Toll NZ Talking Trucks - Episode 3 and 4 are about the recent Concorde reunion held at Barry Caulfields Yard in Awakiri.

Here is a brief report on that great event.

The DVD of these two episodes of Toll NZ Talking Trucks is now available here

Barry Caulfield calls the truck the most famous truck in New Zealand. Late last year he went to Wanaka and bought the truck off George Wallis who had owned it for 10 years. Barry wanted to bring it back to Awatiri to put into his collection of trucks and restore it. He had it pained back to the original colours that Mike Lambert who had the truck spec'ed and brought into the country to add to his logging fleet, used. There were about 100 people at the reunion including Mike Lambert, Alf Quaife the 2nd owner, Clarry Cartwright the 3rd owner and George Wallis the last owner.

The thing about this truck is that it has a Detroit 2 stroke V12 engine at around 450 hp and in 1971 that was by far the most powerful truck in New Zealand. It also had an extra 18" in bonnet length over the normal Kenworth bonnet of the time.

 

Alf Quaife painted the truck in these colours and apparently it was the first ever to be painted black.

Alf was impressed with the horsepower of the Concorde and he said a lot of people were ringing Mike about Alf's driving skills... Alf also holds the Bay Park record for racing this truck and he still has the certificate and the record still stands today.

It was a bit of fun Alf said, but Mike was a bit concerned about that because of the insurance aspects of the time.

Alf had the truck for about 3 years before selling it on to Clarry Cartwright.

George Wallis told me that he thought the Detroit V12 2 stroke engine was the best way to turn diesel into noise.

The Concorde story is over episodes 3 and 4 of series 3 of Toll NZ Talking Trucks. Series 3 episodes 1 to 6 are now available, see the Index page or click here

In episode 4 of the 2nd part of the Concorde story I managed to get hold of Garth Hodgetts who sold the truck to George and he told me about time he owned it.

The Concorde being loaded with logs all dressed up in Mike Lambert's original colour scheme.

Clarry Cartright bought the truck from Alf and he contracted to Trailways and had it repainted again to Trailways colours.

Clarry told me he actually sold the new ERF he'd bought and bought an older truck the Concorde. "She certainly wasn't a lemon", he said.

Clarry also told me that the truck was used in a film called Battle Truck, not many people know that he said.

Garth Hodgetts was the 2nd to last owner. Garth thought the truck was just part of a large extended family and was probably a national treasure. He also told me he really had no intention of selling the truck but at the time he had to concentrate on his heath, so that's the reason Gearge Wallis was able to buy it. Garth worked with swamp kauri in the Matakana area as well as other jobs. He said it wasn't a problem getting up in the mornings to drive it.

The last owner was George Wallis. He kept Garth's colour scheme he just put his name on the door he said. George put a tipper on the back to move grain and fertiliser and the like. He told me about being passed going up a hill by a modern Scania and that inspired him to put a turbo on the V12 and he said he never saw that Scania again. George said he thoroughly enjoyed his 10 years with the Concorde.