1998 seems a long time ago now but it is a year which holds special memories for Gail and I because it is the year that our GT40 was put on the road (as related in Fortyfication issue 46) and duly tested by taking it on the Club trip to France, culminating in a visit to the Le Mans 24 Hours race. We had been before as back-up drivers – fun, but there is no substitute for being there with your very own GT40 .
We were joined on this occasion by a couple from New Zealand , Nick and Linda Jenkins who were in Europe on a SKI (Spending Kids Inheritance!) holiday. They were in the midst of a long (is there any other sort?) GT40 build and were looking forward to meeting members of the club and viewing their cars. Nick , however, got a much more in-depth view of one forty in particular when it was decided to strip the gear box out of Geoff Masters ’ car in the hotel car park in order to cure a “no gear” situation. Nick ’s hydraulic bearing removal system was a joy to watch and each shout for a bigger hammer caused yet another worry line to grow on Geoff ’s tortured brow!
Our forty was still at the running-in stage with a very tight engine so we were quite happy to meander around France at a speed which allowed Nick and Linda in their hired Cavalier to see a slightly less blurred image of the countryside. It also gave us the time to get to know and become friends with these Kiwi folk. After enjoying the 24 hours race and all that goes with it, we said good-bye to Nick and Linda and, although the offer of “if you are ever in New Zealand you must look us up.” was made, we parted not really expecting to see each other for a very long time, if ever.
Life, however, has way of turning things literally upside down. Who could have guessed that a few years later we would be flying off to New Zealand to attend the wedding of Gail ’s son Stuart to a lovely Kiwi girl Nadia who, of course, wanted to get married at home. We had kept in touch with Nick and Linda via e-mail and followed the progress of their GT40 build with interest, never expecting to see the finished article - let along ride in it. As with most GT40 builds, neither did Nick and Linda ! As soon as they knew we were planning our trip they invited us to stay with them and they began to make plans for us to meet some of the NZ GT40 owners and their cars.
We were met at Auckland airport on Friday 27th December and first stop was to the home of Bryan and Ann Ireland who own a very smart 5.7L Chevy-powered forty putting out about 500 bhp. Bryan ’s car is a Mk I finished in a dark metallic green with a yellow moustache stripe and has been featured in an amusing sketch as part of a commercial video/DVD in which the 40 is pitched against a 700 bhp twin turbo Nissan Skyline – bit of a twist at the end but Bryan wins – hooray! For anyone who is interested, this viewing bonanza is called High Octane 2 by Firewire Productions – www.firewire.co.nz
After arriving at Nick and Linda ’s home in Huntly we were soon inspecting their immaculate Mk I (and their equally impressive and rare 302 powered Falcon GT). The forty was finished in metallic black cherry with a silver moustache stripe. The interior of both Nick and Bryan ’s cars are finished in black with non-eyelet seats and a central gear change. This latter feature, I am told, is common to all NZ built forties. Other than this the interiors are as standard and in keeping with the original theme except of course for rocker switches in place of flick switches in order to comply with modern regulations. New Zealand , it seems, also has it’s own style of SVA.
The following Sunday dawned warm and sunny and Linda and Nick had arranged a BBQ in order for us to meet up with the other 40s and their owners. I had been looking forward to this – it was to be the highlight of the whole trip – (er …. as Gail is typing this I had better mention that the wedding was also quite good). Yes! That should be OK now – OUCH!! Anyway sod’s law took a hand and I had woken up with a sore throat and feeling like manure. (I wish the typist wouldn’t change my wording?).
Before everyone arrived, Nick kindly took me for a drive in his car and pulled over so that I could do leg in the driver’s seat. Well I am quite sure that Nick regretted this decision almost immediately. I stalled it within a few feet of starting to pull out onto the busy highway. Luckily I hadn’t got out onto the road itself so for good measure I stalled it again half way across. I now know what the smell of fear is like!! We got going without being killed and I tried to change gear into second. Twenty miles per hour became ten and then five. I found a gear – any gear – thank God for torque and we set off. I could not get to grips with the gear change, each change became a challenge to get back out of neutral and into a gear. With an increase in speed came the mis-fire. Oh no, I’ve broken it I thought. I didn’t dare look at Nick but I think he was considering whether to jump from a moving vehicle or just cry. By the time we got back I had begun to master the gear change, which had a narrow gate. Nick later discovered a loose wire to the coil which cured the mis-fire and informed me that the gear change was partially seized. I felt better for that.
When everyone had arrived, runs out in the cars became the order of the day. Gail was taken out in Nick ’s car and changed over to Bryan ’s car for the return journey. With it’s powerful engine Bryan’s car proved to be fast, fast enough we all reckoned to create the G-force responsible for bursting a blood vessel in Gail’s eye which caused her to do a convincing imitation of the Daughter of Dracula. (Thank you says the typist!). Luckily it cleared up by the wedding.
Evan and Trish Snyder managed to coax their red GTD40 to attend the gathering although they were experiencing problems with the starter motor, requiring a bit of bump starting to get going. They live west of Auckland and bought a completed GTD40 – a British kit built up in New Zealand . I was taken for a ride with Evan and, once started, there were no problems with the 302 power plant as my fast demonstration run confirmed. I was somewhat bemused when Evan did the old F1 tyre warming swerve down the road. I hadn’t expected it considering we were in a line of traffic. However, we were soon not in a line of traffic – it was behind us – and the tyre warming seemed a little more relevant.
John Preisig living North of Auckland has bought an unfinished project which is in its early stages. I am not sure but I think it is a KVA (or possibly a GTD) imported a while ago but never completed. This could be an economical way to go provided you don’t have to junk too much poor workmanship along the way.
Dave Harvey and Fiona were new owners of a mid-blue NZ Limited Mk I GT40 but unfortunately they were experiencing electrical problems and rebuilding and therefore were unable to bring their car along on the day.
Ex-Brits Steve and Carol Millard , living at Kerepehi near Ngatea in the Coromandel, have a Mk IIB . The chassis is Searle Racing UK built and the body has been produced from their own moulds. The car was in the paint shop on the day of the BBQ.
Eventually I look forward to seeing pictures of all the cars that were unable to attend but it was lovely to meet these Kiwi enthusiasts. It was also good to meet Clyde and Suzanne Thompson having been in touch via e-mail during the previous few months regarding their problems with GTD Supercars. Anyone who has followed their sad story on the Forum will know that Clyde and Suzanne ’s GT40 was involved in an accident and needed new parts to the tune of £4000. Having ordered these parts from GTD over 12 months ago, and with the liquidation of said company, things are not looking too good for them. Our hearts go out to the pair of them and indeed anyone else who has ended up in a similar situation. To meet the people affected by this type of thing makes it all the more real.
I reluctantly turned down a ride in Bryan ’s 40 because I wanted to get some action photos of the cars on the road – rather than just static shots. I ended up standing on the side of the road in the heat, feeling ill, waiting for the forties to come along doing action stuff like overtaking - or at least being close to each other. And what happened? They eventually turned up doing about 30mph hundreds of yards apart. You just can’t get the staff!
Thank you to Nick and Linda for their kind hospitality, giving us a chance to see some of the most magnificent sights and meeting great people in their wonderful country. We shall return.
Steve and Gail.