Southward Car Museum’s annual Auto Jumble in November

16 June, 2014

 


The Southward Car Museum is holding its annual Auto Jumble in November 2014 and owners of vintage, classic, and rare cars and motorcycles can bring their unwanted parts and memorabilia for others to rummage through.

Being an automotive only swap meet, punters may be able to find that elusive missing piece they need to get on with whatever project they’re working on.


The Auto Jumble provides vendors the opportunity to display their automotive-themed products to the public.

Once again we have the opportunity for vendors to display their automotive themed products to the public.

The Car Corral area will also be at the Auto Jumble. This is for those who would like to advertise their vehicle as being for sale. Southward Car Museum has hopes that this area will be a buyer’s paradise on the day.


Preferential parking will be set aside for those who are wanting to bring their classic car or motorcycle along for a ride on the day.

Children’s entertainment and paces to purchase food and beverages will complete the day out. Gates open at 8am — make sure you get there early so you don’t miss out on the great deals!

Vendors who are interested in holding a trade site should contact Hayden on [email protected] for more information.


Lunch with Bill Leckie: An Imp’s tale

Seeking limelight is part of Bill Leckie’s DNA, but when I asked him if anyone had written about his career and the cars he created, he didn’t think so. Even so, I was delighted when he agreed to sit down with me over a pie and coffee to reminisce. I started by asking how it is that someone who is so fanatical about F1 only ever raced saloon cars? Well, we’ll get to that, but where did things start? “I went to Cornwall Park Primary School and then to Remuera Intermediate where I became good mates with Geoff Perry, son of the legendary motorcycle racing legend Len.” Geoff Perry was 23 and on the edge of stardom when he was killed in a mystery air disaster over the Pacific in 1973. “We used to race around his backyard on a cutdown motorbike. It was friendly competition that I suppose helped hone our racing instincts. There was never much between us and so, by 11 or 12, I had a definite leaning towards speed.”

Mitsubishi’s secret weapon

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.