February 2022
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FEBRUARY 2022
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February 2022
February 2022
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Index In this issue… Proposed New Club Logo Notice Covid Notice New Year’s Day Run Hunua 100 Rally The Restoration of the Renault Charabanc Auckland VVCC Clubrooms 2022 Vero International Festival of Motoring
Page 11 13 16 17 18-21 22-23 24-25
Regular Features Chairman’s Report Club Captain’s Report Veteran Notes Motorcycle Notes Mid Week Tourers Secretary’s Notes Vintage Notes Coming Events Your Committee
4 5-6 7 8-9 10-11 12 13 14-15 26
March Bulletin closing date
Strictly 25 February 2022
Cover Designed by Melanie Ball
The views expressed by the correspondents in this Bulletin are not necessarily those of the Editor or the Auckland Veteran & Vintage Car Club Inc. Any articles of interest, comments, letters to the Editor etc are welcome. All contributions are presented to and approved by the club committee prior to printing. Please forward any submissions to the Bulletin Editor.
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February 2022
Chairman’s Report Happy New Year everyone. Here we are with Covid 19 and now Omicron. In December the lockdown was lifted, so we held the postponed 50th Anniversary of the Clubrooms being opened and also the 50 th Anniversary of the Charabanc being on the road. It was great to be back in the Clubrooms and the dinner attracted 82 members, who enjoyed catching up with members we hadn't seen since July. Club Captain Lynda put on a marvellous spread of food and the Cancer Society shall benefit by $5.00 from each ticket sold going to it. The next event was the Motorcycle meeting, which was very well attended and the guest speaker was member Don Walker with his newly restored and immaculate Rudge Ulster 500 motorcycle. The last event for 2021 was the Commercial and Charabanc maintenance night. Prior to Christmas the outside of Clubrooms were painted, which has smartened them up. Ultra Fibre has been installed at the Clubrooms. New Year’s day saw one of the Annual Kaiaua fish ‘n chip runs. The weather was sunny as it’s been for as long as I can remember and once again a great turnout of members with their cars, motorcycles and commercials. Next up were the Veteran Section meeting and Mid Week Tourers outing. The Motorcycle meeting was the next event, with another good turnout of members, who listened to Guest speaker, member Graham Viall, who showed and spoke about the two great looking bikes he had on display. The Vero International Festival of Historic Motoring Rally was held in Taranaki and saw a number of Auckland members taking part, including the Branch Charabanc which was a big drawcard with spectators. Peter Alderdice won the Lord Montague Motorcycle trophy with his 1929 Morgan Aero. The last event for January was the Vintage Section meeting. About 11, including myself, Auckland members of the Motorcycle Section travelled to Wellington for their Bi-Annual Motorcycle Rally held over Auckland Anniversary weekend. Well that's all for this month, so keep those 2,3 and 4 wheels turning safely. Martin Spicer
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Club Captain’s Report Firstly, I would like to wish everyone a Happy New Year for 2022 and hoping that it will be better than the last two years for lockdowns etc. With the Government announcement of going back into the red traffic light system as of Sunday night 23rd January, there will not be any difference on how the Branch operates from how we started to operate after the lockdown. You will all still need to be vaccinated to enter events and the Clubrooms, as we are always over that number of 25 people. At least we were all still able to enjoy Christmas and the New Year holiday period, being able to meet up with family and friends, and even taking holidays. John Stokes had the first meeting under the red light system in December and he had a pretty good turnout of folks, only too keen to enjoy each other’s company again. John had held Zoom meetings for the Veteran Section guys throughout lockdown, so they had stayed in touch pretty well. The Mid Week tourers have been enjoying their monthly jaunts and Ryan Winterbottom had plotted January’s run to the lighthouse on the Awhitu Peninsula. The Branch kicked off being out of the lockdown period, and celebrating going into the traffic light system by holding the 50 th Golden & Christmas Celebration dinner on the 16th December. It was my pleasure to put on the 2-course buffet dinner and my thanks goes to Debbie Ballantyne and Dianne Poole for their very able assistance in the kitchen. Also, thanks to those ladies who helped with washing up. For those that attended, $5.00 from each ticket sale is going to be donated to Cancer Research (the Club’s National fundraising charity) and monies will be sent to them after the February Committee meeting. Santa and his naughty elf were in attendance so everyone went home with a pressie. During the evening it was interesting to hear Barry Robert talk about the Charabanc and Norm Dewhurst talking about the Clubrooms – the two 50 year events we were celebrating (a rebuild of the Charabanc and purchasing of the Clubrooms). Thank you Barry and Norm. On the Saturday following the dinner, the Motorcycle Section held its first meeting in 5 months. They had a guest speaker, some lovely bikes on display, a fine display of bikes in the carpark and about 45 people in attendance. Numbers were well down this year, but I think there was still an element of nervousness about meetings. January will have been the first time the Vintage Section will have held their meetings since July. We held our Annual New Year’s Day Rally to Kaiaua, which was very well attended, about 90 vehicles and 120plus people. The day was another beautiful one, hot and sunny and was enjoyed by all whether you picnicked, ate in the pub or had fish ‘n chips in paper. A pretty large contingent went to New Plymouth for the International Rally. I hope you all had a great time. The only tinware that I am currently aware of being won by a Branch member, is Peter Alderdice, driving his 3-wheel Morgan who took out the Lord Montague Trophy for the Motorcycle Section. I look forward to reading a full account of the rally. A number of our Motorcycle Section members attended the Bi-Annual Rally
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Club Captain’s Report Contd.. in Wellington during Auckland Anniversary Weekend and took advantage of being able to be away for an extra day. Hope they all have a great time. The Committee have been having regular meetings throughout lockdown via Zoom. We have dealt with what’s been necessary to do and so we are looking forward to having a proper meeting on 1st February where we can start planning again for the building upgrades which had to be put to one side. Again, this will be our first proper meeting since August 2021. Have any of you noticed how smart our Clubrooms look on the outside, with its new paint job? Thanks Warwick, for overseeing the painters on this. It was just finished in time for our Christmas celebration. By the time you receive this Bulletin the Veteran Rally will have come and gone. Entries, to date are very encouraging. The Hunua 100 is being held on the weekend of the 12-13 March and the entry form was in the December/January Bulletin. If you have lost yours, you can download one from the website. Please get your entries in as soon as possible to the Rally Secretary. The entry form for the Annual Motorcycle Rally – delayed from November – is in this month’s Bulletin. Please get your entries in as soon as possible to the Rally Secretary, Graeme Crawley. Please remember to sign yourself electronically onto your app, or sign the Covid19 tracer form whenever you attend the Clubrooms. Please keep your eyes peeled for any additional news which will need to come out on the email tree, should things change due to Omicron now being out in the community. I look forward to seeing you all out and about, stay safe, kia Kaha Keep those 2,3 and 4 wheels turning safely
Lynda Spicer
Robinson Instrument Ltd 13 Fleming Street, Onehunga, Auckland 1061 P O Box 13426 Onehunga, Auckland 1643 Mob 0278 173 885 Ph (09) 636 5836
Email: sales@robinsoninstruments.co.nz www.robinsoninstruments.co.nz
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Veteran Notes The December meeting was quite well attended. Barry Robert mentioning he had repaired a radiator hose on the '09 Rover. He had been concerned his water pump was giving trouble, but that wasn't the case. Jim Boag has sold his 1913 Unic. He also mentioned Trevor French Radiators of Otahuhu as being capable of vintage radiator repairs. Roy Sharman had been talking to someone who intends starting another car museum in Kerikeri. Phil Henley was speaking about Wairarapa enthusiast John Kennedy’s 1905 Rolls Royce and also the Alpine Trial Silver Ghost Rolls which John owns. Gavin Welch had his Model T Ford at the meeting. Terry Jenkins 1917 Dodge roadster is up and running. Barry Birchall has spoken with Hugo Bedford about the early years of car selling in Auckland. Dennis Lowe mentioned using lathe oil as a corrosion inhibitor in vintage engines, which sparked discussion on this point, with David Lane mentioning the possibility of condensation in motor oil if vehicles were subjected to short engine runs to keep them turned over and lubricated. January’s meeting was attended by twelve people which wasn't bad for the height of the summer holidays. John Morrison has most of his veterans registered and warranted. Dennis Lowe brought along an early Stromberg carburettor and a veteran Studebaker starter motor for members to look at. Gavin Welch showed us an early advert for Gilmore and Hill motor body builders, an Auckland firm of which I had never heard. Phil Henley has finally sorted the "Fuel Mixer"/carburettor on the 1906 Cadillac with the assistance of Peter Le Gros. Russell Vincent has his 1905 Cadillac single cylinder engine back together. Kit Maxwell had his 1913 Maxwell running, however a subsequent magneto issue has arisen, but Kit thinks he will overcome this. David Oliver has the Model T going again. Gavin Welch had the misfortune to destroy the Bendix drive on his Model T starter as he left the meeting. He is wondering if he shouldn't get one of the upgraded starter drives for Model T's now available in the USA, but they aren't cheap. By the time you read this, the Annual Veteran run will have come and gone. John Stokes
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February 2022
Motorcycle Notes A big welcome back to the 60 members and friends who attended our December meeting, the first in 4 months, no thanks to Covid. Around 12 bikes arrived in the car park, among them Graeme Crawley’s recent Arial 500 single restoration, nice work Graeme especially your colour choice of Ivory. Great to see the number of visitors in attendance, who will hopefully add to our membership. Visitor Chris Wade spoke of his 1964 BSA A 65. Reg Harris has been riding motorcycles since 1963, his current bike is Moto Guzzi. Scott Laurenson, who came here 20 years ago from the Shetlands, is restoring his late father’s 1952 Thunderbird for the road. Sid and Terry Dougherty spoke of their early motorcycling days. The hero of the day was our own Gavin Welch who drove his 1915 Model T over the Harbour bridge, screen down in the teeth of a very strong westerly, with Rory King as his passenger. Reports: Martin advised the repainting of the exterior of the Clubrooms has been completed. Fibre optics have been connected to the Clubrooms to upgrade communication. The Clubs 50-year Anniversary dinner recently held was reported as a great success, a veritable banquet all prepared by our tireless Club Captain Lynda Spicer and her helpers. The line up of past and present Charabanc drivers was also a feature of the evening, which celebrated 50 years of the Charabanc being back on the road. Guest Speaker: Don Walker brought along his gleaming 1937 500cc Rudge Ulster which he had recently restored. Don spoke about the history of the Rudge Motorcycle business which commenced in 1868 making bicycles, progressing to motorcycles in 1910. The company eventually becoming Rudge Whitworth to enjoy a rich, successful racing history, but sadly production ceasing just after World War 2. Don purchased his Rudge from Kent in the UK. After arriving in Auckland, restoration work soon commenced taking 2 years to complete. Don acknowledged the help and support he obtained from his son, as well as our own Don Green, Dave Morley, Ken Campbell and Linda Maddock, along with Paul Horton Spares. Don then asked Don Green to speak about his involvement with rebuilding the motor and gearbox and fitting both into the restored rolling frame. Nothing’s new as seen on the modern motorcycles. Don Walker demonstrated how the dual braking mechanism operated. His motorcycle is a real credit to him and the expert help he enlisted to bring his 1937 Rudge Ulster back to its former glory. Peter Cooper, upon hearing that the Rudge came from Kent, looked the bike over and is sure that it was the bike he owned in the 1980’s in the UK. In closing, Martin referred to the late past member Bob Masters, a Rudge rider who rode his Rudge with fearless enthusiasm. Martin Spicer & scribe John Shennan The January meeting saw guest speaker Graham Viall and Jake Garner arrive and unload two stunningly restored bikes, a 1960 Triumph Bonneville and a 1969 BSA A65 Hornet. Some of the bikes parked in the car park were two very nice Panther twin port singles, (1935 and 1950), a 1973 Honda CB 350/4, a 1957 350
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Motorcycle Notes Contd.. Velocette, a 1958 Matchless G9, a 1982 Triumph Bonneville with Watsonian sidecar, a stunning V twin Indian Scout and sidecar, a 1920’s Harley Davidson and sidecar, a 1950’s Aerial Hunt Master, a late 60’s Triumph TR6 and a couple of moderns, a Triumph T100 and a 2019 Moto Guzzi. An apology was received from Jack Clark. Visitors: Reg Harris, who is now going to join the Branch. Martin spoke about the successful New Year’s Day Kaiaua fish ‘n chip run. He also mentioned that a number of Auckland motorcycle members, including himself, were travelling to Wellington for their Bi-Annual Motorcycle Rally. Coming Up: Graeme Crawley reminded members about the Annual Auckland Motorcycle Rally, previously postponed, now being held 9 th April. General Business: Graeme Crawley advised how his latest project of an Ariel SQ4 is coming along. Tony Kay spoke about his very nice 1982 Triumph Bonneville and sidecar. Guest Speaker: Graham Viall told us about the history of his two bike’s on display, a beautiful 1960 Triumph Bonneville and a great looking 1969 BSA Hornet. Graham then told us about the up coming Classic bike show that will be held in Henderson (fingers crossed) on the 14-15th May, so look for email’s from me about the show. Graham then mentioned that he had acquired from Graeme Crosby his ex works world formula one Suzuki bike. I’m sure the guys would love to see this bike in the Clubrooms in the future. Graham was thanked for coming along with his two bikes and chatting to meeting. Martin Spicer & stand in Scribe Martyn Seay
Above—Martin Spicer & Don Walker Right—Graham Viall & Martin Spicer
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February 2022
Mid Week Tourers For our Xmas Picnic Midweek Run to Wenderholm on 8 th December 2021, we were blessed with bright sunshine for a total of 18 vehicles to arrive for the first run since lockdown. It was great to have three Waitemata cars, Rob Chapman in his 1931 Riley Special with Mike Grieg riding shot gun, the Goldingham 1924 Sunbeam with Jackie on the tiller and Ian to keep the ship on course and Lionel and Mary Roger with their Maserati Roadster looking like new, having its first run following a bare metal repaint. Rory King arrived on his 1942 Harley to be the only bike. John Holmes decided the weather was right to bring out his stunning 1935 V8 Roadster for a run and John Morrison was to give his Briscoe a run with Paul Homan in the passenger seat. Regulars made the balance of our fleet. We set off via Massey and then followed a course, all on rural roads, through Waitakere, Taupaki, Waimauku and skirted Kaukapakapa, then through Waitoki, Wainui and finally Waiwera. Painful, there were the five stops by traffic control for various works being carried out. All went well except for the MGB of Trevor and Carol Farr which decided to stop approaching Waiwera. Following some playing about it decided to go again to the picnic. At Wenderholm beside the large tree giving us shade, the high tide made the scene just wonderful. When we arrived we found Gavin Welsh and his better half Sophie had driven up in his Model T to join us. About the time everyone had finished their lunch John Holmes turned up having got lost on the way. It would appear that his navigator Don Johnson may well have gone to sleep. Jack Nazer It was a great turnout for the January Mid-Week Run with a sunny day for 30 cars that started from BP Service Centre, Drury and two extra’s meeting us at the end for the lunch break. There were new people out for the first time, including Dave and Frances Chown and grandchildren, travelling in their Chevrolet (1939), Richard Hudson in an Austin 16/6. Another member, Bill Quinn, had his Oakland out for a run. The Dewdrops were giving the 1925 Essex Coach a run before it goes to New Plymouth for the Vero Rally, Mike Loosemore went home to change his car, maybe an exercise. Kate Winterbottom and long-time schoolfriend Sarah Dolan, were in my mothers MGBGT. Trevor Farr, you were heading in the wrong direction, Carol you should have been there to tell him the right direction to go. The Winterbottom’s had their 1928 Sunbeam 16/9 Tourer out for a first time after an engine rebuild and Grant Williams had the Franklin out (ex John Bayley) for a run. Good to see it out Grant and keep using it. I think the others were quite happy at the end, as they said that they enjoyed the run. Barry & Nicola Birchall had chosen the Daimler but one of their tyres decided to play up. Ryan Winterbottom
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Mid Week Tourers Contd.. Coming Events—Subject to Covid Wednesday 16 February—Starts from the Warehouse Carpark, old Westgate, 10:00 a.m. for a 10:30 a.m. departure to finish at MOTAT. Free admission, free parking inside and we are to believe we are to be VIP’s whilst there. Wednesday 16 March—Starts from the BP Service Centre, Southern Motorway, Drury, 10:00 a.m. for a 10:30 a.m. departure to finish at TBC. Wednesday 20 April—Starts from the Warehouse Carpark, old Westgate, 10:00 a.m. for a 10:30 a.m. departure.
The Mid-Week Team Jack Nazer (09) 378 4580 Mike Loosemore 021 027 08848 And the rest (new blood always welcome)
PROPOSED NEW CLUB LOGO NOTICE Please paste the following link into your web browser to view a presentation from National President Diane Quarrie and Management member George Kear regarding the proposed new logo for the Club. https://vcc.org.nz/brand/ I urge you to view this and consider all the points raised by Diane and George. You will find answers to many questions such as: why not a vintage wheel, why the colours, an approximate total cost (which is not the high number some people think it is) and a background on why the Management Committee started to look at a branding change. We will play it at the Clubrooms and I will be seeking your view at both January and February club nights, as a vote is being taken at the March Executive meeting. Tracey Winterbottom
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Secretary’s Notes The Christchurch office staff are still working through a bit of a backlog, but I think you should have received your 2022 membership card if you have paid your subscription. Please make contact with me if you haven’t had a card yet or are unsure about your subscription payment. As we now do all our banking transactions electronically, please make sure you have differentiated in your own banking between the Branch account and National Office account. We have had some payments for subs. come through to the Branch, these are to be paid to the National Christchurch account. You all should have had an email from National Office around the proposed logo change for the Club. I will be resending this out on the tree and I ask everyone to give the proposal serious consideration. We will be voting on the change at the March Executive meeting, so I need your feedback please. At the February club night we will spend some time on this. There are still a number of events around the country being cancelled so keep an ear to the ground. Hopefully everyone can start to get their heads around managing events in the framework provided in these uncertain times. Take every opportunity you have to use your vehicles. Please give thought to how you can give back to the Branch also, we are in need of a new Bulletin Editor come June this year, a number of the Committee are standing down, and the Library, Spares and Charabanc crews are always open to new blood.
Tracey Winterbottom
Hunua 100 Rally Postponed 2021
Sunday 13 March 2022 Please phone: Gavin Welch 021 044 5188 or email: gjwelch1956@gmail.com
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Vintage Notes The Vintage Section has not met since last July and while there have been gaps in the covid lockdowns and level changes, none of them have coincided with our meeting dates, so it was great to get back to something like normal. Many of our regulars were in Taranaki for the Vero Rally, but there was still a good turnout considering. Neil Lucas arrived in his newly complied Chev. It just whispered into the carpark and looks stunning. Shaun Bellamy brought along his brothers, Ross and Brent, Ross arriving in his beautifully turned out Model A Roadster which has the most amazing paint job. Brent is working on restoring leaky shock absorbers with some success. Shaun has just fitted carbon fibre fan blades as the originals, with age, have a reputation of occasionally breaking and causing great damage. He swears the engine now feels smoother. John Towers has bought an industrial sewing machine and is teaching himself to do upholstery work. He does ‘practice’ on his Chrysler before committing to his real project, the Chev. Arthur Atkins has been dissatisfied with the driveshaft in his ’29 De Soto, but Triumph parts have rectified the problem. Now who would have thought that? John Stokes, our Branch VIC Officer, emphasised the need to provide all the details requested and a good, correctly sized photo with applications for a VIC. These are about to become much more important as it is rumoured that Veterans will shortly not need a WOF, but to qualify they will need a VIC. Vintage vehicles may soon go to a 12 month WOF with the same proviso. John Morrison arrived quite late to the meeting, straight from Taranaki with the news that Peter Alderdice was awarded the Montague Trophy for his 1929 Morgan 3 wheeler. Well done! John reported that the Vero ran smoothly and was very enjoyable Penny & Murray Firth
COVID NOTICE Under the red traffic light framework, we can continue to open the Clubrooms and hold our meetings and runs, provided you have a vaccine pass. Always sign in manually or use your covid tracer app. The only events we will have to review are where there is the potential to have more than 100 people, such as the Hunua 100 or Motorcycle Rally dinners. These will be addressed as those events get closer and any changes will be advised. Your Committee
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February 2022
Coming Events February 12 13 16
Sat Sun Wed
19 23 24
Sat Wed Thurs
26 26 27
Sat Sat Sun
1 5 10 13 16
Tues Sat Thurs Sun Wed
19 23 24 26 27
Sat Wed Thurs Sat Sun
2 5 8-9 14 16 20
Sat Tues
23 24 27 28
Sat Sun Wed Thurs
March
April
Thurs Sat Wed
Veteran Rally Ellerslie Concours (postponed) Mid Week Tourers Starts The Warehouse Carpark, Westgate Motorcycle Meeting—Clubrooms Charabanc Maintenance Night—Clubrooms Club Night & New Members—Rally Instruction Night and Branch Logo Vote Vintage Section Meeting—Clubrooms Swapmeet (Wellsford/Warkworth Branch) CANCELLED Club Run
Committee Meeting—Clubrooms Veteran Section Meeting—Clubrooms Bulletin Mailing via Email Hunua 100 Rally—2021 Mid Week Tourers Starts BP Service Centre, Southern Motorway Motorcycle Meeting—Clubrooms Charabanc Maintenance Night—Clubrooms Club Night & New Members Vintage Section Meeting—Clubrooms Club Run—Ladies Rally, Posh Picnic Veteran Section Meeting—Clubrooms Committee Meeting—Clubrooms Annual Motorcycle Rally Bulleting Mailing Motorcycle Meeting—Clubrooms Mid Week Tourers Starts The Warehouse Carpark, Westgate Vintage Section Meeting—Clubrooms Club Run Charabanc Maintenance Night—Clubrooms Club Night & New Members
10:00am 2:30pm 8:00pm
8:00pm 2:30pm
7:30pm 2:30pm
10:00am 2:30pm 8:00pm 8:00pm 2:30pm
2:30pm 7:30pm 7:30pm 2:30pm 10:00am 2:30pm 8:00pm 8:00pm
Note: The clubrooms are open on the second and fourth Thursday evenings each month from 7:30pm till 10:00pm and every Saturday afternoon from 4:30pm till 6:30pm.
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Coming Events
Thursday 24 February 8:00 p.m. Rally Instructions
Club Run Sunday 27 February Starts:
BP Service Centre Southern Motorway, Drury
Time:
11:30 a.m. Finishing at Wright’s Water Gardens Café on site $6.00 entry to the Gardens for Seniors
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February 2022
New Year’s Day Run January 1st, we woke to a warm sunny day. Lynda and I took our grandchildren Riley and Isabella, with us up to the Jolly Farmer, Drury, for the start of the Kaiaua Fish ‘n chip run. The car park was filling up with cars and motorcycles and there were lots of greetings of “Happy New Year” and “my hasn't it been a long time since we had a club run”? At 12 noon, vehicles were on their way for a good traffic free journey to Kaiaua. On the last few miles you get that great view of the Firth of Thames and Coromandel. Both car parks were nearly full and we counted 40 Motorcycles and 38 cars accounting for well over 100 people. Some parked across the road on the beach front, others found shade under the tree’s in the hotel car park and the majority of the motorcycle riders were to be found in the rear hotel garden where they also parked their bikes. On the run were from the North Shore, Mike Grieg riding his BMW, Graeme Banks Mazda MX5 and Gavin Welch and Sophie Zhao in the 1934 Ford Y. Gavin’s brother, Wayne with his 1931 Model A Roadster, Rory King and his son, up from Nelson, both taking turns riding Rory’s 350 AJS & Harley Davidson WLH. Alice Leney rode his 1930’s Velocette 350 from his home at the top of the Coromandel, while from the Thames area came Chris Good Velocette, Graham Brooks BSA Gold Star and George Haffenden BSA Shooting Star. From Ngatea came Chris Clark BSA A10 and sidecar, Kelvin Mitchell modern Triumph. Recent member Tony Kay was out for the first time on his very nice 1982 Triumph T140 that had a colour matched Watsonian sidecar, the bike was brought in from the UK two years ago with only 65 miles on the clock. Other bikes of note were: Benelli 750 6 cylinder, BSA Rocket 3, two early 1960’s Triumph’s T120 & 6T, a number of Velo’s, a Russian Ural, more Triumph’s & BSA’s, four Nortons and a Vincent Comet. There was team “Model A” with Rodger & Val Ball, Glenn &Marion Morris and Russel & Jocelyn McAlpine. John Morrison was out in his very nice and different 1930’s Auburn. There was also a great looking 1930’s American Woody. Martin Spicer
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Hunua 100 Rally
HUNUA 100
IMPORTANT NOTICE The Garden Party on 12 March is now CANCELLED. The Hunua 100 Rally ONLY will be held on 13 March. There will be NO Dinner and Prizegiving in the evening, however the awards will be presented at the Annual General Meeting in June. Those who have already paid for the Dinner and Prizegiving, monies will be refunded.
Your Committee
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February 2022
The Restoration of the Renault Charabanc This article first appeared in The Bulletin about five years ago. In the 1960s a little group had been formed within the Auckland Branch of the Vintage Car Club to do restorations on a Wednesday night for the new Museum of Transport and Technology at Western Springs. After several restorations, it was felt we should be restoring a vehicle for the Branch, that many could enjoy. In the Branch newsletter in May 1964, there was a 1917 Renault truck that was free for removal on a farm at Karaka. A visit to the farm confirmed it was worth considering. After a lot of discussion Barry Robert and Ron Jacob went out and made the purchase. Harold Kidd had told them we had to have a receipt, so one shilling was paid and a receipt acquired. On Sunday 20th September 1964, fifteen members met in a carpark at Papakura with a Fordson truck and trailer borrowed from MOTAT and went on out to Karaka to retrieve the Renault. With no loading ramps, plenty of mud, the steering locked up, a missing handbrake and solid tires it was quite a task to get the Renault onto the back of the truck. The vehicle had been sitting under the gum trees for about fifteen years. When the timber deck came off the back, they were surprised to see the extent of the rust in the chassis rails. Under a dead sheep they found the dash mounted petrol tank. They never did find the water manifold that the children on the farm had removed. The Renault could have been used in the great war. After the war, it was refurbished by the factory and sent out to N Z about 1922. We do know that George Henning had the vehicle when he created the race track at Mangere about 1926. After the race track closed in 1933, the truck was leased to Mr Morton Paul so he could carry timber for Henderson and Pollard. It still had the roller on the back when we picked it up, so timber would slide along the deck. Mr W S Francis then bought it from his uncle George Henning and later sold it to a Mr Dennis Yates, a farmer at Karaka who used it around the seed farm. Lurking below the vehicle was a large sprag held up by a wire rope, running forward to the cab. The vehicle also had a large towing hook on the rear but it is not clear what this was used to pull. Back at the MOTAT, the vehicle was unloaded. Jim Lewis had found a picture of a Renault Charabanc in the New Yorker magazine and it was agreed, this is what we would build on the chassis. A charter was produced so the latecomers knew where the responsibilities lay. Barry Robert was the slave master, Jim Lewis was the procurer, Gerry Batterton was steering box greaser, Ron Jacob was there to pump up the solid tires, John Irvine was given the task to lower the sprag, Terry French was camshaft key maker, W Johns was oil way cleaner etc. Terry French then provided working drawings. In the original picture there were five rows of seats and front doors but someone said if we built the vehicle to carry fifteen people, then you would require a public transport licence to drive the vehicle, so one seat was removed. At the time, there was talk that they were going to ban passenger transport vehicles with wooden frames, so the plans were approved before any work on the body started. As the vehicle was not for hire, they let us use a wooden frame. Shortly before we picked up, the vehicle some parts had been removed from the chassis on the farm so the Branch ran an advert in the newsletter for the
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The Restoration of the Renault Charabanc parts missing and Sell Bonney turned up with most of the missing parts. They were still missing the water manifold, so a little group went back to the farm again, but they never did find the missing item. There was a motor show organised at Western Springs to raise funds. One group lead by Barry Robert got right into the mechanical restoration. The chassis was very rusty so there was a lot welding done and patches required to fill the holes. Two chassis members were that rusty they had to be replaced. It was decided to remove one leaf from the springs, which turned out to be a mistake. Everything came apart and finished up in boxes and Barry said he was getting a little concerned it might not go back together, as there seemed to be a lot of boxes. Barry Robert had told me, a group of university students went in there often to look at the vehicle as it was coming apart. He said he had no idea where they come from, but he had seen one of them in the Clubrooms recently. A few more phone calls and I discovered when I spoke to Tony Vaughan the little group of students were flatting next door to George Mihaljevich and are all Branch members today. They did not get too far before work had to stop, as many were going to the Haast International Rally. The Museum had told the car club they had to move the Renault, which created a few problems as most of the team had gone south. Harold Denton, at the time in the Chair, found a second hand shed and the Renault was to be moved into the new shed while most were away. The founder president, Horace Robinson, had just passed away and left the Branch a 1925 20/60 Sunbeam saloon which the Branch also had to find storage for. The Committee decided the Sunbeam should be sold and the money put into a fund to restore the Renault and pay for the shed, (there is a large photo of the Sunbeam in the Clubrooms). The Renault would become the Horace Robinson Memorial. Clearly, the Renault had not done a great mileage so there was very little work required on the engine and gearbox. The clutch lining had all but disappeared so that could have put the vehicle off the road. The steering column had been bent so nothing moved and it took some time to free. There was one thrust bearing in the diff that was impossible to purchase, so SKF said they would get the factory in Sweden to manufacture the bearing. Barry tells me three members of the team worked for Forest Products and he believes SKF thought the thrust bearing required, was for the paper mill and they went way out of their way to manufacture the new thrust bearing. In places they had to make sleeves so they could fit the new bearings. Modern brake linings were installed in place of cast iron pads. One half shaft had been welded so a new half shaft was manufactured by Eric Paton Ltd. A new manifold was fabricated in the shed at MOTAT. Others arrived and took items home. Peter Gray made the two new chassis members required, George Mihaljevich rebuilt the radiator, Raji Otton manufactured the new hardened ground pins required and Jack Inch produced a new bonnet using the old bonnet as a pattern. This work was all done off site with no costs to the Branch. Someone at a social function in May 1966 bet
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The Restoration of the Renault Charabanc them 15 pounds that the vehicle would not start. The man lost his money that night. No one had filled the radiator and they almost cooked the new paint work. The vehicle had earlier been christened Angelique, a name some of the older members still use today. There was a sweepstake run that night to guess how much water was required to fill the radiator and there was another competition to guess the top speed. While one group was working on the mechanical components, another group lead by Jim Lewis was building the wooden body frame. The woodwork was done on a dirt floor under the print shop. A bandsaw and buzzer was borrowed from two Branch members. The timber was carefully selected and the frame constructed. Every inside curve was the radius of a Guinness bottle. When the wooden frame was first placed on the chassis, someone decided we should take the vehicle for a run round the block. There was almost a disaster that night when they discovered they had not bolted on the back seat. Ron Jacob produced the new guards with little bit of assistance from Barry Robert. The two groups then came together to panel the body. Barry Robert decided with some of the team to leave the group to work on a large marine engine for MOTAT, which looked more exciting. He also knew there was very little room in the small shed with sometimes fifteen people. We spent many nights making panels and hanging the doors and slowly the vehicle was starting to take shape. Ron Jacob had lent us his folder and rollers. Jim Miller, who was a Branch member and panel beater in Pukekohe finished off the front mud guards for us and made the valances. Kevin Mawkes asked his younger brother who was also a panel beater to tidy up some of the panel work. Again, we never paid for that work. Gerry Batterton then returned from the marine engine group to complete the running boards. Alan Roberts filled in a lot of holes in the panel work and painted the body Empire Blue on site. We paid someone to do the upholstery. To help pay for the upholstery they ran a raffle and had a parts auction. The windscreen was refurbished and safety glass installed. Derek Winterbottom looked after pipework and Ray Wassel looked after leatherette panels on the back of the doors. We made up timber caps for the top of the doors and fitted a vacuum windscreen wiper. The two side lights were supplied by Ron Moses and John Irvine. The head lights were taken off Barry Robert’s car for the first run and the horn and generator were supplied by Jim Lewis. There was a railway tail light on the vehicle for many years. The Auckland City were going to have a Centennial parade on the 24 th of April 1971, so we entered the Renault. The brass was tidied up, fitted and cleaned and we went to Andy Millers garage, the Renault agent at Point Chevalier, for petrol and then went into Grey Lynn to establish the vehicle would climb a hill. There were petrol blockages that day which were sorted out. One front tyre had come loose so all the tyres were bolted onto the rims and we were ready to go for the Certificate of Fitness. The following weekend we went on the parade and had no issues. We were told Princess Alexandra would be there and we were not to acknowledge the group on the Royal dais. We ignored that instruction and the eleven men, including the driver on Angelique, stood up and
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The Restoration of the Renault Charabanc bowed as we went past the official stand. We had had a practice run earlier when we spotted a traffic officer in Ponsonby Road. It was the first item on the TV news that night so Angelique had a great start. The tyres were replaced after the run by Motorway Retreats in Newmarket and we sourced two head lights from the UK. The others who worked on the vehicle included Brian Walton, Earl Gill, Colin Dickens, John Rummery, Des Chapman, Stan Lambert, John Lee, John Stokes, Doug Wood, Ray Closey, Bruce Bloodworth, Dave Skyrme, Don Strange and Barry Birchall. I could not have produced this article had Barry Robert not recorded the recovery of the vehicle in an early issue of Beaded Wheels (August 1975) and had he not made some notes at the time, which I found in the archives. I made a lot of phone calls to sort out some of the missing detail and memories are fading. Terry French told me it must have been thirsty work as Jim Lewis had purchased 740 dozen of beer during the restoration. Derek Winterbottom said he still had a copy of the Charter given to him when he joined the group. Ron Jacob told me at one stage there was three major companies in Auckland producing parts for the vehicle and they were never paid for the work. I am sure that work was done by members in their lunch break. I have only been on the vehicle twice since the restoration, but some of the people I met in that shed fifty years ago have become great friends and that was the best part of the restoration to me. I encourage the present group looking after the Charabanc to keep a diary, as a lot more could be written about this vehicle. As for the 1925 Sunbeam, it was restored by Frank Benson and is now in Australia. Barry Birchall
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Auckland VVCC Clubrooms As long ago as in the late ‘50’s the Branch was talking about having suitable premises that they could call “HOME”. At that time MOTAT was used extensively, mainly a building that was known then as the Transport Hall. Committee meetings then were generally held in various rooms/buildings around the University complex in Symonds St. Circumstances changed and we started using a hall in Foch Ave for meetings. I think it was and may still be a Tennis Club. Monthly runs usually started by the Sunken Garden in Cornwall Park. All this time fund raising was going on, notably spear-headed by the Social Committee, ably led by Alan and Eileen Roberts. Socials in those days at MOTAT often went on into the wee small hours and at least once we all went home in daylight. Mind you, our music then was regularly supplied by Leo Cassin and his electric organ. Leo was happy to keep playing as long as folks were there, provided he had a glass nearby. Other bands we had included the Hamilton County Blue Grass band and our own Rex Benns who had his own dance band. Alan was later to take the Chairman’s role. Meetings and socials moved at that time to the Terry St Hall and the Blockhouse Bay Hall, while a building sub committee, comprising Jim Lewis, John Irvine, Les Keys, Eb Moffit, John Williams, Brian Walton and Harold Kidd (the only one still with us, our Hon. Solicitor,) followed up a number of possibilities for Clubrooms of our own. These included building from scratch and converting existing properties then on the market. Two “new builds” that nearly happened were one on MOTAT’s property and another one at Ambury Park on Auckland Regional Authority land. An existing two storied house with waterfrontage alongside the Panmure Bridge was another that was thought to be suitable initially, but after due diligence was found to be not what we wanted. Property in Auckland then, as now, was expensive and the idea of a nominal rental for Local Body land was appealing, but in the end it didn’t happen. Then this property came on the market in 1970 and was fully investigated by the Committee. Fairfax Ave at that time was mostly residential houses, but had recently been re-zoned for commercial/light industrial use. Exhaustive checks and investigations were again made , particularly in regards to future town planning etc. and the decision was made to purchase. My memory tells me that we paid in the vicinity of $27000. We took possession on the 14 th September 1970 and after the first lot of alterations were made (by voluntary working bees) we had the official opening on the 28th November 1970. Our then Honorary Life members, Dick Messenger (also a founding member) and Miss Amy More officiated. Some serious fund raising then was necessary to pay the ASB mortgage. Debentures, no interest loans, “buy a brick”, straight out donations and further working bees were necessary to carry out further improvements. The first such work soon after opening was to completely strip the remaining interior walls to make one large room. Later we engaged a builder to add on the mezzanine level which included a new kitchen, bar, library, and ablutions Our library today is acknowledged to be one of the best in the motoring field, even being used and quoted by the likes of the AA and local authorities. We looked at extending further out the back which would have involved major removal of the rocks. That was going to mean heavy blasting which was thought to be
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Auckland VVCC Clubrooms impractical due to the neighbouring sites now having large wall to wall buildings. So the option was taken to just level off the back at a higher level and The Barn was built to house the Charabanc and Spares. The Barn today also houses some comprehensive machinery for panel restorations, which I believe is under-utilised by members. Credit must also be given to the small group of ladies led by Barbara Allbon and Shaaran Price who have done so much over many years to maintain the grounds. Today we are fortunate to be able to enjoy the fruits of so much work in the past, let’s not forget that it is an ongoing work in progress. Norm Dewhurst
Established in 1993 we specialise in Classic & Vintage Car Restorations and Repair work Classic Car Insurance Claims Insurance and Private Work on all vehicles WOF and Rust Repairs Full Panel and Paint Service New! - The Metal Room—Metal Shaping Classes Contact Mark McAlpine—Ph: (09) 820 2299
Email: alpinepb@outlook.com www.alpinepanelbeaters.co.nz Or call in and see us at 8/2 Lansford Crescent, Avondale
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2022 Vero International Festival of Motoring It’s all in the timing. Approximately 40 Auckland members were part of the 500 plus entrants who took part in the recent Vero Festival of Motoring, based in Taranaki. As we travelled home on Sunday 23 January and heard the news of the move back to red, we reflected on how lucky we were to have had a weeks motoring and socialising with 1000 other like minded people. The format for this latest International VCC event was a little different from the past and seems to have worked very well. Opening on the Sunday afternoon and running for the following 5 days, closing with a final dinner on the Friday night. Motoring days were a relaxed affair, the starting point being one of the main streets in New Plymouth with no formal start time, so vehicles just headed off when they were ready to follow a set of touring instructions which finished back at the TSB Stadium in New Plymouth. A choice of long or short routes with a common lunch stop to break the day. Tuesday was an optional time trial as the competitive event and Peter Alderdice won the Motorcycle class in his Morgan. With all vehicles on the same route, there was plenty of opportunity to view all the vehicles and catch up with friends, old and new. Having said that there were still people and vehicles I never caught up with or only managed a distant wave to. The evening entertainment was themed with a different band every night, the standard of which was extremely high – Irish, 60s, Howard Morrison Quartet Take 2, and a Rock ‘n Roll theme at the final dinner. Thursday night we finished our motoring in Inglewood where SH3 was closed for several hours and all the vehicles parked up and a street party ensued, organised by the group who organise a similar event for Americana. This was a great showcase for the public, with over 6000 general public in attendance, able to see what we are about, and hopefully we have gained a few members as a result. The Charabanc was on display at the front of the parade, rubbing shoulders with veteran Rolls Royce’s and I understand while Shaaran Price sat quietly on board, she was asked more than once if her name was Angelique! Grant Williams had great difficulty leaving the Franklin to see the rest of the cars as there was always someone on hand wanting to ask questions about this rare and imposing vehicle. Those of you who follow the VCC Facebook page will have seen many great photos and stories from over the week. It was great to see several family groups entered with more than one car and cars with so much family history. Special for our family was Kate and Ryan entered in the 1925 Essex that I drove in the 1980 Rotorua International 42 years ago. There were casualties amongst the Auckland contingent: Glenn and Marion Morris arrived in New Plymouth under a tow rope, but by Friday morning assisted by Rodger and Val Ball and Russel and Jocelyn McAlpine had replaced a head gasket and were ready to go. Rob Webster and Linda “melted” the mag in the 1918 Chev, Alan and Shaaran Price’s Chev Roadster refused to leave home and a quick repack had to be done, and on the way home our 1925 Essex boiled on a very long steep hill and blew a hole in the header tank. Temporary repairs got
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Vero International Festival of Motoring Contd. us a little bit further home but the final leg was on the back of a recovery vehicle. Over 1000 miles by the time the cars were tucked up back at home and many people asking where and when the next one will be? Tracey Winterbottom
NZ Welder Repair Services Ltd. Unit 4/5 Portage Road, New Lynn, Auckland
For personal service call Rod Rugg (Member) Stick, MIG, TIG and Plasma cutters. All welding machine types and consumables for sale. “Over 30 years experience” Repairs to machines, new sales and used. Hire options available. For home or work. Large or small. We deal with only good machines not rubbish. Phone: 09 8261425, e-mail: rod.rugg@nzwrs.com Postal address: P.O. Box 19272, Avondale, Auckland 1746
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Your Committee Chairman/Motorcycle Rep/Delegate Martin Spicer (Lynda) Email: spicerclan2017@gmail.com
Vice Chairman/Clubrooms Booking/Name Badges Don Green (Brenda) Email: greend@slingshot.co.nz Secretary/Privacy Officer: Tracey Winterbottom (Stephen)
Ph: (09) 232 0246 or 021 732 209
Email: treasureravvcc@outlook.com
Club Captain: Lynda Spicer (Martin)
Email: spicerclan2017@gmail.com
Warwick Darrow (Trisha) John Morrison Shaaran Price (Alan) John Stokes
Ph: 266 8836 or 021 073 2642
Email: vintagesunbeam@hotmail.co.nz
Treasurer: Alastair Moffat (Karin)
Committee Members: Graeme Crawley (Marilyn)
Ph: (09) 233 6382 or 0221 025 954
Ph: (09) 813 1313 or 0274 933 229 Ph: (09) 233 6382 or 021 189 3120
Building Maintenance/Health & Safety Email: gandm.crawley@xtra.co.nz Ph: (09) 524 9255 or 0275 249 255 Building Maintenance/Health & Safety Email: waktrish@gmail.com Ph: 520 2882 or 021 203 4562 Entertainment/Inter-Club Liaison Officer Email: morrison03@gmail.com Ph: 521 6307 or 022 655 1479 Social Convenor/New Membership Liaison Officer Email: birdwoodprices@gmail.com Ph: 833 8575 Veteran Rep/Spares/Trophy Steward Email: jcstokes96a@xtra.co.nz Ph: (09) 236 4582 or 0272 772 108
Non-Committee Positions: Librarian Chris Wood (Diana) Ph: 524 9478 Beaded Wheels Reporters John Stokes/Jocelyn McAlpine/Peter Wood Continuous Membership Awards Steward John Stokes Ph: (09) 236 4582 or 0272 772 108 Email: jcstokes96a@xtra.co.nz
Bulletin Editor Val Ball (Rodger) Ph: 298 6476 Email: rvball@xtra.co.nz Commercial Rep John Campbell (Pat) Ph: (09) 420 6045 or 0272 446 928 Vintage Section Rep Murray & Penny Firth Ph: 818 6434 VIC Officer John Stokes Ph: (09) 236 4582 or 0272 772 108 Email: jcstokes96a@xtra.co.nz
Insurance: Vero Consumer Insurance Specialist 0800 505 905 or 356 4501 Agency Number: 0300126 Clubrooms Ph: 579 5625 Street Address: 39 Fairfax Ave, Penrose Postal Address: P O Box 12 138, Penrose, Auckland 1642 Open: 2nd & 4th Thursday 7:30-10:00pm, Every Saturday 4:30-6:30 pm Club Night: 4th Thursday of the month Branch Email Address Library Email Address Branch Website Branch Honorary Life Members:
auckland@vcc.org.nz libraryavvcc@gmail.com www.avvcc.org.nz Barry Robert Norm Dewhurst QSM Alan Roberts
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