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Weekly Motor Fix: seen a 1975 VW Kombi ute in New Zealand lately?

23 August, 2016

Over the weekend, my father-in-law (FIL) informed me that his old ute that gets thrashed about as his surf wagon and dump-run machine is on its last legs. The mechanic had given it its last rites by stamping a big old ‘fail’ on the WOF sheet last week, with the ute having succumbed to the dreaded cancer that tends to eat cars alive living near the coast.

Of course when your FIL says “jump’, we sons-in-law must say “how high?”. And when he tasks you with finding him a new old ute, well, it brings a tear to your eye. Unfortunately, my father-in-law isn’t one for sentimentality so the job must get done with efficiency and as little arsing about as possible. His parameters? Diesel, single-cab chassis with a tray big enough to fit several surfboards, reliable, and under $5000. Too easy for someone who knows how to work within parameters and takes instruction well.

Unfortunately for him, I’m no good at either of these things.

And that’s why I’m recommending he buy this …

A 1975 Volkswagen Kombi split-window ute in excellent condition with a potentially genuine 9000km on the clock! And almost within budget too (only about 10 times over).

This rare Kombi ute has been brought into the country by South African national Chris Middlewick, from his home country. Chris spotted this extremely tidy Kombi and saw an opportunity to bring the rarity to New Zealand. He intended to hold onto the Kombi, but has recently bought Tyretech on Auckland’s North Shore, so no longer has the time to enjoy it.

The Kombi has had one owner its entire life, and lived 600km inland from the ocean at high altitude ensuring that the dreaded rust hasn’t become an issue.

There surely can’t be many examples of split-window Kombis in New Zealand, let alone in this condition.

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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.

Fraser Cars – low flying into the fourth decade

10 July, 2026

With almost three and a half decades under its belt, Fraser Cars is one of New Zealand’s longest-surviving car manufacturers. The company first opened its doors for business in 1988, during the boom time for kit manufacturers. During the ’80s, around 40 different companies were building kits and turnkey cars for this niche market. Of those, only Fraser and Almac Cars (established 1981) are still in business today.
Most of the new kit car companies were killed off in the cradle by the threat of new legislation that never eventuated and definitively by the sudden availability of high-performance Japanese cars when the floodgates to second-hand imports were opened. The now long-retired founder of the company, Neil Fraser, first came across Lotus Seven replicas while racing Lotus Cortinas in the early ’80s. He regularly found himself racing against a little Caterham, a Lotus Seven–styled car built in England. He was very impressed by its simplicity and handling. In 1986 Fraser built his own Lotus Seven–type car, using the knowledge he had gained from several close looks at the Caterham.