Garage ornament heaven auction to take place in July

12 June, 2017

Calling all petrolheads — R.A. Proctor Auctioneers will be hosting the auction to cure your winter blues. The automotive, garagenalia, associated memorabilia, and vehicle auction will take place at the corner of Humber and Nen streets in Oamaru, at 12pm on Saturday, July 1, and includes a huge array of all sorts of automotive goodness. 

Among the items for sale is a collection of more than 40 rare and vintage petrol pumps, such as American, Bowser, and Lighthouse, as well as signs, bottles, racks, stationary engines, number plates, and more. Larger objects include a 1939 Ford hot rod with current WOF and rego, a 1957 Ford Fairlane convertible with current WOF and rego, a 1939 Ford body suitable for placement as a very cool piece of garden art, a ’60s Concord 20-foot caravan in excellent condition, and a 1945 Field Marshall tractor that was restored around 40 years ago and still starts first pop! 

For more information and photos, keep an eye on proctorauctions.co.nz; phone
03 467 9368, 027 432 2907, or 021 477 682; or email [email protected]

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.

NZ Classic Car magazine, May/June 2025 issue 399, on sale now

Who would have thought it would become such a worldwide motorsport star when Ford introduced the humble Escort in 1967?
Its popularity, particularly in Mark 1 form, is now of iconic status. Our cover story for this issue is on a 1968 Ford Escort Mark 1, Alan Mann Racing Tribute. We talked with the owner of this very special Escort, finished in tribute also to the owner’s father.
“Most children love speed, and motorsport typically comes courtesy of a parent, and Elliott is no different. His engineer father, Mark, had a love for motorcycles and going fast; however, when children came along, he swapped two wheels for four, in the form of two Ford Escorts.
Little did Mark know it at the time, but the humble Escort was about to weave its way into the family fabric once and for all.
After emigrating from London to New Zealand, Elliott recalled one evening when he was 14 being invited to tag along by his father, helping a friend convert an Escort road car into a racing car. This was the pivotal moment when Elliott remembers the motorsport bug taking over. He knew he had to have his own one.”