The Transformers

The evidence is parked in the garage of their Picton home. A Mk II Zephyr –  a rare ute – immaculate, unbelievably shiny, with every bell and whistle. If you’d seen the ‘before’ photos of the rusted hulk they began with, it’s hard to believe magic wasn’t involved in the transformation.

But the project took 12 years, off and on, from the moment the Frews saw the wreck lying in a weedy backyard in Mosgiel to the day last year when Russell drove it back from the paint yard, conscious of heads turning all the way down Picton’s streets. It’s been a joint effort. “We had equal input,” says Anne, “and if he needed a hand, I’d be there holding the spanner.”

“Everything was discussed, even down to the location of the high level tail light,” adds Russell.

There’s a clue in that statement as to what the Frews have done with their steel-body Lazarus. They brought it back from the dead, but – purists look away now – even better than it was when it rolled out of the factory in 1958.

The only thing vaguely close to stock standard is the body itself. Otherwise, almost everything has been modified, sometimes out of necessity – in many cases replacement parts weren’t available – but mostly because the Frews saw a way to improve on the original.

No detail has escaped their revisionist zeal, even down to hinges and slightly tweaking the line of the taildoor for a flush finish. A marine joiner by trade, Russell has done almost everything without professional help – some jobs more than once.

“I don’t go for second best. If something isn’t right, then I do it again.”

Under the hood, the engine is a completely reconditioned Ford 302, V8, super powerful and with lots of low-end torque for towing the caravan that the Frews hope to buy for their retirement. Behind that is a C4 automatic transmission. The wheels are 15-inch mags from a Falcoln XR8. The dashboard and steering wheel are Ford Laser, the bucket seats from a Volvo.

There was a time when such modifications would have seen them burned at the stake. But the Zephyr enthusiasts’ clubs have had to loosen up in recent years to attract new members.

Russell and Anne, the president and secretary respectively of the Nelson-Marlborough chapter, are stalwarts of that scene. Their family photo albums are dominated by shots of cars they’ve owned – another Mark II; the Mark IV they kept until the oil shock of the 70s; a second Mark IV, which they also rescued from a paddock – and of conventions attended during the last two decades.

Anne says Zephyr people reflect the car they drive, which was the first decent sized family car in New Zealand. “They’re down-to-earth, family-oriented people,” she says. “And up for a yarn with anyone.”