The Roaring Season

Manunui Coastal HillClimb 2021
28th March 2021

The event is on again, the second running,
After losing " Chelsea Walsh " the road at the Chelsea Sugar Refinery, in 2018, the Waitemata Branch of the Vintage Car Club were invited by MG Car Club to run at Maioro Road, Otaua, Franklin County South Auckland - the event that was started by Austin Healey Car Club back in 1983 and handed to MGCC in 1991,

The event is at Pakiri off Pakiri Road, near Mangawhai, Lower Northland

" https://waitemata.org/manunui-coastal-hill-climb/ "



Map of the Track. A Private Road



Hopefully someone from TRS is going and can take some photos.

Gravel or seal and what length?

Allan wrote:Gravel or seal and what length?

Allan, It is sealed, a private road that does show on Google Maps Manunui Road is off Pakiri Road, Google 1085 Pakiri Road.
There is on facebook a post by Nigel Hunter Russell, a Formula Junior and VCC guy has posted a drive up the road.

Nigel's run took 1 minute 41 the fastest last year was 59 seconds ;

See if this works " https://www.facebook.com/100000661657428/videos/pcb.1940048366146518/4093846737314008 "

The Manunui Hill Climb was a great success, apparently and quite a few photos have appeared on several Facebook pages, by Nigel Hunter Russell [ who posted the above images of the upcoming event ].

In the meantime, back to the Pahoia event - hopefully no repeats.

Another general view;

British Sports Cars, a couple of my favourites too !! AH and TR.

AH seen on the AH thread


This TR was at the local Tyre Guys shop recently - Steve Abbott, the son of Russ Abbott who was into rallying and Hillclimbs and other Motorsport in the 1970's / 80's. Steve had the Chev C10 Pickup posted earlier.


Other BMC BL vehicles in RED.





More Fords - they were a big group, but think the Morris Minor Club group was even bigger " the MM Club arrived in convoy, as did the local branch of the Ulysses Motorcycle Club, having made the event part of their Sunday runs.





More to come- more Fords, the Morris Minors and others.

A bit of a mix of vehicles ;

Fords, again !! The Mark two is a rebuild was held in place by concrete blocks as had no brakes or engine.






Morris's

The Club arrives,
then park in a big group - split by a gateway


Top of the Morris group with the AH TR and other further up the hill


Lots more to come;

" Little " on his own ..




" BIG and Little "

The Morris Minor set.





MM Motors - A series
In the white convertible


In the green Van


MM Motor - something else


The " Toyota " motor was in this MM - have seen a similar Toyota Twincam in an Austin Healey Sprite - the one Allan Horner competes in the " Classic Trial " series of circuit events at Hampton Downs and Pukekohe.
The van runs EFI, Allan runs carburetors [ less bulky under the bonnet of the Sprite ]


Hopefully no more duplicates .. Oops !! with a couple.

A bit of a mix ...





Sunbeam - a 1960's one - a 1950's featured earlier.


The backs of the MM's and a few others..




The Bikes arrive - turns out it was the local branch of the Ulysses Club - our local Librarian is a member - Liz and her husband both arrived on their bikes. Matthew put a series of photo's in the local paper that they publish.

Most of the small group or single car shots have been posted.

A mix of the others; the Galbraith Zephyr - another photo




The White Truck - in Blue.


The Morris Minor group -


Zephyrs from the back


More Fords from the back

More of the Morris Minor group.
scene two;


scene three;


MM quintet not so many people in the photo - more of the cars / vans.


More cars from the rear


Chev Corvette, Red Rover etc..


A distant Zephyr - as it arrived - the Galbraith car. It has a lovely sound with its 3 into 2 into one exhaust manifold instead of the terrible single pipe version.

A few more
- this first one features " Her Indoors " and another Zephyr.


Three from BMC / BL, - AH TR and MM.


The AH engine. posted on the AH thread before.


A BL MGB GT - the high bumper late model version.


Well that is all from Pahoia
Cheers

No Chrysler representation, Roger?

Ray Bell wrote:No Chrysler representation, Roger?

You must have missed this Plymouth - thought it was in an early post.
Just for you Mate - and it was a beautiful car too !!.



Cheers Ray Bell - we never quite met when in QLD, it was close though !! Had a couple of phone calls..

That looks like the one-year-only IFS model, 1934?

Good looking thing...

The very last photo's - promise hopefully no repeats.

AWSTIN, the interior [ will be on the AH thread ]



General view - taken as I was leaving, just before the Morries from behind photos.







" That's all from here,
Waiting for next year. "

Photos of mine from the archives - the 3 x 3 prints were made from film in a Kodak Brownie Starlet Camera that I got as a young fellow in 1962.
Cars include ones owned by family and friends

Many of the later posted photos are from Seabrook Avenue in New Lynn, where I lived from 1955 to 1970.
Others from Muriwai and other places.
Some on the old Black on Yellow plates

My Mates Morrie and Muriwai.


My Aunts Austin A40 at Whangaparaoa Peninsula. -1962


Our Mark 3 Zephyr near Helensville in 1963


A neighbours brand new Mark One Cortina in 1962 at New Lynn


Large Dodge /Plymouth in Seabrook Ave in 1965


The car again Seabrook Ave 1965


A bit of a " Mix of Pics " or " Images from my Past " type post like ERC and Nigel have

Seen in and around Auckland.
at Whenuapai Airport - when it was a Commercial one too





New MG's at Princes Wharf, Downtown Auckland



Us boys and our cars in 1967 at 54 Argyle St,Herne Bay - the house behind a two storey brick place was demolished in the early 2000's and a modern place built. The Mini was mine.



An FL1 Austin Hire Car version of the London Taxi the FX3.
Firstly at Waiheke - before I bought it for $170, It was owned by a Mates Father at the time.



Had to ship it back to Auckland via Subritzky's barge. It failed to start when trying to leave the boat at Half Moon Bay and was unceremoniously hauled off by a Tractor - the Subritzky Boys were not amused at the extra work involved.
Here in Mount Albert with my daily driver a 1996 Austin Mini 850 in 1973 - my second Mini.



The FL1 was later sold, for around $250, to an American, living in the Waitakere's as a project along with a bunch of spare body panels from a wrecked FX3

GM big - Australian big


GM small - the smallest at the time
At Orewa, with my little Sister in the car


Never owned a Sunbeam but drove several, a mates 1950's Talbot and an Alpine like this.
Borrowed another mates Alpine when my TR4A met with an accident in 1980 as was carless for while.



Ignore the typo on the photo,
The real details ;
" Year: 1965
Make: AUSTIN
Model: COOPER S
Colour: White
Body Style: Saloon
Plate: EX4796
Engine No: GFSAY/38072
Chassis: CA257/766951
Vehicle Type: Passenger Car/Van
Seats: 5
CC rating: 1,275cc "

Another MG


My mates MM, which he got from his Grandmother - here again at Muriwai.
Complete with a sticker for the Dunlop Motor Races at Pukekohe.

Some more photos have emerged from my Late Uncle Ed Dowding's archives [ Eddie the NSCC man - Club Captain 1944 and President 1945 ]

My Great Aunt Dolly [ Mary ] Bell and her 1936 Nash La Fayette [ the basic version of the Nash Six ]
My father Mac Dowding in the Austin Seven that he and Ed owned 1938 - 1940 - before Mac went to War.
A Riley - think a Monaco - some doubts about the body - could have been a Coachbuilt one.
My Uncle with a couple of mates and a Fiat 509 [ Trevor Sheffield knows these cars as he had a Fiat 509 Special ]
in Northland they went camping. The car was not one in our family
More photos are coming to light, as my cousin goes through his fathers archives.