The Roaring Season

Jack Nazer had that happen at Levin with alloy wheels with his Anglia.
Everything sits on the wheels, why compromise!

Although the Chris Summers' 5.3 litre Chevvy engined Lotus was always a huge crowd favourite at Mallory, in this instance the top placing in the 20 lap Bob Gerard Trophy race (part 2) was taken by a 1900cc Lotus BMW (W Forbes) with a 1600cc Brabham in 2nd (D Preston) and David Prophet's 998cc Brabham in 3rd. The Lotus Chev obviously didn't finish.


J Sutton's Attila Chevrolet heading off Peter Sutcliffe's Ford GT40. Just using driver initials in the programme instead of the full name is a convention of the day that annoys me - especially if I am the commentator... It reeks of only ever being called by your surname - probably a throwback to English public schools or the services! Meeting organised by BRSCC rather than the friendlier NSCC. There were 3 Ford GT40's entered.


One of the few Lotus to be less than successful - Driven here by B Muir, so I presume it is Brian Muir. The programme states "Lotus-Ford" so I am guessing it is the Lotus 30.


Again "F Gardner" so presumably Frank Gardner in Alan Brown's McLaren Elva-Ford


This one needs no introduction at all, although the programme states Ferrari 365P2 it is David Piper's 250LM


When you look at the overall quality of the 19 strong field, it wouldn't look out of place at one of today's historic meeting "glamour grids".

J Sutton again, this time in a fastback Elan - but just look at those rear tyres!!! This race was won by John Miles in another Elan. The only non Lotus starters were Corfield's Diva GT and a J Morris in a 904GTS Porsche. Unfortunately my pic of the Porsche was even worse than these, but in my defence, these were all taken on an old Leica without a rangefinder or any other aids and with a standard (non telephoto) lens so several have been cropped severely. Also running was the older Lotus Eleven GT of Ben Moore, but all the other Lotus' were Elans.


The Winning Miles Elan and the Mefco Racing Porsche behind.


David Hobbs in the Team Surtees lola.


The less well known 4.7 litre Crossle-Ford, with the driver (G Kinnane) wearing a matching helmet.

ERC wrote:I'm not sure if the Merit range of 1/24th scale car kits ever made it to NZ but they were pretty good kits given that they were 100% plastic - which also included the tyres. Dad built virtually the full set and photographed some of them - circa 1962 at a guess. I remember well him mixing up his own charcoal grey satin paint, as black gloss always looked totally wrong.

Two were "Super Kits" including the Alfa, with detailed engines.
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Most, like The Mercedes, just had the body polished rather than painted as in those days, small spray cans weren't really around.
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Not many kit manufacturer's have bothered with the Cooper and other 500cc cars, yet there were many different full size models deserving of reproduction in plastic.
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The other "Super Kit". The Talbot Lago. Incidentally, I brought these built up kits back to NZ when dad passed on, so maybe I should now re-photograph them in colour. For the day though, these were extremely accurate kits.
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This is a trip down memory lane. Yes, Merit kits did come to New Zealand. The first one I assembled was the Vanwall, my all time favourite. Others in the series were the D-Type, Aston Martin DB3S, Lancia Ferrari, Simca-Gordini as well as the ones pictured. I bought all that I could locally.
At the time my Dad was working for NAC loading the DC 3 aircraft and also refuelling them. One of the others there was English and when he and his wife learned of my interest they offered to get the remainder from England for me. That meant saving and buying five shilling English postal notes. So I did assemble both the Alfa Romeo and the Talbot Lago kits as well. Sadly, with frequent moves over the years they became damaged and are long gone. Assembling the Alfa was such fun with its twin magneto set up.

Barrie

Maybe I should post them on Trade Me! They are in the original boxes so might be of value to collectors... There was also the Connaught. I was somewhat impovershed in those days (some things don't change for many a year) so I was limited to the Airfix 2/- kits, which was 2d more than my weekly pocket money - though I did eventually fork out for the Revell E Type Jaguar when I started work (4/10/- a week wages) and that had chromed parts. Wow.
There was also a great kit of the Ford GT40.
Probably the most enjoyable of the more modern kits is the Tamiya Mk2 Jaguar, complete with about 15 transfers for the dash alone, in road or competition trim, just as long you know that the famous BUY12 modelled, has dark blue upholstery and not red.

I seem to remember this as part of a Sports Car Club Saturday garage visit. I know this was Hillside Road, Glenfield (Gulf Restorations?) and I suspect December 1987 or thereabouts. I would appreciate an ID on the car in the foreground.



Easier to spot an MG


Or an RM Riley - one of my favourite cars. I owned one briefly in the UK, but restoration was impossible with my extremely limited skills and facilities of the time. I am always interested to see how many vehicles get crammed into some workshops and therefore I wonder just how long it takes for them to emerge. I know of several cars that have been several years in a workshop.


A bit out of left field. Senior stepson's Chevvy powered Bedford that he used to get into all sorts of trouble before we chucked him out! Quite a well done van though - his cousins did it I believe as they were panel beaters and painters Blockhouse Bay. It was dry stored in his garage at west harbour for several years and was resold fairly recently, initially for the engine and gearbox - but the buyer didn't realise it had a slightly rusty van wrapped around it!

1st photo, is it a 'Moon'. A friend has one he is restoring, and looks the same.
The owner was a nice guy 'Gulf Restorations' Hillside Rd but had an infamous son.

Rod Grimwood wrote:1st photo, is it a 'Moon'. A friend has one he is restoring, and looks the same.
The owner was a nice guy 'Gulf Restorations' Hillside Rd but had an infamous son.

He had the mail run out of Waiuku in the 50s, Glenbrook, past him every day on my cream run

Son had a different 'run'

I would have picked the 1st photo as being an Auburn, but you might well be right Rod.

Lots of makes over the years were named after planets in the solar system.......Sun, Moon, Star, Jupiter, Saturn, however their 'Stars' did not shine for very long!!

I don't think it is any of those makes. I suspect it could even be French or Dutch, as the radiator badge looks like a shield with red, white and blue diagonal stripes, but it is right hand drive. Any other suggestions?

Rod, did the guy buy the Moon off Ray Wright? Ray originally bought it from around I think Dargaville/Ruawai area. I reckon the blue car in the first photo is a late `20s Oakland.

Oakland is the most likely so far given the radiator shape.

It's a bit strange coming across a random picture of Dad (white sweatshirt standing behind green MG) on the interweb..... Was this the same day we had all been across the road at Reid Trailers and seen how the first Fraser was coming together? Those tours were great, do they sill run them?

Paul Wilkinson wrote:It's a bit strange coming across a random picture of Dad (white sweatshirt standing behind green MG) on the interweb..... Was this the same day we had all been across the road at Reid Trailers and seen how the first Fraser was coming together?

Not that day. I seem to remember going to see a Heron sports car though? I can't remember what else we saw, but you are right, a great way to spend a Saturday morning!

Most of the restorations where painted by Lyall Martin of Lyalls Carpainters around the corner in Archers Road.
Can remember seeing them there.
He was well known in the trade for doing these kind of jobs.
Lyall was actually the first to be allowed to do repair and paint of Rollers under their orders. He would go to Aussie to do repair work for them as well.

He touched up the original BatMobile that was bought out for a Motor Show.
There is a bit of humour behind the boys and the car, as one of thems name was Robin and he coped it.

That bodywork looks too American to be of French origin. Look at the wheels....very un French.......they had an obsession with disc wheels at about this time.....a la Citroen.
The car is about 1928, and being right hand drive, built for an English market....NZ ?????? I'm not sure that Moon was still in production in 1928, and also not sure that Oakland was either, both eventually becoming victims of the depression or before.
The Moon had a radiator in a similar style to a Rolls-Royce.
A couple more guess's.........Locomobile......Marmon. Someone must know!!!

AMCO72 wrote:That bodywork looks too American to be of French origin. Look at the wheels....very un French.......they had an obsession with disc wheels at about this time.....a la Citroen.
The car is about 1928, and being right hand drive, built for an English market....NZ ?????? I'm not sure that Moon was still in production in 1928, and also not sure that Oakland was either, both eventually becoming victims of the depression or before.
The Moon had a radiator in a similar style to a Rolls-Royce.
A couple more guess's.........Locomobile......Marmon. Someone must know!!!

Gerald, the Moon car I mentioned to Rod was a 1929, and another guy I know in Rotorua had a very similar Oakland, but dark green, and that was a 1928.

AMCO72 wrote:That bodywork looks too American to be of French origin. Look at the wheels....very un French.......they had an obsession with disc wheels at about this time.....a la Citroen.
The car is about 1928, and being right hand drive, built for an English market....NZ ?????? I'm not sure that Moon was still in production in 1928, and also not sure that Oakland was either, both eventually becoming victims of the depression or before.
The Moon had a radiator in a similar style to a Rolls-Royce.
A couple more guess's.........Locomobile......Marmon. Someone must know!!!

Looks like an Oakland http://www.flickr.com/photos/eduardoolivera/4849458195/