Safety Fast! February 2016

FEBRUARY 2016 £3.50

Volume 60

Number 02

inside this month MG_SafetyFast_Feb16_Covers.indd 1

THE MARQUE OF FRIENDSHIP So you want to refub and MGF/TF MG Car Club History – Part II In conversation with Ted Reeve Working inside the Octagon – Jim O’Neill

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21st Century Technology for the Classic Motorist Startmonkey 400 is a revolutionary new alternative to the heavy battery jump pack. Weighing in at only 1100g and measuring just 210x65x64mm, it will start the 12 volt battery of any 4x4, van, car, boat or motorcycle between 15 and 20 times without requiring a recharge. It will retain 75% of its charge for at least a year. The roadside model connects to your battery with conventional crocodile clips while the motorsport model is fitted with a standard Anderson plug. £199.95 incl UK delivery and VAT. Zircotec has appointed British Motor Heritage as distributor and technical support for their incredible heat management products. Significant reduction in under-bonnet temperatures is possible by coating an exhaust manifold with Zircotec ThermoHold Coating. A range of 14 different coloured ceramic coatings provide the ultimate in thermal barrier performance whilst they are also an attractive durable finish that is easy to maintain. Please call for more information and a quotation to coat your exhaust components.

The Motoring Classic’s Powermonkey Discovery measures only 46x13x114mm yet can recharge an iPhone twice, standard mobile phones 3-4 times, or give iPods / MP3 players up to an additional 120 hours playtime. Simply recharge the unit from your computer USB or a mains charger (not supplied). £45.00 incl UK delivery and VAT.

buy online at www.motoringclassics.co.uk or call 01993 707200

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C

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CLASSIC

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Call 01905 622166

Unit 4, Woodfield Business Units, Kidderminster Road, Ombersley, Droitwich, Worcs, WR9 0JH

LAUNCHING OCTOBER 2015 L A U NPremium C H I car N storage G Osolutions CTO BER 2015 for you, and your vehicle Premium carstorage storagewithin solutions for you, and your vehicle All inclusive a custom designed facility All inclusive storagefully within a custom designed facility Climate controlled, alarmed & monitored 24/7 Climate fully alarmed & monitored 24/7 Discreetcontrolled, location just outside of Stratford-Upon-Avon Discreet location just outside of Stratford-Upon-Avon

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Sussex Classic MG Car Parts Huge range of MGB parts!

We stock MG Midget and MGB GT Roadster Parts and accessories including: bumpers, tuning, body, engine, seats, brakes, clutches, hardtops, windscreen, headlamps, mats, exhausts, chrome wheels, gearboxes, suspension, calipers and catalytic parts.

We sell online and from our premises at Partridge Green, and are always pleased to see visitors even if only for a chat about their cars.

Order your parts online or in store

Phone for our FREE exclusive parts catalogues OPENING TIMES: Mon - Fri: 8.30am – 5pm Sat: Closed

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24/3/10

Sussex Classic Car Parts, Unit 28, Huffwood Trading Estate, 14:38 Page 1 Partridge Green, West Sussex, RH13 8AU +44 (0)1403 711551 www.sussexclassiccar.co.uk

THE HUTSON MOTOR CO. LTD. Parts & Panels for TA to TF

BUY DIRECT FROM THE MANUFACTURER

We manufacture a complete range of top quality ash frames and components, complete panelled bodies, individual steel parts. Full restorations undertaken on all classic cars.

Comprehensive paint shop and trim facilities.

Ash frame skeleton bodies.

Individual ash frame components and steel panels.

• Dashboards • Quarter Panels • Door Frames • Hood Finishers

T-Series ash frame sections & body panels are hand built in our Bradford factory.

Fully assembled complete panelled bodies for TA to TF.

Fast and efficient mail order • Helpful counter assistance Free Price Lists available Please telephone for your copy PAWSON STREET • BRADFORD • WEST YORKSHIRE • BD4 8DF TEL: 01274 669052 • FAX: 01274 669685 • Email: hutsonmc@talk21.com

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www.mgcc.co.uk

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this

issue

February 2016

Ted Reeve in his Class A MG Midget enjoying a hot and sunny MGCC May Bank Holiday race day at Brands Hatch in 2014. Photo: Dennis Wharf

62 MGs on Track MGs on Track invites everybody to try out a track day!

63 Luffield Championship Latest news from the MGCC Luffield Speed Championship

Regulars 7

Editor’s Welcome A summary from Andy Knott

9

From the Chair Club Matters from Ian Quarrington

10 News and more

12 Kimber House News

64 Calendar of Events MGCC forthcoming events

66 Overseas News An Australian Adventure by Greg Smith

68 Overseas Review Safety Fast! keeps tabs on the overseas action

70 Centre Updates News from the MGCC Regional Centres

Progress on the Bill Wallis Wing, archive 82 Register Updates donations and more News from the MGCC Registers

14 Products The latest products in the world of MG

60 Race Torque Autosport 2016 and the MGCC racing season ahead

92 Looking Back A selection of snippets from the MGCC archives

94 Classifieds Cars and Spares offered for sale

16 MGLive! 2016 Tickets, racing and more at the largest MG event in the world

18 So you want to refurbish an MGF/TF Colin Grant looks at what’s involved with getting an MGF/TF back to a good standard

23 Working inside the Octagon A tribute to James Edward O’Neill

28 In conversation with...

Dennis Wharf chats to Ted Reeve

35 Club History Part II The history of the MG Car Club in the early 1930s

Newsletters 39 Triple M Newsletter Making a J2 crank and more

44 Midget Newsletter 1970s Midget Ownership, Colour is in the eye of the beholder and more

50 MGB Newsletter Having a Wale’ of a Time, Jean Denton / Tom Boyce London to Sydney Marathon MGB and more

57 FWD Newsletter The MG FWD Register’s events diary, My Montego Turbo and more

www.mgcc.co.uk

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SOUTH COAST MG ROVER LTD

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email: southcoastmgrover@gmail.com Address: Unit 2f, Sharp Road, Branksome, Poole, Dorset, BH12 4BG

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www.mgcc.co.uk

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WELCOME

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, Victor Smith, Adam Sloman Regular Contributors: Alwyn Morgan

Andy Knott

Words from

Editor

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 Treasurer: Richard Colston Directors: Dave Saunders, Paul Plummer, William Ball, George Wilder, Dave Tynan and Peter Cook 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) and Chris Kynoch (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

The first part of the History of the MG Car Club, published in last month’s issue, seems to have gone down very well, with lots of positive comments especially from the newer members who hadn’t realised what a rich and illustrious history the Club has got. A big part of the early days of the MGCC was Trials; although not as many are held today, the Club still organises a few for our members and attends other clubs’ trials. A few coming up are: the Lands End Trial that the Midland Centre eagerly support, on March 25-26; more details from Brian Osborn on 0121 445 4889. Another trial coming up, organised by our South West Centre, is the Kimber Classic Trial held on Saturday April 9, always a great, well organised event. Full details will be published on the South West Centre website, www.mgccsw.com/ events/2016-calendar/ As well as Trials, there are lots of other events in the MGCC calendar.

The main MGCC website is being constantly updated with events as we’re told about them, www.mgcc.co.uk/events-calendar, also check the relevant Centre and Register notes within this magazine. A few key dates of events that the main MGCC stand will be attending are: February 21 MG Show and Spares Day at Stoneleigh, February 26-28 Race Retro at Stoneleigh, April 10 Brooklands MG Era Day, April 16 Pride of Longbridge held in Cofton Park, opposite the MG Motor factory in Longbridge, July 29-31 Silverstone Classic, August 5-7 Croft Nostalgia Festival and November 11-13 NEC Classic Motor Show.

Within this issue you’ll see the poster and some more information on our MGLive! event, June 4-5, and also included, as an insert, is the booking form for the event. This is the Club’s premier event and attracts MGs from the Vintage era of motoring right through to the latest MG3 and MG6. Held at Silverstone, the home of British Motorsport, racing plays a big role in this event as you can see from Ron’s Race Torque in this issue. Unfortunately the Triple M cars won’t be racing at Silverstone this year. They will however be out at Brands for our two day race meeting April 30-May 1. We’ll bring you more news on that next month.

Last month I mentioned that the Zed range of cars are celebrating their 15th anniversary in 2016. An event to celebrate this occasion, ‘Zed 15’ incorporating Saloon Day, is taking place on Saturday July 9 at the British Motor Museum, Gaydon. Again, we’ll bring you more news next month.

Looks as if 2016 is shaping up to be a busy year.

Until next month, drive safely

@mgcarclub

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

www.mgcc.co.uk

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PRESENTS

THE BARRY BAHNISCH MG & VETERAN CAR LIFETIME COLLECTION AUCTION ON THE 27TH FEBRUARY 2016 AT 1.00PM IN THE SHOWROOM AT 2 TAMINGA STREET, REGENCY PARK, ADELAIDE SA • PHONE (08) 8244 8947

THE STAR OF THE SHOW - MG F2 TYPE • 1933 RS OUER C N COWINN

Star of the show, historic sports race car from Melbourne dealer, Lanes Motors, who fitted lightweight body and entered in the 1933 Australian Grand Prix at Phillip Island and finished third. This was restored by Barry in 2005. A new factory style body and interior fitted and now running strongly and available for historic events.

RS OU NC ER COWINN

RS OU NC ER COWINN

MG TC / 1947 • This stunning early car has had a full restoration.

Very original and correct. Ex concours winner and many club trophies.

MG M TYPE ROADSTER / 1931 • Very rare and original M

MGA COUPE / 1959 • Stunning MGA Coupe has been completely rebuilt and is in excellent running condition and with right hand drive coupes being rare would be a good one for the collector.

MGA MK I ROADSTER / 1959 • This handsome MGA is an older restoration and rebuilt some years ago and was invited and sent to England for the commemorative rally. It finished 3rd outright in the hill climb at Harewood in Yorkshire on the estate of the Queens cousin and now driving strongly and the family favourite.

ROVER 12HP / 1912 • Handsome veteran 12HP originally discovered in a barn in Glenelg and passed on to Barry who finished restoring it over a 6 year period and has been a regular runner since.

The model is distinct with artillery wheels and a short original chassis and is one of the Clegg designed cars.

MG MAGNETTE ZB / 1959 • Last of the Magnette models and

Type. The engine let go on No. 4 piston, block is repairable and engine has a spare conrod to replace the No . 4. Other mechanicals are good and was driven to many events and shows.

one of four delivered to the Adelaide dealers. The body has been totally rebuilt and repainted in its original colours and fitted with a 3.9 diff ratio and MGB engine. Interior redone in leather and timberwork redone plus new wiring loom. Car now requires final assembly.

BIDDING ACCEPTED IN PERSON, PHONE BY ARRANGEMENT OR BIDS ON

bennettsclassicauctions.com.au PRIOR TO 1.00PM START. 10% BUYER’S PREMIUM APPLIES HUMBER 12/20HP / 1910 • This veteran Humber was purchased in

MGB GT / 1969 • This GT makes for an excellent project and is 1971 from a property on Torrens Road and needed full restoration and assembly. part restored from a donor car and has an overdrive gearbox and now Over the last few years Barry has restored it. Reproducing the body using period needing full finish and assembly and a very low reserve. photography. It’s a Coventry Humber with T-head motor and now running strongly.

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FROM

THE CHAIR

Ian Quarrington Club Matters from

Last month I wrote about significant change with the Board Members and with the staff at Kimber House. On Boxing Day last year and again during January, I took the chance whilst on various visits to see how the work on the Bill Wallis Archive wing is changing the view of our Club buildings. The builders have done a wonderful job to match the external brickwork to 11 and 12 Cemetery Road and yet what will be installed and set up inside this brickwork represents a huge change and a significant addition to the benefits of your membership. I cannot emphasise enough how important the Archive Project is to us all. For the first time in the Club’s experience we will be able to share so much more easily the wealth of our history on so many levels. I expect this will generate an enormous amount of interest in the MG Car Club from all over the world and we will no doubt be fielding an increase in enquiries for membership. We are ‘looking forward to being able to look back’. Please do continue to send in any archive material you may wish to share with us, Peter Neil is always grateful for any contributions. On the subject of history, I hope you have been

enjoying the serialisation of the book on the Club History in Safety Fast!.

We are making great progress on other projects too, and I would specifically highlight the Young Persons Initiative and our continuing IT project, both led by Dave Tynan. There is no escaping the fact that the vast majority of the more respected and well established Motor Car Clubs have an ageing membership. The poster and banners we put up at the NEC and other shows tell the world we have been supporting ‘You and your MG since 1930’. The message is clear that we cater for every model of car that carries the famous MG Octagon badge. The newer Registers such as the MGF, ZR/ZS/ZT and the latest, the MG 6.3.5 will be the first to agree we are supporting and encouraging those with the more modern cars, and in many cases that will mean younger folks too, and this initiative is being designed to encourage younger people to embrace our past, present and future.

Peter Skipper did a wonderful job in often very difficult circumstances to lead the IT project to where it stands today. Again, looking back, the work done by Peter and

his committee now means, among other benefits, that the race entry system now runs so much more smoothly: the website, always under review, is now easier and faster to populate: we have a Members Only Area full of information on how to get the best from the Club. Looking forward, the task of how to allow access to the data we hold on your cars is being pushed forward very quickly which will represent a big benefit to all the Registers. It is a particularly hard project to get right so that we keep our data safe and secure, remain within the regulations of the Data Protection Act and yet still provide a service to the membership. Please therefore be patient as we close in on this goal.

Before we know it the racing season will be with us. I am very conscious that few people truly recognise the efforts made by the Racing Committee to keep us as leaders in Car Club Motor Sport. Whilst the majority of us consider the winter as a relatively quiet period, this committee has continued to work each day, voluntarily, to arrange another season of exciting racing.

I am already looking forward to it!

“That settles it: My restoration begins today. I’ve bought a new set of pedal rubbers!” www.mgcc.co.uk

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NEWS NEWSLETTER

John Inness leaving statement After 17 years with MG Car Club, Exhibitions Manager John Inness has recently left the Kimber House team. A familiar face at MGLive! and the Club’s other shows, John, together with his wife Jen have become well-known throughout the MG community.

The Club would like to thank John for his efforts since 1999 and wish him and Jen the very best for the future.

Paddy Hopkirk MBE Congratulation to MGCC Honorary Member Paddy Hopkirk who has received New Year’s Honours in the Queen’s latest list of recipients.

Paddy Hopkirk has been awarded an MBE, again for services to motorsport, but also for his role as a patron of charity SKIDZ, services to young people. Having driven various MGs successfully throughout his career, Paddy is often seen at the MGCC MGLive! event chatting to fans.

Speaking about his MBE to his local newspaper ‘Get Bucks’ he said: “First of all I’m not sure what it is exactly for. I’m just very honoured and I appreciate the people who have written in. I was very, very surprised.”

“It’s just come out of the blue,” he said. “They certainly managed to keep it quiet. Nobody knows about it, except the people that wrote the letters.

“I don’t know what it means, although certainly I’m not going to get up myself. It won’t change my life. It’s just very nice to get.”

He added: “I’m very honoured and flattered and thrilled, of course I am. It’s a nice New Year’s Eve present.”

All of us at the MG Car Club would like to extend our congratulations and best wishes to Paddy on his very much deserved MBE

New year, new deals MG Motor UK finished 2015 on a fantastic high last year with December figures more than doubling those of the previous year; a success that came off the back of a number of great deals that were on offer to all new customers.

This year, MG has decided to start 2016 with a bang and offer not just one, but four incredible offers to its customers.

Those looking to buy a new car need look no further as, with the purchase of the super-fun MG3 or the fully-loaded MG6, customers will be entitled to some of the following offers: £2,000 minimum part exchange – Following an incredible uptake by customers at the end of last year, this incredible offer has been extended until the end of January. Hundreds of customers took advantage of this deal when they exchanged their existing vehicle for a brand new MG at their local dealer. Those who thought they had missed out need only take their old car in, regardless of its make, model or age, and get £2,000 towards a new one.

One year’s free insurance – Everyone loves to save money, so when MG is offering one year’s free insurance on all new 2016 MG3 models, customers won’t be able to resist checking out these great superminis; particularly when the only thing to worry about for the next 12 months is adding fuel. Plus, this offer is also available in conjunction with the £250 Hilton voucher and 0% APR finance deal.

Free hotel break – There’s no better way to celebrate a new car than with a road trip. So, as well as their shiny new car, all MG customers will receive a £250 Hilton Hotel voucher for them to enjoy a weekend getaway.

0% APR finance – The popular deal is available on both the MG3 and MG6. Customers looking to spread the cost of buying their new car over a longer period, and avoid interest charges, will benefit from this great offer.

Terms and conditions do apply to all of the mentioned offers available, so for more information please visit mg.co.uk/offers.

BTCC and Scalextric join forces Two legendary motor racing forces will be coming together in 2016 when world famous toy brand and slot-racing company Scalextric produces a host of officially licensed BTCC products.

The partnership has been in the making for more than a year with both parties now delighted to announce the full range of products that will be available from next summer.

At the very top of the list will be an incredible four-car ‘BTCC Touring Car Challenge’ app-based ARC PRO set, which is the first ever edition in the latest style of slot racing.

The multi-car racing package comes complete with lane-changing track and can even be managed via your mobile device using a specifically designed app.

The cars included in this set will be Colin Turkington’s #1 Team BMR VW, Andrew Jordan’s #77 888 MG, Matt Neal’s #25 Honda Civic Type R and Rob Collard’s #7 WSR BMW 1 Series – all fully replicated from the 2015 BTCC season.

If that isn’t enough, Scalextric will also be producing a further six individual cars for sale, which will include Jack Goff’s #31 888 MG.

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Shop Closure Statement The Club has decided to take the opportunity to review our merchandise and retail operations in order to offer a better range of products, increased choice and better value to MGCC members and the MG community as a whole.

During this period we will be suspending merchandise sales online, at Kimber House and at events we attend. Sales and renewals of Club memberships as well as the purchase of MGLive! tickets will not be affected during this review period.

www.mgcc.co.uk

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NEWS NEWSLETTER

Social News Media Kimber House

Round Up

Photo taken from the new Bill Wallis wing of the hole in the John Thornley Suite

The Bill Wallis Wing has been developing incredibly quickly during the last month, with the John Thornley Suite now showcasing a huge hole in the brickwork where the archive will tail onto. The windows have now been installed, along with the shelf tracks and the entire roof structure.

In January’s Kimber House News, we asked whether or not anyone knew the whereabouts of former racing driver Richard Ide’s MG TC (registration LPC600). Robert Hubbard got back to us, and it was his brother that purchased the car back in 1954. It was kept for two years before it was sold. A few years ago, Robert decided to do some digging to find out where the car had gone, and who had bought it. After not having much luck, Robert got an email roughly a year later from the owner of the car who invited him to come over and see the TC whenever he wanted. The location… Malta!

At the beginning of the month we were blessed with an amazing donation from the widow of a member who had sadly passed away.

A personal letter from Cecil Kimber dating back to 1935, an ‘MG Supremacy’ booklet, and an MG racing document were all included.

Donations like this are truly incredible – it made our archivist Peter Neal’s year, and we’re only just into 2016! If any of our members have documents or items they are looking to get rid of, please get in touch with us first, as they could be very valuable to our archive.

Colin Murrell’s stunning Murrell Monday photo.

January saw us reach a fantastic landmark – 12,000 Facebook likes! Thank you to all of our fans that have liked the page and supported it over the years – it’s great to see so many active members across Facebook, and long may it continue. Another thank you we have to make is to Club Photographer Colin Murrell, whose last Murrell Monday photo was posted in January. Across the ten weeks, Colin’s photos were very well received across the internet and social media.

At the end of December we ran an online competition for the picture of the year, and at the beginning of January we revealed that Andy Brown and his stunning photo of his MGB in the Italian Dolomites had won – with staff members here at Kimber House voting from a selection of eight pictures. It was a true winner – so well done Andy.

The Abingdon Works Centre’s Boxing Day run was publicised across social media, including a Periscope video and a panoramic photo – check that out on Facebook. We also counted down 2015’s top five photos on Instagram (www. instagram.com/mgcarclub), with the train of MGs from the 1970s at the East Dock in Southampton proving to be most popular. We’re approaching 4,000 likes on that now as well, so there have been plenty of milestones to celebrate.

With events coming thick and fast in the coming months, be sure to keep a look out for even more content, and if you haven’t looked at our pages yet then please do – signing up to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram etc. isn’t required.

The MGB of Andy Brown

The Abingdon Works Centre Boxing Day Run

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NEWSLETTER AGM NOTICE NEWS The MG Car Club Limited (‘The Club’) Notice of Council Meeting A Council Meeting of The MG Car Club Ltd will be held at the headquarters of MG Motor UK, Lowhill Lane, Longbridge, Birmingham B31 2BQ on Saturday March 12 2016, commencing at 11.00am.

Motions for debate at the Council Meeting should arrive at Kimber House by Friday February 5 2016.

We need to know if you are able to attend and who will be representing your Centre/ Register/Branch. Could you please complete the slip on the form that will be emailed to all Chairmen/Secretaries of CRBs shortly, and return by Monday February 29 2016.

Caledonian Centre AGM Venue: The Royal Hotel, Bridge of Allan, FK9 4HG Date: Tuesday April 5 2016 Time: 7.30pm on. Tea and coffee will be available from 7.00pm Agenda 1. Apologies for absence 2. Approval of the 2015 AGM Minutes 3. Matters arising from previous AGM 4. Chairman’s report 5. Secretary’s report 6. Treasurer’s report 7. Election of Office Bearers and Committee Members 8. Events 2016 9. Motions for debate 10. Any Other Competent Business 11. Date of Next Annual General Meeting Nominations for Office Bearers, Committee Members and Motions for debate should be forwarded to the secretary no later than the March 21 2016.

Yorkshire Centre AGM Venue: The Star, 223 Roberttown Lane, Roberttown, Liversedge, West Yorkshire WF15 7LQ Date: Tuesday March 15 2016 Time: 8.00pm

Agenda 1. Apologies for Absence 2. Minutes of Last AGM 3. Chairman’s Report 4. Treasurer’s Report 5. Secretary’s Report 6. Election of Officers 7. Election of Committee 8. Any Other Business All nominations for candidates for election to the committee and topics for AOB should be sent to: Cliff Hobbs, Cedar Croft, Wood Lane, Whitwood, Castleford WF10 5PJ by March 1 2016.

MGA Register AGM Venue: Kimber House, Abingdon, Oxon, OX14 1AS Date: April 16 2016 Time: 10.00am for 10.30 sharp.

Agenda 1. Welcome & Apologies for absence 2. Review & Approval of Minutes of 2015 AGM 3. Chairman’s Report 4. Treasurer’s Report 5. Election of Officers and Committee 6. Any Other Business To be followed by a Committee Meeting to which all Register Members are invited.

www.mgcc.co.uk

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MG Car Club T Type Register AGM Venue: British Motor Museum (formerly the Heritage Motor Museum), Banbury Road, Gaydon CV35 0BJ Date: March 19 2016 Time: 4.00pm Agenda 1. Apologies for absence 2. Minutes of last AGM 3. Chairman’s Report 4. Treasurer’s Report 5. Competition Secretary’s Report 6. Election of Officers 7. Election of Committee members 8. Appointment of Council representative 9. AOB Nominations (forms are available on the T Register website or from the address below) and topics for AOB should be sent in writing by March 4 2016 to: The Secretary, MGCC T Register, 29 Church Street, Ampthill, Bedfordshire MK45 2PL. MGB Register AGM Venue: The MG Car Club Ltd, Kimber House, Abingdon, Oxon, OX14 1AS Date: Sunday March 13 2016 Time: Starting at 11.00am Agenda 1. Apologies for absence 2. Minutes of last AGM 3. Chairman’s report 4. Treasurer’s report & adoption of accounts 5. Secretary’s report 6. Registrar’s report 7. Election of Committee, Chairman, Secretary and Treasurer.

8. AOB Chairman’s closing remarks There are vacancies on the committee. Will any MGCC members wishing to become more involved in running the MGB Register please contact us for more information. Initially you can become a seconded member assisting the committee then, assuming of course that you enjoy the experience, complete a proposal form in March 2017 or simply carry on in an assisting role.

All communications to John Watson, Chairman, MGB Register Email chairman@mgb-register.org Mob 07770 575236 Bernard Rengger Secretary MGB Register Email secretary@mgb-register.org Tel 01858 431271 MGF Register AGM Venue: The Oxford Abingdon Hotel, Marcham Road, Abingdon, OX14 1TZ Date: Saturday March 19 2016 Time: Commencing at 2.00pm Agenda 1. Apologies for absence.

2. Approval of the minutes of the last AGM. 3. Matters arising.

4. Chairman’s report.

5. Secretary’s report.

6. Treasurer’s report and adoption of accounts for year ending 31/12/15.

7. Election of Officers.

8. Election of Committee.

9. Any other business.

Please confirm your attendance to Michael Murkin – MGF Register Secretary Email: secretary@mgfregister.org

Lincolnshire Centre AGM Venue: The Abbey Lodge, Kirkstead, Woodhall Spa, Lincolnshire, LN10 6UQ Date: Thursday March 3 2016 Time: 8.00pm Agenda 1 Apologies for absence 2 Approval of Minutes from 2015 AGM 3 Matters arising from 2 4 Motions for Debate 5 Chairman’s Report 6 Honorary Treasurer’s Report & Approval of Accounts 7 Honorary Secretary’s Report 8 Competition Secretary’s Report 9 Membership Secretary’s Report 10 Communications Report 11 Natter Co-ordinator’s Report 12 Election of Officers & General Committee 13 2016 Calendar 14 Auditors for 2016/17 15 Any other relevant Lincolnshire Centre business 16 Time & Date of Next AGM Nominations for Committee posts to be received in writing by the Honorary Secretary, Sue Mackenzie by Thursday February 4, 2016. For more information contact Sue on 01529 497849.

Abingdon Works Centre AGM Venue: Lamb & Flag, Faringdon Road, Southmoor, Abingdon, OX13 5HN Date: Saturday March 19 2016 Additionally there will be a talk by the MGCC General Manager, Adam Sloman.

Timetable: 12.00 midday – optional meal.

2.00pm – a talk by the MG Car Club’s General Manager, Adam Sloman.

2.45pm – Abingdon Works Centre Awards.

3.00pm – Abingdon Works Centre AGM. Agenda: 1. Apologies.

2. Approval of the minutes of the AGM of March 2015.

3. Matters Arising.

4. Chairman’s Report.

5. Secretary’s Report.

6. Treasurer’s Report.

7. Election of Officers.

8. Election of Committee.

9. Any Other Business.

10. Time and Date of next AGM. Nominations for election to the Committee and / or Officers and Topics for AOB should be submitted to the Secretary, Pete Davies, The Elms, 38 Swinbrook Road, Carterton, Oxfordshire OX18 1DS or by email: secretary@mgabingdon.org.uk by Monday February 29 2016.

Devon and Cornwall Centre AGM Venue: The Eagle House Hotel, Castle Street, Launceston, PL15 8BA Date: Saturday March 19 2016 Time: 7.30 for 8.00pm Agenda 1. Apologies for absence 2. Approval of the 2015 Minutes 3. Matters arising 4. Chairman’s Report 5. Treasurer’s Report 6. Secretary’s Report 7. Competition Secretary’s Report 8. Election of Officers and Committee 9. Points for discussion This will be followed by a complimentary Buffet and informal Natter.

FEBRUARY 2016

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PRODUCTS

PRODUCTS

MGA Floorboard set from NTG Complete MGA floorboard set 7 pieces; includes toeboards, front and rear floor sections and rear ramp board. All in high quality plywood as original. £99.60 inc VAT. Metal mounting rail set £96 inc VAT (not shown).

Go to www.mgbits.com for T Y MGA Z NTG Motor Services Ltd 282-284 Bramford Road Ipswich Suffolk IP1 4AY Tel: 01473 406031 or 406032

The 1275cc A-Series High Performance Manual This is a small reprint of a Veloce classic. The famous 4-cylinder A-Series engine was used in most Austin/Morris/Rover models including Mini, Metro, 1300, Allegro, MG Midget, Austin-Healey Sprite, Maestro and Marina for over 40 years.

This is THE complete practical guide to modifying the 1275cc A-Series engine for high performance with reliability, and without wasting money on parts or modifications that don’t work. Explains how many original components – sometimes modified – can be used in high-performance applications. The author, Des Hammill, is an engineer and a professional race engine builder.

Priced at £35 plus postage and available from Amazon and specialist booksellers.

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Stand21 Club Series Hans 20 degree device For over 12 years, Stand 21 has held the manufacturing license for the HANS® System and has been developing its own models, which are becoming more and more ergonomic and light weight across a range of prices.

The entry level HANS® engineered by Stand 21, is the Club Series which combines the ergonomics of RS2 and the Ultimate with an extremely competitive price. This is due to injected reinforced carbon composite resin technology.

All of this gives every racer access to the right safety for their head and neck (succeeding at exactly the same tests as the other models) and the manufacturing quality which has made the French brand famous since 1970.

The Club Series is available in 20°M and 20°L models to suit the needs of most drivers and weighs less than 1kg all fully equipped.

With the regulation changes from the MSA Hans devices (FHR Frontal Head Restraints) are now Mandatory for events that require MSA License. For this reason Vulcan Racing are pleased to have set up a deal for club members that allows this item to be supplied within the UK for £230.22.

Contact Peter Burchill peter@vulcanracing.co.uk www.vulcanracing.co.uk

MGF/TF Scuttle caps-Mirror blanks From MG and AMC Parts pment of new products and those unavailable we are NOW manufacturing these two finishing Blanks. The Scuttle Caps which fit along the front wiper panel and the Door Mirror Blanks cover the interior mirror securing screws.

For a very small cost you can professionally finish your MG. Priced at:- Scuttle Caps (ECQ10003) Pack of 10 - £7.95 including P & P. Door Mirror Blanks (EKB100030PMA) Pack of 4 - £6.00 including P & P. To purchase or for more information contact :- MG and AMC Parts.

Tel: 02392 220222/07454 006080 Email: admin@mgandamcparts.com

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Untitled

S

Laon Historique

Lake Garda

25th Anniversary Tour

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To book or for further details of our tours call us on  01732 879153

or see our website - www.sceniccartours.com

MG_SafetyFast_Feb16_3-48.indd 15 Untitled-1 1

22/01/2016 13:41 11/01/2016 13:25:10

FEATURE

Tickets With the dates for MGLive! 2016 confirmed as June 4-5, the countdown now begins!

Tickets to the event are now on sale, and as a member of the MG Car Club huge savings can be had if you book in advance.

Enclosed within this issue of Safety Fast! is the booking form, for not just entry tickets but for all the activities to keep you entertained at Silverstone over the weekend; remember it’s your weekend so make the most of it. You’ll also find tickets available online – just visit the events dedicated website www.mglive. co.uk where we’ll bring you all the latest MGLive! news and you’ll be able to book tickets securely on our online ticket shop.

MG Car Club members can buy a single day ticket in advance for just £18, a saving of £12 over the gate price, and a weekend ticket for just £28, saving you £17 on the weekend gate price. Once again, children aged 16 and under go free when accompanied by an adult!

Motorsport Motorsport has always been a major focus of MGLive! and this year is no different.

The Sprint makes a very welcome return once again to the Stowe Circuit on the Sunday. This highly enjoyable competition attracts drivers of all levels of experience, and it’s not unusual to see

all models of MGs alongside other classic marques. You can compete in the Sprint in a standard road car so if you’re interested in becoming a competitor, please contact the organiser, David Rainsbury on 01614 274861. The Sprint is also a fantastic spectator sport so if you fancy watching, simply hop on one of the Classic Buses travelling around MGlive! and catch a ride across to the Stowe Circuit.

The Club’s premier autotest, the California Cup, takes place on the Saturday morning in Car Park 49, just

outside the main entrance to Silverstone.

It is exclusive to MG Car Club members and attracts competitors from across the UK and Northern Ireland in classes from the very earliest MGs to the latest models.

As one of the Club’s longest-standing competitions, we’re keen to see this event grow. Entry is just £20 and all you need is a road-going car, so why not give it a go? The regulations will be available to download from the MGLive! website soon.

The weekend also sees a packed programme of racing on the historic GP circuit. We’ll have our own Club Championships, with us along with Porsche Club GB, Morgan Sports Car Club and Lotus Cup Europe for the first time.

Remember, the paddock and garages are open and accessible to the public across the weekend so make sure you take a wander round and marvel at the machinery and the equally impressive drivers.

President’s International Dinner Last year saw the first President’s International Dinner on the Saturday night at MGLive! It was such a success that the

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FEATURE

dinner is returning to the Silverstone Golf Club this year.

Hosted by John Day, the MG Car Club’s President, the evening features a three course meal, a charity fundraiser and more. If you’re looking for a formal but relaxed way to end your Saturday in the company of good friends at MGLive! then this could be for you. As this dinner was extremely popular last year, we’d advise you to book your tickets soon to avoid disappointment!

MGLive! 2016 brings ‘Heritage’ to the fore The theme for this year’s MGLive! is ‘Heritage’. For some, the connection will be immediately obvious. For others, it will provide a fascinating insight into MG’s rich and varied history.

2016 sees FIVA (Fédération Internationale des Véhicules Anciens) and the FBHVC (Federation of British Historic Vehicle Clubs) celebrate ‘World Motoring Heritage Year’ and as one of Britain’s

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largest classic car clubs, we are keen to be involved with and support this initiative.

MG has a rich and diverse heritage, which makes this a perfect fit for the event.

What else can you expect from MGLive! 2016?

Traditional elements of MGLive! will also return in 2016. The main club marquee will have a number of displays from our Registers and Centres. The Register Parking will provide a fantastic sight for all MG enthusiasts, with the infield a sea of MGs; the Lifestyle Marquee will also feature an autojumble The Sunday will see the best cars the MG world has to offer in a Pride of Ownership and Concours D’Elegance, and we’ll also be gathering some of the best traders in the MG world through the weekend.

Russ Swift, the legendary precision and stunt driver, will once again be showcasing his skills –demonstrating two-wheeled driving, extreme parallel parking and more, in the arena.

Saturday night boasts a packed programme of live entertainment, including live music, disco and fullylicenced bar and there’s no need to worry about driving, since MGLive! also offers pitches for camping and caravans.

With just five months to go until the event, there will be lots of exciting news to come as MGLive! 2016 draws nearer. www.mglive.co.uk

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22/01/2016 13:42

FEATURE

So You Want to

Refurbish an

MGF/TF

By Colin Grant

A Cat C MGF ready for refurbishment

With MGFs and TFs at all-time low prices, many members are buying them as second cars to their main MG. Some use them as I do as their daily driver, using them all year round. The only problem is if you buy at the lower end of the price range you will have to expect to do some work to bring the car up to a reliable standard.

This work won’t necessary be a full-on restoration but more a refurbishment of the main serviceable items, and of course the

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possibility of the dreaded Head Gasket Failure (HGF) looms large on any cheap F or TF. Most of the serviceable jobs are well within the capabilities of a well versed home mechanic with a nicely set up workshop, but what about the first timer who has a sound understanding on the workings of a car but has not attempted to undertake a refurb? This therefore is a basic guide on how to plan your work and set up your workshop with the correct tools.

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FEATURE

Required Tools You won’t get far with your refurb without them, but you don’t need the contents of a professional workshop, just make sure you have the right ones for the jobs at hand. Below are listed just some of the necessary items you will need. Remember if you are on a budget and don’t want to splash out your hard earned cash on new items go to your local Autojumble as I have purchased excellent second-hand tools at ridiculously low prices. EBay of course is another source of second hand tools, though the benefit of an Autojumble is you can check them out first before buying.

Work bench You can buy purpose built work benches but if you are handy with wood you can easily make one yourself, but make it as sturdy as possible.

Bench Vice A lot of jobs will need the use of a vice, and it’s so much easier than grappling on the floor. These are available in various sizes so buy the best you can but make sure you include soft jaws.

Socket set/Combination spanners A good socket set is worth its weight in gold, but do buy a good quality one that contains 3/8, 1/4 and 1/2in drive sizes, plus deep reach sockets (4mm to 32mm), spark plug sockets and extension and wobble extension bars. Some sets come complete with hex keys and a full set of all the most common set of combination spanners you will need. The most common sizes being 8, 10, 12, 14, and 17mm Torque Wrench Manufacturers recommend torque settings for a good reason as you will find out if you try and tighten up a small bolt too much and it shears. But also as in the case of a cylinder head it’s important to tighten it down evenly.

Ideally you need two torques wrenches.

One for most general jobs such as brake calliper’s being a low range 8-60nm and a high range one for wheel nuts etc. being a high range 60-300nm. I purchased mine from Halfords and found them to be of excellent quality.

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Screwdrivers Buy a good quality set of screwdrivers which contain flat ended and phillips, plus a small electrical type as well.

Axle Stands These are so important and are life savers, so be warned always use axle stands and never just rely on the trolley jack. There are different types, but I personally use the type that has pins to locate the height position.

Trolley Jack A good low profile trolley jack is a must.

These are specially designed for sports cars and will easily go under the car. They normally have a rubber contact pad which prevents damage to the underside of the car complete with swivel casters which helps when manoeuvring the trolley.

Multimeter With some of the early MGFs now 20 years old electrics will probably need attention, particularly the wiring going into the boot lid which is a known problem area so a digital multi meter will help with your electrical fault finding. There are some excellent web sites that give you the basics of electrical fault finding but if you find this too daunting then enlist the help of a specialist.

Impact Drivers Before you put extra pressure on your Phillips screwdriver to undo that stubborn screw, which will no doubt strip the head, use an impact driver.

One good clout with a hammer is all it normally takes to undo the most stubborn of screws.

Magnetic Tray These are ideal for placing your nuts and bolts in the knowledge that if you do accidentally kick the tray the contents won’t be scattered all over your workshop floor. A magnetic pick up tool is also worth having to retrieve that dropped nut or bolt that has slipped down in the engine bay.

Health and Safety A good pair of overalls is a must as it saves ruining your general clothes, but also gives added protection. Engineers gloves help protect your hands, but make sure you use a barrier cream on your hands before you start. Protect your eyes with good quality safety goggles and wear a good sturdy pair of safety shoes. If you use a solvent cleaner read the instructions before use and carry out the disposal advice.

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FEATURE

The Car It sounds obvious but picking the right car is crucial, so don’t be tempted to take on a project simply because it’s cheap, as you’ll only struggle to muster the enthusiasm to finish the project and it will join the unfinished projects ads in the classifieds. Don’t refurb the car in the mistaken belief that when you come to sell it you will make you a hefty profit, as refurbishing will cost money particularly if not planned and executed properly. Don’t buy a car that is modified in any way if you want to have the car back to original specification once completed. Make sure it has all the OE (original equipment) items fitted such as exhaust, interior etc.

Make a list of questions to ask the vendor before going to see the car as you can save yourself a lot of wasted time and travelling costs. If the vendor is fully honest and tells you what needs doing, make sure you price up what it will cost in parts and where necessary labour charges as it could well pay you to look elsewhere.

You may like to consider a Cat C write off car which can be purchased via one of the salvage companies. Cat C is a car that has been written off and listed by the insurance company as being uneconomic to repair; bearing in mind they are costing the repair with high labour costs and new part prices which takes it over what the car is worth. A while ago I purchased a Cat C car for around £200 which had front

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end damage. I then purchased from a breaker a second-hand wing bumper, and bonnet in the same colour as my car, saving the cost of re-spraying, for £85, and fitted these easily as the panels and bumper are bolted on. The screen was replaced and after refurbishing the normal service items I had myself an ideal second car at very low cost.

Preparation Make sure you have purchased a workshop manual (unfortunately Haynes never produced a manual for the F and TF) available from the Club, and have bookmarked some good websites to refer to.

You should of course have thoroughly checked the car before purchase by taking along someone in the know, or have read the excellent buyers’ guide by Rob Hawkins, or my quick buyers’ guide published in the October 2013 issue of Safety Fast! Use this to give you guidance when checking over the car. This will give you a good indication which parts of the car need attention, such as brakes, coolant, suspension etc. Remember only to undertake tasks that you feel confident

with and seek help with those you don’t, either from an experienced friend or by using your local MG specialist.

First of all you need space, preferably in a brick garage, although a portable garage will suffice, together with a comprehensive tool kit, see separate list, which includes all the main tools you will require. Prepare the workspace so you can lay things out and keep the area as clean as you can. After each session always make a habit of putting your tools away and cleaning the work area ready to start again in a tidy environment next time.

At the first opportunity, get the car jacked up so you can have a good look around with an inspection lamp.

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FEATURE

Remember to use axle stands to support the car whenever jacking the car up and never be tempted to go under a car using only the jack. I nearly crushed myself in my teens when I did this!! So be warned. Things to concentrate on are the condition of subframes, the subframe locating points, coolant pipes, handbrake operation, sills, and exhaust etc. Other things to check on the car are of course the condition of the tyres, coolant, and oil.

Parts The good news is that the F and TF are well served for parts, with many MG specialists selling new parts and reproducing items that are NLA (no longer available). When looking for parts no doubt eBay will spring to mind and yes there are bargains to be had, but also some of the parts can be of dubious quality, so cheap is not the way to go particularly with brake items which your life depends on. Good quality discs and pads are a must.

Another avenue for parts is the MGF/ TF breaker and there are many of these around selling good quality second-hand items. Also look in the spares for sale section of Safety Fast, I once purchased

an as new carpet set for an F I owned at a very low price using this service.

The Refurbishment Once you have established what needs doing, list the jobs you can undertake and those you will have to entrust to someone else. From the jobs you will undertake you now need to list the parts you require, such as a full service kit including spark plugs, filters, oil etc., plus other parts such as brake pads, discs, callipers. If you haven’t fitted these before, read your manual and look up the jobs on the web where there are some excellent sites that go through the work complete with photos. Also seek the help of someone experienced to look over you and give advice once you commence the work. Don’t start stripping down various parts of the car at the same time, do it methodically, for instance start

with the service, i.e. changing the oil, filter etc., and then move onto the brakes and so on. Parts can be easier to remove if you clean them first. When you have dismantled parts, lay them out in order so you reassemble in the correct sequence.

Spray penetrating oil on any rusty looking nuts before attempting to remove them; if they won’t move, spray them again and leave overnight if necessary and try again the next day. If still stubborn apply a little heat before trying more serious methods such as grinding the bolt off.

Make sure you check your tyre tread and condition. Remember age can effect tyre performance so check the date mark. Use of a camera is recommended so you can reference the pictures when refitting, but it’s also a good way of recording your work. Take your time and never rush jobs as it always ends in disaster.

The Shakedown Once you have completed the work on your car, make sure you go over what you have done as a final check, but include items such as the operation of lights, indicators, wiper and washers etc. If it’s due for an MOT take a slightly longer route to the MOT station and make sure the car is fully warmed up (a cold engine can affect emission readings) and take the opportunity to bed the brakes in. Once the MOT is passed, get the top down, find your favourite stretch of road and enjoy!

Looking resplendent after its refurbishment

www.mgcc.co.uk

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FEBRUARY 2016

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22/01/2016 13:42

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FEATURE HISTORY

Working inside the Octagon Jim at his desk in his Cowley office

James Edward O’Neill We are saddened to record the death in December of Jim O’Neill at the age of 93. Jim held the position of Chief Body Designer at the MG Car Company from 1954 when the Abingdon design office was re-established, until the closure of the factory in 1980. Jim’s association with MGs however began whilst working at Morris Motors in the 1940s. His first MG job was to design a new body for what would become the TD Midget. This led to him being selected to join Gerald Palmer as his chief body draughtsman in the new MG design office that Palmer had set up on his return to Morris Motors from Jowett.

This office eventually absorbed both Riley and Wolseley.

In 1994 David Knowles met up with Jim and his subsequent interview was published in Safety Fast!. As a Tribute to Jim we are reprinting this article in full.

Memories of my career with MG I started my automobile career in 1936 when I joined the Pressed Steel Co., which later became the Cowley Body Plant for the Rover Group. The Pressed Steel Co. were always regarded as a good training ground for young engineers due to the various models for different customers. Hillman, Standard and Morris to name but a few.

The basic design was, of course,

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the customer’s, but as very expensive tooling was involved, all the bodies were drawn out again on 18 foot drafts with great accuracy laying in Highlight lines at various angles to prove the body shape.

All this work now is no longer necessary as the shape of the stylist clay model is recorded electronically onto tape which can then be used for tool machining and to produce detail drawings.

After working for 18 months in the Die Machine Shop I moved to the Drawing Office. My first job there was detailing two small brackets for an MG Car. Little did I realise then that most of my future career would be with the MG Car Co., rising to the position of Chief Body Designer. In 1940 I was transferred to Morris Motors at Cowley to work on various War Time products.

By the end of the war Alec Issigonis had designed a new car, ‘the Mosquito’, but before going into production it was widened by four inches to become the Morris Minor. I think the decision by the Technical director, Victor Oaks, to increase the width of the vehicle already so advanced tooling wise was a very courageous one, but he was right. It would have been a very narrow gutted looking car if left as ‘Issi’ had designed it. My contribution to the Minor was detailing the major body panels.

In 1948 I felt I had to extend my experience, moving up to The Austin Motor Co. at Longbridge. We had an exciting programme, or so we thought at the time. Dick Burzie, the Austin Stylist had produced a very attractive small coloured drawing of a convertible which was planned for the American market, hence the name ‘Atlantic’.

The system Austins used to create their layouts differed to the one I had normally been used to, namely the A scale layouts. Austins used large vertical boards and onto these was drawn a thick blue line representing the outline as near as possible to the Stylist’s drawing. One could then stand back 15 feet or so to see how small adjustments could be made to make the perfect line.

It was at one of these sessions that Leonard Lord, the Chairman, appeared and decided he would have a go. So with a ‘let the dog see the rabbit’ he picked up a sweep and proceeded to re-draw part of the line. We stood back to view, I looked at him, he grinned and said, “I’ve mucked it up” (or words to that effect), “you had better carry on”. I mention this incident to show how, in those days, the top man would show a keen interest in what his men were doing. I am afraid it does not happen any more.

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Jim’s first involvement with MG - the TD

George Abbott was the section leader for the layout of this job, with Ken Taylor working on the front end and myself on the rear end. Nobody was more surprised than me when all the body lines joined perfectly over the door area.

After 12 months or so, financial reasons forced me back to Morris Motors.

I was sorry to leave Austins as I was very happy there. Morris were extremely busy designing their Morris and Wolseley range of vehicles which was fortunate for me because they had just received instructions to produce a replacement for the MG TC Midget. This was given to me.

My brief was to produce a body shape less angular than the TC and more squat. The suspension was based on the 1 ¼ saloon with the chassis design carried out by Jack Daniels. This model was ultimately known as the MG TD. The powers that be were so concerned with the Morris and Wolseley vehicles that nobody in authority ever came to enquire how the layout was progressing. I concluded that Morris Motors were just not interested in MG. When the body layout was almost complete I was informed that the MG Service Manager would be arriving to have a quick look at what we had planned for them. This was the first time I had met John Thornley and he impressed me with his alert sense of awareness.

I do not know how much he understood when looking at the complicated lines of the Body Layout, but he made a point of asking if we could lower the tonneau line by half an inch. This would reduce the height above the rear wing and give an even more squat appearance. I did this while he was still there and sure enough it improved the shape considerably. With a “Leave to go, Sir” he departed. Here at last was somebody who was taking an interest in what I was trying to do.

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The completed layout was shipped to our Bodies Branch at Coventry who produced a prototype body, it looked good.

The body was mounted onto the Chassis and road proving commenced. The first Road Test Report stated handling good, impossible to read instruments at any speed. I was devastated, what should a young 28 year old designer do to overcome this problem. I had no idea. I have said that none of the Morris personnel were at all interested in the MG but one man now did come to my assistance, namely Tom Ramsay. He was the Assistant Chief Body Draughtsman. His idea was to weld a 1/8 thick steel sheet vertically to the chassis reaching up to the top of the body dash.

A 12 inch square hole was then cut in it to enable the driver’s feet to pass to reach the pedals. It cured the scuttle shake. I am sure these days one would never expect a test driver to work under such conditions.

The production answer to the sheet of steel was a tubular ‘Goal Post’ welded to the chassis frame. Production of the TD was started early in 1950 and was continued for about three and a half years.

When sales dropped Abingdon was forced to ‘Knife and Fork’ the TD by sloping the radiator and lowering the bonnet. This produced a more sleek and angular line, which of course, meant MGs were moving back and not forward. This model became the TF.

In 1949 the Riley Design Office was moved from Coventry to Cowley and the production of Rileys to Abingdon, with Riley’s Jack Tatlow becoming General Manager of the Abingdon Plant. It was about this time that Gerry Palmer returned to Morris Motors from Jowett and was asked to set up a separate Design Office for MG. I was glad to join Gerry, taking charge of the Body Design with Bob Shirley running the Chassis side. The few Riley Designers that had moved to Cowley gradually drifted back to Coventry leaving only the Chief Engineer, Mr Lush (or maybe it was Rush). He was involved in a tragic fatal accident returning home on Christmas Eve. This sad event meant that Gerry and his team were now responsible for both the MG and Riley design.

Gerry’s first design was a very imaginative MG two seater. It consisted of a basic body that could be sold in three versions: Cycle type wings for Hill Climbs etc., Wings and Running Board similar to the TD, or a complete streamlined envelope side. I have no idea why this design was not approved for production, perhaps it was too advanced for its time.

Following this disappointment work was started on the layout of replacement versions for 1 1/2 and 2 1/2 Rileys. I was ably assisted by Denis Williams who had joined us from the Morris Team.

Attached to the Design Office was a viewing studio where the Board of Directors could view all the models and it was here that a full size wooden mock-up of our Riley was presented for inspection.

It so happened that Lord Nuffield was handing over the Chairmanship to Leonard Lord on this day. During the viewing Lord Nuffield asked me where the Radiator Filler Cap was. I explained that it was on the Header Tank under the bonnet which gave the Radiator Grille a nice clean line.

He insisted he wanted it on the top like a traditional Radiator. We hurriedly mounted a cap on some clay and yes, he thought that was fine. The next week, with Lord Nuffield officially retired, I asked Gerry if we could throw the cap away, he smiled and said “if you want to” so out it went.

A few days later we heard a great tirade

Jim at an IBCAM (Institute of British Carriage and Automobile Manufacturers) awards ceremony

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coming from the studio next door, and amongst the ‘sailors language’ we could make out “where is it”. Denis Williams whispered – “... it’s Nuff, he’s looking for his Filler Cap...” The unfortunate person on the receiving end of all this was the studio cleaner, who of course had no idea what Lord Nuffield was upset about, and the blank look from the cleaner was making him even more angry. I had to do some quick thinking on my way round to the studio. As soon as I entered the studio the same questions was asked, “Where is it?” To my eternal shame I had to lie and say, “Oh I have taken it off to draw up.”

He immediately calmed down and I think he was even a bit ashamed of himself for causing such a fuss. For anyone who knew Lord Nuffield, when in this frame of mind he could have easily sacked the lot of us and closed the department down.

The model was approved for production complete with its exterior Filler Cap which we were able to use as a bonnet safety catch release. The model of course was the Riley Pathfinder.

During this time Gerry Palmer had been busy designing the MG Magnette saloon. He presented me with one of the most detailed 1/4 scale drawings that I have seen. The Engine and suspension was minutely detailed complete with Body sections. This made laying out the full size so much easier. It was planned that the MG would be a derivative of the Wolseley 4/44 and many still think this is so, but of course, the opposite is true. Issigonis was so busy on his other models that in the end Palmer said to me, “We cannot wait any longer, this will be the Magnette and the Wolseley can be raised two inches with a special Radiator Grille to give the gentlemanly appearance required by Sales.” It was Cowley’s decision to put

One of the ‘Jacobs Midgets’ for which Jim penned the attractive lines

the Wolseley 4/44 into production before the Magnette which led to many people thinking that the MG was developed from the 4/44.

In 1951 George Phillips entered a rebodied TD in the Le Mans 24 hour race.

This closely resembled the future MGA. At this time the idea of a future MGA was turned down by Leonard Lord as he had already collaborated with Donald Healey to build an Austin Healey 100 at Longbridge.

Clearly Abingdon were far too slow off the mark in not showing the Phillips car to Leonard Lord earlier. I was told later that he may not have considered the Healey project if he had known that this prototype was already in existence in his own group. But who knows, we may have then been denied the exciting experiences of the rallying Healey 3000 and the future Sprites and Midgets.

In the summer of 1954 MG decided that it would be beneficial to have their own design team at Abingdon. Gerry Palmer had been promoted to Technical Director of all design at Cowley which meant that the MG design team was moved back into the main Morris drawing office. I think perhaps John Thornley could see a repeat of the problems we had had with the TD. I approached Syd Enever, who was to become the new Chief Engineer, and

arranged for a small team of engineers to move from Cowley to Abingdon.

With a complete change of heart it now appeared that Abingdon would become the Sports Car Division of B.M.C. I do not know for sure, but suspect this was due mainly to the efforts of John Thornley.

Our first task was to beg, borrow or steal as much equipment as possible. Two 18 foot layout tables were made up by the works carpenters, improvised wooden sweeps also made up in the carpenters’ shop. Drawing boards were ‘borrowed’ from Morris Motors.

It was now all systems go to start work on the new MGA, redesigning the Phillips car by repositioning the chassis side members so that the driver and passenger could sit inside the chassis frame thus reducing the body height and the frontal area. On completing the 1/4 scale I joined Eric Carter at our Bodies Branch in Coventry to work on the full scale layout.

This meant staying at a local hostelry for a few months and working long hours to get this car into production. We were fortunate to be able to have on loan from Morris Motors a young draughtsman who did all the detail drawings required by the Coventry plant. A magnificent effort by Don Butler.

In the meantime Abingdon were

The MGA, the first of Jims projects when he moved to Abingdon

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HISTORY FEATURE

The Z-Magnette, Jim’s first MG project with Gerry Palmer

producing the Healey 3000, the production of which had been transferred from Longbridge. The completely trimmed and painted body was shipped by road from Jensen where Eric Neale was responsible for the production design.

My brief, to look after the build at the Abingdon end and liaise with Jensen.

It followed that the Healey Sprite, which was due for production at Longbridge, should now come to Abingdon. Longbridge had given Engineering Sign-off but due to the rather unusual quarter eliptic springs on the rear suspension Syd Enever decided to give the car the usual MG Pave test. It was found that a certain amount of extra reinforcement around the Heelboard area was required. Brackets were quickly produced, virtually over the weekend, by Barrett Engineering, a firm always ready to help us out in an emergency. Body shells already made up were modified and production commenced.

With the MGA in full production it was time to start thinking of its replacement.

During a visit to the Geneva Motor Show, Syd Enever handed to me a scrap of paper with a very crude sketch of the future MGB. He wanted the Headlamps set into scollops in the wings and in the flattish area between the headlamps an elongated traditional MG Radiator. The body sides would have a similar rounded section the Jaguar E Type. On our return to Abingdon I drew up the 1/4 size model using as many existing components as possible to save cost. I remember using the Austin A40 Tail Lamps and a Ford bumper section which they agreed we could use provided we paid half the tooling cost. When completed this model looked very dumpy, mainly due to its short wheelbase. I called it the ‘PIG’.

Its very rounded sides had to go. With all the additional Healey work at Abingdon it was obvious that more design personnel would be required. I particularly wanted a senior layout man to work on the MGB. We engaged Don Hayter, being sure he would make a useful team member.

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The Riley Pathfinder sans filler cap!

Although the demise of the ‘Frog Eyed’ Sprite was mourned by many, it also had its critics. Donald Healey felt it was right to produce a prototype with the headlamps mounted in the wings. At the same time it was decided that we should design an MG. Midget based on the Sprite underframe. It would be slightly up market with a trunk lid and a more conventional Bonnet. The fitting of the large rubber mat into the trunk compartment of the Sprite was a very hazardous operation owing to the toxicity of the adhesive. The operators had to wear a mask which was fed with a fresh air line before climbing into the back of the vehicle, making them appear more like a deep sea diver than a car production worker. The operation was slow and cumbersome and obviously expensive. This cost, however, could be balanced against the additional expense of a Midget trunk lid, making the overall cost more feasible.

When Donald Healey viewed the facelift Sprite alongside the new Midget he insisted that the Sprite be similar to the MG with badge and radiator grille changes. As the MG would be using the Sprite under-frame, and royalties would be paid to Healey, we had no option but to comply with this request. It would however have been an interesting experiment to see how these two vehicles would have fared in the market place. Denis Williams was the Section Leader responsible for laying out the full size Sprite and Midget and seeing the cars into production.

With the production figures of the MGA beginning to fall and with the MGB still a year or two away. a Coupe version of the MGA was sanctioned. We were fortunate in having at our Bodies Branch in Coventry a very able body engineer, Eric Carter. He had the job of designing and producing the prototype Coupe. I remember going to Coventry with John Thornley and Syd Enever to view the car. At the time I felt that it was too round and lumpy and told Eric so. He informed me that production tooling was already underway although the cost

had not been cleared, and implored me not to ‘rock the boat’. In retrospect I am sure that the MGA Coupe is a ‘Classic’ shape.

Apart from the production vehicles that we are all well aware of, the office was engaged on many other projects, some getting only as far as a 1/4 scale model or a full size wooden mock-up, others developing into road cars.

Meeting the new American regulations that emerged as a result of Nader’s infamous book proved to be most difficult and time consuming. Most of the regulations were framed around the large American cars, the height of bumpers a typical example. This resulted in the much criticised ‘rubber’ bumper fitted to the later MGBs and Midgets. Bear in mind that at 5mph impacts, no damage was permitted on any component and that even included cracked lamp lenses. As our major market was the U.S.A., failure to meet any of these regulations would have meant that MG ceased trading. There were occasions when the American manufacturers themselves could not meet their own regulations 100%. A case in point, a regulation which required seat belts of driver and any passengers in the vehicle to be fastened before the car could be driven. Peter Neal, who was now responsible for our electrical design, developed an ingenious system of seat pressure pads and seat belt switches working through a black box to comply with the regulations. The American manufacturers had so many problems complying with this regulation that they took their own government to court, won their case and had the regulation removed.

Consequently several hundred of our cars already in the States had to be re-worked to remove the system.

In 1980 we were all very saddened when the powers that be decided to close MG at Abingdon and a first class design team was lost forever. The reasoning behind this questionable decision did not appear to any of the team to be valid.

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FEATURE

In conversation with

Ted Reeve

By Dennis Wharf

O

n April 4 1977, the very first round of MGCC Midget Championship took place at Brands Hatch. On October 11 2015 the latest in the same series was undertaken at Snetterton, and on the grid for both, and almost every one of the 300 in between, has been Edward Reeve.

Known to all his friends as Ted, this very successful London based surveyor first took an interest in sports cars while at school, although when at home in Little Waltham, Essex, shooting was one of his main sports. Shooting remains high on his busy agenda today, something he enjoys with a passion, but so too his motor racing and his involvement with running the Championship, of which he was overall Champion in 2004 and again in 2006.

Spend time in the company of Ted, and you soon realise he is exactly the right person to be the current Chairman of the Midget Championship Committee. On track he

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remains fiercely competitive, but with an analytical approach, as those who compete against him know only too well; but that same analytical mind is quick to determine sound ideas, cut through bureaucracy and get things done on the organisational front.

But where and how did it all start, and why remain so loyal to racing an MG Midget?

Ted invited me along to his beautiful and elegant Pimlico house, where, looking through old photographs and many race reports in magazines such as Autosport, Hot Car, and Cars & Car Conversions, we chatted about his long and ongoing racing career, while Bella and Holly, his two delightful spaniels, looked on.

“I really don’t know where the interest in cars or racing originally came from.

I don’t have a background in cars, the motor trade, or engineering, and certainly my family had no interest whatsoever.

I just happened to like speed I suppose.

I remember while at school seeing in a

magazine the first pictures of the then new E-type Jaguar, and thinking, ‘Wow that looks nice’, which must have been one of my first thoughts about fast cars.

Then at university I bought a Ford Anglia 1200, blue with a white stripe – exactly like Harry Potter’s flying car before he had been invented or it had flown – and fellow student Martin Gordon approached me and asked if I would like to join the college motor-club? It was a fairly well known club, called the Cemian Motor Club, part of the College of Estate Management.

He made it sound appealing, so I joined.

This would be in 1962 where at first I started entering a few all night rallies. We were just a bunch of lunatics screaming around the countryside as you could in those days”. And indeed they were, for on one occasion the Hertfordshire Police stopped Ted with his fellow competitors near Harlow, and threatened to arrest the whole lot of them unless they drove out of

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the county at authorised speeds and never to return. “I’d progressed to a Cortina GT by then, with five and a half J rims and Cinturatos; looking back we were a pretty unruly bunch!”

Cemian Motor Club was part of the now defunct Eight Clubs organisation, being one of the Eight Clubs, and in 1966, now equipped with a Lotus Cortina, Ted was attracted to circuit racing as the Eight Clubs organised a couple of meetings each year, one at Silverstone, the other Lydden Hill. “The Eight Clubs offered an easy way for many people to start their motor racing careers. Sadly due to its demise that simple process no longer exists, which I think is a shame. Anyway I arrived at Silverstone for my first race and promptly failed scrutineering. I didn’t have a fire bulkhead between the boot and the passenger compartment, which they were very concerned about as a driver had recently been burned due to fuel leaking into the cockpit following an accident.

So I rushed off to one of the many little workshops that used to be at Silverstone back then, where they cut out a sheet steel plate to fix behind the rear seat upright, and then ran some goo around the edges. With the seat popped back in I passed scrutineering, pumped the tyres up to 40 pounds and off I went – my first

A 1969 Eight Clubs race programme cover featuring Ted’s MGC – by this time he was at the wheel of a Lotus Elan

motor race”. Ted continued to race this car until 1968, by which time he’d “thrashed it to death”, so bought a new MGC GT. “I was the first person to race an MGC. It was a big heavy lump but went quite well at places like Silverstone, Lydden and Snetterton, and then the following year I bought a Lotus Elan; but while running it in, on a business trip to Bolton, a cam follower broke in half at just on 2000 miles which had me wondering if I’d driven it too hard too soon? However, removing the head at a local garage revealed all was fine, it had just been a defective

cam follower, which was just as well – I’d entered the car in a production sports car race at Silverstone that coming weekend.”

Members of the Cemian Motor Club would gather for their regular meetings at the famed Steering Wheel Club in Curzon Street, where they would plan their events, rallies and auto-tests etc, and it was on one such evening that fellow club member Bruce Brown, who raced an Elva, suggested members consider buying proper Modsports racing cars allowing them to compete at a greater variety of circuits and on a more regular basis. “Well I thought this might be good, as Modsports was immensely popular at the time with large competitive grids, but first I decided to go along and see Barry Wood who I knew had been racing for a while and lived near me at Great Leighs.

Barry immediately suggested I buy a Midget. ‘They are great fun,’ he said, ‘I race one and there is nothing better’. So looking through the adverts in Autosport I discovered Mike Bundy was selling one, and agreed to buy after a test at Brands Hatch. The day arrived and first of all I kept stalling the thing, then once underway I spun it at Druids first time round; I’d never driven a racing car before and it was obvious. For example the car was running on Dunlop CR65 Mk3s, the

Typical 1970s Modsports, with Ted’s supercharged Midget coming under attack from a TVR at Brands Hatch in 1972. Photo: Fred Scatley Photography

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only racing tyre you could get at the time, and although not slicks, you still had to warm them up a bit and I didn’t know this. Anyway I was impressed enough to agree to buy it, handed over my six hundred quid and I owned my first racing car and borrowed the trailer. Now I should point out that at this time I didn’t know a camshaft from a piston, a disc brake from a clutch lining. Bricks and mortar were my game, so when I turned up at Silverstone for my first general practice and the oil pressure just disappeared, I didn’t have a clue why. I’d only done two laps when the light came on, so not knowing what to make of it, stopped. It turned out the centre main bearing had collapsed. They said because I’d over-revved it, but I knew I hadn’t. These engines can do 8000 rpm, and I’d been driving it very gingerly, my first time out, so couldn’t have done more than 5000 at most. However they were very good about it and repaired the engine, after which through 1970 I entered seven races and was doing very well, until, that is, the last race of the season at Brands Hatch where I turned it over going up from Paddock Hill bend, and put myself in hospital with a broken wrist and a couple of fractured ribs. My employers at the time were a bit upset about this, saying I’d get the sack if I did it again. So I thought OK, I’ll try flying!

“I’d already applied to join the University of London’s air squadron which usually got around 450 applicants for 20 places. So imagine, when I was asked to get measured for my uniform, thought I was in, going to be a pilot – then suddenly I was thrown out! One of the interviewing board had decided at the last moment I didn’t know enough about aeroplanes, which was quite true as I didn’t, but would have learned very fast. So the decision had been the correct one of course, disappointing for me though, but the right decision. As soon as my wrist was better however, I took a flight in an old Auster which I found very boring compared to motor racing, so decided to take my racing car apart and set about mending it. To do this I had to know how to use spanners.

Fortunately I’m quick learner and soon had the car running again and enjoyed

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Powering by an AC Ace with his MGC GT at a very wet Silverstone in 1968. Photo: Fred Barker

another season of Modsports racing, but felt both I and the car could go faster, which is where Alan Woode comes into the story. Alan, who also lived nearby at Great Hallingbury, was winning with his supercharged Midget and I asked if he could build a similar engine for me. Well he replied, ‘I’ll do it, but first I’ll need to sort out the braking and handling. No point in having a fast engine if the car won’t handle or stop!’ So every weekend I’d go over to his place and watch him build engines etc, all the time asking countless questions. I’m a great asker of questions while just watching. Anyway he produced a very fast car which went extremely well, the supercharger worked well and I won quite a few races over the next few years, but then Alan went to Holland with the European Space Project, so I had to build my own engines thereafter.

He’d taught me well, for I also modified the supercharger and even built my own gearboxes too. I learned a lot from Alan, especially about suspension, he was an immense help”.

Alan Woode had been racing Spridgets since 1964, initially a standard 998cc Frogeye which was developed over the years to ultimately an 1150cc Modsports car. He won the Amasco Championship outright in 1968 and again in 69, very nearly taking the Chevron Oils Series too in 1969, coming second only to Marcos driver Chris Boulter. Owing to his success and being approached by other competitors for tuning work, he set up Woodpecker Racing Improvements. In 1970 he decided to look at supercharging, sold the Championship winning Sprite and set about building a new machine. It was never quite so successful as the normally aspirated car, and he retired from racing at the end of 1972, but helped Ted build a very effective machine.

Using a block bored plus 60 thou, they added a Shorrock 1.5 supercharger and a Weber 48-IDA down draught carb, which protruded through the bonnet. The engine, which had a standard crank and a compression ratio of 9:1, ran 14lbs of boost. The actual capacity of 1340cc,

Silverstone at its sunny best, Eight Clubs June 1966 with Ted in the Lotus Cortina leading a Jaguar XK 150, Mini Cooper, and early Lotus Seven. Photo: Fred Barker

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Driving the ex-Steve Everitt car (3) at Snetterton in 1989, battling with Lawrence Cutler (2). Photo: Fred Scatley Photography

subject to the 40 percent loading, gave a notional 1876cc, comfortably within the 2 litre limit at the time. The actual power output at the wheels was 138bhp, but later Ted changed to a 2 litre Shorrock supercharger and a 48DCOE Weber, larger than the 45DCOE split Weber side draft version more usually found on Midgets. Although no fuel consumption figures were ever taken, Ted reckons that flat out the engine needed one gallon of fuel every three minutes, maintaining the flow of which took some ingenuity! Ted achieved some very good results with this car, winning many races outright, which he continued doing well into the early 1980s, for it could still run in the Midget Championship although with a smaller 1070cc engine, which, using the plus 40 percent ruling, came out at 1498cc – just inside the 1500cc limit. This version revved up to 10,500rpm!

“I was now regularly competing against people like James Thacker and his cousin Edward, Keith Ashby, Jonathan Palmer, and Malcolm Beer in their Midgets, Chris Boulter’s Marcos, John Quick in the E-type, David Brodie’s Lotus Elan and John Gott with his Healey 3000 who very sadly killed himself trying to get by me at Lydden Hill in 1973. During practice for that race an oil seal fractured, and although I came straight into the pits a lot of oil had been sprayed onto the track.

It was cleared up quickly, but due to the oil several cars had put up a slower time than me, and so were behind on the grid.

Now John was there to take the lap record in what was to be his last race before retiring. I started very well, but going into the Devils Elbow on lap one I could see and hear this great big Healey growling behind, and so I went in quite deep. On lap two I went deeper and on lap three as deep as I dare, but the Healey just kept

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coming along my inside. Now as you’d expect a Midget handles so much better than a big Healey and I could take the bend, but John was going much too fast, and by now slightly ahead I saw the front drop as he hit the brakes and immediately turned the wheels, but it just went straight on into the bank. Petrol came flying out, didn’t catch fire, but was sprayed all around, and the race was stopped. Sadly John hadn’t survived. Fiona my wife was there that day, well my fiancée then, and this put her off motor racing a bit.

“I was now really enjoying my racing, the car worked well and I was winning, but by the beginning of 1974 Modsports began a slow decline; people started arguing about the regs and things became quite acrimonious at times, so that by 1976 it had almost ceased to exist, and unfortunately has never been resurrected, which I think is a real pity as it encouraged original thinking and innovation. So you can imagine when Larry Quinn came up with the idea of a Midget Championship in 1977, it was an absolute godsend”. MGCC member Larry Quinn had been racing his Tartan Red 1969 Midget, his everyday car, in club events for about four years, but finding less and less competition approached Club General Secretary Gordon Cobham with the idea of starting a Midget only race series. With Gordon’s blessing Larry, who at the time was also writing the monthly ‘Modern Midget Notes’ within Safety Fast!, mentioned the idea in his column, and arranged to hold a meeting for anyone interested over the coming winter. He only expected a handful of drivers to arrive for that January 1977 meeting, so was completely taken aback when more than 20 showed up, including Modsports driver David Page.

Encouraged by this, the Championship thus came into being, the first race taking

place just over 12 weeks later, with grids comprising roughly a 50/50 split between the standard and Modsports cars – the current ‘A’ class Midgets.

“I don’t know what we’d have been doing without the Championship being started, I would have been forced to rethink my whole approach to racing, but I simply loved driving the Midget. The way they handle, which once slicks became available made them handle even better, is so enjoyable. They are a bit slow down the straights, that’s always been a problem, but they are just the greatest fun. They were much faster when we were using superchargers of course, however as we’ve said they were eventually banned.

But as mentioned Modsports had become unenjoyable, very stand-offish in fact, where no one would talk or help each other.

I’d been subjected to this before, because when I first joined the Cemain Motor Club it was even worse! Old members simply refused to speak to anyone new, so when I was elected Chairman of Cemian MC I made damn sure I’d change all that and welcome new members warmly. The last thing you want is to discourage new people, especially when they’ve made the effort to show up. And this is one of the reasons I’ve remained with the Midgets for so long, everyone is just so friendly, I can’t emphasise this enough. People muck in and help each other out if there is a problem, even if it’s your closest rival who is quite likely going to beat you if their problem can be solved, it simply doesn’t matter, we all do our best to see that everyone gets to drive. I take the view that there is no point in ‘beating’ a car which is broken down in the paddock! I could have moved onto other types or formulae, but Spridgets have always offered great racing with the nicest people, which has much to do with the Championship’s remarkably long and ongoing success”.

Asked if racing with the HSCC, as it does now, might have any impact upon the series, the cars or those racing them, Ted feels ‘very little’. “Look, we’ve chopped these cars about quite a bit, they are Lotus Elan, Silverstone 1969

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proper Modsports racing cars, so not the kind of purist machines that make up traditional historic grids. It is nice to be invited to compete with the HSCC, but our regs won’t change as a result.

“I no longer prepare my cars now, in fact haven’t done since about the mid 1980s, when with a young family and great pressure of work it became impossible. I also took the decision to buy a proven car, starting with the much missed Steve Everitt’s. That last race of the 1987 season at Snetterton saw Steve finish second to Steve Watkins, with me in third.

Although he’d won the Championship yet again, Steve thought Watkins had braked too hard going through Sears, and so there was a bit of an argument in the bar afterwards, but typical of Steve it was all over in a moment. Afterwards I asked what he was intending to do next year, thinking F3 would be on the cards. ‘Well I don’t know,’ he said, ‘it’s tough winning races and Championships.’ Yes, I said, I know, I’ve come second about 14 times!

But before deciding anything he would take a holiday in Greece and then give it some thought.

Of course tragically he never returned from that holiday, having been killed in a pointless road accident. It was such

a shame, he was only young and great fun.

When the car was offered for sale the next year I bought and raced it for a few years, until it was written off by some idiot who drove into the back of me on the grid at Silverstone. I then had a car from Graham Adams, who also prepared it, and now I use an ex-Paul Sibley machine, these days taken care of by David Weston. For how much longer though, who knows, as long as I can get into the thing I guess; my knees can play up a bit, but I’ll definitely continue while I remain competitive.”

All through this conversation it’s evident Ted is forever looking forward, but I have to ask about favourite past races. “Well of course as you get older, I’m nearly 73 now, you tend to look back occasionally, and I do remember always being quite good in the rain. At one particular very damp Silverstone meeting, during practice I was 4.8 seconds quicker than the next car using a set of narrow wets. Unfortunately it dried out before the

race, and on new un-scrubbed slicks I spun at the first corner and was passed by almost the entire field. On rejoining last, when the tyres had warmed up and been scrubbed, I charged back up to third behind Peter Hiley, who took some passing due to being very fast down the straight. I eventually found a way round Peter, but had to settle for second behind Tim Storrer who I just could not take before the flag fell. Other memorable races must include Snetterton 2001 when I beat Chris Ashby to the line by about an inch. We’d both made poor starts which allowed Andy Storer to take the lead, but once we’d passed him, we continued to fight over the lead, swapping places many times. On the last lap I deliberately went into Russell relatively slowly right behind Chris with a view to come out fast for a sprint to the chequered flag. I got the power down on the slippery track just before Chris and won by seven hundredths of a second.

Charging back through the field lifting a wheel at Snetterton last October. Photo: Dennis Wharf

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Oulton Park 2006, with Dave Weston paying close attention. Photo: Steve Jones

Thruxton 2011 on the way to second in class. Photo: Dennis Wharf

Also Mallory Park in 2006, the second year I won the Championship. That was a blistering race seeing Will Smallridge and Richard Perry disappear into the distance. What I didn’t know however was that Will had pitted about half distance, to rejoin two laps down. Richard had retired at almost the same time, so the battle I was engrossed in for third was in fact for the lead! There were four of us, initially led by Gil Duffy, but his engine started to misfire, leaving David Weston, Tim Storrer and myself to sort it out. Passing and repassing each other lap after lap, David

got it all wrong entering the esses on the very last lap, allowing Tim to close right up as we sped through David’s dust. Tim was so close, the hairpin being his only chance before the flag, but I held a wide line keeping him at bay – a great race.

But then Midget racing is always exciting, our last meeting at Snetterton in October was again superb. Two days of excellent racing, Sunday especially. I was on the inside of the grid and had to back off at Riches as there was nowhere to go. I then had to work my way back up through the field to finally finish third from being down around ninth on the first lap. But Paul (Sibley) and James (Dunkley) were way ahead by then and beyond my reach. I’ve enjoyed many other close encounters like

those over the years, and hope to carry on doing so; well for a bit longer anyway.”

I think we’d all like to see that, and his involvement with the series remain long after too. The one thing that stands out about Ted is how he has always supported the Championship, good times or bad, has always been there on the grid helping and encouraging others. No matter who you talk with, they all say the same. His steady hand was on the tiller seeing the series through what could have been a rough patch a few years ago also, and although he doesn’t mention it, has helped many a driver with parts and spares over the years. And remember too, racing is only a small part of his busy life, for there is still consultancy work, the shooting, properties to manage, plus, as Chairman of the local Pimlico Residents Association, he is, at the time of writing, taking on the GLC, (don’t fancy their chances) over an ill conceived planning proposal – so again is there helping others. The Club should be very proud of such members, it’s a real pleasure knowing Ted, and so long may he remain a part of the paddock scene.

Snetterton 2005 with Mark Turner (3) trying an unconventional line – Ted was not very happy! Gil Duffy and Andrew Actman look on from a safe distance. Photo: Steve Jones

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Line up for the start of an Abingdon-Abingdon Trial, the Club’s major 1930s event

Club History

– Part 2

The second of the serialsied 12 part enlarged and updated Club History

The early 1930s Alan Hess When, in August, 1932, I was invited to take over the secretariat of the MG Car Club, I did not realise all the hazards involved in what sounded an attractive prospect! You see, the trouble about being a club secretary is that you are doomed before you start; either the thing is a failure or else it becomes unwieldy. Anyhow, I took over in September and found that the Club had 210 members.

I was fortunate in having around me a committee of enthusiasts. Men who, almost without exception, turned up regularly at our committee meetings, which were held every week at that time.

Their enthusiasm and their constructive criticism and practical help were such that by the following April the membership had topped the 500 mark; 194 having been enrolled in 16 weeks.

The first event we ran was a scrounging trial. I remember very well why we chose this type of event as it is a sort of secretary’s benefit in that it virtually runs itself!

All we of the organising committee had to do was to assemble our competitors at the start, at Fox & Nicholls’ Garage on the Kingston Bypass, give each driver a list of the objects to be scrounged, send them off, and then amble at our leisure to the finishing point, in this case the Aero Clubhouse at Brooklands, to await the first Alan Hess, the Club’s second Secretary

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Alan Hess with Leonard Lord behind.

arrival and his collection of ‘exhibits’.

As it happened, there was nearly a dead heat as two cars screamed to a standstill at the finish, absolutely neck-and-neck, but ties were decided on the quality of the articles collected and Strong Foster, the winner, was found to have a worm which, when stretched, measured 0.75 inches more than that of his rival!

The following month I essayed to run a Showtime Dinner Dance at very short notice. The function was held at a London restaurant, and I had been warned that at a somewhat similar function run by another club, substantial damage had been done by certain members who had imbibed too freely, and the club had to foot a large bill as a result. However, I need not have had any misgivings about the MG Car Club members. That was before the days of the memorable down stage parties!

At the beginning of 1933 things really began to hum in the Club. Scottish and Northern Centres had been formed in Edinburgh and Newcastle, and Associate Membership was introduced. In addition to this, negotiations were proceeding for the formation

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of a Midlands Centre, with headquarters in Birmingham, and the Committee had approved the principle of forming an MG Car Club team to represent the Club in trials, for invitations were pouring in upon us to compete in practically every event held, since our members were dyed-in-the-wool trials enthusiasts. Thus, really, was born the forerunner of the ‘Cream Crackers’ and ‘Three Musketeers’ teams, of which you may perhaps have heard.

During 1933 the Club held a number of highly successful events of its own. First came the aforementioned Scrounging Trial, then the Chilterns Trial, in April, in which 50 competitors started and more than a dozen finished ‘clean’, the premier award going to C.G. Fitt.

The event was not without its minor disasters, however, for the Trials Secretary, an enthusiast named E. Wood who hailed from Leigh-on-Sea, ran a big end on the way home, and was towed 80 odd miles, while I had to abandon my car in Chesham with distributor trouble, arriving home at 4am in a borrowed car, which, I may add, called for a considerable crop of explanations.

That a club secretary’s lot can sometimes be fairly strenuous is indicated by a weekend in the following July which sticks out in my memory. It was proposed to run a team of L-type Magnas in the relay race later that month, and there was an inter club meeting at Brooklands on the 8th so it was decided to let me enter one of these cars for a three lap event that afternoon to get the feel of it.

I duly turned up at Abingdon in my own car on the Friday morning and left it there, departing inflated with pride, in the L-type. Having tried not too hard, and finished sixth at Brooklands the following day, I drove the car straight from the track to Surbiton, where I picked up G.G. Zeigler (a most valuable committee member of the period) and dashed to Beaconsfield, whence we were starting our night trial.

Driving all night, we called at the intermediate time check at Winchester, and thence repaired to the finish and breakfast at Petersfield, immediately after which we turned the hard-working Magna’s nose northwards and ran up to Birmingham where the newly formed Midland Centre was running its first affair, a gymkhana, on the Sunday afternoon. Very tired, but glowing with a feeling of unctuous rectitude, we arrived home at about 1am on

‘Mit’ Harris (centre) 1930s secretary for 8 years with Robin Mere (left) trials secretary and (right) George Tuck

the Monday morning with the prospect of a week’s work in store!

The Relay Race went off according to plan, and the Club team, comprising Charles Martin, G.W.J.H. Wright and the writer, won. The same team with L.F. Welch, the (then) Earl of March, and T.H. Wisdom as co-drivers ran in the B.R.D.C. 500 Miles Race the following September, Martin and Welch captured second place and the team lost the Field Team Trophy by only 26 seconds.

On September 9 the Club held its now famous AbingdonAbingdon Trial, the team prize being carried off by a Singer Nine Team. G.A. Forbes (K3) won the MG Challenge Trophy, and W.G. Everitt (L-type Magna), now a director of the Crystal Palace Circuit, gained the P.J. Evans cup for the best performance in a car up to 1,100cc.

George Tuck meeting and greeting at the start of an Abingdon-Abingdon Trial

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Alan Hess was an MG enthusiast with talents as a journalist, fiction writer, painter, broadcaster and race driver. At the time when he took over as the second Secretary of the Club he was editor of The MG Magazine.

He had raced at Brooklands with a team of Magnas and he also drove the Magna on the 1931 Alpine Rally. In later years he became Publicity Manager for the Austin Motor Co and is remembered for his record breaking drive around the world in 21 days in an Austin A40 Sports.

Frank ‘Mit’ Harris was the third secretary of the Club, taking over in 1934 and serving for 10 years. At the time he was proprietor of The Sports Car magazine in which he regularly reported MG Car Club news and features. His enthusiasm for MG saw him as an active competitor and event organiser as well as maintaining the job of Club secretary through the difficult wartime years. He retired from the RAF as a Wing Commander and died in 1945 at the age of only 48. His wife Mary was actively involved with the Club; in the immediate post-war period she was responsible for helping get the Club underway and in more recent years she donated the Mary Harris Trophy, which remains an annual award with the MMM Register.

George Tuck was one of the founders of the original Club and was involved with the motor industry and MGs throughout his working life. He was interviewed

by Cecil Kimber in 1929 to join the Sales and Publicity office of MG and was appointed Publicity Manager in the following year. George’s name was linked to the design of the original octagon, he introduced the Safety Fast! slogan and handled the production of MG technical literature and advertising copy. George was responsible for establishing important dealerships in Europe and after the War these outlets directly resulted in American An advert from the September 1933 issue of The MaGazine showing the Safety Fast! slogan GIs buying the early TCs there resulting in the wave of enthusiasm for MGs in the US market. He later joined the Nuffield organisation as the representative for Europe and About this time, realising that even members of the MG Car Africa, the USA and the Far East. He became Export Director for Club may have their secret vanities, I conceived the droll notion BMC in 1952 and was later promoted to General Manager of BMC of instituting Club colours and a Club tie. This is now a familiar Southern Africa. He retired in 1969 to live in South Africa and spectacle at all the better functions, and I never see one of these was elected a Vice President of the main MG Car Club as well confections without a pang as of a father whose child has just as being a long serving President of the Combined passed him by without the faintest glint of recognition!

South African Centres.

By now too, The MG Magazine, a forebear of The Sports Car was going strong, and the Club’s events were copiously and fairly accurately reported for all to see. The result was an ever growing membership, very largely contributed to by the local Centres which were going great guns and running a number of very successful competitions and social events.

October 19, 1933, saw the first MG Car Club Annual Dinner and Dance at the Park Lane Hotel and the first function of its kind (much copied by other clubs) at which speakers were regulated by automatic lights. The cabaret that night comprised Elsie and Doris Waters, John Tilley and the Western Brothers, and a good time was had by all!

Early in the New Year at the Annual General Meeting I tendered my resignation and ‘Mit’ Harris was appointed. During my 15 months of secretaryship I met many fine sportsmen and had the privilege of co-operating with the best bunch of Committee men and Local Centre officials any Secretary could wish for, but before closing I must pay an especial tribute to one man who was always a positive tower of strength and absolutely tireless in his efforts for The Marquis Townshend of Aylesbury on Mill Lane in the 1933 the Club. That man’s name is George Tuck.

Abingdon to Abingdon

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Jeremy Hawke mgk3007@btinternet.com +44 (0)1225 863934 www.triple-mregister.org

TRIPLE M NEWSLETTER

Triple M Newsletter

Welcome to the

Welcome to our first ‘spread’ of 2016. As my email/post box was not brimming over the Christmas period with eager contributions, it falls to me to rack my brains with thoughts with which to fill these pages – so here goes: Like many of you no doubt, I received one or two much needed goodies for Christmas from ‘well known MMM Suppliers’.

Indeed, whilst there may from time to time be a wait for your order, with a little patience just about everything is available from somewhere for our cars. This has not always been the case; one of the primary reasons the Register formed was to pool resources for spare parts for owners and try to get new parts made, and not until the late 1970s/early 80s did things become ‘easy’. Scarcity of parts, particularly the weaker ones, was a primary cause of many an MMM car suffering an early demise. J2s and Crankshafts spring immediately to mind. It is well known that the J2 roadtested by Sammy Davis underwent a bit of careful blue-printing to squeeze the 80mph mark, lesser well known is that (according to Wilson McComb, writing in 1962) it promptly broke its crank three days later! Many cars (including my own, fortunately without ventilating the crankcase) suffered a similar fate, particularly after a re-grind, when the already pitiful and often cracked two-bearing crank became even weaker. Thus as the cars grew older, slipping down the food-chain, alternative power-units or scrapping became the norm.

In the winter of 1957 J2396 was still racing on a standard crank and then owner MBH advised by those older and wiser in the paddock that he was pushing his luck, so what to do? Option 1 was to trade up to something more robust in the form of a Q-Type engine – attached to a Q-Type, job done. Not quite; injury followed by a spell in hospital (non-motorsport related) removed that particular path to glory, so Option 2: get a decent crank, was the only alternative. Thus, after much soul-searching £85 produced a brand spanking new crank from Laystall Engineering, who had made MMM racing cranks pre-war, indeed it was the only one they had made since then! To put this into perspective, the whole car had cost £85 in 1953. Still, with beefed up crank, the car’s future was more secure.

But what to do if your car was ‘just’ daily transport? Well, you could always try and make one yourself. Nearly 55 years ago in 1961 (the year the Register was formed) the owner of J3237, who joined the Register soon after it started, did just that. How he did it is well worth recounting, so over the page, in his own words, is how he did it.

Mr Purdie was forced to make a few compromises – he could only squeeze a little bit of extra diameter into the big-ends as he was unable to source any P-type con-rods. The crank, though, did the job and J3237 is still in existence today – I wonder if the crank is still there? This tale perfectly illustrates the lengths that MMM enthusiasts went to keep their cars running before production and supply of specialist parts became viable as a business.

In the mid 1960s the embryonic Register tried to persuade Laystalls to produce another batch, this time with a few

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modifications as proposed by Geoff Coles. Alas, in negotiations the price rose from £86 (batch of six) to £114! Quite a hike. How many were actually produced is not recorded, but at least one was delivered for £118, suggesting that not all six were made. Are any still sitting under benches?

Keeping to the historical theme; the attached picture was taken in the MGCC Silverstone Paddock during the May 1961 meeting. My notes describe this PB as being blown and driven

by Rob Davis, but here’s the thing: I can find no record of that registration number being fitted to a MMM car (our helpful friends at the DVLA reckon it’s currently on an un MOT’d 1968 1275cc MG, so most likely a Modern Midget), so which PB is it? If nothing else I can forward a few photos to the current owner.

Upcoming events: Whilst the Summer may well seem a long way away right now Trialists are no doubt already racking up those COTY points (Bill Bennett may well have it all sewn up by now!), but here are a few dates for your diaries: April 9 – The Kimber Classic Trial. Details can be found at the SW Centre web page at www.mgccsw.com entrants, marshals & spectators most welcome.

June 7-12 – MMM Ulster Touring Event. Full details on the Register web page at www.triple-mregister.org/UlsterTT/UlsterTT31.asp no doubt filling up fast.

July 29-31 - The Cercle MMM Luxembourg 2016 MMM Tour, based at Hotel Bel-Air, located in Luxembourgs Little Switzerland near Echternach on the river Sûre. Limited to 30 MMM MG’s, those who would like to participate, please e-mail tripleMtour@ gmail.com for further details.

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NEWSLETTER TRIPLE M

Jeremy Hawke mgk3007@btinternet.com +44 (0)1225 863934 www.triple-mregister.org

The well-loved ‘J2’ MG Midget of 1932/3 was fitted with a two-bearing crankshaft— and eventually it breaks ...

When that happens you can sell the car for scrap, fit a non-standard engine, or, like this MGCC member, take half-a-hundredweight of steel and make yourself a new crankshaft!

T

he methods employed in making this crankshaft were largely governed by the available equipment and are not the last word in machine-shop practice! One of the difficulties is knowing how much to describe and how much to leave out.

The four-in-line crank of the ‘J2’ Midget is in the ‘flat’, and as the flywheel is secured on a taper sleeve, there is no need to provide additional thickness in the blank for a flange for flywheel attachment; a 2” x 5 1/2” section is sufficient from which to machine the crankpins and webs.

I managed to acquire a piece of this cross-section, some 20” long, and decided to incorporate the centres for the crankpins in solid end portions rather than loose throw plates. This means that the pins have to be finished before the main journals are finishmachined, but this is no disadvantage; balancing, by machining the portion between pins 2 and 3, is involved, but of this more anon.

In order to mark out the blank, which weighed about half a hundredweight, it was essential to have a drawing and a reference face. A preliminary drawing for roughing-out was made from the broken crankshaft, check dimensions being taken from the block (Fig. 1). I prefer

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to have a safe margin rather than attempt to come to finished size first time. A light skim over one of the 5 1/2” x 20” faces provided the reference face; the blank could then be held by bolting through into holes tapped in portions that would later be cut out.

To remove the major chunks of material not required, holes were drilled around the outline, a hacksaw cut joining those that failed to break into their neighbours. I used a 3/8” dia. drill, and while the centres were carefully marked out, both the drill and driller do get a little tired and the holes tend to run off.

Going through two inches of solid steel every time, the drill gradually dulls and eventually throws up a burr when breaking through on the underside. The blank is liable to spin on this when moved to attack a fresh outline, so I think it pays to remove any such burrs and ensure that the work lies flat on the drillingmachine table. In any case, the drill should be kept really sharp to avoid any chance of binding and breaking. Remember, cutting oil is cheaper than drills!

Larger holes were drilled at the ‘corners’ as can be seen in the drawing, but this is not really worth while and leaves more to be machined away.

This beautifully finished crankshaft was machined by the author out of a solid chunk of steel, as described in this article. However, don’t emulate his feat unless you know more than a little about light engineering

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Jeremy Hawke mgk3007@btinternet.com +44 (0)1225 863934 www.triple-mregister.org

Being quite pleased that nothing had gone wrong so far, and as the sun was shining, I took a snapshot photograph of the crank in its earliest stages of hacking out and sent it down to the MG Car Company at Abingdon. There the magic still works, it seems, for within a few days I was delighted to receive an original drawing of the ‘J2’ crankshaft from John Thornley, who had spotted my effort from the picture. Work thereafter proceeded with confidence and a great saving of drawing-board sessions.

TURNING THE MAIN JOURNALS The next step was to put a centre in each end for turning the main journals.

Assuming the blank is 2” thick, the marking out will be 1” down from the reference face and central in the 5 1/2” length. Should the blank be a bit rough, it may be better to use the two diagonals and spot where they cross.

The end faces then had to be skimmed up true, as these were to be used for setting out the centres on which the crankpins are turned. When intermittent cutting of this nature is being done in the lathe, it is essential to tie the work up to the driver to stop any ‘dancing’ about, and the solid end throws came in useful for this.

The end pieces, forming the throws, were left about 7/8” thick and faced on the inside for a reason that will be explained later. The flywheel end journal was roughed out at 1 3/4” dia. and the timing gear end at 1 1/2” dia. The effort was left for several days to see if it was going to ‘move’, but a straight edge over the reference face showed that all was well. The photograph above shows the progress to this stage.

THE CRANKPINS The centres for turning the crankpins must be exactly the same in each of the end plates; that is, the distance from the main journal centres to the centres for Nos. 1 and 4 pins must be identical with that for Nos. 2 and 3 pins; also the four centres must lie in the same plane. It was felt that, while one might get away with marking out and very careful centre punching, the job was worthy of something better, and the official drawing (now available) gave a tolerance of ± 0.0025” on the 1.634” radius dimension.

Not having a friend with a jig borer or similar piece of precision apparatus which could handle this chunk of metal, the following method was adopted and appears to have been successful.

The parallel central portions of the main

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This picture shows the steel blank faced up and roughly cut to shape with a 3/4 in. drill

journal centres, in this case 1/8” dia., were carefully drilled deeper to be a nice fit for 1/8 silver steel pegs. A drilling jig was then made from plate with two 1/8” holes at 1.634” centres, their distance from one long edge of the plate being the same as that from the reference face to the existing centres. By moving the plate as shown on the sketch (Fig. 2), one ensures that the 1/8” pilot holes for the crankpin centres are equidistant each side of the main centres. The jig plate was secured with toolmakers’ clamps for the drilling (this was the reason for skimming the inside faces of the end plates).

The jig plate was held in the lathe cross-slide for drilling, the 1.634” travel being arranged by removing a piece of rod, dead to length, from the cross slide stop after the first hole was finished.

Checking is easily carried out by ‘miking’ across two pegs inserted in the holes.

When one comes to turn the crankpins, it is found that a fair-sized machine is required to swing the embryo crank, as it must clear the cross-slide. The work on this one was carried out on an 8 1/2” lathe, and even then a little ‘trimming’ in places was required.

TRIPLE M NEWSLETTER

MEATIER BIG-ENDS Those who know the ‘J2’ crank will have noted that I have tried to get more ‘meat’ into this one. The pins have been increased to 1 9/16“ dia. which means that the radial thickness of white metal on the big-ends is reduced, and while sticking out my neck, as it were, I decided to alter the oilways. While the original single-angled drilling is direct and simple, it does seem that any sludge, etc., is flung by centrifugal force right into your bearing. By chambering out in the pins and drilling down the webs, I hoped to trap any foreign bodies before they could get out and score the now rather thin layer of white metal.

The machining away of the metal to form the webs is mostly a matter of patience, once having set up with a sufficiently long-reach tool. Light cuts only were taken (the first sight of the out-of-centre mass revolving was somewhat sobering, in any case!). Eventually this phase was finished and it began to be recognisable as a crankshaft, ready for grinding of the crankpins. Some 0.020” has been left on at the grinders’ request, but this may vary, of course, with different firms.

GRINDING THE CRANKPINS In high spirits, after checking that all was well, I sent the crankshaft to the grinders – who promptly sent it back. It appears that standard practice is to hold the shaft in chucks at each end, which are then traversed to give the required throw. Would I therefore remove my ‘end plates’ and turn cylindrical so that the shaft could be dealt with in the accepted manner? This was soon carried out, and in due course back came the shaft with four finished pins. The reference face was also ‘licked over’ and one felt that this was the end of the beginning, as the photograph on this page shows.

Back in the lathe, on the main centres, the ends were turned down, with grinding allowance, at the front end for the ball-race and the bevel and skew gears, noting that the 1” dia. is only 3/4” long; the remainder is actually 0.990” (the step can just be seen in the photograph on the first page of this article).

The rear end has to be turned taper to suit the flywheel taper sleeve, which was

Fig 1. This shows how the blank was marked out for the preliminary cutting to shape

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NEWSLETTER TRIPLE M

used as a pattern. It may well be that, with the passage of the years and the attention of demi-skilled bods, this sleeve is somewhat ‘pothered’ inside. As a first-class fit is essential to keep the flywheel tight, the bore should be carefully examined and tried out with marking against either a dummy bit of shaft turned up, or the actual shaft, still well above finished size, the taper being 1 in 8 on dia. If at all doubtful, the sleeve bore should be skimmed true. Quite likely, the ‘grindery’ doing the shaft would also do this internal grind; then, if the two did not wring together, one would know who to shoot!

The flywheel mating flange of the sleeve, and the actual bearing surface, were trued up with the sleeve in position on the shaft when I was satisfied with the fit. The inner end of the sleeve should be about 1/16” clear of the rear main web, and a nice smooth radius is called for between this and the taper portion of shaft, while making sure that the end of the sleeve is quite clear of the radius when fully home; a chamfer should be made in the sleeve if required.

Additional clearance for the thickened front web was gained at the front ball-race housing by replacing the hex, bolts (holding the securing plate) with counter-sunk Allen screws.

The shaft can now be tried out in the crankcase, provided the corners are taken off the flying web between No. 1 and 2 pins.

Alternatively, the slots in the crankcase can be enlarged to clear the crank, as I believe was done to accommodate the heavier shafts of ‘J3’s and ‘J4’s.

The centres of the four crankpins should, of course, correspond with the centres of the bores. If not, a bit of skimming or shimming will appear to be called for at the locating ball race. From the centre of No. 1 pin to the facing for the ball race, the dimension is 1 21/32”.

DRILLING THE OILWAYS The oilways, all the way from the ‘feed hole’ in the sleeve to No. 1 pin, were tackled next.

I had decided on a 1/2” reamed hole for the pin chambering. This could be opened out to tapping size for 3/8” B.S.P. if I did not use end caps with a through bolt; also, the 3/8” plugs

Jeremy Hawke mgk3007@btinternet.com +44 (0)1225 863934 www.triple-mregister.org

This intermediate stage shows the shaft after the crankpins had been ground - but with a great deal of work still to do!

could be aluminium or otherwise if necessary to assist with balancing.

The ground reference face was used to set up the shaft horizontally, and the centres of all the oilways were then set out. The drilling machine table was turned to the vertical position with the shaft clamped in position. It was soon evident that that machine designer had had little thought about drilling oilways.

The average travel seems to be about 3”, but in this case the drill chuck body fouled the shaft ends before even this travel was achieved.

The smallest possible drill chuck was fitted, as no M.T. shank drills of 1/4” to 3/8” were available. Long ‘oil’ drills are, of course, available, but their cost did not seem justified for a one-off job, so standard drills were lengthened by the time-honoured method of machining away half the shank and brazing on an extension with the complementary half machined.

Fig 2. The drilling jig used for the drilling pilot holes for crankpin centres

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Owing to the limited travel of the drill in relation to the length of hole, especially on Nos. 2 and 3, several movements of the drill table and shaft were necessary. This provided an opportunity to dig out all the accumulated chips, but care had to be taken to ensure that alignment was maintained.

As the crankshaft was now quite a valuable piece of metal, what with man-hours and grinding, the drilling was taken cautiously, and the drills ground a bit off-centre (that’s easy!) so that the hole was slightly bigger and, perish the thought, should there be any bad luck, we would not have a crank with a broken drill stuck fast in it. This is one time when one feels that an ‘upside down drill’ would be desirable, so that the chips might fall out instead of delighting in accumulating ’way down that hole.

However, our star shone brightly, and a rather long evening finished with the 1/2” holes safely through, though oversize for a reamed finish—even if we’d had a long enough reamer!

The 1/4” holes through the webs, tapped for 5/16” B.S.F. end-plugs, were drilled on my little home-made drill. In this set-up, the crank was held in the vice and the drilling machine clamped to it in various positions as required; makes a change! In all these clamping operations, the ground face of the webs proved invaluable.

Several checks were taken before drilling the angled hole from the sleeve feed hole to No. 4 pin, as this one cannot be set up parallel with any of the machined faces; the official drawings gives the angle as 29 1/2 deg. ± 1/2 deg.

The two 3/16”-width keyways at the front end were cut with a 1” dia. Woodruff cutter, and the 3/8” wide by 1 7/8” long keyway, for the sleeve, was end-milled. The machine work was practically completed by the removal of the corners from the webs and bevelling to suit. General polishing up, etc., followed.

I think it relevant, in connection with the increased pin diameter, to mention that when the bearing metal is run out of the connecting rods, it is advisable to check their bore. It is a pretty safe bet that the cap and rod have been ‘nipped’ together at some time, so that the bore is left oval. This should be bored out circular again so that the radial thickness of white metal (much reduced with the enlarged pins) is reasonably constant.

My thanks are extended to DawsonShanahan Ltd of Chalk Farm, London, N.W., for trusting me on their machines, and Mr Packman of Hendon for the photographs.

www.mgcc.co.uk

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NEWSLETTER MIDGET

Neil Thomas Tel: 07891 684435 email: ns.tenby@hotmail.com www.midgetregister.com

Midget Newsletter

Welcome to the

1970s Midget Ownership

Sad person that I am, I have always kept records of my vehicle expenditure! This goes right back to my first bike, a Bantam D3 in 1963. With this in mind, I thought it might be of interest to others to put down some facts from my first Midget ownership.

HJU 307D was an Old English White Mark II that came with a red Ashley Fastback hardtop. In May 1973 an AA inspection cost me £8.25p and the speedo’ read 78,100, and my first four gallons cost £1.40! In November it was averaging 34mpg and costing 4.1p per mile. A puncture had cost me 80p, and a new hood (in red vinyl) from Don £13, I fitted it myself, but never got it really taut. I see that a gallon of Castrol XL was 95p, and EP90 for the axle was 22p.

In May ’74, tax was £25, a Goodyear G800 £10.50, Champion plugs 88p, and an MOT £10.70 (an expensive month!).

My rear silencer box came half off going along the A604 (now the A14 dual carriageway) near Huntingdon and the AA came out. The AA man just turned it round so that the tail-pipe was pushed onto the exhaust pipe and I was on my way. A new box was £4.05 and on another day a broken fan belt on the A1123 near Hadenham cost 80p to purchase a replacement.

Disaster struck however, in November ’74 when I was on the A45 near Bury St Edmunds. I had heard a small noise previously, which my garage in Leicester had not been able to diagnose. It was similar to pinking, but now it manifested itself! The AA was called and I was relayed home; this service had only just started up then and I believe they were surprised by the demand for it. I was a baton, being passed from area to area at the borders to enable me to get home to Leicester. What was found was that a small piece of a piston top had become detached, the earlier noise was probably it coming loose! My garage charged £77.51 for sorting it out, remember this was in the days when you collected your car, then received a bill in the post, doesn’t happen now does it?

By now four gallons of 3* was costing me £2.86, there had been a Middle Eastern war (sounds familiar). March 1975 saw 100,000 miles, and some fibreglass to ‘repair’ a rusted through sill cost me 77p

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Rear brake linings were £1.98 and a pre-MOT check £1.50, and I had put 735 gallons in it by August 1975. I sold it then as fatherhood was pending. I didn’t make a note of the buying and selling prices, sorry about that, but think it cost me £325, and was sold for £250.

Chris Waters

www.mgcc.co.uk

22/01/2016 13:43

Neil Thomas Tel: 07891 684435 email: ns.tenby@hotmail.com www.midgetregister.com

MIDGET NEWSLETTER

Culver Down offered fantastic views of the surrounding area

Isle of Wight Weekend October 2-5, 2015 The Midget Register’s first weekend away that Sharon and I organised in Mid Wales in 2014 went down pretty well, with those taking part immediately calling for another Register weekend away the following year. We’d started something here. Finding a hotel for a weekend away isn’t too difficult. Finding a good hotel at a reasonable cost is more challenging. The next tricky bit comes when you start to plan the itinerary and especially the day of the ‘tour’. If you are very familiar with an area, that’s not so difficult, but if it is an area unfamiliar to you, that is not so easy. Mid Wales wasn’t a problem for Sharon and me as we have lived and worked in Wales for the greater part of our lives and know it well, but the IOW was a different proposition. Thank heavens for Google.

We had both visited the Isle of Wight for a weekend in 2007 and thoroughly enjoyed it. This was contributed to by the fact that my Frogeye was first registered on the Isle of Wight in 1958 and so it seemed fitting that we took it with us on that occasion. A Midget weekend away seemed a perfect opportunity to repeat this visit and hence the idea was spawned. The Isle of Wight is only a small island and is just perfect for a group of cars to tour. As an organiser I was very aware of the MSA regulations and thus restricted the weekend to just 12 cars, thereby avoiding the need to contact the MSA Route Liaison Officers, provide detailed route plans, pay the £25 for the MSA exemption certificate etc. Living 260 miles away from the Island made this impractical for me as an organiser.

Using Trip Advisor I located the Channel View Hotel in Shanklin.

It only had 56 bedrooms but had a leisure suite and parking and had good reviews. It was close to the sea front and only a short walk into the village. It also offered a good DB&B rate for the three nights. They also arranged the ferry travel. Perfect.

And so it came to pass that on Friday October 2, seven Spridgets and their occupants boarded the various ferry routes to the Island and arrived at the hotel in Shanklin. The sun shone and set the standard for the ensuing weekend. The hotel was indeed very comfortable and did not disappoint. That evening we dined together and chatted about all things MG and non MG. Saturday morning was bright and sunny and after breakfast, I

Visiting Osborne House, the holiday home of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert

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led the cars on a tour of the Island. Travelling clockwise we first headed for Ventnor. The twisting Monte Carlo style road down into and out of the village was fun. Stopping on the front provided lots of interest to people passing by and lots of photographs were taken of the cars lined up.

Continuing on our drive we travelled along the Military Road towards the east of the Island.

This is a great road with lovely views of the chalky cliffs overlooking the English Channel and the roads were so quiet. Passing through Leslie Cutler and Sharon Thomas Freshwater and the area that Tennyson used to live in, we headed for the tourist honey trap that is the Needles. £4.50 was a bit steep to park I thought, but we did so nevertheless as there was no option if you wanted to look at this famous landmark.

Lined up in the car park by our cars was a visiting group of classic cars from Thame in Oxfordshire. Following coffee some of us took the chairlift down to the beach. This for me was terrifying. I hate heights!

The cliffs from the base of the beach however provided an amazing colour display and the sea was like a millpond as we looked out across the bay to the Needles themselves. It was worth the £4.50 after all.

Ever onward, we now headed for the pretty little village of Yarmouth on the north coast. I loved this place and could have stayed for a week there. Across the Solent we could see all the sailing boat masts at Littlehampton. However, following lunch we carried on to

Stunning views along the Isle of Wight Coast Road

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NEWSLETTER MIDGET

Neil Thomas Tel: 07891 684435 email: ns.tenby@hotmail.com www.midgetregister.com

The participants of the Midget Register Isle of Wight Trip 2015

West Cowes and spent a little time watching the yachts racing up and down the Solent with the sound of a very loud horn going off from a property above us. Clearly one of the officials of the race. This place was a hive of activity and you could sit and watch the world go by for hours here. Leaving West Cowes we caught the chain ferry to East Cowes, kindly guided to the ferry by a Porsche owner who could obviously tell we had no idea how to find the ferry! As we drove our cars off the ferry, lots of people on the harbourside were admiring the Midgets and taking photographs. People do love these little cars.

Next destination was Ryde and the esplanade. We didn’t stop as we wanted to progress on to Bembridge. The splendid houseboats tied up alongside the road here were fabulous. Time was now getting on and there was just one last place I wanted to lead them to, and that was Culver Down. This is a ridge providing fantastic views of the surrounding area and we weren’t disappointed. It was only a short drive back now via Sandown to the hotel. We had been out for the best part of eight hours, had travelled about 80 miles, but had had a great

Mike Jackson, Roly Alcock and Chris Waters heading around the roads of Ventnor

yet relaxing day out. That evening we dined together and swapped stories.

Sunday dawned sunny with clear blue skies and remained so for the rest of the day. We were so lucky. Today was going to be a visit to Osborne House, the holiday home of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert.

This is located not far from East Cowes and was a short drive of just 20 minutes or so from our hotel. This building was spectacular, heavily influenced by Italian architecture. This for me was the treat of the weekend. I thought it was wonderful. Having looked around the house, and staying within the estate, we headed as a group through the grounds and congregated at the Boat House on the beach overlooking the Solent. We had coffee, watched the activities on the water, which included seeing Sir Ben Ainsley’s Landrover sponsored catamaran sailing up and down and then took a group photo.

That afternoon was free with some returning to Shanklin for a walk on the beach, others meeting up with the local Vectis club for a short run and the rest taking in more of Osborne House. It was a splendid day. In the evening we once again joined together for dinner which was a very sociable exercise.

Monday morning and the weather had changed. The sun had gone, the wind had built up and the rain clouds rolled in. It didn’t matter though as we had had the best days for the main part of the weekend.

I’ve already planned our next weekend which will be on the July 1-3 2016 and based at Exmoor. If you’re interested, drop me an email at ns.tenby@hotmail.com. Once again places will be limited to 12.

Neil & Sharon Thomas

Midgets stop to admire the view on the way to the Needles

Made for a Midget, Anthony Cutler parks his K Midget along the seafront.

Midget Register Chairman’s notes Welcome to my first set of Chairman’s notes for 2016. I’ll start with a plea: we need more cars for the Car of the Month feature on the website, also if you have any details of Spridget events, runs, shows etc that anyone is organising (MGCC or otherwise), please send them through to the Register so we can add them to our events calendar.

The Register also needs help from volunteers at events we put on during the year, especially at MGLive! June 4-5, so if you feel you can help or have an MG Midget we could possibly display on our stand at events, please do let us know, it does not have to be mint!

We hope to have the Midget Register website updated very soon with new ideas, so if you have any ideas of what you’d like to see on the site please let the Register know.

Another date for your diary is March 21, the Register AGM at Kimber House, Abingdon, OX14 1AS. Details were published

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in January’s Safety Fast! or email secretary@midgetregister.com for details. You’ll also get a chance to see how the new Bill Wallis Archive wing at Kimber House is coming along.

I understand that a committee member, Steve Clark, has joined the growing list of Midget K series owners, to add to his fleet of MGs. Steve plans to use it in the Luffield Championship, so more cups must be coming Steve’s way. I am glad to say that his A series Midget hasn’t been forgotten and is still undergoing its rebuild.

Finally, if any Midget owners have stories about their car and would like to see it featured in Safety Fast! please send them to Neil Thomas at ns.tenby@hotmail.com To keep up to date with all Midget Register news visit www.midgetregister.com.

Mike Parker

MG Low Bir B31

012 ww

www.mgcc.co.uk

22/01/2016 13:44 mg-q1-2016

MG SALES CENTRE Lowhill Lane, Longbridge, Birmingham, B31 2BQ 0121 251 6533 www.birmingham.mg.co.uk

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19/01/2016 14:20:49 22/01/2016 13:44

NEWSLETTER MIDGET

Neil Thomas Tel: 07891 684435 email: ns.tenby@hotmail.com www.midgetregister.com

Colour is in the eye of the beholder Beauty is, they say, in the eye of the beholder. The same could be said of colour and even more so, the colour of cars. In fact, it is apparent that certain colours seem to suit a certain type of car more than another – but maybe that comes down to personal preference as well.

Red certainly seems to be the most popular and attractive colour for a Ferrari for instance, although some models some say look better in blue or yellow. Equally Aston Martins should always be green in my opinion and Bugattis blue (please no hate mail!).

This subject has probably been the subject of many a heated discussion in the local pub over a pint or at a car club meeting. How often have you walked passed somebody at a car show or even in the street hearing them say, “That colour really suits that car”. There is no doubt in my mind that some cars look better in one colour than another. Certain colours seem to highlight the design aspects of the vehicle.

But what about our own favourite, the MG Midget and Austin Healey Sprite? What was the most popular colour? Well, as reformed market research manager with a little experience in sampling (I retired some seven years ago now so have forgotten most of the rules!), I needed to find a suitable sample to find out which were the most popular colours of what is essentially the same car. Light bulb moment in what passes for a brain in my passing years! Even as Midget Registrar, the obvious solution took a while but eventually popped up in the front of my eyes. The register itself would be a good place to start, with almost 4,700 cars now listed and although not all have their colours listed, most in fact do. The register provides possibly the best sample available without reverting to production records which probably haven’t been the subject of totalling. In some cases the colour of a particular car has been changed, sometimes several times over its lifetime, although the majority have retained their original colours to this day. Many owners have not listed the exact colour as supplied when new but simply listed it as red or blue. My analysis

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A typical line-up of our favourite colours

focuses on the prime colours only. Additionally, it is an indication of the colours currently displayed rather than those when the cars were new.

And so to the results. Drum roll please. In first place is Red. Approximately 25% (1,181) of the cars are red or a shade thereof. Of those specifying a shade, Tartan Red is the most prevalent accounting for 120 cars, followed by Damask 83 cars and Flame Red 68 cars.

In second place is Yellow/Orange. 18% (870) of the sample are thus listed, with the most popular shades being Blaze (113 cars) closely trailed by Orange (106) and trailing some way behind Vermillion (86).

Third place goes to Green with 740 cars, 293 of which are listed as, yes you guessed it, British Racing Green.

Of the rest, there are 580 listed as Blue, 510 as White, 319 as Black, 68 as Brown, and 20 as Grey or Silver. A further 128 are not shown with a colour.

At its heart, the Register strives for political correctness and so it is only right that the committee reflects the proportion of each colour through its own cars. Although such a small sample is statistically invalid, amazingly it almost does meet that propostion! All we need to do is add another two yellow cars to reflect the overall sample. I’m sure one of us would like to buy another Spridget – any offers chaps and chapesses?

Graham Springthorpe

www.mgcc.co.uk

22/01/2016 13:44

H1 - CLIVE WHEATLEY_H7 - CLIVE WHEATLEY 26/03/2015 11:29 Page 1

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MGF / TF MGB & Midget MGZT / Rover 75 Please check this proof carefully for errors in style, content and layout.

MGZS / Rover 45 Although every care is exercised in preparing your advert, we MGZR cannot hold / Rover 25 ourselves responsible for any inaccuracies you may overlook.

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email: sales@rimmerbros.co.uk Triumph House, Sleaford Road, Bracebridge Heath, Lincoln, LN4 2NA. England

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Free Catalogues

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NEWSLETTER MGB

David Broadhurst • newsletter-editor@mgb-register.org • www.mgb-register.org

MGB Newsletter

Welcome to the

Hello, and welcome to the MGB Newsletter for February 2016.

I am David Broadhurst and I have been dragged, kicking and screaming, into this position as Roger’s replacement Newsletter Editor. Hopefully, by the time that you are reading these ramblings in the Northern Hemisphere, at least, the foul weather will be easing, South Africans will have recovered from dread mutterings about the First Test and in the Antipodes you have not got burned to a crisp with too much sun.

I have submitted several articles to Safety Fast! over the years and have been pleased to see them published. LED lights, sump breathing via a catch can, on fitting webestos roof all spring to mind among other bits and pieces. So you may gather that like so many owners I enjoy trying to solve problems for myself whilst having the sure backup of local experts to put me on the right road. It is my ’67 BGT featured by this introduction, minus its front bumper, as the more observant among you may notice. I was fitting new bumpers and decided to be radical and not fit overriders. I considered that it was impossible to get at the chrome behind the blessed things so why not leave them off. Please don’t think that I am one of those who go in for modifying vehicles radically away from what the manufacturer intended, far from it. I replace like for like, when it needs doing. But to make things safer, more convenient, perhaps more fitting for today’s often worrying driving conditions, I will entertain change. Electronic ignition, LED headlights, MK4 seats with head restraints, inertia reel seat belts and, as I cannot find Dunlop C41 cross ply tyres, Continental Radials. Our everyday cars are a 20 year old Landrover Defender, border collie transport among other things, and an MG3. Actually our daughter has an MG3 also. Super cars, good enough for Don

Hayter then that’s recommendation enough for me, but it is the BGT that puts the silly grin on my face. My intention is to keep it looking and working as closely to what the design intention was whilst ensuring it is usable today. So, that defines where I stand where my 48-year-old car is concerned. What about you and yours and what ‘Management’ will allow, or turn a blind eye to?

As Roger Boys, and before him Henry Cole have said, we are interested in your thoughts, experiences, ideas, disasters and achievements (I nearly said Triumphs there – bit near the knuckle) so do please send in anything you feel happy to scribble down, ideally with the odd snap or two.

Our esteemed Chairman has further News on the Marathon Car, Jenny Fursdon has written up an interesting report on getting lost in Wales in September with photographs courtesy of Roger Cooper and Thomas Beck.

David Broadhurst

Having a Wale’ of a Time The 2015 MGB Register weekend was held in Mid Wales, centred at the Metropole Hotel, Llandrindod Wells.

We arrived mid-afternoon on the Friday. After taking our luggage to our room, we took a short stroll in the brilliant sunshine.

This warm weather was to continue for the whole weekend. In the early evening, people started to congregate at the bar for a drink and chat before dinner in our own dining room. There were plenty of familiar faces around and it was good to catch up with old friends.

Before dinner, Justin Baird-Murray, the current Managing Director of the Metropole (and I believe the great great grandson of the original owner!) gave us an interesting history of the hotel, which came into his family in 1897. My favourite tale from the history of the hotel is when in 1958 the Monte Carlo Rally used the Metropole as their headquarters for an overnight stop, long before the hotel had central heating, Raymond Baxter began his radio commentary with the words: “I’m reporting from the third coldest place in the world – there’s the North Pole, the South Pole and the Metropole in Llandrindod Wells.”

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MGBs arrive at the Metropole Hotel for the start of the MGB Register Weekend.

Photo: Thomas Beck

www.mgcc.co.uk

22/01/2016 15:52

David Broadhurst • newsletter-editor@mgb-register.org • www.mgb-register.org

MGB NEWSLETTER

Sunny, in Wales?

After an excellent dinner, Dr Colin Hughes, assisted by his wife, gave an illustrated presentation on Llandrindod Wells itself and the Mid Wales area which we would visit over the weekend.

The following morning, after all the checks on the cars had been made, we set off in our own time to follow the prepared route. Alan and I hadn’t gone more than a couple of miles from the hotel before losing the route. Fortunately, we didn’t have to go far to find a place to turn round, but that was to be the last of turning places when missing a road that we should have taken.

Back on track, we followed the route through the town of Rhayader and then along the B4518 to the Elan Valley with its five dams and reservoirs; the dams were apparently started in the 1890s in order to help provide water to the West Midlands.

Here we encountered the most spectacular scenery. Driving along unclassified roads that had more sheep than motor vehicles on them, we became complacent until we spotted a convoy of 4x4s towing horse boxes. The road was narrow with no passing places at that point and it was clear that the 4x4s were not going to give way to us. Alan managed to get enough of the B onto what little grass verge there was to allow them to pass, but with a bit of a sheer drop to the left, I felt less than comfortable. Then off we went, along winding, mostly narrow, roads, past a folly called The Arch, to our first planned stop at the Devil’s Bridge. We left the car and took the steep stone staircase down to the river to get a good view of the three bridges built one above the other. After a pleasant half hour in the sunshine, we mounted the steep climb back up to the road and drove past the Vale of Rheidol Steam Railway and on to our lunchtime stop, Y Talbot, a pub and restaurant in Tregaron.

Tregaron was originally a main staging post for drovers taking Welsh black cattle to the markets in England. Several of the other cars also made this their lunch stop and were all assembled in the public car park. When it was time to leave, several drivers and navigators had spotted that the road out of Tregaron had a no through road sign near the car park exit. There was much debate about whether or not this was the right road. I got into the car and waited for Alan to join me. The consensus had been that we should go back past Y Talbot and take the road in front of it. When I said to Alan that the route plan showed that we should pass the Talbot on our right not our left, he convinced me that the hotel and pub (unnamed) on the tulip diagram, were in fact a different hotel and pub at the previous junction. We continued until we came to a road

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closed sign preventing us from going further. My suggestion was to turn round and go back, but the man in control of the steering wheel decided to follow the diversion signs. Eventually, we came to the far end of the closed road, but neither of us knew where we were. There was only one thing for it – take out the tablet, turn on the map app and hope that the GPS found us. There was no easy way to get back to the route. Fortunately, in this part of Wales, even the A roads have spectacular scenery and very little traffic.

Once back at the hotel, we met some of the others from the Car Club and compared notes on the afternoon. Another couple, who’d also set off along the same road as us from Y Talbot, had turned round soon after setting off because they had realised that it was the wrong road and we had not seen them waving for us to turn round. We were also told about the descent down the Devil’s Staircase (part of the route that we missed – which the route book told us was part of a celebrated night rally route) and that you see the brow of the hill in front of you, but when you get there, not only does the road descend further, but often there’s a sharp bend left or right that takes you by surprise.

Because mobile signals are unreliable in this part of the country, Geoff had recorded the distance of each public telephone box along the route. Determined not to get us lost on Sunday, I decided, as a double-check, to count the number of phone boxes we would pass on a particularly long stretch before reaching our turning to the right. I saw two of them, but the third didn’t appear when expected and before we knew it, we arrived at a T junction.

The roads were far too narrow to turn the car round, so we had to decide whether to turn right or left. Before we’d decided, another B pulled up behind us. I hoped that they weren’t following us thinking that we knew where we were going. The signpost said left to Rhayader; I didn’t recognise the name of the place to the right.

We decided to go to Rhayader, as at least we know where that is, then find somewhere to stop, check where we were and use the map to find our way back to the route; which it what we did. It was quite simple to get back on track: we took the B4518 northwards to Pant-y-dwr where we rejoined the route. We decided to avoid a small part of the route that looped around more unclassified

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NEWSLETTER MGB

David Broadhurst • newsletter-editor@mgb-register.org • www.mgb-register.org

roads and we stayed on the B4518 for a few more miles. This was not a bad decision: not only did we avoid getting lost again, but the scenery was spectacular with the winding road clinging to the hillside as it made its ascent. I looked down to my left to see a lake shining blue in the bright sunlight.

From here, there was just one turning on the left towards Machynlleth that I needed to make sure that we didn’t miss and the rest of today’s route would be plain sailing. Keeping my eye on the signposts that we passed I was able to give Alan plenty of warning that we were approaching the turning. We then drove through the desolate and disused mining area of Dylife and over the mountain road to Machynlleth with dramatic views. We stopped briefly here hoping to get a coffee, but being Sunday morning, there was nowhere open. After a pleasant walk around the town, we drove on past Corris, where a lot of the MGs had stopped to investigate the Craft Centre and possibly the King Arthur’s Labyrinth where there was apparently an underground boat ride! We did not stop but carried on along the route to the Meirion Mill, once the terminus of the Mawddwy Railway which was opened in the 1860s mainly to carry slate. Meirion Mill is now a shop selling good quality woollen and traditional goods, together with a coffee shop where we had coffee and a toasted tea cake, sitting in a small courtyard garden to make the most of the exceptional weather.

The rest of the drive passed without incident and we were both able to enjoy a relaxing drive, breathtaking scenery and, that rare bonus, fantastic weather.

At Sunday evening’s dinner, everyone’s photos from the weekend were displayed on a large screen. After the meal we had the traditional raffle and this year the proceeds are to go towards the restoration of UMD 534F, the MGB driven by Jean Denton and co-driver Tom Boyce in the 1968 Daily Express London to Sydney Marathon.

After the draw, Roger Cooper thanked Geoff and Carol Edwards for all their hard work in organising such an enjoyable weekend and presented them with gifts to show our appreciation.

I would like to endorse this and say how much Alan and I enjoyed it. It was an opportunity to discover a part of the country we might not have visited otherwise. But most of all, we appreciate the comprehensive information in our drivers’ packs and the time given to preparing it. Thank you.

Jenny Fursdon

German MGB takes in the views of the rolling hills of Wales. Photo: Thomas Beck

The stunning Elan Valley

Jean Denton / Tom Boyce London to Sydney Marathon MGB I first met Jean Denton when she came to my dental practice in 1964. Jean was a delightful person, highly intelligent with a steely Yorkshire determination, and an excellent patient, and we became firm friends.

I was soon introduced to her husband Tony Denton and to their Canadian friend and brilliant engineer Tom Boyce, who were both at Imperial College.

All of us were keen motoring enthusiasts and both Tom and I owned Twin-Cam MGAs. Mine (XGK 374) had previously been owned by Paul Jameson, another remarkable engineer who was at the helm of the machine tool business started by his father JL Jameson. Paul may perhaps be best remembered for making from scratch several extraordinary cars using different versions of the naturally aspirated and supercharged 27 litre Rolls-Royce engines (Meteor and Merlin).

Sadly Paul died aged 57 in 1989. A Spitfire flew over the church at his funeral and dipped its wings in tribute.

My Twin-Cam was the car I have most enjoyed driving out of all the cars I have owned, despite its flaws. It was very well

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balanced, sure-footed and possessed vivid performance for its time. With the option of two differentials and a close ratio gearbox it was a highly satisfying road car, and great fun on hill climbs.

I have happy memories of competing at Firle, Harewood, Loton Park, Wiscombe and elsewhere, and less happy memories of changing the 4.1 diff for road use for the 4.875 one on the hills in the paddock (and occasionally changing back again before driving home). With the 4.1 it would pull 80 plus in second gear and a good 120 or so in top.

It was essential to run on soft sparking plugs in town, hard ones on the open road, necessitating tedious and regular plug changes!

One day heading out of town for SE Kent on a beastly wet night I failed to change plugs at the garage on the Sidcup by-pass.

Fifty-odd miles later after some exhilarating motoring (roads were clearer in those far off days!) it ran on three cylinders only. Hope that this was only a minor problem was dashed when we took the head off to reveal a piston with a large hole in the middle!

Tom Boyce had bought his Twin-Cam new in Canada, one

www.mgcc.co.uk

22/01/2016 15:53

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FEBRUARY 2016

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NEWSLETTER MGB

David Broadhurst • newsletter-editor@mgb-register.org • www.mgb-register.org

of the great majority which were exported (of the 2,111 made, only 360 stayed in Britain) and he raced it there before coming to London. He then applied his engineering skills to sorting out the basic problems, particularly with its very heavy oil consumption, and subsequently developing it into a fabulous car.

There is an excellent article by Michael Bowler in the February 1974 edition of Classic Car which gives a full description of all that Tom had done to it at that time. Tom owned the car until sold at auction shortly before his death in 2015, although sadly ill health had prevented him from driving it for some years.

Tony Denton had graduated from Cambridge in 1958 with a degree in Mechanical Science and after a brief spell with British Oxygen he was awarded his doctorate at Imperial College, and appointed a Lecturer in Mechanical Engineering. In 1963 he met Captain David Noble, master mariner and marine consultant who needed help with assessing strength and stability problems of ocean-going barges, rigs and cranes. Tony’s technical brilliance coupled with Noble’s marine knowledge led to a rapid expansion of the business which grew into a global enterprise over the next quarter century. Appointed CBE in 1997, he died sadly young in 2001 at age 63.

Jean Moss graduated with a degree in Economics from LSE and married Tony Denton in 1958, both of them from Wakefield, Yorkshire. Jean didn’t learn to drive until she was 26, but rapidly

MGB Register Chairman’s Notes Happy new year to everyone; 2016 will be a different MG year for me and my family as I will be standing down as MGB Register Chairman at the March AGM. I was elected to the position in March 2009 and the main event of my Chairmanship which I will always remember was MGB50, our 50th birthday party at Blenheim Palace in September 2012. Unfortunately the day was very wet in the afternoon but to see so many MGBs and derivatives in one

Malcolm Sayers jet washing the Marathon engine before dismantling

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became involved in her husband’s passion for cars and motor racing. They raced Mini-Coopers, Triumphs and Morgans, and latterly the ex Jackie Stewart Formula 3 Cooper.

Tony’s business commitments left him little time for such activities, but Jean continued apace for several years in the late 1960s and early 1970s racing and rallying. The London to Sydney Marathon MGB was bought by Tony, and prepared for the rally by Tom Boyce with support from the BMC Competitions Dept. Jean and Tom completed the rally, finishing 42nd in a gruelling event, the only sports car to finish the event. It speaks volumes for the innate strength and rugged reliability of the MGB, not to mention the skill and stamina of driver and navigator.

Jean continued rallying and racing for a further year or two before taking up a post with Heron Group, then Austin-Rover, and finally became Under Secretary of State at the Northern Ireland Office. Awarded a CBE in 1990 and created a Life Peer in 1991, she too died in 2001.

It is great news that UMD 534F has been discovered and is undergoing restoration. When it is completed I shall hope to visit it in my own 1967 MGB Roadster, which following a recent major rebuild is once again running very happily and is more than capable of holding its own in modern traffic.

David Stone

location made all the work and planning well worth it.

I would also like to thank my many MG friends who have assisted in making the past six years so enjoyable, especially the MGB Register Committees; also George Wilder, an MGCC Director, has always been available to assist me and guide the Register, which has been much appreciated. This MGB Newsletter is the first one produced by David Broadhurst, who has offered to take over from Roger Boys, who we would all like to thank for his excellent work on past MGB Newsletters.

As I am sure you all know our current big project is the Marathon MGB that was found in a scrapyard last year. It is currently at Abingdon Car Restorations having bodywork repaired ready for the newly rebuilt engine and gearbox to be fitted.

We have been so very fortunate to have so much support from members and trade partners, the latest being Paul at Classic and Modern Engine Services at Bracknell www.cmesuk.com who has offered to do the machining work on the engine for us.

All supports and contributors to this project will be listed and displayed with the car when on display, more information is on the website www.mgb-register.org So that is it, my last notes for Safety Fast!. I will be around driving my 1964 Iris Blue MGB at events so look forward to seeing you. I wish my successor all the very best for the future.

John Watson Mob: 07770 575236 Email: johnwatsonmgb@gmail.com

Paul from CMES at Bracknell talking to Malcolm and John Watson

www.mgcc.co.uk

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22/01/2016 15:53

Tanya Field tanyafield123@sky.com 07929 868284

FWD NEWSLETTER

FWD Newsletter

Welcome to the

The start of last year’s run to Nuffield Place, with two MG Maestros in the line-up. Photo: Barry Blight

While there is the full list of events for the MG FWD Register below, I just wanted to highlight a couple here. Firstly, our AGM which is being held on Saturday February 20 at the MG Sales Centre in Longbridge at 10.30am for an 11.00am start. It would be great to be joined by as many members as possible and if your MGs are on the road, please bring them along. While you are welcome just to turn up on the day, if possible it would be helpful if you can let me know beforehand so that we have a rough idea of numbers. I would also like to thank Simon Bennett at the MG Sales Centre for offering a room and providing refreshments. Secondly, at the time of writing, we still need more cars for our stand at the Practical Classics Restoration Show at the NEC on March 5-6. All cars are welcome, from those requiring full restoration to those in concours condition and anything in between. However, ideal cars are those which have some jobs which can be undertaken at the show to help the stand come alive. Please do get in touch if you would like to bring a car.

I have an appeal for a FWD Register car to join a convoy from MINI Plant Oxford (Cowley to most of us!) to Nuffield Place, the former home of William Morris/Lord Nuffield. The small convoy of around 12 cars is taking place on Monday February 29 which is The MG FWD Register’s events diary February 20 – MG FWD Register’s AGM at the MG Sales Centre, Longbridge, 10.30am for an 11.00am start The MG FWD Register will have stands at the following shows/ events: March 5-6 – Restoration Show at the NEC April 10 – MG Era Day at Brooklands June 4-5 – MGLive! at Silverstone July 3 – BMC & Leyland Show at Gaydon July 9 – MG Zed 15 incorporating MG Saloon Day at Gaydon September 17-18*– Manchester Classic Car Show at EventCity November 11-13* – Classic Motor Show at the NEC *Our stands have yet to be confirmed for these shows.

www.mgcc.co.uk

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the opening day for Nuffield Place’s 2016 season. This is the third year in which the opening day for Nuffield Place has been marked in this way and is important in helping to keep the link between motor manufacturing at Cowley and Nuffield Place alive. If you would like to join this convoy, please do get in touch.

At the beginning of January, I attended the Maestro & Montego Owners Club AGM at Cowley. The post-meeting run out was an alternative to the dreaming spires tour of Oxford and we felt much more for fitting for these cars. We took a trip back to Blackbird Leys, a council estate a stone’s throw from the factory.

Blackbird Leys became infamous in the late 1980s and early 90s for stolen cars displays and even made it on to the national news.

MG Maestros were a particular favourite with the joy riders and there was a red MG Maestro which was featured heavily as part of the news reports. The M&MOC club members didn’t recreate any of the scenes from that era, however many of the residents did a double take on seeing the cars and we received several compliments such as ‘immense’! While the prevalence of joyriding is nothing like that of the late 1980s and early 90s, sadly our cars are still at risk from theft, so please do make sure you have good security and an adequate agreed value.

Runs/convoys April 2 – MG FWD Register’s Spring Run taking in Abingdon, Cowley, Gaydon and Longbridge.

September 4 – End of season run with the Tyne Tees Centre

Events the MG FWD Register won’t be having stands but many of our members do attend and they’re good for FWD Register cars: March 6 – Austin Morris Day at Brooklands April 16 – Pride of Longbridge at Longbridge April 24 – Drive It Day at many various venues June 19 – MGs in the Park at the Cotswold Wildlife Park August 7 – BL Rally & Spares Day at Peterborough September 24 – BL Autumn Rally at Milton Keynes

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NEWSLETTER FWD The distinctive lines of the Montego Turbo

Tanya Field tanyafield123@sky.com 07929 868284

A two night stop at the Stables Hotel, near Whitby

The Montego Turbo in Heartbeat country, pictured outside Scripps Garage

My Montego Turbo After 12 years of ownership, unbeknown to me November 15 2015 was to be the last week of ownership for my 1988 black MG Montego Turbo.

On November 8 2015 my wife and I decided to have a mini tour break to Whitby and surrounding areas in my lovely MG Montego Turbo. I cleaned the car inside and out on the Saturday, and we left on the Sunday.

We had a lovely tour up to Whitby via Beverley, Scarborough and up to a hotel called The Stables just outside Whitby.

The Stables was a lovely hotel with a black stallion, a 1940s truck and more outside, all ideal for photo opportunities.

We stayed in The Stables for two nights, enjoying Whitby and the surrounding areas, taking the opportunity for lots of photos next to landmarks.

After Whitby we then headed to Scarborough via Goathland, the village made famous in the Heartbeat TV series, and then on to Pickering. Both treated us to great scenery, great photo opportunities and perfect driving condition with the sunroof open.

Just outside Pickering I came across a car museum, and old car auction garage which we just had to stop and enjoy. It was nice to receive very favourable comments from the guys who owned the garage about my car. After our pleasant visit it was on to Scarborough, and staying in an

old Windmill. It was a very good B&B and perfect for the town centre, and visiting local sites.

In the morning we set off back home to Lincoln via Filey, Bridlington and other coastal towns. On arriving home I had to clean the car again, as it was due to be on show at the NEC Classic Car show on the FWD Register stand.

On the Thursday morning before the show I set off, and as usual on the way down to the NEC I got thumbs up, pictures taken and various great comments about my car from passing motorists. The Classic Motor Show at the NEC turned out to be a great show with lots of chat, pictures taken and more during the three days.

As it was the 30th anniversary of the Montego Turbo, Tanya Field had arranged a cake and a cutting ceremony with Russ Swift, Kevin Jones, Denis Chick and myself to be included in a photoshoot.

I felt very humble being in company of the guys who first promoted the Montego, and had also taken part in the famous two wheeled Montego advert that appeared on national TV. During the show I had a very enthusiastic gentleman come up to me and insist he wanted to buy my car, “for old times’ sake” was the phrase used.

Although the car wasn’t for sale and I didn’t want or need to sell it, I was offered a fair price for it.

Jeff doing his best Russ Swift impression in his Montego Turbo ‘Black Beauty’

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The 1940s Truck located outside the Stables Hotel

The Windmill B&B in Scarborough

I was considering selling it next year after a tour of France with our MGCC Lincolnshire friends to fund buying a V8 as I had started to hanker after one, so this was fate really!

After a long chat with my wife and a few emails to the gentleman, I decided to accept a buying price of £9,000. I considered this to be a fair price for the car due to the rarity, and the fact it had been featured in many magazines, and was a proven show winner.

The car has now been picked up and is on its way to Somerset and I hope the new owner enjoys it. It’s in good company as amongst other cars he has a Jaguar E-type and Jaguar XK150.

With only 11 taxed and 45 sorned, according to the website ‘How Many Left’, the MG Montego Turbo is an endangered species and the ambiance and value of these cars can only really go one way.

I do have another MG Montego Turbo that I have acquired and brought back from France so I’m not yet Turboless; it’s currently undergoing a restoration, but keep an eye out as shows soon!

Jeff Patterson

www.mgcc.co.uk

22/01/2016 15:53

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FEBRUARY 2016

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RACE TORQUE John Gil’s Trophy Championship winning MG ZR on the MGCC Stand at the Autosport show. Photo: Pete Macwaters

I

t seems hard to realise that by the time you read these words we will only be a short eight weeks away from our opening Race Meeting at Donington on Sunday April 3. The programme consists of the opening rounds of the Club’s Championships, Trophy and PBIC, with two races each, and The Cockshoot Cup, the Drayton Manor Park Metros, the Lackford Midgets and our series the Iconic supported on this occasion by Fiscar. In addition we have the Equipe GTS with their superb grids of 1950s and 60s cars, all of which should prove to be an entertaining start to the season. Donington has excellent viewing facilities, and is right on the motorway system at Junction 23a M1 so within easy reach of most. As always our Chief Marshal Paul Stilling would welcome additional marshals, no experience needed.

Please contact John Hutchison at the Club office if you can assist.

Race entries and forms will be available from the Club’s website, and early application would be appreciated.

The remainder of the Club’s race calendar has now been confirmed and the dates are: April 3 Donington, April 30-May 1 Brands Hatch, June 4-5 MGLive! Silverstone GP, July 3 Mallory Park, September 3 Oulton Park, and our closing meeting October 1-2 at Snetterton. Why not put those dates into your diary now?

All of the event programmes have now been finalised and it looks like being another packed year for the Club’s motor racing fans. We have a number of our old friends included again: Porsche are with us at three meetings, as are Morgans.

The BARC Saloons are at two events with four races each meeting. Equipe GTS are present at the first four events and Lotus Cup Europe are present at MGLive! for the first time. Needless to say there isn’t a lot of time spare in the scheduling and the Club’s hard-working race officials will be pleased to complete all of the programmes.

All of that means that spectators will have a real feast of classic Club motor racing to watch.

During January the Club has exhibited at the massive and prestigious Autosport

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Race Torque

by Ron Gammons

Show at the NEC for the first time with the show in its present form. The intention was to showcase the Club’s flourishing race programme and its Championships to a wider audience with a view of attracting perhaps younger drivers to partake. Both Trophy and Metro were promoting that for £6,000 one could purchase a suitable donor car, race prepare it, and if under 21 (when the Club’s initiative of half price entries is available) complete a season’s motor racing for that sum of money. Not many Clubs can offer that. John Gil’s 2015 Trophy Championship winning ZR was chosen to represent the Club on the stand and by all accounts the car presentation was second to none.

Well done John and thank you. Thank you also to the various volunteers from most of the Club’s Championships who helped man the stand throughout the four days.

Speaking of shows, the Club will have its usual stand at Race Retro at Stoneleigh on February 26-28. As normal we are just inside the main doors and will welcome members to visit us. This show is more of a Club show rather than the razzamatazz of Autosports, and most of the Club’s competitors will be there at some point over the three days.

There has been a lot of discussion recently as to where all the MGAs that used to race have gone. This column is not the place to detail how this has come

about but we are now down to fewer than ten that appear from time to time, and while we would like very much to provide them with their own race, financially that just isn’t possible. A major factor with the ones that do appear is their advanced state of tune, particularly engine size, overall weight and tyres. This appears to have perhaps frightened off others with more standard cars. The simple facts are that those that are racing do not appear to comply with Equipe GTS regulations or Fiscar’s. Along with Equipe GTS the Club would like to promote some simple rules, restricting engine size to an overall 1850cc single cam (the FIA MGB limit) but for the cars with that capacity to have to be at the MGB FIA weight of 827kg. Tyres would be Dunlop Historic or road tyres (not list 1a).

John Turner of Fiscar is keen to encourage similar rules. This brief outline is not of course definitive, there just isn’t space! but these are the main points.

Nothing would give the Race Committee more pleasure than to see a grid of MGAs out racing with our Club where they belong. After all there were more than 100,000 MGAs made and they are a superb road holding and an attractive car to boot, ideal for a few races. No doubt those with extensively modified cars will feel disappointed at having to detune, but without it very few can see MGAs getting back to any numbers and certainly not to a MGA only grid. The choice is there!

www.mgcc.co.uk

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PLEASE NOTE: ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

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MGs ON TRACK

Sponsored by

MGs track on

MGs on Track invites EVERYBODY to try out a track day!

Words by Steve Brand and Dave Livingstone Photo by Nik Barret, Xtremesportsphotography A question that is often asked when we are at events such as MGLive! and the Classic Car Show, by those that are curious and have never experienced the thrill of driving their MG the way it was intended, is, “What is a track day?” So as we are about to embark on an exciting new season for 2016, I thought it would be a good opportunity to explain with the help of a little plagiarism of an excellent article written by our President, Dave Livingstone, a few years ago.

What is a track day?

MGs on Track (MGoT) is the part of the MG Car Club that organises track days for MGs. OK, that may sound a bit basic but it is surprising how misunderstood track days are, so it may be easier to start with what tracks days are not…

Track days are NOT motorsport, as any kind of racing or timekeeping is strictly forbidden! Track days ARE however, an excellent opportunity for you to take your normal, everyday, Classic or Modern, road-going MG around a beautifully smooth tarmac circuit as fast or as slow as you like! There are no traffic lights, no road junctions, no speed cameras and best of all… everybody is driving in the same direction. A track day combines the safety of a motorway with the twists and turns of a country ‘B’ road. All track days are like this, but with MGoT you have the added benefit of sharing the circuit with other like-minded MG enthusiasts, the camaraderie extends to the paddock and pit lane too and can be just as much fun as the driving. MGoT is run on a ‘not for profit

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basis’, making an exciting day out very cost effective compared to commercial track day operators, and only MGs or similar marques are allowed on track.

What about my car?

Any MG is perfect for track days, provided it has an MOT! MGBs and MGFs are probably the most common track day car but we have all types from an MGA through to an SVR regularly on track. We also put you and your car into a group that is comparable with others and according to your ‘track’ driving experience, so you won’t find your Y Type in amongst MGB V8s.

On a track day, your car may work a little harder on track than normal and you are responsible for self-scrutineering, checking your fluids, brakes and tyres to ensure a trouble-free day, not forgetting your seatbelts, lights and indicators. You will be required to sign an indemnity form on the day, to say this has been done.

Don’t be put off when I say ‘work a little harder’ as it will probably operate better on track than in your day to day, heavy traffic, drive to work… albeit a tad more exciting!

Your car will undergo a noise test before going on track and most road-going

cars should pass this ok. (If you have any doubts about the noise of your exhaust, it would be wise to have it checked before you book.)

What about me?

If you have never been on track before it can be quite daunting the first time, but don’t worry, at MGoT we offer a ‘mentoring service’ where one of us will be on hand to guide you through the day and ensure it runs smoothly for you.

Before going out on track everybody has a mandatory safety briefing. You will be given a reminder of the circuits rules and regulations (you will receive a copy of this prior to the event), be shown a circuit map, the track entrance and exit, where the marshals are located, what the different colour flags mean and information on the day’s weather. It is also an opportunity to ask any questions that you may have.

You will require a crash helmet (subject to helmet regulations, see our website for up to date information on this). We can hire you a crash helmet for the day if you do not have one (again, see our website for information on this). Comfortable clothing (arms and legs need to be covered) and flat-soled shoes are recommended.

Your first session out on track will be behind a safety car for a minimum of three laps, to familiarise yourself with the circuit layout. We also recommend, invaluable instruction from one of our ARDS (Association of Racing Drivers Schools) Grade ‘A’ Instructors; they will help you with driving technique and the best line around the circuit. Your track day with MGoT will consist of six or seven sessions during the day, of either 15 or 20 minutes, depending on the circuit.

This is an outline of ‘what a track day is’ with much more information on our website www.mgs-on-track.com So, if you want to know more, come along to any of our track days that are displayed on our calendar, there is no entry charge for spectators… make yourself known to us and we will arrange for one of our experienced members to give you a few passenger laps!

What is a track day? It’s all about having fun in Your MG!

www.mgcc.co.uk

22/01/2016 15:54

MG MG Steve Brand track track steveb@mgs-on-track.co.uk on on www.mgs-on-track.com

2016 Calendar

Calendar 2015

*Goodwood ** New for –2015 February 20 Blow off 10 the cobwebs with our first visit of the year to this March Silverstone historic, very popular, 50s, iconic circuit set Aprilfabulous, 20 Cadwell in Sussex. (single MSV Session) *Donington March 14 May 11 Park –Snetterton Our dedicated first (single timers and novices event to introduce MSV Session) days, Weald including mentoring and novice Mayyou 15to MG trackNorth instruction. This(Beginners event, as always, day) is also open to more drivers fromPark MGAs to MG V8s… One not Mayexperienced 26 Oulton to be missed! (Single MSV session)** *Cadwell 18 Combe June 8 Park – April Castle The An exciting and undulating July UK’s 3 mini Nurburgring.

Croft – Open Pit Lane, circuit set in scenic Lincolnshire countryside. experienced only *Snetterton – May(via 23 Lotus on Track) AJuly chance the ‘Snetterton 300’ circuit with its 13 to experience Pembray ** layout ensuring there is something Julyfast 25 and technical Hethel** for everyone.

August 13 Brands Hatch – GP *N Weald – Date TBA (single LoT session) Not a track day14butCastle a fun day allowing you the opportunity September Combe to discover about the handling characteristics of October 5 more Donington your car to doing a full track day. An excellent October 26 prior – Goodwood opportunity beginners!

December 7 –forBrands Hatch Indy *Castle Coombe – June 20 The first visit of two regular annual visits to this very friendly circuit in Wiltshire. *Croft – July 1 A shared day with Lotus on Track on a great circuit, set between the Yorkshire Dales and Yorkshire Moors! *Blyton Park – July 16 A first time visit for MGoT to this circuit that has been given some great reviews. A variety of track layouts makes this an interesting venue! *Hethel – July 30 Another opportunity to experience the Lotus test track in Norfolk. This will be our second visit due to the popularity in 2015. A great track for all types of MG! *Brands Hatch GP – August 25 A must do! A rare opportunity to try the GP circuit which has imposed limited use during the year. It’s a privilege for MGoT to be invited back for a third year running. *Castle Combe – September 12 A second opportunity to enjoy the thrills of this ever popular track which includes a couple of chicanes and technical corners! *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!

LUFFIELD

Luffield Championship John Wilman, Beechfield, Fern Bank, Chapel-en-le-Frith, High Peak. SK23 0JJ. Tel: 07778 165186 • www.mgspeed.net Turkey and tinsel behind us, excess and gluttony a guilty memory. We are bombarded with entreaties to give up alcohol for January, as if. Whatever else you do, remember to get your Championship registrations in as early as possible.

There is a lot to look forward to in 2016. As well as the established favourites we have two new Northern events in the calendar. The first, Barbon Manor hillclimb near Kirby Lonsdale on July 2. This is spectacular venue with a long history of motorsport. This meeting is a round of the National Hillclimb Championship. If you want to see the really quick drivers make sure you put your entry in early, as it may well be oversubscribed.

The second is the Three Sisters, a sprint located near Ashton in Makerfield.

This is a Kart circuit constructed on an old mine site and set at the entrance to a delightful country park. It is laid out in such a way that there are several different formats that can be used, all of them twisty and challenging. Over the years we have used several different layouts. This event will be a one lapper which we have used before and I think makes use of the most interesting corners. It is very user friendly from a spectator’s point of view and well worth a visit.

As a result of Mr Ecclestone’s requirements, our Silverstone weekend will be on June 4-5 2016, with the sprint on the Stowe circuit on the Sunday. It will be the same course as the past two years which entrants have found demanding with both fast and slow corners. This is open to all MGCC members and we are supported by several other clubs fielding an interesting variety of machinery from days past right up to the present.

There really is something for everybody’s taste.

On April 30 and May 1 we make our first annual visit to the Anglesey circuit with all the usual thrills for drivers and spectators alike.

Unfortunately, our September event will not take place. The circuit, in its wisdom, has sold that date to a race meeting and was only able to offer us another date with reduced facilities and at a price that made it uneconomical to run. However, Longton and District Car club are running a sprint on October 1-2 to which we have accepted an invite. They run exactly the same format as ourselves so our target times will apply. From a calendar point of view it fits in very well and has the advantage of extending the Northern regional season.

Once again we can look forward to an interesting season with something for everyone and I look forward to seeing most of you during the year.

Will Corry in his rapid Midget at last years MGLive! Sprint

* To book places you need to be registered with MGoT on our website www.mgs-on-track.com ** All registered members will receive an email about a week prior to the event opening for sale. *** If an event says ‘Status: Provisional’ it is not open for booking yet. **** If all places are ‘Sold Out’ contact the ‘Event Manager’ highlighted on the website booking page for a reserve place.

www.mgcc.co.uk

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FEBRUARY 2016

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CALENDAR

FEBRUARY Wednesday 3 MGCC: Lincolnshire Centre Annual Dinner Cross Keys, Grasby Contact: Keith – 01472 602949 Wednesday 3 – Sunday 7 MGCC: France Retromobile Paris, France Contact: Hakan Sigemark – hakan.sigemark@mgcc.se Thursday 4 MGCC: Tyne Tees Centre 2016 AGM The Old Mill, Coxhoe Contact: Noel Lindford – 0191 587 0753 or noel.lindford@btinternet.com Friday 5 – Sunday 7 MGCC Germany Bremen Classic Motor Show Bremen, Germany Contact: Hakan Sigemark – hakan.sigemark@mgcc.se Saturday 6 MGCC: Ulster Centre Derek Walker Trial Delamont Country Park, Killyleagh Contact: Gordon Buckley Thursday 11 MGCC: North West Centre 2016 AGM The Tatton Arms Contact: Paul Rodman – 01614 398990 Sunday 14 MGCC: South East Centre Valentines Treasure Hunt Location TBA Contact: Derek Edwards – 01737 765891 Saturday 20 MGCC: V8 Register V8 Committee Meeting and Annual Curry Night West Midlands Contact: Robert Debbie Brading – 07795 227715 Saturday 20 MGCC: Anglia Centre Committee Meeting The Limes Needham Market, Suffolk Contact: Peter Skipper – 01502 731141 Saturday 20 MGCC: MGs on Track Goodwood Contact: Martin Holmes – martinh@mgs-on-track.co.uk Sunday 21 MG Spares Day Stoneleigh Park Contact: Main Club Office – 01235 555552

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Sunday 21 MGCC: Caledonian Centre Technical Day Dreadnought Garage, Callander Rob MacGillivray – 07870 407111 Friday 26 – Sunday 28 Race Retro Stoneleigh Park Contact: www.raceretro.com Friday 26 – Sunday 28 MGCC: Caledonian Centre Rod Stewart Tribute Scotlands Hotel, Pitlochry Contact: Nancy Crichton – mgcalsec@yahoo.com Saturday 27 MGCC: South West Centre Annual Dinner and Awards Evening Limpley Stoke Hotel Limpley Stoke, Bath Contact: Jim Lott – chairman@mgccsw.com Saturday 27 MGCC: Ulster Centre February Autotest Location TBA Contact: Gordon Buckley

MARCH Tuesday 1 MGCC: South West Centre 2016 AGM Compton Martin Contact: Jim Lott – chairman@mgccsw.com Thursday 3 MGCC: Lincolnshire Centre 2016 AGM Abbey Lodge, Kirkstead Woodhall Spa Contact: Sue Mackenzie – 01529 497849 Saturday 5 MGCC: Ulster Centre Dinner and Prizegiving Scrabo Golf Club, Newtownards Contact: Gordon Buckley Saturday 12 MGCC Club Council MG Motor UK, Longbridge Contact: Colin Grant (Club Secretary) – 01235 555552 Saturday 12 MGCC: Ulster Centre March Autotest Location TBA Contact: Gordon Buckley Sunday 13 MGCC: South East Centre Spring Naviscat Location TBA Contact: Terry Giles – 020 8660 0908

FEBRUARY 2016

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Sunday 13 MGCC: MGB Register 2016 AGM Kimber House Contact: John Watson – 07770 575236 Monday 14 MGCC: MGs on Track Donington Park Contact: Martin Holmes – martinh@mgs-on-track.co.uk Wednesday 16 MGCC: Ulster Centre 2016 AGM Shandon Park Contact: Gordon Buckley Friday 18 – Sunday 20 MGCC: Lincolnshire Centre Settle Weekend Settle Contact: Richard Welch – 01724 764144 Saturday 19 MGCC: Abingdon Works Centre 2016 AGM Lamb & Flag, Abingdon Contact: Mike Gething – 01295 254498 Saturday 19 MGCC: T-Register Rebuild at Gaydon Contact: Barry Knight – 01252 875740 or barglen@ntlworld.com Saturday 19 MGCC: MGF Register 2016 AGM & Awards Dinner Oxford Abingdon Hotel Contact: Keith Williams – chair@mgfregister.org Sunday 20 MGCC: Caledonian Centre March Lunch Airth Castle Hotel, Airth, Falkirk Contact: Leslie Duncan – 0141 637 3475 Sunday 20 MGCC: Midland Centre Spring Trial Lintridge Farm, near Ledbury Contact: Tony Lake – 01604 589104 Saturday 26 MGCC: Magnette Register Magnettes & Steam Rowsley South Station Contact: Stephen Tickell – 01737 760330 or stephen.tickell@gmail.com Sunday 27 MGCC: Yorkshire Centre Daffodil Run Clifton Moor McDonalds York Contact: David Chapman – 0113 2562368 or 07821 263209

APRIL Saturday 2 MGCC: Ulster Centre MG NI Championship Autotest Location TBA Contact: Gordon Buckley Sunday 3 MGCC Race Meet Donington Park Contact: www.donington-park.co.uk

Sunday 10 MGCC: V8 Register V8 Committee Meeting West Midlands Contact: Robert Debbie Brading – 07795 227715 Sunday 10 MGCC: Lincolnshire Centre Practice Autotest Location TBA Contact: David Stonehouse – 01790 754774

Sunday 3 MGCC: Midland Centre Spring Sprint Curborough, near Lichfield Contact: Barbara Whale – barbara@whaleandco.co.uk

Saturday 16 MGCC Pride of Longbridge Longbridge, Birmingham Contact: www.prideoflongbridge.co.uk

Monday 4 – Friday 8 MGCC: T Register T Register Tour Normandy, France Contact: Bill & Sally Silcock – treg.sec@virginmedia.com or 01525 750468

Sunday 17 MGCC: Caledonian Centre One Day Satellite Run Finish Stirling Contact: David Reid – 01383 727695

Tuesday 5 MGCC: Caledonian Centre 2016 AGM Royal Hotel, Bridge of Allan Contact: Nancy Crichton – 01236 739758 Wednesday 6 – Sunday 10 MGCC: Germany Techno Classica Essen, Germany Contact: Hakan Sigemark – hakan.sigemark@mgcc.se Saturday 9 MGCC: V8 Register Black Country Museum Visit West Midlands Contact: Debbie Brading – 07795 227715 Saturday 9 MGCC: South West Centre Kimber Classic Trial 2016 Somerset Contact: Andrew Owst – andrewowst@hotmail.com or 01761 221893 Sunday 10 MGCC: South East Centre Dinner Dance Reigate Manor Hotel Surrey Contact: Terry Giles – 020 8660 0908 Sunday 10 MG Era Day Brooklands Museum Surrey Contact: Main Club Office – 01235 555552 Sunday 10 MGCC: MGB Register MGB Register Spring Run Ragley Hall, Warwickshire Contact: More information and entry forms available at www.mgb-register.org

Monday 18 MGCC: MGs on Track Cadwell Park Contact: Martin Holmes – martinh@mgs-on-track.co.uk Monday 18 – Friday 22 MGCC: Vintage Register Spring to the Cotswold Dumbleton Hall, Evesham Contact: John Venables – 01865 862573 Sunday 24 MGCC: South East Centre Spring Run Location TBA Contact: Terry Giles – 020 8660 0908 Sunday 24 MGCC: Abingdon Works Centre St. Georges Day Run Abingdon, Oxfordshire Contact: Pete & Sarah Davies – 07877932284 Sunday 24 MGCC: South West Centre Cobwebs Run – Celebrating Drive it Day Brocksbushes Farm, near Corbridge Contact: Ian Graham – 0191 413 6321 Sunday 24 MGCC: Anglia Centre Drive Your Classics Day Norfolk Contact: Steve & Alison Kemp – 01553 840245 Friday 29 – Monday 2 MGCC: South East Centre Normandy Rally Contact: Derek Edwards – 01737 765891

www.mgcc.co.uk

22/01/2016 15:54

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22/01/2016 15:54

OVERSEAS

NEWS

Doug Hastie ponders a photo or maybe an offer!

F

rom September through most of November 2015, together with my wife, Angela, we were lucky enough to be hosted by our good friends George and Marguerite Morgan at their home in Gippsland Victoria. This postretirement holiday was made complete by virtue of an invitation to join them for the National Rally Bathurst 2015 to be held over the weekend of November 13-15 on the famous Mount Panorama racing circuit.

The adventure started at the end of our first week when we found ourselves enjoying the company of members of the MG Car Club Victoria for the 49th running of their Springtime Rally, superbly organised by Doug Hastie with invaluable help from other members of the Victoria Club. Starting in Melbourne the event, run over two days, took us via great traffic-free roads through some of Victoria’s finest countryside. Following this great start to our holiday we enjoyed several trips alone,

amongst them being Wilsons Promontory, Coober Pedy famous for its opal mining history and far into the Australian outback and where the next stop is Alice Springs!

For this trip alone we covered over 3,000km and that’s an awful lot in miles as well.

Mile after mile of straight traffic-free roads, apart from the road trains which you don’t argue with, and which we thought couldn’t be improved on. That’s before we got to Tasmania, some of the best MG driving country anywhere and roads many of which put ours to shame in terms of surface quality. Sadly Angela’s trip was cut short when she returned to the UK for family reasons, the result of which was another grandson arriving somewhat earlier than expected; Mum and baby both doing well now thankfully.

After many hours working with George in his shed, actually an aircraft hangar! and probably getting more in the way of his endeavours to get an F type ready for Bathurst, I eventually departed Gippsland towing a trailer containing a K1 tourer, no responsibility there then! and accompanied by Doug Hastie and John Oliver from the Victoria club who were towing a J2. It had been decided to start a few days before the event to have

An Australian Adventure

By Greg Smith Photos by Jeremy Braithwaite

Sunday lunch at Borrodell Winery, after quiet a few glasses for some

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www.mgcc.co.uk

22/01/2016 15:54

NEWS

OVERSEAS

The only (known) K1 Tourer in Australia

Magnificent Triple M’s in front of the Bathurst War Memorial

Beautiful 1925 MG 14/28. the oldest entrant accompanied by her much, much younger and equally beautiful owner

Equally magnificent SVW’s but this time in front of the Town Hall

a leisurely drive up to Bathurst in NSW. What wasn’t planned was leaving George and son David working day and night to try and finish the F type. They eventually had to leave without the F but towing their K3 replica, a magnificent example of the late Peter Gregory’s work and which is simply wonderful to drive and a real treat on the eye. With all the family in tow they arrived at Rydges Hotel, located actually on the circuit, the day before all the fun started.

The welcome reception held at the National Motor Racing Museum, also on the circuit, saw the Mayor of Bathurst welcome some 70 plus pre-war MGs covering virtually all the models built

Phillip Bayne-Powell off to open his prize after his Sunday Night Dinner speech

www.mgcc.co.uk

MG_SafetyFast_Feb16_49-98.indd 67

at Abingdon, together with drivers/ passengers all looking forward to driving the circuit. When not closed for racing the circuit is actually public roads, although you wouldn’t think so when you have thrashed, sorry gently driven around it a few times. The police do keep a close watch on what is going on but if you are sensible then you really can get a feel for the whole place. I hope the accompanying pictures will give a flavour of what was an unforgettable trip made all the more memorable by the welcome from everyone I met, and especially the MGCC Victoria and George and Marguerite for their tremendous hospitality.

George & Marguerite Morgan letting the K special off the leash on the fantastic Mount Panorama circuit

The official photos from the event can be viewed and purchased on Jeremy’s site https://jbraithwaite.smugmug.com/ MotorsportHistorics/PreWar-BathurstMGs-2015

Organisers Tim Shellshear (left) and Rob Dunsterville and the Mayor of Bathurst at the Friday Night welcome reception at the National Motor Racing Museum

FEBRUARY 2016

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OVERSEAS

REVIEW

A monthly look through a few of the overseas magazines we receive at Kimber House Reviewed by Peter Stevens

Overseas Review

T

he chocolates and other treats have nearly all been eaten, and Christmas and New Year celebrations are happy but fading memories. Yet again, I’ve resolved to attend more Club events than in recent years, and this year really will!

Anticipation can often be sharpened by reflection, and the magazines reviewed this month are certainly having that effect.

The Canterbury MaG from New Zealand has a cover photo of an MGB exploring its braking capabilities in an Autotest and it looks like the driver is having lots of fun. Inside is a piece by the club’s President in which she mentions friends who noticed smoke from the engine bay of their MG. The cause was found to be walnut shells left there by rats! A timely reminder that we should all carefully check and monitor our own storage facilities.

The item on the cut-away MGA at the UK Gaydon Motor Museum was intriguing and photographs of a New Year’s Day picnic in the sun filled me with envy. Also, I thought the diary of future events would ensure a happy time for all.

Sacred Octagon from the New England MG T Register has delightful cover photographs, the front being a beautiful TC with radiator mascot and the back, a shot of a supercharger, which I’m sure takes hours to keep polished and shiny!

Within are details of their upcoming Kimber Festival, which lists the speakers,

who would delight any enthusiast. Also included is an item about a GRP replica of a Cisitalia body, fitted to a TD chassis. Intended it seems for volume production, but not realised. A beautiful car though, and clearly much appreciated and enjoyed.

The reproduced advertisement for a VA special known as the R.E.A.L DEMON was fascinating, as was the article on the restoration of four TCs and three TDs by one member. A lifetime well spent!

The Octagon from Toronto includes items on proposals to reduce local speed limits to 40km/hr and the benefits of fitting relays to MGB electrical systems. Much good advice included.

Also shown are photographs of the Octagon Dinner & Awards Soiree and other past events, from which it’s apparent that this is a group who know how to enjoy themselves!

Opposite Lock from Sydney includes an item about an appreciative MG3 owning member who travelled to Longbridge to personally thank those who made it. The item on how to locate and interpret MGB chassis numbers, and how they differ between Australian assembled and USA and UK specification cars, was most informative, and the ongoing notes from MG owners on a 16,000km trip through South America made me realise just how adventurous some members are. Many mechanical failures were experienced by the group, but the one I’d never heard of before was the failure of a woodrim of a steering wheel.

Finally, a good cross-section of models in the Classified Ads Section, showed a healthy turnover of our favourite cars.

MAGASINET from Norway has an item on the cars in the life of a member, concluding with him shown very proudly with a TD. Also shown are photographs of a

The GRP replica of a Cisitalia body, fitted to a TD chassis featured in the Sacred Octagon

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Supercharger featured in the Sacred Octagon

gathering on a beach and an appreciation of the E.E.O.T.Y. Everyone looking happy, and clearly enthusiasts who enjoy their cars and being together. I couldn’t decipher the text, but can guess what the two warmly clad fellows looking at the steam coming from an MGB engine might have been saying!

My last review for this month is MG KURIER from Germany which has some excellent shots of an MGA participating in ‘Le Jog’, an in-period advertisement for the LE MANS GT CONVERSION offered by Lenham for the Midget, an item on a 1930 M Type owned by a member, an excellent article on different engine configurations, with easily understood line-drawings, and details of the many regalia items on offer.

And finally, a photograph of the happy taker of photographs for one of the articles in this edition.

Enough to whet our appetites for the coming season, but, speaking of appetites, I’ve noticed that the steering wheel of our MGA seems closer than it did before Christmas.

That caused me to be stressed and the reason could be that ‘stressed’ is ‘desserts’ written in reverse!

Where’s that diet book?

The TD and proud owner featured in Magasinet

Photographing MGs, the expression says it all.

www.mgcc.co.uk

22/01/2016 15:54

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CENTRES

CENTRE

ABINGDON WORKS Malcolm Bailey sfscribe@mgabingdon.org.uk www.mgabingdon.co.uk

The last event of 2015 was the Boxing Day Run, the mildest on record, with a good turnout of 50 cars gathered in Abingdon’s Market Square. After a short run around the local roads and lanes everybody enjoyed mulled wine and mince pies at the Prince of Wales at Shippon.

Our year starts with our Annual General Meeting, to be held this year at the Lamb & Flag, Faringdon Road, Southmoor on Saturday March 19. The day starts with an optional lunch at midday followed by a talk at 2.00pm from our speaker, MG Car Club General Manager Adam Sloman, with the AWC Awards following on at 2.45pm – we are looking for nominations for the Centre Member of The Year award, so if you know someone who you think has done a lot for the Centre over the past 12 months, please let us know as soon as possible. The AGM itself starts at 3.00pm – remember, it’s not just for the Committee, it’s for all AWC members so come along and have your say! We’re also in need of new faces on the Committee so please think seriously about joining us. It can be fun and rewarding and without an active Committee, there will be no events to enjoy!

As mentioned last month, due to rising costs our Abingdon Works Centre octagonal calendar can no longer be distributed as an insert into the January issue that our Centre members receive,

so we decided to continue to produce the calendar but make it a version that you can download and print. You can download it from www.mgabingdon. co.uk/for-our-members/octagonal-calendars/ If you need a copy posted to you, please let us know.

Talking of the AWC website, we are desperate for cars to feature on our ‘Car of the Month’ spot, so much so that we’re now re-featuring notable cars from past years! We’re not looking solely for concours condition cars, we are always happy to feature everyday MGs that are enjoyed by

MGs gather in the Abingdon Market Square for the start of the Boxing Day Run

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

Norfolk Riviera Run This year’s run was held in conditions more akin to a March spring day rather than the Wednesday following Christmas.

Thirty-three cars took the start at Gayton’s Crown Inn, for a 47 mile route compiled this year

by Steve Atkinson, and what a splendid run it was.

Following coffee and bacon rolls, a fine parade of MGs began departing at 10am, ranging from the 1954 MG TF of Trevor and Christine Forecast, who were part of the organising team on the first Riviera Run. Some superb MGs followed including a lovely green MG TD, two

Trevor and Christine in their 1250cc MG TF

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enthusiasts at all levels, so pop along to our Car of the Month page and use the online form to send us some photos and the history or description of your car.

Also on our website you will find links to our Facebook page and where you can sign up for our monthly email newsletter by joining our mailing list.

And finally, the Committee would like to extend a warm welcome to all our new members, who we look forward to meeting at one of our many events this year.

MGAs, some Bs, and many other models of MG right up to the latest MG3.

The route took us past the Sandringham Estate, resplendent in the low sunlight but with no sign of the fields of lavender that it was swathed in last August. We then followed a wonderfully scenic route passing Holkham Hall, noticing as we did some intrepid runners out training for Saturday’s Holkham Park run.

We ended our day at Fakenham with a welcome lunch before wending our way home.

Thank you Steve and the hosts at Gayton for another successful event.

CENTRE Chris Bone took some excellent photos on the day which you can see on the website along with this photo of Trevor and Christine in their 1250cc TF. Pub Meet Update At the recent Burblers pub meet Christmas dinner, Terry Starkey was able to report that a sum collected to date of £680.00 has been forwarded to the Peter Couch Cancer Research Fund.

Peter, as many of you will know, was a very popular member of the Anglia Centre who lost his battle with cancer last year. You can still contact Terry if you would like to donate to this worthy cause in memory of Peter.

Burbler of the Year award was also presented at the dinner, this year going to Tony Burgess for a fantastic restoration of his MG Midget.

Autotesting As mentioned last month, Mike Pelling, our competitions secretary, is proposing holding two, free to enter Autotest Taster Days. These are for members new to Autotesting, or for those who feel it is such a long time since they tried it, they wonder if they still have the knack.

I am pleased to say that this has sparked quite a lot of interest. You can contact Mike on compsec@mgccanglia.com to register your interest.

www.mgcc.co.uk

22/01/2016 15:54

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CENTRES

CALEDONIAN Bob MacGillivray 07870 407111 mgcarsscotland@gmail.com www.mgcaledonian.com

I’m writing this on January 3, the sun is out, the birds are twittering and the bulbs are well up…

Hopefully this, so far, mild winter hints at a warm summer to come!

I said last month that bookings for the Three Day Highland Fling based in Aviemore would close on January 31. That’s true but depending on when you receive this there may still be a place or two for you. Check our website and don’t delay!

First event in February is the Technical Day at Dreadnought Garage Callander. We meet for a spot of lunch from 12 noon at The Old Rectory Inn before going down to meet Brian Luti. Subjects to be covered will include MG ZTs and F/TFs, but even if you don’t have one of them it’s always an entertaining afternoon. Book through the website … and there is no charge for this event! It’s a freebie!

All the places for the Rod Stewart Tribute night are taken but if you want to go, check with Nancy in case there is a cancellation available.

Our next lunch is on March 20 at Airth Castle Hotel near Falkirk. Again details are on the website.

You should all have received your Newsletter in early January and we hope you all found something of interest. Included with that was our calendar of events for this year. We are doing more events than ever before including an extra show (seven in total!) at Kincardine Castle in August and we are trying to cover more areas as well. Hopefully we can meet up with even more members this year but if there is an event of some kind you would like to suggest, then please let your committee know. We aim to please!

There seems to be a reducing pool of square riggers in the Centre, T types and MMMs, but at the Chilly Willy I heard of a TF1250 under restoration which should be out this year and there is an M type returning home in the Spring. I think there is also an ex-Ireland TC under restoration in Aberdeen, but does anyone else have something tucked away in their garage? We would like to see these cars out and about, especially at shows as the general public always take an interest in them.

And don’t forget also that we are looking for a good representation of Zeds to be out and about in this their anniversary year. What do you have?

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

The North Cornwall Christmas Dinner was held on the Natter night at The Earl of St Vincent, with 21 people taking part. With us all seated, the Christmas meal arrived piping hot, and was followed by the quiz. Barry and Fee Smith who won it last year were the question masters with ‘name the racing circuits and flags’. This was followed by the 40 questions we had to answer, and with a total of 27 points Brian Galbraith is in line to organise the 2016 quiz. A lovely evening was had by all and thanks to Rob Constant.

South Hams Natter met before Christmas

with a quiz, all things associated with Christmas.

One had to put one’s thinking cap on but a very enjoyable evening followed by a raffle and announcements and a cheery bye. Their Christmas Meal was at the Furzeleigh Mill, Buckfastleigh and most people stayed the night. There are five courses with one being the Christmas Pudding set ablaze and we all had a piece. There were thanks all round to Graham for such a lovely year of events, which finished in the bar to put the world to rights, a very enjoyable evening.

Our representatives in France for the Rallye International Charente

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CENTRE

The inaugural meeting of the Caledonian Centre Ladies Knitting Circle was held in Stirling on January 1. Some just felt a bit needled and couldn’t see the point...

CENTRE Events For Your Diary 2016 March 19 – AGM Eagle House Hotel, Launceston, time 7.30pm – 8.00pm.

Contact Bob Slatter bobslatter@hotmail.com March 25 – MCC Lands End Trial – marshals are needed to help out before and on the day. Again contact Bob Slatter.

April 24 – Drive It Day – make a note of the date, more details later.

June 19 – ACE Run. Terry Bolt on – terry@ terrybolt.plus.com May 28 – June 4 – The last ever Janner Week at Berrynarbor in North Devon. Have you booked your site? as the accommodation is getting booked up. www.watermouthcoveholiday.co.uk or telephone 01271 862504 to book.

Queries Peter Heath allegropeter@aol.com

Happy Diners at Fursleigh Mill. Photo: Jean Quartley

www.mgcc.co.uk

22/01/2016 15:57

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CENTRES

CENTRE

LINCOLNSHIRE John Hebb tel 01522 683541jhebb38@virginmedia.com www.mgcclincolnshire.co.uk

February Natters: Wolds Wednesday 3; Lincolnshire Poacher Friday 5; Abbey Lodge Monday 8; Wishing Well Wednesday 10; Three Horseshoes Thursday 18; Admiral Nelson Thursday 25.

February Events: Sunday 21 Stoneleigh MG & Triumph Spares; Friday 26 Inter Marque Quiz Abbey Lodge (Phil phil3uk@gmail.com).

Luncheon Club: Wednesday 17.

The new year got off to a flying start with New Year’s Day Run, held as usual at the Abbey Lodge. A magnificent turnout; the Abbey served over 70 MG meals, and with more members arriving later we probably saw about a third of our membership on the day. After lunch the Landlord’s Choice (on this occasion one of his sons’ choice) Pride of Ownership took place – a lot of cars to look at – the result being a fifth place for the V8 GT of Peter Ellis, fourth was the TF of David Stonehouse, third was Phil Blackbourn’s MGB, another V8 GT was second,

this time belonging to Neil Bradbury, and Robert Taylor’s MGA Roadster was first. We then set off on The Run, this year organised by John and Yulia Bromfield, Len and Sue Hartley. After a 30 mile exploration of Lincolnshire roads we finished at the Lancaster Brasserie in Woodhall Spa. A very enjoyable day.

Please don’t forget that important date in March, the AGM, when the Committee will be elected for the year and you can make your voice heard. The photo shows some of the happy diners on New Year’s Day.

Early March Natters: Wolds Wednesday 2; Lincolnshire Poacher Friday 4.

Early March Event: Thursday 3 Lincolnshire Centre AGM Abbey Lodge.

Most Lincolnshire members will now know that the former Swallow Natter has now relocated to the Cross Keys at Grasby and will now be known as The Wolds Natter. The Cross Keys is about three miles north of Caistor on the A1084.

A quiet month, December, with most Natters hosting a festive meal and the Luncheon Club making a return visit to the Fortesque Arms at Billingborough.

CENTRE

MIDLANDS Paul Hipkiss p.b.hipkiss@live.co.uk http://www.mg-cars.org.uk/mgccmidlandcentre

Although 2016 is now well underway and it is only 11 months to Christmas, as Chair of the Midland Centre can I take this opportunity to wish you all a happy and exciting New Year with plenty of ‘MGing’ to come.

Since Christmas there have been two Centre activities. The Boxing Day (28th) walk was well supported with 40 participants eager to blow away the effects of festive excesses. The walk itself followed a circular route of about five muddy miles, along the towpath of the Worcester and Birmingham Canal to Bittell Reservoir and back to Hopwood; many of the walkers stayed on for lunch at the Hopwood House Hotel.

The second event was the New Year’s Day “Chilly Willy” run. This was organised by The Arden MG Club with 32 cars starting from the Golden Cross at Ardens Grafton and after a meandering 22 miles, ending at the Fish and Anchor at Offenham.

Normally, our first competitive event of the year is the Spring Trial at Lintridge Farm near Ledbury; however, that has been postponed and may be rearranged at a later date, when details will appear on the website and in Safety Fast!.

The Spring Sprint will be held on Sunday

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Midland Centre members taking part in the Boxing Day walk.

April 3 at the Curborough Sprint Course near Lichfield. Entries to: Barbara Whale Barbara@ whaleandco.co.uk or 01889 504467.

A great way to become involved is to be a marshal. You get a close look at the action from trackside and do a really useful job; without marshals, the event cannot take place. If you have not done it before that’s ok, no training is necessary, you will be paired with someone

MG’s lined up at the Golden Cross before the Chilly Willy run organised by the Arden MG Club

with experience. To marshal, contact Simon on 07788 168488.

You may be aware that the annual FBHVC ‘Drive It Day’ this year falls on Sunday, April 26.

Natters will be organising runs, so keep an eye on the website for details.

The Welsh Rallye (May 13-15) is practically fully booked with one twin room available.

Contact: Andy Robson 0121 453 1595.

www.mgcc.co.uk

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CENTRES

CENTRE

NORTH WEST Paul Goodman 01625 876300

There is some good and bad news for Centre members this month. To get the bad over with first, we have been unable to secure a date at Anglesey Circuit for our traditional September sprint meeting.

This means that we will only be running one meeting, which will be on April 30 and May 1. The competitors in the Luffield Speed Championship will still get a second visit to the circuit at the meeting run by Longton on October 1 and 2.

Next, we need to give a final reminder for the Annual General Meeting of the Centre which will be on February 11 at the Tatton Arms, M22 5LZ starting at 8.30pm. If you are interested in becoming a committee member or helping to run our events, then please come along and meet us. The Plough and Flail evening meeting follows on February 16 at which we will be finalising on show attendances for the year. Our lunchtime meeting is on February 24 at The Stretton Fox, WA4 4NU. Now some news about the expansion of the Centre’s evening meetings. The new ‘West Cheshire Natter’ will begin operating from March 8 and then will meet regularly on the second Tuesday of the month. The venue is The Old Hall Farm Pub which is just off Junction 10 of the M53 near to the Cheshire Oaks Shopping Centre. The contact is Mike Haughton who can be reached on 0151 336 1994. The start time will be 7.30pm. It is hoped

that members from the Wirral, North Wales, West Cheshire and Merseyside will be prepared to drive to this new meeting.

We are getting nearer to the start of the competition season. The Club will be having a stand at ‘Race Retro’. This show is really worth a visit with several exhibition halls full of historic race and rally cars, equipment, models, books and paintings. It is held between February 26 and 28 at Stoneleigh which is easy to reach via the M6 and the Coventry Ring Road. The calendars for both the Cockshoot

Anglesey Sprint start line in sunny weather, May 2015. Photo: Paul Goodman

SOUTH EAST John Bennett 01227 637813, johndotbennett@tiscali.co.uk www.mgcars.org.uk/mgccse/

This seems to be a good time to focus on the Centre’s dissemination of information. Starting with the basics, this column aims to highlight events planned for the following month, particularly for those without access to our website. Space here is limited so folk should make sure that they hang onto the Centre’s 2016 programme that is included with this copy of Safety Fast!. This will be a very useful reference throughout the year for those unencumbered by technology.

For those with computer access, www.mgcars.org.uk/mgccse/index should bring up the SE Centre website where the Events tag will generate a chronological list of activities. Where appropriate, these entries have links to event regulations and registration forms, all you need, in fact, to take an active part in the Centre’s activities.

At the top of the ‘News’ page, there is the link that enables Members to add their email address to the Centre’s secure list of contacts.

Club information is distributed to this list, as is the Centre’s own bi-monthly Newsletter, edited

by Peter Haynes. This has space to include everything from favourite recipes to obscure aspects of MG maintenance and is well worth both reading and contributing to.

Other sections on the site give full details

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Cup Race Championship and the Luffield Speed Championship have now been finalised. The first event for the sprinters will be at the Rockingham Circuit on March 20 with the Cockshoot racers being on track at Donington Park on Sunday April 3.

This meeting will have the opening rounds of all the MGCC race championships.

Finally, please look at the Centre website for up-to-date information, and join the Facebook Groups which are run for the Centre, Cockshoot and Luffield.

of Natters, our growing list of ‘Wanderers’ and there is also a link to something called ‘Twitter’ which my grandchildren assure me has nothing to do with Twits and everything to do with modern social communications. Nice to see how forward thinking our Centre is!

Moving from the general to the particular, April 9 will see our annual Dinner Dance held at the Reigate Manor Hotel, organised, once again,

by Terry Giles. In deference to those who prefer their music to be orthogonal, a new band has been engaged so why not get a table together with your Club buddies and their partners and have a ball!

Prior to that, our Chairman, Derek Edwards, is running a Valentine’s Treasure Hunt on none other than February 14. Keep an eye on the website for starting details or contact Derek on 01737 765891.

Finally, I gave notice at the AGM that I would like to step down as your Scribe but that I would carry on until a replacement came forward. I have enjoyed writing this column, probably much more than you have enjoyed reading it, but after three years, I feel that someone else should have a go.

So, somebody out there, please put your hand up soon, otherwise I might have to give up anyway, in which case our overburdened Secretary Philip B-P will have to fill in and that would not be fair.

CENTRE That word ‘fair’ gives me an idea, what a good thing it would be if one of our ladies took the job on. Dianna Calvert is our excellent Membership Secretary already but having a second lady on the ‘committee’ would give a more feminine slant to an otherwise male dominated establishment and that would surely help make our activities more inclusive.

MGs on the Cornish Riviera, 2015

www.mgcc.co.uk

22/01/2016 15:58

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CENTRES

SOUTH WEST Andrew Owst 01761 221893 andrewowst@hotmail.com www.mgccsw.com

On a personal note, much of my time this winter is being devoted to Sue’s faithful and much loved MGB GT which was really beginning to suffer from all the years as an everyday car in all weathers including the winter salted roads.

As is usual with a project such as this where I was hoping to get away with new outer rear wheel arches, once stripping down commenced it became obvious that not only would sills and castle sections require replacement but also the offside floor. I was hoping to complete the work over the winter (fortunately my garage is warm) but this now looks unrealistic and the Midget is now our second car whilst the MGB is off the road. At least the heater in the Midget is considerably more effective than the one in the MGB. So, a break from the angle grinder and MIG welder to pen these notes.

Our first event in 2016 is our Annual Centre Dinner & Awards Evening which will take place at the Limpley Stoke Hotel near Bath on Saturday February 27. We have returned to this hotel more times than I can remember because they always look after us and provide excellent food, and the location seems to suit most people. There are rooms available at special rates to those attending the dinner so why not make a weekend break, especially as the hotel is so close to Bath?

The Club Chairman, Ian Quarrington, has kindly agreed to attend and present the awards. Details and how to order are on our website.

Our first competitive event is The Kimber Classic Car Trial on Saturday April 9. This event commences near Yeovil and will take you along a charming picturesque route of around 90 miles through Somerset and Dorset with around ten observed sections and special tests. There is a long lunch break at an excellent country hostelry.

The trial is designed to be non damaging and is an ideal entry level event for those new to trialling but who have always wished to have a go. Details are on the Centre website, or contact me on 01761 221893 or at the email address at the beginning of these notes. If entering is not your scene but you fancy a glorious day out, why not volunteer to marshal? Offers to marshal should be made to Bruce Weston on 01963 440941 or email bruceweston@tiscali.co.uk To further whet

TYNE TEES Noel Lindford noel.lindford@btinternet.com

Tyne Tees Centre Awards Dinner 2015 Report by David Alexander: Despite the best efforts of Storm Desmond, over 40 members and guests gathered at our Awards Dinner held at the Gibside Hotel Wickham on December 5. This annual event, which has risen like a phoenix from the ashes of the Dinner Dance, was enjoyed by all, and the chat and discussion continued late into the night. Chairman Noel gave a spirited review of the past year accompanied by a lovely montage of pictures from the events.

David Alexander outlined the 2016 Events

Dennis Hope, overall Enthusiast and Southern Natter Post-1981 Pride of Ownership winner

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Calendar which includes two new social events for our long-suffering partners to enjoy. In September we are organising a two day tour to the Lake District, staying in a four star lakeside hotel. Later in the year will be a trip to York by train, the plan being that we all arrive at the same time, no matter from which station you start.

A raffle raised ÂŁ170 for the Great North Air Ambulance, thanks to the generosity of all present. The awards were presented by Lyn Ebdon, who had put so much effort into the whole event, and was thanked by Noel for her efforts and for presenting the awards. (The full list of award winners, with photos, is on our TTC website at www.mgcc.co.uk/tyne-tees-centre/ past-events/ ) Events coming up: February 4. Tyne-Tees Centre Annual General Meeting at 8.00pm: This year our AGM is at The Old Mill, Metal Bridge, Thinford Road, Coxhoe, County Durham, DH6 5NX and will be held in the large conservatory. The formal AGM Notice (with agenda) is in the January issue of Safety Fast!.

March 5. Visit to Classic Mercedes: A chance to see the restoration work undertaken by Walter

CENTRE

your appetite I have included two photos from Kimber Classic 2015 taken by Derek Richards, one showing Adrian Tucker-Peake making light work of Seldon Hill and the other photo showing competitors, passengers and marshals at the lunch stop at the Camelot Inn, South Cadbury.

Finally the Centre Annual General Meeting will be held on Tuesday March 1 at the Ring o Bells, Compton Martin i.e. the same night as the monthly Natter. The Meeting will commence at 8.30pm. Please do come along and support your committee but we do urgently need some new faces on the committee. There are only about five committee meetings a year so it is hardly a major commitment from that respect. The formal AGM notice and agenda are detailed elsewhere in this issue of Safety Fast!.

CENTRE Nieuwkoop who is a collector, restorer and dealer in Mercedes Benz cars, with a worldwide reputation. This is limited to about 20 people and location is somewhere near Morpeth! We meet for 10.00am (tbc) and the visit will be followed by lunch at a pub not too far away. Contact David Alexander on 01670 861178 or david. alexander2012@btinternet.com Finally, there is an update to the Tyne-Tees Calendar (issue 2) on our website under Future Events. Additions include a Regularity Production Car Autotest at Seaton Carew on Sunday May 15, and a rather special visit to Nissan Motors UK on Thursday May 19.

Pam Frankland, winner of the Lady Enthusiast Award, and Owen Frankland, winner of the Southern Natter Pre-1981 Pride of Ownership

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CENTRES

YORKSHIRE David Copeman 07920 064585 www.mgccyorkshire.co.uk

North – Ken Cothliff No December meeting, but the warm, almost ‘summery’ temperatures and some fine days mean those of us that are not ‘SORNing’ their cars for the winter can still take advantage of a fine day or two for a run with the hood down.

Now, whilst considering the plans for winter maintenance of our ‘pride and joy’, there are summer plans to be made. For our Natter the first major event will be Mike Payne’s trip to south west Wales. Some are planning to take part in the Caledonian event later in the spring. Your scribe is planning a trip across the Channel to France and Belgium, after our very successful sorties in 2014 and 2015. Motoring in France can be a great pleasure – quieter roads and one is inevitably welcomed by the French with their love of classic cars.

A new regular event planned in our area is ‘Wednesday at the Woolly’, a new monthly gathering of classic cars at the Woolpack Inn in Esholt near Bradford – the famed pub of the Yorkshire TV serial ‘soap opera’ Emmerdale.

Initial dates will be published later, but the planned commencement will be early spring.

In the meantime, let us hope the New Year gives us all more happy motoring.

South – Kathryn Twiby The highlight of the December month’s calendar was the Christmas meal and run. Ten cars met at Cusworth Hall near Doncaster. The occupants enjoyed a hot beverage before some of the group took a promenade around the lake whilst

others exercised their vocal chords by the fire.

An interesting drive then ensued, finishing at The Kingfisher restaurant where fish and chips were consumed followed by an array of hearty puddings.

Thank you to Debbie for the organisation.

East – Brian Rylance The December Natter was well attended for the annual Scalextric competition. Heat after heat saw the favourites drop out to leave an epic battle twixt Wendy and Brian.

Reminiscent of the Tortoise and the Hare, the slow and steady Brian saw off the racy Wendy.

The Christmas Run and Lunch was again a big success thanks to Jill and Gregg; a great run in fine weather, and over 50 for an excellent lunch at Cave Castle.

CENTRE West – David Copeman Writing these notes on New Year’s Eve and after viewing the terrible floods in many of the picturesque villages and towns in Yorkshire that we travelled through during our summer runs of 2015, we can only look forward and hope for a dry and sunny 2016.

The Yorkshire Centre Awards Luncheon takes place this month on Sunday February 28 at the Mercure Hotel Wetherby.

It’s also time to be preparing your MGs that may have been laid up, ready for this year’s Daffodil Run on Easter Sunday March 27. New organisers, new route and new finish venue.

Details and booking forms for both events can be found on www.mgccyorkshire.co.uk

Summer evening sunshine at the Ripon Races

CENTRE

ULSTER

Carol Willis Tel: (028) 9079 9997 or 07831 345560 Email: carol.mgulster@hotmail.co.uk Website: www.mgcculstercentre.co.uk

The Treasure Hunt, our first social event of the year, proved to be an extremely enjoyable and successful day. Not an MG in sight but more importantly lots of people arrived at Minnowburn Beeches car park to start the day’s fun, 21 cars in total which was a brilliant turnout. In spite of the horrendous weather we had experienced over the preceding days we weren’t confronted by flooded roads or other such impediments. Slowly but surely people started to arrive at Daft Eddy’s from about 3pm to hand in their answers which Gordon and Ruth carefully marked. We had several tied in first place, Ronnie and Rebekah Mitchell, The Michael Reid Family, Will Corry & Co, The McMillans, Ian and Cyril Campbell and The Simon Corry Team. Gordon called all up to the front to answer his tie-breaker question: “What is the height of the Eiffel Tower in feet not metres?” The Michael Reids were closest and won the tin of chocolates. Then from the list of names in the hat Michael drew next year’s route planners who are Joseph and Kathleen Connolly, who competed under the name of ‘The Dromara Rat Catchers’. Novel if nothing else!

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Midgets line up for the 2015 Derek Walker Trial

So The Derek Walker Classic Trial is upon us on Saturday, February 6 and the entries so far are good. Remember cars must be road legal to do this event, ie, taxed, insured and MOT’d. The route is similar to last year, heading towards Downpatrick, Ardglass and environs and back up to Killyleagh.

Gordon’s ‘Dinner Ladies’ will again be providing breakfast for all competitors and marshals in the form of a bacon bap then soup, etc from lunchtime onwards, and at the finish will also have hot drinks with buns and biscuits. Just check your brakes and tyre pressures and off you go.

Dates for your Diary Derek Walker Trial February 6 – Delamont Start and Finish Autotest February 27 Autotest March 12 Autotest April 2 – NI Championship Round Will Corry & Pete Moreland Moore enjoying a previous Derek Walker Trial

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REGISTERS

VINTAGE John Venables 01865 862573 johnandtriciav@gmail.com

The next event in the calendar is our famous AGM, just four weeks away on Sunday March 6 at 11am sharp at the Shillingford Bridge Hotel, in Shillingford village, near Wallingford. The format will be as usual, meet for coffee and cakes at 10.30, AGM at 11am and then lunch at about 12.45. If you have not told Peter Mace of your menu, then do it now. Our speaker will be very interesting and appeal to ladies as well; he is Peter Vacher, who found a Hawker Hurricane in India and brought it back to England and restored it. It is a fascinating story of how he overcame political problems with it. Most of us have seen it flying at various events we have been to, R 4118, and it saw service in the Battle of Britain. A slightly more advanced restoration than an 18/80.

We would be glad if you could bring a raffle prize for the raffle at the AGM; this does raise a few funds for our coffers and is one of few opportunities during the year.

We would hope the weather is kind enough to encourage you to come in your Vintage car.

There will again be a prize for the car our speaker likes best; this does not include your Rolls Royce by the way.

I have been out in the 18/80 a couple of times over Christmas and the New Year, and it struck me how simple our older MGs are. My

Vintage cars arrive at the Shillingford Bridge Hotel 2015 AGM.

everyday car is a Land Rover Freelander, and I have just changed an 18 month old one for a four year old one. Sadly I do not have a degree in electronic gadgetry, I can now work the CD player and have a proper handbrake. If I were to buy the new Discovery Sport I am told that this does not have a CD player but I need some other gadget to play my music. I sometimes feel they are getting too complicated. Well it won’t be long before we don’t even drive our cars and will be able to send them home like a well trained dog, only to summon them on your smartphone to take you

SVW Anne Bush svw.safety.fast@gmail.com www.svwregister.co.uk

Most SVW Register members will be aware of the history of the Frances Adam Award in the UK but to remind you, the Award is in the form of a painting which was commissioned by the late chairman of the Register, Frances Adam, and then chairman, John Bates. The painting depicts an SA saloon, WA Tickford and VA Tourer. The Frances Adam Award is presented each year to the person that the SVW committee considers has given the most sterling effort to the SVW Register or SVW cars in general over the last year.

In 2007, it was decided to create a new award which is a full size copy of the original picture. It was first presented to Malcolm Robertson for his

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REGISTER

considerable efforts to keep SVW owners in his home country of Australia and the rest of the world in touch. The new Award is given each year to the person in Australia or New Zealand that has given the most to forward the use of SVW cars.

The Award is made at the Australian Pre-War MG Register’s National Rally weekend.

The following has been received from the Australian Pre-War MG Register of Australia and concerns the Frances Adam Award – Australia and New Zealand.

The 2015 Award was made to Ron Taylor in recognition of the outstanding restoration of his VA Tickford (VA2480). As with all his restorations,

home again. So at least we can actually drive the old 18/80 or 14/40 albeit they are a bit of a challenge, but always very enjoyable and usually draw a number of spectators who would normally only be interested in a Bugatti Veyron.

Anyway, our Spring Run in the Cotswolds is on April 18-22 and is well into the planning stage now, only hope when I go out to do the routes soon is that it will not require a boat! If anyone wishes to join in at this stage give me a ring and I can fit you in. A great week with a lot of fun.

Finally all the best to you all for the new year.

REGISTER Ron does the bulk of the work himself and takes prides in restoring cars to as original specification as is possible. The VA has been his most complex and difficult restoration to date and has taken several years to complete. The picture below was taken by Ron. The SVW community also warmly commends both Ron and Lindy Taylor for their work together in promoting the MG marque through Ron’s role as Pre-War Registrar for the MG Car Club in Sydney over many years. Through this role, they have significantly raised the profile of all MGs. The picture of Ron with the Award was taken

by Robin Page.

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REGISTERS

REGISTER

T TYPE John Ward 01621 773606 johnw.ward@yahoo.co.uk www.tregister.org

MG International Show & Spares Day Sunday February 21 2016 at the National Agricultural Exhibition Centre (NAEC) Stoneleigh Warwickshire CV8 2LG This is the opening event of the T Register year and as always the Register will be in attendance.

We will be in the same location as last year so do look out for our banners and posters when you get there.

There will ample space on the stand for the sale of regalia, books and memorabilia and a vast array of T Type spares to be traded on a ‘Bring and Buy’ basis. Should you wish to bring those unwanted but coveted parts, clean them up and just clearly label ownership, contact details and the price required. There will be a suitable form available shortly on the website www.tregister.org Advance tickets are now available online at mgandtriumphsparesday.co.uk at a reduced price of £9.00 plus a service charge of usually £1.00 and under 15s get in free. You will be able to print off your tickets in A4 and beat the queues, and this year it is hoped that there has been improvement in the access and parking arrangements to get us into the event quicker as well. Any further enquiries or information required, contact Barry Knight on 01252 875740.

Simon in FAK 57 at its first race meeting at the Silverstone Classic in the rain, July 2015. Photo: Colin Murrell

The TC Special FAK 57 You may recall the extensive article in the September 2015 T Register Notes and the remarkable story of Simon Evans and his quest to build a replica of the George Phillips XPAG Le Mans Special from 1947.

The car was finally finished and raced at Silverstone last year and now we have learned from Simon that his dream of racing at the Classic Le Mans meeting in July 2016 has been

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granted, so naturally many congratulations to him and we look forward to a full report and pictures after the event.

And finally a P.S. about Rebuild 2016 and the T Register AGM The date is Saturday March 19, get your application in early to avoid disappointment; there is plenty of information on our website and see January’s Safety Fast! for an application form.

Trade Stands & Autojumble specialists, professionals and smaller stands for the enthusiasts, ‘garage clearouts’ and a massive choice of spares, accessories, tools, models etc. Stand and autojumble space is limited and must be pre-booked, SO CALL TODAY

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REGISTERS

REGISTER

Y TYPE

Jerry Birkbeck 01926 258691 Mob: 07855 566325 jerrybirkbeck@btinternet.com www.mgccyregister.co.uk

As I write, it is pouring with rain, and I hope that any of you living in areas of the UK affected by flooding are okay. Many of you attend New Years Day Events in your Y and some may have experienced difficulties. However, as Y ownership is spread worldwide a number of you will have enjoyed excellent conditions to both drive and show your Y. Please do forward me a report and photos of such activities for inclusion in either Safety Fast! or on the website.

Classic Car Values I suppose that most of us who own what is termed as a `Classic’ have come across the old chestnut `What’s it worth mate?’. Quite how you respond is entirely personal. My reply has generally been along the lines of `I have no idea … probably what someone is prepared to offer.’

You are no doubt fully aware of what you might be willing to accept.

The whole issue is probably clouded by how Classic Cars are identified as an area where serious money can be made (and lost). Any sale does not attract any form of taxation by the Government. Therefore, as an `investment’ Classic Cars provide a unique benefit over shares, saving schemes and so on, as they provide an opportunity to enjoy the use of the

item, compared with checking the FT to see if your conventional investments have grown (all of which are subject to tax!).

I am convinced that most of us are not driven by seeking to maximise and realise the value of our classic cars. Indeed amongst Y and most classic owners a significant number have kept their cars for many, many years. Others may have owned a Y in the past and wish to recapture their memories and fun times with the cars. This is great news, although I have spoken to several folk who really do enter the hobby with rose tinted spectacles. Sadly, this group are aiming to recreate their youth, and, having acquired the dream, it quickly becomes obvious that unlike modern motors which start first time and are utterly reliable, the `classic’ they have purchased is not quite what they remembered!

A few months later these cars are offered for sale with `minimal mileage. Fully restored’ etc, etc and `change of ideas’ as the reason for sale. So what is put up for sale is at an inflated price and sadly makes the possibility of a genuine purchaser being priced out of the market.

The point of this note is to ensure that you have your Y correctly valued. Far too often many of us just do not update the valuation and you do need to do this. I was fascinated to read in the

MAGNETTE Stephen Tickell 01737 760330 stephen.tickell@gmail.com www.magnette.org

Magnettes & Steam We’ve now confirmed plans for the first event of 2016, at Peak Rail near Matlock, Derbyshire, March 26, from 10am at Rowsley South Station. As usual there’s no need to book, but it would be very helpful to have approximate numbers in advance, so please call or mail me if you’re intending to go – that way we can also let you know if there’s any last-minute changes due to weather etc.

As it’s a fair distance to travel for those of us in the South, some may be planning to make a full weekend of it. Stephen Coates should be able to advise generally on accommodation and tourist attractions in the area, and David Griffiths is willing to arrange a Sunday visit to the nearby National Tramway Museum, with the possibility of photoopportunity parking in a period street scene. Keep an eye on magnette.org for more information.

Wroxall weekend The more observant may have spotted in January Safety Fast! that both the Magnette Register and the MGC Register are having an event at Wroxall Abbey on the same weekend in July. This wasn’t a misprint, and although the Registers have been making plans independently, Grant Howlett and his team at Wroxall are well used to accommodating multiple events. They’ve also hosted several car club weekends since their

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first one in 2011, our Gerald Palmer centenary.

So we look forward to the company of the MGC crowd, but it does mean that the rooms provisionally reserved for Magnette owners may be booked up rather quickly. As of going to press we don’t have the exact cost for Saturday night room and dinner, but I’m sure by the time you read this it will be finalised (and no doubt very reasonable). Anyway, if you’re hoping to stay at Wroxall it would be wise to contact organiser Alan Cleobury as soon as possible (01564 702300 or a.j.cleobury@btinternet.com).

Foglight spanner Just too late for the January newsletter, Jeffrey

Guardian Money Investments (January 2 2016 pp 38-39) an article `Moving on: where to head now that bricks and mortar don’t pay’ – Alternatively... turbo charged returns can hit 399% through some Classic Cars.’ Do find it online, it’s well worth a read. So if my left leaning paper refers to a return on classic cars then goodness knows what the establishment press will write!

And finally...

A photograph of dear David Pelham’s beloved YA MGT 129, taken on the Brittany Event in 2012.

David sadly died in 2013.

REGISTER Bridges provided an invaluable technical tip for making a foglight adjustment spanner, based on a suggestion by a 1950s Magnette owner published in ‘Motoring’ magazine. It’s hard enough trying to get a spanner of any sort into the space behind the bumper, and because the wiring passes through the nut, a ring spanner or socket can’t be used to make adjustments with the lights actually on.

Jeffrey has modified a spanner by cutting a gap for the wires to pass through, making the job much easier – read the full details on magnette. org. As a bonus he’s able to use the same tool on his Wolseley 6/90, with which you may have seen him pictured in Practical Classics magazine (February).

Jeffrey’s foglight adjustment spanner

FEBRUARY 2016

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REGISTERS

MGA Edward Vandyk Tel: 01488 608810 mgascribe@vandyk.co.uk

The unseasonably warm and very wet weather up until the turn of the year makes the usual comments about anti-freeze, maintaining battery charge and the problems arising from salted roads seem a little superfluous. 2016 may, of course, change all of that, but whatever the weather, many of our cars are not likely to see the light of day until after Easter.

Our cars do work in the winter! Alan Harries drove his 1961 MGA Mk ll down to The Cobb at Lyme Regis (location for film ‘The French Lieutenant’s Woman’) on December 1. Alan has managed to contact all the owners since 1968 and if anyone has any information about the missing seven years please contact me.

April brings two dates to look forward to, Sunday April 10 with MG Era at Brooklands and Sunday April 24 for Drive It Day. Drive It Day falls on the Sunday nearest to April 23 each year and commemorates the first day of The Royal Automobile Club Thousand Mile Trial which started in London on April 23 1900.

The event passed through Bristol, Birmingham, Manchester – travelled through Scotland – then passed back through more English locations before returning to London. It lasted until May 12, 1900 and 46 of the, approximately, 65 cars which started, made it to the finish line.

Although an MGA 1600 or 1600 MkII fitted with ‘Road Speed Tyres and Disc Brakes all round’ has long been regarded as a separate Deluxe model, just how it acquired both this status and the ‘De-luxe’ name is, I believe, yet to be fully explained. If you are aware of any reference to a De-luxe car, specifically as a De-luxe, prior to March 1965 I would be pleased to hear from you.

This will all, hopefully, be the subject of an article later this year.

The connections in the worldwide MGA community never ceases to amaze. In February 2015’s Safety Fast! I wrote about Mike Holt’s abortive purchase of Bob Olthoff’s MGA Twin Cam in 1962 and the tales that Bob and also, it now transpires, Wilson McComb had told Mike at the time. I was recently pleasantly surprised to get an email from Mike, who competed with an MGA in period and now lives abroad, offering further insight into the episode as well as other MG anecdotes about his N type from period. The story had eventually caught up with him through the MG community.

Mike and I have now spoken at some length and, just to keep the record straight, it seems clear that Bob, having driven Mike very fast round the Oxfordshire lanes and visited Syd Enever at his home to view the prototype MGB, explained to

MGC Ginny Cartmell 01208 821552 ginnycartmell@btinternet.com

February already, it will soon be time to dust off our MGCs and get ready for another great season of motoring. We have a busy year planned with lots going on, kicking off with an event the South East Centre have organised and invited the MGC Register to come along and join them. Barrie and I have already signed up for this one and we are hoping it will be of interest to many more C owners. If you would like more information on the Brooklands MG Era Day April 10, please contact Jon Glover at joncloveractor@gmail.com. Jon will be happy to hear from you and take your booking.

On April 30 we will be attending Back to Downton again this year. If you have not done this event before, you must give it a go this time round. It’s a real mixed bag of fun and not all about the cars. It also includes the Cuckoo Fair, which is just a short walk away from the Back to Downton site. I can give you more information and put you in touch with the organiser, if you would like to book.

June 4-5 is now confirmed for MGLive!

Silverstone. We will once again have a stand in the main marquee for the weekend and look forward to welcoming you all to that great international event. Once we are all cleared up and the MGC loaded with the remains of regalia

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stock not sold over the weekend, it will be a dash home for Barrie and me, as we leave the very next day for France, Le Touquet, for the European Event of the Year.

July 2-3 is our MGC Weekend at Wroxall Abbey and then onto Mallory Park for the Sunday, for a full programme of MG Racing. We have managed to book the main hospitality suite for the day at Mallory. This looks over a good portion of the circuit and provides great comfort and warmth, should we have inclement weather. If you would like more information on this event, please email and I will be happy to give you all the details you need to get involved. I strongly recommend you book with me, if you would like to take advantage of the hospitality suite.

With all those dates to remember, I hope you have bought your MGC Register Calendar for 2016, to ensure you don’t miss anything...

Finally, if you have any MG activities or events you attend each year, tell us about them and maybe we can get some involvement in those as well. We are all keeping our fingers crossed as to the weather this coming summer. Sunshine will be most welcome from now on, just to give all our up-coming events a head start. Don’t be shy, let’s have some new venues for us all to enjoy.

REGISTER Mike that his MGA had a 1762cc engine. Mike, who wanted to compete in it, agreed to buy it on that basis, with the option, at further cost, of an additional standard Twin Cam engine as well.

Mike also volunteered that Bob had a very relaxed driving style at speed. Bob’s 1762cc engine failed at the 1962 Nurburgring 1000km and although the car was out on track twice after this, with Bob actually winning at Snetterton, Bob could no longer deliver the 1762cc engine and hence the deal fell away. Quite why the disingenuous story about lending the car to Paddy Hopkirk to race in Eire and a mechanic putting oil in the water was created, I suspect we will never know.

The French Lieutenant’s MGA

REGISTER

Make a note in your diary, MGC Day July 2-3. More details and a booking form were published in last months Safety Fast!

www.mgcc.co.uk

22/01/2016 15:59

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BRITISH MOTOR HERITAGE APPROVED

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FEBRUARY 2016

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REGISTERS

V8 Victor Smith 0208 392 9434 victorsmith@v8register.net www.v8register.net

Back axle breather pipe check Derek Squires saw something lying on the floor under the back of his RV8 and found it was a plastic rear axle breather (marked item 19 on the workshop manual diagram), which had had sheared off at the top of the short threaded section that holds it into the top of the offside part of the back axle. With that part missing he had an open hole of about 7mm diameter in the top of the axle to let in water and grit. If it had fallen off when on the road, he would have never noticed that it was missing. He mentioned

it to another RV8-owner friend who crawled under his car and found his breather pipe was also missing.

He found replacement parts are readily obtainable from Brown & Gammons as ZXC5726 for the RV8 and 21H6060 for the GTV8. The RV8 part (on the left) is about 6mm shorter and lower than the MGB breather as it does not have the unthreaded narrow section.

The replacement part has a small ball-bearing inside the cap to act as a non-return. The photo alongside shows the threaded section of the MGB breather (at the bottom right of the photo) that screws into the top of the axle. The discoloured portion on the right-hand breather is the broken thread that was still in Derek’s axle. A black rubber cap sits on the top of the breather. It’s worth checking your breather pipe is there.

REGISTER stopping overnight nearby as the restaurant is not far from Stoneleigh. We hope the access arrangements at the Stoneleigh site will be better this year. Full details are available via the ‘More’ webpage at: www.v8register.net/more.htm MGV8 PriceWatch Classic car prices have been on the move over the last few years and Keith Belcher and Andy Goves have been following the auction news and adverts with useful reports and price guide updates for both V8 and RV8 models. Those reports are our MGV8 PriceWatch. In January Andy Goves reported on two RV8s sold at auction in December 2015 – see the reports and analysis via the ‘More’ page.

V8 Curry at Knowle Our annual V8 Curry, usually held at the beginning of the year, will be at the Lloyds Indian Restaurant in Knowle near Solihull in the West Midlands on Saturday February 20 2016. As that is the evening before the MG-Triumph Show at Stoneleigh on Sunday 21 it will be convenient for fellow members travelling to the show and

MGF Tim Morris 01932 882467 scribe@mgfregister.org www.mgfregister.org

A month into 2016 barely seems possible but here we are. We are still compiling end of 2015 round ups for our Register magazine FasTForward, which should be out any moment now. It’s hard to believe as well that we are now entering the 11th year of that august publication. The Register is still putting the finishes touches to the National Weekend which should be in September so more of that next time, but we do have some more details of our first main self-organised event – the Chairman’s Charity Weekend.

The weekend takes place on March 19-20 and will be based as normal in Abingdon. I got the name of the hotel wrong last time as it is no longer known as the Four Pillars but now has the much more prosaic title of the Oxford Abingdon Hotel. It is the same place though, and our weekend will be based there, starting with the AGM in the afternoon at the hotel at 2pm. Do come if you want to know more about the Register or, perhaps, would like to help out in an official capacity. In the evening we move to the octagonal dining room for our annual dinner and awards evening. It’s smart casual so you don’t have to hoick out the bow tie (unless you want to), and we’ll gather in the bar at 7pm. There will be a fun table quiz, raffle in aid of Guide Dogs for the Blind and, following on from the precedent at last year’s event, our guest speaker will remain inhouse and be our new Events person, Martin Rees, talking about

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Land Speed Records, a subject on which he is, in fact, a bit of a whizz. Once we’ve all recovered we’ll gather on Sunday morning to set off for a leisurely drive to Nuffield Place for a look around William Morris’s country house before heading down to Henley on Thames to finish with some lunch and a wander along the towpath perhaps.

Now for costs – you’ll be able to find all the details in our online shop and be able to book for the weekend there as well – AGM free – Awards Dinner £24.95 pp – Sunday run should be priced up on the shop and forum now (but it’s not quite, as I type!) – rooms are available at the hotel for £99 per room per night or there is a Premier Inn just up the road – head over to www.mgfregister.org and our forum or Facebook page for the final details.

Talking of the awards – we are open for nominations during February in all categories, so get your thinking caps on and email chairman Keith with your thoughts at chair@mgfregister.org .

Categories include MGF/TF of the Year; Member(s) of the Year; Significant Contribution to the Club; Best article in FasTForward; Best representing the F/TF in competitions; and, of course, the ‘It Could Have Been a Better Day Award’ for those who may have experienced an unfortunate incident with their F/TF! If you need inspiration then you can find previous winners on the Register website under ‘MGF Trophies’.

REGISTER If you do intend to come to the AGM or would like to send apologies or ask a question, then if you wouldn’t mind letting our new Secretary, Mike Murkin, know that would be great as we do have limited space this year – secretary@mgfregister.org We’ll be at Stoneleigh for our first main public appearance at the back of Hall Three, and we’ll have a flag up as well as some nice cars on display, so do pop over and say hello if you are going to the show.

A lot of the Regions have now planned their years and you can find extensive listings on our website and also in the individual sections on our Internet Forum – it certainly looks like there is plenty going on this year around the country and overseas so do take a look and join in, I’m sure our regional reps would love to welcome you along to their meets.

21 MGF/TFs at Brooklands for the record-breaking New Year’s Day Meet to mark our year of getting the key of the door!

www.mgcc.co.uk

22/01/2016 15:59

PETER BEST www.classicinsurance.co.uk

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Martin Smith Used MGTF Spares .....................................93 MG Mecca ..............................97 MG Sales Centre ....................47 * 24/7 Online Shop MGB Roadster – Rosabella ....98 * Secure Checkout MGF Mania .............................75 * Sale Offers * Alloy Wheels Midland Classic Restoration......3 * Tyres Midland Wheel Ltd .................89 * Seats * And Other Car Mike Authurs Classics..............94 Accessories Mike Rolls.................................97 Tel: +44(0)1926 817444 Email: sales@midlandwheels.com - Fax: 01926 817784 NTG Services.....................OBC Oselli Ltd..................................53 Peter Best ................. IBC, 87, 89 STEVE McKIE SPORTSCARS Prestige MG.............................91 CHESTERFIELD • DERBYSHIRE Rees Bros.................................84 Specialists in the Retro Lifestyle..........................34 repair and restoration Rimmer Bros Ltd ....................49 of MG cars RJJ Car Shipping and Transportation.........................89 Suppliers of parts for Robin Lackford Motor • MGA • MGB • MGC • Midget Engineering .............................59 • T Type • MGF/TF Scenic Car Tours China Tour.27 Scenic Car Tours Generic ...... 15 www.stevemckiesportscars.co.uk Scenic Car Tours IRELAND Tel 01246 454527 • Fax 01246 453681 Tour .........................................43 Albert Street North, Chesterfield, S41 8NP SMR – Car For Sale ................94 Snowdens of Harrogate .........81 South Coast MG Rover ..........6 Steve McKie Sports Cars Hi-Res.indd 1 23/06/2010 Sports and Vintage ..................87 MG Power Steering and Steve McKie Sports Cars........89 restoration specialists Superspoke .............................75 Surrey Sports & Classics .........87 Sussex Classic Car Parts............4 The Hutson Motor Co Ltd ......4 TMS Storage..............................3 Vitesse Global Ltd....................73 Webcon ..................................59 X–PAG ENGINEERING.......81 View the website on www.colneclassics.com Yorkshire Motors ......................8 B1 Seaden Court, Gorse Lane Ind Est, Clacton, Essex.

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Steering Wheel from the original BLUEMEL tooling. It is not a Far Eastern copy and is made using the original methods and traditional materials. The CENTRE BOSS fixing kit, again from the original tooling, not only fits the MG TC and pre-war MGs, but the TD, TF and MGA. There are boss kits for other makes and kit cars too.

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REGISTERS

ZRZSZT John Thompson 07854 275541 johnt5@btinternet.com www.mgcc.co.uk/zedregister

The first event of 2016 will only be a matter of weeks away when you read these notes. After a relatively mild winter, so far at least, it’s time to prepare your hibernating Zeds for their busy 15th Anniversary year.

which has become increasingly popular with Zed owners, will be organised by our friends in the FWD Register with assistance from ourselves.

The event is open to all MG and Rover models, old and new, so there should be a real mixture of

REGISTER

cars on display. This event will also incorporate ‘ZedFifteen’, our own celebration of the 15th Anniversary of the launch of our cars.

Further details will be announced in due course.

Upcoming events We open the year in the traditional way on February 21 at Stoneleigh Park, near Coventry.

The MG Triumph Show & Spares Day been has become very popular over the last few years with an enormous amount of interest being shown in our Zeds and the Register. The show itself occupies three of the large halls, filled with traders, an autojumble, and cars for sale to name just a few of the attractions. If you haven’t been before, it is an excellent day out. Unfortunately we are unable to have our own stand this year; however any Zed questions or enquiries can be answered on the main club stand.

Mentioned in our events list in last month’s Safety Fast!, we are pleased to announce that the date for this year’s MG Saloon Day (MGSD) has been confirmed as July 9 and it will be held at the Heritage Motor Centre at Gaydon. The event,

REGISTER

MG6.3.5

Steve Haines Steve-haines@live.co.uk www.facebook.com/groups/MG635Register twitter.com/635register

There’s been some great MG6 and 3 related news recently which bodes very well for a successful and enjoyable 2016 for us owners, MG Motor, MG/888 and the Car Club.

The announcement that MG/888 have agreed a further three year deal in the BTCC is fantastic news and will help promote the brand and entice new owners into the fold. We will be supporting the team as closely as possible throughout the three years and hope to be able to offer more tickets, hospitality and access to the drivers and garages to members of the Register.

It will be interesting to see how the facelift MG6 GT with uprated parts from RML performs in 2016.

A few of us are hoping to be at the Autosport show in early January and catch some BTCC testing at Thruxton later in the month, hopefully to see the new MG/888 drivers. There will be a report to follow in April’s Safety Fast!.

Scalextric announced in December a series of new touring car challenge sets and an individual Jack Goff #31 2015 liveried MG6 GT. This is fantastic news for the model collectors and us, the owners. By my calculations, there hasn’t been a new MG model of a current MG car produced by Scalextric since the Le Mans EX257 models back in 2002 and the Metro production car in the 1980s. There seems to have been a huge amount of interest in this, with many preordering theirs ready for the release in June

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2016. No doubt there will be further iterations of the model now it has a design and a three year future in the BTCC. The final figure for the 2015 charity fundraising for Prostate Cancer UK is in. I am pleased to report that we raised £1,110.60 against our target of £500!!! Massive thanks to everyone who donated and supported this in 2015. The 2016 fundraising is underway for Crohn’s and Colitis UK. If you have any ideas on fundraising, please get in touch.

Sales have been going well on the MG6 and 3, particularly with the new models now available. In December, MG announced that they had reached 3,000 registrations in 2015, which exceeded the 2014 figures by more than 1,000.

We expect that the second half of 2016 will yield bumper sales figures with the launch of the GS SUV sometime in the summer…

The events list is taking shape, thanks to our new co-ordinator, Sean Round. The list can be found on our updated micro web page, which is part of the MGCC web page here: http://www. mgcc.co.uk/mg635-register/. We are hoping for some more local involvement in Natters and shared events with other Registers. If you have any ideas or wish to promote events, please contact Sean: sean@seanround.co.uk Don’t forget our first main event of the year is Pride of Longbridge in Cofton Park, Longbridge on Saturday April 16. Please add your name to the event on the Facebook page so we can organise numbers for parking: www.facebook. com/events/1714394165457615/ . We are hoping for a huge turnout as we start the year of celebrations for the MG6’s fifth birthday and the MG3’s third birthday…

The 2015 Jack Goff MG6 Scalextric Model is due out in June.

www.mgcc.co.uk

22/01/2016 15:59

Manor Garage & Sons!

Tel: 01235 767751

Failing 6v batteries?

Fit Manor Garages twin 12v conversion.

Still 12v but with double the capacity.

Fits existing battery boxes, with minimal extra wiring. Reliable starting power after your MG has been parked up. KIT £150 +vat.

Visit our website: www.manorgaragewantage.co.uk

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_Feb16_49-98.indd 91

FEBRUARY 2016

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FEATUREBACK LOOKING

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.

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Stuart Mumby has sent us these pictures that he received from Koen Struijk in Holland. Please let us know if you can confirm the event or identify any of the cars.

They appear to be on the Scottish Rally but we don’t know the year. All three cars are MGA 1500s, so it is quite likely that the rally was in the late 1950s, otherwise it might be expected that there would be a 1600 among them. A DVLA search reveals that JHS 964 appears to be alive and well, with tax and MOT till July 2016, but none of these three cars are known to the MGA Register. Can anyone throw light on the year of the rally, who now owns JHS 964 and are the other two cars extant? Â

www.mgcc.co.uk

22/01/2016 15:59

A SELECTION OF MGTF LE500’S BREAKING FOR SPARES

MG SALES

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

MG MGB roadster (RHD) Pull handle GHN3 model.

MG 6 ‘SE’ GT Hatchback (just 27,000 miles)

MG TF LE500 (Pre Production) (just 30,000 miles)

MG MGB GT Fast Road Tourer (Outstanding)

A superb 1964 MGB pull handle Roadster (GHN3).

Tartan red with black leather/red piping and wire wheels. Documented history file, Thousands of pounds spent with Richard Lackford Engineering including 1988cc Fast road engine polished/ balanced 714 camshaft and a Overdrive gearbox @ 53000miles now just 61,000 miles. Over £18000 spent from 2010 todate on re-commissioning work and restoration work. Heritage certificate. £14,995

Here we offer a MG6 ‘SE’ Hatchback model, having covered a very low mileage of just 27,000 miles.

This high spec ‘SE’ model is fitted with Satellite navigation, 17” alloys, air conditioning, cruise control, rear park sensor etc,. Outstanding condition throughout. Special sale price was £6495 .......Now £5995

Pre Production LE500 ex press car . Very low mileage TF finished in Graphite grey with black leather sport seats, Air conditioning, sports pack 2 with 16” 11 spoke alloys, Heated glass rear screen, rear park sensor, soft ride suspension, engine water level sensor. Just been through our workshop serviced disc’s/pads plus a new cambelt and mot. Supplied with our CSA Heritage certificate. A rare pre production car. £5,995

Massive history files + original service book stamped + hand written dairy by its owner from 1991 to 2010 detailing all works undertaken. Ivor Searle 1860cc engine with stage 2 lead free head piper 270cam, duplex timing gear, uprated suspension with Spax shockers, stainless exhaust etc, Overdrive. Having covered under 1,000miles since 2010. Fitted with Nimbus light grey leather seats and grey carpets, LE front spoiler , Minilite alloys. MGCC members car. Outstanding condition throughout. 6 months warranty £4,695

MG TF 135 A/C (just 4,864miles)

MG TF 80TH ANNIVERSARY 135

MG TF 160vvc Sprint ltd ed (just 38,000miles)

MG TF 135 facelift model (just 53,000miles)

A one owner TF135 having covered just 4,864 miles repeat 4,864 miles only. Extra’s fitted include Air conditioning a passenger airbag and unmarked 16” alloys. We have just serviced this TF plus fitted with a new cambelt four new tyres and moted . One owner from new, supplied with our CSA Heritage certificate, must be the lowest mileage MG/Rover car for sale. Immaculate throughout. £5,795

Rare Ltd Edition 80th in Black. Number 1555/1600.

High spec models, Black leather sport seats with grenadine alcantara inserts, grenadine hood, silver interior pack,chrome packs, sports pack 2 with 16”11 spoke alloys, engine water level censor. This MG is also fitted with chrome roll hoops with wind deflector and a T/T sports exhaust (rare and expensive). Recent new cambelt/water pump plus stainless water pipes, 4 new tyres a new T/T sports exhaust and rear window.

Superb condition. £4,695

This TF160vvc Sprint ltd edition was Previously supplied by us. Just been through our workshop and fitted with a new headgasket / cambelt /water pump. All the usual TF160vvc Sprint extra’s, sports pack 2 with 16” 11 spoke alloys, chrome packs, fog lights, smokestone cockpit, black leather sport seats with grey alcantara inserts, wind deflector. A Colour coded hardtop is available @ £350 +vat. £3,995

One of the last made MG TF’s, Facelift model, Full service history. High spec fitted with a Heated glass rear screen, soft ride suspension, unmarked facelift alloys, engine water level censor, full black leather sport seats, Silver interior trim, front fog lights. Colour coded hard top available @ £350+vat. Just been through our workshop, serviced including fitted with a new headgasket/cambelt /water pump brake disc’s and pads . £4,295

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_SafetyFast_Feb16_49-98.indd 93

www.churchsquareautos.com FEBRUARY 2016

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CARS FOR SALE

ANY MG WANTED ANY CONDITION

07774 484497 • 01923 840236 ejwhitescars@aol.com www.mgandporsche.com Northwood, Middlesex

www.mgandporsche.com

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 Rear of Langley Garage London Road, Langley, Nr Hitchin, Herts SG4 7PJ

MIDGETS! WANTED

www.mgsforsale.com

07831 556666 MGB Roadster, 1965, chrome bumpers, original pressed steel wheels with chrome hubcaps, overdrive, unleaded engine, late 90’s comprehensive restoration still maintaining a very impressive fresh appearance, Tartan Red coachwork, detailed engine compartment, beautiful interior with Black leather original style seats uniquely engineered to provide reclining operation and easily removable headrests, walnut fascia, Moto-Lita steering wheel, carpeted boot compartment with organised storage bags, very heavy history file, drives absolutely delightfully, just arrived, £13,750.00 MGB Roadster, 1974, chrome bumpers, chrome wire wheels, overdrive, last owner 29 years, older restoration utilising a new Heritage Shell supplied by Ron Hopkinson in 1992, very good condition light British Racing Green coachwork with Black leather interior trim, Moto-Lita leather steering wheel, mechanically sound with engine producing good oil pressure, history file, very nice drive, just arrived, £11,750.00

SEE OUR WEBSITE FOR A COMPLETE LISTING OF OUR STOCK

URGENTLY WANTED A NY MG ANY YEAR, ANY CONDITION 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.

FEBRUARY 2016

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membership number. Cost for nonmembers to advertise is £20. All adverts should be submitted by the 15th of the month for the following months issue.

BRG. Manual o/d 116,000 miles.Two owners owned by me for 39 years.

Bills in x/s £21,000. Engine rebuild at 70,000 in 1979. Full body restoration 2004/2005. mot June 2016.

New Yokohamas on grey wires.

Cream bermuda hard top, soft top and tonnau. New carpets, interior trim & green piped leather seats.

Engine bay was not included in restoration hence condition 2/3.

Lovely sound car with documented history realistically priced at £18,995 ono. For further information please contact Colin 01297 792538 or cogstewart@aol.com (East Devon)

MGB ROADST

69,000 miles from tory,leather seats,n de Coke and servic Very good conditio £4,200 ono. Tel 01 (Norfolk )

1969 MGC Roadster

www.mg-repairs-hertfordshire.com

94

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

MGC ROADSTER 1970

MGB ROADSTER. 1968 to 1980 woul be one where the never been welded after rubber bump very low ( less mileage from new Alternatively a bumper model or a new Heritage she suitable. Private sal Tel. Michael on 02 0784 388 9609.

www.mgmidgets.com

07860 473298

01707 876089

WANT

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

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

01438 729288

enquiries@mgsforsale.com

CARS FOR SALE

I have owned this car for the past 23 years, 69,000 miles registered.

The car comes with Works Hard Top, Tonneau Cover, Soft Top and Rear Seat Cover. Condition is very good, recent full body respray to MGC Red. Heritage Certificate.

Original Car with matching numbers. £26,000. Tel: 01296720122 peter.jane.ward@hotmail.co.uk for photos etc.

(Bucks)

MGB V8 3500 LH drive

Left hand drive. Very nice 1973 V8 conversion with MGB GT V8 engine and gearbox w. overdrive. 15000 miles since conversion by MotoBuild in 2003. New 21/2" exhaust with nice sound, leather seats, wooden steering wheel, original V8 wheels and spare. MK 2 dashboard.

Happy to send more photos. michaelamorsen@yahoo.dk Price: € 23,000 Telephone: 0045 40944060

MG ZR 105 (20

1.4 litre, 91,000 m history (1 owner), battery.

Mot (November,2015) require some atte and tyres. Paintwo restoration work, b erally sound. Op offers. Contact 07519 313522 steve.duxbur keynes.gov.uk

MGF 1999 1.8 VVC MG TF 135 2004

Solar Red with Grey Leather/Alcantara trim, Grey tonnau and grey leather covered T Bar. Front fog lights. Head gasket, water pump, and belts done. Fitted with stainless steel water pipes. Has service history and will have new MOT at time of sale. Low 52000 miles. Ideal Christmas/New Years present. £2650 Telephone: 01993 776945 Mobile 07527 465366 (Oxfordshire)

MGF

For restoration and/or spares – good engine, sound body, runs £400. Tel: 01737 765891

MOT Nov 2016, new wishbones, gear cables, rear brakes. Only 3 owners and 57 k. Nightfire metallic red with cream leather all in good condition. Cam belt just failed while stationery. Too good to scrap, needs repair and new good home. £900. Tel Martin on 01295 680201 ( South Warwickshire)

WANTED

MGB roadster pre 1975, but preferably a mk2 chrome bumper car for restoration, anything considered from a car needing a little TLC to a scrappers delight. Decent price paid for the right car and I am prepared to travel. Richard Stanbridge Tel: 01787 277469 or email rstanbo@gmail.com (Suffolk)

MG Midget 196

Chrome Bumper. red, hard top (im tion) reconditione free) back axle, car New Soft top, tyre dynamo, water pum tronic ignition, ther steel rack, exhaust. Modified fan, rechromed restored with phot tory available with log book. 1 years Telephone: 07958 01708 456595 (Ess

www.mgcc.co.uk

22/01/2016 16:00

CARS FOR SALE CARS FOR SALE

BARRY WALKER

WANTED

MGB ROADSTER. Any model from 1968 to 1980 would suit but it must How to Advertise Estd.1968 be one where the body shell has British Motor .....for the very best in vintage MGs.....

Estd.1968 Heritage approved British Motor Members can advertise their cars .....for the very best in vintage MGs..... never been welded.

A well looked Heritage approved A BETTER OFFER THAN FROM ANY BANK I KNOW!?

NEW SPARES include: opinion MG prices rise The Fast. will in Safety charge free Inofmy after rubber bumper model with a A BETTER OFFER THAN FROM ANY BANK I KNOW!?

• In addition toMG ourK3P/K/N & TA/BSPORTS ‘no leak’, solid centre, twin ‘O’ ring (so important) main/reserve taps, we have now completed another again this year. T types now lag well rep. 2-seat RACING CAR very low ( less than 30,000 ) the posted oncost. berestoration will also advertbehind small batch of J2/F2/L2 taps. their MG rep.few 2-seat SPORTS CARWilkinson/Bellevue One K3 of very K3 reps. built RACING to the Wilkie new would be ideal.

• PA/B “round the radiator” chrome badge barsmileage as factoryfrom original. cars grabbed This isas course. duebeing inare website ClubMMM Garage 1930s modification N Magnette chassis to WANTED One of very fewbatch K3 reps. builtusing to theanWilkie Wilkinson/Bellevue • MMM & T Type. of Swiss-made original specification double-row bronze cage rear wheel bearings. share prices fall & the Euro and Alternatively a similar chrome take Another K31930s axles & brakes.

1400cc engine, pre-select g’box, MGC ROADSTER 1970 MG Motorsports Garage modification using an N Magnette chassis to MGB ROADSTER. Any model from an place insertion one are for Last 20 yrs, not 20 minutes!

Dollar on theonly. rise To plus the chance divided track miles. rod steering, Marshallbumper supercharger andor fullone that has had model BRG. Manual o/d 116,000 Two MGC-GT take K3 axles & brakes.

1400cc engine, pre-select g’box, • Another batch of J2/F2/L2, also K3 and NA/B and TA/B/C hand woven solid chrome brass radiator meshes. Sebring in Trophy Blue, 1968 to 1980 would suit butTotal it must offor us leaving theinsertions EEC. K3 dashboard. ground-up restoration that has been additional or advert Advertise a new Heritage wouldyou also be Could well • one 2 only complete Collingburn darkand red.shell Everything need. be all the the last from company. divided track rod steering, supercharger full owners owned

by J2/F2/L2/P me for 39type years. with rightthis bits fitted and lots It is suggested you buy this end be where the body shell has thoroughly sorted.

Finished inMarshall Monzainteriors Red withinblack leather, • Many new spares ready & coming – visit website atyear... email Colin Grant K3 Total ground-up restoration has been suitable.

Private sale preferred. of the dvertise their cars Bills inbeen x/sother £21,000. rebuild of history. Aluminium bonnet & this dashboard. awesome 100mph machinethrough is fully MG CC that &our VSCC eligible never welded.

AEngine well looked thoroughly Finished injust Monza Redexhilarating with black leather, for Full home &sorted.

Int.GREGORY events, simply touring.

K3 rep.

TOTAL PETER SLAB-TANK VERSION. IMMACULATE … £125,000 Tel. Michael on 02893 038909 or at *MG 70,000 in 1979. body restorafront valance, 8x15 Minilite style colingrant@mgcc.co.uk with details n Safety Fast. The after rubber bumper model with aor RESTORATION. Unlikely to last100mph long I think. this awesome machine is fully MG CC & VSCC eligible 0784 388 9609. tion 2004/2005. mot June 2016. wheels, Sparco race seats, 5 point very low ( less than 30,000 ) of your car, around 60 words, togethbe posted on the 1933 MG J2 2-SEATfor home & Int. events, or just simply exhilarating touring. 1935 MG PA SPORTS SPORTS. If you’re looking for a New Yokohamas on grey harnesses, rear section roll cage, mileage from new would be wires. ideal.

Unlikely to last long I think. due course. This is er with an attached picture, your A total chassis-up reliable, very original Alternatively similar Cream bermuda top, chrome soft top 2.5kg fire extinguisher, up-rated restoration, fullya hard P type, please view MGC ROADSTER 1970 MG Motorsports n only. To place an contact information, price of your recorded and is in this. Built properly, by a bumper model or one that has had and tonnau.

New carpets, interior anti-roll bar & torsion bars, negative BRG. Manual o/d 116,000 miles.Two MGC-GT Sebring in Trophy Blue,and immaculate condition. qualifi ed engineer dditional insertions Counterbalanced crankpiped finished by us. New body, and live, area where the owned car, atrim new&Heritage shell would be green leatheralso seats. camber front end, parabolic rear owners by me you for 39 years. with all the right bits fitted and lots & rods, de-luxe dash, paint, trim. Rebuilt engine nt at suitable.

Private preferred.

2-tone red, matching instruments, lamps; & new Bills in x/s £21,000. rebuild of history. Aluminium bonnet Engine bay wassalenot included in springs, adjustable telescopic nonCost for number. Engine membership red hide & full black wheels with Blockley Tel. Michael on 02893 038909 2/3. or at 70,000 into1979.

Full body front valance, 8x15tyres.

Minilite .co.uk with details weather gear. Now Over style £50,000 restoration hence condition dampers all round, quick steering £20. All is restoraadvertise members being fitted stone-SPORTS 1933 MG J2 DE-LUXE 1954wheels, MG TF 1250 1933 S/CHARGED J3/J4mot June 2016.

SUPERCHARGED J4 rep 0784 388 9609. tion 2004/2005.

Sparco racespent. seats, 5 point 1933 MG Lovely sound car with documented rack, polymer bushes, Panhard rod, bonnet-belt Offered at £45,000 d 60 words, togethBuilt in Australia by 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 toshould describe be this submitted other than concours, by themeant guards, adverts and aero-screens. One New Yokohamas on engine, greyENVwires. harnesses, rear section roll cage, a stunning restoration with c/balanced crank & rods, deluxe dash, 1949 MG TC – just arrived.

Paperwork suggests 2 history realistically priced at Fast with x rare 45 high Webers, original condition, including factory wire wheels & rebuilt correctly when I say it!

J4 spec box, Volumex been race & rallyRoad prepared.spec A 70bhp engine3with geared of the best you will ched picture, your detailed bays and period accessories.

Raven Black with full Apple owners from new.

Another lovely all round example. the for the ofbrakes 15th engine.

Originalfire RHD inextinguisher, dark red with red leather. s/c, 12” -month it’s really fantastic.

Numerous prizes - 2 find…. £45,000 this offers a truly competitive MG, or highly exciting Cream bermuda hard top, soft top 2.5kg up-rated ENV g’box, £18,995 ono.

For further informaStage rally cam, Green interior w/gear. Fabulous car, atgoes barelyreally restoration This well cost. and is a 1954 joy to MG drive.

1933 MG J2& alll DE-LUXE SPORTS TFDark 1250red, buff 1933 S/CHARGED 1933 SUPERCHARGED J4 rep Blue tone red, CollingburnJ3/J4 trim. No offers at. road car.MG VSCC buff 3 form,head, full history.

Ocean with balanced, black leather. ion, price of your and full weather gear. I like this one, so will & you. and New carpets, interiormeant Builttion anti-roll bar bars,rebuild negative months following in Australia by a top MG engineer.leather I cannot find with this car Ex. Channel please contact Colin 01297 6 branch 2 box exhaust, low torsion mileage, older in very Unlike theDownton Difficulttonnau. to describe thisissue. other than concours, truly magnificent J4 spec road/ car adjacent, this has MGBIslands, ROADSTER £32,500 onofault here you live, and stunning restoration with c/balanced crank & rods, deluxe dash, original trim green camber condition,front includingend, factoryparabolic wire wheels &rear correctly&when I say it!piped J4 spec leather engine, ENVseats. box, Volumex - a792538 & rally prepared. A 70bhpflywheel, engine with rare high geared orperiodcogstewart@aol.com MG 69,000 miles from new with all rebuilt his- been racelightened detailed bays and accessories.

Raven Black with full Apple Original RHD adjustable in dark red with red leather. s/c, 12” brakes really not fantastic.

Numerous prizes Engine bay- it’s was included in - 2 Green interior & alll w/gear. Fabulous car, at barely restoration cost. engine. springs, telescopic ENV g’box, this offers a truly competitive MG, or highly exciting ber. Cost for non(East Devon) supplied 5 with speed geartory,leather seats,new hood,recent road car.Motorsports tone red, Collingburn trim. No offers at.

VSCC buff form, full history.

Ocean Blue black leather.

1935 MGPB DELUXE 1936 V. RARE MG NB restoration hence condition 2/3. dampers all round, quick steering vertise is £20. All box conversion (original o/d box SPORTS A beautiful TOURER Disappointed de Coke and service and M.0.T. WANTED Lovely sound car with documented rack, polymer bushes, rod, car undergoing rethat Panhard the practicality e submitted by the included), Facet Red-top fuel pump.

VeryRoad goodspec condition commissioning in our of this MGB ROADSTER. Any model history realistically pricedfrom at Fast with&wonderful 3throughout. xsociability 45 Webers, workshop. Completely 6 cyl. MG has +20 re-bore around 3000m ago h for the £4,2003 ono.

01362668667 restored but stored not been recognised.

1968 to 1980 suit butinformait must £18,995 ono.would For further Stage head,Telrally cam, balanced,Not following owner’s death. only a superb restoration, including new main and b/e shells, (Norfolk )6 branch issue. tion please Colin 2 the boxrarest exhaust, We willMG finish it to 100 of the ‘N’ 1936 MG NB TOURER The 6cyl. NB is simply very rare. The 4-seat be one where the body shell01297 has 1937 MG TA withcontact XPAG-reliability 1937Downton MG T/Q 2-SEAT SPORTS /but 1933 SUPERCHARGED J4 rep MGB ROADSTER condition in early the last one of the best value cars types on theand market, thisbefore is in tourer is clutch, a delight in new every sense.

Powerful 1300cc engine, roomy, cam followers, rocker Fully overhauled by us, this lovely early TA with fitted TC point The best one miles to come to the open market in years.

Phoenix Surely 792538 orWANTED cogstewart@aol.com lightened flywheel, MG never been welded.

A well looked 69,000 from new with all hisPlease come Morris took over.sold.

Correct of the 5 I’ve TA comfortable, and perfect for touring, be it friends, golf clubs, dogs or eng, &ROADSTER. box eliminates the Any TA engine problems and offers January. crank, lightened clutch,if ENV manual box, Marshall s/c. stunning condition, the highest std. and inspect, or reserve 2-tone green, £4,000 MGB model from refaced rockers, andgreensince Q body work/tuned XPAG engine & TC gearbox, 90 the wife &shaft, her luggage.

Totally restored throughout, 2-tone with (East Devon) Motorsports supplied 5 speed reliability & qualitybumper at a sensiblemodel price. A quality car.

It’story,leather a proper rebuild.seats,new Ready for all hood,recent MGCC/VSCC events. chassis/ after rubber with a you wish ........................... of Collingburn mph, 80bhp, BRG....all this, and worth built. & fullnew black weather equipment. France, here we come. oil Fabulous condition, with blue hide.M.0.T. 1968 1980( would suit but it must) then alternator, spin-on/off £45,000 trim & theo/d full weather box conversion (original box green leather de Coke andblack service and very tolow less than 30,000 equip.

GiveOur the highly (grand) regraded service is always available to you.

FULL DETAILS ON OUR WEBSITE carry thousands of spares we sellT/Q SALES: one We COMMISSION be where the would body shell has conversion, 123 very programma1937 MG TA with XPAG-reliability 1937 MG 2-SEAT SPORTS 1933 MGgood SUPERCHARGED J4 throughout. rep for the type of cars NB TOURER The 6cyl. NB is simply rare. The 4-seat included), Facet Red-top childrenfuel a bit pump. of fun – or 1936 MGfilter Very condition mileage from new be ideal.

1948 MG TC. Never before on the one UK market, thisvalue allSurely of the best cars01789 on the market, is in tourer isMob: a delight in 07836 every sense.

Powerful 1300cc engine, leads, roomy, just go touring inthis comfort.

Email: www.barrywalker.com Tel: 400 181 244103 Fully overhauled by us, this barry@barrywalker.com lovely early looked TA with fitted TC The best one ono. to comeTel toWeb: the01362668667 open market in years.

Phoenix never been welded.

A well 1969 MGC Roadster ble ignition with Lumenition +20 re-bore around 3000m ago matching Nos. TC has been completely restored.

It is £4,200 . . it’s superb so make stunning condition, the highest std. of the 5 I’ve sold.

TA a comfortable, Alternatively chrome and perfect for touring, be it friends, golf clubs, dogs or STER 1970 MGlightened Motorsports eng, & box eliminatesathe similar TA engine problems and offers crank, clutch, ENV manual box, Marshall s/c. a fine driving car with excellent steering, is reliable and sensible offer please. chassis/ Q body work/tuned XPAG engine & TC box, 90 after rubber bumper model with a I have owned this car for the past new callipers, discs, pads, servo, carb including new main and b/e shells, (Norfolk ) the wife & her luggage.

Totally restored throughout, 2-tone green with has a nice patina.

Old English White, wine leather and all MGB 3500 LH drive reliability &model quality at or a sensible price. Ahas quality car.

It’s a proper V8 rebuild.

Ready for all MGCC/VSCC events. mph, 80bhp, BRG....all this, and built. bumper one that had 116,000 miles.Two MGC-GT Sebring innew Trophy Blue, black weather equipment. A clutch, great TC….. £32,500 & full black weather equipment. France, we come.

Fabulous condition, black with blue nice hide. new cam followers, rocker green leather very low (69,000 less than 30,000 ) years, miles registered. overhaul. £25,000 ovno.here Contact Left all hand drive.

Very 1973 V8 a23 new Heritage shell would also be y me for 39 years. with the right bits fitted and lots DETAILS ON Works OUR carry thousands spares forV8 theengine type of cars we sell refaced COMMISSION SALES: highly regraded service is always available shaft, rockers, andOursince FULL mileage new would beWEBSITE ideal.

The carfrom comes with Hard Weconversion max@m2msl.com or to you.

07786 withofMGB GT suitable.

Private sale preferred.

00. Engine rebuild of history. Aluminium bonnet & then new alternator, spin-on/off oil 65_1162_BARRY_WALKER_ADVURN49853.pgs 11.09.2015 17:01 FMG-Advent MG ZR 105 (2002) Email: barry@barrywalker.com Web: www.barrywalker.com Tel: 01789 400 181 Mob: 07836 244103 Alternatively a similar chrome Top, Tonneau Cover, Soft Top and 933123" TER 1970 MG Motorsports and gearbox w. overdrive.

15000 Tel. Michael on 02893 038909 or . Full body restorafront valance, 8x15 Minilite style filter conversion, 123 programma1.4 litre, 91,000 miles, full service bumper model or one that hasishad Rear388 Seat Cover.

Condition very 116,000 miles.2016.

Two MGC-GT Sebring in seats, Trophy miles since conversion by5 Blue, Moto0784 9609. mot June wheels, Sparco race point oadster ble ignition with Lumenition leads, history (1 owner), new cambelt and a good, new Heritage shellbody would also beto recent full respray ys me for 39 years. with all the right bits fitted and lots Build in 2003.

New 21/2" exhaust wires. harnesses, rear section roll cage, is on car grey for the past new callipers,Mot discs, pads, carb MGB drive battery. has servo, expired suitable.

Private saleLH preferred.

MGC V8 Red.3500 Heritage Certificate.

00.

Engine rebuild of history.

Aluminium bonnet & with nice sound, leather seats, WANTED top, soft top 2.5kg fire WANTED extinguisher, up-rated 0hard miles registered. overhaul. £25,000 ovno.

Contact Left hand Car drive.

Verymatching nice 1973 V8 (November,2015) and car may Tel. Michael onwith 02893 038909 or Original numbody restorafront valance, 8x15 Minilite style wooden steering wheel, original V8 MGB MGB ROADSTER. ROADSTER. Any Any model model from from wFull carpets, interior anti-roll bar & torsion bars, negative 65_1162_BARRY_WALKER_ADVURN49853.pgs 11.09.2015 17:01 FMG-Advent with Works Hard max@m2msl.com or on 07786 conversion with MGB GT V8 engine require some attention brakes 0784 388 9609. bers. £26,000.

Tel: 01296720122 motleather June 2016. wheels, Sparco race seats, 5ititpoint wheels and spare.

MK 2but dashboard.

1968 1968 to to 1980 1980 would would suit suit but must must ped seats. camber front end, parabolic rear MG ZR 105 (2002) over, Soft Top and 933123" and gearbox w. overdrive.

15000 Advertise Advertise and tyres.

Paintwork needs some peter.jane.ward@hotmail.co.uk for on grey wires. harnesses, rear section roll cage, Happy to send more photos. be be one one where the the body bodyfull shell shell has has 1.4 litre,where 91,000 miles, service Condition is very not included in springs, adjustable telescopic miles restoration work, bodywork is genphotossince etc. conversion by Motocars cars their their vertise dvertise hard top,respray soft top 2.5kg fire extinguisher, up-rated michaelamorsen@yahoo.dk never never been been welded. welded.

A A well well looked looked history (1allowner), cambelt and l body to ce condition 2/3. dampers round,new quick steering Build in 2003.

New 21/2" exhaust erally sound. Open to sensible (Bucks) wnritage carpets, interior anti-roll &Mot torsion bars, negative Price:rubber €bar 23,000 battery. expired The The Fast.

Fast.

Safety Safety Certificate. after after rubber bumper bumper model model with with aa with documented rack, polymer bushes,has Panhard rod, with nice sound, leather seats, offers. Contact Steve Duxbury ped leather seats. camber front end, parabolic rear Telephone: 0045 40944060 (November,2015) and car may th matching numvery very low low ( ( less less than than 30,000 30,000 ) ) cally priced at Fast Road spec with 3 x 45 Webers, wooden steering wheel, original V8 the on the posted on be be posted 07519 313522 or email not included in springs, adjustable telescopic require some attention on brakes Tel: 01296720122 mileage mileage from from new new would would be be ideal. ideal. wheels and spare. MK 2 dashboard. rdue further informaStage 3 head, rally cam, balanced, This This isis course. course. due steve.duxbury@miltone condition 2/3. dampers all round, steering and tyres. needs some @hotmail.co.uk for Alternatively Alternatively aa similar similar chrome chrome Happy to send more photos. tact Colin 01297 Downton 6 Paintwork branch / quick 2 box exhaust, MGC MGC ROADSTER ROADSTER 1970 1970 MG MG Motorsports Motorsports MGB an place an To To place only. only.documented nwith keynes.gov.uk restoration work, bodywork isrod, genrack, polymer bushes, bumper bumper model model or or one onePanhard that thathas has had had michaelamorsen@yahoo.dk ewart@aol.com lightened flywheel, MG BRG. BRG.Manual Manual o/d116,000 116,000 miles. miles.

Two MGC-GT MGC-GT Sebring Sebring inin Trophy Trophy Blue, Blue, 69,000 miles o/d from new with allTwo his1959 MGA 1650cc erally sound.

Open to Webers, sensible insertions insertions ditionalpriced dditional cally at Fast Road spec with 3 x 45 Price: € 23,000 a a new new Heritage Heritage shell shell would would also also be be Motorsports supplied 5 speed gearowners ownersowned owned by byme mefor for 39 39years. years. with withall allthe theright rightbits bitsfitted fittedand andlots lots tory,leather seats,new hood,recent Built to 1980’s MGCC MGA offers.

Contact Steve Duxbury further informaStage 3 head, rally cam, balanced, Telephone: 0045 40944060 t atat nt suitable. suitable.

Private Privatesale sale preferred. preferred. box conversion (original o/d box Bills Bills inin x/s x/s £21,000. £21,000.

Engine rebuild rebuild of of history. history. Aluminium Aluminium bonnet bonnet && de Coke and service Engine and M.0.T. Modified championship regs. Body 07519 6 313522 or exhaust, email act Colin 01297 Downton branch / 2 box MGB ROADSTER Tel. Tel. Michael Michael on onRed-top 02893 02893 038909 038909 or or included), Facet fuel pump. at at70,000 70,000 1979.

1979.Full Fullthroughout. body bodyrestorarestorafront front valance, valance, 8x15 8x15 Minilite Minilite style style details with details co.uk .co.uk with Very goodinincondition & chassis steel as original, ally s t e v e . d u x b u r y @ m i l t o n ewart@aol.com lightened flywheel,3000m MG 69,000 miles from new his0784 0784388 3889609.

9609. +20 re-bore around ago tion tion 2004/2005.

2004/2005. mot mot with June Juneall2016.

2016. wheels, wheels, Sparco Sparco race race seats, seats, 55 point point £4,200 ono. Tel 01362668667 doors, boot, bonnet floors etc. Full togethwords,togeth60words, dd60 keynes.gov.uk Motorsports supplied 5 speed geartory,leather seats,new hood,recent including new main and b/e shells, New New Yokohamas Yokohamas on on grey grey wires. wires. harnesses, harnesses, rear rear1650cc section section roll roll cage, cage, (Norfolk ) 1959 MGA width low perspex windscreen, your picture, your hed picture, ched box conversion (original o/d box de Coke and service and M.0.T. MGF new 1999 1.8followers, VVC rocker clutch, cam Cream Cream bermuda bermuda hard hard top, top,soft soft top top 2.5kg 2.5kg fire fire extinguisher, extinguisher, up-rated up-rated Built to 1980’s MGCC MGA steel roll over cage bolted to chasyour of your price of on, ion, price included), Facet Red-top fuel pump.

Very good condition throughout.

Modified championship regs.

Body MOT refaced Nov 2016, new and wishbones, shaft, rockers, since and and tonnau.

New New carpets, carpets, interior interior anti-roll anti-rollbar bar &&torsion torsionbars, bars, negative negative sis, all removable. Race proven MGtonnau.

TF 135 2004 +20 around 3000mOnly ago £4,200 ono.

Tel piped 01362668667 and live, and you live, ere you here & chassis steel original,rear ally gearre-bore cables, rear brakes. then new alternator, spin-on/off oil3 trim trim green leather leather seats. seats. camber camber front front end, end,asparabolic parabolic rear engine, steel crank/flywheel, modiSolar&& green Redpiped with Grey including new main and b/e shells, (Norfolk ) doors, boot, bonnet floors etc.

Full owners and 57 k.123 Nightfire metallic filter conversion, programmaEngine Engine bay bay was was not not included included springs, springs, adjustable adjustable telescopic telescopic nonfor nonCost for ber. ber. Cost fied pistons/rods race cam all lightLeather/Alcantara trim, Grey inin clutch, new cam followers, rocker width low perspex windscreen, redignition with cream all inleads, good ble with leather Lumenition restoration restoration hence condition condition 2/3.

2/3. dampers dampers all all round, round, quick quick steering steering ened balanced etc, Weber carb, All £20. All ertise isis £20. vertise tonnau1999 andhence grey leather covered MG Midget 1968 MGF 1.8 VVC shaft, refaced rockers, and steel roll overbushes, cage bolted to chascondition.

Cam beltpads, just servo, failedsince while new callipers, discs, carb Lovely Lovely soundfog car carwith withdocumented documented rack, rack, polymer polymer bushes, Panhard Panhard rod, rod, 0e submitted LH driveby close ratio straight cut gears.

T Bar.sound Front gasket, Chrome Bumper.

1275cc, Tartan the by the submitted MOT Nov 2016,lights. newHead wishbones, then new alternator, spin-on/off oil sis, all removable.

Race proven 004 stationery.£25,000 Too goodovno. to scrap, needs overhaul.

Contact history history realistically realistically priced pricedFitted atat Fast Fast Road spec spec with with 33xx45 45Webers, Webers, Very nice 1973 V8 Modified brakes, shocks etc, 6’’ watercables, pump, and belts done. red,Road hard topcrank/flywheel, (immaculate condigear rear brakes.

Only 3 the the forwith hfor filter conversion, 123 programmaengine, steel modiGrey repair and new good home. max@m2msl.com or 07786 £18,995 £18,995 ono. ono.57 For For further informainformaStage Stage 33reconditioned head, head, rally rally cam, cam, balanced, balanced, MGB GT V8 engine steel wheels with little use. Avon with stainless steel water pipes.

Has tion)pistons/rods engine (lead owners and k. further Nightfire metallic fied race cam all lightble ignition with Lumenition leads, assue. trim, Grey issue.

MG ZR 105 (2002) £900. Tel Martin on 01295 680201 933123" tion tion please please contact contact Colin 01297 Downton Downton 66branch branch / /22box box exhaust, exhaust, MGB MGB ROADSTER ROADSTER overdrive.

15000 road tyres plus set of wheels with service history and Colin will new free) back axle, carbs, wire wheels. red with cream leather allhave in01297 good ened balanced etc, Weber carb, yLH leather covered new callipers, discs, pads, servo, carb MG Midget 1968 drive 1.4 litre, miles, service ( South Warwickshire) 792538 792538 or or91,000 cogstewart@aol.com cogstewart@aol.com lightened lightened flywheel, flywheel, MG MG 69,000 69,000 miles miles from fromnew newwith withall allhishisversion

by Motoold racers etc. All standard lights MOT at time of sale.

Low 52000 condition.

Cam belt just full failed while New ratio Soft top, tyres, close straight cutstarter gears. motor, lights.nice Head gasket, Chrome Bumper.

1275cc, Tartan overhaul. £25,000 ovno.

Contact Very 1973 V8 history (1 owner), new and (East (East Devon) Devon) Motorsports Motorsports supplied supplied55battery, speed speedgeargeartory,leather tory,leather seats,new seats,new hood,recent hood,recent ew 21/2" exhaust etc fitted road legal, no MOT or tax stationery.

TooChristmas/New good to cambelt scrap, needs miles.

Ideal Years dynamo, water Modified brakes,pump, shocks etc,elec6’’ d belts done.

Fitted red, hard top (immaculate condimax@m2msl.com or 07786 MGB GT V8 engine battery.

Mot has box box conversion conversion (original (original o/d o/d box box de de Coke Coke and andWANTED service serviceand and M.0.T. M.0.T.(lead repair and new good home.expired d, leather seats, required because of age. Last present. £2650 tronic ignition,with thermostat, stainless steel wheels little use.

Avon el water pipes.

Has tion) reconditioned engine MG ZR 105 (2002) 933123" MGB roadster pre 1975, but preferoverdrive.

15000 (November,2015) and may included), included), Facet Facet Red-top Red-top fuel fuelpump. pump.

Very Very good good condition condition throughout. throughout. £900.

Tel Martin on776945 01295car 680201 wheel, V8 rebuilt/raced 1996, stored since Telephone: 01993 steel rack, and road tyres plus set of wheels with and willoriginal have new free) back axle, carbs, wire wheels.

1.4 litre,some 91,000attention miles, full ably aono. mk2Tel chrome bumper car for ersion2 dashboard.

by Motorequire on service brakes +20 +20 re-bore re-bore around around 3000m 3000m ago ago (Mobile South Warwickshire) £4,200 £4,200 ono.

Tel 01362668667 01362668667 with a little road use. Reg 07527 465366 old racers etc.

Alloilstandard lights exhaust.

Modified filter, kenlow f. MK sale. Low 52000 New Soft top, tyres, starter motor, history (1 owner), new cambelt and restoration, anything considered ew 21/2" exhaust and tyres. Paintwork needs some including including new new main main and andMOT b/e b/e shells, shells, (Norfolk (Norfolk ) dristmas/New more photos.

WWP444. Owned by me since etc road legal, no or tax (Oxfordshire) Years fan,fittedrechromed, completely dynamo, )water pump, battery, elecbattery.

Mot has expired WANTED from a car needing a little TLC to a d, restoration work, bodywork is genclutch, clutch, new new cam cam followers, followers, rocker rocker required because ofDetailed age.

Last @yahoo.dk 1977 'ish. Various spares availabl.

50 leather seats, tronic ignition, thermostat, stainless restored with photos. his(November,2015) and car may MGB roadster pre 1975, preferscrappers delight.and Decent price original V8 erally sound. Open to but sensible shaft, shaft, refaced refaced with rockers, rockers, and andoriginal since since rebuilt/raced 1996, stored 3wheel, 776945 £19,000 ono. Contact me Eric steel rack, tory available bills, plus require some attention onDuxbury brakes MGF ably a mk2 chrome bumper car for paid for the right car and I am preMK 2 dashboard. offers.

Contact Steve then then new alternator, spin-on/off spin-on/off oil oil with a alternator, little road use.£6,000.

Reg 5366 exhaust. Modified oil filter, kenlow 40944060 Hoult on 07872521382 or log new book.

1 years MOT. and tyres.

Paintwork needs some restoration, anything considered For restoration and/or spares – pared to travel. Richardcompletely Stanbridge more photos.

07519 313522 or email filter filter conversion, conversion, 123 123by programmaprogrammaWWP444.

Owned me since fan, rechromed, ejhoult@googlemail.com Telephone: 07958 553003. or restoration work, bodywork is genfrom a car needing a little TLC to a good engine, sound body, runs Tel: 01787 277469 orDetailed email his@yahoo.dk steve.duxbury@milton1977 'ish.

Various spares availabl. oadster oadster ble ble ignition ignition with with(Essex) Lumenition Lumenition leads, leads, restored with photos.

(Cornwall) 01708 456595 scrappers delight.

Decent price erally Open to sensible £400. sound.

Tel: 01737 765891 rstanbo@gmail.com (Suffolk) £19,000 ono.

Contact me carb Eric keynes.gov.uk sis car car for for the the past past tory available with bills, plus original new newcallipers, callipers, discs, discs, pads, pads,servo, servo, carb MGB MGB V8 V8 3500 3500 LH drive paid for the rightLH car drive and I am preoffers.

Contact Steve Duxbury 1959 MGA 1650cc 40944060 Hoult on 07872521382 or log book. 1 years MOT. £6,000.

0 miles miles registered. registered. overhaul. overhaul. £25,000 £25,000 ovno. ovno. Contact Contact Left Left hand hand drive.Very Very nice nice 1973 1973 V8 V8 and/or spares – pared to drive. travel.

Richard 07519 313522 or Stanbridge email Built to 1980’s ejhoult@googlemail.com Telephone: 07958 MGCC 553003.MGA or with with Works Worksruns Hard Hardmax@m2msl.com max@m2msl.com or or 07786 07786 conversion with MGB GT GT V8 V8 ound body, 277469 email sconversion tTel: e v01787 e . d uwith x b uMGB r y or @ m i l engine tengine onModified championship (Cornwall) 01708 456595 (Essex) MG MGZR ZR 105 105(2002) (2002) regs. Body over, ver, Soft Soft Top Top and and 933123" 933123" 7 765891 and and gearbox gearbox w. w. overdrive. overdrive.

15000 15000 rstanbo@gmail.com (Suffolk) keynes.gov.uk &1.4chassis steel miles, as original, ally 1.4 litre, litre, 91,000 91,000 miles, full full service service Condition Conditionisisvery very miles miles since since conversion conversion by

by MotoMoto1959 MGA 1650cc doors, boot, bonnet floors etc. and Full history history (1 (1 owner), owner), new new cambelt cambelt and l body body respray respray to to Build Build inin 2003.

2003. New New 21/2" 21/2" exhaust exhaust Built to 1980’s MGCC MGA width perspex battery. battery.low Mot Mot has haswindscreen, expired expired ritage itage Certificate.

Certificate. with with nice nice sound, sound, leather leather seats, seats, FEBRUARY 2016 95 Modified championship regs.

Body www.mgcc.co.uk 8 VVC steel roll over cage bolted to chas(November,2015) and car car may may th h matching matching numnumwooden wooden steering steering wheel, wheel,original originalV8 V8 &(November,2015) chassis steel asand original, ally , new wishbones, sis, all removable.

Race proven require require some some attention attention on onetc. brakes brakes Tel: Tel:01296720122 01296720122 wheels wheelsand andspare. spare.MK MK22dashboard. dashboard. doors, boot, bonnet floors Full r brakes. Only 3 engine, steelPaintwork crank/flywheel, and and tyres. tyres. needs needs modisome some @hotmail.co.uk @hotmail.co.uk for for Happy Happy to to send send more more photos. photos. width low Paintwork perspex windscreen, . Nightfire metallic fied pistons/rods race cam all lightrestoration restoration work, work, bodywork bodywork gengen8eather VVC all in MG_SafetyFast_Feb16_49-98.indd michaelamorsen@yahoo.dk michaelamorsen@yahoo.dk steel roll over cage toisischas95 22/01/2016 16:00 good ened balanced etc,bolted Weber carb, MG Midget 1968 erally erally sound. sound.

Open Open to to sensible sensible new wishbones, Price: Price: € € 23,000 23,000 sis, all removable.

Race proven elt just failed while close ratio straight cut gears.

Chrome Bumper. 1275cc, Tartan offers. offers. Contact Contact Steve Steve Duxbury Duxbury

OR SALE

OR SALE OR SALE

CLASSIFIEDS

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

L8MGF for sale

Great number for late MGF or as near to 1.8 MGF as you can get on retention £550 Tel; 07885 295029

XPAG engine TD/F/YB For sale: 1350cc (i.e. plus 100") bore, new three ring solid skirt pistons, allen caphead pinch bolts, crank no 168557 (TC's Forever page 129) at .010/010" (crack tested) new shells, lightened fly wheel, 8" clutch, all balanced. Lip seals front and rear (using Speedi Sleeve) new billet steel fast road cam shaft, vernier timing sprocket set at 109 degrees, new bearings, oil grooved cam followers, combined horizontal oil pump/filter.

Cylinder head stage 11, unleaded, large valve, metro stem seals, bronze guides ported (by Edney/XPAG ENG). Price £4000 or part ex for existing MG. Contact Ron Ward - 01422 823649

REGISTATION NUMBER For sale: 1946 MG on retention. Offers to 01803835757.

MG Midget

Set of rear telescopic shock absorbers (2), SPAX, Adjustable 14 pts, v.g.c, c/w mounting plates and bolts. £120 plus postage if needed, or 30 p/mile total if delivered.

Oxford 01865 862 560

MGB GEARBOX

4-synchro non-overdrive in good working order. Recently removed from 1970 M 'B' and replaced with overdrive unit - hence sale. £100 o.n.o.

Collection only from West Chiltington, West Sussex.

Email: royfmfowler@aol.com.

Tel. 01798813004 mob. 07710643680.

96

FEBRUARY 2016

MG_SafetyFast_Feb16_49-98.indd 96

MGB SPARES

Set of 4 Ace Mercury MG Wheel discs with hubs . Plus 3 spare discs . £200 . Tel: Gil Collins on 01-489-877625 (Corhampton Hampshire)

MG Midget

Original BMC Body Service Parts List (AKD3513) for Midget Mk II and III, 1966 Original BMC Mechanical Service Parts List (AKD3514) for Midget Mk II and III, 1967 Both are in good used condition with original covers. £40.00 for both Arkley SS Brochure £8.00 MMM The Complete MG workshop Manual and Tuning Manual, Blower, Fifth Edition 1955. £35.00 Telephone 01900 814334 or 07989 141456

MGC 30th Ann

Limited Edition C (1967 - 1997), 18 Boxed. Each mo important MGC il Unique historic it Anniversary of M es in 2017. Ideal MGC owner or M Halogen spotlig size approx 5" di New Boxed. I ha red, blue or gree £25 per pair.

Garmin GPS mo Lightly used in w Bracket and lead MGB Owners W Manual by Hayn clean A1 conditio ing postage.

Tel: Richard on 0

WANT

MG SALES BROCHURES

No. 6405 1964 colour/trim chart B, Midget etc., No. 3054 1974 "you can do it in an MG" B, Midget, V8, No.4406 1993 "MG History of the Marque" RV8 launch issue, No.4899 1995 MGF, No 4919 1995 MGF price list and information sheet.

Post or collect from near Cheltenham.

Tel. 01451 824223 or email roymill@waitrose.com

MG TD/TF

Original parts (displaced after upgrading specifications of TF 1500) XPEG Cylinder head (lead free with valve gear) Radiator, Prop shaft, Bell Housing, Gearbox steel cover Offers Tel: 020 7582 8547 (London)

MGA 1600 Spares

Large quantity of assorted MGA spares including engine, gearbox, back axles, front suspension, bonnet, boot lid etc.

Ring Terry on 01989 562366 for details.

WAN MGA 1955/56 WESLAKE C HEA

Can anybody hel for a genuine W Weslake head lik photo above, in a you have one or tion. Telephone.

(Genuine MGA e

WAN MGA/TD An Absorbers

Front or rear any please. Tel 07795 (Genuine MGA e

WAN

Two MGA wire w 15, 60 spokes. C Price 01590 6831 email: ajrp44@ti

MGB

Chrome grill surround with black honeycomb, still in box, never fitted as new £90. New rear MGB lowering blocks £15. Both plus P&P. contact John 01494778751. (Bucks)

Safety Fast magazines

Free to anyone willing to collect.

From March 1969 to December 1979 in 5 hardback brown "Safety Fast" ringbinders.

Winchester, Hampshire tel 07790 034288

www.mgcc.co.uk

22/01/2016 16:00

ng sprocket set at es, new bearings, oil m followers, comontal oil pump/filter. ead stage 11, unleadalve, metro stem ze guides ported (by AG ENG). Price ES art ex for existing ercury MG Wheel ct Ron Ward - 01422 s . Plus 3 spare Tel: Gil Collins on 5 Hampshire)

TION NUMBER

1946 MG n. Offers to 757.

Body Service D3513) for Midget 966 Mechanical et (AKD3514) List shock IItelescopic and III, 1967 (2),used SPAX, od condition 14 pts, v.g.c, for c/w vers. £40.00 lates and bolts. postage if needed, or chure £8.00 otal if delivered.

65 560 MG862 workshop ning Manual, dition 1955.

ARBOX 00 814334 or

non-overdrive in good der. Recently om 1970 M BROCHURES laced with overdrive ecolour/trim sale. £100chart o.n.o. only from West , "you Westcan Sussex. do it in mfowler@aol.com. get, V8, 813004 "MG History of V8 launch issue, 0643680.

MGF, MGF price list n sheet. from near

223 or email se.com

Twister from

displaced after cifications of TF

ny useful r head (lead free r)GT with service shaft, Bell since members box steel cover 00 notes in four 7582 ble on8547 a memory bers of the MG

pares

of assorted MGA ng engine, gears, front suspenoot lid etc.

01989 562366 for

urround with black ill in box, never 90. New rear blocks £15. Both act John (Bucks)

No.4899 1995 MGF, No 4919 1995 MGF price list and information sheet.

Post or collect from near Cheltenham.

Tel. 01451 824223 or email roymill@waitrose.com

MG TD/TF

Original parts (displaced after

MGC 30th Anniversary upgrading specifications of TF

Limited Edition Calender 1500) (1967 - 1997), 18" xhead 12",New XPEG Cylinder (lead free Boxed. withEach valvemonth gear) a different important MGC illustrated.

Radiator, Prop shaft, Bell Unique historic item assteel 40th cover Housing, Gearbox Anniversary of MGC approachOffers Tel: 020 7582 8547 es in(London) 2017. Ideal present for MGC owner or MG enthusiast.

Halogen spotlight. very neat 1600 Spares12 volt. sizeMGA approx 5" diametre. quantity assorted NewLarge Boxed.

I haveofone each ofMGA engine, red,spares blue orincluding green light beam.gearback axles, front suspen£25box, per pair. sion,GPS bonnet, bootnuri lid 1490. etc.

Garmin model Ring Terry 01989order.

562366 for Lightly used in on working details.

Bracket and lead. Offers.

MGB Owners Workshop Manual by Haynes. Excellent MGB clean A1 condition. £10 includChrome grill surround with black ing postage. still in box, never Tel: honeycomb, Richard on 07818420921 fitted as new £90. New rear MGB lowering blocks £15. Both plus P&P. contact John 01494778751. (Bucks)

WANTED

Safety Fast magazines

Free to anyone willing to collect.

From March 1969 to December 1979 in 5 hardback brown "Safety Fast" ringbinders.

WANTED Winchester, Hampshire tel MGA 1955/56 07790 034288WORKS OR

WESLAKE CYLINDER HEAD.

Can anybody help I am looking for a genuine Works or Weslake head like the one in photo above, in any condition. If you have one or any information. Telephone.

07795670881 the V8 Register (Genuine MGA enthusiast)

WESLAKE CYLINDER HEAD.

Can anybody help I am looking B32 - MIKE ROLLS SERVICES_MIKE ROLLS SERVICES 13/12/2012 09:50 Page 1 for a genuine Works or Weslake head like the one in photo above, in any condition. If you have one or any information. Telephone. 07795670881 (Genuine MGA enthusiast)

CLASSIFIEDS

WANTED MGA/TD Andrex shock Absorbers/Dampers

Front or rear any condition. please. Tel 07795670881 (Genuine MGA enthusiast)

WANTED

Two MGA wire wheels 4.5 x 15, 60 spokes. Contact Adrian Price 01590 683120 or email: ajrp44@tiscali.co.uk

Holiday Gites-Loire Valley/Brittany We have two gites at our home in the Loire Valley near the border with Brittany. These are available to members of the MG Car Club at £120 per week. We are members of the club.

See www.frenchblat.com/MG-Clubs.htm for full details.

SELLING YOUR CAR? As a member of the MG Car Club you can advertise your car in Safety Fast for free. Just email your car details, max 60 words, together with a JPEG picture to Colin Grant at colingrant@mgcc.co.uk.

Non member fee is £20

WANTED MGA/TD Andrex shock Absorbers/Dampers

201< 2015

TRADE MEMBER

MIKE ROLLS SERVICES FOR MGs Specialising in all MG’s

TEL/FAX: 01258 820337

Mon, Tues, Thurs, Fri: 8am-6pm, Wed: 8am-5pm, Sat: 8am-1pm MG TD 1950, this car was originally a righthand drive US export and then returned back to the UK in 2002 and re-registered in 2004, it has since undergone a full body off restoration with photographic and invoice history, it now looks stunning in its gleaming red body work complimented with beige leather interior and matching mohair hood and side screens, not only does this car look beautiful, but it drives superbly. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .£23,995 MGB GT, 1969, British racing green, Chrome Bumper, Tax exempt, Overdrive, Wire wheels, Full sunroof, Autumn leaf interior with new front seat covers, Electronic ignition, Stainless steel exhaust system, Restored by us in 2000, Service history, In excellent order. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .£6,500 MG TF 135, 2003, Dark green, Biscuit leather interior. MOT March 2013, Tax Feb. 2013. Radio C/D player, hood cover. Recent head gasket, coolant pipe, cambelt and clutch. Good service history. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .£3,650 MG Midget, 1980, Flamenco Red, much money spent including up-rated suspension front and back, K & N Filters, Various new mechanical parts, Full tonneau,and Motolita steering wheel, It comes with a very good service history, Bootrack, Kenwood radio/CD player and Black vinyl seats. The car is MOT'd up to September 2013 and taxed until end of July 2013. . . . . .£3,500 MG TF 135, 2002, Silver, MOT July 2013. New head gasket, coolant pipes, MGF COPPERLEAF - 2001 cambelt and service carried out by ourselves. Navy hood, black cloth seats. . . . . . . .2001, . . . . . . .1.8 . . . . . Injection . . . . . . . . . . fi. nished . . . . . . . . in . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .£2,995 MGF,

Copperleaf March It Has recently had a new MG TF 115, Red, 2003, XMOT’d Power Grey with2016. grey hood, headgasket, Stainless coolant pipes and full service, comes withbottom Blackengine cloth rail, seats, Heatedsteel rear MOT to May 2013, Taxed to Feb 2013, 71835 Miles, comes with Radio/CD glass window, Radio/CD player with ipod player. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .£2,750 jack, stainless steel sports exhaust and under

MGF, 2000, Alumina Green, 62,000mls, Green hood, Green leather seats, floor coolant pipes. Recent headgasket replacement, Taxed Jan 2013, MOT Chrome roll hoops, March . . .with . . . . some . . . . . history . . . . . . . etc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .£1,950 Very2013. tidy .car MGF 1.8i, 1996, British Racing Green, cloth interior. MOT Maarch 2013. Tax £1,500 end of January 2013. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .£950 Units 9/10 Fifehead Business Park, Manor Farm, Fifehead Magdalen, near Gillingham, Dorset SP8 5RR

E-mail:mail@mikerolls4mgs.co.uk mail@mikerolls.4mgs.co.uk • www.mikerolls.co.uk E-mail: • www.mikerolls.co.uk Mail Order “Friendly Quality Service”

CM02.13/B32/d

edi Sleeve) new billet oad cam shaft,

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

Front or rear any condition. please. Tel 07795670881 (Genuine MGA enthusiast)

WANTED

Two MGA wire wheels 4.5 x 15, 60 spokes. Contact Adrian Price 01590 683120 or email: ajrp44@tiscali.co.uk

MGB Workshop Notes series has many useful technical notes for the MGB and MGBGT with service and spares tips contributed by fellow members since 1978. The complete series with over 300 notes in four volumes and a detailed index is available on a memory stick at a special rate for current members of the MG Car Club. www.v8register.net/MGB/index.htm

1980 MGB GT LE Pewter. Rare last of production special spec. LE, alloys, webasto roof. Has had total body renovation 7 years ago. One lady owner for many years. £5,495.00

1971 MGB ROADSTER BRG, black/green leather trim, w/w, o/drive. Reshelled 10 years ago and still superb condition. Fast road engine.

Elm dash, magnolia clocks. S/S boot rack. Inertia belts. Polished screen frame. Totally restored car, better than new. Everything replaced or new, done less than 5,000 miles since rebuild.

Fantastic value @ £18,995.00

URGENT PROO

Please check this proof carefully for errors in style, content a Although every care is exercised in preparing your advert, we ourselves responsible for any inaccuracies you may overlook

SHOULD YOU REQUIRE ANY ALTERATIONS TO THIS PR TELEPHONE BEFORE _ _ _ _ _ _ _ AND QUOTE ADVERT

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

1979 MG MIDGET Pageant blue, black trim, superb little car, body is in excellent condition, recent respray, all new chrome conversion, new hood, new carpets, new dashboard, recovered seats.

Exceptionally pretty car in excellent order. Ready for lots of summer fun. £5,995.00

We reserve the right to charge for any alteration to th is a departure from the original copy

magazines

e willing to collect.

969 to December back brown ngbinders. ampshire tel 1939 MGVA. Green, red trim, sunroof. Genuine car, only 3 owners, first was an RAF Officer! MOT’d and taxed. In original condition with lots of lovely patina. Would be a shame to over restore. Will be having new tyres and brake overhaul before sale. £19,950.00

www.mgcc.co.uk

MG_SafetyFast_Feb16_49-98.indd 97

1972 MGB Roadster Flame Red, new black leather seats with red trim. New hood, w/w, boot rack. Much loved and very well maintained. Drives superbly, looks great. FG wings fitted and has a few age related paint blemishes, no rust though. £6,495.00

FEBRUARY 2016

97

22/01/2016 16:00

MGB Roadster For Sale

– only 30,000 miles from new MOT until 2nd August 2016 and comes with lots of old MOTs and original handbook. First registered 1st February 1980, MkIII model.

Black with matching immaculate black hood Immaculate front seats with headrests. Original umarked Rostyle wheels.

Excellent condition throughout including black interior boot carpet. Crystalclear rear vision on the hood.

Being the MGB Roadster MkIII model, this ‘B’ handles excellently having benefitted from the enhanced anti-roll bars and a revised steering rack from the previous MkII model.

B11 B11 -B11 Barrie - Barrie - Barrie Carter_D Carter_D MIDDLETON MIDDLETON MIDDLETON 22/10/2015 22/10/2015 22/10/2015 11:47 11:47 11:47 Page Page Page 1 Page 1 11 B15 -Carter_D Barrie Carter_D MIDDLETON 09/12/2015 10:55

£5,250ono.

Tel: 07792 422209 or 07860 906032 (private sale)

C a e i r r tte r etee a C C C a a a e e e r i i i r r r r r r t B r r r a a a r rr BBB

MGMG TA TA MG fitted fitted TA MGMG TA TA MG trials trials TA cartrials car fitted car TB1939 with with TB a lovely with a lovely a lovely MGfitted TA fitted BUILT INfitted THEfitted 19391939 TB1939 with aTB lovely withwith an with TC an TC an TC withwith highly with highly attractive highly attractive trials trialstrials cycle winged cycle winged winged body. body.

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I steering steering steering body body is body beautifully is beautifully is beautifully crafted crafted crafted thethe TB TB register. theregister.

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I I I conversion and Sunbeam, etc. bought it for me, but conversion conversion conversion and and and in aluminium in aluminium in aluminium including including including thethe the bought bought bought it for it for me, itme, for butme, but but later TC wheels.

Thistime warp I’ve too many toys. It laterlater TClater TC wheels. wheels. body, body, wings body, wings and and doors. and doors. doors.

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It toys.

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Itaislovely aIt lovely is aTB lovely TB fitted fitted TB fitted is owner. used regularly at local Nicely pattinated, [Iand andupgrade. not with awhile mildly XPAG engine and it drove hate regularly that and withshows. excellent weather equipment re improvements creation.

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Nicely Nicely pattinated, Nicely pattinated, pattinated, [I [Isensible sensible [I sensible improvements improvements that make that make itsmake price its price itshood,hood very price very attractive. very attractive.

TheThe The with with aand mildly with awell mildly awhen modified mildly modified modified XPAG XPAG XPAG engine and engine and steering and steering steering upgrade, upgrade, upgrade, it drove it drove including a full tonneau.

Essentially a TB in spec.

Not fold flat screen all original.

Not a collection of bits.

To have it made at £35K which is par for the course for a TB, and this is unique. hatehate that hate that word] that word] and word] and withand with excellent with excellent excellent weather weather weather equipment equipment equipmentweather weather weather equipment equipment equipment includes includes includes a full a full tonneau a tonneau full tonneau andand is inand isgood in isgood incondition. good condition. condition. fastfast andfast and welland well when well when I last when I last used I used lastit. used Our it. Our local it. local Our auction local auction auction house house valued house valued itvalued it it expensive £25,995 now would be 40k ish.

Be authentic for £6,995 I’m not fussed if it goes, but ring if you are interested. £29,950 including including including a full a full tonneau. a tonneau. full tonneau.

Essentially Essentially Essentially a TBa TB in aspec. inTBspec. inNot spec.

Not Not TheThe carThe car carries carries car many carries many attendance many attendance attendance plaques plaques plaques of past of past of events past events and events and it has and it hasit has at £35K at £35K atwhich £35K which iswhich par is par for is for the parthe course for course the for course for a TB, afor TB, and a and TB, thisand this is unique. is thisunique. is unique. expensive expensive expensive £25,995 £25,995 £25,995 been been used been used forused for funfun and for and fun trials. and trials.

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SOLD

1936/7 Ashley Cleave Brooklands/Shelsey Special

XPAG engines supplied

As previously said my Ashley Cleave special,as raced at Brooklands in 37, is still for sale. It can be bought as is or I can complete it. It is a recognised Brooklands competitor. Shelley Special, dominant in trials, circuits sprints, h/c and with over 500 awards. Reviewed by Bill Professionally rebuilt (there are a lot of Boddy in Motor Sport. It is eligible for many varied and coveted races and events, and a possible Goodwood entry. It starts at 35k as is with amateurs out there) to any specifications – Built Built inBuilt the in the 30s in 30s the by 30s by Corsica, Corsica,

by Corsica, body body makers body makers makers for for for the rolling chassis restored and the rest negotiable. I've had it for 23 years. Or you could be a real anorak and buy ano telligible for Bentley, Mercedes, Mercedes, Mercedes, Sunbeam, etc.details. etc.

Thistime Thistime etc. Thistime warp warp 4 warp seater 4 seater 4 seater please callSunbeam, forSunbeam, further As previously As previously As previously saidsaid mysaid my Ashley Ashley my Cleave Ashley Cleave special,as Cleave special,as special,as raced raced Brooklands at Price Brooklands at Brooklands in 37, into37, isspec instill is37, still for is for still sale. sale. for It can sale.

Itstarting can beIt bought be can be bought as but is asoris as Iorcan isI me can orcomplete I complete can complete it. Itit.isItait. is aIt Bentley, is aBentley, £35k make an offer. anything pointy tail pub carraced forat50k. according when finished, atbought

1936/7 1936/7 1936/7 Ashley Ashley Ashley Cleave Cleave Cleave Brooklands/Shelsey Brooklands/Shelsey Brooklands/Shelsey Special Special Special

CM11.15/B11/pd

CM11.15/B11/pd

MGTD/C. MGTD/C. MGTD/C. This This isThis one is one isofone of thethe ofvery the very rare very rare competition rare competition competition models, models, models, with with bigger with bigger bigger valves, valves, valves, carbs, carbs, carbs, andand twin and twin shocks. twin shocks. shocks.

About About About 1200 1200 1200 of of these these of these were were built. were built.

This built.

This one This one isone LHD, is LHD, is easy LHD, easyeasy to to change, change, to 98 change, its its interior interior its interior isFEBRUARY good is good is and good and correct, and correct, correct, the the paint the paint has paint has a has few a few a chips few chips chips and and scrapes, and scrapes, scrapes, and and it and drives it drives it drives very very well. very well.

These well.

These These are are very are very sought very sought sought after after cars after cars and cars and |’m and |’m not |’m not not 2016 www.mgcc.co.uk asking asking asking thethe usual the usual usual toptop dollar. top dollar. dollar. £22,995. £22,995. £22,995.

MyMy Porsche My Porsche Porsche 924 924 turbo 924 turbo turbo hashas a has new a new ainterior, new interior, interior, lovely lovely lovely body, body, body, new new tank, new tank, and tank, and a and nice a nice astory. nice story. story.

Runs Runs but Runs but needs but needs needs further further further work. work. work. £2,250 £2,250 £2,250 MGMG T-Types T-Types MG T-Types andand complete complete and complete collections collections collections purchased purchased purchased in any in any condition. in condition. any condition.

Garage Garage clearouts.

Garage clearouts. clearouts.

Many Many parts Many parts forparts for sale. sale. for Collection sale.

Collection Collection andand delivery delivery and delivery arranged arranged arranged world-wide. world-wide. world-wide.

Advice Advice free, Advice free, andfree, and I hope, Iand hope, correct.

I hope, correct. correct.

If not, If not, tryIf try someone not,someone try someone else.else.else.

MG_SafetyFast_Feb16_49-98.indd 98

CM11.15/B11/pd

touring touring body body is body authentic is authentic is authentic andand notand not a reanot creation. re acreation. re creation.

It isIt is It is recognised recognised recognised Brooklands Brooklands Brooklands competitor. competitor. competitor.

Shelley Shelley Shelley Special, Special, Special, dominant dominant dominant in trials, in trials, incircuits trials, circuits circuits sprints, sprints, sprints, h/ch/c andand h/c withand with over with over 500 over 500 awards.

500 awards. awards.

Reviewed Reviewed Reviewed

by Bill

by Bill

by Bill touring MGTD/C. onefor ofmany the very rare competition models, withevents. carbs, shocks.

About 1200 of were built. one is LHD,hood,hood easy towings. change, its complete complete withThis with seats, with seats, hood,hood seats, hood,hood bag,bag, bag, wings.

Superb wings.

Superb Superb foldfold fold Boddy Boddy inBoddy Motor in Motor inSport.

Motor Sport.

ItSport. isIteligible isThis eligible It isiseligible for many for varied many varied and varied and coveted and coveted coveted races races and races and events. and events.

Itbigger starts It starts Itvalves, atstarts 35k at 35k as at is 35k aswith isand aswith the istwin with the rolling rolling thechassis rolling chassis chassis restored restored restored andthese and complete and flat flat screen screen flatnot all screen origi-nal. all origi-nal. all the origi-nal.

Not Not a collection aNot collection adollar. collection of £22,995. bits. of bits.

To of bits. have To have Toit have it it interior good and correct, paint acould few and anorak scrapes, and it ano drives very well.

These are very sought after and |’m asking usual top thethe restrest the negotiable. rest negotiable. negotiable.

I'veisI've had had I've it for had it for 23 it23 years. foryears.

23the Or years. you Or you could Orhas could yoube abereal achips be real anorak a real anorak and and buyand buy ano ano buy telligible telligible telligible for for anything anything for anything pointy pointy tail pointy tail pubpub tail car pub car for for 50k. car 50k. forcars 50k. made now made now would would be would 40k be 40k be ish.If40k ish.

Be authentic ish.

Be authentic forelse. for £8,250. £8,250. for £8,250.

MG T-Types andPrice complete collections purchased infinished, any condition.

Garage clearouts.

Many parts forme sale.

Collection and delivery arranged world-wide.made Advice free, andnow I hope, correct. not,Be tryauthentic someone £35k but make make butme make an offer an me offer an offer Price according Price according according to spec to spec to when spec when when finished, finished, starting starting starting at £35k at £35k at but

22/01/2016 16:00

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