VCC Waitemata September 2025 by Vintage Car Club of New Zealand

COMING EVENTS

Looking Forward

October It’s all next month

Novem ber 8th Fab visit to Motorcycle Collection and BBQ Lunch with Austin 7 Nobility.

6th Saturday Invitational Hillclimb, Pukekohe Hot Rod Club (Details to be confirmed

10-12th Christchurch, McLeans Island.

2nd Tauranga, 9am start. 29 Cliff Road, VCC Bay of Plenty

16th Waikato Swap Meet @ Karapiro Domain, Cambridge

15TH Monte Carlo, Banks Peninsula Branch

Still the First Tuesday of the Month, until further notice.

Tuesday 7th October

N.B. See you at the RSA Room, King George V Memorial Hall, Library Lane, Albany, 7.30 pm.

October. Events are postponed to next month due to unavoidable issues.

November with fine weather compared to the last month will have us trimming our jib to berth and view a Classic Sailing Vessel in all its finery ( nautical accurments). Number 1’s required

December: Best to await the news in the next newsletter.

SHED RAID & PICNIC

Something

to try out with a

local Branch

From the Auckland Branch Motorcycle Section, (their active group). Full details to follow.

Bike run visit to Bill Buckley's BSL factory has a date change, It will now be on the 13th December.

It was 1950 when BSL Racing owner Bill Buckley first walked onto a speedway track and 8 years later he was competing having won 2 NZ Sidecar championships (66/67 & 68/69 Seasons) Bill has also raced Midgets, TQ’s & Solos. His passion for motor sport has never changed, initially designing and building the 3 cylinder two stroke BSL 500cc GP motorbike at his Buckley Systems Electro Magnetic Plant, Bill had a vision to own his own Race Car Shop, starting out as just a fabrication shop. BSL Racing Ltd has grown into a complete Motorsport Fabrication, Parts and Service Facility, they build their own race engines. Bill also owns other speedway businesses including Esslinger Engineering in California, USA. Bill promoted Western Springs Speedway from 2002 to 2020 and is the current promoter of Baypark Speedway in Tauranga, New Zealand.

With over 40 years of experience, Buckley Systems is an awardwinning manufacturer of precision electromagnets and custom supporting structures, offering end-to-end design and manufacturing solutions in the particle accelerator, medical and research industries, some of Bill’s machines weigh a great many tons and cost well over $75 million each.

Aircraft Workshop Visits

From the power organiser, Di, came the visit to the two workshops at Ardmore, Avspecs and Pioneer Equipment. Both companies are leaders in warbird restorations.

We first collected ourselves at the Auckland Botanical Gardens with the Austin members and the SP250 drivers and with Branch members advanced to Ardmore Aerodrome.

As we approached the site, I remembered that some of the older members, past and present, had attended their training in education as the site was where the Teachers College was based. When I arrived, there was a large group talking over the fence to

a pilot with two Pitt Specials as he described the commonalities and differences.

After the questions were answered, we were directed to Avspecs hanger and workshop where we saw the fifth Mosquito to be returned to the air. Mike Smith from the workshop gave us the history of the plane and its progress so far and the process of creation of such an aeronautical wonder. We were led to the next hanger where the fuselage was under way.

This was a larger version of Vaughan’s Ansaldo three-seater boattail. Vaughan did say that the reason for making the body and guards in 2mm ply was the fact that he had no panel beating tools.

In the same area where the fuselage was being worked on was a Harvard under repair and assorted war wrecks, including parts of an Imperial Japanese Airforce Kawasaki KI-61 Hein.

Most insightful visit and we moved onto lunch before our next visit at the other side of the runways to Pioneer Aero. I enjoyed lunching with Vaughan, Marcus and Austineer Mike and his son (travelling in a fine new MX-5). I had met Mike through his wife, whom I worked with in the lab at Auckland Hospital. At that time, he had a vintage Austin 12/4.

We entered Pioneer Aero and passed two Curtiss P-40’s. Our hosts gave us the history of the aircraft under restoration and the details of the Dauntless.

Kawasaki KI-61 Hein

I have added the leaflet on the Dauntless which includes the Facebook page address for Pioneer Aero and the Military Museum who own the Douglass aircraft. Progress on the plane is recorded on the sites and will be a way of being an observer in the first steps to the competition.

It was interesting to know of the RNZAF use of the Dauntless in the Pacific and its use in ground attack and shipping. The Dauntless were based at Seagrove which was another air base on the lower part of the Manukau Harbour.

As many know that as the war in the Pacific progressed, many planes were seen as obsolete by the Americans as new aircraft were developed and passed on the RNZAF. In that way, through the lend-lease program, the RNZAF inherited P-40, Dauntless, Mustangs and others which were maintained and serviced in NZ with resultant skills and crafts being available for later development in the trades post war.

In the storage areas for useful bits, I noticed some floats and was told of their origin. They were from a Vought OS2U Kingfisher, an American catapult-launched observation floatplane.

As a result of the exposure to the sight of these two workshops and the contents, it has led me down many rabbits’ hole on the internet and much was found out about the sagas and stories of these denizens of the air. Fascinating!

Our thanks to Di for arranging the visits and to the owners and staff of the workshops for allowing access and sharing their experiences on working on these treasures.

Part of a Dauntless fuselage with cockpit which was a wind generator in Tinsel Town.

Michael Greig

Film Evening with Dinner at Ryders and the Tour.

To get a morning /afternoon event followed by this afternoon tour and dinner gave a few such as myself a full program for the weekend. I had travelled from Ardmore to Avondale to Ryder theatre and dining room. Others started traditionally at the ‘club rooms’ with a fine afternoon of motoring setup by Team Cranch after skills hone by setting a previous R’oil Can. I did hear that one of the participants had to return to home base to change the choice of motoring mount.

It was a reasonable turnout and many booking at the last moment. The food was to its high standard and there was plenty for a return.

We were led to the theatre and presented with the dessert, what choice!

Once seated, the lights drew down and the film started. A period film of the early 1960’s with John Wayne with the usual suspects in Tanganyika capturing animals for overseas zoos with chase techniques before the use of tranquilising darts (a NZ invention).

The chase scenes using jeeps and trucks was done with no doubles or stunt people. You could feel the bumps and leaps! It was a film of its time with each shot with cigarettes held and puffed upon furiously, PC free and local communities seen as a curiosity.

Many thanks to the organisers, caterers and participants. It was a long day and off to be after a great day out and a chance to exercise the 350Z as the Riley is still awaiting me to get the spokes replaced. I remember the headmaster at the old school said I was a procrastinator.

Michael Greig.

As you can see, the usual suspects.

The Chairmans Report.

Firstly, a big thanks to Steve and Megan for organising the club run to Ryders Theatre for our film night. Unfortunately, we got compromised on dates and we could not reschedule dates. For those who visited the Mosquito in its very early stages of reconstruction we will combine again with the Austin Register and revisit the plane near completion. The date for our hill climb has not been finalised. As we are still talking to different clubs. On the WOF front I now have my yearly WOF And the LED headlights went through without a mention.

From the VCC Daffodil Day Rally 2025 - National Coordinator

Good morning Members, Coordinators & Daffodil Partners

Wonderful news, we have smashed our goal this year for the Daffodil Rally for Cancer and raised over $110k! There are still a few totals to come in, but in the meantime I would like to take this opportunity to thank each and everyone of you from the bottom of my heart for your tremendous efforts in such a tough global financial climate.

Daffodil hugs, Kaaren Smylie

(Thanks again to those that attended and organised last months event.The Editor)

Editorial Time.

The last lot of events and visits plus the forth coming ones have a lot of interest to the young, friends and relatives. Consider bringing them along as we need new ‘Blood’, new eyes to gaze upon mechanical marvels and to take spanners in maintaining and creating new vehicles, nay, dreams that will propel us into the future. We need now these hand maidens and hand persons to lead us into a New Dawn of Motoring!

I am still looking for a kind soul to help me in the shed to recommission the stable of bikes and cars and take on the awesome task of using them.

Please read the material sent in by Keith H. Some things cannot be avoided and we must action things promptly.

I have been advised by our Triumph Sage that his wife has been complaining about the presentation of the newsletter. I am not looking forward to her reproachful missive.

Remember that it is your newsletter, so please send in your comments on restoration methods or techniques, progress on your own project or its history. Your ever ‘umble servant, The Editor, Uncle Mike.

Hi Mike,

I feel that the attached document has great importance for our members and having taken the trouble to type it up, I hope that you might publish it in the next newsletter?

Cheers, Keith (Alo seen in ‘Country Motor, Australia)

WHO GETS YOUR COLLECTION AFTER YOU?

(This is essential reading for all!)

By Peter Ratcliff gratefully acknowledging assistance from estates solicitor Joanne Hazeldine

We are all going to die in the end. What arrangements have you made for your “stuff”? Many (most) of us are in the situation where our families will not be interested in the stuff we have collected. If there is any interest from them, it may be due to perceptions of untold riches coming from the sale of your stuff. In any case, your family (or the executor of your will) will give their heartfelt thanks if you leave them some sort of guide to help them dispose of it. A discussion while you’re still here would be a good start.

Spare a thought for whoever will be dispersing your treasures. If no immediate family are interested in taking over your collection, then the day you die, the treasures in the shed (and in the yard) instantly turn into rusty scrap. Yes, scrap and ironmongery that even a dedicated and well-connected enthusiast might be lucky to find buyers for.

As one Club member friend (and a prolific collector) has said,” Ïf I die, my missus will have the whole lot down the tip the next day.” and this is probably a widespread sentiment”. Some male collectors have gone to great lengths to conceal from their spouse the price paid for certain collectibles, with the result that the spouse has no idea of the value of the items and therefore will not go out of her way to seek a buyer for them after her departed leaves her in a mess (Pardon the sexist bias, but I have yet to hear of a female collector who conceals prices of her collectibles from her male partner)

The “down to the tip” sentiment indicates not only a certain lack of interest on the part of many of our spouses, but also a complete ignorance of the existence of a wonderful network of hobby enthusiasts and dealers that we are part of and pride ourselves on being part of. On the part of the collector, it also indicates a lack of personal organization and a disregard for the preservation of the items after we have gone. Perhaps your family has the idea that your cars are worth squillions and that they will be off on first class trips to the Mediterranean when your collections are sold up?

Imagine the situation when they discover the incomplete and unfinished cars are so difficult to find a buyer for that they are almost worthless. I know of some dismantled Cadillacs that have been on the market for over a year with a disappointed family in just that situation.

Tell Your Heirs What You Want

Whether you have two old cars or two hundred old cars, your family is going to need to know if you intend to leave everything to specific

people when you go. Don’t overlook the possibility that your widow/kids may have to deal with some lowlife who spins them a story that you had always promised to gift them your GT Falcon – yes, this happens.

If there are no specific directions, the family will need some guidance to fine buyers. A list of people, preferably younger than yourself, who are knowledgeable about your Willys Knight or your Oldsmobile, would be a great help.

Likewise, of course, your collection of rare manuals, books, brochures and models, petrol bowsers and enamel signs, pedal cars – write down details of someone who might want them or could advise your family. An alternative if you wish is to donate to a museum, library or other institution to continue your legacy.

Without such a guide left behind your family are unlikely to have much choice beyond calling an auction house or holding a clearing sale. A few eyes will then be picked out of your stuff and the rest will be treated as scrap. Is that what you want for your collections?

Do you have a car being restored at a professional workshop? I know of a case where the owner of a valuable Buick dies while his car was being restored – somewhere not known to his family.

It is easy to see that a list of your goodies with the expected values, even if only the most valuable items will help your collection get preserved and continued by people who appreciate it. It may be feasible to have a written professional valuation done for your collection.

I am assisting a friend who has a collection of old automotive books which none of his family members has the slightest interest in. It includes books, brochures, magazines, scrapbooks, manuals, Master parts catalogues, parts manufacturer catalogues etc., plus many thousands of snapshot photos (all printed, some of them on the desktop

computer) Many of these catalogues and books are low-volume Australian printed and have significant value, but only to the right person – but to his executor it probably looks like a job for the skip. So, we are creating lists of these books, indicating which cupboard they are in (Including his attic) and highlighting any especially valuable items. He will keep the printed list in an obvious place in his study – not just somewhere in the computer.

The Problem is Us

When I walk around swap meets each year, I see all the same old faces getting older and older, and still chasing parts as they were twenty-odd year ago, bits of cars that were hopeless then and impossible now. These guys still want to buy more stuff to add to the remains of whatever project they dragged home when they were thirty years younger and fitter! Others are eagerly buying parts on eBay that will go toward a restoration or two that are unlikely to ever happen.

They are still dreaming of restoring several cars from the numerous heaps of deteriorated iron oxide in their yards and sheds. Some of them have not realised that the inspiration to spend every moment in the garage eventually dwindles away. Remembering the old advice to always buy a car in the best condition you can, perhaps an older person shouldn’t be restoring a car that is not really a special model. Do you have the time?

I know people in their seventies who are building bigger sheds to house their restoration projects and their lifetime accumulation of parts. This doesn’t seem smart to me at that stage. Collecting cars is not an activity that has been with us through the ages – the early settlers did not collect cars, nor did our grandfathers (with a few exceptions).

Car collections are a phenomenon of our lifetime and the problem of posthumous dispersal of hobby collections has yet to strike most families.

A solicitor in NSW accumulated a staggering 600 car collection (plus 600 motorbikes) before dying unexpectedly at a fairly young age. His widow was left with some big decisions on how to liquidate his vast sheds full of quality stuff, including the effect it might have on the entire hobby if she held a single huge clearing sale.

A friend dies leaving 50 years of collected cars, trucks, parts, engines, hardware, books etc., with no instructions for his widow. With some dedicated help she has so far sent 70 tonnes of metal to scrap in a year of hard yakka in clearing his stuff and it is only about halfway through the job.

How many clearing sales have you attended, or how many ads have you seen for a collection of great wonderful cars and motorbikes that are 90% there, “just need reassembly”, or “just need finishing off”? Most first-time restorers begin by enthusiastically dismantling a car, often buying another one and doing the same to it. Reality sets in and the restoration never happens. Those cars are often unsaleable at any price and end up being sold for parts or taken to the tip for lack of interested buyers. Many times, I have seen this happen after the proud owner of the collection has died, leaving a wake of rare but dismantled cars and bikes. I’m sure you’ve seen it too- it’s a real shame, but it keeps happening. Likewise, owners of big collections of petrol bowsers, signs, stationary engines, trucks, tractors, boats etc., need to start doing a stocktake and making lists for their family.

Take a fresh long look at your collections now and asses what you still can finish and what are you still really interested in? Don’t kid yourself – get rid of most of your unrestored stuff now to someone younger, especially if you have not completed a restoration in the past few years. While you’re assessing this, think carefully about who could dispose of your stuff when you’re not around?

Make a Will (or is it already up to date?)

We should all have made a will and IMHO you are nothing short of stupid if you have not. Your Will instructs your survivors as to where you want your goodies to go after your death? It avoids toxic family squabbles and breakdowns. But as well as a regular Will, consider attaching a set of special instructions (this could be formal “Memorandum of Wishes” – see below) for your executor for the best disposal of your cherished automotive belongings, big or small. Or it could be just an informal list of your most treasured goodies and exactly where they can be found in your household/shed. The stuff we collect is obscure to the general public, so include suggestions of HOW to dispose of it and the phone numbers of people who may have expressed an interest in it or be able to help. Use the old car network to set up a path that a non-specialist person can follow.

Catalogue and itemize your collection (you may already have an insurance valuation?) pointing out highlights, suggest where to advertise, which dealers do you refer? Who might conduct the sale? Etc. If you foresee family disputes possibly happening after you’re gone, you might choose a formal Memorandum of Wishes document, to be witnessed and attached to the original of your Will. It is not legally binding, but is a request and it is not necessary to update it when you update your Will. It can be made out by you with the assistance of a friend or even a solicitor. It does not need to be witnessed, but being the cautious type, I would date it and have my signature witnessed.

The choice of wording is yours, but a solicitor would suggest something like this:

MEMORANDUM OF WISHES

Í, HENRY Leland of 800 Cass Ave., Detroit do hereby declare this to be a Memorandum of Wishes. This document is to provide a request but not a direction to my Executor(s) as named in my Will.

I hereby list the following items: -

1932 Cadillac V-16 roadster, restored, engine number. 99999, 1962

Eldorado convertible, restored, engine no. 888888, unrestored Duesenberg chassis two 40-foot containers full of vintage La Salle parts, the automotive contents of the back yard at the above address, my collection of Cadillac La Salle literature, signs incl. sales and service items, my collection of Cadillac models and their packaging and display cases.

It is my desire that Henry Ford of “Fairlane”. Detroit, assist my Executor with his expertise in the disposal of the aforementioned item. I hereby provide details of the people/organisations that can assist with the disposal: cars_

Burns auctioneers, Bayswater, Vic

cars and literature – Donnington Auctions, Cheltenham, Vic parts –Simsmetal Recycling Industries (only joking – or am I?)

Dated:.....................

Signed by:....................

Witnessed 1.................

2.................

Full name of witness.....................

Address of witness........................

If you want something legally binding, such as to leave particular car to a particular person, then you need to add a codicil to your Will, or you need a new Will.

The list in the sample memorandum is brief and even my small collection could not be itemized as simply as that.

The collection of automotive books, brochures, manuals, catalogues, etc., mentioned above needs a more detailed list than that, even though I will list broad groups rather than try to list every single item.

Remember, ANY information will be of assistance to the poor Executor. Don’t procrastinate any longer, DO IT NOW – THE SOONER YOU START, THE EASIER IT WILL BE. Your loved ones will thank you for it!

Can I dig a hole big enough?

Don’t forget Mac’s Garage. Top advice, professional service, and well known and respected in the Vintage Austin and Riley world. Gearbox and diffs a specialty.

Ryan Mc Donald

09 443-3733, found at 4 Ashfield Road, Glenfield.

Wynyard Street Motors. / Devonport Tyres

Aaron Brown, owner/operator

1 Wynyard Street, Devonport.

09 4451357 | 021 040 6111

aaron@ambro.co.nz

WOFS- car and motorbike, sidecars

Batteries, servicing, repairs, brakes, tyres

BASIS open 6 Days

09 869 3141

Classic Auto Rubber Specialists.

7/1 Tony Street, Henderson

VCC Waitemata September 2025

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