Anziel Nova

Last updated

Anziel Nova
Anadol A1 in red.jpg
A 1966 Anadol A1, on which the Anziel Nova was based, at the Rahmi M. Koç Museum in Istanbul
Overview
ManufacturerAnziel Manufacturing
Production1967
1 prototype
Designer Ogle [1]
Body and chassis
Class Mid-size
Large family car
Body style 2-door saloon
Layout FR layout
Related Anadol A1
Reliant FW5
Powertrain
Engine 1,498 cc (1.5 L) Ford Kent Inline-four engine
Transmission 4-Speed Manual gearbox
Dimensions
Wheelbase 2,565 mm (101.0 in) [1]
Length4,381 mm (172.5 in) [1]
Width1,644 mm (64.7 in) [1]
Height1,422 mm (56.0 in) [1]
Curb weight > 828 kg (1,825.4 lb) [1]

The Anziel Nova was meant to be New Zealand's first domestically produced car. A prototype of the fibre-glass bodied car was unveiled in September 1967, however never reached production. [2]

Contents

Background

Alan Gibbs Alan Gibbs of Gibbs Technology.jpg
Alan Gibbs

In 1965 Alan Gibbs, then an economist, had returned from England with the idea of creating a New Zealand made car. However, he initially worked for the Government's Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet on the Import Licensing schedule. This experience gave him a good understanding of the problems a start-up venture would face.

The project commenced in Autumn 1966 when Alan moved to Auckland to join with his brother Ian, owner of Anziel Limited, in the venture. The Gibbs brothers also needed an import licence for the assembly plant, parts, and materials. Because of its use of fibreglass bodywork Reliant Motor Co of England was approached for a suitable design. This was to maximise the quantity of local product in the manufacture. [3]

At the time Reliant was developing the FW5, a mid-range family saloon, for Otosan of Turkey. The FW5 was aimed at relatively low production numbers without the need for expensive plant and tooling. It was designed by Tom Karen of Ogle Design. Reliant considered the model suitable for construction in less developed countries because of the ease of manufacture. [4] This car was deemed suitable to meet the Gibbs' requirements.

The proposal

Jack Marshall Jack Marshall, 1972.jpg
Jack Marshall

In August 1966, the Gibbs brothers sought government consent to obtain an import licence for their proposal. They proposed to build 3,000 cars per annum, with production commencing in mid-1968. However, Jack Marshall, who was the Minister of Trade in that period, declined the request on the grounds that New Zealand was suffering from falling export revenues at the time, which was causing a balance of trade problem for the government. Other established car manufacturers were having their import licences reduced and the granting of a licence to another manufacturer was seen as counter-productive.

Despite this setback, the Gibbs brothers continued to lobby Marshall, who eventually relented and allowed them a licence to import a prototype from Reliant. [3]

The car

Rear view of an Anadol A1 Anadol A1 Sag Arka.jpg
Rear view of an Anadol A1

On 16 December 1966, Otosan had begun production of the FW5, naming it the Anadol A1. [5] Whether it was an FW5 or an A1 that the Gibbs brothers obtained as their prototype is unknown, as either source could have been used. Given the probable higher import duties on non-United Kingdom sourced vehicles it is more likely that it was a Reliant FW5. [6] The car arrived in New Zealand in the winter of 1967.

As the Anziel Nova, the two-door car was to be powered by a 1498cc pre-crossflow Ford Kent engine with a 4-speed gearbox. It had an expected top speed of 90 mph (140 km/h). Alterations were made to its trim and the car was re-badged by the Gibbs brothers prior to its unveiling. In the publicity documents the company said that it was going to produce a four-door version, as well as planning to make a station wagon, commercial van, and a light truck. [3] [7]

The prototype is still in existence and owned by Alan Gibbs. [8]

Promotion and stonewall

The Gibbs brothers brought in Sir Laurence Hartnett, who was considered the father of the Australian car industry, to promote the car at an official announcement on 17 September 1967. The car was said to be going to sell for NZ$2,400. [9] This would have placed the car in a price range in New Zealand with cars that included the Hillman Hunter (NZ$2,232), Toyota Corona (NZ$2,296), and Isuzu Bellett 1500 (NZ$2,398). [10] Its advantage over these models was that its higher local content meant a reduced need for overseas funds.

Jack Marshall and Norman Shelton, Minister of Customs, were less than enthusiastic about the project. They considered that the country at that time could ill afford to spend its overseas funds on such a project, but would continue to consider it. Discussions continued in the following year with no real change. By the end of 1968 the government offered a licence for 600 units, but this was insufficient. Through 1969 there were ongoing battles with the government but no progress. Even obtaining funds for paying a fee for Reliant's technical assistance was declined. The project was finally doomed in March 1970, due to the changes made by the government on import rules for cheaper, fully built cars. [3]

Alan Gibbs retained his interest in cars and went on to develop the Gibbs Aquada in 2003.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reliant Motors</span> British car manufacturer in Tamworth, Staffordshire

Reliant Motor Company was a British car manufacturer based in Tamworth, Staffordshire, England. It was founded in 1935 and ended car production in 2002, the company had been known as "Reliant Motor Company" until the 1990s when it became "Reliant Motors" and then finally became "Reliant Cars LTD" after production had ended of the Robin as the company was restructured to be a car import business. It is now a dormant company and the only entity left is a separate parts company created called "Reliant Partsworld" which produces parts for Reliant vehicles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">British Motor Corporation</span> Automobile manufacturer

The British Motor Corporation Limited (BMC) was a UK-based vehicle manufacturer formed in early 1952 to give effect to an agreed merger of the Morris and Austin businesses.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Delta Motor Corporation</span>

Delta Motor Corporation was a South African car manufacturer, which was created through a management buy-out after General Motors (GM) divested from South Africa in 1986. It was headed by former GM executive, Bob Price, who had returned to South Africa from Detroit. He had previously served as General Motors South Africa's managing director between 1971 and 1974, and later became president of Motors Trading Corp., a subsidiary that engages in international trade on behalf of GM.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anadol</span> Defunct Turkish motor vehicle manufacturer

Anadol was Turkey's first domestic mass-production passenger vehicle company. Its first model, Anadol A1 (1966–1975) was the second Turkish car after the ill-fated Devrim sedan of 1961. Anadol cars and pick-ups were manufactured by Otosan Otomobil Sanayii in Istanbul between 1966 and 1991.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ogle Design</span> British design consultancy company

Ogle Design is a British design consultancy company founded in 1954 by David Ogle and based in Letchworth, Hertfordshire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reliant Robin</span> Three-wheeled car produced by the Reliant Motor Company (1973-2002)

The Reliant Robin is a small three-wheeled car produced by the Reliant Motor Company in Tamworth, England. It was offered in several versions over a period of 30 years. It is the second-most popular fibreglass car in history after the Chevrolet Corvette, with Reliant being the second-biggest British car manufacturer for a time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Knock-down kit</span> Collection of manufactured parts for assembly

A knock-down kit is a collection of parts required to assemble a product. The parts are typically manufactured in one country or region, and then exported to another country or region for final assembly. CBU, on the other hand, stands for "Completely Built Up" and signifies import of a finished product.

The Button car plan, also known as the Button plan, was the informal name given to the Motor Industry Development Plan, a Hawke government initiative intended to rationalise the Australian motor vehicle industry and transition it to lower levels of protection. It took its name from Senator John Button, the then federal Minister for Commerce, Trade and Industry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trekka</span> Motor vehicle

The Trekka was a light utility vehicle built on the basis of the Czech Škoda Octavia, manufactured in New Zealand between 1966 and 1972. It is the only vehicle designed and manufactured in New Zealand to have entered commercial production for an extended period.

Road tax, known by various names around the world, is a tax which has to be paid on, or included with, a motorised vehicle to use it on a public road.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Devrim</span> Motor vehicle made in Turkey

Devrim was the first-ever automobile designed and produced in Turkey.

Toyota New Zealand Limited is the importer and distributor of new Toyota and Lexus vehicles to New Zealand. It also imports used vehicles from Japan and refurbishes them at its former assembly plant in Thames.

Ford Otomotiv Sanayi A.Ş., doing business as Ford Otosan, is an automotive manufacturing company based in Turkey that is equally owned by Ford Motor Company and Koç Holding. The company was established in its current form in 1977, with original relations dating back to 1928. It currently operates in six locations: Gölcük and Yeniköy plants in Kocaeli, İnönü plant in Eskişehir, Craiova plant in Romania, Sancaktepe R&D Center and spare parts warehouse in Istanbul The company employs more than 20,000 people and had a production capacity of over 700,000 vehicles, 400,000 engines, and 140,000 powertrains by 2022.

The Todd Corporation is a large private New Zealand company with a value of $4.3 billion, owned and controlled by the Todd family and headquartered in Wellington, New Zealand. The corporation is currently led by board chair, Nick Olson, and group chief executive officer, Evan Davies. The corporation employs 800 individuals at 10 locations in New Zealand, Australia, and Canada including seven on the executive team. The board of directors has seven members.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Automotive industry in China</span>

The automotive industry inmainland China has been the largest in the world measured by automobile unit production since 2008. As of 2024, mainland China is also the world's largest automobile market both in terms of sales and ownership.

United Australian Automobile Industries (UAAI) was an automobile model sharing firm that operated in Australia between 1987 and 1996 as the result of an agreement between Holden and Toyota Australia. The joint venture resulted in the two companies sharing production of locally produced automobiles by selling their models under both brands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Automotive industry in Turkey</span>

The automotive industry in Turkey plays an important role in the manufacturing sector of the Turkish economy. The companies operating in the Turkish automotive sector are mainly located in the Marmara Region, especially Bursa.

Malaysian motor vehicle import duties is an article describing the excise duty on imported vehicles into the country.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Automotive industry in New Zealand</span> Overview of the automotive industry in New Zealand

The automotive industry in New Zealand supplies a market which has always had one of the world's highest car ownership ratios. The distributors of new cars are essentially the former owners of the assembly businesses. At the dealership level they have maintained their old retail chains in spite of the establishment of the many new independent businesses built since the 1980s by specialists in used imports from Japan. Toyota entered into direct competition with those used-import businesses refurbishing old Toyotas from Japan and selling them through their own dealers as a special line. The nation's car fleet is accordingly somewhat older than in most developed countries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ford Romania</span> Automobile manufacturing company

Ford Otosan Romania SRL, commonly referred to as Ford Romania, is an automobile manufacturing company operated by Ford Otosan, located in Craiova, Romania. The company was established in 2008 after Ford's purchase of Daewoo Automobile Romania. In 2022, the Ford Romania company was purchased by Ford Otosan and changed its name to Ford Otosan Romania SRL.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "1967 Otosan Anadol A1". carfolio. Retrieved 6 January 2014.
  2. Niall, Todd, "Chapter 24", The Trekka Dynasty, Iconic Publishing, ISBN   0-476-00757-7
  3. 1 2 3 4 Chapter 4, Serious Fun - The Life and Times of Alan Gibbs, Paul Goldsmith, Random House, Kindle edition
  4. Britain designs Turkey's first car, Design journal, No 214, October 1966, pages 48-49
  5. Smith, Maurice A. (5 January 1967). "Instant Industry". Autocar . 126 (3699): 52–54.
  6. Extract from the New Zealand Official Year Book 1967 - Motor Vehicles— Motor vehicles imported in an unassembled or completely knocked-down condition pay 6 1/4 percent duty under the British preferential tariff, 45 percent under the most-favoured-nation tariff, and 65 percent under the general tariff. Under the Canadian Trade Agreement motor vehicles imported unassembled from Canada pay from 13 3/4 percent to 45 percent, depending on the percentage of Canadian materials and labour involved. Motor vehicles imported in an assembled condition pay 20 percent duty under the British preferential tariff, 55 percent under the most-favoured-nation tariff, and 75 percent under the general tariff. Vehicles from Canada pay from 33 1/3 percent to 55 percent. Motor vehicles, autocycles, and scooters pay 12 1/2 percent under the British preferential tariff, 32 1/2 percent under the most-favoured-nation tariff, and 50 percent under the general tariff
  7. Anziel Nova publicity brochure
  8. Gibbs lives a life of 'serious fun', Fiona Rotherham, Updated 05:00 01/08/2012
  9. First look at the New Zealand family car, Evening Post, Wellington, 21 September 1967, page 28
  10. Assorted advertisements, Evening Post, Wellington, 7–18 September 1967