Between the golden years of 1968 and 1972, the TransAm race series became a major slug-fest as US auto-makers fielded cars that are now widely regarded as being the best of the classic muscle-car breed. We reunite three of the top TransAm contenders.

The Trans American Sedan Series – more usually referred to as TransAm – was first established in 1966 under the aegis of the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA). Originally intended as a manufacturers’ championship, the series encompassed two classes – under and over 2.0-litre – with both classes racing together.

The first race in the new series was at Sebring on March 25, 1966, with 44 cars lining up for the start and the field featuring 35 under 2.0-litre cars.

This first TransAm race was totally dominated by Alfa Romeo GTAs; they finished in four of the first five positions. However, amongst the smaller cars there was also a smattering of larger, V8 racers – a trio of Plymouth Barracudas, three Mustangs, two Chevrolet Corvairs and a single Dodge Dart.

During the course of that first season the majority of the factory support came in the lower capacity class – with entries from Alfa Romeo, Mini Cooper and Lotus-Cortina. Some famous European drivers would front up in these cars, including future F1 world champion Jochen Rindt, Paddy Hopkirk (in a Mini, of course) and even Alan Moffat, who raced a Lotus-Cortina during the early years of the series. Later, even Porsche would get in on the act by persuading SCCA that its 911 was actually a sedan!

It didn’t take long for US automakers to realise they were missing out, with Mercury, Chevrolet and Ford all announcing works-backed teams for the 1967 TransAm series.

The 1968-’72 period is generally considered to have been a golden one for the series, especially as it coincided with the pony car era. During those classic years TransAm racing was largely dominated by Mark Donohue – who raced Penske Camaros before moving to an AMC Javelin. But all the big US manufacturers were now on board. Chevrolet was represented by the Z-28 Camaro, driven by Jim Hall, Vic Elford and Ed Leslie. Bud Moore’s Boss 302 Mustang team was headed by Parnelli Jones and George Follmer, while Sam Posey headed up the Autodynamics team in his Dodge Challenger T/A. Other notable contenders included Dan Gurney and Swede Savage (AAR ’Cuda); Jerry Titus (Pontiac TransAm); Charlie Rainville and Bruce Jennings (Mercury Cougar) and Roger Penske’s Sunoco-sponsored team of AMC Javelins.

The TransAm series slowly began to lose it lustre after 1972 – the absolute power of the cars involved was slowly being curtailed following the oil crisis of the early ’70s. However, apart from a gap following the 2005 season, the TransAm series continues to this day – and once again European cars dominate the series, with the Jaguar XKR having ruled the TransAm roost for several years.

But for US classic muscle car enthusiasts, the years from 1968-’72 are still regarded as being the best. And at its best, TransAm racing was a real action-packed, vehicle-bruising championship featuring powerful V8 muscle cars in the hands of some of best and most fearless drivers of the day.

1969 Z-28 Camaro

In Z-28 form the Camaro was designed to compete against the Mustang in the TransAm racing series, and it even stole two championships from Ford’s pony car in the late 1960s. What made the Z-28 legendary, however, were the road-going versions, which were basically mildly tamed race-cars.

The 1969 Z-28 Camaro wasn’t exactly the fastest muscle car on the block, but with its unique combination of brake, engine, exhaust, and induction options, it was arguably the most desirable Z-28 of all.

The 1969 Z-28 package included the F41 handling suspension, which incorporated uprated springs and shocks, while the rear live axle also had staggered positioning on the shocks to help control axle tramp during fast take-offs. Front disc brakes were standard on the 1969 Camaro Z-28, and four-wheel discs were also offered for the first time – taken straight from the Corvette. This option cost US$500, so it’s not surprising that only 206 sets were delivered, about half going to full race-cars. Also, courtesy of Corvette were Rallye Steel rims with six-inches (152mm) of width shod with E70X15 raised-letter tyres to improve handling.

The high-revving, solid-lifter 5.0-litre (302ci) V8 with an 850cfm four-barrel carburettor was again exclusive to the Z-28, and 298kW-plus dyno tests made a complete mockery of the quoted 216kW rating.

Dealers also got in on the act by offering dual four-barrel carburettor options, including twin 600cfm Holleys on a cross-ram manifold and chambered exhaust pipes – possibly the least-restrictive exhausts ever offered on any new Chevrolet. This super high-revving V8 needed air and lots of it, so another functional option unique to the 1969 Chevrolet Camaro Z-28 was a cowl-induction hood which operated via a valve that snapped open at 80 per cent throttle to draw in cool air from the base of the windscreen.

The 1969 Chevrolet Camaro Z-28s again came only with a Hurst-shifted close-ratio four-speed gearbox with 3.73:1 final drive ratio as standard, with up to 4.10:1 available. The Positraction differential was offered as an option for those requiring added traction. As expected, the 1969 Z-28 Camaro had impeccable road manners, aided by power steering that was both quick and offered a sense of that all important road feel.

The ’69 Z-28 was without doubt one of the hottest-looking rides of the classic muscle car era, highlighting what Chevy stylists could do to express utter performance and excitement.

1969/70 Boss 302 Mustang

During the ’60s Ford had been heavily involved in motor racing, spawning the famous catch phrase – “Win on Sunday, sell on Monday” – thanks to Carroll Shelby, who won the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) TransAmerican (TransAm) Sedan Racing series in 1966 and 1967.

Ford built the Boss 302 engine in direct retaliation to Chevrolet’s Camaro Z–28 win in the 1968 TransAm series.

The 1960 year had been dismal for the Mustang and Ford knew it had to create something special if it was to win back the TransAm championship.

The legendary Boss 302, otherwise referred to as the Ford Boss 302 Mustang, certainly isn’t what most people think it is. In fact, it’s a Ford Mustang built in 1969 and 1970, named and based entirely on an engine, a special purpose-built race engine. The final creation was a hybrid small block 5.0-litre V8 built by taking the heads from the Ford Cleveland (manufactured in 1970) and adding them to the four-bolt heavy-duty block of the Ford Windsor (manufactured in 1962). It proved to be very powerful, and capable of outperforming the Camaro Z-28.

Actually, the real magic behind the Boss engines comes from the canted-valve Cleveland cylinder heads. While the Boss 302 was normally considered a 302 with 351 Cleveland heads, these canted-valve heads were used first on the Boss before the rest of the Cleveland was developed. The heads also featured steel spring seats, screw-in rocker studs, pushrod guide plates, and adjustable rocker arms.

In order to abide by SCCA regulations, which stated that manufacturers had to sell what they raced, Boss 302 Mustangs were offered to the public. Today, Boss 302 collectors and admirers from around the world can thank Larry Shinoda, a former GM stylist who worked at Ford and created the car’s unique styling. He also came up with the name Boss 302 for the car and engine that would go into production so that Ford could race in 1969 and 1970.

The Boss 302 Mustang could only be ordered with a four-speed, wide or close-ratio manual gearbox, and the body, a base Sports Roof, came minus the simulated side scoops.

The 1969 Boss 302 was only available in four colours; Wimbledon White, Bright Yellow, Calypso Coral and Acapulco Blue. Although a variety of interior colour options was available, black was used in most cases.

The 1970 Boss 302 was available in Grabber Blue, Grabber Orange or Grabber Green, Calypso Coral or Pastel Blue, with either a black or white interior. The 1970 Boss 302 also received a redesigned exhaust system and suspension, with aluminium valve covers replacing the chrome items found on the 1969 model.

The Boss 302 was finally retired and replaced with its successor, the Boss 429, in 1970.

Ford came close but did not win the TransAm title in 1969 with the Boss 302 Mustang, but it was more successful in 1970, taking out the TransAm championship and thus entering the history books.

1970 Dodge Challenger T/A

In keeping with the brand’s performance heritage, the Dodge Challenger went racing in its first year. To comply with the homologation requirements for TransAm racing Dodge built a street version of its race-car, which it called the Challenger T/A (TransAm).

The racing version of the Challenger T/A ran a destroked version of the 5.5-litre (340ci) engine, whilst the street version received three, two-barrel carburettors atop an Edelbrock aluminium intake manifold – creating the 340 Six Pack rated at 216kW, about 11 kW more than the original 340 engine and, oddly enough, the same rating as the Camaro Z-28 and Ford Boss 302 Mustang.

A massive suitcase-sized air scoop, moulded into a matte black, fibreglass bonnet pinned at the front to hold it down, provided the copious amounts of air required for the triple carburettor set-up, and a dual low-restriction exhaust system running through the standard muffler location, then reversing direction to exit in chrome-tipped outlets in front of the rear wheels, was part of the T/A package.

Other Challenger T/A options included the TorqueFlite automatic or pistol-grip Hurst-shifted four-speed transmission, a 3.55:1 or 3.90:1 ratio differential and manual or power steering. Front disc brakes were standard. The specially designed, heavy duty Rallye suspension increased the rear spring ratings, and the T/A was the first US muscle car to use different size tyres front and rear to give the car an aggressive, racing stance, with E60x15 fronts, and G60x15 at the rear.

The raked camber angle elevated the tail enough to clear the wider rear rubber and its side exhaust outlets. The racing image was further enhanced with wide dual side stripes, bold ID graphics, a fibreglass ducktail rear spoiler, and a fibreglass front spoiler, whilst the interior was strictly stock Challenger.

The Challenger T/As scored a few top three finishes in the TransAm series in 1970, but lack of a development budget led to Dodge leaving the series at the end of the season. Sam Posey drove the lone TransAm racing Challenger, a car prepared and run by Ray Caldwell’s Autodynamics Race Shop. While Posey didn’t win a race in the No 77 Challenger, he did finish fourth overall after the final points table had been tallied for the 1970 season.

Tony Antonievich: 1969 Z28 Camaro

Tony Antonievich purchased his 1969 Z-28 Camaro from Max Baker (the NZ Funny Car driver) in the US back in 1989 whilst working for John Woodner Racing. The Camaro was used as the family car in the US before returning to New Zealand a year later.

Tony and his family have enjoyed this genuine Z-28 Camaro for over 20 years, and Tony certainly doesn’t mind admitting that the trusty old Chevy has had its fair share of use.

Originally white, the Camaro now wears a Le Mans Blue paint scheme, a period Chevrolet colour for that year, and the blue interior is factory standard except for an after-market steering wheel. The Chevrolet 5.0-litre (302ci) V8 has been freshened up according to Tony, but after looking closely at it during our photo-shoot at the Hampton Downs race track, it would be fair to say it’s had more than a light work over. However, Tony’s not letting on. The four-speed Muncie gearbox, diff and suspension are still basically stock items apart from new bushes and other maintenance items that have been replaced.

The Z-28 complements Tony’s other car, the beautifully restored ex Dennis Marwood racing TransAm Camaro as featured in our February issue this year.

Gary McMurtrie: 1970 Boss 302 Mustang

Gary McMurtrie was looking to build a Mustang race car to enjoy a couple of years ago, either a Boss or Shelby-style replica, when his plans took an about face. Well-known Mustang restorer Malcolm Sankey mentioned a few collectable Mustangs were available from a deceased estate collection in the US, and would Gary be interested? Initially, his thoughts were that he’d put his hand up for an original Grabber Blue 1970 Shelby GT350 Mustang from the collection. He then discovered that the collection also included a black, low mileage 1967 Shelby GT350 Mustang and our featured Calypso Coral 1970 Boss 302 Mustang and that all of these cars were still available for purchase – he ended up buying all three. The 1970 GT350 has since been sold, and Gary has kept the other two cars.

This 1970 Boss 302 Mustang has travelled only 65,000 original miles (104,607km) and was completely restored in the US by its previous, late owner.

Upon its arrival in NZ, it was sent to Matamata Panel Works for a complete check over and some attention to detail. The exhaust system was replaced and Bilstein shocks and stiffer coils were fitted to stiffen up the ride. A few panels needed re-gapping, and the engine bay was tidied up.

The Boss 302 is finished in its original colour scheme, and the white interior complements it nicely. The drivetrain is completely numbers matching and is optioned with the 3.91 diff ratio and front-mounted oil cooler, known as the ‘Drag Pack’, and ‘Shaker’ air intake.

As for Gary’s original idea about a race-car, after our session at Hampton Downs he’s got the bug again – so keep an eye out in these pages for something special.

Allen Lindsay: 1970 Dodge Challenger T/A

After searching for a low mileage, original Dodge Challenger for over a year, Allen Lindsay finally stumbled across this outstanding example in San Francisco in 2007. The car was exactly what he had been looking for, and had been parked up in a barn for over 20 years alongside another Challenger T/A, which Allen believes could still be there, but certainly not for sale.

The Challenger T/A was also completely dry and rust free, typical of cars found on the West Coast, and was completely original, with a numbers-matching drivetrain and two build sheets proving its authenticity. The original 31,000 miles (49,890km) showing on the odometer was further proof that this car had been stored for many years.

Allen brought the car back to New Zealand in 2007 and has since restored minor items such as brake rotors, brake master cylinder and suspension bushes – all testament to the fact the car had been sitting for many years.

The 340 Six Pack V8 engine still sounds crisp and menacing, and is still completely original, as is the four-speed manual gearbox.

According to Allen the Challenger T/A isn’t a showstopper. I beg to differ, and it suits Allen down to the ground, especially as he prefers to enjoy driving this the rare beast whenever time permits.

Allen is no stranger when it comes to Mopars, in fact his previous award-winning Plymouth ’Cuda featured amongst these pages not too long ago.

Words: Ashley Webb Photos: Adam Croy

When this car made its competition debut at Bay Park’s traditional Easter event in early 1975, it created quite a stir. Not just because it was beautifully presented, handsome, and well engineered, but because its owner/ designer/ builder/ driver, Brent Bullivant of Hastings, was just 19 years old.

The Capri was built to tackle the Bank of New South Wales (BNSW) New Zealand Saloon Car Championship (soon to become the Shell-Sport championship from 1975.’76), the modern day equivalent of which would be the BNT New Zealand V8 Touring Car Championship. And there were some pretty big guns around at this time, including Jim Richards (Sidchrome Mustang), Leo Leonard (PDL Mustang), Red Dawson (Camaro) Jack Nazer (Victor Chevy), and Paul Fahey (Capri). This was heady stuff – and would provide some stiff opposition for a semi-pro racing team, let alone a teenager.

As well, Bullivant was only motor mechanic apprentice, so his budget was paltry, at best. But 2500 hours went into the building of this car, and a reported $13,000 (possibly including the cost of the car), which in 1975 terms, was a lot.

Bullivant started off with a road-going 1600cc Ford Capri GT XLR. It was stripped, seam welded and gusseted, before a roll-cage was fitted, built out of exhaust tubing. Power came from a 5.0-litre (302ci) Ford V8, with 12.8:1 compression, TRW pistons, steel flywheel, Holley carburettor, Edelbrock Torke inlet manifold, and Sigerson hydraulic cam. The heads were ported, polished, and reshaped, while 34-inch extractors led to 3-inch pipes which dumped out beneath the doors on either side. Of course, this was the mid-’70s, so there wasn’t a muffler in sight.

Backing up the 302 was a close-ratio Borg-Warner T10 gearbox, which led to a narrowed Ford eight-inch diff from a 1961 Ford Fairlane. The bodywork featured flowing box-style wheel-arch flares, crafted by David Goodlass. The front spoiler was a simple single-panel item. The side and rear windows were all Perspex, while the interior featured racing seats built and upholstered by Kustom Interiors.

The Capri was sprayed bright yellow by Tony Winter, and rode on a set of 15-inch Ansen wheels – 12 inches wide up front, and 14  at the rear. Keeping with the Hawkes Bay theme, Bullivant was sponsored by Hastings car dealer Brendan Addis Motors, which had supplied the road-going Capri donor car. It was a superb effort, and a welcome addition to the BNSW ranks.
Bullivant enjoyed plenty of support in preparing the car for and at race meetings from fellow Hawkes Bay enthusiasts, including Wayne Calnan and Donald McIntyre. Don, of course, is current NZV8 Touring Car racer John McIntyre’s father.

Potential

The Capri earned plenty of praise from the motor sport press on its debut, but suffered a myriad of new car gremlins, including a misfire, gearbox problems, and a severe lack of rear grip leading to a couple of spins. Plenty of work was carried out on the Capri before its next meeting at Pukekohe, but the misfire returned, and the gearbox failed completely. Manfeild hosted the final round of the 1974/’75 BNSW NZ Saloon Car Championship, which was also the final race of Paul Fahey’s career, this famed racer departing the sport on a high by winning the title once again.

For this event Bullivant had borrowed a top-loader gearbox, though still hadn’t solved the misfire. However, he finished the season with the car running better, despite another spin.

The Capri had demonstrated it had potential, but its biggest weakness was probably Bullivant’s tiny budget. Over the off season, several upgrades were undertaken. The Ford V8 motor was replaced with a 5.0-litre (302ci) small-block Chevrolet V8, the old engine being offered for sale at $1350. A tougher Muncie gearbox went in place of the unhappy Borg-Warner. Also, Bullivant was required to narrow the flares slightly, as they were deemed too wide for the NZ Saloon Car Championship rules. At the same time, a deeper wrap-around front air-dam replaced the front spoiler, and a small bonnet scoop was fitted to draw air into the carburettor.

Still, the car struggled with little rear grip. Because Bullivant had no money, he raced on old second-hand tyres, hand-me-downs from other teams, which were anything from two to four years old, and he battled away in mid-pack.

Again, changes were made over the winter of 1976, including a fully-floating rear end, plus a few trick new parts such as Lockheed magnesium four-pot brakes and beautiful BBS wheels. But despite working three jobs at the time, Bullivant still lacked the funds to fully develop the Capri and allow it to reach its full potential. He was always a crowd favourite, always looking to be on the brink of disaster with his spectacular driving style. Though this was a likely side-effect of the car’s lack of grip.

Jim Richards tested the Capri for Bullivant at the Bay Park Christmas meeting in 1976, and was highly impressed by what the Hawkes Bay youngster had produced, but suggested some new rubber would help, a fact not lost on the cash-strapped Bullivant.

Youthful Enthusiasm

Bullivant usually qualified towards the rear of the 6.0-litre cars at most events, and was limited to racing only in the North Island, as the budget didn’t stretch to crossing to the South Island.

But by the ’77 season, few other North Island teams were making the effort to race down South either. The PDL Racing team had debuted its new Mustang II, and raised the bar beyond the reach of most.

The budget may have been lacking, but Bullivant possessed youthful enthusiasm in spades, and campaigned the Capri anywhere that would accept him, from NZ Saloon Car Championship races, to drag races and hill climbs. He clocked an impressive 11.5 at 120mph (193kph) on the old Thunder Park drag strip in the Hawkes Bay, and finished second to two-time NZ Hillclimb Gold Star champion Kevin Ingram, and his Terrapin, at the Hawkes Bay hill climb in early 1976. The Capri was also raced on one occasion by Jack Nazer, at Manfeild in early 1977, when his Chev-powered Victor broke an axle and couldn’t be repaired for an NZ versus Australia teams race encounter. But even Nazer couldn’t overcome the limitations of four-year-old tyres.

Motorsport New Zealand placed a 2.0-litre engine cap on the Shell Sport-sponsored NZ Saloon Car Championship following the 1977 season, a direct result of dwindling numbers in the big car ranks, and Bullivant’s Capri was left with no place to race. However, even though he lacked the budget to compete at the pointy end, Bullivant’s engineering and car preparation skills had caught the eye of Jim Richards, who was now living in Australia. Richards employed the young Bullivant full-time as his chief mechanic, to work on his radical new Murray Bunn-built Falcon XC hardtop sports sedan. In its debut season, the Falcon finished first-equal on points in the 1978 Australian Sports Sedan championship with the previously untouchable Frank Gardner Chev Corvair driven by Alan Grice, only losing on a count-back of race wins.

Bullivant returned to New Zealand in early 1979 to race his Capri one final time when the Bay Park, Pukekohe, and Manfeild organisers ran a three-round Open Saloon series for sports sedans and OSCA cars. Organised by Jim Richards, who shipped his Falcon hardtop across along with John Briggs’ ex-Red Dawson Chevy Monza, the Open Saloon races would best be remembered for the electrifying encounters between Richards and Leo Leonard in the PDL Mustang II.

A New Era

While in Australia Bullivant picked up several ideas for improving the Capri, but although Richards would again get behind the wheel to test the car at Pukekohe, Bullivant’s focus, and much of his time, was spent on preparing Richards’ Falcon. During the Open Saloon series the Bullivant Capri sported a for sale sign, with a price tag of $11,000.

It took some time before a buyer was found for the Capri, with the new owner being none other than former PDL Mustang driver, Graham Baker. Baker, from Christchurch, ran the Capri in selected South Island events in the 1980/’81 season, although it wasn’t eligible to compete in OSCA. However, most South Island organisers ran an all-in flying farewell race to conclude each meeting, and Baker raced the Capri competitively in these against Inky Tulloch, with the old Paul Fahey Capri, now fitted with a small block Chevy V8, plus Trevor Crowe’s Oldsmobile V8 Starlet, John Osborne’s Chev Camaro, Ian Munt’s V8 Capri, and Gary Jenkins’ V8 Victor. In fact, Baker raced the old PDL Mustang I at the opening round of the 1980/’81 OSCA series, taking maximum points.

When Baker debuted the ex-Bullivant Capri, it was sporting McLaren Formula 5000 wheels which, it is assumed, were from the PDL Mustang.

The 1980/’81 season marked the official return of big-engined saloon racing to the North Island, after Motorsport NZ killed it off at the conclusion of the 1977 season. Although a little slow to take off, with many cars being mothballed, proactive Bay Park and Manfeild organisers boosted the fields by bringing cars up from the South Island, including Baker. His campaign was marred by an engine failure in practice at the opening meeting at Manfeild, but he then went on to win at the Bay Park Christmas meeting, for which Aussie Peter Fitzgerald had shipped in his Porsche 911.

However, the dominant force in North Island sports sedan racing was Wayne Huxford, in his fuel-injected F5000 Chev-powered Capri, and it was Baker and Huxford who turned on a monster battle at Manfeild in January 1981.

Huxford beat Baker to pole position by three tenths of a second, but Baker was leading the Wellington driver in race one before a spin at the exit of the sweeper spat him into the infield. From there, he dropped to eighth place, before gathering himself up and setting off on a storming drive back to third place, closing right up behind second-place man Tulloch by flag fall. He then won the handicap race from Huxford and Tulloch, and was heading the field in the final handicap race before a puncture slowed his progress just before the finish, allowing Huxford through for the win.

From there, Baker ran strongly at Wigram, leading the Flying Farewell (he wasn’t eligible for the earlier OSCA race) from Tulloch and Crowe before he dropped to second with engine problems, while he beat a strong Tulloch and Trevor Crowe in the Flying Farewell at Timaru. Then, at the March meeting at Manfeild, the anticipated rematch with Huxford failed to eventuate after Baker was slowed by a puncture in race one, then eliminated in a start line crash in race two.

However, the potential of the Capri was now finally being realised, six years after it first debuted.

Shaker Run

Following the 1981 season Baker put the Capri up for sale again, and it was purchased by North Island driver, Bob Cullinane. Cullinane gave the car a new lick of paint, in black and yellow/ red, and raced the Capri in the North Island Sports Sedan series. He enjoyed some good results, if not able to repeat the race winning inter-island battles of Baker. Against opposition such as Ian Algie’s magnificent new V8 Alfetta, and the ever improving machines of Huxford, Tulloch, and Crowe, Cullinane held his own throughout the 1982 season.

The Capri saw little action following the 1982 season, and was eventually sold to Brian Friend, to replace the ex-Roy Harrington V8 Torana he’d previously campaigned. By now the old war-horse was showing its age, especially against slick new opposition. However, the Capri did get to bask in the spotlight one more time, when it starred in the 1985 New Zealand movie Shaker Run, starring Cliff Robertson and Leif Garrett.

The Capri was used for one of several car chase scenes in the movie, in which it was stolen from a central Wellington car dealer’s showroom (Kirk Motors Mitsubishi), to chase the pink and black replica Pontiac Trans Am driven by Robertson and Garrett throughout the movie. Still in Brian Friend’s racing colours, with his name above the windscreen, the Capri was smashed through the showroom window, then set off after the Trans Am. The two cars sped momentarily through some inner-city Wellington streets, before suddenly they were charging up the Rimutaka Hill (about 30 minutes from Wellington CBD). Here the bad guy in the Capri catches the Trans Am, rams it a few times, then loses control after Garrett throws bottles of oil into his path.

Shaker Run doesn’t seem to be available on DVD, but the chase scene can easily be found by doing a quick YouTube search. The crisp small-block Chev in the Capri sounds great with its open pipes. (www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vUKZMYCbRY).

Following its movie cameo, the Capri was sold to Dave Borrey, who crewed for Friend. Friend had already sold the desirable McLaren wheels to an F5000 restorer. Borrey rebuilt the car, repainted it an iridescent green, and raced it briefly before it was parked up, after which it sat for more than a decade. Then, in the late 1990s, Kiwi Sports Sedan founder Graham Barnes tracked down Borrey, as he wanted a one-piece fibreglass front for his own Capri, and had heard Borrey had moulds. The moulds were apparently made by the movie company which created Shaker Run.

Part of the agreement for using the car, which it knew would get roughed up, was that it would be returned to Friend in the same condition it was received, which meant replacing or repairing the guards.

Rather than just buying some new front bodywork, Barnes ended up buying the old Bullivant Capri, including the moulds.

The Capri has since clocked up many racing kays, having been repainted red, and been treated to a massive rebuild, including new roll-cage. Importantly, Barnes has been careful to preserve the car as it is.

Barnes still enjoys racing the Capri, and swears he’ll never sell it. It’s kept in immaculate condition, and is a credit to him, and a testament to its young builder, Brent Bullivant.

Words: Steve Holmes Photos: Terry Marshall, Brett Young, Mike Feisst

On June 25, 2010, the Australian Ford Falcon notched up its half century, fifty years after the original Australian-made XK Falcon rolled off the production line in 1960 launching the longest continuous model line in Australian motoring history.

Ford Australia achieved two outstanding milestones this year, the other, 85 years of Ford production in Australia. The Falcon has proved itself to be a true icon of Australian motoring since its debut, and while other models such as the recently discontinued Ford Fairlane have travelled over Australian roads longer, they’ve included imported versions. The Falcon has undoubtedly earned its place in automotive history as the longest running nameplate on an Australian-made vehicle and, in order to commemorate this outstanding accomplishment, Ford has recently unveiled a range of six special edition Falcon’s boasting a host of additional features and special pricing. With four XR-based models and two G-Series based models, proudly wearing the Falcon ‘bird’ logo that originally inspired the name for the large car.

Based on both the sedan and utility variants of the XR6 and XR6 Turbo comes the XR50 sporting unique 18-inch alloys for the XR6 models and 19-inch alloys for the XR6 Turbo, ‘Mild Stealth’ upper and lower grille accents, fog lamp bezels and rear bumper insert, G6 tail lights, special badging, wing mirror indicators (for the sedans) and a unique stripe kit, the XR50 is sure to tug at the heart strings of many blue oval fans.

Looking Back: First Generation 1960-1966

In 1955 Ford Australia decided to launch a locally built Ford. Due the popularity of the Holden, sales were faltering for Ford’s lack of a viable competitor. Their decision involved building the English version of the Ford Zephyr locally from the ground up, rather than just assembling kits that arrived from the United Kingdom.

However, in 1958, after traveling to America to view the Zephyr that was being redesigned for the Australian market, Ford Australia’s managing director, Charles Smith, was not convinced that the car would suit the Australian market. Subsequently, he was lead to view the stylish new mock-up of the Ford Falcon that was being designed for the Canadian and American markets and immediately determined that this was the car for the Australian people.

The very first XK Falcon made its debut in September 1960 and was described as a ‘compact’ as it was somewhat smaller than the accepted family cars of the period. The new Ford Falcon was, in fact, debuted in the very first nationwide closed circuit TV news conference.

Like the XK, its successor, the XL, was also based specifically on a Canadian design, allowing for a few insignificant modifications for Australian conditions. Ford’s gimmicky slogan – Trim, Taut, Terrific – had little effect as the Falcon was still widely perceived as unsuitable for local conditions and sales languished.

Things were about to change for the Aussie Falcon with the launch of the XM in 1964, with a car that finally had serious claims to being one designed and engineered entirely by Australians for Australian conditions. This meant major changes to the front and rear suspension set up, the braking system, clutch, rear axle, engine mounts and exhaust – all as a result of extensive research on the open, and off road conditions. After all, in a country that consists mostly of treacherous out-back desert terrain, vehicles have to be build to withstand the harshest of environments. By now the Falcon was considered to be the ‘Model T of its day’ and was easily recognisable by the red pie tray-like tail-lights.

Next up was the launch of the XP in 1965. This time the Australian Ford management team went a step further in proving the Falcon’s robustness and durability to fleet buyers by conceiving a Durability Run. It was ‘make or break’ time for the Falcon’s future in Australia depending on the car succeeding. This courageous gamble, hatched by deputy MD, Bill Bourke, involved five stock standard Falcons and a group of racing drivers driving mercilessly around the arduous You Yangs proving ground. Their challenge was to rack up 70,000 miles (112, 651kms) at an average speed of 70 miles (112.65km) per hour, per car. The gruelling test took its toll and four of the five cars rolled, but finally, after nine days driven to the point that the wheels were literally ready to fall off, the five cars and drivers completed their mission with an average a speed of 71.3 miles per hour.

The gamble paid off and that same year, the Falcon was awarded Wheels Car of the Year.

Falcon GT’s Debut: Second Generation 1966-1972

The next new model Falcon, the much larger, more powerful XR version, was launched with an entirely new shape in September 1966. Promoted as the ‘Mustang bred Falcon’ the new look model incorporated more Australian design input than previous models and featured an optional Windsor 289ci (4.7-litre) V8 engine for the first time. The XR Falcon was also the first model to wear the legendary GT badge, highlighting Ford’s marketing focus on the Mustang’s sporty heritage and heralding the dawn of the Aussie Muscle Car. For the second year in a row, the Ford Falcon won the coveted Wheels Car of the Year Award in 1966, a major contributing factor in securing the Falcon as one Aussie’s own.

The XT Falcon featured a rather mild facelift, a more powerful V8 engine, full synchromesh manual gearbox, dual circuit brakes and two automatic transmissions to choose from. The tail-lights were still round but instead of the small round indicator of the XR, the XT model had a long indicator across the light. Otherwise all external body panels and bumpers were identical to the XR.

The XW and XY models followed with bolder styling features and a ‘buttressed’ C-pillar giving the appearance of a much larger car than its predecessor. A newly designed dashboard and trim variations also appeared. The GT version received the larger 351ci (5.75-litre) Windsor V8 engine and an offset bonnet scoop, bonnet locks, ‘Super Roo’ stripes, GT ten-slot wheels and twin driving lights carried over from the XT GT. (read more about the legendary XW, XYGT Falcon in this feature).

The XY Falcon, released in October 1970, received only slight variations to the grille and tail-lights, otherwise the bodywork remained fairly much unaltered.

Into the Seventies: Third Generation 1972-1979

1971 marked the end of Falcon production in the US and the XA Falcon became a uniquely Australian car designed exclusively for the local market and, although completely redesigned, it still resembled its cousin, the Ford Mustang. Three years previously, Aussie Ford designers spent most of the summer of 1968 working on the XA Falcon clay model in the US, impressing Henry’s ‘suits’ sufficiently to give the final nod for a design centre at Broadmeadows, Victoria.

The XA was also available as a hardtop coupe for the first time, this stylish model bursting onto the market boasting a distinctive range of colour options including purple and Wild Plum. The Falcon Hardtop closely resembled the 1970-71 Ford Torino, sharing its ‘frameless window’ doors with the utility and panel van models. The XA Falcon received the XY drive train, although the 250 2V six-cylinder engine was soon dropped, and the legendary ground shaking GT-HO engines were no longer required thanks to modifications in production racing regulations. The XA also became the first Australian car equipped with front and rear power-assisted disc brakes.

Ford had intended releasing its XY GT-HO successor, the Phase IV’ GT-HO (and built four), but decided to can the project as the unwarranted  ‘Supercar Superscare’ gained negative national publicity.

‘The Great Australian Road Car’ was the slogan used to promote the XB Falcon in 1973. Although still basically a face-lift of the previous XA model, the XB’s styling was slightly more aggressive and offered a range of new colour options that included colour-coded bumpers on the GTs. The first 211 GT Falcons built received the US built Cleveland 5.8-litre V8 engine before being replaced with an Australian-built version, which had smaller port heads and less power.

The XC Falcon, introduced in July 1976, was the first Falcon to fully comply with the Australian Design Rule pollution regulations. It also boasted the country’s first locally built family sedan with a suspension package designed specifically for radial ply tyres known as ‘Touring Suspension’ and was available only on the highly specified Fairmont GXL models. This option became standard on all sedans and hardtops in the 1978 ‘XCI/2’ facelift models.

Not only did the XC bring a famous 1-2 victory for Allan Moffat and Colin Bond at Bathurst in 1977, but also inspired Ford to introduce an all-time classic Falcon, the limited edition, individually numbered Falcon Cobra, which used the last of the 400 Hardtop body shells.

Bigger, Lighter, Faster: Fourth Generation 1979-1999

The XD Falcon (Project Blackwood) made its debut in 1979 and was the first Falcon designed in Australia from a clean piece of paper, although it bore many of the external styling features of the European Ford Granada. For the XD, Ford’s emphasis was on efficiency, interior space and weight reduction in the new design. The XD Falcon also featured a number of improvements, including a plastic fuel tank and plastic bumpers, which combined with better body reinforcing, reduced overall weight therefore improving performance and braking. The GXL was now gone and replaced with the higher specified, luxuriously appointed Fairmont Ghia.

The following Falcon model, the XE, was a welcome relief to the Aussie’s who were now starting to move away from the smaller Holden Commodore as the fuel crisis began to ease up in 1982. The XE also marked the introduction of electronic fuel injection and a Watts link coil-sprung rear-end and for the first time in a decade eclipsed the Commodore’s sales in Australia, taking Ford to number one spot in 1982.

In October 1984 came the XF model, which was noteworthy for the introduction of Ford’s engine management system, EEC-IV, which managed the spark timing and air-fuel mix of the engine more efficiently. The XF Falcon remains Ford’s best selling model to date with over 278,000 units built.

Up, Up and Away: Fifth Generation 1988-1998

A brand new shape for Falcon came in the form of the EA, an AU$700 million dollar development introduced in 1988. Still entirely Australian, the EA boasted an all-new, more durable front suspension and geometry set-up, similar to that used in the S-Class Mercedes. Other advances included a four-speed automatic transmission, the high-security Tibbe locking system and a more fuel-efficient 3.9-litre six-cylinder engine.

In 1991, the EB and subsequent EB II remained virtually identical to its predecessor, and offered handling improvements, the welcomed return of the 5.0-litre Windsor V8 and ABS brakes for the first time on a locally built sedan. Security also was beefed up with the introduction of Smartlock.

The ED was the final facelift for the EA shape, offering contemporary exterior colours, improved side-impact crash protection and a host of under-the-bonnet changes to continue the refinement of the car’s performance and handling characteristics in response to Holden’s new VR Commodore.

August 1994 saw a new curvaceous body shape (although it still carried over its doors and most of its body structure from the previous model) and an Australian Design Award for the EF Falcon, which boasted several engineering advances. The modified 4.0-litre engine was more refined with improved torque and power courtesy of a new EEC-V engine management system developed through Formula One racing. The EF Falcon also featured the world’s first airbag-compatible bull-bar.

The final facelift before the AU, the $40 million EL Falcon kept sales ticking along nicely until the AU Falcon was launched. It boasted further ride and handling development, up-to-the-minute ABS and an improved steering feel. The bonnet, front bumper, headlamps and grille design were revised along with a few minor interior upgrades to round off the EL package.

Contemporary Falcon: Sixth Generation 1998-2008

Ford’s AU Falcon released in 1998 boasted Computer Aided Design and Engineering, providing major advances in chassis stiffness, aerodynamics and directional stability. Ford actually considered replacing the Falcon with one of their other products such as the Taurus, Mazda 929 and European Scorpio, but after much debate and evaluation Ford Australia chose to stick with the Falcon due partly to the cost involved and the effect on local employment.

Code named EA169, the AU program adopted Ford’s ‘New Edge’ styling, a gamble which never really paid off as the AU, nicknamed the ‘ugly duckling’ didn’t particularly endear itself to its buying public. Indeed, the AU didn’t sell that well in Australia although it did receive a better reception in New Zealand.

However, the AU did debut a sophisticated double wishbone independent rear suspension package and variable cam timing on its prestige models. The AU was also the first car in its class to offer air-conditioning and automatic transmission as standard features.

The AUII, in an attempt to address the AU’s woes brought minor styling changes and scrapped the unpopular grille, however, continued the Falcon tradition of innovation and value for money. It’s important to note than when the AU was launched, it was the only car in its class to feature a passenger airbag, CD player, 16-inch wheels as standard equipment as well as ‘Scheduled Servicing’ to 60,000km built into car’s cost.

With virtually a clean slate and AU$500 million dollars invested, Ford hatched the all-new BA Falcon in 2002, the 21st model designation for the Falcon. In its first year, the BA Falcon not only fought to win back the hearts of the Australian buying public but also won the prestigious Wheels Car of the Year Award.

The BA’s major overhaul included a new DOHC 4.0-litre engine, two new V8 engines, Sequential Sports Shift automatic transmission and a radical new Control Blade independent rear suspension.

The new look BA received substantial redesign work on both front and rear quarters taking on an entirely more contemporary, European style appearance whilst the interior was thoroughly remodeled featuring a conservatively styled cluster and large LCD screen incorporating the ‘Interior Command Centre’.

Within a year of the BA’s release and a concerted sales push by Ford, the BA Falcon sales increased substantially, eclipsing the Holden Commodore again.

The MkII version of the BA Falcon was launched in 2004, adding various customer-focused features including a Tremec six-speed manual transmission for the high performance XR range and cruise control across the sedan range.

The BF Falcon introduced in 2005 received only power-train improvements towards noise and vibration, rather than design features. It also boasted an all new six-speed auto and electronic stability control.

The FG Falcon is the current model produced by Ford Australia since 2008 and is the seventh generation of the Ford Falcon. The FG Falcon is the first Australian manufactured vehicle to receive an ANCAP (Australian New Car Assessment Program) five star safety rating with an impressive score of 34.6 out of 37.

The Falcon’s Future

On thing for certain in the automotive industry is that nothing lasts forever. According to media speculation, Ford may cancel the all Aussie Falcon in favour of the company’s ‘One Ford’ program in 2015. Apparently, the Falcon may possibly be replaced by a large car platform that is to be built for all world markets, either a global rear wheel drive platform or the transverse front/all-wheel drive Taurus platform – although this rumour remains unconfirmed. According to Ford’s European design chief Martin Smith, the Taurus platform could not possibly be a genuine substitute for the rear drive Falcon, and Ford Australia’s Marin Burela has declared that no decision has been made on the Falcon’s future, and for now it’s safe. However, the Falcon could share its platform with other rear wheel drive Fords, like Mustang, according to Ford CEO Alan Mulally.

Our Favourite Falcons #1 – XY GT HO Phase III Falcon

Undoubtedly, the ultimate Falcon, in fact the Phase III was described by Sports Car World as “… simply one of the best cars in the world, a true GT that could take on Ferraris and Astons on their own terms.”

There’s no four letters that mean more in Australian motorsport history than GT-HO and, when added to the end of the name Falcon XW and Falcon XY, you have yourself an Australian motorsport legend.

Between the years of 1969 and 1973 these mighty machines had an enormous impact on the Australian touring car scene when a young up and coming driver, Allan Moffat got behind the wheel of the Phase 1, 2, and 3 GT-HO’s and fired the imagination of Ford fans throughout Australasia by winning at Bathurst in 1970 and 1971.

The XY GT rolled off the line late in 1970 and was followed in 1971 with the all-time classic GT-HO Phase III. The GT-HO’s stump-pulling 351ci (5.8-litre) Cleveland engine produced well in excess of 380hp (285kW) which in 1971 was considerately underrated at 300hp (223Kw). The initial GT-HO’s were equipped with an electrical rev limiter that came into effect at 6150rpm and, when disabled, the engine could supposedly rev to an astonishing 7000+rpm, even in fourth gear. The GT-HO also received a yet bigger carburetor (780 vs 750cfm), bigger radiator, larger harmonic balancer, better valve train, baffled sump, extractors and a choice of four rear axle ratios.

‘HO’ stood for ‘Handling Option’ indicating that these awesome machines were equipped with bigger brakes, stiffer suspension, a front spoiler, a choice of three differentials and an optional close-ratio gearbox – features that made the production GT-HO very similar to the race version.

Other features which added to the GT-HO’s aggressive looks were the infamous ‘shaker’ air intake protruding through the bonnet, a rear deck spoiler and bold side stripes.

Estimated performance figures speak for themselves with results of 0-60mph (0-97 km/h) in 6.4 seconds, 0-100mph (0-161km/h) 14.6 seconds, standing ¼ mile;14.4 seconds. Top Speed (with 6150 rpm rev limiter) 144mph (231 km/h), top speed (without rev limiter) 155mph (250km/h). And remember, this was the early ‘70s.

1,557 XY GTs were made from September 1970 to December 1971, while just 300 GT-HO Phase III’s were built from May to November 1971.

Today, the Phase III GT-HO is in incredibly high demand with collectors and investors worldwide. Good examples have been sold for prices in excess of AU$700,000. Due to this demand, and low production numbers the GT-HO remains the ultimate Falcon.

Our Favourite Falcons #2 – XC Falcon Cobra

The XC Falcon Hardtop was, sadly, the last offered by Ford in 1978. When final production of the XC Hardtop ended in March 1978, 400 body shells were left unsold and Ford Australia were confronted with the challenge of how to market them rather than scrapping them or flogging them off to customers who would otherwise wait for the new model XD Falcon to be released.

An original proposal to turn these Hardtop body shells cars into Playboy-themed cars (complete with ‘bunny’ decals) was abandoned because Ford felt it would create the wrong image for a car company with family values. In what may have seemed a desperate attempt at the time, Ford turned to Ford Motor Company’s then second-in-charge, Edsel Ford II, who, coincidentally, was touring Australia at the time. The timing was perfect, and Edsel, together with a local design team, made a decision to capitalise on Allan Moffat and Colin Bond’s momentous 1-2 finish at the 1977 Bathurst 1000 by creating a road car with a ‘totally American’ look that could be homologated for racing, while at the same time offering blue oval fans a rare opportunity to own a street-legal version of Allan Moffat’s race car.

The team worked swiftly to build the first prototype by late April 1978 and production very quickly commenced on the XC Cobra that same July.

All XC Cobras were finished in white, complimented with bright blue racing stripes and Cobra emblems, reminiscent of Carroll Shelby’s 1960s Mustangs, making it easily identifiable as a Ford muscle car.

Each XC Cobra also received an individual serial number, with a sequentially numbered plaque (from 1 to 400) placed on the dash. The first 200 cars, and possibly the most desirable from a collectors perspective, were given the 5.8-litre, 351ci Cleveland V8 engine, while the other 200 received the smaller 4.9-litre, 302ci Cleveland V8. There were a couple of exceptions however – build number #1 sported a 302ci V8, while build number #351 was fitted, very appropriately, with a 351ci V8.

Cobras also came equipped with either automatic or manual transmissions as well as four-wheel disc brakes, limited slip axles, 15-inch Bathurst Globe wheels and front and rear spoilers. The interiors were fitted with sport leather seats in black with blue inserts.

Serial numbers #2 to #31 were known as Option 97, and received optional parts to allow homologation for racing, including twin thermostatically controlled fans, engine oil cooler and racing seats.

These cars were easily identifiable from the other 370 Option 96 Cobras by a large rear-opening bulge in the hood, as raced by Allan Moffat at the 1978 Bathurst 1000.

As with the GT-HOs, although not quite as valuable, Falcon Cobras are still highly revered by collectors across Australia and most still exist and pristine examples can fetch as much as AU$100,000 plus.

Our Favourite Falcons #3 – Falcon TE50 and TS50

Tickford and Ford operated a joint venture company called Tickford Vehicle Engineering, formed in 1991, to design, develop and manufacture an exciting range of options and models based on the mainstream Ford vehicles in Australia.

There was little doubt that, in the early stages, HSV was giving Ford’s performance cars a severe pounding in the sales race, thanks to their Chevrolet-derived 5.7-litre V8.

Tickford Vehicle Engineering’s plan was to intercept partly assembled Fords and add its own special touch to them by modifying the engine, brakes, suspension, wheels, tires, interior and exterior.

Tickford began local development on an old version of the Windsor 5.0-litre V8 engine, adding a longer-throw crankshaft, billet conrods, lightweight pistons with fully floating pins, specific Tickford heads and cam, a newly cast intake plenum, and a 82mm throttle body that stretched capacity to a much more marketable 5.6-litres. This development devoured more than a few Ford dollars, but ultimately the new 5.6-litre Windsor V8 took some beating.

Moving to upper end of the market were the T-Series models, the Falcon XR8-based TE50 and the Fairmont Ghia-based TS50, both marketed under the FTE name. FTE standing for Ford Tickford Experience. The FTE T Series models (1999 to 2002) featured special 5.6-litre engine – with the name of the individual engine-builders being commemorated on an engraved plaque attached to the engines each had hand-built.

The Tickford suspension tune gave the car impressive road manners for such a big vehicle. The Heavy Duty Tremec five-speed manual gearbox was considered to be heavy and noisy but buyers could opt for the automatic gearbox featuring Adaptive Shift and Electronic Sports Shift including steering wheel mounted controls. Stopping power comes courtesy of 329mm vented and grooved front discs with twin-piston calipers and 287mm grooved rear discs, with ABS. For more vigorous drivers, a superb optional AU$5350 Brembo package was available featuring massive 355mm front discs and 330mm rears, all cross-drilled and ventilated with four-piston calipers.

In addition to the standard sports suspension, an optional package including Koni shock absorbers with variable rate rear springs, a retuned front stabilizer bar and a 7mm lower ride height was available.

On the road the car was capable of trotting around the suburbs using just third and fourth gears most of the time, but once the engine was stirred into action it really started to hammer along, with performance every bit equal to the oppositions HSV.

On today’s market, a TE50 with the big engine can easily fetch around $20,000 to $30,000 mark, possible more if it’s fully optioned. The higher specified TS50 can fetch as much as $40,000 in its final, Series 3 form, which was also considered to be the AU Falcon’s finest hour.

Words: Ashley Webb Photos: NZCC Archive

This article is from NZ Classic Car issue 236. Click here to check it out.

One word – Bathurst – instantly conjures up images of decades of nail-biting battles between the two Aussie archrivals, Ford and Holden. In fact, Bathurst was the inspiration behind Ford’s decision to produce such a car as the famous GT Falcon.

During the early years of the ‘great race’ the annual 500-mile event at the mountain road course of Mount Panorama attracted countless entrants driving virtually every known variety of foreign and domestic car, including the very first purpose-built local Ford ‘race’ car, the Cortina GT500. However, in 1967 Ford was keen to promote its current Falcon XR model which, for the first time for an Australian Falcon, was available with a V8 engine. Ford set about planning something rather different. The rest, as they say, is history, as the GT Falcon reigned supreme at ‘the mountain’ during the ensuing years, and was involved in some of the most heavily fought tussles in the event’s history.

Between the years of 1969 and 1973 these mighty machines had a huge impact on the Australian touring car scene, when a young up and coming driver, Allan Moffatt, got behind the wheel of the Phase 1, 2, and 3 GT-HOs, firing up the imagination of Ford fans throughout Australasia as he took the laurels at Bathurst in 1970 and 1971.

Today, some of these rare beasts – primarily the Falcon XYGT-HO Phase III – are highly sought after and regarded as Australia’s greatest ever muscle cars.

The XA GT

Introduced in March 1972, the Falcon XA GT was actually the first Australian-designed Ford, and the GT version was a much more refined car than its tarmac-shredding predecessors, which were designed primarily as road-going race cars rather than true grand tourers. The XA’s launch also marked the return of the Falcon hard-top, and the streamlined yet bulging shape of the Falcon made this coupé the sexiest Australian car ever. The XA was also the largest Falcon to roll out of Ford Australia’s Broadmeadows plant, sporting arguably the boldest styling yet with its uniquely vented, albeit non-functional, front guards and twin bonnet scoops. Unfortunately for Ford, the XA GT had shed some of the basic, unrefined appeal that had endeared the earlier XR-XY GT models to the public. It wasn’t as if the XA GT was any less potent in terms of straight out muscle, on the contrary the XA GTs were unquestionably good cars but, although fitted with the same intoxicating 5.8-litre (351ci) Cleveland V8, they appeared to be not as fast.

However, Ford had ‘Plan B’ on the back-burner in the shape of the four door XA Phase IV. Sadly for Ford and its passionate fans, a surge of negative media hysteria regarding 257kph (160mph) supercars – fanned by party-pooping politicians who merely saw such cars as a road-rage weapons – led to the cancellation of Ford’s new missile.

Interestingly enough, regardless of the public’s perception of the XA GT’s performance, in racing hardtop guise it remains the only Falcon to win twice at Bathurst. In 1973 Ford replaced the cancelled the Phase IV GT-HO Falcon, of which only four vehicles exist, with the XA GT RPO 083, only producing 131 sedans and 129 coupés. Surprisingly, these cars came on to the market without fuss or controversial advertising claims, and only those people in the know were aware of its existence. Not so now of course, a XA GT RPO 083 is the next best thing for any astute collector to have parked beside that Phase III XY GT-HO Falcon.

Boyhood Dream

As a youngster, Kevin McGovern remembers sitting on the side of the road for hours with his cousins and friends, watching cars drive past and reading hot rod magazines. He would often paint posters of his dream cars, and recalls attending a school reunion at Tokoroa High School to discover a picture of a MkI Escort rally car he’d painted was still hanging on the wall, much to his surprise.

When Kevin left school he seemed destined to work in the automotive industry, and started his career as an apprentice parts assistant at a Te Awamutu Ford dealership. Kevin really enjoyed his job, but knew deep down that it wasn’t the right career path for him. Two years later, he answered an advertisement for a sales cadet at Grange Motors, the Tokoroa Ford dealership, and began his sales career and passion for Fords in 1974.

His job description, as he remembers there being such a thing, was about as broad ranging as the Ford dealership could make it. Kevin lent his hand to just about anything; including sweeping floors and performing all sorts of odd jobs. He was just happy to work under what he considered to be ‘real salesmen’ in those days. Kevin reckons that these guys taught things you just couldn’t learn from books and, unfortunately, people like this just aren’t around any more.

As time went on Kevin started selling new Fords, and clearly recalls the first Kelly Green XA Falcon he ever sold, which went for just under $4500. He went on to sell LTDs, Landaus, Fairlanes, GT Falcons and every other Ford product on offer for the next four years. Then, one night while locking up the gates, the sales manager from the local Holden dealership stopped and made him an offer he just couldn’t refuse. Kevin responded by saying that he was getting married the following week and couldn’t possibly take on a new job, however, it wasn’t a problem, and the Mc Governs set off on their honeymoon in a yellow Chevette hatchback courtesy of Ebbett Motors.

As far as Kevin was concerned, the move to Ebbett was a good one, because it had dealerships all over the Waikato area and sales were plentiful to say the least, his motto being, “We worked hard, played hard and made lots of money.” Kevin adds that back then, Ebbett Tokoroa was selling as many cars as it was from its Hamilton Branch. In those days Tokoroa was a booming town with several thousand Kinleith Mill wage packets pouring into the area every week, not only boosting the local economy, but also nudging the population to almost ‘city’ status. In the southern Waikato area alone there were no fewer than 18 licensed motor dealers during the early ’80s and, as Kevin points out, “You could buy anything from a new Mini to a Mercedes-Benz right here in Tokoroa.”

The Blue Oval

As the flow-on effect from a tightening economy hit the Waikato region, Tokoroa’s booming motor industry was decimated as the town’s major employer, Grange Motors, closed and Ebbett retrenched its satellite branches in the late ’80s.

About six years after joining Ebbett, Kevin received a call from John Sharplin, who announced that he was starting a new Ford dealership in Tokoroa. John had done his homework, searching for the best salesman in town, and Kevin McGovern was the person John sought to take up the role as sales manager of the newly formed John Sharplin Ford dealership.

With this move Kevin returned to his Ford heritage and, from a start up staff of six, the dealership was soon employing over 20 people, selling up to 35 new and used vehicles a month in what Kevin describes as, “Very vibrant days in the motor industry.”

After working as sales manager for John Sharplin Ford for 10 years, the dealership finally closed its doors, making everyone redundant. Kevin and his wife, Dianne, placed everything on the line, including every last cent, to start their own business – Kevin McGovern Motors – in 1992. Naturally, there have been good, and not so good years during that time, but McGovern Motors has survived and Kevin reckons it’s because there are three things that matter to a used car customer as they approach a yard; “The price, the conditions and me.” This philosophy has served him well over the years, as he loves to sell cars and meet people, many of whom return year after year to replace their cars.

Of course, Kevin retains his genuine passion for cars, especially anything displaying the blue Ford oval – which brings us to our featured Falcon XA GT.

In 1993, Kevin answered an advertisement detailing the sale of this Falcon which, at that time, had travelled only 33,000 genuine, original miles (53,108km). The timing was wrong, the price far exceeded Kevin’s budget, but it was the car of his dreams and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. He forgot about his budget and grabbed it with both hands. In 17 years of ownership, this magnificent example has travelled a mere 6437km (4000 miles) under Kevin’s stewardship and has been used for both Kevin’s children’s weddings. On rare occasions, he has also taken close friends children to school balls in the Falcon and he has attended four All Ford Days, taking out top honours three times.

Looking at this car, it’s like stepping back in time; it’s original in every respect – including the tyres, yes, they’re now almost 40 years old!

Kevin acknowledges there are some beautiful examples of the various Falcon GTs out there, but his car is basically as it rolled out of the Lyon Ford showroom in Glenfield, Auckland, on November 2, 1972. He regrets that the car has spent virtually its entire life tucked away out of sight, and would like one day for it to be on display for others to enjoy and appreciate.

That task may be left up to Kevin’s son, Scott, who according to Kevin is New Zealand’s biggest Ford fan and will probably, one day, end up as custodian of this wonderful slice of Ford history.

1972 Falcon XA GT – Specifications

Engine: Cleveland V8
Capacity: 5752cc (351ci)
Bore/stroke: 102x89mm
Valves: Two valves per cylinder/ ohv
Compression Ratio: 11.0:1
Max power: 224kW (300bhp) at 5400rpm
Max torque: 515Nm (380lb/ft) at 3400rpm
Fuel system: Four barrel 605cfm Autolite carburettor
Transmission: Four speed all synchro manual
Suspension F/R: Independent – coil springs/ Hotchkiss type with leaf springs
Steering: Recirculating ball, optional power assist
Brakes: Power assisted disc front/drum rear
Dimensions:
O/all length: 4808mm
Width: 1969mm
Wheelbase: 2819mm
Track F/R: 1524/ 1524mm
Kerb weight: 1587kg
Performance:
Max speed 193kp/h
0-100kph 8.1 seconds
Standing 1/4 mile 15.8 seconds

Words: Ashely Webb Photos: Adam Croy

This article is from NZ Classic Car issue 236. Click here to check it out.

During the 1965 model year Mustang (20 months from April 1964), Ford sold a record 680,989 Mustangs (excluding 562 Shelbys) in the three body styles featured here. Although not all were in the same matching shade of Silver Blue.

Although the 1955-’57 Thunderbird outsold Chevrolet’s Corvette by a considerable margin, it was something of a sales disappointment to finance man, Robert F McNamara, Ford’s new general manager. As a result, the Thunderbird became a full four-seater in 1958 and sales doubled – then doubled again in 1959.

Lee Iacocca applied those same lessons when, in the mid ’60s, he gave us the Mustang, which has been likened to the original Thunderbird but with two extra seats.

The four-seater capability was also one of the main reasons why my wife, Ann, chose to buy an early Mustang, rather than a Corvette we looked over. The Mustang is a much more practical proposition for everyday use.

Daily Driver

Our first thoughts on the consideration of a classic as a daily driver came about 18 months ago, after seven years living in UK – during which time Ann had owned two newish cars and kissed goodbye to two thirds of her money at each sale time. On the ’plane on the way home we discussed her options and I suggested she follow my example and buy a nice ‘Sunday’ car (rather like my Bentley Turbo-R, which featured in NZ Classic Car in December 2008) and a practical cheapie for a daily driver – perhaps an ’88 Falcon panel van on LPG. She liked the idea of the nice classic, but got a bit huffy about the idea of doing most of her driving in something that requires a few extra prayers at WoF time.

Of course, any daily driver needs parts and service back-up and both are well provided, quickly and efficiently, by The Mustang Centre – and the Canterbury Mustang Owners’ Club has to be one of the most active and enthusiastic car clubs anywhere.

We’d driven a few early Mustangs, but I knew Ann would own her ’65 Notchback as soon as I saw it. It was a rust-free six-cylinder Texas car (having been built in San Jose, California and delivered in Houston) and still bore all the tell-tale signs that suggested to an experienced panel beater that it had never hit so much as a parking meter. The car had a new interior kit as the Texas sun had fried the original, and the paint had been freshened – it’s not perfect, but it gives the impression of a nice unmolested factory original car, down to the four-stud 13-inch wheels with original full wheel trims.

Thumbs Up

On our first big trip away with the Mustang club, Ann’s little six quit just short of Kurow. The problem was quickly diagnosed and, while a 4.7-litre (289ci) V8 could have been fixed then and there, the six required towing into town before we could find all the required parts (coil, condenser and points – Chevrolet ones!) on the shelf in a country gas station. Mind you, a modern car full of electronics wouldn’t have been fixed inside an hour at a cost of $62.50!

The tow, incidentally, was Ann’s first experience of travelling that way. The tow rope was so short she couldn’t see it at all, and the tow car was a Mustang that had been the recipient of a top dollar restoration. The likely results of a panic stop didn’t bear thinking about!

Ann just loves her Mustang, and the public seems to as well. Everywhere she goes complete strangers smile, wave and give her the thumbs up, and whenever she gets out of it there’s always somebody with a nice comment – everyone from kids, too young to drive, to little old ladies and the entire social spectrum in between. We’ve even found complimentary notes under the wiper. She has never had a car that’s given her as much enjoyment – and the bonus for me is that she never complains when I fuel up my Bentley, because she now knows the fun of driving a classic.

Martin’s Mustang Convertible

While Ann’s car appears factory standard, Martin Todd’s actually is (apart from the Cragar wheels he bolted on recently – he still has the originals though, complete with the 14-inch full wheel covers similar to Ann’s 13s).

The warranty form in Martin’s original handbook tells us his Mustang was made during the 1965 model year at the Dearborn plant, and the body style is a 1965-’66 convertible with a 2v (4.7 litre) V8 motor – all of which is obvious just by looking at the car, but it’s nice to know it left the factory that way. It was sold new by Borcher Ford of Dayton, Ohio (by Mr Borcher himself, no less) to a Dale Mengle, who traded it back to Borcher in 1969.

The second owner used it for a year or two before putting it in dry storage for 25 years. His job moved him around the country quite a bit and, at the time, a five-year-old-plus Mustang wasn’t worth selling or moving around with him.

In 2007, after he retired, he put an advert in his local paper, little realising that the advert would go worldwide on the internet. A Kiwi knocked on his door, bought the car and shipped it home. Having seen it I have no doubt he was happy with his purchase, but it had to be sold on last year to fund his wife’s new kitchen – you should’ve knocked her on the head, mate, you’d have been out in 10 years! And where will that end? Next she’d have been wanting a new bathroom and then curtains and carpets.

Never mind! The Mustang’s original importer’s loss was Martin’s gain – and he’s been enjoying the car ever since. He loves the fact that it’s totally original, even down to the runs in the paint on the underside of the bonnet – which were once criticised by a judge during a show. Apparently, the judge was unimpressed by Martin’s assertion that they were factory original Ford runs, put there in a Ford assembly plant by a Ford employee wearing Ford overalls, using Ford equipment and possibly humming the company song, and should therefore be marked up as a nod towards total originality.

And no, I don’t think the company song is “Lord, Mr Ford, what have you done?”

Of course, this story also illustrated that early Mustangs were a cheap car, one that was banged together as quickly as possible by a disinterested workforce and frequently had obvious imperfections. A perfect one should be viewed with suspicion – although Martin’s door shuts are straight and even (if not all the same). This car must have been put together on a Wednesday under the personal supervision of the plant manager.

Unlike Ann’s six (auto, push-button radio and full wheel trims), Martin’s convertible has a whole heap of the usual options (289, auto, push-button radio, power steering and hood) and a few less usual options: reversing lights, electric windscreen washers and a driver’s door mirror that can be controlled with a toggle inside the car – imagine that in 1965! All in perfectly good working order too.

What did he pay for it? Dunno – he wouldn’t tell me.

Brian’s Mustang Fastback

Brian’s Fastback started life in the San Jose plant on September 30, 1965 destined for an Los Angeles dealer. It was originally painted Ivy Green and powered by a 4v (4.7 litre) V8 running through a C4 auto.

In 1997, Brian’s neighbour, Martin (not our convertible owner), had bought it (in partnership with a mate) through an Old Car Trader advert in the US. It was advertised as a solid car but in need of a full restoration. The following year the vehicle arrived in New Zealand and the pair got stuck into it but, unfortunately, there were some financial difficulties that could only be solved by selling the project on. When Brian first saw the Mustang, it was in 5000 bits with the body, sandblasted and primed, mounted on a rotisserie and it’d been sold. Bugger!

By 2000 dust had gathered, cobwebs appeared and the sale had fallen through so, at long last, the project found a home in Brian’s garage and, once the initial excitement had worn off, the reality of the mammoth task ahead struck home. Brian happily admits that he’s “not overly mechanically minded” so the next six years were a steep learning curve, the gradient of which was mainly determined by the amount of money in the car slush fund.

Brian hasn’t named everyone who helped with his rebuild, saying that there are “a lot of good people out there who have a lot of knowledge (who) contributed to this restoration,” and he appreciates all the help and advice he was given. He does single out his friend, neighbour and technical advisor, Martin, for special mention though. Martin put in many hours and gave his advice freely as Brian worked through the myriad of problems that developed during the restoration. The path between their properties is well worn.

The rebuild didn’t go smoothly, and Brian learned some valuable lessons on the way, such as not to choose tradesmen on price alone. It’s best to find people who take pride in their work and are prepared to go the extra mile to make it right. Paying again to fix a ‘cheap’ job is an awfully expensive way of doing it.

Orderly Queue

Brian spent many hours rebuilding his car the way he wanted (just cleaning bolts so they could be detailed took countless hours, but had to be done so he could be satisfied that the job had been done to his high standard), and he doesn’t give a toss about purists in search of imperfections or anything that isn’t the way they would have done it. He likes it just the way it is – and actually, if anyone out there would like to own this car, can you please form an orderly queue behind me – but not just yet please, Brian, not until Ann’s got her new kitchen. And the bloody bathroom – and the carpets – and the drapes!

Multi-tasking Mustangs

When I set out to put this article together I just thought it’d be neat to see a photo-set featuring one of each of the three body variations the early Mustang was available in – all in the same colour and in nice, tidy and original condition.

It never occurred to me just how different the paths could be that brought these three cars together from the factories in San Jose and Dearborn to this photo-shoot in this place and time.

One stored and kept in original factory condition, one used car that’s been tidied a little and destined to go round the clock a few more times before anyone even thinks about retiring it, and one ugly duckling that’s been through the grinder and emerged a beautiful swan.

But perhaps that’s the beauty of the classic Mustang – it’s simple and practical enough to be pressed into daily use and, for pretty much the same reasons, these cars are also great ‘club day’ cars or, dare I say it, charismatic show ponies.

Words: Malcolm Graham Photos: Sean Craig

This article is from NZ Classic Car issue 233. Click here to check it out.

Gerard unravels the creation and racing history of the original Custaxie, undoubtedly one of New Zealand’s most famous race cars.

Hard charging young Auckland saloon racer Robbie Francevic’s career was at the crossroads by early 1966. A consummately talented natural driver and a supremely confident, strong-willed individual, he was only handicapped by the lack of access to a machine that had the potential to win, and the cash to create it.

He established himself in the early 1960s in a Humber 80 – courtesy the Francevic family car – which he built into a formidable track racer. Robbie quickly marked himself as a young man to watch, with an aggressively combative driving style and self promotion to match. However, his resources were limited and he was still learning how to set up a race car.

Faced with the king of the Humber racing crowd, Dennis Marwood, Robbie was forced to mainly play second fiddle. He moved into an Anglia, the legacy of a kind benefactor in 1964, but he was still largely playing catch-up. This was the era of the Lotus twin-cam-powered Cortinas of Paul Fahey and Kerry Grant, along with the Zephyr-Corvette of Rod Coppins – they were the class acts of the saloon field. Robbie’s pushrod Anglia, while fast, was not in the league to deal with these elite racers.

By 1966, he was beginning to run out of options. He needed a Lotus twin-cam motor to install in the Anglia if he was to develop that car into a potential frontrunner. These engines weren’t cheap, and there was no likely donor on the horizon.

Just when it seemed that the cupboard was empty, of either a potential new car or an engine for the coming season, at the last gasp, so to speak, Robbie had a breakthrough. Through his engineer mate, Tony Kriletich, he located a super-strong 6997cc (427ci) Ford Galaxie ‘wedge’ competition engine. The gods of speed, it seemed, had finally bestowed a gift of generous proportions! The motor belonged to speedboat racers Peter and Glenn Urquhart. A deal was done to borrow the big V8 for a season, in exchange for Robbie’s car carrying sign-writing advertising Urquharts’ Coventry Motors company.

This ballistic mill, of course, was simply not going to be compatible with Robbie’s Anglia – plainly a new car was required, and quickly. It was already the mid-winter of 1966, and the new season was just four or five months away.

The Custaxie is Born

The creation of the new car, constructed under two relentless taskmasters – Tony Kriletich and Francevic – was to be a triumph of improvisation and cunning. Masterminded by Tony and built by a horde of friends under a house in Surrey Crescent, Grey Lynn, it remains the most devastatingly successful Allcomer racing saloon ever built – with the possible exception of Dave Simpson’s Lotus Anglia, which won all the championship rounds the previous season bar the Grand Prix meet.

A 1955 Ford Customline was acquired after efforts to appropriate Francevic senior’s ’62 Ford Fairlane came to nought. After the Humber 80 interlude, Robbie’s dad wasn’t going to be caught out twice! The matching of the Customline with the mighty Galaxie V8 would create the ‘Custaxie.’

It was a race against time to build a new car from scratch which would be completed ready to turn up on the grid at Renwick (Marlborough), in November 1966, for the opening championship encounter.

Operation Custaxie’s first objective was shedding weight. The heavy Customline’s outer panels were disposed of and a new skin of light aluminium wherever possible was fabricated. A new nose was built from a plaster-of-Paris mould over chicken wire. This mould was then used to make a fibreglass wedge front end, though finding someone to accomplish this process – at the time a cutting-edge innovation – proved to be something of a nightmare.

The team had to retain the Ford’s heavy chassis, but it assiduously removed everything that was deemed to be superfluous while developing the car’s suspension set-up – handling, getting all the 427’s power down and braking being the main focus. The result was a car that finally tipped the scales at less than 1270kg.

The engine was mounted through the firewall for better weight distribution, while the development of the car’s suspension – which incorporated the fitment of the widest possible rubber within the original width of the wheel track as demanded by regulations –was an engineering Everest. New axles and suspension links had to be fabricated to create this, as the wheels had to effectively be brought inwards. Fitted with a Jaguar 3.8 limited slip differential, Panhard rods and twin Koni adjustable shocks, the Custaxie’s suspension was right at the cutting edge with regards to present racing technology. Robbie himself would later say, “The twin Koni adjustables – that was big time.”

This intricate engineering feat was the crowning glory of the car’s set-up. It really was a sports sedan born nearly 10 years before its time.

The basement of the Surrey Crescent house was the nerve centre of operations. Nightly, a crew of mates – under the command of Tony and Robbie – slaved over the car. Many years later, Robbie would recall these days fondly.

Renwick Debut

The Custaxie’s big-block ran twin four-barrel Holleys, and although it produced huge torque, the V8 was not highly modified in the interests of reliability. The engine was blue-printed, with the heads ported and polished. A 30/70 cam with 520 thou’ lift was installed and bolted to a Borg Warner T10 ’box, operated via a Hurst floor-shift. Robbie reckoned they had about 373kW (500hp) on tap at 7000rpm.

However, time was running out, with round one of the championship trail bearing down on them – the opening round set for November 1966 at the tight Renwick road circuit. The car wasn’t quite ready, as Robbie later recalled, but the Custaxie made it to the starting grid – albeit minus the limited slip differential and with roughly painted numbers on its doors.

At Renwick, Francevic was faced with one of the most exciting line-ups of opponents. It was the final, almost legendary season (1966/’67) of Allcomer racing. Robbie’s two frontline enemies all season would be Jack Nazer and Paul Fahey. Nazer’s wildly modified, fastback Lotus Anglia was honed to a razor’s edge of performance, while Fahey opened the season with the ominous arrival of his professionally-built 1966 Shelby Mustang – a car many onlookers speculated would be something of a lethal weapon.

At the outset, the Francevic/Kriletich-created Custaxie looked to be an outsider, in with a chance but definitely not the favourite. However, it seems the opposition simply underestimated the effectiveness of the Custaxie, and Robbie’s talent in driving this fearsome beast.

As well, it is worth mentioning some of the bit-players competing in that final season; Clyde Collins (Lotus Farina), Frank Radisich (Lotus Anglia), John Ward and Rod Coppins (Lotus Anglia), John Miller (Dauphine-Chev) and Ron Sylvester (’38 Chevrolet coupé) – especially as it was commonly believed prior to this season that a good small car had the legs over the V8-powered cars on tighter circuits.

At Renwick Robbie finished a good second to Nazer, who was in commanding form on a circuit seemingly tailor-made for his car. Without the LSD, Robbie had no chance of getting on terms with Nazer’s flying Anglia, though a second placing ahead of Fahey’s Shelby was a great confidence booster for the fledgling Custaxie team.

Colour Me Gone

The second and third rounds were at Pukekohe, and Fahey held the ascendancy there, winning both rounds. Still without the LSD, Francevic had to give best at this December encounter and again at the Grand Prix meet even though, by that latter race, the Custaxie was now fitted with the LSD. Alas, any advantage Francevic may have gained was negated when the heavens opened – the team simply didn’t have any rain tyres. Another second place was the outcome, with Nazer taking out third spot.

However, the car was now completely finished, with Robbie having spent Christmas Day sign-writing the beast in his basement garage – while family and friends were partying above.

That rain-washed race at Pukekohe would be the last time that any of Francevic’s challengers snapping at the rear of ‘Le Monstre’ (as some French tourists dubbed the car) would get any other view than the ‘Colour Me Gone’ logo on the Custaxie’s tail.

“It was one way traffic for the rest of the season,” Robbie said. “We won 23 straight after that – but it was closer than it looked.” Indeed, some of those races went right down to the wire.
Robbie – “We didn’t have that much power, plus a heavy chassis and the Jaguar brakes were marginal at times.”

The Custaxie tended to be very good on the tighter circuits, courtesy of the immense torque of the mighty motor, but its handling at Wigram’s fast, sweeping corners was not so flash! Robbie was fortunate to beat Jack Nazer here, after an altercation in the preliminary. Minor damage was repaired and Francevic held on to win the feature race.

Paul Fahey had a determined go at the Teretonga round, moving in to challenge Francevic, before losing the Mustang at the Loop and disappearing from the race in a cloud of tyre smoke.

The Custaxie’s brakes caused the only mishap of the season, at a minor Levin meeting. They locked solid and the Custaxie ploughed on into an earth bank at high speed. The resultant damage necessitated a complete rebuild – finished in a single week.

Many years later, ruminating on that 1966/’67 season, Robbie would say – “She was ultimately unbeatable!”

The Custaxie’s final run would be a half-hour feature race at Pukekohe in March 1967 – which coincided nicely with the first motor race meeting I attended. The image of the low, wedge-nosed projectile burned a powerful image into my brain that day as Robbie held out Fahey to win after a close tussle. The Custaxie was overheating towards the end of the race and only just made the chequered flag.

However, there was no sentimentality once the victorious season was over. For the record, Robbie won the NZ Championship with 61 points to Nazer’s 37. Fahey had earned 31 points.

The Custaxie – which only raced one season before obsolescence – has since passed into history as one of the most celebrated examples of successful Kiwi motor sport ingenuity. A truly legendary car.

An Ignominious Ending

Francevic’s eyes were already on the next season and, accordingly, the Custaxie was now redundant. The good gear was stripped out and the car went onto the sales lot at Coventry Motors, being subsequently sold to Norm Shepherd for $300. Shepherd ran the car on the road, powered with a side-valve V8 and a three-speed transmission. However, he soon tired of it, and it was next spotted on a car lot in Mt Eden around 1970. Later that year it appeared at the Wiri drag races held in South Auckland, driven by a character named Smokey Thompson. By this time, the Custaxie was looking very tatty and carried the logo ‘Smoka’ on its flanks.

After this, the Custaxie dropped from sight and rumours abounded – the most popular being that it had been dumped into a landfill, though this was never substantiated. Many have gone looking for this famous racer, but all leads proved to be a dead end. Just what happened to this most iconic saloon racer remains a mystery for many years and, until recently, it seemed likely that the Custaxie was simply a casualty of the era, an obsolete race-car stripped of its jewels and put out to pasture.

However, this iconic race-car may have been down – but it wasn’t yet out for the count!

Words: Gerard Richards Photos: Sean Craig Motorsport Photos: Groundsky Photography & Terry Marshall

This article is from NZ Classic Car issue 231. Click here to check it out.

For whatever reason – muscular styling, sheer brute force or, perhaps, the image of ‘those Yanks’ taking on the urbane Europeans and kicking ass – the AC Cobra is one of the most desirable cars on the planet. It is also one of the most replicated shapes in automotive history, rivalled only by Chapman’s Lotus 7. Their immense value has precluded our featuring any of the three original ’60s Cobras currently in New Zealand, but we collected together three cars which either have strong Kiwi connections and/or extremely good lineage to the original Cobra

In a more normal world the hand-beaten alloy body of Rogan Hampson’s Cobra FIA 289 replica would have a more traditionally finished appearance. However, run your eyes over the car’s polished alloy body and every seam and every weld is immediately evident. Look closer and you can see a genuine expression of the craftsman’s art – observe how each separate panel has been formed, and how each separate part of the body has been assembled. In a lesser car, these seams and joins would have been carefully filled, sanded smooth and covered in paint.

However, quite appropriately, Rogan has decided to leave his Cobra’s bodywork in its raw state – appropriate because it gifts the car with a singular immediacy that perfectly fits most enthusiasts’ perception of a Cobra. This is one bad-ass of a car!

And, if you thought the car’s exterior was tough and dangerous, you really know you’re in trouble the moment you climb into the Cobra’s cramped cockpit and kick the 289 into snarling life. With the V8 growling up front and your hands grasping the thin-rimmed wood-rim steering wheel, you are quickly put in touch with the awakened beast. The thin alloy body panels twitch and vibrate, while the messages sent to your fingers via the steering wheel remind you of nothing less than those of an angry animal rattling the bars of its cage. Even before you depress the clutch and feed the stubby gear lever into first the palms of your hands begin, unaccountably, to sweat – and the Cobra was still only idling!

MIND BOGGLINGLY EXPENSIVE

Original Cobras now command absolutely mind-boggling sums, despite being difficult to sell when new, with most having once been available at some point in their career at near junk value. Most original Cobras were bought to serve as competition cars and, like all cars of that ilk, after a year or two they became uncompetitive and were discarded. Road-going Cobras were being sold at a time when all the other sports car manufacturers were meeting demand by turning their sports cars into much more sophisticated Grand Tourers. Indeed, AC tried just that with the gorgeous AC 428. It is hard to imagine that at one time a Cobra was simply undesirable.

To make things complicated, the original cars which we would all recognise as Cobras were known under a number of different titles, and one could look very different to another, yet still be a ‘real’ Cobra.

The reason for the different names is mainly down to a fundamental disagreement throughout the car’s life as to who owned the rights to the design, concept, finance and the Cobra name. This makes things either very easy or very difficult for the replicaters, depending on whether they are just going for a ‘look’ or whether they want to replicate a particular vehicle – bearing in mind that being virtually hand-built, each Cobra could have subtle differences.

CONTENTIOUS LINEAGE

The reason the Cobra’s lineage is so contentious is that, as a car, it was never really ‘designed’, but evolved to fit the needs of a number of companies and individuals with quite different agendas. One could not have been achieved without the other, but who should take the credit, who owns the rights to build so-called ‘original reproductions’, and who owns the right to name their cars Cobra has always been a bone of contention.

The main claimants are John Tojiero (who designed the original chassis, and many subsequent modifications), AC Cars of Thames-Ditton in England (which manufactured all but one or two of the original chassis), Carroll Shelby, (a Texan resident of California whose idea it was to put a large American engine into a lightweight chassis for racing), and the Ford Motor Company (which Shelby persuaded to finance the exercise in order to promote its sporting image).

There is one further individual, a completely unsung hero who, as far as I know, has never made a claim for paternity of the car, but without whom the Cobra almost certainly would never have happened. His name was Ernie Bailey.

At the time Bailey became involved with AC the Hurlock family – which owned AC (Automotive Carriages) – had no apparent desire to race its products, simply to make a living. Bailey, who owned a carriage works in Buckland, was trying to finish off an unloved AC Tourer body, and discovered the Hurlocks were becoming anxious that their elderly model range needed updating.

Bailey also knew John Tojeiro, who had built some Cooper-inspired tubular sports cars with aluminium bodies similar to the early Ferrari Barchettas. Bailey introduced the two parties, with Tojeiro showing his Lea-Francis-engined sports car to the AC Directors.

THE ACE

In 1953, Tojeiro and the Hurlocks agreed that AC should manufacture and sell the car with its own six-cylinder, 2.0-litre engine, and that Tojeiro should get a five pound royalty. AC employee Alan Turner refined the shape and the car became known as the AC Ace. Aside from later specials or the Daytona racing coupé, the basic shape of the Ace was never changed.

The AC engine was good enough at first, but as it turned 40 Ken Rudd, who had enthusiastically raced the AC Ace, suggested AC adopt the Bristol powerplant – as used successfully in many cars of the era, including the Cooper-Bristol. The Ace-Bristol soon became the staple product for the AC factory, leading to the Aceca coupé and some considerable competition success – notably in North America.

Although successful, the Ace-Bristol later faced extinction when Bristol ceased production in favour of an American V8. Ken Rudd decided that Ford Zephyr power would do the job for him in racing, and persuaded the factory to follow suit. This initiative led to the (Ruddspeed) RS2.6. AC designer Alan Turner lowered the bonnet line, courtesy of the lower Zephyr six, arriving at the frontal styling we all associate with the Cobra. Only 37 RS2.6 cars would be produced before Carroll Shelby made an appearance at Thames Ditton.

THE AMERICAN CONNECTION

Shelby had made a name for himself by partnering Roy Savadori in the winning Aston Martin at Le Mans in 1959, but a heart condition stopped his racing career soon after and he set up a speed shop in Venice, California.

At the time Ford was attempting to improve its competition image and Dave Evans, one of the head honchos at Ford, knew of Shelby’s ambitions to build a sports car, and suggested Shelby make a proposal to the Ford top brass.

Shelby looked to Europe for a car that would provide the basis for his ambitions. He was spurned by Healey which, no doubt, was quite happy with its arrangement with Austin, and instead Shelby hit upon the AC Ace.

Evans and Shelby subsequently tied up a deal in 1961 which would see Ford Credit pay AC for shipping a complete car to Dean Moon’s Venice workshop, where Shelby would use Ford’s new 3622cc (221ci) small block V8 to power his new creation. With significant reinforcements, but still using single transverse leaf springs fore and aft, the AC Cobra (Shelby’s name for his dream car) was born.

Only a wider track and squared-off wheel-arch extensions gave away the fact that a V8 now nestled under the AC’s bonnet. The Salisbury 4HU differential was kept, but the AC’s Moss ’box was replaced by a Ford US gearbox, and disc brakes were fitted all round. Before production started the Windsor V8 had already grown to 4261cc (260ci), and Shelby’s finishing facility was moved to Lance Reventlow’s ex-Scarab works.

Shelby lost no time in supplying the car to Road & Track and Sports Car Graphic, and used its exceptional road-test figures for his publicity blurb: 0-60mph in 4.0 seconds, standing quarter in 13.8 seconds. All this with one car completed!

CHANGING THE SCRIPT

Shelby all but left AC out of the script at the Cobra’s US launch, concentrating on his own efforts with the car. Worse, he took AC’s badges off the car, and replaced them with his own Cobra motif – overshadowing AC’s involvement. This was a portent of things to come and, whilst AC knew it was on to a good thing, it was irked by Shelby’s self-promotion at its expense. As a result, AC ensured all British-produced vehicles lost both the Shelby and Cobra names.

Shelby went racing straight away, planning to build a reputation aimed squarely at Corvette and Ferrari sports car domination. Pete Brock developed the Cobra, with a roll-over bar, air scoops, alloy wheels and rear wheel arch extensions. Bill Krause was first Cobra race driver, but Dave McDonald would log the Cobra’s first victory.

PRODUCTION CHANGES

Over in the UK, an AC-finished car was introduced to the British public in late 1962, whilst rack and pinion steering and a bigger radiator soon followed, along with another capacity hike to 4700cc (289ci).

Early Cobras have flat-sided wheel-arch lips, but after an abortive attempt at using Dunlop aluminium racing wheels, the trademark Halibrands became standard race ware, and the rear tyres soon started to outgrow the wheel arches.

As Shelby’s Cobras were built primarily with racing in mind, homologation within FIA rules was imperative, and this lead to the ‘FIA Cobra’ – our featured John Ohlsen-built car is a replica of this model Cobra.

Notable changes from the standard cars of the time were doors with wheel-arch cut-outs, bigger wheel arches front and rear, an extra inlet in the front lower valance, and a swage-line in the boot lid to accommodate an FIA-approved suitcase! Much of this work was done by New Zealander John Ohlsen in 1964.

A little later, Shelby realised the Cobra’s performance was limited on European tracks by lack of top speed due to poor aerodynamics. Pete Brock, John Ohlsen and driver Ken Miles developed a coupé version, later known as the Daytona, which bears little resemblance to the roadster. Several coupés were built (two in the UK and three in Italy), to slightly different designs, under Ohlsen’s instruction. The Daytona eventually won the FIA GT Championship and the GT class at Le Mans, and Shelby’s dream to beat Ferrari was complete. However, by this time the Cobras were being run by Alan Mann’s British racing team.

ON THE ROAD: OHLSEN FIA 289 COBRA REPLICA

Rogan Hampson’s car was started by John Ohlsen in 1986, and was intended for his own use. Alas, he never finished the car and its completion was later handled by Ivan Cranch, who undertook the car’s hand-beaten aluminium body. This car is known as an FIA 289 after the four race cars built to run in the FIA World GT Championships, all of which featured 289ci (4736cc) engines and transverse leaf suspension. Rogan’s car even features the FIA-suitcase indents in the boot and the cut-down doors made to clear the larger wheel arches.

The 4.7 litres of torquey V8 is a real handful in a car no bigger than an MGB, and it really gives you a taste of what it must have been like back in the ’60s when these transverse leaf-sprung Cobras were raced in anger. Tremendously fast and completely open to the elements, there are few experiences that can match driving a comparatively crude but powerful race-bred sports car on the open road.

Rogan’s Cobra is very long-legged, with fourth gear being rarely necessary on the road, as the engine revs freely and is gloriously loud. The cockpit is tiny, dominated by a huge steering wheel, with the gear shifter virtually behind you on the tunnel.

This Cobra feels as if it would be a real handful when extended, with immediate turn-in, and the possibility of the rear swinging round on you at any second. Whether at that point the car could be controlled on the throttle I wasn’t prepared to find out, but driving Rogan’s 289 sure gave me respect for anyone who pedals one of these cars competitively round a race circuit – as Rogan does.

COBRA MKII

The Mark II Cobra was inspired by Ford’s wish to fit an even larger, 7.0-litre (427ci) big-block engine. Shelby was unenthusiastic, having tried it before with disastrous results. However, with the lucrative GT40 programme being used as a carrot, Shelby did Ford’s bidding

Extra power and weight meant the original chassis was not up to the big-block, so it was re-engineered by AC’s Alan Turner to give increased torsional stiffness, with independent coil-over-shocks, wishbone suspension all round and an increased track.

The O/E big-block engine was a top oiler, and some had much cheaper and less effective 428s. The real performance V8 was the 427 side-oiler, which had cross-bolted main bearings – some even came with alloy heads.

Chris Amon did much of the development driving for the 427, as it needed to be quickly developed to allow the homologated 100 copies to be built.

Mark II Cobras are what most replicas are intended to look like – with huge rear arches, an oval air intake and bulging front wheel arches. These racing cars stood around without customers for a long time until dealer Charles Beidler suggested turning them into road cars. The 427SC (Semi Competition) became a legend, with lake-pipes, GT40 or Halibrand wheels and fearsome performance.

Once the SC bodies were used up, road cars had narrower rear arches, no bonnet scoop and Kelsey Hayes wheels. Mark IIs also lost the Rover-type rear lights in favour of round ones.

The Cobra body bucks and jigs, however, have been used by in the UK to produce the splendid reproduction SC which was next on our list.

ON THE ROAD: AC COBRA 427SC

To many, the 427SC is the best of all the Cobras. Interestingly, AC never completed the 427 SC at the time, as all the big-block cars were finished by Shelby in California.

One of the few cars in New Zealand that can lay claim to being a genuine AC Cobra, the car we drive here, was built by The AC Company in 2000, using many 1966 parts and formed in 16swg aluminium around a tubular space-frame using the original jigs and formers. Finished in Shelby’s racing colours, this Cobra came with a certificate of authenticity. Less than 40 cars a year are built, and the chassis numbers follow on directly from the original AC cars.

The 427SC was basically a homologation special which could not be sold to racing owners, and was therefore modified by Shelby for road use. This ‘detuning’ included adding a small lip around the wheel arch, lowering the compression ratio and fitting two 400CFM Holleys in place of one 750CFM. As well, bronze suspension bushes were replaced with rubber items.

Our featured car, however, has reverted to the 750 CFM carburettor. A real monster, this Cobra would have to be the ultimate sports car – a pure athlete. No frills, just oodles of grunt, skimpy bodywork and huge exhaust drain pipes running along the sills. By showing the burn mark on my ankle I can now claim membership of the SC driver’s club!

The noise and fury is simply unbelievable – and totally addictive. If ever a car was all mouth and trousers, this is it. Mind you, it also handles well and, whilst it would undoubtedly bite the foolhardy, the steering is extremely progressive and the car rides bumps well enough to keep firm control over direction. Unlike the FIA 289, the car is a progressive understeerer into corners, remaining flat and balanced until you dial in whatever oversteer you want with the throttle. A true thoroughbred.

THE AC 289 AND REPLICAS

Finally, AC in the UK made its own MkII coil-sprung road car with a 4.7-litre engine, and T10 gearbox. AC slighted Shelby by calling it the AC 289. The AC 289 featured wire wheels and narrower rear wings. This was probably the most civilised of all the Cobras, and possibly the best road car.

Back in the US, the Shelby Cobra legend petered out in the shadow of GT40 and, whilst AC followed up with the beautiful Frua-bodied 428, the UK company subsequently hit hard times – although it would later be resurrected on several occasions.

Since that time, many replicas have been made of the sensuous but brutal Cobra. So many, indeed, that Shelby, Ford and AC have failed in their attempts at damping down the procreation of illicit replicas.

ON THE ROAD: ALMAC COBRA 289 REPLICA

Keith Lane of East Tamaki’s Gearbox Shop has a superb, locally produced Almac Cobra. Alex McDonald, the brains behind Almac Cars, designed the car’s glass-fibre body and it is generally recognised as being of superb quality. Underneath the car is a Graham Berry-designed ladder frame, made specifically for the Almac.

Fixtures and fittings have all been sourced to represent, as closely as possible, the original AC design. It’s a very fitting tribute to the original Cobra, Keith having aimed at making a very quick but useable road car with clean lines reminiscent of the final AC 289.

Keith started the build in 1989, but it took until 1994 for the Triumph BRG-painted masterpiece to roll out under its own steam, provided by a 205kW (275bhp) 302 Windsor V8.

Using a Supra five-speed gearbox and Jaguar differential, Keith has built in adjustable sway bars, while NZ-made Halibrand replica wheels support 235-section Yokohama rubber. Good enough for a 14-second standing quarter, the car provides Keith with all the performance he needs – and unbeatable pose value.

The car is a real credit to Keith’s building skills, not only looking and sounding great, but being fully sorted in the driving department as well.

The Almac is very progressive to drive and, being a 302, feels slightly more delicate than the 427, but has the same basic handling characteristics.

SURROUND SOUND

Each of the Cobras we tested has a distinctive voice all of its own. Predictably, the 427SC was loudest, its huge side-oiler growling like a caged grizzly at rest and, when prodded, responding with an avalanche of noise as it smoked its way towards the rapidly approaching horizon.

By comparison, the 302-engined Almac sounded almost like a pussy-cat – muted, almost civilised but with a lovely, soft V8 wuffle.

However, the prize symphonic piece was provided by the 289 FIA. Somehow, there is no substitute for the sound of a properly race-tuned Ford 289 V8. Pitched well beyond the low, ominous rumble of the 427, and far meaner than the 302, the hard-edged sounds emitted by Rogan’s Cobra on full song send a delicious ripple right up your spine – simultaneously raising all the hairs on the back of your neck. You only need to experience that once to understand the attraction Shelby’s venomous snake still holds for lovers of fast, loud motoring machinery!

All told, not a bad day at the office!

JOHN OHLSEN – SNAKE CHARMER EXTRAORDINAIRE

John Ohlsen was born in Auckland in 1937 and became an apprentice panel beater, then an apprentice mechanic. Fascinated by the racing scene, John helped out with every racing project he could, including Stan Jones’ Maybach Special. He started building ultra-fast high boy specials and stock cars, but got to know many of the established overseas race stars, including Carroll Shelby, during their racing exploits in the NZ summer.

He decided to go to Europe and worked for Stirling Moss’ F1 team. He then headed to Italy with future Kiwi Lamborghini engineer Bob Wallace. As Maserati was ceasing its racing activities, John worked on some American racing projects, and then on the Sebring Sprites. By now somewhat of a motor sport gypsy, Ohlsen found himself working in the Venice workshops of Carroll Shelby, where he was drafted in to help with the Cobra operation.

John built the FIA Cobras, and the first Daytona coupé in 1963, thereafter being the person who was sent all over the world to oversee the build of the coupé replicas required for the 1964-’65 season.

As a mechanic for the team, John was badly burned in a pit accident, but after that Shelby gave John the chief mechanic’s job for the fledgling GT40 team.

In 1969 John returned to live in New Zealand with his wife, Jean, and with Shelby’s agreement built jigs to make replicas of the 289 in Onehunga. The first was completed in 1989, with many of the castings and mouldings formed by John in NZ, using original plans and his own first hand experience.

John died suddenly in 1998. His wife Jean, and son Paul, are still knowledgeable supporters of the Cobra fraternity in New Zealand.

Specifications

Car AC Cobra 289 FIA    AC 289 Replica (302)    AC 427 (Shelby S/C)
Length 2286mm    2286mm    2286mm
Track 1320mm    1371mm    1371mm
Chassis Tubular space frame    Ladder Frame    Tubular space frame
Body Hand beaten alloy    Glass fibre    Hand beaten alloy
Engine 4.7 litre V8    5.0 litre V8    7.0 litre V8
Power 270kW    270kW    425kW
Torque 270Nm    270Nm    400Nm
Brakes Disc    Disc    Disc
Suspension Transverse leaf    Coil over shock    Coil over shock

Words: Tim Nevison Photos: Sean Craig

This magnificent and extremely rare 1972 Mustang 5.8-litre 351 HO has been in the Telford family since 1983 and has been a faithful and reliable companion ever since.

This Mustang has virtually done everything, from towing horse floats and travelling to remote hunting trips to being a daily driver. It’s even been used around the family farm — and has never missed a beat.

Following the untimely death of Len Telford in 2008, his wife Jan and daughter Nicky decided the Mustang should definitely stay on as a family member, due to many years worth of fond memories.
In May 2009, Jan and Nicky commissioned Mustang gurus and restoration specialists Malcolm Sankey and Ian Kenyon, at Matamata Panelworks, to carry out a full nut-and-bolt restoration on the car. The restoration was complete almost a year later, in April 2010, and the result is absolutely stunning, as these pictures testify.

Jan and Nicky have their own special memories, not only of the car, but for Jan, fond memories of her late husband and the enjoyment the bright red Mustang brought to them. Nicky, of course, also retains memories of her late father and her special experiences with the car.

But before we read their special individual stories in their own words, let’s have a look back in time and see where this unique car sits in Mustang’s illustrious history.

The HO Mustangs

With only 398 cars built, the 1972 5.8-litre 351 HO (R-code) Mustang is one of the rarest, least understood classic Mustangs, yet for some reason the 1971-’73 Mustang has always been regarded as a poor cousin to the earlier 1969-’70 era cars that represent the epitome of the muscle car for many Ford fans. In fact, 1969 was a benchmark year for the Ford Mustang through production of performance names and engines. That year saw no less than six factory performance Mustang models — including the Boss 302, Boss 429, Shelby GT350, GT500 and the Mach 1. Additionally, nine variations of V8s were available in the 1969-’70 cars.

When Ford officially withdrew from the TransAm racing series after the 1970 season, the Boss 302 and Boss 429 Mustangs were discontinued and replaced by the bulkier, street-savvy Boss 351.

Ford’s new Mustang for 1971 was a much larger beast than previous models in almost every dimension and inherited the unfortunate nickname the ‘Clydesdale.’

The 1971 Mach 1 was offered with a base 4.9-litre (302ci) Windsor V8 engine complete with tame two-barrel carburettor. However, all was not lost, and when a buyer decided to up-spec the engine department a whole raft of options were available by just ticking the right boxes.

The line-up of engines was fairly impressive and included four 5.8-litre 351 Cleveland engines: the 2-V, 4-V, the CJ (Cobra Jet) and HO (Boss 351). Ford cancelled the HO midway through 1971 and replaced it with a low-compression 351 Cobra Jet. For those wanting even more power two 7.0-litre (429ci) options, the CJ (Cobra Jet) and SCJ (Super Cobra Jet), were on offer.

Just to confuse the punters even further, Ford decided that not only the Mach 1, but all other Mustang models (except the Boss 351) would be optionally available with the CJ and SCJ motors. The SCJ was undoubtedly the cream of the crop and came standard with a drag pack, offering ‘V’ or ‘W’ code rear gears, an oil cooler and a different rotating assembly. The 429 Super Cobra Jet engines used a Holley four-barrel carburettor, while the Cobra Jet engines sufficed with a GM-sourced Rochester Quadra-Jet four-barrel carburettor.

Externally, there wasn’t a lot of difference between the 1971 and 1972 Mustangs, although seasoned spotters could tell the difference just by looking at the boot lid, which had ‘MUSTANG’ lettering running the full width on 1971 models.

Unfortunately, the 1972 Mustang represented everything that you couldn’t get anymore, namely power. The 429 engines were given the heave-ho, as was the Boss 351, and the remaining units were all detuned to reduce emissions — which, of course, meant less power.

Ford did, however, have one final gasp at’ 60s tyre-shredding performance — albeit rather tame by comparison — by offering the rare 351 HO (R-code) engine option. This engine was quite literally a detuned, low compression version of the 1971 Boss 351 V8 unit, rated at 205kW (275bhp). In addition, just like the Boss 351, the 1972 351 HO was packaged up with extra performance goodies, such as four-speed transmission, nine-inch rear with 3.91 gears, competition suspension with staggered rear shocks, and 15-inch chrome Magnum wheels.

Oddly enough, the term ‘HO’ isn’t identified anywhere on the car’s exterior. In fact, the only place you’ll find this identification is on the air cleaner decal.

Ford also offered the 351 HO in any ’72 Mustang body style (unlike the Boss 351, which was available only in the Boss 351 Sports Roof package) although the majority were ordered as Mach 1s and Sports Roofs.

In total, 398 1972 351 HO Mustangs were built, of which 13 were convertibles, 19 hardtops, and 366 Sports Roofs. Of the Sports Roofs, 336 were optioned as Mach 1s, making our featured Mustang one hell of a rare car indeed.

Jan Telford’s Story

How did you get this car?

“Well back in 1982 to 1983 my late husband, Len, decided he would love to have a Mustang. We already had a lovely car, a 1972 Ford Fairmont hardtop, but no, we were going to get a Mustang.

“Those days we were winter-milking for Town Supply in New Plymouth. Our farm was at Oakura and we arranged staff to milk the cows so we could get away to Auckland — must be a Mustang for sale. Funny thing — I had received my mother’s inheritance, so my guess was that’s what we would pay for a car, anyway we were in this together.

“We saw a 1979 Cobra 302, very eye-catching. We both liked this car but it wasn’t what Len had expected to get, however, he drove the car home, it was ours.

“Some time later we joined the Taranaki Mustang Club and that was how we had the chance to buy the 1972 HO Mustang you see in these pages. It was the car Len had always wanted.

“In May 1983, for $15,000, we purchased the lovely red Mustang that we enjoy today. I say to Nicky, my daughter, ‘Let’s take Ol’ Len for a drive,’ We love it.

“The 15th Mustang Convention, held at Taranaki in 1994, was our first taste of seeing so many great cars on show, including our HO. This was a great programme and Len ventured out to the street drags at Bell Block. Len’s first time at the lights, he missed the gears; it was an experience — as a spectator it was scary.

“South Taranaki Car Club on Turuturu Road, Hawera — we carried the toolbox, compressor, jack and all this gear in the boot of the old Fairmont. I remember this day as the best. Standing quarter plus flying quarter — this was on a very narrow road. I wonder what makes all those guys tick. Car rev-ups, smoke from tyres, some had slicks to put on. This was a great day being second Standing and winning the Flying quarter in the Mustang.”

Nicky’s Story

“When dad first bought the big Mustang I was 13. Dad would take my friends and I for a cruise up town into New Plymouth and even back then people would stare and think ‘what a cool car’. We thought it was funny so we would giggle and wave back to them.

“As teenagers we used to go to pony club events and in the winter went hunting. Dad would tow the horse-float with two big horses in it with the Mustang! The Mustang purred along quite nicely, I don’t know how he did it. There’s no tow-bar on Mustang now!

“I offered to take dad for a cruise in the Mustang one time. He ended up taking me for a cruise, saying, ‘Nicola, this is a man’s car, there’s too much power under the bonnet for you to handle!’ I agree with the power under the bonnet but I now know I can handle it. I love it. I turn into my dad when I drive the Mustang — a real petrol-head.

“Two days after we got the fully restored Mustang back from Matamata Panelworks we headed off to the Beach Hop. Waihi was the first stop and I remember reversing out of our car park with heaps of people watching, my foot started shaking something shocking on the clutch. I thought I was going to stall the car! Hadn’t driven the Mustang for months so it surprised me that I didn’t. Cruising in all the parades was awesome! The best comments we heard were ‘Sh*t, there’s a chick driving that¦’ But the one that took first prize was ‘Sh*t, there’s a blonde driving that Muzzy.’ It was a fantastic week.

“Malcolm Sankey asked us if we wanted to display the Mustang at a V8 Supercar Drivers’ Night — we said ‘hell yes!’ We all went in convoy — what a feeling having your car admired by so many hot V8 Supercar drivers — ha-ha, it was a great night. On the way home it was first time I had used headlights, we have put brighter ones in now as the old ones didn’t shine too brightly.

“Mum and I went to the Festival of Speed at Whitianga in the Mustang. It was another great weekend, quite different to the Beach Hop though. Lots more modern cars. Porsches, Lamborghinis, even huge boats were in the parade. We still didn’t look out of place, I think people enjoy the sound of the mighty classic Mustang. Well I do!

“Our last big outing was the 31st Mustang Convention in Manukau, Auckland. What a fantastic weekend. After seeing all the beautiful-looking Mustangs there we didn’t think we would be in the running for a prize (we thought maybe a third if we were lucky). Being our first convention we didn’t really know too much about what we had to do. Malcolm, Jo and the Waikato Mustang Club were really helpful and told us a few secret places we should clean on the car. So we did and we won first prize for best Mach 1 from 1971 to 1973. It was such a buzz hearing our names read out!

Everyone from Waikato Mustang Club were standing, clapping and cheering!

“Mum and I like to take the Mustang out and about. We go for lunch on a Sunday, we always decide while we warm our baby up where we will go.

“Restoring dad’s Mustang has been one of the best things mum and I have done as a team. Matamata Panelworks has been awesome! If ever there was a hiccup, Malcolm would ring and ask to see us. He would either explain or show us the problem.

“Mum and I have become good friends with Malcolm, his neat wife, Nicky, and Jo, the office manager, and all the guys who work there.

“I always thought the Mustang’s original number plate was funny — GM2544 — that was the first thing that had to go!”

A Ride with Len Telford

This article was written by Caron Stewart (Scene community newspaper) and Len Telford and appeared in the Scene Community News.

Quietly we rumbled up the drive and Len explained that he’d let his girl warm up a bit before we gave it some noise. “She goes like snot” he said, “power poles whiz by like battens on a fence.” He’s not wrong! Once she was warmed up Len touched the accelerator and immediately I felt the seat lurch back. After I had restored the position of my eyelids from the back of my head, I looked in the back to check out the passengers. One was (although kind of white) beaming, and the other? Well, let’s just say there is a lot of little boy in every man’s body! Backed up too by the twinkle in Len’s eye as he gave it a bit more! “Pull the choke out and she just wants to fly,” says Len, and even I, as a girlie-girl, had to admit that it was as though ‘the Boss’ was itching to show us just what ‘full snot’ was!

1972 Mustang Mach 1 351 H – Specifications

Engine Cleveland V8
Capacity Cleveland 5.9-litre (351ci)
Bore/stroke 101.6 x 88.9mm
Valves Two valves per cylinder/ohv
C/R 9.2:1
Max power 205kW (275bhp) at 6000rpm
Max torque 388Nm (286 ft/lb) at 3600rpm
Fuel system Autolite carburettor
Transmission Four-speed manual
Suspension F/R Coil springs/ solid axle with leaf springs — staggered rear shocks
Steering Recirculating ball, optional power assist Brakes Power assisted disc front/ drum rear

Dimensions:
O/all length 4859mm
Width 1900mm
Height 1284mm
Wheelbase 2794mm
Kerb weight 1614kg

Performance:
0-100kph 6.6 seconds
Standing ¼ mile 15.1 seconds at 95.6mph (154kph)
Max speed 193kph

Words: Ashley Webb Photos: Adam Croy

This article is from NZ Classic Car issue 242. Click here to check it out.

At NZCC we are always interested to learn of younger people who have a passion for classic cars, especially students who have poured every last cent and countless hours restoring their favourite cars.

Paul Lyons, a 21-year-old student from Rotorua now studying in Wellington, is one such person and he has followed through with his passion for English classics by bringing a 1974 Ford Capri back to life.

First Impressions

Paul’s passion for cars and motor sport started when, at the age of only 12, he began watching the World Rally Championship on TV. Along with his father, Lindsay, he followed local rally events, including the WRC when it came to New Zealand. He loved watching the top drivers competing on local roads, and dreamed of owning a Subaru Impreza WRX, in metallic blue of course.

Like many of us, Paul also started to collect posters of his favourite cars, and one day found himself in the Rally NZ media conference room by mistake. He picked up what he thought was a couple of plastic bags to keep his posters and stickers in, his father took one look at them and realised the bags actually contained media all-access pass vests. They made a hasty exit and managed to get into every rally stage with unlimited access and the best parking spots for the next few years. They recently tried using the same ‘Smoke Free Rally NZ’ (remember them?) jackets at the world rally in Raglan — the first marshal they approached smiled and said “nice try”; their luck had finally run out.

Paul’s first involvement with motor sport came when he saw a radio-controlled Subaru Impreza in a shop window, which his parents later bought for him. He assembled and modified the model himself and ended up racing it at Hamilton RC Car Club nights, gaining a fair bit of experience behind the small plastic wheel and several trophies for the windowsill.

Paul’s growing enthusiasm for motor sport and cars also rekindled his father’s passion — he had previously raced Ford Anglias and twin-cam Escorts when he was about Paul’s age. When Paul was about 14 years old his father told him he was looking to buy a race car. Naturally, Paul was excited at the thought of a WRX or an Evo and was slightly sceptical about the 1974 Ford Capri 3.0-litre that ended up in the family garage. However, Paul and his father worked on the Capri together, and before long began to catch the classic car bug.

Paul’s good friend, Mike, was also rebuilding a Valiant, and he helped him work on it most nights after school. Naturally, it wasn’t long before Paul started thinking about a classic car of his own.

The Project

Paul was 17 years old when Mike told him of a 1974 Ford Capri MkI 2.0-litre GT his friend was potentially selling. Paul remembered it well, as the owner used to drive it to their shared high school. When Paul went to have a look at the car, he discovered that it wasn’t as tidy as he originally thought — the Capri was now painted matte black with what looked like house paint and a roller. The body was full of dents, the tan interior was torn up and half missing, and the engine did not run properly.

Paul’s parents went to have a look at the car with him, and even though they were both fully supportive of their son acquiring a project car, they cringed when they saw the condition the Capri was in.

Paul was constantly reminded that purchasing the car would be the cheap part, and that it would take full commitment on his behalf to finish the project. A half finished project was worthless, and his parents wouldn’t allow it to sit around the house in an abandoned state. This meant Paul would have to get a job if he wanted to rebuild the car, as his parents could foresee the huge financial and time commitments the Capri involved. Paul could only see its potential.

A week later, Easter 2005, Paul purchased the Capri for $800, trailered it home and tried to get it running without much success, so he began stripping it. When he and his father took the 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine out and opened it up they were met with two cracked pistons, with every compression ring shattered into small pieces.

The engine had obviously seen better days and was going to need a full rebuild, so it was sent away to a good friend, Shane Parsons — who owns ST Automotive in Cambridge — for some much needed reconditioning.

While Shane worked on the engine, Paul started stripping the rest of the car and began sanding back the body panels every night, under the watchful eye of his father. In order to fund his newly acquired project, Paul got a job sweeping the floors in a workshop for two hours every day after school and, although it was far from well paid and glamorous, he swept away, always thinking about his car.

Keen to earn as much money as possible Paul also got a job working Saturdays and Sundays at a landscape supplier’s yard, which he really enjoyed. One day, while he was loading a customer’s trailer, a shiny new Ford Falcon drove into the yard. It must have just been polished because it looked incredible in the sun. It was dark gunmetal grey with a pearl sparkle through it, and Paul asked the owner if he could please pop the bonnet and write the colour code down. He told the puzzled owner about his project car — Paul now knew what colour he was going to paint his Capri.

Once Paul had the car sanded right back it was ready for panel work. Another family friend, Peter Wiper, a retired panel beater, expertly removed the myriad of dents, wiping away years of neglect.

The car was a mess, taking Peter several full days with a rasp, hammer, a bit of body filler and multiple cups of tea to straighten it out. Amazingly, the Capri was rust-free and was soon made ready for painting. Paul then contacted local car painter, Jeff from Jeff Quinn Panel and Paint, who did an amazing job. Paul worked in the workshop with Jeff, helping out wherever he could to make the job easier and cheaper.

In September 2005, Paul picked up his painted Capri. He couldn’t believe how incredible it looked, better than he could ever have imagined, and for a price that he is still thankful for.

All that hard work sweeping floors had paid off.

Satisfaction

By Christmas, and Paul’s 18th birthday in 2005, the Capri was finally back together, complete with new carpets and hood lining thanks to Kevin Saunders at Hillcrest Upholstery in Rotorua.

Paul knew from the day he purchased the car that he wanted a black interior in the Capri and, as luck would have it, within three weeks of owning the car, a set of good condition black vinyl MkI Capri front and rear seats came up for sale over the internet. Paul managed to win the subsequent auction with a final bid of $300.

A good friend, Jason Sole from the Capri Car Club, gave Paul a set of pristine, black MkI Capri door cards, completing the new interior.

On January 16, 2006, the Capri was registered and warranted, passing without any issues at all.

Daily Driver

During its first year back on the road, the Capri suffered its fair share of mechanical problems. Paul had huge problems with the ¾ race-cam chewing up cam followers. After several sacrificial sets of cams and followers, and with much time and patience from Shane Parsons and Mike Lee, the problem was narrowed down to the camshaft (too lumpy) and excess pressure on the double valve springs. Now fully sorted, the engine runs a fully balanced bottom end with oversized pistons.

The head has been planed, ported, polished and fitted with a new ¾ race cam, double valve springs and oversized valves.

Last year for Paul’s 20th birthday his parents gave him a set of twin 45 Weber side-draught carburettors. He remembers coming home from university in Wellington, his father picked him up in the Capri and noticed it sounded different and was a lot more powerful than when he last drove it. Paul’s father passed it off by saying that he’d just cleaned out the air filter (Paul wasn’t entirely convinced), and it wasn’t until they got back home that he popped the bonnet and Paul spotted the twin Webers bolted to the engine. Definitely a cool birthday present!

Paul reckons his Capri is definitely not a show car. It gets driven virtually on a daily basis whenever he’s at home from University, and has covered many long distance trips all around the North Island, from Auckland to Wellington and Taranaki several times, proving its reliability. Paul loves driving the Capri, it gets all the right looks and comments for all the right reasons, and appeals to every age group.

It is not exactly original, nor highly modified, but looks exactly the way Paul wanted it to look, completely de-badged, no chrome trim, quarter bumpers, headlights from a different model Capri and a ducktail spoiler to complete the package, giving it a clean contemporary look with modifications in keeping with a ’70s period style.

The Capri has also seen a lot of track time. Paul has raced the Capri in dual sprints and several local hill climbs with good results. He reckons it’s a good opportunity to drive it hard legally, without being thrown into the ‘boy racer’ category that seems to be a tag too easily applied today.

Paul tells us that building and driving this Capri was very rewarding, and could not have been done on the ‘school kid’ budget alone without immense help and deals from friends and contacts along the way. He can’t possibly thank everyone who has helped him with this project, but special mention must go to Shane Parsons for his expertise on the engine, and Jeff Quinn for keeping the Capri looking good.

Of course, Paul thanks his father Lindsay for all the help along the way, his mum, sister Hannah and girlfriend, Susan, for all the support and putting up with his obsession over the years.

It certainly appears that Paul’s got the ‘bug’ just like the rest of us, and as we all know it doesn’t stop at just one car — so Paul, if this first attempt is anything to go by, we look forward to seeing your next project.

Words: Ashley Webb Photos: Adam Croy

This article is from Classic Car issue 239. Click here to check it out.

Another young reader who we just happened to come across recently was 17 year old Shannon Dunne, a Botany Downs Secondary College 7th Form student.

We caught up with Shannon during her school holidays whilst she was taking a well-earned break from studying for end of year exams. Shannon is no stranger to classic cars, hot rods or drag racing, as you will soon learn, and is the proud owner of this lovely and original 1964 Ford Consul Cortina MkI — a car that made its debut long before she was even a glimmer in her parents’ eyes.

In fact, it was back in September 1962 when the Cortina was first introduced in standard and deluxe form, starting a run of success for Ford that lasted for about 20 years. The initial concept for the Cortina came about when Terence Beckett, its creator, recognised a gap in the market for a budget-priced family saloon car in a segment that was dominated by BMC’s Mini, which was launched in 1959.

Originally it was to be called ‘The Archbishop’, but Ford made the wise decision to stick with the tried and tested formula of the tremendously popular Anglia 105E, which used an overhead valve engine, four speed gearbox, and MacPherson strut front suspension.

Available in either two or four-door saloon configurations, the Consul Cortina was to be one of Ford’s most successful models (it later dropped the Consul name tag).

Until January 1963 all models were fitted with an 1198cc three-bearing crankshaft engine similar to the one in the aforementioned Anglia 105E. The new Cortina’s body styling had an angular, contemporary flair, with tapering flutes along the sides and the immediately recognizable ‘Y’ (or ‘ban the bomb’) taillight clusters. Assembly of the MkI Cortina commenced in New Zealand during January 1963, and the car proved a spectacular success as a popular and reliable saloon for many Kiwi families.

Also launched in January 1963 was the 1500 Super, immediately identified by its chrome-tapered strips along the side flutes and, later in the same month, came the sporty GT version boasting a 1500cc engine fitted with twin choke Weber carburettors, disc brakes up front, remote gear change and modified suspension.

The final model launched to complete the range was the hugely successful Lotus-modified Cortina.

Changes

By July 1963, all suspension and steering grease nipples were replaced by ball joints with plastic seats and, in September 1963, the next set of modifications included such features as childproof locks added to all rear doors, front bench seats and column gear change — all made available as optional extras to every model except the GT. December 1963 brought the introduction of the Borg-Warner supplied automatic gearbox.

In October 1964 the most significant changes in the Cortina’s specifications included front disc brakes to all models as standard. The front grille was redesigned from the original two standard slats and deluxe chrome style, to a single chrome unit incorporating a widened bottom which surrounded the sidelights and indicators. Also introduced was Ford’s ‘aeroflow’ ventilation system, which ensured fresh air entered the car and was then expelled.

In its final year of production, the Cortina GT was given even larger front wheel discs and self-adjusting rear brakes. Finally, in October 1966 after a staggering 1,010,000 MkIs had been manufactured, it was replaced by the MkII.

Family Passion

For Shannon, her love affair with cars started when her parents first took her to Meremere drag strip at just six weeks of age — she has attended nearly every meeting there since. There must have been something in the air that day, because not only did Shannon catch the drag racing bug but she also became enthused with the whole hot-rod scene as well. Mind you, I think the fact her mum had a 1934 Buick running a 5.7-litre (350ci) small-block Chevrolet V8 engine and her father, a 1948 Chevrolet truck and a 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air may have helped to bring about her incurable addiction.

By the time Shannon was about nine years old, her father had purchased a Briggs & Stratton-powered Junior dragster for her and younger brother, Bronson, to share. After sharing the dragster for a season, that was it, Shannon was hooked, and for the following season she got her own junior dragster. She continued to race every season from 2002 to 2008, progressing up to faster and more powerful junior dragsters as time and confidence progressed.

By 2006, Shannon’s parents had bought her a ‘senior’ junior dragster, running a 250cc Honda NSR engine. She named this dragster ‘Missbehaviour’ and raced in the ‘senior’ Junior Dragster class. During this time Shannon set the New Zealand Junior Dragster ET record at 8.048 seconds on March 5, 2006 — and then went on to break it again on April 16, 2006 at 7.95 seconds.

Shannon was also runner-up the AC Delco Northern Nationals in January 2006, winning the event the following year. She also took out the Dragmasters 2007 Junior Dragster Class.

Shannon reckons she could never have achieved these results without the dedication and commitment of her parents, especially her father, who spent many long hours maintaining and preparing the dragsters for her and her brother to race.

They say all good things must come to an end, and in Shannon’s case age was against her, as she became too old to race in the junior dragster bracket and that’s when the Cortina came along.

New Affair

Shannon decided to buy something unusual, something old school that was within her budget and expressed her individuality, and for her this 1964 MkI Cortina was just what she had been looking for. The car was acquired in October 2008.

She decided to have it fully appraised in Tauranga by a local mechanic before the purchase and, once the VTNZ WoF was in place, she headed off for Auckland. Unfortunately, her diligence was unable to prevent the drama that unfolded during the journey. Three fuel pumps and five hours later she finally arrived in Auckland, but not before receiving a barrage of flak from her 14-year-old brother (a Holden fan) about buying a Ford.

Undeterred, Shannon now realises that half the fun of owning a classic car is that they need to be nurtured and taken care of, and require lots of attention from time to time. Since purchasing the Cortina, Shannon has replaced the wheels with original Lotus Cortina items. She has also had installed a new alternator, fuel pump, starter motor, carburettor, new window seals and inner door rubbers, and also had the brakes refurbished and has added seat covers for a feminine touch.

What now? Shannon is off to university next year to study for a Bachelor of Business Commerce, and feels the Cortina is too impractical to commute from the Eastern Suburbs into the city on a daily basis — so, sadly, the Cortina may have to be sold. When talking to Shannon I felt she was still undecided, but knew that in reality it was the best thing to do.

Shannon’s ultimate dream is to go drag racing again, but this time she has to be completely self funded, which is a little difficult when studying. In the meantime, I do not doubt that she’ll be working towards her next car.

With such a competitive spirit, we know we’ll see more of Shannon in the future.

1964 Ford Cortina MkI – Specifications

Engine: In-line four-cylinder
Bore/ stroke: 80.97 x 58.17mm
Capacity: 1198cc
C/R: 9.1:1
Max power: 37kW (50bhp) at 4900rpm        Max torque:     88Nm at 2700rpm
Fuel system: Solex B30 PSE carburettor
Transmission: Borg-Warner automatic
Steering: Burman recirculating ball
Suspension: Front: independent by MacPherson struts and coil springs. Rear: live axle, semi-elliptic leaf springs
Brakes: Disc/drum

Dimensions
Overall length: 4274mm
Width: 1588mm
Height: 1435mm
Track F/R: 1270/1257mm
Wheelbase: 2489mm
Kerb weight: 787kg

Performance
Max speed: 124kph (77mph)
0-100km/h: 22 seconds
Economy: 9.7l/100km (29mpg)

Words: Ashley Webb Photos: Dan Wakelin

This article is from Classic Car issue 239. Click here to check it out.

The Baker family of Brightwater, Nelson is a car family. Malcolm and Hazel and their children are obviously close, while cars play a big part in all their lives.

Although Hazel Baker is happy to admit that all she wants is a car to get her from A to B, she has lived for nearly 40 years with a husband who kept a 1932 Ford front bumper under the bed and headlight lenses in his sock drawer for safekeeping.

It all started when Malcolm borrowed £90 from his cousin to buy two 1932 Fords, a US V8 model and an English B4. He dismantled the B4 and then decided to sell the V8 car for the huge sum at the time of £200. When Hazel predicted he would regret it, Malcolm changed his mind. Sometimes he listens.

Instead, he rebuilt the car over a period of seven years to original specification, apart from a few minor modifications. Some are for safety reasons (brake equalisers) while a Holden carburettor is fitted because he has two damaged original carburettors and good ones are almost impossible to find.

The year 1932 was a landmark one for Ford. It saw an attractive re-style of the Model A, but the big news was the 3622cc (221ci) flathead V8 that became so loved by hot rodders the world over. The ’32 Ford itself became a rodding icon, and consequently Malcolm’s un-modified example is a relatively rare vintage car.

The family has enjoyed many happy miles in the Ford over the years. Some of the kids’ happiest memories include the car. References to Ma Baker in a ’32 Ford will be carefully avoided. Riding in the old car is a novel experience in these days of low, fast machines. In the relatively narrow cabin you sit eye to eye with drivers of Landcruisers and other SUVs. The pace is leisurely, accompanied by a little drivetrain noise and the faintest V8 burble from the exhaust. That smooth exhaust note, unique to flathead V8s, is beautiful music. The back seat looks like a very pleasant place to be, an inviting lounge room with cloth upholstery in subdued tones and with metres of leg room.

Thunderbirds Can Go

A newer Ford joined the Baker family in 1996. This time it was a 1962 Thunderbird in ‘California white’ as Malcolm described it — white with surface rust. He discovered the original build sheet had been hidden in the back seat, a common practice in those days. With the owner having ticked every box, it was a fully-optioned model. Options include a 6391cc (390ci) engine, automatic transmission, air conditioning, power steering and brakes, tinted glass, electric windows and driver’s seat, sports trim, door mirrors and edge trim, AM radio and a tilt-away steering column.

Malcolm drove the car for a while, and he was very surprised, to say the least, when it won the ‘Best American’ prize at the All Ford Day in Westport in 1997. A week later he began stripping it completely. He took the body back to bare metal and repainted it in his car port, in Quasar Grey, the modern version of Acapulco Blue that was optional in 1962. The third generation, early ’60s T-birds are very handsome cars, and the colour complements the styling beautifully. New carpet and seat upholstery had been fitted before the car left America, along with four new whitewall steel belt radials.

With almost zero oil pressure at idle, it was obviously necessary to rebuild the engine. He found stripped timing and oil pump gears and the big end bearing surfaces were worn through. As Ford’s ‘personal luxury car’, the Thunderbird was more about style than performance, but its big V8 can move it along very smartly when required.

The Campbells’ daughter, Kelly, has inherited the car genes from Malcolm, and she drove the Thunderbird on the day we took the photos. Malcolm has been thinking about selling it but, as we drove to a different site with Kelly looking particularly at home in the Thunderbird, Malcolm said quietly, “It looks like I’ve lost another car.” Not surprisingly Kelly’s partner, Rob Jackson, is also a car fanatic. He has a collection of Ford Cortinas, including a rare two-door MkIII model and a much rarer MkV two-door.

Model A Man

Malcolm has spent many years restoring Model A Fords and helping others with their restorations. He became widely recognised as a Model A expert, and several of the cars he restored have been prize winners at local and national Vintage Car Club rallies and the Model A Club nationals. Some quite rare examples have passed through his hands, including a left hand drive 1928 coupe imported from Nevada. He and his son, Bryce, are building a pair of modified Model A trucks in their ‘spare’ time. Malcolm’s will be an old-style closed cab truck with a warmed Model A engine, and he will finally get to use the B4 grille that has hung on the shed wall for 40 years. Bryce is taking the trad ’40s-’50s roadster pick-up route, with hydraulic brakes and a twin-carburettor 1939 Mercury flathead V8 engine.

Having sold the Model A coupe, Malcolm was looking for something different, and he had seen a late ’60s Plymouth GTX or two and a couple of Plymouth Road Runners advertised on the internet. Meanwhile Bryce had been saving for his dream car, a 1970 Dodge Challenger. A family friend called Leadfoot (not his real name) was heading to America on a car-buying trip so he was asked to look for a Challenger for Bryce and a GTX or something similar for Malcolm.

Leadfoot came up trumps. He rang Bryce to say he had found a genuine 6276cc (383ci) 1970 Challenger Western Sport Special, one of only 381 made, with matching numbers. He walked around the car describing it to Bryce, who quickly made the decision. He sold his Chevrolet-powered Holden HQ to fund the difference between his savings and the purchase price.

Soon Leadfoot rang again, this time to speak to Malcolm. He couldn’t find a GTX and had looked at a yellow Road Runner which was “not good.” He was calling about a red one that Malcolm had decided was too dear at US$26,000. Leadfoot said the owner wanted money for house renovations and would take US$19,000 that day. Again, Leadfoot described the car as he walked around a standard 6276cc 1969 model in very good condition. He saved the best until last — it had a four-speed manual gearbox. Malcolm said, “Buy it!”

The cars were shipped in October 2004, sharing a container with a 1956 Oldsmobile and a Cadillac convertible. The container was unloaded off a ship somewhere in Asia and again in Sydney, which caused some anxious moments as it disappeared off the radar for weeks each time. It finally arrived in March 2005.

Plum Crazy

Bryce’s Challenger needed panel work, but he did nothing to it for a year, until the time was right. He and Malcolm built a rotisserie, and the body was stripped to bare metal. It proved to be in better condition than they expected, with two fairly large rust holes in the boot floor and a big dent behind the right door. The door had also seen better days and needed quite a bit of work. They sandblasted the body and did the panel repairs before handing it over to Richmond Auto Painters to prepare and paint inside and out and underneath, preferring the factory colour of Plum Crazy to the original light metallic green.

While the body was at the painters, Bryce dismantled the engine to fit new gaskets and found a nasty surprise. There was significant bearing wear so the engine was completely reconditioned, including 9.7:1 compression pistons and a Performance Competition Cams camshaft. It had arrived with three two-barrel Holley carburettors on an Edelbrock manifold, but issues with the set-up had convinced Bryce to fit a single Holley four-barrel carburettor.

The interior was in good condition, so it was re-installed. Being a Western Sport Special means it has special interior detailing and a ‘Rallye Instrument Cluster’ with extra gauges, and additional external bright trim around the windows. Bryce’s car also has a Rimblow steering wheel, a rare and sought-after accessory that activates the horn when the driver squeezes the wheel rim.

The rate of work became a little frenzied when Bryce decided he wanted the car finished in time for the Musclecar Madness at Rangiora in January 2008. The Challenger flew through its compliance check and was legally on the road on December 13, 2007. Since then he has attended to a few details, such as finding the lettering for the bonnet. Apart from that, he has just driven the car and enjoyed every moment. Initially nervous about showing such a desirable car, he is now happy to let others enjoy it as well.

Vanishing Point

The Challenger achieved legendary status back in 1971 when it was the star of the movie, Vanishing Point. The (anti)-hero, Kowalski, was to deliver a white Challenger from Denver to San Francisco and the movie is the story of his mostly illegal adventures along the way. The film had a very sad ending (for car buffs) but the Challenger’s demise didn’t detract from its place in movie history. The film made a great impression and like many others, I suspect, I have had an obsession with Challengers ever since.

Bryce turned one of my long-held dreams into reality by taking me for a ride in his Challenger. He gave it a burst away from a couple of intersections and, yes, it goes! For a short time I could pretend I was Kowalski — the beautiful noise, the bonnet rearing up, my spine being pushed into the seat back, it was all there except it was legal. A standing start quarter mile time of 15.1 seconds at 155kph (for the two-barrel carburettor model) is definitely not slow. With 246kW (330bhp) under the bonnet, its performance is not surprising.

Fighting the Flab

In contrast to Bryce’s Challenger, Malcolm has done very little to the Road Runner. The story went that the car had been parked up for 25 years, and marks on the wheel and gearbox bearings suggested the story could have been true. It still has the original red-line cross ply spare tyre in the boot. The Performance Red paint is in excellent condition except for slight damage on the roof.

Otherwise, the Road Runner is a very tidy car. The previous owner had fitted a new upholstery kit, but for some reason he didn’t fit the rear seat cushion cover and didn’t supply the cover with the car.

The Road Runner was built as a reaction to the increasingly flabby and luxurious muscle cars of the late ’60s. Like Pontiac with its GTO back in 1964, Plymouth thought there might be a market for a stripped out car with the emphasis on performance. It picked the lightest version of its B-body range, the pillared coupe, and tossed out the carpets and any other superfluous items. There were no frills — even the wheels were plain, painted items with small ‘dog dish’ hub caps. The engine was a 250kW (335bhp) version of the venerable 6276cc V8 with a four-barrel carburettor and 440 ‘Super Commando’ cylinder heads, camshaft and exhaust manifolds.

The Plymouth marketing people paid Warner Brothers US$50,000 to use the Road Runner cartoon character name. It was the right car at the right time, and sold far better than anyone expected, especially Plymouth’s opposition. A total of 44,595 Road Runners were sold in 1968 with either manual or automatic transmission. One of the few options
was the mighty 7000cc (426ci) Hemi engine.

The 6276cc Road Runner engine produced 250kW (335bhp) at 5200rpm and 576Nm of torque at 3400rpm. This was good enough for a 0-100kph time of 7.1 seconds and a standing start quarter mile was covered in 15 seconds at 155kph. At US$2896, the Road Runner was a performance bargain.

Malcolm drag-raced the car once, but he had problems with lack of traction, which is pretty much what happened when Road Runners were new. Like Bryce’s Dodge, the Plymouth is used frequently.

And, yes, the trademark “meep-meep” horn works. Believe it or not, Plymouth spent $10,000 developing the horn note to sound like the cartoon character.

A ride with Malcolm in the Road Runner was more relaxed than my turn in the Dodge, but it was no less enjoyable. In fact, riding in, looking at and talking about four such tidy and desirable cars was a pretty good afternoon’s work in my book.

Family Cars

I didn’t meet the Bakers’ other daughter, Georgie, who lives in Rolleston. Two of their daughters are keen passengers already, which is perhaps understandable given that the legendary New Zealand rodder, Craig Stare, is a neighbour. Malcolm says old cars have given him a lot of enjoyment over the years, but the greatest pleasure has been the many, many people he’s met. He says he has almost never met a bad car person.

With 40 years of Ford ownership and two Mopar muscle cars in the family, no-one could say the Bakers are excessively one-eyed. The old ’32 is Malcolm’s first love, after Hazel, and would be the last car sold. It looks like the Thunderbird will be staying with the family and the Road Runner may be around for some time yet. Bryce is living the dream so he’s not about to sell his Challenger.

The love of old cars has been passed to the younger generation of the Baker family, and it’s a fair bet that two Fords and one Plymouth will be passed to the new generation in time.

Words: Gordon Campbell Photos: Gordon Campbell and Kelly Baker

This article is from Classic Car issue 241. Click here to check it out.

Clark Proctor may deal in scrap metal through his Metalman business, but his V6-powered Escort is no scrap yard special

According to the Concise Oxford Dictionary, the definition of competitive is “strongly desiring to be more successful than others” or “as good as or better than others of a comparable nature.” You may be querying the relevance of such information to yourself — but read on.

We caught up recently with Clark ‘Metalman’ Proctor to check out his newly rebuilt MkI Ford Escort, which is in the final stages of preparation for the Dunlop Targa NZ. Some of you may recognise Clark’s name in association with his NZ V8 campaign in recent years, or from his stock car days, or perhaps from his role as a Targa competitor over the past few years.

After the first few minutes with Clark, I discovered that not only is he supremely passionate about his motor sport, cars and life in general — including his family and business — but that he is also fiercely competitive. Not only against others, he is always proactively searching to improve his own performance and that of the piece of machinery wrapped around him.

I spent a fascinating couple of hours with Clark as he took me back through a life dominated by motor racing, family and business.

From Horses to Horsepower

From a young age, Clark was into competitive horse riding. That was until he discovered motorbikes and ended up racing motocross, and road racing motorbikes. He’d had plenty of experience riding fire trails, so knew his away around pretty well. This was at a time when motorbikes, in particular motocross bikes, were being actively promoted by their manufacturers in New Zealand, so the prize money seemed fairly lucrative.

Clark enjoyed this form of motor sport for a couple of years from the tender age of about 14 years old, until he discovered how much fun could be had on four wheels.

It seemed like a natural progression for Clark as he started to take an interest in stock cars, a passion that was to last on and off for well over 20 years. Clark’s career in this form of racing was successful, to say the least. He raced predominantly in Wellington, Wanganui and Palmerston North before moving to Auckland in the ’80s. He based himself at Waikaraka Park initially, before moving north to Tauranga, attending literally every meeting, regardless of whether or not it was a mid-week or a weekend meeting — which meant total commitment. Clark made sure he was on the starting grid no matter what, and progressed to become one of the country’s top drivers.

Along with four or five of the other prominent drivers, he formed a bit of a ‘circus’ to make sure that every meeting was attended in order to support the sport as much as possible.

Clark prided himself on the cars that he built, building them strong and reliable.

Winning the NZ Team Championship was the penultimate triumph for Clark, but he also won three Auckland titles, a runner up world title and a North Island title.

Clark has learned some hard lessons in motor sport, and bases his success on teamsmanship and an ability to build successful teams — a philosophy he has effectively applied to his business life, and one that has proved to be a winning formula over the years.

Early Escort

Finally, Clark retired from speedway after 21 years and decided to focus on family and business commitments. That was until a family friend, who owns a farm, invited him down to participate in some paddock racing — ironically in a MkI Escort. After a few jaunts in the Escort, Clark realised he could have immense fun without having to be totally competitive, prompting him to begin the hunt for a suitable car of his own. On searching through the newspapers he soon found the perfect car — a MkI Escort powered by a Nissan V6 engine. The Ford, located in Mosgiel, sounded like a bit of a handful. But after some long drawn out communications with the owner over a period of months, Clark ended up purchasing the Escort, which doesn’t bear too much resemblance to the car you see in these pages. However the nucleus, including its engine package and perfect 50/50 weight distribution, stayed fairly much the same.

Clark persevered with the Escort for a few years, quickly becoming a Targa stalwart, while continuing to make it more competitive with each outing. This lead him to join up with the Pukekohe Car Club — Clark reckons its members are a great bunch of people who really support whatever type of vehicle a member drives, whether it’s a standard car or hybrid. Clark has had a long association with the club, and enjoys seeing many new members joining it for similar reasons — and subsequently enjoying their motor sport.

The Escort has been reincarnated a few times over the past seven or so years as Clark continually endeavoured to improve it. The most recent was a complete ground-up rebuild up after a nasty incident on day one of last year’s Dunlop Targa NZ.

Racing Spirit

During this, while Clark was having fun with his Escort, an old sponsor — Mark Segedin from STA parts — suggested he try his hand at co-driving at Bathurst. Mark offered to facilitate proceedings, but Clark felt he was nowhere fit enough, so it was a ‘thanks for the offer but not right now’ response.

A year or so later a much leaner, fitter Clark mentioned to Mark that he’d be interested in the NZ V8 Series, and Mark agreed to help put something together. That was in 2003.

They leased an NZ V8 race car for a couple of seasons before purchasing their own car, which they continued to race for another three seasons before selling the car to Andrew Porter, although Clark continued with the team for another year. This gave him the opportunity to take a rest last year, but he hasn’t lost his competitive spirit and is contemplating a return to NZ V8 racing sometime in the near future which, incidentally, will make him the oldest driver in the field.

Clark also admits to enjoying the rally side of motor sport not only because of the genuine camaraderie that exists between the drivers, but also due to the fact that competing against the clock is fantastic — even though you may be ahead or behind another competitor, there’s no animosity.

Clark believes a lot of people’s perception of Targa NZ is that they’re all a bunch of ‘Sunday drivers’ lacking any real sense of competitiveness, however, over the last few years several serious rally competitors have tried their hand at Targa, and realised that it take serious commitment to be at the sharp end of the event as the pace is red hot. Many of the regular Targa cars are now extremely fast, and the acceleration rate from 0-200kph is, in most cases, far quicker than that of the average road-going Porsche or Ferrari.

Clark reckons it’s a great fun giving those marques a hurry-up in the Escort. Many people often shake their head and wonder how the Escort can be clocking the times it does, but Clark knows that it’s all about commitment.

Clark loves the look of the Escort because it still gives the appearance of a conservative little bubble-guarded MkI, and most people generally comment how tidy it is and assume that it runs a 2.0-litre BDA or twin-cam engine. However, the rear wing gives the game away and, when the time sheets are available, there remains little doubt about the Escort’s rapid pace.

Reincarnation

Clark’s Escort runs a VG30ET Nissan V6 engine (renowned for its capacity to make big power on stock internals). The engine sports a large turbocharger and a MoTeC engine management system.

The engine was rebuilt by Marsh Motorsport, and a brand new spare is ready should there be any unforeseen problems.

A fairly sizable intercooler, oil cooler and good-sized aluminium radiator are also carefully squeezed into position — in fact, the entire engine compartment is engineered for ease of maintenance, and should the engine have to be removed, it can be done in about 20 minutes.

The entire suspension was completely custom made by Kelvin Gray of GRD Engineering, who is also the brains behind the entire rebuilding of the car. Gray has worked with Clark for many years, and was head engineer for his NZ V8 racing programme.

The newly fabricated front A-arms were manufactured to include fully adjustable shock absorbers with 185mm of travel, which means that not many bumps disturb the car’s handling, especially at high speed. Steering is courtesy of a Subaru WRX RA hydraulic power steering unit. Brakes are Wilwood six-pots up front with four-pot rears, with Alcon rotors. All this serious braking kit is hidden beneath 17 by eight-inch front and 17 by nine-inch rear wheels, virtually the same package as a V8 touring car. Clark has opted for a Falcon stud pattern so he can bolt on touring car race wheels and slicks for track work.

A twin-plate clutch is mated to the heaviest-duty Nissan five-speed gearbox that could be found, and a heavy-duty driveshaft connects to a Borg Warner rear end. This unit houses a twin clutch plate LSD unit, GRD-manufactured 35-spline axles, floating hubs and four links.

The car runs an adjustable roll centre that is fully adjustable from the driver’s seat. This allows for more or less mechanical grip depending on road and weather conditions.

Also, the driver has access to manually adjust the V8 touring car type front and rear flat blade sway bars, which are ideal for improving lateral grip in wet weather conditions according to Clark.

Escorts are renowned for lifting front wheels off the ground when cornering regardless of what engines they are running, but Clarke is confident they can now keep all four wheels firmly planted with this set-up.

Clark says the team is now searching for hundredths, not tenths of seconds to stay in touch with the four-wheel-drive Targa cars, which he likes to try and beat whenever possible.

The Escort also sports a MoTeC sport digital dashboard and fully customised instrument panel for ease of operation, as Clarke reckons the last thing he wants to be doing is searching around for switches at 200kph. An adjustable brake bias and hydraulic hand brake are all within easy access for the driver or co-driver, as they sit in Kevlar Racetech wrap-around race seats and harnesses. An on board camera is also installed to capture live action. Not to be totally devoid of comforts, Clark has installed electric windows and a WRC roof scoop for cool air, and also for interior pressurisation to minimise dust.

For reliability the boot houses virtually two of everything around the fuel cell, including two lift pumps, two fuel pumps and two fuel filters. The fuel pumps are alternately utilised throughout the course of the event to keep them fully functional. Interestingly, Clark has retained the original steering wheel that came with the car — its well used look contrasting sharply with the rest of the Escort’s finely detailed interior.

A massive V8 touring car wing sits on the boot lid. The end result is a 1160kg rocket ship, as I was soon to discover.

Fast and the Furious

A week later I was standing at Pukekohe Park Raceway with Adam, our shutter man, and wondering what on earth I had got myself into, as Clark had promised us a ride if we wanted to come and snap a few more shots. Clark’s team was carrying out some final testing on the Escort, and as I walked over to the pit area it was clearly obvious what the results were by the grin stretching from ear to ear on Clark’s face. Sitting next to the Escort was Clark’s Nissan R35 GT-R, and before I knew it, he said “Come on, let’s go around in the slow one first,” as he climbed into the GT-R.

Now, I don’t know about you, but I’ve done a little bit of research on GT-Rs and, to be perfectly frank, they’re one of the fastest production cars available today. These cars are not exactly small either, looking somewhat larger than, say, a DB9 Aston Martin, and as I climbed aboard the car felt wonderfully spacious for a coupe.

By this stage we were rocketing out of pit lane down towards the first right hander and, I must admit, it seemed to take my body a few seconds to adjust to the G-forces as this thing was propelled into the corner with one front wheel dancing along the ripple strip.

Clark was his usual relaxed, passionate self, talking me through every twist and curve before trundling down the back straight at just over 255kph. Around the hairpin through the esses, over the hill and down the front straight was all a blur, although Clark’s commentary was undoubtedly a highlight. The ease with which he was able to manage this heavy, four-wheel drive monster around the track was fairly impressive to say the least, as we clocked up a 65.4-second lap time. Not too shabby for a road car.

As we idled into the pit area Clark said, with a huge grin, “Now let’s go around in something fast!”

The Escort was a completely different ballgame. Once I was harnessed in, securely, I wasn’t really sure what to expect, but it wasn’t long before Clark’s commentary started and we were off. I kind of got the feeling that Clark had some idea about what he was doing when we were in the GT-R, but in the Escort his expertise and professionalism really came to the fore.

As we headed for the back straight I realised that this Escort is without a doubt a serious piece if kit. “What do ya reckon?” Clark yelled, and the only thing I could think of in reply was to yell that I thought this thing is insane.

The next lap he pulled up to a standstill at the start of the back straight and told me to watch the speedo — and off we went. It was extremely difficult to look across, not only because of the angle, but due to the fact the acceleration was so fierce that I struggled to keep my head turned at the right angle to watch it, and from what I could see, it was just a blur of numbers anyway. I did see 200kph though before Clark had his foot hard on the ‘stop’ pedal — I felt my eyes wanting to pop out of their sockets as we ground to a standstill again. Looking back we had travelled from zero to 200kph and back to rest in way less than half the length of the back straight.

“Not bad for an old Escort” Clark said, laughing as we took off again for another red hot, mid 62-second lap.

I have to say that this was an experience I won’t forget in a hurry, and I would like to thank Clark for being so generous with his time (and for scaring the crap out of me!).

He finally finished off by saying he was thoroughly looking forward to a great Dunlop Targa event, and highly recommends it to anyone contemplating taking up motor sport.
Targa is not an event for the faint-hearted, but it’s up to the individual how much of a challenge they make of it.

Words: Ashley Webb Photos: Adam Croy

Nineteen sixty-one was the first year of the third generation Thunderbirds, which featured all new exterior styling that initially earned it the nick-name ‘Projectile-Bird.’ Although other names for the car — such as ‘Rocket-Bird’ and ‘Bullet-Bird’ — have been more enduring nicknames.

‘Square-Bird’ was the nickname for the 1958-1960 second-generation Thunderbirds. Chassis design was carried over, but was reworked slightly for a smoother ride and better handling. The exterior styling featured a severely pointed prow, modest fins above huge renditions of Ford’s traditional round taillights, and softer roof contours on hard tops.

The cowl was shared with the Lincoln Continental, and there was some similarity in the styling of the grille and the quad headlamps recessed in oblong housings. The interior design featured a dash which curved at its outer ends to blend in with the door panels, and the first ‘swing-away’ steering wheel, which would swing to the side when the car was in ‘Park’ and the door was opened to help facilitate entry and exit.

The only engine available was the 6391cc (390ci) V8, rated at 224kW (300bhp). Production was 62,335 two-door hardtops and 10,516 two-door convertibles.

Sports Roadster

Nineteen sixty-two saw the return of the two-seat Thunderbird — sort of. Actually, drawing upon after-market units, Ford introduced the Sports Roadster package which featured a fibreglass tonneau cover, designed by Bud Kaufman, that covered the rear seat and transformed the four seat Thunderbird into a two seat roadster. The tonneau cover featured twin headrests and was raised so as to flow back to the rear, thus avoiding a too flat appearance. The convertible top could still operate even with the tonneau cover in place, which was good because the top was difficult to install and remove.

The Sports Roadster package also included a dash-mounted grab bar for the passengers and four dazzling Kelsey-Hayes wire wheels. The fender skirts were deleted to allow clearance for their knock-off centres. Although a stylish idea (usually attributed to Lee Iacocca), its high price and cumbersome installation limited its sales.

For performance fans, Ford offered a special ‘M-code’ 6391cc FE V8 rated at 254kW (340bhp). It featured three Holley two-barrel carburettors, and an aluminium manifold which kept the carburettors level and at the same height. Only 145 Thunderbirds were built with the M code option, including 120 Sports Roadsters. Production was 62,335 two-door hard-tops, 10,516 two-door convertibles, and 1427 two-door convertible Sports Roadsters.

Nineteen sixty-three saw the Thunderbird carried over for a third year, with the Sports Roadster and M-code engine still available. A new option was a landau hard top with simulated top irons on its rear panels, which would set a Thunderbird styling gimmick that would continue for years. Only 55 M-code Thunderbirds were sold in 1963, including 37 Sports Roadsters. Production was 42,806 two-door hard-tops, 5913 two-door convertibles, and 455 two-door convertible Sports Roadsters.

Famous Owners

Probably the most famous individual to own a third-generation Thunderbird was Elvis Presley. An army mate of Elvis, Ernie Barrasso, got a job selling cars in Memphis when he was discharged from the Army. When a red 1962 Sports Roadster with a black interior was delivered to the dealership, another friend said, “I bet Elvis buys this car!”

Barasso made three trips to Graceland to tell Elvis about the T Bird, and on the third trip, he left a brochure. The next day Elvis asked to see the car, and upon seeing the chrome wire wheels asked how much. “Sixty-one hundred!” said Barrasso, and the deal was done. The local newspaper was called and Elvis was photographed sitting in the car. A couple of days later Elvis flew to Hollywood to make a movie, and he sent two employees to drive the car to Hollywood. Unfortunately, the wire wheels collapsed (a common fault with these roadster wheels), and even though they were replaced, Elvis was apparently never happy with the car after that.

Marilyn Monroe was another film star reputed to have ordered a third generation T-Bird, as evidenced by a novel certificate issued by the then vice president and general manager of the Ford Motor Company, LA Iacocca. The certificate was called ‘Arbiter Elegantiae’ and commended Marilyn Monroe for her taste for excellence. Unfortunately, it seems that her untimely death may have preceded her taking delivery, but she certainly ordered one.

Richard Carpenter (of singing group, The Carpenters) also has a red, 64,374km (40,000-mile) 1962 Sports Roadster in his collection, and he warns prospective purchasers to check the unique Sports Roadster serial numbers, as many convertible owners have simply added the Sports Roadster options and then tried to sell their ordinary convertible as genuine Sports Roadster!

The unique serial numbers for 1962 Sports Roadsters commenced with 2Y85Z and are numbered between 105844 and 114650.

Dreaming of a T-Bird

Apart from drooling over Saturday Evening Post full-colour adverts of American Cars (mainly Cadillacs and Thunderbirds) my first hands-on experience was in 1966, in a back street in Newmarket, Auckland. I came upon the red 1962 Thunderbird Sports Roadster (presumed genuine at that time), the owner of which was in the process of putting the top down — electrically, of course.

When he observed my teenage tongue dragging on the pavement, he casually asked if I’d like to see that again. Yes sir! I responded when I got my breath back, and wiped the drool from my mouth (teenagers respected their elders back then!). Whereupon he completed the top-down exercise a couple more times until it was permanently embedded in my memory. He then offered me a quick cruise around the block — I was in the passenger seat before he’d finished the invitation.

From thereon in, a 1961-1963 T-Bird was permanently on the list of cars I needed to own while I still could — preferably a red one. If I ever got to that point in my life, I figured that available cash at the time would dictate whether I’d be able to acquire a hard-top or a convertible.

Many years later, having just sold my 1959 Cadillac Fleetwood after some 18 years of ownership, I began to work through the rest of the list of cars I needed to own, with that long-time hankering for a left-hook American Classic always in the background.

Then in September 2008, while driving through Dunedin, I spotted a red 1962 Thunderbird two-door hard-top — and almost drove off the road whilst trying to contemplate the vision. The car was not for sale at that time, so it was back to reality and Mr Budget’s Commodore for the drive back to Christchurch.

Greg’s Thunderbird

On February 9, 2009, my wife Karen and I did a road trip down south to check out some potential purchases. These included a 1957 Ford Fairlane two-door hard-top, a Dodge Fargo pick-up that had been rodded, and the 1962 Thunderbird we had spotted the previous year and which was now up for sale.

We checked out the Fairlane, and then the T-Bird. We didn’t get to see the Dodge Fargo. The photos we’d been sent — prior to our trip — of the Thunderbird hadn’t done the car justice. It looked like the seats were ripped, for starters, but that just turned out to be the sun shining through the tinted glass! So we were not that enthusiastic until we set eyes on it. At that point we were not going home without it — and we didn’t!

Our Thunderbird started life on February 14, 1962. It was an attendee at the Roxana Park Auto Show in Illinois on July 10, 2004 and was for sale — sporting lots of new parts and much work completed. The Roxanna Park Auto Show is organised by the Alton Antique Auto Association. The car was purchased and imported into New Zealand on October 14, 2005. Presumably someone had a good look at it before it was presented for the VIN process, as it went straight through without a hitch. It was later purchased by a Dunedin owner, who only kept the Ford for around a year.

When we got down to inspecting the Thunderbird — having already decided to buy it — we took it for the customary blat down the motorway. Three years away from driving a left-hand-drive car was no handicap to driving this beauty, and past experiences soon came flowing back. Finger-light steering, smooth powerful acceleration from the three-speed transmission — we were happiness-filled.

After a trip to the local bank for the necessary folding stuff, we were the new, very happy owners thanks to the magic of on-line NZTA transactions. The cruise back to Christchurch took around five hours — I wasn’t speeding, officer, honest!

Some coffee stops were included so we were able to just sit and look at it — and drool.

On getting the Thunderbird home, we added all the usual accessories — a chrome ‘foot’ accelerator pedal, light-up fluffy dice, Bouncy Boobs Barbie Doll, red sheepskins, a dangling skeleton and some ’60s cigarette packets. I won’t mention applying an abundance of period stickers to the rear window — which happens to be about 1.7 square metres of glass!

A personalised Hawaiian number plate was fitted, because everyone else seems to have a personalised American plate.

When fitting the plate I became aware that the big chrome number plate surround was not on the car, and seemed not to have been there for some time. Seems it was left off when the car was extensively refurbished in the USA. No worries — an email to the boys at Desert Valley Auto Parts in Phoenix, Arizona, yielded the missing piece, and just six days later it was on the car.

A set of five, wide whitewall Coker Classic radials were fitted by the lads at Kaiapoi Alignment and Tyres, and then there was little left to do except cruise — and that’s what we’ve been doing ever since! These ‘Rocket-Birds’ are definitely ‘unique in all the world’!

1962 Ford Thunderbird (as featured) – Specifications

Engine    Special V8
Capacity    6391cc (390ci)
Bore/stroke    102x96mm
Valves    Two per cylinder, ohv
C/R     9.6:1
Max power    224kW (300bhp) at 4600rpm
Max torque    579Nm at 2800rpm
Transmission    Three-speed Cruise-O-Matic
Steering    Recirculating ball

Suspension F: double wishbones with coil springs and telescopic shock absorbers R: live axle with semi-elliptic leaf springs and telescopic shock absorbers
Brakes    Drum/drum
Wheels    American Racing Torque Thrust
Tyres    Coker Classic Radials

Dimensions:
Length    5207mm
Width    1930mm
Height    1334mm
Wheelbase    2870mm
Track F/R     1549/1524mm
Weight    2028kg

Performance:
Max Speed    190kph (118mph)
Economy     28.2l/100km (10mpg)
New price     US$5439.00 (1962)

(Current value (in the USA) — from US$20,000- $40,000, depending on the overall condition) There were as many as 28 optional extras for the third generation Thunderbird — Greg’s car has 11 of those options.

Words & Photos: Greg Price

Some cars from the ’80s and ’90s are now approaching classic status and, in this new series, we look at some of these cars — those that may appeal to our younger readers

This month we take a look at a cult vehicle from Ford’s European stables, a car that already has a legendary reputation, and is currently teetering right on the cusp of the bona fide ‘classic’ status — the Ford Sierra RS Cosworth.

The ‘Cossie’, as it is better known, got its start in life thanks to a seemingly unremarkable visit to the Cosworth factory by Ford Motorsport Europe’s then director, Stuart Turner. Turner had been given the task of pulling Ford’s European motor sport image out of the doldrums, and was visiting the Cosworth factory see what could be done. He happened to walk past a two-litre Pinto block that had been fitted with a 16-valve dohc head. Turner asked if a turbocharger could be added, and 5000 units made (the number required for race homologation). Once a deal was agreed upon and the appropriate, if somewhat unpopular Ford Sierra platform was chosen to house the motor, the gears began to turn on production of one of the UK’s most iconic cars.

Over the next few years the Cossie saw many trials, tribulations and detractors, but all negative noise dropped away in late 1986 as the car was released to the general public, and people got their first taste of RS Cosworth performance. A 0-100kph of six seconds and a top speed of 233kph is still considered quick today, let alone 20 years ago.

A New Breed

From 1986 onwards the RS Cosworth dominated rally stages and circuits across the world, and there were few cars that could touch it. The car was so successful that in 1988, when a new Sierra was produced, Ford decided to keep producing the RS with the new body. This meant a move to four doors, and less aggressive styling, although no drop in performance. Two years later a four wheel drive version was produced, and although it offered the most grip and performance of the bunch, it will probably never be quite as desirable as those first, super aggressive three-door monsters.

The 500 Club

During production of the original 5000 three-door Sierras, an extra 10 per cent were produced on top. These 500 cars were given to performance specialist Tickford, which was asked to create an unbeatable weapon destined for race circuits the world over. It did exactly that, giving life to a true legend of the ’80s, and the ultimate Sierra, the RS500. This special edition vehicle was built tough, and featured a host of improvements to boost power and handling. This means it is easily the most desirable of all cars in the RS stable, but don’t expect to find one on the streets, let alone for a good price, as they are true collectors’ cars and very seldom get driven, if at all.

Buying Guide

These days it is far harder to find a road-worthy Cossie in poor condition, as nearly every current owner knows what he or she has in their hands. This also makes for some fairly high prices, so don’t expect to pay under $15,000 for a good quality example. When looking at a car, there are many trouble spots that need close inspection. Bear in mind, your potential new baby will be around two decades old.

Although the YBT engines are very strong, be wary of three-door cars, as the early motors are prone to head gasket failure, usually at the back of the block on the driver’s side. After checking for milky oil under the cap, before even turning the key, make sure to take a few trips around the car on the hunt for rust. Of most importance, check the suspension towers, as they are fairly susceptible to rot and can be expensive to fix.

When driving the car, pay special attention to the five-speed gearbox, as although it is a tough piece of kit, it has suffered 20-odd years of high-revving abuse. The Borg-Warner ’box is notchy by nature, but tricky shifts from third to fourth seem to be a common and good sign of worn bearings. Finally, in the RS world there is no such thing as a cheap fixer-upper, as parts are very hard to source. If you do find yourself staring down the barrel of a major restoration job, you’d best hope your pockets are deep — very deep.

Parts Supply

Here we find the single biggest downside to owning a RS Cosworth. Unless you get very lucky and find something you need locally via the internet, or through the RS Owners’ Club mentioned above, parts are nigh impossible to find without looking to the UK. This makes for a very expensive exercise once you factor in freight and import duty.

Clubs

New Zealand only has one club catering to the Sierra RS Cosworth — luckily it’s a good one. The RS Owners’ Club of New Zealand welcomes any Ford with a RS badge attached and can be found at
www.fordrsoc.org.nz.

Ford Sierra RS Cosworth – Specifications

Built: 1986-1992, 30,932 built
Engine: Cosworth YBT 2000cc turbocharged four cylinder
Power: 152-167kW (204bhp-224bhp)
Bodies: Three-door hatch, four-door notchback
Performance: Top speed 240kph (150mph) 0-100kph around 6.1 seconds
NZ Prices: Expect to pay around $20,000 for a tidy example

Words: Peter Kelly

This article is from Classic Car issue 223. Click here to check it out.

What is it with Kiwis and cars? Almost everyone we talk to gives us the same answer when we ask how long they’ve been interested in cars — ‘for as long as I can remember’ or ‘ever since I was very young’ seems to be the standard response

Grant Dean is definitely no exception, in fact he is such a dedicated and avid Ford fan I wouldn’t be at all surprised if he has blue blood.

For Grant, it all started when he was given a subscription to an American hot rod magazine when he was still at school and — given the fact he grew up on a massive West Auckland orchard where he was surrounded with heavy machinery, and tractors of every shape and size imaginable not to mention the array of trucks, pick ups and utes — it’s hardly surprising that his automotive passion has lingered on well into his adulthood.

Grant still remembers his first car, a 105E Ford Anglia, which he ‘played’ around with, doing the usual wide wheels and modified exhaust system tricks, which was about all that needed to done in those days. He also remembers when he first saw this superb 1940 Ford panel van. It was in Queen Street one Friday night, and he instantly fell in love with the van. Over the following six months or so Grant continued to see the panel van driving around, which only increased his desire to own it one day.

As chance would have it Grant got chatting to a bloke in a local pub who turned out to be the grandson of the Ford’s owner. Naturally, the subject moved fairly swiftly to the panel van, and Grant found out everything he could about its history, but unfortunately it wasn’t for sale. For the next 10 years he continued to enquire about the van but the answer was always the same — no, it’s not for sale. That was until one day in 1985, when while on his way to Piha beach the owner’s grandson called into the orchard where Grant lived, and asked if he was still interested. Well, does the Pope wear a funny hat?

Home Coming

After a spot of negotiation a price was agreed upon, and the 1940 Ford panel van was delivered to Grant on a trailer. Obviously it was an exciting time for Grant, as he finally had the vehicle which he had been dreaming of owning. It was the culmination of many years of patient waiting — like the old Chinese proverb; all good things come to those that wait.

By this time Grant was well aware of the van’s history, and knew the Ford was a one-owner vehicle that had spent its entire life at the Sunrise Vineyard in Henderson, where it had served as a faithful workhorse for decades, used and abused as everything from a delivery van to the general vineyard hack. Grant was also well aware that his new prized possession was in desperate need of restoration, so without delay work began on stripping it down — literally the very next day after delivery.

Eventually the panel van was stripped right back, which included the body being removed off the chassis for a full assessment of the restoration work that need to be carried out. The work required was extensive to say the least, and Grant spent the next 20 years searching through swap meets for hard-to-get parts, along the way talking to as many people as he could find with similar early Fords to learn and gather as much information as possible.

Family Affair

The Ford’s chassis was sanded-blasted back to bare steel and painted gloss black. By this time the project had turned into a family affair, with Grant’s two sons and his wife, Antoinette, chipping in to help out as much as possible — not to mention providing much needed moral support.

The suspension was next on the agenda. Its was completely stripped front and back, and also received a coating of gloss black paint, while the brakes were completely refurbished. The drivetrain was thoroughly checked over and Grant decided to leave the original engine alone, as it had been rebuilt by the previous owner and was running perfectly. The original three-speed transmission was also in great shape.

Unfortunately, over the years the van’s body had suffered and it was necessary to replace the timber framing. Originally these vehicles were brought into New Zealand as cab and cowl units in 1940, which basically meant that the body was complete to the front windscreen and Standard Motor Bodies Ltd — based in Wellington — constructed the entire rear portion.

Standard Motor Bodies Ltd was initially formed by the Colonial Motor Company to fabricate Model T truck bodies, and went on to build thousands of trailer pumps, plus fire tenders as well as special vehicle modifications for the New Zealand Armed Forces on contract with the government. The ’30s and ’40s were a time of survival, with no new vehicles available during the war years as well as petrol rationing up until 1950. Service became the key to remaining in business.

This was at a time when world headlines were telling of Germany’s invasion of France, Italy’s declaration of war on Britain and France, and Winston Churchill becoming Britain’s newest prime minister.

For 1940, the line up of Ford pick-ups had adopted the look of that year’s Standard-series cars, and for the first time since 1932 trucks shared car styling. This included a stylish V-shaped grille, pointed hood, and headlights mounted into the front guards, giving these light haulers a modern, classy look.

Ford had evolved its separate front guard design ever since the ’34 model appeared. By 1940 they’d become rounded, and this pretty much set the scene for car design into the next decade. Power continued to come from a choice of two engines, either a 2229cc (136ci) 48kW or 3622cc (221ci) 64kW version of Ford’s flathead V8 coupled to a three-speed manual gearbox.

While once proving affordable and simple transportation for many Americans when new, 1940 Fords soon became a hot rodder’s favourite, as the flathead V8 were not only tuner friendly and reliable, it was easy to extract additional power without too many modifications.

Restoration Continues

Armed with a new band-saw, Grant went to work rebuilding the timber frame work around the doors and rear body section after carefully piecing together the original pieces and using them as templates. He was lucky enough to salvage the entire steel rear panels, that turned out to be in reasonable shape except for the rear doors, which Grant completely remade due to the fact the elderly owner had previously cut monstrous holes in them so he could see behind him when reversing.

Grant decided bright red was the way to go, and had one of his friend’s sons apply the Vermillion Red colour scheme to the panel van in one of the family’s apple orchard packing sheds. I have to admit, it’s not a bad paint job either — Kiwi ingenuity at its best!

All the exterior trim was meticulously cleaned and repaired where necessary, and a new pair of bumpers was located and purchased from a Pukekohe swap meet thanks to Antoinette, while a set of original style whitewall crossply tyres completed the picture.

Inside the panel van was completely reupholstered using heavy-duty marine-grade dark brown vinyl, strictly in keeping with the original look and feel of the van, as was the rear cargo area which received timber panelling.

Grant and Antoinette comment that it’s definitely one of the most comfortable vehicles they’ve travelled in.

Finishing off the interior, the dash was carefully restored to as-new condition and every effort was made to ensure each original gauge was kept — this was essential, as 1940 was the only year Ford used white faced gauges.

Twenty-six years after that exciting day when the Ford was first delivered to Grant and Antoinette’s house on a trailer, the long hard restoration slog was over.

Over the past two years or so, Grant and Antoinette have enjoyed every moment they have to spare driving this splendid Ford to as many events as possible. And yes, Grant admits he even takes it shopping — after all, as he says — “They’re made to be driven.”

1940 Ford Panel van – Specifications

Engine Flathead V8
Capacity 3622cc (221ci)
Valves Two valves per cylinder
Max power 63kW (85hp)
Fuel system Two barrel Stromberg
Transmission Three-speed manual
Suspension F/R Transverse leaf front and rear
Steering Worm gear and sector
Brakes Hydraulic drum
Dimensions:
Overall length 4781mm
Width 1727mm
Wheelbase 2844mm
Track F/R 1416mm/1479mm
Kerb weight 1223kg

Words: Ashely Webb Photos: Dan Wakelin

This article is from Classic Car issue 220. Click here to check it out.

The NZCC team travels down to Wellington, visits The Surgery and checks out an unusual police cruiser

It’s probably fair to say that, with a family history than spans back over 120 years in the car restoration business, Mike Baucke has petrol running through his veins.

As a youngster, Mike learned to drive in 1934 Chevrolet Junior which he had actually restored himself, and he spent his holidays touring around the countryside in the family Model A, so you can pretty much say that he had the bug from an early age. Nowadays Mike — along with his partner, Irene van de Coolwijk — provide the motivational force behind The Surgery, driving a proud bunch of dedicated craftsmen who are simply world class in their restoration abilities.

Mike and Irene have always been passionate about ‘different’ cars, and have owned an impressive array of classics over the years, including a 1934 Chevrolet, 1936 Plymouth, 1929 Essex, 1969 Pontiac Firebird, 1958 Morgan, 1965 Mk2 Daimler, several Mk2 Jaguars and BMW 2002s, a 1973 911 Porsche and a BMW M5. They have currently downsized their collection to a 1972 Lancia Fulvia coupe and a 1985 Mustang Interceptor, but you never know, Mike and Irene are deadly keen enthusiasts and are constantly looking for exciting and unusual classics.

As well as being one of the country’s leading classic car restorers, The Surgery has been the chief sponsor of The Surgery Intermarque Sprint Series (the longest running series of its type in NZ) for over 10 years, with six rounds every year at Manfeild and an average of 80 to 90 competitors at every round. The concept is a low key, low cost, professionally organised, track-based introduction to tarmac motor sport, which is fundamentally a standalone series for those drivers who wish to try their skills on the race track.

It also offers a competitive series for those who wish to pit themselves against others in their class, in the format of a dual car sprint, typically with no more than eight cars on the track at any one time; and an opportunity to enter into more competitive, serious forms of motor sport, for example Clubmans or Classic Racing.

The Surgery Intermarque Sprint Series is often frequented by many drivers who use it to hone their skills for other classic meetings, such as the Whittaker’s MG Classic Motor Race, MG Charity Classic and Central Districts Classic Car Club closed meetings, all in a format designed to be fun with friendly competition.

Cop Car

Mike and Irene are well known for their tight tussles with each other in their BMW 2002s in The Surgery Intermarque Sprint Series, and Mike concedes that Irene more often than not leads the way on the race track.

However, after 12 years of accident-free motor racing, Mike and Irene finally came to grief, with both cars coming off a little worse for wear after Irene was taken out by another car and with nowhere to go. Caught up in the on-track tangle, Mike had no option but to plough straight into Irene’s car. After piloting the BMWs for 12 years, Mike decided to repair them and began looking for something a bit different, that was more challenging and with more power. When he eventually found what he was looking for, the BMWs were sold and Mike purchased a 1985 Ford Mustang Interceptor.

This Mustang was taken out of service with the California Highway Patrol in 1987, and came to NZ that same year.

Back in the early to mid ’80s the California Highway Patrol was faced with the nation’s highest percentage of super-fast cars, due mainly to the increased importation of high performance cars from Germany, Italy and Japan. All this in a large state with oodles of space to run and hide from the law. Embarrassingly, American iron was simply being outrun, and the California Highway Patrol was faced with both a severe performance deficiency and a burgeoning wimpy image problem. It seemed that the only place the cops out-ran and actually caught the bad guys was on TV!

Severe Service

The Mustang Severe Service Package (SSP) was originally released in 1982 for limited use by the California Highway Patrol (CHP) to test in high-speed pursuit conditions, and despite popular belief, there were actually only minor differences between the SSP Mustangs and their civilian counterparts. Both were equipped with identical 5.0-litre V8 engines and four-speed manual transmissions.
Also at this time Ford was re-entering the ever-competitive power battle with its arch-rivals Chevrolet and Dodge, with the new 5.0-litre HO Mustang. The lighter weight Fox-bodied Mustang boasted the free revving 5.0-litre, 302 V8 engine, impressing the Highway Patrol so much that it quickly decided this car was the answer to its dreams, and considered it necessary for catching the bad guys. Wanting a piece of the action, the CHP placed an order for 400 vehicles with ‘beefed up everything’ in typical fashion.

It was decided that a light box on the roof gave too much drag, and was a dead giveaway from a distance that a police car was on your tail, so they chose to use discreetly placed flashing lights concealed in the front grille and rear parcel shelf.

The final result was a two-door, tyre-smoking, door-slamming pursuit car. One Highway Patrol chief (while test driving a demo car) was quoted at the time as saying; “She ain’t the purdiest thang around but, sheeit! She don’t half go!”

He then unceremoniously lost control and crashed the car, writing it off!

However, there wasn’t much about the Severe Service Package that made it stand out from a standard Mustang really, and between 1982 and 1985, these variances included subtle changes such as relocating the remote boot release to the driver’s side, 15 by seven-inch steel wheels fitted with speed-rated tyres and plain centre caps to replace the standard 14 by six-inch wheels, a full-size conventional spare wheel and tyre, a 225kph certified and calibrated speedometer and a few other items installed, be it standard or optionally.

The CHP relished the fact the car was small, fast, and unlike the Chevrolet Camaros they had previously tested, the Mustangs were significantly more reliable mechanically. Also, with a price tag of only US$6800 each, the SSP was a bargain all around.

Subsequent to the highly encouraging results of the CHP trials, Ford proceeded with a limited police option based on the 5.0-litre Mustang sedan platform and called it the Special Service Package. During its production run from 1982-1993, these cars saw service with more than 60 local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies throughout the United States.

The most notable SSP equipment for the Mustang offered from 1986 onwards included some fairly fancy stuff in the form of standard and optional features, and when added to the items listed above, they could be combined to make a complete Special Service package which included such items as silicone radiator and by-pass hoses with aircraft-style hose clamps; engine and transmission oil coolers; a heater hose inlet restrictor; VASCAR two-piece speedometer cables; a radio noise-suppression package; heavy-duty air conditioning; a 135-amp Lestek alternator with transistorised voltage regulator; a door body-side moulding delete option; a recalibrated cooling fan clutch; inoperative door courtesy light switches; a single-key locking system; special coding for weight adjustment; heavy-duty, low-back, front bucket seats; aluminium LX wheels; the deletion of the under bonnet sound insulation; and finally a reinforced bullet-proof floor pan.

The key way of identifying an SSP Mustang is the Domestic Special Order (DSO) code, which is found on a credit card-sized plate affixed to the driver’s side of the car’s radiator core support, situated directly behind the headlight, or on the vehicle identification decal on the driver’s door. This two-digit hyphen four-digit code is unique to that particular Mustang, or a series of Mustangs that were ordered under that DSO. Each car’s DSO can be tracked back to Ford to find out the original jurisdictional customer, along with all of the unique cop stuff that was factory installed.

Surgical Mustang

Mike and Irene purchased their cop Mustang from friends at Moorhouse Muscle Cars in Christchurch a couple of years ago. Mike knew it would be an ideal project to replaced the BMWs, which would give him significantly more power whilst at the same time they’d be a little bit different out on the race track. The Mustang was taken back to The Surgery for a full check up and the removal of a few body parts. The heavy duty bullet-proof panels in the floor and doors were removed along with the shotgun mounts, which Mike reckoned were not going to be necessary at Manfeild race track. Mind you, he thought, they could come in handy!

The driver’s seat was removed and replaced with a race seat and full harness. A brake bias valve and shift light were also added, basically finishing off the interior. As for the handling, the best that could be said is that it went fast in a straight line but handled like an American cop car, lots of noise, tyre smoke and pathetic at going around corners. ¨Well what do you expect, there are no corners in California. As Mike needed this thing to go around a race track, the suspension was severely beefed up, including a three-link rear end.

Engine improvements include a steel crank, forged pistons and performance headers providing a healthy 224kW (300bhp) on tap, coupled to a heavy duty clutch, five-speed manual gearbox and Detroit Locker diff all geared up to give a top speed of 240kph. Massive Aero Space Industries brakes take care of the stopping department.

Mike reckons the car is street legal and great fun on the track as well, complete with siren and flashing lights, and just to make things interesting, every now and then the odd 357-magnum cartridge shell still rolls out from under the seats after a sharp stop!

It must be more than a little disconcerting for other track users, and you can almost imagine Mike doing a Clint Eastwood whenever a competitor attempts to pass the Mustang — do you feel lucky punk? ¦ You know the rest.

Words: Ashley Webb Photos: Adam Croy

It’s always refreshing to welcome newcomers ¨to the classic car scene — especially when they’re as young as Ryan Daniels and Elliot Fran

Thanks to NZ Classic Car’s readers, we receive a constant flow of letters and emails from passionate and classic car enthusiasts, all providing the opportunity to either feature their cars or just to let us know what they have tucked away in their garage.

Recently, we received an email which, in my view, was something quite special.

Why? Because it was from two 16-year-old sixth form students with a passion for Ford Escorts.

“Hey just would like to know if you could please put my 1980 MkII Escort in your magazine along with my friend’s 1974 MkI Escort. We are both 16-year-old boys who still attend school and we have put our hearts into restoring these cars; with money coming in from part-time jobs — Pizza Hut and Foodtown. We would like to show off our cars in your magazine as we have a strong love for old cars. We have put so much time and effort into restoring our Escorts.”

I don’t know about anyone else, but this email brought back memories of when I first started to get involved in old cars and, like most of our readers, that happened at an early age as well. I can certainly remember scrimping and saving every cent as an apprentice printer only to spend it all on my passion for classic cars.

What’s also refreshing about the two young owners of these classic Fords — Ryan Daniel and Elliot Fran — is their obsession for older cars as opposed to the modern Japanese performance cars which seem to be the preferred mode of transport for most young people these days.

With all this in mind, we just had to meet these two school chums and check out their Escorts.

Escort MkI History Lesson

The Ford Escort was launched at the end of 1967 as a replacement for the Anglia. Actually, it wasn’t the first use of the ‘Escort’ name — it had been used previously in the’ 50s on an estate car version of the Ford Popular.

The first Escort featured conventional rear-wheel drive and a four-speed manual gearbox. The suspension was simple, consisting of a live axle mounted on leaf springs, together with rack-and-pinion steering.

The MkI also featured contemporary styling cues, boasting a subtle Detroit-inspired Coke-bottle waistline and the dog-bone-shaped front grille — arguably the car’s most iconic stylistic feature.

Initially, the Escort was sold as a two and four-door saloon with angular or circular front headlights.

Underneath the bonnet was the Kent cross-flow engine. Diesel engines in family cars still seemed light years away, so the Escort’s engines were all petrol — in 1100cc, 1300cc and 1600cc versions.

We all know the MkI Escort’s biggest success was as a rally car, and it quickly went on to become the most successful rally car of all time. The Ford works team was practically unbeatable in the late ’60s and early ’70s. The Escort’s most famous win came in the 1970 London-Mexico Rally — the winning Escort driven to victory by Finnish rallying legend, Hannu Mikkola. The Escort’s performance on this gruelling event gave rise to the famous Mexico special edition road versions, produced in honour of the rally car. Even today, the MkI remains popular in the amateur rally scene.

Elliot’s 1974 Ford Escort MkI

Elliot Fran grew up in the UK. Following in his father’s footsteps, he gained a real passion for Escorts at an early age, especially MkIs.

The Fran family immigrated to New Zealand three years ago, and when the opportunity came to purchase a 1974 Escort, guess who received the car as a present for his 15th birthday?

After unwrapping his present, the first thing on Elliot’s agenda was to swap the car’s original automatic transmission with a standard Escort four-speed ’box; that also allowed him to get some first-hand experience as he assisted his father with the gearbox swap. Elliot’s father also has a friend who is building an Escort rally car, and every Tuesday they visit to help out in the build, something Elliot has really come to enjoy. He loves to get his hands dirty as often as possible, and is eager to learn as much as he can along the way.
Elliot now spends every cent he earns from his part-time job at Pizza Hut on his Escort, and has tried to keep the car looking as original as possible — the Ford still sports its original paint. Elliot has added a few individual touches to his car, including bucket seats courtesy of a Mitsubishi, and an upgraded sound system as Elliot reckons the standard radio wasn’t too flash. A keen driver, he has also fitted a tacho so he can keep an eye on what’s happening up front in the engine bay. The Escort’s 1300cc engine also benefits from a set of extractors for added power and a better exhaust note.

Exterior changes include quarter length front bumpers for a slightly more aggressive appearance.

Elliot plans to keep the car and hopes to turn it into a 1300GT replica — he has already started to collect the necessary parts, including the correct GT dash, which is currently waiting to be installed.

Eventually, he would also like to buy a two-door MkI Escort and modify it so he can compete in track events with his father.

Escort MkII History Lesson

The square-edged MkII version of the Escort appeared in early 1975. Unlike the first Escort, a solely British effort, the second generation model was developed in conjunction with Ford of Germany. Going by the codename ‘Brenda’ throughout its development, the MkII used the same mechanicals as the MkI, although the unpopular and underpowered 950cc engine was dropped.

During the second half of the ’70s, the Ford Escort continued to prove hugely popular with buyers across Britain and other parts of Europe. As with its predecessor, the MkII also had an extremely successful rallying career.

The distinctive 2.0-litre RS2000 version, with its slanting plastic nose housing four round headlamps, featured the Pinto engine courtesy of the Ford Cortina, and was capable of a 177kph (110mph) top speed. The 2.0-litre engine was also easily retrofitted into the MkI, and this became a popular modification, along with the Ford Sierra’s five-speed gearbox, for rallying and other sports.

Ford Australia also built MkII Escorts. The 2.0-litre models were more common, and were sold with the two and four-door body shells. Unique to Australia was a 2.0-litre, four-door sedan that featured the plastic nose of the RS2000, however, the 2.0-litre engine was not as highly tuned as the European version. The Ford Laser replaced it in that market in 1980.

Ryan’s 1980 Ford Escort MkII Ghia

Ryan Daniel purchased his silver Escort Ghia earlier this year, after saving up for an extra year just to get the car he had always wanted — an Escort — and he’s keen to point out his car is powered by a 1.6-litre cross-flow engine.

Ryan says he has been interested in cars for as long as he can remember, starting off collecting Hot Wheels models — which he received as very appropriate birthday and Christmas presents — before progressing to the virtual world of PlayStation car racing, where he gained an appreciation for classic cars and motor racing.

That may seem a little different to the manner in which our older readers got into classic cars — it is, after all, a more modern age — but the final results are the same. As Ryan got older he began associating with other young people who had cars, helping them as they tinkered here and there, soon gaining valuable knowledge of all things mechanical. Ryan’s father also played an important role by sharing his knowledge and passion for classic cars.

Ryan chose the Escort because of his enthusiasm for ‘old school’ British cars, and he loved the shape and look of the Ford Escort. In addition, he wanted to learn how to drive without all the technical support on offer in modern cars.

Interestingly, Ryan’s Escort Ghia was part of a museum collection in Te Awamutu for over three years before passing into his ownership.

Since then Ryan has spent a great deal of time improving the car, trying to keep it looking as original as possible, although he did indicate that a pair of RS2000-style bucket seats and a lowering kit could be next on his ‘to do’ list. Working every hour he can at Foodtown and spending his wages on his beloved car, Ryan can certainly be proud of his achievements to date.

What’s next? Ryan now has his heart set on a 1600 Sport or a RS2000 in need of restoration. With age on his side, and determination coupled with a passion for British classics, I’d say Ryan’s going to be part of the classic car hobby for some time.

Old School Ford Club

As school mates, Ryan and Elliot spend as much time together as they can working on their cars, swapping information, and cruising around Howick’s beaches — often getting the thumbs up from other motorists.

Such is their passion, the two lads started their own internet-based Old School Ford Club and, at only a month old, the club already has over 30 members. Their intention is to grow the club so they can share stories and information about their cars.

I had a great afternoon with these two young blokes, their enthusiasm and willingness to learn seemed all too refreshing, and I just know that we’ll be seeing them again, in the pages of future editions of NZ Classic Car.

Words: Ashley Webb Photos: Dan Wakelin

Jeff Uren will be a well-known name to all British Ford enthusiasts; principally for his term as team manager of the Ford Rally Team, and his successful racing career in saloon and touring cars from 1955 to 1964. Although Uren also raced a GSM Delta in GT races, his name is still closely linked with Ford through his later role in motor sport management and, as well as his work with the Ford Rally Team, he also worked with Ford Detroit and Willment.

Jeff Uren’s own company — Race Proved Performance and Racing Ltd — was well known during the ’60s for its ‘Savage’ conversions on re-engineered Cortinas. Uren’s special talent was put to use as he figured out how to drop Ford’s V6 Essex (Ford Zodiac) engine into the shell of the Cortina 1600E MkII. Prior to the Cortina Savage, Race Proved had developed other potent combinations — such as the Navajo 2.0-litre Escort Estate, Apache 3.0-litre V6 Escort, Comanche V6 Capri and the Stampede Boss Mustang V8-powered Capri.

Nevertheless, just sticking a bigger engine into a car it was never designed for usually has negative side effects — ones which could also be detrimental to the driver’s health — but Uren knew what he was doing.

Operating with Ford’s knowledge and assistance when working on his 3.0-litre Essex V6-powered Savage Cortinas, Uren followed the well tried formula of ‘big engine — light chassis’ and he was well aware that significant chassis modifications would be required if the V6-powered Cortina was to be anything more than a hairy, straight-line performance car.

Many structural modifications were built into the lightweight Cortina body shell to cope with the additional weight and stresses put upon it by the V6. ¨The chassis members were seam welded down the sides of the engine bay and a new cross-member was fitted for extra rigidity. The suspension mounting holes were left blank by Ford, so Uren could drill them out himself to allow for tuning in some negative camber. ¨New engine mountings were also required, as the weight of the V6 sat well forward of the standard four-cylinder engine.

Modified springs and shock absorbers were used, with carefully developed new ratings to avoid axle tramp. Much emphasis was put on selecting the rear springs, which were designed to allow the front linkage to act as a locating swivel for the axle, while the rear linkage supported the weight of the car.

Other modifications included a new wiring loom, relocating the battery to the boot, an alternator conversion, an uprated exhaust system, a special differential ratio, a larger capacity cooling system, and even a driver’s footrest. Even with all these changes, it wasn’t that easy to pick out a Savage in the crowd — but if you were close enough you’d notice the ‘Savage’ badges on the front quarter panel behind the wheel arches and on the boot lid. ‘V6’ badges appeared in place of the more usual GT.

Other options included an extra fuel tank, sunshine roof, Minilite alloy wheels, Lucas iodine-vapour headlights and a limited slip differential along with various seat options.

Steering by Throttle

Fitting a weighty V6 engine into a Cortina could have produced a nose-heavy car with excessive understeer, but Uren’s extensive suspension changes resulted in a vehicle with precise and predictable handling — certainly better than the donor car. The V6 engine meant that 56 per cent of the Savage’s weight sat across the front wheels, but that was pretty close to the stock 1600E’s 54:46 weight distribution.

With sufficient understeer to provide good directional stability, contemporary road-testers quickly discovered just how forgiving the car really was, although they also noted intrusive wind noise (a standard Cortina MkII misgiving) and considerable road noise over broken roads.

However, most of the Savage’s unruly nature could be forgiven as the car’s performance was considered quite outstanding for its era — with 101kW and 247Nm on tap in a vehicle that weighed only 1068kg, that is hardly surprising.

Apparently it was possible to have your own Cortina converted to Savage specifications — providing, of course, it was deemed to be in good enough condition for the conversion. Several hundred Savages were built between 1967 and 1970.

Rob Halliday’s Savage

To most motor racing fans, the Halliday family needs little introduction. Brothers Rob and Don started off drag racing at the Kopuku Dragway before taking on the challenges of motor racing in the late ’60s. With Rob’s mechanical support, Don went on to become multiple NZ Touring Car champion while Don’s son, Matt Halliday, is currently enjoying much success today racing GT3 Porches and, of course, has also represented New Zealand in A1GP.

Rob and his son, Robbie, are also well into the local motor sport scene, currently racing their classic Cortina MkIIs — one is an Alan Mann Cortina replica, the other a Lotus twin-cam-powered Cortina MkII. Rob admits that Robbie is fairly competitive on the track and has been known to give the old man a bit of a hurry up at times. But that’s all about to change, as Rob is now building a stronger engine for his car — one which should hold Robbie at bay, at least in the short term

Rob is based on the Mangawhai Heads, where he has now lived for over 11 years. Initially he was in the business of building bulldozers, these being constructed from start to finish in-house, with a range of different-sized vehicles available.

Unfortunately, New Zealand’s small population provided only a limited market for his bulldozers — and export proved too difficult without government support, which wasn’t as forthcoming as expected. As a result, Rob decided to change direction and founded Halliday Racing Developments, a business fabricating and building race cars — or any other car for that matter.

Wandering around Rob’s workshop, it was clearly obvious that he and Robbie are masters at their trade, with every piece of engineering machinery imaginable available in their well-equipped workshop. Building race cars seemed like second nature to these guys. And I have to admit, I have never seen so many Lotus twin-cam engines before in my life. Rob’s workshop would be heaven to any Cortina buff; with Cortina GTs, Cortina race-cars and the odd Capri scattered around the place it was clear that Fords ruled in the Halliday household. I happened to ask Rob about the number of Cortina GT MkIIs around and about their popularity in New Zealand. He laughed and said he wasn’t sure, but intimated that he probably owned most of them anyway, and there were even more tucked away at home.

Replicating Uren’s Savage

With his new workshop up and running, Rob decided he wanted to build a Targa car but wasn’t too sure what to build. Then about a year ago Rob’s good friend Neil Tolich (whose Capri Perana replica featured recently in these pages), suggested he build a Savage Cortina replica, considering that would provide all the necessary power and torque for Targa-style events. It didn’t take much persuasion from Neil before the build was underway.

Rob started off with a Cortina GT MkII, being fully aware that these cars had the advantage of additional reinforcing in the strut towers and heavy-duty anti-tramp rod brackets already built in.

The Cortina was completely stripped down and Rob fitted an automatic transmission tunnel courtesy of a Ford Capri. ¨This provided enough space to house a Sierra Cosworth T5 gearbox. A World Cup cross-member was added before the V6 engine was nestled into its resting place. Naturally, this engine has been imbued with a healthy dose of additional power — courtesy of being bored out to 3.1 litres and being fitted with a Kent Cams cam kit and 11.0:1 forged pistons. The fully balanced engine was then topped off with aluminium downdraught heads, an aluminium high-rise intake manifold and triple down-draught Weber carburettors. The final result sees the revitalised V6 pumping out 194kW (260bhp), more than enough power to keep Rob — and his competitors — honest.

The Cortina’s rear end has also received some serious modifications, including a shortened Capri Atlas differential with fully floating hubs and high-tensile axles. A Capri Watts linkage mounts the ZF differential unit and four wheel ventilated discs, with specially fabricated alloy hubs up front, and four pot callipers take care of the stopping department.
As you can see from our photographs, the Savage Cortina replica is still a work in progress, although only minor items are now required before it’s ready for the start line.

We were fortunate enough to see Rob take the red beast out of the workshop and drive it for the first time, and it sounded suitably ‘savage’ and menacing. Everything seemed to work perfectly and I could see that Rob and Robbie were looking for any excuse to take the Cortina out onto the road for a test drive — but they’ll have to wait awhile before they get to that stage.

Rob has received a lot of help and encouragement along the way and would like to thank Neil Tolich, Kevin Hurst, Nelson Marshall and Geoff Campbell for all their support.
With the NZ Tourist Trophy having been postponed for several months, Rob now has plenty of time to get any bugs ironed out and will undoubtedly be a serious contender, although he reckons he’s just in it for the fun. However, we have to remember one thing — Hallidays are serious about their motor racing.

Words: Ashley Webb Photos: Dan Wakelin

Across the world, Ford is marking the 100th Anniversary of the Model T — the car that introduced motoring to the masses.

Last year in Richmond, Indiana, US, nearly 900 of these iconic vehicles were on display — probably the largest ever gathering of Model Ts. Edsel Ford II, great-grandson of company founder, Henry Ford, addressed the crowd at an opening banquet. The gathering transformed Wayne County Fairgrounds into what looked like a movie set for a motion picture depicting life in the early 1900s.

The Model T is one of the most historically significant cars of the 20th Century, and may be the single most important American car. Henry Ford realised there was a big market for cars — and not just for the wealthy.

The first production Model T Ford was assembled in Detroit in October, 1908. With the development of the sturdy low-priced car, Henry Ford made his company the biggest in
the industry.

15 million Model Ts

In a span of 10 years, Ford built 15 million cars with the Model T. Nicknamed ‘Tin Lizzie’, the Ford was probably the most important vehicle for social change in America. It helped transform the nation’s cities, enabling residents to move farther away, creating the first suburbs. The Model T was also embraced by farmers and rural Americans.

Henry Ford and the Model T changed US labour force, too. Ford raised wages to attract and keep workers at his factories. The popularity of the Model T even found its way into poetry, songs and movies, the latter most memorably in the comedy short films of Laurel and Hardy.

An early Ford publicity slogan introduced in 1906, and often strung across the roadway in the form of a wide banner which would attract a lot of attention, was ‘Watch the Fords go by.’
Henry’s T had several attention-grabbing innovations. The steering wheel and control pedals were on the left, a feature with far-reaching consequences because of the Model T’s ultimately huge production volume.

Up to the introduction of the Ford’s Model T in 1908, every other manufacturer had built right-hand drive. But within a few years, every auto-maker in the United States had followed Ford. Had Henry not decided to build his T Ford in left-hand drive form, US vehicles would have been right-hand-drive to this day. The Ford Motor Company certainly changed history in many ways.

Any colour — as long as it’s black

The main reason for this was a particular kind of black enamel which dried more quickly than other paints, and helped speed up production. However, pressure from Ford dealers eventually led to other colours being offered in 1926. By this time also, new lacquer paints had been developed which dried fast enough to match the line rate of production. The new colours offered were Gunmetal Blue, Highland Green, Phoenix Brown and Fawn Grey.

The Model T reached the end of its long road in 1927. Although many small changes were made along the way, the last ‘Lizzie’ to roll out of the factory really wasn’t that much different than the first one built in 1908. That was one of her problems, the reason that ultimately brought her end. However, it is also the reason why we remember the Model T with such affection 100 years later.

After 19 years of production, on the eve of May 25, 1927, Ford announced to an eager public that it would indeed build a new car, to replace the now well outdated Model T.

Was it a coincidence or was it planned, that the 15 millionth Model T rolled off the Highland Park assembly line the following afternoon, May 26? With Edsel Ford at the car’s controls and his father Henry beside him, the final car led a motorcade of company officials and 15 reporters and cameramen. Quite a big affair for the times!

Two of Ford’s most significant cars were also present at the ceremony. The 1896 Quadricycle that Henry had built at home, plus the very first Model T Ford. For the benefit of motion-picture cameramen, Henry drove both the older cars around the plaza courtyard. That rather simple ceremony celebrated the end of a significant part of US motor car industry.

Preserving Tin Lizzie

Soon after that May 25 announcement, many owners began to take better care of their Tin Lizzies, eager to prolong their lives — the car’s that is! One elderly lady, obviously very wealthy, purchased and stored away seven new Model Ts so she would not be without one for the rest of her life. A man in Toledo bought six, and only wore out the last of them in 1967. True stories or not? We don’t know, but those rumours have circulated among Model T enthusiasts for the past 41 years.

Local restored Flivvers

In the early years, the T Ford adopted the nickname Fabulous Flivver. Errol and Kathryn Smith  of Christchurch are great enthusiasts of the Flivver or Tin Lizzie. Among their collection of many veteran, vintage and classic vehicles, they own a total of seven restored Ts from 1911 to 1923, with a further two undergoing restoration, 1912 and 1914 models. They are housed in a new building of 750 square metres on their 2.8-hectare property.

The Smiths are certainly not afraid to use their Ford Ts. Thousands of kilometres have been clocked up over the years, including trips up to Auckland. No, not in a trailer, but driven! Even on local rallies, when the route planners offer a choice Errol will choose the longest route.

High country Ford

The 1913 open four-seater seen here belongs to Dorothy and Lyndsay Ayres of Avondale, Christchurch. In 1954, while tramping in the high country area of North Canterbury up by Lake Taylor and Lake Sumner at the Hurunui River head waters, Lyndsay noticed many abandoned old cars. While sheltering from the hot sun under a large native bush he saw some old car or truck buried in undergrowth, so well that it was actually protected from the elements. In 1958, not knowing what the vehicle actually was or even if it was still there, he returned to the site with a trailer in tow behind his 1947 Ford V8. After a many hours of cutting away years of bush growth, this 1913 Ford T was uncovered.

The following five years saw a massive restoration job undertaken by Lyndsay. In November of 1963 the Ayres entered their first Vintage Car Club rally together with 21 other veteran cars, ending at the then New Brighton Racecourse, now QEII stadium. Lyndsay jumps at any excuse to use or display this 1913 example. Perhaps the highlight for him over these past 45 years was the time he acted as Henry Ford at the 100 Years of Ford celebrations in 2003 at McLeans Island. Lyndsay certainly looked the part, dressed in clothes of the period.

Promotional Ford

The 1924 model featured here is owned by Foodstuffs. This vehicle is not a replica of a Four Square Grocery delivery van. It is in fact a genuine original. Based in Dunedin from new, it served as a Four Square delivery van back in the good old days before supermarkets. Do you remember when you could leave your order or phone it through to the local corner grocery store and it would, in turn, deliver to your door, usually the same day? I do, perhaps that shows my age!

The bodywork was restored by Bob Herron in Mosgiel, then painted by his son, Paul Herron of Gore. Foodstuffs uses this vehicle for promotional purposes throughout New Zealand. At the moment it is on display in the showroom of Avon city Ford in Sockburn, Christchurch. Note the perfect personalised registration plate.

Words and Photos: Trevor Stanley-Joblin

In South Africa during the ’60s, Basil Green was earning himself an enviable reputation for extracting major performance gains from all kinds of cars. Although he is mainly known for his work on Ford cars, Basil — who once worked as a mechanic for the Cooper F1 team — initially began by tuning BMC cars, racing his own, much modified Mini in 1964. His Mini went so well that he soon had many others wanting their cars performance – tuned by Basil.

By 1965, Green had sold many conversion kits for Anglias, Cortinas and VWs. Along with a new partner, Ronnie Rosen, Green also turned his hand to tweaking Valiant and Barracuda cars. However, with the advent of the Cortina, Green’s business entered into the history books — he slotted an Essex V6 into the Cortina and named his new creation the Cortina Perana — the name being taken from the names of the engineers who helped Green design the cars (a popular misconception is that the name comes from the man-eating fish).

In 1969, Green got his hands on one of the first MkI Ford Capris to arrive into South Africa. He tossed out the V6 and fitted a 5.0-litre Mustang V8 engine, then up-rated the gearbox, differential, suspension and brakes.

In 1970, Motorman magazine road tested a Capri Perana — the car accelerated from zero to 100kph in 6.4 seconds before sprinting to a top speed of 240kph. On the race track in their home country, the Gunston Team Racing Perana Capris demolished everything — even Ford GT40s. They were banned from racing 18 months later, so Basil stopped making them after a significant production run.

Confusion reigns as to exactly how many Capri Peranas were built — some sources quote 500, while others list 803. Even figures as high as 1167 have been quoted — but these probably include production figures for the Cortina Perana, Granada Perana (another Ford V8-powered special) and the Escort Perana (which was fitted with a 2.0-litre ohc engine).

With the above in mind, it is generally believed that around 430 to 500 Capri Peranas were built.

A racing life

In the ’80s, I knew nothing about Basil Green and his Peranas and started racing my 3.8 Jaguar Mk2 in classic events before moving to Porsche 356s — I still own and race a 1956 356 Speedster which has been part of their family for 21 years. The Tolich kids don’t remember life pre-Speedster. This was the first car I used for a Targa event. After watching my classic rallying neighbour Rob Wylie have fun in his Datsun 1600, I decided to have ago and entered my Speedster — with navigator, Stephen Reynolds — in the Targa Bambina. The car did well. However, the old car felt a bit frail even with a roll-cage and you wouldn’t want to hit anything with the fuel tank sitting 150mm above your knees!

I’ve spent the past seven years travelling to Europe a few times a year to race with my London-based Kiwi mate, David Fitzsimons. David owns some seriously exotic machines, which we run in classic endurance rallies and races in Europe. The cars are an Alfa Romeo TZ1, a Ferrari 275GTB/C, an Alfa GTA, a Porsche 2.7RSL, an Alfa GTA and, for this year’s Tour d’Espana, a Porsche 2.8RSR.

But it was another of David’s cars that really impressed me when he first drove it at Donington. It was a Ford Capri V6 that’d been track-day prepared by UK racer, Willie Green, with subtle mods including lowered suspension on Spax shocks, Yokohama tyres, a roll-cage and with the V6 giving an easy 164kW (220bhp). Simple and effective, the car was wonderful to drive, and it out-ran many of the more modern cars on the track

An NZ ‘Perana’

Back in New Zealand, I asked Mal Clark at By’Gone Autos in Beachhaven to build a Capri that could be used for Targa and classic circuit racing. After a bit more research, we found out about the South African Peranas. Wow! A V8 in a Capri! What a lovely recipe. Light weight, good handling, tons of torque and power, and reliability.

I found a rusty 1970 Capri V6 for $900 and gave it to Mal. Ten months later, and after spending as much as a new car would have cost, I drove out of By’Gone in a recreated Perana Capri. It had a new four-bolt 4949cc (302ci) Windsor V8, race suspension with adjustable struts and shocks, a five speed, race-prepped Borg Warner gearbox, Wilwood disc brakes all round, and a fibreglass bonnet. Wheels and tyres were 15-inch Minilites fitted with 225/50×15 Dunlop Rs.

Everything mechanical was new except the reworked limited slip differential donated by a Jaguar 3.8. Remarkably, the weight over the front wheels was 25kg less than with the old V6 in place. All-up weight was 1360kg with two crew and fuel on board. Expensive, yes. Worth it? Yes, every cent!

Out of the box, the Perana was quicker than any standard WRX, XR8 or Evo. Despite its high riding Targa suspension, I found the Capri capable of lapping Pukekohe in one minute, 10 seconds — as quickly as my then new E46 BMW M3. One week after completion, the blood orange Capri (similar in colour to the Gunston Capris) started the 2003 Dunlop Targa. After one week on the road, the lazy 268kW (360bhp) engine had propelled the Capri to first in class, and 28th overall out of 200 cars.

Weak links

For the 2004 Targa event, along with new navigator, Alan Henderson, I was full of confidence. A year of ownership and racing had identified any weak links — or so I thought. The car was very quick, stable and with great rear-end traction despite the power and torque. It was geared to pull 220kph at the rev limiter’s 6400rpm. I drove hard from the start, presuming that the ‘near new’ car would survive the abuse. The second day on a stage near new Plymouth we were seeded 184th out of 205 cars (fastest cars at the back of the field). Right behind was Aussie Touring Car racer, Stephen Richards, in his new Group A Subaru WRX rally car. A few cars further back was his dad, Jim Richards, in his winning Porsche GT3. Just before the start Jim walked up to the Perana and said that he had bought a genuine one from South Africa for classic rallying. Son Stephen joined in and said he ran a BDA Escort in classic rallies in Australia.

What followed was a great day of rallying and, at the end of the first stage, the Aussie aces had only gained 10 seconds on us. Afterwards Stephen Richards’s co-driver came up and congratulated us. They had expected to catch up pretty early in the stage, and when they finally did see our orange rump in the distance they couldn’t make any gains. That was a huge buzz for Alan and me, and the Perana’s real potential was starting to show.

Alas, the next day the diff broke! It took a day to locate a replacement (from an E-Type at Beacham Jaguar in Hastings) and get it delivered and fitted overnight in Palmertson North. So we were out of contention for any placings, but still finished in Wellington a few days later without a scratch on the car.

In the 2005 and 2006 Targa, the Perana had ongoing successes with class placings and strong finishes —14th overall behind Steve Millen’s new Ford GT in 2006. Mike Sexton navigated for me on the 2006 event, and his analytical approach soon had me thinking about how I could make the old girl faster without increasing power and upsetting its fine balance. The answer became obvious midway through the 2006 Targa. Starting a long stage 30 seconds behind Paul Halford’s beautiful Maserati Trofeo, I was keen to catch and pass Halford. Sure enough, after about 15km we were within 10 seconds of the Maser when the tight twisting road opened up to a high speed undulating blast. The Perana sat with the Maser in a straight line until the first series of 180kph bends.

After those, the Maserati had gained 200 metres and after a few more corners it was gone. It looked like a slot car ducking and diving in front. The Capri, by comparison, was using the whole road to try to keep up. Its old aerodynamics weren’t designed for that sort of competition.

Sorting out the aerodynamics

On the race track, in both the Tracer and Arrows series, the Capri’s high, softish suspension was now also holding the car back with dramatic wheel lifting becoming a feature. We won some races, but it was struggling to fend off purely track-focused cars. So, back at By’Gone Autos the car was lowered (it still sits higher than track cars) and had period Capri RS spoilers fitted front and rear. The result was truly dramatic.

My best previous lap time at Pukekohe had been one minute, 8.2 seconds. With the lowering and aerodynamic mods, the car was almost 1.5 seconds a lap quicker. No weaving at high speed braking for the hairpin, no sliding over the top of Mobil Mountain. The engine and brakes were untouched. The car was tested and rested during 2007 with no Targa events.

For the 2008 Targa Rotorua, I needed another navigator and enlisted Groundsky Photography lens-man, Cully Paterson. His first stage was in thick fog out of Rotorua — no fun for anyone, let alone a new boy. Eight cars came to grief in that first stage. The rest of the weekend was fast and furious with roads often wet.

However, Cully never missed a call, and the service crew of Bruce James and Rod Leonard-Rogers kept the oil leaks and exhaust rattles at bay. Grip from the Dunlop Direzza 03s was fantastic but, most of all, it was the Capri’s newfound high speed stability that transformed the car. Those 180kph swoops and dives now saw the Capri firmly planted on terra firma just like a modern Porsche.

And so the event proved to be the Capri’s biggest success to date — scoring the Classic Competition outright win, winning in its category and, just for good measure, earning the Peter Hanna trophy for first V8 home.

Perhaps most significantly, the Capri was second overall behind the winning, state-of-the art rally Subaru WRX. The Perana beat all other modern cars including Mitsubishi Evos, Porsche GT3s and many other very fast, if not as reliable, competitors.

The neat thing about all this is helping make a 38-year-old car show off in front of all those modern upstarts. Sure, for the money I have spent, I could be running a GT3. But I reckon most people just love seeing the orange Perana sitting in line, at the start of a stage, amongst the Evos, WRXs, 911s, BMWs, HSVs and all the rest. I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Words: Neil Tolich Photos: Adam Croy

During our visit to Kaikoura, we met Bob Bell and checked out the veritable Aladdin’s cave that he calls his home shed

I’ve probably said it many times, but one of the great things about working on NZ Classic Car is not only the fine cars we get to see virtually on a daily basis, but the fantastic people we meet along the way who enjoy sharing their fabulous yarns with us about their hobby.

One such person is Kaikoura’s Bob Bell who, along with Kaikoura’s Pier Hotel owner, Steve Kirkpatrick, made our trip to the South Island not only possible but highly enjoyable.

Besides exploring Bob’s shed, he has a great, life-long passion for cars to share — one that stretches back almost five decades to the time when he travelled to Ardmore as a child with his father to watch the NZ Grand Prix. In fact, Bob has been a keen motorsport follower ever since, not missing too many racing events at our end of the world — he’s attended almost every Australian Grand Prix.

Losing count

Bob has, quite literally, lost count of all the cars that he has owned over the years — although he recalled that it started at the tender age of 14 with a Ford 8. He remembers towing it home with his father and, after several attempts to get it running, they decided to wreck it — which, as it turned out, was quite a profitable exercise as the pair picked up £30 on the deal.

This was also the catalyst for what would play an important part in Bob’s life — his shed. It was at around this time that Bob eventually commandeered the family garage, and ever since he has always owned his own shed — and we’re not talking your standard 6×6-metre job; every one of Bob’s houses has boasted a decent-sized garage.

By the time Bob had reached the age of 17 he decided to head over the ditch to live — he had already owned least a dozen cars, including a rare 1929 six-cylinder Chevrolet Roadster, three Model As, a couple of Austin specials, a Hudson Super 6, 1937 Tickford-bodied Rover drophead coupe — a car created specially for the 1937 London Motor Show — and a MkV Jaguar, the latter bought along with his father.

Unfortunately, Bob scuttled three telegraph poles in the Jaguar and, with the eventual insurance pay-out, his father bought a 1949 Ford Single Spinner. Bob eventually saved up enough money and bought his own MkV Jaguar.

Australian adventures

Bob lived in Australia for a while — he remembers that his first car over there was a Vauxhall Wyvern — but soon returned to New Zealand with his Australian wife. They didn’t stay here for long, and were soon packing their gear and heading off across the Tasman again.

Initially, Bob purchased a Toyota Land Cruiser and a six-metre caravan, in which the couple travelled around Australia for just over a year. With their wanderlust slaked, the pair finally settled in Sydney.

Once there, Bob built their first house — which obviously included a fairly substantial garage. This would eventually house an early 3.0-litre BMW, Jaguar XK150, Lancia Fulvia Rallye coupe, 1974 2.7 911 Porsche Carrera and a VB SL/E Commodore.

The Lancia came to a sticky end when it took on a bridge and came off second best! The XK150 was sold, only to be replaced by a brace of Mk2 Jaguars and a rare 1961 Lincoln four-door convertible. A BMW 633CSi was added along the way, as well  as a partially restored 1961 Thunderbird convertible — both of which he still owns today. Bob recalls visiting a Sydney Motor Show in the ’80s, where he came across the newly released Mercedes 190 Cosworth on display. Bob was mighty impressed with this car and wanted to get a closer look, thinking that this could be the car for him one day. Dressed in only shorts, jandals and a T-shirt (well, it was summer) he was refused entry onto the stand, not being allowed to get anywhere close to the Mercedes. Bob then noticed a bright, shiny new BMW 633csi on the stand opposite — the rest you know.

During the mid-’90s, Bob and his second wife, Karen, travelled to Kenya to teach for six months after touring Great Britain and Europe in an old VW campervan. During that time, they adopted a 10-year-old Kenyan girl, Maureen. When they decided to return to Australia, the strict Australian immigration regulations imposed on them at the time meant that the easiest option was to return to New Zealand, and fight the Australian authorities from there in order to get Maureen into Australia.

That took around five weeks and, in the end, Maureen was only granted a five-year visa — if she left Australia during that period she would not be allowed to return. Bob and Karen decided to bring Maureen to New Zealand for three years, which would make her eligible for New Zealand residency.

Kaikoura Bound

Bob has fond memories of Kaikoura, often travelling over from Australia to attend classic race meetings and staying there. He and Karen had also spent time in Kaikoura over the years and decided to take Maureen to the South Island to see the snow, something she had never experienced before. During that trip, Bob and Karen purchased a spectacular piece of land in Kaikoura which they had noticed on a previous trip. They then went back to Australia to sell up, which actually took about a year due to the length of time it took to sell their house.

Bob never told anyone in Australia about their new plans, just to say that they were selling their house and building a new one — never mentioning that the new house would be built in New Zealand!

Bob also had to part with at least nine cars to lighten the load — including a rare 16-litre 1927 Le France fire-pumper. He was left with the Lincoln convertible, Thunderbird, BMW 633CSi coupe, and Alta Special vintage race-car, Porsche Carrera and a rare Benelli six-cylinder motorcycle.

And so, towards the end of 1999, Bob, Karen and Maureen arrived in New Zealand and set to work building their new home in Kaikoura. The first challenge was to erect a temporary building so they had a roof over their heads — this initial building would later become Karen’s art studio and gallery.

The cars were kept in containers before Bob got around to building his large shed. Everyone still laughs, recalling that Bob built the shed before the house — but Bob’s a man who clearly has his priorities set right. With the shed built and cars unpacked from the containers it was time to focus on the house — which, incidentally, is fabulous. Its French provincial theme allows for magnificent views of the surrounding mountains and sea from everywhere you look. Now called Homewood Hill, Bob and Karen offer it as a luxury B&B for tourists who really want to spoil themselves.

The Shed

Over the past few years since work on the house was completed, Bob has “sold a few and gained a few” as he puts it. During that time he sold his 1974 911 Porsche Carrera and Lincoln convertible, replacing them with another Mk2 Jaguar which has been built as a John Coombs Special; boasting triple carbs, cut-out wheel spats, louvered bonnet, manual gearbox with overdrive, XJ6 rack and pinion power steering and a Vicarage coil-sprung rear end.

The fully restored 1970 Morris Minor Traveller — also featured elsewhere in this magazine — is Karen’s daily driver, a car she prefers to drive rather than either of their two Range Rovers.

The unfinished Alfa classic racer, called the ‘Vault’ due to its Vauxhall running gear — and the amount of money tied up in it — sits alongside a Thunderbird convertible, the 633CSi and the Benelli motorcycle.
Bob’s 1961 Thunderbird has since been modified to include a late model Falcon rack and pinion steering, as the Australian RHD conversion was unacceptable for NZ compliance.

Unfortunately, Bob can’t help himself when it comes to swap meets and visiting other people’s shed and, over the years, he has collected a substantial array of all kinds of motoring paraphernalia — including an impressive collection of old spark plugs. He’s even got a penny-farthing bicycle.

Wandering around the shed, time seemed to pass by quickly as virtually every item has its own unique little story which Bob is only too happy to share. Naturally, there have been other cars that have come and gone such as a Borgward Arabella coupe, a ’60s dirt-track racer, a couple of Morris Minors, a few Rover P6Bs and a Triumph 2500 which Bob couldn’t resist. Those cars have gone to make way for Bob and Karen’s
new plans.

Yes, the time has come for them to return to Australia. Maureen is now 21 and is building her own life in Auckland, so Bob and Karen have decided to head back over the ditch to be with family and friends. Although the decision was a hard one — which car to take and which to leave behind — the collection will follow them and will, no doubt, take pride of place in Bob’s next shed, wherever that may be.

Bob and Karen, we wish you well, you’ll be sorely missed among the Kaikoura classic car community.

Words: Ashley Webb Photos: Adam Croy

PC meets up with a stunning classic car — a re-creation of the Mustang once raced by motor racing legend, Ian ‘Pete’ Geoghegan

The Australian Touring Car Championship wasn’t always a procession of Falcons and Commodores; there was a time when the gates were open to anything that met the rule-maker’s standards. Some entrants, though, had vehicles with a slightly bigger bang than others, an edge if you like.

There are certain journalists who really know how to get in amongst it. We occasionally hear how they meet their demise in doing so too, but back in 1960 there was a journo by the name of David McKay who took to the first Australian Touring Car Championship race with a vengeance, cleaning up in his Jaguar. The wins for Jaguar went on for a few more years until, surprisingly, the diminutive Ford Cortina showed the big boys how it was done in 1964. The man at the wheel was none other than Ian ‘Pete’ Geoghegan, and he ran off with the number one spot another four times, but he would never achieve that position again in a Cortina.

Although managing a win, Geoghegan knew he was outclassed in the smaller car, so he set off for California in search of something similar to the machine Norm Beechey had been operating in early 1965, a Mustang. Knocking on a few doors turned up a gem with the GT350R, the race edition of the legendary Shelby GT350. The only hitch was the body shape, a fastback, was not permitted in the class back in Australia. Geoghegan, with his buddy Bob Jane, did mange to secure a couple of ‘normal’ Mustangs through a local dealership and then it was off to meet the master, Carroll Shelby, to obtain parts and advice. Calling that a wise move is somewhat of an understatement.

Downunder Mustang

Shelby offered up parts galore for the boys from Down Under, and like kids in a candy store their pockets, so to speak, were filled to capacity. The list included a race-prepped, roller-cammed engine for Pete’s car. Shipping took a while back then, but as soon as possible Pete and Bob’s cars were both on Aussie soil.

Almost as the cars were being slung ashore Pete was informed by his brother about some sponsorship dollars that would be coming from Total, the fuel company. Things like that can open doors, not just into after-match functions but also in making sure your car is properly prepared, something Pete and his mechanic John Shepherd were very particular about.

Geoghegan raced the Ford Mustang with determination and passion while at the same time demonstrating some extraordinary winning ways. In fact, from his 74 starts in the Mustang he won 68 races! The man and his car are reportedly listed in Guinness World Records as being the ‘winningest’ car/driver combination ever, which is no mean feat. All this started at Calder Raceway, where he entered the meeting with some serious doubts about his mount, but he needn’t have worried. The Mustang (and its driver) performed flawlessly, sending Pete on the tour of a lifetime.

Change of colour

Geoghegan favoured black race cars initially and garnered the nickname ‘Black Pete’, even though his name was actually Ian, but when it comes to the almighty dollar you have to let your personal colour choice take a back seat to that of the sponsor’s own livery; they are picking up the tab, after all. Total wanted, and got, a white base with red and blue stripes. However times, as well as sponsors, can and do change. Pete got the nod from Castrol in 1966 and up popped the white base again, but this time with green stripes, complete with thin, gold accent stripes either side.

It is this vehicle and its colour scheme that Tauranga’s Wayne Hills chose when he decided to build a tribute Mustang to emulate what it was that Pete raced and so often won with. Wayne makes no claim to this car being Pete’s own ride, nor is it an exact replica, but it’s pretty darned close. The engine isn’t quite as radical as Geoghegan ran for a start, but there are still enough ponies to get a stampede underway, should Wayne feel the urge.

The basis for the project was a rust-free 1965 Mustang Hardtop, commonly referred to as a ‘notchback’, and Wayne’s was a genuine A-code GT. Rust-free examples of these machines are something that’s getting increasingly difficult to find, but in conversation Wayne was adamant that this car was exactly that; rust-free. “There wasn’t an ounce of rust in that body,” he gleefully says, and added that Matamata Panelworks had only to remove a few shopping trolley dings to get the car straight enough to continue with. The good points continued, with a 4736cc (289ci) engine that had already been fully rebuilt (with all new parts) to very reasonable specifications, and the vehicle also had been treated to a fully refurbished interior, but Wayne wasn’t about to let it rest there. He stripped every last nut and bolt from the car and, utilising the good bits, started from scratch.

After the minor dings and dents were sorted the body was treated to a coat of Wimbledon White, and the Geoghegan stripes were replicated as closely as possible. Wayne happily pointed the finger at Karl of KNR Paint Work in Tauranga for the standout paint application. When you look at pictures of the original race car online, or study the die-cast models that are made of the beast, it doesn’t take a genius to realise that Karl has got it right. Yes, there is a die-cast model of the Geoghegan car available and it looks just great. Naturally Wayne has one of these models and indicated that is was the catalyst for the project. With that, I conjured up a vision in my head of a young lad pushing such a model along in a school playground, making engine noises and dreaming of the day he might own the real thing. Wayne Hills is one lad who has made it happen.

Long legs

So, with the tinwork sorted and the project’s basis looking to be in fine fettle, Wayne tidied up the engine aesthetically but added some real get-up-and-go with four 48mm downdraft IDA Weber carbs that he imported himself. The fuel/air mixture that the (by American standards) tiny V8 engine ingests is burned by means of a Pertronix electronic conversion in the original Ford distributor. The electrical system is headed by an Ultima battery that has been securely mounted in the boot.

What the engine loses down low in the torque curve it sure makes up for with power in the upper rpm range. Thankfully, however, the camshaft isn’t too radical, so the machine can be used on the street quite satisfactorily, with a little care and attention to off-the-mark clutch operation. This is due in part to the fact that first gear in the Borg Warner T10 four-speed transmission has fairly long legs.

When it came to the suspension Wayne chose a world-class company to provide the shock absorbers. I’ve never really been a fan of the term ‘shock absorber’ because the items are actually ‘dampers’; they dampen the action (and reaction) of the suspension’s springs, but the vast majority of enthusiasts/tinkerers and also the experts use the term ‘shock absorbers’ so I’ll have to knuckle under and go with the flow on that one. To get back on topic; Koni shock absorbers reside on all four corners, with Gravi-track springs, so you couldn’t ask for better really.

To emulate the Shelby theme of the suspension/handling package, the upper a-arms had their mounting points relocated (just like ‘Ol Shel’ used to do) and the centre of gravity was brought closer to Terra Firma by about 65mm, requiring a rolling of the four fender lips for tyre clearance. This is a common practice on many automobiles, but when executed unprofessionally it can get rather ugly. Needless to say, ugly didn’t enter the frame on Wayne’s car.

The wheel and tyre combination doesn’t do the overall package any harm either, with Wayne staying true to the early style of alloy round things. Wheel Vintique supplied a set of Torque Thrust reproduction items on which to mount the Toyo Proxes RA1 tyres, which measure 225/50/ZR15 on all four corners. These carry the wording ‘recommended for competition events only’, wording that could probably be compressed into ‘sticky’.

Lurking behind the round objects are a set of four-pot Kelsey-Hayes disc callipers that work in conjunction with a set of drums which came with the eight-inch rear end, itself being delivered complete with 3.5:1 gears and LSD centre section. The braking system does not have a vacuum operated booster included; hydraulic ratios have been calculated to produce fine braking results without one. Having a big cam and low intake manifold vacuum in race trim would probably render one useless anyway, and let’s not forget how wonderful hydraulics can be when applied correctly. Wayne fabricated his own replica aluminium scoops to feed air down the flexible ducting to cool the disc rotors.

What wasn’t a useless addition was a full power steering conversion, undertaken by Wayne. This has made the vehicle far more driver-friendly on the street, with the utilisation of genuine parts throughout making it ‘look right’ into the bargain. Purists may scoff at such comforts being added to a race car tribute, but that’s purists for you. They don’t (and likely wouldn’t be permitted to) drive this car anyway. So there.

How many years?

Good-looking projects can take years to produce and then good-looking, functional and even pristine projects can (and often do) take many more years to get right. Wayne Hills, though, doesn’t like to mess about. Apart from this retired (yeah, right!) refrigeration engineer having a good eye for getting such things right, he is not one to sit in front of the fire or telly going on about the good old days. This guy is still living the good old days, and undertaking most of the work on his cars himself.

Occasionally Wayne took some time off from his new-found job of love at Dale Mather’s Coastline Automotive (where Mustang is spoken fluently) to bring this gem together in just three short, but intense, months! His approach to this and his past projects has not only a ‘can-do’ thread through it, but also a ‘get it right’ foundation. Wayne won’t start something without a quality end result in sight. He has the tenacity to carry things through, and when he sold his first Mustang (a 1970 Boss) to fund a move with his family to Canada back in 1979 he promised himself it wouldn’t be the end of his Mustang associations. These associations have not only been re-affirmed since his return to New Zealand, they have been positively cemented and expanded upon.

Indeed, Wayne has imparted some of his long-felt pony passion to his son Darin, who immersed himself in Mustang mania after completing his university studies in chartered accountancy. Naturally, dad stepped up to the plate and assisted in the rebuild of his son’s mechanical love, a 1970 Sportsroof Mustang. Today, Darin drives a “stout” (by dad’s reckoning) ’65 A-code Fastback with a 5686cc (347ci) Windsor powerplant, and dad is no newbie when it comes to understanding what stout really means. Wayne’s daughter, Deanna, gets her highs as an air hostess in Australia, having inherited her father’s professional approach to life.

When talking to Wayne you soon come to the realisation that this guy is both knowledgeable and talented. This Mustang reflects those attributes but moreover would, I’m sure, impress Mr Geoghegan. Not only has Wayne flattered ‘Black Pete’ with an automobile that makes reminiscing an art form, but he has also made the car authentic enough to grab the attention of enthusiasts and highlight Pete’s racing achievements.

Wayne has no intention of giving up now though, and already he plans to get stuck into an early Fastback. His son might have to keep his own F/b in a secret location lest dad’s itchy fingers get too sticky. Could that be the making of a tribute GT350R? It was the car that Geoghegan had his eye on in the first place, and could very well be suggestive of what could have been, but I’d hate to speak out of turn.

Having said that, the tribute you see here, the tribute to what actually was, will do us all just fine.

Words and Photos: Peter ‘PC’ Callen

When you take delivery of a 1963 model car with just 32,000 miles on the clock and a boot-load of spare parts its first owner had bought from the dealer almost 46 years ago, you know you’ve got something extremely original.

When it comes to originality, the 1963 Ford Galaxie 500 Sports hardtop coupe belonging to Roy Macdonald and Jan McInnes ticks pretty much every box.

It is a stunning example of a low mileage Galaxie, ferreted out by friends who were tripping around the United States when they heard about the car. Sensing something special, they investigated and were rewarded with a special find — a car that was being sold off as part of a deceased estate.

The car in question was a Sports hardtop coupe, recognisable by its slant-back roofline and convertible-style ribs pressed into its metal roof. The Galaxie had spent a fair bit of its life sitting around, but had clearly been cherished and well looked after during the 46 years since it had left the factory.

Roy’s friends soon had the Ford loaded onto a boat heading for Dunedin and a new life in Aotearoa. When the car was finally landed at Port Chalmers with the help of Steve Curle at Kiwi Shipping, Roy and his partner, Jan, went down for a look.

“Jan just fell in love with it straight away, so I didn’t have to do any talking at all,” Roy explained.

But there was one small matter. Roy and Jan’s friends had actually bought the car for themselves, so getting them to part with it took some persuasion and a bottle of rum. That’s what you call friendship.

Triple-A

With the deal concluded, Roy and Jan became the Galaxie’s new owners and, when he opened the car’s boot, Roy couldn’t believe his eyes when he saw that it was full of spare parts the original owner had bought — including a spare fuel pump, pretty much every rubber hose and belt needed to keep the car running, and even a set of headlight surrounds.

The car’s provenance also extended to all the original papers, along with its factory option sheet from the day it rolled out of Dearborn, plus a bunch of registration tags going right back to when it was purchased from Mahoney O’Dell — a dealer in Visalia, California.

There was even a triple-A Southern California Automobile Club transfer on the back proudly proclaiming: “Member for over 35 years.”

Not surprisingly, especially given the Galaxie’s low mileage, the 6391cc (390ci) big-block V8 was untouched. Indeed, the only thing Roy had to do to the car to get it roadworthy was put on a new set of tyres because the originals had perished in the sidewalls.

The car now sports a nice set of radial whitewalls, which looks fantastic and work very well with the Galaxie. “I did try a different set of wheels, but I went back to the original size as they rode much better,” Roy says.

The only thing Roy has had to do since starting to use the car is to replace the muffler, although he resisted the temptation to fit twin pipes along the way. He enjoys the car’s originality and sees no reason to fiddle with it.

Other nice touches that show the Galaxie’s extensive originality include two genuine Ford exterior mirrors, something Roy says is fairly unusual. “Usually you only get one or perhaps just an after-market mirror,” he says.

Original Classic

The big Galaxie coupe is one of those cars that doesn’t seem to have a bad angle. From whichever direction you approach the car, it looks great — and you can spend a lot of time debating which view is best, although for me the rear-quarter view wins. The low, tapering roofline leads gracefully into that long, slender rear overhang, all finished off beautifully by those iconic circular rear taillights that Ford used to such great effect on its early ’60s designs.

There are nice little touches too, such as the way the radiator grille pattern is repeated in the trim between the rear lights.

Inside the car still has its original white rubber mats with the word Ford stamped into them, an extra that would have been installed by the dealer. The car also has its original dealer number plate surrounds.

Stepping into the interior, the Galaxie features a three-tone blue colour scheme broken by chrome strips and handles. The spacious seats are set off nicely by the narrow pleating where the driver and passengers park themselves.

A massive dash is dominated by a long, imposing speedo, calibrated to 120mph (193kph) and flanked by fuel and temperature gauges with pull-knob switches below. The air conditioning controls, radio and clock are mounted in the centre. There’s no need to cram anything more into this baby.

It is very much a car for travelling and cruising, and Roy and Jan have enjoyed two or three thousand miles-worth of cruising in the big Ford.

American Car Specialist

Fed by a two-barrel carburettor (the XL version had a four-barrel) the 390 has truckloads of easy torque, which it demonstrated by easily dispatching one of Dunedin’s many steep hills during my drive in the car. The three-speed auto handles the load without even blinking, slipping through the ratios with a dismissive ease.

Under the bonnet the engine bay is untouched and original. Such is the space under there that even the big block V8 looks almost lost, with plenty of room either side to the guards and to the front to the radiator and the even more distant grille. There’s plenty of room should Roy ever need to go near the 390.

Repairs are no issue for Roy anyway as he runs his own very successful business, Roy Macdonald Automotive, and has developed an excellent reputation for his work specialising in American cars.

Roy is very much a Ford man, with a particular liking for ’50s and ’60s models — he also owns a stunning, concours condition, 1956 Sunliner convertible in two-tone peach over cream.

Roy has owned a number of Fairlanes over the years, including ’62, ’63 and ’64 models. The ’64 has been turned into a race car which he races very successfully in pre-’65 saloon car racing. He also owns a very nice original ’63 which spent many years as an undertaker’s car.

Roy has no future plans for the Galaxie — other than to keep it as it is. “Even though it came with all those spares, and they are dealer spares not after-market stuff, I will only replace stuff when it needs it. It is just such a neat car the way it is now.”

Racing in Mind

But it was the Galaxie sports coupe, with its fastback roof, that was to become Ford’s headline act, especially when it came to performance and racing.

Easily distinguishable from the two-door hardtop by its convertible-style ribs pressed into the steel, the new design was reported to be 28 per cent more aerodynamic, ideal for doing battle on NASCAR’s high speed ovals.

The range-topping 500XL coupe came with standard equipment that would pretty much qualify for deluxe on the rest of the range. Contoured deluxe seat upholstery, extensive carpeting, courtesy lights and full wheel covers added to the sense that this model was that bit more special.

Engine options started with a modest 122kW, 4261cc V8, but this model was sold much more often with the 390ci V8 which had 224, 254 and 280kW (300, 340 and 375bhp) options.

Initially, the largest offering was 6653cc (406ci), but later that year Ford also introduced the 6997cc (427ci) high-performance engine with a four barrel offering putting out 306kW/410bhp and a dual four-barrel version turning out a monstrous 317kW/425bhp available only with a four-on-the-floor manual gearbox.

With racing in mind Ford also produced the R-Code lightweight version, tipping the scales at 1509kg, compared to the standard XL’s 1711kg. With 650Nm of torque to go along with the 317kW it could turn a standing quarter in 14.95 at 96mph (154kph) and complete the 0-60mph dash in 6.9 seconds.

Like most American cars of the time, the range of options for the Galaxie was extensive. Buyers could choose from a list that included a swing away steering wheel, power front seat, power windows, power steering, power brakes, padded dash and visors, backup lights, deluxe wheel covers, spotlight mirrors and select aire conditioner.

Although that range of options would have been attractive and even tempting to most buyers, Ford knew there was one way to sell a car on Monday — and that was to win on Sunday.

Not surprisingly, Ford wasted no time in trying to get the most out of its massive 427 wrapped inside the new, more aerodynamic sports coupe model.

Put in the hands of legendary race car builder Holman & Moody, and then run in NASCAR by the equally legendary Woods Brothers racing team, it had a winner. The car was able to lap Daytona at a 267kph/166mph average, hitting 290kph at times.

It wasn’t just about raw speed either, because engineers and drivers found they could make the big car handle. In fact the Galaxie had the distinction of taking out NASCAR’s first ever 500-mile road race at Riverside in California with the great Dan Gurney at the wheel.

Gurney went on to win three of the Riverside races in a row, and then added a fourth in 1968. So dominant was he, some jokingly renamed the event the Gurney 500.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the Atlantic Jack Sears thundered into the British saloon car scene, breaking Jaguar’s stranglehold and heralding a whole new and exciting chapter in that form of racing as well as NASCAR. Ford had a winner.

A Ford for the ’60s

By the time the ’60s arrived, Ford had decided on producing a new car for a new decade. Gone were the fins of the ’50s, replaced by a simpler, sleeker design, perfect for the huge canvas presented by the Galaxie.

Described as the ‘full-sized Ford’, the 3022mm wheelbase gave plenty of scope for whatever the customer wanted in between — be it fordor, wagon, convertible or coupe, the long, elegant, uncluttered lines of the ’63 Galaxy showed what could be achieved.

That year Dearborn was offering nearly 50 models and variants with 13 different station wagons alone. They started with the ‘compact’ Falcon in its various guises with the Fairlane, which most New Zealanders think of as a big car, actually providing a mid-sized range of models. The Galaxie, however, dwarfed them all.

Standing outside Roy’s business with his 500 parked alongside a Fairlane and an XP Falcon — looking extremely compact by comparison — really brought it home. It is simply bigger in every direction, except up, which accentuates its long, lean lines.

Ford’s Galaxie line-up began with the basic sedan which could be bought with a number of engine options, ranging from the Mileage Maker Six Cylinder (available on all models except the range-topping 500XL), a 4261cc (260ci) V8, 5768cc (352ci) Thunderbird V8 and the 390 as fitted to our feature car.

Transmission options for the main models included the Synchro Smooth manual column shift, the Fordomatic Drive auto, and the Cruise-O-Matic three-speed auto.

Then there was the Galaxie 500, which was a step up from the basic model. Offered in sedans, hardtops (including our feature coupe) and convertible guises, they featured a full length upper and lower body side mouldings and a higher specification interior trim package.

1963 Ford Galaxie 500 Sports Hardtop Coupe – Specifications

Engine        V8
Capacity        6391cc (390ci)
Bore/stroke        103mm x 96mm
Valves        ohv, pushrod
Max power        224kW (300bhp)
Fuel system        Two-barrel downdraught
Transmission    Three-speed auto
Body/chassis    Steel unitary construction
Brakes         Drum front and rear
Front suspension    Independent by coil springs, wishbones
Rear suspension    Live axle with semi-elliptic leaf springs
Steering        Recirculating ball

Dimensions:

O/all length        5334mm
Width        2019mm
Height        127mm
Wheelbase        3035mm
Track F/R        1562/1530mm
Kerb weight        1678kg (approx)

Words: Mark Wright Photos: Sean Craig

Tim inspects a rare pair of old Fords used regularly in promotional work for a major NZ trucking firm

Symons Transport is one of New Zealand’s major trucking firms, mostly involved in the carting of liquids. The fluids held in the rear of a Symons tanker range from products and by-products of the milk industry to sweet-tasting chardonnay wine.

The gleaming, white-liveried trucks from Oakura, with their white on red scripted lettering, drive out from their home base, nestled under the Kaitake ranges, on regular round-the-clock liquid delivery operations.

Other specialist jobs undertaken by Symons have included its rigs being used to transport A1GP cars when the international circus hits Taupo each year. In 2008 the Symons truck involved with A1GP was New Zealand’s only big conventional V8 Scania, a flagship for the company. Although the big Swedish V8 Scania doubles as a good promotional vehicle, behind the scenes at Symons ranch depot sit two classic vintage delivery vehicles which have the job of promoting Symons Transport at parades, vehicle shows and wine festivals.

Promotional classics

The oldest of the two Symons promotional classics is a 1921 Ford Model T delivery van, complete with a curved wooden cab.

Years ago when Symons Ltd was deeply involved in the deer industry, company founder Graham Symons swapped three deer hinds (all in fawn to an English-bred stag) for an old Model T in need of restoration. The company set about restoring the historic old Ford model and putting it to use in various parades. I first chanced upon the Model T at Ray Rook’s Okato country garage, when I was putting together a classic car article on his old green Ford Bonus work truck.

When I arrived at the garage Ray was giving the old T its regular service, and I became intrigued to discover a trucking company operating a Model T alongside more modern Scanias.

The history of Model T Fords has been thoroughly written-up over the years, especially considering that in many quarters the Model T is seen as the greatest car of the 20th century and the pioneering vehicle of the industrialised motor industry. In short, the first Model T rolled off the production line on September 27, 1908, built by Henry Ford’s ever growing company based at Piquette, Detroit, US.

Originating from the state of Michigan, the Model T Ford put middle America on wheels and, as Ford expanded, it could be said to have put the world on wheels, symbolising the age of the affordable motor vehicle for the common man.

Ford tanker

Despite the illustrious history of the Model T Ford, it was never a speedster in standard road trim, and although it was an eye-catcher at parades, Symons Ltd was looking for another member of the Ford family, slightly more modern, to further promote the trucking company’s wide range of applications.

The Model T is still a six-volt vehicle with manual crank start if necessary, and the Symons company needed something which could stretch its legs a little more on promotional work further afield. As tankers are a major part of the company’s daily haulage chores, the idea came about to create a mini-tanker based on an old Ford Model A truck.

The ubiquitous Model A which directly followed the Model T off the Ford lines way back in late 1927 has always had a popular following in New Zealand, as vintage car rallies testify, but a tanker version would be something special. As chance would have it, the old Tasman hotel near the sea-front in New Plymouth was being refurbished and turned into apartments.

One of the old corrosion-resistant stainless steel beer vats from the hotel’s cellars was converted to a mini-tank for the rear of a Model A Ford to be pressed into Symons duty.

The Model A has the advantage of a larger cab and the ability to cruise at a higher speed over longer distances in a shorter time than the Model T, making it ideal for out-of-town promotional work. Steel spoked rims are also more suited to modern back country road drives than the wooden rims of the venerable T. Hence the trusty Model A is sometimes seen well south of Oakura at work in Marlborough and around Blenheim, doing promotional work within the wine industry.

Wine trail

The Symons’ Model A also appeared at New Plymouth’s Americarna Festival, catching people’s attention alongside both hot rods and classic cars. Powered by Ford’s 3.3-litre straight four, the Model A Ford cruises quite well even in modern 21st century traffic. The Model A Chardonnay mini-tanker has proved a real hit and, along with the historic Model T, completes a great classic promo-duo for the Symons company.

If you are raising your glass or sensitising your nose to a good bouquet on the wine trails this year, or are out and about at various parades, keep a look out for the old red and white liveried Fords as they perform their promotional duties.

Two of Henry’s most famous old Ford models are still quietly earning their keep — and if you get caught behind the Symons’ Model A on the wine trails just be aware of the haulage sign on the rear; three metres to pass!

Words & Photos: Tim Chadwick

It isn’t often you see a vehicle which has survived the ravages of more than seven decades, especially one that has seen hard service. Whether through good luck or good management this 1934 Australian-bodied Ford Roadster, with major input from its current owner, has managed to do just that

It is believed this car, assembled in Geelong, Australia, was brought to New Zealand by one Douglas Taylor (of Christchurch), and it was first registered here on November 6, 1937. However, even by the time Taylor on-sold the Ford to a garage in Timaru, it had covered only a moderate distance. Then the vehicle went to a Bob Patton and, still without having travelled far, was transferred to the ownership of Alan Weatherburn. Alan had a sheep and cattle farm in the Gore area, and at 83 is still alive and well.

When I spoke to him on the telephone recently he recalled some of the car’s history; “It was a good car I got it towards the end of the war, probably ’43 or ’44. It always got me home with no hold-ups.” Having said that, he did undertake a rebore of the block at one stage, spending £80 on the job. “£10 a cylinder, it was,” the recollection as clear as if the bill had been paid yesterday.

A confession of sorts was also put forward in that (being on a farm and putting all things mechanical to work) there had been occasions when sheep had been rounded up in the Roadster. I don’t know whether that was a Kiwi innovation or something copied from the Americans, but the car performed the task admirably. Alan then went on to inform me that he even courted his wife Nancy in the Roadster; “They were great days,” he said with a chuckle, and added that their first son, Jim, would pull out the hand throttle which would “make the car shoot off,” much to little Jim’s delight and Alan’s consternation.

Something else which has stuck in Alan’s memory is the dash plaque that proclaimed the vehicle to be a ‘Product of the British Empire.’ The Roadster, unfortunately, suffered a little on the rough roads and was soon outgrown by the family; a bassinet was not a good fit in the car, so it was moved on and that was the last time Alan ever owned a V8, which in my eyes is a bit sad.

Modern times

Moving forward to 1973, the car was purchased by Ross McCarron, whose mechanical delights have appeared in this magazine before. Ross is a real fan of early Fords and drove the Roadster home to Devonport, Auckland, while zipped up in a sleeping bag to fend off the cold. There the car sat in his expansive basement until 1990, when Roger Haybittle stepped up to the mark, prised the car from Ross’ grasp and started on a journey that would take some 16 years to complete; a journey that would take him to many swap meets, to many workshops, and into the company of some truly talented craftsmen.

Among the many tasks that needed to be undertaken during the restoration there was, naturally, some bodywork to be tidied up. Roger enlisted the services of Tony Daligan, of the now defunct South Pacific Automobile Restorations. With that chore completed to everyone’s satisfaction, the decision to paint the car Cordoba Grey was an easy one for Roger; even though the body of this particular car was originally painted dark green (with black fenders), Roger’s father had owned a 1936 Ford Tudor Sedan in Cordoba Grey, and this colour was also available from Ford in 1934. So for Roger, there was a personal connection to an original colour. The top coat was applied by Casey Panelbeaters in Glenfield and the Poppy Red wheels, with whitewall tyres, are period perfect.

To Roger the final touch was to be three pinstripes; two thin stripes and a thicker central stripe, but they had to be done by hand for authenticity. For this sleight of hand Roger knocked on the door of Beachaven’s Steve Levine, and Steve worked his magic just as expected.

Another to work his magic was trim master Bernie Beckett. Roger took the car to Bernie with the intention of getting it just right. Leather was available in ’34, so this was chosen for the front passenger compartment. The rumble seat (or ‘dickey’ seat, as some refer to it as) is trimmed in a more weatherproof leatherette. Behind that is a very functional luggage rack, for which Roger has located some original-looking old suitcases.

Matching numbers

Incredibly the vehicle is a matching numbers car, meaning the engine block is the one that the car was born with. Fully reconditioned (still with white-metal bearings) by Wayne Griffiths of North Shore Engine Reconditioners, the engine runs like new and is topped by a stunningly reconditioned carb from Carburettor Specialties.

All the other pieces of the jigsaw came together slowly but surely, one part at a time, and with a ‘steady as she goes’ approach. Many evenings were spent in the shed preparing or fitting parts, and Roger’s wife would, no doubt, have questioned her husband’s sanity from time to time. Now, though, Roger is certain that Meriel has taken quite a shine to the car, and when I met the couple at the Classic Car and Hot Rod Festival in Kumeu last January there was no shortage of smiles from either of them.

Also at Kumeu this year Roger managed to locate some gearbox parts and an oil pump. “You don’t often find things like that at swap meets any more, it’s not like the old days,” Roger lamented, and he’s quite right. While it’s always worth getting an early start and heading out to any swap meet just in case, you would be ill-advised to hold your breath if you’re in search of parts from this era. Don’t ever stop looking, though; like Roger, you might get lucky. He found the correct voltage regulator he was looking for at one swap meet, and although he didn’t really want to carry the cumbersome generator/ regulator unit around with him, that was the deal; take the lot or nothing. Now he has a spare generator for the six-volt system.

Ross, the aforementioned previous owner, has also been very helpful in locating/ supplying various parts over the years. Meanwhile those gearbox parts Roger found at Kumeu could be just the ticket to get rid of the excess play in his gearbox main shaft. For the moment, though, the gearbox functions adequately. Roger admits that this certainly is not a race car, so he doesn’t drive it like one.

Minor differences

Numbers-wise the Roadster is part of a minority. During 1933 and 1934 Ford Australia put together 1038 Roadsters at its Geelong plant; 468 in ’33 and 570 in ’34; but the numbering that started with the ’33 model was kept sequential for ’34. This has given Roger’s car the number 40R/714, 40R being the model number, and the vehicle is thought to have been assembled in July of 1934. Compare that with the American figures of 563,921 and Canada’s additional 35,376, and Australia’s 1038 makes for a rare offering. There were some minor differences in the Australian-bodied vehicles, not the least of which is the length of the wooden floor. On the Australian cars the timber carries a lot further back, possibly as part of the Australian-content requirements. The lines on the Australian cars, however, remain as flowing and as sensuous as those of their American counterparts.

People’s Choice

With the restoration journey at an end Roger and Meriel can now embark on a new journey; a journey of enjoyment. Instead of meeting tradespeople in workshops, searching for that elusive part and constantly parting with hard-earned cash, they can now meet friends, new and old, in the pleasant surroundings of picnic grounds, roadside cafes and wineries; alfresco dining within sight of their Roadster, which has indeed been a labour of love.
Also, now that the car is on the streets, the quality of the vehicle is starting to be recognised. In early March at the Mount Maunganui All Ford Day Roger took home some well-deserved awards. The list included Best ’32-’40, Best Paint, the Supreme Award (Best of Day) and the coveted People’s Choice.

At the close of our conversation Roger humbly added; “I didn’t want a show pony.”

Well, I’m sorry Roger, you’ve got one; and now you’re just going to have to live with it.

Words & Photos: Peter Callen

The MkIII Zodiac, built by Ford of England from 1962 to 1966, was one of the most refined large British saloon cars of the ’60s. In essence it was a well-appointed version of the popular Zephyr, but its own stylistic adornments gave the Zodiac not only a vestige of luxury but also an identity all its own. Having a few airs and graces over the standard issue Zephyr model didn’t prevent the Zodiac from making its presence felt on race tracks, either. The 2553cc overhead valve Ford straight-six was a solid and rugged engine unit suited to tuning, motor boat usage and racing.

Anecdotes and factual records describe the many racing car specials built around Zephyr-Zodiac six-cylinder engines, not only here in New Zealand but around the British Commonwealth, for both tarmac and dirt track racing applications. Kiwi drivers such as Peter Pilkington, Bruce McLean, Barry Phillips and Gary Bremner were charging around Pukekohe in variations of the MkIII Zephyr/Zodiac family in production saloon car racing during the early days of the Wills Six-Hour and Benson & Hedges 500 endurance motor race, during the early ’60s.

Borich & Francevic

The most successful of the Zodiac pedallers in these long distance events was the Dalmatian pairing of Auckland’s Steve Borich and a young Robbie Francevic, who nearly upset the all-conquering Jaguars of the period by finishing a solid second to a Jaguar in their MkIII.

Later efforts for the Borich/Francevic team in a MkIV at Pukekohe were frustrating, the later V6 never giving them the reliability enjoyed by the straight-six MkIII (MkIV honour would be restored later on by Ernie and Gary Sprague in their V6-powered Zephyr).  By 1972 the final Zodiac model, the MkIV, ended production, and with it went the Zephyr-Zodiac model names long enjoyed by both Brits and Kiwis.

Lakeside cruiser

As a child growing up in New Zealand I didn’t take much notice of the common Ford Zephyr MkIII cars, apart from Ernie Sprague’s rapid MkIII Zephyr, but when it came to the Zodiacs their extra chrome and finish always caught my eye. As well as this they were, of course, rarer visions on our highways and rural roads.

My family had a plain but reliable Ford Popular back in those days, so it was always a treat for a Matchbox toy-mad boy to see Mr Smart, the lawyer from across the street, accelerate out of his winding driveway in a bright red MkIII Zodiac. As much as I liked the MkIII Zodiac cars, I never did get to drive one — that is, until about 38 years later when I slid myself behind the wheel of a very tidy burgundy-coloured Zodiac for a drive around the shores of one of the attractive Blue Lakes behind Rotorua.

This Ford Zodiac is owned by Rotorua’s Rory and Karlene McCormick, who are members of the Waikato Zephyr and Zodiac Club, and I appreciated Rory giving up a morning for a difficult photo shoot between showers of rain.

Having owned and loved a MkI Triumph 2000 six-cylinder saloon in my past, I soon realised that this Zodiac Six from the ’60s was a totally different beast. The wide bench seating, column gear shift and large steering wheel all amounted to a less sporty and basic driving position. Where my old four-speed (with overdrive) floor-shift Triumph had felt like a driver’s car, the Zodiac seemed built more for cruising, albeit in comfort and style.

I felt rather pleased with myself that after a brief introductory chat from Rory I was able to roar off in the Zodiac without any hesitation or jerky bunny-hops. In fact, I would have to say that the free-revving and wonderful deep-sounding motor was complemented by possibly the smoothest column gear change system I have yet experienced.

I have driven a wide variety of classic cars with manual column change gearshifts, from old upright post-war Daimlers to the Leyland P76 I once owned, and this Zodiac had a very smooth shift indeed.

Taumarunui to Taihape

As I drove, Rory explained that the Zodiac has had the gearbox and engine reconditioned, but that overall not a lot has been done in the way of major surgery. The McCormicks are the fourth owners of this 1966 Zodiac, and it has spent most of its life in the central part of the North Island.

It was first owned by a farmer in Taumarunui in its original light ochre colour, before the farmer passed away and another man of the land from Taihape took ownership. From there it moved down river to Wanganui Aeroworks, a well-known top-dressing outfit. During this period the car was painted its current burgundy, and it was garaged at the airport for quite some years although it was little used.

As I drove around the outskirts of Rotorua, powering along nicely with the car’s highly usable 81kW (109hp), Rory explained how he had owned a Vauxhall Velox in the past, as well as a Morris Minor and a couple of good Zephyrs of the MkII and III variety, and how the Zephyrs had left a lasting memory to the point where he and Karlene had always hoped to acquire another good Zephyr or Zodiac. From Wanganui Aeroworks this Zodiac ended up at Gracious Motors in Auckland, where the McCormicks purchased it in the late ’90s and brought it back to the thermal wonderland. “We’ve had some great drives in this Zodiac,” reminisced Rory, “Karlene and I have even driven it right down to Bluff during the Zephyr Nationals, and it was a great trip.”

Not long back from doing forestry work in Australia, and now lounging in the seat of the Zodiac, Rory also told me about his work in logging, and how he has owned and driven some machinery much larger than the classic Ford, such as a big Timberjack 1210B deep in Kaiangaroa forest.

Z-cars and timber extraction

As we cruised into Rotorua city, our conversation shifted from the history of the Zephyr cars and the old Z-Cars TV show, to mechanised timber extraction and back to the Zodiac. All the while yours truly was totally at ease with the smoothness and general drivability of this stylish big old Brit from the swinging ’60s.

Purists and Ford fanatics will note from the results of the photo shoot that the McCormick Zodiac doesn’t have original wheels, Rory preferring the wheels and hub-caps from the MkIV model. Other than this the car is hard to fault in any department; the paint-work is still in generally good order and the chrome strong and shiny, as befitting some of the high quality of chrome produced for cars in the decades following WWII. The concave Zodiac grille with its four headlamps, along with the pointy tail fins and horizontal rear chrome strips, give the Zodiac MkIII a sense of real style. The rear three-quarter windows and related thin final pillars are also great Zodiac features that appeal, giving this Ford model a clean cut, sharp edge to its styling.

Although the McCormicks get around in their classic Zodiac with regularity, the big MkIII Ford Zodiacs are now rare sights on New Zealand roads, unless you catch up with a Zephyr-Zodiac Club outing. Once one of the most sought-after big cars to own in this country, Zodiacs are generally now cosseted in private collections or within enthusiast club ownership.

If you are interested in following the sign of the Zodiac, your first port of call should be one of the well-patronised clubs around New Zealand. I once spoke at a Zephyr convention and was received by friendly, enthusiastic and down-to-earth Kiwis who I’m sure would point you after the right star sign for a Zodiac. As some of the club members age, younger enthusiasts will be required to keep the Z-car flame aglow.

I have tried to keep a well-balanced Libran’s perspective on the Zodiac, but my scales have certainly tipped in this older Ford model’s favour. I wouldn’t mind reading a horoscope that told me a Zodiac MkIII was in my stars!

1966 Ford Zodiac MkIII – Specifications

Engine    Six cylinder, in-line
Capacity    2553cc
Bore/stroke    82.55×79.5mm
Valves    ¨ohv
C/R    8.3:1
Fuel system    Single Zenith carburettor
Maximum power    81kW (109bhp) at 4800rpm

Dimensions
Wheelbase    2718mm
Track    1372mm
Length/Width    4610mm/ 1753mm

Performance
0-80kph    10 seconds
Max speed    161kph
Standing  1/4    19.2 seconds
Economy    14.79l/100km (19.1 mpg)

Words & Photos: Tim Chadwick

Penn is sorely tempted (again) to get back into a vintage car — something more in keeping with his advancing years

John Castle’s love affair with Henry’s great Model A has been handsomely requited. Over the last 40 or so years he has owned seven examples, ranging from his first one bought when he’d just left school in 1965 to this, his latest aquisition.

His first one was a 1928 Tudor. It was later sold to Raynton J Hastie, who painted it pink, called it ‘The Pink Pussycat’, and drove it in the ‘Student Procesh’ that year — until he was told to go away. Raynton (I have a spelling uncertainty here) was a very colourful character whose name was (allegedly) synonymous with Auckland’s carnal industry. A Tudor is a two-door sedan seating four to five people, and typically has fold-down front seats allowing access to the rear. There were also a number of other bodies fitted — all of them ex-factory — including roadster pick-up trucklets.

Next, John owned a 1930 Phaeton, a convertible four-door tourer. He was getting quite bold by now, and confesses that he fitted a flathead V8 into this car. That’s not difficult, because Henry did the same thing as a factory model. Today the purist in John recoils from that admission, and he wouldn’t really want me to share that with readers. Oops!

He sold the 1930 Phaeton because he’d met a woman, and she didn’t like driving in it. His mother was onto her and deplored his actions, saying that the Phaeton should be kept. Mothers think they can always judge our girlfriends better than we can. I remember my mother similarly over-seeing what passed for my sex life, and pointing out that girls were like trams and there was one along every 10 minutes. As it turned out she was right, although there must be a tram drivers’ strike on lately because it’s been a long time between trams!

Well that woman’s gone, and so has that Model A. So John had a succession of ‘normal’ cars for a couple of years before going off for his Big OE to the UK, where every middle class Kiwi travelled around the world to mix with more Kiwis and do pretty much what they did here.

On his return after two years, once more that primal urge to have another Model A surfaced in his soul. Joining the Model A club, he got a Fordor in pieces which he restored and used for many years. Also along the way he bought a ’28 two-seater Roadster (that’s the one with the ‘dickie’ seat) which he restored.

He sold that when he bought a pick-up truck, rare and unusual. The problem was that it was difficult for John to sit in — long legs — he had it for about 20 years before he started thinking about a tourer again. He needed more socialisation space, more seats and more leg room, so when our featured car turned up on Trade Me the change-over process was straightforward. His pick-up truck netted $19K, which left him some change after he’d successfully bid 17K for this South Island car.

Ideal Vintage Toy

Seriously, this is a Model A that could well have been in continuous service since 1929. It might have been repainted at some stage a long time ago, and it’s clearly had on-going maintenance as required, but it’s in sound useable order. A prime example of Henry’s ruggedly simple workhorse. It would be an act of barbarity to ‘restore’ this car and lose that 73 years.

Hugely evocative is the driver’s door, John reckons they were specifically located to rest a man’s outer arm — in the theatrically casual pose we blokes like to convey — and this door has rested a lot of arms over the years because the paint is worn away, revealing various coats of primer surrounding the bare polished metal, now protected from the elements, I suspect, by human lanoline.

Double declutching the three-speed ’box is essential but, being typically American, there’s plenty of torque from the cast-iron flathead and gear changing is a minimalistic activity, because in top cog she gathers speed comfortably up any hill from almost any speed at the bottom — I loved it! A comfortable cruising speed is about 70kph and that would make for a very pleasant cruise to Wellington, from anywhere in NZ. Importantly, the mechanical brakes are able to lock the four drums at most speeds.

John tells me that 98 per cent of the Model As that came to NZ were Canadian-built, including the bodies. The Ford agent in NZ would import them and he thinks that they came here in wooden boxes, dismounted from their wheels and to some extent partially disassembled, depending on the body styling. Because the tourers were cheaper than the sedans, we imported a lot more of them, so probably the soft-tops and windscreens were partially or totally dismounted, thus lowering the profile.

This is a very useable car, it shows its age and is comfortable with it. It’s not the super Concours’d sort of car where the owner is in a constant fever of anxiety lest there be chips.

It’s a practical car for practical people backed by all the spares you could ever wish for. Best of all, it’s a lot of fun all for the price of a kitchen make-over.

Vintage in the 21st Century

My love affair with Model As is rather like my love affair with the sublimely sensual Brigitte Bardot — frustratingly unrequited, and due to our advancing years likely to remain that way!

However, you can easily aquire and restore a Model A, whereas the formerly wonderful BB is showing the attrition of time — mark you, on the up-side this should make her less choosy and therefore more likely to submit to my advances.

Ah well! I can only dream on about la Bardot, but the Model A is a serious contender for any of us who fancy a truly useable vintage car.

About when the delectable BB drove the world’s males to a frenzy of lust there were essentially only three kinds of cars recognised — status symbols, everyday drivers and vintage. In 1958 my everyday family car was a 1938 Morris 14/6, and it was too current to be classified as a collectable (it still isn’t 50 years later), and anyhow, officially collectables stopped in 1931. We saved up, paid £120 for our Morris and drove it as the family car, including emigrating from Wanganui to Kaikohe.

By the ’60s in post WWII New Zealand, many youngsters had a Model A as their vacuum cleaner (picks up all the fluff, get it?). ‘Proper’ everyday cars were a major expense — a man got married, bought a house, then a car, and then he could die having achieved life’s two great objectives. That doesn’t mean he kept one car for the rest of his life, it means that the car market was such that the initial capital expenditure was the big hurdle, after that you traded in or sold privately (at one stage you could make a substantial profit!) and then just added a quite small sum to your car capital and got a newer one. Fifty years have rolled by since then, our world is now choked with cars and categories of cars, and we habitually have as many cars as we can cram onto our property. We buy them out of the loose change.

This has diluted the vintage market considerably, because whilst men will always be car collectors, they’re now spread thinly over the much wider ranging collectab le market. That’s having its effects on the position occupied by the ‘vintage’ segment.

The implications are much more speculative downstream, as the demand for vintage cars continues to be diluted in the minds of the up and coming generations. Most of today’s teens will stare at a Model A in much the same way that they see their grannies — interesting but scarcely functional, let alone glamorous. Leaving aside hugely expensive WO Bentleys and such-like, this means that everyday vintagers are becoming economically viable if you have a hankering for a vintage toy, and the subject car in this article is a classic example of this trend.

The Model A

Personally, I believe that Henry Ford was the man who gave the world the automobile. Plenty of others contributed in many very important ways, but Henry was the genius who combined engineering talent with a remarkable organisational ability and a great grasp of marketing. Consequently, he sold 20,000,000 or so Model Ts and about 6,000,000 Model As. This latter shortfall in numbers simply reflected the speed with which he produced his next models, including the great flathead V8!

Anybody who can drive a manual car today and is used to conventional driving practices — such as those the Model A helped set in place — can drive a Model A. You can’t say that of the Model T, which requires driving techniques that are demanding.

In the Model A resides every convention of the basic motor car — effective steering, efficient brakes, a conventional gearbox, a starter motor and generator and a sturdy, torquey and foolproof motor. The Model A taught millions the fundamentals of motor car ownership and maintenance.

Even today I’d give a teenager (of any gender) interested in mechanicals a Model A to learn the fundamentals on. However, I also think that today’s teens would probably be insulted because, today, image is everything, and the Model A ranks way below the iPod as a status symbol.

Apart from being perfectly able to drive from Auckland to Wellington in comfort and style, the Model A also offers the huge advantage of readily available parts. Many bits are still being made as part of a thriving after-market industry.

Words & Photos: Penn McKay

Watching the Australian Touring Car Championship on TV, it’s hard to imagine that cars such as Cortinas ever had a chance in such a competition. However, the MkI Cortina paved the way for the current series Looking at today’s Australian Touring Car Championship races, it’s hard to envisage the likes of a Vauxhall Cresta hurtling around Phillip Island to take the chequered flag, but back in 1960 that’s exactly what happened. The English shock absorber company Armstrong had a firm foothold in Australia, and it was the company’s PR consultant, Ron Thonemann, who suggested a 500-mile (805km) race for production cars, and the parent company went for it.

With that first race, the Australian motor sport scene was changed forever, and fans could even view the event on television. Unfortunately, the Phillip Island track wasn’t up to par at that time, and neither were its facilities; the racing surface was showing signs of weakness, and the search began for a new venue. It didn’t take long for the organisers to settle on a place that bears a name now synonymous with motor racing — Bathurst.

There were four classes back then, determined became an issue for their drivers, and the lighter Cortinas, equipped with disc brakes on the front, soon gobbled up the heavyweights under braking. It was on lap seven of that eight-hour ordeal that the Cortina GT took the lead, and it finished first outright and, of course, first in its class. The only other car to come close (retired with a blown head gasket toward the close of the race) was another Cortina GT!

The privateers

It was an amazing start for the GT, but there was more happening in other corners of the globe that would raise eyebrows as well as the profile of the vehicle. In rallying the GT was soon homologated into Group 2, and took to knocking the Sunbeam Rapiers off the top of the podium. The following year, with multiple Webers, the GTs were slotted into Group 1, and six white machines were entered into the East African Safari. Four of the cars managed to finish the rally (giving Ford the Manufacturers’ Team prize) with one in first outright position and another in third. The Cortina GT was most certainly making a name for itself, and success was also to go the way of the works Cortinas in the Alpine and RAC rallies. Then, as if to rub salt into the wounds of the opposition, the privateers cottoned on to the capabilities of the well balanced Cortina GT combination. One Roger Clark took to rallying with a vengeance, took top slot in the 1964 Scottish Rally, and in 1965 he won the Scottish and London Gulf Rallies and garnered third position in the Circuit of Ireland event. Ford noticed this individual’s talents, and wasted no time in hiring him.

It wasn’t all beer and skittles, though. Some weaknesses in the Cortina soon showed up thanks to the Ford engineers’ lust for weight reduction. Some vehicles showed signs of wrinkling of the rear quarters after enthusiastic operation, and a stiffer body shell was made available through Ford’s Special Vehicle Order department to those with the wherewithal.

There were also some changes required in instrumentation. The first run of GTs had a tacho mounted in a pod above the steering wheel, which in itself is fine, but the auxiliary oil and amp gauges were mounted in a console on the transmission tunnel, way out of the driver’s line of sight. This was done to minimise the cost of covering the remote gear change mechanism, but it also served to minimise the monitoring of the instruments. Thankfully this was to change in October 1964, with the introduction of the far more user-friendly and now famous GT dash. To further tart things up a Super GT rolled out with the trim option of the Super Deluxe; a very swish combination for a ’60s gadabout. That year another, less visible refinement was the addition of two radius rods for the location of the rear axle.

A no-brainer

A niggling problem with the MkI is ferrous oxide. It’s a battle that’s often fought with steel motor vehicles, and the MkI Cortina shell has its fair share of nooks and crannies where the dreaded ‘tin worm’ rears its ugly head. In fact many areas of the car attract the problem rather well. Above and behind the headlights, the bottoms of the doors, sills, jacking points (!), spare wheel well and various other locations need close inspection on a regular basis if the car is to be kept in top order. I cringe when I envisage a GT traversing a snow and salt-covered English lane.

By the time the empties had been stacked after the New Year’s Eve parties at the close of 1965, the 1966 Cortina GTs were already in the showrooms, and that’s when Trevor Spark’s example started life, with not much in the way of overall condition changing in the car’s 40 years of service. To find a ’66 MkI GT in such great condition is fortunate indeed, and Trevor was quick to thank his good friends Steve and Vanessa for pointing out the existence of the Australian- assembled machine to him. As it happens, Trevor had been saving hard to get a Model A project under way, but when the GT came to his attention the decision to buy was a ‘no-brainer’.

Being a four-door, the GT has a practical angle to it, as well as being an affordable, fun car to operate.

The car appears to have had some caring owners in the past, and the aforementioned rust problems are, for the most part, absent. Previous owner Steve Clarke, who owned and maintained the vehicle for four years, described the GT as “an amazing little car”, a description few would disagree with. Ironically, Steve thought the handling and braking were areas that needed some improvement, but it was those two areas that helped the GT achieve so much of its racing success.

Steve also informed me that he purchased the car, sight unseen, from a Christchurch enthusiast who owned four or fi ve cars, and simply had to let something go. The car was said to have come from the Christchurch museum, and if that is so, could go part way to explaining how the bodywork has remained in such good order. Although not a concours level machine, this particular GT is a solid, reliable and usable car that can reward its driver with many pleasurable miles. Steve and his family enjoyed quite a few fun runs in the car, and current owner, Trevor (who tells me that he “always wanted one”) looks set to continue the tradition.

Increasingly rare

That 1966 year was to be the last for MkI Cortina GTs, and it’s a little difficult to determine the final tally. Ford’s records aren’t exactly what they could/ should be, but figures I have to hand indicate that 100,000 to 120,000 GTs were produced out of a total of over 1 million MkIs produced between 1962 and ’66; a true sign of their immense popularity.

That popularity and reliability, along with the racing background of the MkI GT, has been a double-edged sword, though. Many cars have been destroyed in the competition arenas, some have been cannibalised to obtain parts, and others have simply been used and abused or just left to rust away. Today good examples have an almost cult status and are cherished and pampered by their owners. The GTs retain their resale value and are considered by some to be undervalued in New Zealand, with English and Australian enthusiasts rumoured to be tabling serious amounts of money for the increasingly rare machines.

That’s in stark contrast to an era when the MkI Cortina GT was considered an ‘affordable GT’, but a situation that might also (through care of investment) go some way to preserving what’s left of the cars that helped put Bathurst on the motor racing map.

Words & Photos: Peter Callen

What were they drinking in Lower Hutt in 1970? Whatever it was it was very, and I do mean very, good stuff!

Here’s my problem; I have in front of me a complete list of the parts that the Lower Hutt Ford boys added to the knocked down Cortina GT kit to make the New Zealand-only GTE, and there is no mention at all of extra sound proofing. But this is most certainly the quietest and best-insulated Cortina ever. The insulation from road noise and general mechanical noise is as surprising as it is stunning. I’ve owned a few Cortinas, including a very nice floor-change MkII Super, and they just should not be this civilised.

It’s this civilisation that Ford NZ hoped to achieve, of course. Rather than doing an English-style 1600E it opted for the performance of the GT with all the Executive extras — a GTE — a kind of ultimate Cortina. History doesn’t tell us why it did this but I’d suggest that the English 1600E was simply not available in knockdown form for local assembly, whilst the GT was — so it E’d the GT.

Whatever the reason, Ford NZ did a very fine job of it, and contemporary road tests were full of praise, which is understandable as I found our featured car — owned by Nelson-based Ford enthusiasts Chris and Ruth Carr —  to be an absolute delight; a fast, well-equipped Cortina.

However, the GTE is a rare beast as it was only made for one year  — the problem being, it seems, the price. The extras all cost money, and at $3300 The GTE was some $600 more than the standard car.

So, for the anoraks among us I’ll first list all those extras that make the GTE unique over its birth mother — the English GT.

Kiwi executive

The interior is based on a mix of 1600E and GT. For instance, the GT instruments are moved down into the dash and then the whole dashboard is faced with a thick fascia of polished Kiwi wood — hence the deep recesses to allow switches and dials (that are in the metal dash underneath) to be used. What the New Zealand wood is we don’t know — anyone out there remember?

Seats are high-back buckets up front and a sculptured pair in the back with a central armrest for passengers — all at a time when the local Cortina had a bench and column change. Seatbelts had a special clip on the centre console when not in use, there’s a cover over the handbrake, a remote gear lever with wooden knob, a clock, and a central mounting position for the radio.

Luxury extended to ashtrays front and rear, and a cigar lighter. Finally, a beautifully made chromed lever was added down by driver’s seat — a feature that caused one contemporary road tester great embarrassment when he pulled said lever whilst in traffic only for the boot to fly open — a new one on him! We are so spoiled now!

In the boot was full carpeting, a covered spare, and handy light.

On the outside just four colours were available, though they were all iridescent, and exterior trim included side stripes and a vinyl roof. There’s a sporty matte black grille and back panel, Lucas spotlights, twin reversing lights, and GTE badges. The standard tyres were described by a contemporary tester as “fat radials” though the wheels are just 4.5J rims with fancy wheel covers — the owner of this car would love some wider 1600E Rostyles if anyone has a set going spare.

Bullet-proof

The drivetrain was all Cortina GT, which meant a civilised 1600cc cross-flow warmed to 69kW (93bhp) by way of nine to one compression, a twin choke Weber, extractors and a mild cam grind. Nothing radical but sweet and torquey, which it needs to be with the very high first gear of the close-ratio four-speed ’box.

The brakes were power-assisted disc/drums and the suspension firmed but still, by even contemporary standards, quite soft. This is a bullet-proof powertrain with huge potential for more performance if wanted.

A contemporary road test described the 1600GTE as “somewhere between a sports car and an elegant, expensive family saloon” and that seems just right. As already said, the car seems almost unnaturally quiet on the road, though this is a very good example. The suspension is fairly soft and absorbent and therefore not as quick to turn in as I expected it to be — easily sorted with stiffer shocks if required, while the soft Cavillino radials didn’t help!

The steering is unassisted, but at all but parking speeds is light enough and feels nicely weighty, if just a tad vague which I wasn’t expecting. That might be down to the Cavallino’s soft, tall sidewalls, though contemporary road tests also commented on some sluggishness, which defies my memory of these cars.

Chris Carr usually runs this GTE on Minilite alloys with newer tyres, but refitted the original Rostyle rims on for our photo shoot.

On the road

She takes a few revs to get going with that tall first gear, but the engine is tractable and strong so I never felt close to a stall — always embarrassing in someone else’s car. Power is good but not outrageous, about what I expected for a mildly tuned 1600. The open road speed limit is easily met and easy to maintain, but the best bit I haven’t mentioned yet, I’ve been keeping that from you.

If you’ve ever driven a 1600GTE you’ll already know what the best bit is — it’s the gearbox.

This thing is just ridiculously good. Changes snick through like the proverbial hot knife through butter. There’s no resistance at all, no hesitation, just a really lovely feel. This is what manual gear-changing should feel like. I drove an HSV coupe with six-speed manual a while back, and that was complete rubbish compared with this almost four decades-old Ford. Actually, the HSV’s change was rubbish compared with almost anything — but I’m sure you get my point. In the GTE, I found myself changing gears simply because I wanted to rather than needed to; delicious!

That quietness and the good seats make for a comfortable and usable car. You’d have no problem using one of these as an everyday vehicle, and Chris and Ruth Carr recently completed a South Island tour right through to Milford Sound in great comfort and style in this GTE. The mechanicals are very simple, robust and parts are plentiful.

Absolutely immaculate

Chris and Ruth bought this car just six months ago after having sold their incredibly good two-door MkI GT. Chris reports that as soon as he saw the GTE he knew he’d buy it — the car is absolutely immaculate, which is the only way classic car lovers like Chris and Ruth will have their cars (they also own the stunning GT Falcon which featured on the January 2008 cover of NZCC).

As testimony to the quality of this car, each and every impression I got while driving it was exactly as the contemporary road tests reported — nothing better and nothing worse — just as it was and should be. That’s a quality you cannot reproduce with a restored car.

Adding to this, is the history of this Cortina — which is one of those classic tales of love at first sight and eventual fulfilment. Bought new in Wellington by Jim and Avice Mauger, it was a prized car from when new and even today — after being contacted by Chris — Avice talks with great fondness of the car. Her husband cherished it to the extent of having it repainted so as to be perfect!

The Maugers owned the car for 14 years, during which time a cheeky school kid insisted that when they came to sell it he would buy it. Eventually the day came when Jim was given a company station wagon and, initially, it seems he was hoping Southwards might store the GTE. What came of that we don’t know, but apparently Jim didn’t think to offer the Cortina to that cheeky school kid — probably thinking he wouldn’t have the wherewithal to buy the car.

So, the Ford went to a Wellington dealer — but when that kid found out he persuaded his mother to buy it for him, as he was still a broke teenager. The school kid eventually paid off his mum and then kept the car some 16 years. During his time he had it painted again (now that’s a fussy owner) in its original livery of Metallic Zircon Green with gold stripes. The repaint was to a high standard, even the pop rivets in the door seam were removed and replaced with new items.

I was able to contact that ‘school kid’ who is now in his 30s — and who does not wish to be named — to be told that very few people knew he had the car and it was hardly ever used; the last time his wife rode in the GTE was at their wedding! He tells of the great pleasure he got from just knowing the car was there, waiting in his garage if ever he wanted to take it for a drive. I could hear the genuine sadness in his voice when he told me how hard it was to sell it — as usual, family and mortgages got in the way of his continued ownership.

He eventually sold it to classic car-loving friend who kept it for three years and then, for the first time, it left Wellington for a short stay in Tauranga on the way to Cedric Stockman of Auckland. Cedric, it is reported, was a fastidious man and you can see the car would have suited him well. He restored its engine, and then the Carrs were on the spot to buy it from his estate.

The GTE has still only done around 96,560km (60,000 miles), as evidenced by the unworn but original switches, mats and knobs.

In 1970, a review in the car for the Sunday Star Times summed it up perfectly; “It won’t be the end of the line for anyone with deeply dyed sporting demands, but as a luxury machine with distinctly sporting features the GTE is a standout charmer.” I couldn’t agree more.

Cortina MkII in NZ

In NZ we assembled MkIIs with the bigger engines and our favoured bench seats and column change which, with a gear-change so good, was a travesty. I well remember how jealous my mates were of my floor-change British-assembled car.

The whole Cortina range was always a best-seller in New Zealand, and many long-term Ford-buying Kiwis switched allegiance when the last Cortina was replaced with the Mazda 626-cloned Telstar instead of the Sierra. Oh how jealous we were when Cosworth Sierras won Bathurst and all we got were Mazda 626s!

Model history

Starting with the MkI Cortina’s floorpan, the 1966 MkII had a wider track for more space, and a bigger, boxier body giving more room inside. It was, however, a softer car than the MkI, and many sporting types feel that even the two-door never matched the MkI for sporting handling.

The range first arrived with a base model, a De Luxe, Super, and finally a GT. The engines were the familiar Kent non-cross-flow units in either 1300 or 1500cc form. Next came the Lotus version in 1967, though this was less extreme than the MkI Lotus-Cortina and did without the earlier car’s lightweight panels. Even so, that Lotus twin-cam makes these very valuable, and very sought-after cars.

Come 1968 and the 1300 and the new 1600 got the famous cross-flow engines, while a poverty spec 1200 Kent remained for very few markets, and the English 1600E joined the fleet.

A feature you may recall is that the MkII was the first seriously mass-produced car with fresh air face vents that actually worked, in fact the worked so well Ford earned safety design awards.

Considering how well it’s remembered it’s surprising to recall that the MkII was manufactured for only a relatively short period between 1966 and 1970, though over a million were made. As an icon it hardly raised an eyebrow, apart from a part in Michael Caine’s cult film Get Carter.

Buying a GTE

If you fancy a GTE be prepared to spend decent money, they’re getting rare and valuable now. Asking prices are widely varied, but a decent original car in good going condition with all the right parts would be worth close to $5000. I saw a very original low mileage car with faded paint go for less than $5000 recently, which I thought an excellent buy and a good investment. Beautiful cars like the featured one will fetch many times that. Because it is an NZ special, matching numbers and history will add value though, luckily, many mechanical parts can be salvaged from GT Cortinas that have rusted away.

There are plenty of fakes around, and sellers who would have you believe their GTE always had a bench seat and plain dash are telling porkies. Buyer beware — talk to the Classic Cortina Club first (www.classiccortina.co.nz).

Words, Tim Monck-Mason Photos, Quinn Hamill

Think of a Mustang, and most people instantly think of V8 engines — but not all Mustangs were V8-powered

American car enthusiasts in New Zealand are well aware of the escalating prices of all US-produced vehicles manufactured between the period of around 1952 to 1974. Although, to a lesser degree, even the pre-war and immediate post war cars have also shown a marked increase in value.

During the past six years or so, I have noticed a striking increase in the number of ever-popular American classics — especially those between 1956 and 1969 — being imported to this country, with a number of them finding a new life in Christchurch. Some of these vehicles are sun-baked and worn but still original, others are almost unmarked cars in a condition that reflects low ownership. These latter cars obviously have been garaged from new, in some cases by the original purchaser.

The popular Mustang

A classic case of prices of the American cars increasing dramatically in certain cases can be seen with the early, ever popular Ford Mustang, particularly convertible models.

Around six years ago I came very close to buying, on two separate occasions, a ’64 to ’67 Mustang convertible — one was in North Canterbury at $28,000 while the other, a very low mileage original example, was for sale in Hamilton for $30,000. Regrettably, I purchased neither. Now these cars probably have a value of around $45,000, in my estimation. However, a fully restored example, as some are, could fetch as much as $70,000.

The beauty about restoring early Mustangs is the fact that almost every part is reproduced for them, prices for such parts are very reasonable, and they are mostly of good quality and very authentic. In fact, I believe you could almost build a ‘new’ early Mustang from the new parts available today — indeed, entire body shells for the ’67 hardtop and convertible are now available in the US.

The forgotten Mustang

Some people say that Ford lost its way with the Mustang after about the mid to late ’70s. If anything proved to the American public that Ford was on the right track in the ’80s, it was when it returned the Mustang to its muscle-car roots with the 157kW (210hp) 5.0-litre V8 that debuted in its 1985 GT and LX models.

For the first time in Mustang history all V8 cars came standard with power-assisted rack-and-pinion steering, which had previously been considered a ‘mandatory option’. Central fuel injection also continued to feed the 3.8-litre V6, which was still only available with the three-speed automatic transmission. The standard engine for all other non-GT, non-convertible models was still the 2.3-litre in-line four-cylinder, which was rated at 66kW (88hp) and came with a four-speed manual transmission, five-speed, or optional three-speed automatic.

Ford dropped the base L model before going into the 1985 production year, leaving a very simple line-up of LX and GT Mustangs for buyers to choose from. The LX, available in coupe, hatchback, or convertible body styles, came standard with power brakes and steering, a remote-control right-side mirror, dual-note horn, interval windshield wipers, and an AM/FM stereo radio. New interior features included a console, articulated sport seats and luxury door-trim panels which were revised for an improved seat belt system. An electronic AM/FM stereo radio with cassette player found its way onto the options list, while standard mechanical radio faces assumed a flat design.

Evolution

On the outside, the Mustang LX and GT were slowly evolving in the direction of their European-styled SVO stable-mate, with a four-hole integral air dam below the bumper flanked by low rectangular parking lamps (integral fog lamps returned on GTs). At the rear, taillight lenses seemed to reach from one side of the car to the other, interrupted only by the licence plate mount, with backup lenses positioned at the upper inboard portion. The blacked-out treatment of earlier GTs and Cobras gave way to a more subtle charcoal grey shade, which completely bisected the top half of the car from its bottom in the form of a horizontal rub strip. That’s a change I do not like, preferring the black colour.

The professionals’ opinion

Car & Driver magazine tested a new 1985 model in October of 1984. It reported the following; “every bit as much effort was put into improving the GT’s road manners, which is nothing if not good news. Mustangs have always been front-line power cars; it’s their handling that’s been gimpy. For 1985, variable-rate springs have been fitted all around and the gas-filled front struts and rear shocks are valved about 50 per cent tighter. The quad-shock rear suspension layout introduced in the middle of last season for the SVO has been added, and the rear anti-sway bar is larger. We predict this will be a strong year for the Mustang GT. The timing couldn’t be better for a car at the zenith of its zoom.”

As one Mustang enthusiast wrote; “If it’s collectability you seek, buy a 1985 GT convertible with the last of the four-barrel carburettors. If burning up a road course is your favourite form of
relaxation, buy a late 1985 SVO. Very few were made, and they came from the factory with everything a road racer might want, including a better-balanced chassis than the heavier 5.0-litre cars. Look hard enough and you might find one of the lighter SVOs with Competition Prep packages that deleted several non-essentials.”

Smooth and economical

Our featured Mustang is a 1985 3.8 V6 automatic, and is fitted with virtually all the options available at time of order. It was imported from America in December 1995. Lorraine and I were immediately impressed with its overall condition when we first sighted it at the Annual Canterbury All American Day at the Waikuku Beach Domain in November of 2002. Just under two years later this Mustang convertible came up for sale and we duly purchased it — on my sixty-fourth birthday.

The 3.8 V6 engine is very smooth and surprisingly economical, returning around 9.1 to 10.9l/100km (26 to 31mpg). Mind you, this is at a very moderate pace, the car being a Sunday cruiser rather than a performance sporty car. The automatic transmission is incredibly smooth for a vehicle designed some 22 years ago, the changes being virtually undetectable. As the accompanying photographs show, the interior is in remarkably good original condition with the dash, kick panels and carpets in absolutely as new condition. The body shows no signs of repair, but I think the car may have been repainted, as it has that two-pot ‘wet’ look which was probably not available in 1985. I have never had to polish the paint, because it always retains its full gloss. The original imitation chrome wire wheels have possibly become quite a rare item now, as most owners would have replaced them with modern mag or chrome wheels, as has been the custom in later years.

In three years of ownership, we have travelled only 895km, the car being only used for the annual Christmas Parade at New Brighton, and Rangiora, the All Ford Day at Ouruhia Park and the occasional (but not often enough) Sunday picnic outing. As we are reducing our classic fleet, the car is being offered for sale.

Words: Trevor Stanley-Joblin Photos: Sean Craig