Seen in a Taranaki Workshop 2
Earlier the same day I was in New Plymouth, on the same NZTODAY quest and called in on well known Citroen fanatic Denis Adlam.
This seems to be a genetic thing; it was Denis’ late father who started the family Citroen affliction and made a business from it, with sons Denis in New Plymouth and Andrew in Wellington carrying on the tradition of working on these most individualistic and often misunderstood cars.
As the Citroen agent for the city, his workshop has all the high-tech gear and computer bits you would expect for servicing the latest models, but in the corner under a cover lurked a black DS. This was his own car, or at least one of them, as beside this was the engine and transmission from his 1939 Light 12 traction avant which, due to being savaged by the neighbour’s teenage son, is currently at a panel shop in Nelson being slowly put back into the shape it was prior to its accident.
I always think that certain cars suit certain colours. Orange on a BMW 2002, red on a 1970s Camaro, lime green on an early Porsche 911 all are a perfect match. And nothing beats black on a Citroen DS. Denis’ car has had an interesting history. Sold new in London to the Catholic Church, it was the official transport, chauffeur driven, for one of the main accountants for the church (the hydraulic suspension would have been useful for carrying all the coins from the collection plate) before making its way to New Zealand where it is nearing the end of a refurbishment rather than a restoration and it is not too far away from being back on the road again. This was one of the cars formerly sold by the country’s most famous Citroen fanatics, “Mad” Max McKay from Manaia and now in Adlam hands, it is guaranteed a spoilt life in the hands of a genuine enthusiast.