76 YEARS CLASSIC, VINTAGE AND VETERAN MOTORING FOR 75
No. 374 February/March 2022
New Zealand’s Foremost Historical Motoring Magazine $7.95
SUCCESS 9 418979 000012
THE 2022 VERO INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL OF HISTORIC MOTORING
ROAD TESTING A HONDA DREAM MAGAZINE OF THE VINTAGE CAR CLUB OF NEW ZEALAND
From the Vintage Car Club archive. We have no details recorded about this image other than noting it is a 1910 Daimler. Readers can email information through to beadedwheels@vcc.org.nz Photographs Required: Submissions of suitable prints and information are welcome. Post or email original photographs or high resolution digital files of historical interest with any available information to: beadedwheels@vcc.org.nz or Beaded Wheels, PO Box 2546, Christchurch 8140. Laserprints/photocopies are not suitable. Photos will be returned as soon as practicable.
NATIONAL OFFICE
The Vintage Car Club of New Zealand (Inc.) PO Box 2546, Christchurch 8140 Phone 03 366 4461 Email admin@vcc.org.nz
VCCNZ LIFE MEMBERS Andrew Anderson Roger White Norm Dewhurst Rod Brayshaw John Coomber
VCCNZ MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE
PRESIDENT Diane Quarrie 06 876 4009 president@vcc.org.nz SECRETARY/ TREASURER Christopher Leith 03 358 5378 hon.sec@vcc.org.nz 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 SPEED STEWARD Tony Haycock 021 662 441 speedsteward@vcc.org.nz BEADED WHEELS CHAIRMAN Kevin Clarkson 021 0270 6525 kevin@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
Murray Trounson 03 339 8830 mgmt3@vcc.org.nz
Please note this information changes annually - these details are valid until the next AGM
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/-114 Shortcut Road, Luggate, RD2, Wanaka 9382 centralotago@vcc.org.nz CENTRAL HAWKE’S BAY C/- 73 Porangahau Road, Waipukurau 4200 centralhawkesbay@vcc.org.nz EASTERN BAY OF PLENTY PO Box 2168, Kopeopeo Whakatane 3159 easternbayofplenty@vcc.org.nz
2 Beaded Wheels
FAR NORTH C/– 50 Davis Strongman Place, RD3, Kerikeri 0293 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/- 53 Huia Street, 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 C/- 21 Mornington Road, Balaclava, Dunedin 9011 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/- PO Box 39029, Egmont Village 4361 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/- 9 Marlborough Ave, Glenfield, Auckland 0629 waitemata@vcc.org.nz WANGANUI PO Box 726, Whanganui 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/- 1999 Kumara Junction Highway, RD 2, Hokitika 7882 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 LXXIII No. 374
Issue 374 February/March 2022
Editorial Committee
Kevin Clarkson (Chairman), Judith Bain, Bevars Binnie, Rosalie Brown, John Coomber, Mark Dawber, Greg Price.
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 2546, Christchurch 8140, 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
Classified and Display Advertising to: PO Box 2546, Christchurch 8140. Email beadedwheels@vcc.org.nz Phone 64 3 332 3531 Rate schedule available on request.
Back Issues Available on request to PO Box 2546, Christchurch 8140.
Correspondence & Editorial
FEATURES 10
State of the market
14
My Sports Car Obsession
18
Family Icon
22
Life in Lockdown
24
History Mystery
25 34
Contributions
38
Subscriptions
Phone 64 3 332 3531, Fax 64 3 366 0273 PO Box 2546, Christchurch 8140. 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
Design: RGB Design & Print Ltd, Christchurch Print: PMP Ltd, Christchurch.
Closing Date for April/May: Editorial Copy Advertisements
1 March 2022 10 March 2022
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.
Sports Car Obsession
14
Vero Festival of Historic Motoring A round up of action from our first International Rally for five years (without the internationals!) Behind The Wheel Gary Arps’ Honda Dream
Vero Festival of Historic Motoring
25
Honda Dream
34
Idle Torque
54
Rally Snippets 38 Monte Carlo Rallye 40 National Veteran Rally 43 Windsor Rally
COLUMNS 4
President’s Message
46
Marketplace
4 5
As We See It
51
Swap Meets & Rallies
VCC Events
52
Trade Directory
6
National Office
54
Idle Torque
7
Mailbag
66
Passing Lane
11
Timelines
12
The Way We Were
44
Book Review
44
Awards
45
Archivist News
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. Reproduction of articles must be at least 12 months after original Beaded Wheels publication date. Beaded Wheels reserves the right to digitally store all published material for archival purposes.
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COVER Converging on New Plymouth for a week of motoring seemed increasingly precarious as December approached – but the organising committee stayed on course and as the cars arrived. A huge sigh of relief went up all round - see our full report on page 25. Photo Mark Bellringer
The Fédération Internationale des Véhicules 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. VCCNZ Registrar Rod Brayshaw is the New Zealand delegate to FIVA and also a member of the FIVA Technical Commission.
Beaded Wheels 3
1949 Talbot Lago. Photo webbs.co.nz
STATE OF THE MARKET WORDS BARRY BIRCHALL
Barry Birchall ventured along to a December classic car auction in Auckland to assess how the value of our vehicles is holding up in these uncertain economic times. Peter Webb first teamed up with one of the popular names in auction houses, Sotheby’s, and held a car auction on Princes Wharf in Auckland in 1990. Much later Webb’s started selling veteran motorbikes in Auckland and I was a little concerned about the numbers that might have been going overseas after each auction. Today they tend to seek out cars for sale from the top end of the market, and we see a lot of Bentleys, Ferraris, Jaguars, Maseratis, Mercedes, Mustangs, Porsches, and Rolls-Royces sold. The cars come to Auckland from all over New Zealand. Interestingly it is not always the European cars that command the highest price. A 1970 Ford Falcon GT HO Phase Three was sold in March 2021 for $414,000. A similar car had sold in Australia for $1.3 million; both were factory race cars. These Australian muscle cars were often produced in small numbers and established a name at Bathurst; they seem to strike a chord with the current generation of baby boomers. We do not see too many vintage cars or large left-hand VEHICLE DETAILS
drive American cars from the ‘60s and ‘70s, so popular now in Auckland. A year ago, a small 1954 Ford Thames cross cutter truck, which was a well-known club vehicle in Auckland, sold at auction and we were all surprised when it went for over $100,000. As we often see at these auctions, if the vehicle is in great condition and two people want the vehicle then the price can rapidly escalate. Often the cars offered are in great condition and normally we see a real mix of vehicles. The auction in December 2021 was no different. With Webb’s first losing the venue at Greenlane that year, then Auckland going into an extended lockdown, one auction was cancelled which must have upset a few people who had shipped cars north. The auction of 76 lots finally took place on 12 December in the main hall at the Auckland show ground. Numbers were restricted in the room to one hundred people. Some were looking at the auction on a screen next door and there were a lot of telephone
PRICE*
VEHICLE DETAILS
1968 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray
$86,250
2002 BMW 530iSE
1987 BMW 535i
$34,500
1980 Toyoto Landcruiser FJ40
1978 Triumph 2500S
$9,808
PRICE Not sold $97,750
VEHICLE DETAILS
PRICE
2008 Porsche 997 GT2
Not sold
2007 Mercedes-Benz CLK350
Not sold
2006 Mercedes-Benz CLK55AMG
Not sold
1961 Peugeot 403
$10,925
1963 Jaguar MK2 3.8
$58,075
1987 Ferrari Testarossa
$195,500
1979 Holden Monaro
Not sold
1996 Bentley Brooklands
$29,424
2008 Ferrari 599
$212,750
1983 Range Rover
Not sold
1971 Land Rover Series 11A
$79,350
1960 Porsche 356B
$152,375
1996 Mercedes-Benz SL600 V12
1968 Chevrolet RS Camaro
$138,000
1991 Aston Martin Lagonda
Not sold
withdrawn
1949 Talbot Lago T26
Not sold
1973 Fiat 130 coupe
$48,300
1962 Douglas Vespa 150
$12,075
1993 Jaguar XJS
$43,700
1965 Chevrolet Impala
$49,450
1938 Indian Chief M/C
$57,500
2003 Audi RS6 Quattro V/8
$10,925
$115,000
1954 BMW R25/3 M/C
$16,675
1929 Auburn Phaeton 8-90
$63,752
1997 Ferrari 456 GTA
Not sold
2016 Ford Mustang Shelby GT-H 1954 Triumph TR2
$77,625
1980 Honda CB400AT M/C
2011 Aston Martin Virage
Not sold
1955 BMW R50 with side car
1989 Porsche 944
Not sold
1991 Lancia Delta
$80,500
1980 Mercedes-Benz 380 SLC
$4,511 Not sold
2008 BMW M3 HP coupe
1996 Maserati Ghibli
$60,375
1996 Jaguar Sovereign
Not sold
1970 Mercedes-Benz 280SL
Not sold
1998 Ford Sierra Sapphire Cosworth
$53,944
Not sold
1982 Rolls -Royce Camargue
Not sold
1992 Mercedes-Benz 500 SL conv
$13,800
2001 Porsche 911
$34,500
1959 MGA 1600
$54,625
1986 Range Rover
Not sold
2001 Bentley Arnage Red Label
Not sold
2007 Aston Martin DB9 V12
$79,936
1974 Bedford van
$10,788
Not sold
1971 Honda LN 360
$23,000
1938 Ford 10
2002 Ferrari 550 Barchetta
$430,500
2003 Mercedes-Benz CLK55 AMG
1969 Shelby Mustang GT 350
$149,500
1955 Ford Zephyr Mark 1 convertible
$34,328
1974 Alfa Romeo GTV 2000
Not sold
1972 Ford Fairmount GT XY
Not sold
*Prices quoted do not include GST, but do include the buyer’s premium. The table summarises the vehicles in the auction and what they sold for.
10 Beaded Wheels
$57,000
$6,900
TIMELINES
Photo: Adobestock.com
bidders from out of town. There is a buyer premium and GST to pay after the hammer falls, so if bidding stops at $200,000 on the vehicle you will pay $223,000. The buyer’s premium is higher on vehicles under $200,000. Webb’s produce an extensive wellresearched catalogue before the sale that gives potential buyers quite a lot of detail on each vehicle. Walking round the room before the auction I felt the star of show had to be the 1991 Aston Martin Lagonda, one of last ones built from a production run of 645 cars over eleven years. This model did have issues with the electronics, and I hope this is not why we see a very low mileage on the car. The razor edge body work designed by William Towns still looks impressive and with a top speed of 145 mph it is some motor car. It was more expensive at the time than a new Rolls-Royce and clearly is a better investment than the Rolls-Royce. If someone was establishing a museum and had a turntable in the centre room this would be the star of the show. Another car that caught my eye was the 1949 Talbot Lago T26 that had clearly had a lot of money invested in it. The car had come up from the South Island and been in New Zealand since 1956. Webb’s did an excellent job of documenting the car’s early history and programme notes indicated it had first been sold in Amsterdam in December 1948 and only 750 of these cars with hand-built bodies were produced. I do hope someone buys the car and it stays in New Zealand. At the other end of the spectrum was a 1971 Land Rover Series 11A and a 1980 Toyota Landcruiser; clearly both had full restorations and looked like brand-new vehicles. The catalogue told us the Toyota had a six-figure sum spent on it. I thought the sums quoted in the catalogue were very close to where I saw the vehicles but a little low on the Land Rover. There was a 1978 Triumph 2500S saloon that had been owned new by Sir Robert Muldoon and a Mercedes roadster from 1970 with just 12,000 kilometres on the speedo. You had to wonder where this popular car had been hiding for the last 52 years to survive with such a low mileage. There were three cars from the RollsRoyce stable and I did hear they came from one collection in Wellington. One had the BMW motor, so it was clearly manufactured just after the two great names parted. Someone once told me the BMW motor was a better power plant than one found in the Rolls-Royce. I have never considered the Camargue designed by Pininfarina for Rolls-Royce as an attractive vehicle, but I know overseas they command quite a high price as there were only a few built. The auction started on time. Very few vehicles put up for auction attracted no bid, but the Talbot Lago was one. I wondered later whether it was because it was a model and make nobody in the room today could remember. The highest price paid on the day was $430,500 for a 2002 Ferrari 550 Barchetta. Out of my league but clearly there was a lot of interest. The owner of the 1938 Indian Chief motorcycle must been pleased to see it go for $57,500 and I am sure the owner of the MGA was pleased to see it go up to $54,625. About 40 per cent of vehicles sold on the day were sold to a telephone bidder and about one or two vehicles from each auction go overseas. We are still importing three older cars for every one car sent out of the country. In recent years we have lost a lot of Morris Minors to England and replaced them with Ford Mustangs from the States. There were about 30 lots sold on the day and 21 more lots sold after the auction when the auctioneers team brought the two parties together. The Mark One Zephyr convertible and the Ford Sierra Sapphire Cosworth never had a bid at the auction but were sold later. I am sure there were a few bargains, as a friend of mine purchased a 1996 Brooklands Bentley with a low mileage and in great condition for $29,424, a lot of motor car for that price. Webb’s have always sold motor bikes, posters, advertising signs and number plates and at this auction it was no different. Some items not sold on the day are later seen on Trade Me.
From 1906 a selection suitable headcoverings for the avid motorist.
1902
120 YEARS AGO
1922
100 YEARS AGO
1947
75 YEARS AGO
1972
50 YEARS AGO
1992
30 YEARS AGO
VETERAN VEHICLES
Mask up, was the advice to women motoring in France where the roads were dusty. Unfortunately most young women were reluctant to disfigure themselves in this way, while men, it was said, wore masks without murmur. Opportunists announced a new mode was coming; a hood would fit over the lady’s bonnet joined to a fancy silk dress mask with eyeholes covered in glass to protect the spectacles.
VINTAGE VEHICLES
Rumours were rife about what was going on in the billiard room at Lickey Grange, Sir Herbert Austin’s home. Austin was in receivership after the post war recession, the board of directors were at odds with him and all could have been lost. But the great man acquired the services of a brilliant, 18 year old draughtsman, Stanley Edge. What sort of car could be designed on a billiard table and would it save the company?
PW VEHICLES
The heavy brigade was emerging in the UK. Austin were showing their massive 3460cc, six cylinder 110bhp A110 Sheerline complete with Lucas P100 headlights dominating everything up front. Looking far more elegant were the short lived Jensen PW, which used the Sheerline’s engine late in its production life and the Sheerline’s more attractive stable mate, the Vanden Plas Austin Princess.
P60 VEHICLES
Muted cheers when the Ministry of Transport’s Traffic Officers went on strike. Sort of – as they didn’t stop work. They continued enforcing traffic laws introduced before 1 April 1965 as these were the accident promoting offences. Traffic Regulations introduced after 1 April were to do with breath tests and parking. With unseemly haste the Dunedin City Council moved to send the MOT a bill for $2000 a week to compensate for lost parking revenue.
P80 VEHICLES
The cost of super luxury limousines from Mercedes Benz looked as though it might top the $400,000 soon. It cost a cool $348,550 for the top of the range 300kw V12 S-Class complete with double glazing, power doors and bootlid all trimmed in walnut and leather. Or, if you were a bit short of the readies you could have the 3.2 litre six for just $199,750. Graeme Rice’s compilation of developments in the motoring world this month in history.
Beaded Wheels 11
Serious stuff! Roger competing in the standing start ¼ mile sprint at MG National Rally 1986 ET 22.4 seconds.
MY SPORTS CAR OBSESSION WORDS ROGER WHITE
Part one of long-time Wellington member, Roger White’s, journey to the dark side. For six decades sports cars have been my obsession. By the time I was 12 years old I was hooked. I had read Dennis Jenkinson’s immortal MotorSport 1955 article for “With Moss On The Mille Miglia”. I imagined myself blasting up those mountain passes in opposite lock slides in my MG or Austin-Healey, but a Mercedes 300SLR was never in my sights.
I couldn’t wait to get my licence. The long wait ended two weeks after my 15th birthday in 1961 courtesy of my father’s 1950 Austin A70 Hampshire, I could barely reach the pedals let alone master the magic-wand gear shift. But pass I did. I scored an after-school job at the local service station serving petrol and sweeping the floor. The boss was appreciative of my enthusiasm for his Jaguar SS 90 sports, which I got to clean and fire up once a month. Unfortunately, the foreman was not so understanding and sacked me after about six months for too much dreaming and not enough cleaning. I had a little money saved and with the help of an indulgent father I went on the search for a car.
1930 MG M TYPE MIDGET
s MotorSport correspondent Denis Jenkinson and Stirling Moss prepare for the start of 1955 Mille Miglia. Photo: www.motorsportmagazine.com
14 Beaded Wheels
There it was advertised in the Evening Post classifieds: 1930 MG Midget – not running £75. (The SS 90 was on sale at the same time for £625.) Dad coughed up the rest of the money and we towed it home. I could hardly concentrate on my schoolwork as I could think of nothing else but getting the Midget on the road. My father (an A grade mechanic of the old school) was working in administration at the NZR Road Services. He enthusiastically provided the expertise and encouragement as I grappled with the overhead cam system, valve timing and Lucas electrics. We eventually found that the distributor was at fault and were up and running. I was surely the only fourth former at Petone Tech with his own sports car, albeit a 30-year-old 847cc 27bhp
s Typical M type with pointed boat tail.
monster. Every waking moment was spent twiddling with that car or reading about sports cars (especially MGs) and driving in the country when I could. I was contemplating how to get involved in motor sport when I met Dale Conlon late in 1961. He was busily pushing his 1925 Douglas motorcycle up and down our street trying to get it started. I thought that looks interesting, I had better give him a hand. He was already a member of the Vintage Car Club (having joined at age 14) and was just two months older than me. He spotted the MG and so started a lifelong friendship. He proposed me for the VCC and after I joined in January 1962, we embarked on many rallies together in the MG mainly in the Wellington/Wanganui regions. What a cracker of a little car the M Type was. It looked cool and was quite nippy (when compared to an Austin 7) 60mph was well within its capabilities, I thought I was king of the road. But I was aware that real sports cars had twin carbs and 4 speed transmissions, so I set about rectifying those deficiencies. Searching the wreckers, I found a 4 speed out of a later Morris Minor which I fitted and made up a crude remote control, which surprisingly worked rather well. I fabricated a twin carb manifold, worked out the linkages and was away. Sadly, neither of these mods made an appreciable difference in performance. When I decided to move on Dale bought the MG and used it for many years. The car was offered back to me about 20 years ago in a very dismantled state. I declined the opportunity but was very impressed that the twin carb manifold that I had fabricated all those years ago had survived and was still in the box of bits. The M Type is still about and now fully restored including the original pointed boat tail that had been cut off short before my ownership.
s 15-year-old Roger with 21-year-old sister trying out the M type. FIT FOR PURPOSE RATING
PURCHASE COST
–7
I was still on a steep learning curve in 1965 and learned how to turn one of the best handling sports cars into the worst, in one (not so) easy lesson. After the M type I had a motorcycle period during which I restored a 1928 twin port Ariel 500 single and used a 1952 BSA B31 for school transport. Murray Hilslop, Warren Corkin and I, with even more help from my Dad, also restored a 1926 Ansaldo with intention of competing in the 1965 Haast Rally, but that is another story. I soon lusted over the next sports car. But what? I had started work by now as an Engineering Cadet at Todd Motors so had a few more dollars to play with. My friend Warren had purchased a three-wheel Morgan (which he still has) so Morgans were top of mind for us. A 1957 series two was advertised locally so I rushed to look at it. It was pretty rough, very low slung, sported a 1172cc side valve Ford Ten motor. The transmission was a Ford 3 speed with a unique sliding change. It went OK and handled smooth roads with aplomb. Of course, I bought it. A new-fangled large roundabout had just been completed at Seaview in Lower Hutt, within easy earshot of (the then) Len Southward Museum. On a Saturday night when there was no traffic about it was great fun going round and round as fast as possible (with 37 bhp) with the tail hanging out. Boy racers? Who us? It wasn’t long before I decided that the Morgan needed restoring and while I was at it, why not upgrade it to Plus Four specification. After all the 4/4 and +4 looked the same, surely, they were, apart from the engine? The little Ford engine and transmission was ripped out and a much heavier Standard Vanguard Sportsman engine (similar to the TR3 engine in the Plus 4) and overdrive gearbox sourced. The power went up from 37 to 90 hp. Happy days. The necessary mods were made to fit the power train, the rest of the car was restored with front springs upgraded to cope with the extra weight. What a disaster. Did I know about Polar Moment of Inertia, chassis flex and the many other aspects of good handling? Ah No. It handled like a pig. I was gutted, a lesson learnt the hard way. I couldn’t get rid of it soon enough. FIT FOR PURPOSE RATING
10 1961 £75
1957 MORGAN 4/4 SERIES 2
VALUE 2021 $35,000
SUMMARY: A neat little sportscar, that had the X factor when it was
introduced and was the forerunner of a highly successful series of MG Midgets.
AS PURCHASED
PURCHASE COST 1965 £650
–6 10
AFTER MODS
–2 10
VALUE 2021 $40,000 (restored correctly!)
SUMMARY: The 4/4 was a pleasant enough little car with some
endearing features but lacked the power to be considered a genuine sportscar contender.
Beaded Wheels 15
HISTORY MYSTERY WORDS AND PHOTOS JOHN STOKES In early November I was invited to have a look at a bunch of NOS (new old stock) parts at a deceased estate property in Lower Hutt. As we arrived, A hi-ab truck was yanking a circa 1950 Cadillac from the garage behind the house in which it had been hidden away for at least the last 30 years - possibly much longer. The Cadillac was certainly not as gracious as once it had been. In fact, it was beyond repair. Being a Cadillac and from a time when car imports to New Zealand from the US were virtually nil, and still being in left-hand drive I suspected that it had almost certainly been an embassy car. So I wrote a very short story for two motoring heritage Facebook pages, including the VCC page, and added the photos and sat back to see what people may chime in with. Meanwhile, I checked my research notes on the issue of permanent silveron-black plates in June, 1964. Earlier that year the Post Office (responsible for motor registration) announced what plates would be allocated to what parts of the country. The very last of the plates to be issued in the changeover were CQ5601 to CQ7100, and these were held back for issue by the Registrar of Motor Vehicles. Previously, plates had been issued every five years and, with each issue, a certain number were issued by that office for ministerial, diplomatic or other official use. The reason
24 Beaded Wheels
was that they could be recognised as such in an instant by police or other authorities. Back to the Cadillac. Sometimes it only takes one comment on Facebook (or elsewhere) to create interest. Someone commented that “This car was once owned by the King of Tonga”. In reply, “How do you know that?” I asked. “Because my husband recognises the car.” That is not a lot to go on and, short of finding a photo of the car “back in the day”, how do we prove that connection? Indeed, the King did have a home in Epsom, Auckland and I think he was in residence there more than he was in Tonga. So indeed he will have had New Zealand-registered vehicles. But, as we can see, the plate on our Cadillac is CQ4465 – so it is short of those CQ plates that were to be held back by the Registrar for use by someone such as the King of Tonga. But as we know, at the permanent plate changeover the demand for the new plates was much greater than the Post Office had anticipated. By the end-of-June 1964 deadline for all cars to be wearing their permanent plates, we were well into the issue of D-series plates! Seeing this happening, perhaps the Registrar exercised caution and set aside for official use more CQ plates than just 5601 to 7100 previously announced?
Another clue that would lend credence to the story is that the remainder of the CQ plates were destined to be issued in Wellington. As said, the King of Tonga lived in Auckland, where 138,000 pairs from AX3951 to BM2250 were assigned. Indeed, if I were a betting man, I’d put a dollar on it that the claim made by the Facebook contributor is correct. But, this Cadillac is now consigned to history. The motor is spoken for, and there are other parts that will be saved, but the time is up for this once lovely lady. As for the NOS parts, a team from the Wellington branch turned up and took away a small truckload for our parts shed, for which we thank The Geoff Macdonald Estate. Thanks also go to Barry Carrington at Lake Auto Services in Petone for putting us on to the parts.
FESTIVAL FEVER HITS TARANAKI
1975 MG Midget, Katryna and Bryce Shaw travelled from Christchurch.
Prepping for registration.
Day 1 parked up at Tikorangi. Photo Kevin Clarkson
Setting the scene at the festival village
Deirdre Rennie, Tony Fraser, Helen and Les Duggan
Section winner Peter Alderdice at the wheel of his 1928 Morgan Aero three wheeler.
1928 Austin 16/6 Burnham, Mike Loosemore.
Beaded Wheels 25