Safety Fast! September 2016

THE MARQUE OF FRIENDSHIP

September 2016 Volume 60 Number 09 £3.95

THE

CAR

CLUB

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VANTASTIC PART III

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PLEASE NOTE: ALL RIGHTS RESERVED Classic Car Specialists focusing on Servicing, Sales THIS ARTWORK IS THE PROPERTY OF CLASSIC CARS FOR SALE Restoration, MAGAZINE. Modification and bespoke refinishing work

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Inside this issue Regulars 7

Club Matters and Kimber House News

8

News

10

MGCC Merchandise

54

Event Report-Le Mans

60

Race Talk

61

MGs on Track

62

Luffield Championship

64

BTCC 2016 – Snetterton

65

BTCC 2016 – Knockhill

66

Calendar of Events

67

Out and About

72

Centre Updates

84

Register Updates

92

Classifieds

98

Looking Back

Features 12

Club History Part IX In Exile 1968 – 1990 by Peter Best

21

Vantastic Part three of the MGCC Express story

24

Midget Championship 40 Years On Part 1 An in conversation special

30

RPS Bodykits The MGB and MG TF bodykit specialists

34

TT 55 Years On The story of the Bob Olthoff MGA Twin Cam entry in the Tourist Trophy Race

24

Newsletters 38

SVW Newsletter Would you like to come to Belgium in the VA MGs in Kentucky, Wedding Drive in Germany

43

TType Newsletter Winning the Gold Cup XPAG Specials at Silverstone

49

MGC Newsletter MGC 50th Anniversary 2017 preparations, MGC Summer Gathering Wroxall Abbey Hotel Part Two: How Long is A piece of String by Jon Glover

31

The MG Car Club, Kimber House, PO Box 251, Abingdon, Oxon, OX14 1FF Tel: 01235 555552 Fax: 01235 533755 E-mail: mgcc@mgcc.co.uk www.mgcc.co.uk.

If visiting The MG Car Club using Sat Nav please use OX14 1AS

Membership Type

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Published by: Hine Marketing, Hill Farm Studios, Wainlodes Lane, Bishops Norton Glos, GL2 9LN. Tel: 01452 730770

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Welcome

Front Cover: Lenham Midget Coupe at Snetterton 2015 driven by John Hilbery. Photo: Dennis Wharf

54

@mgcarclub

FO U N D E D 193 0

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The official publication of The MG Car Club Incorporating ‘The M.G. Magazine’, ‘The Sports Car’ and ‘Brooklands Track and Air’, Safety Fast!

Copyright MG Car Club 2016

One thing I really enjoy about this beloved marque of ours is the variety of MGs that have been produced over the years. From the Vintage MGs that were built in the Oxford factories in the 1920s, to the modern MG3 that were built and assembled at Longbridge. Understandably, everyone who joins the Club is enthusiastic about their own model of MG, but quite often shows interest in other models or even owns a more modern MG as their everyday mode of transport. I attended a show earlier in the year, and got talking to an older gentleman who was admiring a modified MG ZS, that had a Sprintex Supercharger fitted to the 2.5 KV6 engine. I explained that the V6 engine used in these cars is a normally aspirated engine that pushes out about 180bhp, and that the owner had gone to a lot of trouble to source and fit the Sprintex Supercharger. I did explain that MG Rover were testing a supercharger on the ZS before they ceased business in 2005, and the gain in torque and performance would be quite great, probably pushing out 220bhp+. He genuinely seemed very interested, and then continued to regale a tale of when he used to own a P Type in his youth, and took the time to change the cams etc and even fitted a supercharger, all in the pursuit of more performance, similar to the owner of the MG ZS! It really was wonderful chatting to the gentleman, and made me realise that although the MGs have moved on with the times, in essence the majority of owners are still enthusiastic about the MGs and still like to take pride in their cars, whether they’re purists or, like the gentlemen I was speaking to or the ZS owner, like to modify their cars, be it Triple M or Zed! This month’s lead feature is an in conversation special, about the 40th anniversary of the Midget Championship. I hope you like the front cover photo, featuring a very pretty modified Midget that runs in the Championship.

Until next month, drive safely.

Andy Knott

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18/80 M.G. SIX – MK 1 1929 4 SEATER TOURER

This motorcar was built at Edmund Road, Oxford in about May 1929. It is not known whether it was sent new to New Zealand or registered here and then sent overseas.

It was built as one of only 25 two seaters, chassis No 2/6461, body No. 7556. The first known owner in 1938 was a Mr Marlow or Marler (both names are used in the paperwork). It is one of only about 25 Mk1 cars left worldwide.

A Sue Naylor bought the motorcar in 1981 as “two trailer loads of bits” and rebuilt it as a 4 seater tourer, re-using all the original wings and the bodywork from the front doors forward.

Peter Mace bought the motorcar to the UK in 1981, hence the age related number and I bought it in May 2003. I did a tidy up of the bodywork in 2009/10 and had a professional overhaul of the clutch, gearbox and rear axle in May 2016.

oiro £80,000 John Cooper 07976 982830 or j-jcooper@ntlworld.com 6 SAFETY FAST! SEPTEMBER 2016

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www.mgcc.co.uk

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CHAIRMANS NOTES

BY IAN QUARRINGTON

M

G Live! It is time to look back and forward again, a theme I have seen recurring with my work in the Club, Kimber House and the Executive Committee and I think this theme fits in well with one of our roles as a Board of Directors, which is to follow due diligence in our main duty, to support your membership of the MG Car Club. One of the ways we fulfil that duty is by constantly reviewing all the activities of the Club. And this time we are looking hard at our major yearly event, MG Live!

We have been running a major event at Silverstone since 1951. There is well documented history on this, an achievement of which we should all be very proud. How many other Car Clubs can have that feather in their caps? At Council this year the major topic for debate will be the future of MG Live!

Let us all remember that this is the world’s largest single weekend gathering

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for the Club and for the Marque and thus needs extremely careful handling and management. So in order that we are all prepared for the debate, here is a summary of what we have been discussed thus far.

Bill Silcock, Ron Gammons and myself met briefly in early July to review the 2016 event, a meeting where no one aspect of the event was considered not suitable for review. Bill produced a significant amount of both financial and other data so that we had some good base information to work with.

There is no point in simply using hearsay or guesswork about attendance at the event; we need cold, hard figures. The objective was to take the outcome of that discussion to the people who manage MG Live! for the Club. Thus Bill came to this second meeting having worked hard with detail of the event, benchmarked on the 2008 gathering (which is as far back as we have detailed information). To say the reaction of the audience was surprising is an

understatement. In between 2008 and 2016 we have had two major ‘highs’: one was the appearance of a Coy’s auction, the second was the attraction of the MGB50 racing and celebrations.

Both these years showed better than 2008 performance. So is the answer to put on a special event each year at Silverstone to marry up with MG Live!?

Not necessarily. The next step was to take all the information to the MG Live! 2016 wash-up meeting. Here Bill took a method I have seen used very successfully in project management in my profession. Each person around the table was given five questions, and to answer up to five times, but using only a few words written on a Post-It note. The questions were: how do you think this year’s event performed? How can we do better next year? What one aspect can we not do without? What one aspect can we do without? And finally, one word to describe a three-year plan for the event?

Yes, the presentation you will see at Council this autumn is for a proposal for a three-year plan for MG Live! It would be foolish to think we can change everything in 12 months, but we have to start somewhere and that somewhere is now. As I have said, every aspect of the event is open for discussion. Here are just a couple more for you to think about (and there are many, many more such questions): should we open the event to the wider general public and completely rethink the arena and marquees? Should we do away with a main marquee and each CRB attending have its own dedicated area? Do we invest heavily in more publicity? Should it be a three-day event? At the moment Bill and Lauran are putting together the reactions from the Post-It note exercise and you will have the opportunity to debate this with us at Abingdon. That is one of the reasons why it is important that CRBs attend Council, to give the Executive Committee the power to carry out their wishes, based on the presentations made to them. I am looking forward to it.

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NEWS

CROFT NOSTALGIA FESTIVAL Over the weekend of the 6th and 7th of August, the team from Kimber House accepted an invite from the Tyne Tees Centre to attend the Croft Nostalgia Festival.

The weekend was a fantastic

success and a real credit to the members of the Tyne Tees Centre with a warm welcome extended to the Kimber House team alongside a stunning selection of cars on display.

Equally as stunning was the weather, with glorious, hot summer sun supporting the weekend.

Out on track there was an excellent variety of races, with Mini Coopers battling Anglias and Imps in Historic Touring Cars, however our own Midget and Sprite Challenge was the star of the show with some brilliant racing action.

General Manager Adam Sloman said “It’s been brilliant to come up to Croft – it’s a great circuit and a lovely venue. Noel, Dennis and Merv and all the guys from the Centre have been fantastic hosts.”

BLOSSOMING GIFTS The MG Car Club is delighted to announce a new partnership with online florists ‘Blossoming Gifts’.

MG Car Club members can use a special code that is displayed on the member’s area of the website to get 20% off any flowers at www.blossominggifts.co.uk.

Blossoming Gifts pride themselves on having a wide collection of beautiful, affordable flowers for any occasion; whether it’s for someone’s birthday, to congratulate them or even to say thank you – they’ll have what you’re looking for.

Next day flowers are available to purchase securely online seven days a week with their named day flower delivery service.

All of the flowers sourced are the finest from the company’s British growers, making sure you’re sending the best bouquets throughout the UK. Blossoming Gifts have a small team of experienced florists who design and create each of their bouquets especially for you. Members can also add their very own personalised gift message to all of the bouquets free of charge – all of which are hand-tied at their UK floristry centre.

The discount code is only available to use on flowers, and excludes; plants, hampers, personalised gifts and wines. For more information, check out the members area of the website for the discount code.

8 SAFETY FAST! SEPTEMBER 2016

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(PLEASE NOTE CORRECTED DATE)

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN THAT THE 2016 ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING OF THE MG CAR CLUB LIMITED WILL BE HELD ON SATURDAY OCTOBER 15TH 2016 AT SOPHOS LTD., THE PENTAGON, ABINGDON SCIENCE PARK. Commencing at 4.00pm Agenda 1. Apologies for absence.

2. To approve the minutes of the AGM held on October 24 2015.

3. To receive the Financial Statements for the year ending December 31 2015 together with the Reports of the Directors and Auditors thereon.

4. To elect the Chairman of the Club for the coming year.

5. To elect the President of the Club for the coming year.

6. To elect the Vice-Presidents of the Club for the coming year.

7. To elect the Vice-Chairman of the Club for the coming year.

8. To elect the Treasurer of the Club for the coming year.

9. To elect other Directors of the Club.

10. To transact any other ordinary business of an AGM that may properly be considered.

There will be an open forum following the close of the AGM. Every member has a statutory right to appoint another person as his proxy to exercise all of his rights to attend and to speak at a general meeting of the Club. Please note that only the elected CRB Representatives have the right to vote at such meetings on behalf of members.

Issued by Colin Grant Company Secretary

www.mgcc.co.uk

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NEWS

KIMBER HOUSE NEWS Over the past month Kimber House has been packed out with guests coming all over the world to visit the home of the MG Car Club.

At the beginning of August we had a group of four from Australia who were driving all the way from Sydney to London! You can check out their progress at www.pmfmotorchallenge.com.au.

Amongst a fair number of visitors from up and down the country, we also hosted MG fanatics from Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark, Italy, Spain, Japan and Argentina – many of whom turned up in MGs, including a stunning German plate Midget.

We also had two visits from SAIC during the month, including a large group of Chinese press that enjoyed a tour around Kimber House before going out in some classics MGs arranged by Midget Register Chairman Mike Parker.

All of these visits have given us three new reviews on TripAdvisor – so if you fancy coming for a tour around

Group from Australia travelling from Sydney to London

Members of the Chinese Motoring Press visiting Kimber House

Kimber House, please don’t forget to give the Club some feedback.

And finally, we’ve had not one but two cars on show recently. Dave Saunders’ beautifully restored MG TF has been given pride of place in the Bill Wallis Wing, and has been sparking interest from everyone that visits – and it’s easy to see why.

Dave Saunders beautifully restored MGTF situated in the Bill Wallis Wing

SOCIAL MEDIA ROUNDUP

The Club celebrated 15,000 likes on Facebook during August

At the end of last month’s social media news, we mentioned a milestone that was nearing. A few more likes on Facebook later and we’re delighted to say we’ve reached 15,000 likes!

The landmark was celebrated in a very special way. David Wardell of

www.mgcc.co.uk

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the T-Register kindly came to Kimber House with his drone, and shot a picture way up high of the MGCC HQ and a collection of MGs that were aligned to form the number 15. You can check the picture out below.

Thanks to everyone who has liked and supported the page since 2010 – if it wasn’t for your input, it wouldn’t be as successful as it is.

The Facebook milestone wasn’t the only one during the month. On Twitter and Instagram we surpassed the 6,000 mark on each, and the occasion was marked with a photo of the Club’s MG6, which we thought was quite fitting.

Pictures of the Silverstone Classic and the Kimber House trip to the Croft Nostalgia Festival were appreciated

A lovely MG1300 pictured at the Croft Nostalgia Festival

on Facebook, including an MG 1300 that was on the Club’s stand in the North East. We’ve also received a lot of photos across social media from our followers recently which we’ve been sharing. Please continue sending us pictures of your MG wherever you take it, we love seeing where our members and enthusiasts have been!

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KimberStores OFFER of the month!

Free Postage on items below!

MG BTCC 2016 Team Tracktop

80% cotton 20% polyester fleece tracktop with full zip fastening, two external zip pockets & ribbed hem & cuffs. Size M, L & XL

£50.00

MGCC Top Trumps

Designed by the MG Car Club Age 4 and older An ideal card game for travelling or at home.

This complete collection featuring 30 MGs, from Vintage cars to the latest MG GS, is a must for all MG fans

MG BTCC 2016 Team cap

Show your support for Ash and Josh with the offical MG BTCC 2016 cap

£20.00

£5.00

MG Hoodie

Official MG Motor Hoodie in the popular bright red. Available in M,L and XL. 100% polyester

£35.00

MG 90thAnniversary Car Badge A small car badge manufactured to celebrate the 90th anniversary of MG.

MG BTCC 2016 Team T-Shirt

Show your support for Ash and Josh with the offical MG BTCC 2016 T Shirt, available in M,L,XL. 100% Cotton

£9.50

£22.50

Norev MGA Roadster

1/43 scale MGA Roadster in orient red Chrome detailing includes bumpers, windscreen wipers, headlamp surrounds, wire wheels and fine coach lines. The interior is black with red trim. Model is mounted on a removable plinth with a removable hard plastic cover.

£35.00

MG P Type Canvas

A canvas sign,stretched around the frame with a banking plate. measures 30cm x 42cm

MGCC Document Wallet

A binder to keep all of your car documents in one convenient place.

With dividers for items such as Registration Documents, Service History, insurance etc. Supplied also with a selection of clear holders in a variety of sizes, for photos, documents etc

£35.00

£35.00

Handmade Wooden Car

Individually hand crafted by local crafts man Colours; Mint Green, BRG, Tartan Red, Iris Blue, Chartreuse Yellow . Size 45cm x 16cm

£40.00 MGA Mug

Featuring an MGA 1600 Roadster

£8.00

MGA T Shirt

Featuring an MGA 1600 Roadster.

Available in M,L & XL

£18.00

MG Parking only

Metal MG Parking only sign with 2 mounting holes, measuring 30cm x 45cm. Available in red or green.

£25.00

MG Parking only

Metal MG Parking only sign with 4 mounting holes, measuring ....x.... Available in red or green.

£22.50

To order, please email ineke@mgcc.co.uk or phone 01235 849731 MG_SafetyFast_Sept16_3-52.indd 10

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NEWS

BRAND NEW MG F & MG TF

164 PAGE ALL COLOUR CATALOGUE! MGF LAUNC

O

wners of the MG F & MG TF will be delighted with this superb new catalogue from MG specialist Rimmer Bros. With colour photographs and factory line drawn parts diagrams throughout, this is an essential publication packed full of parts and accessories. In addition to producing this new catalogue, Rimmer Bros, who are British Motor Heritage and Xpart approved Distributors, have invested significantly in stock so that they can provide an extensive ‘off the shelf service’.

To receive a free copy of this exciting new MG F & MG TF catalogue, either telephone Rimmer Bros on 01522 568000 or email mgrover@rimmerbros.co.uk Alternatively, browse the offer on-line by visiting www.rimmerbros.co.uk To celebrate the launch, a Special Offer leaflet will be sent with each catalogue offering discounts on over 100 popular MGF & MG TF parts.

Prices are only valid until 1st October, or whilst stocks last, so to avoid missing out, submit your request quickly.

H OFFER SHEET

_Layout 1 30/06/2 016 16:35 Page 6

MGF & CATALOGU MG TF E LA Special OffUeNrCsH !

JULY 2016

To celebrate the launch of this long awaited MGF & MG TF cat alogue we are offering a special discou nt on over 100 popular parts to enhance you r MGF or MG TF. Don't delay

- offers only valid 2016 or while until Saturday stocks last.

1st October Please refer to Terms and Cond itions.

Prices valid until 1st October 2016 While stocks last.

A L L

T H E

P A R T S

As there are no prices in our catalo October 2015 Price gue, we have prices but for curre Guide. The pricing section also enclosed our can be used as nt prices, pleas a guide e refer to our webs ite or contact us.to TO PLACE AN ORDER:

TELEPHONE

01 52 2 56 80 00 (Overseas +44 1522 568000) FAX

01522 567600

(Overseas +44

1522 567600)

E-MAIL

mgrover@rimm erbros.co.uk WEBSITE

www.rimmerbro s.co.uk ADDRESS

Rimmer Bros, Triump h House, Sleaford Road, Bracebridge Heath, Lincoln, LN4 2NA, England.

Quality Parts and

Y O U

N E E D

MG F & MG TF

PARTS & ACCESSO RIES CA TALOGUE

f

TO OBTAIN THES SPECIAL PRIC E ES

PLEASE QUOTE THIS CODE WHEN ORDERING

BY PHONE/FAX/E-MA IL:-

UK ORDER EXPORT ORDER w OR ORDER F

UK0516S EX0516S

ON-LINE DISPLAYED ON THEBY CLICKING THE SALE BANNER HOME

PAGE OF OUR WEB SITE www.rim merbros.co. uk EDITION 2 .0 SOURCE CODE MGTF0616

Terms and Conditio ns Use Promo Code UK0516S or EX0516 home page sale S to obtain the banner and the discounted prices sale This offer cannot or quote this offer. be combined with prices will display.

If ordering online, Residents of the any other promotio click on the UK pay 20% UK n. Prices valid until VAT in the following 1st October 2016 countries; Austria on parts and delivery. UK VAT is or while stocks also charged at 23%, Italy 22%, 20%, Belgium 21%, 20% on orders shipped last.

Netherlands 21%, Denmark 25%, Please note that Portugal 23%, Portugal to the EU except Finland VAT is not charged Azores 18%, Portugal24%, France 20%, Germany must be paid for on orders exported 19%, Ireland Madeira 22%, Spain by the customer directly outside 21%, Sweden 25%. and All parts offered the EU, and that subject to availabil are not included in our prices. any local taxes, fees or import duties ity. Errors & Omissio ns Excepted. Copyrigh t Rimmer Bros 2016.

Accessories ESTABLISHED

from 1998

1982

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MG_SafetyFast_Sept16_3-52.indd 11

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CLUB HISTORY

The directors of the MGCC with Lord Montague and Jean Kimber Cook seated in the MG

CLUB HISTORY The ninth of the serialised 12-part enlarged and updated Club History

I

In Exile 1968 – 1990 Peter Best

n writing this chapter in the Club’s history, spanning the years away from Abingdon, I am greatly indebted to the late Martin Brent who, while working for Wilson McComb in the Club Office at MG, was intimately involved with the expulsion of the MG Car Club from the factory; Peter and Christine Tipton who managed the Club from Boston for nearly four years; Peter Browning, so closely involved with our sister club, Austin-Healey at the time and, of course, Bill Wallis, our President whose records and personal recollections span over forty years of the Club’s 70year life.

12 SAFETY FAST! SEPTEMBER 2016

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The reverse takeover of BMC by Lord Stokes’ Triumph and Leyland empire signalled the warning that matters BMC would be subjugated and thus it was, when in 1968 the axe fell on the four factory clubs operating out of Abingdon: the Austin-Healey Club, the Mini 7 Club, Riley Motor Club and the MG Car Club. Safety Fast! was to cease and a new Leyland magazine called High Road was to take its place. Even the now legendary Wilson McComb, the first editor of Safety Fast! and subsequently general secretary of the MG Car Club was powerless to halt the changes.

At this stage feverish discussions were taking place between Martin Brent, Wilson McComb, and John Thornley, the first two named doubtless pondering their future careers, while John Thornley, manager of the MG factory at Abingdon, was far from well, his condition probably not aided by the politics of the new British Leyland. However, John had had earnest discussions with Gordon Cobban, then the chairman of the Club’s South East Centre, a club man through and through, and in the view of Martin Brent and others, the ‘white knight’ at a time when the Club was threatened with extinction.

www.mgcc.co.uk

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CLUB HISTORY

Internal work in progress, all the damp being dealt with

Kimber House as purchased by the MG Car Club

It was Gordon who perceived the need to enlist the help of Martin, in the absence of Margaret O’Brien (about whom more in a moment), in re-establishing the Club in Abingdon away from the factory. In offices over a bank in the town’s market place, assisted by two secretaries, Martin took over the editorship of Safety Fast! at the end of 1968. It was at this time that Margret O’Brien came into prominence.

Margret had been a long-serving key administrator dealing with membership for the MG Car Club in its time at the factory. Following a spell in hospital, Margret returned to the MG Car Club in its new offices while Martin Brent (and one of the other secretaries) returned to the factory. Margret ran the office with Teutonic efficiency, she was after all German by birth, and was held in high regard. However as history was to repeat itself years later, the Club’s finances could not sustain the cost of the lease and the first Abingdon era, started in 1930, ended 42 years later in 1972. The Club was to be almost another 20 years in exile.

wife Elsie, and it was therefore inevitable that most of the Club’s administration would end up on the other side of London, at Gordon’s home at Ilford. It is probably true to say that it was Gordon’s administrative skills, energy and wholehearted commitment to the Club, often involving paying bills on behalf of the Club out of his own pocket, which maintained the Club structure. The only dark cloud in the closure of Market Place was the fact that archive material, particularly of competition history, which had been rescued from the factory, and stored in the back room above the bank, went missing at this time. Unfortunately,

Gordon was not so interested in the tip which the back room archive store had become! Ultimately, at the end of the lease, most of the remaining material was taken to Syd Beer’s garage at Houghton in Cambridgeshire for safe keeping. Margret O’Brien, however, continued to maintain the Club membership administration until she retired in 1976 when this function was moved to Houghton under Rhubean Warwick.

Thus, throughout most of the 70s, Gordon and Elsie maintained the status quo with membership at modest levels and finances tight. However, in August

Ron Gammons addresses the crowd before the official opening of Kimber House

THE GORDON COBBAN ERA Throughout the period above the bank, Gordon Cobban had made regular visits from his home in Essex, often with his

www.mgcc.co.uk

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CLUB HISTORY

1978 Gordon, Piers Hubbard and Anthony Littlejohn were entrusted by John Thornley to set up a Club Office.

Sheila Laurence of the Lincolnshire Centre was appointed assistant to the general secretary (Gordon) and

by December of that year the Club had established itself in Boston. John Thornley, however, was still unhappy, even frustrated, that the Club was not running harmoniously. As a consequence, in November 1979 he established a small group which came to be known as the Think Tank.

One of the members of this Think Tank was Peter Tipton who in June 1980, aided by his wife Christine, was appointed general secretary in succession to Gordon Cobban on a part-time basis following an advertisement in Safety Fast! Of necessity this became full-time in January 1981. With a professional marketing man-and-wife team at the helm, the support of the Lincolnshire Centre and with the lease of premises at 67 Wide Bargate, Boston, the Club began to have some structure once more. The one function that was not maintained at Boston was regalia sales which for two years, 1981-2, were managed by June Wallis from her home at Solihull.

1983-1990 THE LONG HAUL However, by 1983 with Club membership still at a low level and magazine production costs high, the Club’s finances had become perilous.

Safety Fast! had been reduced to a bi-monthly publication, complaints from members were rife and South East Centre had presented a charter for the establishment of an elected management committee/board of directors to manage the Club on an ongoing basis, rather than the twiceyearly council meetings which were clearly cumbersome and ineffective. For day-to-day management yet another working party was established to take a hard look at all aspects of the Club’s operation. At the same time, in

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T Types from the New England T Register stream past the old MG administration building during the Kimber House opening ceremony

November 1983, the lease of the Boston premises at 67 Wide Bargate was up for renewal. The Club’s solicitor, Rob InnesKer, cautioned against entering into a further five-year lease while so much uncertainty existed. The knock-on effect of this indecision would impact upon the renewal of contract terms with Peter and Christine Tipton. This ultimately led to formal termination of the business relationship at the end of January 1984, although Christine kept matters ticking over for another nine months.

Running parallel with this were several investigations into alternative accommodation. Among the various properties that the then-Chairman Bill Wallis, who had succeeded John Thornley in 1980, and I looked into were a Euro grain store in Banbury, a derelict Morland’s pub in Abingdon town centre, and even the administration office attached to the old MG Car Company A block assembly building.

Morland’s Brewery was, as ever, helpful, but discussions with the Austin

Morris division of British Leyland elicited the fact that there was space galore at the Austin Morris Training Centre at Studley in Warwickshire. Tempting possibilities of the Club being situated in the beautiful, but as yet unrestored, coach house in the grounds was a motivator but, clearly, temporary accommodation was necessary until the coach house was restored, which in the event it never was.

In the end after considering other properties in the grounds and in the nearby town of Studley, the Club was offered the opportunity to set up a Portakabin, with Anders Clausager, the legendary Archivist of British Motor Heritage (whose home Studley then was) as neighbour, in another Portakabin.

Shortly after, a second Portakabin was acquired in which to store regalia.

On December 1 1984 Boston was vacated and the Club’s goods and chattels made their way by van to Studley Castle under the direction of the ever-active Bill Wallis, who had

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CLUB HISTORY

The official opening programme

arranged for the address to be PO Box 251, Studley, harking back to the factory telephone and car production start numbers. A new Club administrator, Pat Stout, was appointed and on April 12 1985 the Club office was officially opened. The Studley temporary Portakabins were to be our home for another four years before the next move, again temporary, which was at least in the right direction, to Radley, some three miles away from the Abingdon factory site. By mid-1987 paid home membership was in excess of 7,800.

Workload pressure was increasing for the three staff and the need to determine a long-term home for the Club was clearly becoming more pressing. In August 1987 I scribbled the first plans as to how we might raise £100,000 for an office somewhere...

A month later we received details of a modest residential property at 150 Ock Street, Abingdon, as a result of some research by Geoff Radford (then of the Vintage Register), an estate agent himself, and Chairman Ron Gammons,

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(who had succeeded Bill Wallis in 1985). After some misgivings the directors of the Club marginally voted in favour of purchase. Thus the position was polarising, Studley versus Abingdon, and Council in October 1987 gave the directors authority to “get on with it” and decide.

However, by complete coincidence, within days of the October Council meeting Austin Rover, as they had become, offered us the lease of a semidetached house, known as Rookery Cottages, in the grounds at Studley.

But, on November 25 1987 at a board meeting at Studley the decision was taken to go for Ock Street.

It was after this meeting that trouble started. Vice Chairman, Steve Dear, was strongly of the view that we should take up Austin Rover’s offer of the Studley house in the short term, a view strongly supported by Club President John Thornley. Steve Dear resigned and John Thornley wrote a scathing letter to the chairman, commenting that when the Club does move back to Abingdon, it is desirable that it should do so with “some sense of style,” rather than “move into a sleazy oasis in this prospering town.”

My own position, in a letter to Steve Dear urging him not to resign, was that we could not continue to operate out of Portakabins. “Ock Street is a start and it is Abingdon.” The president’s letter of December 7 1987 to the chairman sadly saw their relationship at an all-time low, surpassing differences of opinion earlier in the year. Matters came to a head on December 14 1987, when Vice President Jack Armstrong, on behalf of John Thornley (who was having a cardiac monitor fitted), and past Chairman Bill Wallis attended a special meeting of the

directors at St John’s Hotel, Solihull. On the line was John Thornley’s continued presidency if the `Club persisted with the Ock Street project. After much reasoned debate four decisions were arrived at: (1) Formal building fund to be launched, details to follow; (2) We would proceed with the temporary lease on the Studley property; (3) That a general secretary would be appointed (club membership was now 8,500) and this was an interdependent requirement; (4) That a property of our own in Studley or Abingdon areas would be sought.

The next day solicitors were instructed to withdraw from the Club’s proposed purchase of Ock Street. One dissenter from this last position was Bill Wallis who felt that the Board had taken an incorrect decision, but that it had had no option in the light of the facts put before it. Upon the outcome of the meeting Steve Dear, who was present, withdrew his resignation, which was happily agreed. However, Steve was still unhappy over a number of issues and continued to press for the Chairman to stand down. In the event it was Steve who left at the end of January 1988. Ironically at the March 1988 board meeting the directors decided that the lease on Rookery Cottages, Studley, could not be taken up because of certain conditions required by Rover group and the limited two-year planning permission granted by the local council.

At that same meeting it was resolved that a new bank account for a Building Fund be set up. At Council on April 16 1988 the Building Appeal was formally launched and well received, with myself as director of the Building Appeal. The battle was on, property prices had been rising while we procrastinated, and time was of the essence. Ron Gammons was re-elected chairman at the October 1988 council for a fourth term, but a year later was succeeded by Will Corry by which time our fifth and penultimate move to Radley had taken place.

During the summer of 1988 fundraising began in earnest.

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CLUB HISTORY

Contributions were received from all over the world, making one feel very privileged to be in the centre of the Club at such an emotional time. In July the chairman and I met with numerous civic dignitaries in the Abingdon area, the Vale of the White Horse District Council, Thames and Chiltern Tourist Board, the local Mayor John Patten, the Curator of Abingdon Museum, the Managing Director of Pavlova Leather Co., Standard Life Assurance Company (who had purchased the factory site) and others.

A proposal was put to the Vale of the White Horse District Council for their support in developing one of a short list of four sites, including, if a greenfield site, a design for a combined museum and administration office. However, more realistically, our excitement was increasing as we were becoming aware of the plans of Pavlova Leather who, it should be remembered, had sold the factory site to MG Car Company in 1929 almost 60 years before!

Thus on Tuesday August 30 1988 an extraordinary meeting of the directors was held at the Great Northern Hotel, Kings Cross, London. The purpose was simple. Premises owned by Pavlova Leather Company adjacent to the MG Car Company’s former administration block (now Larkhill House) had come on the market as a development site for eight flats. No. 11, the smallest semidetached property, was still occupied by Geoff Blanch, a Pavlova employee, and his wife Rene; No. 12 was unoccupied, damp and in generally poor condition, but with considerable potential.

Chairman Ron Gammons had taken advice, in particular from Club member and architect Alan Paine from Lowestoft.

Alan subsequently had to commute between the East Coast and Abingdon many times before the day was out.

After survey, Alan was of the view that £175,000 was a reasonable offer for the entire site. The chairman and I had also sought the opinion of the President, John Thornley, who told us to “go for it” on the basis that the site value for

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MG_SafetyFast_Sept16_3-52.indd 17

flat development provided a very good fall back position if we failed to achieve our goal, since the restoration costs were estimated at another £75,000!

At that Kings Cross meeting the board considered, and rejected, the three other possible sites in Abingdon and the way forward was clear. The Chairman proposed, and I seconded, that we proceed with our offer and seek planning approval for change of use.

The board was unanimously in favour.

Two further board meetings took place in September, the second of which, on 27th, was specially convened to discuss an unexpected letter received from the president requiring Ron Gammon’s resignation following a number of differences of opinion. Vice President Bill Wallis was present. After a debate lasting over an hour, the directors felt that Ron, in the interests of Club harmony, should not stand for re-election the following month. At that same meeting, I reported that the Building Fund had exceeded £30,000, and the chairman reported that an “elder statesman” of the Club was, in broad terms, amenable to the granting of a six-figure loan for the fund.

An eventful meeting!

In the event, Ron was re-elected for one last year which was considered to be in the best interests of the Club and, importantly, the Building Appeal at that

time, before Will Corry succeeded him at the November 1989 AGM. Fund raising continued unabated at national and local level. The lottery raised £12,000 in 1988 (with a winning prize to the Monaco Grand Prix). The first reprint of a Gordon Crosby painting owned by John Thornley of the MG 18/100 Tigress at Brooklands in 1930 was launched that year with copies signed by John Thornley at £50, unsigned £25, and this was followed by Bryan De Grineau’s painting of the MG K3 driven by Count Johnny Lurani in the 1933 Mille Miglia.

Count Johnny Lurani and his wife were guests of honour at Silverstone on May 27-28 1989 and, again, freshly signed prints were eagerly snapped up at £50.

The 1989 lottery, which raised another £7,000, featured a flight on Concorde for two people as first prize. Three auctions of automobilia and parts were held at Silverstone. A run of 750 Royal Doulton plates showing M-types leaving the factory down Cemetery Road was commissioned, selling at £28 each. We had loads of wall clocks from Germany, limited edition commemorative watches from Switzerland and numerous other items from tee shirts to Christmas cards.

But equally important was the money collected at Natters and local events in Building Appeal Buckets, the initiative of Dennis (The Bucket) Ogborn, or

(L-R) Lord Montague, Will Corry and Douglas Mickle SEPTEMBER 2016 SAFETY FAST! 17

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CLUB HISTORY

sponsored events, too many to recall, not only around the United Kingdom, but throughout the world. To mention individuals by name would be invidious and incomplete, but amounts of a few pounds to several hundred steadily flowed into Club Office throughout the campaign.

However, back to Abingdon. Ten months of protracted negotiations and the Club successfully concluded the purchase of 11/12 Cemetery Road at a price of £180,000. The campaign had, by then, raised an excellent £65,730 in the first 14 months. In addition, the benefactor who was to lend us the £100,000 interest-free was Douglas Mickel, a long-standing stalwart of the Scottish Centre, without whom the project could well have foundered.

Douglas has since magnanimously gifted this money to the Club, thereby freeing it from what would have been a significant ongoing repayment of capital over 10 years. The balance of £15,000 to acquire the site came from Club funds. Phase I was over. Phase II, the clearance of the site, refurbishment and upgrading of the buildings was just about to begin, but another £75,000 was still required.

While all this excitement over the purchase was going on in the summer of 1989, the Club was fortunate enough to take a lease on office premises at J.C. Curtis & Son, Haulage Contractors and Quarry Operators, at Radley. Not only was the Club psychologically and physically now already back in Abingdon, it also meant we were on the spot while building works continued under Alan Paine, assisted by Michael Cannon, the deputy Club administrator in Club office.

Thus Phase II, The Diamond Jubilee Building Appeal, was launched with a new brochure, this time depicting a real building which the Club owned.

Site clearance began on November 13 1989 and a number of members kindly donated their time or provided building materials free, or at cost, to

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help the project along. As the one-year lease at Radley was up in June 1990 the target date for our staff to move in to Cemetery Road was set!

Funds continued to come in during 1990 although slower than before.

Building work was not held up and the great opening day came on July 15 1990 when Lord Montagu of Beaulieu formally opened the Club offices in front of a large crowd of Club members from around the world. They witnessed a very emotional occasion.

By the end of 1990, with another successful raffle yielding £7,000, the deficit to clear the refurbishment costs was down to £14,500. In 1991, after a third successful Silverstone, the deficit was a mere £3,082 and the battle was effectively won.

Income continued to trickle in right through the 1990s as the balance of

prints and plates was finally exhausted and members’ standing orders ran their course.

Finally, tribute must be given to the team that supported me throughout the campaign: Jon Moore (who ably organised the annual lottery), Phil Jennings, Dennis Ogborn, Christine Poxon, Peter Mace, Simon Farthorpe, our Silverstone Auctioneers, Glynn Guisti and Geoff Radford, and Club office staff led by Club Administrator Marilyn Moule and later Lyn Jeffrey plus others too numerous to mention in Centres and Registers around the country and overseas.

With the support of Club members and well-wishers worldwide, the campaign raised a staggering figure of just under £150,000.

Peter Best was brought up in Hendon, north London, but later moved to Hove in Sussex when he joined the Merchant Navy and later joined a shipping line. He joined the Ford Motor Company in 1961 working in marketing and sales travelling the world extensively. He later moved to Volvo where insurance was part of his responsibilities which led to the formation of his insurance company founded with his wife Marian in 1985. Today Peter Best Insurance Services is a strong specialist insurance broker with particular interest in classic cars and including MG. Peter joined the MGCC in 1974 and was Chairman from 20052007 playing a major role in the Kimber House Appeal Fund.

Syd Beer was an analytical chemist by profession and his love of motor cars started when he enjoyed time in his father’s garage and developed a passion for classic cars. This led him to start a collection of MGs at his village garage in Houghton near St Ives in Cambridgeshire. Amongst the famous cars he owned was the ex Kaye Don K3 single seater, ex Harvey Noble Q Type and ex Norman Black NE. Syd formed a close friendship with John Thornley which led to his acquiring the pair of Jacobs Midgets and the most successful ex works MGB. When the Club found itself without a home in the BL era, Syd offered premises at Houghton for two years.

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Untitled

MG_SafetyFast_Sept16_3-52.indd 19 Untitled-1 1

23/08/2016 17:48 28/07/2016 17:54:08

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ollowing on from my last article on the MGCC MG Express, the noisy engine, which we initially thought could be the VVC mechanism, turned out to be something more serious and needed attention; so back the van went to Trevor Broadbent at T J Broadbent Auto Engineers.

Once the van was back at Trevor’s he diagnosed that the engine knock was coming from the bottom end, and as it had got progressively worse over the few months we were using it, the engine hadn’t got long left. The easiest solution was to replace the engine with an identical 160 VVC unit. Simon, from College Motors, had recently received

Trevor Broadbent checks over the new engine

a low mileage MG ZR 160 which had been in a substantial rear end accident and couldn’t be put back on the road.

The low mileage VVC engine was removed from the stricken ZR and

taken to T J Broadbent for fitment in the MGCC MG Express.

Whilst Trevor had the new engine on the engine stand he took the opportunity to remove the cylinder

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The MGCC ZR Express at College Motors collecting the new engine www.mgcc.co.uk

MG_SafetyFast_Sept16_3-52.indd 21

SEPTEMBER 2016 SAFETY FAST! 21

23/08/2016 17:48

FEATURE

Our thanks to‌ Trevor Broadbent at T J BROADBENT AUTO ENGINEERS Address: Forge Works, Northampton Rd, Weston-on-theGreen, Bicester, OX25 3QN Phone: 01869 351176 Email: broadbe.broadb@ btconnect.com Web: www.tj broadbentauto engineers.co.uk Simon Ballard at COLLEGE MOTORS Address: Unit 4, Sturt Farm Industrial Estate, Oxford Rd, Burford, Oxfordshire OX18 4ET Phone: 01993 823560 Web: www.rovermgspecialist.co.uk/

Xpart products ready to be fitted to the ZR van

head and have it refaced. He also renewed the eight exhaust valves and decoked it. As a preventative measure, he fitted a new head gasket, modified lower oil rail, water pump, oil pump, front oil seal and cambelts, all courtesy of XPart, before rebuilding the engine.

With the old engine and gearbox out of the Express, the gearbox was separated from the engine and reconditioned. XPart had supplied a new clutch assembly and a clutch operating fork, which Trevor fitted

before reuniting the gearbox with the new engine.

With the engine assembly back in the MGCC Express, new filters fitted and all new fluids, the van now drives like a new ZR. With the mechanics of the van all sorted, the MGCC have been using it in earnest, attending lots of shows, and it always attracts attention wherever it goes.

The next item on the van’s agenda is a visit to the bodyshop to attend to some of the knocks and scrapes it received whilst being used as a builders van.

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Looking resplendent whilst running in the new engine

Engine being rebuilt ready to be fitted in to the MGCC ZR Express

22 SAFETY FAST! SEPTEMBER 2016

MG_SafetyFast_Sept16_3-52.indd 22

www.mgcc.co.uk

23/08/2016 17:49

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MG_SafetyFast_Sept16_3-52.indd 23

SEPTEMBER 2016 SAFETY FAST! 23

23/08/2016 17:49

THE MG MIDGET CHAMPIONSHIP FORTY YEARS ON.

T

An in conversation special part one. By Dennis Wharf

his two part conversation celebrates the MG Midget Championship reaching its fortieth year of unbroken competition, quite an achievement making it now the longest running of any MG Car Club race series. To mark the occasion four drivers recently gathered to chat about past times, how the series evolved, the fun they’ve enjoyed and those people most central to it. Meeting at the lovely Manor Weston Hotel at Weston-onthe-Green in north Oxfordshire, were series founder Larry Quinn, two of the earliest competitors Chris Westell, and James Thacker who still competes with Spridgets, plus the only driver to have won all three classes, Richard Wildman.

This was always going to be funny and interesting, but fascinating too as the conversation flowed and the stories unfolded, there was never a moment’s silence. It was unfortunate that John

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Baggott, also an early competitor, was unable to come along, but we’d spoken at some length by telephone prior to the hotel date, with John adding much to the background, some of which I’ve included here.

Chris got things off to a flying start by producing an album of old photographs showing many of the original competitors, but was not to be outdone by James with his two box files containing race results, magazine reports and programmes. Then Larry waded in with his files too, so dates, times, names and places were never in any doubt throughout the conversation.

It was due to the sudden demise of Modsports racing in the mid-70s, plus the lack of competition for standard road-going sports cars, which led Larry to consider a Championship along the lines of the MGCC T-type series, so popular at the time. “Yes, I had this little sports car which I enjoyed, and when

Ford brought me over to the mainland in 1971 I assumed there would be plenty of racing here, but in fact the opposite was true. Except for the MGCC Brands Hatch and Silverstone meetings, there wasn’t much on offer for standard road cars”. And the Modsports scene, so popular just a few years earlier, was much the same, as James explained: “It all fell apart mostly due to the Bettinson Black Brick, a horrendous-looking, but hugely powerful, Caterham with hard top and wings. Overnight it changed the dynamics completely, so instead of having exciting racing with E-Types, XK 120s, V8 TVRs, Lotus Elans and Ginettas, this thing just disappeared, won everything and it was all over. Also, owing to the class structure, Modsports Midgets mostly ran in the up to 1150cc class, which meant that the later 1275s had to go in the two litre class, making them totally uncompetitive against the Elans. The only seriously quick

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23/08/2016 17:49

IN CONVERSATION WITH

Modsports Midget was Richard Jenvey’s supercharged car, which was often able to challenge the Elans, but with the 1275 being in production since 1966, the classes were all wrong, so for me the forming of the MGCC Championship in ‘77 came at exactly the right time”.

Larry picks up: “At the time, the only race meetings that had a good showing of standard Midgets were the two MGCC meetings, particularly Silverstone in May. I’d thought, coming over from Ireland where there were hundreds of standard Midgets, there would be thousands here. Remember you only had to have a laminated screen, and a simple aluminium fire wall screwed in with self tappers, and away you went. But it wasn’t the case. To get around the awkward capacity classes, MGCC meetings were generally split into modified, up to 1150cc, which was targeted towards the Modsports boys, and an all-capacity standard class for road-going cars. So it was during 1974 and 75 when I started thinking of a separate Championship for these cars, as three or four races per season simply weren’t enough. Stuart Dean, the T racer, encouraged me to start for the MG T-type grids were absolutely enormous back then, and he couldn’t see why the Midgets should be any different. And he was right, for in that first season, 1977, we had 27 roadgoing and 17 modified cars. Then, with word spreading, the following year the modifieds went up by another 10.

1979, and we were up to 35 cars in each class, and in 1980 we reached 57 road-going and 37 modified. But it was in the mid-80s when it really took off,

Typical close action at Thruxton 2012

www.mgcc.co.uk

MG_SafetyFast_Sept16_3-52.indd 25

Enjoying past photos of the Midget Championship

regularly seeing over 100 cars entered, seventy-five percent of which were probably road-going. I should add here my thanks to Martin Ingle who, during those early years, helped me enormously ensuring the regs were adhered to and just helping in general”.

John Baggott remembers these times well, adding the following: “In the early days Larry became a member of the prestigious Steering Wheel Club in the centre of London’s Mayfair, which enabled the drivers’ meetings to take place there. Sometimes these would become quite highly charged, with rather boozy discussions, the hot topic often being the Modsports drivers perceived lack of observation by the road-going boys. On one occasion someone, in jest I hope, suggested fitting a rear-facing seat for a mandatory co-driver to warn of approaching faster modified cars. This resulted in a near riot from the road boys, For a moment

An engine change against the clock for charity- Spridget 50 2008 Gaydon.

it looked like it was all going to kick off but, despite his worried look, Larry brought the meeting back to order.

Many a time though a driver, much the worse for wear, was bundled into a taxi for the station to catch the last train home. I think only once did someone have to wait for the early morning milk train”.

So within just five years, of the two groups, it was the road cars which were to become the most dominant.

The reason for this James explains: “Remember the cars were very cheap then, a Spridget could be bought for a few hundred pounds, and the modifications were minimal. So it’s easy to see the attraction, but it was Robert Nettleton, I think, who raised the profile with his multi-coloured car. Moving away from the standard BMC colours, his car appearing more like a proper racing car.

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Mark Turner keeps ahead of a hard a charging Dominic Mooney, Mallory Park October 2009 SEPTEMBER 2016 SAFETY FAST! 25

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CM10.15/B25/fdd

Builders of Ford Mexico and Transit as seen on SERVICING | REPAIR | RESTORATION | AUTO ELECTRICS Channel 4’s PERFORMANCE CONVERSIONS | EVENT PREPARATION “For the Love of Cars”

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23/08/2016 17:49

IN CONVERSATION WITH

Chris and James reminisce

didn’t do any harm either, Gil Duffy’s connection to the firm helping here.

But I believe also much of the popularity towards standard cars was due to the genial New Zealander, Art Marcus, a freelance reporter who worked for Cars and Car Conversions magazine, which was read widely by motorsport enthusiasts back then. He wrote a whole series of articles explaining how good the road-going class was, but also how to prepare the cars. You simply don’t see articles so technically comprehensive nowadays, and that I believe truly ignited people’s enthusiasm”. Richard: “It did too. You had to be competitive just to get on the grid, for if you weren’t really quick getting your entry in, you wouldn’t get a race – even with two heats and a final – places were snapped up that quickly”.

Richard’s story is an interesting one, for he goes on: “Until the mid-80s I’d just been tearing around the lanes in my Midget, getting into trouble with the law constantly pulling me in, and was generally being a bit of a nuisance, so needed to channel my energy into something before I killed myself. Fortunately I met James in the paddock at Mallory one day, and it was he who talked me into racing. So I bought a car and learned how to weld.

Then somebody put me on to Peter May, of Peter May Engineering, who held my hand and mentored me all the way through – still does –although encouragement came from all directions, really. I’d like to say that although I never had very much money, thanks to Larry I’ve had a Championship where I was able to express myself and go racing

through all the classes at quite low costs.

It’s been my life really, and to meet so many friendly people, compete and have fun, what more could you ask?”

Larry: “Well, that was the whole point.

Basically there were all these little sports cars out there, and if we could keep the costs down, shop assistants, motor mechanics, and all sorts of people like that could go racing. Learn from and enjoy each other’s company. It was free to join for the first year and only £2 for the second. Entry fees were kept to a minimum; even overalls (only single layer Proban then of course) which were becoming mandatory, were still pretty cheap, so it wasn’t expensive”.

James: “Not sure if you realise it, but Ernie Foster was the instigator of having to wear overalls, for he used to race in just his shorts and a T shirt, and when a race organiser said once, ‘you can’t race wearing those’ he replied ‘well you show me in the rules where it states I can’t’.

It was following this that full-length trousers and long-sleeved shirts had to be worn before overalls came in”.

With the two classes well established, a third class – class B – was then introduced, but why? Larry explains: “Well it was all to do with the speed differential, which always has to be considered. Not all the races were split into road and modified, so when sharing a grid things could get exciting”.

But speed differences had been far greater back in the Modsports days, as Chris illustrates by adding: “In 1972 on the Silverstone Grand Prix circuit I raced in a mixed GT race with all manner of

1996 season with Larry and Dorothy and all the drivers at Donington Spa 1998 with 36 cars in the assembly area

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cars, where the speed differences were, by today’s standards anyway, pretty alarming, although we didn’t really think about it then. In that race I recorded a best lap of 1 min 59 secs, while Jordon in his 5 litre Can-Am McLaren-Chevy M6B was doing 1 min 34 secs – bloody scary when he came by, I can tell you!”

Larry again: “Also some of the road guys wanted to go quicker, but fully modified cars had become more expensive, so seeing there was growing support for a mid-way class, at one of the drivers meetings I suggested we do this, and blow me it became the most dominant class. I did wonder for a while if it might be the future, with road-going drivers shifting to the new faster class, while the Modsports guys might consider lowering their cost and move backwards.

But that never really happened, which is good, for I’ve always seen the class A cars as the crowd pleasers. A well driven class A car will blow away the MGBs, Cs and V8s, and when we’ve been mixed with other cars, Porsches for example at circuits like Brands Hatch, we’ve blown them away too!” As Richard keenly points out with glee: “At Castle Combe in the early 90s we shared a grid with a host of Porsches, and class for class we beat them all – can you imagine that? They were really peed off!” And James also remembers: “When the new 1600cc mid-engined twin cam Toyota MR2 was first announced, a celebrity race for F1 drivers was staged at Brands Hatch, where all the stars like John Watson, Nigel Mansell, and Alain Prost etc raced these cars. But their lap times

James Thacker Brands 1971 with TZA.

were slower than our standard class C Midgets – which says a lot for the little MG dating back to the late 50s”.

Originally the classes were not referred to as such, but as groups, as John pointed out: “For a while in order to try and give each class equal billing, Larry referred to them as Groups rather than Classes. Don’t know if it made any difference, and now we’re back to classes with an overall Champion anyway, but I think it was Larry’s way to try and ensure that no one group was seen as being superior to another”.

Larry: “I never wanted an overall Champion, and resisted it until the MSA forced me to do so, because I always thought it was far better for each of the groups to have their own Champion. In that way, no one person overshadowed the equally hard-fought achievements of any other to win their class. We went on for many years enjoying the stability of the three groups, A, B, & C”. Richard: “I think the three classes worked very well and complemented each other.

When I started in 1987, road-going was where I learned my race-craft. The

cars were very close in performance, power, grip and handling, so they were pretty much equal and it was highly competitive. It was a hard class with no easy races. Then I moved onto class B, and with slicks and more power I learnt how to set a car up properly, and then finally class A, fully modified, which was wonderful. You have the chance to change so much: springs, dampers, tyre pressures, wings, they all have an effect.

They offer an opportunity to tinker with so many things; there is no need in my opinion to go single-seaters, these are fully adjustable racing cars and respond well to fine tuning”. And Richard should know, being overall Class C Champion in 1987, Class B in 1991, and Class A in 1999, the only driver to achieve the triple crown in 40 years.

As lunch arrived the conversation moved towards car development and recollections of certain races and drivers.

I felt privileged to be listening in, and hope the second and final part of this fascinating story next month, imparts some of the pleasure I had hearing it firsthand.

TH

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Robert Eyles and Chris Westell MGCC Silverstone 1975 Chris Westell in his Midget, 1970s 28 SAFETY FAST! SEPTEMBER 2016

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MG's On

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23/08/2016 17:49 22/08/2016 10:09:28

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23/08/2016 17:49

FEATURE

What got you into producing bodykits?

We had started developing a kit car based on the MGB rubber bumper.

The kit was based around a car that raced in the 1940s. Unfortunately IVA regulations made it more difficult to get the look without compromising on certain parts. This also made it expensive so we decided to shelve the project for the time being. However, we kept seeing rubber bumper cars

coming up for sale at relatively cheap prices because people are reluctant to spend money on restoration compared to a chrome bumper. We felt that if you could come up with a way of altering the look at a reasonable price, people might then consider taking these project cars on. So we started with the RP251 project, the full front end, then moved on to a simpler bumper conversion kit, which would just bolt on.

RPS are well known for their bodykits for the MGB and MGTF and have recently had good coverage in various publications. But we wanted to know more about the people behind RPS and how it all came about. So we invited Gary and Julie Hutton to Kimber House and posed some questions to them.

What inspired the MGTF kit?

The MG SV!! We were at MG Live! in 2014 and kept seeing a metallic green SV that was driving past. The more we looked at it, the more we could see similarities between the two cars ... and that was where the idea came from. The car was never going to be a full-on replica of the SV; the idea was to capture some of the lines and still have the MG influence.

How do you create the design that is in your head?

It’s a long process as Garry admits he is pretty useless at drawing!!

Unfortunately, it has to be done the hard way, normally forming the shapes using foam, MDF and gallons of filler!

It is pretty much a process of trial and error, trying ideas, changing them, refilling and shaping as we go! We were a bit luckier with the MGTF as we had a young lad working in a unit close to

RPS BODYKITS

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FEATURE

ours who was really interested in cars and also great at drawing. He asked what we were doing and when he found that we had nothing on paper, offered to draw up some ideas for us based on what Garry told him his plans were. It worked quite well and we have those pictures on the wall in our office ... Luckily the end result was pretty close to the drawings.

How many hours did it take to create the TF kit?

Too many to count! The project took just over a year from start to where we are now, although not always working solidly on the project, as we had the existing MGB panels that were being sent out to customers. It would probably be quite frightening to add up all the hours and of course we still

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have a few bits and pieces to finish.

How are you selling the kits?

Mostly mail order with customers finding out about us through word of mouth, Facebook postings from existing customers, various shows that we attend and articles and advertising in magazines. We are also finding that people are hearing about us through forums such as MG Experience. We are also lucky that a lot of the panels (especially for the MGTF Kit) are also going to be available individually, without having to buy a full kit.

So far our rubber bumper conversion kit has been sent as far afield as Australia and the US ... not to mention quite a few in Europe.

Will you offer a fitting service?

We are continually asked this question

by customers ... Unfortunately we are unable to do so as we only have a small unit; we would have to take on extra staff and space to offer this. We do advise people that most of our panels can be fitted by most good body shops, should they not be confident in fitting the panels entirely on their own.

I understand you will also market a hardtop for the TF. Yes, we will. In fact this was the first ‘development’ for the TF that we worked on. We put this on hold as we were getting sidetracked by the body panels and really did need to have those developed and available first. We are in the process of now finishing the last internal mouldings for the hardtop and then we will carry

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FEATURE

out some testing on it (ie seals to make sure there are no leaks). So this should be available shortly. What makes our hardtop different from others is that it has a lift-out roof panel, which can be stored in the boot when not in use.

Can the kits be adapted to fit the MGF as well?

We are in the process of making a new bonnet and boot lid so that they can be used with the standard front and rear bumpers from either the F or TF. By the time this article is in the magazine these should be available. We will also need to make new moulds for the rear air scoop/wheel arch panel so that this will fit on the MGF as well. If somebody wanted to use our front bumper splitter on the F, they could do so by changing the headlights to the TF ones. Our rear

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Gary and Julie Hutton next to their MG TF

section, which incorporates the LED lights, will already fit an F. Can you give a brief description on how you go about fitting the kit?

Full fitting instructions will come with all of the panels. The bonnet and boot lid are a direct replacement and bolt on as per the originals. The front bumper/ splitter is pretty much the same as the original fitment, with the exception of two brackets that are bonded in to the back of the panel. These are accessed from underneath the vehicle not through apertures in the front of the bumper as per the original MGTF. The panels that are bonded on to the vehicle (ie front and rear side air scoops/vents and back panel) are not fixed using fibreglass

mat and resin; they are secured with an adhesive suitable for body kits. The type we use is a little more expensive, it is polymer-based and easier to work with.

This is applied using a mastic gun so is quite simple to use.

Our instructions will have photographs showing the necessary details.

Have you diversified into kits for other MGs? Not at present. We usually look to see whether there are sufficient numbers in a particular vehicle to warrant the time and expenditure to have the tooling manufactured. So the range of MGs that we produce kits for could change in future.

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“Bob Olthoff’s Twin Cam (No. 31) and the replica (No. 144)”

THE TOURIST TROPHY

I

55 YEARS ON

n 1961 Bob Olthoff entered his MGA Twin Cam in the Tourist Trophy at Goodwood. In 2015 I bought Bob’s car and having just finished restoring it to competition specification I thought entering it for the pre-1963 Historic Tourist Trophy event at the Silverstone Classic seemed appropriate. This is the story of MG’s participation in the Tourist Trophy, particularly after 1955, and how Bob might have seen the experience some 55 years later.

The RAC International Tourist Trophy is awarded each year to the winners of a selected event. It was first awarded in 1905 and continues to be awarded to this day, making it the longest-lasting trophy in motorsport. Tourist Trophy

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By Edward Vandyk

events have been part of major national and international racing series, including the World Sportscar Championship, World Touring Car Championship, European Touring Car Championship, FIA GT Championship, and British Touring Car Championship.

The trophy has been contested at a number of circuits over the years, with the types of cars running varying from Grand Prix cars to touring cars and sports cars. In some years the race was run on a handicap basis which explains the wins by the relatively small-engined MGs in 1931 by Norman Black in his C Type Midget, in 1933 by the famous Tazio Nuvolari in his Magnette K3 and in 1934

by Charles Dobson in his Magnette NE.

All of these victories were at the Ards circuit at Dundonald in the ‘Sports Car’ category.

In 1955, at the Tourist Trophy held at Dundrod in Northern Ireland, MG entered what were essentially prototype MGA Twin Cams with both Morris and Austin versions of the Twin Cam engine at 1498cc, although the Austin version was withdrawn before the race.

This was MG’s last works-entered race until the early 1960s as, after the tragedy of that year’s Le Mans and further fatalities at Dundrod during the race, MG officially withdrew from circuit racing.

When the Tourist Trophy was next held at Goodwood in 1958, the FIA had

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just started to rewrite the rules and revise Appendix J governing the classes of cars in competition and the regulations that applied to each class. The effect of this was that in 1958 and 1959 the race was run for Sports Cars and in 1960 to 1963 for Grand Touring, or GT, cars before reverting to Sports Cars again in 1964 and thereafter Touring cars. The race was run at Goodwood until 1965 when it moved to Oulton Park. Today it is run at Silverstone and is for Sports Cars.

In the 1958 Tourist Trophy an MGA Twin Cam was entered by Dick Jacobs and the drive was shared between Alan Foster and Tommy Bridger. The car finished 14th overall and third in class.

This was essentially a de-bumpered production car fitted with an aero screen and was thus a pretty creditable result.

The entry was actually resisted until the last minute on the grounds that the car would be too slow.

In 1960 Dick Jacobs entered two MGA Twin Cams in the GT category which meant they had to run with hard tops. These cars were the famous 1

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MTW and 2 MTW now owned by Roger Daniell which are still racing from time to time today. They were much modified with lightened chassis, aluminium bodies and modified front suspension.

Interestingly they ran on DCO3, rather than the then more common DCOE, Webers. Again the cars were driven by Alan Foster and Tommy Bridger. Whilst Alan’s car (1 MTW) finished 14th overall and third in class (again) Tommy’s car (2 MTW) burst a tyre at Madgewick corner and crashed, writing off the aluminium body. The car was out again next

weekend with a new steel body! In fact it was Tommy’s third accident that week, having had an incident on the road on the Monday and written off a Formula Junior on the Wednesday.

In 1961 Bob Olthoff entered the Tourist Trophy in his MGA Twin Cam but more of this later.

In 1963 Dick Jacobs again entered two MG Midgets, one of which made it to the chequered flag. This would appear to be all of the MGs entered in the Tourist Trophy from 1955 onwards so MGs were not a regular participant.

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FEATURE

The 2016 Historic Tourist Trophy at the Silverstone Classic is a 50-minute pit stop race for pre-1963 GT cars. I entered Bob’s car as well as a replica I had built in 2014.

Both my cars were running 1762cc engines which would have complied with the ‘pre-1963’ specification in 1962 but not with the ‘as entered’ specification for the 1961 race which Bob entered at 1588cc.

Those of you who have read my earlier articles in Safety Fast! may recall my reasoning as to why, despite entering at 1588cc, it is likely that Bob actually ran at 1762cc in the 1961 Tourist Trophy race.

I had managed to get the same competition number (31) as Bob in the 1961 race and wanted to recreate as much of the 1961 experience as possible. In 1961 competitors drove the circuit so that is what I thought I should do.

On the Thursday before the race I put on road legal Avon tyres (the race being run on Dunlop race tyres which are not road legal) changed the race plugs for road plugs and crossed out the competition numbers. Bob’s car managed the 70 miles to Silverstone without difficulty, the only issues being the race pads needed to get warm to be really effective and when it rained the car leaked, but it was ever thus – a true period experience.

Dave Cook, my race mechanic, had in the meantime trailered the replica car to Silverstone.

Bob’s car had been restored to as near period specification as allowable, but had modern safety equipment to comply with Appendix K regulations.

We had built and fitted a 1762cc engine with pistons designed around the original Le Mans pistons from the 1960 SRX 210 entry but with only three, rather than four, rings. We were interested to see how these would hold up, because the Twin Cam engine is very liable to burning holes in pistons at high revs and whilst the replica car had survived over five hours of racing, the pistons in that car were different.

In 1961 Bob did not finish. First he set fire to the passenger side wooden floor, something he had done twice before and this despite having an asbestos plate between the silencer and the floor board. Having extinguished the fire, his newly fitted differential gave out two hours into the race.

Both our cars survived Friday practice and were about 20 seconds off the pace of the only other MGA in the event, also a Twin Cam, entered and driven by Mark Ellis, a talented, experienced and committed driver.

Mark’s MGA is highly developed and weighs about 30kgs less than our cars.

It has an engine developed by Mark

over many years and at the expense of a number of broken development versions in the process. This has shorter pistons with repositioned gudgeon pins and longer rods and is probably developing about 15hp more than our larger engine, even out of its smaller 1588cc capacity.

In the Saturdayrace I shared the driving with Mark Daniell, who has competed many times in his father’s ex-Dick Jacobs MGA Twin Cams, 1 MTW and 2 MTW. The replica car, number 144, was driven by Chris Wilks, an experienced Formula Junior driver.

Chris completed the race in the replica car but, just like Bob, Mark and I did not. Although our water temperature gauge resolutely refused to budge from a low 140°F the car overheated because it had lost coolant leaving the system unpressurised and the temperature sensor uncovered.

Thus one missing circlip left us with a cracked and holed piston. This was a problem that MG had encountered in period and it was our incomplete setup of their period ‘fix’ that lost us our coolant.

Bob’s engine is now being rebuilt as luckily I had a spare piston so hopefully we can get out again in October. We set out to recreate Bob’s experience 55 years ago and, especially with the DNF, I think we did a pretty good job!

“2016 Pre 1963 Historic Tourist Trophy, Silverstone”

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SVW NEWSLET TER Paul Campbell svw.safety.fast@gmail.com www.svwregister.co.uk

T

WELCOME TO THE SVW NEWSLETTER

his month we have a report on the SVW Event that took place in Belgium in mid-June.

There were some 20 SVWs and 52 people from seven countries in attendance at Trooz. Mike Dalby’s timely submission relates his own experience of this very enjoyable event travelling in Alan Dolman’s VA Saloon.

The 2017 SVW Event is provisionally planned to take place near Colchester in the first week of July, organised by Jane and Robert Crayston.

And now a green theme! Piers Hubbard sent in some details of MG2016 which took place in Louisville, Kentucky, and Walter Preschl tells us about his postrestoration sortie in his VA Tourer.

Our Regalia man, Chris Cox, has been looking at options for garments (caps, polo shirts, fleeces, etc.) that our members may wish to purchase with a newly designed SVW Register logo. Is this something you would like? It would be good to hear your views either way (email above as always).

SVW EVENT IN BELGIUM “Would you like to come to Belgium in the VA?” asked Alan. He explained that it was a trip organised by the MG Car Club SVW Register to the Ardennes region and his wife was unable to travel great distances in the car. I had been to Montlhery with him in the car previously and so after about two seconds the answer was “Yes please!”

I remembered that the German offensive in the winter of 1944 had taken place in the area in which we were to stay and I hoped that we would be visiting a museum of the events.

All bookings were made and we left Devon on Sunday June 13 for the long drive along the south coast to Dover for the overnight accommodation. I knew the first one hundred miles or so past the “Wall and the five legged Stag” at Charborough Park, but the scenery from the navigator’s seat was all new to me after the picturesque Arundel Castle. We were due to sail on the 10am boat to Dunkirk, but the French customs were checking every passport on the buses and lorries and so the process was so long that we missed the 10am and had to cross the Channel on the 12.00! That of course made us late to start our journey to our Chateau Harzé, 15 miles south of Liège.

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Whilst waiting for the boat other SVW cars arrived, including a large MG WA Tickford, plus Tourer versions of our VA saloon. John and Gail Bannister, the dedicated tour organisers from the SVW Register, had provided us all with a detailed route to our Chateau. The route was mainly dual carriageway and some of the cars shot off at 60mph, but we kept up a steady 50-55mph. Nearing Brussels the traffic became very heavy and suddenly we saw all the other cars in our party stopped at the side of the dual carriageway. One had its bonnet open and it transpired that a new condenser was required, which we were able to supply! All was well and we again ventured into the nose-to-tail traffic on the Brussels ring road.

Our route took us through the middle of Liège, but using underground through tunnels – a brilliant method of traversing a city quickly. It was becoming quite late and we still had 30 miles to go, so thinking that we were unlikely be able to obtain food at the Chateau, we purchased a pizza at a service station. It was to be very welcome and, as we had thought, the restaurant was closed!

Tuesday was a free day but we had to register for the event at the rally Chateau Bleu ‘HQ’ at 5pm in Trooz about 12

Restaurant on a pole at Gileppe! (Paul Campbell)

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SVW NEWSLET TER

Mike Dalby dines with a mystery guest at Chateau Bleu (Paul Campbell)

Norbert and Marcella Huyghebaert, owners of Chateau Bleu, together with John Bannister our event organiser (Paul Campbell)

View from the restaurant of some of the SVWs on the Gileppe Dam (Paul Campbell)

miles away. However, it was decided to go there in the morning and meet the other participants and see the cars.

There were many cars from all over the Continent, including a very new ‘Woodie’ VA (see March edition – Ed) that had recently been completed in Holland and has been featured in several magazines already. What a superb job – beautiful! Another car was a dark blue SA saloon that had also been recently finished and was as pristine inside as out! No dirty boots in there!

As we had a few hours to spare and the Spa-Francorchamps motor racing circuit was not far away, that was the place to visit! The weather was wet but undeterred we found the way and toured the circuit. The circuit lap is 4.5 miles and the fastest lap time is 1 minute 47 seconds set by Sebastian Vettel in 2009!

One does not appreciate on television the steepness of the gradients until one sees the circuit for real.

Before the event I had done some ‘homework’ on the Battle of the Bulge of December 1944 and found that the German advance had finished at La Gleize, which just happened to be on our way back from Spa to Trooz. We stopped in the village where the VA attracted much attention, but we didn’t visit the museum or see the King Tiger tank – maybe later.

Registering at HQ we obtained the rally plate for the car and an extra one for me! The plan was to leave our cars at the Chateau Bleu and to board a coach for the trip back to our Chateau so we were able to partake of the local hospitality!

Returning by the ‘school bus’ the following morning we received our detailed route books with the ‘Tulip’ diagrams, helpfully also recorded in miles.

The route book had been compiled by Norbert Huyghebaert, the owner of the Chateau Bleu, who also owns an E-Type Jaguar and an MG T type ‘Q replica’ which sounded very ‘Brooklands’

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The countryside in the Ardennes is steep valleys and densely wooded hills and very much an agricultural economy – all very picturesque. Our route took us on the ‘wigglies’, rather than the dual carriageways, and guided us through many villages and up and down steep hills, but the cars performed admirably, all arriving at the first photo shoot outside Chateau Neuville after 17.3 miles.

“Gentlemen, start your engines!” It was off to the lunch stop and tour of the Chateau de Modave. Another beautiful chateau originally built in the Middle Ages, but rebuilt in the 17th century with very elaborate interior stucco work, too ornate for my taste. However our lunch was good!

A number of cars had minor troubles, the only major one being a slipping clutch on a supercharged SA saloon that had to be taken back to England on the back of a lorry! But only after the transport had picked up the wrong car and had to return it, much to the

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A quick stop at The Menin Gate at Ypres on the way home (Paul Campbell)

amusement of the others and the consternation of the German owner!

The route took us past our chateau and so we stopped there, only to find that we had been locked out of our room even though it had been cleaned earlier in the day! A joiner was eventually found who broke the lock and we were eventually able to change for the evening’s festivities. There was all-round amusement to hear of our exploits. Looking on the bright side we had, however, missed the Register AGM! It was again onto the ‘school bus’ after the festivities to our chateau, to be returned next morning after a hearty breakfast to re-join our car at the Chateau Bleu.

Thursday’s tour was to finish at a scenic restaurant, but first a visit to a Second World War museum about the Battle of the Bulge. It was a superb museum with a mobile device that told the story of each exhibit. There was also a film show during the visit.

Off again to drive to the lunch stop! However, this was the only time

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that the route book let us down and there were cars going in all directions.

All was duly sorted out when we realised we had still a further 15 miles to drive. What a restaurant we found when we did arrive! It was 150 metres up in the air and we had to go up the outside in glass lifts! Very scary, but the view of the dam from the dining area was superb despite the rain and the mist. The scariness tended to wear off after two glasses of wine!

For some this was the official end of the tour and they made their farewells.

The rest departed back to their chateaux and we took a couple who had been in another car all day, but were staying at our hotel. Our route took us again past La Gleize and this time we paused to see the King Tiger tank – it was huge! It was obtained for the museum in exchange for a bottle of brandy! Going round the museum, it was quite similar to the other with dioramas depicting various phases of the battle, all with authentic military uniforms of both sides. We took a route from the museum up a steep hill

and with four in the car it performed admirably and never missed a beat.

That evening we went out for a farewell meal at a local restaurant in the village with our new friends, saying that we would meet up again next year for the annual SVW event in Colchester, Essex.

Leaving for the drive back to Dunkirk at 6.30 the following morning, the car made good progress until we were held up after Liège in a 3.5 km queue following a lorry accident. It took over an hour to pass, but crawling along the temperature of the car’s radiator never climbed at all. We still made Dunkirk with an hour to spare!

Back home in Devon, we had covered a total of 1,152 miles in weather that at times had left something to be desired as we had some torrential rain, but the car had never leaked and had done all that we had asked of it, at a speed that was in keeping with the age and time of the car.

Mike Dalby

www.mgcc.co.uk

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WEDDING DRIVE IN GERMANY

Walter Preschl in his VA Tourer driving Anke and Thomas

In 2015 for the mid-September weekend I was asked to transport a bride and groom in my vintage car. Why not, I thought, as the old lady VA764 had just completed a frame up restoration of seven years a few months earlier. VA764 was bought in 2007 in Reading from the son of the late Dennis Sears.

So on Saturday September 19 I visited the flower shop in the morning and at 2pm I had to be at the church in our neighbouring village of Willsbach. Shortly afterwards the ceremony was over and the newly married couple came out.

After a photo session with about 50 guests, they climbed into the car and off we went to the restaurant where the extended family and many friends enjoyed a champagne reception. The restaurant was nicely located on top of a hill between vineyards.

On my ride to the flower shop and back we had rainy weather, but before the ceremony was over and with the ringing of the church bells, the sun came through and I could open the top. All the way to the restaurant the couple, Anke and Thomas, were competing with the sun with their smiles.

Walter Preschl

CHAIRMAN’S NOTES The Register held its AGM in the Ardennes, Belgium this year - we always try to hold the AGM at our annual event as that way we get a goodly number of members attending.

Keith and Ann Bush, Jeff Gibson and David Smyth all left the committee and I want to record our great thanks for their enormous contribution in recent years. John Bannister and John Bates have both rejoined and I look forward to their company over the coming months.

The new committee structure is shown on our website.

John Bannister also organized the annual event in the Ardennes, about which you can read here - he did a great job, despite the weather.

My especial thanks to Paul for putting this newsletter together - Paul has taken over as full-time scribe for the Register following Anne Bush’s departure.

John Dutton

MG2016 – KENTUCKY MG2016 is the five-yearly gathering of MGs in North America when the Registers come together. The SVW cars come under the banner of MMM. It was held at Louisville, Kentucky, this time; a big gathering as there were 100 tables of 10 or 11 each at the farewell dinner.

This car was the only SVW in attendance at the Show. There were outings to the Corvette factory, a Bourbon Distillery and continuous tech sessions prior to this. It was hot on the show ground; I gave up counting MGAs when I melted at 95⁰F. Both Peter Cook and Brian Woodhams from MGCC Overseas were in attendance, so there may well be further details of this event published.

Piers Hubbard

www.mgcc.co.uk

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‘T’ REGISTER NEWSLET TER John Ward 01621 773606 johnw.ward@yahoo.co.uk

O

WELCOME TO THE T TYPE NEWSLETTER

nly one event to go this year for the T Register faithful, it really is quite remarkable how time now goes so quickly. It has been a great and satisfying year for the Register obviously culminating in being awarded the Nuffield Gold Cup which was a crowning moment, but all our scheduled events went well and were very well supported by you the members.

The Autumn Tour moves to Dorset over the first weekend in September; a full report and pictures later, in October’s edition of T Register News.

Next year is already getting booked up so if you wish to head north and do the Lakes and Dales, book now or be disappointed.

RECENT EVENTS We only had space for a few words in the July Safety Fast notes on Silverstone Live 2016, so here is the full report as featured in the July edition of TRN.

MGLIVE! Saturday Notwithstanding the euphoria above in winning the Gold Cup, there were many other T Register happenings at Silverstone Live this year.

Held a week earlier than normal, the weather was kind, and although overcast and windy and cool at times there were many periods of bright sunshine, and no substantial downpours that we have become accustomed to over the years on the heath.

Saturday morning was predictably busy with T Types arriving in a steady stream from 8.30 onwards, and by 10.30 we were almost full to capacity in our allocated parking area, although this year we had been allotted a larger area due to overcrowding last year, and it was also noted that there were fewer MMMs in evidence than previous years.

As usual there was a fine collection of XPAG Specials assembled adjacent to the racing paddock, thanks mainly to Stewart Penfound and Chris Pamplin in getting together a varied assortment of individual vehicles inspired by racing types mainly in the 60s who sought to get something extra from these stolid and reliable little motors.

Chris at the Club office; David Wardell who designed and organised the new flag; the ladies, Julie, Moya and Sue who provided and laid out the lunchtime nibbles; Bill Silcock, Graham Brown and the T Register for providing the beer and to Bob the barman for dispensing it so ably!

On the Saturday afternoon we had 14 cars on show, or 16 if you include the two American beasties next door.

Getting some of the cars to our display required heroic efforts, notably from Nick, who drove the Dick Jacobs TA down from Hull; from Rachel Clewley, who delivered the Parson on the Friday then went back to Hereford to bring the mechanics back early on Saturday morning; and particularly from Simon

Stewart Penfound and Chris Pamplin penned this report of the day’s event.

Thanks to everyone who was involved in the biggest display of Specials ever seen at Silverstone, particularly those whose work behind the scene ensured it all went so smoothly – Colin and Fak 57 on display

The line up of T Types at MGLive! on the Saturday

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Evans, who arranged for his mechanic Phil to deliver the George Philips replica FAK 57 on Saturday, then turned up himself on Sunday, fresh from Spain, to drive it back to Aldwincle (yes, it is on the map!), sounding magnificent with its straight through exhaust.

Simon’s car was on display for the first time, as was Howard’s magnificent 1½ seater TC. Howard sprinted his car on Sunday, winning his class (of one…) and Simon is racing the Philips Replica at Le Mans next month, the first time a TC has competed there since the original car took part back in 1950.

Also a special thanks to the racers, who added their cars to the display after practice, and the race, which, I have to admit, was the most confusing event I’ve ever watched.

The boys did well, though, with Alex Quattlebaum winning the T class in his Leco MG, followed by Howard (the other Howard) Maguire in the Playford,

T Type line up on Sunday of MGLive!

Stuart Dean’s Dick Jacobs Y Special and Bob Allen’s Lester, the latter out for the first time for a while. George’s Devin MG didn’t make the start, practice having revealed some rear suspension problems.

Spectators seemed a bit thinner on the ground this year, but our display attracted a lot of interest, particularly before the racing got under way, and it was great seeing our founder Keith Hodder making a guest appearance.

Sunday The Sunday morning was a bit of an anticlimax following the events of the night before at the dinner, but

nevertheless we were on station in time to welcome the T Types. There are never so many of you that attend on the Sunday, no doubt the racing and the natter makes it the best day to be there if you are only coming for one day. It was a much nicer day with clear blue skies and sunshine.

It is now the tradition to invite all the Centres and the Registers to compete in the main marquee and produce the best stand on a particular theme. This year the Silverstone committee elected ‘Heritage’ as the theme and Annie Matthews and the team set to work to design and organise the T Register Stand.

The XPAG Specials display always draws an admiring crowd over the weekend

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To ensure prices and availability, the hotel requires a 30% deposit by the beginning of December 2016 which equates to about £90. The balance would be payable direct to the hotel on departure. Additional costs will be lunches every day, plus drinks and incidentals.

George’ gets down to it!

Having won two years ago and come second last year, it was going to be a challenge to maintain the previous high standards.

The T Register heritage goes back to 1936, 80 years ago as you will have been constantly reminded by the new banners and posters everywhere!

The idea was to replicate a scene in a typical garage of the time with a car being the star attraction and the predictable scene of an owner or mechanic (George) taking up the normal stance of being flat out under the car, spanners in hand. Many thanks to Andy King for supplying the Cream Cracker and to everyone who contributed both time and effort, costumes, old cans, gear and paraphernalia to create the overall effect.

As a result we again achieved second place, being beaten for the second year running by those Scots from over the border. Just wait until next year.

Now on to next year and a spring trip to the Ardennes is scheduled for May 12 to 16 2017, and Bill and Sally Silcock are organising a Continental run to the Ardennes.

The Hotel They have provisionally booked all the

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rooms in the Castel les Sorbiers (www. castellessorbiers.be if you’d like to see what it’s like) 10 miles south of Dinant in the Belgian Ardennes for four nights from May 12 to 16 2017. This is the hotel we used for our 2008 trip to the area, and the feedback we had then was very positive. They have one single room and 29 double/twin rooms, so the absolute maximum is 30 cars including the organisers.

Since the nearest alternative places to eat are at least ten minutes’ drive away along a narrow, twisting road, all evening meals will be taken at the hotel, including a gala dinner on the last night.

The prices we have been quoted are 300€ per person in a double/twin room, and 408€ per person in a single room, for four nights’ half board. In addition there will be a city tax of 1€ per person per night = 4€ for the whole stay. Up to three rooms, including the single room, will be available for single occupancy at 300€ per person rather than the 408€ quoted above: this will be on a first come, first served basis. An additional charge of 20€ per person will be made for special menus on the first and last night (the Découverte menu on the first night and the Castel menu for the gala dinner).

How to get there The nearest ports are Calais, Dunkirk, Zeebrugge and Hook of Holland – the hotel is about the same distance from all of them. As usual, those going on the tour will need to organise their own ferry or Eurotunnel booking. We intend to include in the final briefing a suggested scenic route from a point a couple of hours from the hotel, but this of course is optional.

Things to do in the Ardennes There are a number of scenic routes in the area, including some recommended by the Michelin guide to the region.

There are also lots of places worth visiting, including particularly good caves at Han sur Lesse, a micro-brewery near the hotel and a castle at Bouillon.

As has recently become the tradition on our Continental tours, there won’t be any set routes or timetables, but we will provide lots of information about the area, and we have re-checked the routes from 2008 and will update them and make them available to anyone who wants to use them. If you would like to visit the Han sur Lesse caves please let us know – we may be able to get party rates and an English-speaking guide if sufficient people want to go.

Next action Please email Sally Silcock at treg.sec@ virginmedia.com or telephone 01525 750468 to express your interest in this trip. If phoning, please leave contact details (preferably an email address) so that they can contact you when necessary.

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I think it is the drivers side

THE FRIENDLY MARQUE AND ECCENTRIC T TYPES Numbum’s Tour of Britain Those of you who are in the modern technological world may have seen on the T Register Facebook a report on the antics of a couple from Stockton on Tees who have embarked upon a tour of the coastline of Britain in their 1937 TA; well, I met up with them during their first week in late July.

A few weeks earlier I received a phone call from Owen Frankland, a TA man from Stockton on Tees.

He asked for our help in any way that would publicise a trip that he and his wife Pam were going to embark upon in a few weeks with the added aim to raise money for a charity that they passionately supported.

Apparently they had always wanted to drive around Britain in their TA so why not choose a worthy cause. The charity is Harrisons Fund for research into Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.

Aptly named Numbum, the car is a 1937 TA which has been a member of the family since the late 60s and is much loved and well used, being a regular in the early days to Hausbach (anyone out there remember these trips?).

The plan was to drive the 4,000 plus miles by using all the roads following closest to the coast from Stockton on Tees clockwise round the south to Lands End, then via the West Country to Wales and up the west coast to Scotland, then John O’Groats before turning south and

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heading for home.

They duly set off on Friday July 22 amidst a band of friends and well wishers; the journey had begun.

In my reply to Owen at the offset I mentioned to them that I lived quite close to the coast near Maldon in Essex, and if their route passed close by, then to call in to say hello and have a cuppa and a chat!

Forward to the following Tuesday afternoon and I received a phone call: “Hello John, it’s Owen.” “Good to hear from you mate, where are you?”

“Brightlingsea,” (not a million miles from Clacton). “We have a problem, we are parked in a car park on the grass and the jack is not adequate and it looks like we have broken a half shaft and there is more, there is a family crisis and we have to be back home by Thursday.”

They were thinking that they would have to get the RAC to now take them home to Stockton, which would have then meant that they would have to commence things all over again.

But there was a better solution: why not get the car brought to my place, only about 15 miles away; off with the broken half shaft; stay the night; order the part from NTG which is over in Ipswich; hire a car; go home; return on Friday; fix the new half shaft, and after lunch off they go again, only two days lost, perfect. Bon voyage guys.

Bill Weston On a more saddened note, we learn of the passing away of Bill Weston, one of the very earliest of the T Racers and one of the founding fathers of the T Register in 1962, and who became the Racing Team Organiser the following season.

Ron Gammons knew Bill very well and raced with him in those early days in the 60s and has penned this fitting obituary.

I learnt a few days ago that Bill Weston, another early T series stalwart, had sadly passed away after a lengthy illness. Bill was the driver in his TC who dominated the early 60s in T racing, his TC sounding curiously staccato in exhaust as it accelerated away up the straight. A very competent driver but whose family were not enamoured of his involvement. He owned his TC right up until about three years ago, but returned it to road specification and now it is believed to be in Norfolk being used as a road car In the early 60s there were not specific races for T series, since the MGCC ran five lap scratch and handicap races for all comers, so when you entered you never knew who you would be up against. Exciting stuff! In some instances the handicap was a full lap or more apart, so a real flyer could leave at the same point as a slower car but with a full lap to make up before the flag. If the Handicapper had got his sums right the last lap would often see a gaggle of the slower cars with the quick stuff all trying to get past to get to the line first. Really fraught and taught you to look in the mirrors!

Another speciality was a 30 minute [or less ] High Speed Trial where you were allocated a handicap based on your expected performance, and if you managed to beat the handicap an award of a pewter mug was often the reward. On some a pit stop was required, some to take a valve cap off of the front and refit to the rear, or perhaps to get out and run around the car… Those were the days!!

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www.mgcc.co.uk

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MGC NEWSLET TER Ginny Cartmell 01208 821552 ginnycartmell@btinternet.com

WELCOME TO THE MGC NEWSLETTER MGC 50TH ANNIVERSARY 2017...

Things have taken off fantastically well, with regards to our 50th Anniversary event June 7-11 next year. We have been overwhelmed with the response and delighted at the same time. At time of writing we have 11 countries attending and 77 MGs booked in. We are now very confident that we will be able to fill Chateau Impney, giving us exclusive use of the hotel for the entire event period. Rooms are now limited, so for those that would like to stay in the main host hotel, please don’t delay getting your entry in. I will be looking at negotiating rates at two nearby hotels in the coming weeks, as we don’t want to find ourselves turning possible

participants away, as the event draws closer.

For those that have not booked the 50th Anniversary event yet, you will find the online entry form on our micro site, within the MG Car Club website; just follow the link to the MGC Register. The entry form is very easy to navigate, with a return email to confirm your entry, once you have clicked the submit button. On confirmation of your entry, you will be sent the booking details to enable you to book your accommodation at Chateau Impney. We look forward to receiving many more entries in the coming weeks.

MGC SUMMER GATHERING WROXALL ABBEY HOTEL AND MALLORY PARK MG RACING

Last month the C Register had a splendid weekend together, with great weather and a pretty good turnout of MGCs. With limited space in last month’s Safety Fast! I was unable to do much of a pictorial on the event, so I am making up for it in this month’s edition of Safety Fast!

Douglas Samuel’s beautiful example of a slightly different MGC GT, glistening in the sunshine. This car was awarded Pride of Ownership this year and very well deserved, too.

Our furthest-travelled MGC was that of Nick and Rebecca Ricketts. They had travelled all the way down from Glasgow to spend the weekend with us.

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Jim Corbett was very surprised and delighted to receive the prestigious concours award. It was Jim and Debra’s first experience of an MGC Register Event; they say they will be back next year.

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Our parade lap at Mallory Park. Just about managing to muscle in, in-between the busy race schedule.

Just a few of the 62 MGs in attendance at Mallory Park.

Colin Reynolds was awarded the Car of the Show by Ian Quarrington, but had made an early getaway and missed the presentations.

A full car park at Wroxall Abbey Hotel, with the overflow having to park up for the night on the grass. A great hotel, with the weekend very well attended.

Thanks to all those who supported the event.

FROM TOURER TO GT – 2 MG CS PART TWO – “HOW LONG IS A PIECE OF STRING?!”

The A30 – M3 – M25 is a great test route for your newly acquired MG. Well, maybe not the M25 at around 5 o’clock, but then again a great test for the efficiency of the cooling system! So it was that I found myself driving my newly acquired MGC GT, in faded Tartan Red, from the Ian Le Riche Classics, Jersey Import Depot, in Yeovil, home to Surrey.

Finally, after importing the car from Jersey to the mainland – it might as well have been in America as far as Customs and Excise and the DVLA were concerned – the CGT was officially mine. The car had spent all its life on Guernsey and Jersey since a direct export from Abingdon to the Channel Islands in 1969. The GT seemed to relish the chance to proceed at a more appropriate

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to her 3 litres, 60 mph, rather than the limited 30, max 40, on the islands.

Had she ever been over those speeds?

Probably not, judging by the, thought to be genuine, 38,000 miles on the clock (more on this later!)

This car is a rare automatic, just what I wanted for relaxed touring, and the 3-speed Borg Warner box changed nicely, with acceleration perhaps a little too relaxed for the demands of modern overtaking. I soon learned that you could slip the transmission back a notch on the selector, to gear two and take advantage of the engine’s low-down torque, but still...

The new tyres were performing nicely and the car went in the direction it was pointed. Incidentally, all this mythology about the ‘C’ being

dangerously nose-heavy and going in a straight line over roundabouts is just a load of ...urban myth! When the car was let loose with all that power on inexperienced 21st birthday recipients, naturally they tended to overdo it and end up in hedges and worse. Power was the problem, not steering. I mean Prince Charles never pranged his! But I digress… Arriving home without incident or boiling cooling system, back a little stiff from the original sagging seat foams and webbing, I was straight on the phone to MGC guru, Vic Young, to report on my new buy.

“Need more power mate!” responded Vic. I knew what more power meant, having driven one of Vic’s creations and frightened the “bejazus out of meself!” “Just a relaxed Tourer,

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Vic,” I tremulously replied. “Yeah, yeah, bring it over.” So I did, to the Aladdin’s Cave of a workshop that Vic lurks in.

We decided that larger carbs and a ‘Young Magic’ manifold would give me enough belt to get past the odd lorry or two. A bit of an upgrade on the brake servo was approved. I resisted rose drop links and other suspension tweaks; the car was just fine for my leisurely driving style.

Then came Vic’s greatest triumph: fitting the car with the ‘Victor Young’ patent centre console, for the interior of early Bs and Cs. I’ve always had the later centre console fitted to my MGs; I like the comfort of the centre arm rest feature and the handy storage under the lift-up latter. Plus you get a neat centre panel to put all those additional switches and dials into, like a voltmeter and a switch for the period Lucas driving lights that Vic found in a box marked ‘Brake Shoes’ – well he knew where they were!

For the purist, I’m assured by someone who worked on the original cars that, had the C continued in production beyond 1969, it would have received all the innovations fitted to later cars, like a centre console!

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Back to Vic. He was fitting the only available new centre console, designed to accommodate the gear stick for a manual car, not the wider lump that is the Borg Warner selector box. Hmm?!

“We need a bigger ‘ole and a plate to cover the unsightly bits still showing.”

“Never mind, I’ll knock one up,” said Vic and do you know, he did, black crackled it and it looks brilliant.

Vic’s last triumph was to provide me with a flick wipe facility, which I’ve always wanted on my Bs and Cs. You know, to combat that annoying British rain – not quite heavy enough to need a wipe every second, and making you endure the resulting ‘squeal’! “Fit the gear from a later car” I hear you cry! We thought of that, but it won’t fit the existing indicator box on the steering wheel. Vic does a rummage in a box marked ‘Fuses’ and comes out with a patent device that, fitted to the electrics, gives you flick wipe with adjustable intervals, controlled by the original wiper switch. Smug Vic – happy owner!

So now we come to the “how long is a piece of string” bit. I’ve got a car that is mechanically sorted and drives beautifully. However it has body and

interior issues. Ian Le Riche: “live with it for a bit, just enjoy it.” Vic Young: “Don’t bother with the body, mate, you’ll soon dent it, don’t waste your money.” Well he is a Scot, though he hasn’t got the accent! But of course, I can’t “live with it.” I always waste my money on my cars – can’t help it, or “live with it!”

Vic points me towards Village Garage in East Grinstead. Hmm, I’m wary. I’ve been done before, because, like most of us, I can’t respray a car. It’s the same with plumbing, kitchens, electrics etc. In the house, not the car! But, five minutes with Brian McCorquodale and his merry crew, a look at their pristine, enormous workshop and state-of-the-art spray booth, plus some of the work going on to cars of all ages, nearly reassures me that Uncle Vic has pointed me in the right direction.

A minute later someone calls me “Sir” and that’s it. Respect for the twit paying the money, rather than the disdain I’ve suffered in the past, has me hooked. By the by, they have an ex-MG Rover mechanic, who can look after Caroline’s newly acquired F. Brian and co pop the GT on the ramp. “It’s so original; we don’t think

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it’s ever been welded. In fact I’ve just spotted some original wiring that tells me how it should be on mine!” Yep, in the corner is Brian’s own pristine C Tourer, newly restored from a bag of bits – sold to the CGT owner. I relax!! BUT ”How long is a piece of string?” We could do a bit here and there, but it wouldn’t be cost effective and difficult to match the old paint – which a sample sprayed panel shows is the original, faded to a sort of pink in places.

We don’t know the state of things, until we strip it down and remove panels to have a look underneath.

The car has rust holes in the sills, and elsewhere; not bad, but still concerning. I pause for all of five seconds, ”OK, how much for a very long piece of string involving not a bare metal respray, but pretty close?!” We agree a price and for once it looks like the right money for the hours and hours and hours involved. Two weeks later, the wings

and sills come off. Totally original, some work yes, but really just as it left the factory, never seen such an original car! I don’t preen. I’ve just had a massive stroke of luck and, for once, bought an exceptional car. So the bodywork and respray, including the odd expert repair panel to door skins and rear wing halves, is done on schedule.

Brian has a mate who is an excellent trimmer, Roger Jenner in nearby Haywards Heath, and he proves to be another great find. Roger has learnt his trade at the knee of his father, who worked for big coach workers, on Rolls Royces and stuff full of woodwork and leather. My little MG proves to be no problem. The sunroof is refurbished in original vinyl and matches the new paint again.

The seats are given new foams and webbing and the original covers are refurbed. We resist the temptation to go for earlier piping and coloured leather – a nod to you purists there!

I clean the original headlining etc, and modern products get them up to my required standard. We ain’t looking for concours!

So there we are. I’ve found out how long a piece of string can be and not cost the earth. We have a car that tours the roads of France and beyond with ease and accommodates the paraphernalia associated with my growing role as an Events Wallah for the MGCC South East Centre. It’s a joy to drive.

Now remember at the top I mentioned that this CGT had lived its life so far in the Channel Islands, pootling around at 30mph and probably never getting warmed up?

Well, that ball of string is about to get used again, as one day on the M23, I get a cloud of smoke out of the exhaust every time I accelerate…

That perhaps is best left for another day and another Safety Fast! article?!

Jon Glover

NOVEMBER 19 2016 MGC REGISTER CHRISTMAS DINNER Christmas is coming the Goose is getting fat....

It’s time for our MGC end of year get- together.

Saturday November 19 we will be returning to Wroxall Abbey Hotel...

Please may the C Register committee invite you to our end of year dinner at Wroxall Abbey Hotel. We will take this opportunity to start our festive celebrations for 2016, as we have been doing for the last few years.

For those who were unable to attend our summer event at Wroxall Abbey Hotel earlier this year, it will be an opportunity to enjoy the splendours of this delightful hotel in the Warwickshire countryside. The building dates back to the 12th Century and was once the country seat of Sir Christopher Wren. Wroxall Abbey is not only a beautiful luxury hotel in Warwickshire, but one of the most historic, with an unrivalled location; offering seclusion and tranquility amidst 27 acres of unspoilt parkland and gardens.

Once you have checked in, you can look forward to a reception drink before dinner, in the lounge, before moving through to the Wedgwood Suite for a three-

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course Traditional Dinner (if you wish, other options will be available).

This Festive Celebration at a delightful country hotel in Warwickshire has an all-inclusive price of just £185.00 per couple, Dinner, Bed & Breakfast.

All rooms will be booked on a first-come, first-served basis, as the hotel only has limited accommodation.

Please send your full payment to guarantee your booking and I will update you as soon as further information is available.

Please send your payment to me: Ginny Cartmell MGC Register Secretary, Lower Carblake Manor, Cardinham, Bodmin, Cornwall. PL30 4BX Cheques made payable to: The MG Car Club C Register, with your name and address on the back of the cheque please.

Email ginnycartmell@btinternet.com Telephone number 01208 821552 If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me either by email or telephone.

www.mgcc.co.uk

23/08/2016 17:51

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SEPTEMBER 2016 SAFETY FAST! 53

23/08/2016 17:45

LE MANS CL ASSIC 2016

O. Mazoyer pushing hard in his 1959 MGA

LE MANS CLASSIC2016

L

e Mans is located on the Sarthe River, part of the French Pays de la Loire Region and has been home to the Le Mans 24-hour race since 1923. There are two race circuits at Le Mans, both based at the same location. There is the well-known 24-hour circuit; ‘Circuit de la Sarthe’ which is mostly made up of public roads which get closed for the 24-hour event. One

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by Colin Murrell

lap covers about 8.5 miles (13.6km) There is also the lesser-known ‘Bugatti Circuit’, which is a much shorter permanent circuit used throughout the year for racing. The first French Grand Prix was based at Le Mans in 1906, using a circuit where one lap was 64 miles (103km). The ‘Le Mans Start’ is famously associated with Le Mans. This is where, in former 24-hour races, the drivers at the start of the race had to

run across the racetrack to their car opposite them, get into the car, start the car and then go racing! Probably not as easy as it sounds, either!!

Le Mans Classic takes place every two years. 2002 saw the first ‘Classic’ Event and according to Wikipedia “was the first time since 1923 that the full 24-hour Circuit, part of which is public road the rest of the year, was closed specifically for an event other

www.mgcc.co.uk

23/08/2016 17:46

LE MANS CL ASSIC 2016

D.Morris / P.Dowling / S.Curtis 1934 MG K3

than the annual running of the 24 heures du Mans with contemporary sportcars and prototypes, thus allowing car owners and gentleman drivers to experience what it must have been to race these cars on this circuit.” “The event consists of a series of races for cars which have competed at the 24 Hours of Le Mans or for similar cars of the same model. Only cars from prior to 1981 are allowed, with all cars being broken into six different eras.

To compete in the races a driver must own an FIA International Competition licence, meaning the drivers are of a professional level.”

The classes are split as follows:- 1923-1939 - 1949-1956 - 1957-1961 - 1962-1965 - 1966-1971 - 1972-1981

www.mgcc.co.uk

MG_SafetyFast_Sept16_53-98.indd 55

In addition to this there were also Group C Endurance Racecars making their Classic Le Mans debut and Jaguar Classic Challenge racing, resulting in cars up to 1993 competing.

To give some idea of the size of this great event, this year saw (according to a recent press release) 123,000 spectators and 8,500 cars on display, with 180 car clubs attending (including a club stand from MG Club de France).

550 cars competed with 1,000 drivers, including 10 former winners of the Le Mans 24 hours. This event gets bigger with each edition. 2014 had 110,000 spectators for example.

For any car fan or petrolhead, a trip to Le Mans is a must (a bit like Spa in Belgium, or The Ring in Germany).

My first visit to Le Mans was back in 2002, in an old 2.5S Saloon for the 24-hour race, with my father (also a MGCC member having owned a TC since 1963). Having been brought up with old cars and going to vintage/ classic/club events for as long as I can remember, I was always going to have a love for old cars as well, and this love extends to seeing them in competitive action. It was great to see the works MGs competing at Le Mans in 2002.

2016 was to be my 7th Le Mans Classic event, and the tried and tested overnight weekend ferry from Portsmouth to Caen was followed by a short scenic drive on the Sunday enjoying the scenery. The route there on Sunday from Caen was very quiet, with no lorries and very scenic down

the old N138 etc, avoiding motorways and passing through scenic towns and villages. The big difference this time was that I towed my 1931 D Type Special down there behind my MG ZT. I arrived at my friend’s house, just inside the circuit between Mulsanne and Arnarge and set up the tent in the large garden just before some dreaded rain! I should not have worried. We had what was to be the first seven-day dry spell at Le Mans of the year, and it got very warm and sunny from the Tuesday onwards. Quite a nice little MG group formed as I was soon joined by friends in a 2005 TF, BGT V8 and another BGT but with diesel power!

The racing weekend started earlier than the usual 3pm this Friday – at 9am with Club Parades, followed by qualifying for the Group C and Jaguar racing at midday. Qualifying and a night practice session for each of the grid groups would follow in turn. The day got hotter and hotter as qualifying got closer. 1.35pm would be the first time that we saw the cars in action, starting with my personal favourites the pre-war cars. For this I chose the area around the Dunlop Bridge, and stayed around this area for all of the qualifying and night practice. We were treated to the sights and sounds of MG K3 and three MG PAs, mixing it with Bentley, Bugatti and other such delights from the 20s and 30s, including the normally dominating Talbots. Oldtimers at night is a feast for the eyes. On one Blower Bentley you

SEPTEMBER 2016 SAFETY FAST! 55

23/08/2016 17:46

FAK 57, the MG TC Le Mans Special Replica

could see the exhaust manifold and exhaust glowing red hot!

In previous Le Mans Classics, we have been blessed with Pre War MGs in Grid 1, MGAs in Grid 3 and MGBs in Grid 4; so MG representation in half of the racing. This year was very special, with the addition in Grid 3 of Simon Evans’s 1949 George Phillips Le Mans TC Special Replica. This was driven by Simon and Gareth “Bigfoot” Evans (no relation!) Some will recall this stunning-looking car first broke cover at MGLive! last June (2015) and has since raced with Simon at events like Silverstone Classic, Goodwood Revival, VSCC Silverstone and Donington Historic. The original George Phillips car competed at Le Mans in 1949 and 1950. 1949 saw disqualification on a technicality, but in 1950 Phillips took second in class and 18th overall. This then would be the first time that an MG TC has competed at Le Mans since 1950 (66 years ago!)

After limited sleep for those who watch all of the night practice, there is always a strategic decision to be made on the Saturday. What to do? Get up early and join the Club displays? Get up later and watch the full 24 hours-worth of racing? Different people will choose different options. Personally, I go down to Indianapolis Corner (where it is usually the same team of friendly marshals, and this year was no different.)

Saturday starts with Club parade sessions, followed by the Jaguar and

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Group C races. As the Grid 1 4pm start got closer, the temperatures still climbed. This was going to be a hot race! At 4pm American star Pharrell Williams (singer, author and composer) lowered the French flag and the magical racing began. This would continue throughout the next 24 hours, with each grid group racing three times (roughly once in the evening/night, once night/early morning and once the following morning/afternoon, depending which group you were in).

I did feel for those drivers in the Oldtimers at night with limited lighting (and very limited rain protection, luckily not needed.) But despite this as they approached and then raced through Indianapolis Corner, they appeared to be having a lot of fun, especially those powersliding through the corner! I also

felt for those in enclosed cockpits in the high heat. Even in the small hours of Sunday morning it was still hot! This was going to be a real testament to the endurance of both cars and drivers.

The racing finished at around 4pm on the Sunday, still warm and sunny, and it stayed that way for the next two days we were there.

All too soon it was time to pack away the tent, and say “Merci” and

No 30 Jean Michel Godet / Nicholas Berty 1965 MGB leading No 22 Barry Sidery-Smith / John Yea 1965 MGB LeMans

www.mgcc.co.uk

23/08/2016 17:46

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23/08/2016 17:46

LE MANS CL ASSIC 2016

“See you again in two years time” to my friends in Le Mans and then drive back up to Caen to catch the ferry home again I wonder if the pre-1981 age limit will ever get extended to enable to 2001-4 era works MGs to compete at the “Classic” (assuming that one has survived).

I already look forward to Le Mans Classic 2018, and for anyone who has not been but is thinking about it: GO in 2018, but be prepared to get hooked on it!

The 2016 Le Mans Classic results can be found on the official Le Mans Classic website www.lemansclassic.com/

Night shot of the MG K3

AND NOW, SOMETHING VERY SPECIAL...THE VIEW FROM THE COCKPIT OF FAK57 (THE TC LE MANS SPECIAL REPLICA.) SOME WORDS FROM GARETH “BIGFOOT” EVANS “It was a true privilege to drive the TC at Circuit de la Sarthe, some 66 years since we last saw one compete on the hallowed track. The George Phillips Le Mans Special bloodied a few noses over the weekend, finally placing 37th out of 73 entries overall once the trio of races were complete and out-pacing the likes of a Triumph TR2, an AC Ace, a Lotus IX and even a brace of Aston Martin DB2s.

The most remarkable thing as far as I’m concerned is how much fun the TC was on the circuit. With the right pressures in the Blockley tyres, it struck a wonderful balance between assured bite on turn-in and playful handling at the rear, meaning mid-corner adjustment with your right foot is both rewarding and effective. The steering is heavy

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and typically ‘worm-and-peg’ in its application, but it needed to stay that way for the Historical Technical Passport.

This was my first drive on the Le Mans circuit, and I found it quite different to what we were expecting.

Where we imagined a track designed for 200mph sports cars – and thus a gentle drive out in the countryside in a TC – we were actually faced with a number of high-speed corners and plenty of second-gear turns too. It was a far more technical drive that we prepared for, especially at night with those lacklustre headlights!

Car builder and chief engineer Phil Cornut had installed a new exhaust for the weekend that made FAK 57 sound like nothing else out there, which perfectly matched the unique design of

the car as well as contributing to my tinnitus.

Our weekend wasn’t without incident, but that’s endurance racing for you. A race suit covered in 102 RON petrol after a fuel leak down the Mulsanne straight during night qualifying made for some interesting paddock conversation, for example, and the final race was cut short due to a concerning indication from a gauge.

We didn’t want to risk throwing a rod through the block by continuing to drive with a potential issue, so I brought the car into the pits just in case. It all pales into insignificance when recalling the buzz of racing at speed on the wonderful 13.6km circuit at 3am. I don’t see how anything is going to come close to that.”

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23/08/2016 17:46

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23/08/2016 17:46

RACE TORQUE

W

By Ron Gammons

e are now already more than halfway through the Club’s race year and the next meeting, which is the penultimate one, is at Oulton Park on Saturday September 3. As usual it will be a packed day of racing on offer, not only from five of the Club’s Championships but also from our guests from Morgan and Porsche. Oulton is one of the most scenic of British circuits and certainly amongst the ones offering the greater driver challenge. Fast flowing corners such as Old Hall, just after the start finish line, the challenging Island Bend, and Druids with its hidden double apex, call for skill and courage. With excellent viewing facilities around the circuit it’s well worthy of a visit even if you are not able to race there. Within easy reach of the motorway and with Chester and North Wales in easy reach, the area is worthy of a visit in its own right. The locals there have guaranteed the weather (!) – why not make a weekend of it? ualifying starts at 8.30am and first race will be before lunch at approximately 11.50, with racing due to finish by the curfew at 6.30pm.

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The following and last event is the two day meeting at Snetterton, on October 1 and 2. The last meeting of the year always has an end of term feeling with it, and with the last race being the British Motor Heritage sponsored Classic Four Hour Relay which takes place after all of the Club’s Championships have been concluded, it’s time for everybody to let their hair down and have a bit of fun. That’s not to say that the race is not hard fought over, it is! But the ‘Championship’ is no longer at stake, and the racing is friendly, and the atmosphere in the pits and paddock perhaps a reminder of what motor racing used to be like.

Regularly teams help each other and the support crews work together. The prize giving is a friendly and excellent occasion to relive the dramas of the previous four hours. The race is decided both on the scratch and handicap, so any one team stands just as good a chance as the others and the rivalries are very keen!

Of course apart from the Relay, and run off before starting on the Saturday, are the final races of six of the seven Club Championships present,

so looking at some of the points tables there will be some needle matches left to be settled. You can be assured of some close racing! Action starts on the Saturday and Sunday at 9am with racing starting on the Saturday at 12.25 and first race on the Sunday is at 9.30.

Each day finishes at 6.30pm when the curfew is imposed.

Reduced price tickets available on the MSV website for both events.

At a recent Race Sub Committee meeting it was decided that after the success of this year’s attendance, the Club would again in 2017 seek a stand space at the Autosports Show at the NEC in January. This year we were able to gain prominence for the Club’s racing programme and its Championships, with the result that we picked up a number of new drivers and one Championship gained a major sponsor.

It was also decided that we would again be at the Race Retro Show at Stoneleigh in February. The show is now under fresh ownership who have undertaken to bring some new and fresh initiatives to the event.

A further decision taken by the RSC was that the minimum age for qualification for our half price race entries would be raised in 2017 to 25 years or under as an attraction to introduce new and younger drivers to our Club and its activities.

In addition, the Club’s provisional proposals for its 2017 calendar were discussed and while we are not quite ready to issue these, we may be able to by next month.

In the meantime we have the last two meetings to run... see you at Oulton?

www.mgcc.co.uk

23/08/2016 17:46

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23/08/2016 17:46

DUNCAN WOOD DUNCANW@MGS-ON-TRACK.CO.UK WWW.MGS-ON-TRACK.COM SPONSORED BY

MG on track

YOUR TRACK DAY CAR It is possible that those of you who have not yet participated in an MGs on Track day may have been reluctant to ‘take the plunge’ because you think that your car is not suitable; let me assure you that if it says MG on the badge it is close to perfect! From the earliest years of production the adjectives ‘sporting’ or ‘fun’ will probably have featured somewhere in an MG’s description, and these attributes in a vehicle are all that are required to enjoy one of our track days to the full.

Whilst it is true that a few cars do arrive on trailers, most cars are driven to the circuit and, probably of greater importance, are driven home afterwards!

Recent events held at Blyton Park and at Lotus’s test track at Hethel ably demonstrated the variety of cars that our members use on track, and some of these feature in the accompanying photograph. Unmodified MGBs and Midgets rubbed shoulders with ZR 120s, 135bhp TFs, ZS saloons, and even the occasional MG3...do these sound like the car in your garage? The track is a much safer place than the road to explore the performance of our cars, and I guarantee that you will be surprised at the depth of untapped potential in even a standard MG once out on circuit. The greatest challenge of an MGoT track day is to get the best from your car and from yourself; nobody is judging you and it certainly isn’t a competition, save for who is having the most fun.

Of course, if the bug bites, there is every possibility that you may wish to enhance performance with a few modifications, and there are numerous suppliers offering upgrades for engines, brakes, suspension or bodywork.

Obviously improvements to braking and road holding may have a direct effect upon safety and upon the pleasure of driving upon the road, but most of our members use cars that are much closer to standard specification than they are thinly disguised race cars. I would suggest that a few pounds spent ensuring that your

62 SAFETY FAST! SEPTEMBER 2016

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vehicle performs as the manufacturer originally intended is money very well spent; a full service and a set of decent tyres may be enough to hold off greater financial outlay and ambition, at least in the short term!

Perhaps you have spent thousands lovingly restoring your car and are unwilling to expose it to the perceived rigours of the circuit? Many of our members have a second (or third) MG for track day use, and an inexpensive MG TF or saloon will give you a taster without placing your pride and joy in jeopardy.

However, I am sure that once you have experienced an MGoT track day you will see that safety is paramount and that even the most cherished vehicle can be used as was intended and at negligible risk. The rate of tyre and brake wear may increase, and you won’t be getting 40mpg, but it’s all worth it to blow away those cobwebs from both driver and machine.

Now you can see that you already possess your track day car why not give an MGoT event a try? We have several track days arranged for the remainder of the year, including the perennial favourites of Goodwood and Brands Hatch, and the classic Oulton Park. At

the end of September we visit Anglesey with dedicated MG sessions on a day shared with the Lotus 7 Club; please check our website for availability and to book. Several years have passed since MGoT last visited this circuit, and it has been extended and modernised in the intervening years. In the morning the 1.55 mile Coastal Circuit featuring the Corkscrew bends will be in use, and in the afternoon the slightly faster 2.10 mile International GP layout. As always instruction and helmet hire will be available at reasonable cost.

Whilst not an obviously convenient venue for those living in the south of the country, the Anglesey circuit is located within literally a stone’s throw of the Irish Sea and provides views across to Snowdonia so has many attractions, and those travelling from afar might like to consider turning the track day into a long weekend. As well as the adjacent sea and mountains, the cities of Bangor and Chester lie within easy reach, as does the north coast with the traditional seaside resort towns of Llandudno and Rhyl. Finally those with a bit more time to spare might like to consider that Dublin is just a ferry journey away from the Port of Holyhead...Guinness anyone?

www.mgcc.co.uk

23/08/2016 17:46

MGS ON TRACK - 2016 CALENDAR Please visit www.mgs-on-track.com to register, check availability, or to book a track day.

Registered members will receive regular newsletters and notification of event opening dates.

Castle Combe – September 12 A second opportunity to enjoy the thrills of this everpopular track which includes a couple of chicanes and technical corners! Check for late availability or ask to join the waiting list.

Anglesey – September 30 Our first visit to this challenging circuit on a day shared with the Lotus 7 Club. Overlooking the Irish Sea and with views to Snowdonia this track offers something for all.

Goodwood – October 31 A second visit in case you missed the first due to popularity!

Oulton Park – November 18 Back on the calendar due to demand by members, a circuit that has a bit of everything for everyone!

Brands Hatch ‘Indy’ – December 5 Our last event of 2016. Don’t miss the chance to experience this undulating circuit including Paddock Hill Bend!

www.mgcc.co.uk

MG_SafetyFast_Sept16_53-98.indd 63

LUFFIELD CHAMPIONSHIP JOHN WILMAN, BEECHFIELD, FERN BANK, C H A P E L -E N -L E -F R I T H , H I G H P E A K . S K 23 0J J T E L : 07778 165186 W W W . M G S P E E D . N E T

A

t the time of writing, we are about two thirds of the way through the season and the competitors’ interest is thriving.

As in previous years, the larger entries tend to be around the midlands venues. This is of course largely due to their geographical location and also their historic significance. However, this is not the whole story. Our visit to Castle Hill in Cornwall attracted no less than 18 people making the pilgrimage.

Our visit to Shelsley Walsh was similarly supported with 35 MGs present. This is a wonderfully historic venue, having been in continuous use since 1902. It is becoming an unfortunate by-product of this popularity that the entrants feel that they are being taken for granted and used as a backdrop for attractions that add considerably to the organising Club’s finances. On the day in question, there was present an Auto Union car that had performed at Shelsley in 1938 and was driven up the hill by Hans Stuck jnr. whose father had driven the car all those years ago. In addition, there was a display of Group 3 rally cars and they did several demonstration runs up the hill. These runs were interspersed with the practice sessions and the subsequent timed runs. As a consequence, practice runs were cancelled with about 25 cars only receiving one practice run. One of which was yours truly. To cut a long story short, my first timed run took place at 4pm, which meant that I could not expect a second until about 6pm. This would have meant arriving home at about 10pm which my personal circumstances preclude. I realise that this was my choice, but nevertheless an entry fee of £133.00, a night’s accommodation and a tank full of fuel plus six hours of driving is quite an outlay for one practice and one timed run. Had the demonstrations taken place during the lunch break it would have made more sense.

There had been a similar hiatus at Prescott earlier in the year. The reasons were different but several competitors tell me that they felt that they were regarded as secondary to the other attractions.

End of rant, but I do know of three competitors who did not enter as a result of similar experiences in 2015.

Trading on history is all very well but it does not take long before people vote with their feet.

Having said all that, these midlands circuits are very atmospheric and their organisers are true enthusiasts. I will be competing there next year. In 55 years of motor sport, I have seen other organisers lose their way slightly and usually common sense prevails.

SEPTEMBER 2016 SAFETY FAST! 63

23/08/2016 17:46

BRITISH TOURING CAR CHAMPIONSHIP

T

he mid-year break for the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship came to an end when the drivers arrived at Snetterton on July 30 for rounds 16, 17 and 18. There had been a two-day test session at the circuit after the last rounds, and some of the cars had been demonstrated at Goodwood by their regular pilots.

The teams had all been working on improvements to their cars and the expectation was that there would be record lap times. The longer 300 circuit is still something of a novelty, combining the new in-field loop with classic corners such as the Bomb Hole.

After a rain shower, the track was dry for the qualifying session. The times began to tumble and at one point Ashley’s MG6 held pole position.

Unfortunately, as other drivers improved, the MGs did not. This meant grid position eight for Ashley and 12 for Josh. Quickest when the chequered flag fell was Gordon Shedden in the Yuasa Honda from Colin Turkington’s Subaru and Adam Morgan driving the Mercedes.

Both MG6 drivers elected to use the soft Dunlop tyre for the first race of the day. When the red light went out, they both made brilliant starts. Ashley managed to get ahead of Adam Morgan into fourth place with Josh eighth. Ashley held on for the early laps but Adam Morgan then demoted him to fifth.

Gordon Shedden held the lead for much of the race, but was passed by Colin

64 SAFETY FAST! SEPTEMBER 2016

MG_SafetyFast_Sept16_53-98.indd 64

ROUND 6 SNETTERTON

By Paul Goodman Photos btcc.net

Turkington in the Subaru. Everything was looking good for two points-scoring finishes. Then suddenly Josh slowed with a front left puncture. Incredibly with just a few miles left of the race, the same problem hit Ashley’s car and he had to visit the pits for a wheel change. This meant that both drivers finished well outside the points in 25th and 26th places.

Starting positions for the second race of the day are now determined by the finishing positions of race one, so despite both MG6 drivers setting quick times in race one, they would have to start near the back in race two. Once again both the MG6s were quickly away at the start.

As the pack headed onto the straight for the first time, a huge cloud of dust appeared as several cars ran off track.

Completely unsighted, Ashley’s car hit the Proton of Dan Welch, seriously damaging the MG6. The race was stopped to clear up the damaged cars, and when it restarted, the sole MG6 of Josh got another good run, ending the race just outside the top 10 in 13th. Winner this time was Matt Jackson driving the Ford

Focus from Colin Turkington’s Subaru and Matt Neal in the Yuasa Honda.

Race three was red-flagged after one of the most frightening incidents ever seen in the BTCC: Hunter Abbot’s car rolling onto the barriers and demolishing a television camera tower. Luckily there were no injuries and after a long delay the race began. This time both the MG6s were finishers with Josh ninth and Ashley, running his repaired car, 14th.

After a problematic weekend the two MG drivers now occupy 12th and 13th place in the championship. In the Manufacturers Championship 888 MG are still third but are coming under pressure from the Subarus.

www.mgcc.co.uk

23/08/2016 17:46

BRITISH TOURING CAR CHAMPIONSHIP

F

rom the longest to the shortest circuit and from England to Scotland, the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship teams headed north for the weekend of August 13 and 14.

The Knockhill Circuit is renowned for close racing, and being half way up a hill often has interesting climatic conditions. The judgement of ‘track limits’ would be critical, particularly through the chicane where the cars often fly with four wheels off the ground. Persistent offenders would get time penalties or even be disqualified.

Many of the teams had been faced with extensive car re-building in order to compete at Knockhill after the accidents at Snetterton. The organising ‘TOCA’ group had issued new rules which threatened exclusion from future races for cases of proven bad driving. The 888 MG6 of Ashley Sutton had been badly damaged in race two and given temporary repairs so that it could appear for race three.

The team had worked flat out to build a complete new front for the car and Ashley reported that it felt like new after a shakedown test. Honda driver Gordon Shedden would be racing at his home circuit, but it was the BMWs of Rob Collard and Sam Tordoff that headed the points table.

No testing takes place at Knockhill so the two testing sessions on Saturday morning would be important for all the teams seeking to tune their cars using the new suspension parts and Dunlop tyres. A significant amount of track time was lost due to red flag incidents.

There was a short period at the end when all the cars tried for a time. Both Ashley Sutton and Josh Cook were comfortably in the top ten with lap times of 52.7 and 52.9 seconds. Both drivers improved their times during the second period.

The qualifying session was also badly disrupted by a red flag stoppage.

This left just five minutes for all

www.mgcc.co.uk

MG_SafetyFast_Sept16_53-98.indd 65

ROUND 7 KNOCKHILL

by Paul Goodman Photo by Arron Lupton

the drivers to set times. Jason Plato grabbed pole position for Subaru. The two 888 MG6s couldn’t get a clear run with Ashley finishing 13th and Josh 17th. This would make the three races on Sunday very difficult.

The first race (round 19) was most notable for Jason Plato winning his first race of the season in his 500th touring car start. There was close racing all down the field, but Ashley and Josh couldn’t make much progress even though they were using the softer tyre which seemed to be the better option.

They finished 11th and 18th which would be their starting positions for race two.

The second race (round 20) was over very quickly for Ashley. His MG6 made contact with another car, which

broke the rear suspension, resulting in retirement and a starting position at the back of the grid for race three. Josh fought hard, but was only able to secure 16th place in a race won by Matt Neal’s Honda after a charge from eighth place.

Race three, which was round 21, was a disappointment for both MG drivers with early retirements. Both cars were stranded and unable to continue. Matt Jackson driving his Ford Focus won the race, holding off Sam Tordoff’s BMW. The excellent performance of the Subaru team over the weekend took them into third place in the Manufacturers Championship with 888 MG slipping back to fourth. Ashley lies 12th with Josh 13th in the Drivers Championship.

SEPTEMBER 2016 SAFETY FAST! 65

23/08/2016 17:46

CALENDAR

SEPTEMBER Thursday 1-Monday 5 MGCC: V8 Register Autumn Tour, New Forest Contact: Mike Lane – 01264 350040

Saturday 3-Sunday 4 MGCC: Caledonian Centre Bo’ness Show Bo’ness Contact: Rob MacGillivray – 07870 407111 Sunday 4 MGCC: South East Centre Shere Hill Climb SE Centre Display, Shere, Surrey Contact: John Davies – 01737 241971

Friday 2-Sunday 4 MGCC Czech Gymkhana/Meeting Prague, Czech Republic Contact: Hakan Sigemark – hakan.sigemark@mgcc.se

Sunday 4 MGCC: Midget Register Midget Register Road Run Contact: Mike Parker – 01235 525255

Friday 2-Monday 5 MGCC: T-Register T Weekend 2016 West Dorset Contact: Geoff Matthews – 01840 214972 Saturday 3 MGCC Race Meet Oulton Park Contact: www.oultonpark.co.uk

Sunday 4 MGCC: Tyne Tees Centre Old Speckled Hen Run Contact: Noel Lindford – 0191 587 0753 or noel. lindford@btinternet.com

Saturday 3-Sunday 4 MGCC Germany Stadtpark Revival Hamburg, Germany Contact: Hakan Sigemark – hakan.sigemark@mgcc.se

Saturday 10 MGCC: South West Centre Wiscott Hill Climb Wiscombe Park, near Honiton Contact: Jim Lott – chairman@mgccsw.com

Saturday 10 MGCC: Anglia Centre 2016 AGM The Limes Needham Market, Suffolk Contact: Peter Skipper – 01502 731141

Saturday 17-Sunday 18 MGCC: Magnette Register Kop Hill Climb Kop Hill Road, Buckinghamshire Contact: David Halliday – davidh@egopharm.com

Sunday 11 MGCC: Lincolnshire Centre Autumn Autotest East Kirkby Contact: David Stonehouse – 01790 754774

Friday 23-Sunday 26 MGCC: MGA Register MGA Register Autumn Weekend The Park Farm Hotel, Norwich Contact: Peter Morgan – 01794 323160

Monday 12-Thursday 15 MGCC: Vintage Register EMGS The Hampshire House Party Audleys Wood Hotel, near Basingstoke Contact: John Venables – 01865 862573

Saturday 24-Sunday 25 MGCC: Caledonian Centre Two Day Tour Trossachs Contact: David Reid – 01383 727695

Saturday 17-Sunday 18 MGCC: Abingdon Works Centre Kop Hill Climb Kop Hill Road, Buckinghamshire Contact: www.kophillclimb. org.uk

Saturday 24 MGCC: MGF Register MGF Register’s London, Tunnels & Bridges Charity Road Run in aid of Guide Dogs Contact and registration: www.mgfregister.org/shop/

Saturday 24 MGCC: Anglia Centre Thames Bridges & Tunnels Contact: Adrian Clifford – adrian.clifford@mgfregister. org Sunday 25-Friday 30 MGCC: Vintage Register Guernsey Event Contact: John Day – mg1880@ntlworld.com Sunday 25 MGCC: South East Centre Autumn Gathering Polesden Lacey, near Bookham, Surrey Contact: Andrew Mitchell – 07703 138419 Sunday 25 MGCC: Midland Centre Autumn Trial Burton Dassett Country Park, near Gaydon Contact: Tony Lake – 01604 589104

MG CAR CLUB MIDLAND CENTRE

Autumn Trial Sunday September 25 2016

At Burton Dassett Country Park Near Gaydon Warwickshire (Jct 12 M40) Open to MG’s and all road going cars and trials cars

An ideal introduction to trialling for novices Venue is grass covered non-damaging park land

Come along and ‘give it a go’ For more information contact Tony Lake tonylake134@hotmail.co.uk

66 SAFETY FAST! SEPTEMBER 2016

MG_SafetyFast_Sept16_53-98.indd 66

www.mgcc.co.uk

23/08/2016 17:46

OUT&ABOUT

The Nort h West Cent re unde r the Vulcan at the Avro Mus eu m, Woodford. Take n on a trip out on the FBH VC’s Driv e It Day. Phot o: Paul Good man

MG TD alon gsid e Havana harboursi de, spott ed whilst holid ayin g in Cuba . A Zalso Mag nette and modified MG A were and spott ed alon g with a handful of MG6 MG5 renta l cars. Phot o: Pete r Cope

Th e Ha rd Top Re lay at Nu ld Pla ce on the MGF Cha irm an’ s Ru n hel d in Mffie arch. Ph oto: Tim Mo rris Re gist er

ks H Cafe meet ing.

A selection of MGs at the Abin gdon Wor s on displ ay, MG of tion selec a such see It was great to meet ing held on lar regu a is inclu ding three FWD cars. This y K nott And o: Phot h. mont each of sday the third Thur www.mgcc.co.uk

MG_SafetyFast_Sept16_53-98.indd 67

rt in th e M ty pe, ta ki ng pa 32 19 s hi in er, near on ht ult us Co rs, Dav id R he ld in Cu lte r ALillendle y l, ia Tr ish ot Sc CC VS ire. Photo: Ia n Big ga r in La na rk sh

Ma rc Han son in his MG Y B (ex Greg Gran t and Auto sport Mag azin e) that successfu llyorcom the Rally e Monte Carlo Classique in Februarypleted SEPTEMBER 2016 SAFETY FAST! 67

23/08/2016 17:46

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The Bronze Ignition Only kit is an expertly Mapped, OEM quality ECU, Wiring Loom, Crank Trigger set and Wasted spark coil which offers a complete Turnkey ignition solution to transform the reliability and driveability of your ‘B’. Our Bronze kit can be used with Weber or SU carburettors.

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68 SAFETY FAST! SEPTEMBER 2016

MG_SafetyFast_Sept16_53-98.indd 68

www.mgcc.co.uk

23/08/2016 17:47

MGCARCLUB HOLLAND

By Vivian Vleeshouwers, chairwoman MG Car Club Holland.

A

fter our Club had organised the European Event of the Year in 2015, we were the host of the MGCC European Conference in April of this year. Every two years, representatives of national MG Clubs from all over Europe meet to discuss current matters. The conference was held in a hotel in Noordwijk at Sea. After the conference, we invited participants to visit the Louwman Museum in The Hague.

A wide variety of unique historical cars, carriages and motorcycles are on display here. Transportation had been organised by a number of the Club’s members, who drove their MGs to the hotel to chauffeur their guests past blooming meadows to The Hague and back. The excursion was highly appreciated.

Our Club is organised in 10 districts.

Each district organises monthly Club meetings and 10 regional trips and one nationwide tour each year. There’s lots to choose from for the approximately 2,600 members of our Club who would like to join.

Every month, our members receive our Club magazine MG-Nieuws. This magazine comprises a small group of editing members with a talent for writing.

www.mgcc.co.uk

MG_SafetyFast_Sept16_53-98.indd 69

Because not all members participate in the events which are organised by the Club, the Club magazine is an important binding element.

In addition to the Club magazine, there is the website www.mgcarclub.nl.

The site will be modified this year in order to give the forum a more prominent role.

Furthermore, Facebook will be used more extensively to reach a younger audience.

In cooperation with the two Dutch sister clubs MG A-type Magnette Owners Holland and MG T-type PreWar Owners, MG Car Club Holland facilitates and stimulates the 13 independent Registers.

Finally, the two large national events that are organised by the Club cannot remain unmentioned. There is the MG information and parts day, which is visited by many suppliers of parts and automotive memorabilia and is held in January. In June, we organise the British Auto-jumble in Waalwijk, an event that is also open to other British brands.

Both days are visited by thousands of enthusiasts of England’s heritage, both internally and abroad.

SEPTEMBER 2016 SAFETY FAST! 69

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SEPTEMBER 2016 SAFETY FAST! 71

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CENTRES

ABINGDON WORKS

RICHARD MARTIN sfscribe@mgabingdon.org.uk www.mgabingdon.co.uk I hope that you’ve all been able to enjoy the good weather that’s been around the country over the past few weeks. With so much going on at this time of the year, there’s certainly been plenty on offer to tempt the car out of the garage. In the Centre, there have been a number of Natter Pride of Ownership evenings, a visit to Beaulieu, a visit to a woollen mill, plus invitations to display at a garden centre and join in the festivities as a Cotswold village celebrated its heritage. We were pleased to receive a report of the Abingdon Natter’s Pride of Ownership and BBQ and were delighted to put this on our website along with the accompanying photos. If any of the

Centre’s Natters would like to send us reports and/or photos of their events, we’d be happy to receive them and will try to post them on our website.

Those who came along to ‘MGs in the Deep South’ will know that we had a varied display in the arena at Beaulieu with a VA, plus Ts, Ys, Magnettes, Midgets, As, Bs, Cs, RV8s, Fs, TFs and Zeds being represented. Beaulieu is more than just the National Motor Museum and, judging by the comments I’ve heard, people enjoyed exploring everything which goes towards making this a great and full day out. Photos from the day are on our website.

ANGLIA

ROB MUIR 01206 862619 Rob.Muir@hotmail.co.uk www.mgcc.co.uk/anglia

Queen Vic Classic Car Show With the 2016 classic car season in full swing, The MGCC Anglia Centre Queen Victoria Concourse and Pride of Ownership display was as popular and well presented as ever, with Tony Batson and Michael Murkin pulling out all the stops for the organisation and Josh Batson producing such a professional dedicated website for the show, the stage was set for another good show. Tony Batson takes up the story.

Despite the gloomy outlook, around 180 owners still braved the rain to bring their pride and joy along to this year’s Queen Vic car show on July 10, jointly held with the Billericay and Mayflower Rotary Club’s ‘Summerfest’. The show attracted around 2,000 visitors

to see the cars and enjoy what has become a very popular and successful event. Alongside MGs of all ages were many other British marques, American cars, a number of commercial vehicles, some custom cars and even a few classic scooters. As usual, the Concourse and Pride of Ownership classes were hotly contested, presenting a challenge for our judging team.

I would like to thank everyone who helped make this event a success. Further details including prize winners and photographs will be posted at http//queenvic. mgccangliacentre.org.uk/ along with the Anglia Centre website.

Helmingham Hall The Anglia Centre had a strong presence at this event with

72 SAFETY FAST! SEPTEMBER 2016

MG_SafetyFast_Sept16_53-98.indd 72

AWC at Beaulieu

On the horizon, we have our Autumn Leaves Run on Sunday October 2, an entry form for which is on our website and, with a bit of luck and good editorial management, in this magazine!

We’ll shortly be considering

our 2017 calendar, so if you have any ideas of places to visit or events you’d like to see on the calendar, please do let us know. It’s your Centre and we’d be pleased to hear from you.

Finally, a welcome to all new AWC members.

Trophies at the Abingdon Natter PoO

the Anglia stand fronted by Jon Cumming and Mike Pelling, with many members picnicking alongside their cars before watching classic cars being motored along the drive to the house and meandering among the hundreds of cars on show.

AGM A reminder to all that the Anglia Centre AGM will take place on Saturday September 10 at The Limes Hotel, Needham Market, starting at 2pm. Please try to attend if you can. Contact: Chairman, Peter Skipper 01502 731141 or Secretary, Roger Moran on 01502 722122.

Anglia Wedding Finally this month we give warm congratulations to long time Anglia members Rachel Henderson and Bruce Cox who tied the knot at a wonderful ceremony on Friday July 15 at Bakewell.

Bruce is a multiple past champion in the Anglia Autotest Championship and Rachel is building a Midget to compete in the future Long life and happiness to you both.

P & A Wood Also on September 3 is a visit to P & A Wood, the Rolls Royce restoration company; a report next month. There may be a slim chance of a place still left if you are quick, contact Howard Rachel Henderson and Bruce Cox tying the knot Quayle, 01284 766909.

www.mgcc.co.uk

23/08/2016 17:47

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made using laminated glass to original Now also MGB sccr gearbox with or withZA/ZB Spares No RWE-H2061 Ww14” 15½ inch with O.D gearENo Nalso specification to suit all vintage and sports cars. in out overdrive wheel NOW box inc. all instruments and E Unique ABLand unobtainable prisIvo AILry AV MGB Aluminium body panels1969 ancillaries 34,000 miles stored tine new/ unused hornjohn@johnkimble.co.uk push.

MG ZR Express Bulkhead cage many years. Also full Webasto Stored40 years unblemished MG ZR Walnut835757 dash items ( pre Tel: 01803 roof, tailgate with wipers and chrome badgewheel complete facelift) one goodand Rostyle with Fax: 01803 834567 MG ZR Genuine MG mats with Michelin wiring. Fits ZAtyre. flat steering new XAs must Unit 5, OldAll Mill Creek, Dartmouth, Devon TQ6 0HN. Please contact Bob MacGillivray wheel only.to£200. go.

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CENTRES

CALEDONIAN

BOB MACGILLIVRAY 07870 407111 mgcarsscotland@gmail.com www.mgcaledonian.com

The team are still recovering from a long four days at the Glasgow Ignition Festival! But it was very enjoyable and certainly productive!

We shared the stand with Bo’ness Hillclimb Revival and they too were pleased with the event. Perhaps surprisingly amongst all the exotica at the show the MG PA of Colin McLachlan and the Cooper MG of George Cooper received constant attention! The show will be repeated next year but will clash both with our Orkney Tour and also EEOTY in Portugal, so our presence again is not guaranteed.

When you receive this Bo’ness will almost be on us. This whole event is now even bigger than ever before, with more cars on the

hill and more cars and clubs at the Classic Car Show. We have a larger stand than ever before and members competing on the hill, so if you are free on the 3rd or 4th be sure and drop in to say “Hello”!

There is still time to enter our final ‘overnight stay’ tour of the year over the weekend of September 24-25 and based in the Trossachs.

With a start from Airth, an overnight at the Forrest Hills Hotel and a conclusion in Stirling, this will be an excellent end (almost!) to the tour season. An excellent meal in an excellent hotel among good friends…what more do you want?

Make sure you book now!

The final tour for 2016 is actually on October 9. The start is

DEVON & CORNWALL GRANNY JANNER www.allegropeter@aol.com www.mgcc.co.uk/devon-cornwall-centre/

The SMC PLYMOUTH has stopped selling MG cars but they are still sponsoring this year’s Cornish Riviera Run. Brian Galipeau has had his new hip replacement and recovered well. Just got to tweak it a little bit to sit comfortably in the MGB. We wish him well.

I was on a walk and bumped into Rob Wheeler, an old member of days gone by, who still has a PB in pieces which he hopes to finish before he is 130! Nice to catch up and tell him about the people he knew in the Club, going down memory lane.

This year’s Torbay Old Wheels show at Paignton took place on the Green with 17 MG cars taking

part on the Club stand. The new Club easy-up came in handy when it started to rain. The participants bring and share picnic items, but some members of the public thought they were for sale and were very disappointed that they were not.

The money raised on the day will go to two charities. Please support the next Torbay Natter which is on September 21. It is a lunch time meeting, 12.30 pm at the Churston Court Hotel, Churston Ferrers, Brixham, TQ5 OJE. July 9 saw the Powderham Show and Brian Dingsdale of the MGF Register organised the stand for both days.

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near Edinburgh before heading down Peebles way with lunch at the Newtongrange Mining Museum and coffee etc around mid-afternoon at the finish. Details are on the website so please book early!

You may recall that earlier this year we held a Film Night. We expect to repeat that next January but I wondered if anyone might have films or DVDs of old MG events, whether with the Caledonian or Scottish Centres. We showed this year a Scottish Centre film of the Scottish Rally of 1955. Anyone have

anything else?

It does not seem so long since we celebrated 21 years of the Caledonian Centre but in 2017 we will be 25 years old (Hip Hip…) and we expect to mark this in some or perhaps various ways. Does anyone have footage of early two-day tours or indeed any other early event?

That’s all for now, folks. Check your emails or the website for updates and if you don’t receive emails from us then contact me (address at the top) and I will add you to our list!

Barry and Nancy Crichton represented both the Caledonian Centre and Bo’ness at Ignition

Many MGs have entered events put on by other clubs.

Boconnoc Steam Fair was one such event held over three days, but the Friday was not so busy on our roads. Several members went down but were rained on.

The Centre’s Autumn Newsletter has been emailed and posted on our website. If you did not receive it please let Bob Slatter know, as your email may have changed. Ted Lawrence, who does such an excellent job with the Newsletter, advises that the winter edition is published in October.

Anybody who has an anecdote or an interesting piece about MGs, please put pen to paper for an article. Ted would very much appreciate it.

Events for your Diary September 11 – Cornish Riviera Run – try Sue for a late entry

01752 775708.

October 23 – Tamar Classic Trial – anybody free to help Bob Slatter to marshal our five sections?

Photos: Ted Lawrence

www.mgcc.co.uk

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MG CAR CLUB DEVON AND CORNWALL CORNISH RIVIERA RUN FOR ALL MG, VINTAGE AND CLASSIC CARS Sunday September 11 2016 The MG Car Club Ltd Devon & Cornwall Centre has great pleasure in announcing that the Cornish Riviera Run for 2016 will take place on Sunday September 11 2016. The run this year will again start from the Plymouth Science Park and proceed via Tavistock to stop for lunch at St. Endellion. A er lunch to travel to Newquay for tea at the Headland Hotel. The route will be approximately 90 miles.

All vehicles entered will be provided with a tradi onal-style rally plaque containing, the vehicle entry number.

Entrants will be required to check in at the Plymouth Science Park, open from 8.30am onwards. The Bistro will be open for bacon baps, tea/coffee and other goodies you may wish to purchase. The run will start from 9.30am a er the judging by the Tavistock Town Crier who will flag away the cars.

Vehicles will assemble at Plymouth Science Park, and be on display also at Trevathan Farm car park, which is the lunch break of roast or soup with tea or coffee for those people who have pre-booked.

Entry cards will be hand-punched ckets at each stage. As with previous runs, all par cipa ng in the event will be encouraged to dress in the style to suit the age of their vehicle.

The event ends at the Headland Hotel, Newquay. The entry fee offers terrific value, as it includes cream teas for two in gorgeous surroundings overlooking Fistral Beach. There are a number of awards which will be presented at the end.

The event is open to all MG cars (regardless of age) and other makes of vintage and classic vehicles up to the 1980s, so book early to avoid disappointment. A non-refundable administra on fee of £10 is included in the entry fee. No refunds will be made a er the closing date. Please note the closing date, as the plaques have to be printed before August bank holiday.

Completed entry forms and declara on form to be returned together, with total entry fee to: Sue Heath, 14 Hedingham Gardens, Widewell, Plymouth. PL6 7DX allegropeter@aol.com www.mgcc.co.uk

MG_SafetyFast_Sept16_53-98.indd 75

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CENTRES

LINCOLNSHIRE JOHN HEBB 01522 683541 jhebb38@virginmedia.com www.mgcclincolnshire.co.uk

September Natters: Lincolnshire Poacher Friday 2; Wolds Wednesday 7; Abbey Lodge Monday 12; Wishing Well Wednesday 14; Three Horseshoes Thursday 15; Admiral Nelson Thursday 22.

September Events: Sunday 11 – Autumn Autotest, East Kirkby (David 01790 754774); Sunday 18 – Social Run to W H Brand Carfest (Robert 07831 256808).

Luncheon Club: Wednesday 21 (Richard/Vicki 01949 844066).

Early October Natter: Wolds Wednesday 5.

October Event: Jubilee Trophy Naviscat Wishing Well (Robert 01724 764144).

Mallory Park hosted the MGCC Race meeting early in July and Adam Key was in action, winning his class in the Cockshoot Cup race.

A few days later, the annual Rover/MG/Classic car day at the Lincolnshire Aviation Heritage Centre at East Kirkby got off to a damp start but, true to the forecast, the rain vanished at lunchtime.

Lancaster ‘Just Jane’ did her taxi runs. The John Noble Trophy awarded for the best MG went to the MGF 160 of Kim Rake. The MGB of Phil Drewery was runnerup and Robert Welch’s MGZR was

MIDLANDS

SIMON MORRIS simonphilipmorris77@gmail.com www.mg-cars.orguk/mgccmidlandcentre

It is now early August and I have not long returned from a very enjoyable weekend in Northern Ireland. Initially I was going over there to marshal some club motor sport at Kirkistown and do some sightseeing. However, as is often the case, a link to MGs occurred.

The racing was very close and I was rather busy at the Colonial corner where I was post chief. This is not the fastest corner, but does have two long straights and a fast corner just prior. Hence a great chance to overtake. I witnessed numerous incidents, including one very lucky gentleman who, in his bike-engined Legend, spun out at high speed, flipped over a grass bank and landed on a hedge. Not a scratch on him, and he fixed his car, only

missing one of his three races.

The Ards Peninsula is south east of Belfast, separating Strangford Lough from the Irish Sea. I turned up at the event not really knowing how big it would be or what sort of cars would be there. In the end there were 40 cars (TSCC printed 40 tour sheets, and handed them all out) and a massive variety of makes and models. There was only one MG but this was a beautiful red Midget. As I had flown to Belfast, my friends decided I would enjoy the drive better if I were paired up as navigator for someone in their sports car. Gordon Buckely, onetime Chairman of MGCC Ulster, was very kind to offer me a ride in his Porsche Carrera 4S. We all had

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third. This coincided with the July heatwave – definitely a top-downand-sun-hat day.

The Admiral Nelson Natter held their Landlord’s Choice event, with fifth place awarded to the MGF of Dean and Wendy Smith.

Fourth was David Stonehouse’s TF. Equal third were Sandra and John Simpson’s F, and Len and Sue Hartley’s TF. In second place was Peter and Jane Hermite’s MGB, and the MGA of Sue and Nigel Haines was the winner.

It is with sadness that we record the passing of long-time member Gordon Smith, who died peacefully at home a few days after celebrating his 72nd birthday.

Gordon will be remembered by many for the spirited driving of ‘Katie’, his white TD that he bought when a teenager and owned for many years, although latterly he enjoyed the greater comfort of his

MGF Steptronic, with many other MGs in between. Over the years, Gordon organised many MG tours, both at home and on the continent, and he was a founder member of what is now the Wolds Natter. His was a military funeral, to honour his many years’ service in the Territorial Army as a Sergeant Major attached to the Royal Anglian Regiment, and his work with the Grimsby branch of the Royal British Legion. Among the 150 mourners were representatives of the T A, the Royal British Legion, former work colleagues and 36 MGCC Lincolnshire members wearing, as requested, Club regalia and arriving in their MGs. His passion for MGs was summed up by his wife, Sylvia, who said: “His overriding loves were his MG cars and the friends he made from the group.”

Our condolences to Sylvia and the family.

a great afternoon, and Gordon’s knowledge of the peninsula, both on land, and from a nautical point of view, added to an excellent route organised by TSCC. Back to the mainland, and as I write we are just two days away from the running of our Summer Sprint at Curborough. By the time you read this, the event will be distant history, but at the moment we have plenty of support from our band of marshals and an improvement on last year’s entry. With some luck the event will not lose any money. However, we of course would prefer more entries in future years. We don’t run these events with the aim of making a profit, but we do need to ensure we don’t lose money.

Also, more entries mean more competition for the competitors.

For anyone interested in starting out in motor sport this is probably

one of the cheapest ways to do so and still achieve high speeds.

Any standard road car can be used with inexpensive modifications. The racing helmet, overalls and gloves will be your first initial biggest cost.

Some entrants find an ultra-cheap road car for a few hundred pounds and compete for fun.

After the sprint the Midlands centre’s next big event will be the autumn trial at the end of September, held as always at Burton Dassett Country Park.

This is a great venue with six challenging, short, off-road sections, and wonderful views over the countryside. If you wish to enter please contact Tony on 01604 589104. Don’t delay, as in recent years this has been a very popular event. If you wish to help with marshalling please contact me on 07788 168488. If you simply wish to spectate, please ring either of us.

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23/08/2016 17:47

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SEPTEMBER 2016 SAFETY FAST! 77

23/08/2016 17:48

CENTRES

NORTH WEST PAUL GOODMAN 01625 876300

As we head towards the autumn, the North West Centre is offering outdoor and indoor opportunities this month. You might just get this before Saturday September 3. If so, don’t forget the MGCC race meeting at Oulton Park with the lunchtime parade for members. Two weeks later, the Cockshoot Cup Championship for 2016 comes to a climax at Oulton Park on September 17 at a race meeting being organised by the British Racing and Sports Car Club. The Luffield Speed Championship will also be reaching a climax this month.

There are two double-header meetings, these being at the scenic Harewood Hillclimb near Leeds on September 17 and 18,

and Anglesey Circuit on October 1 and 2. This meeting is being organised by Longton and District Motor Club who are seeking volunteers to help run the event.

Outdoor social events begin with the Old Hall Farm Pub meeting on September 13. This is followed by the Plough and Flail get-together on Tuesday September 20. We are keen to plan a full programme of winter events so please be ready with ideas. Finally, our lunchtime pub meeting will be on Wednesday 28 at the Egerton Arms, Pinfold Lane, Tarporley, CW6 9BS with eating planned for 1pm.

We will be indoors on September 17 and 18 at the Footman James Classic Car

SOUTH EAST

DEREK EDWARDS 01737 765891 edwards.mgmadness@ntlworld.com

As I write these notes, the warm weather is still with us in the South East – yes, it has been up in the 30s at times,

which is great as we are in full swing with many MG events.

Our Summer Gathering which was held at Chatham

The innovative South East Centre stand at MG Live! at Silverstone in June, created by Jon Glover and team.

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Old and New at the Plough and Flail Concours in June

Show at EventCity. The venue is close to the Trafford Centre, just off the M60. Our stand will be near the rally rides car park.

One of the cars on our stand will be an MGB GT with a recently uncovered special history. If you wish to buy a ticket in advance, quote “clubs16” and your MGCC membership number and you will get a £5 discount. The show will have indoor Club and trade stands and outdoor activities with rally and autotest action. Please drop in and chat with us, and find out more about the local activities run

by the North West Centre.

Looking further ahead, the Annual Dinner Dance and Awards presentation will be on the evening of Saturday November 19 at our usual venue of the Deanwater Hotel in Woodford, just south of Stockport. An additional attraction for those attending this year will be the opportunity to visit the Avro Heritage Museum which is open over the weekend and located close by. Further details about ticket arrangements next month, but you can book your hotel room now.

Dockyard on Sunday August 7 was a resounding success.

Many thanks to Philip BaynePowell and all the team of marshals for their excellent organisation. Upcoming future events in our busy calendar include a South East Centre display of cars at the Shere Hillclimb in Surrey on Sunday September 4. Further information from John Davies on 01737 241971.

Not to be missed is the Autumn Gathering on Sunday September 25, which this year is being held at Polesden Lacey, Surrey. Concours and Pride of Ownership competitions are only some of the things you can take part in. Entry forms and fuller information can be obtained from Andrew Mitchell on 07703 138419 or on the South East Centre website – www.mgcars. org.uk/mgccse/

This will be followed on Sunday October 9 by the Autumn Naviscat in Surrey and Sussex. Contact Roger Thomas on 01252 316028 for more information and entry forms.

The following weekend sees the return of our Autumn Leaves Run on Sunday October 16, which will once again take place (in conjunction with Epsom MGOC) through the leafy Surrey countryside and will be approximately 35 miles. The start will be at The Pheasant at Buckland, RH3 7BG (formerly The Jolly Farmers) on the A25 west of Reigate, 10.30am for departure at 11am. The run will end at The Plough, Leigh, near Reigate, which we have visited many times before. Entry forms from Derek Edwards on 01737 765891 or download from the website (address above).

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23/08/2016 17:48

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MGCC (South East) Autumn Gathering Polesden Lacey (Na onal Trust) Great Bookham, Nr.Dorking, Surrey (RH5 6BD) Sunday September 25 2016 Venue: For this year’s 2016 MGCCSE “Autumn Gathering”; We return back to the very popular Na onal Trust owned Polesden Lacey.

A large Edwardian house, with 1400 acres and breathtaking views of the Surrey Hills and where the future King George V1 and Queen Elizabeth spent their honeymoon, in 1923.

Only 4 miles from Dorking and Jcn. 9 of the M25, its the ideal space for showing off your MG and relaxing with fellow

* PLEASE TURN-UP & PAY ON THE DAY ! * Rally site will be open from 09.30 am + All MG’s to be assembled by 11:00am, please The house opening is at 11.00 am. Lunches, teas, NT Shop, toilets, are all on site. Dogs on leads.

There will be the usual MG “Pride of Ownership” / “Premier PoO” / Concours to enter on the day…

NT members - £5.00/Car with upto 4 max./Car) + NT Cards MUST be shown & at entrance to house Non-NT member - £10.00/Car for upto 4 persons (Garden entry ONLY) The op onal “Pride of Ownership”/ “Premier PoO” / Concours will be £5 to enter + awards given.

Andrew Mitchell (MGCCSE Events Commi¨ee) - Tel: 07703 138419 - e-mail: andrewmgfvvc@gmail.com www.mgcc.co.uk

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CENTRES

SOUTH WEST

DAVID MOTHERSDILL davidmothersdill@aol.com competition@mgccsw www.mgccsw.com www.facebook.com/MGCCSW It hasn’t been a bad summer, plenty of opportunity for top-down motoring in reasonable weather.

Our Summer Picnic was held on July 10 at Barrington Court near Ilminster in Somerset. The National Trust had allowed us to use the quadrangle in front of the house for parking, where the 21 attending cars made a fine sight.

We had a few interlopers by way of one Porsche and two TVRs, but the majority of Club members used their MGs which ranged from T Types, Y Type, A, B, C, Midget and MGFs. Barrington Court is well worth a visit, being the first property acquired by the National Trust in 1907, and the Trust making us very welcome this year. Thanks

to Dave Heath and Alan Diamond for organising the visit.

If your interests include aircraft then you should have been at Cotswold Airport on July 24, when Tony Blake arranged for us to attend the inaugural meeting of the BullPup Flyers, whose ethos matches that of the MGCC: encouraging members to use their machines in a social and competitive way, with technical backup and good camaraderie.

A good time was had by all, the highlight being the mass flypast

TYNE TEES NOEL LINDFORD noel.lindford@btinternet.com Numbum Round Britain: Pam and Owen Frankland, longstanding Tyne-Tees members, are as I write these notes, embarked on a 4,000 mile trip around Britain’s coastline in their 1937 MG TA, which Owen has owned since 1970. They are doing it to raise money for Harrison’s Fund, a charity set up to fund research into a cure for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. Tyne-Tees Centre has made a substantial contribution to this very worthy cause, and applauds the efforts of Owen and Pam. You can catch up with their exploits by reading their blog at numbum-round-britain.co.uk and make your own contribution via the Sponsor Me link, as so many kind people have.

Croft Nostalgia Weekend: This year we were delighted to be supported by a major presence from MGCC Kimber House staff, for this wonderful weekend of nostalgia from the 1940s to 1970s, with classic cars, military vehicles and flying displays, plus a full programme of historic racing at Croft Circuit. We managed to display a superb collection of members’ cars on both days, including some from our good friends in Yorkshire Centre.

The star attraction on both days had to be LBL 301, the 1955 Le Mans MGA, owned by John Savage from Rhode Island USA, and driven to the display by Tyne-Tees member Mervyn Gillespie, who collected the car from Bob West, the man who did a wonderful restoration on the

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in the afternoon. We wait to see if this becomes a permanent fixture on our calendar, but thanks to Tony for his hard work in organising it.

As I write this, MGs on Grass 2 is about to happen. You will have missed it for this year, but I am sure that all participants will have excelled themselves thrashing round a non-damaging field. This is true grassroots motorsport. If you’ve never been, put it in your diary for next year. You don’t know what you’re missing!

The Centre is gearing up for our major event of the year at Wiscombe Park near Honiton on September 10. Being a Speed Hillclimb, entering as a competitor may be a bit daunting and

expensive, as racing overalls and helmets etc are needed, but it is also a good social gathering, as the setting is spectacular with wonderful views of the Devon countryside. The best view of the action is always from the marshals’ posts. To offer your services contact Jon Pittard at jon.pittard@ btinternet.com. More information about the event and all other things in the South West can be found on the website at www. mgccsw.com.

Details are still being finalised for the Centre’s 80th Anniversary run on October 9. Keep watching the web site for more information – should be a good one!

car. This is the only surviving worksentered EX182 car, which finished 12th at Le Mans in 1955, and was displayed as raced in the 2015 Mille Miglia, having previously entered the 1957 event. Thanks to our members for making the weekend such a success, and to Adam, Lauran, Cherina & Nigel, Liz and Ineke for all your help in flying the flag ‘up north’ for MGCC and TyneTees Centre. I know you enjoyed the circuit tours!

Events Coming Up Sunday September 4: The 9th Old Speckled Hen Run This year’s run will be over some of the most wonderful driving roads in Swaledale, Wensleydale and Teesdale, and in stunning scenery. All entrants should have their final joining instructions. Call me on 07432 152095 if further information is required.

Adam and Lauran MGA track tour at Croft

Mervyn Gillespie with LBL 301

www.mgcc.co.uk

23/08/2016 17:48

2016

MIKE ROLLS

TRADE MEMBER

Specialising in all MG’s

2016 201 6

SERVICES FOR MGs

MIKE 01258 ROLLS TEL/FAX: 820337 SERVICES FOR MGs

Specialising in all MG’s Mon, Tues, Thurs, Fri: 8am-6pm,Wed: 8am-5pm, Sat: 8am-1pm TEL/FAX: 01258 820337

TRADE MEMBER

Mon, Tues, Thurs, Fri: 8am-6pm, Wed: 8am-5pm, Sat: 8amam-11pm

MG PA, 1934, finished in black with red leather seats & matching trim. Completely restored, to a superb condition, with documented history from Peter Monkton of Monza Engineering and mechanical restoration by Baynton Jones, then finished off with new weather gear and red carpet, carried out by LA & RW Piper.

Invoices and photos showing that much money has been spent on this restoration. £59,995

1952 MG TD finished in Green, with beige interior, and wet weather gear. The car was re-imported back in 1989 from the USA, it is structurally and mechanically very sound, with various new parts fitted by the present owner. There are some minor paint blemishes but its’ a very good usable classic, it comes with a history file, old workshop manual and handbook. £19.995

MGB GT, 1972, Tax exempt, finished in glacier white with navy interior The car has been fitted with a up-rated 1860 engine, five speed gearbox, electronic ignition and K & N Filters, it will have a new mot upon purchase and is a lovely solid car. £7,500

MGB ROADSTER, 1980, Finished in Iris blue. It has been converted to sebring valances with a MGC fibre glass bonnet and comes with black leather seats, overdrive and wire wheels. This is a good sound car which can be used as is or improved on if desired. MOT’d to April 2017. £4,995

MG TF 135 - 2003, FINISHED IN TROPHY BLUE MG TF 135, 2003 in Trophy Blue, 40,000mls from new, recent new headgasket and cambelt, Black cloth interior and black hood, four new tyres, MOT’d to April 2017. £2,950.

Units 9/10 Fifehead Business Park, Manor Farm, Fifehead Magdalen, near Gillingham, Dorset SP8 5RR

E-mail: mail@mikerolls.4mgs.co.uk • www.mikerolls.co.uk

www.mgcc.co.uk

Units 9/10 Fifehead Business Park, Manor Farm,Fi fehead Magdal2016 en, nearSAFETY Gil ingham,FAST! Dorset SP8815RR SEPTEMBER

E-mail: mail@mikerolls.4mgs.co.uk • www.mikerolls.co.uk MG_SafetyFast_Sept16_53-98.indd 81

Mail Order “Friendly Quality Service”

M02.13/B32/d

Mail Order “Friendly Quality Service”

23/08/2016 17:48

CENTRES

YORKSHIRE

DAVID COPEMAN 07920 064585 www.mgccyorkshire.co.uk North – Ken Cothliff The annual Treasure Hunt was held for the July meeting, organized

by Kate and Jeff Marsden. The run was around the hills to the west of Skipton, with many clues culled from the area. Mike and Val were the well-deserved winners.

We welcomed two new members, Paul and Karen Friend. Kate and Jeff organised an evening at Ripon Races, much enjoyed, but no big winners!

August is a busy month culminating with the major run of the year in our area, the Dales Run on August 28.

South – Geoff Norcliffe July events kicked off with one of our evening runs, starting from Tickhill and finishing in Hatfield following a 27-mile route around Doncaster area villages. Some of the roads may have been straight but the undulations reminded us that they were built on peatland moor. The Chinese Banquet went down well at the end and the food lure kept everyone’s focus on the road book.

We enjoyed the Chill weekend at Haxey. The event has been organised by John and Debbie Austerfield for many years and, by finding different venues each time, have kept the event fresh and appealing. Thanks to them for their efforts; we really appreciate it.

East – Brian Rylance Now July! And the rain held off during the evening social run. A good turnout given the downpour the hour afore. A few strange cars there, later identified as MGs! (I plead guilty.) A great run

by Christine and Adrian Benson with good meals at the Star Inn, Willerby.

The Natters are at the Half Moon, Elloughton, on the second Thursday of the month at 7.30pm.

West – David Copeman Taking advantage of the July sunshine, the whole of the natter evening was held around the picnic tables and the varied collection of MGs in the carpark ranging through the years.

ULSTER

CAROL WILLIS (028) 9079 9997 or 07831 345560 www.mgcculstercentre.co.uk carol.mgulster@hotmail.co.uk

Our trip to The Argory which had been postponed from May was an undoubted success. Mike Dowey had ‘done us proud’ yet again with a super drive through glorious countryside. Only the apple blossom which we would have seen in May could have made it any more beautiful.

Quite a few MGs were out: the MGA of Mike and Linda Wilson, MGB GT with Mike and Jenny Armstrong, Carol in her Midget and Edward and Primrose Wilson in their beautiful MG TF. We had booked in for a tour of the house, which has an interesting history, and they took us in two

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North Yorkshire joined us for breakfast at Tong Garden Centre before the start of this year’s Compass Run. 21 cars left for a scenic run passing the Scott’s Arms, home to the 24/39 Group who joined the run which finished at the Yorkshire Farming Museum, York, the focal point for this year’s event. A total of 49 MGs made an attractive display within the museum exhibits.

Tiger – Pete Welbourn We had good weather for our run through Holderness to the Railway Inn at New Ellerby, a warm welcome and good food on our arrival.

This is the second time we have used Terry’s route, my choice.

It packs plenty into a pleasant 45-mile round trip just as Terry described: “You will the sea, pass four halls, drive through or by about 20 villages, see several wind turbines and have a fleeting excursion into Oriental Yorkshire.”

The next luncheon run is on August 17 but before that I need to investigate an annoying intermittent rattle on the MGA. The exhaust sounds louder and as it has been in place for at least 12 years and 23,000 miles that may be a clue. lots. It was lovely, the guides very informative and held out attention throughout. We all availed of the lovely coffee shop at least once and some even bought plants and then thought about how they were going to transport them home. We headed off to The Stonebridge Brasserie where proprietor Flo McNally welcomed us and seated us with great efficiency, and we enjoyed great food, company and chat, leaving there about 8pm. Again an enormous thank you to Mike

Vale of York – Ken Cothliff At the July meeting we discussed future events. Rod Moreton has agreed to take on the role of treasurer – now to organize some funds! We planned future events, and hope to have Natter attendance at the Otley Vintage Transport Extravaganza in September and a Classic Car meet at the Golden Lion Pub in Northallerton in October.

Seven cars rolled up at the Masons on Sunday July 31 for the Yorkshire Centre Compass run. I planned a run of 65 miles through the Howardian Hills, and the weather was with us for a lovely day. Cars from all the Yorkshire Natters met up at the Yorkshire Farming Museum in Murton, near York.

If you feel like joining us in this lunchtime Natter, we meet on the third Thursday of the month at the Masons, at Hopperton, just off the A59, close to Junction 47 A1M. Hope to see you there.

Dowey who was unable to be with us on Sunday but, in his absence, was complimented upon his route by all.

A report on the August Tutorial and the Ulster Classic Trial will be in the next issue.

Dates for your Diary September 2 – Ulster Classic Trial September 17– PCT October 1 – PCT October 22 – PCT November 5 – AutoSOLO

www.mgcc.co.uk

23/08/2016 17:48

Telephone 01753 644599

Mobile (07836) 222111

Email: sales@runnymedemotorcompany.com

www.runnymedemotorcompany.com

MGB Roadster, first registered 27-11-1972. (Road tax exempt) finished in Bronze yellow with attractive and contrasting dark blue interior.

This is a 3 owner motor car with an impressive specification, presented in condition consistent with light use and great care. The specification includes electronic ignition, a full stainless steel exhaust system with tubular exhaust manifold, unmarked Minilite style wheels, 4 speed all synchromesh gearbox with overdrive, Motolita steering wheel, virtually new hood,, excellent chrome and an odometer reading showing a correct mileage of 79,000. This is a car that we were delighted to take into stock and we consider it to be a credit to its previous owners. The interior is in really excellent condition for a 38 year old open car and is always an excellent barometer by which to judge just how a car has been used. It has equally impressive coachwork and chrome and from conversations with one of the previous owners we have deduced that it was the subject of a restoration some 12 years ago by MG specialists Mechspec of Doncaster. Mechspec were also responsible for a full rebuild of the engine and drive train which included the engine being over-bored by 40 thou and the fitting of a Peter Burgess eco tuned unleaded cylinder head with an uprated Piper 270 mild road camshaft. The gearbox, overdrive and rear axle were also rebuilt about 3000 miles ago and the car has been used sparingly since. Further works have included upgrading the electrical system to take a 12 volt battery instead of the twin 6 volt batteries fitted as standard equipment. This car is particularly nice to drive and the suspension gives a feeling of confidence on the road. It has a current Mot certificate until February 2017 and the car needs no further preparation before enjoying the rest of the summer sun. Realistically priced for one in this condition at £11,950 Please call Edward 07767 414249 when enquiring about this car

1963 MGB Roadster FIA Race car finished in Tartan red with current FIA papers. First Registered on the 17th of October 1963 Chassis number GHN3-21208 is an early pull door handle car which we understand was converted into a race car using a Heritage body shell some 20 years ago. We understand that the works were carried out on behalf of the MG Enthusiasts Club Magazine. It was acquired about 8 years ago by lady racing driver Susan Surtees who shared the car with her daughter at MG and Aston Martin Owners Club events with some success. The car has been prepared to a high standard and can be used for race or Rally events. It sits on Minilite style wheels shod with Dunlop “L” race tyres and the specification includes a 45DCOE Weber carburettor, electric cooling fans, oil cooler and factory hard top. It also comes with a quantity of spares. An ideal first race car and could be very competitive in the right hands £26,950

Please view our website at www.runnymedemotorcompany.com for further information or contact Martin Brewer on 01753 644 599

MG_SafetyFast_Sept16_53-98.indd 83

23/08/2016 17:48

REGISTERS

VINTAGE

JOHN VENABLES 01865 862573 johnandtriciav@gmail.com

The Register has its final event this year where some of us will be venturing overseas to Guernsey from the September 25-30. There are a couple of vacancies we would like to fill.

John Day is coordinating this and application should be made to him in the first instance. The event is being organised by Marion Quarrington; she is a Guernsey girl and knows all the right places to go.

Our treasurer, John Cooper, has sadly decided to part with

his 18/80 tourer. This is a lovely example; see August Safety Fast for details. It is very rare for one of these cars to come on to the market. They are an unusual car to own and drive from the early days of MG, and a better investment than the building society nowadays.

We are now getting to the end of the season. One show I can recommend is the Shalbourne Show where there is a wide range of vehicles.

The date is Sunday October 2.

TRIPLE M

JEREMY HAWKE +44 (0)1225 863934 mgk3007@btinternet.com www.triple-mregister.org Pre-War Prescott The end of July brought with it a decent spell of warm weather which happily coincided with this year’s Pre-War Prescott event. More and more MMMs appear each year with many staying over for the Saturday night BBQ and Sunday ‘Tour’.

Next month (taking advantage of our ‘spread’) I’ll have a full report and selection of photos for you all.

Summer Activity (Flaming August?)

Returning from holiday, at the beginning of August, I set off for the SW Centre’s MGs on Grass II event in deepest Somerset for a day’s enthusiastic running circles round a large field. I hadn’t gone far when the J2 missed a beat or two, then died completely. Pulling over to the side of the lane, I was somewhat alarmed by a large quantity of smoke plus smell of

burning rising up around my legs and backside! Now, ordinarily, J2 seats are not screwed in – just as well as they come out nice and quick, followed by floor boards (again, mine aren’t screwed down). The source of the problem was clear, as battery cables should not ‘sizzle’! The main lead from battery to footstarter was shorting away quite happily. As luck would have it, the correct size spanner for the battery terminals was right at the top of my tool bag, calm quickly restored as the smoke and smell subsided.

Never one to give in easily (or beg a tow home) I contemplated the problem. Easy – locate battery in foot well, earth to gearbox and salvage enough cable to connect to the foot-starter. Amazingly, there was enough juice in the battery to turn the engine over, didn’t even for the starting handle, all done

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Shalbourne is about two miles south of Hungerford on the A338. The whole village turns out to help and it is a great day on nicely mown grass.

Now a request. I feel these notes have tended to revolve around me and my car. I would love to have some input from others as well, as this will make the column more interesting.

Have you done an interesting trip or perhaps a wedding for royalty or even family with some photos?

Please email me something, and do not let this request fall on deaf ears. A technical tip would also be appreciated.

I find August is a particularly busy month; events of all types and some interesting things happen.

Steam fairs are particularly so. It is quite an undertaking to restore the engines, and even a couple of days to get to a show. Reminds me of Fred Dibnah who used to chug along at about 25mph with the whole world behind him, stopping only for coal and water. The 18/80 fits in well with these monsters of the road.

I always find quite a bit of interest in the car and people often think it is a special, having never seen an 18/80 before.

in less than half an hour. Mobile again, I decided to see if the battery would last long enough to see me through (after all SW Centre events always have ‘loose’ start times).

I was well rewarded. Both Kim and Steve Dear (PB) were there and Adrian Moore (F Type) came along for the afternoon as well.

So, we had cars No 2 and 3 on the Register doing exactly what they were doing 55 years ago in the early 60s, in the hands of the then owners’ sons, quite remarkable

really. As an off-road event, Steve was able to enjoy himself as well (though he was adamant that either his feet had grown, or the PB foot well shrunk)! This month’s photo shows Steve and the PB (MMM No 2) and the Hawke J2 (MMM No 3) in line astern for the start of the ‘long test’, which basically means 5000 rpm in 2nd – great fun!

The moral of the story – everything on your car has a finite life – check it all on a regular basis...

Steve Dear and PB

www.mgcc.co.uk

23/08/2016 17:48

REGISTERS

Y TYPE

JERRY BIRKBECK jerrybirkbeck@btinternet.com www.mgccyregister.co.uk Tel: 01926 258691 Mob: 07855 566325 Llanerchinnda Farm Another excellent weekend in early July, which was one of those occasions which I have referred to: rain and more rain with some sunshine but made up for with excellent company and the

ministering of our great hosts Martin, Lynn, Andrew and Mark Hadley. Sadly, we were rather low on Ys due to problems that owners were experiencing with their cars, so several more diverse motor cars showed up. Brian

Llanerchinnda taken in July 2016. Peter Sharp having started his YA for the day ahead

MAGNETTE

STEPHEN TICKELL 01737 760330 stephen.tickell@gmail.com www.magnette.org

Pressed Steel anniversary In a fairly quiet month for Magnette events, I was sorry to have missed the 60th anniversary celebration for the former Pressed Steel factory in Swindon, on July 9. Fortunately Wiltshire Magnette owners Paddy Reardon and Mac Pile were alerted to this event and joined the ‘Magic Wheels of Pressed Steel’ cavalcade in which more than 70 classic and modern cars drove in choreographed display around the ‘Magic Roundabouts’, another claim to fame for the town. Marques produced since 1956 at the factory (which now makes BMW Mini bodies) included Jaguar, Rover, Standard-Triumph and Rootes, although apparently Paddy and Mac had the oldest cars in the display.

www.mgcc.co.uk

MG_SafetyFast_Sept16_53-98.indd 85

According to Clausager’s MG Saloon Cars book, the Magnette body in fact started production at Pressed Steel Cowley, although it was only a fairly late decision (in the midst of the Austin-Morris merger) to switch from Morris bodies branch, otherwise the Magnette might well have been built with a separate chassis.

Clausager doesn’t record whether Cowley continued to work on Magnettes after the Swindon plant opened, but quite likely production was moved around according to capacity, and panels could well have been transported backwards and forwards for assembly – the industry wasn’t noted for efficiency of organization at that time. While we’ll doubtless continue to regard

Mellem in his Ford Anglia, Francis Smith in a VW, the Birkbecks, Callaghans and Joneses in their respective MGFs. We were also joined by Bill Washington in a very nimble Austin A30, Derek Newman in his lovely TD and John and Jill Philps in their MGC. The Ys were represented by a sole YA in Peter and Gillie Sharp’s ownership, Peter Vielvoye in his YT and three YBs owned respectively by Peter and Suzie Arnell, Neil and Janet Cairns and Alan and Sue Chick. All the cars ran faultlessly and the whole weekend was truly memorable – just a shame about the weather.

A full report is on the website.

70 Years of Y Types As most Y owners know, the first Y type rolled off the production line in March 1947. Next year the oldest Ys will septuagenarians

Abingdon as the spiritual home of our cars, it’s certainly worth highlighting a less celebrated part of the British car manufacturing story.

On a peripheral point of interest – when my car was stripped down to bare-metal prior to repainting in 2006 I noticed a faint, etched marking visible on the roof, which I thought might have been part of the Pressed Steel process, and I took a photo before it was covered again. But on inspection it was just possible to make out ‘Abbey Works’, which probably refers to part of the Port Talbot steelworks also opened in the 1950s, and now owned (at least for the moment) by Tata.

KOP HILL AND LOU SHORTEN TRIBUTE WEEKEND Just a reminder that we have reserved parking at the Kop Hill

and the youngest just two years off the state pension (OK, I know cars don’t get pensions, although many of their present owners are in, or due to be in, receipt of state benefits!). To celebrate, the MGCC Y Register is arranging this and a number of events throughout the year. Some of these are at a formative stage, whilst others are broadly sorted. I will give details of all of these in later issues of Safety Fast! and through the Chairman’s monthly Newsletter. What I can say is that Chris Callaghan is sorting out a venue for the Spring Weekend and at which he is aiming to have 70 Ys in attendance. In September 2017 Peter Sharp is arranging a Y Autumn Event in the Isle of Wight. More information on all these activities in due course,

climb near Princes Risborough, September 17-18, courtesy of David Halliday, but you’ll need to book in advance on kophillclimb. org.uk otherwise you’ll be directed to the general spectator area to pay on arrival. Prices for display parking have increased from last year (now £20/day or £30/weekend) however it’s still a great day out watching historic cars tackle the hill, and seeing them close up in the paddock as well.

Finally, please make sure you’ve contacted John Harris (tel: 01604 642662) if you plan to join us at Neatishead Radar museum on October 2, as they’re opening specially for our visit. It would also be useful to have numbers for the Saturday evening meal, but you’ll still be welcome to turn up unannounced at John Shorten’s ‘open house’ during the day!

SEPTEMBER 2016 SAFETY FAST! 85

23/08/2016 17:48

REGISTERS

MGA

EDWARD VANDYK 01488 608810 mgascribe@vandyk.co.uk Spring Tour 2017 Bookings for the 2017 spring tour were 39 cars as at 1st August, the Lymm Hotel has agreed to extend the reservation of 50 rooms until the end of September. Book now to secure your place, details on the web site.

A ‘Reference’ MGA Stuart Mumby, our diligent Registrar, had flagged to me that Bob West, the well know MGA expert, had just imported an 8,000 mile original condition MGA 1600 in the rare Alamo Beige from the USA. Imagine my surprise when I was at Peter Wood’s garage recently and I found the car there.

Peter had acquired it and will use it as a reference car. Peter is happy to answer questions of originality based on this car and can be best contacted by Fax, he does not do e-mail, on 01296 738499.

This car is truly sensational and is just as it left the factory.

I hope to be able to write it up in more detail later this year. The serial number is GHNL 90140, body number B22115 and engine number 16GA-U 20513.

There is insufficient space here other than to list some of the original items which include a fascinating blue metal cap which fits over the radiator pressure cap and has partly legible writing saying ‘Protected with Dowguard’, the original felt under

MGB

DAVID BROADHURST 01209 614704 email: newsletter-editor@mgb-register.org Website: www.mgb-register.org Recently I have come across two or three different occasions where the relative, and increasing, value of particularly the early MGBs has been the focus of the Register Facebook page and other places. Heritage, who insure my car, have been giving owners tracking devices which are associated with a contract from Skytag. They keep a passive check on the device which is fitted to your vehicle, an easy DiY job, and you report its theft, if it happens, and everything goes active so that the long arm of the law can find your vehicle. Thank you very much, said I, and promptly fitted the tracker to my Landrover

Defender, as I consider it to be more at risk of being stolen than my MK1 GT. However, the values of MGBs are increasing, high quality cars are fetching some eye watering prices and it is worth considering what yours is worth. In other words, what would one in as good condition as yours cost you to buy now?

I am told that the agreed value needs reviewing, if not annually, certainly every two years.

These quick thoughts also act as an introduction to Graham’s technical tip, which explores how to check the provenance of your car.

86 SAFETY FAST! SEPTEMBER 2016

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bonnet strip which had come away and is being held in place in the photograph by Peter himself as well as the complete original tool kit in its roll, jack, jack bag and foot pump, still unwrapped, along with grease gun and Lockhead brake bleed kit.

The white wall tyres, which are tubeless as supplied for export, are original except the white wall is a separate band, not part of the tyre itself. Side screens and hood are original and in pristine condition. The coil appears original and is notable

for having screw on contacts like SU fuel pumps. You can see how the factory installed the temperature probe capillary with coils above the heater shelf and a bracket around it attached to the bottom bolt of the heater control valve – how many cars still have that bracket I wonder.

Finally one thing that did strike me was that the panel fit was far from perfect on, for example, the driver’s (left hand) door so maybe the much vaunted panel fit from the factory was not always all it was said to be?

Technical Tips As a past Technical Rep for the Register I have had numerous requests for information on how to find out information contained in original factory records. The MGB Registrar, Andrew Vigor, holds records relating to MGBs submitted by members. In last month’s Safety Fast Andrew gave a detailed article on the Register. These records do not include details of the car when released new from the factory. That information is contained in the build records that are held in the Archives of the British Motor Museum (BMM) at Gaydon.

Should you ever wish to inspect these records you will need to make an appointment, as they are unable to accommodate a visit without one. Far easier is to contact the

Archives online service – http:// www.heritage-motor-centre. co.uk/store/heritage-certificatesand-archive-services.html Many members are aware of the existence of Heritage Certificates available from the BMM, and they offer a range of certificates with varying amounts of information. Prices range from £42.00 to £86.00 with the option to pay extra for a document wallet. They offer a Dating Letter which is cheaper, but beware, as DVLA require a Heritage Certificate in respect of Historic Tax status applications.

Many of you may not be aware that they also offer a service whereby they will provide a single piece of information by email return at a cost of only £6.00.

www.mgcc.co.uk

23/08/2016 17:48

www.mgmecca.co.uk Tel: +44 (0) 1953 717618 Fax: (0) 1953 717850

MARTIN SMITH www.usedmg spares.co.uk

1980 MGB ROADSTER Leyland White, black/white leather trim. Boot rack. Wood steering wheel. Elm dash. Superb condition and mostly original. All new chrome. Lowered. Superb car and value @ £11,995.

1967 MGB ROADSTER Nightfire Red, w/w, o/drive, leather trim, full wood dash. Excellent restored car, s/s boot rack, boot carpets, tonneau. Getting rarer by the year. £11,995.00

Quality New and Used MGF & MGTF Spares Covering all models from 1995 > 2006

1968 MGB V8 ROADSTER Nightfire Red, tan/ red trim. 3.9L injected V8, RV8 running gear & crossmember. RV8 dash, Red Maple wood trim, mohair hood. 15” minilites. Totally rebuilt & restored at huge expense a few years ago. Looks & drives superbly. The ultimate touring MG. £26,995.00

1993 MG RV8 Pearl White, Stone trim. Superb example of an RV8, not concours but excellent.

Stunning in Mica Pearl White, tan mohair hood and yes, the registration is really MGR 3.9L (MGR 39L), the ultimate RV8 registration. Unique opportunity to own a superb piece of MG history. £26,495.00

1974 NG TC Old English White, w/w, red trim. 2L Osselli engine, o/drive. All new or refurbed MBG components. Full weather gear. Built with no expense spared. Superb car, fantastic fun. Superb condition, only used in dry weather. £9,795.00

1980 MGB ROADSTER Blaze, black cloth trim.

Wood dash. Body is superb, underside immaculate, fully restored by engineer, with photos. Boot rack. All new chrome. Webber carb. New u/l engine. Would be hard to find better car @ £8,995.00

All items Supplied - from body panels, interiors & engines to headlights & wheel nuts

Tel: 07722 175473 East Lydford, Somerset Email: usedmgspares@hotmail.co.uk

SHEPPERTON, MIDDLESEX TEL: 01932 241843 / 07836 281493 WWW.CHURCHSQUAREAUTOS.COM EMAIL: MGSALES@CHURCHSQUAREAUTOS.COM

MG TF 135 85TH ANNIVERSARY (20,000 miles)

MG TF LE500 #70/500+H/top ( just 24,000 miles)

MG MGF TROPHY 160vvc ltd edition.

MG TF 135 Style Pack.1 owner (just 23,000 miles)

2009 (59 Reg) Manual, Petrol. Previously supplied by us a superb 85th ltd edition in Ice white with aubergine leather sport seats. Air conditioning, special suspension set up only used on the 85th edition including soft ride suspension. Glass heated rear screen, engine water level censor etc. £8,495.

Immaculate LE500 #70 off 500 made. Complete with removable colour coded hardtop. Very high spec ltd edition model fitted with air conditioning, leather sport seats, park censor, soft top fitted with a heated glass rear screen, engine water level censor, soft ride suspension, wind deflector. Fully detailed service history just moted. Immaculate condition throughout. £6,795

2001 (Y Reg) 96,000 Miles, Manual, Petrol, Finished in Trophy Blue/black half leather Club members car for the last 9 years. FSH, headgasket,cambelt and water pump all replaced. High spec Trophy model with TF160vvc engine, uprated suspension, 16” alloys, red 4pot brake calipers, colour coded interior trim Upgrade black headlights, front and rear spoilers, passengers airbag, mudflaps stainless sports exhaust. Serviced and moted. £2,195

2011 model year TF135 Style pack. Ltd edition high spec models. One owner from new full service history services and just 23,000 miles. 2011 model fitted with folding door mirrors. Style pack fitted with a heated glass rear screen, remote boot opening, engine water level censor, soft ride suspension, wind deflector, full leather sport seats, silver interior console and trims plus unmarked 16” Twisted pepper alloys and Red 4 pot brake calipers. Superb. £6,795

MG MGF A/c +huge spec (just 38,000 miles)

MG MGF Full Cream leather (just 55,000 miles)

MG MGF vvc 75th Anniversary Ltd Edition

2003 (03 Reg) Manual, Petrol, Finished in Tahiti Blue/black leather A very low mileage huge spec MGF, Ex MG car plus 1 Lady owner. Rare 03/03 MGF. One of the very last registered and with a very high spec. Fitted with air conditioning, sport seats, silver interior trim, 16” SE alloys, abs, Glass heated rear screen etc having covered a very low mileage of just 38,000 miles,with FSH. Headgasket replaced, serviced and a new clutch just fitted plus moted. Immaculate. £3,295

1998 (PP Reg), Manual, Petrol, Finished in: Tahiti Blue/Cream leather A very low mileage MGF. Fitted with Cream leather seats, walnut interior trim, two tone leather steering wheel, colour coded mud flaps, boot spoiler, chrome grilles, wind deflector, engine water level censor, Abs braking. Recent cambelt and water pump, just serviced and moted. Private reg number also included, excellent condition. £1,995

1999 (V Reg)78,000 Miles, Manual, Petrol, Finished in: Black/Red leather rare ltd edition model #1572/2000, one of only 332 VVC’s made. ‘SE’ 16” alloys, red hood, wood trim, chrome packs etc, FSH. MG car club members car, there are less than 100 75th’s VVC recorded on the road. New Xpart (MG/ Rover) headgasket plus also a new cambelt./water pump. Superb condition a collectable classic. £2,695

MG_SafetyFast_Sept16_53-98.indd 87

This is just a small selection from our stock

FAMILY BUSINESS ESTABLISHED 1981 OUR OFFICE/ SHOWROOM IS AT 62B HIGH STREET SHEPPERTON TW17 9AU VIEWING BY APPOINTMENT PLEASE

www.mgcc.co.uk

MG ZR ‘s Selling & Breaking Large selection of parts £P.O.A.

www.churchsquareautos.com SEPTEMBER 2016 SAFETY FAST! 87

23/08/2016 17:49

REGISTERS

MIDGET

NEIL THOMAS 07891 684435 ns.tenby@hotmail.com www.midgetregister.com I hear that Midget owners have been making the most of the summer motoring activities. Dennis Wharf attended Shelsley Walsh on Sunday July 17 for the Classic Nostalgia meeting. As well as seeing the fantastic Auto Union C type Grand Prix car taking on the hill, there were a number of Spridgets having fun, too. James

Thacker was there with TZA, the ex-Alec Poole giant-killer along with the Mk2 Midget of Thomas Robinson and a rather nice Sebring Sprite and ex-works Sprite. Shelsley Walsh truly is a lovely venue.

I have begun the tidying up of my MGC GT and so the first job was to remove the engine and gearbox. 700lbs is quite some

James Thacker with TAZ at Shelsley Walsh

weight to handle. I’ve included a photo of the engine next to my Midget to illustrate the vast difference between the two.

I hope you all look at the MR website at www.midgetregister. com as it is a central point for information on our little treasures.

Pete Chaundy, who looks after it, is on the look out for more Cars of the Month. All you have to do is send in a photograph of your car with a little bit of information about it and Pete will feature it on the website.

I realize it’s still a little way off, but looking ahead to our AGM in March next year, there will be some changeovers in committee members. If you fancy getting involved in the activities of the Register, then contact one of us on the committee and you will be given a run-down of what’s involved. It can be a very satisfying

thing to do and of course it keeps the Midget Register going strong.

The MR will be at the Kop Hill Climb on September 17-18 and it would be great to see MR members there with their cars.

Details can be found on the MR website.

Also, don’t forget to contact Dennis Wharf if you want to attend Aldon’s Rolling Road day this year.

Dennis has details.

Well that’s all for this month, folks. See you soon. Neil

plug and lead if you wish to make up your own connecting lead.

A reassuring feature of having a lead set up to run from the conditioner to the power socket by passing over the top of a side window is, it provides a very visible reminder the conditioner is connected to the car before you drive out of the garage!

useful over the years is that the application of WD-40 on a relatively infrequent basis (say twice annually) is beneficial to all switches in cars. As well as providing lubrication for moving parts it also displaces water from metallic surfaces and dries to a thin oily film that prevents corrosion from moisture in the air from condensation. Also the lubrication provided by WD-40 minimises the forces involved in operating the stalk switch and any chance of breakage.

There is more information at www.v8register.net/more.htm

Neil’s MGC engine next to his Midget

V8

VICTOR SMITH 0208 392 9434 victorsmith@v8register.net www.v8register.net

Connecting a battery conditioner During a call from an enthusiast who had just bought an RV8, he enquired whether a battery conditioner like an Accumate could be connected to the power socket in an MGV8 as a simple and convenient way of maintaining the battery condition and charge when the car is parked in a garage for a while.

With the MGBGTV8 model it is very convenient to connect an Accumate to the power socket in the lower part of the radio console because the socket is permanently live and is able to cope with the low charging rate of the conditioner. Similarly the power socket in an RV8 is live at

all times (through Fuse 8) but note if you have, or a previous owner has, fitted a battery isolator switch, the socket is probably not live when the battery isolator has turned off the battery.

If you have a security system like an alarm or a tracker permanently installed there is a very slight drain on the battery but this is easily covered by the conditioner.

Both Accumate and CTEK, another leading battery conditioner brand, offer special plug leads with the necessary plug for connecting their conditioners to a cigar lighter or power socket, and Halfords offer a fused 5 amp cigarette lighter

88 SAFETY FAST! SEPTEMBER 2016

MG_SafetyFast_Sept16_53-98.indd 88

Stubborn stalks The column mounted stalk controls on an MGB or derivative are prone to stubborn and erratic smooth operation as they age, and a tip Nic Houslip has found

www.mgcc.co.uk

23/08/2016 17:49

B8 - Barrie Carter_CLASSIC MOTORING 23/08/2016 12:18 Page 1

Volvo 131 coupe, which I bought for myself last year and have thoroughly enjoyed. One of the last built. 2 door, which for some reason is more desirable than a 4 door. I expect everyone wants to go rallying… Ostensibly two local owners from new with delivery docs and some history. It appears never to have been welded and has the later and last, B20 2 litre engine which performs remarkably, and as well as any modern. It is in lovely original condition with nice paint work and even has the original parcel shelf. The interior has unworn seats and original carpet. It has a new MOT. An exceptional Volvo that is modern to drive and stop, yet retains the classic lines so impossible to repeat now. £7,950

Austin A40 Somerset historic rally car. This car has had 1 owner for at least 30 years and only for sale due to his age. It has covered many Rallies, Rusticana, Le Jog etc.

It is in lovely original condition inside and has upgraded brakes and a modified 1500 MGA engine, suspension, and wider wheels. The engine is at present being rebuilt and can be supplied in any guise. A lovely conditioned useful historic rally car, whose preparation would cost more than the price of the car. £10,250

CM10.16/B8/f

Morris Marshall 1957 Only 1000 of these very rare large imposing family saloons were made by BMC for the Australian market. Very few remain and this will be the only one in Europe. In store in Tasmania for many years at a tech college, it has now been recommissioned and its 6 cyl Healey 100/6 engine is in fine fettle as is the 4 speed manual box. The car appears to be rust free and very sound throughout. Interior is in red. A rare period car for the family or towing your historic race car. £8,950

M.G. in North Herts

MGOC Recommended Workshop and Power Steering Installer MoT & Failures Repaired Servicing, Welding, Restoration M.G.A. – B – C – V8, Midget

MIDGETS! WANTED

enquiries@mgsforsale.com

www.mgsforsale.com

01707 876089

Contact the Midget Specialist MIKE AUTHERS on Abingdon 07703 465 224 CHROME BUMPERED MIDGETS in excellent condition bought up to £8,000. View current stock at

07831 556666

Rear of Langley Garage www.mgmidgets.com London Road, Langley, Nr Hitchin, MG16 - BUCKS SPORTS SPORTS CLASSICS 26/09/2012 14:24 Page 1 Herts SG4CLASSICS_BUCKS 7PJ

01438 729288 07860 473298 www.mg-repairs-hertfordshire.com

URGENT PROOF

Please check this proof carefully for errors in style, content and layout.

Although every care is exercised in preparing your advert, we cannot hold ourselves responsible for any inaccuracies you overlook.

MGBmay Roadster 1964 Nut & Bolt Rebuild (EGF478B) Mk1 PROOF pull door handle model, SHOULD YOU REQUIRE ANY ALTERATIONS TO THIS PLEASE chrome bumpers, ex dry climate vehicle, . _ _ _ _ TELEPHONE BEFORE _ _ _ _ _ _ _ AND QUOTE ADVERT NO early 2000’s nut & bolt rebuild _with less than 1k miles since, unleaded cylinder head on 3 bearing engine, 3 synchro non-overdrive gearbox, Jaeger instruments, wire wheels, Red coachwork, Black Leather interior trim, detailed engine compartment & body coloured underside, drives delightfully, We reserve the right to charge for anyjust alteration to this proof which arrived, £16,950.00 is a departure from the original copy

Bucks Sports & Classic Car Centre Specialist in MGA, B, C, V8, RV8, Midgets, and MGF. Also specialists in early Minis

10STREET Rabans Aylesbury.

HP19 BUCKS 8RS HP20 1EB UNIT 18, PARK IND Close, ESTATE, OSIER WAY, AYLESBURY, www.mgcc.co.uk

MG_SafetyFast_Sept16_53-98.indd 89

URGENTLY WANTED ANY MG ANY YEAR, ANY CONDITION SEE OUR WEBSITE FOR A COMPLETE LISTING OF OUR STOCK CC10.12/MG16/p

For friendly advice contact Pete Giles on Tel: 01296 433550 or Mob: 07831 404968 www.mgsonthenet.co.uk www.mgsonthenet.co.uk email: peter.giles@mgsonthenet.co.uk

MGB Roadster 1965 Heritage Shell Rebuild (BJK408C) chrome bumpers, overdrive, early 90’s rebuild on a new Heritage Shell by renowned MG specialists Octagon Services with invoices in excess of £16k, British Racing Green coachwork with Black leather interior trim, chrome wire wheels, mohair hood, unleaded cylinder head fitted, original steering wheel, heavy history file with rebuild invoices and service work since, drives delightfully, just arrived, £13,950.00

www.mgsforsale.com

Do not confuse the above vehicles with cheaper inferior quality models offered elsewhere. Part exchange any make of Motor Car with generous allowances. Discounted cash purchases. Viewing by appointment only please (available evenings & weekends) no obligation to purchase. All our vehicles carry a warranty, have an MOT and are fully serviced prior to collection/delivery.

SEPTEMBER 2016 SAFETY FAST! 89

23/08/2016 17:49

REGISTERS

FWD

IAN KIMPTON iankimpton.uk@gmail.com http://www.mgcc.co.uk/fwd-register

Riding high on the very successful MG Saloon Day at Gaydon back in July, the FWD Register has lined up some exciting events for next 6-12 months, and will publish a full schedule in due course.

This brings me back to our main challenge as a small yet very active Register – where are they now?

Since the beginning of the year, I have been building the database of the MGCC’s equivalent of the Holy Trinity – MG Metros, Maestros and Montegos that have either been at events,

or appeared online for sale etc.

As Registrar I have stalked them at shows, in car parks, and even persuaded a reclusive collector to let me into his warehouse for a couple of hours.

And I’m not excluding the very special MG1100s and MG1300s either, but they are less at risk.

The aim is a simple one – to record the details of every remaining vehicle in existence, whether it’s roadworthy or not.

VIN No, Reg No, Colour etc, and hopefully a couple of photos. Any other information is helpful too.

MGF

TIM MORRIS 01932 882467 scribe@mgfregister.org www.mgfregister.org As the summer progresses our Regions are hotting up their activities. There is not a week that goes by without an MGF Register meeting, run or event taking place somewhere around the country.

Frequently you can find several taking place on the same day!

We are attempting to round up all these events via our recently reactivated Twitter feed. You can find it by simply searching for MGF Register. Our main Facebook page remains very active and several of our Regions also have their own to join. For those who don’t “do” social media there is the good old Register Internet forum. It is here that you can find details of all the Regions plus general chatter, classifieds and technical advice. We also have two websites where you can find all about the Register and the printed medium both here

in Safety Fast and through our own magazine FasTForward.

Speaking of which, the latest edition is out now and features an article on behind the scenes of the latest “Modern Classics” magazine, which features a softtop shoot out which includes my own MGF, a beautiful silver MGF that has had £40,000 spent on it, plus interesting features from our Registrar digging in to the F/ TF data and a technical feature on fitting Angel Eyes to a TF. There is more, but to read it you need to subscribe, and you can do that through our online shop at www. mgfregister.org/shop.

There have been some good shows lately where some of our Regions have got together – Uxbridge where there were four, and the South East Centre Summer Gathering at Chatham Dockyard where there were three.

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The information held by the MGCC at Kimber House will be updated from this project.

In return, we can offer the current owners additional information such as build dates, and assist with the acquisition of full DVLA history via the V888 application.

An eccentric goal perhaps?

Yes! But very worthwhile and perhaps achievable to a good Model (All variants)

percentage, when you examine the numbers (approximate): Shocking, isn,t it?

So, we know that many are stored in garages, barns, warehouses, and sometimes in the open.

I have been lucky enough to acquire details on 49 so far in all states of repair, so please, if you own one, know of one, want to save one… get in touch. Thanks,

Aug. 16

Aug. 01

Taxed

SORN

Taxed

SORN

MG1100

96

43

126

NA

MG1300

95

55

133

NA

MG Metro

142

507

8,700

NA

MG Maestro

81

308

3,400

NA

MG Montego

24

116

2,500

NA

An excellent opportunity to meet up with members from other Regions.

Coming up we have our main charity events of the year in the form of the Thames Tunnels and Bridges event. There are just a handful of places left if you would like to join in and see the sights of London as night falls. There are cars booked in from all over the UK and even some from the Continent, so it is another chance to meet new Club members. It

is open to any type of MG but restricted to MGCC Members for MSA/Insurance reasons. It is free to enter but please register via our shop at www.mgfregister.org/ shop and you can also order a rally plate and event polo shirt at extra cost.

Finally we are pleased to be back at the NEC for the classic car show in November with a two car stand to complement the main Club. Do pop over and say hello if you are visiting.

www.mgcc.co.uk

23/08/2016 17:49

REGISTERS

MG6.3.5

STEVE HAINES Steve-haines@live.co.uk www.facebook.com/groups/MG635Register https://twitter.com/635register It’s been a busy summer for the Register, with an increasing number of new members joining in the chat on Facebook from all over the world. Owners have been posting photos of their cars at local meets around the UK and it’s great to see our friends in Thailand having regular meets on quite a large scale too!

The 635 Register is

nurturing the early days of the MG GS Register until enthusiastic owners come forward to form their own committee. There has been huge interest and also lots of purchases from existing 635 members who have been impressed by the latest model from MG Motor. The automatic option has been particularly well received by MG enthusiasts who

Jon from Blights of Bideford hands over the keys of Bev and Stu Forbes’s new MG GS Exclusive DCT

NEW MGB Baulk Rings

Photo – Jerry Harrison

have waited patiently for this option to be available.

In the meantime, it was quietly mentioned that the MG6 would now be discontinued. This leaves us owners with a fairly unique family hatchback that takes its place alongside plenty of other MG models now out of production. More on this next month…

Our next big meet will be at the BTCC event at Silverstone on Sunday September 18. We will have the Club gazebo alongside the MGCC events gazebo, with a full range of regalia and in-field parking for pre-booked tickets through the MGCC special offer. The MG boys have had mixed fortunes at some of the meets this year, but Silverstone

is always a good track for the MG6 GT, so hopefully we’ll see some podiums. Come along and say hello if you can. It’s always a great weekend’s racing and very popular with owners.

Christmas is coming quicker than you think!! Our AGM will be on Saturday December 3 at the MG Sales Centre, Longbridge, followed by our Christmas meal at the Guild in Bromsgrove, which is next to the Premier Inn. Please add your name to the Facebook event on our page, or email Steve Haines direct so that places can be booked.

Enjoy your cars and please send in any interesting articles or photos you have…

www.bighealey.co.uk

CNC Machined in the UK to our specification

Restoring the beauty of the past Restoration, Parts Servicing, Tuning, MOT’s, Bodywork, Mechanical

Brass 2nd & 3rd/4th £59.95+VAT Steel 4 synchro £49.95+VAT

For the ‘best’ in MG high-performance Parts Hotline: +44(0)1543 472244 E-mail: sales@bighealey.co.uk

Tel: 01483 223830 We have many cars for sale Why not visit our website to see the full range

www.mgspares.co.uk

Portsmouth Road, Ripley, Woking, Surrey GU23 6EL

DENIS WELCH MOTORSPORT, YOXALL, BURTON ON TRENT, STAFFS DE13 8NA, UK

www.mgcc.co.uk

MG_SafetyFast_Sept16_53-98.indd 91

SEPTEMBER 2016 SAFETY FAST! 91

23/08/2016 17:50

CL ASSIFIEDS

CARS FOR SALE How to Advertise

Members can advertise their cars free of charge in Safety Fast! The advert will also be posted on the Club website in due course. This is for one insertion only. To place an advert or for additional insertions email Colin Grant at colingrant@mgcc.co.uk with details of your car, around 60 words, together with an attached picture, your contact information, price of your car, the area where you live, and membership number.

Cost for non-members to advertise is £20. All adverts should be submitted by the 15th of the month for the following months issue.

2005 MG ZT-T 260 SE V8

X-Power Grey, only 48,000 miles immaculate inside & out. SE specification includes Apex alloy wheels, leather seating, climate, cruise control, sat nav., sunroof, multi CD, Xenon headlights, parking sensor etc.

A standard vehicle with a few sensible extras K&N filter, 70mm TB, twin tone horns, roof rails, front and rear mud flaps. New windscreen, heater valve, Yuasa battery, IAC valve, brake pads hoses, front discs & rebuilt front callipers. £8,500 Tel: 01753 644283 chris@beechesroad.demon.co.uk (Farnham Common, Bucks)

1950 MG TD

Excellent condition (2). No rust (ex.Texas) RHD. Maintained regardless of cost. Complete rebuild and respray (Ivory) in UK mid 1990s. Under 4,000 miles since full engine/clutch overhaul.

FSH since 2001. Sound hood/sidescreens and full tonneau.

New Runyan luggage rack. 12 months MoT. On market at insured value of £19,000 but accept £18,000 from MGCC member.

Increasing age (owner, not car!) necessitates sale.

Full details 01622 762039 or roy.ingleton@sky.com (Maidstone)

1998 MGF

74,500 miles mot till march 2017 new alloy wheels and tyres, recently fitted new alternator, exhaust, battery, wiper linkage, drives faultlessly nightfire red, immaculate interior, with a multiplay CD player. £1,200 ovno.

Steve on 07769 694945 (Solihull)

Many, many victories over the years,rebuilt by Naylor Bros and others at a cost of over 90,000, bulging history file and trophies can come with the car. Realistically priced given the expenditure, at around £60,000.

Tel 01548-531574 Email jbishop27@hotmail.co.uk

1954 MG TF 1500

December 1954. Original UK RHD car Serial number HDP 16/8411 engine XPEG/524.

35 years in New Zealand back to UK in 1989 for full rebuild. 5 speed gearbox and unleaded polished head fitted.

Recorded mileage 36,581, total of 7,300 miles since 1989 rebuild. Excellent condition inside and out, full hood side screens and tonneau cover, wire wheels all in very good condition Original 4 speed gearbox and other parts along with all Invoices and documentation included. £28,000. 01580 389019 (Kent)

Very original with Chrome wires, drives really well, a go anywhere feel to it and totally reliable.

Close offers around £25,000 Tel John 01548 531574 (South Devon) jbishop27@hotmail.co.uk

1971 MGB Roadster

Green Mallard. Black de-luxe mohair hood and tonneau. Black leather seats. Moto-lita black leather steering wheel. Stainless Steel exhaust.

BMIHT certificate. MOT until July 2017 (No advisories) Lovely condition throughout and seen at numerous MGB Register events.

Kept in garage and rarely taken out in poor weather. Optional hardtop.

Will be sad to say goodbye.

For further info please call Brian on 02392 325666 leave a message if no answer. (Portsmouth area)

Sebring MGB V8GT Project 1954 MG TD

Totally rebuilt with conally hide interior, rebuilt engine yet to be run in, drives like a new car, all new or rebuilt. Awsome. Offers around £25,000.

Tel 01548-531574 Email jbishop27@hotmail.co.uk

1954 MG TF 1250

1970 MGB Automatic

A superb and rare automatic B which underwent a full bare metal nut and bolt restoration a few years ago to original specification, and has only travelled 7,000 dry miles since.

Detailed engine bay, unleaded and immaculate throughout. £12,000 ono. Genuine sale due to health reasons, full details and more pictures available email: john.d.miller@btopenworld.com or Tel: 07769993944

Due to a very recent bereavement, this Sebring replica MGB GT is up for sale. The shell is a solid 'rubber bumper' spec. one and comes with the flared Sebring wings front and rear. There is also a Sebring rear valence fitted. The shell seems to be sound, although there is a new roof panel which needs fitting.

There are many parts missing including glass, dash, instruments etc., although these may come to light in one of the many lock ups the deceased gentleman possessed.

Included is a Rover V8 and an SD1 5 speed gearbox. The engine appears to have had some work done on it, but no carbs. There is a pair of wide wheels, Rostyle wheels currently fitted. This is a major project, I understand that a current V5 is available. . Offers around £800-£1,000.

Contact Graham Wilkins on 01424 882700 or email: gtwilkins@btinternet.com (Hastings, East Sussex)

1954 MG TF 1250cc

RHD Home Market Car. Ivory TF with black interior. Uprated 5 speed Ford gearbox but comes with the original 4 speed gearbox. Totally reliable with a large photo album and history file, including bills in excess of 25K spent by its last owners.

Fitted with a Stainless Steel exhaust, Stainless Steel wheel cylinders, chrome boot rack, full weather equipment and re-triple chromed bumpers, grill, spots etc. Lots of recent work. Fitted with a tracker/immobiliser security system. £26,500 ono. Contact Julian on 01323 892305 or email: js_early@hotmail.com (East Sussex)

92 SAFETY FAST! SEPTEMBER 2016

MG_SafetyFast_Sept16_53-98.indd 92

MG PA/TC Single Seat Racer

1962 MGB Roadster

1955 MG TF 1500

My car from NZ now back home where it was made,drives really well a few stone chips here and there (kiwi roads) otherwise faultless. Lots of history etc.

Offers close to £28,000 Tel John 01548 531574 (South Devon) jbishop27@hotmail.co.uk

Very rare original UK RHD 1962 pull handle MGB, Iris Blue with steel wheels and original Bluemels Steering Wheel, black interior. 1800 3 BRG engine with 4 speed non overdrive Gearbox. History paperwork back to 1962. Car useable but SORN due to having new floors, radiator and associated cooling equipment having been installed. Original car that will make a stunning and rare car when done. £8,450 ono (Hertford) Contact Jack Skuce on 07739 642362 or Email jtmg@outlook.com

www.mgcc.co.uk

23/08/2016 17:50

BANKS

0

MGs 10......................percent

BARRY WALKER

1935 MG PA SPORTS +HUH LV D ÂżQH GULYHUV FDU QRW FRQFRXUV EXW LQ H[FHOOHQW RYHUDOO FRQG $ UHFHQWO\ ZHOO Estd.1968 1935 MGMGs.....

PA SPORTS British Motor the very best in vintage Estd.1968$ EHDXWLIXOO\ UHVWRUHG 3$ ZLWKRXW EHLQJ EXLOW HQJLQH DIIRUGV WKH RSSRUWXQLW\ .....for IRU JRRG UHOLDEOH Heritage Britishapproved Motor RYHUGRQH $ UHDOO\ XVDEOH WKLQJ WKDW \RXÂśOO EH PRUH WKDQ .....for the very best in vintage MGs.....

GULYLQJ FRXSOHG ZLWK RXU RZQ UHFHQW ZRUN \RX KDYH WKH Heritage approved A EHLJH BETTER OFFER THAN FROM ANY BANK I KNOW!?

SURXG WR RZQ )XOO\ VHUYLFHG HQJLQH UHEXLOW VWHHULQJ GHOX[H FDU HYHU\ERG\ ZDQWV %ODFN ZLWK KLGH QHZ URRI A BETTER OFFER THAN FROM ANY BANK I KNOW!?

GDVK DHURVFUHHQV VWRQHJXDUGV DQG VXSHUE OHDWKHU LQWHULRU 1933 LE MANS BODIED K3 replica FOR SALE

LWÂśV D QLFH FDU WRQQHDX[ V VFUHHQV MG ÂŁ45,000 K3 rep. 2-seat SPORTS RACING $OO CAR QHZ ZHDWKHU HTXLSPHQW MXVW ÂżWWHG WKLV LV UHDOO\ ZRUWK MG K3 rep.few 2-seat SPORTS CARWilkinson/Bellevue One of very K3 reps. built RACING to theYLHZLQJ Wilkie ÂŁ45,000 (Optional s/charger available at cost) Garage 1930s modification using an N chassis to One of very few K3 reps. built to the WilkieMagnette Wilkinson/Bellevue take K3 axles & brakes.

1400cc engine, pre-select g’box, Garage 1930s modification using an N Magnette chassis to divided track rod steering, Marshall supercharger and full take K3 axles & brakes. 1400cc engine, pre-select g’box, K3 dashboard. Total ground-up restoration that has been divided track rod Finished steering, inMarshall supercharger full thoroughly sorted.

Monza Red with black and leather, K3 Total ground-up restoration haseligible been this dashboard. awesome 100mph machine is fully MG CC that & VSCC thoroughly sorted.

Finished in Monza Red with black leather, for home & Int. events, or just simply exhilarating touring.

Unlikely to last100mph long I think. this awesome machine is fully MG CC & VSCC eligible for home & Int. events, or just simply exhilarating touring.

Unlikely to last long I think.

1934 MG PA DELUXE SPORTS. 2QH RI WKRVH UHDOO\ QLFH FDUV ZLWK D JHQXLQH SDWLQD 1RW FRQFXUV EXW SURSHUO\ XVHG PDLQWDLQHG E\ WKH SUHYLRXV IDVWLGLRXV 1933 MG J2 DE-LUXE SPORTS RZQHU 1954 MG TF MG 1250 TC SPORTS. $ YHU\ 1933 S/CHARGED J3/J4 1933 MG SUPERCHARGED J4 rep 1947 UDUH 0* 7& EHLQJ WKH FDU 'HOX[H GDVK EXFNHW VHDWV IURP QHZ BuiltZDWHU in Australia by SXPS a top MG engineer.

I cannot find fault with this car Ex. Channel Islands, low mileage, older rebuild in very Unlike the truly magnificent J4 spec road car adjacent, this has Difficult to describe this other than concours, meant IRXQG GHUHOLFW EXW YHU\ RULJLQDO DQG WRWDOO\ UHVWRUHG IRU WKH a stunning restoration with c/balanced crank & rods, deluxe dash, original $GGLWLRQDOO\ DHURVFUHHQV VWRQH JXDUGV

EUDQG QHZ condition, including factory wire wheels & rebuilt been race & rally prepared. A 70bhp engine with rare high geared correctly when I say it! J4 spec engine, ENV box, Volumex FKDQQHO 79 SURJUDPPH ³)RU WKH /RYH RI &DUV´ and periodUHG accessories.

Raven Black with full Apple engine. Original RHD in dark red with red leather. s/c, 12� brakes - it’s reallyZHDWKHU fantastic. Numerous prizes - 2 detailed bays ENV g’box, this offers a truly competitive MG, or 0DQ\ highly exciting GRXEOH GXFN HTXLSPHQW 'HHS ZLWK EODFN Green w/gear. Fabulous car, at barely restoration cost.

RULJLQDO LURQHG RXW 1933interior MG J2& alll DE-LUXE SPORTS 1954 MG TF 1250 ÂľEXJVÂś KDYH EHHQ IXOO\ 1933red, S/CHARGED J3/J4 1933 SUPERCHARGED J4DQG rep BlueWKH tone Collingburn trim. IDQWDVWLF YDOXH No offers at. road car.MG VSCC buff form, full history.

Ocean with blackFDU leather.

ÂŁ39,750 OHDWKHU QRZ OLNH D QHZ 3RZGHU ZLWK EHLJH Channel Islands, low mileage, older SLQ rebuild in very Unlike the%OXH truly magnificent J4 spec road car OHDWKHU adjacent, this has Difficult to describe this other than concours, meant Built in Australia by a top MG engineer. I cannot find fault with this car Ex. LV WDQ URRI

V VFUHHQV &RPSOHWH GRFXPHQWHG KLVWRU\ ÂżOH a stunning restoration with c/balanced crank & rods, deluxe dash, original condition, including factory wire wheels & rebuilt been race & rally prepared. A 70bhp engine with rare high geared correctly MG when I say J4 spec engine,WING ENV box, Volumex 1933 J2it! CYCLE SPORTS. :H DUH EXLOGLQJ bays and period accessories.

Raven BlackWKLV with full Apple engine.

YLGHR RULJLQDO PDQXDO 1R SHULRG DOO Original RHD in dark red with red leather. RULJ ENVUHJ g’box, this offers a truly competitive H[WUDV MG, or highly exciting s/c, 12�IURP brakes - it’s really fantastic.ZLWK NumerousD prizes - 2 detailed FDU VFUDWFK IXOO\ UHEXLOW HQJLQH E\ %DUU\ Green interior & alll w/gear.

Fabulous car, at barely restoration cost. to buff sensible LQFOXGHG .......................Open 1933 K3 LEtrim.

MANS replica. road car. VSCC form, full history.offers Ocean Blue ÂŁ39,500 with black leather. tone red,MG Collingburn No offers at. )RVWHU DQG \RX KDYH WKH RSSRUWXQLW\ WR FKRRVH WKH No â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;ifsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; or â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;butsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;\RX with this car. Checked & registered with the MGCC and MMM FRORXU WKDW ZRXOG OLNH DW WKLV VWDJH <RX KDYH D register. A proper speciďŹ cation car on factory original KRI series genuine K engine + correct axles,E\ pre-select steering, Mans body, full dash FKRLFH D chassis, GDUN UHG RU 1100cc EHLJH OHDWKHU LQWHULRU 0LNH gâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;box, Adamant SHORTLY TOLe ARRIVE & Marshall 85 supercharger. Full details of this accurate speciďŹ cation available. Original registration from new and ready road &ROOLQJEXUQ 7KH FDU ZLOO EH LQ PLQW FRQGLWLRQ MXVW OLNH WKH A number of P type projects. and race prepared for all major The events.

DO NOT this with the many questionable K3 repsâ&#x20AC;Ś itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the nearest youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll get to price will confuse be approx. ÂŁ42-45,000 3 W\SHV LQ WKLV DG

more details) a factory carâ&#x20AC;Ś ÂŁ189,500. (See website for 1933 MG SUPERCHARGED J4 rep

1937 MG TA with XPAG-reliability

These rarely come 1937 MG T/Q 2-SEAT SPORTS

up today. They are not of very bitsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; but 1936 MG NB TOURER The â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;bags 6cyl. NB is simply rare. The 4-seat

1930 TRUE VINTAGE MG â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Mâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; TYPE. 7RWDOO\ UHEXLOW WKURXJKRXW one of the best value cars on the market, this is in tourer is a delight in every sense. Powerful 1300cc engine, roomy, Fully overhauled by us, this lovely early TA with fitted TC The best one to come to the open market in years. Phoenix Surely original cars with numbers,simply dismantled.

WR LPSHFFDEOH RUGHU E\ OHDGLQJ HDUO\ 0* UHVWRUHU $ SURSHU eng, & box eliminates the TA engine problems and offers crank, lightened clutch, ENV manual box, Marshall s/c. stunning condition, the highest std. of the 5 Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve sold. TA comfortable, and perfect for touring, be it friends, golf clubs, dogs or OTHERS AVAILABLE: (MORE NEEDED) Q body work/tuned XPAGopportunity engine & TC box, 90 to the obtain wife & her luggage.

Totally restored throughout, 2-tone green MRE D &96&& FDU HOLJLEOH IRU DOO Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s HYHQWV WULDOV UDOOLHV DQG events. chassis/ reliability quality at a sensible price.

A quality car.

They athis,rare a&pre-war at a brown lowwith a proper rebuild.

Ready for all MGCC/VSCC 1934 MG PA Deluxe â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Red with beige hide, Fabulous totally restoredâ&#x20AC;Ś ÂŁ45,000 1934 MGoffer PA. Lovely car, nice patina, excellent engine body.

RedMG with dark mph, 80bhp, BRG....all and built. green leather & full black weather equipment.

France, here we come.

RIIHUHG DW OHVV WKDQ WKH UHVWRUDWLRQ FRVW %ODFN IDEULF ERG\ condition, black with blue hide. price for restoration.

1935 MG DETAILS PA (to PB ON spec) â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Beautiful restoration, Black with beige hideâ&#x20AC;Ś ÂŁ42,500 bucket seatsâ&#x20AC;Ś ÂŁ39,750 SALES: Our highly regraded service is always available to you. ÂŁ29,500 ZLWK JUHHQ KLGH LQWHULRU FULL OUR WEBSITE We carry thousands of spares for the type of cars we sell COMMISSION MG TA with XPAG-reliability 1933 MG SUPERCHARGED J4 rep 2-SEAT SPORTS 1937 1937 MG T/Q 1936 MG NB TOURER The 6cyl.

NB is simply very rare.

The 4-seat 1947website MG TC. Total â&#x20AC;&#x201C; ďŹ nished by us. MagniďŹ cent. â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Clipper Blueâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;â&#x20AC;Ś ÂŁ36,950 (See for rebuild photos) one of the best value cars01789 on the market, is in tourer isMob: a delight in 07836 every sense. 244103 Powerful 1300cc engine, roomy, RING FOR DETAILS Email: www.barrywalker.com Tel: 400this181 Fully overhauled by us, this barry@barrywalker.com lovely early TA with fitted TC The best one to come toWeb: the open market in years. Phoenix Surely eng, & box eliminates the TA engine problems and offers crank, lightened clutch, ENV manual box, Marshall s/c. stunning condition, the highest std. of the 5 Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve sold. TA comfortable, and perfect for touring, be it friends, golf clubs, dogs or XPAG Totallyyrestored 2-tone phone green with M Mprice.

ISS ION LE S : rebuild.

O u rReady h ifor gh y r e gevents. a r d echassis/ d sQebody r vwork/tuned ice is aengine l w a&yTCsbox,a90 v athei wife l a&bherl luggage. e to o uthroughout, . Please reliability & qualityC at O a sensible A quality car. S AItâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a proper all lMGCC/VSCC mph, 80bhp, BRG....all this, and built. green leather & full black weather equipment. France, here we come.

Fabulous condition, black with blue hide. before visiting FULL DETAILS ON OUR WEBSITE We carry thousands of spares for the type of cars we sell COMMISSION SALES: Our highly regraded service is always available to you.

Tel: 01789 400 181. Fax: 01789 400230. Mob: 07836 244103 Email: barry@barrywalker.com Web:Tel:www.barrywalker.com 65_1162_BARRY_WALKER_ADVURN49853.pgs 11.09.2015 17:01 FMG-Advent Email: barry@barrywalker.com Web: www.barrywalker.com 01789 400 181 Mob: 07836 244103

65_1162_BARRY_WALKER_ADVURN49853.pgs 11.09.2015 17:01

1961 MGA Coupe MkII

Original tuned 1622 engine, 5 speed gearbox,123 ignition, new chrome wires and Vredenstein tubeless tyres 5000 miles back.

Original UK car, fully restored in late 90s with original reg. Just completed 1000 mile tour of northern England agreed value 20k offers around ÂŁ18,500 selling due to age getting in & out a problem! email pauldcamp@btinternet.com tel. 01707874626 (Cuffley Herts)

1956 MG Magnette

Grey / black in colour. Original condition int & ext (repaint bonnet & boot). 1956 - 1976 exported to South Africa - imported 1976 (hence no rust). Engine pistons re-bored 2012 (otherwise original condition). Mechanically sound Condition 2/3. ÂŁ8.300 Tel 01603 260270 - Norwich spencergchapman@gmail.com

www.mgcc.co.uk

MG_SafetyFast_Sept16_53-98.indd 93

1964 MGB Roadster MkI

Pull handle B in very good condition.

23000 miles since professional ground-up restoration in 2000.

3-bearing engine, with 3-syncro overdrive gearbox, wire wheels, electronic ignition and kenlowe fan.

Alarm, spare winter weather wheels, mohair hood, tonneau and full history file with original photos.

Current owner for 10 years. Always garaged. 8 months MOT. ÂŁ14,500.

Tel: 07904 665329. (Chichester).

2009 MG TF 85th Anniversary Enigmatic Silver, only 16 of these made of this colour, only 14,000 miles, spare twist of pepper wheel ,hard top, air conditioning etc etc. unfortunately my ill health forces me to sell Price ÂŁ8,650. A1 condition. contact Ray Hunter on 01865 217946 (Thame) or e-mail rayhunter35@gmail.com

MG TF LE500

2000 MGF Steptronic

Two owners only and FSH. Car is on the road but requires small amount of work sill repair needed. Good points, no other marks on the car It looks good, soft top is in excellent condition plus hard top, interior black leather very clean no rips. MOT November 2016 Runs well at 53k miles steptronic gearbox works well. 4 new tyres New battery. New exhaust ÂŁ650 ono.

Tel: 07762611868 (Crewe Cheshire)

2004 MG TF

FMG-Advent

Scorched Red. Only 6000 miles.

Beautiful car. All LE500 luxury features - aircon, wind stop, rear parking sensors, hood bag and hood protector, leather interior and black alloys, full sized spare wheel, works hard top. Never used in inclement weather. Recent MOT. Private sale. Sensible offers please to Michael at 02920 563957 (Cardiff)

2005 MG TF 135 Spark

MG TF Sun Storm - silver, 2004, 48,000 miles, MOT till May 2017 & all MOTs from 2007.

Cylinder head gasket up-graded, pump & cam belt replaced New rear tyres, battery and alternator this year. ÂŁ2000. Original MG hard top and storage bag available for additional ÂŁ300 Tel 01626 859488

1 Lady owner. Only 6150 miles genuine. Full service history.

Beautiful unmarked metallic maroon.

Colour coded removable headlined hard top. Radio / CD. Hood cover.

12 months MOT. Always garaged Can only be described as mint both inside and out. Owner given up driving. Area West Dorset / Somerset border. ÂŁ6,500 ono.

Tel : 01935 891329

SEPTEMBER 2016 SAFETY FAST! 93

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2009 2009MG MGTF TFLE500 LE500

Gunmetal Gunmetalgrey greymetallic/black metallic/black leather. leather.21000 21000miles milesfrom fromnew. new.

Complete Completewith withmatching matchingfactory factory hard hardtop topand andtonneau. tonneau.Condition Condition1/2.

1/2. £6,500 £6,500- -Tel Tel01392 01392257213 257213(Devon) (Devon)

1970 1970MGC MGCGT GT

Black.

Black.Webasto Webastoroof roofand andwire wire wheels. wheels.Long LongMOT MOTand andloads loadsofof history, history,MOTs MOTsetc. etc.Car Carisispictured picturedinin the thebook bookMGC MGC- -Abingdon's Abingdon'sGrand Grand Tourer Tourerand andininSafety SafetyFast!

Fast!July July2007.

2007. £14,000. £14,000.Contact Contact01639 01639814658 814658or or 07891 07891959934.

959934.

2003 2003MG MGZT ZT -T -TDiesel Diesel

MOT MOTDec Dec2016, 2016,129000 129000mls, mls,Blue Blue Metallic, Metallic,fully fullyserviced servicedatat128000mls, 128000mls, new newbattery, battery,very veryclean cleaninside inside&& out, out,load loadcover, cover,dog dogguard, guard,tow towbar, bar, Kenwood KenwoodRadio/CD. Radio/CD.£1,800 £1,800ono, ono, Mob: Mob:07836 07836607472.

607472.

1978 1978MGB MGBGT GT

Owned Ownedfor for33and andaahalf halfyears, years, Brooklands BrooklandsGreen.

Green.£6,000 £6,000 restoration restorationcompleted completed13,000 13,000 miles milesago agowith withphotographs photographsand and large largehistory historyfile. file.New Newunleaded unleaded uprated upratedengine engineand andbrakes. brakes.

Executive Executive MG MG leather leatherinterior. interior.

Heritage Heritage certificates certificates&&Valuation Valuationatat £7,000. £7,000.Excellent Excellentcondition condition and and runner, runner,beautiful beautifulcar car£5,250 £5,250ono. ono.

Doug DougCarmichael Carmichael07860 07860486758 486758

Recently Recentlyimported importedfrom fromthe theUSA. USA. All Alltaxes taxespaid, paid,red, red,iningood goodcondition condition but butcould couldbe besuperb superbwith withaalittle little TLC. TLC.Matching Matchingnumbers. numbers.For Forsale sale due dueto tounforseen unforseencircumstances, circumstances,so so open opento tosensible sensibleoffers. offers.Email: Email: m1hin34@aol.com m1hin34@aol.comor or phone phone07721 07721756156 756156to toview. view.

1971 1971MGB MGBGT GT

Teal TealBlue, Blue,restored restoredover overaanumber numberofof years yearsby byprevious previousowner ownerto toaavery very high highstandard. standard.Overdrive, Overdrive,new newleather leather interior, interior,unleaded unleadedhead, head,radiator, radiator,oil oil cooler, cooler,bushes, bushes,s/s s/sexhaust, exhaust,walnut walnut dash, dash,period periodradio radiowith withiphone iphone connection. connection.New Newchrome, chrome,new newfront front windscreen windscreenNew NewMinilite Minilitestyle style wheels wheelsand andnew newtyres tyresLarge Largefile fileofof receipts receiptsand andMOTs. MOTs.£12,500. £12,500.

Contact Contact07505718348 07505718348or oremail email barry.woolford@icloud.com barry.woolford@icloud.com(Medway (MedwayKent) Kent)

1976 1976MGB MGBRoadster Roadster

Citron Citron(or (orChartreuse) Chartreuse)yellow. yellow.Aldon Aldon 1950cc 1950ccengine enginewith withLCB LCBmanifold manifold etc. etc.Completely Completelynew newblack blackleather leather seats. seats.Last Lastowner ownerfor for30 30years. years.

Properly Properlyrestored restoredwith withnew newsills, sills, wings wingsetc. etc.Minataur Minataurwheels wheelswith with new newtyres. tyres.Much Muchhistory historyand andinin excellent excellentcondition conditionfor forage agefrom from annual annualWaxoyling Waxoylingand anddry dryweather weather use. use.MOTd MOTdand andbecomes becomestax tax exempt exemptnext nextApril.

April.

Am Amgetting gettingtoo tooold!! old!!£5,000. £5,000.

Tel Tel01392 01392495757 495757(Devon) (Devon)or or email emailrogerlus@talktalk.net rogerlus@talktalk.netfor for more moreinformation. information.

1954 1954MG MGTF TF1250cc 1250cc

Lovely Lovelyred redMGTF MGTFininexcellent excellent condition. condition.Drives Drivesreally reallywell, well,garaged garaged and andonly onlyused usedinindry dryweather. weather.ItIt looks looksgreat greatwith withwire wirewheels, wheels,spot spot lights, lights,chrome chromeluggage luggagerack. rack.Stainless Stainless steel steelexhaust. exhaust.Black Blackhood, hood,tonneau, tonneau, and anddust dustcover. cover.Original OriginalReg Regno. no.ItIt has hascovered coveredless lessthan than14,000 14,000miles miles ininthe thelast last35 35years. years.£25,500. £25,500.

Contact ContactAlan Alanon on07786 07786853010 853010or or alanjboorman@gmail.com alanjboorman@gmail.com (Located (LocatedWorcs/Glos Worcs/Glosborder) border)

AAstunning stunningexample exampleininMetallic Metallic British BritishRacing RacingGreen, Green,Black Blackfull full leather leatherinterior, interior,Remote Remotecentral central door doorlocking, locking,Power Powersteering, steering,Alloy Alloy Wheels, Wheels,Leather Leathersteering steeringwheel, wheel, Twin Twinchrome chromeexhausts, exhausts,Driver Driverand and passenger passengerairbags, airbags,Head Headgasket gasket replaced, replaced,Stainless Stainlesssteel steelheater heaterpipes pipes 47500 47500miles, miles,Mot MotJune June2017.

2017.

Matching Matchinghardtop hardtopwith withheated heatedrear rear window. window.£2,200 £2,200ono. ono.Contact Contact 07780 07780880457 880457(W. (W.Yorkshire) Yorkshire)

1972 1972MGB MGBGT GT

Tax Taxexempt exemptMGB MGBGT GTwith with84,270 84,270 miles mileson onthe theclock, clock,with withaafile filefull fullofof receipts receiptsand andMOTs MOTscertificates certificatesdating dating back backto to1996 1996when whenI Ibelieve believethe theMG MG was wasrestored. restored.Original Originalchrome chrome bumpers, bumpers,manual manualgearbox gearboxwith with working workingoverdrive, overdrive,and andwire wirewheels wheels which whichhave havebeen beenpowder powdercoated. coated.

Petrol Petroltank tankreplaced replacednow nowruns runson on unleaded unleadedfuel, fuel,new newstruts, struts,shock shock absorbers absorbersand and22new new6V 6Vbatteries, batteries,99 Months MonthsMOT MOTstill stillremaining. remaining.The The only onlything thingthat thatititwould wouldbenefit benefitfrom from would wouldbe beaarespray. respray.£4,500.00 £4,500.00ono ono Telephone Telephone07950 07950609757 609757 (Chipping (ChippingNorton, Norton,Oxon) Oxon)

CARS FOR SALE

1950 1950MG MGYA YA

62,000 62,000miles. miles.55new newDunlop Dunloptyres tyres&& tubes. tubes.Recent Recentengine engineoverhaul. overhaul.Starts Starts and andruns runswell well––good goodoil oilpressure. pressure.

New Newbrake brakeshoes shoes.Indicators .Indicatorsfitted. fitted.

Good Goodcondition conditionbut butnot notperfect perfect. .

Workshop Workshopmanual. manual.£9,500. £9,500.Cheshire Cheshire 01477 01477533708 533708or or07899 07899941265 941265

2002 2002MG MGTF TF160 160

94 SAFETY FAST! SEPTEMBER 2016

MG_SafetyFast_Sept16_53-98.indd 94

Very Verytidy tidyfor forage. age.Cream Creamleather leatherseats, seats, Colour Colourmatch matchHardtop, Hardtop,Tonneau Tonneaucover, cover, Rear Rearspoiler, spoiler,Stainless Stainlesssteel steelgrill grillside side vents, vents,Mud Mudflaps, flaps,Spotlights, Spotlights,Folding Folding Windstop.

Windstop.Work Workdone:done:-Headgasket, Headgasket, Cambelts, Cambelts,Waterpump, Waterpump,Stainless Stainlesssteel steel coolant coolantpipes, pipes,Radiator, Radiator,Alternater Alternaterbelt, belt, Battery, Battery,Water Waterlevel levelsensor sensorkit. kit. MOT MOT April.

April.Old OldMOTs. MOTs.Loads LoadsofofHistory, History, 73,000 73,000miles miles£1,796 £1,796ono ono Contact ContactBob Bob01235 01235202888 202888or or 07798941181(Abingdon) 07798941181(Abingdon)

1952 1952MG MGTD TD

1977 1977MGB MGBGT GTV8 V8

The Thelast lastfactory factorymade madeMGB MGBV8 V8totobe be registered.Mainly registered.Mainlysummer summeruse, use,itithas has excellent excellentoriginal originalbodywork bodyworkand andblack black trim trim(only (only19 19V8s V8swere wereproduced producedininthis this rare rarecolour). colour).The Thefull fullservice servicehistory history from fromnew newisisavailable availableand andwas wascarried carried out outinitially initiallyby bythe theformer formerMG MGfactory factory foreman. foreman.The TheOriginal OriginalV8 V8wheels wheelsare are included. included.Sensible Sensibleoffers offersaround around£14,000 £14,000 for forthis thisexquisite exquisitecar. car.Phone Phoneprivate private owner owneron on01844 01844292198 292198or or 07803 07803131007(m).

131007(m). email: email:david@sporting-eights.co.uk david@sporting-eights.co.uk Located LocatedininNorth NorthBucks, Bucks,UK. UK. (8(8miles milesfrom fromM40 M40Junction Junction8A) 8A)

1999 1999MGF MGFVVC VVC

1950 1950MG MGTD TD

Genuine GenuineCar Carfor forSale.

Sale. Complete Complete except exceptfor forfront frontwings. wings.

LHD, LHD,black blackwith withgreen greeninterior, interior, correct correctXpag Xpagengine enginewith withmatching matching numbers. numbers.For Forfull fullrestoration. restoration.

Dry DryStored Stored- -Only Only£5,750. £5,750.

Phone Phone01594 01594835659 835659

How to Advertise

Members can advertise their cars free of charge in Safety Fast! The advert will also be posted on the Club website in due course. This is for one insertion only. To place an advert or for additional insertions email Colin Grant at colingrant@mgcc.co.uk with details of your car, around 60 words, together with an attached picture, your contact information, price of your car, the area where you live, and membership number.

Cost for non-members to advertise is £20. All adverts should be submitted by the 15th of the month for the following months issue.

1998 MGF

74,500 miles mot new alloy wheels recently fitted new exhaust, battery, w drives faultlessly n immaculate interio multiplay CD play Steve on 07769 6

1954 MG TF 15

December 1954. Or Serial number HDP XPEG/524.

35 years in New Ze in 1989 for full rebu www.mgcc.co.uk and unleaded polishe Recorded mileage 3 miles since 1989 reb condition inside and 23/08/2016 17:50 screens and tonneau

PETER BEST www.classicinsurance.co.uk

The best policies for either classic or modern MGs

Call for a quote today

01621 840400

MGA • MGB • MGC • MG Midget MGF and MGTF Specialists Prestige MG is a specialist company dedicated to looking after MG sports cars from MGA to MG TF – and everything in between. With over 30 years in the automotive business, we have the experience to provide a total service and repair solution for your MG. Our modern workshop is fully equipped to service, repair or renovate your MG. • Re-commissioning • MOT Preparation • Scheduled Servicing • Body Repairs • Performance Upgrades • Diagnostic Services

• K-series Head Gasket Replacement • MGF Steering Sensor Reset • Collection and Recovery Services • Four wheel alignment

Bourne Brook Farm, Sutton Road, Mile Oak, Tamworth, B78 3DX 01827 259340, 07790 912241 info@prestigemg.co.uk, http://www.prestigemg.co.uk

www.mgcc.co.uk

MG_SafetyFast_Sept16_53-98.indd 95

SEPTEMBER 2016 SAFETY FAST! 95

23/08/2016 17:50

CL ASSIFIEDS

SPARES FOR SALE How to Advertise

Members can advertise their spares for sale/wanted free of charge for items up to £250. Over £250, or for non-members to advertise, there is a charge of £20.

To submit your advertisement email Colin Grant at colingrant@mgcc.co.uk. Please remember to include your membership number in all correspondence

MGB Mk1 Second hand parts All in good condition.

Radiator original ARH260, £50.

Three blade metal fan yellow 12H1058, £20. Fuel Pump positive earth AUF305, £20. Bracket fuel pump (new) AHH6709, £4. Heater matrix original 17H2287, £40.

Heater fan motor 17H2288, £10.

Heater rotor (fan) 17H1301, £10.

Hub for disc wheels (front) BTB361, £50(pair). Bonnet pull (B) AHH6426, £10. Fuel gauge restored BHH4470, £20. Other parts:Storm Hood for roadster£20. Carburettor marked AUD543R £30. Buyer to collect.

All items sold as seen. Many other small parts available.

Phone Alan 01908 696527

Books

The Golden Age of British Motoring. Classic Cars from 19001940 by Roy Bacon – V. Good condition. Motor Racing – The Golden Age 1900-1970, John Tennant, intro

by Jackie Stewart – A1 condition.

David’s Diary, quest for the ’98 Formula 1 Championship – Condition A1. A-Z of Grand Prix Cars by David Hodges – A1 condition. Grand Prix Men by Ted Macauley, A1 Condition. The Lewis Hamilton Story by Bruce Jones – A1 condition. The concise encyclopaedia of Formula 1 by David Tremayne – Condition A1. Formula 1, race by race guide by David Tremayne – condition A1. F1 Grand Prix 200 by Murray Walker – condition A1. Formula 1 by Damon Hill – 2 books, mint. Tel: 01594 826082 (Forest of Dean)

MG Models

1950’s Corgi TF Red and BRG. Dinky MG GTs, colours: Teal Blue, Orange, V8 Damask Red. TD white with lady driver LHD. MGB harvest gold roadster with driver and female passenger. All £20 each inc P&P. All mint and boxed.

01494 813903

Motalita Steering Wheel

MOTALITA 14" flat mahogany steering wheel with polished spokes and MG horn push, very good condition, good colour match for RV8 dash in particular, boss not included.

Price £95-00 plus carriage at cost.

Peter Kuruber 01643 703453.

96 SAFETY FAST! SEPTEMBER 2016

MG_SafetyFast_Sept16_53-98.indd 96

MGA Parts

Chrome wire wheels, four 4.5 J x 15, sixty spokes vgc. Crankshaft, needs a grind. Four speed gearbox and prop shaft. New unused clutch plate. Offers, Adrian Price 01590 683120 ajrp44@tiscali.co.uk

MG Books

The MG Companion by Kenneth Ullyett. £20. MGB Special Tuning by BMC. £10. How to Power Tune MGB 4 Cylinder Engines by Peter Burgess. £15. Tuning Rover V8 Engines by David Hardcastle (Hardback). £15 How to give your MGB V8 Power (Updated) by Roger Williams. £15 MG TF Workshop Manual.

Brooklands Technical Books. £15 MGF & TF Restoration Manual, signed by Roger Parker. £20 All offered in good clean condition.

Post and packing at cost. Contact Ralph on 01823 335657 (Taunton).

Email ralphc136@gmail.com

MG TF Heater Knob

MG TF 2002 on, heater control knob part number JFD000071, £8.

Contact Lynden on 01606 784690 or 07900305747

MGA Wheels

MGA 1958 – 4 wire wheels including tyres, 48 spoke, 15” diameter.

Require refurbishment. £100 o.n.o.

Contact 01283 841011 (Staffs)

MGB and Midg

MGB Engine and n for spares or repa axles, many other All cheap to clear, (South Bucks) buy

MG PA

Original body tub, excellent scuttle t panel. £175. Phone

MG TD Spares

Set of 5 steel whee 5 Hub Caps c/w w 2 Front brake dru 2 Rear brake drum £200-00 the lot.

Collect only Stroud Contact jack.nora telephone 01285 7

MGF Spares

Workshop manual deflector, Mike Sat Paul on 07768 376 eldridge.paul@btin (Croydon)

ENV Pre-selec

No R 251 for sale. believed all in good prepared and kept Riley Ulster Imp be John Gathercole. Po close ratio gearing.

Conway Hall. email conwayhall@btope telephone 07860 54

RV8 Wheels

MGB 5 Rostyle Wheels

Silver painted. No rust. 185/70x14 tyres 6mm. Deliver free 50mile radius. Offers 07836 501308 (rye sussex) chrisgomez53@gmail.com

Set of standard RV8 good condition com caps with improved bolts, steel valves an Continental tyres w tread. Price £800-00 can deliver free wit Minehead, Somerse Peter Kuruber 0164

Books

MGA Parts

MGA grille - flat, £250 ono Re-chromed front bumper, £75 ono Floor fastening kit, £30 ono Headlight rims, 2, £30 ono Steering wheel Badge offers Tom 07786 337219.

1955 MG Parts

The MG – F Wilso (Shire Album 152, The Classic MG Ye R L Knudson 1974 Stephen Meadow

SPARES W

XPEG engine and gearbox from a 1955 TF together with numerous otherparts, hubs,discs,wheels,etc,all in good running order.

Tel 01548-531574 Email jbishop27@hotmail.co.uk

Wanted

MGA Parts

Battery cover panel £35. Petrol cap, spout, hose and clips, original £75.

01344 424258

XPAG engine and gearbox for MG T engine for possible 01344 424258

XPAG Engine

Wanted

Newly Built, 1350cc lightened and balanced fast road engine for sale on an exchange basis. Phone for complete spec.Tel: Ron Wand on 01422 823649, collection only. (W.Yorkshire)

MGB Chrome fron or Leyland. New o item. Good price p excellent condition

Wanted

MGA MK2 diff 4.1 MG TD TF YA YB s any condition cons Alan Reed 01432 alanreed48@yaho

www.mgcc.co.uk

23/08/2016 17:50

ostyle wheels, Nexens and 2 elli. l with legal 5 or offer.

mote. may also 20. eels, four ack leather tham on 4.5 J x 07866 241841 gc.

Crankshaft, HRW and stand

ur£250 speed gearbox ew stopunused £60 clutch ever an Price 01590 £30 reed

by John iscali.co.uk orkshop manu-

ition £25:00 on by Kenneth

heck seats ession. £20:00 on Kenneth on) £180 ingbyby BMC Special Tuning by ept' £10:00 tted outdoor

Power Tune Engines

by MGB

by Peter Burgess.

S5:00 actory by by Brian V8 Engines

chrome wire

Hardback). £15 Goodyear Engines by MGB V8 Power 5 SR 15 tyres £15:00 er Williams. £15 ne Rover V8 Manual.

Hammill.£15:00 stop from£15 cal Books.

MGB V8 RV8 Manual, £60 ation Williams 90 arker. £20 at cost clean condition.

335657 t01823 cost. Contact 35657 (Taunton). gmail.com

GTF hood stor-

r Knob ys New, Black n from heater control s,please minilite pat4 4NR. 0r JFD000071, £8. away 0208 on 01606 784690 4.1:1, 5.3:1, each. Can post 07403521034 n)

with electrics re wheels including t of paint but ”but diameter. collection ment. o.n.o. ry(or£100 Bristol, 1011 (Staffs) arrangement). s4.surplus to

00.00 the pair

de (not quite ry serviceable)

also very serv-

e Wheels g rack £ 80.00 rust. 185/70x14 2607 email er free 50mile ellams.co.uk 36 501308 (rye

ez53@gmail.com

5.8:1 £75 - £100 each. Can post Please call Philip 07403521034 (Plymouth, Devon)

MG RV8

Pair of door cards surplus to requirements £100.00 the pair

TMGB Typeand Spares Midget Parts M.G.T.D. MGBbumper Engine non(not o/d quite gearbox XPAW block.and Bored to Rear blade concourse verypistons serviceable) for spares but or repair.

Midget and back 1500(Edney) with £35.00 axles,£400. many B&G other camshaft B & Midgetlittle parts. rods One steel wheel also very servAll cheap clear, 01494 813903 used £75.to Alloy rocker cover iceable. £ 30.00 (South Bucks) to collect. with vent £50.buyer Alloy tappet side Left hand steering rack £ 80.00 plate (Moss) Combined Phone 01943 £50.

872607 email MG PAgauge needs refurb oil/temp sde@stevedavidellams.co.uk Original tub,no doors, £30.

Newbody oil pressure regulator excellent top anddriven drip £50.

New scuttle 8inch clutch panel.£20 £175. Phone 01594 835659 plate MGB 1800 engine 1971 ZA/ZB Spares No RWE-H2061 with O.D gearMG TD Spares box inc. all instruments and Unique prisSet of 5 and steel unobtainable wheels (nice condition) ancillaries 34,000 miles stored tine new/ unused horn nuts. push.

5 Hub Caps c/w wheel many years. Also full Webasto Stored40 yearsdrums unblemished 2 Front brake roof, tailgate with wipers and chrome and badge complete 2 Rear brake drums one good Rostyle wheel with with wiring. flat All steering £200-00 theFits lot.ZAtyre. new Michelin XAs must wheel only. go.

Offers to£200.

01243Gloucestershire.

576337 Collect only Stroud, (West Sussex) Pair new Wire wheel adapt or or Contact jack.nora@jaeno.co.uk

hubs bolt on to rear axle £30 telephone 01285 760310 Distributor Lucas DM2 with MGF Spares MG BGT V8 Pair front hubs clamp /leads.

Three original wheels, verywind Workshop manual £10.inGlass c/w excellent King pins/ bushes, poor condition, especially the deflector, Mike Satur, £20. Surplus Contact bearings,drums ,linings. chrome Would beor OK for Paul Wore onrims.

07768 376conversion 775 email: from wheel refurbishment. Wheels FREE eldridge.paul@btinternet.com £75.

New, unpainted steel rear but must be collected from (Croydon) indicator mounting pods883640 c/w Ascot Berks.

Tel: 01344 lights £55 ZB diff. 4.55 ifindicator interested/need directions.

ENV Pre-select Gearbox ratio £30 No R 251 for sale. Sold as seen but

MGB Spares believed all in good working order as

Pr wire wheel hubs axlefor 1970 MGBGT prepared and kept as aon spare shafts for early(banjo axle) car Abandoned project breaking for Riley Ulster Imp belonging to the late spares has wire wheels and with lim£50 post small items.

JohnCan Gathercole.

Possibly fitted ited bitscollects still available.

Phone Buyer larger items. close ratio gearing.

Offers to: 01522 727586 (day) 01476 davidjburgess123@gmail.com Conway Hall. email: 210191 (eve) for details orconwayhall@btopenworld.com 07768 775600 or (Lincoln) telephone 07860 541393

MGTF Daytona Seat Cover

RV8 Wheels Brand new in its original Set of standard RV8 wheels in very MGRover packaging. Will fitsteel good MGA conditionlightened complete with centre either theimproved driver orallen passenger caps with security flywheel with twin seat. £45 plus £8 P&P or old collect bolts, steel valvesclutch and 4 year plate fitted For more information contact Continental tyres with about 6 mm Used/ hand Colin the£800-00 MGsecond Car Club on or tread.at Price plus carriage plus another twin 01235 555552.

(Abingdon) can deliver free within 50 miles plate of

clutch assembly, again Minehead, Somerset. used. £500 ono Peter Kuruber 01643 703453

WANTED

Books

The MGMGB – WANTED F Wilson McComb engine and

gine 1971 £250 ono

with O.D £75 gearbumper, ono and t,ments £30 ono 0£30 miles onostored full offers Webasto adge wipers and 19.

e wheel with ts s tyre. All must gearbox from a 43 576337

with numerous discs,wheels,etc,all rder.

4 hotmail.co.uk

heels, in very specially the OK cap, for luld £35.be Petrol heels FREE ps, original £75. cted from 01344 883640 d directions.

c lightened and engine for sale on Phone for complete d on 01422 only.

(W.Yorkshire) ct breaking for

wheels and limable. Phone ay) 01476 details

(Shire sccr Album 152, 1990) MGB gearbox with or withoverdrive gearbox Theoverdrive Classic MG Year Book 1973 as – out The gearbox is just R L Knudson 1974body panels MGB Aluminium it was many years ago Stephen Meadow Bulkhead 01624 818163 MG ZRwhen Express taken out cage the MG ZR Walnut dash items ( pre car. facelift) As Genuine far as IMG know, MG ZR mats it is in full working order.

The Please contact Bob MacGillivray Wanted engine on the on 07870 407111 orbumper, emailother MGB Chrome front BMC hand bits but mgcarsscotland@gmail.com or Leyland.

Newisorin rechromed

SPARES WANTED

item. Good price paid.

Must be complete – although, excellent condition. it has also 01494 been813903 in the

WANTED

for many Pair ofshed sills for 1991 MG years.

Wanted £500 Montego saloon.

Tel ono Robert XPAG engine and ancillaries, 01436860664 or email gearbox for MG TA. Have VA 1500 email enginerobertik@btinternet.com for possible part exchange.

Original 1500 (Nr Glasgow) 01344 424258

cylinder head casting

Never been used or Wanted

had MGAeven MK2 WANTED diff 4.1valves ratio. fitted, MG wire wheels.

MG TD TFTC YA in YB my steering wheel been shed for considered.

Ifany youcondition have two second handono many years. £500 Alan Reed 01432 270861 (2.5" x reasonable wire wheels alanreed48@yahoo.co.uk 19", 48 spoke) lurking in the back of your garage perhaps you would consider selling www.mgcc.co.uk them?

I would be most grateful www.mgcc.co.uk if you could call. Kind regards James, tel; 07779423847

MG_SafetyFast_Sept16_53-98.indd 97 MG_SafetyFast_Aug16_51-98.indd 97

MGB Spares

Pr wire wheel hubs on axle shafts for early(banjo axle) car £50 Can post small items.

Buyer collects larger items. davidjburgess123@gmail.com or 07768 775600

MGTF Daytona Seat Cover Wanted

Brand new in its original 4 x centre lock alloy wheels MGRover packaging. Will fit (Minilite 15 x 5.5. either thereplicas), driver orsize passenger Must £45 be inplus good£8 condition.

07734 seat.

P&P or collect 775183 orinformation rongittings47@yahoo.co.uk For more contact Colin at the MG Car Club on 01235 555552.

(Abingdon) Wanted MGB GT

Chrome bumper model required

by MGCC member. Must be red or blue colour, in good condition with sunroof. Contact Paul on WANTED 020 8657 or 07768 MGB sccr4515 gearbox with 376775. or withEmail photos and details to out overdrive MGB Aluminium body panels eldridge.paul@btinternet.com

WANTED

MG ZR Express Bulkhead cage MG ZR Walnut dash items ( pre Wanted facelift) Does anyone know of my wife’s MG ZR Genuine MG mats MGB GT, 1974, Bob Reg. No. ROC Please contact MacGillivray 60M, Colour, Blaze.or(Red/Orange) ? on 07870 407111 email She sold the car in 1995, to a mgcarsscotland@gmail.com

gentleman, name of Tim Collins, from the Stamford, Lincs./East WANTED Midlands area. She would now very Pair of sills for 1991 MG much like to buy it back.

Montego saloon. Tel Robert Any informationorwould 01436860664 emailbe greatly appreciated.

MGCC member. email robertik@btinternet.com Telephone 01384 422178.

(Nr Glasgow) E-Mail, ldb150@hotmail.co.uk.

WANTED MG TC wire wheels.

Pair of front hubs for MGA 1500 If you have two second hand (drum brake) model.

Have(2.5" you x reasonable wire wheels converted yourlurking MGA toindiscs 19", 48 spoke) the and still have the garage old hubsperhaps lying about ? back of your you would selling Please emailconsider d.e.butler@ntlworld.com them?

I would most grateful or phone 01234be407351

CL ASSIFIEDS

ANY MG WANTED ANY CONDITION ANY CONDITION

07774 484497 484497 •• 01923 01923 840236 840236 07774 ejwhitescars@aol.com ejwhitescars@aol.com www.mgandporsche.com www.mgandporsche.com Northwood,Middlesex Middlesex Northwood,

www.mgandporsche.com www.mgandporsche.com TO ADVERTISE IN THE NEXT ISSUE OF THE MARQUE OF FRIENDSH IP

June 2016 Volume 60 Number 06

Wanted

SPARES FOR SALE

if you could call. Kind regards James, tel; 07779423847

THE

CLUB

LT D

FOUNDED 1 930

●

GREEN ENVY

●

2 016 R EG E N C Y RUN

MGA Parts MGB and Midget Parts C O N TA C T U S O N 014 5 2 7 3 07 70 6_Cover.indd 1

16/05/2016 17:23

Chrome wire wheels, four 4.5 J x

T H E M A R Q U E O15,FsixtyF spokes R I E vgc.

N DCrankshaft, SHIP

How to Advertise

CAR

ABINGDON - O N -T H A M ES

MGLIVE! 201 6 MG_SafetyFast_June1

MGB Engine and non o/d gearbox for spares or repair. Midget back axles, many other B & Midget parts.

All cheap to clear, 01494 813903 (South Bucks) buyer to collect.

needs a grind. Four speed gearbox Members can advertise their and prop shaft. New unused clutch spares for sale/wanted free of plate. Offers, Adrian Price 01590 4Sight Lighting Company................................77 MG Sales Centre .............................................37 charge for items up to £250. Over 683120 ajrp44@tiscali.co.uk Adrian Flux ......................................................77 MGF Mania......................................................59 £250, or for non-members to Airflow .............................................................81 Midland Classic MGRestoration PA ..............................3 ORIGINAL & UNUSED USED/SECONDHAND PARTS Barrie Carter ...................................................89 Mike Authurs Classics .....................................89 £20. of charge a is there advertise, 2 original unopened VP lead/copperMG bearing Original body tub,no Barry Walker ....................................................93 Books The following are original and quality items, doors, Mike Rolls ........................................................81 sets, conrod, std advertisement your To submit Beech Hill Garage............................................96 that have not been made overseas.

I believe I scuttle top and drip 1 original unopened VP lead/copperThe bearing MG Classics Companion

by Kenneth MJS Autoexcellent and Marine .....................................61 Brian Brown .......................................89 have valued these fairly also at around £1,000 at Grant +0.10 Colinconrod emailsets, Moss Europe Ltd .............................................61 British Motor Heritage ......................................23 panel. £175.

Phone 01594 835659 Ullyett. £20.

MGB Special Tuning by but they all have to go as a job lot so make me 1 original unopened VP lead/copper bearing Motor Wheel Services .....................................95 Brown and Gammons.....................................15 Please colingrant@mgcc.co.uk. sets, conrod Big end any kind of a reasonable off er and I will accept.

BMC. £10.&How to Centre Power Tune MGB Norton Insurance ............................................53 Bucks Sports Classic Car .................89 2 original unopened bearing 1 Steering rack completeMG TD Spares yourVP lead/copper Chertsey to include remember MinorsEngines .............................................73 sets, conrod Mains 4 Cylinder by Peter Burgess. NTG Services................................................OBC 1 gearbox layshaft unused but does need Church Square Autos ......................................87 Various number unused in VPall shells (half packets?) membership Oselli Ltd..........................................................68 Set of 5 steel wheels (nice condition) £15.

V8 Enginesup by cleaning ClassicTuning & SportsRover Cars (Essex) .........................IFC 1 new and unused Weber inlet manifold Paul Depper MGs............................................75 correspondence Hub Caps c/w wheel 1 original crankshaft, lightened/balanced etc – nuts.

I Large selection of engine Gaskets including Classic and Retro.............................................26 David Hardcastle (Hardback). £15 Peter Best5..........................................IBC, 73, 95 many sump, seals, other gaskets etc,Colin Groom Vehicle Storage ..........................77 feel sure it is ok as I wouldnʼt have kept it, if it 2 .....................................................95 Front brake drums unopened copper head gasket set How giveBurford your...................................79 MGB V8 Power Prestige MG College to Motors wasnʼt!

1 original unused rear brake drum Colne Classics .................................................71 Rees Bros2........................................................95 gearbox £15 selector forks Rear brake drums MGB2 Mk1 Second hand (Updated)

by Roger3 Williams. unused steering rackparts boots Retro Sports Cars ...........................................53 Crown Classic Cars .........................................71 2 kingpins + 7 top/bottom knuckles £200-00 the lot. oil filters All in21good condition.

MG Workshop Manual.

DennisTF Welch...................................................91 Rimmer Bros Ltd .............................................20 4 half shafts, 2 coarse spline, 2 fine spline inline fuel filter Distributor Doctor.............................................71 Collect only Stroud,.............73 Gloucestershire.

RJJ Car Shipping and Transportation 1 cooper s contact Radiator original ARH260,set£50.

Brooklands Technical Books. £15 1 engine mounting Trimming ..................................................71 Robin Lackford Motor Engineering .................59 2 new sets Ferodo Brake pads (3 potDon Rover Contact jack.nora@jaeno.co.uk or 1 box double valve springs – I think unused but EJW Classic sports...................................97 Threetype) blade metal fan yellow MGF & TFandRestoration Manual, RPS Ltd............................................................77 it does need cleaning uptelephone a bit 01285 760310 3 unused distributors. drive gears Fishers Services...............................................59 Runnymede Motor Company..........................83 12H1058, £20. Fuel Pump positive signed by Roger Parker. £20

ADVERTISERS’ INDEX

PARTS FOR SALE

2 drive gears oil

1 box various rear light bits Round type, seals, Footman James ..............................................57

Wanted

4 x centre (Minilite re Must be in 775183 or

Wanted

Chrome b

by MGCC blue colou sunroof. C 020 8657 4 Email phot eldridge.pa

Wanted

Does anyo MGB GT, 1 60M, Colo She sold th gentleman, from the S Midlands a much like Any inform appreciate Telephone E-Mail, ldb1

Scenic Car Tours.......................................19, Frontline ..........................................................45 bushes, bearings, brake seals etc 29 timing tensioner earth1AUF305, £20. Bracket fuel All offered in goodsuspension clean condition.

SMR.................................................................89 1 box assorted steering bushes, seals all ....................................................79 Hallsetc Garage 1 engine timing gear MGF Spares pumpunused (new) AHH6709, £4. Heater Post andTransmission packing...................................73 at2cost.

Contact Steve McKie Sports Cars .................................73 Heathrow steering rod ends Workshop manual £10. Glass wind put the cost of all of the above to be just .........................................................73 over Hindsight Surrey Sports & Classics .................................91 matrixI£1,000 originaltaken 17H2287, £40.

Ralph on 01823 335657 (Taunton).

1 starter motor into account that theseHoyle areSuspension all ............................................48 Sussex Classic Car PartsMike .................................11 deflector, Satur, £20. Contact 4 850 Norton Commando pistons+ 0.40” used original and quality items, notCooper been Heater fan motor 17H2288, £10.that haveEmail ralphc136@gmail.com John ......................................................6 Sussex Sports Cars .........................................73 but good, complete (I think used once). made overseas. I donʼt even know if you can Paul onNash07768 376 775 or email: Just Right Autos Ltd.........................................30 Heater (fan) 17H1301, TCS Media/Carole stillrotor get original VP lead£10. copper shells for MGʼs, 1 850 Norton Commando pistonsInsurance std .................48 Kimble Engineering Ltd ...................................73 eldridge.paul@btinternet.com been a long time. All parts must go, so please The Car Workshop ...........................................97 4 Knob pistons boxed minus top rings + 0.60 MG TFTyresHeater Hub for disc wheels (front) BTB361, Longstone .............................................42 make me an offer: The Hutson Motor Co Ltd ..................................3 (Croydon) Manor Garage ................................................71 MG TFso2002 on, heater..................87 controlme The £50(pair). Bonnet pullAll (B) parts AHH6426,must go, Automobile please anMGoff er:Company..........................6 Martin Smith Used MGTF Sparesmake Vitesse Global Ltd ...........................................26 knob part number JFD000071, £8. £10. Fuel gauge restored BHH4470, MG Mecca .......................................................87 Eric Hoult on 07872521382 or email at ejhoult@googlemail.com ENVCORRECT Pre-select Gearbox MG Motorsport ...............................................75 AT TIME OF GOING TO PRESS Contact Lynden on 01606 784690 Webcon ..........................................................68 £20. Other parts:Storm Hood for Wanted No R 251 for sale. Sold as seen but or 07900305747 roadster£20. Carburettor marked Pair of fron all in good working AUGUSTbelieved 2016 SAFETY FAST! 97 order as AUD543R £30. Buyer to collect.

SEPTEMBER 2016 SAFETY FAST! 97 (drum brak prepared and kept as a spare for All items sold as seen. Many other MGA Wheels converted Riley Ulster Imp belonging to the late small parts available.

MGA 1958 – 4 wire wheels including still have th John Gathercole. Possibly fitted with Phone Alan 01908 696527 23/08/2016 18:03Please emai tyres, 48 spoke, 15” diameter. close ratio gearing. Offers to:22/07/2016 17:33

LOOKING BACK IF YOU CAN TELL US MORE ABOUT ANY OF THESE CARS OR THE EVENTS, WE ARE ALWAYS KEEN TO HEAR FROM YOU AT KIMBER HOUSE; CONTACT THE MGCC ARCHIVIST PETE NEAL ON PETERNEAL@MGCC.CO.UK.

The official publication of The MG Car Club Incorporating ‘The M.G. Magazine’, ‘The Sports Car’ and ‘Brooklands Track and Air’, Safety Fast!

Copyright MG Car Club 2016 Editor: Andy Knott 01235 849730 / 01235 555552 andyknott@mgcc.co.uk Deputy Editor: Colin Grant 01235 849733 colingrant@mgcc.co.uk Editorial Committee: William Ball, Dennis Wharf, Colin Grant, Adam Sloman PR and Communications: Lauran Gallacher 01235 849735, Chris Kynoch 01235 849731 Advertising: Hine Marketing 01452 730770 Published by: Hine Marketing, Hill Farm Studios, Wainlodes Lane, Bishops Norton Glos, GL2 9LN. Tel: 01452 730770 Printed by: Precision Colour Printing. Haldane, Halesfield 1, Telford, Shropshire TF7 4QQ Tel: 01952 585585 President: John Day Vice Presidents: Ron Gammons, Don Hayter, Peter Best.

Chairman: Ian Quarrington Vice Chairman: George Wilder

T

he Caledonian Centre enjoying a rather damp ferry crossing from McInroy’s Point to Hunters Quay on the Firth of Clyde. Can you tell us anything more about the event, including the year in which it took place?

We have no details at all regarding this photo. Perhaps you can tell us more about this unique looking MMM car and of course the gentleman removing/ replacing the rocker cover.

We round off this month’s dip into the picture files with this Derek Hibbert photo of John G? and his wife Frances setting about the Blue Hills Mine section of what we assume to be the Lands End

Treasurer: Richard Colston Directors: Dave Saunders, Paul Plummer, William Ball, George Wilder, Dave Tynan and Peter Cook

Trial. More information regarding this event including an approximate date would be very welcome.

Company Secretary: Colin Grant Staff Members: Adam Sloman (General Manager 01235 849732), John Hutchison (Competitions Secretary 01235 849738), Andy Knott (01235 849730), Liz Allsworth (Membership Secretary 01235 849734), Colin Grant (01235 849733), Lauran Gallacher (01235 849735), Cherina Scarrott (Finance Officer 01235 849736), Chris Kynoch (01235 849731) and Ineke Sherman (Merchandise 01235 849731) Honorary Members: Michael Allison, Ron Gammons, Peter Best, Don Hayter, John Quenby, Sir Stirling Moss, Paddy Hopkirk, Norman Ewing, Rob Oldaker, Steve Hanegan, Gerry McGovern, June Wallis, Ann Hawke, John Dutton, John Day, Julian White, Bill Silcock.

Company limited by guarantee The Club, as a corporate body established as the MG Car Club Limited, is a company limited by guarantee. Every member of the Club undertakes to contribute to the assets of the Club in the event of its being wound up while he is a member, or within one year after he ceases to be a member, for payment of the debts and liabilities of the Club contracted before he ceases to be a member, and the costs, charges and expenses of winding up, and for the adjustment of the rights of the contributors among themselves, such amount as may be required, not exceeding one pound.

Whilst every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of information at the time of going to press, neither The Publisher (herein referred to as Hine Marketing), the Editor, nor the MG Car Club can accept any responsibility or loss occasioned to any person acting or refraining from action as a result of any material in the publication.

The opinions of authors are their own and Hine Marketing, the Editor and the MG Car Club are not bound to agree with opinions expressed herein. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited. Safety Fast! and The MG Car Club badge are protected through trademark registration in the UK and in the foreign countries where Safety Fast! circulates. Readers are warned that if they attempt any mechanical or other modifications or methods referred to herein, they do so at their own risk and no liability will attach to the MG Car Club, the Editor nor Hine Marketing. Neither shall the MG Car Club, the Editor nor Hine Marketing have any responsibility for the accuracy of the content of the editorial, neither the content of any advertisement published in Safety Fast!

It should be noted that neither Hine Marketing, the Editor, nor the MG Car Club make any recommendation in respect of any goods and/ or services advertised or featured in this issue. It is the responsibility of readers to satisfy themselves that the goods or services offered or referred to are bona fide and in no instance shall Hine Marketing, the Editor or the MG Car Club be held responsible for the quality or suitability of any such items.

The MG Car Club, Kimber House, PO Box 251, Abingdon, Oxon, OX14 1FF Tel: 01235 555552 Fax: 01235 533755 E-mail: mgcc@mgcc.co.uk www.mgcc.co.uk

98 SAFETY FAST! SEPTEMBER 2016

MG_SafetyFast_Sept16_53-98.indd 98

If visiting The MG Car Club using Sat Nav please use OX14 1AS

www.mgcc.co.uk

23/08/2016 17:50

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Parts for TA to TF 1936-55, YA YB YT, MGA & Magnette.

Secure online shopping at: www.mgbits.com or by phone.

Worldwide shipping. Free CD ROM catalogue on request

Mike (with TD) & Paul (with MGA) outside our Ipswich premises

SUMMER SALE

Trim & Weather Equipment Part No. Description SO1 SO3 SO4 SO6 So9 SO10 SO11 SO12 SO13 SO14 SO15

Seat kit - Beige TC Seat cover + panel kit - Apple Green - TC Interior kit - Red - TA/B Sidescreen covers - Black double duck - TA/B Half tonneau - Black Stayfast* TC Full tonneau - Tan mohair TD Full tonneau - Black canvas YT Armrest - Black on grey carpet MGA Coupe Cover/piping - cockpit capping Black/White MGA Roadster Stowage bag - sidescreen - Red MGA Roadster Overmats 2pc RHD Black/Black MGA * Stayfast: superior canvas

C537D MGA 1500 - 1600 Grille slat set

£97.50 inc VAT

Special Offer Price (incl.VAT) £535.20 £888.00 £432.00 £288.00 £264.00 £336.00 £384.00 £87.60 £57.60 £105.60 £45.60

Normal Price (incl. VAT) £645.87 £1080.00 £535.71 £451.88 £352.42 £465.75 £414.69 £119.36 £79.26 £154.98 £57.37

C813 TA/B/C Polished stainless luggage rack - our own design

£210.00 inc VAT

NTG Motor Services Ltd 282-284 Bramford Road Ipswich IP1 4AY Tel: +44(0)1473 406031/2 Fax: +44(0)1473 742087 sales@mgbits.com British Motor Heritage Approved - founded 1966

September Cover.indd 4

23/08/2016 17:30