Hi Ken....well this car was originally built in Invercargall I think in the early 70,s was a U2 with 1600 cross flow or pre cross flow not really sureOriginally Posted by khyndart in CA
Grant,
Tell us more about you with this machine.
(Ken Hyndman )
Later on it found its way to Timaru where a few of the local boys did a re body & made it into a very good looking car all alloy & slippery shape with march look alike nose cone .. some of the same team that helped Gary, Leo &Dad.... it was then fitted with a cook 2.0 race nissan engine , c/r/g/box better brakes etc.... the car was good very good infact , during my trips home to Timaru to catch up with family & friends , Dad said I want to show you something the car was named by builder a merlyn or close to it...........any way we rocked up to David Browns home [Timaru] the car was McLaren orange and was winning the SI series [scanz] I was looking for a bit of excitment & did a deal soon after, Dave dropped the car up to Wellington I gave him a mazda 626 LTD lol , I painted the car my then logo business colours black & red.....The pic you see is at Bay Park the car in the NI did not have quite the straight line speed as the twin cam turbo cars but not that far off them you can see Jamie behind me as we stuck it on pole & managed to head Jamie off [only just] at this meeting I remember him coming up to me & saying well you no yr way around here that gave me a wee smile as Jamie was the man .. being my then home circut it was an easy track to master it just flowed for me , we never did the complete NI series in the yrs I had it , I would do Bay Park, Taupo & Manfield...never took it to Puke not sure why not.....I used it on bent sprints , drags, club days lots of hill climbs , it was a car that was very well built for those who have had drives of fast go carts it was like that but bigger no understeer or oversteer it just was like on rails..if you over drove it it would just do a four wheel drift but with out having to correct it amazing chassis design for that time ....... strangley enough when you buy race cars we hear some times that parts get robbed off them befor delivery Ernie always said if any one buys a race car do the deal after a race & take it .. i had heard the fron [McLaren springs] had been removed before i got the car but was rectified very quickly Ernie was on to it .. The car is still in Tauranga as sold to a friend it is like new Ken thats about it .
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