brake/stop lights that I picked up at a
swap meet.”
A petite fuel tank sits behind the rear
spoiler, running 95 octane, and an air
cleaner is housed beneath the seat.
Elsewhere, Russell installed a classic
eight-ball shifter knob, straight out of a
muscle car manual gearbox.
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bark-coloured leather left over from
a restoration job deployed not only to
house the gear shifter and to upholster
the go-kart seat but also to make a
tonneau cover to shield the cockpit from
rain while on display. Tyres, steering
wheel, shocks, and chrome exhausts
(for show) on the sides all came with
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“The good thing about buying a
complete go-kart like I did was that most
of the components were all included.”
Functional process, yes, but perhaps not
the driving experience for everybody.
That seat is not exactly made for child-
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Put it this way — you don’t want to get
cramp while you’re in it. The pedals are
set up to suit the driver’s position, and
there’s no problem using them.
“The brakes are great although the
steering is a little heavy. It’s a bit like
driving a mobility scooter at speed.”But wait, there will be
more
This fun project won’t be the last for
Russell Cooper. Coming up next on the
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on a 1960 Auckland Caravan Company
lantern-top caravan but sited on the
back of a 1947 jailbar replica truck,
using light-weight aluminium to keep
the weight beneath 2.5 tonnes.
“I’m always playing with something —
it’s that mix of modern technology with a
retro look,” he says.Russell Cooper rolling out the barrel at his
workshop in Hamilton
Roll out
the barrels“The good thing about
a bespoke project
like this is I’m the
only customer I have
to satisfy!”Traditional barrel making is an
ancient art, involving a slow and
sensitive technique. Russell Cooper
points to a video showing a German
barrel-making outfit at work. It
mills timber, assembling a number
of boards, or ‘staves’, brushed with
water, into a cylindrical shape, and
then lighting a small fire within this
circle. Gradually, and painstakingly,
the coopers tighten a large vice
around the cylinder, bending the
staves, forcing them to bulge in the
centre, and locking them in place
with metal bands. All the better to
store that precious drinkable content!The beautiful grain of refinished oak