A MACTRA OF FACT

Coming a close second to the cockroach as champion survivor is the Beetle and its morphological derivatives

Some scientists believe that in the aftermath of a nuclear holocaust, one of the first mechanical sounds to be heard will be the distinct ‘dakka dakka” of a Volkswagen Beetle making its way across the wasteland.

The first Beetle was ‘discovered’ by Ferdinand Porsche some time in 1938 in Germany, although there is some controversy over this. Some automobile historians believe that Porsche got the idea from Tatra, who were already working on a very similar specimen in the Czech Republic.

Regardless of its genesis, it did not take long for the Beetle to make its mark. Shortly after its discovery, it was enmeshed in World War II. The plucky little car quickly evolved into a number of subspecies, such as the tough go-anywhere Kubelwagen, and the slightly more fragile amphibious Schwimmwagen. At the end of the war, the original Beetle was found hiding in a bombed out shed by Major Ivan Hurst who played a key role in its survival. Thanks to him millions of examples of this venerable little car have spread throughout the world.

However, as the decades passed, the Beetle found itself struggling to cope with the man-made pressure of automotive evolution. Sadly, the last Beetle emerged from a factory in Mexico in July 2003 after around 21 million had been produced. Since then, many of them have ceased to exist, while some have gone into hiding. Some of those that have survived can be found on a sunny day at car shows proudly displayed by their symbiont carers. Out of sight of mainstream manufacturers, the feisty little car continued to evolve in the hands of enthusiastic but isolated car designers. In Germany it became a beautiful lady called the Karmann Ghia; in the USA it became the Manx Beach Buggy; in England, it was an exotic car called the Nova. It is even possible that the rarest of this species may exist in the little South Pacific country of New Zealand.

TERRA INCOGNITA

I know of at least four unique native species that are now so rare they face extinction. In my archives are rare photographs of these cars from days gone by. However, until recently I had never seen one in the flesh. Which is how I came to be lurking outside a shed in Taupo belonging to Archie Moffat. A friend had contacted me and said that he had found a Terra. This rare species is based on the Beetle and was manufactured in Rotorua, as a farm utility vehicle, in the mid to late ’60s. A not inconsiderable 450 of them were apparently produced, but very few of them ever made it back off the farm. I was excited by the possibility of finally seeing one until Archie cheerfully said, even before the door rolled up, “I don’t know what it is, but it is definitely not a Terra.” Which was a bit of a fizzer.

However, once the door was rolled up and I looked at the remains of this specimen, I noticed some key tell-tales which gave me clues to its identity. Looking at the storage pods just in front of the rear wheels and the shape of the dash panel, I realised this was even rarer than a Terra. The Mactra was another Beetle-based farm vehicle that had been manufactured possibly in Nelson during the late ’60s to early ’70s. Only about 20 were produced, and here was one of them lurking in a Taupo garage.

MACTRA, I PRESUME

Over the years, I have seen only three Mactras, all old photographs taken in the wild. One of these was relocated to Germany where it was domesticated and restored. This one was discovered in a very dilapidated state at the back of the VW shop in Hamilton. It is currently getting a full body job and restoration by Archie. The air-cooled engine that came with the car had been fully reconditioned by its last owner but then left outside for years. It was only good for scrap.

Fortunately, there is a huge range of after-market parts available for the Beetle and its derivatives. Having built three Beach Buggies over the past six years, Archie knows where to find them. He currently has his eye on a 1.9 or 2.0-litre example of the air-cooled engine and is intent on increasing its power from the 40bhp it rolled out of the factory with to close on 200bhp.

Very little is known about any of the Mactras. There is uncertainty that Nelson was indeed the origin of the Mactra, so any further information would be greatly appreciated.

Archie believes he will have it finished in about a year, when it will be put back to work as a utility vehicle, albeit with a much more pampered life ahead of it.