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

[duncan fox]

Ill Pm you , meanwhile is this the car we are talking about? I went to buy this of Laurie in the early seventies to replace Gp Deuce but I walked away because it was quite rusty. Thats why I was so amazed to see it in Puhanui Rd .I talked at length with the guy who restored it. It was definatly Lauries 32.
In this shot at Seagrove its a light colour not the Maroon his trucks were. Another thought comes to mind here , who in their right mind breaks a 32 Ford roadster up for parts ? Even Pink Panther was ressurected after Eddie had crashed it .Something not right here. I love a mystery ........

OK.....heres the oil on the Powell 32.

I was correct in my recollection of Lauries car being light green it was never Maroon Im reliably told. It was also looked at by my longtime 32 Ford owner friend Warren Fairhurst when Laurie was trying to sell it. He confirms it was light green also, as rusty as all hell but was equally surprised later to have seen it restored by Paul Grace in Auckland. (not the Hot Rod mag editor who also owned a 32 roadster at the time) I knew the name was a double up , just not Lauries. It was later exported to the US.

[Trevor Sheffield]

OK.....heres the oil on the Powell 32.

I was correct in my recollection of Lauries car being light green it was never Maroon Im reliably told. It was also looked at by my longtime 32 Ford owner friend Warren Fairhurst when Laurie was trying to sell it. He confirms it was light green also, as rusty as all hell but was equally surprised later to have seen it restored by Paul Grace in Auckland. (not the Hot Rod mag editor who also owned a 32 roadster at the time) I knew the name was a double up , just not Lauries. It was later exported to the US.

Duncan,

I had been anxiously awaiting your PM so that an argument would not take place here. This site is used by several as an historical reference so that accuracy is important. It is therefore unfortunate that You have been very unreliably delivered used oil and therefore badly informed.

I can't recall the colour of the car when it raced at Seagrove, however later I was intimate with the “B4” for a period of say twenty years and am certainly not colour blind. I can feel the old car in my bones at this instant, LOL. I have also checked with several friends of like age who also knew Laurie and the car very well and in close exact detail. What is more although the car was last in a sadly well used state, none of us recall it being, "as rusty as hell". Unfortunately Laurie's son Terry is also no longer with us.

You may have been told that the light green rusty as hell car you came across had been owned by Laurie Powell, but if your “reliable” informant said “it was never maroon”, you have been badly lead widely astray.

Please as requested earlier, send me a PM so that we can discuss this further by phone. If you are located outside of Auckland City, I have free calling and can call you at no cost. Incidentally, I am listed in the Auckland phone directory.

Sincerely, Trevor.