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Weekly Motor Fix: the Duzgo

31 March, 2015

 


This unusual-looking vehicle was built in 1978 by Giles Engineering in Whataroa South Westland. These little on-road/off-road vehicles were built for the farming community and have been described as the precursor to the four-wheel farm bike. Despite being only two-wheel drive and powered by a 12hp (8.9kW) Kohler engine, the vehicle’s range of gearing, 12 forward and three reverse, meant it could traverse the harshest terrain pulling a fair load without leaving deep tracks in the paddocks.

Construction of the first Duzgo began in the early 1970s; Giles Engineering went on to produce ten of these vehicles, each one individually numbered. This Duzgo is number eight. There were orders for another thirteen, when the Giles were visited by the men in suits from Wellington who, because they saw them as new vehicles, demanded payment of excise tax, which was placed on new vehicles at that time. The company was forced to close.


Though seen as new vehicles, they were built primarily from second-hand parts. For example, the two gearboxes intermeshed to give it the wide range of gears, were from Morris Minor and Ford Anglia.

According to the current owners, once you own one it is hard to part with it. ‘Duzgo #8’ has featured in a number of TV documentaries, one of which was Billy Connolly’s World Tour of New Zealand, where Billy described it as his “favourite car in the world.”

Duzgo #8 has been used as such other things as a hearse, a means to tow a helicopter trolley in and out of a hanger, and a wedding vehicle. It has currently been on display at The Bushman’s Centre at Pukekura, South Westland, and is currently on the market.

More to the point

6 March, 2026

This Daimler SP252 is so rare, few people know it exists. It’s one of a kind. It’s the only surviving, in fact the only SP252 ever completed; the would-be successor to the SP250 Daimler Dart. It is also the last sports car to have been designed by Jaguar’s legendary founder, Sir William Lyons.
Perhaps one of the original Dart’s biggest problems was it’s somewhat-divisive looks. It certainly went well enough to win fans, although Sir William wasn’t among them. It crushed the opposition in the Bathurst six-hour race, finishing five laps ahead of anyone else, and it was snapped up by police forces in Britain, Australia, and New Zealand, as it was the fastest thing on the road.
So you’d think a stunning new body with the magic Lyons touch would have been a surefire success. Why this car never made it into production is still something of a mystery, as the official explanations barely stack up.

Polishing to perfection

26 February, 2026

The secret to a show-stopping finish is colour sanding, no matter which paint system you use. Even a good painter, no matter how experienced or talented — like my mate Bruce Haye, CEO at Ace Panel and Paint in Whitianga — can’t shoot to a perfect mirror finish. To get that level of perfection, you need to colour sand.
It used to be called ‘rubbing out’ or ‘cutting’, and it was done with pastes that came in cans. They worked — sort of — but the compounds really just rounded off imperfections instead of eliminating them, and they removed a lot of paint in the process. But now your new finish can be made flawless, thanks to microfine sandpapers that come in 1000, 1500, 2000, and even 2500 grit ranges, and Farecla G3 polish — available from automotive paint suppliers.