Rare 1924 Rickenbacker to appear at Warbirds & Wheels

15 January, 2015

Wanaka’s remarkable Warbirds & Wheels museum has just gained another piece of history in the form of a rare 1924 Model C Rickenbacker Roadster. The museum was loaned the rare car by the family of the current owner, the late Ted Aitken, to enable car lovers worldwide the chance to view a piece of engineering beauty.

The car has been in New Zealand since the original owner purchased it from the Chicago factory in 1924, and has remained in Christchurch with various owners since. According to official records, it is the only Rickenbacker outside of the United States. Only 101 of the cars were produced, and this one is a right-hand drive — believed to be the only one of its kind made. The Rickenbacker features a 117-inch wheelbase, 58hp straight-six engine, and four wheel brakes — unusual for a car in 1924.

The car is also significant on account of its namesake Capt. Eddie Rickenbacker, who was an American fighter ace in World War I and Medal of Honor recipient. With 26 aerial victories, he was America’s most successful fighter ace in the war. He was also a race-car driver, automotive designer, government consultant in military matters, long-time head of Eastern Air Lines, and owner of the Indianapolis 500 Speedway. Quite the character, ‘Fast Eddie’ cheated death over 135 times and has been the subject of a number of books and movies, and even penned his own autobiography.

Showcased from January 2015, Warbirds & Wheels will continue to have the 1924 Model C Rickenbacker on display for the foreseeable future.

A second dose of Dash

When the car arrived in Wellington in December 2018 it was duly taken along for entry certification. Vehicle Inspection NZ (VINZ) found some wrongly wired lamps and switches — not too bad — but, much more significantly, some poor welding repairs. As the structural problems were probed more thoroughly, we realized the previous owner’s restoration would not do and we needed an upgrade. Dash had made it into the country but it would take some time and money before he would be free to explore any of New Zealand’s scenic highways.
We took the car to our new home in Johnsonville in the northern suburbs of Wellington and I pored over the car in detail to figure out what was next. There were lots of new parts on the car and a very perky reconditioned drivetrain but the chassis needed serious work.

Lunch with… Jim Palmer

In the 1960s, Hamilton’s Jim Palmer won the prestigious ‘Gold Star’ four times and was the first resident New Zealander home in the New Zealand Grand Prix on five consecutive occasions. He shared the podium with Stirling Moss, Jack Brabham, Bruce McLaren, Graham Hill, Jim Clark, Denny Hulme, Jackie Stewart, and Chris Amon. The extent of his domination of the open-wheeler scene in New Zealand will probably never be matched or exceeded. Yet he’s always been modest about his achievements.