restoration
November 9th, 2011 by NZ Classic Car
Has your classic car been in storage over the winter months? If so, it’s time to wake it up for another summer of motoring pleasure.
Every autumn, aware of the onset of another bitterly cold UK winter, my grandfather would carefully lay up his Sunbeam Alpine, placing it into storage until the following spring and restricting his driving to his second car – a MkI Cortina. He hated 
driving the Sunbeam on wet, icy roads and, unless you wore many layers of clothing, a top-down winter drive wasn’t always a pleasant experience.
Anyway, have you ever tried buttoning up a vinyl convertible top on a freezing day? It’s virtually impossible as the vinyl becomes stiff as a board.
For most North Islanders – unless they live around the Central Plateau – truly freezing winters shouldn’t be too much of an issue, but there are other places in New Zealand where the winter temperatures can be trying on a classic car.
So, if your classic car has been hibernating during the winter months – or has simply been in dry storage for an extended period – what are the steps required to get it up and running? Read the rest of this entry »
November 2nd, 2011 by NZ Classic Car
Perched high up before the hills behind Richmond, Nelson, is a workshop with stunning views over Tasman Bay, the Waimea Plains and beyond to the Arthur Range. Difficult to get to but well worth the effort, it’s the home of Heyward Rods and Restorations.
Lloyd Heyward started an apprenticeship in 1962 as a ‘bodybuilder in wood’, mostly building caravans and truck decks. After a year he was told he was now a panel-beater, rather than a bodybuilder in wood, which was fine with him. This was back when the panel-beating trade could still involve working with wooden framing, and accident damage was repaired because replacement parts were difficult or impossible to come by.
An Australian hot rodder who joined the company gave Lloyd a stack of Hot Rod magazines in the original small format. Lloyd devoured their contents and was soon modifying the engines and bodies of his cars. He joined the Kustoms Club based in Christchurch, and several members suggested he should start a club in Nelson, so he formed the Nelson City Rod & Custom Club in about 1972. Read the rest of this entry »
October 21st, 2011 by NZ Classic Car
Holden has gone back to the future, restoring its very first concept car – the 1969 Holden Hurricane.
The futuristic research vehicle described as an experiment “to study design trend, propulsion systems and other long range developments” has been restored to its former glory as a labour of love by a dedicated group of Holden designers and engineers.
Code-named RD 001; the Hurricane is a mid-engined, rear-wheel drive, two-seater sports car which incorporates a remarkable array of innovative features and technology, much of it way ahead of its time.
Features such as electronic digital instrument displays, station-seeking radio, automatic temperature control air conditioning, rear vision camera and an automated route finder were all showcased in this groundbreaking vehicle 42 years ago. Many of these technologies have only recently made their way into mass production, demonstrating Holden’s remarkable foresight into both design and engineering technology.
The Hurricane stole headlines and dropped jaws nationwide when it debuted at the 1969 Melbourne Motor Show. Read the rest of this entry »
April 28th, 2011 by NZ Classic Car
On a recent trip to Italy, Jacqui visited Ferrari Classiche – a facility set up by Ferrari to restore and service their historic race and road cars.
It’s a work of art, this fuel tank. It’s from a car built in 1954 to race at Indianapolis: a hand-built masterpiece. Back then seals weren’t rubber or silicone, but lead. So this tank has a lead seal, clamped down with hundreds of tiny rivets. The restoration 
took around 1200 hours to complete.
Ferrari’s Classiche workshop is full of similar automotive masterpieces. Swing the camera up, and we frame a 1963 Ferrari 250LM, a 1966 330 GTC and a 1954 750 Monza.
Turning round, there’s a Dino 246GT – and more – all parked on a pristine tiled floor amid a subdued hum of fans and quiet conversation, being worked on by a fleet of red-clad technicians. And we’re not talking grumpy old coots, there are young lads here too. Even the designers wander over occasionally, to reference the brand’s design heritage.
Ferrari opened this Classiche workshop in 2006. Nestled within the factory walls it restores, services and certifies all GT cars over 20 years old, and any race car.
Certification is necessary, says Ferrari Classiche e Corse Clienti brand director, Marco Arrighi, as “Many cars are not what they purport to be.”
Who brings their Ferrari here? Often first-time owners who want it perfect, though one gent has 35 or so two-plus-two cars, and he’s begun to restore every one at Classiche. That must be a good contract? “Yes, it’s not bad!”
Before starting work, an estimate is produced. “We write down every piece we have to produce. Each part is punched with the Classiche logo to make clear it is not original. Engine, gearbox, we can punch with the same number, and Classiche;” he points out an engine block – each piston punched with its correct part number and the Classiche logo. “If an original part is not possible, we take the number of the last one, and add one.” Read the rest of this entry »
August 19th, 2010 by NZ Classic Car
Handy tips and hints for those planning on having their car professionally restored
Although many classic car enthusiasts prefer a hands-on approach to restoring their cars, this is not always possible — lack of spare time or simply lack of skills may prevent a home restoration. If this is the case, then the only way forward may be a professional restoration. Although not the cheapest option, having your car fully restored from top to toe by professionals does have benefits and, of course, a reputable workshop will always guarantee their work.
If you do choose to follow this path, a single company might be assigned to restore the entire car or, alternatively, separate 
company’s could undertake individual tasks — such as panel and paint; interior and mechanical. Assuming you have already found a suitable project car, here are a few handy tips for picking a suitable professional.
When selecting a professional restorer it pays to inspect some of their previous work. Most restoration shops will have extensive photographs of projects they have completed and, while it’s useful to see these photos, it’s even more useful if you can actually see the cars themselves — that way you can also talk to the owners and gather useful information on the restoration company.
There are advantages to picking a local restoration company, it’ll be easy to visit them to check up on progress. However, having said that, sometimes it pays to pick the best possible workshop, regardless of location, especially if they have specialist knowledge that applies to your car. Reputable restoration companies can provide photographic reports, so it is possible to monitor progress.
Read the rest of this entry »
July 30th, 2010 by NZ Classic Car
An increasing share of BMW’s profit in recent years has come from dealing in older vehicles. The German brand’s certified pre-owned program that reconditions and sells warranted used cars has reportedly proved very successful. Now BMW is taking that idea to a whole new level by opening its Classic Centre workshop. The Classic Center offers a variety of services from parts re-manufacturing to complete vehicle restorations.
The facility recently finished its very first complete restoration of a 1972 BMW 3.0 CSi coupe. In addition to giving the CSi a new pristine condition life, the owner had BMW convert the coupe’s transmission, originally a manual, to an automatic. The owner took possession of his restored beauty at the BMW Welt in Munich, which until now had only been exclusively used for new car deliveries.
To find out more about BMW’s Classic Centre workshop read the full press release below or visit the website at www.bmw-classic.com
Read the rest of this entry »
June 5th, 2010 by NZ Classic Car
Following from our Young Person’s Guide to Classic Cars (NZCC, January 2010), we talk to teenager Josh Kelly about his Mini
Some 14 years after the very first Mini Se7en — designed originally by Alec Issigonis — rolled off the assembly line, our striking feature car was built in Petone, on January 17, 1973.
Last year marked the 50th anniversary of this motoring icon, which basically remained unchanged until 2000, while the BMW version has since become a popular choice for more modern Mini enthusiasts.
Over the years Minis have become a favourite among young and old, male and female, those affluent, those who scrimp and save every cent to buy their favourite little car and, no matter what part of the world you live, there’s a Mini story or enthusiast lurking somewhere.
Josh Kelly, like many people, was smitten by Minis from an early age and has been nuts about them ever since. But of course as a kid he couldn’t own a real one, so his family would often buy him Mini models until eventually, he could start buying them for himself.
Josh knew from a very young age that his first car would be a Mini, even though his father wasn’t so keen on the idea. This wasn’t enough to deter Josh’s obsession to own one. That obsession finally became reality in 2009, when he purchased his first Mini after a couple of months seriously looking around to see what was available.
It was a dream come true for Josh as he had loved Minis all his life, and finally at 17 years of age, he had his first one. Until then, all his Minis had been small toys!
This Mini was the third one he’d looked at in the space of three weeks, the first being a 1976 Mini 1000, then a 1980 Mini 1275GT (NZ version). However, the asking prices were beyond his budget.
Read the rest of this entry »
February 3rd, 2010 by NZ Classic Car
When it’s time for your final exit – why not go classic-style?
When Feilding funeral director William Cotton & Sons Ltd decided to think about updating its fleet of hearses, it never imagined the journey on which it was about to embark would end up such a complete success story.
With a business spanning back generations, Norman and Jeanette Cotton — together with son, Shane — thought that it would be a good idea to rejuvenate the original feeling and history of their family funeral business by offering something completely different, yet in keeping with the style, grace and reputation built over many decades by their family.
Established in 1930, this privately owned business was founded by the late William Cotton and has served the Feilding and district area ever since. With such a long history behind the company, it wasn’t surprising that in 2006, a 1939 Chevrolet Master Deluxe four-door sedan was purchased with the idea of converting it into a hearse.
Read the rest of this entry »
