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Supercars by the sea

11 May, 2023

A wealth of automotive treats gathered on Wellington’s waterfront
By Christopher Moor

Summer Supercars by the Sea had a million dollar harbour backdrop for cars worth maybe 20 times more than that, parked along Wellington’s Te Papa promenade on Sunday 22 January. The capital’s anniversary weekend car show ran between 10am and 12.30pm.
Around 60 supercars graced the concourse for the Wellington Sports & Supercar Owners’ second show. Last winter’s show was at the nearby Odlins’ Plaza but the new venue for the summer event enabled an improved display, and easier access for visitors to get amongst them. A few cyclists and scooter riders detoured from their promenading around the waterfront to take a look at some of the finest alternative forms of transport.

It was the day of the coupé featuring American muscle, European classics, the sporty Japanese, and the best of British, plus a scattering of four door saloons and a handful of soft tops displayed with their hoods down. Those expecting Mustangs, Corvettes, Ferraris, Aston Martins, Hondas, Lamborghinis, or a DeLorean would have been well satisfied.
Children provided a pretty steady stream of visitors to the silver Lamborghini Gallardo to have their photos taken with this exotic beast. Hopefully they weren’t too disappointed to discover that the revving motors heard throughout the morning came from pre-recorded sources.

My happiest memory of the day is of the Aston Martin owner who opened the door of his convertible to let youngsters take a turn behind the wheel. Their matching beaming smiles told me he’d made their day – as well as his own. Here’s hoping kind gestures such as this from today’s classic owners will help ensure that the interest transfers to future generations.
An Englishman was overhead explaining the TVR 450 to some interested New Zealand mates, apparently a car they’d not heard of before. 
Summer Supercars by the Sea was a free entry event. Donations could be made on the concourse to Child Cancer, the day’s benefiting charity.

Escort services – 1968 Escort 1100 Restomod

19 September, 2024

The Escort started off as a 1968 1100 cc two-door sold-new in Britain. At some point it was retired from daily duty and set aside as a pet project for someone. When that project began is unclear, but much of the work was completed in 2014 including a complete rotisserie restoration.
By the end of 2014, it was finished but not completed. Its Wellingtonian owner bought it sight unseen from the UK and it landed here in early 2020. It was soon dispatched to Macbilt in Grenada North, Wellington for them to work their magic.
Macbilt had two instructions: to get the car through compliance for use on the road; and to improve the vehicle and finish the project so it drove as well as it looked. Looking at the car now, it has an amazing presence and stance. It can’t help but attract attention and a bevy of admirers.

Lunch with … Cary Taylor

11 September, 2024

Many years ago — in June 1995 to be more precise — I was being wowed with yet another terrific tale from Geoff Manning who had worked spanners on all types of racing cars. We were chatting at Bruce McLaren Intermediate school on the 25th anniversary of the death of the extraordinary Kiwi for whom the school was named. Geoff, who had been part of Ford’s Le Mans programme in the ’60s, and also Graham Hill’s chief mechanic — clearly realising that he had me in the palm of his hand — offered a piece of advice that I’ve never forgotten: “If you want the really good stories, talk to the mechanics.”
Without doubt the top mechanics, those involved in the highest echelons of motor racing, have stories galore — after all, they had relationships with their drivers so intimate that, to quote Geoff all those years ago, “Mechanics know what really happened.”