CLASSIC, VINTAGE AND VETERAN MOTORING FOR 77 YEARS
No. 385 December 2023/January 2024
New Zealand’s Foremost Historical Motoring Magazine $8.95
BEHIND THE WHEEL OF A
9 418979 000012
1925 LAGONDA DRIVEN BY A VISION SCOTT O’DONNELL
TRAVERSÉE
DU PARIS DRIVING OUR HISTORY
CONTENTS
Issue 385 December 2023/January 2024
FEATURES 10 12 Traversée du Paris
20
18 20 24
Adelaide Chronicles
18
Driven by a vision
24
COLUMNS
Traversée du Paris Tony Haycock takes a spin through the streets of Paris. Driven by a Vision Stuart Francis interviews Scott O’Donnell
31
2026 Vero International Festival of Historic Motoring
Family Road Warriors The bonding power of motoring adventures Space Oddity Honda’s Stream tilting trike scooter
37
Ford Model A Tour
38
A Real Christmas Tale
40
Rally Snippets 40 Nelson Biennial Rally 2023 41 Hunua 100 – Auckland Branch 43 South Waikato Country Run – Waikato Branch
COVER
5
From the Editor
36
Book Review
6
President’s Message
44
Archivist News
6
National Office News
45
Marketplace
7
Awards
50
Swap Meets & Rallies
7
Timelines
52
Trade Directory
8
VCC Branch Events
55
Branch News
9
Mailbag
66
Passing Lane
The Vintage Car Club of New Zealand Incorporated
Adelaide Chronicles Our Morris Minor Adventure
Ugliest car in the world?
34
45
Keeping it in the Family - literally! Behind The Wheel – 1925 Lagonda 12/24 Tourer.
28
32
Marketplace
The Phantom TRW
Always willing to take one for the team – Greg Price forsakes his beloved Zephyrs for a spin in this 1925 Lagonda, read more on page 12. Photo John McDonald.
National Office
Phone 03 366 4461 Email admin@vcc.org.nz
Postal Address PO Box 2546, Christchurch 8140, New Zealand.
Address 12 Aberdeen St, Christchurch, New Zealand.
Website: www.vcc.org.nz
DRIVING OUR HISTORY
4 Beaded Wheels
Find us on facebook Vintage Car Club of New Zealand
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. VCC Life Member Rod Brayshaw is the New Zealand delegate to FIVA and also a member of the FIVA Technical Commission.
FROM THE
EDITOR
Michael Hedgeman and Greg Price put the Lagonda through its paces for this issue’s Behind the Wheels feature — is there a vehicle in your branch you would love an excuse to drive?
I sometimes ask myself the
rhetorical question “what do members want to see in their Beaded Wheels? I usually answer said question myself by thinking that, well, if members didn’t like the content then they would tell me, and probably, knowing how members think, leave me with no possibility of my not understanding that member’s views. I can’t argue with that but for the most part members seem to like Beaded Wheels which is just fine. (By the way not everybody wants to see the end of Branch News so hold off on those letters to Mailbag!) I recently did hear of a member (unknown to me) who reputedly never reads his copy of the magazine. Unbelievable, I know! I can only assume that he, for it
Beaded Wheels Publisher
The Vintage Car Club of NZ Incorporated The Historic Vehicle Authority of New Zealand ISSN 0113-7506 Vol LXXV No. 385
Typesetting and Design
RGB Design & Print Ltd, Christchurch
Editor: Kevin Clarkson Sub Editors: Judith Bain, Rosalie Brown,
Mark Dawber, John McDonald, Greg Price, Charles Rushbrook
was a he, is too busy working to take time out. My advice to that member would be to slow down and take time to smell the roses. And read Beaded Wheels! A comment was made to me recently that our last issue had a number of articles featuring motorcycles (three, actually) and raised the possibility that the balance between other vehicles and motorcycles could be slightly askew. He could be right, but the fact is that when we were preparing the last issue we were a bit short on articles of any kind, thus we lacked the ability to make sure we had the range of articles that we normally would and so keep things in balance.
Correspondence & Editorial Contributions Email beadedwheels@vcc.org.nz Phone 64 3 332 3531, PO Box 2546, Christchurch 8140.
Advertising Enquiries
Classified and Display Advertising to: Email beadedwheels@vcc.org.nz PO Box 2546, Christchurch 8140. Phone 64 3 332 3531 Rate schedule available on request.
Back Issues Available on request to admin@vcc.org.nz
To fix this we need your help. The more stories we have available to choose from the better, as we can then offer a balanced magazine that is likely to appeal to a wide range of readers. I am sure there are many in the Club who are able to write about their experiences, or maybe about one of their vehicles, or possibly a fellow club member’s vehicle. Articles could cover a restoration, cars with an interesting history and even technical articles will have their readers. Members may wonder why most of our Behind The Wheel stories are about Canterbury vehicles. The short answer is that is where Beaded Wheels is based and if we need a story, we have the people on
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) $52* inc GST Australian subscription (6 issues) NZ$112* Other countries (6 issues) NZ$185* Digital subscription (6 issues) NZ$39 available from vcc.org.nz or issuu.com. *Payment by credit card incurs additional bank fee processing charge of 3%
hand to fill that need. Greg Price has been our go-to person for this over the years and a great job he is doing too, but there must be members in the rest of New Zealand who are able to do a Behind the Wheel story for us. The recipe is simple – get a writer together with a car belonging to a fellow club member, go for a drive and tell us about it. Simple! The cars are out there – the writers too. Let’s get some stories in from other branches. Who knows, you may even win one of Beaded Wheels much coveted caps!
Kevin Clarkson Editor Beaded Wheels
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 Incorporated” 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.
CLOSING DATES FOR FEBRUARY/MARCH
Editorial Copy 5 January 2024 • Advertisements 10 January 2024
Beaded Wheels 5
VINTAGE CAR CLUB BRANCH EVENTS
DRIVING OUR HISTORY
Is two wheels more fun than four? This group think so as they ready for the off on the Manawatu Branch Motorcycle Rally. Photo Bryan Abraham.
DECEMBER 3 Auckland 3 Canterbury 3 Manawatu
Christmas Picnic Annual Vintage Rally Sunday Jaunt/Christmas Run 3 Marlborough Christmas Outing 3 Nelson Club Run 3 Otago Moped Rally 3 Waikato Motorcycle Run 3 Wellington Children’s Christmas Party 6 Nelson Gordons Mystery Run 6 Wanganui Restoration of the Year 6 Wellsford/Warkworth Midweek Picnic 9 C. Hawke’s Bay Christmas Function 9 Gore Christmas Run 9 Wanganui Christmas Parade 9 Waikato Club Run 10 Auckland Motorcycle Run 10 Central Otago Christmas Function 10 Gisborne Club Captain’s Wing Ding 10 Horowhenua Christmas Dinner 10 Northland Christmas Lunch 10 Otago Christmas BBQ 10 Waikato Motorcycle Run Santa Claus 10 Waimate Christmas Picnic/Run 10 Waitemata Christmas Dinner 10 West Coast Run to Stratford’s Tractor Museum 10 Wellsford/Warkworth Christmas Lunch 13 Bay of Plenty Christmas Retirement Run 14 Auckland Christmas Dinner 15 Canterbury Christmas Social 16 Far North Christmas Lunch 17 Canterbury Old Cars Bikes & Coffee/ Children’s Christmas Party 17 North Shore Car Show 17 Rotorua High Tea Run 19 Wellington Christmas Barbecue 21 North Shore Christmas Function
26 Canterbury
Boxing Day Run
JANUARY 1 Ashburton 1 Auckland 1 Banks Peninsula 1 Manawatu 1 South Canterbury 1 Wanganui 1 Wellington 2 Canterbury 6 Far North 7 Canterbury 7 Waikato 7 Wairarapa 10 Banks Peninsula 10 Wanganui 14 Waikato 17 Auckland 17 Waikato 19 Wellington 20 Far North 20 Gore 20 Nelson 20 Waimate 20-22 Wanganui 21 Canterbury 21 Central Otago 21 North Shore 21 Otago 21 Rotorua 21 Wanganui 21 West Coast 25-29 Otago
New Year’s Day Run New Year’s Day Run New Year’s Day Picnic New Year’s Day Picnic New Year’s Day at Fairlie Gumboot Rally Taihape New Year’s Day Picnic Motorcycle New Year Run Taipa Show & Shine Picnic Run Blue Smoke & Pedals Coastal Run Pomeroy Trophy Club Picnic Club Run Mid Week Tourers Run Wednesday Wander Monte Carlo Rally Saturday Picnic Picnic Run Golden Bay A & P Show Kickstart Motorbike Rally Vintage Weekend OCBC Swap Meet Club Run Jackson Rally Lakefront Car Show Burma Rally Christmas Lunch NATIONAL VETERAN RALLY & 70th Dunedin Brighton Run 27 Ashburton Annual Rally 27 North Otago Moped Run 27 South Canterbury Ladies Run 27-28 Wellington Biennial Motorcycle Rally 28 Marlborough Waihopi Valley Trip 29-31 Otago Prince Henry Tour
FEBRUARY
3-4 Banks Peninsula 3 EBOP 3 Southland 4 Waitemata 5-7 Marlborough
Skope Race Meeting East Coast Rally Southland Rally Stan’s Steam Run National Vintage Only Rally 6 Marlborough Heritage Day, Brayshaw Park (including display from National Vintage Only Rally) 9-11 Banks Peninsula Classic Motor Racing Southern Meeting Levels 10 Auckland Annual Veteran Run 10 Far North Northern Captains Run 10 Waimate Wallaby Rally 11 Ashburton VTNZ/VCC Car Show 11 Manawatu Veteran Rally 11 South Canterbury Chairman’s Run 14 Taupo Club Barbecue 15-17 Hawke’s Bay Art Deco 16-17 Nelson Moutere Hop Weekend 17 Horowhenua Auction 17 Nelson Murchison A & P Show 17 North Otago All British Day 17 West Coast Stockton Mine Tour 18 Ashburton Chairman’s Run 18 Horowhenua Shannon Car Show 18 North Shore Posh Picnic 18 Rotorua Club Run 18 Waikato Club Run 18 Wanganui Sunday Run 18 Canterbury Old Cars Bikes & Coffee 21 Auckland Mid-week Tourer’s Run 21 Waikato Wednesday Wander 25 Taranaki Mini Vin Rally 23-25 Waikato Motorcycle Tour 24 South Canterbury Open Day 24 Waimate Scooter Run
NATIONAL EVENTS 25-29 January 2024 National Veteran Rally 5-7 February 2024 National Vintage Only Rally 29 March –1 April 2024 National SI Easter Rally
This list does not contain all branch events – Check branch newsletters for up-to-date details of smaller events. This column is compiled from the VCCNZ National Calendar of Events, and 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.
8 Beaded Wheels
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.
MAILBAG Beaded Wheels reserves 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.
from around New Zealand. Still missing for the New Zealand collection is a two cylinder engine, radiator and the gearbox diff combination. What lies out there? Doug Wheeler Eastern Bay of Plenty branch
ID NEEDED
THORNYCROFT
The location of this Thornycroft is a mystery as it appears to be at a park or similar with the stone pillars as for a gateway at the roadside. I have searched hillside parks and cemeteries using Google Earth for similar land forms and stone pillars with no success. Hopefully a reader can assist in identifying the location. The origin of the photo is unclear. It was sent to me from a fellow veteran enthusiast in the UK who, when questioned, said only that it came from New Zealand. The number plate middle symbol, if a dot, would indicate being from the years 1929-30. However it could be a star, making it 1927-28, but those numbers were yellow in colour and one would expect a slightly darker tone to the image. The years 1956-61 also had a star in the central location, but for the age of the truck, it is unlikely to be of this plate period. I have no record of such a vehicle being held in a New Zealand collection at that time. As for the vehicle, it is not in showroom condition, with wear evident on the deck edge. It is also missing the chain cover.
This model of Thornycroft was produced up to the outbreak of WWI when the chain drive incorporating a common diff and gearbox housing was abandoned in favour of a a live axle and diff, with the gearbox being placed closer to the motor. The metal spoked wheels of this pattern would indicate a manufacturing date of 1912 through to 1914. There are not many photos of such chain drive Thornycroft in New Zealand but the cab building style of other photos does not match this photo. Most of the other photos have sign writing as identifiable features about the cab. The bonnet is short so would indicate the 16 hp two cylinder engine, the four cylinder 30 hp engine being more popular in the longer wheelbase trucks. This same four cylinder engine design continued on into WWI production in the early J model lorries, then becoming upgraded to 40hp. There is a complete example in operational condition in Melbourne and the chassis and wheels for another in England. Also the parts from five such vehicles that I have gathered up
I was wondering if anyone had an idea of what car this is. I believe it may be a 6-cylinder Oakland tourer and the photo taken around 1915? My great grandfather Archibald Page had a car such as this and I’m wondering if this photo is the Oakland. Chris Carey Lincoln, Christchurch captain.carefree@gmail.com
MORRIS 8 MEMORIES
The recent article on the Morris 8 Sports and one or two letters later from owners brought back memories of my own first car, a 1938 tourer, similar with a back seat and a near vertical ugly rear end. A motorcycle was my preferred transport back in the ‘50s but a vehicle to tow, yes tow, my pre war 250 BSA to local race meetings was required. I recall the price was £100. The hood bows were badly damaged, as were the side curtains. I think the policeman I bought it from may have had an oops so it was an open model until repairs to the hood hardware were completed. Alan McIndoe, a local upholsterer, replaced the hood and side curtains. He also added a nut and bolt self-made towbar to tow my dad’s home-built wooden trailer. The first out of town event was at Long Beach North of Dunedin. The BSA went well, but locals will recall the steep gravel climb from the beach, which
proved too tough for Morris and trailer. I recall Club member Pat Leopold pulled the trailer up with his V8 coupe. It was 1957 when I entered the same old BSA at Cust, home of the New Zealand Grand Prix back then. Dad’s trailer was no lightweight but the Morris managed the Easter weekend. Sadly my bike didn’t by not finishing the 250 lightweight event – valve problems. Morris 8 problems, well mine anyway: with cork axle seals I needed to avoid parking on steep angles and also ran the diff oil a bit lower to keep the brake linings dry. The doors popped open on a rough road corners. I also had problems with crownwheel bolts breaking, the heads would pop off. I machined new studs,and even all those years back I recall the steel was SD 50. Some sort of axle steel, certainly better than the Mowog ones. Our senior Club members will remember the radiator leak repair Soldrit, fine silver powder in a small cardboard container with a press on tin lid, I think I found it more successful than Bar’s Leaks. Eventually it was time to upgrade, the Morris was a clean swap with a Golden Flash BSA, sold to finance the next tow car, a ‘39 Vauxhall J. Bill Veitch
ERRATA
Article “A Survivor” regarding the 1913 Morris Oxford published in Beaded Wheels 383, August/ September 2023. Unfortunately the car in the photograph was incorrectly identified during Beaded Wheels production. The car on the right is No 192, restored by Norman Findlay in Napier in the early 1960s. The car on the left is number 332.
Beaded Wheels 9
HIN BE
D THE WHE EL
KEEPING IT IN THE FAMILY – literally!
Words Greg Price, photos John McDonald. Restoration photos Michael Hedgman
12 Beaded Wheels
Michael Hedgman’s 1925 Lagonda 12/24 tourer How many of us can boast now owning what was once their father’s car, and can also confidently claim that at least one of their children may take it on when the time comes? Well, Michael Hedgman can! Until recently, whenever I heard mention of the name Lagonda, I immediately thought of those large English luxury saloons from the Bentley, Alvis and Rolls-Royce stables and the like, so it came as quite a surprise to spot Michael Hedgman’s little gem on the front cover of Canterbury Branch’s November 2023 The Hub, (having taken out the People’s Choice award at the All British Rally!) especially as it was captioned as being a Lagonda. Editor Kevin and I decided that it was a ‘must do’ for a Behind the Wheel. The only problem was that a looming editorial deadline, coupled with Michael’s limited availability at that time for the customary interrogation and photoshoot, necessitated a panic trip out to his place of residence in North Canterbury at very short notice. Fortunately, our own photographer extraordinaire, John McDonald, was able to make himself available at short notice. The whole exercise came together nicely, just like the Westpac merger did back in 1996 – the same year as this car was completed, and also (more importantly) in time for Ian and Michael to compete in the Pan Pacific International hub rally. What is also important to note is that this particular model is most likely one of about only six remaining world-wide, and reportedly the only surviving running example in New Zealand. There was however, an earlier non-runner 11.1 model two-seater roadster at Southward’s Museum but it is not known if it is still there. Thus, it was a special privilege to be able to get up close and personal to such a unique car. But, first up, a bit of the history of the marque.
ever fly-off handbrake, which is on Michael’s car and takes a bit of getting used to! During WWI the Lagonda Company made artillery shells. After the end of the war the 11.1 continued with a larger, 1400 cc, engine and standard electric lighting as the 11.9 until 1923, then the 12/24, with Michael’s car coming off the line in 1925. The first of the company’s sports models (the ones that I remember) were launched in 1925 as the 14/60 with a twin-cam 1,954 cc fourcylinder engine and hemispherical combustion chambers. The car was designed by Arthur Davidson who had come from Lea-Francis. A higher output engine came in 1927 with the two-litre Speed model which could be had supercharged in 1930. A lengthened chassis version, the 16/65, with a six-cylinder 2.4-litre engine, was available from 1926 to 1930. Their final car of the 1920s was the three-litre using a 2,931 cc six-cylinder engine. This continued until 1933 when the engine grew to 3,181 cc and was also available with a complex eight-speed Maybach transmission as the Selector Special. However if you want to learn more about the Lagonda marque, then look it up on the interweb! Suffice to conclude though, that the marque name survives today, having been subsequently acquired by Aston Martin.
HISTORY OF LAGONDA The Lagonda Company is now a British luxury car brand that was founded in 1906 in the UK in Staines, Middlesex, by Americanborn Wilbur Gunn (1859–1920), a former opera singer. He became a British national in 1891 and worked as a speedboat and motorcycle engineer in Staines. He named the company after the Shawnee Indian settlement ‘Lagonda’ in modern-day Springfield, Ohio, the town of his birth. This is a glacially eroded limestone gorge of much beauty. Historically, the area played a major role in the Treaty of Easton and the aligning of the Shawnee tribe with the British during the French and Indian War. (Ian Hedgman visited this place with other Lagonda aficionados after the restoration of his Lagonda.) Wilbur Gunn had built motorcycles on a small scale in the garden of his house in Staines with reasonable success, including a win on the 1905 London–Edinburgh trial. In 1907 he launched his first car, the 20 hp, six-cylinder Torpedo, which he used to win the Moscow–St. Petersburg trial of 1910. This success produced a healthy order for exports to Russia which continued until 1914. In 1913, Lagonda introduced an advanced small car, the 11.1, with a four-cylinder 1,099 cc engine, which, by 1914, featured a panhard rod suspension and a riveted uni-body and the first
Beaded Wheels 13
SPACE ODDITY
WE CHECK OUT HONDA’S UNUSUAL STREAM TILTING TRIKE SCOOTER By Peter S. Cooper
34 Beaded Wheels
The 1980s could be considered Japan’s glory days of motor scooters. Each manufacturer brought out a wide range of 50cc and larger capacity machines to suit a wide variety of needs and tastes. One of the more unusual machines from the era was the Honda Stream. Developed to be a top-end ‘personal luxury scooter,’ the TB07/ NV50 Stream was a licensed design, based on the UK engineer George Wallis’ tilting trike concept that many who read this publication would remember was used on the ill-fated BSA/Ariel 3 moped of the early 1970s. The scooter has a pair of rear wheels and powerplant unit that remains in constant contact with the road while the main bodywork and single front wheel tilt like a regular two-wheel machine. The design had earlier been licensed to Daihatsu for its 1974 Hallo delivery scooter, a handful of which were imported new into New Zealand. A few of those unusual machines are known to still exist. While Honda’s design differed from Wallis’ original torsion bar configuration – using a single coil-over shock and a kind of universal joint at the rear – the result was suspension that worked well and allowed a smooth ride, befitting the Stream’s premium position in the marketplace. According to an article in Iceni CAM magazine, while the then 79-year-old George liked the design and finish of the Honda product, he felt that the Japanese company missed the point of his use of torsion bars and that felt that the rear tread width was way too narrow. He added that there was insufficient luggage capacity and it ‘felt wobbly’ to ride. The Stream was launched in May, 1981 in Japan and it appears that the UK also got the model, albeit in small numbers. The model remained in production until 1984 selling, it appears, in limited numbers. Our test example is an unrestored early production, very low km model that I imported from Japan for my collection. Interestingly, the date code on the original tyres was ‘Week 7 1981.’ These have since been replaced with modern rubber with a very similar tread pattern. Even the battery appeared to be OEM spec, so my best guess is that the original owner parked it up after a year or two of use, having dropped it while riding – there are some scratches along the right-hand side and the original parking brake handle (really!) was broken on one side. Refurbishment primarily centred around getting the fuel system completely cleaned. The tank was quite rusty, the on-off fuel tap was corroded and clogged, as was the carburettor. Once the former were put back into decent order and the carb went through an ultrasonic bath, the scooter fired right up and ran smoothly with fresh fuel and a new sparkplug. Gee, I love the reliability of Japanese machines...! All the lights worked perfectly, albeit some bright spark (pun intended) in Japan put a single pole bulb into a dual pole socket in the right-hand front parking light/turn signal. A new, correct dual-filament bulb from my stock in the workshop sorted out the problem.
ON THE ROAD
Sitting in the rather plush single seat, one is faced with the handlebar/instrument panel that has the horn, indicators and high/low beam switches on the left-hand side, with start button and light switch on the right. The parking brake and ignition switch are located below. The central instrument cluster includes lights for high beam, low oil, indicators and parking brake, along with fuel gauge and speedometer. Everything is easy to reach and read, with a pair of antenna-like rear vision mirrors to keep an eye on traffic behind. The odd-shaped, lockable front cargo bin (boot?) has a 5 kg capacity, while the handy glovebox is rated at 2 kg. There is a hook under the lockable seat for securing a helmet. Lifting the seat up, one finds the four litre fuel tank and separate two-stroke oil tank. There’s a door underneath the front of the seat which is where the 12V battery is located. Interestingly, there’s a trap in the fuel system below the fuel tap to catch any nasties. I have added an inline filter just ahead of the fuel pump (yes, the scooter has a fuel pump, as the fuel line needs to travel in a long U shape to reach the engine). Starting involves turning the key from its Lock position and pushing on the Start button. Usually, the Stream starts up on the first spin and settles into a smooth idle. There is a folding kick start on the left-hand side, just in case. When the switch is put into Lock, the scooter’s bodywork is locked upright, as well as applying the rear brake. Push the parking brake down – making sure that both feet are planted on the ground, otherwise the scooter will fall over! – give the right-hand throttle a twist and you’re off. As an aside, when I first got the Stream going, I found that there is drive to both rear
Beaded Wheels 35