Yards And Yarns

[thunder427]

This is a great thread guys, loving the stories!

PMC......Prince Motor Company......Carlos Neate/not sure about the 'E'/raced a Prince 'Skyline'GT at the Puna!, a real car guy!!tttttook me for a BBBBlast ,in the RAIN!!! in a 'Red' 1969/70 Shelby Mustang through Christchurch during the 'Lunch'Hour'...Wow!!! comes to mind,The thing kept wanting to go 'sideways'!!!!!!!.................Showroom/possibly Hereford St ,the Jim Mullins Farina,Clyde Collins LWT Farina,a Skyline GT,not sure on the Anglia????................regards Thunder427/MJ

[AMCO72]

Yep, your spelling is correct. Carlos Neate raced that Skyline GT seen at the right rear of the photo. Quite a tiny car and went damn well. Any of you who saw it will recall the howling sound it made on its journey round the track. I think that the boys had constructed some sort of megaphone which was attached to the exhaust outlet that gave it that distinctive sound. Neates car yard was one I was going to mention as my Dad had bought a car or two from them. The one I remember best was his 1960 Mercedes benz 190 SL.. Perhaps I was too one eyed about my preference for English cars, but I found the Merc the oddest machine. Unlike the 300SL, this thing had a puny 2 litre engine which could hardly pull the skin off a rice pudding. The gearing was incredibly low.....had to be to get it to go, and it seemed to be reving its guts out to get anywhere. Was constantly breaking down....dodgy electrics, and when my Dad died in 1977 I could have inherited the car but after driving it around Christchurch during the week I was tidying his affairs, I said no thanks and put it up for sale. I thought the correct thing to do would be to offer it back to Carlos Neate and duly rang him to see if he was interested. I got a guarded ' yes, but let me do some home work'. I told him that he had better be quick because I wanted to get back to the Nth Island and needed the car gone. I had also put an ad in the newspaper and a couple of days later got a ring from a chap who came and inspected the car and bought it on the spot. I rang Carlos to tell him it was sold, and he called me for every mongrel under the sun. I pointed out that I had given him first option and he had blown it by mucking around. For Gods sake, I only wanted $3000 for it......probably would sell for about $70,000 today. Funny fellow.

[AMCO72]

We are jumping around the country a bit now, but in 1962 I was working on a dairy farm in the Waikato and had purchased a 1954 MG TF from that well known purveyor of cars, Spinner Black, who had a small yard in Morrinsville. Spinner [Spencer] was one of lifes characters who dabbled in all sorts of things and went on to compete in that brutal sport of Offshore Powerboat racing. Anyway the MG was just about the worst car I have ever owned...not quite, that prize went to a series 3 Sunbeam Alpine...and I needed to divest myself of it smartly. In the main street of Hamilton , the Golden Mile, there was a very upmarket yard called Fleetwood Motors, previously Monaco Motors, run by the infamous Bruce Mundy. He had on the lot a very nice Triumph TR2 that had had a very extensive and expensive rebuild after a crash.....new chassis etc etc. After much negotiating, about 30 seconds, I signed for the Triumph and left the hated MG behind without shedding a tear. More about the Triumph later,but the famous Mustang that I mentioned before was of course the Ivan Segedin, Red Dawson et al car that was sponsored by, yes youve got it, Fleetwood Motors and now restored and driven by Neil Tolich at classic events round the world. Fleetwood motors was one of the first yards to use flags and banners to grab your attention.....was way beyond its time. I made regular visits there because there was always something interesting to look at, and there might have been something better than the Triumph, there wasnt not in my price range anyway, and I kept the car until I traded it in on a 1953 XK120 C DHC at Des Wilds in Christchurch.

[Steve Holmes]

Yep, your spelling is correct. Carlos Neate raced that Skyline GT seen at the right rear of the photo. Quite a tiny car and went damn well. Any of you who saw it will recall the howling sound it made on its journey round the track. I think that the boys had constructed some sort of megaphone which was attached to the exhaust outlet that gave it that distinctive sound. Neates car yard was one I was going to mention as my Dad had bought a car or two from them. The one I remember best was his 1960 Mercedes benz 190 SL.. Perhaps I was too one eyed about my preference for English cars, but I found the Merc the oddest machine. Unlike the 300SL, this thing had a puny 2 litre engine which could hardly pull the skin off a rice pudding. The gearing was incredibly low.....had to be to get it to go, and it seemed to be reving its guts out to get anywhere. Was constantly breaking down....dodgy electrics, and when my Dad died in 1977 I could have inherited the car but after driving it around Christchurch during the week I was tidying his affairs, I said no thanks and put it up for sale. I thought the correct thing to do would be to offer it back to Carlos Neate and duly rang him to see if he was interested. I got a guarded ' yes, but let me do some home work'. I told him that he had better be quick because I wanted to get back to the Nth Island and needed the car gone. I had also put an ad in the newspaper and a couple of days later got a ring from a chap who came and inspected the car and bought it on the spot. I rang Carlos to tell him it was sold, and he called me for every mongrel under the sun. I pointed out that I had given him first option and he had blown it by mucking around. For Gods sake, I only wanted $3000 for it......probably would sell for about $70,000 today. Funny fellow.

Ahh, for a crystal ball aye Gerald: http://www.classiccarfair.com/shop/M...des+190SL.html

[GD66]

.............Showroom/possibly Hereford St ,the Jim Mullins Farina,Clyde Collins LWT Farina,a Skyline GT,not sure on the Anglia????................regards Thunder427/MJ

Long shot : Ron Rutherford's #44 ?

[thunder427]

....being the 'son' of 'Used' car dealer/salesman had a lot of 'Plus's
Kids at school thought that my father was a 'Car Thief',as I arrived at school (remember when you used to gather at the gate!?) each day in a different car.....My heavy 'Crush' at Intermediate' school (Heaton St Intermediate/ChCh) would have nothing to do with me BECAUSE my Dad was a 'USED CAR SALESMAN.....turned out that at the end of the year school concert when our Fathers meet,that the were in the 'RNZAF' together and had been friends prior to postings...people! I was strong,although I thought she was the most beautiful girl in the world,I chose to ignore Her!!!!........

a Biggy was You Got to ride in 'New' trucks that were being 'Test Driven' prior to delivery......and best of all was the Cars bought home for the weekend,one such vehicle was a ...Twin carby VW, that had belonged to a gentleman/Member of the Cantbury Car Club (just as AMCO72 stated! ) A Mr Jim Mullin's, the VW was that typical 'Boring' Fawn Colour that VW had an ability to provide...I'm cramed in the back,we are heading to some family engagment (Afternoon Tea!!..Yawn!) so with some encouragment from his son,my Father decides to 'Blow off a 55/56 Customline,the look on the Fords drivers face has we speed by was worth the Wrath that my mother served up to my Father ,whom gave me a wink in the rear view mirror..'Go! Dad!!...............regards427/MJ

[AMCO72]

Talking of XK's and Jaguars in general the name Sybil Lupp springs immediately to mind. She was the other half of Archer and Lupp of Wellington and had a big following of enthusiasts in the area. Plenty has been written about Sybil so wont go over it again except for one little gem she shared with me during a JDC rally at Easter in Rotorua about 1969. She had a novel way of balancing the SU carburetors on an E type. She would remove the bonnet, take out the plungers from the dashpots, put a piece of dowel with graduations on it into the oil chamber of all three carbs and drive the car up the Ngauranga Gorge Rd....SH1 out of Wellington...and watch the dowels to see how far out they were poking while under power. She would then be able to see which carb was doing all the work and adjust accordingly. Not sure whether she was having me on but she was dead serious!!!!!! Sybil was often the invited guest in the early days of the Jaguar Drivers club and her expertise was put to good use as a judge in the concours. She had a good eye and liked everything to be right, even back in the beginning of her racing carreer she usually won best presented car, especially at the Lady Wigram Trophy race where she came 2nd in the MG TC in 1952. Was a supercharged car so went pretty well and of course, unlike a lot of the machinery in those days, was reliable. She did all the tuning herself and cut quite a dash in the pits with her blond hair and white overalls. The MG still exists in the hands of FAZZAZ owner Gavin Bain and will be restored to its former glory one day.

[Steve Holmes]

Talking of XK's and Jaguars in general the name Sybil Lupp springs immediately to mind. She was the other half of Archer and Lupp of Wellington and had a big following of enthusiasts in the area. Plenty has been written about Sybil so wont go over it again except for one little gem she shared with me during a JDC rally at Easter in Rotorua about 1969. She had a novel way of balancing the SU carburetors on an E type. She would remove the bonnet, take out the plungers from the dashpots, put a piece of dowel with graduations on it into the oil chamber of all three carbs and drive the car up the Ngauranga Gorge Rd....SH1 out of Wellington...and watch the dowels to see how far out they were poking while under power. She would then be able to see which carb was doing all the work and adjust accordingly. Not sure whether she was having me on but she was dead serious!!!!!! Sybil was often the invited guest in the early days of the Jaguar Drivers club and her expertise was put to good use as a judge in the concours. She had a good eye and liked everything to be right, even back in the beginning of her racing carreer she usually won best presented car, especially at the Lady Wigram Trophy race where she came 2nd in the MG TC in 1952. Was a supercharged car so went pretty well and of course, unlike a lot of the machinery in those days, was reliable. She did all the tuning herself and cut quite a dash in the pits with her blond hair and white overalls. The MG still exists in the hands of FAZZAZ owner Gavin Bain and will be restored to its former glory one day.

Thats brilliant!

Her son Danny did a bit of racing also and carried on the family Jaguar tradition, by fitting a Jag V12 into he engine bay of the old Halliday brothers Capri. Ambitious but not very successful sadly.

[AMCO72]

Yeah.......Dannie [think that is the correct spelling] and I crossed swords a few times at Taupo race track in the early days of classic racing...1986. He had a pale metallic blue Mk 2 and was entered in the Collett Panel & paint series as I was, although I also competed in the BMC series, so I used to have quite a busy time. Anyway Dannie wasnt averse to punting people off the track, especially me, and one incident I can remember very well where he gave me a huge serve up the arse as I was trying to overtake him through the esses and sent me spinning, two 360's, into the stock car track. I protested vigorously to the stewards but was told it was 'just a racing incident'. Yeah right!!! I last saw him late last year when Angus and I were racing at Manfield at the MG meeting. He had grown into an old grey man. I could hardly recognise him.

[GD66]

Yeah.......Dannie [think that is the correct spelling]

I'm sure I recall mags from the day continuously spelling it "Danie"...

[bob homewood]

Thats brilliant!

Her son Danny did a bit of racing also and carried on the family Jaguar tradition, by fitting a Jag V12 into he engine bay of the old Halliday brothers Capri. Ambitious but not very successful sadly.

Steve ,He also drove the ex Palmer / Kennedy Brabham a few times and raced the ex Tom Donovan Odlins sports car for a while ,before I brought that car from him ,that was just before his Capri V12 project ,there would have also possibly been more than one Jaguar over time ,David can probably fill in the gaps on that one

[beowulf]

I remember Danny with the Brabham at a GoldStar Hillclimb in the Wairarapa. Danny hit the bank quite hard, Sybill was there
and was not impressed. She didn't impress my wife who was secretary of the meeting when she hooked on of the tent guy ropes
with the trailer and collapsed it. No apology but that was Sybill. Her second husband I think was Percy Lupp who was Nz Motorsport
secretary. Ron Frost was president. Great site.