AMCO72 wrote:Yep, your spelling is correct. Carlos Neate raced that Skyline GT seen at the right rear of the photo. Quite a tiny car and went damn well. Any of you who saw it will recall the howling sound it made on its journey round the track. I think that the boys had constructed some sort of megaphone which was attached to the exhaust outlet that gave it that distinctive sound. Neates car yard was one I was going to mention as my Dad had bought a car or two from them. The one I remember best was his 1960 Mercedes benz 190 SL.. Perhaps I was too one eyed about my preference for English cars, but I found the Merc the oddest machine. Unlike the 300SL, this thing had a puny 2 litre engine which could hardly pull the skin off a rice pudding. The gearing was incredibly low.....had to be to get it to go, and it seemed to be reving its guts out to get anywhere. Was constantly breaking down....dodgy electrics, and when my Dad died in 1977 I could have inherited the car but after driving it around Christchurch during the week I was tidying his affairs, I said no thanks and put it up for sale. I thought the correct thing to do would be to offer it back to Carlos Neate and duly rang him to see if he was interested. I got a guarded ' yes, but let me do some home work'. I told him that he had better be quick because I wanted to get back to the Nth Island and needed the car gone. I had also put an ad in the newspaper and a couple of days later got a ring from a chap who came and inspected the car and bought it on the spot. I rang Carlos to tell him it was sold, and he called me for every mongrel under the sun. I pointed out that I had given him first option and he had blown it by mucking around. For Gods sake, I only wanted $3000 for it......probably would sell for about $70,000 today. Funny fellow.
AMCO72 wrote:Talking of XK's and Jaguars in general the name Sybil Lupp springs immediately to mind. She was the other half of Archer and Lupp of Wellington and had a big following of enthusiasts in the area. Plenty has been written about Sybil so wont go over it again except for one little gem she shared with me during a JDC rally at Easter in Rotorua about 1969. She had a novel way of balancing the SU carburetors on an E type. She would remove the bonnet, take out the plungers from the dashpots, put a piece of dowel with graduations on it into the oil chamber of all three carbs and drive the car up the Ngauranga Gorge Rd....SH1 out of Wellington...and watch the dowels to see how far out they were poking while under power. She would then be able to see which carb was doing all the work and adjust accordingly. Not sure whether she was having me on but she was dead serious!!!!!! Sybil was often the invited guest in the early days of the Jaguar Drivers club and her expertise was put to good use as a judge in the concours. She had a good eye and liked everything to be right, even back in the beginning of her racing carreer she usually won best presented car, especially at the Lady Wigram Trophy race where she came 2nd in the MG TC in 1952. Was a supercharged car so went pretty well and of course, unlike a lot of the machinery in those days, was reliable. She did all the tuning herself and cut quite a dash in the pits with her blond hair and white overalls. The MG still exists in the hands of FAZZAZ owner Gavin Bain and will be restored to its former glory one day.
Thats brilliant!
Her son Danny did a bit of racing also and carried on the family Jaguar tradition, by fitting a Jag V12 into he engine bay of the old Halliday brothers Capri. Ambitious but not very successful sadly.
Chris Kitzen wrote:This series of photos has been bugging me since it was posted. The building looks like one that was at the very south end of Otahuhu not the north end. It was I believe just over the Tamaki Esturary Bridge on the Great South Rd about 100m north of where Graeme Addis had his Wild Wheels business. It's long gone now but I grew up living close to it and used to deliver the Herald as a school boy and that building was the northern most point on my run in the late 60's early 70's. Does anyone remember Johnny Riley Car Sales being located there before being up the other end of Otahuhu?
I think you could be correct. The photos have bugged me for quite a few years because the location didn't look quite right for the north Otahuhu premises. I have shown them to a few people who were around in the day and none of them picked up that it wasn't where we assumed. I will be seeing Ron Riley in a few weeks and will ask him again, and add the new information. Thanks.
Yeah.......Dannie [think that is the correct spelling] and I crossed swords a few times at Taupo race track in the early days of classic racing...1986. He had a pale metallic blue Mk 2 and was entered in the Collett Panel & paint series as I was, although I also competed in the BMC series, so I used to have quite a busy time. Anyway Dannie wasnt averse to punting people off the track, especially me, and one incident I can remember very well where he gave me a huge serve up the arse as I was trying to overtake him through the esses and sent me spinning, two 360's, into the stock car track. I protested vigorously to the stewards but was told it was 'just a racing incident'. Yeah right!!! I last saw him late last year when Angus and I were racing at Manfield at the MG meeting. He had grown into an old grey man. I could hardly recognise him.
pallmall wrote:I think you could be correct. The photos have bugged me for quite a few years because the location didn't look quite right for the north Otahuhu premises. I have shown them to a few people who were around in the day and none of them picked up that it wasn't where we assumed. I will be seeing Ron Riley in a few weeks and will ask him again, and add the new information. Thanks.
Ron will no doubt confirm it ,but I agree with Chris ,in one of the photos I believe you can just make out the Mangroves in the Estuary,the other thing is there is no sign of Saleyards Road in the photos and it certainly is one of the older roads in the Otahuhu North End,its just a bit before my adult years ,but a couple of my older friends having seen the photos share the same opinion,Bert Jones was also in that South end area of Otahuhu by the Breweries for many years ,just South of where I believe those photos were taken
Her son Danny did a bit of racing also and carried on the family Jaguar tradition, by fitting a Jag V12 into he engine bay of the old Halliday brothers Capri. Ambitious but not very successful sadly.
Steve ,He also drove the ex Palmer / Kennedy Brabham a few times and raced the ex Tom Donovan Odlins sports car for a while ,before I brought that car from him ,that was just before his Capri V12 project ,there would have also possibly been more than one Jaguar over time ,David can probably fill in the gaps on that one
When I saw the photos I automatically recognised them as being at the south end of Otahuhu. I was born on the other side of the road, in a little maternity hospital that was made up of ex-US army huts (pretty sure these were relocated to National Womens, then in the late 70s again to Middlemore. Not really motor racing but couldn't resist it...)
Amco - saw your Mini at Hampton Downs and was very impressed. It was always one of my favourites and was one of the very best presented cars.
Well, gee, ta Shano......it is a gorgeous little car thanks to a lot of work by Angus. It cant have escaped your notice that it isnt quite the colour scheme it was in 1972. I had a funny little man come up to me at the Bruce McLaren festival waving a copy of Motorman magazine which featured the car on the front cover. He says to me......'where is the orange bonnet'. Not only orange, I say, but vinyl covered. When I first restored the car in 1985 we didnt really know its full history....it soon came to light of course but by then I had painted the body in my favourite shade of green which was remarkably like the body colour in its 1st year, 1971, when it was sponsored by Dulux. So I decided to combine the 1st year body colour with 2nd year sponsorship, Amco. Big crime according to my magazine waving friend! Anyway I cant stand orange as a colour and it was only around 1 year with the orange, and has been around 26 years with the green. So call it continuos development. I cant think of any race car that stayed more than 1 year in the same colour scheme......different sponsors etc etc. We reunited both Rod Collingwood and Dave Panckhurst with the car at the festival and they were delighted. Angus would have loved to put it back to EXACTLY how it was at the end of the 72 season, but I have overuled him....maybe when I die he will do it!
[quote="Shano"]When I saw the photos I automatically recognised them as being at the sound end of Otahuhu. I was born on the other side of the road, in a little maternity hospital that was made up of ex-US army huts
OT Shano but thats where I came into the world as well ,its a small one "aye "
pallmall wrote:I think you could be correct. The photos have bugged me for quite a few years because the location didn't look quite right for the north Otahuhu premises. I have shown them to a few people who were around in the day and none of them picked up that it wasn't where we assumed. I will be seeing Ron Riley in a few weeks and will ask him again, and add the new information. Thanks.
bob homewood wrote:Ron will no doubt confirm it ,but I agree with Chris ,in one of the photos I believe you can just make out the Mangroves in the Estuary,the other thing is there is no sign of Saleyards Road in the photos and it certainly is one of the older roads in the Otahuhu North End,its just a bit before my adult years ,but a couple of my older friends having seen the photos share the same opinion,Bert Jones was also in that South end area of Otahuhu by the Breweries for many years ,just South of where I believe those photos were taken
I have that building etched in my mind for some reason. Able concrete mixers were there in my time. As soon as I saw the pictures I knew where it was. Even the trees in the background are identifyable. One of my brothers was born in that hospital also Shano
I remember Danny with the Brabham at a GoldStar Hillclimb in the Wairarapa. Danny hit the bank quite hard, Sybill was there and was not impressed. She didn't impress my wife who was secretary of the meeting when she hooked on of the tent guy ropes with the trailer and collapsed it. No apology but that was Sybill. Her second husband I think was Percy Lupp who was Nz Motorsport secretary. Ron Frost was president. Great site.
I used to sometimes act as secretary of various Wellington CC meetings, and remember being surprised that he signed his name 'Danny'. We all knew him as Danie. On another occasion he telephoned me and announced himself as "Dahny Lupp". I guess he was as confused as the rest of us
I don't remember much about his Jaguars, Bob. He started out with an FJ Holden which did get Jaguar power (I presume a six), before he diverted his attention to an Anglia
Sybil's first husband (and Danie's father) was Jack Lupp, who died when the children were very young. She then married Jack's brother Percy. Lionel Archer was her third husband
Yes, one too many 'N's......Anyway thinking of Sybils' MG brings to mind my first sports car after the Singer. The MG TC was one machine I just had to have, and one duly came up for sale in one of those funny little yards in Christchurch, and I think it was Manchester Car Sales...nothing very special about that yard but it did from time to time have sporty stuff on display. Now I couldnt have cared less what condition it was in I was going to have it,especially as it was REPUTED to have been the X Sybil Lupp car. I had saved the necessary 530 pound asking price, and I could hardly contain myself at the thought of owning such a famous car, but my Father being somewhat more sensible than me urged caution. Indeed he was not at all keen for me to buy it. I was living and studying at Lincoln College at the time, and he thought, probably with some justification that I would be out shooting the breeze instead of swotting for exams. We came to an arrangement that the car would be housed at at home and I would get to drive it at the weekends. Not ideal but it worked. Meantime my Dad would drive it during the week and in fact spent quite a lot of money on it getting the carbs rebushed, starter motor reconditioned and ignition overhauled, so you could say the arrangement worked very well in my favour. Now, back to the question of ownership. It quickly became clear that my car was NOT the X Lupp machine....I couldnt get past the red paint...but the euphoria was great while it lasted. A case of do your homework beforehand. Never mind it was a nice little car and I used it regularly, and drove it from ChCh to Hamilton to start a job on a dairy farm...that was a trip and a half....eventually trading it in on the MG TF from Spinner Car Sales mentioned earlier. BAD decision; dont know what I was thinking; perhaps I thought newer was better.....
Thanks AMC072. What a great site. I am a beginner against you guys when it comes to memories and knowledge. interesting how myth and facts blend over time. We certainly had some fun. Who remembers the after race parties in the pub in Levin, the name escapes me. Willow Park in Tauranga etc. etc. The modern race driver goes home and goes to bed, alone. Just never let the truth stand in the way of a good story.
beowulf wrote:I remember Danny with the Brabham at a GoldStar Hillclimb in the Wairarapa. Danny hit the bank quite hard, Sybill was there and was not impressed. She didn't impress my wife who was secretary of the meeting when she hooked on of the tent guy ropes with the trailer and collapsed it. No apology but that was Sybill. Her second husband I think was Percy Lupp who was Nz Motorsport secretary. Ron Frost was president. Great site.
AMCO72 wrote:Yes, one too many 'N's......Anyway thinking of Sybils' MG brings to mind my first sports car after the Singer. The MG TC was one machine I just had to have, and one duly came up for sale in one of those funny little yards in Christchurch, and I think it was Manchester Car Sales...nothing very special about that yard but it did from time to time have sporty stuff on display. Now I couldnt have cared less what condition it was in I was going to have it,especially as it was REPUTED to have been the X Sybil Lupp car. I had saved the necessary 530 pound asking price, and I could hardly contain myself at the thought of owning such a famous car, but my Father being somewhat more sensible than me urged caution. Indeed he was not at all keen for me to buy it. I was living and studying at Lincoln College at the time, and he thought, probably with some justification that I would be out shooting the breeze instead of swotting for exams. We came to an arrangement that the car would be housed at at home and I would get to drive it at the weekends. Not ideal but it worked. Meantime my Dad would drive it during the week and in fact spent quite a lot of money on it getting the carbs rebushed, starter motor reconditioned and ignition overhauled, so you could say the arrangement worked very well in my favour. Now, back to the question of ownership. It quickly became clear that my car was NOT the X Lupp machine....I couldnt get past the red paint...but the euphoria was great while it lasted. A case of do your homework beforehand. Never mind it was a nice little car and I used it regularly, and drove it from ChCh to Hamilton to start a job on a dairy farm...that was a trip and a half....eventually trading it in on the MG TF from Spinner Car Sales mentioned earlier. BAD decision; dont know what I was thinking; perhaps I thought newer was better.....
530 pounds seems a reasonable price Gerald? But do you know if the price would have been bumped up slightly with the 'apparent' Sybil Lupp connection?
Dont know.......I do know that the price was originally 550 pounds and I hadnt quite got that amount, my father was unwilling to lend the extra so managed to talk the salesman into removing the radio, a fairly simple affair, and reduce the price to 530. I was very shy in those days and wasnt used to dealing with these sharp shooters. We didnt put so much value on history then.....it was just another old English sports car and there were quite a lot of MG TC's around at the time. Not sure where the reputed to be the Sybil Lupp car story came from as a quick check of the ownership papers would have revealed all. This was 1960, so the car was about 12 years old and the wage of a farm worker was about 5 pounds, 2 shillings and sixpence per week....$10, so took a long time to save up. I never regreted buying the car and is one of many [about 70] that have owned that I would like back.
AMCO72 wrote: Not only orange, I say, but vinyl covered. When I first restored the car in 1985 we didnt really know its full history....it soon came to light of course but by then I had painted the body in my favourite shade of green which was remarkably like the body colour in its 1st year, 1971, when it was sponsored by Dulux.
I've got an old black and white photo of the car, without any sponsorship but sporting the orange vinyl bonnet somewhere. I'll dig it out.
