New Zealand’s First Two Motor Imported into Wellington in February 1898

By Dr John Osborne FTC, DTT, PhD, MSAEA, MSAEI, MIAME, FSG

Wellington Entrepreneur William Mclean (born 1845 in Grantown, Inverness-shire, Scotland, emigrated to New Zealand in 1863), returned to Britain to attend Queen Victoria’s Jubilee celebrations in June 1897, then carried on to France where he visited the manufactures. Acting on behalf of the proposed New Zealand Motor Car Syndicate McLean purchased two Benz type cars from a Paris Showroom, in October 1897 he oversaw their disassembly, crating and shipping them aboard the “Rotomahana” to New Zealand. (It is not known if these two Benz type cars were new or used or whether they were French or German made research continues.)

In 1897 the French were world leaders in car production, with over 20 car manufacturers including Crouan (fitted with automatic advance and retard ignition and pneumatic ), Darracq, De Dion–Bouton (made the worlds first high-speed petrol engine in 1895), , Foucher-Delachanal, Gobron-Brillie, Gardner (designed by Englishman Charles W James, and made in the Paris factory owned by American Frank L Gardner), Klaus, Krieger, Lacoste-Battmann, (who later made cars under aliases), Le Blon (chassis could be supplied for any type of body), Le Brun, Lufbery, Marchand, Mors, -Levassor (P&L), Peugoet, , Rochet-Schneider and Roger.

Believed to be New Zealand’s First Motor Car imported in February 1898 by William Mclean which he named “PETROLETTE” The car has been converted from tiller arm to wheel steering c1899.

Le Brun, Lufbery, Panhard-Levassor (P&L), and Peugoet all commenced their Car Production using rear mounted Daimler engines. During 1891 P&L evolved into the classic car layout – engine at the front, mid-mounted 4 forward and a reverse gearbox to central chain driven rear wheels, was quick to adopt the P&L / Daimler Vee twin Phenix engine in 1894. Similarly in 1896 British Daimler adopted the Daimler vee twin engine, P&L running gear to which was fitted British coachwork, but that’s another story

Delahaye, Foucher-Delachanal, Mors, Rochet-Schneider and Roger all made cars with rear engine layout driving through primary belts to final drive by side chains in the Benz idiom. Emile Roger was licensed by Benz in 1887 to produce the three wheeled Benz with wooden spoked wheels followed by the 4 wheelers. By 1895 Benz cars were criticised as being slow, underpowered and old fashioned and Emile Roger was advertising his own design four wheeled cars for two to ten passengers. In 1897 Mors introduced the worlds first V4 engine with electric ignition and it was an immediate success.

The two cars arrived in Wellington on the 19th February 1898 and incurred 75 pounds import duty on an approximate cost of 130 and 160 pounds respectively plus shipping.

Edward Seager a syndicate member and an Ironfounder by trade had the mechanical aptitude to assemble and teach himself to drive the two cars, the smaller one first in a shed next door to the foundry. The Newspaper reported on 14 March that Seager gave the flywheel a turn to start the engine, climbed on board, worked the lever that slipped the belt from loose to drive pully, grasped the tiller, and released the wheel brake with a lurch. The car travelled 8 to 10mph. McLean christened the smaller car “Petrolette” and the larger car “Lightening” which was said to have a breakneck top speed of 30mph.

McLean in an attempt to impress Wellingtons Mayor T W Hislop took him for a ride, but lost control of the car and ran into the picket fence surrounding the Basin Reserve, injuring Hislop’s nose, New Zealands first Motor Car accident.

McLean’s application for a licence to operate and drive the two cars in Wellington was put on hold at a City Council meeting held on 5 may 1898. Angry, McLean put a Private Members Bill before The House of Representatives, but it was not until the 28th October 1898 that the “McLean Motor Car Act” became Law. The Act required (abbreviated) Drivers to be Licensed; Cars to carry lights after dark; A warning Bell or other instrument to be fitted; A maximum speed of 12mph (20km/h) and 8mph in town; Minimum tyre width 2.5inches; Maximum width of car 6.5 feet; To be fitted with one brake for every two wheels and the brakes to be under the control of a competent person; Car must be guided by driver sitting thereon; Registration details to be painted on right side of car; Name of car driver and owner to be provided if requested by the Police.

In September 1902 the Mclean Act was replaced by the “Motor Cars Regulations Act”. Upon which Sir Joseph Ward commented:- “the motor car has come to stay”

In 1903 two women and six men gained the AAA’s Certificate of Competency to drive a car in Wellington, 153 cars and motor cycles had been imported into New Zealand by 1903, and in 1906 of the 20 private cars in Wellington two were registered to female owners

Later William McLean bought New Zealand Agency rights for Vehicles from “The Paris House of Automobiles”

Acknowledgements and Special thanks to:- McLean Family, Wayne Nelson PhD, Ellen Ellis, Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington. www.natlib.govt.nz New Zealand National Achives, Wellington. www.archives.govt.nz www.Brighton-Early.com ; www.sciencemuseum.org.uk ; www.panhard.com ; www.inventors.about.com ; The Complete Encyclopedia of Motorcars 1885 to 1970 by G N Georgano; 100 Years of Motoring in New Zealand by John McCrystal;