The Roaring Season

by **khyndart in CA** » Mon Aug 24, 2020 7:06 am

I got a message from Spinner Black today and he had spoken to Chris Kay about the Kato Special. His father was Ken Kay who had Kay's Motors somewhere near Morrinsville. The fabrication work was done by Kay's mechanic named Greg Tordoff who would go on to have his own garage in Morrinsville and did a lot of work for Spinner including work on his Camaros and the Cambridge Monaro now driven by John McKechnie.
So the "Kato" is derived from the Kay and the Tordoff surnames. A Stu Graham had a Buckler in the shop at the time which may have been copied to some degree. Not sure of the engine but in the above 1964 programme it is sized at 1991 cc. so it probably had a Triumph TR 3 engine.

( Spinner said only 2 were built and one was wrecked when Chris rolled it while driving with a friend and both had gravel and thorns still coming out of there backs years later !! )
Thanks Spinner for the update.)

(Ken H)

by **Roger Dowding** » Wed Aug 19, 2020 2:06 am

Believed to be the Kato at a Matamata Street " Festival " Meeting in 1964 / 1965.
Photo from the Scott - Given archives - now with BMC BOY.

I think this is 1964 but need to check against some other info I have.

The Car

There was also a Mistral there - from the same set of photos.

Entry lists I have from Matamata

1964 - from Keiron Guinness
The Cover ;

Races 1 and 2.

Another Entry List - Sports car Race - I have noted it as 1963 !! - but need to check Car Race Numbers.
Note that the type is the same as the 1964 programme above Races 1 and 2, has similar entrants and numbers - and that the Kato has the same number #12 - not 18 as in the photo - so seems to be 1964 !!

This from Myles Hick - who is restoring the mentioned Ruddspeed 3000 / Austin 4000 - Austin Healey -of Russell Leathers and the McLaughlin brothers - another story.

PS This thread was on Page 13 of 64 pages of threads - that is a lot of stories !! Now back to Page #1 ..!!

by **khyndart in CA** » Fri Jul 20, 2018 7:55 pm

I found this entry in the 1964 NZ Grand Prix programme for the sports car race.

Number 33.

Ken H

by **Oldfart** » Fri Jul 20, 2018 8:01 am

Kato certainly had something to do with someone with the surname of Kay, but I don't recollect first name.

by **Roger Dowding** » Fri Jul 20, 2018 6:12 am

ERC wrote:I think the Paton relates to Paton Engineering in Penrose, but I stand corrected.

The Paton Ford was the name of Jim Short's car - built by I think Eric ?? Paton - could be connected to Paton Engineering.

Ken H's comment " Back in the day I knew a Chris Kay and John Paton in Morrinsville. Are they connected to these vehicles ? ".

Now i have go back through some stuff that Jim Short and Stuart Short, Jim's son, have posted elsewhere.

by **ERC** » Wed Jul 18, 2018 9:55 pm

I think the Paton relates to Paton Engineering in Penrose, but I stand corrected.

by **khyndart in CA** » Wed Jul 18, 2018 9:48 pm

Back in the day I knew a Chris Kay and John Paton in Morrinsville. Are they connected to these vehicles ?

Ken H who has been away too long !

by **ERC** » Wed Jul 18, 2018 9:23 pm

Similar? Paton Ford 1983.

by **ERC** » Wed Jul 18, 2018 9:19 pm

Whenuapai 1996

Chelsea Hillclimb 1997

by **Ray Bell** » Wed Jul 18, 2018 10:52 am

The rear guards seem to be formed straight from an Austin Healey...

by **Oldfart** » Tue Jul 17, 2018 12:20 pm

Ray Bell wrote:So what mechanicals did the car have during its lifetime?

That is surely the interesting part...

That list would be about as long as the encyclopedia Britannica! From some of what I remember, 1172, non crossflow. A good friend of mine did the chassis "rebuild" for a customer who specified what he wanted and it became very little like the original. de Joux body originally as per the early photo.

by **Ray Bell** » Tue Jul 17, 2018 7:25 am

So what mechanicals did the car have during its lifetime?

That is surely the interesting part...

by **John H** » Mon Jul 16, 2018 3:29 am

ERC wrote:I know this thread probably died sometime ago, but whilst yet another time consuming (and often frustrating) scanning session, where the scanner refuses to stay in focus, I thought I may as well post this from the Domain Hillclimb 2003, May 4th.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]55247[/ATTACH]

Hi I have a photo taken at the Kerepahe sprint I think it was light blue not sure who was driving. Around.....1963-4? Will try and find it

by **ERC** » Mon Jul 16, 2018 2:00 am

I know this thread probably died sometime ago, but whilst yet another time consuming (and often frustrating) scanning session, where the scanner refuses to stay in focus, I thought I may as well post this from the Domain Hillclimb 2003, May 4th.

by **Paul Kirk** » Sun Jan 15, 2012 3:49 am

David McKinney wrote:I presume you're talking about the Radisich allcomer?

In 1964 Radisich raced a Mk2 Zephyr with an ex-Sprague engine. For the following season he dropped the engine into a Humber 80 - from memory the car was a Series I but I don't know whether it had been raced by an earlier owner with its original engine. The Zepyhr of course passed to Rod Coppins who popped a Corvette engine into it

For 1966 Frank replaced the engine with one from a crashed Jaguar XK150

I don't know anything about the Humber 80's construction methods, but do know the six-cylinder engines went a long way back into the passenger compartment!

If I remember rightly, the Jag engine in Frank's Humber/Hilman was beside him inside the car and there was a tricky gear selector back to the gearbox.
PK.

by **bob homewood** » Sat Jan 07, 2012 10:15 pm

A couple of things that I am sure I have mentioned on here the Kato got the bigger wheels in the "fit huge Firestones to everything "days ,and the Dave Jolly Humber beginnings I covered in my earlier post,there was certainly nothing trick in its original form

by **bry3500** » Sat Jan 07, 2012 9:58 pm

CUSTAXIE50 wrote:what about the humber jaguar,did it start off with a 4 in it, a zephyr- and last the jag motor. can you tell me the way they built this car up, and do you have some good photos of this car that you can put up.

http://www.theroaringseason.com/showthread.php?72-Lost-Race-Cars
check Bob Homewood's post #14

by **David McKinney** » Sat Jan 07, 2012 6:55 pm

I presume you're talking about the Radisich allcomer?

In 1964 Radisich raced a Mk2 Zephyr with an ex-Sprague engine. For the following season he dropped the engine into a Humber 80 - from memory the car was a Series I but I don't know whether it had been raced by an earlier owner with its original engine. The Zepyhr of course passed to Rod Coppins who popped a Corvette engine into it

For 1966 Frank replaced the engine with one from a crashed Jaguar XK150

I don't know anything about the Humber 80's construction methods, but do know the six-cylinder engines went a long way back into the passenger compartment!

by **CUSTAXIE50** » Sat Jan 07, 2012 5:04 pm

what about the humber jaguar,did it start off with a 4 in it, a zephyr- and last the jag motor. can you tell me the way they built this car up, and do you have some good photos of this car that you can put up.

by **David McKinney** » Sat Jan 07, 2012 10:29 am

This one from 15 months earlier (Paritutu)

The Roaring Season

KATO SPECIAL

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