Photos: The Sprague Family Collection

[Steve Holmes]

Thanks Grant, awesome info.

[Steve Holmes]

How cool is this! Ernie battles with a couple of wheels as he prepares to unload the Maserati. Tow car looks like a 1938 or '39 Ford. The single axle open trailer oozes character and the ramps are held in place by wire. What a brilliant photo! How much would this car be worth now?

Grant, any idea where this was taken?

[Steve Holmes]

Another shot of the dealership, although appears older than the image posted earlier in the thread, and possible a different location? Grant, can you fill us in? Gerald Fogg probably owned that MG at some point. Price was 685 quid.

[Grant Sprague]

Thanks Steve.......... not really sure what the 4 CLT is worth to day I would guess start at one mil & keep counting would guess if you did a search you might get a better answer , The other GP car he had was the P3 Alfa F1 car my understanding 15 yrs ago it or the same sister car in NZ fetched 4.8 mil, one of them I think went back to Italy.
Some one who knows Ernie well said with a grin QUOTE "bet you wish you still owned the P3 Ernie " with a grin with great wisdom he said , "listen if you keep looking back you get a sore neck" a good lesson there . We were taught money is just money , does not buy the things in life that really count , many fall into the pit of false belief , but by saying that its good to be comfortable with balance

[Grant Sprague]

Thanks Steve.......... not really sure what the 4 CLT is worth to day I would guess start at one mil & keep counting would guess if you did a search you might get a better answer , The other GP car he had was the P3 Alfa F1 car my understanding 15 yrs ago it or the same sister car in NZ fetched 4.8 mil, one of them I think went back to Italy.
Some one who knows Ernie well said with a grin QUOTE "bet you wish you still owned the P3 Ernie " with a grin with great wisdom he said , "listen if you keep looking back you get a sore neck" a good lesson there . We were taught money is just money , does not buy the things in life that really count , many fall into the pit of false belief , but by saying that its good to be comfortable with balance......... ps you can see Gary in the tow car back window probably about 3 or 4 , not really sure & mum in front seat, circuit I think Ardmore not number 47 ........ Bruce used this number about then

[Grant Sprague]

Another shot of the dealership, although appears older than the image posted earlier in the thread, and possible a different location? Grant, can you fill us in? Gerald Fogg probably owned that MG at some point. Price was 685 quid.

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Yep this is about one year before the other pik of the other car yard extension , this was soon to become apart of the business ,as part of this to the right , notice the blue stone church just to the right , Ernie bought that church then got apprentice Leo [Leonard ]to pull it down with a tow truck...... what you see here is a part of the show room , lube bay to the right where Norm Patement [Kevins Dad ex S.C.C.C presendent ] was looking after that & the petrol pumps in front of this pik , out the back behind was the work shop plus a large area for stored & wrecked cars , the area also took in a few houses to the street behind , but all sold when Ernie had enough before inflation set in , he never looked back & really enjoyed life all sold when about 43 .... but still dabbled

[Grant Sprague]

Opps double up with a correction never mind

[Steve Holmes]

Awesome Grant, this is really great stuff. I now understand the layout of the dealership as shown in another shot (which I'll scan and post soon) showing a new building in the same place as the church.

[Steve Holmes]

Ernie's famous MkIII Zephyr, showing the battle scars following a big off at Wigram in 1964, while battling Ray Archibald for the lead. On the final lap, Ernie over-cooked it, and ended up skating off into the hay bales as he entered the start-finish straight for the final time.

[Grant Sprague]

Ernie's famous MkIII Zephyr, showing the battle scars following a big off at Wigram in 1964, while battling Ray Archibald for the lead. On the final lap, Ernie over-cooked it, and ended up skating off into the hay bales as he entered the start-finish straight for the final time.

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Good pik eh Steve yr doing a great job mate, ok what happened here , Ernie often talked about this , Ray arrived with intermediate race tyres this meeting they just arrived from UK so Ernie was screwed to start with & simply over drove , Dad being Dad like most street fighters was not wanting to be first of the losers , the mk 111 had widened rims with cross plies....... it was never going to work unless he kept cool & dropped back ...... but dropped back he did with a DNF

[Grant Sprague]

Ernie's famous MkIII Zephyr, showing the battle scars following a big off at Wigram in 1964, while battling Ray Archibald for the lead. On the final lap, Ernie over-cooked it, and ended up skating off into the hay bales as he entered the start-finish straight for the final time.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]23983[/ATTACH]

Good pik eh Steve yr doing a great job mate, ok what happened here , Ernie often talked about this , Ray arrived with intermediate race tyres this meeting they just arrived from UK so Ernie was screwed to start with & simply over drove , Dad being Dad like most street fighters was not wanting to be first of the losers , the mk 111 had widened rims with cross plies....... it was never going to work unless he kept cool & dropped back ...... but dropped back he did with a DNF

[John McKechnie]

Seriously- did hitting the hay bales do that much damage? Looking at the rear door that is some real tearing of metal.

[Bryan]

Looks more like he hit one of those big scraper tyres they used in the '70s and '80s.

[Rod Grimwood]

Have you not seen the size of the cows down that.

[John McKechnie]

In that case, did he hit an old hard cow pat?

[AMCO72]

Maybe the doors were skinned with alloy. That might result in the damage that is showing.

[Grant Sprague]

Ha ha well look close at the two doors the were alloy panels so looks bad , the l/f & r/r gaurds steel..... mind you he went back wards into bales side on I wud think with plenty of jandal up it... this old girl I think was good for about 135mph in the day & the foot wud have been hard up it

[Steve Holmes]

Maybe the doors were skinned with alloy. That might result in the damage that is showing.

You're on the money there Gerald!

Magazine articles of the day say the car spun at high speed as Ernie was desperately trying to beat the Archibald Jag. I assume they were bails of hay, and not just loose straw, which, if compacted and strapped well enough, and stacked tall and deep, can be very hard. Almost like hitting a brick wall.

[Steve Holmes]

This is a beauty! The Sprague Motors tow truck has just recovered an inverted VW Combi. Ain't that old truck just beautiful!

Compare this photo to that in Post 23. Its the same forecourt, but now a large corrugated iron tin shed replaces the old church that Ernie had Leo Leonard tear down.

[Peter Leversedge]

Not all the images in the Sprague Collection are directly related to the families own racing exploits. With this family being so intertwined with New Zealand and, in particular, South Island motorsport, there are a number of images that relate to more general racing events. This photo is from Ruapuna. This is the front straight. Grant has written on the back of the photo: "Ruapuna, Christchurch. Opening?" So, is this the opening event for Ruapuna? The place sure has changed a bit over the years!

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Opening day was 24/11/1963