Allan Wylie is a mechanic from Christchurch, whose first experience of motorsport was when he sneaked into the Levin Motor Races at age ten to see what all the noise was about. The experience must have had a profound effect on him because he went on to make cars his life’s work and a hobby as well. He first participated in the sport as a teenager by crewing for, and later driving, a TQ midget at Templeton Speedway and he has dabbled in club level motorsport on both two and four wheels ever since. Allan was a founder member of BEARS motorcycle club in 1983 and later helped his friend John Britten build and race motorcycles. For 32 years he worked at Auto Restorations in Christchurch – first as workshop foreman and later as general manager -working on a wide range of vintage and classic cars.

Allan Wylie - 1936 Ford V8 Coupe

Allan Wylie is a mechanic from Christchurch, whose first experience of motorsport was when he sneaked into the Levin Motor Races at age ten to see what all the noise was about. The experience must have had a profound effect on him because he went on to make cars his life’s work and a hobby as well. He first participated in the sport as a teenager by crewing for, and later driving, a TQ midget at Templeton Speedway and he has dabbled in club level motorsport on both two and four wheels ever since. Allan was a founder member of BEARS motorcycle club in 1983 and later helped his friend John Britten build and race motorcycles. For 32 years he worked at Auto Restorations in Christchurch – first as workshop foreman and later as general manager -working on a wide range of vintage and classic cars.

1936 Ford V8 Coupe:

Allan bought the 1936 Ford Coupe in 1969 and has driven it on most days since then. The coupe has been refined and developed over the years to make it faster, more dependable, comfortable and fun to drive. It currently runs a 59A flathead V8 engine with an Eaton M90 supercharger, EFI and solid state ignition controlled by a Link computer. The engine is backed by a Toyota W50 5-speed gearbox and a Falcon rear axle with LSD. Anti-roll bars, panhard rods and telescopic shocks help the handling. Allan relishes the opportunity to drive the Ford at events, like Leadfoot, where skids are encouraged, not punished.