The Custaxie: Life After Racing

[Steve Holmes]

I was sent a couple of brilliant photos to our Facebook page by Nik Carter, who was one of the owners of the Custaxie, after its brief motor racing career had ended.

The Custaxie, a mid-1950s Ford Customline fitted with a 427ci Ford Galaxie motor, and which featured heavily modified body, suspension, and chassis work, made its racing debut in late 1966, for the 1966/67 New Zealand Saloon Car Championship, which was the last held under the outgoing Allcomer rules.

It was the brainchild of Tony Kriletich and his good mate Robbie Franicevic, and it was Robbie who drove the car. After finishing 2nd in the opening three rounds of the championship, Franicevic and the Custaxie then went on to win the final four races, to take the title.

New Zealand then adopted FIA Froup 5 touring car rules for the 1968 season, and the Custaxie really had nowhere to race, so was converted into a road car, with the 427 motor replaced by a side-valve V8.

Nik Carter was one of the owners of the car, and he purchased it from Bruce Croydon Thompson.

Note in this first image the side stripes, roof stripes, and race numbers, as are the wide steel wheels the car wore when it raced. But, small tail lights have been grafted into the rear panel.

Nik explains: "The custaxie at Croydon Thompson's place in Onehunga before I bought it from him (photo courtesy of Bruce Greer). Sat on my mums front lawn in South Auckland for ages before I sold it just prior to moving to North America. Car was painted purple when I bought it from Croydon".



Here is the car again, this time out front of Croydon's house. It appears it was primered, perhaps in preparation for its purple paint. Its hard to tell, but there are possibly headlights fitted inside the large duct in the nose, which is how it appeared when it was used on the road.

Nik again: "Another photo of the custaxie before I bought it (photo courtesy of Bruce Greer.) Photo taken at Croydon Thompson's place Onehunga. It was painted purple when I had it. I had planned to grasstrack race the car".



Thanks again to Nik Carter for sharing these. He is hoping to find a couple of photos from when he owned it, when it had the purple paint.