38 New Zealand Classic Car | themotorhood.com
nine Henry Ford Awards for journalism
between 1994 and 2005, while MotorSport
New Zealand (MSNZ) recognized him
in both 2014 and 2015 with awards for
feature journalist.
In all his years of motoring, Donn’s only
had one accident: “When the Isuzu Bellet
was launched here in the ’60s, Motorman
had one to test. Jack [Inwood] and I headed
off to Wellington very early — it was
certainly still dark — and, just north of
Huntly, we were T-boned by a Morris 1100.The driver had fallen asleep and hit the car
on Jack’s side. There was wreckage all over
State Highway 1. We were OK but a bit
battered and bruised. We went to the 1100
but couldn’t find the driver, until we looked
in the back. Somehow, in the impact, that’s
where he’d ended up — almost under the
rear of the front seats. He was just waking
up by then. Fortunately, he had suffered
no injuries.”
Donn wonders if the anxiety that he had
for the welfare of drivers in motor sport was
connected to him being present at Teretonga
in 1966 when friend Bill Caldwell was
fatally injured.
“I think I was a born stress ball,” he
admits. “I’d worry over small things that
were probably never going to happen, and
that probably contributed to a massive heart
attack in England in 2008.”
That year did, however, get better for
Donn when he was selected from the visiting
international journalists present for the
Goodwood Festival of Speed to take lunch
with Charles Lennox, the 10th Duke of
Richmond: “His father set up Goodwood
and his son, Lord March, has made
Goodwood what it is, but the old boy I had
lunch with had no interest whatsoever.”For such a conventional bloke, Donn has
excelled in an unconventional career.
“I consider myself extraordinarily
fortunate, being on the outside but
looking into motor racing and the
motor industry. Add to that, I’ve had
the privilege of being driven by three
world champions — Jim Clark, Jackie
Stewart, and Denny Hulme — and also by
Bruce McLaren and Chris Amon.”
As for the motor industry, Donn has
worked for most New Zealand franchises
and has relished the opportunity to attend
car launches all over the planet, including in
Alaska, Egypt, the US, Japan, Scandinavia,
the Andes, Rio de Janeiro, and most of
Europe.And yet another
These days, Donn’s motoring passion is far
more focused on driver education and safety
than on Formula 1; although, “Rodger’s still
an addict,” he adds.
“We’ve been poorly served by successive
governments and councils. How do they
justify the low level of fine for texting
and hand-held phoning as compared
with the much harsher punishment for
accidentally straying into a bus or transit
lane in Auckland? We need a huge effort on
driver education — I’m right behind what
Greg Murphy is trying to promote,” he says.
I know Donn has always loved Minis, and
has owned numerous versions of both the
original and the modern versions, but what
about a classic car?
“Well, my son Jamie and I went halves
in Denny’s old Range Rover several years
ago — I was with him when he bought it, so
we’re just the second owners.”
Jamie has inherited his dad’s motoring
passion and has been a regular competitor
with a BMW in 2KCup racing. Donn now
describes himself as “semi-retired” and says
that, “while I still love writing about cars,
I’ve certainly tailed off ”.
It’s axiomatic to describe Donn Anderson
as being massively respected in motoring
circles throughout New Zealand, and I will
be just one of many Kiwis who has eagerly
anticipated his next instalment for more
than 50 years.Left: Donn interviewing
Roly Levis for Radio Hauraki
at Pukekohe in 1965
Below: Donn at Jaguar’s
Browns Lane head office
near Coventry in 1987
(photo: Anderson files)