The Roaring Season

Do you know what happened to the car Gavin?

Wow, I remember the Kevin Green Chev coupe, if that didn't make any school boy want one just like it, then nothing will.
Kevin may have taken it to the States when he moved there in the late 70's. He told me his wife gave him an ultimatum, and as he said, there are lots of women out there, not so many nice 37 coupes.
He had a Chev parts and engine importing business, and was well involved with the big block marine engine users.

He was a neat guy, hopefully he still is.

Bruce.

bob homewood wrote:Kevin raced that car quite a bit around that time at Pukekohe ,I think from memory he also raced it at Paritutu,by that time the Coupes were really no longer competitive,

That's my exact memory, Bob
I think I first saw it at Paritutu, then later at Puke and, as you say, it couldn't keep up with the newer machinery
I wonder if it was the ex-Dixon/Riley car?

Re Coupe in the background of post #10, it could be Mike Stanley's car, a Chev with a ford engine powering it. Rod McElrea's car was a "GMC McGurk Chev" as he called it. The engine being a GMC unit modified with McGurk componentry

David McKinney wrote:That's my exact memory, Bob
I think I first saw it at Paritutu, then later at Puke and, as you say, it couldn't keep up with the newer machinery
I wonder if it was the ex-Dixon/Riley car?

No the Dixon / Riley car went to George Bunce ,Kevins car was only a 6 cylinder ,I am not sure of these facts some one can correct me but it was possibly Noel Forsyths car before,not sure but I know that Kevins car originally had modified 15" Chev utility wheels on it which were the same as the ones I sold to Noel

The photo in the Jolly Wide Wheels advert is also mine, so I must have seen the car race on the Puke main circuit. Can also remember it at New Plymouth. Running the six, when years earlier the mafia were all running V8s in the Coupes and became uncompetitive, meant that Kevin was really only running for fun and experience.

I have got Kevin in a program for the November 5th 1966 meeting that was the Dunlop Gold Star meeting ,the first one that was run with the " Champion " curve in it on the revised full circuit

David McKinney wrote:That's my exact memory, Bob
I think I first saw it at Paritutu, then later at Puke and, as you say, it couldn't keep up with the newer machinery

Sorry not sure of any credits to this photo ,it came from a scrapbook

Of all the pre-war Ford, Willys, and Chevy coupes raced in NZ during the 50s and 60s, other than the Ron Sylvester Chevy, are there any other known survivors?

Not to my knowledge Steve ,I did hear the ex Trevor Horncy black 6 Cyl one had survived and was possibly still around ,but it was detuned and put back to a road car anyway way back in 64 ish

Thanks Bob, I'd forgotten that the Barry Pointon Willys coupe has survived, and now resides in Dannevirke, as a gasser style hot rod with Chrysler Hemi power. The Dawson Willys is apparently still alive, although not so well. Its been sitting beneath a tree out in the elements for many years. I believe the Garth Souness '32 Ford coupe is now a hot rod. Greg Stokes will be able to confirm that.

I have just tried to upload a picture of the Silvester Coup when Ron had a fire in it, it didn't happen so I will try again later. Some of the pics I will load are out of period magazines and the quality is not brilliant

markec wrote:Some of the pics I will load are out of period magazines and the quality is not brilliant

They will also be subject to the laws of copyright

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A Hot day at Ruapuna

Amongst my collection of old Hot Rod mags the Kevin Green Chev has impressed me more than most. It had a GMC 6 in it which is a bigger capacity than the Chev 6. I will have to check the mag but from memory I think it had been raced in some form before Kevin got it.

Its getting too far back for the memory now ,but was it Noel Forsyths before

From the Cover of Tim Chadwick's 'Saloon Motorsport In New Zealand"

Gerald Hoare from Dunedin had a Chev Coupe with a GMC 6 which was his tow car for a similar powered rail dragster.
Both cars were very fast. At a Teretonga meeting years ago the dragster spun up on its own oil just in front of the old control tower.
Can't remember what the SS1/4 times were.