Anyone know where this car is?

[Gavin Bateman]

Hi,
Being as this site is a wealth of all sorts of obscure knowledge, I thought I'd ask if anyone has seen or knows the whereabouts or fate of the Wrightson special. It was built in the the early 60's using Ford 10 running gear, a space frame & a Ferris deJoux Buckler body. It was built in the Wrightson workshop in Taumarunui (hence the name). After suffering through driving an open car during winter the body was modified to that shown. It was last seen having a Herald motor fitted somewhere around Ekatahuna in the '70's.

[Oldfart]

Hi Gavin, if you can drop me a high res copy of each of these, and links to anyone who could answer some queries re the original build, we MIGHT be able to help.
Cheers

[David McKinney]

Gavin - was that the same as the Jason, or were they sister cars?

[Oldfart]

Gavin, having a look at the colour photo this would not seem to be Ford engine as the exhaust is on the wrong side, or was this after Triumph conversion?

[Chris Read]

Dave, Vercoe says the Wrightson became the Jason but that does not rule out a sister car, although I doubt if they made two of them in the Wrightson's workshop as I thought they would be onto them after the first one! Well spotted on the exhaust as if I remember 100E on the L and Herald on the R. Chris Read-Arrowtown.

[Steve Holmes]

Beautiful car! In the black and white photo it looks like the fuel filler is on the c-pillar, whereas its not in the same place on the colour photo.

[Oldfart]

Dave, Vercoe says the Wrightson became the Jason but that does not rule out a sister car, although I doubt if they made two of them in the Wrightson's workshop as I thought they would be onto them after the first one! Well spotted on the exhaust as if I remember 100E on the L and Herald on the R. Chris Read-Arrowtown.

Much as Vercoes book is a great effort, and a useful reference, I would be cautious about taking too much credence. A number of people offered corrections of misinformation for the second edition which was not used
I do admire the efforts made, it's a heap better than nothing though

[David McKinney]

Dave, Vercoe says the Wrightson became the Jason but that does not rule out a sister car, although I doubt if they made two of them in the Wrightson's workshop as I thought they would be onto them after the first one! Well spotted on the exhaust as if I remember 100E on the L and Herald on the R. Chris Read-Arrowtown.

In the Under 1600 libre race at the 1963 GP meeting, L Bateman was entrant and driver of the Jason while the Wrightson was entered in the same race by K Bateman, driver Morrie Hogan, who had also driven it the year before

[Gavin Bateman]

Hi,
This car was built by my Grandfather & my uncle Kevin. Dad (Errol) brought it to Weliington when he came to university and used it as his transport. The engine was an E93A Ford fitted with a rechambered & copper coated head (which we still have). Kevin did the bodywork.
It is interesting about the exhaust as my mother who has never had a drivers licence has a scar on her leg from it, which would imply that at some stage it did swap sides. The Herald swap wasn't done till after it was sold.
The chassis was a tubular spaceframe with large diameter lower members. Suspension at the front was a split Ford 10 beam and a Ford 10 rear end.
As with a lot of cars, Vercoes book is incorrect as the Jason was the next car that Kevin started to build but as far as I know it was sold before it was finished to road standards. It was more along Lotus 7 lines.
Morrie still talks about the car and complains that it was sold. L Bateman is Lyndon Bateman, another one of the brothers. (There were 4 Bateman boys)

[Oldfart]

Gavin, are there any photos of the chassis, or as suggested higher res than on the site? I do have some suspicions.

[David McKinney]

Thanks for the clarification, Gavin

I've got all the practice times from the 63 GP meeting, and there's no appearance of the Jason

[Gavin Bateman]

Hi,
I have been to the folks place & scratched my way thru the photo albums and scanned some pictures.
I have some slides that I need to project and photograph too.
First up though are some pics of the Jason. (Not the car we are looking for!)

[Gavin Bateman]

Now some more pics of the Wrightson.
The first one is a montage because a- I am too lazy to scan them individually and b- they were tiny photos to start with.
Unfortunately I didn't find any chassis pictures.
In the picture in the carport and the front top view you can see the Jason behind the Wrightson and it's more modern number plate.

[Gavin Bateman]

In the first one of the car at the race track there is also a Buckler 90 in the background and a white DD2 beside the Morgan

[Oldfart]

Gavin, PM sent. I think that the Bucklers there are a 90 or DD with the white body, possibly Ivy Stephensons car, the blue one alongside is a Mk6, possibly the "Blue Brick".