More Americans in NZ

[nzcarnerd]

The Plymouth coupe and the Rambler SST are both relatively rare in NZ. The owner is still trying to search the history of the SST and how it came to be imported with RHD. The '60 Impala has been in NZ since 1962. Only a small number of the Dodge 330 were sold new in NZ, maybe a dozen or two. 318 and push button auto for this one.

Edited November 6, 2016 by nzcarnerd (see edit history)

[Rusty_OToole]

The Rambler is rare in the US too. Have never seen one quite like it. They made a fastback coupe for several years called Marlin but I don't think they ever made more than a few thousand per year. Yours does not look like any of them, it looks newer. Productions supposedly ended in 1967.

[nzcarnerd]

The SST is a 1970 Rebel. There were a handful of locally assembled Rebel sedans sold here new, all with 304 V8s. I remember a neighbour trading his '63 Classic in for one. His third Rambler - the '63 had replaced a '56. There was one of these '70 sedans at the show today, a scruffy survivor, but I didn't get a shot of it.

Edited November 6, 2016 by nzcarnerd (see edit history)

[Harold]

The RHD SST may not be as unusual as it first appears.  The US Postal Service used RHD Rebels for mail delivery, so there was factory tooling for a quantity of these vehicles.  I saw many of them at auctions in the 1970's.

[Rusty_OToole]

I think the fastback body Rebels were the rarest body style.

[dei]

Thanks for posting those pictures. 

I know exported cars from Canada and the US were shipped but I always wondered what engineering had to be accomplished with shifting, steering and dash components for that low volume to make it worthwhile.

Would it be safe to presume (we all know what assume does) that those imported cars for you would be much more expensive than your domestically produced comparable vehicles?

 

[plymouthcranbrook]

Is the  Plymouth coupe the same one featured in the new Issue of the Plymouth Bulletin ?

Edited November 7, 2016 by plymouthcranbrook (see edit history)

[nzcarnerd]

1 hour ago, plymouthcranbrook said:

Is the  Plymouth coupe the same one featured in the new Issue of the Plymouth Bulletin ?

Sorry, I don't know but the owner wrote a story about it for the NZVCC magazine Beaded Wheels.

[nzcarnerd]

4 hours ago, dei said:

Thanks for posting those pictures. 

I know exported cars from Canada and the US were shipped but I always wondered what engineering had to be accomplished with shifting, steering and dash components for that low volume to make it worthwhile.

Would it be safe to presume (we all know what assume does) that those imported cars for you would be much more expensive than your domestically produced comparable vehicles?

 

New Zealand had no car industry of its own. The market is too small.  The high price of American cars in the 1950s and 1960s was due to the 'preferential tariff' system which favoured cars from Commonwealth countries. Hence most of our 'American' cars were sourced from Canada. Until about 30 years ago New Zealand had a very restricted economy, particularly in relation to imports of so called luxury goods.  Now we have one of the most open economies of any country.

[dei]

Thank you for that information. 

I understand more now why those cars would indeed be rare to see there.

Looking forward to more pictures and info.

Doug 

[nzcarnerd]

In the 1950s and 1960s New Zealand, along with the UK, was still trying to pay the bills from WW2, so imports were very restricted.  I know that around 1960s for example only a couple of dozen Chrysler product cars were coming in each year. In 1962 only 24 Pontiac Laurentians were imported, and all of these were assembled in NZ from 'completely knocked down' kits - hence CKD, and whatever they could make here was supplied locally, usually wiring looms, batteries, heaters and upholstery. The specifications were very basic.

 

With our present open economy, anything can be imported so several hundred older cars are being imported privately from the US each year. There is quite a business in it. There are several companies specialising in shipping cars to NZ, and other countries.

[TG57Roadmaster]

On 11/6/2016 at 0:09 AM, Rusty_OToole said:

The Rambler is rare in the US too. Have never seen one quite like it. They made a fastback coupe for several years called Marlin but I don't think they ever made more than a few thousand per year. Yours does not look like any of them, it looks newer. Productions supposedly ended in 1967.

Other than being RHD and located in NZ, this is just a  '70 Rebel SST hardtop coupe, of which 49,970 were produced. 

It's rare for its location and RHD, but the Rebel was one of AMC's best-sellers in 1970.

The RHD postal fleet cars were sedans, so it's cool to see a 2drht survivor from NZ.

 

TG