Northern Sports Car Club - the early years.

[Roger Dowding]

Trevor,
thanks,
Rod Peat told me that the magazines are there. at some stage I am going to the club to find some information.
Indeed it would be good to get them into order and scanned I could be interested in doing it,
It would keep me out of mischief.. may not get full support from " Her Indoors " though.

[Milan Fistonic]

A report from March 1956 of a NSCC Hillclimb at Wairamarama.

[Roger Dowding]

A report from March 1956 of a NSCC Hillclimb at Wairamarama.

Love your work Milan, see the great Lawrie Powell is featured, and I wonder what the BSA Special of M Roberts is, in the 751 - 1100 cc as a friend of mine had a Ford powered BSA Special, which has featured before, it had a Ford 8 or 10 motor which may have been 1172 or 988, previously it had a four cylinder BSA car motor of around 930 cc.. was based on a BSA Scout four wheel car I have been seen a couple more photos of the car. Taken at a Sprint meeting at Pukekohe.

There is a GB Special in the results driven by I Buchanan,is it the Gordon Brown GBS ??

[Milan Fistonic]

There is a GB Special in the results driven by I Buchanan,is it the Gordon Brown GBS ??

I believe so.

[khyndart in CA]

Would the D.Caldwell in the Allfa Romeo be related to Bill and Alastair Caldwell ?
I saw this that Alastair had written about his High School third form class which was I think, in Hamilton.
Can you imagine having a class like this !
Besides Alastair Caldwell there was;
" John Muller who became Chief Mechanic of Brabhams and worked at McLaren;
Graham Lawrence who became a Formula 2 driver over in Europe and New Zealand Gold Star Champion;
Howden Ganley who became a Grand Prix driver;
Jimmy Palmer who became New Zealand Gold Star Champion;
Robbie Francevic who became a New Zealand Saloon Car Champion;
Pete Kerr who became Chief Mechanic at March, and then Jackie Oliver’s outfit;
Steve Millen, who became a professional racing driver in America and Australia.
From this one school in one little town we had these guys who influenced motor sport all over the world."

Wow..

(Ken H)

[Bruce302]

Would the D.Caldwell in the Allfa Romeo be related to Bill and Alistair Caldwell ?
I saw this that Alistair had written about his High School third form class that was I think in Hamilton.
Can you imagine having a class like this !

" John Muller who became Chief Mechanic of Brabhams and worked at McLaren;
Graham Lawrence who became a Formula 2 driver over in Europe and New Zealand Gold Star Champion;
Howden Ganley who became a Grand Prix driver;
Jimmy Palmer who became New Zealand Gold Star Champion;
Robbie Francevic who became a New Zealand Saloon Car Champion;
Pete Kerr who became Chief Mechanic at March, and then Jackie Oliver’s outfit;
Steve Millen, who became a professional racing driver in America and Australia.
From this one school in one little town we had these guys who influenced motor sport all over the world."

Wow..

(Ken H)

Weren't you in that same class Ken ?

Bruce.

[John McKechnie]

Must have been a special batch of the free school milk

[Oldfart]

There is a GB Special in the results driven by I Buchanan,is it the Gordon Brown GBS ??

I believe so.

I wonder! I owned a car which was also called a GB Special, built by a chap in the Gisborne area it looked very much like an MG TF. It had BMC B series engine and gearbox, chassis believed to be Singer. I sold it less engine and gearbox in 1968 in the Hamilton area, and never been able to find it again. I think Gordon still had his GBS in March 56.

[stubuchanan]

Would the D.Caldwell in the Allfa Romeo be related to Bill and Alastair Caldwell ?
I saw this that Alastair had written about his High School third form class which was I think, in Hamilton.
Can you imagine having a class like this !
Besides Alastair Caldwell there was;
" John Muller who became Chief Mechanic of Brabhams and worked at McLaren;
Graham Lawrence who became a Formula 2 driver over in Europe and New Zealand Gold Star Champion;
Howden Ganley who became a Grand Prix driver;
Jimmy Palmer who became New Zealand Gold Star Champion;
Robbie Francevic who became a New Zealand Saloon Car Champion;
Pete Kerr who became Chief Mechanic at March, and then Jackie Oliver’s outfit;
Steve Millen, who became a professional racing driver in America and Australia.
From this one school in one little town we had these guys who influenced motor sport all over the world."

Wow..

(Ken H)

I believe Dave Caldwell came from Glen Murray, as did Ron Roycroft and Johnny Mansel - Wairamarama is just down the road. No relation to Alastair or Bill, but Alastair might be able to invent one.

Robbie Fran(i)cevic I understand was educated at St Paul's College, Grey Lynn, lived nearby at Surrey Crescent.
Steve Millen was born in 1953, on Auckland's North Shore. This was about when Palmer, Ganley, Lawrence might have been third-formers at Hamilton Boys High - don't know about the others. If this was a detective story, someone might be asking, at this point, if the defendant might like to reconsider any parts of his statement.

Your quote is from an article by Simon Taylor in 'Motor Sport' Magazine of December 2014, and on the cover there is a comment "I cleaned up at McLaren... then invented ground effects! .. p90." Not sure they believed it either.

Stu

[khyndart in CA]

Stu,
Perhaps I should have done my homework on that A.Caldwell quote which I found at this site;
http://www.alastaircaldwell.com/the-man/1957.htm

Thanks for keeping us honest here at TRS.
But honestly my sister did go to primary school with "Spinner" Spencer Black at Kiwitahi many many years ago.

(Ken H)

[Trevor Sheffield]

I believe Dave Caldwell came from Glen Murray, as did Ron Roycroft and Johnny Mansel - Wairamarama is just down the road. No relation to Alastair or Bill, but Alastair might be able to invent one.

Stu

Spot on and an exactly correct belief. I also had noticed the error. LOL

[Michael Clark]

Stu is also spot on as regards the dubious memory of AC

[stubuchanan]

I'm embarrassed by the kind words - if I'm trying to pick holes in Caldwell's story, I'd better be accurate myself. From about 2009 to 2012 I swapped a large number of emails with the late David McKinney, and our David was very hot on any inaccuracies, so I quickly learned to check all the facts. Sorry if I came over as a bit schoolmasterly, Khyndart - not intentional!

I have just re-read the "Motor Sport" article and the last sentence sum it up very well. Simon Taylor quotes Caldwell as saying "But first of all you need bullshit".

Also looked at Caldwell's website - above applies to it too.

Stu

[ERC]

With reference to AC, you might want to read Tom Rubython's book 'Shunt'. It might fill in one or two gaps.

[Rod Grimwood]

Millens North Shore/ Murrays Bay.

[Roger Dowding]

Had a look at Carjam today and the 1967 Triumph TR4A IRS with NZ Registration DF4958 is still there, also rediscovered that I bought the car on 9/11/1978 with mileage 68735 miles, sold it on 15/04/1985 with mileage of 85750, quite a few of them racing / competition miles.
Latest Wof showing is 23/07/2011 with 32662 on the speedometer -,seems it may have had a metric unit fitted in 1996

Now have a bit more of its history, but no names of other owners etc, because of our wonderful " Privacy Act ".
I bought it through Russ Abbott of Empire Motors at the time and sold it to Charles Matschek in 1985,to help finance a house purchase.
The Car was used in Competition under different Car Clubs depending on the type of meeting.
Northern Sports Car Club,
Triumph ( Sports ) Car Club Auckland,
NZ Triumph TR Register
and the ;
Austin - Healey Car Club of New Zealand.

[Roger Dowding]

Ken published this on his new thread, so I borrowed them.
part of the programme for the February 1966 meeting



The AllComers over 1600cc entry list,they allowed under 1600 cc cars to enter but no points or prize money,and only 3 laps, but would be on the " Full circuit " which included the loop. 2.2 miles. - the 1.75 mile track came in 1967



Thanks Ken H.. any more pages available ??

[Roger Dowding]

Sad to report that my Uncle Ed [ Eddie ]Dowding passed away last night aged 98 years and six months - after a short illness.
He, along with my father, were the reason I joined a Car Club and specifically NSCC back in February 1967 when I purchased my first car a 1960 Mini for Five Hundred Pounds.

Eddie was still enjoying reading about Cars and I would take him my " Classic Car " magazines to read.

Here is Eddie and His wife Una in their Riley - Una who is 98 is still with us.
The other Car Ken Hemus and mate with Ken's Singer.
Photo taken at Helensville - the NSCC Winter Trial I think the 1947 event, if the scene looks familiar, there is a picture of Eddie's friend and fellow NSCC member and motorist Ron Roycroft in the Scott Thomson book " Up to Speed ". Page 83 with Ron also in a Riley.



Ed and his good mate Kip [ Ted ] with my fathers Dog Kim, photo by Mac my Dad around 1939




Both photos provided by Ed and in my archives.

Ed was an early member, then Club Captain of NSCC and later its President in 1945-46.

[Milan Fistonic]

Sorry to read about you Uncle's passing.

This is a brief report on the NSCC's 1947 Winter Trial from Modern Motoring.

[Roger Dowding]

Bob Homewood posted this on Facebook [ another piece of History ].
Written by James Ganley.. must be a relation of Howden and Dennis, surely !!
Attachment 35970

Note the teams ratings at the bottom, for the relay race, and the range of cars from Austin Seven to Grand Prix cars and of course Specials
J Scurrah in the JBS, which according to Graham Vercoe's book was a rear engined 500 class single seater, not known what engine it is running here. There were a series JBS cars made in the early 1950's some still racing in the mid 1960's in NZ.

another Historic shot from Milan Fistonic, Roy Harrington in an Anglia, Birdwood Road, Massey NSCC Hillclimb, early 1960's [ 1963 ? ].
Attachment 35971

Just re-reading my story on this part of the thread, Jim Ganley was Howden and Dennis Ganley's father, Denise Ganley Dennis's daughter often mentions Uncle Howden and Grandfather Jim / James. Jim had a bad hand, but was still a quick driver.