Northern Sports Car Club - the early years.

[Roger Dowding]

The middle car in the team photo became mine a bit after the rally. It was my only car, driving to school as a teacher, and everything else one did in a car! At least mine was one of the team cars, and that colour. It had a perspex shield over the lights which went quite soft if all the lights were turned on while not being driven. Known in the Huntly Car Club as "the Flying Dork", might have been me, might be the Skoda insignia.
I did 54 events, trials, gymkhanas, Kerepehi grasstrack etc and made an $8 profit.

Great to read Rhys - keep a copy of the photo, sorry it is small, but that was how the were posted by John Coker .. he scanned them and didn't even crop the picture so was a full page with a small photo .. - speaking of Kerepehi, attended that meeting once in 1967 [ February I think as had just got my first car and joined NSCC .. a certain Jim Boyd was there with the Lycoming, and there were a few V8 Coupe's all very rough looking but great to watch..

Cheers
Roger D...

[Oldfart]

Boydie was a "character" of the top level. In 66 (?) we were all sitting round having lunch at the bottom of the Tarawera hillclimb when he told the following. (my words, but pretty close.)
"I was on my way down here (Lycoming) when I got stopped by a cop as I went past the Waharoa airfield, for speeding. I told him I didn't really think so as I was only doing about 1400 rpm, and the car being of the age it was didn't have to have a speedo. Being very humble (!) I asked if he would drive up the road and wave out the window when he was at legal speed, I would take note of the revs, and I promised to never speed again. The cop did as I asked, no ticket, and here we are".

[Roger Dowding]

Before Cosseys Farm - 1967 to around 1980 was Birdwood Road and Wharepapa Road,in early -mid 1960's - going further back was Ostrich Farm Road.
Here from Alan Boyle archives - taken on 35m colour film is a Sprite run by Auckland Car Club member Robbie Bark ..



Number plates are the 1961 - 64/65 issue - the last of the non- permanent plates that were introduced in 1964 for cars.

Maybe time to put the NSCC Hill Climb venues into a time line - some details have been put on this thread - more to find and post.

As an aside Alan Boyle got joint FTD at the first running of Cosseys Farm Road in March 1967.. in Tomato the first of his Minis with a longstroke 997cc motor - ..

From Bob Homewood this the results ; March 1967 from "Club Torque " the NSCC Magazine



a photo



- " Tomato " from Alan Boyle archives.. the joint FTD car.

a photo of Alan, Bob and others at the event .. from Club Torque .. thanks to Bob homewood.

[Roger Dowding]

An interesting photo of cars at the Elbow, by Milan Fistonic - was at that meeting but most of my pictures were in the pit area.
From behind the barrels, many photos were taken from the stairs or platform of the building on the corner of the Stables
The combined Motorcycle and Car meeting - cars only got a few races - used to have the programme..
" May 1966 - Tim Boyle (Humber Jag), Frank Radisich (Lotus Anglia), Hugh Kettelwell (Mini), John Riley (Ford Corvette), ?? (Anglia), Garth Souness (Morrari), Mike Meek (Austin Ford) and Ian Bradley (Lotus Cortina) "



The month after the accident filled "Reverse Direction " meeting in April.

Thanks Milan - had to ' borrow ' the photo for here - and in colour too !!

[Milan Fistonic]

The 1968 Castrol 1000 Rally organised by the NSCC.

[Roger Dowding]

Thanks Milan,
I probably played a very minor part - having joined the Club in February 1967. - NSCC didn't have Clubrooms yet so unsure where the Rally [ Trial ] started - was probably a parking or crowd marshall ..

[Peter M]

Very interesting from the entry list, quite a few ended up doing special stage rallying in the 1970s when they started.
Names that come to mind Jim Scott,Ralph Emson, Ivy Stevenson,Colin Taylor,Mary (donald) Carney,Paul Adams,Neil Johns and Blair Robson.
Rotorua Car Club was very active for Rallies in the 70s and 80s club members on the list Tony Long,Steve Boreham and Tony Baker.
This is the same Tony Baker as well as his brother Ross who built the Heron sports cars, another Rotorua local at the time Peter Ackeroyd raced one.

[Milan Fistonic]

Thanks Milan,
I probably played a very minor part - having joined the Club in February 1967. - NSCC didn't have Clubrooms yet so unsure where the Rally [ Trial ] started - was probably a parking or crowd marshall ..

As stated in the report, the event started in Taupo at midnight on June 1 and finished at the Pukekohe circuit on June 3.

[Roger Dowding]

As stated in the report, the event started in Taupo at midnight on June 1 and finished at the Pukekohe circuit on June 3.

Milan, should have read the details - great to have this for the NSCC thread.
Around 1975 I was co-plotter - the junior one for that years running of the event, which finished at Mount Richmond Domain - the NSCC Clubrooms, by then it was a one day event.

[Roger Dowding]

Some Hill Climbs event to start - details from Cosseys Farm, Drury.
The Clubs Hill from March 1967 until well into the 1980's
The items are from Club Torque - the NSCC Magazine - these from Graham Woods archives

1976 at Cosseys - October ; 1976-77 Bardahl Series event - big entry list



1976 -a closed Club event last of the Season May 1976



1977 Invitation Club event - Gold Star status



1977 closed Club - the last of season event, my " Old Barman Mate " Bruce Hatrick was the organiser



A different event the Annual " Sporting Trial " a Car Trial with emphasis on two person crews so less complicated, more of a Drivers Trial - as the " other guy / lady " would have to be navigator mapreader and time keeper.

I was in my 1971 Triumph GT6 with another " Old Mate " John Rye - John, myself and the guy who won the late, Bob Hayman along with Jim and or Grace Hack [ G Hack in the results ] often crewed together in Interclub and Mercury Trophy Trials - usually in Bob's 3.0 litre Capri, or John's Triumph 2.5 PI Mark one or his Fiat 125. I only had sports cars from mid 1974 until around 1981.

[Roger Dowding]

More from Club Torque - provided by Graham Woods.

A dirt meeting at Western Springs - a mix of cars.



Hill Climb at Birdwood Road, Massey - have featured a couple of competitors cars from Birdwood events previously
1965 again.



A couple of well known Guys in NSCC were Alan Woolf
- also my neighbour in the late 1950's early 1960's and a customer of ANZ Bank in Newton where I worked early 1968 to 1973 - his Wreckers later a Muffler Shop was on Dominion Road.
Then there was Colin Waite
- a panelbeater of some note and still has his business in New North Road run by family these days I believe - Used to go jogging with his son Paul in the 1990's running in Hash House Harriers.
Colin features in the Hill Climb results as does Trevor Sheffield
Both Alan and Colin were at the Springs meeting too !!
Alan and Colin both advertised in the NSCC Magazine - a couple of their ads from 1965.

[Roger Dowding]

More from Club Torque in 1976 - Graham Woods archives.



Through the top gate- before the sweeper to the finish.

[Roger Dowding]

Constructed during 1972 with many members providing the Labour ..
Here a scene from the opening ceremony in August 1972 - Minister of Transport Mr Gordon speaking, Morrie Chandler, Lew Lack and others seated.


Graham Woods archives from Club Torque-

Newspaper clippings of the Construction and comment about NSCC.
- from South Auckland Courier - a Suburban Newspapers publication - unsure where I found them





Rod Peat, Rob Grimwood, David Simpson and others commented on the Facebook page I found the top photo.

[Roger Dowding]

Another page from Club Torque - showing a " yump " on Cosseys Hill and a rather sad Mitsubishi as rallied by Morrie Chandler former President [current at the time ] of NSCC and a senior member of MANZ/MSNZ in recent years.



again from Graham Woods archives-

[ I dumped my 1967 - 1980 Club Torques back in 1995 when shifting from a large old house with the double garage and a carport to an apartment with a single carport only - has to reduce my cars ( sold the AH 100 ) to only two, an MGB GT and Daihatsu 4WD and my collection by hundreds of magazines - ERC knows the problem ]

[Roger Dowding]

Three photos of the cars outside the Helensville Hall - two from Arthur Siddall albums - courtesy Duncan Fox, the last from my Uncle Eddie Dowding's own photos.






disregard the date on the photo - we now know was 1945.. The Riley 9 Kestrel just seen to the left
Right - My Uncle Ed with pipe in the Riley and his wife Una as Navigator - Una turned 100 in January 2020.
Left - ** Ralph Watson and a Mate in the Singer
Ken Hemus was in a Sunbeam for this event and got stuck in Mackies Rest Mud Section as did many others.

Ron Roycroft won the event.

The full pages of the Album.



Poor editing on my part - the Album of Arthur Siddall state August 1945 - and the number plates are the " 1941 - 1946 " issue white on black with a , comma at the bottom centre of the plate - [ only taken 4 years to get right ].

I was also confused as Ed [ my Uncle Eddie ] and Una Dowding are in a Riley - they had a Morris Minor " 8 " Tourer in earlier years 1942 on and in the Winter Trial in August 1946 they are again in a Morris Minor " 8 " Tourer. I wonder was the Riley a " borrow " ?
What is confusing also is the colour of the Morris Minor " 8 " changed from dark in 1942 and 1946 to a light colour in 1947 when it appears in the Concour Photo taken at Cornwall Park in October 1947 and has the 1946 - 51 plates black on yellow with a - hyphen symbol centred

[Trevor Sheffield]

It is interesting to note that Ron Roycroft is wearing motor cycle clothing i.e. leather jacket and extendable cap. Something he continued with throughout his motor-sport activities. He was never one for the traditional flat cap and duffle coat. LOL.

[Roger Dowding]

NSCC, was formed during the second world war - believe or not and from what I have gleaned from my Uncle Albert Edward " Eddie " Dowding, initial discussions took place on the Ferries between, Auckland City and the North Shore jetty's, Devonport, Northcote and Birkenhead.
Eddie lived at the time in Herne Bay and caught the Ferry to Northcote to visit his girlfrend who became his wife in June 1942.

Amongst the group initially involved were, Ces Hodge, Jack Boot [ Ed's brother - in - law ] Phil Seabrook, Alan Pybus, Vern Clarke Jock Aitken and others
Lawrie Powell [ the well known Ford V8 driver and later the " famous " Starter at Pukekohe ] and others, including Ron Roycroft, and Ralph Watson were members in the late 1940's too !!.

I knew Jock Aitken - he was the mechanic on my first car in 1967, and Alan Pybus - was a great mate of Ed's whom he stayed in touch with until recently when they both passed away.
I have met both Ron Roycroft [ at Glen Murray and at the Pukekohe swap meeting ] and Ralph Watson, a visitor to my house in Herne Bay [ when Lyle Chambers was my flatmate and had a BSA Special ] on several occasions to look at Lyle's BSA, arriving in his own BSA Special.

In some later photo's at Mackies Rest on a trial in 1946, is Ralph in his 1933 Singer Roadster with my Uncle Ed and his wife Una in their Morris 8 Tourer

Eddie Dowding and his brother-in-law Jack Boot both belonged, Eddie was Club Captain in the early days 1944-45 and Second President in 1945-46 years. Verne Clark was president 1943-45
The Club was formally incorporated in October 1943, but meetings [ informal club gatherings ] took place from 1942 on.
***
New information April 2020 [ thread started in May 2015 ]
Have recently been given images of 30 pages of a Photo Album created by Arthur Siddall with photos of various NSCC events found by Duncan Fox at the Whitford Tip - there are around 130 photos covering the period 1942 - first gathering, through to 1949.
Am gradually editing and sorting them to group in chronological order and putting the events together

Eddie is still alive and well at 95, [ Eddie passed away aged 98 in May 2018 ] and many years ago gave me a few photos on NSCC and some events.

Here are a few to start

Attachment 29131
NSCC Concours 1947 -

Attachment 29132
NSCC Helensville Mud Trial 1949 [ now believed to be 1946 - from new photos uncovered of the event. ]
Photo from the same event - Outside the Helensville Hall at the end of the trial with Ron Roycroft in his car

Attachment 29133
Jack Boot Riley Special - raced at a Cinder Track in Huntly - year not known but late 1940's.**
Now believed to be 1944 so mid 1940's

As I find more will post them.

Please add to the thread.

Lots of new stuff to come so reposting Post #1 ..watch this space.

[Roger Dowding]

A Famous Car - owned by a few in New Zealand pre-war and into the late 1940's

These photos of the Car from 1946 - when owned by George Sellars
First photo at Muriwai in March 1946 - The Beach Races
A collection of photos of the Car in July 1946 at Orewa Beach Races
[ Images from the Arthur Siddall collection - provided by Duncan Fox.]

The photo of the engine is interesting as have my own copy of it from my late Uncle Ed Dowding which I thought was a Riley as was with his photo of the " Bugley " - The Bugatti-Riley or Riley Bugatti - of A J Roycroft, Ron Roycroft and my Uncle Jack Boot

Muriwai .



Orewa






a couple more to follow

Apologies for the sizes of the photo's - will try to get a bigger version [ 6 of them were on one page of the Arthur Siddall Album - the last 4 here and two more ]

Some details of previous owners to follow;
22 July 2024 - just been going through the images and the actual Album of Arthur Siddall.
The images are as sent to me by Duncan Fox in 2020 and in 2023 he aked me to be " Custodian " of the Album.

[Roger Dowding]

A couple more photos from Orewa





Details from the Album - the previous Owners ;



The montage of Six Photos - as received;



The Engine and Cockpit - from my own larger print of the photo.

[Trevor Sheffield]

It would appear that two different cars are being referred to. The famous supercharged Austin is illustrated in “My early Motor Racing Engineering” here:-

http://ralphwatson.scienceontheweb.net

It will be seen that there are clearly differences between the images.

I have a dim recollection of advice that two cars were imported pre-war by Seabrook Fowlds (Spellin?) Auckland, Austin agents, and one could have had an engine transplant. It would be interesting to investigate the history involved.