Hot Rods NEW ZEALAND HOT RODS of the 50's - 60's (picture thread)

Drag Racing on the back straight of Baypark Raceway ,Tauranga

 

Thanks, although we’ve since dropped it !

 

The heavily chopped Austin 7 appears to be Dave McDougal's "Green Meanie". JW

 

Colin Stuart later ran that car as the "Green Meanie"
Here is a photo of Dave McDougal in colour.


B & W


Colin Stuart here "having an Oops"


Super cool car with a 292 Y block

 

I hope you don’t mind me reviving this very old thread. I have more pics to post and it seems they should go here rather than start a new one. I see some of the old pics are gone but there are still plenty of good ones.

So here we go with more random pics of the early days of hot rodding in New Zealand……

 

Mustdrag still exists. Last I heard it was owned by Steve Raffills and being rebuilt to a more original body style, but as far as I know still a hot rod with flathead etc.

 

Great stuff Kev, keep them coming.

 

Mustdrag does sort of still exist! I bought all the '32 stuff that Steve Raffils and Grant Stables had collected to build a stockish roadster. A****st the parts, was the original Mustdrag body and a few bits and pieces. So with what I have in stock, plus those parts, I'm building a recreation of Mustdrag, as close as possible to the original, but because I want to drive it, I will have to make some changes to keep "the man" happy! As I get going on the build, I'll do something on the HAMB

 

Thanks for posting those pics Kev, I'm still trying to identify a few bits so every photo gives a bit more info!

 

Post 128 -The young lady with the flamed roadster is now a grandmother. Picture dares to about 1958.
Same car in 1963 form appears in the Rod Benders (Christchurch, New Zealand) club phot taken outside the clubroom (post 125) complete with Corgi scooter. Second from right is "Taf" Mathie who built the car.
Left to right; Allan Agnew(channelled 36 coupe) Jerry Brand, Bob Roper (Corgi), Alby Hill, Peter Smith, Cliff Wilson, Gordon Trotter (32 Roadster), Taf (28 Roadster) and Phil Bryant.
Taf's roadster was stored for many years. Now all major components have been rebuilt. and we are working throgh the never ending maze of certification to get the car approved for road use, looking very much as it did 60 years ago.

 

Bills car today, pretty much unchanged apart from the bits he updated after this original photo was taken

 

think about levin very very small town nz 1967 where does a crazy guy come up with ideas of a severe channel section on a 35/36 plus the location in a few feet from my buddy’s now full on hot rod shop. Apparently the guy wasn’t above breaking the law and running cops off the road and hurriedly split to Australia. Way back then where does a guy come with the crazy ideas. Nz hot rod mag didn’t start till 67

 

Since this thread popped up again I will add these…….

 

Of note of all those 32 Ford Roadsters, only 75 came to NZ when new. I would love to see a pic of my old 32 Roadster i had the body of in 1980 as it was built in the late 50's.
It was on a 39 frame and the body was sectioned and lenthened behing the doors 14''. It was a Wellington car. JW

 

Love this thread, keep them coming.

 

When I was about 5 yrs old we would walk past Graham Hogan's shop on the way home from school, the windows were too high for me so I'd wait for my 4 older siblings to get over marvelling at the work he was doing converting a pranged 32 sedan into a truck and eventually someone would lift me up for a look. Our neighbour Jim Henry bought the finished truck from him, he sold it after a few years and it's never been seen again, It was an outstanding rod for the time.