Read this with a French accent…

20 May, 2019

 


 

For its 16th adventure around the world, the French association
Traction sans Frontières selected New Zealand.


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Report written by Philippe and Nana Lasson

Several reasons explain our choice. For several years Bruce Williams, Chairman of Citroën Canterbury Car Club, and Maureen Dale from Ashburton joined us and followed our European trips to the Arctic circle, Portugal and Ireland. We spoke very often of the natural beauties of New Zealand, and we wanted to finish our Round-the-World tour in Oceania, which was initiated in 1998 in Australia with the Tracbar Dundee Rallye. That was a good country, too, with so many people involved in classic car preservation, Citroëns being our target.

We prepared for our Raid Citroën Kiwi 2019 with a long trip around the two islands in February and March 2018.

Our conclusion … we were right: New Zealand is a paradise for vintage car drivers. Extraordinary landscapes, wonderful roads (even the unsealed ones), very nice population, good wines, and many Citroën enthusiasts!


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Eighteen Citroëns were shipped from France (52 days on sea). We were so scared by your very hard sanitary control; our cars were inspected, controlled two months before being shipped, and cleaned as never before! We did 4500kms on the two islands, visiting all the tourist points of interest. We left Franz Josef 24 hours before the destruction of the bridge, fell in love with your rain forest and its ferns, swam with dolphins, admired colonies of seals at Kaikoura, spent almost a whole day in Bill Richardson’s museum, followed the gravel all around Coromandel Peninsula (for us, one of the most beautiful landscapes we had ever seen), took a wonderful picture of our beloved Citroëns in front of the Sound Shell in Napier, and met tens and tens of smiling people who took hundreds of pictures of our cars. Gorgeous!

Our group consisted of 17 vehicles: Light Fifteens, Big Fifteens, and one 2CV ‘007’. To be honest, one of the ‘Tractions’ is a Trac’Toy (Traction plus Toyota), born in the brain of a wizard who, 20 years ago,  adapted the body of a Traction on a 4X4 Toyota chassis. The result is really amazing, and the reactions of the admirers were too!

Armstrong Motor Group helped Tractions Sans Frontières in loaning us a nice C3 Aircross used by our video team who realizes the films of our rallies. Warmest greetings.


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Many New Zealand Citroën enthusiasts helped us too — many thanks.

With this 16th international trip, Tractions Sans Frontières arrives at the end of a wonderful loop. We visited all the continents with our cars, all of which are between 65 to 80 years old.

We travelled in Northern, Southern, Central, and Eastern Europe; in North and South America (Canada, Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia); in South East Asia (Malaysia, Thailand), in Africa and in Oceania. A lot of countries for a lot of souvenirs. As we used to say: “we create emotions for instants collectors”.

For all of us at Tractions Sans Frontières, New Zealand will no doubt remain the best trip we ever had.


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Mechanic assistance: one mechanic follows our trips (he is benevolent, too, as the organizers have to pay for his participation) and takes care of the cars. This year, he only had little problems to fix: one starter, one transmission, and plugs to change — that’s all.

It’s quite amazing to note that Tractions Sans Frontières is the only association in the world that organizes such long trips with Tractions Citroën. All together, since 2015, we did 2,250,000kms and not always on sealed roads! All the cars always went back home! Certainly a world record …

For Tractions Sans Frontières, Philippe and Nana Lasson


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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.”