Me and My Car: Chris Bailey

Chris Bailey, Managing Director, South Pacific Pictures. With his 1956 BN2 Austin Healey 100 in Healey Blue. Photo / Ted Baghurst

Chris Bailey is the producer of The Brokenwood Mysteries and husband of broadcaster Judy Bailey

So you drive an Austin Healey?
I do, it's a 1956 BN2 Austin Healey 100 in what was known as Healey Blue, a kind of ice blue. (A bit like my eyes!) In my younger days I had a lot of different English sports cars over the years - but never a Healey which I'd always admired, especially the four-cylinder model. I bought it from Fazazz in Christchurch just after I'd been to visit my Mum who had dementia. I was lucky enough to have just enough money so I bought it on the spot without even driving it. Life's too short not to make rash decisions.

First car?
A green MGTD - I had only enough money to buy a one-way ticket to Nelson. I bought the car and drove it home in the dark and pouring rain.

Your dream car ...
Probably a 1925 4-litre Bentley Tourer. It has unbelievable sound and beauty but also very blokey.

Favourite car colour?
Black - or Healey Blue.

Who taught you to drive?
My Dad when I was about 14 so that I could get my licence as soon as I turned 15. He was awesome - the most patient man on Earth.

Who cleans your car?
Me - those wires are tricky.

Manual or automatic?
I love a manual, I just like to feel I'm in control of the car, rather than the other way round.

Most memorable road trip?
Around the South Island on our honeymoon in a Daimler SP250. The roads were beautiful - apart from Haast Pass which wasn't sealed then. Oh - and it was my honeymoon.

Who is the celebrity you would most like to be a driving companion on a trip?
That'd be Jude. The car doesn't have a back seat but, if it did, Bruce Springsteen would be my next choice. The truth is that the Healey doesn't actually have a radio of any sort and Jude loves Bruce's music. The problem is that we couldn't fit him in let alone the E Street Band. Although if this dream was real, it would be a trip to the Mission Estate Winery with a concert to round it off.

What's your favourite screen car?
Bullitt with Steve McQueen in the Mustang and the original Vanishing Point with Barry Newman in a 1970 Dodge Challenger.

And what do you think of the "car star" of Brokenwood Mysteries?
I love our Kingswood - a character in its own right. It looks terrific and it certainly went the distance with a gruelling filming schedule. It never let us down once! I've had a few Holdens in my time and they were always fun.

What do you listen to when you're driving?
Dire Straits - Telegraph Road is my favourite driving track.

What's a great day trip out of Auckland?
To the Coromandel Peninsula. It is a great trip with many variations of road and fabulous scenery.

Do you judge people by what they drive?
Not the people - just the cars.

What irritates you most about other drivers?
Those who don't seem to have discovered their rear vision mirrors.

What's your one failure as a driver?
My inability to recognise my own inadequacies.

Who else is allowed to drive your car?
Anyone I trust who can drive a manual.

Public transport in Auckland ... are you a regular or a no show?
I live in Birkenhead and work in Henderson - I'm afraid it's just not practical.

Auckland roads - is there room for both cyclists and drivers?
Cycling certainly has its place, I love my bike, too, but the ratio of cars to bikes on our roads is huge. I would like to see more, dedicated, separate bike tracks please. There are still too many cyclists who flout the rules and give others a bad name and, in the process, incur the anger of motorists.