Bucklers!

[Oldfart]

Previous owner of your car Steve.

[SSharp]

Previous owner of your car Steve.

Yes, Prior to Ken White.

[Oldfart]

Car 124, the limit man, was K(Ken?) McLennan in the 'Picalo Riley". Does anybody know anything about this car? It doesn't look familiar and I don't recall a mention of it anywhere else.

Stu

I have just been speaking with Fred Courteney, (owner of the Northland special). It was Ken McLennan who put the Jag engine in the special. His memory of the Picalo was that it had a Riley chassis, Vauxhall (?) motor and that Ken sorted out the body, perhaps making it himself.
Fred said he hadn't seen it for "bloody years".

[David McKinney]

Don't credit me with memory! I have the luxury of extracts from programmes. From Jan 61. The programme shows J Ganley #109. It does not show #124

You're right, for the Sports Car Trophy Race

However for the Sports Car Handicap (page 43 in your programme) Ganley's Ford Special is No.136; 124 is McLennan's 'Picalo' Riley, which was seen in the occasional Northland hillclimb entered more sensibly as a Piccolo Riley. Perhaps it raced under another name in later years

Both Ganley cars are entered in the programme with 'J Ganley' as entrant and driver. Whether either or both was L W 'Jim' Ganley, or his son, the motoring writer James H Ganley, is not clear. What is certain however is that both cars were driven on the day by James Howden Ganley

[David McKinney]

Although they never owned a Buckler, Jim and Howden (Ganley) did drive the Palmer car on at least one occasion. It was entered for Howden and Jim drove, or the other way around, I can't remember now.

That's interesting, Steve
There was a report, possibly in Motorama of a grasstrack meeting at Wahoroa or Raglan which mentioned "J Ganley (Buckler)" in the results. I once asked Howden about this and he agreed with my theory that the car in question was his father's Ford 10 special. Perhaps the Palmer car was used on another occasion

[stubuchanan]

You're right, for the Sports Car Trophy Race

However for the Sports Car Handicap (page 43 in your programme) Ganley's Ford Special is No.136; 124 is McLennan's 'Picalo' Riley, which was seen in the occasional Northland hillclimb entered more sensibly as a Piccolo Riley. Perhaps it raced under another name in later years

Both Ganley cars are entered in the programme with 'J Ganley' as entrant and driver. Whether either or both was L W 'Jim' Ganley, or his son, the motoring writer James H Ganley, is not clear. What is certain however is that both cars were driven on the day by James Howden Ganley

I had noted the existence of the Piccolo Riley in entries at the Dec 1960 Ardmore meeting and the 1961 GP, but didn't realise I had a slide of it until a year or two ago. Spelling was different in each programme, but probably there weren't many Italians or wind instrument players around Maungaturoto in those days. Quite a nice looking body for a home-made one.

Here is the young J. H. Ganley leaping into the Lotus Eleven cockpit for the Ardmore Trophy Race with Yeats (Orchid) to his left, and Ngan(Cooper), BobGibbons(Sprite), and John Scurrah(Lotus-Consul) to his right.



Very impressive elevation by Bob Gibbons, legs well tucked in, must have been a dab hand on the vaulting horse in his younger days, perhaps.

Stu

[Oldfart]

Still doesn't quite match the elegance of the Doug Lawrence one though!

[Stan B]

Hi Rhys, here are some shots of my Buckler. The rear shot shows the rego number, was taken at a Gold Star hillclimb at Cossies Farm Drury , 06.02.72. The side shot at NCC Pohe Island grass track, 14.01.72, shows it had a 100e diff. As I was racing without the front on, you can see it had a divided Ford 10 front beam. It was powered by a Ford 997cc. It had passed from Vic to Wayne Harris and then to me. I sold it to John Cobbald and purchased the Cooper Imp from Ian Cullen.

[stubuchanan]

Still doesn't quite match the elegance of the Doug Lawrence one though!

That's Colin Ngan in the white with green stripe Cooper in the earlier photo. Apparently the Lawrences created one good car and one not-so good out of the parts of the 2 Bobtails. The other one, with Doug L at the wheel(almost) is at the front end of the line-up, third fastest in the green with white stripe car. Doug looks a bit more portly and middle-aged than Ngan in this photo.



Don't think I'm getting too far off-topic here, there are three Buckler-type cars in the middle of the line-up - the Elva-Ford, Marshall's Buckler, and the Orchid, which I think had an AMW body at some stage.

Stu B

PS John Scurrah's Lotus(clone)-Consul is just off the end of the picture.

[David McKinney]

I recall the Orchid as being light blue. I'm pretty sure that white and red car is Andrew Buchanan's Buckler (ex-Mayo/Gill)

[stubuchanan]

I recall the Orchid as being light blue. I'm pretty sure that white and red car is Andrew Buchanan's Buckler (ex-Mayo/Gill)

Andrew B(no kin of mine) didn't appear in programme, and car 108 (=Yeats) was in my brother's list of starters, but doesn't appear in the lap chart. However car 107 Scott Wiseman (Buckler 90) which wasn't in brother's list does appear in lap chart and finished 9th. Didn't Andy own the car after Wiseman?

I don't recall what the back end of a Jarvie body was like, with or without a headrest.

Stu Buchanan

[Oldfart]

According to my/Kelvin/Sutcliffe research that car was Mayo, Gill bought March 58, Wiseman bought Nov 59, Buchanan March 61, Sprague.. as it is now owned by our guru Kelvin Brown this is a very carefully researched car
Keith Yeats is probably the same one who in recent years was peddling a BMW 5 series indecently quickly in Targa events. The most innocuous looking competition car!

[Stan B]

Hi Rhys, here are some shots of my Buckler. The rear shot shows the rego number, was taken at a Gold Star hillclimb at Cossies Farm Drury , 06.02.72. The side shot at NCC Pohe Island grass track, 14.01.72, shows it had a 100e diff. As I was racing without the front on, you can see it had a divided Ford 10 front beam. It was powered by a Ford 997cc. It had passed from Vic to Wayne Harris and then to me. I sold it to John Cobbald and purchased the Cooper Imp from Ian Cullen.

[David McKinney]

Andrew B(no kin of mine) didn't appear in programme, and car 108 (=Yeats) was in my brother's list of starters, but doesn't appear in the lap chart. However car 107 Scott Wiseman (Buckler 90) which wasn't in brother's list does appear in lap chart and finished 9th. Didn't Andy own the car after Wiseman?

I don't recall what the back end of a Jarvie body was like, with or without a headrest.

Stu Buchanan

Might have got my years wrong but, yes, same car. I remember Buchanan running it with the headrest but not sure about Wiseman (more distant memory )

[Oldfart]

Might have got my years wrong but, yes, same car. I remember Buchanan running it with the headrest but not sure about Wiseman (more distant memory )

Scott rolled it at Levin with damage to the body of the car, but not too much to him. Repairs included a roll bar and the headrest.

[Frosty5]

I am pretty sure Donn was born in 1945 - incredible to think he was writing this stuff at 13...

Michael, have sent you a PM

[Nodiff]

Now in Dunedin (I believe) is the Buckler that I once owned. It was reputed to be one of the last of the marque it was a Mk17 which originally had an Ashley Laminates body with two transverse rear seats. the car was apparently originally built up in UK with a BMC front suspension. Bruce Sutcliffe acquired it in very poor shape with the body past redemption. Bruce had the frame shortened by about 7 inches (the bits that had been removed were with it when I got it) to take a de Joux body. I fitted a Rootes group 1600 engine and transmission and rebuilt the front end to traditional Bellamy style with a Citroen steering rack. Other projects intervened and the car was sold to Ian Hallett who subsequently on sold it to the South Island.

[Oldfart]

Now in Dunedin (I believe) is the Buckler that I once owned. It was reputed to be one of the last of the marque it was a Mk17 which originally had an Ashley Laminates body with two transverse rear seats. the car was apparently originally built up in UK with a BMC front suspension. Bruce Sutcliffe acquired it in very poor shape with the body past redemption. Bruce had the frame shortened by about 7 inches (the bits that had been removed were with it when I got it) to take a de Joux body. I fitted a Rootes group 1600 engine and transmission and rebuilt the front end to traditional Bellamy style with a Citroen steering rack. Other projects intervened and the car was sold to Ian Hallett who subsequently on sold it to the South Island.

You have seen that car at Roycroft Richard.

[bry3500]

[video=youtube;glWuAaHhSW8]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=glWuAaHhSW8[/video]

[bry3500]

[video=youtube;Nhno8XvdmtM]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nhno8XvdmtM[/video]