PRINCES RECLAIM THEIR BIRTHRIGHT
Princes from all over New Zealand came out of hiding and got together for the first time recently at the top of the top of the South Island.
Peter Nunn, who organized the rally and who owns two Prince Gloria B200 sedans, says that the brand is rich in history here and in Australia, because of our insistence on local assembly during those years.
“That means they are just as much a part of our motoring heritage as the British cars that are more ingrained in our collective memory. Obviously, there were a few buyers who recognized a superior car when they saw one. We thought it was about time we rediscovered and celebrated the heritage of this brand,” says Peter.
Prince celebrated its 72nd anniversary on 30 June. Princes were sold in New Zealand from about 1960 to 1968. Early models were the Skyline — about the size of a Mk2 Consul — with a 1900cc four-cylinder engine and the Skyway wagon. The Prince Gloria 6 and B200 models were assembled in Christchurch by Steel Industries, and sold under licence throughout the country by distributor Croyden Motors, along with the later PA30 Gloria. A few Skyway wagons were also imported.
Those model names will be familiar from a much more well-known brand. The ‘Prince’ name pretty much disappeared when the Prince Motor Company merged with the Nissan Motor Company in 1966–’67, although some of direct imports from Japan
still wear Prince dealer decals.
Prince’s Gloria wagons, a small number of pickups and vans, and the first of the Skyline GT series came into the country as fully built-up imports. Peter knows of several Prince cars stored away and says there must be a pickup or van out there somewhere that hasn’t surfaced yet.
Another B200 joined the rally, along with an A200; one very early Skyline; two mid’60s Skylines; and a race-spec, road-going GTB Skyline — one of the very few sold in New Zealand.
A register has been set up for Princes in the Southern Hemisphere, and Peter and the other Prince owners are keen to find more members for this happy band. If you know of any more Princes in hiding, contact lilliputgazelle@gmail.com.