Rod Coppins

[Steve Holmes]

This is the front cover of Allan Dicks NZ Motorsport annual for 1966.

[Steve Holmes]

Stu, thanks for those Tec Mec pics. It was a neat looking car, I hope more images surface. Thanks.

Back to another kindly supplied by Steve, again in the ever popular Cambridge Camaro with just a touch of oppo. March 1970 Bay Park it would seem.


Bruce.

Fantastic photo! This is from the Easter 1970 event and thats Terry Allan in the big block Camaro just in behind Rod. Terry visited Bay Park three times, the latter two times when the car was painted in Castrol colours. This particular event was its most successful.

Note how crossed up Rod is here. I suspect Allan has given him a helping hand. The below Motorman magazine article shows the Aussie Camaro later that same day with the nose creased from where he'd hit the Cambridge car.

[Steve Holmes]

This is Rod in the ex-Pete Geoghegan Mustang being chased by Robbie Francevic in the mighty 7 litre Fairlane at Pukekohe, in 1968. Rod didn't enjoy a lot of success with the Mustang, which wasn't as well developed as the similar Fahey Mustang. John Riley later confirmed this in an NZ Hot Rod magazine interview, as he owned both cars.

Photo is by Steve Twist.

[Steve Holmes]

Bay Park, Dec 1970 grid, Rod is on row two in the Cambridge Camaro. Up front is Joe Chamberlain, Paul Fahey, then Bryan Thomson next to Rod, back to Terry Allen and Johnny Riley, then Clyde Collins in the Falcon.
Good size crowd, all standing in anticipation of some serious action. (Steve Elliott supplied photo)

What a brilliant photo, and just imagine the noise! Fahey won all three races this day. Note at the rear of the photo is Jim Palmer in the Brian Foley Porsche.

[Bruce302]

This pic is Rod in the Zephyr Corvette, (reportedly fuel injected) at Renwick 1966.
If I understand correctly, the engine in the zephyr was out of the Tec-Mec, which was repowered with a Corvette engine from one of the Team Camoradi cars that was wrecked before it took the start at Le Mans in 1960. That being the case, was it Rochester Fuel injection ? Reportedly it was Bob Wallace that liberated the Corvette engine and gearbox, before giving the remains of the car to a Gendarme.

[tonttu]

Great photo, it looks as though Rod is looking down to his mirror. So who is it crossed up behind him?

[Bruce302]

This is Rod and John Ward, winners of the Wills 6 Hours, 1966. Their 3.8 Jaguar did 172 laps, an average of just over 62 mph. Source The Shell Book Of NZ Motor Racing, by Peter Greenslade and Euan Sarginson, provided by Steve Elliott.



Bruce.

[Steve Holmes]

I spoke with Ken Bailey today, Ken lives in Tauranga and i worked with him for a couple of years in the early 80's, he said he'd crewed for Rod back in the Zepyhr/Corvette days and did in fact buy this vehicle from Rod and continued to race it a few times, he said Rod also drove while under his ownership, he then sold it to a Chinese guy in Wellington and never saw it again. I have invited Ken to come to the Denny Hulme Festival as im sure he'll have a few good "Rod Coppins" stories to tell, he was chuffed i'd asked.

The other guy that always had a few good stories about Rod and really spoke highly of him was that character "Cedric Price" from Matamata.

Dale M

Dale, this is a very rare shot of Ken in the ex-Coppins Zephyr at Levin during the 1967 season. Photo is by Steve Twist.

[Rod Grimwood]

This is the front cover of Allan Dicks NZ Motorsport annual for 1966.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]14557[/ATTACH]

Ah, new it was from mag i had cut up, wish i had kept them.

[Rod Grimwood]

This pic is Rod in the Zephyr Corvette, (reportedly fuel injected) at Renwick 1966.
If I understand correctly, the engine in the zephyr was out of the Tec-Mec, which was repowered with a Corvette engine from one of the Team Camoradi cars that was wrecked before it took the start at Le Mans in 1960. That being the case, was it Rochester Fuel injection ? Reportedly it was Bob Wallace that liberated the Corvette engine and gearbox, before giving the remains of the car to a Gendarme.

Got same photo in my scrapbook.
I got hand written bit about it being fuel injected when the bonnet scoop went on. (with photo as per previous post from magazine cover)

[Rod Grimwood]

Couple more from scrapbook bit faded etc.

[Kiwiboss]

Couple more from scrapbook bit faded etc.

Two great pictures Rod, those "All Comer" days just looks Cccccrazy, can see why MSNZ changed the format the following season!! i guess its the Doyle Anglia with stacks though its bonnet? and i was told that the scoop on the Zephyr was a requirement when Rod went to Fuel Injection for clearance, and American Hilborn unit i believe, i have seen an under bonnet picture showing this somewhere?

Steve H, was Kens name listed in the programme for you to know its him? at least we can ask him next month.

Dale M

[stubuchanan]

Ah, new it was from mag i had cut up, wish i had kept them.

Page 35 from Allan Dick Yearbook :



Stu

[Kwaussie]

This is the front cover of Allan Dicks NZ Motorsport annual for 1966.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]14557[/ATTACH]

Alan Dick must have reversed this photo when in production - two clues.
But a neat photo never the less.

[GD66]

Steve H, was Kens name listed in the programme for you to know its him? at least we can ask him next month.
Dale M

The Fountain, David McKinney, did the original id when this pic was originally published in the Steve Twist Collection, Dale, and that's good enough for me. Get Bails to come on here and join in, or show us a couple of his pics.


Patrick, the steering wheel and the short pipes on the wrong side were the first visuals that popped up, I remember picking the wheel when the mag was new as well !

Regards GD

[45DCOE]

Dale, this is a very rare shot of Ken in the ex-Coppins Zephyr at Levin during the 1967 season. Photo is by Steve Twist.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]14572[/ATTACH]

The "Chinese Guy" from Wellington was probably my brother who owned a service station. The car ended up there but was not brought by him. One of his workers brought the rolling shell from Graham Anderson (Mantel Motors who raced ex Kocis Torana) for $1.50 who used it painted orange in I think the first OSCA race in Levin. Gilbert Mallia of stock car fame expressed an interest to convert to saloon on for Te Marua. Remember him crawling around underneath talking about "mounts for Jag Gearbox". Remember the strut towers poking thru the bonnet. Not sure if jag gearbox was fitted at some stage, there is an article in an old Motorman that may confirm this. Do not know what happened to the roller after that. Elcoyote use to hang around the service station -he might know more.

[45DCOE]

Great photo, it looks as though Rod is looking down to his mirror. So who is it crossed up behind him?

Dave Simpson - Breadvan Anglia

[mac]

Hi Guys, I see a lot of talk going on about the Zephyr Corvette and would like to clear a few things up. I'm Colin Macbeth and both myself and Keith McLure purchased the car from Rod Coppins. We owned and raced the car for a few years. My friend Ken Bailey drove the car at Pukekohe and Keith and I just bummed around in it at Sprint meetings. Ken and myself did all the work on the car which entailed a lot of work due to rule changes at the time. The Corvette engine in the car tossed a rod at one of the Pukekohe meetings at which time Ken withdrew from our programme. I managed to pick up a new Corvette block and completed the car again. At this stage I was talking to Rod and he said he would love to drive the car again, which he did at a few meetings. Unfortunately had another engine failure and at this time I also decided to give up and the car was then sold to Spinner Black who told me he used the engine in his speed boat and as the body was fairly well knackered I believe it was scrapped. If anyone would like to discuss exactly what components the car had in it etc feel free to contact me Ph 07 8666766.
Cheers, Colin

[Shano]

Alan Dick must have reversed this photo when in production - two clues.
But a neat photo never the less.

In the old days there were hard and fast unwritten rules about the way photos faced. You never had vehicles or boats facing into the spine of the magazine, always outwards. Same for people's faces on the cover. However when people were inside a publication they were to face the spine.

It was deemed more important to follow these rules than such accuracy as having the wheel on the right side of the car.

And so it was (or at least that's what I had beaten into me by the grumpy old sub editors).

[Kiwiboss]

Hi Guys, I see a lot of talk going on about the Zephyr Corvette and would like to clear a few things up. I'm Colin Macbeth and both myself and Keith McLure purchased the car from Rod Coppins. We owned and raced the car for a few years. My friend Ken Bailey drove the car at Pukekohe and Keith and I just bummed around in it at Sprint meetings. Ken and myself did all the work on the car which entailed a lot of work due to rule changes at the time. The Corvette engine in the car tossed a rod at one of the Pukekohe meetings at which time Ken withdrew from our programme. I managed to pick up a new Corvette block and completed the car again. At this stage I was talking to Rod and he said he would love to drive the car again, which he did at a few meetings. Unfortunately had another engine failure and at this time I also decided to give up and the car was then sold to Spinner Black who told me he used the engine in his speed boat and as the body was fairly well knackered I believe it was scrapped. If anyone would like to discuss exactly what components the car had in it etc feel free to contact me Ph 07 8666766.
Cheers, Colin

Hi Colin, nothing like posting on the Roaring Season “half-truths from past memories” to get the correct answers, LOL

Make sure you come along to the Festival Colin, this is why I PH Ken as you guys are the ones that where around when this history was happening. Also the first weekend thanks to Steve Elliot(fullnoise68) we will have Rods daughter Toni Coppins in the HMC marque to talk about her legendry father, im sure she’d like to meet all of you guys. Its 30 years in June since Rod passed and he is now a motor sport icon, and remember Rod was twice NZ Saloon Car Champion so he did make it to the top of NZ motor racing, and Bruce Thompson will have “the” Pontiac on display.

And a few of us would like to meet you guys as well.

Dale M