The "Good Old Days" were they?

[Steve Holmes]

Here I am. Just been buying a couple of old NZ motoring mags off Trade Me.

[thunder road]

Steeeeeve;I would have aproximately 10/15,000 automotive magazines, its a 'mental' problem,but makes for great 'rainny days'................lots of usa stuff/australian /english/new zealand, in that sort of priorety from the 50's till now ,my friends (I do have some!!)drop of bundles all the time ,plus I buy collections,as you would !!!!!!!!!am I single at this age,YES!!!!!!!!!and why not !!?

[Steve Holmes]

Um, you'd need quite a few rainy days to read 10/15,000 mags there thunder. Do you keep these mags in your house? And if so, do you have to sleep in the garage?

Actually, I used to have a similar 'problem'(?). I made a decision to cut the articles/pics that I wanted to keep, and put them into clear files. Now I have 10 or so clear files, and my life seems better for it. My girlfriend likes me now, the birds sing, and its always sunny.

Now Vintage Motorsport, and Australian Muscle Car. That's a different story. They all stay intact, as do my British Historic Race and Rally, and Historic Racing, which are both now discontinued. And I keep the early NZ mags, Motorman, Autonews etc. That's what I bought today. Am trying to get post 1970.

[Robert Ryan]

Steve you should post on the net more scans of those historic Sports Sedans...like Addisons Charger and the EXTREME rear-engined Alfetta, the one with the Driver behind the rear-engine!!!

[Steve Holmes]

Camaroz, Dekon were one of the builders of Monza race cars for Imsa Trans-Am etc. I've gathered a bit of info on the Dekons in preparation for when I eventually write a story on Red Dawsons Monza, which wasn't a Dekon.

In fact, they should be spelt 'DeKon'. 'D' is for Lee Dykstra, and 'K' is for Horst Kwech. Apparently the 'e' following the 'D' is for 'design' (De), while the 'on' following the 'K' is for 'construction' (Kon). DeKon. This may not be correct, but its the info I have.

Moffats is a DeKon built car. DeKon built mainly Monzas, but they also did a couple of Camaros, and a Buick Skyhawk, which is basically a Monza anyway I think. Moffats is a series 3 car. There were about five different variations built over the years. Dawsons, to the best of my knowledge, wasn't a DeKon, but looked almost identicle to Moffats.

Did you say Moffats is still in Aus? Aopparently its chassis #1005.

Boy, do I have some useless information floating about in my head. I just found out recently that 'Camaro' is apparently old French for 'friend' or 'companion'.

[Steve Holmes]

By the way Camaroz, can you post a pic of your Monza? I'd love to see it. Thanks

[deeks6]

Moffat's was Chassis 1001 rebuilt in fact, according to:

http://www.geocities.com/monzaman_gt/home.html

wonder what did happen to this car...did win the title did'nt he?

[Robert Ryan]

error

[Steve Holmes]

Yes, you're right Robert. That was a mistake I'd made too, somewhere in this thread I think.

I don't really have many pics of the sports sedans, although I did write a story on the Addis Charger. An amazing car. Had ground effects, and driver adjustable rear wing. Addis could adjust the angle of the rear wing as he was driving, like the 2E Chaparral Can-Am car. He told me he is preparing it for classic racing events, but it still hasn't appeared yet. He got ****ed with MANZ, and stuffed the car, and everything to do with it into a large shipping container, welded the doors shut, and dragged it down to the back of his farm, where it sat for twelve years, untouched, and un opened.

The Ian Algie Alfetta I have an article from an old Hot Rod mag on. The engine was right where the front passengers would be, and Algie sat behind it. I guess to get more weight over the rear wheels? Probably also because there was no space next to the engine. A wild car.

[Robert Ryan]

Steve,
I found it.The Algie Anglia
http://homepages.ihug.co.nz/~homewood/BOB4.JPG

[Steve Holmes]

Wow, great pic Robert. Where is that taken? And who's is the Escort? It looks like the Monterosso car?

[Steve Holmes]

I remember now. The Escort ran a BDA from memory. Ex Formula Atlantic/Pacific engine. I don't recall it doing that well when I saw it, but that was at Manfield. The car was very light. I saw it a second time at Manfield, a couple of years later, but I don't think Homewood had it then. Its appearance seemed to have taken a dive, and it was well off the pace.

[Camaroz]

Hey Robert,

Where is Lakis these days? What happened to his Camaro?

[Robert Ryan]

Camaroz do not know. He seemed to drop out of the scene in the 1980's

[Steve Holmes]

Robert, Graeme Addis pics as requested. This one is an early shot of the car at Baypark. Richards Falcon and Leonards PDL II in behind. Leonard and Richards were this close to each other at every track the pair visted. This shot is by Terry Marshall.

[Steve Holmes]

Another early shot. AMC didn't use this one. I think the car looks nicest here, before all the aerodynamic appendages. Baypark again I think.

[Steve Holmes]

Last one. Great shot here of the car in the workshop. Chassis was built as two spaceframes, front and rear. Rear contained engine (car was rear engined in its second phase), gearbox, rear suspension etc, and was fitted into the rear spaceframe cradle. Could be pulled out of the car as a unit in 20 mins. Leo Leonard once told Addis he would get mesmerised when following the Charger, watching all the F5000 componenets spinning around at the rear.

This car actually had ground effects later in its life, like F1 cars and sportscars did before they were banned. Rear end was opened up, so there was no rear panel, and deep skirts fitted down the side. A whole was cut in the front spoiler, which vented down under the car, and a piece of adjustable perspex fitted over it with all the bottom sealed up. The ground effects could be adjusted by sliding the perspex over the hole. The air flow exits at the point of least resistence, in this case, the open rear end. As the hole at the rear is larger than that at the front, it creates a kind of vacuume, which sucks the car to the ground the faster it travelled. By adjusting the size of the hole at the front with the perspex, they could adjust the ground effects. By making the hole smaller, the ground effects were more severe etc.

Addis is a clever guy. This car was eventually banned.

[thunder road]

Steve; who's is the 'Monza' rear of 'Richo !!!!???

[Camaroz]

Thunder, my tip is Briggs!

[Camaroz]

I have been working my way through this thread (thanx again Robert)and there was a query as to the ex-Jum Richards Hardtop S/S.

I saw it at a private practice day at Oran Park in April (the friday before ANZAC Day weekend). It looked in good nick and still 'genuine'.

We need to put a register of these cars together and get the memory/near-to-lost knowledge documented. We all know that 'our' cars can end up in 'private' collections or just fade away and will never race again, this situation should be minimised.

What we need to do is bring cars out into the sunshine, if a current owner can be encouraged to, place on the register and if there is enough cars/interest, we might be able to all go for a speed again. Central Muscle Cars in NZ have shown it can be done!!!
Check out www.centralmusclecars.co.nz

Here is a list to start off with that does not include obvious cars like the Moff Mustang, Beechey Munro etc.

Please add or rectify.

Harrop EH. Stewie Douglas. Will run again.
Bob Jane Repco Torana. Van-Werch. 1 of 18 projects?
Bob Jane Monaro. Tino Leo. Being restored.
Geoghegans Monaro. Awaiting resto
McCormack Charger. Being restored.
Pat Crea Cortina. Somewhere in Tassie.
Indy Speed Shop Camaro. Bob Middleton. (running)
Bruce Cary Capri. In NZ. (running)
Sidchrome Mustang. In NZ.
Coppins Camaro. In NZ (running)
Coppins Firebird. In NZ. Being restored.
Gardner Camaro. Me. (will be running).
Richards Falcon H/Top. In Sydney. (running).
Chambers Monza. In Qld. (running).
Gowans Celica. Bob Gill. (For Sale).
Whincup Monza (1st one). Chassis etc. Bob Gill. (For Sale)
Edmonson Alfetta. (Clearihan?) Being restored.
Ceveri Sierra (orig Rogers H/B Torana)(could run)
Pare Camaro. Sportelli (Tas). Being restored.

To use a AMC phrase, MIA:

Briggs Monza
Moffat Monza
Frank Ure Torana/Buick
Jim Smith Hatchback
Peter Finch Monaro
Ausie built Grice BMW Turbo
Chocolates Capri (Bob Gill did have it)

That's a start, come on....

[Steve Holmes]

Add to the list a few more NZ cars:

PDL Mustang I. Steve Ross. Restored
PDL Mustang II. Stewart family (PDL) restored
Graeme Addis Charger. Addis. running soon
Bullivant/Baker/Cullinane Capri V8. running
Fahey Cologne Capri. Roger Townshend. Being restored
Allan Moffat Cologne Capri. Mike John. running
Red Dawson 70 Camaro. Kelvin Towns. being restored
Don Grindley Mazda RX7 Buick. Restored
Grant Brennan Escort V8. running
Don Halliday Escort BDA. Being restored
Avon Hyde V8 Capri. running

thunder, I'm not sure who's is the Monza in the shot. The front spoiler has the name John Rob????

[Steve Holmes]

Trevor Crowe Oldsmobile V8 Starlet I. Jackson French
Trevor Crowe Oldsmobile V8 Starlet II. SI running

[Group'C']

Camaroz
The Pat Crea Cortina is owned by Ray Mead who all so has Richard Purtell - SS Xu-1
Leon Burdon - SS Gemini (Holden 6)
and a couple of other Torana's.
Dont like the chances of them ever racing again as Ray has a negative attitude to racing these days and wont sell anything either.

You mention a Capri in your MIA list
Chocalates Capri (Bob Gill did have it)

Scotty Taylor purchased a Bob Gill Capri and put Group C Commodore running gear in it, Steve Bell now races it but he changed the body work to some he got of the Attard boys.

Bill Attard still has his Capri

[mickj]

Still interesting reading. AmonF thanks for info re Derek Vince racing the Graduate.
I moved 7 yrs ago. I had collected magazines from 1967 and had a Lot of RCN's, Auto Actions, Autosports etc etc. I kept magazines that interested me and the rest went to good homes.

[cavvy]

The Graduate - did Stan Starcevich build it, is it related to the Cooper Ford big banger Don O'Sullivan ran prior to the Lola T70 he ran at Caversham.