CLASSIC, VINTAGE AND VETERAN MOTORING FOR 70 YEARS
9 418979 000012
No. 351 April/May 2018
NEW ZEALAND’S FOREMOST HISTORICAL MOTORING MAGAZINE $7.95
THE FUTURE OF MOTORING
A look at the future of motoring historic vehicles on public roads MAGAZINE OF THE VINTAGE CAR CLUB OF NEW ZEALAND
Broadway Avenue, Palmerston North, circa 1920s. Rows of buildings line the street. A row of cars is parked on the right. A horse and cart proceeds along the road. Signs on the left advertise Goldfinch & Cousins, the men’s store and Berrymans for pianos, gramophones, and sheet music. Photograph taken by Sydney Charles Smith. Photo supplied by Max Youle. Photograph held by Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington, New Zealand.
Contact National Office for all queries regarding VICs, logbooks, historic race licences, lighting endorsement, registration of vehicles, address changes, subscriptions, membership cards, speed events.
NATIONAL OFFICE
The Vintage Car Club of New Zealand (Inc.) PO Box 2546, Christchurch 8140 Phone 03 366 4461 Fax 03 366 0273 Email admin@vcc.org.nz
VCCNZ MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE
CLUB CAPTAIN NORTHERN REGION Kaaren Smylie 021 664 341 nicc@vcc.org.nz CLUB CAPTAIN SOUTHERN REGION Alon Mayhew 027 202 9491 sicc@vcc.org.nz REGISTRAR Rod Brayshaw 07 549 4250 registrar@vcc.org.nz
PRESIDENT Diane Quarrie 06 876 4009 president@vcc.org.nz
SPEED STEWARD Tony Haycock 021 662 441 speedsteward@vcc.org.nz
SECRETARY/ TREASURER Michael Lavender 03 325 5704 hon.sec@vcc.org.nz
BEADED WHEELS CHAIRMAN Kevin Clarkson 021 0270 6525 kevin@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
COMMUNICATIONS & MARKETING comms@vcc.org.nz ARCHIVIST Don Muller 03 385 6850
archivist@vcc.org.nz
Please note this information changes annually - these details are valid until October 2018
VCCNZ BRANCHES A full list of branch addresses and contact details can also be found on the VCCNZ website at www.vcc.org.nz 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 CENTRAL HAWKE’S BAY C/- 3 Fergusson Avenue Waipukurau 4200, centralhawkesbay@vcc.org.nz EASTERN BAY OF PLENTY PO Box 2168, Kopeopeo Whakatane 3159 easternbayofplenty@vcc.org.nz
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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/- 1931 Breakneck Rd, RD 4, Balclutha 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 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
CONTENTS
Beaded Wheels Publisher
The Vintage Car Club of NZ (Inc.) The Historic Vehicle Authority of New Zealand ISSN 0113-7506 Vol CCCL No. 351
Issue 351 April/May 2018
Editorial Committee
Kevin Clarkson (Chairman), Judith Bain, Bevars Binnie, Rosalie Brown, John Coomber, Mark Dawber, Marilyn McKinlay.
Material for Publication
Reports of restorations, events, road tests, historical and technical articles should be submitted to beadedwheels@ vcc.org.nz. Email of text and photos is preferred, digital photographs should be high resolution eg 300dpi. Alternatively mail your contribution to PO Box 13140, Christchurch 8141, typed or neatly printed, double space on one side of paper only. No payment is made to contributors. The opinions or statements expressed in letters or articles in Beaded Wheels are the author’s own views and do not necessarily express the policy or views of The Vintage Car Club of NZ (Inc).
Email beadedwheels@vcc.org.nz
FEATURES 2 1 13
Back Issues Available on request to PO Box 13140, Christchurch 8141.
Correspondence & Editorial
Is This The Future
16
I Suppose You Don’t Own a Microwave Either?
20 22 7 2 28
Contributions
34
Subscriptions
38
Phone 64 3 332 3531, Fax 64 3 366 0273 PO Box 13140, Christchurch 8141. Email beadedwheels@vcc.org.nz 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 incurs 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
23 April 2018 10 May 2018
The Vintage Car Club of New Zealand (Inc.)
A Brief History of the Vehicle Identity Car Scheme
14
Advertising Enquiries
Classified and Display Advertising to: PO Box 13140, Christchurch 8141. Email beadedwheels@vcc.org.nz Phone 64 3 332 3531, Fax 64 3 366 0273 Rate schedule available on request.
A Garage Widow’s Guide To Keeping That Car Off The Road
41
1974 Honda TL125 Restoration
45
55
Behind the Wheel of Chris and Trisha’s Triumph Stag Rally Snippets 39 Veteran Run - Auckland 39 Dunedin to Brighton - Otago 40 Open Day- Taupo 40 Annual Rally - Taupo Mutterings of a Mature Motorcyclist
COLUMNS 4
President’s Message
4
As We See It
5
VCC Events
6
National Office News
7 Mailbag
Postal Address: PO Box 2546,
26
50 Year Awards
Address: 12 Aberdeen St, Christchurch,
41
Mutterings of a Mature Motorcyclist
42 44
Brass Notes 2021 Vero International Festival of Historic Motoring update
45 Marketplace
The Way We Were
52
Swap Meets & Rallies
55
Idle Torque
66
Passing Lane
New Zealand.
Like us on facebook Beaded Wheels
34
A Holiday Encounter
10
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.
1913 Parliamentary Tour
9 Timelines
Website: www.vcc.org.nz Copyright Information
20
Cité De L’Automobile Schumph Collection, Mulhouse France
National Office Phone 03 366 4461 Fax 03 366 0273 Email admin@vcc.org.nz Christchurch 8140, New Zealand.
COVER Ian Walker getting his Morris Minor ready for the Taupo Branch Annual Rally. Photo Neil Chave
The Fédération Internationale des Véhicules Anciens (FIVA) is the worldwide organization dedicated to the preservation, protection and promotion of historic vehicles and related culture. The Vintage Car Club of NZ (Inc) is a founding member of FIVA. VCCNZ Registrar Rod Brayshaw is the New Zealand delegate to FIVA and also a member of the FIVA Technical Commission.
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE In this issue of Beaded Wheels there is a very thought provoking article from Rod Brayshaw titled “Is this the future?” which I would urge you all to read. The article highlights that around the world, in conjunction with the introduction of Low Emission Zones, many countries are moving towards total exclusion of fossil fuelled vehicles in their cities within the next 12 to 20 years. Some countries have also put time frames in place to end sales of petrol and diesel powered vehicles. Motor vehicle manufacturers are working towards electrifying their entire vehicle ranges by the early 2020s. You may think that this move to Low Emission Zones has not reached our shores yet but Auckland Mayor Phil Goff is committed to achieving zero emissions by eliminating all petrol and diesel fuelled vehicles from the city by 2030 (that’s only 12 years away). And you can bet that city councils around New Zealand will have this item on their agendas in the coming years. There is no doubt that it will become more challenging to be able to continue to drive our vehicles where and when we want. The Vintage Car Club must be proactive in working with Government agencies to
ensure that historic vehicles are treated differently to other vehicles. We must be vigilant and aware of any proposed law changes which will have an impact on our ability to drive our vehicles. We must obtain exemptions to safeguard the continued use of our vehicles. We will be actively supporting the stance that historic vehicles owned by our members are distinct from old vehicles. When considering the problem of urban air pollution our vehicles should not be lumped together with old, badly maintained vehicles that are used as cheap, everyday transport. Our vehicles make up an insignificantly small fraction of road vehicles and an even smaller fraction of road traffic, hence their contribution to air pollution is proportionately tiny. Since they are generally used purely for pleasure, they are rarely used in urban areas at peak times – in fact generally we go out of our way to avoid peak traffic times. Our passion for maintaining and driving our historic vehicles and protecting, preserving and promoting our motoring heritage sets us apart as a group. As members we can do our part, and one of the best ways is to continue to generate the good
support we currently have with the general public. Our National Day in August is one of the ways we can do that. Over the next few months most branches will be holding their Annual General Meetings. Please make an effort to attend your branch AGM and also give some thought to standing for a position on your committee. You might even get to know a lot more about your branch affairs and learn more about the wider club as well as enjoying your involvement. I know that a number of branches were not able to fill all their committee positions last year, and this places an extra burden on those who are prepared to serve their branch. I thank all of you who are prepared to serve on your local committee. Without these willing members, branches would face a bleak future and there would be no local events to attend. Too often we all take for granted the tremendous effort put in by a small group of members to stage our local and national events, which we all enjoy. If you are not in a position to stand for committee, then at least turn up and show support for your branch chair and committee members. Remember that this is
your opportunity to influence the decision making and running of your branch. Too many members are happy to criticise the running of branch affairs and events, but are not prepared to lend a hand to improve or change things for the better. From time to time I receive phone calls from members who are critical of the way their branch affairs are conducted, and want the Management Committee to interfere with the decisions of the democratically elected branch committee. The time to have your say is at your AGM. It serves no purpose complaining when the majority of members have made decisions which you subsequently dislike. If you cannot convince fellow members you are right, always remember that the Club and/or your branch is bigger than any of us individually.
Diane Quarrie VCCNZ National President
AS WE SEE IT Many readers will have noticed the new look layout presented in the last issue. We think it is a sharper look, more modern and keeps the magazine contemporary. We’ve had a number of compliments on the new look although a couple of members have mentioned to me that they perceive the print size to be smaller. The reality is that we have changed the font style rather than the size. The magazine remains eminently readable although I readily admit that I have trouble reading it without my spectacles. With my prescription specs on all becomes clear. Those who have problems reading it may well benefit from a trip to the optician! The availability of high quality digital cameras and improved
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smartphone cameras has allowed much more flexibility in photographing our vehicles and club events - we are keen to feature striking images of our readers and their vehicles enjoying club events and appreciate any good quality photographs that come our way. At the bottom of the Contents page (page 3) readers may have noticed the FIVA logo. The Federation Internationale des Vehicules Anciens (FIVA) is the worldwide organisation dedicated to the preservation, protection and promotion of historic vehicles and related culture. The Vintage Car Club of NZ (Inc) is a founding member of FIVA. We have included the logo in Beaded Wheels as, by virtue of our membership, our members come
under FIVA’s umbrella. We have frequent contact with FIVA as the VCCNZ Registrar, Rod Brayshaw, is the New Zealand Delegate to FIVA and is also a member of the FIVA Technical Commission. Rod has given us some information about the projected future of motoring around the world (pages 14) and it makes for very sobering reading. There is probably a lot of work to be done on infrastructure before we will see electric vehicles (EVs) becoming more numerous than internal combustion engines (ICE). Thinking here about the electricity generation and distribution required to satisfy all those EVs. This may mean that EVs may not be as clean as originally thought! On pages 12 and 13 we have two
articles about the benefits of the Vintage Car Club of NZ (Inc) Vehicle Identity card (VIC). One written by Rod and the other, written in a humorous vein, by the NZTA. We printed both of these articles about 10 years ago but they are well worth repeating so that newcomers to the club may gain a bit of background information on the VIC.
Kevin Clarkson Chairman, Beaded Wheels
VINTAGE CAR CLUB BRANCH EVENTS
West Coast Branch Coal Trail Rally entrants at the Reefton Racecourse photo Brent Woolhouse
APRIL 1 2 2 5 7 8 8 14 15 15 17 18 21 21 21 21-22 22 21-22 22 22 22 22 25 26 28 29 29 31
MAY
April Ashburton Otago Horowhenua Waikato Gore Wairarapa North Otago Canterbury Nelson West Coast Waikato Waimate Central Otago Taranaki Canterbury North Shore Taranaki Northland Wellington Waikato West Coast Canterbury Otago Canterbury Gisborne Wairarapa Wanganui
South Island Club Captain’s Tour Rod McKimmie’s Run Sausage Sizzle Ted Green M/C Rally Mooloo Meander Ladies Run Club Captain’s Run Gerald Lynch-Bosse Memorial M/C Rally P Group Annual Rally Club Run Ladies Rally Morning tea Shantytown Wednesday Wander ANZAC in Action 21st Golden Times Rally Arrowtown Maunga Moana Rally Annual 2 Day Autumn Run Northern Raid Rally Maunga Moana Rally Swap Meet Dawn Breaker Rally Twilight Run Club Run ANZAC Run Midweek Run Scooter & M/C Run (up to 249cc) Club Run Veteran Rally Castrol Motorcycle Rally
5 Ashburton Swap Meet 5 Manawatu Post Vintage Rally 5 Ashburton Swap Meet 5 Manawatu Post Vintage Rally 5-6 Wairarapa Motorcycle Reliability Trial 10 Banks Peninsula AGM 12 Banks Peninsula Night trial 12 Canterbury Rural Run 12 Gore Night Trial 12 Southland Waimea Motorcycle Rally 13 Central Otago Sunday Run 13 Nelson Restoration of the Year/Gymkhana 13 South Canterbury PV/PW/P60/P80 Rally 13 Waikato Club Run 15 West Coast Morning tea Shantytown 16 Waikato Wednesday Wander 17 Taranaki AGM 17 Wellsford/Warkworth AGM 19 Canterbury Quiz Night
19 Southland 20 Banks Peninsula 20 Canterbury 20 Otago 20 North Shore 20 Wellington 24 Marlborough 27 Canterbury 27 Marlborough 27 Waikato 27 West Coast 31 Eastern Bay of Plenty
JUNE
2-4 Canterbury 2-4 Waikato 3 South Canterbury 6 Horowhenua 6 Wanganui 7 Waitemata 9 Gore 11 Bay of Plenty 10 Canterbury 10 Marlborough 10 West Coast 11 Wairarapa 13 Canterbury 13 Central Otago 13 North Otago 13 North Shore 13 Waikato 17 Central Otago 17 Nelson 17 Otago 17 South Canterbury 17 Wairarapa 17 West Coast 19 West Coast
PW/P60 Rally Hadstock Field Tests Parts Shed AGM Restoration Rally Triple Combined Rally Ladies Rally Midwinter Prizegiving Dinner M/C Rough Run AGM Training Day Club Run AGM
Irishman Rally Double Fifty All British Day AGM Annual Rally AGM End of Season Run AGM Restoration of the Year Events Trophy AGM AGM Motorcycle Section AGM AGM AGM AGM AGM Sunday Run AGM AGM Restoration Rally Winter Wander Rosco Trials Morning Tea Shantytown
VINTAGE CAR CLUB NATIONAL EVENTS 15 – 17 February 2019
26th National Motorcycle Rally hosted by Marlborough Branch
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. 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.
Beaded Wheels 5
NATIONAL OFFICE 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 Executive meets every March and during the August Annual General Meeting weekend. Their last meeting was the 24 March in Christchurch. Minutes are sent out to branches and your representative will be able to report on the contents.
Notice Of AGM On page 30 you will find a Notice of AGM and request for nominations for the Management Committee positions.
Branch Transfer To transfer between branches complete a transfer form. This can be obtained through your branch secretary or through the club website. Levies do vary between branches.
John L Goddard Trophy Nominations A notice regarding the John L Goddard Trophy appears below. Please put some thought into nominating a worthy member. More information is available in the Branch Manual, which is held by your branch secretary and also available for download from the club website.
Change of Address
VCC ID Card/Authenticity Statement Requirements Vehicle Identity Card/Authenticity Statement applications must go to your branch which will deal with them. The only exception is a straight change of ownership with no alterations to a vehicle. In this
CALL FOR NOMINATIONS
John L Goddard Trophy for achievement NOMINATIONS CLOSE 1 JULY 2018
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.
Vintage Car Club of NZ (Inc.) National Office, PO Box 2546, Christchurch 8140 Telephone 03 366 4461 Fax 03 366 0273 email admin@vcc.org.nz www.vcc.org.nz Office Hours Mon – Thur 9-5pm
It is compulsory for any member entering a VCC Speed Event to hold a current VCC Historic Racing Licence and VCC Log Book for the vehicle they are using. If you currently hold a VCC Historic Racing Licence, please keep an eye on the expiry date and if it needs renewing please complete the Historic Race Licence RENEWAL FORM (Section 23S of the Branch Manual), and forward it along with $23 to the National Office and a new one will be issued. All application forms for the above are obtainable from your branch, the VCC website or the National Office.
Julie Cairns-Gee National Office Manager
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 to foster and ever widen the interest in this segment of our country’s history. It is to these people, who CLASSIC, VINTAGE AND VETERAN MOTORING FOR 70 YEARS
No. 345 April/May 2017
NEW ZEALAND’S FOREMOST HISTORICAL MOTORING MAGAZINE $7.95
CLASSIC, VINTAGE AND VETERAN MOTORING FOR 70 YEARS
Beaded Wheels
No. 348 October/November 2017
NEW ZEALAND’S FOREMOST HISTORICAL MOTORING MAGAZINE $7.95
NATIONAL MOTORCYCLE RALLY E TYPE JAGUAR
9 418979 000012
Nominations for the Award should be forwarded to: John L Goddard Award, Vintage Car Club of NZ (Inc) PO Box 2546, Christchurch 8140.
6 Beaded Wheels
VCC Speed Events
Please advise the National Office in writing if you have changed address or vehicle ownership.
9 418979 000012
Executive Meeting
case, ask your branch secretary for a VIC change of ownership form, complete this and return it to the National Office. All applications for Vehicle Identity Cards and Authenticity Statements MUST include photos of the vehicle. Applications cannot be processed without these. If you require a lighting endorsement for a vehicle, you must complete both the Vehicle Identity Card/Authenticity Statement application form and lighting endorsement form and return these to your branch secretary for processing.
VCCNZ
NATIONAL VETERANNATIONAL RALLY EVENT
MAGAZINE OF THE VINTAGE CAR CLUB OF NEW ZEALAND
BEDFORD AC RESTORATION 1935 ROYAL ENFIELD MOTOR CARRIER
appreciate the fascination of age, the individuality and the functional elegance of vehicles from a bygone era, that this magazine is dedicated
Beaded Wheels – Our long established title may have readers wondering about its origin. By way of explanation beaded edge wheels use beaded edge tyres that are kept in place by reinforced rubber beads, which fit into the rolled edges of the wheel rim. This style of wheel was a distinctive feature of early motoring being used on early bicycles, many pre-1924 cars and most motorcycles until 1927. In March 1955 The Vintage Car Club of New Zealand adopted the title Beaded Wheels for their club magazine which was the successor to the monthly Guff Sheet.
MAILBAG
the smallest type being similar to the final paragraph in Beaded Wheels 350 on page 5.
The editorial committee reserve the right to publish, 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.
For some reason the print size has been reduced on page 4 in Issue 350 and requires a magnifier to read it more easily!
Petrol Article
Please increase the print size back to the previous copy size and clarity of the print too, to help us senior members read the whole magazine.
The article in Beaded Wheels 350 on the history of petrol sales in New Zealand was most interesting. Like many of your older readers I can remember old fashioned pumps and even Big Tree ones. I wondered if the term ‘motor spirits’ really had disappeared and did some research. I found the term used in 1971 by the ‘Motor Spirits Licencing Appeal Authority’ and again in the duty and excise regulations 2004 in section 6a ‘rates of refunds in respect of motor spirits excise tax’. As far as the law makers are concerned the term is alive and well. John Newsham
Magazine Changes My compliments/praise to whoever was responsible for the change in format and modernisation of our magazine. The way the photos and articles are laid out makes the magazine a very enjoyable read. Good work. As a traditionalist in my humble opinion the magazine should retain the title of Beaded Wheels.
The majority of readers know what the title means and for those that don’t a quick search of Google will enlighten them. It is a distinctive title and encompasses our early car interest. Brian Skudder
Magazine Changes I was pleasantly surprised when I opened my latest edition of Beaded Wheels and was immediately impressed by the new setup of the magazine. It is very neat and clear and much easier to read which seemed to make it far more interesting altogether. The article about the ten collectable classics also surprised me when I saw what could almost be the Hillman Hunter I bought in Britain from the Metropolitan Police when it was a few years old. Mine was the same colour as the one pictured, which appears to still have its English registration. The one I bought had an F registration. It was a police courtesy car only used for police witnesses, had never been driven hard and was in immaculate condition, all for £500. It had no police insignia at
all, only the uniforms of the police travelling in it. The Hillman was a real cracker of a car, reliable, reasonably economical to run with just routine servicing. Eventually my girlfriend and I part exchanged the Hillman for a pristine Triumph 2000 manual with overdrive (which also proved to be a very good car indeed!) I certainly would recommend the Hillman Hunter as a very practical reasonably inexpensive classic to anyone looking for a good car. Is there any history available about the Hunter? As usual I am looking forward to the next bumper filled issue, especially now with the new format, much easier to read, a great improvement. Ken Braddon
Magazine Changes Five months ago I renewed my 75 year driver’s licence and was required to pass an eye sight test. Fortunately I passed and don’t require glasses to drive. The standard test sheet used by the optician was printed with
I am sure the silent majority will support this request. Brian McPherson, Member Manawatu
Diesel Vs Bunker Oil Mark Dawber comments in his letter that Graeme Rice was wrong, in the 75 Years Ago column, when he stated that battleships burnt diesel as their fuel. All US, UK, Japanese etc battleships did burn FFO, or furnace fuel oil, under their boilers, but the German “pocket battleships” were actually powered by diesel engines, not steam turbines, so diesel fuel was their motive power. As an engineer in the RNZN I was well acquainted with FFO; sticky, black horrible stuff that had to be heated before it could be burnt. We changed to burning diesel under our boilers in the late ‘60s and thought we’d won Lotto boiler cleans only every three years, no tank cleaning and very easy to handle, with no heating required. Noel White Member Central Otago
Fiat Information Wanted I am enquiring whether any reader or club member has any knowledge of a Fiat 501S from the 1920s.
It belonged to Tracy T Gough of Christchurch, my great grandfather (my grandfather Owen Gough is in this picture).
I’m trying to find any trace of the c.1923 Fiat 501 spyder pictured in the attached pic (shot near Christchurch in the 1920s).
Many thanks for your help. Matthew McKinnon mmsounds@gmail.com
Beaded Wheels 7
Lada Lives On As you, and all readers of Beaded Wheels will have realised, issue 350 contained numerous errors, from the cover featuring a contents reference to a nonexistent article on the 1913 Parliamentary tour and no mention of the one on the history of the petroleum industry in New Zealand, to incorrect captions (pp.30 and 48), and an absence of vehicle identification on a number of photos in the Idle Torque section. What happened? New staff? As an aside on the Cars for Young Enthusiasts article, I live in Haast, South Westland, and sold my two owner 1989 Lada 21047 sw a couple of years ago to a young enthusiast from Auckland’s North Shore. He flew from Auckland to Queenstown, then took a bus over to Haast to view the car for the first time, and was so delighted he immediately bought it at my modest asking price. He then drove it back to Auckland heavily laden with spares and well down on the springs. He’d been looking
advised me to take the car to the local tip.....Of course I ignored that advice, knowing full well the car’s potential as a classic (see photo). So I was pleased to see a Niva in the article. The first SUV on New Zealand roads. Paul Elwell-Sutton Haast Ed Reply: Our apologies to all our
for that model for seven years and found only derelict rust buckets in the North Island, finally spotting my ad in Beaded Wheels. The car was in very good original condition, drove beautifully, and still had the original toolkit with inspection light matching the odd-sized socket on the steering column, and the original owners’ and Haynes workshop manuals. He was so chuffed that he sent a further substantial sum of money “for beer” and photos of the car on the trip back to Auckland, taken in Hunterville and Waiouru!
readers for the errors that have appeared in Beaded Wheels over the last two issues. As a committee we strive to achieve an error free issue and appreciate any feedback both positive and negative from all of our readers.
After attending at least six events it always has something different to attend (this year an open cast coal mine, last year a trip to Gloriavale) But you have to appreciate the amount of extra thought and work put in to make this rally so enjoyable, this year all entrants were presented with a cap plus a bottle of local beer with their personalized name on the label. As there were over 110 entries (most branches would enjoy that number) it proves that extra commitment by the branch pays) Keep up the good work. It is appreciated. Murray and Mary Jobberns Marlborough
8 Beaded Wheels
Alastair Jones BOP Branch
‘70s cars
This photograph was taken in Puramohoi, Golden Bay in 1946. The car was my father’s Hudson Super Six, year unknown.
It was refreshing to get some up-to-date perspective on potential ‘70s plus vintage cars. It is also refreshing to bring up some models once loved perhaps now forgotten, some cars I have owned in the past are Austin A60, Vauxhall PBSX, Morris 1100s, 1300s, Simca 1500, Fiat 1500 and 132, Holden (Isuzu) Camiras, Nissan Bluebirds, and of course Toyota Landcruisers. Of these it seems to be fashionable for quite a few film and TV drama shows to feature the Landcruiser, and while ours are all working machines all but one are VCC eligible.
I was 12 years old at the time, sitting in the front passenger’s seat. It had two fold down seats in the rear and suited the family as I was one of six siblings. It had large 700x21 tyres as I remember. My father and I caught a boat carrying bagged cement from the Tarakohe Cement Works for an overnight trip to Nelson where Dad bought the car from Vining & Scott who, I believe, were Hudson agents.
I would like to congratulate the West Coast Branch on their Coal Trail rally, for a small area they always produce a well run event, always welcoming and for an area with limited main road to use there is always a back road to explore.
As a 50 Year plus member, I feel qualified to comment on Peter Cooper’s article on what might be worth looking out for. I have moved from Veteran into PV as well as later motoring to satisfy my motoring urges. I would class myself as traditionalist I would have no problem with any young member accompanying me on an event in any of the vehicles discussed if it gets them excited about older cars. I hope the article gets positive results.
Family Portrait
A classic car enthusiast and engineer friend had previously
Congratulations West Coast Branch
10 Collectable Cars
Henry Barnes Member Canterbury
Vanity Mirror In New Zealand in early 1930 Todd Brothers of Wellington imported Hillman cars. One of the brothers came up with the idea of a vanity mirror in the front passenger sun shade to enable his wife to check out her make up instead of repositioning his rear view mirror to carry out the inspection, before returning it to a position he had to re-adjust to suit his view of following traffic. I thought this may help recall visions of early motoring days. Barrie Grant Member Waikato
One of the things that puts people off is how do we keep them going and up to top spec on our busy roads. One of the answers could be that several vehicles have great spares and accessories back up. In this regard my experience is with the small BMC cars ie Morris Minor, Mini, 1100, 1300, A40 where there are many parts suppliers, and a good supply of donor cars still around. These cars are motorable and economical to run too. No doubt Ford, Chrysler, GM, Rootes group are options too. There must still be a number of very good Japanese models out there in yards and sheds too. As Peter mentioned rust is a very real problem. I use cans of Penetrol to keep this menace at bay. A coming debate in our branch is do we purchase a hoist, so that members can carry out inspection and minor maintenance. I see quite a few cars that being of ‘60s plus are not so easy to get underside access and a hoist for easy and safe access has a lot of benefits. Will it attract new and younger members? Well that is the challenge, we have a lot of room in
parts sheds around the country full of stuff that will never be used. It is also beyond most of us to identify these bits too, making them pretty much valueless. Perhaps we should concentrate on later model stuff that can be identified and listed and see if we can create some interest with owners again learning and doing the basics to their cars Men’s Shed style and perhaps we would see an increase in spare parts turnover. Graham Taylor Luggate, Central Otago.
Caption Error I feel compelled to write and explain some mistakes in the Windsor Rally – North Otago report on page 30 of
Beaded Wheels number 350. I provided the text, however the photos submitted were wrongly captioned and the red Sunbeam registration number 1913 did not attend. Colin and Joan Pearce own three Sunbeams and the red one was replaced by a 1912 blue one for Windsor Rally 2017. I had given the correct age as 1912 but the text was changed to 1913 – understandably as the red Sunbeam has the number 1913; but this car is a 1914 model as many members in veteran circles know. Kathleen Perry Member, North Otago.
Registration Certificate Found Among family items has been found the original registration certificate for a 1930 Ford Model A Tudor. The car was last known in Central Hawke’s Bay in the possession of Mr Bill McNutt and was stripped for restoration. The number plate was BY 6576, and the engine number is AAC 3095. Should the present owner/ restorer of this car like to have this historic document to go with the car please contact me Rod McKenzie 06 858 9562 or 0274 467 198
Swap Meet Date Confusion There seems to be some confusion around the date of this year’s Canterbury Branch Swap Meet, despite it being published correctly in the official VCC Calendar of Events.
Help Wanted Can anyone ID this radiator for me. It has a Maltese cross as its emblem and no other markings. It is a V shape. I am sure one of the your readers will know. Would appreciate any assistance.Many thanks. Chris Read chrisread8@hotmail.com
I can confirm that the dates for this year (2018) are Friday 12th, Saturday 13th and Sunday 14th October. Just to clarify how the dates are set - the Canterbury Branch Swap Meet is always held on the second weekend in October. If, in any year, the 1st October happens to fall on a Sunday (as it did in 2017), this will be determined as being the first weekend of the month for the purpose of setting the Swap Meet dates.
TIMELINES
The multibank engine designed by Chrysler for the Sherman Tank M3, and used in the M4 as well. Photo: Charles K. Hyde, private collection.
Historical snippets of motoring interest from years gone compiled by Graeme Rice
100 YEARS AGO April May 1918 Speaking at a celebration of a Rolls-Royce engined HandleyPage biplane completing a record breaking run from London to Constantinople Mr Claude Johnston reminded his audience that it was Henry Royce who had ignored suggestions that 100bhp would be sufficient to power planes and developed the RollsRoyce 350bhp V12s used for the 3000 kilometre flight.
50 YEARS AGO April May 1968 Tragedy struck on 7 April when 32 year old Jim Clark was killed at Hockenheim driving a Lotus in a Formula Two race that didn’t really matter. Clark was so much better than any other driver, just crashing let alone dying was incomprehensible. A double world champion, a triple Tasman series champion, and a driver who lapped the entire field when racing in thick fog and rain. Colin Chapman said he’d lost his best friend. The late Chris Amon wondered that if racing took Clark’s life when he was so good, what chance did the rest of them have?
Colin Hey Chairman, Canterbury Branch Swap Meet Committee
75 YEARS AGO April May 1943 By 1943 the American war machine was in full swing with Chrysler in the thick of it, specialising in tank production. In 1943 they made 5111 M4 Sherman tanks powered by Chrysler’s brilliant 30 cylinder engine made up of five six-cylinder car engines mounted on a common crankshaft and nicknamed it the egg-beater. Another 1528 Shermans were built using the Continental-based Wright aircooled radial engine.
30 YEARS AGO April May 1988 The Japanese were about to knock the smug European motoring elite back on their heels. UK motoring journalists were prepared. They’d seen the results of a head in the sand attitude that killed off their great motorcycle industry. Now, after the combined efforts of 60 designers, 24 engineering teams, 1,400 engineers, 2,300 technicians, 220 support workers, approximately 450 prototypes and more than $1 billion in costs, the Lexus was about to hit the market. But there would be more to come.
Graeme Rice
Beaded Wheels 9
A GARAGE WIDOW’S GUIDE TO
KEEPING ‘THAT CAR’ OFF THE ROAD
Words Leon Cast So, you’ve endured almost a decade of car restoration. He’s restored an entire car from what was an ashtray mounting screw that he found under a pile of hay. You’ve had to drag him into the house to eat, by which time dinner is cold. He has absent-mindedly stolen every bit of linen out of the house and turned them into a gritty grey collection of rags. The hallway carpet looks like you live with somebody who reseals roads. Now he’s at the ‘fighting the paper war’ stage, because it turns out that the ashtray screw didn’t come with ownership papers or a number plate. In your future lurks the terrifying prospect of being dragged out every Sunday on some form of club run that will involve driving slowly in a car without air conditioning (drafts don’t count) – breaking down in obscure townships – stopping to ‘help’ other people who have broken down (this involves stopping in the same obscure place, but involves a different person swearing a lot). Sure, the coffees are normally nice, but overall you’d rather be someplace else. Here’s a quick and handy guide to ensuring that he can’t get that car back on
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the road again. It involves careful acts of sabotage, so that those government people won’t give him number plates. Receipts must die, including all the ones in that shoebox that he hides from you, so that you don’t realise the car worth $25,000 in the garage actually cost $67,000 to restore. Clearly, those receipts are going to be really useful evidence for showing that the car has undergone a major restoration and hasn’t simply been stolen out of another country and the serial numbers filed off. So, use them to line the cat’s tray. Photos of the car are other pesky forms of evidence, so if there are any old, old photos of the car from when it was first on the road, they need to meet a messy fate. Chances are, he probably also took several hundred photos of the restoration process as well. (You know this because you’ve seen the slideshow of them more times than you care to remember.) Paper photos are easy, if the receipts are already in the cat’s tray, then you can always use them as firelighters. They make pretty coloured flames too. Digital pictures might be a bit trickier, though if in doubt, the average computer isn’t too fond of having a vase full of water tipped into the back of it. Try to convince him that the chassis tag looks a bit scruffy since it dates back
to the 1920s or so. Maybe see if you can get him to do a brand new reproduction of any vehicle identifier you can find on the car. If that doesn’t ring alarm bells for a vehicle inspector, nothing will. If nothing else, you can probably buy yourself another few months of peaceful Sundays while he tries to provide a convincing reason why all the identity plates on a car several decades old, only look a week old. In general, any paperwork relating to the car needs to meet a bad end. So, if there are any old insurance documents, a receipt from the person he bought the ‘project’ off, anything at all to show that the car didn’t just magically spring out of nowhere, then these papers all need to vanish into the Bermuda Triangle. Unfortunately those people at the Vintage Car Club have a pesky process where you can get an Authenticity Statement to help establish the identity of the vehicle. There isn’t much you can do about that, so your only hope there is to try to discourage him from getting one. Who needs paperwork, anyway? So, if you follow these simple steps you should be able to delay, maybe indefinitely, the registration of the vehicle and spend your weekends dry, warm and in front of the fire with a good book. |BW First published in Beaded Wheels 303 April/May 2010
A brief history of the
VEHICLE IDENTITY CARD (VIC) SCHEME
The VCC has operated a Vehicle Identity Card (VIC) system since its introduction during a series of road shows held in 1999 when the Registrar and VCCNZ Management Committee Members visited all branches in both Islands. One of the documents provided by the VCC National Office is a document called a “Date of Manufacture and Authenticity Statement” (DOMAS) that is primarily a pre registration document that is provided to assist owners at new or re registration and vehicle licence time. Once a vehicle has been given a VIN number and a set of licence plates, both these numbers should then be forwarded to the VCC National Office who then prepare and post the Vehicle Identity Card to the applicant. The original Headlamp Endorsement system was introduced on 3 April 2003 and described in the NZ Gazette Page 907. This was expanded to a Vehicle Equipment Lighting Endorsement system on Friday 28 October 2005, and published in an infosheet 2.03 revision 2.
ADVICE FROM VCCNZ NATIONAL OFFICE
Renewing your VIC
All VCC Identity Cards (VIC) have an expiry date. This expiry is upon change of ownership or 10 years from the issue date. Your vehicle must also be as described on the VIC. A renewal form personalised for each VIC is distributed by the National Office to current financial members approximately three months before expiration. Even if your vehicle has had no changes you need to: • check the form
describing Lighting Equipment Endorsements on The Vintage Car Club of New Zealand (Inc.) Vehicle Identity Cards. On this date the system was further expanded to include direction indicators and stop lamps on historic motorcycles. The original intention was to phase out the old daylight WOF system that had been issued to the owner who as a requirement had to be a VCC member, and allow all motorists who owned Veteran Vehicles to obtain an endorsement that was displayed on a VCC Vehicle Identity Card. This endorsement is now issued for the vehicle.
All the VIC and lighting endorsement application forms are available to down load in PDF format from the VCC website vcc. org.nz I have regular involvement with personnel from the authorities, vehicle testing stations, technical officers, members and nonmembers, as we work through the process of getting our historic vehicles back on the road. The NZTA article on page 12 contains a strong message outlining the importance of developing and retaining a paper trail of documents and papers relating to your vehicle.
VIC VINTAGE SAYS
Email: registrar@vcc.org.nz
• advise current mileage • check the photos correctly shows your vehicle in its current state (if not - supply three new photos) • sign the form and forward to your branch.
Rod Brayshaw VCCNZ Registrar
It is compulsory for all National and International VCC Rallies that vehicles entered must have a current VIC. If you have sold your vehicle, please notify the National Office.
Upon receipt at the National Office the VIC will be reissued and will be valid for a further 10 years unless there is a change of ownership or major changes to the vehicle during that time.
Beaded Wheels 13
I SUPPOSE YOU DON’T OWN
A MICROWAVE EITHER
16 Beaded Wheels
Words Leon Cast
In 1961 J R Roy, an Otago farmer from Moonlight, was in need of a good reliable farm runabout. He purchased a Model A Ford from Oamaru, registration number LC639, consequently the vehicle was christened Elsie on arrival in Moonlight.
Elsie started life in Balclutha in 1930 as a phaeton, with two families utilising it in that capacity for the next 20 years. In 1951 it was converted to a well-backed runabout and used in Oamaru by three owners before being sold to Mr Roy. For the next 15 years or so the Model A was used on the farm, firstly fully registered, then on the restricted farm conditional registration, then unregistered. The constabulary rarely visited Moonlight, but on one occasion the truck was issued an unregistered vehicle ticket. This prompted a letter to the relevant authority at the time explaining that to carry out the farm duties it was doing at that time it had to be in an excellent mechanical condition surpassing any WOF test. This was accepted by the authority and there was no fine. During life as a farm runabout engine replacements were carried out along with necessary repairs to keep the car functioning until it was parked up and replaced by a more suitable vehicle. The last time the Ford was run was when it joined the opening celebrations of the Macraes Gold Mine in 1990. From 1990 until 2015 it was abandoned in a shed and became a repository for several hundred starlings until ownership
passed onto Mr Roy’s fourth son Malcolm, an Australian resident. In January 2016 it was removed from the shed and pressure cleaned before being transported to Dunedin, then by container to Auckland where restoration was to be undertaken. The Ford was greeted in Auckland by some of the North Island Model A Club members who could not believe their eyes, especially when it started and was driven away from the container, even though on only one cylinder and after the muffler had fallen off. Before restoration was started it was trailered to the Galaxy of Cars to join in the North Island Model A Ford Clubs display and gained plenty of attention in its barn find condition. Restoration started in April 2016 and entailed a complete body-off job. The front cross member had to be replaced. The engine was stripped to show just what an engine can be subjected to and still run. Two different types of pistons had been fitted, the camshaft was damaged where the tappets had been fitted upside down, the valves were worn out, with one seized open, and the cam gear was glued at its hub to take up the slack. No mechanic seems to be able to work alone and a visiting
From 1990 until 2015 Elsie was abandoned in a shed and became a repository for several hundred starlings
Beaded Wheels 17