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Massive Murphy auction at Hampton Downs

16 June, 2014

 


Greg Murphy is supporting the Spinal Cord Society NZ and its research into finding a cure for Type 1 diabetes by donating the proceeds of a massive memorabilia auction. The event is to be held on Sunday, June 1, at Hampton Downs Motorsport Park, and entry is free.

The items for sale on the day will range from highly covetable items donated by Greg from the highlights of his career to date, to fun and very reasonably priced items, making this an exciting event for bidders of all levels.

There are also chances to win apparel and even a hot lap with the man himself, with spot prizes on the day for all those who register on arrival.

For information on all the family activities planned, as well as the full inventory of items to be auctioned and registrations of expressions of interest, visit murphhotlaps.com. To bid on one of the 20 charity hot laps also available, visit trademe.co.nz and use the search term ‘Murph Hot Laps’.


Public and guest event timetable:

8.30am: Pre-booked track experiences commence
9.30am: Free entry general admission gates open to public: Holden Barina Skid Pan experience, kids bouncy castle, Formula Challenge V8 drive sessions
10am: Silent auction, Trademe Charity Auction winners’ hot laps commence
12.30pm: Special track demonstrations including drift demonstration by Drew Donovan
1.30pm: Silent auction closes
2.30pm: Greg Murphy live auction begins
3pm: Formula Challenge single-seater drive experiences
4pm: Event activities conclude

Mitsubishi’s secret weapon

31 July, 2026

Ewen’s Starion is a little different and special. He saved this one – literally ‘found in a paddock’ — just in time, as he relates.
“Mine is a 1983 Starion. I’ve had it about five years. I first saw it in a paddock at Ryal Bush [north of Invercargill], and I went past it three times. The third time I went back and knocked at the door, but the owner didn’t want to sell. He rang up a year later, and put a price on it, which we accepted. Only thing wrong was the motor was totally dismantled.”
Ewen then set about getting the car back to its current state.
“It took me six months to find somebody suitable to refurbish it back then. Simon Bradley at Midas in Invercargill offered to do it and he did a great job on it. The head was badly damaged around the valves, and Simon said you could get generic cylinder heads now, so he installed one, and it cost $800. It’s made such a difference to the car. Mine is an intercooled, fuel-injected turbo model, fitted with a five-speed manual gearbox. It’s a great car to drive too.”
Except for a small patch of surface rust, Ewen’s car was in surprisingly good condition despite its paddock life.

Coaching from the bench: Casting plastic knobs and rubber parts

16 July, 2026

Casting rubber items is simple if you have a good original to work with. The item doesn’t have to be perfect. You can use plasticine to smooth out cracks, and you can even make whole prototypes out of low-fire modelling clay available from craft stores if you need to. Prototypes can also be made of wood or metal.
You will need mould dams to contain the liquid urethane moulding solution until it cures. You can build boxes out of strips of wood, but I have found that small plastic boxes and bowls such as those you would use for leftovers in your fridge work well if you spray them with a mould release agent.
Temperature is important to the chemical processes involved, so work in an area that can be maintained at around 20 degrees. You will also need adequate ventilation because the fumes can be dangerous to breathe. And you will want to wear latex gloves to protect your hands.