A PASSION FOR FERRARI
WHEN TIM BAILEY SET OUT TO REPAIR AND SELL EUROPEAN CARS, HE COULD SCARCELY HAVE BELIEVED HIS AMBITIOUS DREAM WOULD BECOME A REALITY. DONNA ND ER SON REMEMBERS HIM FROM THOSE EARLY DAYS AND THE WONDERFUL LEGACY HE HAS LEFT
Apassion for cars made on the European continent was clearly on the mind of the quiet and unassuming 18-yearold Hampshire lad when emigrating to New Zealand from England with his parents in 1959. Tim Bailey went on to build the impressive Continental Car Services (CCS) distributorship in Auckland, and his special admiration for Ferrari would pay dividends for the Italian marque in our small, albeit enthusiastic, market.
First competition
I first met Tim when he was service manager for Fiat distributor Town and Country Cars in Auckland. Early conversations centred on his respect for Volkswagen and a love of motor racing that prompted him to acquire the Barden Special built by Dennis Smith and Barry Thomas in 1963.
Bailey raced the space-frame, 1460cc engined, Formula 3–based single-seater at Pukekohe in November 1965, breaking a universal joint early in the day. Typical of his determination, Tim hurried back to Auckland to repair the car, returning to the track to finish fourth in the final race of the day. A year later, he bought the Brabham BT9 open-wheeler formerly owned by Ken Sager and Grahame Harvey, installing a twin-cam Fiat engine in place of the usual Ford power. However, Tim is better known for his motor sport exploits in a white Porsche 911T that he both raced and rallied.
Motor racing had to take second place with the expansion of CCS, but was never out of sight or mind. In October 1973, Tim became the first person to race a Ferrari 246 GT at Pukekohe.
First business
Timothy Edward Sherman Bailey served his mechanic’s apprenticeship in Wellington, and was one of the first A-grade technicians in New Zealand. On relocating to Auckland, he had little more than a Morris Minor van and $1200 in his pocket. Tim’s time at Town and Country Cars proved useful and instructive. He then embarked on the CCS project in 1967 with the modest Mobil service station and small workshop at 40 Great South Road, Newmarket.
Phil Myhre remembers being one of just four early staff in 1970 — there were Tim; his first wife to be, Margaret Duff; mechanic Gary Birkett; and Phil, who manned the