NEW ZEALAND’S FOREMOST HISTORICAL MOTORING MAGAZINE No. 315 April/May 2012 $6.95 Club News from around New Zealand VETERAN MOTOR CYCLES 1903 Pebok Motorcycle • 1900 De Dion Tricycle 9 418979 000012 Consider a Jowett Photographs supplied by Brian Goodman PHOTOGRAPHS REQUIRED Levels Raceway, South Canterbury. Ron Hasell in his Cooper 500. Submissions of suitable prints and information (where available) are Photograph taken nearly 40 years ago. always welcome. Please send original photographs of historical interest with any available information to: Beaded Wheels, PO Box 13140, Christchurch 8141. Laserprints/photocopies are not suitable. Photos will be returned as soon as practicable. management committee MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE SECRETARY/ TREASURER Bob Ballantyne Contact National Office for all queries Please note this information changes Michael Lavender 09 444 4066 [email protected] annually - these details are valid until regarding VICs, logbooks, historic race licences, 03 325 5704 [email protected] Tony Bartlett October 2012. lighting endorsement, registration of vehicles, REGISTRAR 06 867 9850 [email protected] address changes, subscriptions, membership PRESIDENT Rod Brayshaw Diane Quarrie John Coomber 07 549 4250 [email protected] 06 876 4009 [email protected] cards, speed events. 03 348 0062 [email protected] SPEED STEWARD VCCNZ ARCHIVIST CLUB CAPTAIN NORTHERN REGION The Vintage Car Club Of New Zealand (Inc.) Frank Renwick Betty Wallace John Foot National Office, 03 352 4383 [email protected] 03 929 0829 [email protected] 07 823 5641 [email protected] PO Box 2546, Christchurch 8140 BEADED WHEELS CHAIRMAN Phone 03 366 4461 Fax 03 366 0273 CLUB CAPTAIN SOUTHERN REGION Kevin Clarkson John Chynoweth 03 385 9821 [email protected] Email [email protected] 03 439 5474 [email protected] branches A full list of branch addresses and contact details can also be found on the VCCNZ website at www.vcc.org.nz ASHBURTON CENTRAL HAWKES BAY HOROWHENUA NORTH OTAGO SOUTH OTAGO WAIRARAPA PO Box 382, Ashburton 7740 C/- 346 Porangahau Road, RD 2, PO Box 458, Levin 5540 PO Box 360, Oamaru 9444 C/- M. Tapp, RD 3, Warepa, PO Box 7, Masterton 5810 [email protected] Waipukurau 4282 [email protected] [email protected] Balclutha 9273 [email protected] AUCKLAND [email protected] KING COUNTRY NORTH SHORE [email protected] WAITEMATA PO Box 12-138, Penrose, EASTERN BAY OF PLENTY C/- 34 House Ave, C/- 7 Godwit Place, Lynfield SOUTH WAIKATO C/- 9 Marlborough Ave, Glenfield Auckland 1642 PO Box 2168, Kopeopeo Taumarunui 3920 Auckland 1042 PO Box 403 Tokoroa 3420 Auckland 0629 [email protected] Whakatane 3159 [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] BANKS PENINSULA [email protected] MANAWATU OTAGO TARANAKI WANGANUI 27 Showgate Ave, Riccarton Park, FAR NORTH PO Box 385 PO Box 5352, Dunedin 9058 C/- 118A Carrington St, PO Box 726, Wanganui 4540 Christchurch 8042 2534 Kaitaia-Awaroa Rd, Palmerston North 4440 [email protected] New Plymouth 4310 [email protected] [email protected] Herekino, RD 1, Kaitaia 0481 [email protected] ROTORUA [email protected] WELLINGTON BAY OF PLENTY [email protected] MARLBOROUGH PO Box 2014, Rotorua 3040 TAUPO PO Box 38-418, Petone, PO Box 660, Tauranga 3140 GISBORNE PO Box 422, Blenheim 7240 [email protected] PO Box 907, Taupo 3351 Wellington 5045 [email protected] PO Box 307, Gisborne 4040 [email protected] SOUTH CANTERBURY [email protected] [email protected] CANTERBURY [email protected] NELSON PO Box 623, Timaru 7910 WAIKATO WELLSFORD/WARKWORTH PO Box 11-082, Sockburn GORE PO Box 3531, Richmond 7050 [email protected] PO Box 924, Hamilton 3240 PO Box 547, Warkworth 0941 Christchurch 8443 PO Box 329, Gore 9740 [email protected] SOUTHLAND [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] NORTHLAND PO Box 1240, Invercargill 9840 WAIMATE WEST COAST CENTRAL OTAGO HAWKES BAY PO Box 17, Whangarei 0140 [email protected] 4 Harris St, Waimate 7924 C/- 9 Stafford Rd, C/- 4B Roto Place, Wanaka 9305 PO Box 3406, Napier 4142 [email protected] [email protected] Hokitika 7882 [email protected] [email protected] Please note this information changes annually - these details are valid [email protected] until October 2012. 2 Beaded Wheels Beaded Wheels Publisher THE VINTAGE CAR CLUB OF NZ (INC.) The Historic Vehicle Authority of New Zealand ISSN 0113-7506 Vol LXII No. 315 Editorial Committee Beaded Wheels Kevin Clarkson (Chairman), Judith Bain, Rosalie Brown, Bill Cockram, John Coomber, Issue 315 April/May 2012 Mark Dawber, Marilyn McKinlay. Material for Publication Reports of restorations, events, road tests, FEATURES historical and technical articles etc should be forwarded to PO Box 13140, Christchurch 8141, typed or neatly printed, double space on one 12 Tackling The Tricycle side of paper only. Email of text and photos is 14 The Pioneer Run acceptable, digital photographs should be high 15 The History of the Test Machine resolution eg 300dpi. No payment is made to contributors. The opinions or statements expressed in letters or articles in Beaded Wheels 16 Buick and Rolls-Royce: are the author’s own views and do not necessarily An insight into their relationship express the policy or views of The Vintage Car Club of NZ (Inc). 19 Our 1927 Essex Email [email protected] 20 Cold Cases Advertising Address Classified and Display Advertising to: 22 A Social Pest PO Box 13140, Christchurch 8141. UK reader Reg Eyre tackles a 1900 De Phone 64 3 332 3531, Fax 64 3 366 0273 Dion Tricycle with entertaining results, Rate schedule available on request. 24 Am I Too Late? page 12. Back Issues Available on request to PO Box 13140, 26 Behind the Wheel – 1903 Pebok Motorcycle Christchurch 8141. Correspondence & Editorial Contributions 28 Consider a Jowett Phone 64 3 332 3531, Fax 64 3 366 0273 PO Box 13140, Christchurch 8141. 30 VCCNZ Rally 2012 – The Peugeot Experience Subscriptions Beaded Wheels subscribers change of address to 32 The Militaire PO Box 2546, Christchurch 8140. Phone 03 366 4461, Fax 03 366 0273 34 Rally Snippets Annual subscription (6 issues) $39* inc GST Australian subscription (6 issues) NZ$70* Northland – 39th Far North Tour Other countries (6 issues) NZ$100*. Taupo – Annual Goodyear Rally *Payment by credit card will incur additional bank fee processing charge of 2.25% Production Frequent visitor from the Netherlands Typesetting & design by RGBDesign COLUMNS Printed by Spectrum Print Ltd, Christchurch. Geert de Boer tests a 1903 Pebok, page 26. 4 President’s Message Closing Date for April/May Issue Editorial Copy 1 May 2012 Advertisements 10 May 2012 4 As We See It The Vintage Car Club of 5 VCC Events New Zealand (Inc.) National Office 6 National Office News Phone 03 366 4461 Fax 03 366 0273 Email [email protected] 6 Captain’s Log Postal Address PO Box 2546, Christchurch 8140, New Zealand. 7 Mailbag Address 12 Aberdeen St, Christchurch, New Zealand. 8 Timelines Website www.vcc.org.nz 9 The Way We Were Beaded Wheels is the voice of The Vintage Car Club of New Zealand (Inc.) and its 35 branches West Coast Branch have views galore covering the length and breadth of the country. when planning their branch runs, see Idle 36 50 Year Awards The efforts of our members continue fostering Torque, page 51 and ever widening the interest in this segment 40 Brass Notes of our country’s history. It is to these people, who appreciate the fascination of age, the individuality and the functional elegance of vehicles from a 43 Marketplace bygone era, that this magazine is dedicated. Beaded Wheels – A very apt and well-known title 49 Swap Meets & Rallies however readers may wonder at the origin of the name. By way of explanation beaded edge wheels use beaded edge tyres that are kept in place by 51 Idle Torque reinforced rubber beads, which fit into the rolled edges of the wheel rim. This style of wheel was a 62 Obituary distinctive feature of early motoring being used on early bicycles, many pre-1924 cars and most motorcycles until 1927. The VCCNZ adopted the title Beaded Wheels for their quarterly club magazine in March 1955 which was the successor to the monthly Guff Sheet. Copyright Information The contents are copyright. Articles may be COVER reproduced complete or in part provided that It’s hard to miss them coming - Bernard and Betty Wright’s 1932 acknowledgement is made to “Beaded Wheels, the magazine of The Vintage Car Club of New Austin on the 2012 VCCNZ International Rally. Zealand (Inc)” as the source. Beaded Wheels reserves the right to digitally store all published Photo by Mark Brimblecombe. www.markbrimblecombe.com material for archival purposes. Beaded Wheels 3 for the AGM in Hamilton. Some time was spent again discussing the distribu- tion of the Earthquake Funds which have president’s been held on deposit, and I asked the message Executive to resolve this issue which has as we see it generated so much debate over the past year. The executive has directed that the money will be distributed to members in the Canterbury, Banks Penninsula and Christine and I had the privilege of Ashburton Branches by way of a subsidy I’m not sure why – and maybe we attending the 50th anniversary of the on their subscriptions for the 2013/2014 shouldn’t delve too deeply into the reasons. formation of the Manawatu Branch year.