Classic cars forum & vehicle restoration.

[roverdriver]

The Napier that I found when living in New Zealand had been a taxi, probably in Dunedin. I met a chap (Charley Rofe) at the time who had, as a young man, worked for Napier in England, and was sent to N.Z. to maintain Napiers that had been bought by a Dunedin taxi company. I found the car on a property at a place called Bonny Glen, near Marton in the North Island. It was covered and completely hidden in vines but was very close to the main road. A friend and I tracked down the property owner who lived in Marton itself, and we were told that the car had been parked in the shed which later burned down. we found evidence of the remains of the shed.

Although my friend and myself were keen to do something worthwhile with the car, my wife and I had already planned to return to Australia very soon, so I gave all interest in the car to my friend. Realising that he would not be able to restore it, he eventually sold it on and eventually it ended up in the hands of an Auckland enthusiast who had enough money, time and skill to restore it back to being a taxi.

Slim, there are definite similarities between your find and the N.Z. Napier. I can't tell for sure from the photos, but the wheels do seem to be made for Beaded-edge tyres which would date them to around the same time as the NZ car. Now you will have to locate the rest of it! Remember that unlike most other makes, a Napier engine turns anti-clockwise.

Below are two photos given to me by Charles Rofe, taken during his time in Dunedin. He later moved to the North Island and became a Ford dealer initially selling Model T's.




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Dane- roverdriver but not a Viking.

[Ray White]

Photo taken in 1910 of S.F Edge racing a Napier at the Brooklands track.