New Zealand Classic Car – September 2019

themotorhood.com | New Zealand Classic Car 29

Publicity
The car arrived in the winter of 1967. Once
the prototype was on New Zealand soil,
Alan tried a different approach: he used the
news media to help influence his case with
the government. These days, Alan is quite
adept at using the media for publicity, but, in
those days, it was all new territory. Some of
the claims that Alan made about the car were
not very well thought out, as he, on occasion,
overstated things. For example, he said they
were ready to start manufacture when they
did not even have a factory — but he was
under a lot of pressure.
Jack Marshall was an immovable rock,
and Alan hoped that public enthusiasm
for the venture would swing him around.
Newspapers throughout the country devoted
several days to the car, and, at one point,
pictures were taken of Jack Marshall standing
beside it. However, despite this attention, Alan
was turned down for another year.
At the time, Alan believed that the cost of
purchasing the car by an individual would
be around $2400, which is about $40K in
today’s money.

Desmond Mahoney of

The NZ Motor World did a road test of the

Nova in 1968 and stated, “The Nova is a

mighty fine car, with performance, road

holding, and finish far above the average

in its class ... the 1500cc motor is quick

enough to hold a Holden 186 or a Mark III

Zephyr up to 50mph, for instance — but

also cruised quietly and effortlessly, even

soundlessly, at our maximum.”

Long way off

After more pushing, the government offered

Alan a token of 300 licences — probably

in the hope that he would go away, but

more probably so that it could be seen to

be doing the right thing. Although, at that

stage, no factory had been bought and

no tooling imported, Alan said that 300

was not enough; a minimum of 2000 was

required to make the plan financially viable.

Sadly, the best the government would come

up with was 600. Although the media was

now saying that production was imminent,

in reality, it was still a long way off. During

1969, a final big push was made to try to get

As up to 80 per

cent of the car

would be made

in New Zealand,

compared with

40 per cent or

less with other

manufacturers,

it was surely a

good thing

Above: Jack Marshall, Minister

of Industries and Commerce, as

well as Overseas Trade, with the

prototype at the New Zealand

Display Centre in Wellington

(The Evening Post, 27 November

1967)