Slightly rarer exhibits - and not all displayed very well.
Armstrong Siddeley
Alvis
Lanchester
Singers - this is a pair that should have been down at ground level as neither are exactly common. Not sure about the wire wheels though...
Jowetts
Swift - tucked behind a pillar
Last edited by ERC; 03-02-2018 at 09:10 PM.
I'm not sure whether commercial vehicles have a place here or not, but even some of these bring back memories.
Heading off to Scout camp in a friend's dad's Dormobile
My first job after school was as Granville, in an old fashioned grocer's shop. The 3 shop group had a delivery van like this for delivering orders. Whilst on line grocery shopping might be new, grocery home deliveries are not.
Earlier known as a Standard Atlas, but this is a Leyland 20. Thames Trader truck just behind by the looks of it.
Not in the museum, but the Hooter's Ford bus in Napier with happy driver and happy customers.
Couldn't resist this Art Deco bus either.
Last edited by ERC; 03-03-2018 at 09:39 PM.
Double whack of posts this morning, to clear a backlog!
A sorry bunch of Hillmans in various states of disrepair, stacked against a wall with no real access.
Last edited by ERC; 03-04-2018 at 08:35 PM.
My wife and I were doing the cycle trails last winter, we called in to visit. While we were there he was searching on Trade Me for other cars to find, he told us he spends a few hours of his day looking for cars. I was very shocked with the condition of rare cars also magazines should be in a separate room not on bonnets collecting dust also allowing birds to shit on them ( birds are a major problem in the old chicken sheds.)
The tragedy of this collection the owner is no spring chicken, what will happen to everything when he passes on? Hopefully not the scrap heap. Some of the rare cars if restored could be very valuable.My wife commented he is not a collector, he is a hoarder.
Agree totally Peter. I also wonder what will happen to it when he keels over? It COULD be a world class museum and there are some real treasures in there. Claiming it is the largest collection of British cars in the world could just as easily have applied to any British scrapyard a decade ago! Doesn't mean it would be a must see.
I think Rhys summing it up as depressing was pretty well spot on.
It actually gets worse Ray.
These cars sitting here means that they are not being used at all the different Vintage Car Club events around NZ.
Retired citizens often would take on a project and use it as a club car.
So the clubs would be down on a lot of vintage cars.
Not to mention of course- engine reconditioners, panel beaters, painters, motor trimmers - all who normally would work on these cars.
There are a number of cars in the hoard that are actually wanted by enthusiasts, even if not valuable.
The real tragedy is that they are not even holding their condition there, they are deteriorating.
The whole classic movement , I think, revolves around folks who can now get a car they lusted after when they couldn't actually afford it, or the cars the family had. This place has LOTS of those, which as John says could be in the hands of people who would cherish and use them. Where they are...
Built for Nash by Austin...
Not sure that many of the cars could be reached, let alone touched and many looked as though they needed some TLC anyway...
So ends the visit with mixed emotions. Happy that these cars haven't been scrapped but a collection of 450 cars didn't warrant too many photographs, which says a lot.
Last edited by ERC; 03-05-2018 at 09:20 PM.
Back out into sunny Napier as they started to gear up for Art Deco weekend.
Hooter's Hupmobile passengers enjoying the experience.
This little Austin apparently leads the 400 car parade through the town (according to a spot on the TV1 news).
Last edited by ERC; 03-05-2018 at 09:46 PM.
Pukekohe Feb 24th. I tried the 'bazooka' lens again, but it must have been beginner's luck last time, as this set were less than satisfactory. When I got home, I found that I had a focus setting error (my fault) on the camera. That explains why I was getting a pin sharp background on some shots - but the car was out of focus! I was switching between several different settings but had overlooked one that was new to me (fairly new camera!). I had to delete many shots so a less than successful day.
Hanging about waiting for almost an hour whilst they tried to get the timing computer to work didn't help so by the time practice was finally over, I'd had enough of Pukekohe.
My apologies if any of these aren't as sharp as they should be. (The above shots in Napier were all taken with the pocket camera.)
PPG Classic Trial
Early morning sun on the Russell Ness Austin Healey.
A fence interference, but otherwise it would have been a decent shot!
Last edited by ERC; 03-06-2018 at 08:22 PM.
For those who are not aware, there are a couple of slots in the catch fencing at Pukekohe for the benefit of TV photographers I presume, but they are sited so low that it is virtually impossible for anyone taller than a legless dwarf to use them, using a traditional camera...
It was only thanks to a co-operative flag marshal that I was able to stand alongside the end of the fence. I have to say that I have had better days trying to take photographs.
Lola
Reynard
Reynard - as you can see, the camera was focussing on a spot to the upper right of where I was aiming.
Last edited by ERC; 03-07-2018 at 08:10 PM.
ERC SERIES
Dave Mallin back to the old faithful 4 cylinder MGB.
Fellow MG enthusiast Grant Kern in yet another car from his collection. A Marina with a toothy grille.
Paul Chisholm (VW Golf) and Garry Baildon (BMW).
Win Jacobs - 3.6 litre XJS Jaguar
Rob Halliday (Snr) - Lotus Cortina
Barry Hare - Rover Vitesse
Last edited by ERC; 03-08-2018 at 12:11 AM.
[QUOTE=ERC;64866]For those who are not aware, there are a couple of slots in the catch fencing at Pukekohe for the benefit of TV photographers I presume, but they are sited so low that it is virtually impossible for anyone taller than a legless dwarf to use them, using a traditional camera...
Ray, That is why I stopped going to Pukekohe several years ago. I found it so frustrating trying to get a good vantage point that I decided to limit my shooting to Hampton Downs & Taupo.
I used to have the same focussing problems with the big Tamron lens until I started using a much faster shutter speed [1/1000th] for head on shots. It seemed to work for me at least some of the time.
Agree Nigel. I am rapidly coming to the conclusion that Pukekohe is a total waste of time. Strange isn't it, that there are so many 'no go' areas at Pukekohe, 3m high catch fencing and at least half the track totally out of sight for spectators. You can't even spectate from the inside of turn one anymore. Who made that ruling? MSNZ Stewards? Pukekohe Park?
I wonder if part of the attraction of tracks decades ago, before some safety concerns overtook common-sense, was the feeling that you were close enough to the action to feel part of the meeting? That sense of being part of it has been replaced to that of (very) distant observers, with views blocked by catch fencing (OK, views for those wanting to take photographs), pedestrian bridges and concrete barriers.
Although Hampton Downs doesn't have a covered grandstand, at least every spectator can find a vantage point that allows an unobstructed view and of several different corners. If you compare the Pukekohe hairpin exit to the final Hampton Downs hairpin exit, how is it that there is high catch fencing at Pukekohe and not Hampton Downs? Aren't the risks similar?
I know there are drivers who will no longer race at Pukekohe and I don't really blame them, which doesn't help with getting viable grids which in turn makes spectating even less attractive.
On another tack altogether, how come all UK race circuits are (brown) sign-posted from many miles away, yet it was several years after I arrived in NZ before I found that there even was track at Taupo - and even during the A1GP, zero signposting? No wonder we don't get the spectator numbers.
It just makes the trip to Goodwood even more worthwhile!
Last edited by ERC; 03-08-2018 at 02:46 AM.
On another tack altogether, how come all UK race circuits are (brown) sign-posted from many miles away, yet it was several years after I arrived in NZ before I found that there even was track at Taupo - and even during the at A1GP, zero signposting? No wonder we don't get the spectator numbers.
Ray,- have now passed this comment on to track owners
In the UK John, the AA used to signpost all major events (presumably paid for by the organisers?), but the Brown signs are permanent, tourist/visitor signs exactly as here.
Silverstone for example is signposted from about 40 miles away on both the M1 Motorway and M40 motorway and most A roads have clear signs that will take you right to the gates.
From memory, there are some permanent Brown signs for Goodwood, but at Festival and Revival time, there are hundreds of clear AA signs, including which routes for different coloured windscreen parking labels and regular traffic updates on the radio. Although Goodwood is ticket only, if it wasn't, having traffic reports on all local radio stations at least alerts locals to the fact that there is an event on, whereas here, unless you are already in the know, other than major meetings, you'd have no idea whether or not there was anything on at the tracks.
Is there a sign for the Taupo race track on the new Taupo by-pass? 'Centennial Park' doesn't exactly scream 'Motor Racing'. There are still Aucklanders who have no idea that Hampton Downs even exists or what it is there for.
Ho hum... back to pics.
Flemings Trofeo Series though some competitors were also in the ERC Series and practiced at the same time. All pics from this meeting were taken during practice.
and back to the ERC series
Reece Killingback, not racing an Imp.
Last edited by ERC; 03-08-2018 at 08:13 PM.
Is there a sign for the Taupo race track on the new Taupo by-pass? 'Centennial Park' doesn't exactly scream 'Motor Racing'. There are still Aucklanders who have no idea that Hampton Downs even exists or what it is there for.
I made my first visit to Taupo for the Historic GP meeting and I couldn't find the circuit. I had to go back into Taupo and ask at a petrol station.
Just to add, I went to Stoneleigh for Race Retro Show a few weeks back (forgot the camera!) From miles away there were aa signs showing which route to use for the various car parks and even stating which were for which group of people. It didn't just say Park A or whatever.
The active rally run saw all sorts of very cool Group B cars many being driven with "gusto". Metro 6R4, Renault Turbos, Myriads of Escorts, Stratos,Opel Manta etc.... Then there was inside...
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