The Special Builders!

[Oldfart]

This time not so much the cars, but the guys who for various reasons (often because they could not afford to buy a car set down and built their own. This could be a big list, just to start TRS has honoured Jamie, so leaping to mind; in no particular order and they can be expanded on
Ralph Watson
John Mines
Lester Reader
Avon Hyde
Jim Bennett
George Begg

[bry3500]

http://ralphwatson.scienceontheweb.net/lycoming.html

[tweaks]

Brian Maybey of Nelson who built the BCM's

[Jac Mac]

Ron Abbot, Bob Dunstan, Neil Stuart, Neil Robertson, Bryan Taylor, Lawrence Knowler, Bill & Barry Barber, Graeme Amos,....... need to get Stewy Q on the job.

[928]

Graham Mcrae, probably the most successful

[woody]

Wop Amos, Barry Walker and Johnny Rush.

[Kwaussie]

Frank Shuter
Stanton Brothers
Bill Crosbie
Hec Green

[beowulf]

Frank Shuter
Stanton Brothers
Bill Crosbie
Hec Green

Ian Horley who built Mowog, then put a Ford engine and gearbox in and changed it's name to Beowulf. Also built a mk2 version which he still owns.
John Mines owns the JRM and has also built a "modern" sports car with a motorcycle engine.

[Alan Hyndman]

Graham Doggert and Bob Elwin, who between them wore out the benevolence of Frank Hamlin and Murray Charles through building the Triford Special.

[Oldfart]

Graham Mcrae, probably the most successful
How do we define successful? People have differing aspirations from those who achieved the aim of being able to race on a non-existent budget and achieved that, to those who became major manufacturers and race winners on the international stage? If the latter then Graham probably fits. If the former, then all of them :)

[Allan]

Dennis Smith of Spider fame.

[Kevin Hirst]

Dennis Smith of Spider fame.

Baker bros, Jamie A Les Reisterer,

[Kevin Hirst]

http://ralphwatson.scienceontheweb.net/lycoming.html

In the lycoming story, Bob Gibbons is mentioned several times, can any body tell me if this is the same gent that was part of Hope gibbons & ford motor company? Bob & wife May [ as above] retired to Puketona when we were there, he had several model A,s and was always down to the garage for small repairs & W,O,F,s etc lovely guy but died after being there for about three or four years, May sold up shortly after to move back with familly, really missed the chats when Bob died, any info would be most appreciated.

[John McKechnie]

Tyrell Turtle - his sports car is still around.
Dennis Smith also had fame with the ill-fated Anziel Nova project.
Surely we can put Ferris De Joux here

[bry3500]

John Miller

[rf84]

Yes it is the same gentleman. If I am correct his father established a company called The Colonial Motor Company and imported Ford cars into NZ for some years. When Ford planned to assemble cars at Seaview they came to an agreement with Colonial Motor Company to pay a royalty for every car that was assembled. Colonial Motor Co still exists-they recently purchased the Nissan dealership here in Hastings and (I have been told) Jeff Gray European.
Bob was the original driver of the Mark 5 Cooper that I subsequently owned.

[rf84]

Getting back to the special builders. Ron Walton. He was a Science teacher from Christchurch who had a Science programme on TV. Built at least two motorcycle engined cars-The Wasp and The Bee.

[GD66]

He was a ripper, his science show was called In The Nature Of Things (black and white too, if I recall). There have been a few pics of his specials come up on this forum in the early days.
He was good at knocking up interesting science experiments to prove his point, much more interesting than the crusty old knob jockeys we had teaching science at school.

[GD66]

Found it ! From the wonderful Bill Pottinger Collection thread, Ron Walton's pre-unit Triumph-powered Wasp.
26678

[Kwaussie]

That is a great photo by Bill P. GD66.
Enjoyed Ron's TV shows -
Are they Dunlop Squirts on the front?

[Kevin Hirst]

Yes it is the same gentleman. If I am correct his father established a company called The Colonial Motor Company and imported Ford cars into NZ for some years. When Ford planned to assemble cars at Seaview they came to an agreement with Colonial Motor Company to pay a royalty for every car that was assembled. Colonial Motor Co still exists-they recently purchased the Nissan dealership here in Hastings and (I have been told) Jeff Gray European.
Bob was the original driver of the Mark 5 Cooper that I subsequently owned.

Thanks for that RF, did not know that Bob was into motor racing or the connection to Ralph Watson at the time I knew him,would have made those chats a lot longer,

[rf84]

'Chats' with Bob were always long. He was very deaf and also "deep thinker". It was not uncommon to ask him a question and then wait 30 seconds or more for a reply. You never quite knew if (a) he hadn't heard you or
(b) he had heard you but was thinking about his reply or
(c) he had heard you but, while thinking about his reply for so long, he had fallen asleep!
At a "Wings and Wheels" race meeting at Ohakea in the early 80's Bob stood around all Saturday looking at his old Mark 5 Cooper (which I owned at the time) and proffering snippets of information about the car and things that had happened under his ownership. A mate and I spent the whole day trying to persuade him to have a little drive. He would not even sit in it for a photo. The next day he arrived back from Wellington and agreed to sit in it then, after a LOT of encouragement, he agreed to take it for a "little drive" down a taxi-way. He disappeared and was gone for a long time-so long we thought he must have stalled it or broken down. We hopped in the tow car and headed off in the direction he had gone when, through the shimmering heat haze on that massive air force base taxi- way, appeared a small red shape. He passed us going absolutely "flat out" in the opposite direction. When we got back to our 'pit' he was sitting grinning like "the cat that got the cream".

[Oldfart]

I am so pleased that these guys are now getting some recognition.
As the list expands the stories should be added too. Don't forget the "little" guys that some of us may have forgotten. Loads around the Nelson area to be brought out yet!

[Kevin Hirst]

I am so pleased that these guys are now getting some recognition.
As the list expands the stories should be added too. Don't forget the "little" guys that some of us may have forgotten. Loads around the Nelson area to be brought out yet!

Was Bob there when you moved there Reece, or before your time? great story rf how long ago did you sell the cooper & where is it now.

[rf84]

I sold the Cooper in 1989 to Bruce Utting (Wellington). He kept it for about a year but did nothing with it before selling it again. That owner sold it to a buyer in Seattle USA where it still lives and does the occasional hillclimb driven by Ed Millman.
Mark 5 Coopers were not common in NZ but another Mk5 is owned by Ian Garmey in Auckland (and is currently for sale). Ian's son Tony was working for a restoration company in Seattle and they had a phone enquiry from the owner of a Mk5. Knowing Tony was knowledgeable about Mk5's because of his work on his father's car they asked Tony to handle the query. A few weeks later the same customer phoned again but Tony couldn't answer his question without seeing the car so he suggested the customer bring it into the shop.
You've probably guessed it-Tony took one look and said "I know this car-it came from NZ didn't it?" Quite amazing that of all the restorers Tony could have gone to work for and all the shops in the US the customer could have chosen the two coincided!

[bry3500]

Tyrell Turtle - his sports car is still around.
Dennis Smith also had fame with the ill-fated Anziel Nova project.
Surely we can put Ferris De Joux here

Tyrell Turtill thread here
http://www.theroaringseason.com/showthread.php?288-Continental-Special-Gary-Mullholland-Tyrrell-Turtill&highlight=Tyrell+Turtle

[bry3500]

Can we add some Aussies in this list? How about Eldred Norman...
http://www.theroaringseason.com/showthread.php?204-Eldred-Norman-Eclipse-Zephyr&highlight=Eldred+Norman

[jamie]

Hi Bry awesome the names are really bringing back some memories.
Colin Smith. Adrian Rimmer Rodger Rimmer those boys are legends. In N Z and over seas.
Jamie A

[Kevin Hirst]

Hi Bry awesome the names are really bringing back some memories.
Colin Smith. Adrian Rimmer Rodger Rimmer those boys are legends. In N Z and over seas.
Jamie A

Olly Cotterell from wellington built several specials, late 40,s early 50,s, the last one having two aerial square four motors, each driving one rear wheel,would love to have seen it,