KITS AND PIECES
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU MIX NUMBER-EIGHT WIRE AND PLASTIC WITH AN AMERICAN STAR? FROM THE LAND KNOWN FOR ITS SONG BIRDS COMES THE KIWI FIRE BIRD
Looking at this car, which is now part of The Pointon Collection, housed in a shed near Masterton, we had to wonder why anybody in New Zealand would want to produce what is probably now viewed as a common old American muscle car. There are lots of real Pontiac Firebirds scattered around New Zealand, so why would you want to build a kitset one? To many in the mid ’70s, it must have sounded like a recipe for creating something that nobody would want to buy. But history proved those naysayers wrong, because, between 1975 and 1992, 83 Morland Firebirds were sold as kitsets from a small factory on St Asaph Street in Christchurch.
Take one part Holden …
As they were based on a Holden HQ body tub and used Holden parts, they were easy to repair and maintain. They were right-hand drive, and a person working in his shed could spend a single winter building one with a couple of friends for considerably less than the cost of buying an original one. The car’s creator, Tom Morland, had owned a few genuine Firebirds during the early ’ 70s, and he had been frustrated by their cost when compared with the average two-door Holden Monaro that was available at the same time. Both cars were made by General Motors (GM) and had similar performance, but the Pontiac was considerably dearer by the time it landed in New Zealand.
The fact that they only came in left-hand drive meant that they were not as safe to drive on New Zealand roads as other cars. To improve this shortcoming, Morland took a set of fibreglass moulds off one of the 1970 Firebirds that he owned and built his first fibreglass car using Holden parts. Reaction from his friends was such that he pondered putting the car into production. Some quick research revealed that the team who had designed the then-current Firebird and Camaro had also been responsible for some aspects of the chassis design for the Holden HQ. The Holden HQ was a top seller in New Zealand at that time and would make a feasible donor car.
… add a little Kiwi ingenuity …
Sales of the car really took off when Morland displayed the 1979 facelifted Trans Am version of the car at the 1983 Auckland Motor Show. The local GM board of directors also visited that particular show and a representative came over to compliment Tom on the quality of his car, saying that the board was pleased with the fact that he was using Holden HQS as the donor for another GM car. By that time, GM
had ceased production of the two-door Monaro, so did not see Morland’s car as a threat.
… and what have you got?
Alastair Ansell, who did a road test of two of Tom’s cars for the
Canterbury Motoring Special in the early 1980s wrote, “I was particularly impressed with the overall integrity of the vehicle’s structure. Regular Trans Ams and Camaros suffer quite badly from scuttle shake and various creaks and groans, especially from the area around their heavy doors. By contrast, the Morland cars are very taut and rattle-free — very impressive!”
So, the Morland Firebirds were not only cheaper and right-hand drive but also better built than their American cousins. Another advantage was that the Holdens had coilover-shock suspension all round, while their Pontiac cousin was still bouncing along on rear leaf springs.
The Christchurch-based Morland Firebird even made it onto the silver screen, starring as the pink and black model in the car-chase movie Shaker Run, a movie that was shot entirely in New Zealand and released in 1986.
Trade-off
Our feature car was built by Ian Douglas of Nelson and was first registered in 1983. To get most of the Pontiac-specific parts required for the build, Ian purchased a fire-damaged Firebird in the US and stripped it of all the necessary bits, which were then shipped back to New Zealand.
In 2004, Francis Pointon became the third owner of the car, and he bought it sight-unseen — not because he wanted it, but because he had a motorbike that he had been trying to sell for quite some time, with no success. As it turned out, the owner of the Firebird was quite happy to take a motorbike as part-trade for the car. The two agreed on a suitable cash price difference, and Francis was on the ferry with the bike to Picton. Both parties were very pleased with their purchases and excitedly swapped machines for their respective journeys home. They were so excited that Francis forgot to pay for his, discovering the money in his back pocket after his ferry had left Picton, bound for Wellington. Fortunately, the previous owner was very understanding when an embarrassed Francis called him, and the money was transferred to his bank account when he later got home.
Needing a bit of a touch up
Although Francis had bought the car sight-unseen, he knew of the Morland cars and was quite pleased to have a genuine New Zealand car in his collection. Being an A-grade mechanic, he was not bothered by any potential surprises that the car may have had in store for him. The last owner had been using the car as a daily-driver, and, as it had been parked outside, the paint had faded. Further, its stance did not look right, as the rear wheels were poking out either side and the car was sitting too high on its springs. Francis believes that, going by the steering wheel fitted to the car, the donor car had probably been a Holden Belmont or Kingswood. To Francis, it was definitely a potential project car.
As summer faded into autumn, Francis went for a drive from Masterton to New Plymouth, during which he decided that he was not impressed with the performance of the old Pontiac 7.4-litre truck engine that had been fitted to the car. As well, all the previous cars that Francis had owned had been manual, and this one was an automatic, and he was not enjoying driving it. Something had to be done.
A little surgery
During the winter of that year, Francis decided to take the car off the road and refurbish it. That was the initial idea, but, by the time summer rolled around, he had replaced the entire drivetrain, with Trade Me being the major source of parts. The original 7.4-litre motor was pulled out and replaced with a more modern and more powerful version of the same engine. The rear axle is now a Ford nine-inch with Statesman axles and brakes grafted. ( The Holden Statesman was one of the few cars of that era to have all-round disc brakes.) He had also intended to fit a period fourspeed gearbox, but, when he managed to source a modern six-speed Monaro gearbox, he decided to go with that instead. And, after some more searching on Trade Me, Francis was able to buy a three-spoke HQ Monaro steering wheel to replace the standard two-spoke Holden wheel fitted to the car.
The bonnet bulge had to be extensively modified to allow it to be closed and clear the different inlet manifold of the newer engine. Francis was particularly pleased with how this turned out, with the modification being one of only two ways
Morland Firebirds were not only cheaper and right-hand drive but also better built than their American cousins
The best way to tell the difference between a Morland car and an American one is that there is no panel join between the front fender and the bumper or nose
that this car looks different to its American cousin. The best way to tell the difference between a Morland car and an American one is that there is no panel join between the front fender and the bumper or nose. Tom Morland considered this join to be unattractive, so he moulded both fenders and the nose as one piece.
Finally, Simmonds 16x8-inch wheels were fitted, and the car was painted. With the exterior then looking pretty impressive, focus turned to the inside. But apart from reupholstering the seats and replacing the carpet, the interior looked as good as the day Ian finished it decades earlier. The only thing that lets the car down, perhaps, is the instrument binnacle, which looks a little home-made. It has a round aftermarket digital speedo and gauges laid out in the same style as the original. Having investigated how the dash panel looked on the original Firebirds, we don’t think that it would require too much work to bring it up to spec. The same applies to the door inner linings. Potentially another project for the coming winter nights?
Back to good as new
Francis is very pleased with how the car turned out. He loves the sound that the big V8 pumps out, and it is a very pleasant car to drive on long trips, with Holden Statesman– sourced power steering making it easy to drive around town. It may sit in his shed for up to six months a year, but, given the right excuse, such as a day at Manfeild race track or a car show, and he will be out and about, enjoying his unique piece of New Zealand automotive history.
He does not intend to sell it and sees himself as being the car’s custodian, and hopes that whoever gets the car next will be similarly inclined and its next long-term caretaker.