For many of us our childhood memories help shape and mould us into the people we are today. I know that I certainly am drawn to special places, people, things and cars that were a part of my life while growing up. For some, memories are better than the reality, but for others the reality [...]
Born in the South Otago town of Balclutha, Allan Scott traces his interest in machinery back to when he was 13 years old. By that time he was living in Dunedin and, along with his uncles, during school holidays Allan worked at his grandparent’s large farm 90 kilometres from his home; not long after the [...]
Norm Barry took possession of his Mustang in June 1967. It was tested a couple of times at Willow Springs, before Barry and an unknown co-driver raced it at the Riverside 6 Hour event, in early July, under the name El Sugundo. Kiwi Bruce Newell crewed on the car. The pair finished second. Before shipping [...]
One early trip to Auckland before I had my Porsche, I met up with Percy Janson from Otane, Hawkes Bay (aka Captain Peter Janson of the Federal Hotel, later Windsor Hotel, Melbourne), diplomat and racing car driver. At that time he lived in Portland Road, Remuera, and owned, as well as other cars, a 1960/61 [...]
In fact, you could argue that the Mazda rotary engine’s road to Le Mans actually began way back in 1967 when Takayoshi Ohashi – Mazda’s main Tokyo distributor – set up his own race team and tuning workshop. Calling his new firm ‘Mazda Sports Corner’, Ohashi ran cars both nationally and internationally. By 1982, Mazda [...]
The story of the Ford Motor Company is well documented, but it all began when the company was incorporated in 1903. From the outset it was the ambition of the founder, Henry Ford, to provide motoring – at that time the preserve of the wealthy – at a reasonable cost for the masses. The first [...]
I first met Graeme Sharp during our teenage years. It was at a time when we were both enthusiastic members of the Christchurch-based Rallies and Trials Enthusiasts Club. In those days we helped ourselves to monthly doses of navigational trials, gymkhanas and the odd day at Ruapuna racetrack. Graeme’s mode of transport was a Cortina [...]
Like so many others, Phil Robinson saw the Countach as the ultimate supercar, but unlike most of us, he wasn’t prepared to leave it as simply a dream. As a young boat builder there seemed no chance of him owning a real Countach, so in 1980, long before replica kits became available, he started building [...]
The Twin Cam Engine: From Racing Cars to Family Saloons David looks at how the twin-cam motor evolved from use as a specialist racing unit to eventually power all manner of cars from sports cars and grand tourers to everyday family cars and motorcycles – a process that took three-quarters of a century, from Peugeot’s [...]
The first time I saw Doug Algie he was sitting behind the huge steering wheel of a car that once had been driven by the great Tazio Nuvolari. It was February 1966 at a low-key club race meeting on a tidal area near the township of Karitane, north of Dunedin. Doug was driving an enormous [...]