Solved - NEH 249: Ching Special on early Falcon shell based on 1950 Ford 10

Carnut · January 14, 2010, 10:53:50 AM

1 point for identifying this one:

Carnut · January 21, 2010, 11:53:06 AM

Over to the Experts then..

white12 · January 21, 2010, 12:58:47 PM

It is a FORD TEN SPECIAL by by John Mills 1950.

Carnut · January 21, 2010, 06:37:46 PM

Quote from: white12 on January 21, 2010, 12:58:47 PM
It is a FORD TEN SPECIAL by by John Mills 1950.

Very good!

D-type · January 22, 2010, 05:30:29 PM

Shouldn't the title be "John Mills's Ford Ten Special" as there were countless Ford 10 specials produced in the 40's and 50's

Carnut · January 22, 2010, 06:21:43 PM

OK!

Allan L · January 23, 2010, 03:35:01 AM

I see you have the date as 1950 and the body as Falcon. That doesn't seem right.
Falcon was founded in 1957 by Peter Pellandine, previously of Ashley Laminates (founded 1955) from which the body known as Falcon Mk II came with him.

Carnut · January 23, 2010, 09:01:41 AM

It's actually based on a 1950 Ford 10 rather than being built in 1950.
I only added the John Mills bit because D-Type reckoned I should, without actually checking my source again. I should also have checked it again against white12's reply.

In fact it's not by John Mills but was apparently built between 1953 and 1955 by Noel Ching from Nelson, Lancs using features from John Mills's book 'The Contruction of Ford Specials'. It is believed to have used "an early Falcon fibreglass body" but whether that is the same Falcon as produced the Caribbean etc I don't know. Maybe they did produce some bodyshells earlier in the 1950's?
Apparently Noel Ching built 5 Ford-based specials between 1953 and 1955. It is not know which of those 5 this one is. It's currently in New Zealand.

nicanary · December 07, 2014, 03:54:32 PM

What is this car, and who built it?

Paul Jaray · December 08, 2014, 05:59:02 PM

Pretty sure it's a repost

nicanary · December 08, 2014, 06:20:57 PM

I know, but a search under the car's name and the builder does not show a previous puzzle. Yet it looks familiar.

nicanary · December 21, 2014, 12:56:55 PM

Experts?

richard fridd · February 03, 2015, 11:32:54 AM

Falcon?

nicanary · February 03, 2015, 11:34:26 AM

Quote from: richard fridd on February 03, 2015, 11:32:54 AM
Falcon?

No.

frederick59 · February 03, 2015, 05:40:12 PM

Scandinavian car?

nicanary · February 03, 2015, 06:56:12 PM

Quote from: frederick59 on February 03, 2015, 05:40:12 PM
Scandinavian car?

Not from any Scandinavian country.

frederick59 · February 04, 2015, 06:50:39 AM

British car?

nicanary · February 04, 2015, 07:26:58 AM

Quote from: frederick59 on February 04, 2015, 06:50:39 AM
British car?

Not from Britain, but there are some parts in the car from there.

nicanary · February 22, 2015, 10:42:48 AM

If this is indeed a repost, this one won't last long in the Pros.

Paul Jaray · February 22, 2015, 10:53:24 AM

Ching Special

Paul Jaray · February 22, 2015, 11:04:12 AM

http://www.autopuzzles.com/forum/index.php?topic=21464.msg225450#msg225450
http://www.autopuzzles.com/forum/index.php?topic=10746.msg87975#msg87975

nicanary · February 22, 2015, 12:04:59 PM

I've been having problems in recent times with my puzzles, what with reposts and incorrect identification, and it may have happened again. I could send you a PM, but I don't mind sharing my embarrassment with all of AP!

Clearly these are the same cars, but my source claims it is one of 3 cars built by Sonata Laboratories and powered by Ford 10hp engines. It is owned by Brian Ford in New Zealand. It's possible of course that they were kits supplied from the UK and assembled in NZ.

Can anyone add information? No wonder it didn't show on my search.

PS LOCKED until we sort out this anomaly.

Paul Jaray · February 22, 2015, 12:16:22 PM

This is what I wrote in a reply probably where you got that info:
Hi,
cool car indeed. I knew there was a Ford special built in NZ by Alan Watson, Auckland, later known as the Ching Special, once sold to Noel Ching, Nelson. He (Noel) later build more of them.
You can read bout them in Graham Vercoe's 'Historic Racing Cars of New Zealand' and in Patrick Harlow's 'New Zealand Manufactured cars'. Those cars seem to be just like yours, and if you search online you'll see that the red and the white ones are in some topics where the Ching is discussed...Peter Colmore-Williams's company, Sonata Laboratories, run a production of moulded items in glass reinforced plastic, called Epiglass and in this line, beside boats and other stuff, there were some car bodies.
Is there a relation betwenn the Watson\Ching Special and the Sonata? And was it called Sonata or they just produced the bodies for someone?
I'm always intrigued by those specials and the info you find online are seldom trustworthy...

Best regards,
Paul Jaray

nicanary · February 22, 2015, 12:28:05 PM

It doesn't help that one of the previous puzzles said it was made in Nelson, Lancashire! I think that should be Nelson in New Zealand.

There is no doubt that this is one of the Ching cars - possibly other names have been used because they were built by other people from parts supplied by the makers of the Ching.

As far as I'm concerned this is now solved. A point will be allocated, and maybe you can merge these three puzzles. From now on, these are Ching cars

Carnut · February 23, 2015, 05:03:11 AM

Merged with my original.

News:

Solved - NEH 249: Ching Special on early Falcon shell based on 1950 Ford 10