Whangarei in the north of New Zealand, about 1920.

[nzcarnerd]

What is the car? The windows on the top must be a clue. I thought of Saxon and Chalmers but they have two oval rear windows.

[Grandpa]

Some of the design features match a Chalmers, however, the unknown car is not a Chalmers.  The cowl shape, at the base of the windshield, does not match a Chalmers.

[Dave Mellor NJ]

Looks like right hand drive and the setting looks like spain or Latin America

[nzcarnerd]

1 hour ago, Dave Mellor NJ said:

Looks like right hand drive and the setting looks like spain or Latin America

 

As in the tile it is in New Zealand. Typical colonial architecture.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whangarei

[nzcarnerd]

A more modern view of the same building but from a different angle, though from looking at the cars it was taken at least twenty years ago. Originally called the Commercial Hotel, it was renamed the Grand Hotel in the 1950s after the visit by Queen Elizabeth and Prince Phillip.   http://www.grandhotel.co.nz/

 

 

[nzcarnerd]

15 hours ago, Grandpa said:

Some of the design features match a Chalmers, however, the unknown car is not a Chalmers.  The cowl shape, at the base of the windshield, does not match a Chalmers.

 

I wonder if the car might be a Mitchell?

[Dave Mellor NJ]

21 hours ago, nzcarnerd said:

A more modern view of the same building but from a different angle, though from looking at the cars it was taken at least twenty years ago. Originally called the Commercial Hotel, it was renamed the Grand Hotel in the 1950s after the visit by Queen Elizabeth and Prince Phillip.   http://www.grandhotel.co.nz/

 

 

Shows what I know. Excuse Me all you Kiwis out there

[Spinneyhill]

 

20 hours ago, Dave Mellor NJ said:

Shows what I know. Excuse Me all you Kiwis out there

Sure. Not much RHD in Spain or Latin America! Probably not many Holdens either.

[lump]

I'll offer a wild shot-in-the-dark-guess. 

 

Back in 1960 or so, my parents had acquired a very uncommon Grant Six roadster, and eventually came to believe it was the last remaining 1921 Grant Six in the world. They were newbie car collectors, with very little expendable cash. But they thought that, since the car was apparently so very rare (1921), that maybe it would be valuable one day, and so they should restore it correctly, and spare no expense. They began an exhaustive search for a parts car. The ONLY place they found one was in New Zealand, of all places. They corresponded with a Mr Black over there, who apparently had a 1921 Grant Six chassis. My parents bought it, and had it shipped here from there. 

 

Later they met a man who had been a lifetime employee of the Grant Motor Car company. He told them that many Grant cars were exported to New Zealand. So, with this in mind, I thought I would just suggest that perhaps this car could be a Grant Six? I have nothing more than that to go on, but I figured I would offer it up, just in case. 

 

Attached is a photo of a 1922 Grant Six touring car which my parents found in Michigan, and photographed in 1961. I have several pix of it, but this angle is similar to the OP's photo. I note that the rear window is totally different, but I assume that may not mean much in touring cars, which likely have replacement tops. Frankly, the dark OP's photo and my weak eyes don't work together well for comparing the two. I'm very interested in this contribution. I hope it might help solve the mystery. 

 

Edited March 12, 2018 by lump (see edit history)

[nzcarnerd]

1 hour ago, lump said:

I'll offer a wild shot-in-the-dark-guess. 

 

Back in 1960 or so, my parents had acquired a very uncommon Grant Six roadster, and eventually came to believe it was the last remaining 1921 Grant Six in the world. They were newbie car collectors, with very little expendable cash. But they thought that, since the car was apparently so very rare (1921), that maybe it would be valuable one day, and so they should restore it correctly, and spare no expense. They began an exhaustive search for a parts car. The ONLY place they found one was in New Zealand, of all places. They corresponded with a Mr Black over there, who apparently had a 1921 Grant Six chassis. My parents bought it, and had it shipped here from there. 

 

Later they met a man who had been a lifetime employee of the Grant Motor Car company. He told them that many Grant cars were exported to New Zealand. So, with this in mind, I thought I would just suggest that perhaps this car could be a Grant Six? I have nothing more than that to go on, but I figured I would offer it up, just in case. 

 

Attached is a photo of a 1922 Grant Six touring car which my parents found in Michigan, and photographed in 1961. I have several pix of it, but this angle is similar to the OP's photo. I note that the rear window is totally different, but I assume that may not mean much in touring cars, which likely have replacement tops. Frankly, the dark OP's photo and my weak eyes don't work together well for comparing the two. I'm very interested in this contribution. I hope it might help solve the mystery. 

 

 

An interesting theory, and quite plausible. I had been thinking the car was a light six of some sort. The hood looks to long for it be a four, like a Maxwell or similar car. I know of at least one grant Six being restored in NZ. The owner's surname is Grant.

[nzcarnerd]

Grant Six advertising picture which is late teens I think.

[nzcarnerd]

This one is 1920 and more closely matches our mystery car' radiator shape.

[lump]

I have several more photos of that same touring car, and other Grants. If it is decided by the forum that more photos would be helpful, I will scan them and add them here. 

[nzcarnerd]

1 hour ago, lump said:

I have several more photos of that same touring car, and other Grants. If it is decided by the forum that more photos would be helpful, I will scan them and add them here. 

 

It would be nice to find a car that has the same shape rear windows in the top as the OP.

[DavidAU]

I haven't any idea what the car is but what I find strange is the power pole on the footpath next to the building entry without any wires on it because they would come into contact with the building. 

It makes you wonder what was there first. The pole or the building?

[nzcarnerd]

8 hours ago, DavidAU said:

I haven't any idea what the car is but what I find strange is the power pole on the footpath next to the building entry without any wires on it because they would come into contact with the building. 

It makes you wonder what was there first. The pole or the building?

 

I am guessing the building as there first. Those poles look as though they are still being installed; no insulators or wires. It does seem odd that there was no power on there as late as 1920. Check the link above to the Grand Hotel for the history and build date.

[Spinneyhill]

There are other poles with spreaders and no wires or insulator further away, e.g. behind the person on the gig.

 

The Wairua Falls electric-power station was installed in the early 1900s with the first generator in 1916. The Northern Wairoa Hydro Electric Power Board was established in 1920 and it is my bet that this was taken during the installation of lines from that station to and around Whangārei. The power station is not far away.

Edited March 12, 2018 by Spinneyhill (see edit history)