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Labour of love: 1962 Cadillac Coupe de Ville

23 May, 2018

 

 

Bruce Haye from Ace Panel and Paint in Whitianga purchased this 1962 Cadillac Coupe de Ville from the original importer of the car, who had rolled it down his driveway and crashed it into a massive rock. After assessing the damage, Bruce provided the owner with a price to repair the car, but, as it was outside their budget to carry out the necessary repairs, they offered the car to Bruce. 

A 1962 Cadillac wasn’t really Bruce’s cup of tea, but he thought, what the hell, and bought the car anyway and proceeded to restore it. After completely stripping the paint and body filler out of the car, what was left was indeed daunting. The car looked as if it had been driven down a narrow alleyway — the middle swage down the side of the car was non-existent, as it had been completely filled with body filler. Then there were the usual American quick-fix repair jobs to contend with; these ‘fixes’ included drilling holes and using a slide hammer to pull the dents out through them.

“The car looked as if it had been driven down a narrow alleyway — the middle swage down the side of the car was non-existent, as it had been completely filled with body filler.”

 

 

Bruce also discovered that the original 390ci (6.4-litre) V8 engine had seen better days, and wondered how it even ran at all. A closer inspection revealed one missing cam lobe and massive lips on the bores, which meant that the engine would need to be totally rebuilt.
Bruce decided it was best to retire the old Caddy motor to the back of the workshop and fit a Chevrolet 454ci (7.4-litre) engine in its place. He was initially concerned about the fuel consumption, but he needn’t have worried, because the high gearing in the differential resulted in reasonable economy, much the same as his old petrol-powered Mazda B2600 ute. 

The Cadillac’s restoration has taken about three years of hard labour, according to Bruce. He’s actually lost count of the hours taken to hammer out the swage lines down the side of the car. Fortunately, there wasn’t a lot of rust to contend with, which would have made the restoration non viable for Bruce, as he was doing all the repairs himself. Choosing the colour was quite a time-consuming process, but eventually he chose a custom-made gold from Sikkens that doesn’t look mustard or green from different angles.

The final result is a comfortable car that Bruce enjoys driving — and it performs surprisingly well for a car almost 6m long. 

Breakfast of champions – Brink

17 March, 2026

Some older readers may recall the amusing late 60s advertisement for a breakfast drink using World Champion racing driver Graham Hill which was made while he was out here competing in the Tasman Series.
“Drink Brink” was the phrase, subtly altered by Graham’s characteristic lisp into “Dwink Bwinkl” which drew a grin or two.
Southland Mini racing enthusiast Howard Kingsford-Smith has preserved a little bit of Mini racing history when he re-created the “Brink Mini” some 25 years ago.
“I bought what remained of the original car and made a replica I suppose or look-a-like of the original Brink Mini from Cathy Henderson about 25 years ago,” Howard explained.

The motor car as an art form

12 March, 2026

We have certainly come a long way since the exhibition entitled 8 Automobiles, shown at the Museum of Modern Art in New York in the autumn of 1951, the first exhibition concerned with the aesthetics of motor car design.
It was here that the often-used term ‘rolling sculpture’ was coined by curator Philip C Johnson, director of the department of architecture and design, when he said, “An automobile is a familiar 20th century artefact, and is no less worthy of being judged for its visual appeal than a building or a chair. Automobiles are hollow, rolling sculptures, and their design refinements are fascinating. We have selected cars whose details and basic design suggest that automobiles, besides being America’s most useful objects, could be a source of visual experience more enjoyable than they now are.”