RAISING THE BAR

Ewan McPherson decided a few years ago that many of the cars competing were quite rough and it was time someone set a new standard for preparation

Long-time Southland motor racing enthusiast Ewan McPherson decided a few years ago while attending a motor racing meeting that many of the cars competing were quite rough and it was time someone set a standard for preparation of cars aiming for glory.

“I thought there is no reason why you can’t take it to the track and have it looking smart. At the time I was following classic racing and there was nothing much that was really sharp. One or two Mini Sevens that were really tidy and I thought, Why can’t you do something like this and try and set a standard?”

Perhaps his thinking struck a chord with the common consciousness as evidenced by the upward trajectory in the standard of preparation of many more recent classic racers. In 2014 he had his chance to make an impression when he bought a Ford Anglia and the result was one of the best-looking small sedans in classic racing.

“I purchased the Anglia from Peter Ward in Christchurch for $2500 and started it in 2014,” Ewan says. “It sat up in the shed for about 18 months and I kept looking at it to see if it was worth doing. The more I looked at it the more I could see it had been belted around a bit. The door pillar on the right-hand side looked ugly so I got Dallas Ryan to look at it. He was