a popular destination.

Please let David Adams know by Wednesday, 29 November, if you wish to attend.

Ph/Fax 09 235-9812. Email daadams@ps.gen.nz

Not to be overlooked…

The Hooters Vintage Race Series – 2017/18 Season Calendar Date 5th November 2017 10th – 12th November 26th November 2017 6th January 2018 7th January 2018 24th February 2018 25th February 2018 17th March 18th March 2018

Event Chelsea WALSH Hill Climb MG Classic Race Meeting Race Meeting Classic Trial Hooters Race – Tasman Revival Classic Trial Hooters Race – Tasman Revival Classic Trial Hooters Race (Roycroft Revival?)

Location Auckland Manfeild Hampton Downs Club Circuit Taupo Taupo Pukekohe Pukekohe Hampton Downs Hampton Downs

Organising Club Waitemata VCC MG Car Club HSCC HRC HRC/VCC HRC HRC/VCC HRC HRC/VCC

There is also the option of having a further VCC Race at Taupo on 7/8 April 2018 if competitors wish….

Please let me know your thoughts and I look forward to seeing you all soon.

Best regards, Tim Hill. Series Co-ordinator tim@hrcevents.co.nz 021 614600

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PHOENIX Number 270

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PAST EVENTS Looking Back….

The 2017 Monte Carlo. 28-29 October.

Those who denied themselves the pleasure of participating in this event, which was most of you, missed a splendid motoring opportunity. Sad, really, given that the Monte Carlo format offers something for everybody.

It’s so simple! A chance to motor either as relaxed or as spirited as you please, to an interesting location that can only be reached by traversing some wonderful country roads.

Once again, it was F.O.B’s Jan and Teun Hendricks in their very straight and tidy TR 2 who showed our Branch how it is done. They were the clear and most deserving winners, covering many miles over similar ground to what they did last year, generally Kaikohe to Waikaretu and most places in between, although this time they did it without having to rebuild their clutch en route.

Second place Vaughan Beesley in Hotchkiss AM80 whose run was not quite so trouble free. Not more than an hour from leaving home on Saturday the Hotchkiss stopped dead in the middle of a one-way section of road works. No electricity. Mildly frantic pushing to get it off the road before the lights changed and the traffic started trying to get through from the other side.

Battery terminals checked out ok. Fault put down to the cut-out switch maybe not fully on and jiggled off going over the bumps.

Switching it on and off a few times seemed to cure the problem. Three hours later, a rear l/h tyre blow-out. No problem, other than we couldn’t get enough height out of the bottle jack to allow fitting of the spare.

The very worthy winners- Jan & Teun Hendricks

Much juggling with little blocks of wood eventually had us back on the road. About 9.00 p.m., after a pie and cleansing ale or two at the Northcote Pub, the car again stopped dead, this time at the

The runner-up

intersection of Onewa and Lake Roads.

Traffic for Africa. More frantic pushing, aided by a sturdy fellow with a recently broken ankle in a plaster cast. The main fuse had blown. Cause put down to discovering it was loose in its housing due to this leaving some slack even though screwed up tight. A tiny packing washer fixed that. Explains why the car had stopped earlier at the road works.

Third place went to MG mounted Donn and Rachael Sharp with a well organised plan de campagne, an impressive score sheet of places visited and no mishaps along the way.

Then Team Humphreys in Model A, who came in after the 12.00 midday cut off with a gripping tale of having stopped to aid a couple of gents in a broken-down Celica. These Gentleman apparently hailed the ‘A’ with a shout of “Hey, you are bound to be carrying tools, please help us!” Hmmmm.

Hamish, as the organiser, put himself, team mate Kevin and the ’73 Fiat Spider in 5th place.

Good to have Lawrence Poolman along for the ride in his C Type MG Midget.

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The Nikau Café at Waikaretu is a very pleasant destination and so located as to favour the approach that most teams took, that is, a tour north of Auckland collecting points on Saturday afternoon, a return home to bed then a second tour south of Auckland Sunday morning collecting points on the way to Waikaretu.

We got wet on Saturday, but the rain held off on Sunday, the sun even appearing for a time, and it was quite warm.

See you next year. If not, why not? Big thanks to Hamish for the planning of this.

Kevin Beesley

Kevin Andrew’s Winston Churchill impression

The Growler

Thanks to Keith Humphreys for the photos.

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FROM THE THRONE I sometimes wonder why we bother…. The second running of the Monte Carlo starting at Midday Saturday 28th October was once again not that well attended…. where are all you Waitemata’ites??? Even starting and finishing at a more gentlemanly hour hasn’t really spurred that many of you into action. What can the committee do to get you enthused? Do you think you are too old? You are never too old and if you think you are then encourage and teach a younger driver to drive your vehicle, that way you could go to all events!! Are your lovely grandchildren taking up your play time? Think about bringing them along, you never know, one of them may become your future chauffeur.

Is your vintage out of action?? No problem, you won’t be hung, drawn and quartered for coming in your modern!!

Learning late yesterday, (three days before the Monte Carlo) that there were only four cars entered my brain, last night, would not switch off and by the time I got up this morning I was more or less ready to give the Branch up as a lost cause. Every event involves quite a lot of work to be done behind the scenes in the hope that you, yes you, will come, participate and enjoy.

Waitemata Branch now has over 100 members and it is now the morning of the Monte Carlo and I have just had the pleasure of up-dating the Nikau Caves Café with an increase in numbers of vehicles (7) and attendees (12 or 13) ……that’s better!! But!!! We could still do better.

OR Are we, your committee, not producing the kinds of events you want? Are we organising too many events throughout the year? In reality, what we need is guidance from you, the membership, so think about it and send us some feedback, our email addresses are on the PHOENIX cover and we look forward to hearing from you.

Di H. ∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞

FROM THE ED. The recent and very lamentable spike in road deaths has caused a flurry of letters to newspapers and comment from various pundits as to likely reasons for our high accident statistics. These reasons run the usual gambit; poorly engineered roads, excessive speed, driving under the influence, cell phone use, tiredness, distraction, inattention, lack of driver training, poor driving skills and our belligerent attitude once behind the wheel.

All these reasons, and more, contribute to our statistics, but it is the last two that resonate, that overshadow if not encompass the others – poor driving. If a road is difficult or dangerous, don’t accuse it of being at fault - drive to the conditions. If you are impeded in any way by sense dulling substances, legal or otherwise, don’t drive. Period. Pay attention to the road or pay attention to your cell phone? The choice is yours.

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We know all this of course, but it is, as they say, an ill wind that blows nobody any good and there is an aspect here that is worth our consideration - what contribution do ‘classic’ car drivers in general and V.C.C drivers in particular, make to the N.Z. accident statistics? How many accidents are we involved in while using our club eligible vehicles on the roads, be it on official club events or private use just for the hell of it?

A brief scan of the internet didn’t readily provide any answer to this question but it is to be suspected that (motorbikes, perhaps excluded?) it is ‘not many’, and particularly not many in respect of injury accidents. Does the VCC or FOMC maintain or have access to such information? Could it be obtained from insurance sources?

Assuming the ‘not many’ answer is correct then there is a good news story to be told here that we, as a club and FOMC should be looking to capitalise on. Given the recently published news that N.Z. drivers are apprehensive as to the skills and demeanour of their fellow road users there can be no harm in highlighting that, statistically, they have little to fear from, indeed, may place some faith in, the person in the club eligible car. P.R. department please take note! Where are our magazine articles or letters to the newspapers lauding this fact (if fact it be)?

In the same vein, there may be benefit in thinking a little deeper as to whether or not pressing for an annual rather than six monthly W.O.F best serves our interests. Whilst mechanical failure does not appear to feature highly in statistics as an accident cause, it is, nevertheless, a point of interest to many people and one which we, the ‘classic’ car fraternity could hold up as a point of difference to our credit. The story line being that, no matter what is required of others we, the campaigners of club eligible vehicles and upholders of NZ’s motoring heritage, ensure our old cars are WOF’d every six months. After all, the six-monthly regime is not particularly onerous or costly, $50 or thereabouts, and you don’t have to maintain a W.O.F anyway if your car is off the road. The argument as to it being a waste of time because our cars don’t tend to run up many miles in six months cuts both ways – if it hasn’t worn out in the interim it’s going to fly through the next check, no problem.

Another opportunity to capitalise on something we cannot get enough of - good P.R. Other than that, enjoy the read. We all have stories to tell. Your contributions are always welcome.

K.B. ∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞

JUST SO WE KNOW WHO WE ARE...

Those of us at the August club night were treated to the sight of a newly refurbished 1929 Riley 9 tourer gracing the car park and welcomed Baden Pascoe, its owner, to our number.

Thanks to Baden and the Riley Car Club magazine ‘NewZ’ for this account of a delightful and worthy addition to our ranks.

PG Back on the Road Again.

After a thirty plus year on and off restoration our 1929 Riley 9 fabric Sports Tourer is back on the road.

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First, a little history on this car. It belonged to my Mother's husband, the late Dr. Richard Annison of the Bay of Islands. He had it shipped out from England in the mid 1970's when he decided to emigrate here. Richard always affectionately referred to his car as ‘P.G’. as its home land registration was ‘PG 2838’.

Richard purchased the car on the 14th of April 1953. At this time he was a 26-year-old student at Middlesex University studying for his medical degree L.M.S.S.A. This degree allowed him to perform general practice and a host of light surgery. He used PG for general transport around the greater London area and on long weekends drove it up to the Norfolk Broads where his family originated from.

During the strip down process I found a container of Caffeine tablets and I guess Richard used these to keep himself sharp during the 140-mile night drive. He was also a member of classic sports car clubs and took part in the odd rally and gymkhana when time permitted. With his heavy study load, getting out in PG was very refreshing for him and I have no doubt he loved every minute behind the wheel. He simply loved his little Riley. From what I gather PG was not that tidy when he purchased it, one of the guards was in primer and there was evidence of a crash. Soon after Richard had purchased the car the engine was changed to an early 30's motor. From memory, I think Richard told me the original motor broke its crankshaft.

Soon after Richard graduated he and a group of practitioners were approached by a body like VSA or Barnardos to travel overland to Afghanistan via various third world countries. I can remember Richard telling me that they were sponsored by Land Rover and that was their mode of transport. Being the enterprising fellow Richard was he did not hesitate in signing up for this epic adventure. To cut a long story short he ended up in Asia seeking short term employment. Eventually he went to Australia and when the locals found out he had graduated with an L.M.S.S.A. Degree, they had the perfect job for a young multi-tasking doctor, yes, he joined the flying Doctors Service.

During all this time PG was hibernating in a small garage in London and I feel this is why it has remained so original. Once the car arrived out here it was taken to the Bay of Islands where he and my mother, Florence, ran a practice in Russell. Richard covered a large area down to Helena Bay and often did locums for practices in Kawakawa and Kaikohe. In the mid 1980's when returning from a day’s work in Kaikohe Richard became the victim of a hit and run accident. He was seriously injured and lost one of his legs and the use of an arm. With great regret he and Florence had to sell the practice. He could no longer carry out any further work on PG. One night, over a glass or two of rum he talked me into purchasing the car so I gave him a $1 coin for it. Eventually I transported it to Auckland.

The first thing I worked on was the engine. I totally stripped it and apart from the bores, every moving part was re-machined/re-bushed. Even the rocker shafts had seen better days. Most of this work was carried out by Mark Cooper of Cooper Engineering at Beachlands. The gearbox was totally rebuilt and a set of Fiennes Engineering high ration gears fitted (later by Harold Booth).

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I had the good fortune of being introduced to Alan Booth and of course I had my cams reground to his specs. The body was removed from the chassis and a right hand rear wheel arch replaced. Through my interest in boating I met Steve Cranch and he performed what I call pure magic on the rebuild of the scuttle and floor area. The original fabric was carefully folded back, cleaned and the edges reinforced with Kevlar strip. I am sure Richard was sitting on my shoulder when I was doing this, not unlike some of the surgical procedures he had performed in very marginal environments. Every bearing/moving part on the running gear was replaced/re-sleeved and all parts painted in two pot epoxy paint (plum red). I was hell bent on rewiring in the original braided stock but I'm glad I never did. As I wanted dipping headlights, stop light and indicators I now know using braded stock was

impractical.

I served my time as a motorcycle mechanic under Revel Stewart of Thames, a multi-talented light aircraft engineer. His two other employees were Bob Walton a hydro electrical engineer/pilot and Ron Melling a British trained avionics electrician/gliding instructor. All I can say is that I was one hell of a lucky young man and on top of this these men were great role models and are still my closest friends.

Don't get me started on the value of apprenticeships!! Bob came to Auckland and spent a week designing and installing the electrical system. I was his apprentice once again and I enjoyed the process and Bob's company very much. We had a ball including much reminiscing.

I could tell you a lot more about the restoration process but I will leave it at this. All I can say is that I now know why Richard loved PG so much. This car is something very special and carries Richard's spirit of adventure and the energies of all the first-class tradesmen who did stuff for me over the years.

A huge thank you to all involved.

Baden Pascoe.

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FOR SALE….

Embroidered Branch Badges…………………………………………..$10 each.

Great quality and feel the width! Contact our worthy Secretary, Viv Scott for yours.

OLD FIRE EXTINGUISHERS FOR SALE The Branch extinguishers are no longer viable for use at our Speed Events BUT they are still perfectly suitable for you to have in your garage as a safety precaution.

S20 each….. there are five of them….. phone Mac’s Garage NOW to secure yours.

Ryan @ Mac’s Garage 09 4433733

Magazines ……

For Sale at a good price ex Ian Bradley's estate to an even better home. Last chance. get in now or they’ll be gone forever.

5 x Bulk collections of those iconic UK car magazines of yore. Suitable for filling in the gaps in your collection or, better still, the starting point for our younger members to collect pukka motoring magazines written by the people who were there! These were the days when magazines were made of real stuff, like paper!

Thoroughbred & Classic Cars, Sports & Classic Cars, Classic Cars. Motorsport 1974-2014, Auto Car. Each collection sold intact as is where is, no reasonable offer refused Cheap as chips, make them live again! contact Ian Goldingham Ph 445 8811 or email goldie@kiwilink.co.nz

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OTHER NEWS……

A book review ex ‘VeloceToday’ by Pete Vack, sent in by Keith H. some time ago. No doubt a good read.

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Although I eagerly anticipated the arrival of this book, I was a bit concerned when I read the table of contents and found almost as many chapters as there were pages! And nothing seemed in order, a series of disconnected jottings strewn over the landscape of a huge 9.25 by 11.25, 488 page hardcover tome.

But I knew a bit about Crabbe and therefore knew that this had got to be good; it was absolutely impossible to have a dull book about Colin Crabbe particularly when written by the man himself.

Patience then was my co-pilot as I hoisted the book to my reading table. And patience was duly rewarded.

Colin’s biography is aptly entitled, “Thrill of the Chase”, a phrase which could be applied to the pursuit of women, pheasant, big game, fish or the discovery of long lost classic cars, all of which the Used as the intro photo, this shot of Colin Crabbe in his 250F at 74 year-old Colin Crabbe excelled at doing over Silverstone in 1965, captures the ambiance, style, fun and sheer his long and interesting life. As enthusiasts, we’ve magic of the man, the book and the era. all experienced the visceral anticipation, unbearable excitement and pure joy of finding and eventually purchasing a rare car. That’s why we can relate so intimately with Crabbe’s experiences, even though his lofty goal might be a W125 Mercedes rather than an Alfa Giulia. However, the greater the prize, the greater the thrill, and it is addictive.

Like his father, Colin Crabbe is a big guy, 6-5 or so at his peak, and to top it off, both son and father Archie were members of the Scots Guard in their youth, subject to wearing those tall bearskin hats that one sees at the gates of the royal palace. Towering, they were. Colin actually served time as a Queen’s Guard in 1962 – you may have seen him in front of Windsor Palace. And while normally such height is a great asset, when one longs to get behind the wheel of Italian race cars, great height is definitely not an asset and prevented Crabbe from enjoying a number of delectable cars.

Archie Crabbe was a landowner whose income was far above the average; the family had also established a successful whiskey enterprise (John Crabbie Whiskey) before the ‘i’ was dropped from the last name. Colin was sent to public (read private) schools and had what at times must have been an enchanted childhood, playing in haunted castles and being somewhat of a pain in the ass. The downside was some mean nannies and often severe corporal punishment at the hands of headmasters. As he grew up he would share his father’s passion for skiing, hunting and eventually, cars.

Fortunately, while not getting into a great deal of detail Crabbe gives 1956: Archie Crabbe at far left with Jack Leith show young Colin the Ecurie Ecosse D-Jag at Ampleforth College.

us a fairly good feeling of what life must have been like in this Harry Potter type environment. On a critical note, Crabbe keeps us on our toes and on Google by often writing as if we are all Scots and Brits, fluent in the terms used by upper class gents of the late British Empire.

Born in 1942, Colin became fascinated with racing cars at the critical age of 14 when in 1956 his father arrived at Ampleforth College where Colin was attending school, driving an Ecurie Ecosse Only a year or so after establishing Antique Automobiles, a fine selection of D Jag similar to the one that was driven at Hispano Suizas could be seen sitting outside; from left, a 1936 Model K, H6B of Le Mans. “My standing amongst my fellow 1924 and a 1923 H6B Sports. Colin had a sixth sense for fine automobiles. pupils was given an immediate boost,” wrote Crabbe. Colin Crabbe the enthusiast was born on that day.

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Antique Automobiles was established in 1968 after Crabbe had served his time in the Scots Guard and was more or less at a loss as to what to make of a future. Crabbe found a suitable old Methodist chapel converted to a garage 100 miles due north of London in a small village called Baston (with an ‘a’ not ‘o’) and was in business.

Crabbe also inherited the ability and right stuff and the right contacts necessary travel to the most unlikely places to shoot snipe or find cars. A nose for deals and the ability to travel the world at the sound of a telephone call meant that Crabbe was not only at the right time but could be at the right place- Cuba, where he found the Ferrari TRC (0690MDTR) he would keep for 30 years (he would sell it for $3,080,000 in 2013), Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, India, and wherever else might harbour old classics when they were cheap and before they fell completely apart.

Brazil was absolutely full of treasures, like this 500 Mondial Ferrari. Crabbe would spend 10-12 years going back and forth to Brazil, carefully establishing contacts with other enthusiasts in Brazil who in turn helped him get past the language difficulties and secure deals.

His ability to ferret out cars before anyone else plus the addition of a restoration shop at Antique Automobiles soon made Crabbe one of the major players in the classic car field between the years 1966 to about 1988. His adventures around the world finding Ferraris, Maseratis, Alfas, Mercedes and others constitute the bulk of this book and are far too numerous (and fantastic) to even begin to numerate here.

There are so many ‘high’ points throughout Crabbe’s career (and this book) that it is impossible to just speak of one truly incredible discovery. But the W125 Mercedes comes closest.

The biggest problems with the restoration were the wheels, tires, and the supercharger. Ironically

Crabbe called this photo “A Day’s Shopping” and was “a typical South American shipment”. Seen here, a Ferrari 250MM, Ferrari 4.5 GP, a Maserati 250F and a Maserati 8CM.

Mercedes-Benz would not lift a finger to help with the restoration. Crabbe bought the ex-Don Lee W154 as a parts car.

We’ve been long aware that Crabbe was one of the first to go behind the Iron Curtain and return…with a pre-war Mercedes Grand Prix car. The art that was inspired by this find graces the cover of his book, and is perhaps the most important purchase Crabbe ever made. Can one imagine crossing Checkpoint Charlie into the dreaded GDR in 1968 with $10K cash and nothing but vague details about the most powerful Grand Prix car ever built?

Crabbe, the tall one of course, with the W125 after getting it home to Baston in 1969.

Turns out that it was all pretty simple. “It was quite frightening crossing into the German Democratic Republic, but nothing could have been easier…. In fact, we were never to encounter a problem when dealing with the various Communist regimes. Play it straight and you do not get into trouble.” The car had been discovered in Leipzig by a small film company, who had a VW(!) engine installed to make it drivable. The original engine was packed in a box and part of the deal. In walks Crabbe with a satchel full of money and the car is his.

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A corollary to this deal was that Crabbe ended up with another pre-war Mercedes, the ex-Don Lee W154 which was brokered by our old friend Dick Merritt. Crabbe kept the bill of sale, written on a page of Holiday Inn tablet, for the amount of €3645 or $8750.

While there is no doubt that Colin made a lot of money over the years (he was after all in the right place at the right time) it is equally clear that he is and was an enthusiast first and foremost. The shot of Crabbe in the 250F on the lead page I think says it all. Along with guys like Neil Corner, Crabbe was around when racing with the VSCC was still more fun than business, and today he notes with despair that the enormous value of the cars today has taken a great deal of the pleasure from those halcyon days of the VSCC. Fun had its downside too, as Colin had a few racing accidents, one of which nearly shut down the ignition for good. In 1988 while racing a Talbot Lago at Oulton Park he collided with an errant ERA. Crabbe would spend six weeks in an induced coma and many months recovering from the impact. In 1989, a year before the great crash, Crabbe was offered a variety of jobs by auction companies, and his words on the subject are well worth reading. He spent many a happy year competing in vintage rallies One of Crabbe’s favorite race cars was the ex-Nuvolari 8CM around the world, using such cars as an 1100cc Cisitalia, a Maserati 2.9 chassis 3018. Like the Straight 8CM, (3011) it Vauxhall 30/98 and his father’s BMW Fraser Nash. There is was equipped with a preselector gearbox and was a bear to not any aspect of the sport or hobby that has escaped get around the corners unless drifted—and that was the fun Crabbe’s attention and participation; a consummate car nut of it. Crabbe bought this right from the Monza Motor Museum in 1968.

if there ever was one. His favourite “modern” car? A Porsche 911 2.7 RS. Thrill of the Chase is hard to put down but also hard to categorize. It does contain significant amounts of information about many classics and another great Dalton Watson index makes the information easy to find, but you’ll probably get more by Googling the particular chassis number. Since Colin was interested in many cars, they run the gamut from Italian to German to French to English. Crabbe was not a famous athlete, race winner or champion, but an interesting person nonetheless. The photos of the cars Crabbe bought this central seater Alfa from Ed Jurist of Vintage both as found and restored are remarkable and wellCar Store, but had Luigi Fusi confirm that it was a Czech special presented despite their age. For those new to the made from spare Alfa parts in 1950. hobby, Crabbe’s thoughts on auctions, restorations, originality and the huge amounts of money being made by various classic car events should serve as words to the wise.

But, for the True Believers out there, let me tell you this; if you have ever fallen prey to the Thrill of the Chase, you will absolutely love this book.

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DESPATCHES….

If you aren’t mentioned in despatches it means you aren’t telling the Editor what you are up to. ➢

Remember our club night a while ago where we were given an interesting address on batteries?

Well, to remind us of one of the important aspects we were told about, Keith Humphreys has sent in this wee account that he published in the SP250 club magazine ‘Dart Talk’. Thanks, Keith

“A funny thing happened a few weeks ago, we had an event to attend on the weekend and on the Friday, I decided to check and make sure the Model A would start.

To my dismay it cranked over a few times and it quickly became apparent that for some reason the battery was going flat fast! Not a problem I thought, I’ll put it on the charger and we’ll go in the SP250.

Just to be sure, I checked the SP250 out, confident that it would start as we had used it for a moderately long trip the weekend before.

To my dismay, again, it would not start and the battery rapidly ran down too.

As both batteries are sealed for life, they are lead calcium batteries and in theory require a special battery charger to charge them up which goes through a number of cycles and de-sulphates the battery. I don’t have one of these, and the older style battery charger seems to work but takes a little longer. Also, in theory you need an alternator rather than a generator to keep this type of battery fully charged. Additionally, this type of battery does not like being fully discharged, as this sulphates the plates and substantially reduces the working life of the battery.

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So, in fact your older classic car with a generator should have a lead acid battery with removable caps for topping up the electrolyte.

If you have a modern car with lots of electronic gizmos, you should withdraw the ignition key (if it has one?) and lock it, even in your garage, as the electronics keep working waiting for the car to close down and as a result the battery can be flattened.

When we were away for a month last year, This appears to be the most popular battery we came home to find the battery in our charger currently modern was flat. I was able to recharge it using our old-style battery charger, and all seemed good. Unfortunately, when the car went in for its next service, they replaced the battery saying that it wasn’t up to specification. It would appear that running the battery flat had reduced its performance, although it appeared to be working perfectly to me.

So, there are two morals to the story, if you have a classic car with a generator theoretically you should have a lead acid battery (which Marshall Batteries stock) and if you have an alternator, which funnily enough we do have on our 1930 Model A, a lead calcium battery will do the job, but don’t let it run flat.

We now have both cars on a battery maintainer for the winter period especially.” ➢

The NZ website ‘Driven’ recently featured the following, noting that “We counted no fewer than 12 cable ties holding panels together on the outside of the 1937 Talbot.” The car in question is a 1937 Talbot BI 105 Airline Saloon coming up for auction at H&H Classics sale on 15 November. It is actually a rather rare beast and appears quite complete and original. Valuation? $3755,000.

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➢ And a repeat of a stern message from our Madam Chairman:

….Waitemata'ites, You ARE Needed......Chelsea Hill Climb needs YOU!!!!

If you are not entered but can help for the day or even half the day you would be gratefully appreciated. We need 7 Marshals from the Branch to be in positions on the road from start to finish. I look forward to hearing from you!

Chair: Di H 446-0916 ➢ Check this out – Current state of progress of Lionel Roger’s Type 59 Bugatti recreation.

Spectacular or what?

Lionel writes that he is pretty excited seeing this project come to fruition, having started on it 10 years ago. Robert

McNair has had the car itself ready for about 6 years, but it has taken Lionel a little longer to build the engine, which had a third and final run on the dyno early last week. “It’s now deemed satisfactory”, says Lionel, “260hp@4,400rpm. Could get more hp, but it is very tractable right through the range - more than enough neddys for me!

If all goes well, it should be driveable within a week or two. I thought I might

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have been able to take it up the hill at Chelsea, but I won’t have the VIC card and logbook in time anyway. Next event is Leadfoot, but only demonstration runs, as my competition licence expired after my last entry in TargaNZ 10 years ago!”.

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THE SQUEAKY WHEEL… Self-Driving Vehicles Are Coming….

Back in 1876 Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone. That was good, but not great because by itself it wasn’t much use. So he made a second one. That was great. He and the holder of the other device could ring each other up. Then he made a third. That was not so good. As often as not, when he tried calling one of the other two devices it was engaged.

What has this to do with self-driving cars? Well, it is indicative of the pitfalls in scaling up your invention from experiment to real world application.

There’s no doubt self-driving vehicles are coming – they are already here in experimental terms – but when, in what form and what their impact will be depends somewhat on who you listen to. Tony Seba, (futurist, author, speaker, educator and entrepreneur), someone with lots to say on this topic (check him out on Google), predicts they will be majorly disruptive within 5 to 15 years. You may say this is a reasonably comfortable time spread to work with, but the scale-up from experiment to real world application presents serious challenges and raises some interesting issues.

We’ve taken a light-hearted look at self-driving vehicles before (Phoenix Number 251, March 2016). It’s time we had another one, focussing on a few of the issues that get bandied about in relation to them and how these issues may play out in the real world.

Got that? Good. Let’s move on to consider the following: In just a few short years you’ll be able to buy a self-driving car!

Unlikely. Chances are you are going to have to wait some time yet before they will be available to the general public. Much more likely they will first become available to fleet operators and not you and me.

This because the technology lends itself to repetitive journeys within specific confines and under certain conditions.

Great for the freight industry, where trucks and vans repeatedly ply the same routes, on the main roads mapped within millimetres of accuracy, well served with appropriate infrastructure such as communication networks and power supplies and fully maintained so as to be kept drained of water and swept of snow.

Pity about the truck drivers.

And taxi companies, ride-share organisations, public transport. Again, operating in urban or controlled areas where all the required supporting infrastructure is in place and which can be mapped to the level of intricate detail required for autonomy and, importantly, where such mapping can be kept up to date. Plus, having ownership concentrated in fleet operators’ hands greatly reduces problems involved with maintaining the vehicles, software updates, monitoring performance and pitfalls, all leading to further improvement and development.

Letting the great unwashed public in on the act presents difficulties. The problem is that you and I want to go anywhere and everywhere, which requires mapping of the entire world to a degree way beyond the Google level we are currently familiar with. We want to go out at all times and under all conditions, which is unfortunate because adverse weather, including heavy rain and snow, present our autonomous vehicle with problems that the propeller heads have yet to fully master.

We not only want to go everywhere, we want to do so as fast as the motorway and highway speed limits allow (and more!). Whilst 50 kph urban autonomous motoring presents many challenges, these multiply enormously in respect of 100 kph open road conditions. For instance, the urban scene allows for slowing or stopping as the autonomous default condition, just to be on the safe side if the autonomous vehicle senses something unusual – real or imaginary. Inadvertent braking or stopping may not be such a bright idea on the motorway!

It also doesn’t help the cause that we, the public, aren’t all neatly contained for the control of updates; and we are going to tinker with things, because that’s what we do and we won’t follow maintenance schedules.

Computer nerds will be the new boy-racers.

No, it’s unlikely you’ll be able to buy your fully autonomous self-driving vehicle anytime soon.

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Hackers will be able to get in and take over my autonomous vehicle.

Yep, this is a given. It’s been proven time and time again that no system, no matter how supposedly secure and complex, is safe from the attention of hackers. You in your autonomous vehicle will only ever be a few key strokes away from law abiding citizen one minute to terrorist the next, all at the whim of some faceless person with a view on life that may be somewhat different to yours.

A little apocryphal, perhaps. Maybe it’s more likely you will find your vehicle being suddenly and unwittingly directed to park in a dark alley or remote country road, where it will shut itself down and a message will pop up on the screen to the effect that “Your vehicle has been highjacked. To regain control deposit 100,000 bitcoin in account x.”.

Whatever, the point is that the likes of braking, steering and acceleration systems are all able to be hacked into by those with sufficient intent. Not to mention that the already ubiquitous internet connected ‘infotainment systems’ that will form an integral part of all your other autonomous vehicle systems will provide a convenient hacker point of entry.

Having said that, the very complexity of the autonomous vehicle, the redundancy and fusion built into and between its sensory systems, Lidar, radar, cameras, et al, mitigate against this risk to some extent. No one system trusts or overrides the others, so, to direct an autonomous car into doing something you want it to do requires the would-be hacker to signal and convincingly fool all systems at the same time.

However, rather than concentrate on the autonomous vehicle, the hacker could choose to manipulate the world it is operating in, creating a false ‘reality’ the car will respond to in a way the hacker desires. The thought of mass hackings is a sobering one, conjuring up mental images of streams of autonomous vehicles driving, lemming-like, over the cliff into the river….

Be prepared to be hacked.

The big philosophical question – How will autonomous cars make the right ethical judgements?

This “big question” and “ethical dilemma” attracts much unwarranted attention and debate.

Shock, horror! How can this be unwarranted? Well, the usual scenario painted involves an autonomous vehicle having to choose, say, between running over a dog or swerving away and hitting a bus, or of the car having to choose between hitting a bus or running into a motorcycle, the latter choice being the more favourable as regards the occupants of the autonomous vehicle, but not so great for the motorcyclist.

Ask yourselves, people, when were you, with all your driving experience, last faced with having to make such decisions? Let me help you here, your answer will be “not recently, if ever”. The reality is that our driving situations are very rarely so stark. In any event, there is no right answer. Faced with such a choice any driver will make a decision based on all manner of split second evaluations and the outcome of that decision will be undesirable. Why should we expect a car to be somehow more ‘holier than thou’ in these situations?

Real life situations are way more subtle. It will be more interesting to see how autonomous vehicles cope with an on-coming vehicle encroaching somewhat into your lane, or the disruption caused by the idiot weaving in and out of the queue trying to overtake everyone, or the person passing on the inside, or the trailer ahead that starts swaying to and fro… welcome to the real world.

Autonomous Vehicles will render private car ownership obsolete.

The theory goes that we will flock to share in the use of huge fleets of endlessly cruising, never parking autonomous vehicles, summoning them on demand as you would a taxi, or Uber, sharing cars and car journeys, with others. The aforementioned Tony Seba would have us believe this car sharing will render car ownership obsolete by 2030.

Well, in all sincerity, good luck with that. Sounds attractive and will always appeal to a certain segment of society. Nothing inherently new in it of course, various car share schemes have been tried over the years and any number are in operation around the world – there were two such schemes operating in the suburb of Milan I spent some time working in earlier this year – but history attests to these schemes being of modest success. Amongst the difficulties they face are - limited availability, that is not having a vehicle immediately there when you need it, a dislike of sharing by many people and pride in ownership.

The difference, it is claimed, this time round, is the autonomous aspect (no-one has to be a driver) and the sheer number of autonomous vehicles forecast to be available for use. The owning companies will operate vast fleets of them in such numbers that there will always be one at your beck and call.

If so, that gets around the availability aspect but will this be enough to supplant private ownership? Don’t be surprised if the answer is ‘maybe not’. Amongst other things, how the shared vehicles are maintained will be critical. We do not all practice the same standards of tidiness and hygiene. Being picked up for work

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on Monday morning in the vehicle the footy team used all weekend to cart themselves to the game and after match functions could be dodgy, unless the vehicle had been through an intervening grooming process. Personally, I never trust a back seat I don’t know. This maintenance issue will offer a whole new career path for countless thousands (good news for the truck and taxi drivers?).

Sharing has never proved to suit everybody and experience to date indicates that pride of ownership is particularly strong in respect of the automobile. Will autonomous vehicles and the attitudes of up and coming generations change this to the extent of rendering ownership obsolete by 2030? Were I to be still around I would stand to be surprised.

Transformational change - autonomous vehicles lead to less vehicles, less congestion, less need for roading and parking spaces.

A utopian vision that struggles a little under scrutiny.

Tony Seba (again) maintains that one shared on-demand car replaces fifteen other vehicles on the road and that, as shared cars will be ever circulating they don’t need to park (other than for battery charging but let’s disregard that for now), the net result of all this enabling us to transform our cities.

Reduction in vehicles? Well, yes, this could happen, there is good argument it will happen, but to what extent?

What we know is that Auckland traffic reduces by about 15% during the school holidays. We know this is of benefit to commuting times (though not universally, it has a perverse effect in some areas) but it is hardly transformational. It’s not like “Whoopee! Let’s close the motorway!” or anything. For transformation you must have a far greater reduction, more along the lines Mr Seba is claiming. However, what we can be sure of is that the operator of every vehicle on that motorway at any given time considers it essential for his/her vehicle to be going exactly where it’s going at more or less precisely the time that it is doing so.

Just how the current and limited experience that leads to the ‘one for fifteen’ statistic will scale up in light of this uniqueness of every journey aspect, and the reluctance there is against sharing, has yet to be seen.

Maybe, just maybe, on the grand scale the ‘sharing saturation point’ and reduction in car numbers will cut in considerably lower?

There are other potential transformational outcomes that do not necessarily fill our trendy town planners with delight. Consider the possibility of a significant increase in incidental car usage. Whilst you are at work, why not instruct your autonomous vehicle to go do that errand you might otherwise have done on the way home? It’s a bit damp out so why not leave the bike in the shed and send the car off to pick up the pizza? Don’t want to pay for parking? Just have the car drop you off then send it circulating around for the next few hours whilst you shop at leisure. Coupled with all this the convenience of autonomous vehicles, shared and private, could have serious negative impact on the financial viability of big ticket public transport schemes, reliant on subsidies (as they invariably seem to be) to fund their operational costs. Are our powers-to-be factoring this into their thinking?

Self-drive autonomous vehicles significantly reduce the importance of commuting time and distance. Why worry (within reason) about how far it is and how long it takes to get to work if, whilst doing so you can sit back, relax, read a book, watch a movie, enjoy a leisurely breakfast or dinner, catch up on some sleep, sink a few beers, call your friends, or do your office work. To take advantage of this autonomy means, of course, having your own vehicle and kitting it out how you want it (stuff that sharing lark!) with one-way glass, office, bed, fridge, kitchenette, big screen tv, whatever, and go for the limousine sized model with plenty of room, not that piddly little tin-box city car. Your very own and very private, door to door public transport. What does this lead to? Spreading urbanisation, satellite town development, lower density living.

Reduction in roading – not so much, although, of course, commuting is not for everyone, no matter how comfortable it may be. Transformational change to our cityscapes? Watch this space as social engineering collides with societal whims and wants.

Amongst all this conjecture, one thing seems clear. Self-drive autonomous vehicles, be they private, public, shared, whatever, do provide for one thing - drinking and driving. It will be all on again for Friday night drinks in the office. Bar and restaurant patronage will be boosted. No more need for that unfortunate soul, the ‘designated driver’. Back to the 60’s anyone?

Kevin Beesley.

October 2017.

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PHOENIX Number 270

NOVEMBER 2017

PHOENIX The OFFICIAL NEWSLETTER of THE WAITEMATA BRANCH of the VINTAGE CAR CLUB OF N.Z. INC. 200A Greenhithe Road, Greenhithe, Auckland 0632

CLUB NIGHT THURSDAY 2nd November 8.00 p.m. at the RSA Room, King George Coronation Hall, Library Lane, Albany.

Take Exit 410 Oteha Valley Road.

Travel west along Oteha Valley Road, ahead through 2 roundabouts and straight ahead at Traffic Lights into Albany Highway then almost immediately RIGHT into Library Lane then very soon go right again into the parking area. The RSA Room is at the rear.

Mid-Winter Christmas Past. Whatipu 2001. Wallace MuckSpreading (aka McNair) in full dress tartan, watched on by Mike Greig.

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PHOENIX Number 270

NOVEMBER 2017

CHELSEA W.A.L.S.H. HILLCLIMB SUNDAY 5th NOVEMBER 2017 No Rain Day

ENTRY FEE $45

Please complete this entry form and forward to: Waitemata Branch Secretary: Viv Scott, 200A Greenhithe Road, Greenhithe, Auckland 0632 or scan and email to robandviv06@yahoo.co.nz

Payment can be made by (tick) Cheque ⃝ Cash ⃝ Direct Credit ⃝ (ref. Chelsea & Entrant Surname) Account: Vintage Car Club ANZ Bank 01 0121 0121976 00

DRIVER/ENTRANT DETAILS Driver Name: ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Address: ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Phone: ……………………………… Mobile: …………................... Email: …………………………………………….

VCC Branch: ………………………………………………… Membership Number: …………………………………………………………….

Civil Driver Lic. Number: ……………………………… VCC Competition lic. Number: ………………………………………………..

VCC Vehicle ID Card: ……………………………………. Vehicle Registration Number: ………………………………………………..

W.O.F Expiry Date: ………………………………………………….

Entrant Full Name (if same as driver write “same”): ……………………………………………………………………………………….

Entrant Address: ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Make of Vehicle: ……………………………………… Model: ………………………………………………………………………………………

Year of Manufacture: ……………………………… Colour: ………………………………………………………………………………………

CC Capacity: ……………………………………………… Fuel: …………………………………………………………………………………………..

List of Non-original Features: ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

If your vehicle has a permanent competition number please state otherwise a number will be issued on the day…………

Chelsea Organising Committee look forward to your participation in this prestigious annual Waitemata Branch event P a g e | 25

PHOENIX Number 270

CHELSEA W.A.L.S.H.

NOVEMBER 2017

HILLCLIMB

SUPPLEMENTARY REGULATIONS These SR’s are to be read in conjunction with the current Vintage Car Club Speed Event Regulations dated 24/10/2014 Section 23 The organiser reserves the right to refuse any entry without necessarily giving a reason, notwithstanding having invited that entry. The organiser also reserves the right to issue additional Supplementary Regulations, or cancel the event.

Dual drivers will be permitted to enter the same vehicle, and must complete separate entry forms, and will compete running alternately.

Every vehicle must be scrutineered prior to competing.

Scrutineering will be from 9.00am - 1.00pm Saturday 4th November at MACS GARAGE, 4E ASHFIELD ROAD, GLENFIELD. By Ryan McDonald & Kevin Andrew: Ph 443 3733.

For ‘out of town’ entrants (south beyond Pukekohe…north beyond Warkworth) who are unable to make Saturdays scrutineering, there will be the opportunity on Sunday morning to be scrutineered by appointment only. Phone Ryan 09 443 3733 or Kevin Andrew 0274989454. Rechecks on specific items only will also be available at the venue.

VEHICLE IDENTITY CARD/NZ HISTORIC RACING LICENCE/CURRENT VCC MEMBERSHIP CARD/LOGBOOK MUST BE PRESENTED TO THE SCRUTINEER. Also bring the FILLED IN VEHICLE SAFETY STATEMENT & INDEMNITY FORM (following 2 pages) DRIVERS BRIEFING: will take place in car-park Pit Area at 8.45am. ALL DRIVERS MUST ATTEND. Practice will commence immediately after, followed by timed runs.

NO LUNCH BREAK: The event will finish with a BBQ and Prize-giving in the Pit car-park at approximately 3pm.

DRIVERS EQUIPMENT: Drivers are reminded of the dangers of wearing loose or inflammable clothing (i.e. most synthetics) The wearing of overalls is COMPULSARY. Onepiece cotton work overalls are acceptable as a MINIMUM STANDARD. All single seat vehicle drivers shall be required to wear one-piece fire retardant racing overalls.

Motorcyclists shall be required to wear leather gloves and stout boots. Full leathers are strongly recommended.

All motorcyclists and drivers of open cars must wear safety goggles or a helmet visor.

Crash helmets are compulsory for all speed events. The helmet must be in good condition and meet the following requirements: NZS5340: Australia AS1698: Britain BS6658-85 type A (blue label): Snell Foundation: Snell SA90, (Homologation number beginning 02,03,04 followed by production number) P a g e | 26

PHOENIX Number 270

NOVEMBER 2017

THE VINTAGE CAR CLUB OF NEW ZEALAND (Inc.) OWNER / ENTRANT VEHICLE SAFETY STATEMENT EVENT : CHELSEA HILLCLIMB

DATE : Sunday 5th Nov. 2017

ENTRANT/DRIVER ____________________ ENTRY NO _________________ MAKE & MODEL ______________________ YEAR ______________________ VCC ID NUMBER______________________ PLEASE READ ALL OF THIS FORM BEFORE SIGNING Entrants bear full responsibility for the safety of their vehicles. You are required as a condition of entry to check each item below and to indicate that it is of sufficiently sound condition and operation to be safe for use in the event in which it is intended to participate. You must then sign this form to indicate that you accept full and total responsibility for the vehicle condition and operation and that you fully indemnify the organisers from any claim arising from the operation of the vehicle or from the failure of any part of the vehicle.

The acceptance of or admission of any vehicle to any event shall in no way whatsoever indicate that the organisers consider the vehicle to be in a safe or satisfactory condition.

WHEELS, spokes, rims, studs, nuts, bearings, wheel trims removed. _____ TYRES, condition. _____ SPRINGS, U/Bolts, suspension, axles, kingpins, shock absorbers etc. _____ STEERING, play, tight spots, ball joints etc. _____ BRAKES, operation, pedal travel, rods, cables, lines, hoses, fluid reservoirs, etc. _____ ENGINE, cover secure, throttle linkages and return springs, oil leaks, fuel lines etc. _____ BODYWORK, security of seats, doors, fuel cap, rear vision etc. _____ ELECTRICAL, battery secure, accessibility of ignition switch & marking, lamps secure, taped or protected. _____ EXHAUST SYSTEM, secure and acceptable noise level. _____ GENERAL STANDARD, of vehicle and accessories. _____ SAFETY HELMET, and protecting clothing goggles or visor, gloves, footwear etc. _____ FIRE EXTINGUISHER if fitted, must have either a pressure gauge showing an acceptable reading or an inspection label not more than 12 months old. _____ ROLL OVER PROTECTION Roll over protection, if applicable, must be to approved standards. _____ SEAT BELTS Seat belts, if applicable, must be to approved standards. _____ VEHICLE IS USING METHANOL FUEL YES / NO Methanol fuel labelling clearly visible as per speed event regulations.

YES / NO CRANKCASE BREATHER Crankcase breathers fitted with suitable catch bottle. _____ COOLING SYSTEM Non-sealed cooling system fitted with overflow catch bottle.

The use of non-water based coolant is strongly discouraged. _____ SUMP PLUG To be wired in place for all circuit events. _____ I declare that I have checked the above vehicle and it complies with the requirements of the Vintage Car Club of NZ (Inc.) Speed Regulations and I accept responsibility for its overall safety:

__________________________________ ENTRANT OR DRIVER’S SIGNATURE P a g e | 27

PHOENIX Number 270

NOVEMBER 2017

Section 23: K 12/03/2008 WAITEMATA BRANCH

THE VINTAGE CAR CLUB OF NEW ZEALAND (Inc.) EVENT: CHELSEA W.A.L.S.H. HILLCLIMB INDEMNITY FORM: IN CONSIDERATION of the acceptance of this entry and my being permitted to take part in this event I hereby agree to save harmless and keep indemnified THE VINTAGE CAR CLUB OF N.Z. INCORPORATED and its Branches and its associated organisations and their respective officials, servants, members, representatives and agents from and against all actions, claims, costs, expenses and demands in respect of death or injury to any person including the person of myself, driver and passengers and in respect of loss of or damage to property of any nature howsoever caused arising out of or in connection with this entry or my taking part in this event and NOTWITHSTANDING that the same may have been contributed to or occasioned by the negligence of the said Club, Branches and associated organisations their officials, servants, members, representatives or agents.

AND I AGREE that both at the date of acceptance of this entry and at the date of the event, the competing vehicle does and will comply with the rules of the Vintage Car Club of NZ (Inc.), the speed regulations and any supplementary regulations as notified with the entry form.

I also consent to the collection of the details on this form by the Vintage Car Club of NZ (Inc.) for the purposes of registration, administration and the publication of results. I acknowledge my right to access and correction of this information. This consent is given in accordance with the Privacy Act 1993. _______________________________ ______________________________ Name of Owner: (print in full) Signature of Owner _______________________________ _______________________________ Name of Entrant: (print in full) Signature of Entrant _______________________________ _______________________________ Name of Driver: (print in full) Signature of Driver

Dated: ________________________ IF any of the above persons is under the age of twenty (20) years the parent or guardian must print their own name in full and sign opposite the name of such minor.

IF any of the above persons is under the age of twenty (20) years the parent or guardian must complete the following: IN CONSIDERATION of the acceptance of the entry of the abovenamed, I _____________________________ the parent/guardian of _________________________________ the above named minor HEREBY UNDERTAKE AND AGREE TO the indemnity terms and conditions set out above.

DATED: __________________ SIGNATURE: ___________________________ P a g e | 28