By Rex Mayor

I had received a phone call from a former local by the name of Tony Steel saying he's just seen what he thought was Roy's old Zephyr Wagon at an All Ford Day in Otautau, and would I mind if he gave the owner my contact details. That owner phoned me and emailed some photographs for confirmation, while also telling me that there were some photos on the Internet… a Goggle search located the vehicle in question.

Yes... Tony (Stainless) Steel was right, and the Internet stories confirm it, the car having been rescued from a farm paddock at Kakahi – thought to be a prototype built be a Coach Builder called Jacobs somewhere in the South Island – also thought that it could have been built as a hearse.

The late Roy Jacobs was the proprietor of Central Panel beaters Ltd in Taumarunui. His wife Marie and son Dean still operate the business from the second premises built on the next-door section to the original workshop. I started my apprenticeship with Roy getting my first pay in dollars and cents on the 10th of July 1967.

Roy was a master craftsman, having served his apprenticeship in Palmerston North under the old school methods and I feel privileged to have had the opportunity to learn those methods through the quality of work that he insisted on turning out, and the practical projects that we undertook during the 12 years that I worked for him.

When we wanted a workshop Ute we built one. A Mk I Zephyr, that was sold almost immediately, a Humber 80, Humber 90.

A Plymouth Belvedere for a local Farmer who liked what he'd seen.

Plus a Mini Ute for another farmer.

And the Commer cob project that finished up being cut up and dumped after many years of taking up valuable room.

One of the long surviving workshop run-abouts was a little purple Fordson Truck “Young Henry”. This remained bodily stock but it got a 100E engine transplant, hydraulic brakes and 13” mag wheels.

But Roy and Marie had a little problem... in fact 4 little problems, plus another looming that was about to be named Dean, so the old Mk II was getting a little crammed on family excursions. Falcon and Holden Wagons were the right size but too expensive. So.. the Mk II was wheeled into the workshop one day and taken to with the gas torch. It ain't no Prototype, or Aussie wonder, it was just another one of our projects.

We thought the proper version looked pretty ugly as they had big rounded rear corners, so we decided to take the direction towards the squarish modern lines of the time. The roof panel is from a XP Falcon Wagon, fitted on backwards and welded into the remains of the original turret top that was cut off about 2 inches above the drip rail and across the front in the same manner. Remembering that we didn't have Mig welders in those days, it was all welded in by gas, (Very carefully) then hammered and filed

It was originally a high-roof model so fitting of the Falcon turret-top allowed us to lower that to a Low-line profile, which corresponded with the face-lift late model Mk II’s.

The side window framing was all hand crafted out of panel steel and the windows were Triplex plate glass cut to shape. I think the rubbers were from a Holden Wagon of about HD vintage.

The Tail Gate??

Described on the Net as being fibreglass.” Fibreglass like hell.” The whole tailgate is fabricated out of panel steel and like the rest of the modifications, finished with lead. There was no bog used on that car what so ever, so if there is any in it now, we didn't put it there. Roy had a habit of starting something and then leaving me to finish it, with periodic interventions of help and advise. I always took this to be a compliment, because he knew I had the ability and tenacity to keep boxing on even though it would take a while, and that tailgate did.

We wanted to use a lift-up type tail gate, mainly for simplicity, and a Mk III Cortina Wagon provided suitable hinges and springs, and the Cortina rear window also looked the ticket so that and its rubber and chrome insert were used as well. The original boot release button and boot lock were modified and used.

The car was originally white, and it could have had a green roof. After the conversion it was painted a mustard colour by a local car-painter Charlie Weston. We did the entire rubbing down with block and water. The same slow pedantic method that I prefer today.

Sometime after the Mk II, a Valiant Regal car also needed to become a Station Wagon, but that’s another story.

Roy never gave it away.

He built a couple of Vauxhall Victor Ute's, a Mitsubishi, and while Ford and GM were in the doldrums at producing Ute's, Roy turned a Commodore and then a Falcon into Ute’s just before regulations took all the fun out of creativity.

I have spoken to a former workmate and he left Central Panel beaters during 1970 just as the Mkll project was started, so that's when it was built. We have estimated that it would cost around 20,000 bucks to do a job like this today (2007). With no promises made.

It's quite a buzz for me to see that it still exists. One of the problems faced a long way down the track is that the welding undertaken on a job like this will corrode from the inside out unless some sort of coating can be applied inside, and this is not always possible. We tried to paint wherever we could and perhaps/hopefully someone has got to it with a Tectal type treatment since.

Email sent by present owner

Hi Rex, the web site you sent me is the one that I couldn't remember, and
she had the SH number plates on her when I first got her. I added the
personalised one's myself. Thanks for all the information, really like
your MK 1 as well. I have had her for nearly 5 years now, and my purchase
price was $3000.00 for her road legal. I got a form with it that is from
turners saying that it is a NZ prototype, I will send a photo of it to
you, cheers Simon.

I think Turners were pumping it up to make it worth more, but they were effectively pulling someone's leg. Never mind, they didn't know any better, as did anyone else, and the wagon probably is worth a bit now due to its uniqueness. Especially as the true history is now known.
The place called Kakahi where it was rescued from is only a stones throw from Taumarunui… about 10 minutes southeast by road. I do remember the wagon running around here for a while, and then it disappeared. Lucky someone found it before it turned into a heap of rubbish, and it looks like it was well on the way to that, and quite honestly that's what I thought must have happened.

I spoke to the car salesman who sold Roy the Mk II and he was bursting his boiler to find a suitable wagon. On failing to do that he laughed when Roy finally told him he would make the Mk II into one, and just about had kittens when he turned up at our workshop later in the day to see it chopped up. In essence, he is probably the one responsible for it happening as he told Roy it was impossible, and that was all the challenge that was needed.

Roy passed away about two years ago and as I mentioned, his wife still runs the panel shop office as she did all along, and his son runs the workshop with a couple more workers. I can't wait to talk to them about it, and will definitely ask for photos.

This has opened up a hornet's nest, and I am elated at being able to pass on this information, and can't keep away from this bloody computer.

A day later;

I have talked to Marie and put her onto the web site and she couldn't believe her eyes. Between us we remembered some more points. A TV technician called Johnny Logue made Roy an offer and when Morrie O'Rielly the car salesman that laughed about making it into a wagon found out, he upped the offer. Johnny equalled the offer and Morrie upped the anti again. Roy didn’t like the idea of the ensuring Dutch auction and sold the car to Johnny for the second agreed price no matter what other offers Morrie made.

From there is was sold to a service station owner at Motuoapa, a small holiday settlement on the shores of Lake Taupo - about 10 K's north of Turangi.

Marie remembers him contacting them because he had broken the back window and wanted to know what it was. He was killed when a car crashed into one of the petrol pumps and burst into flames.
(Sounds a bit like the Bullet chase)
Trevor Skinner is the first name listed on the new current ownership papers and he was the ill-fated Service Station owner, and it could well have been his son who had it parked in a paddock from where it was rescued.

By Rex Mayor.

Here are a few photos from Simon and a note that I found in the very first photo album we put up here on site. Karl (Lowzep)

Simon: I purchased the Estate off of a lady at Greenhills {near Bluff} in about July 2002. When I first saw the phone number I thought that is was in Bluff right in the sea more or less. But after calling the number I found that is was not, so I went to have a look. The first time I looked at it I thought to myself that I had to have it, but no deal was reached on that day. After leaving it nearly a year and then getting a good paying job I called about it again. Less than 2 weeks later a deal was struck and off I drove at a cost of $3000.00, which I thought was reasonable. Since owning it I have showed it about 4 times so far. The response from most people is really good.

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