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![[photo of an Cobra]](images/coblog45.gif)
Roger's interest in cars was roused by his brother Cliff Wilson's 1933 Ford 3 window coupe and his 1934 Ford 5 window coupe.In 1969 he purchased a rough but mobile 1934 Ford pickup and joined Rod benders Hot Rod club. He then purchased and rebuilt a 1932 Ford Roadster fitting a 283 twin? Chev, boywraner T10 gearbox, 57 Chev diff, and MK111 Zephyr front disc brakes.
This car was one of the first stock bodied rods to receive an OHV V8 in NZ and is now owned by his brother Cliff who is also his agent for the RWC 427sc.
In the early seventies a very rough 1932 Ford 5 window coupe was rebuilt with a semi space frame internal chassis. This car featured in 283 cubic inch Chev, Turbo Hydro 350 automatic, Chev 10 built 5-link diff with watts linkage and MKIV Zephyr discs and Vauxhall Victor independent from suspension.Roger has always believed that any car he builds is created to be driven daily, not a trail queen. His 5 window amassed a considerable mileage, taking him to work and many Rod Runs around the country several trips to the top of Cape Reianga and to the bottom at Bluff.
With minor changes it is still clocking up the miles with new owner Harry Orpwood.
Inspired by the song Convoy "Obelix', his 1934 ford pickup was styled as a small scale Kenworth of the late 70's.Using a scratch built truss ladder chassis it had another 283 cubic inch Chev, 3 speed Chev Blazer gearbox, and transfer case, Toyota Land Cruiser front diff with 12" Camaro disc brakes adapted, Pontiac power steering box and Chev 10 bold diff equipment with HQ Holden front discs.
In 1989 he was offered voluntary severance from TVNZ where he worked in the scenery department and established Wilson Classics Sports Cars with the aim of building Mistral sports cars to be used in classic car racing and for fun touring.A set of moulds were taken of a freshened up original Mistral body.
These stylish wee cars are a late 1950s English sports car designed by RAF fighters pilot Bill Ashton. They were made by Microplas Company in Surrey, sold in GB, USA and Germany, and made under licence in NZ by boat builders Weletex Christchurch and Emesley & Foxton in Dunedin.
The first Mistral built was created as a period replica of a car which could have been built in the mid 1960's. Loosely based on the early Cobra ladder chassis it utilised twin 3" tubes 22 ½ " apart suspending a Triumph Herald front suspension, 1500 Mark 1 Cortina motor and box with a Mark 1 Cortina diff modified with 5 link suspension and Koni shocks all round.Torsional rigidity tests during chassis construction showed the basic ladder chassis to be woefully inadequate so a tubular space frame backbone was added which was connected to a tubular safety cell around the driver's compartment incorporating intrusion bars and burst proof locks.
Stiffening the basic chassis like this enabled the suspension to be tuned to a point where the car was able to out handle all the front engine sports cars it raced against in street and circuit races including the nimble lightweight Lotus seven brigade.
Several successful seasons followed with the 360 being driven and developed by 265 Chrysler powered Viva legend Dave Samson. These included some great battles around the streets of Lyttelton, Waimate, Queenstown, and Dunedin against Corvettes, Jensen Healey, AC ACE, Austin Healeys, TR6, Lotus sevens MGBs and MGCs etc360 took part in circuit racing at Ruapuna, Levels, and Wigram successfully over many seasons.
By now it had become obvious that the Mistral was never going to be popular enough to earn a living from even for a stubborn car nut willing to sacrifice most of his own toys. He had sold his GT40 replica, Gurney Weslake heads 1932 Does 3 window coupe and 1932 Ford Roadster to keep food on the table.At this point, Steve Shirley the fibre glasser who was making Mistral bodies was in the final stages of preparing a 427 sc Cobra body. He then took a mould from this Cobra body and a lose partnership was formed with the intention of building good handling up market Cobras.
As the New Zealand market was dominated by the Graham Berry chassised Almac 427sc a clear difference had to be established. He decided to build a Cobra that would be immensely practical and aesthetically satisfying to a discerning classic car enthusiast- the kind of car that would shine in any company.
After building nine Cobras to varying stages of completion, he decided that it was time to expand the business and give more people the chance to own and enjoy his interpretation of the legendary racer and street hero created by Carrol Shelly and his team.A 600 square metre workshop in Leeston (a half hour drive from Christchurch) was leased and set up for the first production run of Turnkey and Rolling Chassis RWC Cobra 427sc
Roger also hopes to get back to his roots, building great handling, reliable Turnkey 1932 and 1934 street rods using top quality fibre glass bodies for most cars but will source new steel bodies for those for those 'steel is real' lovers.In his spare time he is rebuilding Obelix into a 1934 Ford car transporter to ferry cars back and forth during construction, certifying, and delivery to customers.
Lengthening a Mitsubishi Canter car transporter scored on Trade Me by 850 mm adding a 900 mm slide out section to the rear of the deck he turned a cab over into a conventional bonneted 34 Ford.
The diesel four was turfed out to be replaced by a Toyota 1JZGTE twin turbo 2.5 litre six (280 horsepower) he had hanging around.