Selwyn Times: January 27, 2021

34 Selwyn Times Wednesday January 27 2021
MY PRIDE AND JOY
An eclectic collection
Ever since he can remember Malcolm
McGibbon has had an interest in cars and
motorbikes. As a young lad, he would sit
in the back seat of the car and identify the
cars passing by, as most young boys do.
With motorbikes being more affordable,
Malcolm has had some form of motorbike
to ride, including competitive racing,
since he was 12. He built up a collection
of vintage and veteran motorcycles, which
he has slowly sold off to make way for a
growing car collection.
“After a certain time, wives start to
demand a certain level of comfort,” he
jokes.
The first car to join Malcolm’s current
eclectic collection was a fire-red 1959
Mercedes. It’s a two-door soft-top that
Malcolm reports cruises along very nicely.
A sleek black 1948 Jaguar in the corner
is possibly Malcolm’s favourite. He bought
it down from the North Island about four
years ago. “It had been restored in the
1980s but had been allowed to deteriorate.
It was pretty scruffy when we got it,” says
Malcolm, although you wouldn’t know
that to look at it now.
Tucked away in Malcolm’s garage, on the
outskirts of Darfield, you will also find a
2000 Honda Insight, the first of the hybrid
cars to come onto the market. It is parked
in front of a 1916 Ford Model T Speedster,
which he says is very popular with vintage
car club people because parts are so easily
available.
Malcolm is also the proud owner of a
1915 Swift. One of two remaining threelitre
Swifts in the world; the other is in the
UK.
“These cars were built before WW1.
During the war the factory stopped
production to assist with the war effort.
Then after the war, most people were
unable to afford larger 3-litre cars, so
production never resumed,” explains
Malcolm. He did a reasonable amount of
work on the Swift to make it easier to use.
Another contender for favourite car in
Malcolm’s collection is a 1914 Renault
known as Louis. It has a three-speed
gearbox and a top speed of about 40km/h.
Louis was initially restored over 25
years by the previous owner who lived in
Timaru. Wanting to find out more about
the car, the owner ran a notice in the
Otago Daily Times with a photo. By luck,
a former driver of the car – a Mr Norman
Woods from Oamaru – saw the notice and
supplied a lot of fascinating history about
Louis.
This includes an accident involving a
black cow at night. The acetylene lamps
required water poured over cubes of
carbine to form a gas that had to be
ignited and were notoriously difficult to
use. Mr Woods had only lit the kerosene
lamps and, as a result, didn’t see the cow.
“Nothing was easy in those days,” says
Malcolm, who feels the history adds
further appreciation to the car.
The only remaining car of
three 3L Swifts imported
into New Zealand in 1915
and one of two remaining
3L Swifts in the world.
Malcolm McGibbon in
his 1914 Renault parked
alongside one of two
remaining three-litre Swifts,
which was built in 1915.
Malcolm McGibbon driving
Louis the 1914 three-speed
Renault that Mr Norman
Woods used to drive.
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