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Keeping it in the family

21 August, 2019

 

 

Some cars inspire so much affection that their value soars way beyond their guide price. ‘Geraldine’ is one of those priceless classics.

After Chris Steele sold his grandmother’s Hillman Super Minx, he couldn’t stop thinking about it. So, after more than a decade, he launched a mission to find it and then restore it. 

Whenever he saw a Hillman Super Minx in red with a white flash, he’d be looking for the plate or other clues to see if it was Nana’s old ‘Geraldine’.


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Eventually, as Hillman Super Minx sightings dropped away, Chris decided he had to try to find Geraldine. The people he had sold it to had passed it on. He discovered the registration was on hold, but it was already past the time when you could look up owners online from a car’s rego plates. Chris contacted the New Zealand Transport Authority, explaining that he wanted to buy the car back and asking to contact the current owner. He was told the authority couldn’t provide details because of the Privacy Act. Chris was quite persistent and, in the end, spoke to a senior executive, who agreed to send the owner a letter on Chris’s behalf. A few days later, the person who had owned it for the past 11 years contacted Chris.


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Chris Steele’s grandmother owned the Mark IV Super Minx from 1967 through to 2000, kept it garaged every night, and kept detailed notes of everything done to the car, in tiny writing in tiny notebooks. In one of them, she recorded that she had paid 1165 pounds for it.

“If the car got rained on, it was always dried down,” says Chris.

This attention to the details is clearly in the genes. When restoring the car, Chris sourced, among many other parts, a mint-condition steering wheel. It’s still in its packaging. The one in the car bears the scars of his grandmother’s rings.

“I’ve got a near concours condition wheel but I couldn’t bear to change it,” Chris explains. “It’s a special feeling that comes from knowing that’s the same wheel they held.”


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The car underwent a bare metal rebuild and the result is a triumph of passion and dedication and the full story is in September’s New Zealand Classic Car, on sale now.


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How to switch to an alternator

23 October, 2026

Car electrics can be daunting, but upgrading from a generator to an alternator need not be complicated if you know what pitfalls to avoid.
The challenges you may face when converting a 12-volt generating system to an alternator are:
• Finding brackets to mount the alternator to your engine
• Determining the wiring you want to use for your particular set-up
• Deciding whether you want to use an ammeter, an idiot light, or a voltmeter to monitor your classic’s charging system.

NZ Classic Car magazine, November/December 2026 issue 408, on sale now

18 October, 2026

Star status for classic Porsche
A long search ends: finding the right car
Unveiled at the Frankfurt Motor Show in 1963, the Porsche 911 heralded an iconic lineage of sports cars, known for their exceptional performance, remarkable racing reliability, and adaptability, second to none.
New Zealand Classic Car, in conjunction with Star Insure, recently conducted a photo competition to find 13 suitably impressive classics to grace the pages of the magazine’s 2027 calendar. A flood of entries showed that Kiwis recognise eye-catching designs and restorations. Many are handy with a camera, too, and have entered some outstanding results.
The choice was not straightforward, with multiple stunning entries, and Geoff Long’s immaculate 1990 Porsche 911 (964 Factory designation) took top honours. Fortunately, Geoff had Ethan Hanlon handy to take the accompanying photos while working in his office.
“I’ve got a young employee who is doing work experience in my office at the moment, and he’s a very avid photographer. So, I said, I’ll buy you breakfast and then why don’t we go and take some photos. He found the right spot, and he spent over an hour photographing.”
Originally sold new in Japan, hence the right-hand drive, the Porsche was resident there for four years before being exported to New Zealand, as Geoff recalls.
“I bought it two-and-a-half years ago, but I looked for it for over two years, because it’s just the colour scheme, interior and exterior I was after. The service file that came with it is extensive; I mean, it’s been beautifully looked after, which is what I wanted to continue, as it does get driven. It doesn’t sit in the garage.”