“Dripfeed” NEWSLETTER OF THE BANKS PENINSULA BRANCH OF THE VINTAGE CAR CLUB OF New Zealand (INC) VOLUME 43, No 5 june 2020. Editor: Michael Williams 10 Selwyn Parade Lyttelton Ph 328 8043, email mimiandmichael@yahoo.co.nz
Chairman: Secretary:
Club Officers: Craig Keenan 322 1006 Ron Hasell 942 1105
Branch Address: 27 Showgate Ave, ChCh 8042 E-mail: bankspeninsula@vcc.org.nz Noggin & Natter: 2nd Thursday of the Month • • •
Noggin 7.30 pm at the Papanui RSA. Upham Room – enter either from 55 Bellvue Ave or the first entrance on the left on Harewood Road (Papanui / Main North Road) Thursday 11th of June We look forward to seeing you there. Supper is provided.
From the Editor: With the change in regulations our motoring life can now return to something like normal, so this slim edition is essentially a list of future events. With no past events to report on, I spent some more time reading through past editions of Dripfeed, and continued to be impressed by editor Lindsay Wogan’s way with words. In fact, I was so impressed that I’ve decided to share some of what Lindsay referred to as “Lies, Evasions and Half Truths”. June 1989: A loose knit group, (or a group of loose Nits) is busily working away on a 1929 Chrysler for Irishmans Rally. Clint Inns, Don Broome, Malcolm Cameron and Lindsay Wogan have built up a Le Mans Bentley-type body on the Yankee Doodle and are claiming genuine Brooklands history for the car! Well, it did sit out at Alan Storer’s “Fowlhouse” at Brooklands for several years! They were hoping to tow it back out there to do a valve grind so they could say that it had been lapped at Brooklands!! From the You Have To Start Somewhere File in May 1989 comes the thrilling news that Michael Pidgeon had bought a thoroughbred two wheeler! Well, not really, it is actually an NZeta scooter.....Remember those? At the other end of the taste scale, in December 1989 Gavin Bain opened his new motoring shop FAZAZZ, with Derek Margetts as manager.
From October 1989, a QUOTABLE QUOTE. “Suddenly the temperature fell like a ton of hardfill, and the light was done. Blowing on cold fingers they loaded the car, now sparkling with frost. The Club Chairman scrabbled about on the parcel shelf, found the little can and proceeded to spray the whole windscreen. Generously, as befitted someone who didn’t do things by halves. Then he remembered that he’d used all the de-icer yesterday. He did have an aerosol of touch up paint on the parcel shelf.....” And another. “Speaking of Model A’s, I remember an old bachelor who used to chug into our little town about once a month in his old Model A. He’d go on a binge for a few days and then limp back to his farm with an oversized head. Only this time some demented soul had run a wire from from one of the spark plugs inside and then woven it through the seat covers. Imagine his feeling when he fired up the old four banger and had not only a splitting headache, but an equally splitting pain at the other end! The situation was further complicated by the fact that he couldn’t sit still long enough to turn off the switch!” At the Worsleys Spur Hillclimb of April 1990, Graeme Hamilton was first in the Ace 111 with Gavin Bain 2nd in the Sports-racing Ferrari and Lindsay Wogan 3rd in the CAE Chevrolet. George Calder won the pre war section in his Riley Special, just ahead of Jack Newall in the 30/98. A special guest was Ralph Watson, competing in his fwd BSA Special and putting in some very good times. At the 1989 Pomeroy Trophy, It was won by Bruce Pidgeon in his Fiat Dino, with George Calder winning Class B in his Riley Special. At the Ashley Forest Hillclimb of the same year the winner was Barry Gurdler in the A50 Special with a time of 59.3 seconds, followed by Jack Newall in the 30/98 at 1.02.2 Fastest motorcycle was George Henry on his BSA MX, at 51.7 seconds. The historically significant Chrysler Brooklands, driven by Malcolm Cameron, managed 1.26.9. The talented team of engineers that put it together no doubt took it back to the workshop for further fettling. Ron spent some of his lockdown time looking through his archives and discovered, in a plain brown wrapper, some 25 year badges. He’s not sure when he received them, so if you know you qualify and want one to add to the collection on your tweedy flat cap which seem to be compulsory for MG and Jag owners, get in touch with Ron. The two previous editions of Dripfeed were produced while lockdown rules were in place. I hadn’t intended to bother, given that I need a team of experts who come round to my place to do all the clever IT stuff that is quite beyond me. Enter a White Knight on a charger, otherwise known as James Palmer, a previous editor of Dripfeed. He offered to help, so I sent if what I could. He then turned it into the April and May issues. I generously offered him his old job back again, but he declined, with rather unseemly haste. Many thanks James, for your time and energy.
Future Events: Hadstock Gymkhana, 28th of June. Starts at 9.30am. This will be our first event for some time, so it’s a great opportunity to get out and do some motoring. The ground at Hadstock should be nice and muddy by then, and if there have been cattle in the paddock recently, even better. Avon Hyde won last year, with Brad Govan second, but this could be the year that A7 dominance is broken. I’m not sure by what, but we live in hope. It’s great event for spectators, and John Chamberlain always brings out some wonderful car that he’s owned for years
that no-one has seen before, so that alone is worth the effort. All competitors get 2 turns at all events, as red cones do become confusing once you’re in the middle of them. In order to preserve sensible social distancing, it is suggested that you stay away from Austin 7 hotrods and their owners, who will probably have to park near the silage pits. To get to Hadstock, turn into the Leeston Road from Springston, then right into Bethels Road just before the Selwyn Bridge. Proceed for about 2k until you see the VCC sign on the left and turn into the paddock.
AGM, Papanui RSA, 7.30 pm, Thursday 9th of July. The same group of highly skilled professionals have bravely offered to stand again, but we are always looking for new members, so do come along and offer any ideas you have for the coming year. Giles Gill is very keen for the branch to organise another Monte Carlo Rallye, and has graciously offered to lead the group that organises this. Could this happen this year? Who wants to help? Or will Giles be like the Little Red Hen? The old guard of Monte organisers have retired, so volunteers are needed. The Dunedin lads, Messers Coghill, Hunter and Wilkinson seemed very keen as did Vaughan and Paul Morrison, and Rod Corbett so that sounds like a quorum already.
Balcairn Trial, Sunday 12th of July. One of our great events that continues to be as popular as ever, and of course spawned three other similar events at Reefton, Blenheim and Nelson. Imitation is indeed the most sincere form of flattery. More details next month but essentially the same as last year. Time to start those raindances.
Night Trial Saturday 15th of August. Organised as always by well known NZeta owner Michael Pidgeon, this event is always fun, as brave owners of Britain’s finest live dangerously as they put those Prince of Darkness electrics to the test. Details to follow.
Awards Lunch, 23rd of August, 12.30 pm Tai Tapu Hotel. In a remarkable and uncharacteristic display of lateral thinking, the committee decided that instead of having a dinner this year we should have a lunch, which should encourage more members to attend, and of course drive their old cars to said event. This year we are giving 50 year awards to Tom Cloudsley, John Ferguson and Clint Inns. Richard Foster will receive a 60 year award. These distinguished recipients now have quite some time to write their acceptance speeches, in which they sum up their motoring over the years, their favourite car, worst car, car I wish I’d never sold and so on and so on. Clint Inns is well known as a very impressive orator, but will need to limit himself to 30 minutes. Richard should arrive in the lovely Humber he bought all those years ago, Tom in his Packard, Clint in his amazing Alfa Recreation, and John in one of his vast mobile barges from Crewe.
Pomeroy Trophy. We hope to hold this event in October. Negotiations are proceeding, and we will keep you updated.
The following article and photos is about the Lotus Seven owned and raced by Mark and Tracy Barrett, which you saw at the Skope meeting at Ruapuna. I’m sure they will be competing at Hadstock.
For one-eyed Lotus owners....Caption reads.... ”The last of the Immortal “Beetle Brakes”! Best wishes fin the new Factory. Murray Question for the Anoraks; Who is Murray?
Then.....
and ...... now