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Frank Shuter, iconic New Zealand racer


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#51 Peter Leversedge

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Posted 17 January 2011 - 20:44

The Standard was owned by Charlie Dorn ?

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#52 David Manton

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Posted 18 January 2011 - 04:14

For David Manton; :wave:
We as a family also lived in Grants Road,Papanui,(next door by 2 to a 'Seventhday Eventist Church' /remember this point!!) ,which just happened to be off Papanui Road (main road into Christchurch from the North) where Pat Hoare lived,every now and then on a Saturday morning you would hear this 'fantastic ' sound of a Ferrari being warmed up...you automatically went and stood at the gate,(at this time I was building a '34/Ford 'Hot Rod' so a few 'buddies' would have gathered by this time) Mr Hoare!! (Until he tell's you to call him Pat ,its Mr Hoare to you,Understand,Son??!!!) would swing out onto Papanui Rd, facing North,Right hander into Grants Road...Full noise past number37...where we all stood with our thumbs held high...down to the end of the street,right turn, om the gas,right turn into the adjacent street to Grants road ..on the loud again,slow for Papanui road,turn right,then right into his driveway....a couple of quick 'Blips' to clear its throat....S.I.L.E.N.C.E!!!!!!!!!!!!!!................a normal Saturday growing up in Christchurch..........who said the 50's and 60's wheren't fun..................regards to the KEEWEE and TEE.............thunder427/MJ :)


Hi Thunder427,
Was that Mr Hoare's first Ferrari, the 'bitsa' special, or was it the V12, arguably one of the most attractive and greatest sounding racing cars ever seen (and heard) in NZ, or was it the latter in its rebodied roadgoing form? (Just curious).

#53 ronmac

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Posted 18 January 2011 - 04:21

HI .Thunder 427..I read your report posted on shuter iconic racer...and was impressed that you found 120 car wreckers in early christchurch...Now how many hundreds and thousands and millions andbillions of times have i told you not to exagurate ????
Now when i entered the motor vehicle dismantling profession (read car wrecking here ) in september 1963..there was 10 or 12 total..
Of course i was responsible for training ?? many workers who went on to running their own businesses.later !!
So here is a little job for you..give me a list of chch nz carwreckers that were in business in 1963 ??
I look forward to hearing from you ...RON MAC>

#54 David McKinney

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Posted 18 January 2011 - 07:21

You're slipping, Ron

I thought you would at least have had a go at the 'quiz' in Post 48 ;)

#55 ronmac

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Posted 18 January 2011 - 09:27

:rolleyes: Hi David....i hear what you are saying.....i realize it is not a complaint......!!!!

...rons quiz number 8 is due in about one hour.....!!! (ron )

#56 thunder427

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Posted 18 January 2011 - 15:40

HI .Thunder 427..I read your report posted on shuter iconic racer...and was impressed that you found 120 car wreckers in early christchurch...Now how many hundreds and thousands and millions andbillions of times have i told you not to exagurate ????
Now when i entered the motor vehicle dismantling profession (read car wrecking here ) in september 1963..there was 10 or 12 total..
Of course i was responsible for training ?? many workers who went on to running their own businesses.later !!
So here is a little job for you..give me a list of chch nz carwreckers that were in business in 1963 ??
I look forward to hearing from you ...RON MAC>


Ronmac ; You've got me, I'M under 'House Arrest'!!!! :rolleyes: :rolleyes: .........I was trying to condense the point that such a small community,275,000, had an ubundance of every thing 'Automotive' ..it was a community...today it would be called 'Networking'.....they all pitched into help each other in business and motorsport.....Wally Darrall would 'hand grove' your tyre to get past a 'Roadworthy Certificate',If you where in the trade.....I remember when I blew the gearbox up in my 'SINGER 9',1961,I rang around the Christchurch wreckers trying to find a replacement...(Ron McPhail Wrecking had 6 but they where away tooooo exspensive!!!...so my Father got me one for 25 Pounds from Marshlands Road Autowreckers......and I had to fit it myself....my Father explained to me .."its one of life leasons,Son...by the time you installed that,I guarantee you will never 'Blow' another gearbox up again"!!!....He was right............Ron, Question;what was the name of the 'Gentleman' that owned Papanui wrecking........he was a real nice person,would make me repair 4 punctures,the old fashion way, in exchange for parts I required for my 'Hot Rod' project...was it Mr Parry????????????????.............with regards thunder427/MJ :)

#57 ronmac

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Posted 18 January 2011 - 22:32

:rolleyes: Hi thunder....cant remember wrecking a singer 9......must have been auto parts !! can.t remember the name of papanui wrecking..though murray burt...brother of selwyn burt (speedway and road racer ..including mairehau ) then bought it ...later it was sold to k.f.c. chicken...nextdoor was papanui car sales....kevin proctor...midget racer..who now lives on maclay island...just off brisbane city..
still questions to be answered on ...ron.s quiz 8...i.m sure you will know them ...!!! (ron )

#58 thunder427

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Posted 19 January 2011 - 00:10

Hi Thunder427,
Was that Mr Hoare's first Ferrari, the 'bitsa' special, or was it the V12, arguably one of the most attractive and greatest sounding racing cars ever seen (and heard) in NZ, or was it the latter in its rebodied roadgoing form? (Just curious).


David ;it would have been the V12, as it was the car that was tuned imto a sports car..(With no reverse gear!!)...two of my Friends where involved with that 'Build'........George is still doing beautiful trim work and saddly Gus,very talented panelman, whom was involved with the body work ,has left us..(this guy was a Master technician when it came to bending tin ,as they say).............always intreged us how Pat Hoare got permission to build that car so far from the Ferrari factory.......the 'Urban Myth' subjest's he was supplied 'Blue Prints and window glass..........I'm sure you have researched the answers David.............rergards427/MJ :)

#59 john medley

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Posted 19 January 2011 - 06:32

Lovely chatty stuff, gentlemen --- and clearly fond memories of times past... but may an interloper interrupt?

( I use as my qualification not just visits to NZ to play/ coach rugby but also my younger daughter was an exchange student at Cashmere HS Ch Ch in the 80s, her "NZ partner" Adrienne in return having a CH Ch father who raced South Island Minis ....International relations became a bit strained when Adrienne's dad was sounding off about the work of Auto Restorations when I told him I had beaten Gavin Bain's 375 GP Ferrari at Amaroo the week before)

Can anyone explain in simple terms for a West Islander how a 1934 8CM Maserati can possibly be faster and " more driveable" than a 1950 8CLT/50?
I am of the view that the O'Reilly Schell prewar car was perhaps the best looking racing car of all time, various demonstrated prewar the ephemeral but real performance of the prewar cars including at Indianapolis, I was intrigued and charmed by the original advertisements in " Australian Motor Sports" for the two postwar cars, confused and mystified by their apparent lack of performance in NZ, and now this throwaway line that a cartsprung 1934 car (with a chassis so whippy that even a strong wrestler like Fred Zambucka couldnt handle Gnoo Blas bumps) was "more driveable" than what may well be one of the more attractive cars of all time. Gentlemen, restore my faith: tell me they couldnt gear it correctly

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#60 David McKinney

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Posted 19 January 2011 - 10:10

I think visiting Australian driver/journalist David McKay best summed it up when he first saw the two 8CLTs at Ardmore in 1956 and described them in Modern Motor as “lovely pieces of work, about half a mile long and roughly as suitable for airfield racing as the old Golden Arrow would have been”

They were of course much more powerful than the 4CLT (430bhp against 260) but were almost twice as heavy (900kg vs 550) and although the front brakes were slightly larger, the rears were the same size as on a 4CLT. As McKay said, the 8CLTs were also longer - 8ft 11in wheelbase against the smaller cars’ 8ft 2in.

I guess Shuter was attracted to them by the power, and the knowledge that neither of their drivers at Ardmore in 1956 had extended them. The reality however was that although they had acceleration and speed they were simply too big and heavy to slow for the corners and wrestle around them. They had after all been designed for Indianapolis

The 8CM on the other hand was well-sorted and well-prepared and Shuter was very much at home in it. Yes, it was an old car, but Frank Shuter really was a first-class driver, and always got the best out of it. Comparing his lap-times in it with those of much more modern machinery makes impressive reading


#61 john medley

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Posted 19 January 2011 - 20:20

Thanks, David .

Where are the cars now?

#62 David McKinney

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Posted 19 January 2011 - 22:53

One is in the Southward Museum near Wellington, where it has been since 1963 or thereabouts, and is trotted out for the occasional demonstration.

The other appeared at the Goodwood Revival year before last in the hands of Herbert Handlbauer, who may or may not have been the owner

#63 mcwidow70

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Posted 20 July 2011 - 15:03

FYI

http://ferrarisecret...om/gallery.html