KATO SPECIAL

[Oldfart]

Kato certainly had something to do with someone with the surname of Kay, but I don't recollect first name.

[khyndart in CA]

I found this entry in the 1964 NZ Grand Prix programme for the sports car race.

Number 33.









Ken H

[Roger Dowding]

Believed to be the Kato at a Matamata Street " Festival " Meeting in 1964 / 1965.
Photo from the Scott - Given archives - now with BMC BOY.

I think this is 1964 but need to check against some other info I have.

The Car


There was also a Mistral there - from the same set of photos.



Entry lists I have from Matamata

1964 - from Keiron Guinness
The Cover ;


Races 1 and 2.


Another Entry List - Sports car Race - I have noted it as 1963 !! - but need to check Car Race Numbers.
Note that the type is the same as the 1964 programme above Races 1 and 2, has similar entrants and numbers - and that the Kato has the same number #12 - not 18 as in the photo - so seems to be 1964 !!

This from Myles Hick - who is restoring the mentioned Ruddspeed 3000 / Austin 4000 - Austin Healey -of Russell Leathers and the McLaughlin brothers - another story.



PS This thread was on Page 13 of 64 pages of threads - that is a lot of stories !! Now back to Page #1 ..!!

[khyndart in CA]

I got a message from Spinner Black today and he had spoken to Chris Kay about the Kato Special. His father was Ken Kay who had Kay's Motors somewhere near Morrinsville. The fabrication work was done by Kay's mechanic named Greg Tordoff who would go on to have his own garage in Morrinsville and did a lot of work for Spinner including work on his Camaros and the Cambridge Monaro now driven by John McKechnie.
So the "Kato" is derived from the Kay and the Tordoff surnames. A Stu Graham had a Buckler in the shop at the time which may have been copied to some degree. Not sure of the engine but in the above 1964 programme it is sized at 1991 cc. so it probably had a Triumph TR 3 engine.

( Spinner said only 2 were built and one was wrecked when Chris rolled it while driving with a friend and both had gravel and thorns still coming out of there backs years later !! )
Thanks Spinner for the update.)

(Ken H)