Rob is an aircraft engineer by trade and his business specialises in the restoration of vintage aeroplanes and classic cars. Rob’s passions include vintage aviation in his Tiger Moth, yachting and classic cars of all periods. Rob’s current projects include building a Pitts Special aerobatic aeroplane and a vintage-style ultralight aircraft with his son Louis and his father Wallace. Rob’s current work project is the building and restoration of a set of wings for a Beech Craft Staggerwing, which is being restored in Wanaka in the South Island. Rob’s vintage motoring includes using the Riley whenever possible and competing in club hillclimb events. The Leadfoot Festival is definitely the highlight of Rob’s motorsport calendar.
Rob McNair - 1931 Riley Nine Special
Rob is an aircraft engineer by trade and his business specialises in the restoration of vintage aeroplanes and classic cars. Rob’s passions include vintage aviation in his Tiger Moth, yachting and classic cars of all periods. Rob’s current projects include building a Pitts Special aerobatic aeroplane and a vintage-style ultralight aircraft with his son Louis and his father Wallace. Rob’s current work project is the building and restoration of a set of wings for a Beech Craft Staggerwing, which is being restored in Wanaka in the South Island. Rob’s vintage motoring includes using the Riley whenever possible and competing in club hillclimb events. The Leadfoot Festival is definitely the highlight of Rob’s motorsport calendar.
1931 Riley Nine Special:
Rob built his car based on Riley 9 components and fitted with an engine from a De Havilland Tiger Moth. He was inspired by the Brooklands Riley, the Type 59 GP Bugatti and the GP Delage from 1927. He is an aircraft engineer by trade and had just restored a Tiger Moth for himself when the Riley project was starting to happen. The remaining engine parts left over from the Tiger looked like a obvious solution for his vehicle special. Rob incorporated aircraft-style riveting on the body and aero instruments of the period, to give the car an aero-nautical feel. The result is a car with performance similar to proper Grand Prix cars of the time and it has intriguing details. Aero-engined cars were famous for record-breaking and high-speed touring in the early days due to their effortless performance with the big engines. This is also the case with Rob’s Riley. It has been campaigned at the Leadfoot Festival four times, with the highlight being winning the pre-1960 class here in 2016.