Motor Racing pics - my early years, 1964-71 ; Pukekohe Racetrack ;by - Roger Dowdingl

[Roger Dowding]

Some of the field heading for the Grid at Pukekohe 1964, This is not the ACC meeting held on 4th April 1964 but has a lot of the same cars.


These are from the ACC meeting, which John Hatton [ John H ] kindly sent me

Small Sports Cars and 1301-2000 cc Saloons.


over 2001 cc Saloons with John Hatton is his Zephyr and the over 1500 sports cars.


This is a mixed grid of both classes by the looks
and here are a lot of those cars, including the De Soto, and those Ford and other Coupes, largely Corvette / Chevrolet powered - from early to late 1930's Souness Dawson Riley and Co..


Picture courtesy Bruce Thompson - may be a Robin Tanner family photo.
as I wasn't there.. before my time..

[Oldfart]

I have vivid memories of the Lumsden de Soto coming around the loop with clouds of tyre smoke.

[Milan Fistonic]

The reverse direction meeting was on April 23 1966 and was an Auckland Car Club event. The reasons given for the decision to change the direction were: To alleviate the usual congestion at the Elbow, eliminate possible spectator hazards and show to better advantage the spectacular acceleration of the cars as they pass the main stand and pits.

[Milan Fistonic]

This is a mixed grid of both classes by the looks
and here are a lot of those cars, including the De Soto, and those Ford and other Coupes, largely Corvette / Chevrolet powered - from early to late 1930's Souness Dawson Riley and Co..


Picture courtesy Bruce Thompson - may be a Robin Tanner family photo.
as I wasn't there.. before my time..

Looks like this race at the November 7 1964 NSSC Coppertone meeting. By this time Dawson & Riley were racing their single-seaters.

[John McKechnie]

the 5 window Coupes give this grid a real historic look......what ever happened to them ?

[Roger Dowding]

Looks like this race at the November 7 1964 NSSC Coppertone meeting. By this time Dawson & Riley were racing their single-seaters.

Milan, great for the entry list thanks .. from what I have read the Jennings Fiat was an interesting car, an old Topolino body with a big engine?? does that seem right ?? and the Humber Ford, before the Jag motor went in .. brilliant !!

[Roger Dowding]

The reverse direction meeting was on April 23 1966 and was an Auckland Car Club event. The reasons given for the decision to change the direction were: To alleviate the usual congestion at the Elbow, eliminate possible spectator hazards and show to better advantage the spectacular acceleration of the cars as they pass the main stand and pits.

and then fall off after Rothmans !!

[Roger Dowding]

Another grid at Pukekohe, with we think Colin Lumsden in the De Soto, now with flares on the rear, wires on the front and exhausts and a scoop out of the bonnet. another photo from Bruce Thompson.. may not be his own !!

[Bruce302]

the 5 window Coupes give this grid a real historic look......what ever happened to them ?

Stinkin' Hot Rodder John, That's what happened to them. probably all shiny and polished with blown engines so they can idle down the road to a park up somewhere.

[Roger Dowding]

The pictures are my own taken with a basic Kodak Camera with no adjustments possible, just point and shoot;.

April 1966 meeting ; the Reverse Direction one ; never tried again as too dangerous and quite a few accidents including
Ron Browns Mini; as mentioned Ron was Assistant Clerk of the course that day ; he was the Team Mate of Allan Boyle who also ran a Cooper " S ".
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Attachment 30896

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Dennis Marwood - Cooper
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Ivan Segedin - Mustang [ The Fleetwood Mustang - with the feature of the time stack exhaust pipes, many a good bonnet wrecked ].
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The Sports cars get ready - Bucklers, Daimler SP250 Honda S600 [ another photo later of this car ]
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The thread has expanded with lots of photos from others, Thank you all for your contributions, and a few I have borrowed, with the appropriate credit.
As it turned out my earliest photos were 1965, once I had sorted through them - need a negative viewer so can create better quality copies.
There have been recently quite a few contribution back to 1964 so the title is still relevant !!

[Milan Fistonic]

Another grid at Pukekohe, with we think Colin Lumsden in the De Soto, now with flares on the rear, wires on the front and exhausts and a scoop out of the bonnet. another photo from Bruce Thompson.. may not be his own !!

Lumsden was number 112 at the December 12 1964 meeting. The only Anglia with a number that looks like that on the car behind the De Soto is number 120, T Rutherford from New Plymouth.

[John McKechnie]

Milan, great for the entry list thanks .. from what I have read the Jennings Fiat was an interesting car, an old Topolino body with a big engine?? does that seem right ?? and the Humber Ford, before the Jag motor went in .. brilliant !!

Mark Jennings car did have a big engine, at one time the car number was 368- size of the engine.

[Steve Holmes]

Another grid at Pukekohe, with we think Colin Lumsden in the De Soto, now with flares on the rear, wires on the front and exhausts and a scoop out of the bonnet. another photo from Bruce Thompson.. may not be his own !!

Wow, that is nuts! Thats the best shot I have seen of this car. The wheels scare me.

[John McKechnie]

Steve- and dont forget he had "twin mitts" on sometimes- two tyres on each side for width- no Wild Wheels then for wheel widening.

[Spgeti]

Yes I have seen a photo of that John. The wire wheel on that you would have thought would be a worry considering the weight of the car and the likely hood of breaking.

[Roger Dowding]

A lot of interest in this car, there is a big thread on Facebook of it with pictures from various people.
Will group them here, thanks to Bruce Thompson, Bob Homewood, Alan Boyle, Marc Montague, and others ;[ names appear on the photos, thanks to those who provided them.











Car is listed in a programme as being 5000 cc but thought to be a 291 c.i Chrysler / De Soto motor.
ran dual rear wheels and sometimes wire wheels, had exhausts out of the bonnet and big flared arches on the rear.
Car looking very smart and not bodged around in the last pic from Alan Boyle.

Last picture is another Mopar car, anyone know of it ??

[Oldfart]

Jennings Fiat runs still in the South Island.
Post 236 last photo comment about Mopar car?? Which one, all I can see is the coupe, a PA Vauxhall and Humber 80, and of course one hidden. Then again what variety is the coupe?

[John McKechnie]

This could be the Plymouth Coupe of Graeme Parks that he first started racing in?
He got the fast parts from Barry Algies dad

[Roger Dowding]

This could be the Plymouth Coupe of Graeme Parks that he first started racing in?
He got the fast parts from Barry Algies dad

John Mck, think you are right Bob Homewood knew of the car when the photo was put on Facebook

[John McKechnie]

Just spoke to Graeme Park- yep, it is his car.
A Maroon 1938 Plymouth Coupe., and ran a 6
Most coupes were Ford or Chev with V8s
153 was a random number..not h.p.
Was 1963/64
Sold the car to Teo Stanton.
Pa Vauxhall behind him is Murray Reynolds.
Thinks Francevic was next to or just behind him.