1995: John Britten

September 5, 2023

By AHNZ

Today in history, 5 September, 1995, the death of John Britten.

The outside-the-box Hippy-Boomer Cantabrian was born out of a crucible of an unhappy family. He was guided by his West Coast Uncles, bankrolled by his wealthy mother, and motivated by his father’s shame.

Workoholic and ‘active relaxer’, John funneled his immense creativity though a practical engineering skill set. His racing motorcycle is only his most famous invention. Pain was transmuted into the service of great and beautiful visions and projected onto other experts who, like John himself, became trapped by their exacting standards; But the results were works of genius.

When a Dark Family Secret came out John went into a downward spiral including the cancer that killed him. He lived in denial of his impending death, becoming crazy in the end. Mainstream history, even folk lore, sides with his abusers and only remembers the fruits of the pain rather than the tortured man behind them.

“humble and terrified of being cut down as a tall poppy”

“The death of Bruce Britten in 1990…had a devestating effect on John. Almost everything John had done, he’d done to gain his father’s approval.”

“ferrel” lifestyle in his house with girlfriend

“driven by an internal dynamo that wouldn’t stop”

“He only needed 5 hours sleep a night- less sometimes”

Britten’s death marked the end of the New Zealand historical period Krypton Factor Dignity Culture of which he was a chief exponent. He is also one of, if not the, last in the line of the great New Zealand back-yard mechanics. That hall of fame is shared by men like Bill Hamilton, Burt Munroe, Bill Gallagher, and Colin Murdoch.

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Image ref. John Britten & The ‘Britten V1000’ Motorcycle, Facebook (2020)

Ref. Dare to Dream: The John Britten Story, Felicity Price (2003)

Ref. Britten – Backyard Visionary, Taylormade Productions (1994,) NZ On Screen

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