Legendary businessman and motorsport supporter Sir Colin Giltrap has passed away aged 84.
Giltrap was made a Knight Companion of the Order of New Zealand in 2012 for his services to motorsport and his philanthropy.
The family has supported drivers, including Liam Lawson, Shane van Gisbergen, Scott Dixon, Earl Bamber, Brendon Hartley, Callum Hedge, Brendon Leitch, and Hunter McElrea.
Sir Colin Giltrap also owned the New Zealand franchise of the A1 Grand Prix of Motorsport and was a patron of the McLaren Trust. Significant investment outside of racing also saw brought legendary golfer Tiger Woods over to compete at the New Zealand Open.
He was also recognised for his contributions to the Canterbury Earthquake Appeal and the Starship Foundation.
Dixon recognised the support of the family as a significant contributor to his success.
“I think you’ve also got to thank Peter Johnston and the Giltraps and those families down there,” he said at a press conference in Indianapolis last August. “A lot of us struggled for money or didn’t have any money whatsoever, so they’ve helped fund the likes of myself, Brendon Hartley, Earl Bamber, Shane van Gisbergen, and even Armstrong.
“The Giltraps have done a lot for motor racing, and without them, a lot of us wouldn’t be here.”
A car-mad Giltrap’s journey into business began in the 1960s when he co-founded Hamilton luxury car dealership Monaco Motors. From here, the company continued to grow, with the accrual of Matamata Motors and Coutts in the early 1970s.
European Motor Distributors Limited was formed in 1977, acquiring the distribution rights for Volkswagen and Audi. Schofields in Newmarket was the next addition to the business, while Audi, VW, Porsche, Rolls Royce and Bentley were moved to Great North Road for a new arm of the company called Giltrap Prestige.
The company continued to expand with the likes of Lamborghini, Toyota, Nissan, Mercedes-Benz and Aston Martin added to the portfolio.
In recent years, Sir Giltrap has handed the reins over to his sons Richard and Michael Giltrap, but he has remained involved in his business as a Director.
His Grandson Marco Giltrap won the 2023 Porsche Sprint Challenge Australia and shared Lamborghini Super Trofeo Asia success with Chris van der Drift in a Giltrap Grou-back Lamborghini Huracan.
Marco Giltrap is in Taupo with the Porsche Carrera Cup Australia for the ITM Taupo Super400 this weekend.
