Two years on from Cyclone Gabrielle, Pan Pac’s beloved 1934 Plymouth Coupe vintage car is once again cruising the roads of Hawke’s Bay following an enormous restoration effort by staff.
Like most of the vehicles parked at Pan Pac’s Whirinaki site during Cyclone Gabrielle, the Plymouth was left caked in silt and severely flood damaged. Its engine was sitting on a bench in the Vehicle Workshop and was in the process of being reconditioned. Unfortunately, it too was below the water level.
Paul Tollison works as an operator in the Sawmill and has a passion for cars. He volunteered to restore the Plymouth while the mills were non-operational during the cyclone recovery. Paul dedicated over 700 hours to meticulously restoring the Plymouth to its former glory. The trickiest part was getting everything ready for re-certification, he says.
“Every last nut, bolt and component has had to be pulled apart, cleaned up, rebuilt and put back together… It took me two ten-hour shifts to get the silt out of the carburettor.”
“Some of it’s been very frustrating, and some of it’s been very, very rewarding.”
Some of the parts weren’t so easily sourced, like the carburettor kit, which a staff member’s brother located and sent over from Australia.
“Unless you look closely, you won’t notice some of the parts aren’t original, like the new LED headlights.”
Pan Pac Managing Director, Tony Clifford, said the restoration went ahead because of how special the car is to Pan Pac. “The Plymouth is part of Pan Pac’s DNA,” he said. “This restoration wouldn’t have been financially viable if it was done at commercial rates,’ said Tony. “It was only thanks to Paul’s discretionary time that we were able to rebuild and keep the Plymouth.”
Little is known about the car up until the late 1970’s, when it was purchased by former Pan Pac director Masa Asai, who took it with him when he returned to Pan Pac’s parent company, Oji, in Japan. It was never registered in Japan and sat in a garage for 25 years. After a change in circumstances, Masa donated the car to Pan Pac, and had it shipped back to New Zealand.
Over the years, the car has been popular with staff, who enjoy taking it out for a spin on the weekend and using on special occasions like weddings and the Art Deco Festival.
Pan Pac is grateful to Paul, and the other staff who helped him save this much-loved company treasure.
Keep an eye out for it cruising around Hawke’s Bay.
Pictured: Paul Tollison in Pan Pac’s 1934 Plymouth Coupe.
