2012 10 oct - Constructors Car Club

Spare Parts
On the cover: . Pete’s day at Manfeild. Page 18.
October 2012
Issue 9 Volume 25
In this issue
Coming events...........................................2
Club Officials
President:
ph: 563-7368
Secretary:
ph: 477-4356
Club Captain:
ph: 232-3336
Treasurer:
ph: 976-8594
Phil Bradshaw
e: [email protected]
Dave Clout
e: [email protected]
Richard Kelly
e: [email protected]
Stewart Collinson
e: [email protected]
Waikato Club Run....................................3
Club minutes
Tuesday 11 September 2012......................5
The President’s Page..................................8
This month’s mystery car..........................9
Last month’s mystery car.........................10
Track day – Learning a new car..............13
My day at Manfeild................................16
Club Meetings
The Constructors Car Club Inc meets at 7.30pm
on the second Tuesday of each month at The
Vintage Car Club, 3 Halford Place, Petone
(Eastern end of Jackson Street).
Prospective members or others interested in
building their own cars are welcome to attend.
(The club does request a donation of $2
towards running the meeting, and includes a
raffle ticket. Meetings generally include a guest
speaker or demonstration followed by general
discussion and supper.)
The Club Magazine “Spare Parts” is produced
monthly from February to December each year.
Contributions and advertisements are welcomed.
Pete’s day at Manfeild.............................18
Track Day pictures..................................19
Daytona Spyder 1987 to 1989................25
Wellington area Certifiers........................26
Update from the ‘Naki ...........................28
Fuel gauge senders – not actually
witchcraft ...............................................30
A Real Blast............................................32
Shaken, Not Stirred – The AMX07.........37
Who’s who October 2012.......................40
Cut-off date for contributions for the next magazine is Tuesday 30 October 2012.
Send contributions to Brian by email: [email protected] or to Secretary
by ordinary mail.
Club Correspondence to:
The Secretary, Constructors Car Club, PO Box 38 573, Wellington Mail Centre, Lower Hutt 5045
Editor: Brian Worboys, phone: (04) 476 3799, [email protected]
Printing: The Colour Guy, 10 Raroa Cres, Lower Hutt, phone: (04) 570 0355
Design and typesetting: Tanya Sooksombatisatian, [email protected]
Club bank account:
Bank: Westpac Lower Hutt | Name: Constructors Car Club | Account: 030531 0536795 00
Opinions expressed in this magazine are not necessarily those of the Constructors Car Club (Inc).
Issue 9 Volume 25
1
Coming events
Tuesday 9 October
Club Night – Suspension 101
Introduction into suspension terminology,
features and design.
Range of suspension books available for
perusal
Thursday 11 October
LVVTA Visit
Visit to LVVTA in Porirua (note date – only
2 days after club night)
History of how the certification system/
LVVTA came into being.
How it all fits together from a legislation/
regulation/standards perspective.
Hobby Car Technical Manual – history
and development.
LVVTA Website – what resources are
there that builders should be aware of.
How the Govt/NZTA/LVVTA/Clubs/
Interest groups piece fits together.
A run down of the LVVTA structure and
Technical Advisory Committee role, particularly with respect to items that differ
from HCTM guidelines.
The certification process – how things
progress from a certifier undertaking an inspection through to the plate being issued.
Bump steer demo plus miscellaneous discussion on seat belt anchorage tests.
Tour of the facilities.
Question and Answer session.
Sunday 14 October
Grasskana
Chance to have a bit of driving fun down
by the Hutt River – details to follow.
10-11 November
Speedtech EFI Course
Andre Simon at Speedtech is holding another
of his EFI courses weekend November 10/11.
2
Details
are
on
their
website
www.speedtechnz.com.
The first day (intro course) has a focus
on how it all works from an aftermarket
tuning perspective.
The second day/course is more advanced and probably more suited to those
actually aiming to tune their own car or
get a deeper understanding.
Andre has indicated that he is willing to
provide a discount for CCC members; please
get in touch with Phil Bradshaw ASAP if you
wish to attend – we need to know numbers
so we can negotiate a discount.
Standard cost is around $300 per course.
Tuesday 13 November
Club Night – Car Wiring
How to read wiring diagrams and identify
components.
Focus on factory Engine Management.
Useful tools, terminals and techniques.
16-18 November
Waikato Tour
Depart Wellington Friday morning and
head up to Rotorua.
Visit spring makers that afternoon
in Rotorua followed by a dip in the hot
pools at Waikiti valley. Social evening
BBQ buffet.
Sat Morning various activities before
heading on to Hamilton. Car related visits
and social evening.
Sunday more visits, lunch then return
south.
Sunday 2 December
End of Year Run and Lunch
More details next month – keep this day
free!
October 2012
Waikato Club Run
We are having a club trip up to the Waikato on 16–18th November. There is still
some detail to sort out, but the main plan is to leave Wellington on Friday morning
and be in Rotorua by mid-afternoon in time to visit a spring factory. The factory
staff will take us though the spring manufacture process and a tour of the factory.
Afterwards a social evening, including dinner, and a dip in the hot pools at Waikite
Valley.
Rotorua club member Jean-Pierre (JP) Paalvast is organising the Rotorua part of
the trip, including a visit to the Caterpillar Experience on Saturday morning. This
is a world-class collection of antique Caterpillar bulldozers and vintage vehicles,
all in an undercover natural bush setting. This will be followed by a visit to a
mechanical workshop, whose owner has Cobra and Lowcost cars.
From there we will travel up to Hamilton, where we will join up with members
of the local Fraser Club for more visits. Among them Danny Ryan’s workshop –
Danny has a Peter Bruin C type replica, a 1919 Lancia Kappa, a work-in-progress
1921 Hispano Suizza (which is being reconstructed using the latest CAD and
CNC technology), and a set of Alfa Romeo based sports cars loosely based on
late 1940s Lago Talbots. Again these are being done using the latest design and
fabricate technologies.
On Saturday evening Graeme, a friend of Phil’s, is putting on a BBQ for us and
inviting Fraser Club members.
Sunday morning we will meet up at Tauwhare Military Museum. This is a privately
owned museum between Hamilton and Cambridge that is into restoring old
military vehicles. Apart from the army vehicles there is a gun collection, clothes
and all sorts of military equipment. After the museum Brian Hanaray has an
interesting route for us to follow home.
So we can get an idea of numbers, and make it easier for people organising visits
and accommodation, please contact Bob Cumming if you would like to join us.
04 9727674
[email protected]
Notice
Items owned by the club that club members can borrow:
Engine hoist: Custodian: Brian Hannaray
Car show equipment: Custodian: the Show Committee
The Hobby Car Manuals:
Custodians of copies: Tim Hutchinson, Mike Macready, Grant Major, Dave Clout
Whole car rotisserie: Custodian : Russell Ashley
4
October 2012
Club minutes Tuesday 11 September 2012
1. Introduction of President/
Secretary/Treasurer:
We will get around to doing this one night
… and we will work around the room
eventually so that newer members get to
know who we all are.
Phil was up in Auckland and Club
Captain is supposed to stand in for President
so Richard got dobbed in on the night.
2. Welcome/Visitors:
Those along tonight apart from guest
speakers. No one spoke up?
3. Coming Events:
As per magazine.
•• Thursday 20 September Tech Night –
Weltec Visit – The location of the workshop is 57 Cuba St in Petone. It’s sited
at the back of the “Wormald” building
which is a few hundred metres north
of Jackson St. lights, next to the big
WelTec carpark.
•• Project Advice Tour #3 Sunday 30
September 2012: Project advice tour is
full – see attached. Note meeting point
at 8:50am on the Sunday. Meeting point
is the car park on the waterfront at the
intersection of Happy Valley Road and
Owhiro Bay Parade; please be there by
8:50am. Please publicise the range of
cars and the start time/place.
•• Tuesday 9 October Club Night –
Suspension 101
Phil Derby will front this night with
help from other members.
•• MG Classic November – need to get
some club cars there and promote the car
show, even though it is 12 months out.
Richard Kelly has had a few responses
to his request for cars to display at the
MG Classic in November.
Issue 9 Volume 25
As this would be a really good opportunity to advertise our show, would
you please come up with a list of 15-20
cars and owners to have on show for the
weekend and pass on their details to me
so he can try and make it happen.
4. Treasurers Report:
Stewart – 2011/12 Year financial accounts
audited yet ? Yes. Need better copy to scan
and post to Ministry of Economic Affairs
5. Committee Report:
Phil urged members to fill in the on-line
survey that was sent out via our Yahoo
web site mass email service. It comes in two
parts so we can get it processed for free.
6. Technical Committee Report:
Nothing noted, though new co-ordinator
Shane is trying to get to grips with our
scrut process.
7. Technical Questions:
None.
8. Magazine:
Brian commented that he had a good response for current magazine but as usual
keep those articles coming .
It was suggested that we need a regular
article that profiles and has contact details
for the other certifiers that recently visited
our club. We will get Phil to submit the
intro notes he had already put together for
their visit.
9. Mystery Car:
Last month (August) – Messerschmitt –
Nik James, Messerschmitt or I7 – Matt
Bull. Not enough detail so no choc fish.
This month (September) – Patrick Harlow
– Mitsuoka Orochi (a bit of insider knowl5
edge here, Patrick admitted to me that he
had just been reading about it and had the
name written down with correct spelling!)
10. Mystery Man:
Guess the name of person in the photo. Just
a bit of fun for answering on the night.
Ditto above.
11. Buy, Sell, Swap:
Members please note – they should fill
in a form before the meeting (available
from kitchen bench) if they want details
recorded in the next magazine minutes.
For Sale: Copies of the English “Kit Car”
magazine x10. Current April – August 2012,
November 2011 – February 2012, August
2011. $30.00 the lot. Contact – Matt Bull, Ph
027 562 8871, Email – [email protected]
16. Raffles:
Number: N33
Name of winner: Shane Sutherland
Special Raffle: The Tool
Note – you have to be present at the
draw and wearing your club name badge
to be eligible. Our esteemed Treasurer’s
number was drawn, but alas he had forgotten to wear his name badge … looser!
(sorry Stewart, couldn’t help myself … )
Meeting closed at 8:…pm – forgot this
too, but it was a new record – Rich really
had the meeting moving along.
12. General Business:
Roger Dunkley suggested that we might
like to consider giving more detailed feedback from the advice tours. Maybe even
more advice later once the tech committee
have had a chance to review what they
have seen. This will be discussed at the
next Tech Committee meeting.
13. Tool of the month:
Damn, minds a blank on this – no notes
either, sure we had something interesting!
14. Guest Speakers:
Wellington Vintage Machinery Club Inc.
Members Peter and Ken had brought
along a trailer load of interesting bits.
Check out the accompanying photos.
They see us as kindred spirits and hope
we’ll visit them some time.
15. Guest Vehicle:
None tonight, but our guests from the
vintage machinery club had something
they brought along – check out the photos.
6
Neat little engines sounded amazing
October 2012
Our guests from the Vintage Machinery Club brought along a very interesting
collection of machines
Clockwise from above:
A couple of very old chainsaws; Members check
out VW engine; Members get down to check
VW engine; Praying to the engine god; Special
8 cylinder VW engine; BSA motorcycle cut-away
engine
Issue 9 Volume 25
7
The President’s Page by Phil Bradshaw
Knowledge is Power
The internet is a great source of information
– the challenge is sifting the truth from fiction.
I tend not to participate in online forums.
I found out years ago that I seemed to be
always answering questions, but when I
actually posed them I found that people
were generally unable to answer them or
where providing comment not knowledge.
Sadly my experiences in recent weeks have
reaffirmed that nothing has changed.
On the positive side I have recently
managed to use the ‘images’ option on
Google to rapidly identify two different
aftermarket limited slip diffs. I was also able
to find out the difference in axle splines for
various iterations of another diff, which in
turn has helped me determine which axles I
will modify to end up with what will hopefully
be a budget, bullet proof rear axle solution.
I have also managed to find power and
torque figures, which coupled with readily
found gearbox ratios, I have been able to input
into an online calculator to ‘sanity check’ my
choice of diff ratio for my Anglia project.
On the negative side I have posted
questions on major forums that have been
read by over 100 people but only resulted
in 3 replies, none of which added any value
or new information. On another forum I read
through 20 pages of postings regarding hub
PCD conversions to discover that the person
talked a lot about what they were going to
do and what they thought might work, but no
where did it say they had actually done it and
that it did work – yet people referenced this
forum thread as the font of all knowledge!
Another website pronounced that the
heavier duty axles I am intending to use in my
Anglia have the same bearing as the standard
size axles, and so interchange relatively easily
8
after some simple modifications; imagine
my surprise when my axles clearly have
significantly bigger bearings. As it pans out
this will probably work to my advantage, but
more on that later.
As the foregoing implies, I have spent the
majority of my shed time in the past month
messing with differentials and axles. I have
also attended a few club activities, and got
involved with other members on a more
individual basis. This has all reinforced to me
just how much of a resource the collective
knowledge within the club is, and how much
there is to learn from the various activities we
have. I have also realised that my welding has
much scope for improvement – thanks to Alan
Price and his excellent tech night at WelTec…
I missed last month’s club night due to
work commitments taking me to Auckland,
and will do so again this month. I am
disappointed at this as I really miss the
opportunity to draw on that collective
knowledge. The programme for next year is
shaping up to extend that knowledge even
further, and I will endeavour to inform you
of the plan next club night. Likewise the
25th Anniversary Car Show planning is
progressing well, and an update is also due.
As I write this, we are about to enter
daylight saving, which will make messing
about with projects outside after dinner
during the week much more viable. I am
looking forwards to Sunday’s Project Advice
Tour, the things I will learn from it and the
inspiration it will provide. I am also looking
forwards to capitalising on some new
treasure I have bought off TradeMe, and
how that will impact my various projects.
Phil
Phil Bradshaw, President, Constructors
Car Club Incorporated
October 2012
This month’s mystery car
This is a competition. Do you know what this vehicle is?
Please provide country of origin, manufacturer, model name and number and other
distinguishing details.
Have a go. Announce your best guess at this month’s club meeting and get it recorded in
the minutes, or email it to The Editor. The winner will be announced in the next issue of
Spare Parts. Extra points will be awarded for any additional interesting relevant information,
pictures etc. provided.
Issue 9 Volume 25
9
Last month’s mystery car
As recorded in the Minutes, This was an
easy one for Pat. Following is his complete
answer…
September Mystery Car
By Patrick Harlow
Finally a mystery car that I actually recognise.
The car is without question the Mitsuoka
Orochi which was named after an eight
headed serpent. Originally launched in 2006
with a 3.3 litre V6 engine. The car had supercar looks without the supercar highly strung
performance. Mitsuoka are well known for
building cars that shows thinking outside the
box. Their designs have influenced the big
makers such as Nissan who incorporated
some of their idea into the Nissan March.
This is a company that I have watched with
fascination for many years.
The Orochi is still in production but
does have a waiting list. More well known
in Japan than elsewhere Mitsuoka have
even had Tomica, which is the Japanese
equivalent of matchbox models, cast three
of their cars. All of which are in my collection. Rather than reinvent the wheel I
have included below a simple history of the
company that I managed to uncover.
In Japan, a Car Apart from the Pack
Hiroko Tashiro and Ian Rowley on April
07, 2008 in Business week
Mitsuoka Motor isn’t a household name
even in Japan, but its wacky designs are
unmistakable—now it’s planning to take
its quirky approach global
10
By conventional measures of success,
Mitsuoka Motor isn’t in the same league
as Japan’s biggest car companies. Despite
celebrating its 40th birthday in February, it’s
not a household name in Japan—never mind
overseas. It doesn’t advertise, and with sales
of just 750 cars a year, it relies on earnings
from its dealership arm, which sells imported
Lamborghinis, Chryslers, and Volkswagens
(VLKAY), to fund vehicle development.
Yet when it comes to unusual, daring, and
sometimes bizarre designs, Mitsuoka cars
stand out from the blur of Toyotas (TM),
Nissans (NSANY), and Hondas (HMC) on
Japan’s roads. Mitsuoka’s lineup has everything from compact models resembling
vintage British marques to the Orochi,
a $100,000-plus “supercar.” With its Le
Seyde, Mitsuoka built perhaps the most
garish car ever sold in Japan (BusinessWeek.
com, 4/7/08). “Mitsuokas are unique and I
wanted a car no one else had,” says Hajime
Naito, 60, a photographer whose car collection includes a pimped-out $150,000
Orochi and $29,000 Zero-1—a two-seater
roadster inspired by the Caterham Seven, a
lightweight British sports car.
Appealing to Young Buyers
Susumu Mitsuoka founded the company
in the 1960s in Toyama, 250 miles west of
Tokyo, as a car repair centre. In 1982, it
started making 50cc microcars, which are
even smaller than Japan’s 660cc minicar.
and a few years later Mitsuoka was designing its own full-size vehicles, using the
chassis and engines from Toyota, Nissan,
and Honda. In 1995, the Mitsuoka became
the first new carmaker to be officially recognized by the Japanese government since
Honda in 1963.
The Orochi, named after an eight-headed
serpent, says a lot about Mitsuoka’s quirky
October 2012
Before the K4 was the K2. Ring any bells for
anybody. Still had a 50cc motor
Galue is clearly inspired by Rolls Royce and is
probably good value for your money
The Mitsuoka K4 is powered by a humble 50cc
engine
The Zero One was available in 2005 from the
company. All credit this page Mitsuoka
Issue 9 Volume 25
approach. Launched in 2006, it looks like a
supercar but its 3.3-liter V6 engine generates
just 233 hp—about half the horsepower of
Nissan’s GT-R supercar. The Orochi was
born after Susumu Mitsuoka’s wife challenged him to show something different as
a concept car for the 2001 Tokyo Motor
Show. Impressed by the designs, Mitsuoka
executives put aside concerns over costs and
decided to enter production in 2006. Today,
if you want to buy an Orochi or its strippeddown $82,000 relative, Orochi Zero, prepare
to wait six months for it to be delivered. “We
want to provide cars which arouse young
people’s interest,” says Akio Mitsuoka, who
took over from his brother, company founder
Susumu Mitsuoka, as president in 2004.
The $21,000 Viewt, a scaled-down version
of a classic 1960s Jaguar Mk II, was a hit with
young women after its launch in 1993. It uses
the same engine and chassis found in a Nissan
March subcompact, and it inspired copycat
models from larger Japanese automakers.
Daihatsu’s Mira Gino, for example, was first
introduced in 1999 and bears a resemblance
to the original Mini.
Revving Up for Global Growth
But Mitsuoka hasn’t forgotten its roots
in 50cc microcars. In November, 2006,
it began taking orders for the K-4, a new
50cc engine microcar with a limited production of just 220 vehicles. Weighing
less than 400lbs, the $9,100 K-4 measures
eight feet long and four feet wide and has
a top speed of just under 30 mph. It sold
out almost immediately, but Mitsuoka
hasn’t replaced it with a new model, citing
concerns about low margins and tightening fuel emission rules for two-stroke 50cc
engines. “Ultimately, I think the trend will
be for small and safe cars. We’d like to
release new small cars in the future,” says
Chairman Susumu Mitsuoka.
Mitsuoka does have one thing in common
with Japan’s giant automakers: It’s revving
11
up for global growth. With car sales sluggish, even the most successful automakers
find Japan a tough sell (BusinessWeek.com,
3/17/08). At Mitsuoka, sales in 2007 were
flat at about $300 million, including revenues from its import dealership business.
Mitsuoka doesn’t disclose its earnings, although it says it has made a profit every year
except 2004, when rising development costs
briefly pushed the company into the red.
Emerging Asian and oil-rich Middle
Eastern countries could provide welcome
sales growth. In 2007, Mitsuoka struck
agreements to sell its cars in Malaysia,
Singapore, Hong Kong, and the United
Arab Emirates. This year it hopes to ink
deals in South Korea, Qatar, Saudi Arabia,
and Jordan, adding 20 new markets by the
end of 2009. President Akio Mitsuoka says
that key to the company’s success will be
the Orochi, which could pave the way for
sales of other models. “It’s important we
have our original car compete in the world
market,” he says.
Top: The Himiko is their current production Roadster which is a modified and stretched MX5. Credit
Mitsuoka
Above: Mitsuoka Le-Seyde 500 produced, View a Nissan March sized Jaguar 1000 produced and
the Orochi is still in production. Diecast models from my collection. Credit P Harlow
12
October 2012
Track day – Learning a new car
by Richard Kelly
A pair of 7’s. Mike Nixon in RKR7 and Dave Klaui
On 22 September we held the annual CCC
Track Day at Manfeild Park.
The weather was fine and still and the
numbers we had on the day were the best
we’ve ever seen at one of our events. It as
definitely the best turnout of CCC members
I have seen. Thank you all! Thanks also need
to go to Ron Robertson and the team from
Te MG Car Club who make holding these
days possible for us.
The range of vehicles was quite stunning;
from Roger’s enclosed motorcycle and
7’s to a new Toyota FT-86, a super quick
new Mustang, Juno’s and my new toy; the
Radical SR3. My SR3 arrived into NZ in
early September in sports car racer Iain
Slight’s new transporter. It was completely
surrounded by bits and pieces including a
couple of sets of tyres for David Glasson’s
new Juno, a set of wheels for another Juno
and a collection of fibreglass body panels
for one of Phil Bradshaw’s projects. Phil
Bradshaw and I headed north to pick all the
Issue 9 Volume 25
Wellington-bound bits up from Iain’s place in
Hamilton. It made for a very full Commodore
on the way home! (Thanks for doing the trip
with me Phil.)
On the track day Dave Clout and Brian
Worboys kindly took over the official duties
and, I was able to spend time learning my new
car. Lots of new thinking is required to deal
with the slicks and downforce. Powered by
a Suzuki Hyabusa 1340cc motorbike engine
with 200 odd HP and weight somewhere
south of 500kg, the SR3 is a big step up
from my 7 (which was also at the track on the
day in the care of a friend). Being a motorbike
engine; drive is via a sequential six-speed box
then into a Quaife ATB LSD differential via a
bespoke transfer box. The transfer box also
handles reverse gear. Throw a lever in the
cockpit and you get six reverse gears instead
of forwards.
On my first few laps the first thing I found
was how drivable and balanced the car is.
It just doesn’t seem to have any bad habits.
13
Even locking a rear wheel later in the day
when going a bit quick into the hairpin
didn’t have any disastrous consequences.
And the noise.... oh I like it! If anyone has
video of me going by; I’d really like to get
my hands on it please!
To aid the learning and help make sense
of the valuable advice being given by John
Mines, Alistair MacClennan and David
Glasson (all well experienced in this fast
sports car realm); I purchased a QSTARZ
LT-6000 GPS based lap timer and data
logger. The main plan I had was to review
the logs and check the cornering loads
being generated to see if I was getting the
hang of things. I recorded 2G+ of lateral and
6G under braking; which was a good start.
All the data can be reviewed in software
supplied with the data logger, which is very
straightforward to drive and to understand.
Using a piece of software call DashWare I
can overlay the data onto my GoPro video to
make sense of it all; as well as reviewing key
info (check out www.youtube.com/richard7k
for some video from the day).
Lessons learnt on the day were brake
later, carry more corner speed and use more
of the track. Time in the seat will help all of
those. I’m going to need a new helmet too;
as mine wants to become airborne at high
speed. I haven’t had so much fun on the
track in a long time!
Thanks to everyone who helped make
the SR3 happen, especially John Mines,
On track
The old and the new
14
October 2012
Nathan Head and Mike Cripps. I’ll be back
at the track soon to continue learning.
I also need to say a huge thanks to Dave
Klaui and Wendy Harding who stopped to
assist me somewhere south of Foxton when
the Commodore sheared a suspension
bolt. Nathan Kindly hooked the SR3 up to
his car and Wendy took most of the tools.
The Commodore went on a tow truck. Not
exactly how I expected the day to finish, but
I very much appreciated the show of club
spirit from everyone that helped me out.
Brent Melhop
Richard Kelly
On the way home
Issue 9 Volume 25
15
My day at Manfeild
by Robin Hartley
Going through the S’s
The track day was great, good to be back at
Manfeild, it’s been over 35 years since I’ve
been on the track there. I wanted to take it
easy so I thought the first group would be
a good start, 70 to 80k and no passing in
the corners. So off I went following another
car out on to the track. I was taking it easy
sticking to the rules and wondered why the
car I was following seemed to be getting
smaller. Anyway I came round on to the front
straight and the speedo crept up to about
90 so I backed off a bit and then 2 cars shot
passed, one each side, doing well over 80k.
It seems that track day rules are like the road
rules in Italy, more like guidelines rather than
rules. After a few more laps everyone was
flagged back to the pits and people lined up
for the next session.
The second group was going to be faster
so I put on my overalls & helmet, got in the
car & discovered my first problem. I’m too
16
tall for the Alfa while wearing a crash helmet.
After lots of fiddling with the seat I managed
to get some clearance, and made a note to
check my Pelland build with a helmet, as it
doesn’t have adjustable seats. Back out on
to the track and start to push the braking
and speed a little. Boy do the brakes stink
when you jump on them going into a corner.
As the day went on people were getting
quite brave, coming out of Toyota corner
a hatchback in front of me went fishtailing
across the track, quite a skilful catch I
thought when it straightened up. Although
later in the day I came round the same
corner and found the hatch sitting in the
grass. On the same lap a Saker shot past
me going in to Higgins and disappeared into
the kitty litter.
After lunch cars started lining up for what
I thought was another slow group so I got
ready and lined up. While waiting in the pit
October 2012
The Pettits follow
Robin out of Dunlop
lane one the marshals came up to me and
said “you realise this is the fast group and
passing in the corners is allowed”. I said I
didn’t expect to be passing anyone, judging
by the look I got I don’t think that was what
he was concerned about. So off I went and
really started to push the car along while
keeping an eye on the mirrors. It’s quite scary
watching a pair of Radicals exploding into
view in the rear view mirrors. After a few laps
Issue 9 Volume 25
a big red light appeared indicating the brakes
weren’t happy. Since I had to be able to drive
back to Wellington I decided to call it a day.
When it came time to write this up I
discovered that my photographer was more
interested in Rodger’s enclosed Motorcycle
than taking photos of me. Investigations into
the brake light found one of the pad sensor
wires had come loose so nothing to repair.
17
Pete’s day at Manfeild
by Pete Andrews
Pete Andrews out in his Porsche sml
Firstly I’d like to thank the CCC and MG
car club for running the day, and to all
the personnel that made it possible. I’m
not sure which one of you arranged the
weather, but please maintain your contacts.
Great day all round.
I’ve only been around Manfeild at a sedate
pace in a 1952 Alvis and that would have to
be 20 odd years ago. What a neat curcuit.
My last exploits on a race track, with me
driving would have to have been at Taupo
in my Asco Aura about 1987/88 so its been
a long time.
I had a friend join us with his MX5 and
after reading the regs and itinerary we
decided we would run in group 1 although
being controlled to road speed did sound
a bit tame, but thought we could perhaps
change to group 2 later on in the day. Well
I do like to drive reasonably quickly, albeit
sensibly on the road, but to keep form
18
being a mobile chicane I noticed on a few
occasions I was touching 160kph and was
still being passed. What a hoot.
As for the performance on the track, my
Porsche 718 ran faultlessly and exceeded all
expectations. Personally I think I could have
gone a whole lot harder as i came home with
plenty of tyre tread and brakes. Getting my
head round the fact that you are indeed on
a race track and adjusting your driving style
accordingly was one of the hardest things.
We both came away from the track with
our cars intact and big grins on our faces.
Very successful all round. If anybody has
photos of either my gulf coloured Porsche
or Richard’s white MX5 it would be greatly
appreciated if you could email them to me.
(Email address in Who’s Who at the back of
this issue)
Thanks again to all involved.
Pete Andrews
October 2012
Track Day pictures
by Brian Worboys
Perfect weather, a huge turnout, event not run at a loss, no accidents, no bad behaviour,
lots of interesting vehicles, appreciative comments from so many participants, all good.
The CCC/MG track day at Manfeild on 22 September 2012 was definitely a success.
Thanks are due to Richard Kelly for organizing this, and to Ron Robinson and the MG guys
for making it go right. There are other reports in this issue, and maybe more next issue. Here
are some snaps I took on the day and some from others as well.
Above: An eclectic
line-up on the dummy
grid
Left: Saker
Issue 9 Volume 25
19
Dave Klaui in his
brand new Almac
Clubsport
Very fast
supercharged
Mustang
Richard and Mike
come in very happy
after a few rewarding
laps
20
October 2012
Aerobike midfield, photo from Robin
Roger takes off in his Areobike
Roger brings the Aerobike back onto the main
straight
The Aerobike coming up to the chicane
Issue 9 Volume 25
Roger drives (rides) through the pit area in his
brand new Aerobike. Photo from Robin.
21
John or Ben Cumming
What’s this? A GoPro camera on the front bumper. Is this all on Youtube now Hamish?
22
October 2012
Anthony gives Johnny
a hand with front
suspension settings
on the JRM
Bob and Wendy wait to go out on their bikes
Right above: Good
to see Peter out on
the track with the
delightful Spartan
Right: A Juno … I
think … Very fast
anyway
Issue 9 Volume 25
23
Above: Cars queued in pit lane after a run
Left: Nick's Niscort in the infield
24
October 2012
Daytona Spyder 1987 to 1989
by Patrick Harlow
The Daytona on display. In the background can be
seen a bit of the chassis. Credit: A McDonald
The Daytona of Phil Marks was a superb looking
car. Credit: A Elsdon-White
It is unsure whether on not the Ferrari Daytona
Spyder that was appearing on one of New
Zealand’s top rated TV programmes during
the late 80s, Miami Vice, was the inspiration
for Phil Marks to go ahead with this car or not.
However the TV programme’s fame certainly
made the car instantly recognisable although it
was a replica based on a Chevrolet Corvette. It
was too close to the original however, as Enzo
Ferrari filed a lawsuit against the cars creator
insisting that they cease producing and selling
Ferrari replicas. Enzo was so incensed that he
gave NBC TV two white Ferrari Testarossas to
use for the next season of the show.
American law suits were a long way
from the pretty city of Whangerei when
Phil imported a British made fibreglass
Daytona body. (The US company was later
Issue 9 Volume 25
encouraged by Ferrari to cease production.)
In New Zealand Phil was very careful not to
use the name Ferrari in any of his advertising
literature. The American body was based on
the fibreglass Chevrolet Corvette C3 body.
Phil decided to base his car also on a single
donor vehicle and where possible he would
use Jaguar XJ6 components. His father John
Marks designed a simple platform chassis
for the car which would readily accept XJ6
running gear and the pair of them spent
three years developing and building the
prototype. Ferrari V12 engines as used in
the original Daytona were a little expensive
but in keeping with the theme Phil fitted a
Jaguar V12. Wiring, steering and instruments
were all Jaguar although Phil commissioned
some very Ferrari like transfers to go into the
instruments over the Jaguar faces.
It took 12 moulds to make the body and
many original parts such as windscreen,
door lock, latches and taillights were Ferrari
originals. The car was not really sold as
a kit but as a complete body and chassis
with only the Jaguar running gear and the
customer’s choice of engine still needing
to be fitted. By the time production finished
the car could be purchased ready to take a
Jaguar V12, Rover or Chevrolet V8.
The finished car was a credit to Phil’s
attention to detail but use of the Ferrari parts
made this car too expensive for some buyers.
Only three cars were made of which two
were sold ready to drive and one as a kit.
Bibliography
Thanks to Antony Elson-White, Richard
Gray
Picture from Antony Elson-White and Alex
McDonald
25
Wellington area Certifiers
by Brian Worboys
At the club meeting couple of months ago we were treated to a personal introduction to
the LVVTA certifiers in the Wellington region. No doubt there will be club members who will
be keen to follow up on this intro, and indeed several already have, and discuss using the
services of these fine gents directly in relation to their current or future builds. So here is
some contact info. You can also go to the LVVTA website (www.LVVTA.co.nz) and see the
categories of certification available from each certifier and locate other certifiers in other
parts of NZ.
George Chadfield PO Box 44211
Lower Hutt
Mark Russell
111 Eastern Hutt Rd
Lower Hutt
Julian Cheer
118 Pembroke St
Carterton
Andy
108 Cambridge St
Smith
Levin
Michael Macready Wellington
Tim Hutchinson
Wellington
Ken McAdam
17 Rutherford St
Lower Hutt
04 586 0062
04 939 3882
George only does
disability vehicles
[email protected]
06 379 6995
CheersAuto@
xtra.co.nz
06 368 2928 [email protected]
http://smithautos.co.nz
022 0903451 (see who’s who)
04 237 6193 (see who’s who)
04 570 6039 (see who’s who)
I have offered the certifiers a bit of space in the mag if they would like to have their services
promoted and Andy has responded with more info as follows. Hopefully we will be able to
post more on other certifiers in following issues.
Smith Autos – Proprietor: Andrew Smith
Smith Autos is a well-established workshop in Levin that promises you top quality repairs
and servicing. Andy Smith did his apprenticeship at the local Holden dealership back in
the late 70’s, gaining both Trade Certificate and his A Grade qualifications in Automotive
Engineering.
His passion for V8s grew as his peers encouraged him to do well, so he was rebuilding
V8s and auto transmissions in his 2nd year of a 4-year apprenticeship. He became Workshop
Foreman at the dealership at the young age of 22, which was a huge challenge. After a total
of 7 ½ yrs at the dealership a new challenge beckoned, so at the age of 24 Smith Automotive
Levin Ltd was formed. This new direction allowed Andy more scope to explore modified cars,
back in the early days it was all Toranas or HQs with V8s, Falcon and Valiant re powers and
diff conversions were all the rage. After 12 years tucked down a service lane Andy built his
own purpose-built workshop. The business has evolved over the last 27 yrs encompassing
everything from general servicing of the day to day beater, WoFs, American transmission
work, diff rebuilds – ratio changes, engine building from stock to blown alcohol, all done
in-house. Andy is 100% hands-on, happy to advise on anything from diff ratio selection to
26
October 2012
transmission choices having built and fitted so many combinations over the last 27 yrs.
That’s knowledge you can’t get unless you have actually done it.
The pictures show Andy’s own car, demonstrating his personal interest in top quality car
modification.
Andy’s 1969 Chevelle
The supercharged bigblock engine in Andy's Chevelle
Issue 9 Volume 25
27
Update from the ‘Naki
by Ross McCall
I have taken the plunge and started the
engine change in my Ferrari.(objective
to be back on the road for summer). I am
replacing the 1988 2.8L Fiero V6 (chevy)
with a 2007 Saturn Aura 3.6L V6 quad cam
variable, quad valve alloy tech engine (same
as Holden) . The old engine and gearbox
have been removed and the new engine
and gearbox (same as original Fiero with
a modified bell housing) trial fitted. New
extractors fabricated and fitted and a new
fly wheel is being fabricated. Some work still
required on engine mounts, all plumbing to
be completed along with a new ECU fitted
and wired. (quite a list of other jobs to do
as well )
Cheers Ross
Out with the old
Ross’ Ferrari replica on a club outing last year
28
October 2012
Top: Rear extractor fabrication
Above: Front of engine
Top: Front extractor
fabrication
Above: Front
extractor trial fit
Right: Trial fit of new
engine
Issue 9 Volume 25
29
Fuel gauge senders – not actually witchcraft
by Matthew Porritt
Until recently, I didn’t know anything about
fuel gauge senders, mainly because I’d
never needed to. Admittedly, a flicking,
inaccurate or non-working fuel gauge has
been a common feature on a few of the
slightly knackered old cars I’ve owed since
my teens. The fix has always been either a)
learn to live with it, or b) buy a 2nd hand
sender and stick it in, hope for the best.
In my Matterati project, I am going to
need to fabricate a fuel tank to fit in the
rather small space I’ve have allowed for it
above the diff. Naturally, a fuel tank needs
a filler, a fuel pump and a sender. When
Phil Bradshaw mentioned he had decided
to cannibalise the rolled Toyota Celica GT4
in his driveway, I wondered whether the fuel
tank parts could live again in my car. Thus
began my schooling in fuel gauge senders.
The first revelation is that the in-tank fuel
pump and sender on the Toyota are separate
units. For some reason, I had assumed they
would be integral.
I suppose this isn’t a bad thing, as it means
in can get a pump and sender that suit my
requirements of a certain flow rate to suit the
Lexus V8 and a relatively shallow tank.
I had naively thought that when you buy an
aftermarket fuel gauge, it could be calibrated
to work with pretty much any sender. The
American VDO gauges (classic-looking, but
with electronic signal inputs) I want to use
have a fuel gauge which is set up to read
empty at 240 ohms and full at 33 ohms.
Phil, being a wealth of Toyota knowledge,
pointed out that most Toyota senders spit
out 110 ohms empty and 3 ohms full. Looks
like that’s a non-starter.
For this article, I had wanted to provide a
list of common full and empty ohm readings
for cars we might be using parts from or
modifying. Most of the information I have
found seems to be for the American market,
so the rather incomplete list below should
be taken with a pinch of salt as far as NZ
and Japanese market cars are concerned.
0-30 Ohms
0-90 Ohms
75-10 Ohms
75-10 Ohms
16-158 Ohms
90-0 Ohms
110-3 Ohms
(GM Type ‘64 and earlier)
(GM Type ‘66 and later)
Air-cooled Volkswagen
(Ford Type ‘86 and earlier)
(Ford Type ‘87 and later)
(Nissan and some Toyotas
‘85 and later)
(Some Toyotas)
Aftermarket senders
Fuel sender
30
When I started looking at aftermarket
senders, I noticed that they almost all have
the same round 5-bolt fitting where they
mount to the top of the tank. It turns out
that this is a pattern used by Ford (US) from
1935 to 1956 and seems to have become
an industry standard for aftermarket (and
some OEM) senders.
There are two basic types of sender. The
more common type has a sealed plastic
float on a pivoting wand. As the fuel level
October 2012
changes, the end of the wand without
the float moves up and down a resistor,
changing the resistance output in ohms. The
aftermarket ones can be adjusted to suit the
size and shape of your tank.
These are all well and good but the
Hobby Car Manual says a fuel tank needs
some sort of baffling or foam added to it.
There is a good chance that the baffles or
foam will interfere with the movement of the
Dip tube sender
Note by Editor:
When I was building the RoadRat I
managed to get a VW sender working with
a Citroen gauge OK by using a Wheatstone
bridge circuit. Take a look at the diagram.
The variable resister is the sender unit. The
gauge itself contains some of the other
resistors and you can add a variable resistor
to complete the bridge circuit. By adjusting
the variable resister you can calibrate the
“full” end of the range. The “empty” end is
probably as good as you’ll get as it is. I think
you can get most pairings calibrated this
way, except for some odd-ball ones which
may have the E and F round the wrong way.
Brian
Issue 9 Volume 25
wand. In this instance, you need either a)
very cleverly placed baffles or foam or b) a
“dip tube” sender.
This is a bit like a tennis ball tube with
holes in the bottom and one tennis ball
(float) inside. There are resistors up the side
of the tube that send a different ohm signal
depending on your fuel level. They need less
room in the tank, but incidentally cost about
3 times as much as the wand type.
The other thing I learned (and actually
makes a lot of sense) is that most gauge
sets you buy actually come with the relevant
senders, including a fuel sender. That makes
things easy in some respects, but it does
mean that in order to design the tank, I
should probably cough up several hundred
dollars and buy a gauge set. Alternatively,
I could buy an aftermarket sender with the
correct ohm readings and end up with a
spare when I eventually buy gauges. Oh, the
first-world problems!
Matt
Wheatstone bridge circuit
31
A Real Blast
By Patrick Harlow
Two roadsters and a sunny weekend in the Wairarapa. It does not get any better than that.
Credit: P Harlow
Most people who live in this area know that
one of the advantages of living in Wellington,
or in any of its outlying cities, is that in just 15
minutes of driving you can be in the country.
In less than an hour you can be over in the
Wairarapa and in a totally different world.
The Rimutuka Hill is an effective barrier from
the hustle and bustle of city life to a much
slower but scenic country life. It is here that
a keen motorist can drive many interesting
roads, sedom see other cars and experience
the scenery to its fullest. Especially if you
are in an open topped car. This is a trip that
even a 7 could do as you could always carry
a change of undies in your pocket.
It was at 10 O’clock on a fine sunny
morning, in late March, that Gavin and Glenys
Knight turned up outside our house in Upper
Hutt in their Mazda MX5. Our plan was to
spend the weekend in the Wairarapa in our
32
roadsters before we took the MX5 off the road
to turn it into an Aston Martin. (See “Shaken,
Not Stirred” elsewhere in this magazine.) My
wife Heather and I would be travelling in our
Almac Sabre. Recently I had a Rover V8 fitted
into it and it would be my first opportunity to
see how it managed on its first big outing.
Heading north, following the MX5 we
leave Upper Hutt and head up over the
Kaitoke hill. This is a steady 6km climb into
the well farmed valley at the foot of the
Rimutukas. Over recent years this road has
been smoothed out with most of the bends
being turned into gentle sweepers. The
Rimutuka Hill has tighter bends. A lot of
work is being done to straighten this out too.
“Muldoons Corner” is now gone and apart
from a slight delay due to road works your
speed over the hill is generally governed by
the slowest car in front.
October 2012
Wairarapa 130kms
Day 1.
Credit: Google Maps
However once in Featherston I took the
lead in the Sabre as we turned sharp right
and headed down the Western side of the
lake. Immediately the traffic vanished and
the only cars visible on the road were our
two roadsters as we headed down Lake
Ferry Rd with the Rimutuka Hills rising
steeply on our right with flat farmlands and
lake Wairarapa on our left. It was the first
of many magic moments. The grey ribbon of
road, the smell of freshly cut hay, scenery
that can truly be appreciated from a car with
no roof, the purr of the V8 and a silent wife,
it does not get any better than that.
Hanging a left on to the East West
Access Rd we drove around the bottom
of Lake Wairarapa and back up the other
side to Lake Ferry Road where we once
again headed south as far as we could go
along this road. Our destination was the
Lake Ferry Hotel where we would stop for
lunch. For the entire 60 or so kilometres
Issue 9 Volume 25
from Featherston to the Hotel we saw no
more than a half a dozen other cars going
the other way. Although the many of the
pictures shown were not taken by me they
accurately reflect the sights and weather
that we experienced this weekend.
We bought a tasty lunch at the hotel which
we enjoyed sitting in the sun outside listening
to the surf hitting the nearby beach. Heading
north to Martinborough the trip was more
leisurely as we tackled with enthusiasm the
second goal of the weekend; to visit some
vineyards, sample their wine and hopefully
not spend too much money.
One memorable place that we visited was
Coney Wines where Tim Coney, the brother
of cricketer Jeremy Coney, semiretired to
what is now a thriving wine and café business
just south of Martinborough. Besides the
décor and café the Coney’s love of music
is reflected not only in their logo but also
in the names of the wines that they sell.
33
Road from Martinborough to Gladstone.
Sweeping bends great scenery and best of all no
traffic. Credit: Google Maps
A picture of the cottage we stayed overnight
in Martinborough. It worked out to be very
reasonable accommodation for the four of us.
Western Lake Road. Credit: Google Maps
Ragtime Riesling, Ritz Riesling and Ramblin’
Rose are just a few of the labels that they
sell. Heather was so impressed with their
wine that she managed to convince some
complete strangers to buy some additional
bottles. Much to the pleasure of Tim who
was serving us.
Swapping cars Heather and I had our first
opportunity to experience the MX5 while
Gavin and Glenys had a go in the Sabre.
Almost immediately I was reminded of what
a nicely setup little car this is. Gavin’s car
arrived in New Zealand in 1989 and was one
of the first cars into the country. Unlike the
first New Zealand cars however Gavin’s car
had all the extras such as power steering and
electric Windows. Even with its 1600 motor
it is still a peppy little car to drive. Easily fast
enough for New Zealand roads. Throwing the
car into a corner I had absolute confidence
that I would come out the other side exactly
where I intended to be. The short throw
gearstick and clutch are so easy to use.
Although it did not have the grunt my Sabres
V8 you knew that it could be driven with no
surprises. In the Sabre if you played with the
accelerator pedal at the wrong time then the
car was likely to bite you. It lacked the throaty
rumble of the V8 but still had a very sweet
exhaust car note. Even though the car was
over 20 years old it was still pretty tight and
rattle free. Despite some wear and tear that
a car gains over 200,000kms the motor was
still smoke free and felt like it could go for
another 200,000kms. If only the British had
built sports cars like this. It does not deserve
34
October 2012
The Lake Ferry Hotel sits at bottom of the
Wairarapa over looking the South Pacific Ocean
waves visible to the south and Lake Onoke to
the west. Credit: Picassa
Gladstone Winery Wairarapa. Credit: Virtual
Tourist
Tim Coney brother of
Jeremy Coney farms the
Coney vineyard with his
wife Margaret; Coney Wines is a place worth a
visit. Credit: Coney Wines
Right: Peppers Hotel by the square looking
down the main street of town.
Credit: Martin Slíva
the title of a “Hairdressers Car”. All by itself it
has reinvented the sports car genre and been
a number one seller throughout the world.
From the Lake Ferry Hotel we headed into
Matinborough to the little bed and breakfast
cottage that we would spend the night. If
you are interested then look up Crab Apple
Cottage on the Internet. The rates were
very reasonable for the four of us. It is a
pretty little town of about 1300 people with
architecture of a design that was common
in the early 1900s. Early roads were set out
like the British flag pointing to the square
at its centre. It is in this square where
1000s of people flock twice a year for the
Issue 9 Volume 25
“Martinborough Fair”. Most weekends it
is far less crowded with regular visitors
popping over from Wellington.
We had dinner that night at the Peppers
Hotel. Built in the late 1870s and fully
restored in 1996 not much has changed
since those early days. On our first day we
had driven about 130 leisurely kilometres in
some of the best country roads that New
Zealand has to offer.
Sunday started with a cloudless sky and
a breakfast of bacon and eggs cooked by
Gavin. We were on holiday, relaxed and in
no hurry to the extent that it was determined
we would not leave until the dew had burnt
35
off the cars. The map was consulted as we
pondered what vineyards we would visit on
this day.
Soon we were once again driving along
back country roads with the tops down at
an easy 100kmh. Again it was just our two
roadsters on the road. The V8 is proving
to be very responsive and I totally enjoyed
the experience and the sound it makes as I
powered out of some sweeping corners. The
undulating road caused the car to bottom out
on a couple of the dips but it just added to
the experience. At 3.5 litres the Rover engine
is small when compared to most other V8
engines but when placed in a car that weighs
less than a classic Mini it gives plenty of bang
for your buck. Few will have experienced the
sound of a V8 engine in an open topped car.
After this weekend my recommendation is
that you put it on your bucket list.
Our intention had been to visit a few
vineyards but after driving into Gladstone
Vineyards we decided that we were not
going anywhere else. After sampling the
wine and my wife insisting that I part with
some more dollars we went and sat in the sun
in their outdoor café. It was a very pleasant
outlook, nice food and a live band playing
songs that we actually knew. The Vineyards
is about 35km north of Martiborough.
As the sun headed into late afternoon it
was with some reluctance that we headed
back to State highway 2 and all its traffic to
aim for Upper Hutt which would be the end
of our journey.
It was a very nice relaxing weekend. There
are still a lot more roads to try such as the
drive out to Cape Palliser or the back roads
from Martinborough to Ekatahuna. Perhaps
we will do it next summer maybe then we
will be travelling in an Almac Sabre and a
AMX07. Time will tell.
Bibliography.
Pictures courtesy of Google Maps, Coney
Wines, Gladstone Vineyards, Martin Sliva,
and Martinborough Tourisim
The entire trip was
less than 230kms.
36
October 2012
Shaken, Not Stirred – The AMX07
by Patrick Harlow
Left to right. Patrick
Harlow, Gisele and
Gavin Knight. Wearing
overalls especially
picked by Gisele as
we could not work
on the car unless we
looked right. Credit: P
Harlow
The heading for this story is well known by
almost anybody who has heard of James
Bond. A few will know that the words are
seldom said by Bond but by the person that
is speaking to him. In its first utterance on
the silver screen it was actually mentioned
in 1962 by the villain Dr No as he offers
Bond a drink. Just as an aside, I have often
wondered, why if James Bond is a secret
agent, how come everybody knows who
he is? If that is a reflection of how good
the British secret service is then clearly you
would never discuss your mother-in-law with
them, would you?
So Bond is not best known for his ability
to keep a secret but he is well known for the
cars he drives, or better still, for the state
he returns them in! Yet in every movie he is
Issue 9 Volume 25
given the keys to another very expensive car.
Why do they do that? If you managed a car
hire company which had just purchased a
car with lots of neat optional extras and a
guy called James Bond pops around to hire
it for the afternoon, would you then say, “Just
make sure the tank is full when you return
it?” All that does is makes sure there is a
bigger bang and you, shortly, are going to
need a new job.
One of the most expensive cars to which
he is regularly given the keys to is the iconic
Bond car, the Aston Martin. This car has
appeared/been destroyed in various guises
in eleven of the twenty-three Bond films that
have been made to date. Had it not been for
James Bond, Aston Martin might have faded
into bankruptcy many decades ago. Clearly
37
Basic Bodykit.
purchasers knew that after seeing the car
on the big screen there was no point in
asking for a warranty. Throughout the world,
such is the car’s fame; about half a dozen
manufactures are making Aston Martin
replicas. Given the cost of the original it is
surprising that it has not been done sooner.
The kits vary from custom made specials to
body kits that can be placed on the Toyota
MR2 or Mazda MX5.
Which brings me neatly to the topic of
my new project car and the fact that my
youngest son has recently married. These
two facts are quite related as will be
revealed shortly.
This project comes in as car project
number four. The first car was a scratch
built car based on a Triumph Herald which
would have looked something like a cross
between a Corvette and a Pontiac Firebird.
As I had no idea what I was doing it failed
dismally after about one year. The second
was when a friend and I purchased plans
to build a motorcycle powered car called
the Tri-Magnum which also failed but not
quite so badly after eight years working
mainly on the body. At least this time I knew
what I was supposed to be doing. Project
number three was a kitset car, the Almac
Sabre, in which you purchased all the bits
and stuck it all together with a build manual
for guidance. I was learning the KISS (Keep
38
It Simple Stupid) principle so much so that
this project was actually finished in October
of 1997. Only four and a half years after
purchase of the kit.
What followed after project number three
was a bit of a hiatus as I tinkered around
with my Sabre putting bigger motors in it
until it sounded just right. Had I not been
looking after the classifieds section on the
club website that would probably have been
my last project but in February I happened to
see an Aston Martin body kit advertised on
Trade Me that fitted onto the Mazda MX5. “A
couple of weekends work,” it said, “comes
with all the bits. You will have a car like no
other MX5 “. At $1500 dollars it was a real
bargain as a little bit of research revealed
that the kit had been originally produced in
Australia and sold new for about $8,000.
I was keen but bothered by some obvious
problems; I did not have $1,500, I did not
have a MX5. However my son’s new fatherin-law, Gavin Knight, did have one. Although
I managed to tempt him, he turned it down,
on the grounds that he had a lot of other
projects on the go such as; a PhD which
was in the final year of a six year stint;
working full time for the Police; evenings
spent running a music school; managing/
conducting/playing in a Big Band called
Aspire; and he did not have the garage
space. However he also told me that some
of his fondest memories were working on
cars in the garage with his father. Hmmm…..
was that a chink in the façade?
Thinking Gavin to be a lost cause I placed
it on my watch list curious to see how much
it would sell for. I was sure that there would
be a lot of interest in it as I had been hoping
to bid or maybe accept the buy now of
$2,500, hopefully with somebody else’s
money. Surprisingly it did not sell and the
next thing you know I have an e-mail offing
me the kit for $1,400. I decided to buy it,
October 2012
Unpacking the newly purchased kit on our front
lawn. Credit: P Harlow
reasonably safe in the knowledge that with
all my car contacts, I should be able to find
somebody that I could sell it on to at cost.
Now all I had to do was get it sorted before
the wife found out.
Quickly I sent another e-mail to Gavin
Knight informing him that he really wanted
this kit as it was as cheap as chips, he must
know by now that “resistance is futile.” Also
I would help him build the car in my garage.
(Note to self- Need to take wife out for a very
flash dinner before car arrives. Plan for an
expensive night, lots of wine needed.) Clearly
these were very compelling arguments
because he capitulated straight away. Gavin
told me later that the only good thing about
my arguments had been the timing of their
arrival in his in-box. He only capitulated
because it coincided with a conversation he
was having with his wife Glenys.
Gavin and Glenys have a grand daughter
who is now permanently living with them
called Gisele. He and Gisele up until recently
had been doing regular activities together
such as horse riding and the odd French
café. This car could be a good excuse to
not only get to know the new Harlow side
of the family but could be another regular
Issue 9 Volume 25
committed activity that Gisele could also
get involved in. Gisele was shown my e-mail
and a picture of the car. She was keen and
did not even have to bother giving Gavin
the never fail, totally convincing “doe eyes”
treatment, he was already hooked. He did
ask me if there were any hidden costs.
Thinking back to my project number three I
asked him if Glenys already liked wine and
jewellery. He said yes so I told him that there
were no hidden costs that I could think of.
He agreed to buy the kit. This was real jimdandy as that point I had still not told the
wife I had bought it nor had any money
changed hands. Possible divorce averted.
It was a sunny day in March of this year
when Gavin and I, with the cash in his pocket,
headed into Haitaitai in Wellington to pick
up the kit from a house perched on a cliff
face. Up to this point neither of us had seen
the kit other than on Trade Me and I was fully
prepared to back out if the kit turned out to
be rubbish as no money had changed hands.
First impressions were good and it soon
became clear that this kit had been sitting
around for a long time. The kit’s owner had
bought an MX5 to build the kit with but then
enjoyed driving the car around so much that
other than trial fitting a few panels had never
taken it further. Being ever helpful I offered
to watch the trailer while they humped all
the parts up several flights of stairs and a
steep driveway. Fortunately because of my
vigilance the trailer stayed put and after a
few trips up and down the hill all the parts
were soon on a trailer, somebody else’s
money changed hands and we were on our
way back to my house.
On arrival we laid all the parts on the lawn
and quickly realised that we had gotten a
pretty good deal. Apart from a bit of neglect
everything was there including headlights,
taillights, high mounted stoplight etc., as
39
Die Another Day
well as all the wiring to fit it. All the panels
were in excellent condition with only a little
bit of rust on some of the steel componentry.
The kit is called the AMX07, inspired by
the Aston Martin Vanquish from the James
Bond film “Die Another Day”. The MX stands
for MX-5/Miata, and the 07 is both a James
Bond and an Aston Martin reference. Fitness
instructor Michael Lebedev set up a company
called Custom Automotive Restyling in
Brisbane, Australia back in 2006. During
2007 he scooped the “Dare to be Different”
Australian award with the prototype car. Since
we bought the kit, the company has ceased
to exist and the website with it. However
an English company called “K sports Cars”
started producing the kit in 2008 and they
are still going strong. I have already been
in touch with them and they have proved
already to be very helpful despite the fact that
we did not buy the kit off them.
The next step was to get the MX5 into my
garage so that we could start stripping it
down. However before then it was decided
that we would enjoy the last of the summer
and go for a final blast in our two sports cars
around the Wairarapa. See the story “A Real
Blast” elsewhere in this magazine.
Bibliography
Pictures: AMX07 pictures from Custom
Automotive Restyling and Patrick Harlow.
40
Views of the prototype AMX07. Credit: Australia
Profile view of the finished car. Credit: Australia
October 2012