We belong to a classic car club in the next town to where we live but have also just joined the one in our own town (village really with a population of ~1600) as it's growing nicely with a good mix of vehicles from all corners of the world. After calling the local car club president a few days ago to find out a bit more about it, we were invited to join them the following day on a short(ish) run up the coast to socialise and view the vehicles owned by two of the members at their country property.
We duly met up in the village and headed off in a convoy to Karen and Brian's place. Here are some of the vehicles at the rendezvous.
An eclectic mix of vehicles in the photo below. The Mk3 Ford Zephyr behind the Mustang belongs to a "mature" gentleman and his wife who live in the south of the south island and just happened to touring in our area. Mk 3's originally had a 2.5 litre straight 6 engine but this one was a real "sleeper". Looking pretty standard from the outside apart from mag wheels, the owner had fitted a tuned and bored out 308 V8. By the way it accelerated away from the rendezvous, I'd imagine that taking it on at any traffic light grand prix would provide quite a shock to the other driver.
Arriving at the entrance to Karen and Brian's property produced an unplanned event. They have a long driveway with a double gate near the main road. There was a plate sticking up in the centre of the drive for the 2 parts of the gate to locate against. Unfortunately, it was a tad higher than the rear muffler assembly of one of the modern Mustangs and pulled the assembly clean off! Fortunately, there didn't appear to be any damage and just required a refit. Our MG exhaust pipe was in the danger zone too but a bit of manoeuvring avoided any embarrassment and the offending plate had been removed before it was time to go home!
Karen and Brian's property was beautifully secluded, a mix of bush and paddocks with a great view back to Coromandel Harbour and parking on one of the elevated paddocks made for a great photo opportunity.
There were several sheds of various sizes around the property, all filled with vehicles and motorcycles of various vintages. I couldn't help comparing it with the UK "Late Brake Show" on YouTube where rare finds are uncovered after sitting for many years. However, in this case; Karen and Brian's collection were either roadworthy or being actively restored. Let's start with some bikes....
In the first shed, there were a number of bikes. I think that the Norton 850 Commando is a 1974 model by the paintwork - the first I've seen in the flesh. The BSA B44 Victor was a throwback to the mid-late 60's when 4 strokes were still competitive moto-cross machines. So simple to work on compared with modern bikes. There were also some Japanese trail/enduro bikes wedged into a corner which were difficult to photograph. I'd imagine that they were probably from the 80's.
There were also 3 Harley Davidsons of various types, one of which was a side valve model from 1942. It was in immaculate condition and in regular use. It had the slowest stable tickover of any i/c engine I've ever heard - you could count the beats!
In one of the larger sheds was a legendary Triumph Trident triple being rebuilt. The frame and engine are from a 1969 model and the rest from other models and years. It was particularly poignant to see one as we used to see them raced in the late 60's and early 70's in the UK. The howl from an open 3 into 1 megaphone will never be forgotten!
The photo below is of an early Land Rover in what I reckon is a perfect setting. The goat skull on the radiator grill is also a nice country touch.
A larger shed contained some wonderful treasures - some of them not covered in this post as I didn't get round to it..
There were a couple of V8 engines on stands, one of which doubled as a test bed and was occupied by a flathead - provenance unknown. Lovely restoration job.
One of the vehicles in the shed was a 1954 Ford F100 truck which was being lovingly restored in tasteful hot rod style. Paintwork was flawless as was the engine bay with the non-standard engine. From memory, it's a Ford 385 but I might be in error about the size.
My best mate Rick in the UK is always amazed at the amount of activity in NZ regarding classic cars, bikes and aircraft. I guess that given our population of about 5.2 million, it is rather surprising and long may it continue. It was a privilege to get out with the car club and to be hosted by Karen and Brian. Thanks so much everyone and see you again soon.
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