Discovered wrecks along New Zealand’s highways and byways

30 December, 2014

 

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“Trevor Stanley-Joblin has put together a gallery of the roadside relics discovered while travelling throughout New Zealand”

Morris Minor attracting attention to the Open Café — photographed during the running of the Pirelli Mainland Classic Tour, with a tour entrant’s Minor convertible parked alongside

A 1973 Land Rover — an ex–Automobile Association Canterbury service vehicle owned by a neighbour in August 2011

Part of a huge collection spotted in Ranfurly, December 2008

A 1916 White truck, seen on the roadside at Roxburgh — note the solid rubber tyres!

This 1951 Lanchester LD10 was, for many years, parked in a driveway on Avonside Drive, Christchurch. Trevor owned one of these back in the ’80s, and it appears to be completely original having only travelled 41,371 miles (66,580km)

This ‘landcrab’ Wolseley 1800 is still in remarkably original condition, but resides in a field in New Brighton. The 1800 Austin/Morris/Wolseley models have the most spacious interiors of any four-cylinder car of their era — they were, essentially, ahead of their time

This Ford Model A has been at the Te Waimate Station for many years. The station was founded in 1854 by Michael Studholme, while this Model A was purchased in 1953 for £35, and was originally a four-door sedan, but it was converted into a flatbed pickup for use around the farm

At Ashburton’s Botanical Gardens this Lanz Bulldog tractor is now used as a children’s play vehicle. These German tractors were built from 1921 right up to the ’60s, the company being purchased by John Deere in 1956. Can one of our readers tell us when this particular Bulldog might have been built?

NZ Classic Car magazine, November/December 2026 issue 408, on sale now

Star status for classic Porsche
A long search ends: finding the right car
Unveiled at the Frankfurt Motor Show in 1963, the Porsche 911 heralded an iconic lineage of sports cars, known for their exceptional performance, remarkable racing reliability, and adaptability, second to none.
New Zealand Classic Car, in conjunction with Star Insure, recently conducted a photo competition to find 13 suitably impressive classics to grace the pages of the magazine’s 2027 calendar. A flood of entries showed that Kiwis recognise eye-catching designs and restorations. Many are handy with a camera, too, and have entered some outstanding results.
The choice was not straightforward, with multiple stunning entries, and Geoff Long’s immaculate 1990 Porsche 911 (964 Factory designation) took top honours. Fortunately, Geoff had Ethan Hanlon handy to take the accompanying photos while working in his office.
“I’ve got a young employee who is doing work experience in my office at the moment, and he’s a very avid photographer. So, I said, I’ll buy you breakfast and then why don’t we go and take some photos. He found the right spot, and he spent over an hour photographing.”
Originally sold new in Japan, hence the right-hand drive, the Porsche was resident there for four years before being exported to New Zealand, as Geoff recalls.
“I bought it two-and-a-half years ago, but I looked for it for over two years, because it’s just the colour scheme, interior and exterior I was after. The service file that came with it is extensive; I mean, it’s been beautifully looked after, which is what I wanted to continue, as it does get driven. It doesn’t sit in the garage.”

Classics on the green

Many pretenders vie for the title, but the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance gets my vote as the biggest thing since sliced bread.
The 71st edition of the world’s pre-eminent and best-known concours event featured 28 classes, judged by a 180-strong jury, which also chose the recipients of 26 special awards.
The size of the event, the number of visitors, and, most mind-numbingly, the sheer number of amazing cars, is almost overwhelming. There are so many quality cars to gaze upon, and so many people gazing at those cars, that it is almost impossible to cover everything.
Notable among the many attractions were the centenary celebrations of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, an elegant Talbot-Lago Grand Sport, Hermann Graber’s Swiss-bodied cabriolets and coupés, the jewels of Otto Vu Italian V8s, early Alfa Romeos, Lincoln and its centenary, and cars with unorthodox propulsion systems.