Hamilton Walker may not be a name known by many, who proved an innovative mind during the 20th century in New Zealand.
The third child of James and Annie born in 1903, Walker married Vera Lovett in 1925 as he took up farming when he started to experiment with rotary engines.
Becoming a full-time inventor in 1957 and forming a company named Hamilton Walker Rotary Engines Limited four years later led the New Zealander to produce rotary powerplants for a variety of disciplines.
Between 1964 and 1967, Walker designed at least 16 engines in his farm shed, with interest said to be high in these units as the inventor patented most of these. Walker’s engine is believed to be the second working rotary engine developed after the famous Wankel used by Japanese manufacturer Mazda.
The design didn’t stop at an engine as Walker also designed an elliptical shaped vehicle, which is where the Rotarymotive or Crowther sedan comes in.
New Zealand assembled cars in the 1960s were completely knock down kits relying mostly on overseas components, even the locally developed Trekka featured an engine sourced from Skoda.
New Zealand speedway driver Roly Crowther heard about Walker’s rotary engine development and came up with the idea to combine this with a fully local produced model using a fibreglass body.
Design and development began in 1965 where Ferris de Jeux designed the two-door, four-seat fibreglass body alongside Dennis Smith, who produced the chassis.
Featuring Walker’s rotary engine in the rear mated to DAF Variomatic transmission, Toyota instruments and modified front suspension from a Triumph Herald. The rear suspension was independent.
It took three years to complete the prototype, but a NSU Prinz air-cooled unit was used as the Walker rotary was still under development.
Pacific Auto Industries Limited was formed to produce the Rotarymotive and a second prototype was produced featuring a larger Walker rotary engine, but the company failed to achieve the funds to enter the manufacturing stage.
The company was formed just one month after the demise of the Anziel Nova, another attempt at a New Zealand-developed domestic car.