Where to next?
For this country the obvious answer is the "90". This designation came from the fact that it was primarily designed to compete in the 1172 formula in the UK, and that with a prepared to the rules sidevalve 1172cc Ford 10, or later 100e they were capable of a genuine 90mph. Their real place in the chassis numbers thus goes astray.
There were a number of these sold in NZ, the exact number is a little unsubstantiated but close to 14. Some of these were English chassis, but as supply chains did not always fit with customer demands the company of Buckler NZ was able to negotiate with Buckler in Reading and build NZ chassis too. They fabricated a jig to build on which was a fore-runner of the common car restorers "spit".
It is very simple to distinguish an NZ chassis from an English one. Right alongside where your hips are, the NZ car has a mitre joint, whereas the English top tube is continuous from the extreme front to the back and is curved at the same point. There is no "waisting" of the tubes as all bends were done sandpacked and then bent. The welding in both cases is superb. Of the 14 (?) almost all are known. Some current owners would prefer to remain "in the shade".
Paulie G, can you please PM me?
Most of the NZ cars were originally Ford 10 (or 100e) powered, most have now acquired the Elva overhead inlet valve conversion, or in some cases Climax.
The 90 retained the centre pivot swing axle front suspension, with transverse leaf spring and lever arm shocks. At the rear there was also a transverse spring, but telescopics show on the drawings from the first concept (as does the Mark 6). In most cases the torque tube of the parent vehicle was retained, as were the cable brakes and massive drums off the Prefect?anglia range. Wheels were most commonly 13" on the front and 15" or 16" on the rear. Rear wheels were commonly changed for circuits or hillclimbs, as a very quick effective ratio change. Front brakes acquired cooling scoops and venting very quickly, partially as a result of the 13" wheels shrouding the drums.
Many of the NZ cars quickly receive various changes, and frequently from meeting to meeting to stay ahead of the opposition. An example was the Rick Harris car, which was an ex works lightweight chassis, passed through many hands and gained Woodhead Munroe coilovers on the rear, open driveshaft and various forms of motors. This remained a car of note, until I got it in 1970! At that point it vanished from the race scene until its' beautiful restoration by Mark Garmey. Noted owners of this car include Barry Brown, John Cottle, Preston and John Money. It features in many photos on TRS.
The car recently advertised on Trade Me as the ex Judd car is indeed that. It has had very few owners. It initially ran with a Ford 8, and features in many result pages. Again a superb restoration.
The Merv Mayo car which Dave Mc mentions as a Jarvey bodied car has passed through many hands from almost one end of the country to the other, and Kelvin Brown has owned it a number of times. I sincerely hope he gets it finished again one day.
There were also a few "approved" copies, again as demand exceeded supply. One of these, while not an exact copy was built by Denis Lindesay and eventually wound up in the hands of Dewar Thomas who inverted it at Paritutu and it was eventually written off. Scott Wiseman who later had the fabled E type was an owner of the Mayo car, and turned it over at Levin. It very soon afterwards appeared with a D type headrest fairing, no doubt with a bit of steelwork concealed inside.
The Billington Elfo which appears in the NZ archives was another "approved copy" which has now progressed to become a DD2 version and appears from time to time in the hands of Roger Greaney (need to confirm that first name!) More sometime.
Please add any photos before I start downloading the contributions so far.