tourer
February 5th, 2010 by NZ Classic Car
Two great Oldtimers will be crossing the auction block with no reserve at Shannons upcoming Sydney Summer Classic sale on February 15.
Veteran enthusiasts will be interested in the 1913 Hupmobile Model 32 Tourer that was sold new in Adelaide by H.V. McKay Motors and still retains the dealer’s pressed metal badge on its dashboard.
Produced by the Hupp Motor Company that was founded in 1908, Hupmobiles were made for dependability more than speed and set many endurance records over the years – including a fifth place in the 1932 Indianapolis 500 – gaining the marque a loyal following.
The Canadian-built car being auctioned was used in the Moree district of New South Wales for some years before being discovered by the current owner in complete, but not running condition.
A full restoration was completed in 2001, including engine, gearbox, differential and all mechanical parts and according to Shannons the car presents in very good condition.
Period features include a beautifully restored Argentan 8-day clock and a reconditioned cable-drive speedometer, while the Hupmobile is also fitted with a vintage fire extinguisher, a spare two-gallon fuel can and a compression horn.
Offered with no reserve, Shannons expect bids in the $36,000-$42,000 AUS range.
Also dating from 1908, when John North Willys purchased the Overland Automobile Division of the Standard Wheel Company, is a very attractive 1922 Willys Overland Tourer.
In 1913 Willys Overland produced 37,000 vehicles, headed only by Ford with 107,000 and continued to be a major producer until the 1920s when Walter P. Chrysler took charge of the company in an attempt to revive its falling sales. However Willys Overland succumbed to The Great Depression and was declared bankrupt in 1934.
Overland chassis imported to Australia in the early 1920s were fitted with bodies built by Holden in South Australia, making them a forerunner to ‘Australia’s Own Car’.
The Willys Overland being auctioned underwent a complete body and mechanical restoration in 1984 and presents in very good conditioned according to Shannons.
The car’s original spare fuel can is clamped to the running board and is in perfect condition, while a quantity of spare parts is included in the sale.
Offered with no reserve, it is expected to sell in the $14,000-$18,000 AUS range.
October 16th, 2009 by NZ Classic Car
Most of us remember the Subaru SVX, a mid-sized GT coupe that was sold here by Subaru from 1991 to 1997. It was a major attempt by Subaru to enter the luxury/performance car market but its styling failed to excite Kiwi buyers in the segment and the performance from its naturally-aspired engine wasn’t too inspiring either.
Total sales of the car topped a little over 25,000 units worldwide before the model was discontinued. While not quite the success Subaru was hoping for, a successor to the car is now reportedly in the works.
According to a new report, Subaru is working on a new sports coupe based on its recently revealed Hybrid Tourer Concept (pictured below). The production version will likely share the concept’s hybrid drivetrain and possibly even its gullwing door design.
A Subaru insider said the car would target high-end performance vehicles and could be priced relatively high for the brand. Will it be able to succeed where the SVX failed? Only time will tell.
April 9th, 2009 by NZ Classic Car
Penn is attracted to another one of Richard Hadfield’s flotilla of unusual antique cars
The first vintage car that Richard bought and restored in New Zealand was this exceptionally rare Briscoe. He wanted a car from the first motoring era, and this fitted the bill admirably until he found that in New Zealand it was one year out of eligibility — hence, his next project was the restoration of the Hupmobile we looked at last month.
The Briscoe appeals to me immensely, it’s a pretty car and considering its era, it’s astoundingly true to what was to become the standard layout and look of the motor car for the next decade and a half. I like to see it as also essentially French, and I love France. However, in all fairness this model looks more American than anything to me.
Some years ago Richard wrote, “I bought this car from the estate of Maurice Baker of Christchurch in April 1995. I have the following story which came with the car, and I repeat it here.”It appears that during a game of tennis, a lost ball went into a neighbouring property, and during the search for it — they presumably only had the one tennis ball — a pile of wood was moved, and what appeared to be part of a tyre was sighted. This would seem to be of no consequence, except that this was reported to Maurice Baker, who went to the house and asked the owner if he could clear away piles of logs from a primitive shed, and bit by bit he revealed a car with the name ‘Briscoe’. “This make was known to Maurice because, in his childhood, some family friends had owned a 1915 model with a single ‘Cyclops’ headlight and a three seater body.
Read the rest of this entry »February 16th, 2009 by NZ Classic Car
Penn checks out a surprisingly useable antique car, considering it is very nearly a century old
Bob Ballentyne is so steeped in collectible cars that he’s long since ceased being easily impressed. Indeed, rather like any hot-blooded man at a beauty contest, he’s in love with every example indiscriminately. Nevertheless, Bob expressed all kinds of awe when he described Kit Maxwell’s new toy to me — an enormous example of 1913 horseless carriage, a milestone on the evolutionary progress from horse-drawn cart to 2008 Ferrari.
To me it’s a milestone because, when you examine the mechanicals (including its big gutsy motor), there are so many indicators of the future. Indicators that also show how much progress has been made in a very few years.
I was continually impressed by the car’s finish and the attention to detail. Every aspect has been designed and engineered in a manner typical of the attention to quality so characteristic of those early years of the 20th Century.
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