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Motoring History - all cars had to have a Registration Plate !!
all cars in New Zealand, including Racing Cars had to have a number plate, remember seeing them inside saloons on the floor and elsewhere ;.. a series of the plates over the last Century or so .. part of motoring heritage in NZ..
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then there were different plates for vehicles other than cars, Govt, Taxi, Heavy Vehicles, Buses etc, and even motorcycles.
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I got these images from Richard Armstrong the first three [ Car plates ] and Dave Howell for the " Other " number plates. no doubt from an Archive.. Don't know who the Graham is but he buys them ..
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The Ralph Watson Lycoming Special - sports car
Ralph was a member of Northern Sports Car Club in the 1950's when he built the car and a regular competitor at NSCC and other Clubs events, including Auckland Car Club, Hamilton Car Club, Taumaranui Car Club, as well as competing at the NZ International Grand Prix, the Lady Wigram Trophy races, NZ Drivers Championship events at Ryal Bush, Mairehau Road Races and elsewhere.
In 1985, Ralph wrote an article for the Sports Car Club of New Zealand covering his various cars the BSA Special, cars he worked on, like some of Ron Roycroft's - the Bugatti Jaguar, Alfa P3, Ferrari's and his own car ;The Lycoming Special. the article was published in the SCCNZ's Special Edition Magazine called Sports Car Talk .. this is an extract from the 1986 Special Edition..
Jim Clark driving the car at Teretonga
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The car just completed with Ralph and Warren Parkinson
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Specifications
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The Competition Record from late 1956 to 1968 .. the first few years
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Ralph Watson at the 1958 Grand Prix
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more to come, the rest of the history and some more photos - the above all from the SCCNZ article, the book was given to me by Ross Hollings, along the the first and third edition of the SCCNZ Special Editions, the 1984 and the 1989 ones.
Have just previewed the attachments and realise these are the uncropped ones so have parts of the article with the photos .. must try harder in the next segment ..
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The Ralph Watson Lycoming Special - sports car
The Specifications and Competition Record have reposted the first part as cut out some of the early events..
here is the correct sequence ;
The Specifications
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I saw the car at the Hamilton Car Club grass track races at Waharoa on 11th March 1967, had just bought my first car a 1960 Mini [ Austin Seven ], had seen the Lycoming at previous events at Pukekohe in 1965 and 1966 and at the 1967 Grand Prix meeting. Have a couple of photo's from 1966.
As has been mentioned on " The Roaring Season " Trevor Sheffield wrote a great history of Ralph, entitle " Ralph Watson Special Engineer " Trevor being a long time member of NSCC, and mate of many of the great Racing Car guys of the 50's and 60's, a quick driver himself, in cars ranging from a Singer to a Daimler SP250 [ Dart ] ..
Here is Jim Boyd competing in a Hill Climb; note the narrow wheels compared to the Jim Clark photo but the wider guards to accommodate those widened wheels with the strengthening straps ..
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Book is available here free.
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A Famous Lady in a Buckler with her NSCC Club patch on the overalls
Ivy Stephenson in her Buckler - Climax, that was later owned by Bruce Sutcliffe - a very well known car and driver.
photo provided by Richard Armstrong
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NSCC a comment on early Rallying - from Steve Emson
Rallying in NZ acutally started out with events like this. This is Dad in a rally Imp. I think Andrew Cowan helped Dad, and sent him specs to convert it to front radiator trim.
My first impressions of rallying was Dad taking me as navigator in the Rally of the Pines in a LC XU1. I was only young and still at school, awhile away from getting my drivers licence.( I might have been about 13- 14). I remember thinking Sh*t!!!, how was he able to drive the thing sooooo fast, he had it all sideways through the pine needle covered forestry tracks.I may have thought Fark, if i even knew that word then.
Dad also took me as navigator in a Woodhill rally in a LJ 72 XU1 he raced on the circuits. We made the front page of the Auckland Star. What I remember about that was John Woolf was navigating for his Dad Allan. We were together on the road and we both wrong slotted a turn point. We came flying over a rise to find them stopped at a gate, jumping out of the car because they knew we were coming.........................interesting, Dad got it all stopped in time however.
This is the Imp, mentioned at the start of the comment - thanks to Steve Emson . comment is as written ..
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Family names - members of NSCC in the early years !!
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Milan Fistonic
Milan, thank you for that, a great read, the J Boot [ my late Uncle - never met him as died before I was born ] was of course Jack Boot who had the Roycroft Bugley " Bugatti / Riley or Riley Bugatti " depending on which is first chassis or engine, and the E Dowding is my Uncle Ed [ Eddie Dowding NSCC Club Captain and later President in 1945/46,] saw him on Good Friday, still with us at 97, in fact am using his car at the moment. Alan Pybus mentioned in the story was a great mate of Ed and family, I knew him also.
I wonder if they ever found the Minute Book or Club Captain's book, I hope so.
Milan I would like to copy / save these pages and show them to Ed in the coming weeks.