Mitsubishi/Todd Motors Heritage Day - April 15th, Porirua

[xTerraH]

Saw this on FB

Owners day
Enter by March 31st

[tortron]

Shit, I'll sweep up the rust from my L200 and post it down eh

[Scrubb]

Am hoping to go to this.

[MIRAGE-MAN]

This would be good to go too.

[Firebrand]

I'm not sure they'd let my car in...would be cool to go to though.

[bonkas]

Registered...

[MIRAGE-MAN]

Is anyone from Auckland / further up north interested in going too this. Was thinking it would probably be a good idea too cruise down in a convoy of old Mitsubishi's.

[Scrubb]

I'm in Hamilton. Keen for Convoy

[MIRAGE-MAN]

On 16/03/2018 at 22:28, Scrubb said:

I'm in Hamilton. Keen for Convoy

Sweet, yeah it's always good too convoy when you got an old car.

[Scrubb]

Registered

[JoKer]

soooooo Hillman? or is preference to the Diamonds?

guess only an email might answer that

 

[Ghost]

It's a shame all our old Fuso's are awaiting repair..

[igor]

excerpt from Wikipedia,

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

History[edit]

The history of Todd Corporation is understood to have begun in 1885, when Scottishimmigrant Charles Todd founded & opened either a wool scouring business (according to Todd Energy) or a rural goods store in Central Otago. By 1929, it had evolved into a car sales and maintenance business run by his son and namesake Charles Todd after the company began importing motor vehicles.

This automotive business would define the Todd family business until well into the 1980s. Charles Todd was credited with bringing the first motor car into Otago and in 1908 acquired a Ford dealership in Dunedin then in 1928 acquired the Rootes Group franchise for Hillman, Humber and Commer and obtained an Auckland branch.

During the protectionist years of the 1930s the Todd family formed Todd Motor Industries Limited and in 1934 built an automotive assembly plant in Petone to reassemble vehicles imported as parts from Chrysler (USA) and Rootes. According to the Todd Energy website by 1964, Todd Motors was assembling and selling over 10,000 cars per year. In 1970 the company purchased the New Zealand Mitsubishi franchise. This franchise and assembly plants were sold to Mitsubishi Motors in 1987.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The original Todd cottage in Heriot is still there. I keep meaning to photograph it and other relics of the era. Will be interesting to see if any Ford Ts turn out for the heritage day along with the Rootes group stuff.

[Avenga]

There was about 150 cars.

Here are some photos.

We all parked up outside the old Admin building, which is now the headquarters of MMC NZ. There was another big field of car but I got there early so I could park in front of the admin building itself

There was this nice Avenger GLS Auto

And Miles with his Tiger

After that we went in the admin building for a presentation about Todd motors history by Mike Todd and Neil O'Callaghan (Service manager for Todd motors who has worked there for 45 years and retired at the Heritage day)

I have always wanted to see inside the Admin building because it has the funkiest 70's style roof. Each of these panels are 2.5x2.5m fibreglass panels made specially for the Admin building.

They had a whole table full of old service manuals

I loved the 50's cartoons on them.

After that we cruised up to the Southward car museum. Followed a Charger for a bit

At the meet up outside the museum I talked to the owner of this sweet single owner Valiant wagon. He ordered it custom from Todd Motors with a 318 V8 way back in 1973.

And also Mike Todd had his genuine E49 Charger there *Drool*

They put on a nice lunch there and then we got to look around the museum

After the museum everyone went their separate ways but as my hotel was literally right next door to the old factory I figured I would drive up to the factory itself and have a look around.

It is truly massive, at the time it was NZ's biggest factory. Now it is used as a distribution centre for tons of places like Big Save furniture, and is also home to a few freight companies, and a NZ post depot. But the one that I was interested in was the Placemakers because I saw they had a drive-through, it was just for timber but I drove inside the actual factory and got some photos of where my car was built 43 years ago. Pretty damn awesome bringing my car back to where it was built, a homecoming of sorts.

And then took a photo outside. You can see how long the factory is.

   
Then a rainy start to the drive back up to Auckland the next day

[kws]

They still use part of the big warehouse building as the nationwide distribution center for Mitsubishi new and used parts. Looks like a good turnout, some really nice stuff there.

[bonkas]

On 4/17/2018 at 13:12, Avenga said:

Then a rainy start to the drive back up to Auckland the next day

So your the character behind that sweet avenger I was in the farthest EX in that picture.

[Scrubb]

Cool pics. I'd upload some, but mine are much the same as what you have taken already.

Was a pretty cool event, actually. Worth the long drive. There was even another car the same colour and with the same interior as mine there which was pretty cool to see and was good to meet and have a yarn to @Avenga. Such a Cool dude.

 

[Avenga]

Same here. It was nice to catch up with the EX guys. Pretty awesome turnout and it was pretty cool rocking up to the hotel and seeing the Lancers.

I snapped my clutch cable on the way back up so I had to get it fixed in Taupo.

The little clip on the end that connects to the clutch pedal broke off.

Took it to a local workshop and took the cable out of the firewall

Then welded the clip back on

Didn't get home until about 8-9pm so it was a long drive for me.

[JoKer]

 

https://www.drivelife.co.nz/2018/04/todd-motors-group-mitsubishi-new-zealand-inaugural-heritage-day-april-15th-2018/

[rxsumo]

On 4/17/2018 at 13:12, Avenga said:

There was about 150 cars.

Here are some photos.

We all parked up outside the old Admin building, which is now the headquarters of MMC NZ. There was another big field of car but I got there early so I could park in front of the admin building itself

 

And also Mike Todd had his genuine E49 Charger there *Drool*

 

 

Its a fairly significant E49 - its actually Rod Coppins old race car from the early 70's

It left the Chrysler factory as  race car, the cars destined for NZ didnt get the big Bathurst fuel tanks.

I think its the oldest surviving E49 as well - NZ got the first of the E49 deliveries

Its a pretty cool car to drive - the noise is amazing when it comes up on cam and the webers are wide open