by David McKinney » Tue Dec 06, 2011 10:14 am
I have just heard that Les Reisterer from Matamata died last week, at the age of 77
His name possibly won't mean much to any but followers of hillclimbing: from the late '50s to the mid '60s he was almost unbeatable in the small-saloon class of events from Waikato to Rotorua and the BoP, first with 100E Fords, then an A35 and finally a 105E, ultimately equipped with a 1300 engine
Then in 1968 he devised a Mini-powered hillclimb car named after the initials of the local company that built them for him, Matamata Engineering, and his own surname. Half a dozen on so MER single-seaters were sold, and a couple of sportscars, as a cheap entry-level car, and they enjoyed a good measure of success
For this contribution alone he deserves to be remembered
Condolences to his family and friends
I have just heard that Les Reisterer from Matamata died last week, at the age of 77
His name possibly won't mean much to any but followers of hillclimbing: from the late '50s to the mid '60s he was almost unbeatable in the small-saloon class of events from Waikato to Rotorua and the BoP, first with 100E Fords, then an A35 and finally a 105E, ultimately equipped with a 1300 engine
Then in 1968 he devised a Mini-powered hillclimb car named after the initials of the local company that built them for him, Matamata Engineering, and his own surname. Half a dozen on so MER single-seaters were sold, and a couple of sportscars, as a cheap entry-level car, and they enjoyed a good measure of success
For this contribution alone he deserves to be remembered
Condolences to his family and friends