A need for speed

For some, a bit of father and son bonding time might involve a fishing trip or perhaps a camping adventure. For motor fanatic Kevan McAlwee, however, it was heading overseas with his two sons to see his Ferrari being made in Maranello, Italy.

“I love cars,” says Kevan, who is in the care centre at Summerset at Bishopscourt. “Particularly fast ones.” The adage goes ‘Do what you love and you never work a day in your life,’ and for Kevan, who runs two car garages, this is particularly true.

“My dad had a garage in Omakau, where I was raised, then opened one in Cromwell. I have been around motors all my life. The day I turned 15 I got my licence.” Once he was old enough to leave school, Kevan headed to Dunedin to become a motor engineer apprentice. “The plan was that I was going to come back to Cromwell and take over Dad’s place, but the best-laid plans and all that…” Kevan got a girlfriend in Dunedin and decided to stay put, ending up working for South Island Motors. “Dad wasn’t best pleased.”

A big fan of German engineering, Kevan decided to specialise in European cars and ended up working at a VW specialist. “Beetles were so popular – students would drive them to go skiing. I worked there for ten years, and the garage owner ended up selling to me. I carried on the business for another 20 or 30 years.”

As cars got bigger and 4WD vehicles became popular, Kevan decided to open another garage in Mosgiel, with a workshop that fixes most makes and models. “We have four mechanics there, as well as a petrol station on site.” Kevan and his wife, Lynette, to whom he has been married for 50 years, began to branch out into farming, buying parcels of land in North Taieri to farm sheep. “I also love German tractors,” laughs Kevan. “The Fendt 714 Vario is brilliant. It’s really economical to run.”

The pair’s two sons, Nathan and Dean, are a chip off the old block. “Nathan used to compete in motocross as a youth, and got really far in it,” says Kevan. “He would ride the bikes and Dean would fix them. So many of our weekends were spent going from race to race. We went to Japan once because Nathan was competing.” The boys have followed in Kevan’s footsteps, joining the family business. “It works out well. Nathan is sales-focused and Dean is mechanically minded. They don’t compete but rather complement each other.”

It was Nathan who talked Kevan into getting a Ferrari, a 458 Speciale, of which only around 3,000 were made – and only 250 of those were right-hand drive. Kevan, whose favourite car make is Audi and prefers German motors over Italian, had to be persuaded, but Nathan is a good salesman, and the fact that it was a limited edition suggested it would be a good investment. “We got it in 2015. It was great going to the factory to see it getting made. Then we explored Europe a bit, going to Germany to see the Audi factory.” The men got to experience the speed-limit-free autobahn. “I didn’t drive,” said Kevan. “I left that up to my sons. It was crazy!”

In 2020, the 458 Speciale was joined by a 488 Pista Spider. But these motors weren’t purely investments to be kept only under lock and key, they were for their speed and power to be experienced and enjoyed. “We have driven them in the standing quarter mile run in Oamaru twice a year,” says Kevan, who has also enjoyed racing grunty muscle cars such as the Dodge Challenger SRT Demon.

Along with fast cars, Kevan and his sons also enjoy fast boats, zooming on the Henry River in their jetboat. Not Lynette, though. “My wife doesn’t like boats, or flying, and she thinks the cars take up too much room!” laughs Kevan.

These days Kevan is driving a different type of ride – a motorised wheelchair. A diabetic, Kevan was suffering from severe ulcers, and in April 2023 he had both legs amputated below the knees. “The pain was immense; they just wouldn’t heal,” recalls Kevan. “When I woke up post-operation, it was such a relief to be out of pain.” Fitted for prosthetic legs made from fibreglass, plaster and steel, Kevan is waiting for his legs to fully heal before he can use them. “They get bathed in a bucket of water and Janola twice a week at the hospital – very high-tech!” laughs Kevan.

In the meantime, his wheelchair is as souped-up as one might expect from a petrolhead, with varying indoor and outdoor speeds and the ability to be raised and lowered like the hydraulics on an American muscle car. “I can’t get back on my tractor yet, but the boys have adapted my Honda Pioneer 1000 side-by-side,” he smiles. “Meanwhile, living here is great. There is a great team of nurses who look after me.”

This is an article from the Spring 2024 edition of Summerset Scene magazine

Click here to read the full issue