Chevrolets remain a constant

The Chevrolet Deluxe remains standard, apart from a heater fitted by the previous owner. drives it 35km to the North Shore Vintage Car Club weekly morning teas and car- fettling sessions. “It takes only five minutes more than in the modern, and it’s comfy.” It certainly is, as I discovered from the passenger seat, and the car gets along rather nicely, and stops just fine thanks to effective drums — naturally, neither brakes nor steering are power assisted. The Deluxe is powered by a 3.5- litre sixcylinder engine with a 68kW output, drinking around 14l/ 100km at a steady 80kph.

Jim would like to bolt in the 3.8- litre Blue Flame six which was also available for this model.

He knows so many people with old cars, and they all have stories. The hills round his Kaipara home are alive with them.

And not just cars – Jim mows his lawns with a Gravely tractor, a walk- behind device that’s 60 years old, and designed to operate a number of implements, which affix to the front. He first used it with different tools fitted to plant pumpkins, and here it is, still going strong, now with grass clippings in its blades.

Over a cup of tea he told me his new car is a film star, pulling out the photos to prove it: a company had set up a classic “car yard” in the grounds of Henderson’s Corbans Estate, with his car “for sale” on the yard.

“Lucky I’d had a shower that day!” Jim quipped, as I packed up to leave. I’d best leave him to it, after all, the Gravely still has the rest of the lawns to do.