April~May 2010 April–May 2010 Daimler & Lanchester Owners’ Club in New Zealand Inc.

National Executive

President: Ed Hayhoe ‘Beechcroft’ 19 Cabeleigh Drive, Helensville 0800 Ph: 09 420 6390 Fax: 09 420 6791 E-mail: [email protected] Vice President: John Penman 25A Fancourt Street, Meadowbank, Auckland 1072 Ph: 09 521 2011 E-mail: [email protected] Secretary: Mike King 21 Millar St, Palmerston North 4410 Ph: 06 357 1237 Fax: 06 356 8480 E-mail: [email protected] Treasurer: Peter Mackie P.O. Box 8446, Havelock North 4157 Ph: 06 877 4766 E-mail: [email protected] Club Captain: Winston Wingfield 7 Pioneer Crescent, Helensburgh, Dunedin 9010 Ph: 03 476 2323 E-mail: [email protected] Patron: Ian Hill Printer: Penny May, Aorangi Print, 125 Campbell Rd, RD 5, Feilding 4775 Ph: 06 323 4516 (wk), 06 323 4698 (hm) E-mail: [email protected]

Website: www.daimlerclub.org.nz

All membership enquiries to the Secretary.

Contributions to the magazine Please send all contributions for inclusion in the magazine directly to the Secretary via fax email or mail by the TENTH day of the month prior to publication.

Disclaimer

The views and opinions expressed in this magazine are purely those of the authors and are not necessarily those of the Daimler and Lanchester Owners’ Club. Daimler & Lanchester Owners’ Club in New Zealand Inc.

April~May 2010

Contents Page From the Driver’s Seat – National President’s Report...... 2 Getting Up to Speed – National Secretary’s Report ...... 3 Round the Bazaars – Daimlers on the Run ...... 7 Articles of Interest: Graeme Ireland Classic Restorations...... 8 Front Brake Upgrade for Daimler V8/Jaguar MK2...... 10 Service Bulletin Number B.5 (2nd Issue)...... 12 Photo Gallery...... 14–15 Edward Turner...... 16 Chariot of the Sun...... 19 The magic of WD-40...... 22 Hitting the Road – Daimler Events Diary...... 24 Members’ Market...... 27

YOUR CLUB WEBSITE NEEDS YOU ! To be successful and maintain interest, a Website needs regular updating. I know our members will agree that our Website in its upgraded form has progressed significantly since Shane Gibson rebuilt it and offered his ongoing voluntary support as our Webmaster. Shane has recently suggested that members could contribute to the content by sending in photos of their favorite vehicle, together with associated descriptive copy. Additionally, members with a particular interest in any model, having researched its history, may care to contribute relevant photos and a supporting article. We would like to encourage your support in this area and ask you to forward copy as outlined above directly to Shane at [email protected]. We look forward to receiving your contributions. Peter Mackie

April–May 2010  From the Driver’s Seat ... A Message from your National President

The busy Christmas and New Year season behind us with the Festive lunches, BBQs and as far as Auckland is concerned two major Car Shows i.e. Galaxy of at Motat and the Ellerslie Concours the next important event is, of course the A.G.M. and Rally in Hawkes Bay in May. Speaking of which the team in B.O.P. have been working hard to put together an interesting and varied programme. I’m looking forward to catching up with old friends and hopefully making some new ones and enjoying a fun weekend. The weather seems to have caught up with itself and much of the Country in drought conditions. I hope that there’s some good weather in reserve for the A.G.M. although I’m sure we’ll enjoy the get together whatever. See you there. Ed Hayhoe National President

- Final Reminder - National A G M and Mini Rally 8th – 9th May 2010 Havelock North

We are looking forward to welcoming members from around New Zealand to what promises to be another relaxing get together, with ample time for members staying over on Sunday to enjoy the many attractions that this area has to offer.

Completed Registration Forms have already been received, giving an early indication that we can expect a good turn out for this weekend.

We hope you will be able to join us on this occasion and take this opportunity to remind you that your Registration needs to be in our hands no later than 15th April.

Peter Mackie

 Daimler & Lanchester Owners’ Club in New Zealand Inc Getting up to Speed ... A Word from your National Secretary

Welcome to this month’s new members: • Susan Worthington and Max Kempson of Waikanae have a 1975 . • Christopher and Joan Field of Warkworth have a recently purchased . A reminder that any remits or notices of motion for the AGM should be in by now. Please advise if you have anything to include on the agenda. Our rule book is being reprinted to include the amendments from 2002. It should be completed prior to the AGM for distribution. Those who have yet to pay their subscriptions, they are now overdue, please attend to this now to keep our treasurer smiling. Ta. It is interesting to note that Daimler V8 prices are on the rise. I quote from Lawrence Jones from UK: “All ears and eyes were focused on the Brightwells auction of classic cars in the west country on the 12th of December last, when an SP250 went under the hammer for the second time in a matter of months. The final price was just the other side of 30,000 GBPounds (NZ$63,952)! This ex Isle of Man SP had in the late Autumn been auctioned and sold by H&H up in Cheshire for 20,000 GBP and then entered straightaway at Brightwells with a guide of 28,000–30,000. A good case of being in the right place at the right time! But the SP wasn’t the only surprise at Brightwells, they sold a V8 250 saloon for close to 20,000GBP to much applause! This takes the V8 250 into Jaguar 3.8 territory, mind you, I’ve always thought that the Daimler V8 was somewhat undervalued not only in price but in appreciation as well”. Dorothy has sold Gibby’s 104 to a good home, it’s now with David Hoye in Auckland. It made the trip north without any great drama. I believe David’s arm muscles are now much more highly developed than before! I also believe Ed Hayhoe’s Special Sport has a new owner in Christchurch. We are planning a National weekend event in Rotorua in October. This is to be an open invitation to all Daimler, Lanchester, BSA and Jaguar owners including Wellington and SP250 Clubs. We will have an organised programme, details to follow. Winston and Alex have plans well in hand for the 2011 National Rally in Blenheim, this promises to be a memorable event. National will be assisting with Ferry crossings to ease the costs a little…. Doug Brown has forwarded information from the Vintage Car Club re their National Rally to be held in Wanganui in 2012. They plan to facilitate a “one make” day on Monday 23rd January (Wellington Anniversary Day). If sufficient interest, we could organise a “Mini Rally” involving Daimler cars from the greater part of the North Island. If interested contact Doug or myself. One of my current projects is to replace the bearings in the Consort as I would like to take it to next year’s National Rally. This car actually attended the first National Rally in Nelson with the previous owner, the late Allan Fletcher. While it has had ongoing repairs and maintenance, it has never been restored and is still in a tidy condition. Mike King

April–May 2010   Daimler & Lanchester Owners’ Club in New Zealand Inc Round the Bazaars ... Daimlers on the Run

Auckland February 14th – Ellerslie Concours 2010 An overcast day, and isolated drizzle did not dampen the spirits of the seven members who brought along their cars. We had arranged for two more cars but sickness and accident conspired against us. Richard once again provided his marquee, which did a fabulous job of keeping us dry, thank you Richard. As I do not have a Daimler at the moment Clive graciously loaned me his Conquest to support our display. As the result of attending the show we may have a new member and a share of the gate takings to support our Club Funds. As with other years the range of cars was both interesting and varied. The Car Book sellers were busy and the lunch options varied from healthy to the other extreme. The event was what you wanted to make of it: talking with friends over coffee or discussing technical attributes of different makes of cars, the camaraderie in the erection of the marquee, makes the day memorable. Bryan ______Waikato–BOP Trip to Skyline Skyrides Rotorua 21st February Cathy and I arrived at Skyline Skyrides just after 10 and did a quick circuit of the car park to find it devoid of Daimlers. Thinking we may be early (or late) we parked the V8 (1st official outing) under a nice shady tree to wait for more arrivals. At this point we noticed some familiar faces in the foyer talking to Neville Nicholson, fellow member and general manager of the Skyline Skyrides complex. We joined them to find Colin and Maureen King and Bruce and Zoe Henderson in attendance and after half an hour of catch up and no more takers it was decided to commence the tour of this magnificent tourist attraction. Neville showed us the complex workings of the gondola machinery and then took us up in one to the top for a tour of their restaurant and café and the magnificent views over the city and lake. After shouting us morning tea he then produced some luge ride tickets for us to share and due to another appointment had to leave us to it. We spent the next couple of hours exploring the various luge ride tracks on offer and even DAIMLER JACKETS We now have a new stock of Jackets ranging in size from M to XXXL. They are very reasonably priced at $50.00 plus p&p. There are only three Daimler caps left and they are only $15.00 plus p&p. We will have these at the Mini rally in May otherwise call Bert on 06-368 0696 or Mike on 06-357 1237 (Manawatu branch).

April–May 2010  the girls were coaxed into a ride. Colin reckoned it was nearly as much fun as his blo-kart. We then went back down to the car park, found a shady spot on the grass and had our picnic lunch and by 3pm everyone had departed for home. I would like to extend a huge thankyou to Neville from everyone for what was a most enjoyable and memorable day and if you are in Rotorua it is certainly worth a trip up the gondolas to see this world class attraction. As a side note Neville is restoring a DB17 that has Bruce on luge. been in his family for years and hopes to have it on the road this year. Lindsay Donoghue ______Hawke’s Bay Sunday 7th March we held our AGM again at the Boyce’s residence where we had nearly all of our members present, having a very satisfactory meeting with new faces coming on to the committee. We have a new member who has a V8 that he bought in Christchurch and this was fully inspected by the members. Mike has added enough to his double garage to now make it a quad. This caused a lot of envy amongst the men and it has a very nice mix of vehicles parked there. He has just finished restoring a red V8 which is now parked behind his white V8. In the other corner is a 1970s Austin 3 litre which has been brought back to life as well. In the front corner is Robyn’s red MGF with the winter hardtop hanging on the wall. The red Holden sits on the drive! After all the car talk we had a BBQ with our usual Club supplied excellent steaks, Mad Butcher sausages and the amazing array of member’s salads and deserts. The weather was very patchy but the new canopy they have installed over their outdoor area did a great job protecting us from the light shower and then the sun. Ann Bowes

 Daimler & Lanchester Owners’ Club in New Zealand Inc Manawatu Meanderings Picnic at Vinegar Hill We met at the Feilding railway station at 10.30am, there were seven cars, Ray’s Triumph 2.5, Brian and Gray in their BMW’s, Mikes SP250, Des’s V8, My XJ40 and Pauline’s 2000 V8. After a bit of chin wagging, at about 10.50am we decided to head off. Our first stop was Stormy Point which gives a great view of the Rangitikei River and its valley. Then it was on to the picnic area alongside the river. This is quite a large area with good facilities so out with tables and chairs and lunch was had. The weather was kind and the threatening rain stayed away. Around 2.30pm it was off to Hunterville for coffee before heading home. It was great to be able to sit around with like minded people and just have a chat. Bert Empson Working Bee at Pauline’s This event was the culmination of considerable effort be a few people. Some time prior to the allocated date, Brian and Keith worked out a plan of attack, while Stewart got the old Fergy to run well enough to help with the task. For those of you who have visited the home of Pauline Goodliffe, will be aware of the huge amount of ferris (and oxide), material in sheds, under trees, everywhere! Where to start? One shed at a time, all manor of scrap steel was hauled out, placed in large drums provided by the recyclers, or towed out to the paddock where the truck could collect it. Roofing iron, car and truck and gearboxes, panels, , old farm harrows, you name it. Even disturbed a sleepy possum! The Fergy ran better the harder it worked, it was going quite well by the end of the day. Work was interrupted for a BBQ lunch, after which it required considerable willpower to get back into it. Graydon arrived with his gas torch to dissect some of the bigger items, others simply fell apart. A day of hard work saw a large pile of scrap for collection, but we had hardly scratched the surface, some more days will be required. The incentive, part of the proceeds goes into a fund to assist Manawatu members going to the Blenheim rally. We might even get a free rally (yeah right!) Mike King ______

I Haven’t Had a Drop to Drink! After having spent and afternoon at home, an acquaintance was going about his business when he was stopped at a check point for what he thought would be just routine. After following instructions he was horrified to be told he had a positive alcohol reading. “It’s not true, I have not had a drop.” “Yeah right, do it again” … another positive reading. Still protesting, he was led to the Booze bus. Another test and Green! After more protesting, the officers asked what he had been doing before leaving home. After some thought he said, “I cleaned my teeth and used a mouthwash.” Laughter and smiles all round from the constabulary and my acquaintance was on his way. So think twice everyone if using mouthwash and check the alcohol content before buying these products. Pauline Goodliffe

April–May 2010  Articles of Interest ...

Graeme Ireland Classic Car Restorations (Paul Edginton) IT IS HUMAN NATURE TO COMPLAIN ABOUT POOR SERVICE and quality but accept good service and quality without comment. Graeme provides excellent quality with great service as well. Just before Christmas I was out in the Daimler buying strawberries and having stopped at a compulsory stop to turn left onto the busy main road one vehicle pulled up behind me but the next car didn’t quite manage to stop in time. There was a bang from behind and fearing the worst I got out to survey the damage. I GOT OFF LIGHTLY AS IT HAPPENED with a dented overrider scratched bumper and a small dent just below the boot lid. I had been in to look at Graeme’s workshop previously and was impressed by the quality of the work and his ability to shape sheet steel into complex metal structures. The insurance assessor agreed that the whole bumper should be repaired and re- chromed when it was not strictly necessary for the drivers side overrider to be touched as it was not damaged in the accident. Any body contemplating re chroming should budget on $700 for the bumper and $150 per overrider. I picked the car up this morning and here I am with Graeme. The only problem is that the front bumper now looks quite tatty in comparison. Graeme has recently moved to Cambridge from Auckland and lives at Karipiro. He has no traffic light to go through and is very happy with his more relaxed life out of the rat race and into rural Waikato. If you are a NZ Classic car reader you may well have seen several articles on the work that he has undertaken such as a car the same as mine i.e. a manual gearbox V8. This photo shows how both wings have been removed repaired painted on the inside then replaced. Graeme does not use lead mainly due to environmental issues and the difficulty in  Daimler & Lanchester Owners’ Club in New Zealand Inc neutralising the flux used in the leading process but once the bodywork is ready he firstly applies an epoxy two pack etch primer then uses an epoxy filler. Once he has achieved the final contours another epoxy undercoat is applied thus sealing the filler. Cavity wax is the final step for all internal metal surfaces. I asked Graeme for his advice on how to avoid buying a rusty lemon and his words of wisdom were: • On cars that have recently had bodywork repairs ask for photos of the work in progress as with the advent of digital photography any restorer concerned about doing a quality job will have taken lots of photos • Look at the sills especially underneath for rust bubbles or poorly finished repair work as a craftsman will apply the same finish to the bottom of these areas that is seen on the more visible panels. • Look for rust under window rubbers • Are the arches clear of mud. • In the bright sun look along the sides of the car using the sunlight reflecting off the paint surface to see any ripples and imperfections. • Look at the fit of the doors boot lid and bonnet; are all the shutlines even and equal? Graeme is only too happy to do small jobs as well as total restorations and also as in my case insurance work. He assures me that the owner is only too welcome to come at any time to check on progress and the owner is allowed to have a more hands-on approach and do some of the work (where appropriate) themselves.

Graeme can be contacted on: 07 823 7025 or 027 4826 464.

April–May 2010  Front Brake Upgrade for Daimler V8/Jaguar MK2 (Paul Edginton) During the rebuilding of my car it became apparent that the entire braking system was showing signs of years of neglect. The brakes felt as if the servo was totally ineffective. They were, to put it mildly; heavy and sudden stops were to be avoided. I have driven similar cars with well maintained brakes and know that generally they are well up to the job. When new these cars were considered ‘state of the art’ with 4 wheel disc brakes. Something had to be done. Off came the rear callipers and using compressed air the pistons were soon out. The horror of old water laden brake fluid and the corrosion it has caused was soon revealed. The poor braking was caused by the inability of the pistons to move smoothly due to rust and crud in the bores. The front callipers had at some time been rebuilt as the bores had been resleeved using bronze rather than stainless steel that is more commonly used today. There was of course no corrosion on the bronze but there was a layer of varnish like material that I very carefully cleaned off. It looked as if I would need to rebuild the rear cylinders with new seals all round. For those readers that combine the w.w.w. with a fascination for the motor car it is amazing what you can learn by surfing. I came across xke-lovers.com and learnt that a popular modification for E type owners was the fitting of Volvo 4 pot callipers from the front of a 200 series vehicle. Some more research showed that suitable reconditioned callipers could be had for US$70 plus $46 shipping via e-bay. I duly made an order and the units arrived about 10 days later at my doorstep. Note: Make sure you only purchase Girling brand for solid unvented rotors. At this point in the story please go to the above mentioned website as the articles are very well written and illustrated. If that’s not possible ask a friend to print off the relevant articles as my limited typing ability will not allow me to reproduce all the detail here. There is a fundamental difference between the Jaguar MK2 and the E Type steering. The E Type has rack and pinion while the MK2 has a re-circulating ball and the pick-up off the tie rod to the stub axle or suspension upright is on the front rather than the rear as in the E Type. Now if your eyes are glazing over at this point just have a look at the photos and move on. Modifications to make:- (Having a friend with machine tools was a great help.) 1. Drill out the calliper mounting holes to ½in to suit the bolts that are lock wired on to the suspension upright. 2. Mill down the upper mounting boss to the thickness of the original calliper boss. (Photo opposite, top left) This is done because the calliper upper mounting point is between the tie rod lever (time to get out the workshop manual) and the suspension upright. 3. I used new rotors (discs) but in any case the diameter has to be reduced by about 6mm using a lathe. I prefer this to the alternative method of grinding out the calliper body as mentioned on the referred web site.

10 Daimler & Lanchester Owners’ Club in New Zealand Inc 4. Trial mount the calliper after having removed the tie rod lever. This involves undoing the stub axle nut. Centre the calliper between the rotor using a combination of the original shims and hardened steel washers. Read the workshop manual about the importance of doing this correctly. 5. Refit the tie rod lever holding it in place with the upper calliper bolt only and torque it up to fully tight. I used new high tensile cap screws and also use an assembly lubricant such as copper-slip. There will be a gap between the tie rod lever where it slips over the stub axle and the suspension upright. Measure this gap using feeler gauges as a spacer will need to be made up to fill the gap. The photo above (right) shows where the space is situated. As this modification will alter the tracking of the and make them toe out I adjusted the track rod approximately and had the suspension totally set up professionally at the end of the rebuild. 6. I could find no easy way to refit the back/dust plate so it was left off and a small bracket was fabricated to carry the mount for the hydraulic line. 7. The callipers are designed for dual circuit systems and there is two ways of getting around this as detailed in the xke-lovers site. I decided to use the internal drilling between the brake cylinders which was done accurately in a drill press without drama. This allowed one of the inlets to be blanked off using a bleed screw as seen in the photo below. So (if you are still awake) how do they work on the road you may well ask? Very well, however I have not been able to try my car back to back with a similar one so it is hard to be definitive. The pedal effort is greater than a modern car but not heavy and therefore more in keeping with the rest of the controls. There is some pedal movement on the first push which I have not sorted out and that may because I used the larger cylinders from the original front callipers on the back brakes as they were still in good condition. There is certainly no lack of stopping ability with very good control and ‘foot feel’.

April–May 2010 11 I also replaced all the brake lines with galvanised steel pipe which is quite easy to bend by hand. Getting good flares on the pipe ends takes a bit of practice but I am more than happy with the results. After reading the Practical Classics book on restoring a similar car I decided as they had done to leave out the vacuum tank and instead fit a non-return valve in the vacuum line from the inlet manifold. The only problem this may cause is very heavy brakes if the is not turning over i.e. being towed. ______Service Bulletin Number B.5 (2nd Issue)

Section: Engine Date: October 1963

This Service Bulletin supersedes the original issue of September 1963 which should be destroyed.

Crankshaft Rear Oil Seal

Models affected Commencing Engine Number SP. 250 97541 2 litre V.8 Saloon From commencement of production

Commencing at the above engine number, a modified rear main bearing housing incorporating an asbestos rope oil seal (Part No. C.22996) in an annular groove is introduced. A modified crankshaft is also introduced in conjunction with the new seal.

Replacing the Seal Take the new asbestos seals and carefully tap them on the side face to narrow the section of the seal. Fit the seals to the housing and press into the groove using a hammer handle until the seal does not protrude from the ends of the housing. Do NOT cut the ends off the seal if they protrude from the housing but continue pressing the seal into the groove until both ends are flush. Using a knife or similar tool, press all loose ends of asbestos into the ends of the groove so that they will not be trapped between the two halves of the housing when assembled.

Refitting (See illustration) Fit the rear main bearing cap to the block without the bearing shells and tighten down the four bolts. Smear a small quantity of colloidal graphite around the inner surface

12 Daimler & Lanchester Owners’ Club in New Zealand Inc of the asbestos seal and insert the sizing bar (Churchill Tool No. D.505). Ensure that the pilot end of the sizing bar enters the of the main bearing then press the bar inwards and rotate at the same time until the bar is fully home. Remove the bar by pulling and twisting at the same time. Remove tool and bearing cap for fitting of crankshaft and bearings and finally tighten down all main bearing cap bolts to a torque figure of 30–35 lbs.ft. (4.1 to 4.8 kg.m) 3 except the two /8” diameter bolts at the rear of the cylinder block securing the oil seal extension housing of the rear main bearing cap, which should be tightened in the normal way with an ordinary ring spanner. The finished size of the seal should be 2.500”/2.499” internal diameter to provide an interference fit of .001” and the diameter of the sizing bar where it engages with the seal is of this dimension. The dimension where it engages with the rear main bearing housing is 2.144”. ______

April–May 2010 13 Auckland Ellerslie Concours (1). Auckland Ellerslie Concours (2).

Manawatu members’ picnic. Brian delivers a Sovereign to its final resting place.

Manawatu working bee. A is no This one we couldn't move. Gas torch match for Fergie. Note Humbers and Daimlers required. behind.

14 Daimler & Lanchester Owners’ Club in New Zealand Inc Waikato catch up in foyer. Waikato outing.

Waikato Bruce & Zoe on chairlift. Waikato outing.

Pre-war cars. Pre-war cars.

April–May 2010 15 Edward Turner From John Hiscox (Fluid Driving, Vol 41, pp 16–19) As regards Daimler, Edward Turner was the inspiration for the 2.5 litre V8 for the SP250 and the 4½ V2 litre of Majestic Major fame. The following summary has been condensed from the biography by Jeff Clew entitled, Edward Turner, the man behind the motorcycles. I have not detailed the history of the motorcycle industry, just that of Edward himself, and if you want more detail borrow the book from the Club library. Edward Turner was born on 24th January 1901, the day Edward VII was proclaimed king, and hence the Christian name. His mother’s maiden name was Hillman, being related to the family of that vehicle name. He had 3 brothers and 3 sisters and towards the end of the Great War enlisted in the merchant navy as a telegraphy officer. Following this he did some theatrical work having a fine baritone voice, progressed to being a fitter and turner (how appropriate), then joined his father’s engineering firm for a time. Not being satisfied he bought a motorcycle business in S.E. London which had an agency for Velocette, an English bike made by Veloce Ltd. His first design in 1927 was an overhead cam engine, called a Turner Special, and selling for £75 but not many were produced or sold. He married Marion Webley, four years younger, on 7th July 1929. As he could not get financial backing he approached Ariel in Birmingham and showed a sketched design of his square 4 motor to the managing director, Jack Sangster. He was hired as Designer and Engineer of the Development Department at £450 p.a. in early 1929, just as the depression was starting, but was lucky enough to sell his previous business. Probably because of the depression, Ariel went broke in 1932 and was wound up. Jack Sangster bought the assets and employed Turner as Chief Designer in a new company called Ariel Motors (JS) Ltd. Val Page who had been Turner’s boss at the old company, took up a position with Triumph, but that company was in financial difficulties by 1935. Turner was dissatisfied with his remuneration as he had made Ariel extremely profitable, so suggested to Sangster that he buy the bike business and put him in charge. Triumph were only too willing to sell and concentrate on their car business, and so in 1936 a new company was formed called Triumph Engineering Co. Ltd. At this time Jack Wickes who

16 Daimler & Lanchester Owners’ Club in New Zealand Inc had worked as a print boy for the old company was employed as Edward’s personal assistant and later referred to as “his pencil”. In late 1937 Sangster considered floating both Ariel and Triumph onto the Stock Exchange, and offered Edward the managing directorships of both companies and a seat on the new holding company. This did not suit Edward as he considered he would not receive sufficient recompense for the value he had put into building up both companies. In the end the idea was shelved as the war intervened. By 1939 the famous Triumph Speed Twin was on the road and New Scotland Yard ordered a whole fleet for their mobile units, to be followed by the Metropolitan Police and other police forces around the world. But that year, on 9th July, became the saddest of Edward’s life. His wife, Marion, was driving three other women to the shops when they were hit from behind by a lorry and all four died of broken necks from whiplash. They had just celebrated their 10th wedding anniversary the day before. Just after the war started, Sangster brought up the floatation idea again, offering Turner 10% of the holding company, plus commission on profits. The stumbling block appeared to be about the ownership of the patent rights from his inventions, but in any event precedence had to be given to designing vehicles for military use. The first batch of Triumph military vehicles were packed and ready to go when the factory in was bombed and razed to the ground. A new factory was built six miles away at Meriden, much to Sangster’s objections, leading to his sacking Turner on 23rd July 1942. Immediately he was contacted by BSA and employed as technical Director and a roving commission to solve problems within the BSA group. However Sangster quickly realised his error of judgement and enticed Edward back as managing director of Triumph on much superior financial terms. This was the first of September 1943 after only a little more than a year at BSA. Sangster times were turbulent times, as he then agreed to sell Ariel to BSA without consulting Edward. After the war, Triumph was exporting 70% of their output, mainly to America, but with England being a small country and the USA a large one where bikes were preferred to have large engines and do long distances, Edward designed a 649cc engine for a motorcycle he christened Thunderbird. This model lasted from 1951 to 1966. In early 1951 Sangster sold Triumph to BSA, but this time with Edward’s concurrence. The company would still exist and produce machines in its own name independent from BSA. Sangster was made a director of BSA in 1953. On a tour of New Zealand, Edward met a girl, Shirley Watts, 30 years his junior, and on a working holiday. When he got home he sent her an air ticket to Rome where he proposed and they were married in London on July 1952. Nine months later, Edward became a father to Jane (Shirley Elizabeth Jane) at the age of 52. Nearly three years later, Marion (Charmian Marion) was born. On 1st August 1956, Sir Bernard Docker was sacked and Sangster replaced him. Edward was also invited to the Board being made managing director of the automotive division, his responsibility now being Daimler and Ariel, BSA, Sunbeam and Triumph motorcycles. One of the first tasks was to design an entirely new V8 engined car to give the name the modern image it needed. A Cadillac style engine was decided on but with pushrods instead of overhead cam. As a result the SP250 evolved. During his four year reign he upgraded the motor to 4½ litres for the saloon, using the Daimler drawing

April–May 2010 17 office and engineers rather than those at Triumph who were otherwise occupied. He even said that he regarded them as “one of the finest set-ups I have ever seen – far better than I’ve been used to in motorcycles”. In 1959 the Japanese made their presence felt, especially Honda and Suzuki. The British motorcycle industry dismissed the flood of Jap imports as being inferior products, but no one bothered to visit Japan to see the quality and quantity being produced. Turner decided of his own volition to visit Japan in 1960 and submitted a report setting out his visits to the Honda, Suzuki and Yamaha factories. The latter had only started production five years previously and already produced 80,000 units per year, and Honda nearly 250,000 against the whole of Great Britain at 140,000. He stressed that the quality was excellent at a price of 20% less, and were more comprehensive regarding equipment, and thus capable of making large inroads to the UK market. In fact Britain was no longer making cycles in 25 years time. Production had dropped from 193,000 in 1960 to 144,000 in 1961. In 1961 Edward became a father again, this time a son, Edward William Amstel. After BSA sold Daimler to Jaguar, Edward put a proposition to the Board to develop an air cooled engine car, but as usual this radical proposal did not meet with enthusiasm. Edward resigned as managing director of the motorcycle companies in December 1963, but remained on the Boards. He thus took the opportunity to have a three month break with his family to Australia and further. The age difference and his dedication to work eventually saw the breakdown of the marriage and separation in late 1964. He resigned from the BSA board in January 1967 but continued designing until BSA collapsed in 1970. At this time he prepared to end the separation with divorce, and live overseas. He settled on the Bahamas where he took the three children in April 1969. He liked the climate and the carefree lifestyle, but being diabetic and with the children growing older he decided to return to England only a couple of years later. On 15th August 1973 he was moving furniture around in the morning, but after lunch suffered a fatal heart attack. Although he had wished to be buried alongside Marion, his first wife, this was not possible as her gravesite had been destroyed during the war. He was cremated and his ashes interred in the Garden of Remembrance, Leatherhead. Edward Turnaer is portrayed as a difficult person to work for, and it would appear that this image is correct if his instructions were not followed. However his secretary of 30 years, Nan Plant said “although he could be difficult, he was largely fair, interesting and worth working for” she thought he was the best boss she had ever had, and she had had several before joining Edward. He was also depicted as a caring family man and devoted father, although of necessity spending too much time at the office. John Hiscox

Quote of the Month “The surest way to be late – is to have plenty of Time !”

18 Daimler & Lanchester Owners’ Club in New Zealand Inc Chariot of the Sun Hooper-Daimler Drop-Head Coupé (Daimler Digest, pp 21-22) It is unusual these days to find on the largest of cars coachwork devoted to enjoyment of the open air, and drivers of open cars know full well that even with the hood and all- weather equipment in action, they still have with them the open air. Many there are who prefer it that way; others wish that if they must be enclosed, even temporarily, they Light wood is used for the curved facia, in which is the could go the whole way and have all the loudspeaker grille. A Tapley brake meter is centrally other amenities which go with the closed placed, and main dials are grouped round the driver. body. To provide these is the purpose of the Hooper body on the 36 h.p. Straight Eight Daimler chassis, and if it is decided first to appraise it as an open model then one discovers the sleek line of a modem sports-car into which is moulded the classic character of the large Daimler. To take first things first, the front bumper bar is massive but starkly plain and provides in appearance a suitably solid foundation to support the façade of the traditional Daimler Rear wheels are enclosed by panels hinged universally radiator, now styled to modem thought, at their rearmost point and which, when released by a handle inside the car, swing outwards and upwards in an and boldly flanked by smaller replicas in the arc, under the action of a counterbalance spring which nose of each wing which house the head serves to hold in the raised position. and pass lamps behind moulded Perspex protective shields. To house the straight eight engine and its auxiliaries a long bonnet is necessary, which also must be wide at its rear if it is to flow into a body more than amply wide to seat three people abreast. Here again the traditional Daimler styling comes into its own to break up the expanse and also to give an easy flow into the well-raked screen, heavily curved in plan form. Three water jets are placed one in front of each Rear separate seats fold up to make room for extra wiper and a radio aerial curves gracefully luggage, their undersides being protected by rubbing but unobtrusively up the side of the right- strips. hand pillar.

April–May 2010 19 One line The contour of the wings follows a continuous flowing line to terminate at the rear of the panel enclosing the rear wheels. Concealed massive butt hinges carry wide doors into which the chromium-framed windows disappear at will, under electric power operation. The hood when stowed is completely enclosed beneath a hinged panel which forms part of the graceful tail and which returns to the closed position after it has been power-raised to allow the A portable inlaid tool cabinet and the spare wheel are carried beneath the luggage locker in a separate hood to emerge; a neat arrangement. compartment, having its own cover running on ball- Inside the car is a bench front seat having bearing slides and incorporating the rear number plate, in three individual squabs, the outer two line with which are the twin combined tail and stop lights. of which fold forward to give generous access to the rear compartment, although this is not strictly necessary when the car is in its open form. Leg reach adjustment is an effortless procedure since this, massive piece of furniture is mounted on ball-bearing slides Sunk head and pass lamps are enclosed beneath Perspex covers framed by miniatures of the traditional Daimler with some degree of spring loading in the radiator. Plain but massive bumper bars protect front and forward direction. Both seat and squabs rear. give full support, soft yet firm; the driver is able to see both wings without movement, and the curved screen seems to eliminate backdraught, the hair remaining unruffled. Controls come naturally under the hand with the possible exception of the side and tail lamp switch and the ignition timing control (a rarity these days), and the instruments have straightforward easy-to-read dials. At the press of a button the fuel gauge will register the amount of oil in the sump, and similarly the speedometer trip will record kilometres instead of miles. The speed scale is calibrated in both m.p.h. and k.p.h. The degree of instrument lighting is controlled by a rheostat and floor lighting is automatic with the operation of the doors. Power operation of the hood both up and down is possibly only when the car is stationary, the operating switch being cut out unless the hand brake is in the “on”

20 Daimler & Lanchester Owners’ Club in New Zealand Inc position. A safety catch guards against accidental movement of the lever which locks the hood down on to the screen top rail. On each side of this handle are two wide sun- blinds controlled by lazy-tongs.

Fitments With regard to the “amenities,” push buttons in each door control the raising or lowering of windows, the driver having an extra set to operate the left-hand window when alone. Hinged quarter-lights wind up to meet these windows, the whole forming a streamlined sidescreen. Ashtrays and cigar lighters are within easy reach of any seat, whilst grab handles seem to appear just when and where they are wanted. Interior trim and upholstery are in beige leather, with thick pile carpets to match; the garnish rails and cant-rail are pastel jade green, which is the colour used for the exterior finish, and very effective, too. Needless to say, the whole car bears the stamp of the specialist craftsman, and a study of the detail work reflects the amount of thought that has gone into the make-up of this car with the dual personality. Character is maintained in its behaviour on the road, and here the chassis plays its part. Only by visual evidence is the size of the car made apparent; the steering characteristics give no clue to the weight, and one feels in direct contact with the road. Yet there is not the slightest trace of heaviness. Even in narrow winding roads the car seems to take itself round corners without roll or effort. Consciousness of the power unit arises only from its tremendous urge, and more than usual attention must be paid to the speedometer. The brakes are more than adequate—no easy design task for the brake manufacturer—to check so large a car. Such a car, whilst entirely suitable for this country, could only be used to the full, and, indeed, would really begin to live, in any sunny land from the South of France to the boulevards of Hollywood: A true Chariot of the Sun.

April–May 2010 21 The magic of WD-40

A lady got up very early one morning and went outside to pickup the Sunday paper, she noticed someone had sprayed red paint all around the sides of the neighbour’s brand new beige truck. She went over and woke him up and gave him the bad news. He was, of course extremely upset. And they stood there trying to figure out what could be done about the problem. They decided there wasn’t much recourse but to wait until Monday, since nothing was open. Just then another neighbour came out of his house, surveyed the situation and immediately went to get his WD-40 out and cleaned the red paint off with it. Guess What? It cleaned up that paint without harming the original paint on the truck! I’m impressed!! Water Displacement #40. The product began from a search for a rust preventative solvent and degreaser to protect missile parts. WD-40 was created in 1953 by three technicians at the San Diego Rocket Chemical Company. It’s name comes from the project that was to find a ‘water displacement’ compound. They were successful with the fortieth formulation, thus WD-40. The Corvair Company bought it in bulk to protect their atlas missile parts. Ken East (one of the original founders) says there is nothing in WD-40 that would hurt you... IT IS MADE FROM FISH OIL. When you read the “shower door” part, try it. It’s the first thing that has ever cleaned that spotty shower door. If yours is plastic, it works just as well as glass. It is a miracle! Then try it on your stove top... It is now shinier than it has ever been before ...

WD-40 also: 1. Protects silver from tarnishing. 2. Removes road tar and grime from cars. 3. Cleans and lubricates guitar strings. 4. Gives floors that “just-waxed” sheen without making it slippery. 5. Keeps flies off cows. 6. Restores and cleans chalkboards. 7. Removes lipstick stains. 8. Loosens stubborn zippers. 9. Untangles jewellery chains. 10. Removes stains from stainless steel sinks. 11. Removes dirt and grime from the barbecue grill. 12. Keeps ceramic/terra cotta garden pots from oxidizing. 13. Removes tomato stains from clothing. 14. Keeps glass shower doors free of water spots. 15. Camouflages scratches in ceramic and marble floors. 16. Keeps scissors working smoothly. 17. Lubricates noisy door hinges on vehicles and doors in homes.

22 Daimler & Lanchester Owners’ Club in New Zealand Inc 18. Removes black scuff marks from the kitchen floor! Open some windows if you have a lot of marks. 19. Bug guts will eat away the finish on your car, removed quickly, with WD-40! 20. Gives a children’s play gym slide a shine for a super fast slide. 21. Lubricates gear shift on lawn mowers. 22. Rids kids rocking chairs and swings of squeaky noises. 23. Lubricates tracks in sticking home windows and makes them easier to open. 24. Spraying an umbrella stem makes it easier to open and close. 25. Restores and cleans padded leather dashboards in vehicles, well as vinyl bumpers. 26. Restores and cleans roof racks on vehicles. 27. Lubricates and stops squeaks in electric fans. 28. Lubricates wheel sprockets on tricycles, wagons, and bicycles for easy handling. 29. Lubricates fan belts on washers and dryers and keeps them running smoothly. 30. Keeps rust from forming on saws and saw blades, and other tools. 31. Removes splattered grease on stove. 32. Keeps bathroom mirror from fogging. 33. Lubricates prosthetic limbs. 34. Keeps pigeons off the balcony (they hate the smell). 35. Removes all traces of duct tape. 36. Folks even spray it on their arms, hands, and knees to relieve arthritis pain. 40. Ant bites. It takes the sting away immediately and stops the itch. 41. WD-40 is great for removing crayon from walls. Spray on the mark and wipe with a clean rag. 42. If you’ve washed and dried a tube of lipstick with a load of laundry, saturate the lipstick spots with WD-40 and presto the lipstick is gone! 43. If you spray WD-40 on the distributor cap, it will displace the moisture and allow the car to start.

Keep a can of WD-40 in your kitchen cabinet. It is good for oven burns or any other type of burn. It takes the burned feeling away and heals with NO scarring. Remember, the basic ingredient is FISH OIL! ______

Club Badges for Sale These may be ordered through the Waikato-Bay of Plenty Club Costs of the badges are: $17.50 Unresined $19.00 Resined Information required is the names to go on the badge together with your branch. Payment is required at the time of order. All enquiries and orders to: Paul Edginton 35 Uretara Drive Katikati Ph: (07) 549-4569

April–May 2010 23 Hitting the Road ... Daimler Events Diary

Auckland April 11th Motoring event to Puhoi area. Make your own way to Wenderholm for a 1230 BYO picnic. Visit Puhoi museum at approx 2pm and have afternoon tea and scones at the café afterwards. April 13th Technical evening on removal of stone chips. C. Butler happy to provide facilities. (Look into one on brakes) May 8th Mini rally and National AGM Hawkes Bay May 30th Film evening at Westwind (booked). June 20th Mid-winter dinner at “Old Flame Restaurant” Conifer Grove. V. Penman has booked the venue. July 25th Ten Pin Bowling Challenge at Botany Downs Extreme. August 22nd Go-Kart Challenge at Formula E Indoor raceway, Airport Oaks. ______Waikato–Bay of Plenty April 11th 2010 The British and European Car Show at the Te Awamutu Race Course. This is the 20th event to be held at the Waipa Racing Club Grounds, Racecourse Rd, Te Awamutu. There willbe a Daimler Club display so we NEED your car. The gate opens at 7.30 and the Club displays need to be set up by 9.30. May 8th 2010 National AGM Mini Rally. Will try and arrange a trip to Beecham Jaguar. www.beacham-jaguar.co.nz June 20th 2010 Waitomo Caves. www.waitomo.org.nz July 18th 2010 10 pin bowling.

24 Daimler & Lanchester Owners’ Club in New Zealand Inc August 22nd 2010 Spookers, 833 Kingseat road Karaka, Auckland. September 19th 2010 Windsong Miniature Horses October 17th 2010 Tirau-Okoroairegolf. November 21st 2010 Karangahake Gorge. ______Hawke’s Bay Sunday 18th April Timed run Pukeora Hill. Flyer will come by post. Saturday 8th May National AGM and Mini Rally to be held in Hawke’s Bay. Sunday 16th May Keep this free for something new – Watch this space, information will come in the mail. Sunday 20th June Flyer in the mail. ______Manawatu April 11th Manawatu Branch AGM at Pauline Goodliffe’s following BYO BBQ lunch May 8th–9th National Mini Rally & AGM, see Hawkes Bay notice. June Mid year dinner details to follow July TBA August Daimler challenge, Rover club to organise this year. October North Island get together at Rotorua. May 2011 NATIONAL RALLY, BLENHEIM. ______

April–May 2010 25 I love the logic in this, taken from the Taranaki Branch, September newsletter. WELL, WHAT, HOW ABOUT THAT !!! Does the statement “we’ve always done it that way” ring any bells? Read on … The US standard railroad gauge is 4 feet 8½ inches. That’s an exceedingly odd number. Why was that gauge used? Because that’s the way they built them in England, and English expats built the US railroads. Why did the English build them like that? Because the first rail lines were built by the same people who built the pre-railroad tramways, and that’s the gauge they used. Why did they use that gauge then? Because the people who built the tramways used the same jigs and tools that they used for building wagons, which used that wheel spacing. Okay! Why did the wagons have that particular odd spacing? Well, if they tried to use any other spacing, the wagon wheels would break on some of the old, long distance roads in England, because that’s the spacing of the wheel ruts. So who built those old, rutted roads? Imperial Rome built the first long distance roads in Europe (and England) for their legions. The roads have been used ever since. And the ruts in the roads? Roman war chariots formed the initial ruts, which everyone else had to match for fear of destroying their wagon wheels. Since the chariots were made for Imperial Rome, they were all alike in the matter of wheel spacing. Thus the United States standard railroad gauge of 4 feet 8½ inches is derived from the original specifications for an Imperial Roman war chariot. And bureaucracies live forever. So the next time you are handed a specification and wonder what horse’s ass came up with it, you may be exactly right, because the Imperial Roman army chariots were made just wide enough to accommodate the back ends of two war horses. Now a twist to the story: When you see a space shuttle sitting on its launch pad, there are two big booster rockets attached to the sides of the main fuel tank. These are solid rocket boosters, or SRBs. The SRBs are made by Thiokol at their factory in Utah. The engineers who designed the SRBs would have preferred to make them a bit fatter, but they had to be shipped by train from the factory to the launch site. The railroad line happens to run through a tunnel in the mountains. The SRBs had to fit through that tunnel. The tunnel is slightly wider than the railroad track, and the track, as you now know, is about as wide as two horse’s behinds. So, a major space shuttle design feature of what is arguably the world’s most advanced form of transport was determined over two thousand years ago by the width of a horse’s ass. And you thought being a horse’s ass wasn’t important. Source: – TR register NZ Inc.

26 Daimler & Lanchester Owners’ Club in New Zealand Inc Members’ Market ...

Wanted Girling/Dunlop/Lockheed brake bleeder tin and a couple of tyre levers for toolkit. Contact Mark Stocker, 03 4760430 or [email protected] Bell housing and alternator/generator bracket for Daimler V8 Auto. Also any undersize main bearing shells for Consort. Contact Mike King 06 3571237 For Sale Major. Picture on request. The car is in good/very good, original condition, throughout. It has current registration and a WOF. It runs very well. It has always been kept garaged and only used on fine days (by the last two owners). It is a 1962 car. I had an LPG conversion fitted, so it is ‘dual fuel’. It runs equally well on petrol or LPG, but I run it mostly on gas, because I believe that this is better for the engine. The oil used is Mobil 1 (fully synthetic) and it does not use oil. The total mileage from new is about 72,000. I think price of $20,000 is sensible, but I would be willing to negotiate. Robert Hill Contact Bryan Davis for further information. Daimler V8 1964. 129000 miles, wire wheels, Catswold Blue, current WOF and registration. $9000 o.n.o. Contact Murray Burt in Katikati, phone 07 5495607 Roy Tilley has the following DB18 Consort parts for sale. 4x hubcaps, well used but serviceable and replateable. 5x DB18 exhaust valves -new 6x DB18 pistons +.020 new. In original British Hepolite packaging. 12x DB18 big end shells, -.010, new. 1x generator. $650 the lot. [email protected] or phone on 04 5660850 1939 DB18 Saloon. Needs full restoration, everything is there including a large number of spare parts including a spare engine, gearbox, grills and various other parts. I have the original handbook and ownership papers. Car has been dry stored for at least the last 30 years. We are asking $5000 ono. Two 1964 Daimler V8 2.5L Saloons. Both cars are in need of restoration. One is completely stripped to the rolling shell, the other is untouched. Both were runners when taken off the road approximately 10 years ago. Most parts are still in good condition,

April–May 2010 27 motor is completely stripped on one. Both cars are 100% complete. I have two sets of new sills (purchased from RJR Services $500 per pair) and the leather sets were replaced on one of the cars (light grey colour). I have a variety of workshop and car manuals, part tool kit and various other odds and ends. Need to sell both cars and are therefore not willing to split parts of the cars. Asking $7500 ono. Contact details are; Peter Hodgson, 07 8297147 or 0226774050 If you require any more information please let me know. Number plate surrounds as per photo available from Manawatu Branch. $25.00 per pair plus post, order through your Branch Secretary. ______

28 Daimler & Lanchester Owners’ Club in New Zealand Inc DAIMLER & LANCHESTER OWNERS’ CLUB BRANCH DIRECTORY AUCKLAND BRANCH President Bryan Davis, 28 Shackleton Rd, Mt Eden 09 630 5172 Vice President John Penman, 25A Fancourt St, Meadowbank 09 521 2011 Club Captain (Acting) Bryan Davis 09 483 6616 Sec/Treasurer David Watt, 171 Postmans Road, RD4 Albany 09 426 3411 Committee Ed Hayhoe (Past President), Olive Smith, Glenys Watt, Val Penman, Laurie Mckernan, J Smith National Delegate Ed Hayhoe, E-mail: [email protected] 09 420 6390 Branch Patron Neil Kruse

WAIKATO/BAY OF PLENTY BRANCH President Steve Griffin, 136 Gloucester Rd, Oceandowns, Mt Maung 07 574 8474 E-mail: [email protected] Sec/Treasurer Paul Edginton, 35 Uretara Drive, Katikati 3129 07 549 4569 Club Captain Roger Hennebry, 5 Charles Henry Place, Hamilton 3280 07 854 0223 E-mail: [email protected] Committee Maureen & Colin King, Jane Hennebry, Des Cooper, Fay Griffin, Bruce & Zoe Henderson National Delegate Paul Edginton, E-mail: [email protected]

HAWKE’S BAY BRANCH President Mike Boyce, 3 Northwood Avenue, Mahora, Hastings 06 878 9071 Sec/Treasurer Margaret Duncan, 35 Chrystall Road, RD 2, Hastings 06 878 8616 Club Captain Colin Campbell, 1008 Reka Street, Hastings 06 878 5969 Committee Ann Bowes, Graeme Bowes, Robyn Boyce, Graham Clare, Vaughan Cooper, John Duncan, Peter Mackie, Tim Shaughnessy National Delegate Peter Mackie, E-mail: [email protected] 06 877 4766 Branch Patron Reg Kilbey

MANAWATU BRANCH President Mike King, 21 Millar Street, Palmerston North 4410 06 357 1237 Vice President Pauline Goodliffe, 194 Green Road, Awahuri, PN 06 323 7081 Sec/Treasurer Bert Empson, 8 Byrd Street, Levin 5510 06 368 0696 Club Caption Ngaire Finkle, 755 Napier Road, RD 10, PN 4470 06 357 9263 Committee Ray Watling, Brian Wolfsbauer, Charlie Coley, Keith Zillwood, Reinhardt Bester, Ngaire Finkle National Delegate Mike King, E-mail: [email protected] 06 357 1237 Branch Patron Pauline Goodliffe

OTAGO BRANCH President Alex Meikle, 221 Somerville St, Anderson Bay, Dunedin 03 454 4786 Sec/Treasurer Kaye Wingfield, 7 Pioneer Cres, Helensburgh, Dunedin 03 476 2323 Club Captain Kevin Phillips, 66A Factory Road, Mosgeil, Otago 03 489 5782 Committee Winston Wingfield National Delegate Winston Wingfield, E-mail: [email protected]