CLASSIC, VINTAGE AND VETERAN MOTORING FOR 70 YEARS
No. 345 April/May 2017
NEW ZEALAND’S FOREMOST HISTORICAL MOTORING MAGAZINE $7.95
NATIONAL MOTORCYCLE RALLY
9 418979 000012
1917 PARLIAMENTARY TOUR NATIONAL VETERAN RALLY MAGAZINE OF THE VINTAGE CAR CLUB OF NEW ZEALAND
David Murray supplied this photograph. He thinks the vehicles are Windleburn’s service-cars on Parapara Road (Wanganui-Raetihi) – early 1920s. Cars are both Hudsons. (Early Wanganui registration number, pre 1925).
John Loudon has supplied this photograph. He is looking for information on the make of the car, details about the occupants and any other information that may be available.
management committee Contact National Office for all queries regarding VICs, logbooks, historic race licences, lighting endorsement, registration of vehicles, address changes, subscriptions, membership cards, speed events. The Vintage Car Club Of New Zealand (Inc.) National Office, PO Box 2546, Christchurch 8140 Phone 03 366 4461 Fax 03 366 0273 Email admin@vcc.org.nz
branches ASHBURTON PO Box 382, Ashburton 7740 ashburton@vcc.org.nz AUCKLAND PO Box 12-138, Penrose, Auckland 1642 auckland@vcc.org.nz BANKS PENINSULA 27 Showgate Ave, Riccarton Park, Christchurch 8042 bankspeninsula@vcc.org.nz BAY OF PLENTY PO Box 660, Tauranga 3140 bayofplenty@vcc.org.nz CANTERBURY PO Box 11-082, Sockburn Christchurch 8443 canterbury@vcc.org.nz CENTRAL OTAGO C/- 4B Roto Place, Wanaka 9305 centralotago@vcc.org.nz
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Please note this information changes annually - these details are valid until October 2017. PRESIDENT Diane Quarrie 06 876 4009 president@vcc.org.nz
REGISTRAR Rod Brayshaw 07 549 4250 registrar@vcc.org.nz
CLUB CAPTAIN NORTHERN REGION Paul Collins 027 292 2204 nicc@vcc.org.nz
SPEED STEWARD Tony Haycock 021 662 441 speedsteward@vcc.org.nz
CLUB CAPTAIN SOUTHERN REGION Alon Mayhew 03 443 7030 sicc@vcc.org.nz
BEADED WHEELS CHAIRMAN Kevin Clarkson 021 0270 6525 kevin@vcc.org.nz
SECRETARY/ TREASURER Michael Lavender 03 325 5704 hon.sec@vcc.org.nz
COMMUNICATIONS & MARKETING OFFICER Ross Holden comms@vcc.org.nz
Ed Boyd 06 348 4547 mgmt3@vcc.org.nz Tony Bartlett 06 867 9850 mgmt1@vcc.org.nz David Yorke 06 358 8060 mgmt2@vcc.org.nz
ARCHIVIST Don Muller 03 385 6850
archivist@vcc.org.nz
A full list of branch addresses and contact details can also be found on the VCCNZ website at www.vcc.org.nz CENTRAL HAWKE’S BAY C/- 94 Mt Herbert Road, Waipukurau 4200, centralhawkesbay@vcc.org.nz EASTERN BAY OF PLENTY PO Box 2168, Kopeopeo Whakatane 3159 easternbayofplenty@vcc.org.nz FAR NORTH C/- 64 Mangakaretu Road, RD2, Kerikeri 0295 farnorth@vcc.org.nz GISBORNE PO Box 307, Gisborne 4040 gisborne@vcc.org.nz GORE PO Box 329, Gore 9740 gore@vcc.org.nz HAWKE’S BAY PO Box 3406, Napier 4142 hawkesbay@vcc.org.nz
HOROWHENUA PO Box 458, Levin 5540 horowhenua@vcc.org.nz KING COUNTRY C/- 34 House Ave, Taumarunui 3920 kingcountry@vcc.org.nz MANAWATU PO Box 385 Palmerston North 4440 manawatu@vcc.org.nz MARLBOROUGH PO Box 422, Blenheim 7240 marlborough@vcc.org.nz NELSON PO Box 3531, Richmond 7050 nelson@vcc.org.nz NORTHLAND PO Box 17, Whangarei 0140 northland@vcc.org.nz
NORTH OTAGO PO Box 360, Oamaru 9444 northotago@vcc.org.nz NORTH SHORE C/- 7 Godwit Place, Lynfield Auckland 1042 northshore@vcc.org.nz OTAGO PO Box 5352, Dunedin 9058 otago@vcc.org.nz ROTORUA PO Box 2014, Rotorua 3040 rotorua@vcc.org.nz SOUTH CANTERBURY PO Box 623, Timaru 7910 southcanterbury@vcc.org.nz SOUTHLAND PO Box 1240, Invercargill 9840 southand@vcc.org.nz
SOUTH OTAGO C/- G. Beaumont, Tuapeka Mouth, RD 4, Balcultha 9274 southotago@vcc.org.nz SOUTH WAIKATO PO Box 403 Tokoroa 3420 southwaikato@vcc.org.nz TARANAKI C/- 297 Huatoki st, New Plymouth 4310 taranaki@vcc.org.nz TAUPO PO Box 907, Taupo 3351 taupo@vcc.org.nz WAIKATO PO Box 924, Hamilton 3240 waikato@vcc.org.nz WAIMATE 4 Harris St, Waimate 7924 waimate@vcc.org.nz
Please note this information changes annually - these details are valid until October 2017.
WAIRARAPA PO Box 7, Masterton 5810 wairarapa@vcc.org.nz WAITEMATA C/- Embroidme, 23E William Pickering Drive, Rosedale, Auckland 0632 waitemata@vcc.org.nz WANGANUI PO Box 726, Wanganui 4540 wanganui@vcc.org.nz WELLINGTON PO Box 38-418, Petone, Wellington 5045 wellington@vcc.org.nz WELLSFORD/WARKWORTH PO Box 547, Warkworth 0941 wellsfordwarkworth@vcc.org.nz WEST COAST C/- 17 Loris Place Greymouth 7805 westcoast@vcc.org.nz
Beaded Wheels Issue 345 April/May 2017
FEATURES
Beaded Wheels Publisher THE VINTAGE CAR CLUB OF NZ (INC.) The Historic Vehicle Authority of New Zealand ISSN 0113-7506 Vol LXVIII No. 345
Editorial Committee Kevin Clarkson (Chairman), Judith Bain, Bevars Binnie, Rosalie Brown, John Coomber, Mark Dawber, Marilyn McKinlay.
12
25th VCC National Motorcycle Rally
16
Back in the day...
18
Early Indians and the 1914 Electric-Start Hendee Special
22
E Type Jaguar
26
1917 Parliamentary Tour
30
Detachable Wheels
34
Three Rivers Rally goes International
36
Rally Snippets Canterbury – Annual Rally 2017 Auckland – Auckland Veteran Rally Otago – Dunedin-Brighton Rally Waimate – Run to Omarama
38
National Veteran Rally 2017
Material for Publication Reports of restorations, events, road tests, historical and technical articles should be submitted to beadedwheels@vcc.org.nz. Email of text and photos is preferred, digital photographs should be high resolution eg 300dpi. Alternatively mail your contribution to PO Box 13140, Christchurch 8141, typed or neatly printed, double space on one side of paper only. No payment is made to contributors. The opinions or statements expressed in letters or articles in Beaded Wheels are the author’s own views and do not necessarily express the policy or views of The Vintage Car Club of NZ (Inc).
25th VCC National Motorcycle Rally, see page 12.
Email beadedwheels@vcc.org.nz
Advertising Address Classified and Display Advertising to: PO Box 13140, Christchurch 8141. Phone 64 3 332 3531, Fax 64 3 366 0273 Rate schedule available on request.
COLUMNS
Back Issues Available on request to PO Box 13140, Christchurch 8141.
Correspondence & Editorial Contributions
1917 Paliamentary Tour, see page 26.
Phone 64 3 332 3531, Fax 64 3 366 0273 PO Box 13140, Christchurch 8141.
Subscriptions Beaded Wheels subscribers change of address to PO Box 2546, Christchurch 8140. Phone 03 366 4461, Fax 03 366 0273 Annual subscription (6 issues) $45* inc GST Australian subscription (6 issues) NZ$76* Other countries (6 issues) NZ$136*. *Payment by credit card will incur additional bank fee processing charge of 3%
Production Typesetting & design by RGBDesign Printed by Spectrum Print Ltd, Christchurch.
Closing Date for June/July Issue Editorial Copy Advertisements
24 April 2017 10 May 2017
The Vintage Car Club of New Zealand (Inc.) National Office Phone 03 366 4461 Fax 03 366 0273 Email admin@vcc.org.nz
Postal Address PO Box 2546, Christchurch 8140, New Zealand. Address 12 Aberdeen St, Christchurch, New Zealand. Website www.vcc.org.nz Copyright Information The contents are copyright. Articles may be reproduced complete or in part provided that acknowledgement is made to “Beaded Wheels, the magazine of The Vintage Car Club of New Zealand (Inc)” as the source. Beaded Wheels reserves the right to digitally store all published material for archival purposes.
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Otago Branch Dunedin-Brighton Rally, see page 37.
4
President’s Message
4
As We See It
5
VCC Events
6
National Office News
7
Mailbag
9
Timelines
10
The Way We Were
11
Captain’s Log
37
Book Reveiw
40
Mutterings of a Mature Motorcyclist
41
Two Wheels and Other Things
42
Brass Notes
44
Marketplace
50
Swap Meets & Rallies
52
Idle Torque
62
Passing Lane
COVER Peter and Jenny Van Linden riding their 1983 BMW R80 in the National Motorcycle Rally. See page 12. Photo: Mark Heaslip.
Beaded Wheels 3
president’s message
At the recent Executive Meeting held in Auckland two new initiatives were introduced to the delegates. The Vintage Car Club will have its own Facebook page up and running soon. You may ask why should we have a Facebook page? It is a modern world-wide engagement tool which can reach audiences with little or no cost. It is a platform to share information and is great for promotion. It is an opportunity to tell our story. It will link members together throughout New Zealand, will give a better awareness of the VCC and its activities to members and non-members and it will be easy for international people to see what’s going on in the Club. Anyone who is on Facebook can follow our VCC page for updates whether they are a VCC member or not. So, how will our page work? It will be a VCC corporate page in which national and significant events, announcements and interesting related news from here and overseas will be posted. It will not be for complaints, or for buy sell and exchange. However that is not to say that in the future a separate group can’t be formed to share photos, news of Club members or requests for historical information on a vehicle or parts. A guide on how to join Facebook will be sent around the branches for those members that are keen, all that is needed is an email address. Quite a few branches already have very successful Facebook pages. I am excited to announce that the Executive has agreed to hold a VCC National Day later this year. The idea is that on a specific date an event in which all branches participate will be held with all proceeds going to a national charity. It will have a participation element for members, a fundraising element for a charity and media interest due to the number of vehicles participating. How will it work? Each branch will organise a fun run and the set entry fee will go to the selected charity. It will be open to anyone who would like to participate, such as other car clubs and members of the public. Entrants will not need to be driving a club eligible vehicle so a member of the public in a 2016 vehicle could enter for instance. This has the potential to raise a huge amount for charity as well
4 Beaded Wheels
as we see it
as gain the Club valuable publicity both regionally and nationally. It is possible to create this event for little or no cost. Branches would have the responsibility of marketing and promoting the event in their region. The national body will give marketing and PR support with branding and a template pack so that each event across New Zealand is to a similar standard. A well-known national charity was nominated by the Executive but a little more work will need to be done before a public announcement is made. Delegates at the meeting were enthusiastic and positive about this proposal and I urge all members to get behind this. If successful it could become an annual event. I am occasionally told that a member thinks the Club is “not doing enough” to encourage events for the particular era of vehicle they are interested in – let’s say in this instance Veterans – and they are proposing that a new club should be formed. My challenge to those people is don’t think about forming another club, get motivated and organise an event that suits you within your branch and within the Club … if you want more motoring specific to your vehicle then I politely say get off your behind and organise it. Don’t wait for other people to do it for you. One of the strengths of the Vintage Car Club is our large membership. We have used this to our advantage over many decades to lobby government agencies to get concessions our VCC members enjoy and other vehicle clubs also get the benefit of. Two that immediately come to mind are; the cheaper registration negotiated by the late Sir Len Southward and the WOF exemptions fought for by Rod Brayshaw. Our historic vehicles must only meet the safety requirements applying at the time they were manufactured. I know that a lot of our members also enjoy belonging to one-make clubs or special interest groups, and I am not criticising that, but the reason we are still able to drive our historic vehicles essentially in the form that they were manufactured and virtually without any interference on our roads is due to the vigilance, perseverance and sometimes hard fought battles by the VCC and we shouldn’t ever forget that. Diane Quarrie VCCNZ National President
In February I took part in the National Motorcycle Rally and the After Rally Tour which were based in Waitomo. I attended as a non-competitive entrant representing the Management Committee on behalf of National President Diane Quarrie. This was a rally with a difference as the organisers, a mixture of Waikato and Auckland Branch members, had only limited time to get things under way. Normally an event such as this is organised by a branch on behalf of the Management Committee. On this occasion that did not work, so we are grateful to Bob Hayton of the Waikato Branch, and his team for picking up the challenge with only six months left to go. Bob was assisted by others on his committee, his wife Gillian who was the secretary, and by Peter Alderdice and Lynda and Martin Spicer from Auckland. Many other members assisted in other duties such as marshalling, setting up, catering and all the others jobs that need to be done to ensure a successful event. I have been to several National Motorcycle Rallies over the years and I can confidently state that this rally and the After Rally Tour were right up there with the best of them. We had great weather every day except for a bit of rain on the Sunday for the field tests and display. We had great roads every day with lots of gradient variations and many, many turns. In fact on one day someone estimated that we did between 1,500 and 2,000 corners for that day’s ride of about 110 kilometres. Motorcycle nirvana! The organisation was great and everything worked as it was supposed to. The venues were great, the food was excellent and served in a timely manner and even the beer was not very expensive! Of course the members present also helped to make the event great and, as always with motorcycle events, the camaraderie was well in evidence. Bob and his team provided a magnificent event and they are to be congratulated. This shows what can be done in a short time frame if the team work together. Thank you Bob, Gillian, Peter, Lynda, Martin and the other members who put their hand up to help. Kevin Clarkson Chairman, Beaded Wheels
This list of events is compiled from the VCCNZ National Calendar of Events, and branch events as listed in each branch newsletter. Any deletions, additions, alterations need to be notified to Beaded Wheels by the Branch Secretary before 10th of the month prior to magazine publication
2017 VCC National Events 14-17 April 11 August 12 August
National North Island Easter Rally, Auckland Executive Meeting, Blenheim National AGM, Blenheim
APRIL
Brian Parker Memorial Rally Gerald Lynch-Blosse Memorial M/C Rally 8 Waikato M/C Mooloo Meander 9 Gore Ladies Run 9 Hawke’s Bay Club Run 9 Horowhenua Ted Green M/C Rally 9 Marlborough Garage Raid, run to Grovetown Lagoon 9 Nelson Ladies Run 9 Wairarapa Club Captain’s Run 13 Sth Cant Mid-week Run 14-17 Auckland National North Island Easter Rally 14-17 Nelson Chairman’s Break Away to Golden Bay Tour 15 Ashburton Easter Run 15 Wanganui Castrol Motorcycle Rally 16 Nth Otago Ngapara Coal Pit Hill Climb 18 West Coast Morning Tea at Shantytown 21-22 Taranaki Maunga Moana Rally 22-23 Canterbury Autumn 3 Day Run 22 Central Otago Autumn Festival Rally 23 Northland Combined Swap Meet 23 West Coast Club Run 25 Nth Otago Field Tests 29 Canterbury Scooter Run 29 Waikato Twilight Run 30 North Shore Northern Raid Rally 30 Gisborne Club Run
MAY 6 6 11 13 13 13 13-14 14 14
8 Far North 8 Nth Otago
Ashburton Manawatu Sth Cant Canterbury Gore Southland Wairarapa Marlborough Nelson
VCC Events
Swap Meet Post Vintage Rally Mid week Run Rural Run (All Day Trial) Night Trial Waimea Motorcycle Rally Motorcycle Reliability Trial Mothers Day Run to lunch John White, Restoration of the Year/John Stichney Memorial Gymkhana/New Clubrooms official opening 14 Sth Cant PV/PW/P60/P80 Rally 16 West Coast Morning Tea at Shantytown 18 Wellsford/Wkwth AGM 19 Taranaki AGM 20 Northland Motorcycle Rally 20 Southland PW/P60 Rally 21 Hawke’s Bay Ladies Run 21 Nelson Sandy Bay Hill Climb 21 North Shore Club Run 25 E Bay of Plenty AGM 26 Marlborough Noggin & Natter & Night Trials 27 Waikato Training Day 28 Gisborne Club Captain’s Wing Ding 28 Marlborough AGM 28 West Coast Club Run
JUNE
3-4 Waikato 3-5 Canterbury 4 Sth Cant 4 Wanganui 8 Sth Cant 10 Gore 11 Marlborough 11 Nelson 11 Wairarapa 11 West Coast
Double Fifty Irishman Rally All British Day Annual Burma Rally Mid week Run End of Season Run Events Trophy AGM Winter Wander AGM
14 Central Otago 14 Hawke’s Bay 14 Nth Otago 14 North Shore 15 Ashburton 17 Manawatu 18 Otago 18 Sth Cant 18 West Coast 20 West Coast 21 C. Hawke’s Bay 21 Gisborne 22 Auckland 24 Far North 24 Waikato 25 Canterbury 25 Gisborne 25 Marlborough 25 North Shore
25 Taranaki 25 Wellington
AGM AGM AGM AGM AGM Night Trial AGM Restoration Rally Rosco Trials Morning tea Shantytown AGM AGM AGM Malloy Trophy Club Run AGM Club Run Midwinter Prizegiving Dinner Auckland/North Shore Combined End of Rego Run Colonial Cup Rally
JULY
1-2 Wellsford/Wkwth Winter Woolies Wander 8-9 Canterbury Mid Winter M/C Run 6 Sth Cant AGM 9 Rotorua Central North Island Swap Meet 9 Wairarapa Margaret Gee Memorial Rally 12 Sth Cant Mid week Run 15 C. Hawke’s Bay Twilight Run 16 Horowhenua Night Owl Run 16 Marlborough Snow Run 16 Nelson Marlborough Br Snow Run 18 West Coast Morning Tea at Shantytown 23 Taranaki Breakfast Run 23 Waikato Club Run 23 West Coast Club Run 30 Gisborne Club Run
While Beaded Wheels makes every attempt to check the accuracy of the dates published in this column we advise readers to confirm all dates with the individual branch concerned.
Find out more about the Vintage Car Club Join our enthusiasts as they motor their classic cars, trucks and motorcycles. Visit vcc.org.nz to download membership application forms or contact your local branch directly for application forms and details. See page 2 for contact details of your nearest branch. Beaded Wheels 5
Julie Cairns-Gee
National Office Manager VCCNZ Inc National Office, PO Box 2546, Christchurch 8140 ph 03 366 4461 fax 03 366 0273 email admin@vcc.org.nz www.vcc.org.nz Office Hours Mon – Thur 9-5pm
national office news Executive Meeting The Executive meets every March and during the August Annual General Meeting weekend. Their last meeting was 11 March in Auckland. Minutes are sent out to branches, and your representative will be able to report on the contents. Notice Of AGM On page 10 you will find a Notice of AGM and request for nominations for the Management Committee positions. John L Goddard Trophy Nominations A notice regarding the John L Goddard Trophy appears on this page. Please put some thought into nominating a worthy member. More information is available in the branch manual, one of which your branch secretary holds, another should be placed in a known location accessible to all branch members. The branch manual is also available on the club website.
VCC Historic Race Licence (HRL) If your licence has expired, you will need to complete a “HRL Renewal Form” – (Section 23S of the Branch Manual) and forward this, along with payment of $23 to the National Office and a new one will be issued. This form is on our website or you can contact your branch or the National Office for a copy. Updates To Your Membership File If you have any alterations such as a change of address, phone numbers, email or vehicle details please advise the National Office. The best contact is to email admin@vcc.org.nz Please do not forward this information to the club’s Management Committee. All administration tasks should go directly to the National Office which is where the information is based and processed. Transfer membership between branches The relevant forms must be completed. These can be obtained through your branch secretary. Branch levies do vary between branches so the fee may vary from the annual subscription notice forwarded in February if you transfer after this time.
There is often confusion amongst the membership between what is “The Executive” and who is the “Management Committee”. there are 46 (or 47) Club members who sit on the Executive Committee.
The Management Committee The Management Committee is made up of 10* club members. These people are elected annually by the Club membership. They undertake the day to day running of the Club.
The Constitution covers the full description of the Executive and Management Committee under clauses 6 and 7. The Club Constitution is available on the Club website www.vcc.org.nz or it is recorded in each Branch Manual. You may also obtain a copy by contacting the National Office.
The Executive The Executive is the governing body of the Club and is made up of one appointed delegate from each of the 36 branches plus the Management Committee. Therefore
*sometimes 11 if there is an immediate Past President
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John L Goddard Trophy
for achievement NOMINATIONS CLOSE 9 JULY 2017 Members of the Vintage Car Club of New Zealand are invited to nominate a fellow member for this annual award. The nomination should be for any member who they regard as having been involved in a significant achievement. It may be a particularly significant restoration, a memorable motoring journey or an important historical article or series of articles published in Beaded Wheels; or some special service to the Club. Nominations for the Award should be forwarded to: John L Goddard Award, Vintage Car Club of NZ (Inc) PO Box 2546, Christchurch 8140.
Accommodation Deals Asure Accommodation still offer a discount to financial Club Members. Bella Vista’s deal expired in October 2016.
Understanding Your Club National Structure There are two separate entities involved in the management and governance of the club, The Management Committee and The Executive.
CALL FOR NOMINATIONS
Beaded Wheels Beaded Wheels is the voice of The Vintage Car Club of New Zealand (Inc.) and its 36 branches covering the length and breadth of the country. The efforts of our members continue fostering and ever widening the interest in this segment of our country’s history. It is to these people, who appreciate the fascination of age, the individuality and the functional elegance of vehicles from a bygone era, that this magazine is dedicated. Beaded Wheels – Our long established title may have readers wondering about its origin. By way of explanation beaded edge wheels use beaded edge tyres that are kept in place by reinforced rubber beads, which fit into the rolled edges of the wheel rim. This style of wheel was a distinctive feature of early motoring being used on early bicycles, many pre-1924 cars and most motorcycles until 1927. The Vintage Car Club of New Zealand adopted the title Beaded Wheels for their quarterly club magazine in March 1955 which was the successor to the monthly Guff Sheet.
mailbag
mailbag Car ID Please These photos are from Joe Mouat.
The editorial committee reserve the right to p ublish, edit or refuse publication of any item submitted as comment. The views expressed herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily express the policy or views of the Vintage Car Club of New Zealand (Inc.) or the publishers. Letters may be edited for length and clarity.
Help Needed I’m not sure who I can ask for help, but this photo is of my uncle (left) and my father (right) in front of my grandfather’s car in Invercargill in the 1930s. I thought it was the back of a Model A Ford but a friend in the VCC says no. Is it possible to identify it from the little the photo does show? Ross Stewart ross@quidnunc.co.nz Information for photo The photo on page 2 of Beaded Wheels issue 344 is taken on Main Street, Pahiatua in approximately 1935. The billboard referring to Talkies is on the side of the King’s Theatre (now the Regent Theatre). Service station owner Bernie Wills’ bus (possibly an Albion) is leading the parade. Snow and Glady Greaves Reaching out for a Rover I am trying to find out about a 1915 Rover I own which was initially sold by a company called Davis and Boyd in Hastings in, I believe, April 1915. After some years I think it was donated to Len Southward’s museum who sold it in perhaps 2006. Could any of your members help with what happened to the car in the intevening period. Any help would be gratefully received. Howard Gutteridge h.gutteridge426@btinternet.com Packard Information I displayed my Packard at the Rotorua Branch February meeting. The Packard is a 1924 sedan Series 2 Single Six built on a 126 inch wheelbase. It was bodied in New Zealand by a coachbuilding firm trading as Stevens and Co, and Stevens
and Son in Christchurch. It seems to have spent its life in Christchurch. The car was first registered in 1927 to William Smith, Garden Road, Christchurch. From 1931 to 1943 it was owned by George Moley of Clyde Road, Christchurch and then owned by one family since 1943. I purchased the car in 2008. If anyone can assist with historical information about the car or the coach building company please email to philcm@slingshot.co.nz. Any information would be appreciated. Phil Monk Member Rotorua Branch Issue 343 Just as a matter of interest, the Veteran Car Race on page 2 of Beaded Wheels issue 343 is also featured in the book Veteran Years of NZ Motoring by Pam Maclean and Brian Joyce and is captioned “New Zealand’s first car race, Addington 1905” no other details. Graham Clark
Tom Williamson (left) at Arapuni power station outside the blacksmiths shop.
Outside Meremere Hotel. Sam Anderson (second from left) supervisor at Hora Hora power station.
Peter Williamson at Arapuni power station circa 1930.
He would like to identify the sports car and the car with Peter Williamson standing beside it. Any details we know are in the captions. Respond to the writer at 147 Te Hono Street, Tauranga 3112. John Callinan 1938 Austin 10 Cambridge Does anybody recognise this car? I recently bought this 1938 Austin 10 reg. AW 8442 (see photo), but have no paperwork to help with certification. Last licensed in 1969, it is almost totally restored, probably some years ago. Maybe in the Wanganui area. Dark blue with black guards, sliding sunroof, homemade carpets and roof lining. The floor has been cut around the gearbox and plated with Tekscrews. I would appreciate any help to get this car on the road with the original plates. Andy Hammond Member Waikato Branch Phone 07 823 5712 atepushrods@gmail.com
2017 National Veteran Rally I was first introduced to the Wanganui Branch in 2011. It was shortly after Rob and I purchased our first vehicle, a 1938 Chev 1 ton truck. I use it as my office on rally days. We attended a few meetings and outings and competed in the branch rallies. Now we also have a 1938 Chev flatback sedan (purchased 2015) and a 1926 Buick Master 6 (purchased 2016) and have started to travel further afield with both of these cars. It wasn’t until about March 2015 that I become more involved when I took on the Rally Secretary position just in time to do the Annual Rally held on Queen’s Birthday Weekend.
Beaded Wheels 7
25th VCC National Motorcycle Rally Waitomo 17-19 February 2017 The Rally of Corners
Words John Shennan Photos Mark Heaslip
T
he 25th National Motorcycle Rally was organised by a committee assembled at short notice. One may have thought this committee would be hard pushed to organise everything for a national calendar event. Well how wrong could one have been. Entry forms came out well in advance, followed by regular newsletters with updates on choices of activities, information on an array of accommodation, as well as detailed information for the after-rally tour. The choice of location for the rally was excellent. The Waitomo district and surrounding King Country is simply motorcycle mecca, with its gently winding roads and light traffic. The After-Rally Tour was hub style which was ideally suited to this part of the country giving a great choice of daily destinations from inland countryside, lakes and that impressive West Coast with its formidable shoreline and relentless surf. All of this could not only be enjoyed by the rally participants but also the supporters of the After-Rally Tour. Like previous National Rallies we were pleased to welcome visitors from overseas. Harry and Nel de Boer from Holland with their 1928 Indian Scout, Lester Hamilton and John Hughes from Wollongong NSW along with Adrian Wallace, Peter Van Linden and Tim Sieber from Illawarra. The preceding weeks leading up to mid-February were not great weather-wise, but participants arrived at Waitomo Rally headquarters on the Friday afternoon in good calm weather for registration. 12 Beaded Wheels
With the main event looming on Saturday it was time to go through the rally pack and acquaint oneself with the programme. This was detailed in a most useful 34-page booklet with names of participants and their machines. All the rally instructions, including the AfterRally Tour sheets, contained a brief history of the places of interest along the way. All this was neatly labelled in our rally packs. The team of plotters obviously did a lot of research to make up such easy-to-read route plans. Also contained in the booklet were interesting extracts from Bruce Anderson about the first rally at Masterton 1967, Neville Olsen about previous rallies 1989 to 2015, the Hastings Rally 1975 by Hugh Anderson, and 50 years of national motorcycle rallying by Bill Munro. On Saturday morning bikes were grouped by the year of manufacture for people’s choice judging. This was between a stunning 1913 BSA, a 1913 LMC, a 1914 Rover Coventry, a 1916 Triumph and a 1918 Royal Enfield. The most popular marque was Triumph with 28 entries followed by BSAs at 17. There were 127 bikes in total which made for a jaw dropping display. Bob Hayton gave the day’s rally briefing advising that bikes were to get away at half minute intervals. There were three courses of approximately 70, 90 and 115 miles with timed sections all heading south of Waitomo. We headed to PioPio High School for lunch and field tests on wonderful country roads with little traffic.
The ride back to Waitomo through the back country was a real pleasure with its sweeping corners, hills and exquisite country side. Breakdowns were minimal, however Neville Olsen picked up a nail in his rear tyre on his 1924 BSA just after morning tea, but he managed to continue riding all the way back to Waitomo on a flat tyre. Yours truly wasn’t so persistent, and was forced to ask for trailer assistance due to ripping out the tyre valve only a mile from Waitomo. There’s nothing more difficult to manoeuvre than a heavy bike with a flat rear tyre. Social hour was at Woodlyn Park situated half a kilometre from rally headquarters. Snow van den Brook was MC for the rest of the evening, doing a sterling job of keeping us informed of the night’s activities. Overcast skies and mist in the valley on Sunday meant things were not looking great for the gymkhana which was eventually cancelled. Despite this some of the riders took the opportunity to ride out to see the Marakopa Falls and the Natural Bridge. Everyone gathered at Rally HQ and it was a perfect time to catch up with old friends in a relaxed atmosphere. The highlight of the afternoon was to see Ken Campbell’s Indian V8 that he brought to the rally especially for everyone to see and hear it running. Ken is well known for his prowess in motorcycle engineering. He firmly states that the Indian V8 was an engineering experiment, something that he always wanted to do, as opposed to
Catherine Bannon
Chris Clark
Kevin Clarkson presents Paul Tomlin with the trophy for best performaance on a HarleyDavidson.
recreating something of yesteryear. With a turn of the key the big V8 burst into Warrick Laing life, the sound was stirringly unique with 2.7 litres of raw power bubbling away, the bike straining at the leash wanting to get some air into its lungs. Ken gave everyone a short demonstration by riding around the HQ. A very successful 25th Anniversary prizegiving dinner was held at Woodlyn Park. Kevin Clarkson presented the prizes (see page 16), he then went on to acknowledge two people who had contributed to the National Rallies immensely over the entire 50-year period. Maureen Bull and Bill Munro spoke about their involvement with the VCC. Such history is always well
Robert Young
Robert Gudopp followed by Peter Simpson Beaded Wheels 13
Early Indians
and the 1914 Electric-Start Hendee Special Words Bob Bullock
Here’s a brain-teaser to begin with. Can you guess which year Indian had the highest motorcycle production number?
O
riginally known as the Hendee Manufacturing Company, they later changed to the more familiar title of the Indian Motocycle Company in November 1923. The omission of the letter ‘r’ in ‘motorcycle’ was to avoid any possible patent infringement lawsuits from the automotive and motorcycle manufacturing industry. The two co-founders were George M Hendee and Carl Oscar Hedstrom (he preferred to not use the name Carl). Company president Hendee was born 19 October 1866 in a suburb of Boston. His family were involved in the retail trade so business and economics came naturally to young George. He was also a keen and talented bicycle racer who, in 1886 at age 20, won the National Amateur High Wheel Championship of the United States. George was extremely dedicated
18 Beaded Wheels
to the sport of bicycling and, combining this with his business acumen, in 1898 he began manufacturing and selling his own brand of safety bicycle. There was the Silver King model for gentlemen and the matching Silver Queen model for ladies. He was astute enough to recognise the ‘dawning of the age’ of internalcombustion engines and their application when combined with the bicycle. George decided early on to be part of that new-age and began looking for business opportunities to present themselves. Luckily enough he didn’t have long to wait. Company design engineer Carl Oscar Hedstrom was born 12 March 1871 in the small village of Smolend, Sweden. His family emigrated to the United States in 1880 and settled in Brooklyn, New York. At age 16 he graduated from the eighth grade and began an apprenticeship with a small factory in the Bronx that manufactured watch cases. Early on he had shown his mechanical aptitude and soon developed and improved it further within his apprenticeship with machinetool use, pattern making, as well as forge
and foundry work. It was good experience and knowledge that would stand him in good stead when it came time to establish the fledgling motorcycle company. He was also keen on bicycling and while not directly involved with the competitive side of the sport, he had a passion for their construction. To this end he soon began constructing lighter and more durable bicycles in his home workshop for local professional racers. He soon gained a reputation for his sound designs and quality work and turned his attentions to building tandem pacing machines. Around 1899 several small De Dion-type engines had been imported from France and he duly obtained one to study its design and construction. He was able to improve the design to enhance its reliability and performance (which was reported as being sadly lacking at the time). Naturally enough it didn’t take long before he incorporated one of these engines to power one of his tandem pacing bicycles. He teamed up with Albert Henshaw to ride this tandem on the Madison Square Garden track during the 1900 season.
Co-founder George Hendee on a 1904 Indian.
The successful performance of this machine soon came to the notice of racers and race promoters alike. One of these was George Hendee who was at that stage promoting races in the newly opened Springfield Coliseum. The stage was now set and once ‘the two main players’ had made their acquaintance, it wasn’t long before that old saying applied, ‘the rest is history’. George Hendee commissioned Carl Oscar Hedstrom to design and build a singlecylinder motorcycle which he successfully achieved. It made its debut in June 1901. A decision was made by the two men to continue production of the new motorised bicycle. They established the Hendee Manufacturing Company and began motorcycle production on the top floor of a building at 216 Worthington Street in downtown Springfield, Massachusetts, where George Hendee was building his bicycles. By 1907 the company was rapidly expanding with increased production forcing a change to larger premises at the intersection of State Street and Wilbraham Road in the Highland Community area of Springfield. Further factory extensions occurred in 1912 as well as the acquisition of land and the construction of a large, single-story factory in East Springfield. Once the State Street/Wilbraham Road extensions were completed, an aerial view of the factory showed it to represent a large A or Indian teepee shape. From that point
on the factory was affectionately referred to as the Wigwam. When the Indian Motocycle Company ceased production in early 1953 sections of the factory were leased out to other businesses and tenants. Kings department store occupied the northwest section of State Street (the top of the teepee) for many years. Photos of the building in 1981 show a derelict, rundown and tired-looking old factory. Large, ornate semicircular windows on the fourth floor show where Hendee’s office was and from where he directed the daily operations of the one-time world’s largest motorcycle company. Prior to the Hendee acquisition in 1907, this section also housed the first vocational high-school in the United States. Unfortunately, this historic part of the factory was demolished in 1985. Fortunately part of the East Springfield factory was saved. The Indian Motorcycle Museum is now situated there. It hosts an annual Indian Day gathering in summer for riders and their classic Indian motorcycles to celebrate together, as well as displaying some of Oscar Hedstrom’s hand tools used to construct the original prototype Indian, some of George Hendee’s personal effects, various Hedstrom speed trophies, the prototype Indian car, and a number of Indian motorcycles. In the early years, under Oscar Hedstrom’s engineering expertise, development followed improvement with the company soon establishing a lead within the motorcycle industry. A production
bottleneck soon arose at the Worthington Street factory due to a lack of casting and foundry facilities. Hendee approached several companies with a view of subcontracting out engine production and eventually signed a contract with the Aurora Automatic Machinery Company in Aurora, Illinois. Aurora would build the single-cylinder, Hedstrom-designed motor for Indian, while they (Aurora) paid Indian a royalty to sell excess motors that were branded as Thor. Aurora’s contract with Hendee allowed a certain amount of free play as several motor brands, as well as carbon-copies of the complete Hendee motorcycle were manufactured and sold by Aurora, the early Reading-Standards being one of the more well-known Indian clones. Oscar Hedstrom moved to Aurora in late 1902 through till early 1903 to oversee engine design improvements and establish the prototype and production assembly process. A total of 143 motorcycles were built in 1902. Engine production continued at Aurora for the next five years until the Hendee Manufacturing Company bought the much larger State Street factory (the Wigwam) and established their own engine production facilities in 1907. Production rose to 2,176 that year. The very early tyres fitted to the 1901 Indians were made from natural rubber (white in colour) and extruded in straight sections with butted ends. When fitted to the wooden rims (yes, that is correct) they were wrapped around, then glued both to the rim and at the butted ends, then fixed with a wooden dowel. Their correct name was a ‘single tube, pneumatic rubber tire’ being 1½ inches wide by 28 inch diameter. (Imagine repairing a roadside flat on that?) Later Indians featured steel rims with conventional rubber tubes and tyres, although the tire size had increased to two inch wide. The single-cylinder motor that powered the early Indians were of IOE type (overhead inlet above side exhaust valve). The inlet valve was automatic ie, (suction or atmospheric) in operation. The motor displaced 13.7 ci (224cc), was rated at 1.75 hp and could propel the 75 lb motorcycle plus rider up to 30 mph. It was single-speed, with fixed drive (no clutch) and had two chains driving the rear wheel (one from the motor countershaft sprocket and one from the pedal crank sprocket). There was no front brake (Indian and Harley-Davidson both fitted front brakes in 1928) but a standard bicycle type, New Departure, coaster rearwheel brake was fitted which operated when back pedalled. The new Indian was handsomely finished in dark Royal Blue enamel. Colour options began in 1904 with Beaded Wheels 19