Replica car banished to trailer

A fully operational three-wheeled replica of Timaru’s first car has to be towed on a trailer in Timaru’s Christmas Parade tomorrow, which one of its builders says is ridiculous.

The tri-car, built by Jim Geddes and John Campbell at least 16 years ago, mirrors the vehicle built in Timaru by Cecil Woods in the late 1890s/early 1900s.

Despite the vehicle, which has a top speed of about 15kph, having been driven in past parades and there being no concerns from police and the Timaru District Council, the South Canterbury Vintage Car Club (SCVCC) has ruled it has to ‘‘stay on the trailer’’.

SCVCC president Alistair Day said the vehicle was neither registered nor warranted, and to his knowledge had never done a parade.

‘‘I think it would struggle to get up Ballantynes hill, then what do you do with it,’’ Day said, adding the club’s insurance didn’t stretch far enough for it to run in the parade, and he questioned what would happen if a child ran out in front of it.

‘‘As far as I’m concerned, it stays on the trailer. For it to be considered for the parade, we need more notice.’’

Police, when shown a photo of the tri-car in the 2016 Christmas Parade and told it was unregistered or warranted, said ‘‘in essence, in the context of a local Traffic Management Plan for an event on a closed road, like a Christmas Parade, police would be unlikely to take enforcement action provided this example vehicle (or other vehicles/floats of the sort you might see in a parade) was being used safely’’.

The Timaru District Council said while its land transport unit had not spoken with Geddes, ‘‘we have no concerns with him driving in the Christmas Parade this year, as he has done in past years. If he has any questions he can feel free to phone council and speak with the corridor manager.

‘‘Overweight items (such as tractor engines) do require a special overweight permit to participate in the parade – this is in line with standard weight rules for transport on our urban road network – this activity is regulated for road safety and to help prevent road damage.’’

Timaru’s Christmas Parade organising committee spokesperson Teressa May said the decision rested with the SCVCC as they were responsible for their vehicles.

Geddes, 82, said ‘‘it is hardly likely to run away and cause problems’’.

‘‘It has probably got better brakes on it than a lot of blimmin’ motorbikes have got on them.

‘‘But unfortunately we’ve got to go with that because that’s the way it is.’’

Geddes said the vehicle ‘‘does not have a hope in hell of passing registration or a warrant’’ because it is a new vehicle built like one that is over 100 years old.

He admits to having driven it on the roads before, and said he had carried mayoralty (Janie Annear) previously.

‘‘I’ve done a few wee things with it, but I’m not supposed to have it on the roads at all now. I can understand it to a point, but for god’s sake what speed does a parade do. It’s pretty slow, now I’ve got to put it behind this old Holden wagon.’’

Geddes said he and Campbell decided to build the vehicle after a drawing of it had adorned the club’s magazine cover for many years.

‘‘I thought for long enough, it’s our motto, why don’t we do it.

‘‘God knows how long it took. It’s like restoring a car, you don’t think about your time, you just do it.

‘‘We had to make everything. We had to draw out a plan for a start.

‘‘I got the engine from one of the guys in the club.’’

A unique part is a ‘‘poaching pan’’ on the side that protects the electrics.

‘‘I went to the Crows Nest, had a nosey around. It cost me about $4 and had to cut a hole in the middle and fit it on.

‘‘The throttle came out of the parts shed, god knows what it was.’’

Geddes said the vehicle was ‘‘as close to the original as we could get it’’.

The octogenarian said the word ‘‘sort of got out’’ that it couldn’t be driven in the parade this year.

‘‘It was forget it, you’re not allowed to unless it is registered and warranted. It can go through on a trailer. To me that’s silly.’’

Geddes said he was hoping someone younger would have run it through the parade.

‘‘I’ll just walk away and leave it for them to put it on the trailer.’’

The Timaru Christmas Parade is on tomorrow, starting at 2pm, travelling Stafford St, down Port Loop Rd to Caroline Bay.