VW
March 9th, 2009 by NZ Classic Car
Bryce Barnett is a relative newcomer to the classic car collecting game, but he’s sure made up for lost time
The first question you have on seeing Bryce’s car collection is, “Why?” Why does he own an Austin A40 Devon and an A60 Cambridge along with a Corvette, a Hummer, a Rolls-Royce and more? And how can he feel just as passionate about the Austins as he does about his Morgan Aero? It’s all perfectly reasonable to Bryce, and he’s happy to explain.
In the Beginning
For Bryce, it all started with an idea he’d had for years of finding an Austin A60 Cambridge like the first car he owned as a teenager. That first A60 cost him $300, and he drove it for 10 years.
The search for this symbol of his youth began in 2001, and ended in Morrinsville where he found a very tidy 1963 model which had travelled just 52,000km. After a little rust removal and a repaint, Bryce had his A60, a car that still takes him back to his teenage years as soon as he opens the door and smells that distinctive Austin interior aroma.
Read the rest of this entry »December 2nd, 2008 by NZ Classic Car
This coming Sunday the 7th December the Auckland VW owners club will be having their 10th Annual Raglan Run. Meeting at the Autobahn Cafe, Papakura 8:30am for breakfast, the club will then convoy down to Hamilton, where they will be joined by the Tauranga, Rotorua and Waikato clubs to convoy out to Raglan. Participants should bring along a picnic lunch and a full tank of gas.
Contact Ben Doughney ben_d@clear.net.nz or phone (021) 259 9837 for more information.
November 6th, 2008 by NZ Classic Car
Is there a more iconic classic commercial world-wide than what we have come to know as the VW Kombi?
It doesn’t matter where you go in the world, the USA, UK, continental Europe, Australia or New Zealand. People know what it is, and most associate them with good times, the ’50s, more so the ’60s, the ’70s and even well into the ’80s. There are not many commercial vehicles that almost guarantee a warm and happy smile from all generations, and some very happy memories, too.
Whilst all over the world everyone knows it’s a Volkswagen, and everyone knows Volkwagens are German, this icon is connected strongly with the hippy era, and in London and Europe it’s associated with Australians and New Zealanders.
In London in the ’70s Australian wannabe racing driver Alan Jones had to make some money to fi nance his motor racing aspirations. He hit upon the idea of buying VW Kombis from young Antipodeans, finishing their OEs and desperate to get rid of them, then selling them to incoming Antipodeans needing to find transport for their new OE adventure. Eventually those travellers began to bring them back to the cunning young race driver, giving him instant turnover.
Jones won the World Championship in 1980, and he owed it to the VW microbus, as well as a talent for driving, being in the right place at the right time and knowing what to do about it.
Read the rest of this entry »April 16th, 2008 by NZ Classic Car
1939 Citroen 2CV prototype
The rise of the popular front in France in the mid-1930s made the time ripe for a “vehicle for the people”. Designers in engineering offices were working on a light and economical model that would be cheaper than the other cars of the period. At Citroën, Pierre Boulanger was working on a project called TPV (for “Très Petite Voiture” or very small car). The Marque wanted to develop a car that was economical to manufacture, use and maintain — and sold at unrivalled low prices. The idea was to offer customers automotive essentials: four seats, a top speed of 50 km/h, 100 km on 5 litres of petrol, and low production and maintenance costs. Fiat had just launched its 500 Topolino, so Citroën had to work fast.The vehicle was homologated by the French government vehicle testing service on 23 August 1939 under the 2CV A name. But the advent of World War II just several days later, on 3 September, put the car’s future on hold. The 2CV A was hidden away during the war, especially from the prying eyes of the Germans, who were developing their own “folks’ wagon”, the Beetle. The 2CV A was so well hidden, in fact, that it was only rediscovered by chance in 1968, when work was being done at Citroën’s La Ferte Vidame test track. The car they found was a real production model, not a prototype. Out of the 100 models that went into circulation, only four are left today. All of them are conserved in Citroën’s collection, one of which is on show at the exhibition.
Read the rest of this entry »March 28th, 2008 by NZ Classic Car
For VW, the sports car market has always seemed to be a blind alley. However, blind alleys don’t have to be dark and dingy. In the case of the VW Corrado it was more a pleasant cul-de-sac
Volkswagen had never made a true sports car before — some would say it still hadn’t — when the Corrado was introduced in 1990. In many ways it represented the rebirth of the famous Karmann-Ghia, except that despite being much sportier, it was less successful sale-wise.
The business case for the Corrado was based on filling a gap left by the now defunct Porsche 924, for a high quality sports coupe. VW clearly hadn’t taken account of how much of the 924’s relative success was due to it being called a Porsche.
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