Step back in time to the golden years of the NZ Grand Prix

Step back in time to the golden years of the NZ Grand Prix

Motorsport once again steps more than half a century back in time over the weekend of March 14th 15th March at Hampton Downs with the 4th Roycroft Vintage race meeting providing a glimpse back in time to the Grand Prix races of another time.

It was back in the 1950s that the cars and aces of the era raced around Ardmore in the New Zealand Grand Prix and many key cars from the era will be racing again together in the Grand Prix of Yesteryear at the annual meeting, which is the biggest event of its kind in New Zealand for racing machinery from this period.

The Waitemata Vintage Car Club have managed to attract a fine collection of cars that ran in the NZ Grand Prix . They are mostly NZ-built specials that famously battled the best that Europe could provide.

Cars set to compete – and many are historically very significant for both motoring and motor racing in NZ - include the Stanton Crop Duster, the Lycoming Special, Lycoming 2, the GeeCeeEss, Cooper 500, the North land Special, the JPS, RA2, RA5 , A40 Special and the Roycroft Bugatti!

“We are just a small country but we have a rich heritage in racing in the 1950s and 1960s and of course with our geographical location many of these cars were created and raced using kiwi ingenuity, creativity and a fair bit of number eight wire mentality, but all carved their one niches in domestic motor racing. It is wonderful not only to be able to celebrate the period once again, but also see some of those famous machines take to the track in anger one more time…”

Featured Cars

1953 Stanton Special Cropduster

The 1953 Stanton Special Cropduster was powered by chain drive, 6124cc Supercharged Straight-4 De Havilland Gipsy Major aircraft engine. Built by the Stanton Brothers and raced by the Morrie Stanton in the 1954 NZ Grand Prix it was lying in seventh place when it retired.

The Lycoming

The Lycoming was built by Ralph Watson in the early 1950's. It was a revolutionary design with the air cooled 5244cc aircraft engine running through a Studebaker gearbox to a Ford V8 differential. The engine is upside down and back to front and this required Ralph Watson to design and build his own fuel injection system for the car. During its long and successful racing career it has been raced by many notable drivers including; Jim Boyd, Malcolm Gill, - Jim Clark (F1 World Champion), Bruce McLaren (Founder of the McLaren Racing Team which still competes in F1 today).

Around1982 Ralph Smith purchased the car and set about rebuilding it from two trailer loads of parts with no instruction manual. Since the restoration Ralph has regularly competed at Classic and Historic Race meetings throughout New Zealand. He has taken the car to Race Meetings in Australia and the United States including Philip Island and Laguna Seca.

RA5

An amazing rear engined single seater built in 1954 by Hec Green and Fred Brewer was years ahead of its time. Powered by an engine based on the Vanguard engine with double over head cams, alloy block and twin plugs per cylinder.

A40 Special

This car started out as a 1948 Hudon-engined ‘midget’ owned by Des Herrick. Herb Gilroy converted it into track car by lengthening the chassis and body and installing a highly modified A40 engine. The has had various drivers over the years including Chris Amon ,Graham Harvey, Kenny Smith, Doug Lawrence, John Rielly, Peter Hughes, Garth Souness and Bruce McLaren. The car is now owned again by the Herrick family.

Roycroft Bugatti Type 35A

Came to NZ in 1947 and raced at Ohakea briefly by Ken Hemus in 1950. It was then purchased by Ron Roycroft who in 1953 had Ralph Watson install the current engine - a C Type 3442 cc Jaguar motor. It was in this form that it came 6th in the 1955 Grand Prix - the first New Zealander home. The car is now owned and raced by Ron's son Terry.

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