CLASSIC, VINTAGE AND VETERAN MOTORING FOR OVER 70 YEARS
No. 356 February/March 2019
NEW ZEALAND’S FOREMOST HISTORICAL MOTORING MAGAZINE $7.95
9 418979 000012
NATIONAL VETERAN RALLY
1935 CITROЁN
MAGAZINE OF THE VINTAGE CAR CLUB OF NEW ZEALAND
The 1912 Cadillac that was a fire engine first in Thames and later in Coromandel township. This photo taken on the Auckland waterfront before it was shipped to Thames. John McLachlan in Christchurch later acquired the vehicle and built a new body on the chassis and covered many miles in the car. Photo supplied to Beaded Wheels by Barry Birchall.
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
George Kear 03 347 0315
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 2019
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/- 2534 Kaitaia-Awaroa Road, RD 1, Kaitaia 0481, 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 LXX No. 356
Issue 356 February/March 2019
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 Advertising Enquiries
FEATURES 12 14
A Tale of Two Gauges
20
Behind the Wheel of a 1935 Citroën Roadster
26
Back Issues Available on request to PO Box 13140, Christchurch 8141.
Contributions
Phone 64 3 332 3531, Fax 64 3 366 0273 PO Box 13140, Christchurch 8141. Email beadedwheels@vcc.org.nz
Light My Fire – part III of Kevin Casey’s series on the origins and intricacies of the world of spark plugs
18
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.
Correspondence & Editorial
Motorcycle Mecca Upgrade
34
Rally Snippets 26 50th Anniversary – Wairarapa Branch 27 Show Weekend Tour - Canterbury Branch 29 National Veteran Rally – Nelson Branch 31 Josephville Hill Climb– Gore Branch 31 Clutha Rally – South Otago Branch 32 Little River Picnic
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The Magic of Merlin – 1936 Riley
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 incurs additional bank fee processing charge of 3%
Production
Typesetting & design by RGBDesign Printed by Spectrum Print Ltd, Christchurch.
Closing Date for April/May Issue Editorial Copy Advertisements
24 Feb 2019 10 March 2019
The Vintage Car Club of New Zealand (Inc.) National Office Phone 03 366 4461 Fax 03 366 0273 Email admin@vcc.org.nz
COLUMNS 4
President’s Message
4
As We See It
5
VCC Events
6
National Office
8 Mailbag
25
2021 VERO International Festival of Motoring - Rally Update
39
Book Reviews
40
Brass Notes
13
The Way We Were
17
50 Year Award
19
Captain’s Log
48
Swap Meets & Rallies
53
Idle Torque
66
Passing Lane
Christchurch 8140, New Zealand.
Address: 12 Aberdeen St, Christchurch, New Zealand.
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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11 Timelines
Postal Address: PO Box 2546,
Website: www.vcc.org.nz Copyright Information
COVER The Banks Peninsula New Year’s Day Picnic is a long held tradition for members from Canterbury and beyond. Leon Witte’s Type 44 Bugatti was one of the few genuine vintage cars at the 2019 picnic. Photo John King
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
I am very pleased to advise that George Kear has been co-opted onto the Management Committee to fill the position left vacant by David Yorke. George is a Canterbury Branch member and has been involved with the VCC since a young age, enjoying many rallies with his parents before he joined in his own right 30 years ago at the age of 18. He is a member of the Canterbury Branch committee and also heads up the team responsible for running Irishman Rally. George firmly believes that you only get out of life what you put in and with an attitude like that, the Management Committee is delighted to have him on board. Club Registrar Rod Brayshaw recently attended the FIVA General Assembly in Gibraltar. An interesting survey was conducted of the 80 participants. Sixty was the average age of attendees, who ranged from 25 to 82 years of age. The average age when they first purchased an historic vehicle
was 30 and 31% had parental involvement of some sort. One of the main points to come out of the meeting was … whether we like it or not, there is climate change and getting rid of fossil fuel is generally seen as a logical answer. We are now seeing this line of thought reflected in society. It was reported that fuel companies overseas are looking for alternative technologies to combat projected reduced sales and improve emission quality in their fuels. Ethanol is back on the horizon again. All the issues we face with ethanol will impact historic vehicles if the percentage is increased in petrol. Historic vehicles may have to show that innovative fuels are a better option than city exclusion zones. Dealing with today – preparing for tomorrow. From an historic vehicle point of view, the conclusion of the meeting was that we have to prepare ourselves for a world where fuel powered cars will become the exception. We need to improve our lobbying capabilities by
joining with other motoring groups in our country and beyond to develop a common strategy. We must monitor the continued evolution of regulatory developments and consider technological and societal changes which will also increasingly determine change. A look at how these factors interplay, and what the impact may be on the future of motoring heritage, will be discussed by Rod Brayshaw at the executive meeting in March and in a future Beaded Wheels article. Another concern discussed at the FIVA meeting was (as is also happening in New Zealand) the increasing world skills shortage for restoring and maintaining historic vehicles. On the positive side, there is a growing awareness overseas to preserve vehicles rather than restore vehicles, a movement which we are also seeing in New Zealand. At the risk of sounding like a broken record, historic vehicles will need to be specifically identified in the future to set
them apart from the daily use vehicles. We have to protect the privilege of using our vehicles by telling our stories of our historic vehicle use and experiences, and by using them in a responsible and courteous way on our roads and sharing our passion with the public. Like many of our members Geoff and I are great collectors of stuff (not all vehicle related) which might come in useful one day. Over the Christmas break we have been endeavouring to discard some of it ourselves. In the Hawke’s Bay heat, it was a hard and at sometimes stressful experience but the end is in sight …. for one 36m 2 garage. Only another 200m 2 to go!
that were missed. We may well have expected that those who live in the North Island towns in question did at least know how to spell those names. Wrong assumption. Beaded Wheels comes to you because we have a bunch of volunteers around New Zealand who are prepared to spend considerable time and effort to get a quality magazine to you. Volunteers who don’t seek fame or acknowledgement. These are ordinary club members who seek to do a good job contributing to the most important communication document we have, sharing the spirit and enthusiasm of our club with readers around the
world. Constructive criticism is always welcomed. Sniping from the side-lines is easy to do but not particularly helpful.
altogether. At least those who would pinch your car won’t know how to drive it so its probably safer from theft. The future will see a lot more electric vehicles. To quote a book I am reading on the subject “An electric car might be able to match a gasoline car’s curves, but it can never match its soul.”
Diane Quarrie VCCNZ National President
AS WE SEE IT Over the last year we have had occasional correspondence from those who would seek to proofread Beaded Wheels after it has gone to print. Of course we make mistakes – and we are not happy about it. We just have to face facts and acknowledge that there is may be an error or two in each issue. This is not something we condone, indeed we try to eliminate them all, but sometimes life gets in the way. When we are reminded of our frailty, as we have been recently by a couple of readers, we look to see if we can do better next time. In last issue’s Idle Torque there were a couple of misspelt place names
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I often think about all the “safety aids” that are incorporated in the modern vehicle. ABS, traction control, airbags, proximity measurers, lane holding, skid control, cruise control (getting ever more sophisticated) and on it goes. I think the driving skills some of us learned when we were young will no longer be needed in the future. I wonder if a car without a clutch and gear lever sticking out of the floor, now a rarity, will disappear
Kevin Clarkson Chairman Beaded Wheels
VINTAGE CAR CLUB BRANCH EVENTS
Rotorua: Line-up of MGs, Sprite and a Buick.
VINTAGE CAR CLUB NATIONAL EVENTS February 15-17 National Motorcycle Rally March 7-13 April 19-21
North Island Club Captains Tour National SI Easter Rally, hosted by Ashburton
24 Wanganui 24 West Coast 26 Gore 27 Rotorua
MARCH
Gymkhana Club Run Tuesday Ramble Midweekers Run
2 Canterbury Back Country Run 2 Manawatu Ruahine Ramble 2 Southland Veteran Rally National Veteran Rally Clearwater Capers Run hosted by South Canterbury Branch 3 Gore 3 Sth Canty Motorcycle Rally FEBRUARY 7-13 National NI Club Captain’s Tour 6 Hawke’s Bay Mid Week Run 9 Far North Historic Adventure 6 Marlborough Heritage Day Brayshaw Park 9 Taupo Lake Taupo Rally 6 Waikato Club Run 9 Wairarapa Rex Porter Memorial 8–10 Banks Peninsula Enzed Racing Levels 9 Wellsford Wkwth Are We There Yet Rally 8-10 Gisborne Three Rivers Rally 10 Auckland Annual Vintage Muster 10 Canterbury Rear Wheel Brake Rally 9 Auckland Annual Veteran Run 10 Gore Frank Robson Run 9 Nelson Swap Meet 10 Sth Canty Mid Island Rally 9 Waimate Wallaby Rally 16 Bay of Plenty Vintage, Retro & Steampunk 10 Wellington British & European Car Day Festival 13 Canterbury Annual Commercial Run 16 Horowhenua Swap Meet 15-17 Hawke’s Bay Art Deco Rally 16 West Coast Scenicland Rally 15-17 Marlborough 26th National Motorcycle 16-17 Canterbury Jim Toohey Motorcycle Run Rally 16-17 E Bay of Plenty Coromandel Charity Cruise 16 Far North Ian and Mary’s Gymkhana 17 Central Otago Sunday Run Wakatipu 16 Gore Festival Rally 17 Gore Swap Meet 17 Central Otago Sunday Run Cromwell 17 Nelson Club Run 17 Nelson Pot Hunters Rally 17 Waikato Vintage Venture 17 Rotorua Barbecue Run 17 Wanganui Sunday Run 17 Taupo Club Run 19 West Coast Morning Tea Shantytown 19 West Coast Morning Tea Shantytown 20 Auckland Mid Week Tourers 20 Auckland Mid Week Tourers 20 Manawatu AGM 20 Waikato Wednesday Wander 20 Waikato Wednesday Wander 23 Gore Diggers Run 24 Gisborne Club Run 23 North Otago All British Day 24 Wellington Gymkhana 23 Wellington Twilight Run 27 Rotorua Midweekers Run 23 Wellsford Wkwth Swap Meet 3 0-31 Canterbury Annual Rally 24 Ashburton PV, PWV Run 31 Manawatu Sunday Run 24 Auckland Club Run 31 Nelson Club Run, Motueka Aero Club 24 Banks Peninsula Picnic Run 31 Waikato Ladies Rally 24 Gisborne Club Run 24 Manawatu Sunday Picnic APRIL 24 Sth Canty Chairman’s Rally 6 Banks Peninsula Pomeroy Trophy 24 Taranaki Waitara Mini-Vin 6 Sth Canty Swap Meet October 18–20
6 7 11 11 11 12-14 13 13
Waikato Gore Canterbury Sth Canty Nelson Otago Far North North Otago
13 Waikato 13 Wanganui 14 Canterbury 14 Nelson 14 Rotorua 16 West Coast 17 Waikato 19-21 Ashburton 24 Rotorua 25 Canterbury 26-27 Taranaki 27 Canterbury 28 Manawatu 28 Wellington 28 West Coast
Mooloo Meander Ladies Run Rural Run Mid Week Run Drive-in Movie Night Otago Rally Brian Parker Memorial Rally Gerald Lynch Blosse Motorcycle Rally Twilight Run Autumn Motorcycle Trial Annual P Group Rally Ladies Rally Night Run Morning Tea Shantytown Wednesday Wander National SI Easter Rally Midweekers Run Anzac Run Maunga Moana Scooter & Motorcycle under 250cc Sunday Run Dawn Breaker Rally Club Run
MAY
4 4 4 4 9 11 11 12
Ashburton Swap Meet C.Hawke’s Bay Twilight Rally Central Otago British & All Comers Day Manawatu Post Vintage Rally Sth Canty Mid Week Run Gore Night Trial Southland Waimea Motorcycle Run Far North Mother’s Day Rally
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.
A valid Vehicle ID card (VIC) is required for any vehicle entered in a National VCC event. Visit www.vcc.org.nz for more information on how to obtain a VIC for your vehicle.
Beaded Wheels 5
NATIONAL OFFICE Contact National Office for all queries regarding VICs, logbooks, historic race licences, registration of vehicles, lighting endorsement, address changes, subscriptions, membership cards, speed events.
Identity Card/Authenticity Statement application form and Lighting Endorsement form and return these to your branch secretary for processing. VCC ID Cards Renewals
Please note that 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 sent to current financial members approximately three months before expiry. VCC SPEED EVENTS
If you are entering any VCC speed event you must hold current financial membership, a valid Vehicle ID Card and VCC Log Book for the vehicle you are using and a valid VCC Historic Racing Licence. If your licence has expired, 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 available on our website (vcc.org.nz) or you can contact your Branch or the National Office for a copy.
VCC Vero Insurance Scheme
Please remember that to be insured under the VCC Vero Insurance Scheme, you must be a fully paid up financial member of the Vintage Car Club of NZ (Inc.). Executive Meeting
The next Executive Meeting will be held on 23 March in Wellington. Should you have any item you wish to be discussed by the Executive, please advise your Branch Delegate. Change of Address
Please advise the National Office in writing if you have changed address or vehicle ownership. Discounts on INTERISLANDER and BLUEBRIDGE Ferry Crossings
All financial members of the VCC of NZ (Inc.) can obtain a discount with Interisland and Blue Bridge. You must show your membership card. Information on how to book is on the Club’s
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website vcc.org.nz or can be obtained from your Branch Secretary. When booking with the Interislander, you must book through the Group Bookings option. The codes are as follow: INTERISLANDER – WH5465 and BLUE BRIDGE – ANTIQUECAR VCC ID Card/Authenticity Statement Requirements
Vehicle Identity Card/Authenticity Statement applications must go to your branch for processing. The only exception is a simple change of ownership with no alterations to a vehicle. In this 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 photographs of the vehicle. Applications cannot be processed without these. If you require a lighting endorsement for a vehicle, you must complete both the Vehicle
Even if your vehicle has had no changes this form must be checked, current mileage advised, signed and forwarded to your branch, along with the VIC (if the photo correctly shows your vehicle in its present state), or two new photos, as stated on the form.
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. 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. Branch Transfer
To transfer between branches, complete a transfer form. This can be obtained through your branch secretary.
IMPORTANT NOTICE FOR VCCNZ MEMBERS At the March 2018 Executive Meeting, the President highlighted that the Club Constitution stipulates that the Executive approve new members and the cessation of membership. It refers to membership being cancelled by the Executive if it is one month in arrears. As the Executive only meet in March and August, the reports can only be approved at those times. The Constitution must apply. Members are invoiced in early
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
September for payment by 31 October. If they have not paid by the March Executive Meeting where the approval of the Membership Status report is undertaken, then anyone who wishes to be reinstated after this time will be required to re-join and would lose any continuous service. This still allows late payments up until the March Meeting, which is six months after the initial invoice is distributed, and four months after the payment due date.
Julie Cairns-Gee National Office Manager
INTRODUCING GEORGE KEAR VCCNZ President Diane Quarrie recently announced Canterbury Member, George Kear, as the newly co-opted member of our national management committee. George’s advice is often sought by members and his skills and knowledge are a welcome addition to the national level management of our club. I have thoroughly enjoyed participating in several of our international rallies and have done some great classic racing events overseas, and am looking forward to our new format event in Taranaki in 2021. It is great that our branch encompasses such a wide age range of cars and puts on many varied events which I feel will be its strength going forward. Over the past five years I have been a Canterbury Branch Committee member and have enjoyed creating unique runs and events under my role as P-Group Convenor. Having owned my own businesses for the past 25 years, I have skills that I can offer to VCC at the national level that will help continue its success. I look forward to being part of the National Management Team, and am honoured to be selected and given the opportunity to give back to a club that has provided me, my father before me, and now my sons, so much pleasure and wonderful memories.
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 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
101 Harman St PO Box 9164 Christchurch 8149 New Zealand Phone 03 338 4307 email office@veterancarrims.co.nz
Lock ring Heavy and light. Now available
CLASSIC, VINTAGE AND VETERAN MOTORING FOR 70 YEARS
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.
Beaded edge Wide range 30x3 to 895x135 Split Rims Motor cycle rims
No. 352 June/July 2018
NEW ZEALAND’S FOREMOST HISTORICAL MOTORING MAGAZINE $7.95
CLASSIC RACING AND TIME TRIAL ACTION FROM RUAPUNA AND CHELSEA 1960 HARLEY-DAVIDSON KRTT 9 418979 000012
Having parents who were very active in the VCC while growing up made it inevitable that I would follow a similar path and join the old car movement. I caught the bug at age 14 when I participated in my first Irishman Rally, and was given the chance to drive an Austin 7 at Shand’s Patch. It was obvious then that I would end up with an Austin project to make my own and the generosity of other members made this happen. Joining in my own right at 18 I have now been a member for over 30 years and that same Austin still travels Irishman every year although now driven by one of my sons. Over the past years I have restored seven cars and still have a couple of projects to finish. As is the way with the VCC, club members have shared guidance and advice, and there is always someone available to point you in the right direction, or put you in contact with a ‘person who knows a person’ who can help. The club members are as diverse as the cars they drive, which is one aspect that makes this club of ours so great. This is the reason I am passionate about taking part at a national level and helping the club move into the future.
MAGAZINE OF THE VINTAGE CAR CLUB OF NEW ZEALAND
Well base Rolled edge. All sizes
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MAILBAG The editorial committee reserve the right to publish, edit or refuse publication of any item s ubmitted 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. GUEST APPEARANCE
The last Vero International Rally made a substantial loss and a major contributing factor was the money wasted on an invited “celebrity” guest. Nick Mason would be known by some but I suspect very few New Zealanders had heard of Corky Coker and his value as a drawcard would be negligible. Not only that, he offended many by ambushing a captive audience when his speech turned into lengthy religious waffle. Tony Haycock has told us the organisers still want to invite a guest, who will be sponsored so entrants are not footing the bill. If it works out that way I have no complaint. If it turns out the entrants will pick up some of the tab, forget it. Keep us posted please. Kevin Casey
LANDCRAB?
May I correct a small error in the December 2018-January 2019 issue? On page 31, in the article about the VCC’s involvement in the 2018 Targa Rally, mention is made of a contestant’s car being made up from two or three BMC 1100/1300 “landcrabs.” I have owned a Morris 1100 and a 1300 in the past, and my Vanden Plas Princess 1100 for almost 50 years, and have never heard the ADO16 range so described. Beauty may be in the eye of the beholder , but that range is arguably one of the most elegant of Pininfarina’s styling exercises for BMC cars. I understand that the “landcrab” term originated in Australia for the Austin/Morris 1800 range, which did not enjoy the benefits of Italian styling flair. Ronald Mayes Rotorua
DRUM BRAKES SAFETY
Is it really too much to expect that the editor will guide contributors and edit contributions for style and and accuracy prior to publication? I note Beaded Wheels asserts itself to be “New Zealand’s Foremost Historical Motoring
INFORMATION WANTED
Magazine”; commercially distributed and sold to the public as the voice of “The Historic Vehicle Authority of New Zealand”. While articles submitted to the magazine will of course contain slips, errors or even the well meant but incorrect observations of their authors how does it help our cause for the editor to allow them to pass unmoderated into print? The statement on page 21, BW355 that “...an emergency stop from this speed (90mph) with mechanical drum brakes... would be interesting to say the least” is both factually wrong and suggests that drum brakes are somehow, inherently unsafe. Disc brakes, patented decades earlier by Lanchester, started to re-emerge in the late 1930s in military applications, later achieving early success on BRM and Jaguar competition cars among others and gradually becoming almost universal; principally because of weight and space savings and reduced problems with cooling and brake fade. Drum brakes were used on many very fast road and competition cars capable of speeds well over 90mph and they were both effective and reliable with or without servo assistance. Most of the large trucks on our roads today still use drum brakes. If you lack the time and/or knowledge to edit articles on PV, Vintage and Veteran cars I am sure there must be a number of willing and knowledgeable members able to help by reading and checking articles prior to publication and liaising with authors on the final version thereby moving towards your aspirational aggrandisements so proudly flashed across your covers. Mike Crehan
I am seeking information about a Morris Motors Type M J 15, Car Number M J 2583, Engine No.22751. The car spent its life in New Zealand until it was exported to Australia five years ago, we are trying to find out more about
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its history, as by the look of it a lot of time and effort has been lavished on it over the years. Any help would be greatly appreciated, email blunden@ slingshot.co.nz or 03 4395207. Clive Blunden North Otago Member
Ed Note: The statement in question is the author’s opinion and he is entitled to that. In an old car it is quite feasible that mechanical drum brakes could be cause for concern in an emergency stop from a high speed.
INFORMATION WANTED
I am currently restoring a car for VCC events. When I purchased it in November of 2016 I knew it must be quite rare as I had never seen another. Research via internet by my three offspring, has revealed it is very rare world-wide. It’s the only known one in the South Island that is on the nationwide registration. My car is very well known here in North Canterbury, as it was parked up under the veranda for many years at the old 1950s/60s style service station at Saltwater Creek, on SH1, between Waikuku and Leithfield. (The old style service station is currently under restoration as a museum piece. It will never operate again as a business). This car had only one lady owner from near new until 2008, then inherited by her son, then seldom, if ever, used, by him. He had many people approach him wishing to purchase it while it was under the veranda for six years, but refused every offer. For some reason, he was quite happy to sell it to me. Fortunately, an attempt to steal it failed a few years ago. Many people remember the car and the old service station with a long history. Some recall it because of its signage which is still there. And because the words ‘Christ is Lord’ in bold lettering which is also present to this day. The car in question is a 1982 Hyundai Pony 1200cc TLS 3 door hatch. Just what the TLS stands for I do not know, other than by pure co-incidence it is mine and my wife’s initials. (Trevor and Lorraine Stanley). I have restored many vehicles since joining the VCC Canterbury Branch in 1970, mainly (but not solely) convertibles, but as I turn 80 next year this Hyundai is definitely the last. It’s the only old car that, when trailered home and a closer inspection undertaken, turned out to be much better than I initially thought. Now, that doesn’t happen very often. I write to ask if any readers know of any pre-1990 Hyundai vehicles as I would like to start a register.
My youngest daughter, Carol, tells me there are four known to exist in Norway. Are there any more in New Zealand or for that matter, globally? What do they look like? Once described as the result of a one-night stand between a Honda Accord 3-door hatch and a DX Corolla sedan, both of similar vintage (19781984) period. Trevor Stanley Amberley stancar_nzcc@hotmail.com Fax 03 314 8618
ACCURACY
Your magazine has a reputation for being as accurate as possible, and I would expect that a reasonably rigorous test is applied to that which is written. Accordingly I was surprised at much of the stuff of Greg Price’s on page 19 of issue 353 being so wrong. Depending upon the brand somewhere between 75% and 85% of new cars in the post war era were not non-remittance vehicles. The government operated with import licences which were allocated for CKD packs on the basis of market shares of the brands in 1938. Ford and General Motors between them had close to 50% of the available licences and the rest of us, Austin, Morris, Chrysler, Standard etc shared the rest. A very small amount of licence was available for fully built up vehicles, but it was mainly to help the assembly plants. Some private people had small import licences which were the result of returned servicemen’s benefits but these tended to be sold to the assemblers. The government in 1963 increased the import licence allowance and more vehicles could be assembled to the extent that the vehicle franchise (“dealers”) could see their waiting lists becoming very short and the easy selling coming to an end, but the increase was only for one year and the following year was back to the base licence allocation. (Sid Corder – CEO Amuri
Motors.) The mild recession of 1967 also trimmed waiting lists. The salesman asked if you had “overseas funds”, insomuch as they sold an extra car over quota and he got commission, but it didn’t stop you getting on the waiting list – cost nothing. My father, a schoolteacher, bought a new A35 in 1957, no overseas funds and traded it for an A55 the following year. 1967 McDonald Halligan in Auckland offered me a new Hillman Hunter with a one month wait or two months for a Valiant – 30 years of age no trade. By 1970 we bought Holdens off the floor at Paines and the same for Fords at South Auckland Motors. Farmers didn’t have overseas funds. They bought trucks and tractors. How else do you think Charlie Christian in Tauranga sold those dreadful early Fordsons? And the same thing happened in the South Island as many had tractor franchises too. And why masquerade as a cash buyer, when the dealer would loved to have had the commission the finance company would have given him for the hire purchase business. Martin Lee Ex Standard Triumph NZ Ltd / Leyland Standard Triumph 1959 to 1963 Greg Price Response: My article was primarily about the little Mazda 808 Coupe, not about the ‘no remittance’ scheme, and Martin Lee’s letter was some 428 words on the topic, most of which was irrelevant to the thrust of my article. David Ayres’s recollection, on the other hand, was somewhat more helpful in that his recollection was the that 1971-1972 was when the ‘no remittance’ scheme came to an end. So my recollection appears to have been a year or two out. As Maxwell Smart used to say in episodes of that TV series Get Smart ‘Sorry about that, Chief!’ The main point of my reference to that scheme was that around that time, motor vehicle dealers / retailers had the NZ car-buying public firmly by the gonads, in that the dealers dictated the terms when buying a car, whether it was new or used. This situation remained in play until the mid-1980s when import restrictions were finally lifted and
car buyers started travelling to Japan and were sourcing their own purchases, often with standard features that were only previously available as ‘options’. And who howled the loudest about that? Yup! The car dealers. Given that Martin Lee seems to have some history in car retailing, perhaps he could pen an article for BW on the topic?” In conclusion there is an old adage that goes like this; ‘Never let that facts get in the way of an otherwise good story!’- and it was a good story, eh?
NO-REMITTANCE SCHEME
In response to David Ayers’ enquiry about when the NoRemittance Scheme ended, I have studied for years to get my head around how import licensing, sales taxes and the No-Remittance worked. Any confusion is understandable. In today’s parlance, we would say that the goal posts kept moving. To understand things we should recall that the No-Remittance Scheme and Import Licensing was the government’s way to control the flow of money in and out of the country, and where it went, beginning around 1950 (even the start date is debatable). Over time the scheme was amended to close loopholes that some folk would inevitably find, and the re-writings produced a tangled set of regulations which became difficult to understand. It was 1969 that the government began phasing out NoRemittance. But 1971 was the key year that New Zealanders began to notice that new cars were more accessible, and no longer did you need overseas funds. Yes, Mr Ayers is correct that, in 1974, No-Remittance was well gone. As I understand it, NoRemittance ended because circumstances had changed. No-Remittance (which really was an obscure name!) favoured trade with Britain. Following Britain’s joining of the EEC we needed to find new markets and, of course, new export markets for our products would want us to consider their products. Alternative free trade agreements helped to open things up – both Ford and
General Motors increased their imports from Australia under NAFTA. So, for the first time in more than 20 years (arguably since 1938) New Zealanders – including Mr Ayers – found a new freedom in car buying. But the government had a bob each way. The import licensing regime remained, so the government could control the flow. For the 1970-71 year, licences were issued at 120 percent of the previous year’s level CKD (completely knocked down vehicles for NZ assembly). The CBU (completely built up vehicles, assembled overseas) licence was 133.3 percent. Then in the 1971 Budget for the 1971-72 year an additional $5 million worth of licence was approved and the two-year resale covenant was removed. The waiting period after ordering remained but was cleared soon enough with a flood of extra cars – both CBU and CKD. Suddenly, the market became a buyers one – and dealers had to start being nice to potential customers. During 1973 and 1974 the dealership showrooms became full. My own father wandered into Avery Motors in Wellington just before Christmas 1973 and drove away in a brand new XA Falcon, in “new glacier white”. I was a wee lad at the time and did not appreciate that the transaction that had just taken place would’ve been impossible just a couple of years earlier. But, remember that licensing remained. The government flexed their muscles for the 1975-76 import licensing year, when importers of CBU cars were granted just half the value of their entitlement of the previous year. Planning by the motor industry remained challenging. John Stokes Member – Wellington
SPARK PLUGS
When reading your interesting article about all the different spark plugs, a friend who is a long time retired bus and coach mechanic/fitter (Land Rovers,
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HIN BE
D THE WHE
EL
GRAHAM & MARGARET TULETT’S
1935 CITROЁN ROADS Words and photos Greg Price
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STER
For the purose of understanding what I was faced with, simply think of a floor shift being placed on the dash board.
We all have recollections of seeing a particular type of car back when we were little and that car was indelibly etched in our minds for whatever reason – often because it may have been unusual in design, or its location etc. Way back in the early 1950s, when my grandparents baby-sat me after school, I used to gravitate to a house further up their street in Mt Eden (Auckland) and sit on the low brick wall and gaze at the collection of cars on the front lawn and inside the basement garage (when the door happened to be open). The source of my fascination was the collection of (what I later knew as 1930s – 1940s) Citroëns – a coupe, a roadster and a sedan. The roadster was orange/faded red in colour, and I recall it was looking a bit decrepit even back then. My fascination with roadsters/convertibles had begun with being collected from the convent school by a young gardener in his orange (sea-chrome?) Morris 8 sports a couple of years earlier. So any orange/faded red convertible was always going to catch my attention. However it was to be 65-plus years before I was to set eyes on another live example of what I now know to be a 1935 Citroën Roadster, and that happened to be at a recent Noggin Night at Canterbury VCC, when Graham and Margaret Tulett’s Roadster was on display having taken out the 2018 Restoration of the Year trophy! AND, upon examining Graham’s photo collection of the restoration, I noted that it originally was (wait for it!) orange/red in colour. Was it the same one? As it turned out, no it wasn’t, but that’s not important for this epic restoration story, which began way back in 1970. But how uncanny was that? Seeing an almost identical Citroën convertible all those years ago, and then crossing paths once again some 65-plus years later? Needless to say I jumped at the chance to do a “Behind the Wheel” on a type of car which I had first seen so many years ago. But, before embarking on that part of the story, let me bring you up to speed with the history of these particularly nice examples of classic 1930s roadsters, which were pretty advanced for their time in terms of design and performance.
FIFTY PERCENT Even back in the 1930s there were government taxes to be avoided and/or taken advantage of. Thus Citroën in Javal, France made 50 percent of this car and the other 50 percent was made in Slough, England. This was so each country could claim the tax advantages. Very much like here in New Zealand when in order to produce a vehicle (for example the NZeta motor scooters, which were based on the Czechoslovakian Cezeta) some 40 percent of the end product had to be produced in New Zealand. According to Graham’s research, approximately 623 of these roadsters were built by Slough in England between 1934 and 1940. Of the 26 known to survive, this particular example is the oldest Slough-built roadster
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THE MAGIC OF
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MERLIN History will record my scholastic achievements for what they were, with less than fond memories of Latin and the college motto that went with it. “Bene tradita, bene servanda” or as the English translation reads “Good traditions, well maintained”.
Text Craig Pidgeon, John McDonald Photos John McDonald
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