New Zealand Sports Sedans Database - Histories And Whereabouts

[Steve Holmes]

Further to the Australian Sports Sedans and OSCA threads, lets start a thread dedicated to New Zealand Sports Sedans, documenting as many cars as we can for future reference. We'll try to include as much info on each car as possible, including build dates, details, modifications, race wins and championships, photos, and ultimate fate. Cars can be either still in existence, scrapped, or current whereabouts unknown. Sports Sedans were not really recognised as a class in NZ until approx 1980. But we'll also include pre-1980 built cars, such as the PDL Mustangs, Nazer Victor, etc, that were similar to Sports Sedans in concept, but built to NZ Saloon Car Championship regulations, to race in BNSW and ShellSports sponsored championships. Cut-off date is 1990, meaning the cars must have been built before 1990.

[Powder]

Here's a few entry lists to help with the cause:
http://s1179.photobucket.com/albums/x392/NZMalcolm/Sports%20Sedan%20Entry%20Lists/

Malcolm.

[Steve Holmes]

Hey those make for some interesting reading! Some of those fields are BIG too!

[Steve Holmes]

PDL Mustang II. Built by PDL racing team in Christchurch, in response to the new machinery arriving on the NZ scene, including Jack Nazers Victory Chevy, but more-so the US import space-frame DeKon Monza's of Allan Moffat and Red Dawson. These cars pointed the way to the future.

Rick Deihl, who'd joined the PDL team in 1974, and who rebuilt PDL I into the 'Electric Blue And 180mph', did most of the design and build work on PDL II. A road going Mustang II was discovered on the side of the road for sale in Hamilton, and used as the basis for the race car, although only the upper half of the body from the firewall back was actually used. The car had a space-frame chassis, built by Deihl. Motor was alloy small block Ford with fuel injection which had come from PDL I. Wheels were BBS.

The car was completed in 1976, and with Leo Leonard driving, was instantly dominant in the 1976/77 NZ Saloon Car Championship, winning the majority of races, before it was then taken to Australia before the season finished, allowing Nazer to win the title for the second time in the Victor. The Mustang raced at Calder Park, but wasn't allowed to race at Baskerville. However, it did get to run a series of high speed demonstration laps on live tv, much to Bob Stewarts delight, as one of the reasons for taking the car to Aus was to market his new Lego style childrens building blocks, Toro Toys.

Motorsport NZ then killed off big capacity saloon car racing in NZ following the '77 season, leaving PDL II with nowhere to race, after just one season of competition. Its next outing was in January 1979, when the promoters of NZ three North Island tracks, Bay Park, Pukekohe, and Manfeild put together a 3-round Open Saloon Car series, each with two races, both of which were handicap starts, based on qualifying times. Other cars in the series included Jim Richards' Falcon XC Hardtop, and John Briggs DeKon Monza. PDL II and the Richards Falcon dominated and were usually extremely close on pace, with each breaking lap records that stood for many years.

Following the Open Saloon Car series, PDL II made a special appearance in the Flying Farewell OSCA race at Wigram where the engine blew. From there it was retired and placed in a museum. In front-line competition, only Leo Leonard has ever raced the car. Various Stewart family members have since raced it in historic racing, most recently Todd Stewart. Its been restored a couple of times, the most recent being the most correct, with the tall rear aerofoil, which is how it raced in the 1979 Open Saloon car series. For much of its life in historic racing, it was still fitted with the deep front splitter that was also fitted for the '79 series, but not the tall aerofoil.

Truly an incredible car.

[Steve Holmes]

Just looking at some of the entry lists on the link Malcolm has posted above, does anyone have info on the Bob Cullinane Holden Monaro, Peter Hustler Escort, and Derek McDonald Chrysler Charger that are listed in #21 and #23?

[Rod Grimwood]

Steve #7 has the Algie Monza entry. Still looking for photos

[seaqnmac27]

That is absolutely fantastic Malcolm, bit like Steve, it opens up a lot of questions. Its everyone from the whos who to the whos that.

[Steve Holmes]

Thinking about it now, the Cullinane Monaro wasn't actually a Sports Sedan. It was a production style muscle car which Cullinane raced in an early muscle car class. There are a few photos around of it, it was either dark brown or black, and had the four headlight LS nose.

[Steve Holmes]

Steve #7 has the Algie Monza entry. Still looking for photos

Thanks Rod, yeah I'm still really keen to see that car.

[Powder]

Just looking at some of the entry lists on the link Malcolm has posted above, does anyone have info on the Bob Cullinane Holden Monaro, Peter Hustler Escort, and Derek McDonald Chrysler Charger that are listed in #21 and #23?

Mentioning Charger Sports Sedans brought Graeme Addis' car to mind and I then came across this article:
http://www.techlink.org.nz/Case-studies/Technological-practice/Materials/winged-victory/index.htm
There's 4 pages to the article (click the 'Go to next page' at the bottom).

Regarding the Cullinane Monaro that wasn't a Sports Sedan, I think quite a few of the cars in the entry lists fit into that category as I seem to remember the class often became the home for orphan cars from other categories that couldn't field a grid. Bill Bryce's BMW 325i is also on one entry list, and I don't recall that car deviating much from it's Group A spec.

Malcolm

[TonyG]

It seemed appropriate to add these pics here as the previous post mentions this car.
Does it still exist ?

[kiwi285]

Yes Graeme still owns the car and is rebuilding it to race again although no one seems to know when that might happen. Those are fantastic shots of a great looking car. I never got to see it race so am looking forward to seeing its return to the track.

[Steve Holmes]

Good call Tony. I wrote an article on the Addis Charger nearly 10 years ago for AMC. At the time, Graeme told me the car was almost ready to hit the track again. I wrote the article above for e.nz magazine a few years later, focusing more on the aerodynamics of the car.

Basically, this is a one-owner car, and has been a race car all its life. It was brand-spanking new when entered into the B&H enduro by Todd Motors as part of a two-car team, this one being driven by Leo Leonard/Ernie Sprague, the sister car driven by Jim Richards/Rod Coppins. The Richards/Coppins car won the race, Leonard/Sprague were 2nd, but gained the fastest lap. Addis bought the Leonard/Sprague car off Todd Motors and raced it in the Castrol GTX production series plus did another B&H race, driven by Addis/Noel Goodwin, who finished 4th.

It was retired from racing in 1974, and sat in Addis' workshop until 1976, when Addis rebuilt it as a Sports Sedan, where a space-frame chassis was built, with extended wheelbase, and the engine, suspension, brakes and wheels from the Cal Raybourne Lola T190 F5000, which he purchased off Red Dawson. The motor was shifted back beneath the firewall. Eventually the 5 litre motor was replaced with a 6 litre unit.

In 1981 the car was rebuilt, moving the engine back behind the driver, and using the Hewland transaxle from the Lola. A rear cradle was built to house the motor/trans/rear suspension/brakes/wheels. Rear grip was phenomenal, but now the car suffered front-end lift, particularly through the kink on the Pukekohe back straight, so Addis manufactured a cockpit mounted lever-system where he could control the angle of the rear wing as he was travelling around the track; full attack high downforce mode for the corners, then flatten it out on the straights.

Addis also modified the underside of the car with ground-effects, creating a small slot in the front spoiler, and a large opening in the rear. The size of the slot in the front spoiler could be adjusted with a piece of perspex that could slide back and fourth to limit the amount of air travelling beneath the car. Due to the deep side-skirts, the air would travel to the rear, and out the large rear opening, which looked wild as the car was travelling around the track, as you could see all the F5000 componentry whirring about.

MANZ outlawed the car in the late 80s when they decided everyone should have an American space-frame Trans-Am style car, so Addis put the Charger into a shipping container, welded the doors shut, and dragged it to the bottom of his farm where it sat for 12 years.

It'd be neat to eventually see the car out and racing again, hopefully sometime soon.

[Rod Grimwood]

Back in the mid to late 80's Graeme and crew had a real bad accident when coming home from a Sports Sedan meeting at Taupo. If you are familiar with leaving Taupo you climb out over the bridge and up the hill to the turn off for Huka falls at top on right, then along the flat towards Wairaki. Were the honey farm and helicopter were on display on the right and just before you drop down to the golf course on your left they were meet by a motorcycle and rider skidding down the road towards them and they had no where to go as it all happened very fast. It hit them head on and ripped the front suspension out of the Falcon wagon and they turned left and unfortunately there are some big deep craters along there and they went head first down one with car and trailer landing on top of the tow car. The tool cabinet and spare battery and other gear meet the boys in the front of the car. They were pretty knocked around and were not good for a while and the Charger was also very badly damaged. The rider was unfortunately killed in the accident.
I beleive Graeme is rebuilding and it will be great to see this car again, as it was a pretty smart and quick bit of gear. Be good to see the car and maybe the hardcase crew back. A good bunch as most Sports Sedans teams were back then.

[Steve Holmes]

Yep, thats right Rod. Graeme told me they'd done a big rebuild on the car following that incident, and it was ready to be painted when the new rules were enforced deeming the car ineligible. I think it went straight into the shipping container at the point the ruling was made, so still in primer.

[Steve Holmes]

Roaring Season member Stuart (Racefan) emailed me these images today, that he took at Addis' workshop approx 12 months ago. I thought the car was just getting a freshen up, but this looks more like a full restoration.

[Steve Holmes]

Ain't the internet a wonderful thing! Thanks Stuart.

[Racefan]

Hi Steve I pretty sure I have an image I found on the net of the leonard / sprague car I will find it tomorrow for you

[Peter Nelson]

Team

Thanks so much for getting this thread going, what a treat to read in my other posting the responses and to have the link to the video of the Algie Alfetta and to see this footage again ( I am sure I was in the stands at Baypark that day ). Also to have some information and pictures of the Addis Charger and to know that it is being restored to race ( ? ) again. Well done to all. Now to the Huxford Capri, are we all going to see this car again? It is looking superb for a great grid of cars in the near future too.

[PhotoSmith]

Thinking about it now, the Cullinane Monaro wasn't actually a Sports Sedan. It was a production style muscle car which Cullinane raced in an early muscle car class. There are a few photos around of it, it was either dark brown or black, and had the four headlight LS nose.

Hi Steve,

Photos from the March 1981 puke meeting, Production supercar race,

Trevor Mcleans Charger, & Mick Quinns Camaro
thats Bob Cullinanes Monaro behind, Black, running a 350 from memory.

MS