Safety Fast! November 2020

NOVEMBER 2020 £3.50

Volume 65 Number 11

THE MARQUE OF FRIENDSHIP GEORGE PHILLIPS, A LIFE WITH MGs PART I

THIS MONTH SafetyFast_November2020_Covers.indd 1

CELEBRATING 90 YEARS OF THE MGCC FITTING A SUPERCHARGER - PART I

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PARTS & ACCESSORIES FOR YOUR

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BRAKE COMPONENTS | CLUTCH & GEARBOX | COOLING & FUELLING | ELECTRICAL | ENGINE & MECHANICAL | STEERING & SUSPENSION

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A

s we edge towards the end of the year, to say it’s been a strange one is an understatement. This being the 90th Anniversary of the Club, there was a lot planned to celebrate, including our return to MGLive! but we all know what’s happened, and is still happening, so sadly a lot of the events organised by the main Club and Centres, Registers and Branches either had to be cancelled or postponed. We were fortunate enough to be able to restart some of our motorsport activities in July, following strict guidelines, and within this issue we’ve got our last race report of the season from Oulton Park and also a report on the Midland Centre’s Autumn Trial. Thankfully, we were also able to host a celebration on a smaller scale at a Covidsecure venue in October to celebrate the Club’s anniversary. The British Motor Museum was an ideal venue, with plenty of outside parking and space so everyone was able to socially distance. Although it was strange not greeting people in the traditional way, and talking through the masks, it was still good to see old friends and get out and about and use the MG, and also see so many MGs in one place again. There’s a report with photos further on in the magazine.

Hopefully you’ve all had a chance to listen to some, if not all, of the MGCC podcasts produced by Wayne Scott and Adam Sloman. With traffic returning to normal, and the amount of diversions in place around Oxfordshire, I’ve taken to listening to them on the commute in and out of the office on the ZS stereo via Spotify. There’s some really good, interesting interviews and snippets on them. If you haven’t yet done so, visit www.mgpodcast.uk where all will be explained and all former podcasts are there for you to peruse.

Within this issue you’ll find plenty of pages showing you a range of merchandise available from the MG Car Club, from Christmas cards to car covers and everything in between. Now is the ideal time to start thinking about, dare I say it, Christmas. With such a range of merchandise available, I’m sure there will be something for everyone, and as well as the pages within this issue the whole range can all be viewed on our secure website https://shop.mgcc.co.uk/

Support the celebration of the Clubs 90th Anniversary by wearing the limited edition lapel pin, presented in a MG Car Club box. £4.75

Leather Key fob with metal tab which is engraved with the MG Car Club logo £5.00

The story of the MG Abingdon factory during the war years. £10.00

Until next month, drive safely.

Andy Knott

Membership Type

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The MG Car Club, Kimber House, 12 Cemetery Road, Abingdon, Oxon, OX14 1AS Tel: 01235 555552 Fax: 01235 533755 E-mail: mgcc@mgcc.co.uk www.mgcc.co.uk

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www.mgcc.co.uk 4 SAFETY FAST! NOVEMBER 2020

JULY 2016 SAFETY FAST! 3 www.mgcc.co.uk

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INSIDE REGULARS 7 8 14 16 66 72 74 75 77 86 92 98

Club Matters and Kimber House News News Products Young Members Branch Tech Tips Race Torque MGs on Track MGCC Speed Championship Centre Updates Register Updates Classifieds Looking Back

NEWSLETTERS A good selection of MGs that attended the 90th MG Car Club celebrations in October at the British Motor Museum. Photo: Colin Grant

51 35 To celebrate 90 years of the MG Car Club, we’re tracing our roots right back to the early 1930s and taking a look at the various publications the MGCC have used to communicate with their members. The front cover of this issue is based on the 2010 -2016 issues of Safety Fast!

Towards the end of 2005 the Board discussed a proposal that Safety Fast! should be downsized to include only Club news while feature material would be incorporated into the long-established magazine MG Enthusiast. While at a time when Club finances were tight and membership had stalled due to the end of MG production, it was felt that significant cost savings could be made with regard to the production and in particular the mailing of Safety Fast! As part of the deal, current MG Enthusiast subscribers would be offered an introductory concessionary rate for MGCC membership. This was expected to boost membership both in the short and long term.

While the Club would retain editorial control over Club material, having the benefit of MG Enthusiast’s make up and production team was seen as a bonus. Inevitably, however, there were many who were not happy to see Safety Fast! lose its identity after so many years, despite the fact that members would have the benefit of basically being offered ‘free’ MG Enthusiast subscription. MG Enthusiast clearly saw the deal as enjoying additional revenue from existing Safety Fast! advertisers and in the long term increasing their circulation by the MGCC total membership.

After a series of lively debates at Board Meetings the proposal was agreed at Council and the first issue of the combined magazines appeared in November 2005.

www.mgcc.co.uk

38 MGA Newsletter 45 MGB Newsletter 51 MGF Newsletter

FEATURES 18 GEORGE PHILLIPS, A LIFE WITH MGs PART I The story of George Phillips, who was no mean driver in T-Types, venturing to Le Mans and elsewhere with a specialbodied TC

28 CELEBRATING 90 YEARS OF THE MG CAR CLUB Report on the celebration event held at the British Motor Museum, Gaydon

32 SOUTH EAST CENTRE AUTUMN MEETING A superb event blessed by great weather and enjoyable scenic runs to Leonardslee Lake and Gardens

35 MIDLAND CENTRE ANNUAL AUTUMN TRIAL The Midland Centre head to East Lodge Farm, near Bromsgrove, for their Annual Trial

59 FITTING A MARSHALL SUPERCHARGER - PART I Richard Johns decides to Supercharge his 1934 MG PA

69 RAIN DOESN’T DAMPEN SPIRITS Mark Paulson reports on all the MGCC Race Action from the final meeting of the season, held at Oulton Park

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CHAIRMANS NEWS

W

hat a terrific day we had at the British Motor Museum, Gaydon, to celebrate the 90th birthday of the Club. I did not count the cars that turned out but there were at least 300. It was great to see so

many happy faces as we could all actually catch up with a lot of our MG friends in person, even if it was at a safe distance.

A number of the Registers were on hand to speak to old friends and meet new owners who I’m sure will become friends in the future.

The day was sad in one way, as it also marked the passing of our Vice-President and a leading light in the MGB design team, Don Hayter, and all our thoughts are with Mary and the rest of the family at this time. As a tribute to Don we managed to group together a great majority of the MGBs that attended at Gaydon.

Our thanks must go to the Kimber House team for organising such a splendid and safe event in truly challenging times.

We held a very wet race meeting at Oulton Park on October 3; it turned out to be the wettest day in the UK since 1891. We managed to persevere until about 4.00pm when we unfortunately had to cancel the second half of some of the double-header races due to the ever-worsening track conditions. Our thanks must go out to all who braved

the weather, especially the marshals who spent the whole day out in the rain with little or no protection.

As I write this, the government is now tightening the Covid-19 regulations and I would think that any further plans for gatherings this year are great risk.

We are currently preparing a report to our Council members containing the information that we would normally give in person, as we are unable to hold a Council under the current circumstances and this report will be circulated in the near future. We hope that we can renew our normal Club management meeting cycle in 2021 so that we can continue running the Club in the way that we always have.

You will see a notice elsewhere in Safety Fast! of our virtual Club AGM to be held in January. This meeting will only contain the statutory elements that we are obliged to undertake in our commitments under the Companies Act. Please keep safe, and I hope we can look forward to a more normal year in 2021.

Bill Silcock

KIMBER HOUSE NEWS October was a very special month for us as we celebrated our 90th anniversary in style.

After months of planning, the time finally came to visit the British Motor Museum for our MGCC Social. Thank you from us all at Kimber House for showing up and making it what it was, a superb MG social event. You can read the full report on page 28.

Our friends from across the world also joined in with the celebrations as they hosted their own events to mark 90 years of the MG Car Club.

Of course, it wouldn’t be a birthday without cake! The Kimber House team celebrated on Monday October 12 by cutting the octagon-shaped cake – we can confirm it was a gorgeous cake. Bill Silcock

MGs gather in Western Australia to celebrate the Club’s anniversary

www.mgcc.co.uk

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also joined us to say a few poignant words of celebration; you can watch the video at mgcc.co.uk/its-official-we-are-90years-old/. Adam also opened the doors to Kimber House in a special behind-thescenes tour.

The 90th anniversary cake ready to be cut.

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NEWS DON HAYTER

MG Car Club Annual General Meeting Notice is hereby given that the delayed 2020 Annual General Meeting of The MG Car Club Limited will be held via an online platform on Saturday January 23 2021 at 11.00am.

Don Hayter, who was in the team instrumental in the design of the MGB, has passed away at 6.10am on October 9 2020. Don worked for The MG Car Company as their Chief Body Draughtsman from 1956, after a spell at Aston Martin.

After spending some time developing the MGA Twin Cam, he started work on the MGB. Following two prototypes, the EX205 and EX214, the MGB was given the goahead. It was then Don’s job to make the car buildable and to finalise the distinctive windscreen and hood, not to mention the dashboard design. Following the success of the MGB, Don worked on other projects such as the SSV-1 safety car, the shell of the MGC GT racer, and in 1973 he was appointed Chief Engineer.

Don was made an honorary Vice-President of the MG Car Club in 2001 for his incredible work with the best-selling MG sports car of all time, the MGB. The MG Car Club extends our sincere condolences to Don Hayter’s friends and family and especially to his wife Mary.

A full tribute will appear in the January issue of Safety Fast!.

SV GATHERING AT HAMPTON COURT Seven SV/SV-Rs gathered at the Concours of Elegance at Hampton Court in September.

Attendees were limited but with the space available it didn’t seem too crowded. Apart from the 60 Concours entrants there was a big turnout from the Bentley, Ferrari and, interestingly, the Alvis Club, plus a few token cars from the JEC, A-H Club and of course the seven SV/SV-Rs. It was a good day for the owners, with the ‘Magnificent Seven SV Attendees’ being #111 Graeme Grove in the ex-Maidstone Sports SVS, #119 David Wood SV ex-Luffield MG Demonstrator, #136 John Newey SV-R ex-EVO Rowan Atkinson car, #137 Gareth Hawkins SV-R ex-MG Rover Director’s car, #139 Dominic Middleton SV-R ex-Earl’s Court show car, #144 Nigel Guild SV, and Colin Withers in #151 SV-R ex-John Towers car.

M

If you as a Club Member wish to join the meeting please request an invitation by completing the online form at – www.mgcc. co.uk/mgcc-digital-agm/. The full details of how to join the meeting will be emailed out closer to the time.

1. Apologies for Absence.

2. To approve the minutes of the AGM held on October 26 2019.

3. To receive the Financial Statements for the year ending December 31 2019 together with the Reports of the Directors and Auditors thereon, and to reappoint Azets Audit Services Limited (formerly Messrs Wilkins Kennedy) as Auditors.

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

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

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

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

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

9. To elect other Directors of the Club for the coming year.

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

As a reminder, only Council Members have a vote at the Club AGMs but all Club Members are invited to attend.

Issued by Colin Grant, Company Secretary

Caledonian Centre AGM Venue: Zoom meeting Date: Tuesday December 1 2020 Time: Start: 7.30pm Agenda 1. Apologies for absence 2. Approval of the 2019 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 for 2020 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 Monday November 16 2020.

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NEWS

The MG booth at the 2020 Beijing Auto Show

2020 BEIJING AUTO SHOW On September 26, the 16th Beijing International Automotive Exhibition held a grand opening. MG brought a number of new cars to debut, attracting attention with all their stylish products. The new SUV ‘MG Linghang’ was one of the cars to make its debut, leading the second-generation SUV market by design, quality, control, intelligence and safety. The new MG5 was also unveiled on the same stage, making its global first reveal. In addition, the hot-selling coupe third-generation MG6 and its limited edition MG6 Mamba debuted for the first time; The third-generation MG6 PHEV and the MG ZS EV were also on display on the same stage to complete the lineup and bring MG’s name to the fore at the Beijing Auto Show.

During the auto show, as well as the cars, the MG booth had trendy and exciting interactive games for all to enjoy. The audience participated in WeChat racing games or the MG x LFC Training Camp to get exquisite gifts.

Three new MGs showing the re-designed front ends

Having fun on the interactive games on the MG stand

A NEW GENERATION 6 The third-generation MG6, the third-generation MG6 PHEV, and its limited edition MG6 Mamba, fully demonstrated the appeal of the MG6, launched only two months before the show, the monthly sales figure of nearly 9,000 units speaks volumes. It continues to rank second among the sales ranking of compact, sporty cars in China.

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www.mgcc.co.uk

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NEWS MG LINGHANG, LEADING THE SUV DESIGN TREND

The MG Linghang SUV makes its debut at the 2020 motor show in Beijing

The MG Linghang adopts the thirdgeneration MG family design aesthetics with the sporty proportions and the newly designed front grille. This is an SUV with both a good appearance and high specification. It creates a full sensory immersive cockpit through the interior theme, with BOSE audio, panoramic sunroof and other luxurious

The interior of the new MG Linghang

configurations. In terms of control, the new car inherits the sports gene of the MG brand and is based on SAIC;s latest “Net Blue” 2.0 power technology, supplemented by European chassis tuning and super European hardware, bringing a dual experience, both with driving passion and comfort to consumers. In terms of intelligence, MG Linghang is the only SUV

in the industry that is equipped with the latest Banma Venus connectivity system as standard, and MG Pilot 2.0 intelligent driving assistance system with L2.5 PLUS autopilot level, which meets the high requirements of consumers for intelligent technology; in addition, it is the only model in its class with “double five-star” in both ENCAP and ANCAP.

NEW MG5 New MG5 completed its global first debut at this Beijing Auto Show, representing the MG brand’s thinking on the sporty sedan segment.

Like the Linghang, the new car adopts the third-generation design with the new grille, black knight body decoration and a sports car posture with a fast-back and wider shoulder design. With the bright yellow body colour, MG state that the new MG5 is appealing for the young people that take into account both fashion and value.

The bright, new MG5 stood out in the MG Booth

www.mgcc.co.uk

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OBITUARY OVERSEAS

R

ichard Kim Johnson (to my knowledge not even his parents called him Richard) along with 99 others including me, started as apprentices at the Austin Motor Company’s vast Longbridge works on the same day in September 1965.

He was a very private person, never wanted any fuss, enjoyed a good laugh even at his own expense. He hated flying and speaking foreign languages, smoked too many cigars and was a thoroughly likeable, decent human being. We competed together in a series of MGs for several decades and our families often holidayed together. We were that close that he was best man at my wedding.

In 1965 Kim had already acquired many skills by building a1954 MG TF he bought from a scrap yard for £25 and honed them over the years to those of a qualified craftsman. Years later, he rebuilt the TF to a very high standard and kept it for the rest of his life.

Kim worked at Longbridge in its various guises and this is where he first met the love of his life, Jenny.

At work he spent most of his early career years in the Planning and Works Engineers departments, eventually as team leader installing new facilities at No.1 and No.2 paint shops during the change to a water-based paint process and as a result taking over as head of all paint activity at Longbridge and later the Rover Group.

As his managerial and strategic talents became obvious to others over the 40 years he worked at Longbridge, he was promoted to senior positions by an innate ability to get his work colleagues on-side using his calm, commonsense approach.

When I rejoined Longbridge in 2002 I never heard anyone say a bad word about him, a rare accolade in such a competitive business as the mass production of motor cars.

In 2003 he was promoted to Director of MG Sport and Racing with responsibility for the Works Rally team and the British Touring Car team; he was also charged with bringing the prestigious MG SV into production whilst fitting out the new build facility next to East works at Longbridge.

After the demise of MG Rover in 2005

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KIM JOHNSON (1948 – 2020)

he and I started Full Throttle Racing, making and selling specialised parts for MGs. Kim later rebuilt the former Alec Poole one-eyed frogeye Sprite with current owner and good friend James Thacker.

I remember in 1994 Kim rang me at home in Yorkshire to ask if I fancied joining a small team of enthusiasts from Longbridge hill-climbing a pre-production MG RV8 to be engineered by Dave Peers who had rescued the car from being crushed. John Yea (who now runs British Motor Heritage) looked after finances and Oselli provided a very powerful and mellifluous 4.8litre 350bhp engine.

The whole idea of the RV8 was to generate interest in the return of MG as a brand after a 20-year gap before the MGF was introduced in 1995.

It was a big and bold car with its large front splitter and even larger rear wing. We loved it and gave other V8s and some quick Porsches a good run for their money over the next 10 years.

One of Kim’s best drives took place at an MG Car Club sprint at Curborough near Lichfield. On this occasion we’d persuaded MG superstar Anthony Reid to share a drive in our MG RV8. Anthony was immediately on the pace and eventually won the class, but Kim had posted an even quicker time in practice, half a second faster than he had ever driven the car before.

The MGF which we ran concurrently with the RV8 was the complete opposite, being mid engine with hydrolastic suspension which meant its traction, braking and ability over kerbs and bumps were excellent.

In 2005 I decided I was too old to be pushing cars on and off trailers anymore, so we sold the MGF and RV8 and Kim bought a Mallock Mk20 from Russ Ward, which in later years he shared with our good friend Robin Nicholson. They have won awards at MGCC sprints at Curborough and were so close to a sub 30-second climb at Shelsley Walsh.

Kim was a strong supporter of the apprentice tradition and particularly the Austin Ex-Apprentices Association where he was a very active committee member and Treasurer from 1994-2020.

Kim leaves behind his loving wife Jenny, son Ben his wife Karis and their two daughters; daughter Victoria her husband Tim and their son.

His sudden death came as a huge shock to everyone that knew him.

I was honoured to have known him and to be called his friend.

Tim King For a full tribute to Kim Johnson, please visit www.mgcc.co.uk

www.mgcc.co.uk

26/10/2020 15:14

All prices exclude P&P

90TH ANNIVERSARY MERCHANDISE

s e r o t S r e b m Ki MGCC 90th Anniversary box £25.00

MGCC 90th Anniversary Pin Badge £4.75

MG Car Club small 90th Anniversary Grille Badge £22.50

MGCC 90th Anniversary Note Book £9.50

MGCC 90th Anniversary Large Car Badge £40.00

MGCC 90th Anniversary Overall £30.00

MGCC 90th Anniversary Tie £17.50

MGCC 90th Anniversary Cap £12.50

MGCC 90th Anniversary Conference folder £17.50

All prices exclude P&P

To order please visit shop.mgcc.co.uk email ineke@mgcc.co.uk or Phone 01235 849737 www.mgcc.co.uk

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PRODUCTS

This page is a free service so if you have a product that would be of interest to our members contact Colin Grant at colingrant@mgcc.co.uk

MGCC GIFT SETS

THE MG STORY

Why not choose one of the Clubs Gift sets this Christmas and send this to your MG friends and family. Contents may vary so check the web site for the latest selection. Each box will contain a gift tag to write your Christmas message.

Visit the Club website or call Ineke on 01235 849737 or email ineke@mgcc.co.uk to place your order. All prices exclude P&P.

Anniversary Box Containing a Green Bandana, Large Grille Badge, Pin Badge, Key Fob, Anniversary Window sticker, Club Pen and Gift Tag. £65.00

Take a Break Box Motoring Box Containing a Chocolate Tool, Club Key Fob, Club Scarf and Gift Tag. £36.00

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Containing an Admin Mug, Clotted Cream Fudge, and Gift Tag. £12.00

by Malcolm Green Reviewed By Peter Neal

In his latest book Malcolm Green has bravely attempted to tell the story of the MG Car Company and its cars from the earliest days at Morris Garages through to the final days of the Abingdon factory, in a single volume. Having devoted a large part of his life to writing about all things MG and using his own archive of excellent colour photographs, the writer has succeeded in presenting us with a book that is both interesting and informative.

Whether its a description of a production model from the vintage years through to the MGB and its derivatives, record breakers and race cars, well known MG personalities such as George Eyston, the Evans family and Gerald Palmer designer of the Z Magnette, or even a description of a famous race such as the Mannin Beg or the Ards TT; all can be found between the covers of this fascinating publication.

One aspect of the book that is unusual is the way in which the contents have been divided into some sixty plus bite-sized chapters, enabling the reader to jump in and out at will. This approach also has the effect of turning what is essentially a narrative into a well-informed reference book.

Finally the publishers, Herridge and Sons, are to be congratulated on the quality of this publication, adding to the overall enjoyment of this work.

The MG Story will be available from the Club shop in early November.

www.mgcc.co.uk

26/10/2020 15:14

Building Engines for the MG Midget, MGB and MGA for over 40 years All our engines are built in our own workshops and come complete with flywheel, clutch, front pulley and water pump and are ready to ‘drop in’ PLEASE CHECK OUR WEBSITE FOR FULL ENGINE SPECS (All Skiptune Engines come with a full 12 month Warranty) ENGINE PRICE GUIDE MIDGET/SPRITE/A SERIES

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YOUNG MEMBERS

Shaun Nelson shaunnelly@hotmail.com

ROAD AND RAILS I

t’s September, and I’ve just pulled up the drive of TR Youth’s own Charlie Crawshaw to see him stuffing a Reliant Rialto like a turkey, full of camping gear. The plan is to head to the Statfold Barn Railway’s ‘Road, Rail & Ale Festival’, a large assemblage of vintage vehicles from the past 150 years or so. First, however, we must wait for the rest of our convoy to join my MGB GT and the plastic pig.

Nutty soon arrives in his Mazda MX5 NA, followed by Nathan in his Triumph Toledo 1300 – which looks suspiciously like a Ford Focus ST. After pausing for a moment to reflect upon where the large pool of water that had formed underneath Nutty’s MX5 might have come from, the answer being my water bottle, we set off. Spirits were high, the weather was excellent, and the journey to Tamworth, Staffordshire, went well. I was particularly impressed with just how blisteringly quick the Toledo now was, especially given that just the previous

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day it had suffered with carburettor issues.

I also recall it being yellow, not black.

This was the first time we’d all been out together in our cars probably since this time last year, and we were more than just a little excited to be back on the road. The event was a camping weekend, limited in capacity but still large, and to Statfold’s credit it was very well run, given the current limitations that had to be imposed to keep us all safe. Statfold Barn Railway is the pursuit of Lee and Coral Graham, which began as a two-foot gauge railway around an ornate lake and garden at their family home of Statfold Farm. This has since expanded to 1.5 miles of line, a tramway, a roundhouse, and a collection of approximately 100 locomotives.

We arrived to the smell of steam oil, and Charlie’s sticky front brake drum (singular of course), set up our little campsite and took in the show.

Both Saturday and Sunday exhibited a very diverse set of cars from sparse

Standard 8s to exquisite pre-war limousines, complimented by the huge showing of steam rollers and traction engines, American trucks, tractors, and locomotives. The railway lines were in a constant state of activity, with at least three passenger services and a freight train all competing for the same space. The organised chaos of it all in a wide-open space with the sun shining was fantastic.

Later in the weekend we also attempted to flog the Rialto at a Reliant club meet in Tamworth, we learnt how to hot wire it with just three inches of cable, drove some 90-year-old tractors, and caught the sun a bit. All in all, brilliant fun.

www.mgcc.co.uk

26/10/2020 15:15

MERCHANDISE

s e r o t S r e b m Ki Chocolate Spanner/Chocolate Wrench £ 4.75 each

Biscuits/Fudge £ 4.75 each

MG Ladies Rose gold watch £ 70.00

Lambswool Scarf £ 27.50 each

Lambswool Scarf £ 27.50 each

Lambswool Scarf £ 27.50 each

Wool Caps £ 13.00

Fudge in a Mug £11.00

Burgundy Fleece ladies £35.00

All prices exclude P&P

To order please visit shop.mgcc.co.uk email ineke@mgcc.co.uk or Phone 01235 849737 www.mgcc.co.uk

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FEATURE

GEORGE PHILLIPS A LIFE WITH MGs PART I This article started life as a talk by George Phillips to an audience of American T Type owners, a few years before his death. He was no mean driver in T-Types, venturing to Le Mans and elsewhere with a special-bodied TC in the late 1940s and early 50s, including the works teams of TCs and TDs, and a TD clothed in a prototype MGA body.

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www.mgcc.co.uk

26/10/2020 15:15

The Lesterbodied TC at Parkfield Corner, in the Manx Cup, Isle of Man

George and Barbara in their MG TC

M

y association with MGs started at University Motors in Piccadilly, London, when I handed over a cheque for just under £500, and in exchange took delivery of MG 7185, a black TC with red leather upholstery. I was bitterly disappointed as I drove the car because the steering was absolutely terrible. It was so stiff that there was no castor action whatever in it, and if you steered from either right or left you had to drag it back to the central position. I complained bitterly about this to the salesman and he said: “Oh dear, you have one of those, have you? We’ve had a lot of complaints about the steering boxes. They have had a bad batch from the steering gear people, but we’ll put you one on order and as soon as it comes to hand we’ll give you a ring and we’ll change it for you.”

So I took the car away. It was a bit of a pig to drive under those conditions.

However, only two or three days elapsed when they phoned me up to say they had got a new steering box. I took it down

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there and they replaced the steering box.

Would you believe the new one was as bad as the old one? Eventually, however, this trouble was put right, and I now had a perfectly nice mobile TC which, at this point, I didn’t really want as I had, at the time, a two-litre Aston Martin. This was a delightful two-seater sports car with a chromed outside exhaust and was a really pretty motor. It handled well but unfortunately the engine left a lot to be desired. I took it back to the dealer on one occasion, complaining bitterly that it would only do 87 miles an hour.

Whereupon, they replied that I had no right to be doing that speed as it was geared to do only 85. If I was doing 87, I was over-revving it!

I put up with this thing for quite some time. It was a very nice car but I just could not afford the luxury of going fast, because if I did, something would break.

Then, the final act was taking it back to the dealer. Before I got there, it spread its engine all over the North Circular Road in a monumental blow-up, with bits

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The start of it all, Brighton Speed Trials. Leaving the start with Geoff Cole’s blown J4

and pieces of engine all over the road, that were eventually swept up and put in a sack. I towed the lot back to where I bought the car from and that was the finish of the Aston Martin.

I wasn’t, however, a great deal better off, because the TC, although being brand new, still wasn’t very quick. I think 74 miles per hour was absolutely top whack and I must admit I was rather disappointed, so I set about trying to sell it. Well, in those days in England there was a thing called a covenant which forbade the sale of new cars before the period of two years elapsed. Naturally enough, this

made disposing of the TC rather difficult; in the end I said the hell with it, I’ll keep it, but somewhere or other I had to get a bit more performance from it.

At this point I must stress that I knew absolutely nothing about engines or the like, but I took it down, inspected it, and it was elementary that some things were wrong with it. First and foremost, the ports didn’t line up with the manifold. I bought myself a flexible grinder and put that point right, and since it seemed to go a bit better, I’d enter it in Brighton Speed Trials, which is a kilometre blind along the front of Brighton.

I went down to the MG works at Abingdon to ask them if there was anything I could do to “hot” the thing up, and I was told by a Mr. Haddock (who was affectionately known as “Fish”) that there was nothing that I could do with the engine as it was fully developed. It was giving 54 horsepower and if I messed about with it, my warranty wouldn’t be honoured. However, he did suggest that I put a blanking plate across the bottom of the radiator that would make it run a bit hotter, and that probably I could put richer needles in that might increase the performance a bit. Well, these things I did, and I took it down to Brighton. The first day in competition it gained a second place in its class, which wasn’t bad and gave me quite a bit of encouragement.

At this point I thought: “Oh well, if I can get rid of some of the weight, it might help.” Let’s face it, a TC is well endowed in that direction. If I could get rid of some of the weight then no doubt I could be able to increase the performance quite appreciably.

So, in the winter of 1947, I completely stripped the car down to the chassis. I disposed of the body, and had it replaced by a lightweight Lester body. This got

Lester bodied, but with new nose, in the Leinster Trophy Race at Tallaght 20 SAFETY FAST! NOVEMBER 2020

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After the first race - the Manx Cup. 1st in class, 4th overall. L to R - Reg Tanner (Esso Competition Manager), “Dunlop” Mac, George’s wife Barbara, and George.

rid of something like 3-4 cwt. The difference in performance was absolutely phenomenal. Actually, this gave me a lot of encouragement, so right now I had a go at the engine to see if something couldn’t be done about it.

As I already said, I knew nothing about engines, but I was very interested. So I took the engine apart, stripped it right away down to the last nut, and polished just about everything in sight. I balanced the pistons and the rods myself. I sent the crankshaft and clutch assembly away to Laystalls and had that balanced properly by them. When I got it back I reassembled it.

During the meantime, I had some special valves made up of K965, slightly larger than standard. I used heavier springs – I forget how much I took off the head, but it was quite a bit. Anyway, I assembled this all together and took it out to try. It really was something out of this world.

I don’t quite know what horsepower it gave, but it was an appreciable increase on standard. That I can assure you.

Well, by now the new season was approaching, and I naturally wanted to get racing. But unfortunately, when I came to enter races, all I ever got was a rejection slip. They were oversubscribed, and there was no opening for me. Nobody

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SafetyFast_Nov2020_3-48.indd 21

had ever heard of George Phillips; I was really getting desperate, so I went to the Steering Wheel Club, which was run at that time by Desmond Scannell, who was the Secretary of the British Racing Drivers Club which would put on a race on the Isle of Man, The British Empire Trophy with a curtain raiser, the Manx Cup. I asked him why every time I put an entry in, I was rejected. He said: “Well, nobody’s ever heard of you. We have to look after the men we know, and we can’t have any Tom, Dick, or Harry running around not knowing what they can do.”

I said: “Well, how am I supposed to start racing if I can’t get an entry?” Eventually, however, I came to an arrangement with him whereby I went to the Isle of Man at my own expense just to be observed in practice. If I behaved myself, and they thought that I wasn’t all that dangerous, then they were prepared to let me start.

So, with that in mind I went off to Liverpool and got on the boat. During the crossing I got chatting to “Dunlop Mac”, who was a well-known figure in those days. He’d done the record breaking tyres for all sorts of people such as Seagrave, and was a very, very well-known man. We had quite a bit of fun. He was very friendly and he said: “Well, what tyres are you

running on, boy?” I said: “I am running on Dunlops.” “Well”, he said, “you can’t run on Dunlop road tyres in the race.” I said: “Well I have Dunlop racing tyres.” He said: “Oh, no you haven’t”. I said: “I bet you I have.” So, we went down in the hold and, sure enough, I had them. He said: “Oh yes. I remember now. They were the last two we had in stock.” So I won the bet.

However, the poor old TC was rather outclassed as the format of the race was 2.5 litres unblown or 1100ccs blown. Well, as you know, the TC falls right in between with 1250cc unblown, and that was the sort of competition I was faced with. The race turned out quite well for me as I was the first small car to finish. I was, in fact, placed fourth overall, headed up by three 2.5 litre cars, so the result from my point of view was very satisfactory. That fourth place helped me no end because, as a result of it, I never had any further bother with obtaining entries in other races. I became a member of the British Racing Drivers Club during the summer of that year and competed in various sprints with quite a lot of success.

In August of that year, I got an invitation from the Ulster Club to take part in the Ulster Trophy Race at the circuit just on the outskirts of Dublin. This is one

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of those peculiar Irish affairs which is run on handicaps so one really never knows where one is; however, once again the TC acquitted itself quite well, although during the race it started to handle like a pig. I couldn’t quite understand what was wrong with it, but when we finally finished the race I was fourth. I was just nicked for third place by Reg Parnell in a full-race Maserati; I really couldn’t grumble.

The handling problem turned out to be because I had fitted some Hartford Friction shock absorbers on the front. I’d obviously got them adjusted a bit too tight, and they had torn a lump out of the channel of the chassis so the near side front wheel was flapping about in the breeze.

The next event of any importance was the 12 hour race at Montlhéry in Paris.

I must say, if anybody asks me what my favourite circuit was, it would undoubtedly be Montlhéry. It has absolutely everything on the road section: all manner of corners, adverse cambers, rises, drops, everything you can think of, then you finally finish up doing half a lap of the speed circuit which is banked very steeply, and that takes you out to the road section again. My co-driver

on that occasion was Oscar Moore, who used to drive a BMW 328 and HWMs, and things like that. He liked the handling of the TC, and he was very quick with it. The club supplied the fuel for this race; it was a substance called Tenaire 3, which was a potato alcohol. I mention it because it suited the TC admirably.

There was one snag, every time we came in for a pit stop, the darn thing refused to fire up again. Eventually, after a couple of times, I got fed up with this so I lost my temper and threw a bucket of water over it just to cool it down.

Presto! We had no more bother, but it just goes to show that my ignorance of things mechanical was such that to throw a bucket of cold water over a red hot engine is not exactly the recommended procedure. In this case I got away with it.

It worked so I can’t really grumble. I must say, the car ran beautifully. It never missed a beat, and except for the hiccup at the start with those first two pit stops, we had no trouble whatsoever during the whole 12 hours. We finally finished a creditable fourth in class, which I don’t think was too bad.

And so back to the Brighton Speed Trials, where it was just one year before when it all started. I was a little more successful on this occasion, though, and managed to win the class. The final event in the 1947 season was the opening of the Goodwood track. I entered the 1500cc class race and managed to win it by a very narrow margin from Gerry Ruddock’s HRG, and so concluded a very enjoyable season which had provided me with a few good results.

Sometime during the winter of 19489, the ACO, which is the Automobile Club de l’Ouest, reorganised Le Mans and announced that they were going to run the 24 hour race in June of 1949. This really excited me as it had always been an ambition of mine to compete there. I contacted the famous Bentley Boy, Sammy Davis, who had competed there several times, and was also one of the drivers of the winning car in 1927, to ask him what he thought my chances of getting an entry in an MG with a special body. His reply was most encouraging. He said there was no earthly reason he could think of, provided the body dimensions complied with all the regulations.

Up on the banking during the 12-hour race at Montlhéry

22 SAFETY FAST! NOVEMBER 2020

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The special bodied framework in place

I immediately sent off for the regulations and an entry form. When I received them, I must say the regs did look to me very daunting, having been used to the English type of entry regulation, which was usually a twofold affair. This formidable volume was some 50 pages of closely printed French.

I concentrated on the section that dealt with the dimensions of the bodywork and decided to rebody the TC. I had been thinking about it for some time so this really gave me the excuse I needed to get on with the job.

The question was, where could I get somebody to do the work? I knew what I wanted, but I had no way of possibly illustrating what I had in mind. However, a friend of mine knew a panel beater who ran a one-man business from a small workshop in a north London suburb, so he took me along to meet him. Ted Goodwin was his name. I explained roughly to him what it was I had in mind, and asked him if, in spite of having no drawings or anything to work from, whether or not he would be able to help.

He said if I could explain to him what it was I wanted, he could make it up as we went along.

Work started in the early part of 1949, and Ted turned out to be an absolute

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wizard. We worked together very closely, and finally, by using the well-tried method of trial and error, the frame work was finished. Then it was all down to Ted to clothe this skeleton in 20-gauge alloy.

When he finished the job, I was more than pleased with it. By now, I could think of nothing but Le Mans – it was an absolute obsession with me.

The first thing I had to fix up was a co-driver. I was, at that time, very friendly with Curly Dryden, who raced a Q-Type MG. He was ‘mine host’ at the George Hotel in Dorchester, a village quite close to Abingdon, the home of MGs. I put the suggestion to him, would he like to come to Le Mans, providing I got an entry? He was very keen and agreed on the spot.

I said there was one snag – I can’t make a lot of sense out of the regulations. Did he know anybody who could help in that direction? To my amazement, he said he knew just the very chap. It was a customer of his who turned out to be a Frenchman but, believe it or not, taught English at one of the colleges at Oxford. So in no time at all, we now had, in our possession, the full text in English.

In the meantime, I had stripped the engine down and checked everything very thoroughly, I was agreeably surprised at its condition, but as a precaution I renewed

all the bearings, piston rings and valve springs. After a hard season, plus the fact I used the car every day on the road, the engine condition was pretty remarkable.

By now I was getting the co-operation of the factory, in as far as the availability of spares was concerned; in fact, they even gave me a discount. Meantime, I met and became quite friendly with John Thornley, the Managing Director of MG, who was

www.mgcc.co.uk

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The fully clothed TC with the special body, made by Ted Goodwin

very interested but a little sceptical about what I was doing. Getting to know John turned out a very good thing for me later, as it led to my works drives.

Then one morning, it arrived. The letter I had been waiting weeks for. I had been accepted for Le Mans. I was over the moon at the news. But as a result of it, I’m afraid my racing suffered in the early part of 1949, as from then on, it was just

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a question of organising everything. Curly Dryden provided the mechanic, and the tender car. I was responsible for the race car and all the spares, tyres etc.

We stayed at the Hotel Moderne, which was the place where the Bentley team used to stay in their heyday; in fact, their sign still hangs on the wall out in the courtyard. We were in good company there, as the Aston Martin team,

and the Ferrari team, were also staying there. We arrived there on Monday, due for scrutineering the following day. This turned out to be quite an experience.

The car was wheeled into an enormous garage. Around the perimeter were about a dozen or so trestle tables, each one of which checked an item on the car.

These proceedings took about 21 hours to complete. Finally, the car was wheeled

NOVEMBER 2020 SAFETY FAST! 25

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outside over a tray of sand and the engine started and revved up to see that the exhaust didn’t disturb too much sand, which would create a nuisance when it was on the track. I was very pleased to be able to report that the car got itself through its scrutineering with no snags whatsoever, and we had no work to do on the car. Then we all adjourned to the Hippodrome, which is situated on the straight at Le Mans, for a few drinks.

It wasn’t long, however, before Curly and I were taking it in turns to do a few unofficial practice laps. We were both very impressed with the circuit. It was superb.

It must be understood, however, that we had to be a bit careful as the roads were open for everyday traffic, but at least we got some idea as to how the car was going to perform. At that stage, I felt quite happy with everything. The following day

saw the start of the official practice, which we spent learning the circuit.

The car ran well. Times, although not important at this point, compared favourably with other cars in that class, with the exception of the Gordini prepared Simcas: these were very quick. As it turned out, in the race they were no opposition, for they were very fragile and were soon out of the actual event. The following day our entire party went for a stroll around the town and did some shopping, finally finishing up at the famous Grubers, a large cafe on the main square of the town.

The practice that evening we treated a little more seriously, carefully checking petrol and oil consumption. Oil consumption was negligible, and petrol was somewhere around 22 miles to the gallon. So I was thankful that I had opted for a 16 gallon tank which had, of course, been made from

alloy by Ted Goodwin. This meant that we could do four-hour stints. This would enable us to do more than the 25 laps stipulated in the regulations, and leave us with a comfortable safety margin. Tyre wear was non-existent, so I could see us completing the race on one set of tyres, provided, of course, we didn’t get any punctures.

When darkness fell, my final problem was about to be put to the test - LIGHTS. I had opted for just two high-powered but rather narrow-beamed Lucas lamps, affectionately known as ‘flame throwers’.

This was rather a gamble on my part, as they were a new lamp and had not been used as headlights before, but they turned out to be very satisfactory as a large spread of light wasn’t really necessary. All things considered, everybody seemed quite satisfied with the situation, and ready for race day... To be continued.

George Phillips testing the track near Arnage 26 SAFETY FAST! NOVEMBER 2020

www.mgcc.co.uk

FJ1825 SafetyFast_Nov2020_3-48.indd 26

26/10/2020 15:15

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19/11/2018 13:46 26/10/2020 15:15

EVENT

W

ith all the doom and gloom and uncertainty around at the moment, it was uplifting to see so many people attend our MG Car Club Social Event at the British Motor Museum to help celebrate 90 years of the Club.

Although the event was due to open at 10.00am many MGs arrived well in advance of this time, showing the enthusiasm of our members to be part of this special day. They were parked with a parking space between each car, setting the standard for the rest of the MGs that entered the event.

Gaydon has been certified Covid-safe and has all the necessary precautions in place, including detailed instructions on their website which they ask people to

read before attending. The museum was open but was restricted to the numbers allowed in at any one time. We added our own precautions by having oneway systems in place and restricting the numbers who could visit the merchandise shop at any one time, and members were

asked to sanitise their hands and wear masks before viewing the items on sale.

Alongside our Marquee, there was a great selection of the Club’s Registers and Branches on display. The MGF Register, celebrating the 25th Anniversary of the MGF and the T Register, celebrating

CELEBRATING 90 YEARS OF THE MG CAR CLUB

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EVENT

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NOVEMBER 2020 SAFETY FAST! 29

26/10/2020 15:16

EVENT COMMENTS FROM SOCIAL MEDIA:“A great day indeed – meeting many MG friends for the first time this year!

And new friends too.”

“Brill time at MGCC 90 Gaydon, fantastic organising to make it safe and entertaining for meeting up with old friends.”

“It was a lovely day and almost stayed dry! We love coming to Gaydon but was really great to see all the MGs which we’ve missed this year!”

“A really good day, thanks to all at MGCC and the British Motor Museum for excellent organisation of the event in these unusual times.”

“It was a well-organised event by the Kimber House and British Motor Museum Teams to give us all a chance to celebrate the 90th Anniversary of the Club in as safe as mode as possible.”

“Enjoyed seeing people face to face for the first time in a long time, even if we had to social distance and wear face coverings.”

“What an awesome time at the 90th anniversary of the MGCC! Superbly well run. All cars were parked every other space. Sanitiser stations, all staff were masked. Everyone stuck to two metres and rule of six. Hats off to MGCC and British Motor Museum for a fun, safe event.”

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75 years of the TC, were joined by the ZR/ ZS/ZT Register, the MGB Register, MGs on Track, the V8 Register, the 6.3.5 Register and the MGC Register. All were kept busy throughout the day, meeting and greeting and selling merchandise. We were also pleased to be joined by a number of smaller MG groups such as the SV Club, which made quite an entrance as five of them rumbled into the museum together!

Due to the sad news of the passing of Don Hayter, the last factory Chief Designer and well known for being instrumental in the production of the MGB, a last-minute decision was made to park all MGBs and their derivatives together in parking area in front of the MGB Register marquee as a fitting visual tribute to the great man.

As the event was celebrating the Club’s 90th anniversary, it was wonderful to see a sprinkling of Triple M cars and we were pleased to see an M Type, which the Club was founded on in 1930. The owners braved the cold day with hoods down and were wrapped up well against the cold. In fact a high percentage of owners turned up with their hoods down, showing just how hardy our members are.

It was wonderful to have MG Motor in attendance showing their latest models – the all-new MG5 EV, the new MG HS

Plug-in and the popular MG ZS EV. There was lots of interest and thought-provoking debates about the three new models during the day.

The Museum outside catering van did good business all day, with members using it as a meet and greet area but keeping to the rule of six and social distancing rules.

It was also good to see a high percentage of members wearing face masks whilst outside, including all the Club staff.

Official figures show that we had 350 MG cars with an attendance of 800 people, which included some museum visitors in non-MGs. All the comments made by members on the day and on social media have been very encouraging with comments like “it’s so good to get the MG out and have an event to go to”, and on a more personal note a member commented that with all the bad news around it was a tonic for him to get out and talk to like-minded people and forget about all the issues for one day.

Whilst being apprehensive in the buildup to the event as to whether it would in fact be allowed to take place, it was rewarding for us to see the event so well attended and we wish to express our sincere thanks to all those who supported us, and kept to the current guidelines in place.

www.mgcc.co.uk

26/10/2020 15:17

MERCHANDISE

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Double Umbrella £32.50

MG Body Warmer £45.00

Adverts on Wood £12.50

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Adverts on Wood £12.50

Green/Red bandanas £ 12.50 each

Men’s Black Fleece £35.00

Xmas Card with Admin Block £2.00

All prices exclude P&P

To order please visit shop.mgcc.co.uk email ineke@mgcc.co.uk or Phone 01235 849737 www.mgcc.co.uk

SafetyFast_Nov2020_3-48.indd 31

NOVEMBER 2020 SAFETY FAST! 31

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EVENT

Photo: William Opie

SOUTH EAST CENTRE

AUTUMN MEETING

By William Opie

I

n these challenging times the MGCC SE Centre delivered a superb event blessed by great weather and enjoyable scenic runs to Leonardslee Lake and Gardens. It goes without saying that without the immense hard work of John Morgan who worked tirelessly with Motorsport UK to plan a Covid-compliant event, and the communication of Andrew Mitchell with Leonardslee it might never of happened. All entrants had to print off their own documents to avoid any chance of transmission and sign up online with John helping out as necessary! The committee, too, put in lots of effort, as

it was determined to deliver an event in 2020 and our Chairman Chris Leigh was delighted with the result.

On the day all the official guidelines were covered and a Covid-compliant event was successfully delivered with 120 MGs enjoying the day. A few owners had Covid-like symptoms and two had other illnesses on the day so didn’t attend. One entrant who did not make it went a week later and enjoyed a visit with the tickets still being honoured!

Owing to the lack of any activities this year many felt it was actually great to be able to finally do something at last and

Cars ready to start from Denbies Wine Estate. Photo: Tim Morris 32 SAFETY FAST! NOVEMBER 2020

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catch up with old and new friends. No cars seemed to have dropped out on the day, so all those months of lockdown had at least resulted in reliable MGs! The day started with two organised runs entered by 75 cars, one from Denbies Wine Estate, near Dorking, and the other from Polhill Garden centre, near Sevenoaks. At timed intervals participants left via tulip routes through beautiful countryside to Leonardslee, with the marshals doing an excellent job to keep everything under control and checking cars and start times. We were able to enjoy two Spitfires flying closely overhead at the

MGs assemble ready for the run from Polhill Garden Centre. Photo: William Opie www.mgcc.co.uk

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EVENT

Plenty of cyclists en route to Leonardslee.

Photo: Tim Morris

start in Polhill, which was a good omen for the day. The only challenge en route was the many cycling groups enjoying themselves, too, which must help offset our carbon footprint!

On arrival we were allocated a large private car park allowing a full space between cars. A special display of T Types to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the TC was allocated at the front. Hi-vis marshals pointed out the hand sanitiser stations and kept attendees Covid-compliant. We were very fortunate to have Peter Best insurance Services sponsor us on the day, which allowed for all sanitising stations and notices.

A great turnout of many models of MGs was present, the oldest being an M Type owned by Phil and Wendy Coombes, two TAs, six TCs, five TDs, two TFs, 26 MGBs and 25 MGF/TFs. Also present were 20 MGAs of which three were twin cams and one MKII deluxe. A gorgeous leaf-green Sprite looked splendid, as did a stunning VA, plus we had a good assortment of V8s and RV8s and Cs and one MG3 present, as well as a Metro.

Leonardslee is famous for a string of ponds and although at this time of year

A selection of MGs at Leonardslee. Photo: John Morgan www.mgcc.co.uk

SafetyFast_Nov2020_3-48.indd 33

Social distance was maintained, whilst people caught up with each other here by a good selection of T Types.

Photo: John Morgan

MG TD and MGA with the sponsors banner behind. Photo: William Opie

the rhododendrons and azaleas are not in flower, the structure of the gardens and trees around the ponds is quite stunning.

Ducks, Koi carp and wallabies provided the wildlife. Excellent catering facilities were also available from the site restaurants and tea rooms.

The large country house which is open for afternoon tea made a great back drop for the T Type display, using the new 75th banner for the first time this year!

Feedback during and after the event was unprecedented and very positive and appreciated by the organisers, but it is also

important to register a big thank you to all the participants for following the guide lines and making it such a success and a safe event.

Leonardslee is famous for a string of ponds.

Photo: William Opie

T Register proudly displaying their 75th banner. Photo: John Morgan NOVEMBER 2020 SAFETY FAST! 33

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EVENT

Frank Vautier peering out from his 1939 MG TA

MGCC MIDLAND CENTRE ANNUAL AUTUMN TRIAL T

he Midland Centre has a long sporting history. It goes back to 1938 when the first car trial was organised in the Church Stretton area; WW2 intervened but the trials restarted in 1967. The Autumn Trial has enjoyed an almost unbroken run since then, except for Foot and Mouth in 2001, so we were keen to keep that record intact. With the current situation, we were encouraged once we heard of the MSUK ‘Back on Track’ initiative and by July its directives were published. That resulted in our sprint at Curborough in August, from which we learned how well-behaved competitors are when provided with sound Covid-19 guidelines. A consequence of a paperless event was a lot of email communication with entrants, which out of necessity replaced the traditional Clerk of Course briefing at the start of the trials. It might currently be paperless but the yards of text still had to be prepared to feed the email - sentbox definitely a lot more work this time, but hopefully a one-off investment, filed for future use.

www.mgcc.co.uk

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By Tony Lake

By Sunday August 27 at 8.30am we were ready, and East Lodge Farm, near Bromsgrove, was open for business, by kind permission of Maggie Mason.

We purchased a package of Covid-19 signs from MSUK to display and bring awareness to everyone. Self-scrutineering worked, so scrutineer David Bowlas and Covid-19 Officer, Centre chairman Roger King, manned the gate to check that everybody entering was the on the list of self-declared, with no Covid-19 contacts in the last 14 days. David recorded body temperature with a contactless digital thermometer, as an extra precaution.

We had a good entry of 28 drivers; the paddock was spaced out for each competitor and looked very tidy, not at all like a trial start!

Clerk of the Course Adrian TuckerPeake and a gang of helpers had laid out six very dry, long and twisty sections; where was the rain when we needed it?

For those that don’t know, the typical modern classic trial events are normally scored by markers by the side of the

section, numbered from 12 at the bottom down to 1 at the top. Marks are scored by getting the front wheels past the marker.

At the end of the day the driver with the lowest score is the winner.

Class 2 was dominated by a variety of Austin 7s keenly competing with Dave Rushton’s 1930 M type. He had a good battle

NOVEMBER 2020 SAFETY FAST! 35

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EVENT

Dave Rushton leaps in his 1930 M type

Thomas Hunt and Paul Kavanagh, first time out in their 1978 MGB GT

Alan and Jane Bee in their 1275 Midget, all the way from County Durham

George Houghton and John Harris in the 1950 1172 Dellow

with Robert Renshaw’s Austin 7. They both finished on 21 points dropped, so David won the Allen Trophy for the best MG. Quite a car – Martin Price, photographer and past Centre chairman, recalls competing against it in the 80s when Mike, Dave’s father, ran it in trials.

Frank Vautier, 1939 TA, said he had never had so many clean runs – mud just doesn’t agree with his cross ply tyres. Mary Baxter with dad Richard was going very well in their Ulster, only losing five points in the morning, then disaster, the clutch pedal fractured.

Congratulations also to Don Skelton, Austin 7, who won the Autumn Cup. Class 1 winner was Ian Webb in his VW Lupo who dropped 45 points, evidently a more tractable steed than the Smart he used in the Taster trial last year, which was a tad skittish on downhill mud.

The winners of combined classes 5 and 6 were Alan and Jane Bee in their 1275 Midget with 35 points dropped; they also got 203 Air Miles for the furthest travelled to the event from Hamsterley, Co Durham!

Thomas Hunt and Paul Kavanagh were running a very tidy MGB GT in this class on its first event, which was being used as a shakedown as the B was being prepared for MCC long distance Trials.

Class 7 was a clear win for Dave Middleditch in his Dutton Phaeton on nine points dropped. He was followed

by Richard Houlgate and Jim Wood in a Marlin, who dropped 28 points.

Class 8 was another win for young Joe

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Leach with dad Jeremy in the passenger side bouncing, in a specially designed trialling car a ‘Cannon’. Joe dropped 11 points and enjoyed a clear run all afternoon, same result as last year when he was also best Novice. Nigel Glover in another Cannon on 22 dropped was second.

Simon Morris, the Centre’s chief marshal, recruited a veritable platoon of marshals. Many thanks to them, we really needed them. Simon Woodall was present in his role as MSUK Trials co-ordinator, taking a look at Clubman Motorsport, a rare sight in the current climate.

Ellie’s chuck-wagon from Bromsgrove Hog Roast was well patronised during lunch and the sanitised portaloos were appreciated as well, thanks to Nigel Whiten and his connections.

The weather was still glorious, so after lunch Adrian instituted two devious restarts to add some spice. With odd exceptions, all the classes felt a bit more sporting pain as failure to make progress increased! I heard some drivers wish for a bit more power, but all still had a thoroughly enjoyable day.

Covid-19 definitely made a difference, particularly when one was speaking to a masked old acquaintance and then realising after a minute that it was somebody else! Everybody complied, masked-up and socially distanced. The universally rewarding feedback, as the awards were presented by Roger King, was that everybody found it so refreshing to get outside on a Covid-secure site for a brilliant day’s sport with responsible company.

Midland Centre chairman Roger King presents the Allen Trophy for best MG to Dave Rushton

www.mgcc.co.uk

26/10/2020 15:18

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NOVEMBER 2020 SAFETY FAST! 37

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NEWSLETTER

Edward Vandyk Tel: 01488 608810 mgascribe@vandyk.co.uk

WELCOME TO THE

MGA NEWSLETTER

Only 55 shopping days to Christmas and only 43 copies of “The MGA Register - The First Fifty Years” remain available at the time of going to press, so that number may well be less by now! You can preview the chapter list and some of the content of the book at www.mgcc.co.uk/mga-register/

sample-pages-for-web-mga-register-50thanniversary-v2/ Offered at £30 plus UK p&p of £5.50, this is not only ‘first come, first served’ but also ‘when it’s gone, it’s gone’ so, with an anticipated dispatch during November, it will make an ideal Christmas present. There is, of course, a catch. In

AGM CALLING NOTICES

This year both the MGA Register and the Twin Cam Group AGMs will be held virtually utilising Zoom.

Notice Notice is hereby given that 1) The Twin Cam Group Annual General Meeting will be held at 11.00am GMT on November 14 2020; and 2) The MGA Register Annual General Meeting will be held at 10.00am GMT on November 21 2020.

The MGA Register Annual General Meeting will be followed by a virtual meeting of the MGA Register Committee for which anyone participating in the virtual AGM is welcome to remain.

The above, separate, meetings will be held virtually via Zoom on the dates and times given above, as permitted by the revised (Covid) MGCC rules.

MGCC Members who are also members of the MGA Register

38 SAFETY FAST! NOVEMBER 2020

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all likelihood you, the reader, will be the intended recipient of the book and, unlikely as it may sound, your partner may not read these pages quite as avidly as you. So in order to help overcome this challenging situation your Scribe has used some of the Register’s allocated space in this month’s magazine to include this photograph. The idea being that you leave Safety Fast! open at this page so as to catch your partner’s eye…

As an alternative, or in addition, to “The MGA Register – The First 50 Years” how about “Call it MGA” 2nd edition?

The price has been reduced from £25 to £20 plus a £3.00 reduction in postage for UK orders. Overseas postal rates have been held at the 2015 level. Perhaps one of the few remaining 50th Anniversary grille badges? Details on the website.

What is the car featured in the photograph above, where can you get one, how many were made and how much would you have to pay? Answers on page 41.

or Twin Cam Group respectively, who wish to join the appropriate meeting, will need a Zoom ‘invitation’ and this can be obtained by emailing, as well as providing your MGCC membership number, the contacts as given below.

An Agenda will be attached to the Zoom invitation.

A Zoom ‘invitation’ will then be sent to you by email, prior to the meeting, and this will provide you with (i) a link to join the Zoom meeting and (ii) with the Zoom meeting identity and passcode you will need to enter to join the Zoom meeting.

Alternatively, if you ‘accept’ the invitation and thereby add it to the calendar associated with your email account you will simply have to click on the link in the calendar at the appropriate time to join the meeting. You do not need a Zoom account to participate in the virtual AGM. For the technically less assured who are anxious about their ability to master the Zoom technology, numerous helpful guides are available on the internet both at the Zoom site and on YouTube. Contact details for the AGMs at the top of the next page.

www.mgcc.co.uk

26/10/2020 15:18

NEWSLETTER For the Twin Cam Group Meeting, please contact Ian Wilson at ian@mulberryhouse.karoo.co.uk before Thursday November 12 2020.

For the MGA Register Meetings, please contact Ian Wilson at ian@mulberryhouse.karoo.co.uk before Thursday November 19 2020.

MGA WEDDINGS I asked and you responded, for which thanks, but please keep sending in the stories and the photographs of MGA weddings, some of which I hope to feature over the coming months to remind us of happier times. This month I feature the MGA that figured in Tom Martin’s recent wedding to Bryony (Photos by Will Amlot), Tim Martin’s wedding before that in 2008 and Roger Martin’s, Tim’s and Tom’s father, honeymoon in 1970. This car has rendered sterling service. Roger has written up the saga of Tom’s MGA Wedding as follows.

If ever I needed convincing that classic cars are at their most reliable when they are regularly used, this year has been a case in point.

I usually try to use my MGs at least once a month throughout the year, even if it is just warming them up and exercising them up and down the drive when the roads have been salted. However, as I had a packed MGA agenda scheduled for 2020, I took mine off the road after its voluntary MOT in the autumn of 2019 for a longer period of fettling. This included sending the distributor away for reconditioning by the ‘Doctor’, fitting a high-torque starter motor, changing a front shock-absorber (damper), etc. This meant that the car had done barely 100 miles since the MOT when the country went in to Covid-19 ‘lockdown’ in March 2020.

I didn’t worry too much at the time as the resultant succession of event cancellations meant that the MGA did not then have any serious journeys in prospect.... until, that is, my youngest son, Tom, advised me at quite short notice that he had rearranged his cancelled April wedding for a Covid19-compliant event in August and still wanted to use the MGA on the occasion. As this would involve a significant round trip, including quite a bit in heavy London traffic as the wedding venue was at Kew Gardens, I thought I had better give the car a serious test drive beforehand. It started on the button

Tom, Bryony and Roger’s MGA

and we set off smoothly so I was quietly confident - what could possibly go wrong?!

Well, after about 10 miles the engine died, whilst waiting at a red traffic light with a queue of cars behind, naturally. My faith in the young was restored as a couple of lads in a hot-hatch going the other way immediately stopped and helped me push the car off the road into a driveway where I could investigate. Well, I didn’t actually investigate. I simply assumed that it was the fuel pump, and swapped to my already plumbed-in spare. The engine immediately restarted and off I went on my way.

Problem solved, right? Well, no actually.

Several miles later the engine died again.

This time I was only a mile or so from home so I had a quick tow home from eldest son Tim, where I could do some serious problem determination.

I first gave each pump a second chance of starting the engine, without success, before deciding that I may have jumped to conclusions. The chances of two good solid-state pumps failing in quick succession seemed rather unlikely, so I next checked if I had a spark at the plugs and the answer was a definite ‘NO’. The reconditioned distributor contact breaker

gaps hadn’t closed up – my first thought – so condenser and coil were the obvious suspects and as the coil is the easiest to test-substitute it was that I did first.

And the engine roared into life. Hooray.

Problem solved, right? Well, no actually.

Having properly fitted the substitute coil,

Roger and Tom Martin www.mgcc.co.uk

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MERCHANDISE

s e r o t S r e b m Ki MG Baubles £ 7.25 each

Fun Shirt £25.00

Car Cover from £103

Floor Mat £15.00

MG Clocks Various £34.00

My Garage Sign £25.00

MG Thermos Flask/Mug £22.50

Made in Abingdon Book £15.99

Modern Classics Wrapping paper £4.25 2 sheets

All prices exclude P&P

To order please visit shop.mgcc.co.uk email ineke@mgcc.co.uk or Phone 01235 849737 40 SAFETY FAST! NOVEMBER 2020

SafetyFast_Nov2020_3-48.indd 40

www.mgcc.co.uk

26/10/2020 15:19

s

NEWSLETTER I then pulled the starter to check all was well but only heard a slight tick. Oh dear, could the new starter motor have failed as well? No, when I connected my starter jump pack directly to the starter it worked fine. Clearly, all my attempts to start the car with that new starter motor had burned out the (original 1959) starter pullswitch. Not only that, when I next turned the ignition on the electric fan then came on, despite the engine not being hot – another problem to solve and only eight days before Tom was due to collect the car for his wedding. No pressure, then!

I didn’t want to risk mail order delays, so a phone call to Mike Green at NTG, a short drive from where I live, confirmed that a starter switch was in stock and having purchased and fitted that my further investigation confirmed that the relay controlling the electric fan had also failed. At least that issue was easily sorted. I then gave the car two test runs and all seemed ok at last. However, I did warn Tom of the sorry saga just in case he wouldn’t want to risk using the car on such an important occasion after so much last-minute attention, especially as he would be using the car unaccompanied by me as riding mechanic.

Tom decided to go for it, though, and duly collected the car on the evening before the wedding. I confess that I was on tenterhooks until he confirmed

Tim Martin and his best man in 2008

that he had reached his home in southeast London without any problems. The following morning of his wedding Tom had to drive the length of the London South Circular to Kew, so I was still pretty anxious until I saw the car safely parked outside the venue on the day.

Unfortunately, it was in rain of biblical proportions, so with the hood firmly in place any thoughts of balmy pictures of the happy couple with a classic open sports car on Kew Green were swiftly abandoned.

So, this sorry tale does have a happy ending as the MGA did rise to the occasion on the day and never missed a beat during the 160-mile round trip, despite having to drive the length of the London South Circular twice in stop-go traffic. In the evening rush hour after the wedding it took almost two hours to drive just 19 miles to where the post-wedding meal took place. And the bride’s dress even survived being squashed in the MGA’s cockpit for those two hours!

MGA WEATHER WATCH

As seen on the garden shed of Jane and Russell Hudson, one-time MGA Register Committee member merchandise sales manager.

These weathervanes can be found at www.weathervanes.co.uk and, believe it or not, are available in both wire and disc wheel versions!

THE MYSTERY MGA FASTBACK COUPE A beautiful creation is it not? Sadly that is exactly what it is, a creation, using Photoshop or similar and concocted from an MGA and what looks like a Porsche 356. You cannot buy it at any price. My thanks to Bo Giersing for bringing the photograph to my attention.

www.mgcc.co.uk

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NEWSLETTER CLUTCH DEFECT DUE TO SUSPECT FAULTY SPARES I recently have had the need to remove my engine due to an unusual noise that was coming from the area of the clutch. The clutch assembly in question was fitted in 2017 and since then the car has covered around 3,000 miles.

The noise I was hearing was like a rattle cum flapping noise and was more apparent with the car under power. I could minimise it by just touching the clutch pedal which would, of course, have brought the release bearing just into contact with the mating surface on the cover plate. The clutch itself worked perfectly well but obviously things were not well.

So, reluctantly, it was decided to remove the engine and see what if anything was amiss. With the clutch still in situ on the engine, it was noted that the bearing contact surface on the cover plate was not lying vertical to the line of the crankshaft and also it was not central within the cover plate itself. On the face of it these two observations may not appear to be critical to some owners.

It was considered that these two faults were causing an obvious run out of the bearing surface which, when the release bearing was brought into contact with the surface on the cover plate, the release bearing could have then centralised itself. The release bearing itself will of course move within the yoke of the operating arm to an extent but would not be conducive to long life.

This diagnosis all seemed plausible and so a replacement clutch assembly was ordered from Midland Sports and Classics in Oldbury, Worcestershire. The assembly I ordered was a Borg & Beck manufacture, which on inspection really was of the best quality and British manufacture, replacing the aftermarket variant that many owners will have fitted.

The Borg & Beck included a pressure plate that had four springs fitted whereas the aftermarket one had six springs. I have in my possession the MG works memo from July 1958 that refers to the spring change. (I wonder if there is a patent issue to consider for the aftermarket makes.)

I conclude that after fitting the Borg & Beck clutch and refitting the engine all is well and the noise has disappeared.

I felt that I had to bring the details of my clutch fault to the attention of other owners who maybe have suffered clutch faults using aftermarket spares. I appreciate that we are all so very grateful for the spares that we can now buy off the shelf, but as in many

SILVERSTONE 2020 Life goes on and there were three Twin Cam MGAs out at a spectator-free Silverstone on the National Circuit at the start of October. If you want a fix of in-cockpit footage of opentop MGA wet-weather racing go to https://m.youtube.com/ watch?v=x9p2ipHOdPg

42 SAFETY FAST! NOVEMBER 2020

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View of one of the engine mountings that are made from too hard a compound of rubber

other cases there is the underlying issue of quality. In my opinion, buy British whenever possible!

Of course, the other option would be to fit a diaphragm MGB-type clutch which may be more expensive initially but would hopefully give better service than the original spring-type clutch.

On a second point to mention, whilst the engine was out of the car it was noted that the engine mountings were delaminating and it was also evident that the rubber that is used on the mountings is far too hard, you cannot press your finger nail into them. Again, some aftermarket spares that I understand are manufactured abroad are not of sufficient quality. So beware!

So, in conclusion, can I say without doubt that this clutch failed due to faulty manufacture even having done 3,000-plus miles? That would be difficult to say, but surely we can expect that the spares we buy in good faith should give good service.

I would add that the advice that whenever possible we should try to buy proven British-made spares, not always possible of course, just search around on the web and usually a supplier can be found.

Keep MotorinG Safety Fast

Useful contacts for good quality spares.

Bob West, Haverlands Farm, Hardwick Road, Pontefract, West Yorkshire. 01977 703828 Distributor Doctor, Unit 8 Old Brewery Road, Wivelscombe, Somerset TA4 2PW 01984 629540 Email martin @distributordoctor.com Midlands Sports & Classics, (clutches and other car spares) Unit 19 Wilden Industrial Estate, Stourport, Worcestershire DY13 9JY 01299 829000 Fax: 01299 822640 Email (orders): sales@msc.parts Kenton Classic Spares, (brakes, water pumps, fuel and clutch hydraulic spares) First Floor, The Forge, Fore Street, Kenton, Devon, EX6 8LF 01626 891645 Fax 01626 891645 Mob 07971 190602 email ian@classic-spares.co.uk Burlen SU Carb Spares, Spitfire House, Castle Road, Salisbury, Wiltshire SP1 3SA 01722 412500 Email info@burlen.co.uk Graham Howell

A ‘WHERE IS IT NOW?’ FOR VCY700 AN OLD ENGLISH WHITE ROADSTER If anyone recognises this MGA, which is currently SORN’d and has been issued with a new V5C as recently as 2014, would they please contact the MGA Register Registrar, Stuart Mumby, at mga@live.co.uk There is a treat awaiting the current owner!

www.mgcc.co.uk

26/10/2020 15:20

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Untitled-2 1 BMH Adverts.indd 3 SafetyFast_Nov2020_3-48.indd 44

19/05/202016:21 15:58 25/02/2020 26/10/2020 15:20

02016:21 15:58

David Broadhurst 01209 614704 newsletter-editor@mgb-register.org www.mgb-register.org mgbforum.mgb-register.org

NEWSLETTER

WELCOME TO THE

MGB NEWSLETTER

Pleasing to remind you of our new line of Register clothing which is available via the website.

Going like hot cakes, I gather. There’s a few examples of what’s on offer in the image below, might be worth, might be worth dropping a few hints, what with Christmas not far away now! Ho ho ho!!!

PETER’S POINTERS

I have just been reading the fuel gauge calibration notes in the recent MGB newsletter. So it got me thinking. I started typing the following tips up for the Safety Fast! Tech Tips page, and then

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SafetyFast_Nov2020_3-48.indd 45

I got this set of offerings below from Peter Cope, which we’ve illustrated with some original archive photos. Thanks, Peter.

Hopefully, they will get people thinking and sending in their own thoughts. The more the merrier! The other technical item comers from our technical guru Graham Dix. Thank you, Graham… much appreciated.

realised that they might be more suited to the MGB Register newsletter.

Please note that if you are not technically qualified you should let a properly trained technician or electrician do these modifications for you. I have no mechanical ability at all, so appointed myself parts and catering manager!

1 MGBs were designed to run on 100 octane petrol. Period manuals from BMC/ Leyland make this clear. So, I always run my Bs (and my modern car) on Shell V Power and I add Miller’s VSP to further boost the octane rating as well as provide protection against Ethanol. They run much better as a result. I always try to

NOVEMBER 2020 SAFETY FAST! 45

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NEWSLETTER

Original Press shot of a three bearing engine, from August 1962

stick to one brand and I try not to use supermarket petrol whatever its octane.

I have had totally contrary advice about this from Henry Cole who, years ago, was the Register Scribe, ex Esso man, who swears by Tesco Momentum fuel as it has no additives and is, therefore, closer in character to what we had to use in the far-off, halcyon days when our cars were young and we all had more hair!!....just saying‌that’ll put the cat among the pigeons.

2 If the oil pressure takes a time to rise on a three-bearing engine when you start it then just turn the engine over a few times without pulling out the choke until you see the pressure needle rising up. Mine always takes a time to rise but it doesn’t seem to have done any damage over 20-plus years.

3 You can charge the B batteries in an early car or jump start it without having to remove those irritating panels behind the seats. Under the bonnet, connect one charger crocodile clip to earth, say the dynamo bracket, and the other (make sure you get them the right

way round, positive or negative earth!) to the engine end of the cable from the batteries which is bolted under a rubber cover on the starter solenoid.

Make sure you put the rubber boot back afterwards!

4 You can replace the twin 6-volt batteries with a pair of 12-volt batteries rewired in parallel. This is quite simple to

do and then you double the amperage turning the engine over. I fitted the largest that would go in the cradles, although it required cutting off the flanges on the bottom of the cases and redesigning the retaining brackets to go over the batteries as seen in the photos.

I added tough terminal covers as well, as an added safety measure.

If there is a loud banging at times from the rear of your GT it may well be the tailgate 46 SAFETY FAST! NOVEMBER 2020

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www.mgcc.co.uk

26/10/2020 15:20

NEWSLETTER

Peter’s twin 12v battery installation

5 If the car starts normally when cold but will not when the engine is very hot (say after stopping to fill up with petrol) check that the HT leads are sound. This happened to me and after changing everything else only the HT leads were left.

The fault was in the main HT lead from the coil which I think had a break. This didn’t matter when the engine was cold but when it got really hot I suspect that the casing expanded and created a gap in the cable. On another occasion a persistent hesitation at about 1800rpm also proved

to be the HT leads. It’s not always the rotor arm or condenser at fault.

6 If there is a loud banging at times from the rear of your GT it may well be the tailgate. Over time the rubber seal which also acts to tension the lock loses its strength, allowing the tailgate to move when driving over rough roads. I first wrapped insulation tape around the latch but it soon wears out and the banging starts again. I finally solved the problem by slitting a short length of radiator overflow rubber pipe

lengthways and putting it over one bottom corner of the aperture flange (putting one each side proved too much tension and the lid wouldn’t shut). This acts as an additional tensioner and the banging stops!

7 Late (rubber bumper) Bs have the fittings for the second cooling fan which was not just fitted to the V8 but also to the American specification four-cylinder cars. I was able to buy a fan and all the brackets from a well-known supplier and it is relatively simple to fit. The workshop manual shows how the American cars were wired up. I also fitted a switch on the dashboard wired up to bypass the radiator thermostatic switch so that I can turn the twin fans on before the engine temperature starts to get too high, say at traffic lights or in a queue.

8 If the car sometimes hesitates or refuses to start or just dies on you when going along, check the low-tension cable inside the distributor. I had this happen on a 1300 and the wires in the cable, which are very fine, had simply disintegrated over forty years. This fault was the very devil to locate as you need the car to be stationary when it won’t start. Even then you can’t

Late (rubber bumper) Bs have the fittings for the second cooling fan which was not just fitted to the V8 but also to the American specification four-cylinder cars

www.mgcc.co.uk

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NEWSLETTER see inside the distributor of course. I would recommend checking and even changing the cable as a routine service item every few years. I now carry a spare in the boot.

9 Over time, verdigris builds up inside the ignition switch and can result in the engine just stopping for no apparent reason whilst on the road. It’s not a pleasant experience in the middle of a busy junction. I speak from experience!

Remove the switch and leave it sunk in

WD40 for as long as possible. Afterwards lots of crud (a technical term known to all MG owners, of course) will come out and the switch, after drying it, should now work properly. If the switch can’t be removed (say on a steering column lock) just keep spraying WD40 into it. There will be lots of drips so put something to catch them on the floor.

10 The late MGB floats are irritatingly inaccessible underneath the carbs. So

every time any crud (that technical term again) works its way into the carbs it is a real nuisance to take everything to bits to clean out the float chambers. I added a second fuel filter in the flexible fuel pipe just in front of the front carb to catch any rubbish that makes it that far. It is very important to be very careful positioning it to avoid the bonnet support as it comes down there when the bonnet is closed.

Peter Cope

FLYWHEEL WOES – 1967 MGB If from time to time I have left my B for more than a couple of months without starting her up, I always have the annoying situation whereby I cannot select a gear because the clutch plate has ‘welded’ itself to the flywheel.

I’m sure this has happened to many of us over time and there is more than one solution. The most common is to bump start in gear and then ‘blip’ the throttle whilst disengaging the clutch.

I have tried this and it works fine IF you have assistance, but invariably I don’t. Another solution I have now practised many times is to run the engine until both the engine and gearbox are thoroughly warm, usually about 30 minutes at tick over. Only then do I depress the clutch and ‘blip’ the throttle before engaging a gear. This has worked for me every time but is still frustrating, and thus I have been wanting to replace the clutch plate for some time in the hope that a new one would be less inclined to stick.

The opportunity arose recently due to another set of unfortunate events. My starter motor jammed. No problem, use the age-old method of hitting it with a hammer. It worked – the first time. A couple of weeks later, it jammed again. No amount of hammering would shift it, nor rocking the car backwards and forwards in gear. It was jammed solid. This time it was a trailer ride home for an engine out session.

Once the engine was out of the car the problem was obvious.

The starter ring was very badly mauled in a couple of places (see photo). The ring is an interference fit on the flywheel, so either has to be heated to a temperature far higher than I could achieve at home or drilled through the ring to weaken the ring before ‘breaking’ it with a Hammer and cold chisel. This it did and I then had Richard at Manor Garage, Wantage, fit the new ring for me.

The starter motor had wear on the shaft and the spring return on the inertia drive was failing to return properly. Both issues I considered were the main cause of the motor jamming in the first place. I took it apart, ever optimistic that I could repair it, only to find that the power terminal that is soldered to the windings had a dry joint and came apart in my hands when I removed the rear end plate of the motor. This surprised me, as

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Starter Motor with broken dry joint on Battery Connection Post

Damaged portion of Starter Ring removed from the Flywheel

the motor was definitely well and truly jammed into the starter ring and wasn’t just failing to turn over. A future cause of a failure to start, I suspect. I took the decision to order a refurbished replacement starter motor, along with a new clutch assembly.

Using a cheap clutch alignment tool from eBay I fitted the new clutch assembly. Once all was back together, I craned the engine back into the engine bay using a tilt attachment (from eBay) that made aligning the engine and gearbox considerably easier than past experiences. Now reconnected to the gearbox, all seems absolutely fine.

I’m not planning on leaving the car a couple of months between start-ups so hopefully will never know if the new clutch plate will weld itself to the flywheel. We will see. I also had issues with the clutch thrust bearing, but that is another story.

Graham Dix

www.mgcc.co.uk

26/10/2020 15:20

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www.mgcc.co.uk

26/10/2020 15:16

Tim Morris 01932 882467 scribe@mgfregister.org www.mgfregister.org

NEWSLETTER

WELCOME TO THE

MGF NEWSLETTER There are still plenty of COVID restrictions around the country at the moment and it seems to be getting worse. Naturally, as a responsible car club, we are not organising any local events at present. However, the large MGCC 90th Anniversary event at Gaydon has gone ahead with full COVID protection measures in place and enhanced, of course, by the presence of an MGF Register stand and some regional F/TFs attending – well done, team.

We must thank our reps for bearing with the Club through these difficult times and most of them have complied with the law and restrictions regarding any form of gathering. However, we do sadly say goodbye to our Central Region who have decided to organise themselves as an independent group under a different name. There are a large number of club members in that area and if you were in the Central MGF Register group then do look out for a new Register Region starting soon in the Midlands area.

In the meantime, you are welcome to join the Heart of England, South Wales, Thames Valley, Somerset & Dorset or North West groups which surround the area formerly covered by Central.

We also say thank you to Pete Opie who has stood down as our webmaster. The website and IT is now being run by Tim Morris with the help of the committee. If anyone does have good IT knowledge and would like to help run the technical side of our internet presence then please get in touch as we are trying to form a small IT team for the future – email webmaster@mgfregister.org COVID, though, still has a major effect and our annual winter gathering at Cricklade House has been cancelled. Under current rules we could not ensure this event would have been run in a safe

manner for the amount of people who had booked into it. The good news is that it has been re-booked for next year and there may be some extra rooms available. Bookings have been held over for those who had already committed to the event this year.

The Register and regions are looking at possible events for 2021, but with continued uncertainty we will not be announcing any at present – other than MGF25 which has been rescheduled for July 24 at the British Motor Museum, and the road run the following day. All tickets already purchased will be carried over to the new dates.

We are still celebrating 25 years of the Club and the MGF and in next month’s Safety Fast! you’ll find a potted history of the Register itself, but in this four-pager we look back to 2002, with the help of former Rover engineer Adrian Tucker-Peake, and a development vehicle that is very relevant to today’s world of electric MGs – the Hybrid TF. This article is an abridged version of one that first appeared in the autumn edition of the Register’s magazine, FasTForward. You can subscribe to the magazine at www.mgfregister.org/shop/fastforward or view the full article on our website and accompanying video on our new YouTube channel – just search for MGF Register Channel. You’ll also find some videos of past local and national events gathered there, along with original MGF promos.

The MGF Register is the original MGF community and we thank all members for their continued support over 25 years and we are looking forward to the next 25 (assuming we are still able to drive our old-fashioned petrol cars of course – as the new MG Motor advert suggests we may all be dinosaurs before too long!)

MGTF 200HPD – THE WORLD’S FIRST HYBRID SPORTS CAR The year 2002 was an upbeat one for Great Britain: the nation had finally shrugged off the Foot and Mouth virus and was celebrating H.M. Queen’s Golden Jubilee, whilst David Beckham ‘bent it’ to beat Argentina in the World Cup. The motor industry was booming with a record 2.5 million new cars

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sold and, closer to home, the MG TF was enjoying its highest sales volume since launch. Globally, there was a lot of new automotive technology under development, and the UK car industry and the UK Government both wanted to be key players; the UK’s Automotive Council was thus established.

The Council made up a promising and well-rounded organisation, featuring representation from Government, major manufacturers like Ford, GM, Nissan, Honda, JLR and PSA, alongside specialists Morgan and Caterham and worldrenowned technology providers including MIRA, Millbrook and many universities.

MG Rover stood well in the middle and made powerful contributions.

Environmental concerns around Climate Change (yes, back then!) were driving a regulatory focus on progressive

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NEWSLETTER fleet reductions of CO2 levels, illustrated by the ACEA chart.

Engine downsizing had not yet taken hold, so bold steps were being taken for high power electrification of vehicle powertrains: hybrid electric vehicles could provide a realistic stepping stone towards fully electric ones, once the re-charging infrastructure and battery technology caught up.

We were scarcely able to advance from a century of lead acid cells and a few very toxic Ni-Cads that had been the staple for early EVs. Toyota and Honda were making tentative inroads with their pioneering hybrids, and all car makers were working on such incremental products, but as the early production volumes would always be small, this route demanded too much investment for too little return to make it a sound business case for MG-R. Instead, the only cost effective route for MG-R would be a neat ‘add-on’ hybrid arrangement that didn’t unduly compromise the existing production donor car, but crucially gave the customer additional feature benefits to increase its market appeal.

Although brave efforts were being made by car makers at the time, with some attraction to ‘early adopters’, a JD Power industry summary really highlighted the lack of appeal of these hybrids and EVs to almost every other prospective customer. Most offerings were sceptically viewed as ‘worthy but dull’ and a costly, high risk personal investment with attendant worries about issues like the

Concept Diagram 52 SAFETY FAST! NOVEMBER 2020

SafetyFast_Nov2020_49-98.indd 52

The MG TF 200HPD

uninformed insurance companies, sketchy servicing skills and unknown resale values.

Audi launched its clever Duo, sold about 50 and stopped, Honda’s tour-de-force Insight met disappointing sales, while GM showcased its advanced EV1 but followed up with a recall and disappointing scrappage action. PSA did better with strong national support, but essentially the motor industry aims to make money, not cars, and with Li Ion batteries still a futuristic dream, the commercial prospects were none too promising.

Equally, the high power-to-weight ratio electrical hardware was still in its infancy – most 50 kW electric machines were mighty industrial lumps and clever, four quadrant (forward and reverse direction, positive and

negative torque) controllers scarce. Just a few niche manufacturers existed, none of course at all used to automotive volumes – to make progress it was not going to be simply a matter of novel engineering, there would be new suppliers to be sought out and tentative contracts agreed.

Fortunately, within MG-R’s Product Development department a small team was established who were well positioned to help: the previous Rover Group had established a division called Rover Special Products who were responsible for various niche, low production volume products such as the MG RV8. This had proved the principle of deriving headline-grabbing ‘halo’ products from a very small but focussed group of engineers.

Drawing showing Twin Motor e-axle www.mgcc.co.uk

26/10/2020 15:16

NEWSLETTER

Cooling issues addressed on the radiator

Bright electric blue under bonnet made a clear statement

Your author was one of Tony Spillane’s team under Rob Oldaker, having joined from GKN’s Advanced Driveline group after researching electric drive alternatives to GKN’s major mechanical systems for passenger car 4WD. Emissions targets were squeezing the mechanical losses of such systems, while most of Joe Public simply wanted very occasional 4WD to get out of a snowy housing estate or off a muddy country car park. Tests showed that just an extra 20kW of part-time 4WD was sufficient for most customer needs, so with the industry prospect of 42Volt ‘PowerNet’ systems coming along to supply the volts, and integrated starter generators arriving on some engines, the concept looked feasible.

Meantime, realising that all of the launched hybrids and EVs were aimed squarely at the worthy, fuel and planetsaving customers who reasoned with their ‘head’, there seemed to remain an untapped opportunity to reach out to those who were also inclined to purchase with thoughts of emotion and excitement, their ‘heart’. It was reasoned that a novel Responsible Performance theme could become a real PR eye-catcher that well matched the MG brand values and stimulated the buying public’s imagination on the potentially varied future for hybrids. It would create the wholesome combination of having your cake and eating it, offering welcome enhanced performance while also meeting new congestion charging criteria! Alongside, with the company’s ZS racers making good showings in the BTCC, there would be

www.mgcc.co.uk

SafetyFast_Nov2020_49-98.indd 53

parallel routes to both wow the public and accelerate technical developments, much as Formula E aims to do now.

Any good project begins with considering both ‘the end in mind’ and ‘what are our assets’. The MG brand was clearly the one to promote for Responsible Performance, and of the range the TF stood out as the clear choice of donor.

First, of course, it had by serendipity, inherited the R6 Metro sub frame and front suspension structure which brought a real ‘do-ability’ advantage to the prototype project. It was Britain’s favourite sports car, so prominent in the public’s awareness, and could be seen as a promotional flagship for the marque’s 80th birthday in two years’ time. A limited number of production hybrid replica ‘halo cars’ might also be feasible.

So, with shared interests between MIRA and MG Rover, a kick off meeting in August 2002 agreed on the purpose, the final objectives and the work share

for a project expected to run for about 18 months. These were stimulating times for us engineers and it soon became clear that the demonstrator car could benefit considerably from both the novel hybrid layout and from complementary aerodynamic refinements.

This work would promote many exciting feature opportunities to catch the eye of the media and public who were somewhat jaded about hybrid products. The e-Axle concept could offer so much more than simple traction and power boosts, such as driveability, handling, emissions and cost saving as well.

Additionally, the Longbridge Chassis experts pointed out that the front biased hybrid installation could equalise the car’s weight distribution towards 50/50, plus it would increase the mid-engine car’s polar moment of inertia – a property that affects a car’s response and steadiness in a turn and expressed as k2/ab. The MG TF had a relatively low figure of 0.73 versus a typical target for road cars of 0.9, which is reflected in its quick turning response but also a tendency towards limit oversteer. In order to mitigate this oversteer, the production car has a high

MG Rover publicity picture showing the 200HPD

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NEWSLETTER level of geometric understeer ‘dialled in’ as standard, so the hybrid might be more easy to drive on the limit.

Within a few weeks the build targets were agreed for this demonstrator prototype. There were no key external influences guiding the final publicity launch timing, but a running car within 12 months, then refinement and launch after another six months seemed reasonable given other commitments for everyone involved.

With the desire to have the car running within 12 months, and the infancy of high power automotive electrical parts, expediency was the order of the day to achieve practical learning-by-doing, as we found to be so much more informative than the standard industry approach of ‘tear-down’ benchmarking that is common practice to unveil the approaches and innovations taken by competing companies.

Of course, the first hazard with that approach is putting in place adequate safety measures for engineers and fitters to confidently peel open a sealed 400 Volt battery pack!

Component orders were placed through October, while much parallel work continued at the premises of both parties’ engineers. As is common with demonstrators, there are a host of details that need to be confirmed and sorted alongside the mainstream priorities in order to prepare a well-rounded car and these were shared between MIRA and MG Rover.

All hybrid electrical systems had been installed by the end of spring 2003, with cabling tidily connecting everything and a bright electric blue finish applied to make a clear statement in due course; it just needed the control algorithms to be confident and loaded! MIRA was well equipped with its internationally renowned proving ground tracks so the tentative initial trials could begin in July in safety and security. Pleasingly for all of us learning a new technology in a novel configuration, the assessments went well with just the engine generator breaking up due to its unaccustomed engine mounted vibrations – soon fixed by AVT. The design guys at Longbridge and MIRA had taken oversight of the car’s presentation so after some PR debate about its name, the 200e-Power was mooted; fortunately

it was felt that 200 HPD made a better and clearer statement about both the power and the pioneering Hybrid Performance Development.

Appropriate badging, kick plates and decals were made, and the interior trimmed smartly in a monogram blue – a very professional look inside and out.

Executives from both parties assessed the car on MIRA’s gradients, urban route, high speed banking and low circles: they confirmed the pleasing handling and improved stability, and all enjoyed the delightful mix of blasting acceleration, then just trickling along peacefully with no effort in ZEV mode – truly Responsible Performance.

To get an independent view, expert driving assessor John Lyons was invited; he relished the predictable response and especially the controlled 4WD drifting of the sports car on the low circles, a spectacle captured on film and video.

Just as governments were adopting greater environmental concerns, so was motorsport and with fortunate timing the Motorsport Industry Association launched its inaugural Clean Racing conference in Birmingham on October 22. Presenters from BMW, Shell, Cosworth and BTCC spoke of their Green initiatives and the new sporting hybrid car perfectly fitted the meeting’s agenda. Rob Oldaker and John Wood were invited to present and then launch the car during the day – it certainly captured the interest of the many TV and press journalists who readily picked up on the exciting new theme for future hybrid cars and the potential for motorsport showcasing.

Thus began a flood of stimulating presentations and demonstrations: to MG-R and MIRA staff, the DTI in London, Driving the Low Carbon Future at the NEC, to IMechE members at Bristol University and to Transport Minister Alistair Darling at the Green by Design show. Our popup display was getting well used and

John Lyons drifting the 200HPD TF at MIRA

the outcome was a realm of positive, complimentary reports from the specialist and general press, all of which proved 200 HPD to be a stimulus for the MG brand, a showpiece for MIRA, an inspiring hybrid vision for enthusiasts, practical learning and encouragement for auto engineers and tangible support for governments and motorsport seeking low CO2 solutions.

From the valuable collaboration between two Midlands partners and the serendipity of the MG TF’s construction emerged a pioneering car that excited everyone involved. It showed a sparkling opportunity for emerging powertrains and can claim to be the world’s first hybrid Sports Car concept – Toyota finally got their 4WD GRMN 250bhp sports hybrid concept shown in 2011!

The end of the project, though, was just the seed corn beginning of spin-off studies that pursued the central theme of presenting enticing customer delight features, beyond the worthy emissions reduction: this approach would present a much more viable production business case.

Adrian Tucker-Peake

The grand reveal at Clean Racing Conference 54 SAFETY FAST! NOVEMBER 2020

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e ite - Typ s b we nd T d e a t ica e MG m d e D r th .commg.co g y fo xpagm xpag l l a @ ci w. spe ww ingdon b il: a a Em

PLEASE NOTE: ALL RIGHTS RESERVED THIS ARTWORK IS THE PROPERTY OF CLASSIC CARS FOR SALE MAGAZINE. Fixed price servicing

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F C AN OLL REE D EC DE TI LIV ON ER Y

Thank you to all our customers for their ongoing support – the ‘shout-outs’ in Safety Fast! mean a lot to myself and the team.

Classic & Sports Cars Essex – open for business I would like to send well wishes to my loyal customers, I hope you are healthy and getting through this difficult time.

Whilst I can, I am remaining open with only immediate family working alongside me in the workshop.

I am offering a free collection and delivery service for anyone who would like long or short-time works carried out this summer.

Without the worry of timing for car shows and trips away, we have a strange opportunity to have those works completed that you may have been putting off.

If you would like to reserve a space for big or small jobs, I will be very happy to hear from you.

This year we are celebrating our 10th Anniversary and I am proud of how far we have come. With your continued support I hope to pull through this and continue happy motoring for many years to come.

Kindest and warmest regards

Jason

View all our work at www.xpagmg.com

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TECH TORQUE

FITTING A MARSHALL SUPERCHARGER - PART 1

By Richard Johns

I

own a lovely little 1934 MG PA that I purchased from Barry Walker in 2016. The car had previously been lovingly restored around 25 years previously with workmanship of the highest quality. I have driven the car for the past four years and enjoyed every minute of it. However, in spite of having twin SU carburettors, a four-speed gearbox and not being particularly heavy, the little 847cc engine needs to be revved to get the best performance out of the car. In particular, it can struggle on long hills… of which we have plenty in West Sussex.

Anyway, I decided to put a supercharger on the car and acquired the important parts from Barry Walker – the Marshall supercharger, a new SU carburettor, boost pressure gauge, oil feed regulator, front pulley and jockey tensioner, belts and some bracketry. All of these are nice shiny new parts.

I have got into the habit of taking plenty of pictures during my projects. I have repeated that process here, and in some detail.

Whether I have done this project in an optimum way, I have no way of knowing … this is just documenting my experience.

Mounting of the Supercharger

All new parts, except the SU carburettor www.mgcc.co.uk

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The first step was to remove the bonnet, the tie rods between the radiator and the top of the bulkhead, the apron at the front of the car and to take the radiator out. It is not strictly necessary to take out all of these parts at this stage but they need to be removed later, so it’s just easier to make space to work at the beginning.

At the “supercharger end” of things, there are essentially four major components; in order from the engine these are: the pancake manifold sandwiched between the engine intake and the supercharger; the supercharger itself; a small right-angle elbow between the supercharger and the carburettor and, finally, the carburettor.

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TECH TORQUE Attaching the pancake manifold: The standard twin-carb manifold is held on with 5x 5/16” studs. Three slightly longer new ones were made for the inner three and the outer studs slightly shortened to fit the new manifold. A new gasket (flexoid) was made at the same time.

A brief note on materials: for all structural studs/bolts/nuts, etc, I use high tensile steels or components. In particular, all studs that I make are either EN24T (for 3/8” diameter) or silver steel (not heat treated, ie “as received” condition for 5/16” diameter).

Why different steels I can easily find 3/8” and larger size sections in EN24T but I can’t find 5/16” in small quantities in this steel, hence the use of silver steel. Silver steel in this condition is still twice as strong as EN1A and more than equivalent to EN8… quite adequate for this purpose.

A gasket was then made for the supercharger-to-pancake manifold (large hole with four studs).

When the pancake manifold was offered-up to the supercharger it was found that the two lower studs fouled the aluminium cam cover.

These studs were provided with a flat washer, a coil-spring type shakeproof washer and the nut and there was still plenty of exposed stud. To avoid contact with the cam cover 0.1” was removed from each stud and the plain washer and coil-spring shakeproof washer were exchanged for an externally-serrated shakeproof washer (the latter has a larger area).

The boost pressure gauge can be fitted at any stage. It requires a hole to be cut in the dash using a hole cutter (I used a 51mm diameter cutter) and connecting the copper tube to the supercharger manifold. It’s necessary to remove the steering wheel to cut the hole. I would have preferred to have positioned the gauge slightly further to the right but there is a switch beneath the dash that controls the radiator fan that it would have fouled.

The oil feed and drain pipes need to be fitted to the supercharger. The oil feed is taken off the cylinder head adjacent to the supercharger by removing a blanking bolt and connected via a pipe to the oil feed regulator on top of the supercharger.

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TECH TORQUE And the oil drain is fed into the central drain tube by silversoldering a 1/8” BSP fitting in the location shown in the picture at the bottom of the previous page.

I used 3/16” OD copper tubing as 1/4” seems unnecessarily large for the low flow rate of a drip every five seconds. There are a number of 1/4” to 1/8” BSP fittings required – the oil feed on the cylinder head and the 2 x fittings on the supercharger. All fittings on the pipework are silver-soldered. There is a 1/4” to 1/4” BSP elbow on top of the regulator to minimise the vertical height.

The length of thread on the oil drain fitting in the supercharger was shortened slightly to avoid it “screwing into” the gear inside – easily checked because it locks the supercharger. The height of the regulator and pipework above the supercharger needs to be minimised to avoid it fouling the bonnet.

There is a lug at the drive-end of the supercharger that needs to be supported and that is covered later in the section on the Front Support Plate.

Fitting the Carburettor The next step was to fit the elbow and the carburettor. Both the carburettor and the elbow “as-delivered” are without any holes or threads for attaching the two together.

The first step was to set up the elbow on the milling machine and drill and tap the holes for the studs.

The next step is to strip the carburettor and drill the corresponding holes and then make appropriate 5/16” studs.

The throttle must now be moved over to the opposite side so that the throttle linkage is on the inside rather than the outside.

There were various steps involved in this.

The first step was that the cutaway in the carburettor body for the throttle stop must be replicated on the opposite side

Unfortunately, the throttle stop now comes up against the elbow and so the elbow must be machined to accept the knurled adjuster.

It was now found that the linkage fouled on the back of the supercharger (needless to say, the throttle spindle on this side has been trimmed to the correct length) and it was necessary to

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TECH TORQUE either put a spacer between the carburettor and the elbow or between the elbow and the supercharger to avoid this. I chose the latter and made a spacer, with gaskets on both sides. I would have preferred to have used a piece of Tufnol but used a piece of stainless steel instead as I had that in stock.

Although the throttle already had a return spring on the pedal-side, this is one area where a “belt-and-braces” solution is desirable; after all, the original twin-carb installation had a return spring (two in fact, one for each carb), the “as-delivered” new carburettor had a return spring and this is something I didn’t want to dispense with.

There is not a lot of space in which to engineer a spring on this side and, as there is no space on the other side, it seemed that a reasonably elegant solution would be to use a similar lever arm as for the throttle linkage (part # AUE 180 from Burlen Fuel Systems) and to put a spring between there and the dashpot screw.

The throttle would now rotate without fouling, although the throttle linkage itself…

It needed to be two inches longer to connect the existing throttle lever coming through the bulkhead and connected to the pedal to the lever on the carburettor. I decided that, rather than buying a new one, I would cut-and-shut the existing 3/16” rod by inserting a length of 5/16” rod, drilled and silver soldered both ends and then chemically blacked.

Having attached the carburettor to the supercharger and the throttle working properly, it was now clear that the excess spindle length on the other side needed to be trimmed back. Putting a straight-edge along the bonnet line showed that not only the spindle but also the spring would foul the bonnet.

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Apart from the choke, the carburettor installation is finished.

The solution for the choke is not immediately obvious for two main reasons: firstly, the original choke actuating lever on the carburettor is on the outside of the installation (ie next to the bonnet … it has already been removed in the published pictures that follow), which is a long way from the choke lever that comes through the bulkhead and to which it must connect and, secondly, the “direction-of-pull” for the choke lever on the carburettor is orthogonal to the direction-of-pull in the car. The direction-of-pull of the choke from the driver’s perspective is along the axis of the vehicle whereas it is now required to be across the vehicle.

I therefore decided to make an entirely new cable-operated choke operating system.

Although it might be stating the obvious, using a cable allows a “pull” in only one direction and a spring must be used to apply force in the opposite direction. This is unlike the original lever-only choke operating system which can apply a force in both directions, ie for both opening and closing the choke.

The pictures at the top of the next page illustrate the carburettor-end of the cable-operated system I devised. The simple bracket, which is attached to one (slightly extended) carburettor fixing stud, is prevented from rotating by abutting against the inner flange of the carburettor. The spring required to close the choke needs to be quite substantial (it is from a motorcycle clutch) and the bracket needs to be similarly substantial. The bracket is made from 20mm x 6mm stainless steel.

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TECH TORQUE If carried out correctly, the resulting bond is much stronger than a soft soldered nipple and I have yet to have one of these break or pull through.

A new clevis pin has been made (EN24T) with an additional central hole through which the cable is passed before attaching the nipple. An alternative solution would have been to use a trunnion between the cable and the bottom of the jet but this would have had the disadvantage of increasing the length of an otherwise compact arrangement. The disadvantage of this design is that the cable must be inserted through the clevis pin before soldering the nipple.

The outer cable has an inner PTFE lining and does not require lubrication.

A brief note on attaching nipples to cables: For many years I have used the time-honoured method of splaying the cable in the nipple and then soft-soldering (plumbers solder) the splayed cable to prevent it pulling through. This works without a problem on motorcycle throttle, air, ignition and clutch cables. However, there can be problems with the front brake cable on vintage motorcycles. As an example, one of my bikes is a 1923 500cc Model 18 Norton that weighs next-to-nothing and goes like stink – it’s good for 70 mph but has a five-inch front brake and a rear brake that is essentially a lump of rubber pushed into a dummy belt rim. This gives the bike stopping characteristics normally associated with a fully-laden oil tanker and I therefore try to avoid situations that require emergency braking. However, on those occasions when substantial braking is required, it is just a natural behaviour to keep yanking on the brake lever in the misguided belief that extra pull equates to more braking. It doesn’t. And the most likely outcome is that something will break and that is invariably the nipple that is pulled off the end of the cable in spite of being properly fixed in the first place.

For this reason, I have taken to silver-soldering the nipple onto these cables and the same has been done here because of the strength of the spring that is used/required to close the choke.

Great care has to be used in silver-soldering nipples to avoid heat damaging the cable and destroying the temper. I clamp the cable (sufficiently to hold it but loose enough not to squash it) in aluminium vice clamps (to conduct away heat better) with just the nipple and the required amount of cable within the hole visible.

The cable is splayed although this is not as critical as when softsoldering. Oxy-acetylene with a #1 nozzle and the smallest flame possible is then directed very carefully at the nipple (trying to avoid the exposed wire within the nipple hole), having previously fluxed the hole, and the silver solder is then applied.

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The final part of the choke operating mechanism is at the other end of the cable. Here, I made a “top-hat” arrangement by TIG welding five pieces of stainless steel together, a cable adjuster and making a trunnion to take the cable to fit on the driver-side of the bulkhead and attached to the existing choke mechanism.

It is important that the trunnion is made with a slot to take the cable otherwise it could not be assembled by passing the cable and the adjuster (minus the locking nut) through the bulkhead without drilling an unnecessarily large hole…

Here, I have drilled a second hole in the original choke operating lever closer to the centre of rotation to get more leverage as the leverage that would have been obtained from the choke lever attached to the carburettor is now absent with the straight-pull cable.

In part two, published in the January 2021 issue, Richard finishes the install of his Marshall supercharger before trying the Supercharged PA on the West Sussex roads

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TECH TORQUE

TECH TIPS

We are frequently asked technical questions covering all varieties of MG. With the help of our Registers and members, here is a selection of the more commonly asked questions and solutions from past and present.

Tech Tip from Daran Scarlett Using an Anemometer to Balance Airflow on SU Carbs A while back, I recalled a mention on one of the classic car forums of the use of an anemometer for carb balancing. The idea with an anemometer is that they measure air velocity or speed. There are various types, the two most popular being Vane Anemometers (driving a fan or propeller blades) and Cup Anemometers, as seen on 66 SAFETY FAST! NOVEMBER 2020

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boats and weather stations.

For the SU carburettor, the idea is to use an anemometer to measure pulled airflow, as suction into the inlet of each carb. If the degree of suction can be accurately measured, then we have another means to accurately balance each carb. There are traditional methods for

doing this – the UniSyn for example, or Gunson’s Carb Balancer, or fashioning wire indicators for each dashpot. And for those with good hearing, the trusty pipe held to the ear! But arguably, each does not give a precise reading and can be fiddly in operation. My aim was to gain a more accurate form of measurement and comparison.

To test this approach, I settled on a vane type meter with a digital readout.

These are surprisingly cheap - the one pictured was purchased on eBay for less than £10 delivered. Out of the box, it was very easy to use, but I found it difficult to achieve a consistent reading. The problem was that there was no means to mate the meter to the SU carb inlet. Without this, the readings would vary according to the distance, angle and possibly air turbulence around the carbs.

To overcome this, I created the means to seal the anemometer to the inlet face, so that the only airflow being measured was that which was drawn by the carb.

This was achieved by simply gluing the neck of a plastic bottle to the outside of the meter. On this model, the yellow housing is detachable, so gluing the attachment to that meant that it could be removed from the meter if you wanted to use it for other things.

This created a funnel through which the air would then be channelled. The final touch was a short piece of 1/4”-wide rubber hose, cut and glued to the outside edge, to offer a seal against the inlet. The important thing here is that the funnel mouth should be slightly bigger than the carb inlet.

With this, I then had the means to hold the meter against each carb in a consistent way, and take a reading based on the air being pulled through the funnel only. On this meter, I had a choice of units of measurement, and settled on m/s or metres per second. For consistency, I ended up holding the meter against each carb for a count of 5.

On my car, using SU HS4s, this translated to 4.1 m/s on the back carb on first try, and 5.2 m/s on the front carb. I was then able to adjust the reading by using the relevant idle adjustment screw, until both were pulling to the same www.mgcc.co.uk

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TECH TORQUE figure. In the end I think matching the numbers matters more than the numbers themselves and would expect the flow rates to vary according to your chosen tick-over speed, size of carb/carb type and state of tune.

As a final check, I used the trusty hosepipe and ear technique. No discernible difference in ‘hiss’ so quite satisfied with that! As a result, the car seems to idle quite nicely and at a lower rpm than previously. With this, I could then concentrate on the mixture settings as the other part of the equation.

In summary I think this was a worthwhile, low-cost exercise and potentially offers a more accurate way of balancing the airflow of the carbs for those who may be interested.

Tech Tip from Pete Macwaters Lubrication of MGA (and other models) Steering Rack It’s almost impossible to get a grease gun in to oil the steering rack on an MGA and how many of you have a grease gun filled with EP80W90 oil? Because of this problem this task gets overlooked, especially as it’s at 12,000-mile intervals.

My solution is much easier: remove the damper cap, pad, spring and washer next to the nearside rack gaiter from under the car.

Rig up a length of plastic pipe (see photo) or flexible tubing and tape the end so it stays positioned inside the damper cap hole. Fit a funnel to the other end at a convenient height and slowly add the oil so it runs down into the steering rack under its own weight. You’ll need 6 fl oz and you’ll need to add it very slowly over a few hours.

When it’s all finally gone in, replace the damper cap, pad, spring and fibre washer.

www.mgcc.co.uk

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www.mgcc.co.uk

26/10/2020 15:19

COMPETITIONS

James Wheeler (99) leads the BCV8 pack around a sodden Oulton Park

RAIN DOESN’T DAMPEN SPIRITS

By Mark Paulson. Photos by Dickon Siddall

S

torm Alex failed to dampen the spirits as the MG Car Club’s racing season concluded in a one-day meeting at Oulton Park. Six MGCC categories were in action, with three crowning their 2020 champions, joined by a guest

appearance for the Porsche Club Championship.

MGCC MG TROPHY Wins were shared by Fred Burgess and Ross Makar as the MG Trophy concluded

The MG Trophy winning MG ZR of Fred Burgess (16) being chased by Tylor Ballard (80), Adam Jackson (79) and Patrick Booth (33) www.mgcc.co.uk

SafetyFast_Nov2020_49-98.indd 69

its non-championship season. For Makar, it marked a happy end to an extended period of woe during which he had qualified on pole position five times last year but managed to finish only once, although a podium last time out at Snetterton had been promising, despite further mechanical issues.

Sam Kirkpatrick, returning to the series in which he had been a double winner at Donington before missing the Snetterton weekend when his father fell ill, took pole position in the wet qualifying session, with Makar starting alongside. After a safety-car start, that pair began to pull clear, with Makar hounding Kirkpatrick.

So close to Kirkpatrick was Makar that when the leader made a mistake at Old Hall and went off, Makar did exactly the same thing. Both ended up in the barriers and although both escaped unharmed, the resulting safety car was soon upgraded to a full red flag to allow for barrier repairs.

That gave Fred Burgess his second win of the season in father Jason’s car. Burgess had been passed by Doug Cole, making his first appearance of 2020, at Shell Oils, only for Cole to spin at the same corner a lap later.

Cole held on to what became second, earning himself the Driver of Race award for his progress from fifth on the grid, with Class B winner Tylor Ballard third overall.

Ballard had clung on well to the Class A runners despite a tyre disadvantage.

Kirkpatrick withdrew from race two with clutch issues, handing Makar

NOVEMBER 2020 SAFETY FAST! 69

26/10/2020 15:19

COMPETITIONS

Ray Collier (10) leads the Cockshoot Cup pack in his Trophy Blue MG ZR 190

pole position. From there Ross took a comfortable win – despite his windscreen wipers failing in the assembly area – over a field further depleted by the difficult conditions. Burgess came home second, with Ballard again managing third overall and the Class B win. Behind Adam Jackson and James Dennison, Ashley Parsons scooped the commentators’ Driver of the Race award for prevailing in a good scrap with Joshua Bacon and Joe Dalgarno.

MGCC MG CUP SUPPORTED

BY PETER BEST INSURANCE The Rover Metros of Jack Ashton and Mike Williams continued their battle for honours in the MG Cup, with Ashton claiming both wins.

Ashton had qualified on pole for the opener and led the race throughout.

Williams was never far behind, but rued his misestimate of the impact that a safetycar start would have on the number of laps. Not wanting to show his hand too soon, Williams fired in the fastest lap on what turned out to be the final tour, but

ran out of laps to challenge further, falling less than a second short.

Third place went to Class B winner Darren Harris in his ZR 170, just edging Kayleigh Twigger’s Class C Rover 220 Tomcat Turbo, and earning himself Driver of the Race honours in the process.

Dennis Robinson was second in Class B despite a 10-second penalty for overtaking under the safety-car release, having started from the pitlane after being late out of the assembly area. The same fate befell son Carl in his Class A ZR 160, although he still did enough to win the class.

Twigger’s second fastest qualifying time gave her a maiden pole position for race two, and she led until standing water caused her engine to splutter. She slipped back to fifth before losing control on the final lap, and sadly collecting Stuart Tranter’s similar Tomcat in the incident.

Ashton benefited from Twigger’s misfortune, and survived a trip down the escape road at Hislop’s, to repeat his earlier success over Williams.

Harris again took Class B honours in third, ahead of Peter Burchill (ZS 180) and Class A winner Carl Robinson, whose success was enough to clinch the overall championship title. Second in Class B meant Dennis Robinson scooped the class title, while Williams took Class C championship honours.

Eighth overall and second in Class A earned Morgan Short (Rover 216 GTi) the Driver of the Race, having coped admirably well in the treacherous conditions despite his limited experience.

MGCC BCV8 CHAMPIONSHIP After a wretched season in which he had so far failed to finish a race, ames Wheeler switched to Ian Prior’s similar B GTV8 for the final BCV8 round of the season, and proceeded to claim a stylish win from pole position.

Wheeler headed home the previously unbeaten Ollie Neaves by five seconds, with the pair more than half a minute up the road from two-time champion Russell McCarthy and Neil Fowler who held fourth from Simon Cripps, despite a trip across the escape road at the Hislop’s chicane.

Wheeler’s success netted him both the Driver of the Race and the overall Driver of the Day awards, while Neaves was far from empty-handed. After the day’s second race was cancelled due to the adverse weather conditions, he was confirmed as overall BCV8 champion.

Neaves’s main challenger for the overall title had been Class B runner Mark Scott, but Scott was sadly unable to start the race after picking up damage to his Roadster in qualifying. Class B race honours went to Ian Prior, back in his old car, while Russell McAngus completed a clean sweep for the season in Class AB, ahead of his planned progression to Class C next year.

Jim Bryan just held off Jonnie Wheeler and Steve Wells in a very close battle for Class C race honours.

MGCC COCKSHOOT CUP

Two of the eight MGF/TF cars that participated in the Cockshoot Cup Race, Paul Mensley (42) leads David Coulthard (12)

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Ray Collier produced a mesmerising performance in the difficult conditions to win the Cockshoot Cup race in his ZR 190 by nearly a minute from the ZS 180

www.mgcc.co.uk

26/10/2020 15:19

COMPETITIONS

The winning Drayton Manor Park MG Metro Cup Car of Mark Eales

of Karl Green. On his home track, Collier made light of any aquaplaning, despite still suffering the after-effects of the big crash he had at Oulton Park last year.

“You just get on the throttle and spin the wheels back up and then brake back down again, but you’ve just got to have that sense of mind to do it,” Collier explained.

Brian Butler finished third in his MGF VVC, winning Class F and clinching the overall championship in the process, as main rival Chris Greenbank was hit by electrical issues.

Mark Bellamy’s ZR 170 took Class B honours, while Nick Ashman was named Driver of the Race for battling to second in the class in his ZR, just missing out on fifth overall to Mark Wright’s Class F MGF.

A ZS in a Tomcat sandwich during the MG Cup. Kayleigh Twigger (3) leads Peter Burchill (13) and Stuart Tranter (44)

MGCC LACKFORD ENGINEERING MG MIDGET & SPRITE CHALLENGE An outing for the MG Midget & Sprite Challenge was added to the Cockshoot Cup grid at Oulton Park as part of this year’s necessary calendar re-jigging.

Coming only a fortnight after the series’ Castle Combe event meant that numbers were a little down, with David Morrison claiming the honours in his Midget.

Morrison was the only driver able to keep touch with Cockshoot winner Ray Collier, but said: “I decided not to have a go at Ray – he’s not in my class.”

Morrison put his previous technical issues behind him to finally defeat Richard Wildman, who was over a minute behind in his own Midget. Bruce Carter was third, another 30 seconds back.

Due to adverse weather, the race officials made the difficult decision to cancel the last three races of the day for the safety and wellbeing of the Marshals and Competitors.

The Club cannot thank all involved enough and looks forward to seeing everyone again everyone again when the new season resumes in 2021.

MGCC DRAYTON MANOR PARK MG METRO CUP Sharing a grid with the MG Cup meant that Mark Eales was able to keep a buffer between himself and his rivals on the way to MG Metro Cup victory. New, softer suspension had obviously done the trick, and suited the wet conditions, as he charged to pole position by a massive fivesecond margin.

From there, Eales always had some MG Cup runners between him and the pursuing Dan Willars and Tim Davies, as he took a resounding win.

Willars was second, with Davies earning the Driver of the Race award in third, delighted that a major overhaul of his own car, including a new engine, had paid dividends. Richard Garrard was fourth while Donington race winner Tim Shooter was severely hampered by visibility issues with a misted up screen. www.mgcc.co.uk

SafetyFast_Nov2020_49-98.indd 71

The MGCC Lackford Engineering MG Midget & Sprite Challenge winning Midget of David Morrison

Jim Bryan (74), Jonnie Wheeler (61), Ian Prior (58) and Ben Tovey battle it out in the BCV8 Championship NOVEMBER 2020 SAFETY FAST! 71

26/10/2020 15:19

RACE TORQUE

W

e have now had our last race meeting of the season at Oulton Park. We had over 100 MG Competitors on the grid and we also had Porsche Club GB

with us.

Of course, Storm Alex conspired against us and we were forced to abandon the meeting with three races remaining, for the safety and welfare of both our competitors and the marshals. But this is not the full picture of 2020.

46 races (including a three-hour relay), 604 competitors, over 300 marshals, nearly 300 officials including rescue, recovery and medical personnel, six MG Car Club Championships (albeit some racing as series this year), five race days at three different race tracks in the West, Centre and East of the country.

If you had told me in April that we would achieve these statistics, I may have been somewhat sceptical, as we all sat at home enduring lockdown.

Add to this the number of MG models that raced including a fantastic appearance from the Triple Ms and the number of other marques that joined us courtesy of our guests. Mini and Morgan were joined by Equipe Classic Racing bringing many British motoring names like Jaguar and Lotus. They brought a huge variety of cars to our race meetings and Porsche also joined us again this year.

72 SAFETY FAST! NOVEMBER 2020

SafetyFast_Nov2020_49-98.indd 72

RACE TORQUE

by Mark Baulch. Photos Dickon Siddall

Our Competitors covered an age range from just 17 to into their 70s, although the cars covered an even greater age range, of course.

Despite the pandemic and despite the difficulties of continuing to provide racing opportunities for our Members and our guests, we managed to achieve all of this in 2020 and should be justly proud.

We now look forward to 2021 and really hope that having achieved all this, we will be able to run a full race programme, with the backing and

assistance of our governing body and the regulations that allow us to continue through these trying times.

Work continues on providing a suitable calendar for next year and the details of this will be shared here as soon as we can. Hopefully, some spectators may be permitted as the year progresses and you will be able to enjoy more of the racing. In the meantime, a number of the Championships will continue to explore the online resources that are available, including streaming their races.

www.mgcc.co.uk

26/10/2020 15:19

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SafetyFast_Nov2020_49-98.indd 73

NOVEMBER 2020 SAFETY FAST! 73

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MGs ON TRACK

MG on track

Duncan Wood duncanw@mgs-on-track.com

R

ain... marvellous stuff! It fills our rivers, irrigates our crops, and can decide the outcome of cricket matches. In rain’s concentrated form, water, we have a substance more versatile and essential to life than any that modern science could ever imagine, enabling us to wash our clothes but put off washing our cars for another week, boil our potatoes to mush, and ensure that we can drink liquid beer rather than needing to spoon it down like dry porridge oats! So, I ask, if rain is so important to all our daily lives, how does it still make the time to turn up for four out of the five track days held since the relaxation of full lockdown? Anglesey and Mallory Park, and now Castle Combe and Donington Park have all been visited to a greater or lesser degree by rain; I’m told Blyton Park was dry but I didn’t go to that event so, for my purposes, it can’t really be counted!

In truth, we must work with what we are given, and adapt to the challenges that a wet circuit brings. At Castle Combe it remained dry until the lunch break, so opportunities aplenty to floor the throttle on the straights and explore the limits of grip in the corners. Even in my Midget I was approaching the infamous Quarry Bend at around 95mph (flat out for a 1275cc), so only a brief moment to savour the improvements in braking that the new rear drums have wrought ,before committing to the corner that, according to the marshals, is the setting for more mishaps than any other in the UK. Many of us would dispute this last statement and assert that our spins and ‘offs’ are actually shared evenly across all venues, but, as they are such friendly folk at Combe, I would not wish to take anything away from this proudly held claim to fame!

As is the custom for what should have been the year’s second Castle Combe visit, the afternoon swapped to an open pit lane format rather than the sessions of the morning. Although open pit lane running allows a mix of driver abilities and car performance out on circuit together, at Combe numbers are limited to just twelve at a time, so plenty of space for drivers to proceed at their own pace, and the track has sufficient opportunities for

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CASTLE COMBE AND DONINGTON PARK safe and easy overtaking. Unfortunately, the afternoon did come with a change in the weather, the rain meaning that a more circumspect approach to driving was needed. Certainly, everyone got as much track time as they wanted, and many took the chance to hone those slippery-surface skills to near perfection.

Depending on which weather forecast you consulted beforehand, the Donington Park event in early October was going to be wet in the morning, or wet at lunch time, or wet in the afternoon. In fact, it was all three of these so no indecision on the part of the rain as it had all bases covered! Donington is a favourite for many of us, with pronounced changes of elevation and a mix of corner styles to keep drivers engaged. Probably the bestknown section of the circuit is the Craner Curves combined with the Old Hairpin.

Although it is perhaps counter-intuitive

to accelerate hard downhill in the Craner Curves, especially in the wet, they are fairly wide and sweeping so provide a bit of space to gather your thoughts before the Old Hairpin, which is a hairpin no longer but closer to a right-angle bend with what seems to be an unfavourable camber. Some of our number took the chance to visit the grass on the exit of the corner, where I am sure a moment of quiet reflection restored equilibrium and gave time to compose a suitable excuse for retelling in the paddock. The main thing is that car damage is very rare on an MGoT event as, unlike public roads, you would usually need to travel quite some way from the track proper before encountering anything too solid, and personal injury, save to pride, is unheard of!

Rain is a great leveller, so many with V8s probably found that they had brought rather too many horses for the

www.mgcc.co.uk

26/10/2020 15:20

MGCC MGCCSPEED SPEEDCHAMPIONSHIPS CHAMPIONSHIP MGS ON TRACK – 2020 CALENDAR Please visit www.mgs-on-track.com to register, check availability, or to book a track day.

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

Brands Hatch ‘Indy’ – December 7 Our season finale; don’t miss the chance to enjoy this undulating circuit including the world-renowned Paddock Hill Bend!

As I write, this event is sold out but well worth putting your name on the reserve list for a chance of a final blast of fun... just in case ‘Christmas is cancelled’!

conditions and had to be particularly careful how they deployed all that power even in a straight line. In my own 8V (eight valves) Midget lack of traction and grip presented a small hinderance to swift progress, but not being able to see where I was heading a greater one; I think upgrading the wipers could be a useful job for the winter months ahead. Despite the weather it was a very enjoyable event, and so nice to have the opportunity to catch up with old friends again, plus meet a few new ones. All the circuits seem to have their Covid measures thoroughly worked out, with online registration and briefings in addition to the physical precautions at the venues. We have always promoted our events as being sociable, fun and above all safe, and I think that this holds true even in these altered times as much as it ever has.

www.mgcc.co.uk

SafetyFast_Nov2020_49-98.indd 75

By the time this issue lands on your doormat, that which could be laughably referred to as the 2020 season will be over.

I am at present starting the annual task of compiling the calendar for 2021. We can only hope that, come next April, the situation will be such that events can take place. I have an uncomfortable feeling that, even if we are able to have a complete set of events, we will have to get used to competing with some restrictions in place.

At least for the first part of the year. Let’s hope that the oft referred to ‘Blitz’ spirit prevails and we keep the sport going at strength for when total normality returns.

MGCC South West managed to run their traditional Wiscombe Hillclimb on September 12 and it was very well supported by Speed Championship competitors. I do not have results to hand but I am told that it was run in its usual efficient manner and made for a very enjoyable day’s sport.

This leaves the traditional season finale at Castle Combe on October 17. At this stage I have no idea of how many entries we can expect from our competitors. I will endeavour to bring you a report next month.

With the cancellation of annual dinners and the restrictions placed on our 90th birthday celebrations, the social scene will be sadly depleted and we will have to rely on social media and website communications. Having said that, it is always good to receive the odd phone call to catch up with any current gossip and other people’s personal news.

Triple M Cars enjoying the Wiscombe Hillclimb in September. Photos: Colin Murrell

As this article is aimed at all Club members and not just competitors, it is a great pity that access to events is out of bounds to anyone except the participants. Spectators from the Club are a very important part of the atmosphere at events and their absence tends to lend a rather sterile feel to the proceedings. After all, even if you are not competing it is always good to cheer on the troops.

Although producing this article during the present circumstances has been challenging, I have enjoyed doing it as it has been a tangible link to the loyal and dedicated people who make our version of the sport quite unique. It is often portrayed as the poor relation of motorsport and lacking in spectacle and glamour. It has been my observation that the pursuit of an extra millisecond demands a very high degree of skill and concentration for a relatively short time.

Furthermore, I have noticed that people with a circuit racing background do not always shine when they try to cross over.

Stay safe.

NOVEMBER 2020 SAFETY FAST! 75

26/10/2020 15:20

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CENTRES ABINGDON WORKS Lin Cotter sfscribe@mgabingdon.org.uk www.mgabingdon.co.uk As summer slips into autumn we are seemingly slipping closer to a further lockdown. We have all longed to join with our fellow enthusiasts and show off our own cars and discuss those proudly owned by our fellow Club members. We are fortunate to have some of the most beautiful countryside within our bailiwick, so have been able to enjoy

trips for picnics and walking with our spouses and bubble members. Whether it be ponies in the New Forest, Cotswold villages or the exciting Portsmouth docks, we have been blessed with some wonderful weather to enjoy our local treasures. Soon it will be time to put away some of our more weathersensitive MGs, whilst those of us with modern MGs can continue to enjoy them in winter.

With the much-anticipated Lancaster Classic Motor Show at the NEC, that was to have taken place between November 13-15 2020 cancelled, we look forward to the 2021 event which is now scheduled for November 12-14 2021.

MGs at the Cotswold Motor Museum, Bourton on the Water

ANGLIA Rob Muir 01206 862619 scribe@mgccanglia.com www.mgccanglia.com Anglia Centre Committee Meeting Following on from our successful AGM which was held online, our next committee meeting on November 28 will again have to be virtual. I know it’s been a hard year for the Club Meets, but if Club Meet Hosts could forward an update of ‘how your meet is doing’ to Roger Moran via secretary@ mgccanglia.com we can keep all members informed and offer support to meets who may need it.

We will also have the pleasure of looking through the entries in the Anglia Centre Photographic Competition, which is open until December 2020, so you still have time to submit your photographs.

Photos, with an MG subject, can have been taken in 2019 or 2020 but must not have been published elsewhere. They should be submitted to Anglia Centre Webmaster, Kelvin Fagan, via webmaster@mgccanglia.com with a note of your Club membership number.

www.mgcc.co.uk

SafetyFast_Nov2020_49-98.indd 77

Even though we have had to cancel our events and Natters, rest assured that the planning and preparation for these will enable us to offer an exciting calendar in 2021. Talking of which, the AWC 2021 calendars are now available for download from our website: www.mgabingdon.org.uk/resources/printablea4-calendars/ Whichever type of MG you have we can only hope that 2021 will give us opportunities to once more meet and share our love of the marque with our fellow enthusiasts. Until that time be safe, be well, and enjoy your MG.

Gill Martin’s MG GS in the New Forest with some four-legged onlookers

We have some fantastic pictures already, with all sorts of interesting twists on the subject of MG and some stunning photographs of members’ MGs both at home and on tour.

The photos don’t have to be to professional standard but it gives much joy to many members I have spoken to, seeing pictures of other people’s pride and joy.

Talking of people’s ‘Pride and Joy’, two MGs I spotted in the main area of the Stonham Barns show were a lovely MG TC, belonging I believe to a member of the MidCambridgeshire Club Meet from The White Horse at Milton, and a splendid yet unrestored Y Type saloon whose owner had only purchased it around August last year, just before the Helmingham show. However I did not get chance to speak to him at Stonham – do you recognise the car?

NOVEMBER 2020 SAFETY FAST! 77

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CALEDONIAN Bob MacGillivray 07870 407111 mgcarsscotland@gmail.com www.mgcaledonian.com For many years we have had a kind of ‘end of season’ lunch in November, at the Perth Huntingtower Hotel. In these fraught times it is difficult to plan very far ahead but we are still hopeful that it may be possible to hold this lunch.

Leslie Duncan is the organiser and here are his comments.

“A lunch for members has been booked for November 22 since before the pandemic. Under the current restrictions, this lunch will not take place. I have discussed the situation with the hotel, and they have confirmed that. However, things may well change between now and the 22nd which may allow the lunch to go ahead. The hotel is happy to liaise with us and do whatever they can to accommodate us.

“I think it would be difficult for us to suddenly get sufficient numbers together at the last minute to make the lunch viable, and therefore what I would like to do is as follows.

If you wish to go, please book your place at

DEVON & CORNWALL Young Janner II bobslatter@hotmail.com www.mgcc.co.uk/devon-cornwall-centre This is becoming more difficult every month to compile some notes for the Centre, the longer the current situation lasts, as we are unable to plan anything and nothing to really report on. Having said that, I hope everyone is keeping safe and where possible getting out in their beloved MGs when the weather is suitable. I know we have given the TF several nice runs around Devon and Cornwall, as well as using the MG3 for regular shopping trips, etc.

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the lunch through the website in the normal manner. I will undertake to let you know what the position is nearer the time. Clearly, the rules are changing all the time.

“If it looks as though the lunch will take place, I will send information regarding costs etc., although these are unlikely to be different from last year. Obviously, social distancing, masks etc. will be adhered to.”

That is clear enough, so if you are interested and have not yet booked please do so asap.

On December 1 we intend holding our first online Zoom AGM. More details will be on our website and Facebook pages. Any motions for debate or proposals for new office bearers or committee members should be submitted to Nancy Crichton, our secretary, by November 16 2020.

We are hopeful that the Chilly Willy lunch will still take place: date, location and other details to follow.

May I make a further plea for Newsletter items please? Maybe you have bought another MG this year, or restored one, or perhaps have a tale to tell from previous years? Have a go and contact me if you have any question about this.

If you have any pictures of your cars in use, or any tales to tell, could you let me know and I will either use them in these notes or you can pass them to Ted Lawrence for inclusion in the newsletter.

I will start the ball rolling with a couple of photos of me competing in my Midget at the South West Centre Wiscombe hillclimb in the late 1970s.

The track looks a lot wider in the pictures than when you are actually driving it as fast as your nerves will allow. The photos are courtesy of Graham Wills.

I hope many of you are receiving the newsletters from Kimber House, either directly or forwarded on from me, along with Ted’s wonderful newsletters. I will request, yet again, for members to keep me updated with their current email address, as I do have a large percentage returned as incorrect. If you are not receiving any of these, and would like to get as much news as possible to keep you in touch with the Club and Centre in these times, drop me a line with your current email address.

A Bo’ness blast from the past

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CENTRES LINCOLNSHIRE IAN MACKENZIE 01529 497849 MaccaV8@aol.com www.mgcclincolnshire.co.uk We still await the results of the Driveway Concours event, hopefully for next month.

We had a socially distanced gathering of Luncheon Club participants at the Welby Arms, Allington, nr Grantham, organised by Richard and Victoria Withington on September 16. The weather was kind to the participants.

A selection of assembled cars at Welby Arms, Allington

MIDLANDS Tony Lake tonylake134@hotmail.co.uk www.mgccmidlandcentre.co.uk Midland Centre Facebook: @ mgccmidlandcentre The committee has been meeting via Zoom since the pandemic took hold. That has kept communication active and has allowed for planning and resolution of issues so that the scheduled open-air sporting events can go ahead. We’ve been following the MSUK guidelines; it is more work for all concerned but at least we know that the precautions we’re asked to take result in a safe environment and keeps grass roots Motorsport alive and kicking. You can read a report on the 53rd running of the annual Autumn Trial elsewhere in this issue. It failed to run in 2001 as a result of the Foot and Mouth outbreak; that really did curtail outdoor activity.

Holding overnight stay social events in light of the required behaviour code is not so easy, so we look forward to 2021 with some optimism and

We were also graced with fair weather for the scheduled Autotest, which took place on Sunday September 20, which was a relief, as an open airfield can be a miserably damp place, especially if you’re a marshal. All entrants were keen to get cracking on what was to be the only surviving test day of the year.

For the record, Malcolm Clark claimed Fastest Time of the Day, Bob Welch was quickest in the Specials Class, Robert Taylor claimed the Long Wheelbase Class, and Geoff Hirst was the Fastest Novice. For the full run-down of winners and pictures, please go to our website and see

how many participants you can identify behind the masks!

In his summing-up at the event, Chairman Steve Hall carried out a straw poll with the day’s entrants, most of whom wanted to have “another go” if possible this year, so a second Covid19appropriate event was hastily arranged by David Stonehouse for October 18 on the same site.

Results will appear next month.

Hopefully, we will soon be able to return to ‘normal’ activities. Roll on the day!

To this month’s pictures kindly submitted by Sheila Laurence

Some of the September Autotest Entrants at rest

plan to run the Welsh Rallye which fell victim to the lockdown earlier this year.

The first sporting event in 2021 will be the Spring Sprint at Curborough on April 11 2021. The date is booked and will be the opening round of the MGCC Speed Championship, in what will be a busy season for the sprinters. We ran a Covid19secure timed practice, but no awards, with Shenstone and District Car Club already this year; the Midland Centre is well prepared.

Our Welsh Touring Rallye is slated for May 14-16 2021, based at the four-star Telford Country Club Hotel overlooking Coalport and the Severn valley gorge. Entry forms will be available in November Next up, on June 5 2021, is a 12-car regularity competition in the Hereford area, a different event for the Midland Centre, but that’s what new committee member Robert Blackstock brings to the party: some very welcome fresh ideas.

The following day, Robert will organise a Naviscat, this time enjoyed from the comfort of your home with maps and Google Earth at the ready.

It’s a table-top exercise that needs a small team to scoot though the clues, very rewarding, though, and a superior sense of wellbeing at the end.

The Summer Sprint at Curborough will take place on August 1 2021. By then the MGCC Speed Championship will be in full swing with fierce competition for top spot.

On August 26 2021 it’s time for the Autumn Trial again. We haven’t given up on Burton Dassett just yet. We were pretty close earlier this year but Covid-19 interfered and the landowners felt unable to grant a permit. Understandable in the circumstances, so we’ll keep it on the radar and hope for a satisfactory outcome in 2021. We have had three good years at East Lodge Farm and that is still open to us.

Another busy year in prospect – let’s hope we’re through the worst of the pandemic by then.

Stunning scenery on a past Welsh Rallye 80 SAFETY FAST! NOVEMBER 2020

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CENTRES NORTH WEST Paul Goodman 01625 876300 Once again, the ever-changing rules of life in the North West have impacted on Centre activities. It was not possible to stage the photo opportunity at Stockport Grammar School, but as soon as circumstances allow, the event will be staged. The one bright spot was the running of the Oulton Park Race Meeting on October 3. Actually, it was not sunny at all, in fact “storm Alex” rained on the circuit from dawn to dusk. Despite the conditions, racing did take place although the programme could not be completed. This meant only one race for the 19 starters in the final round of the Cockshoot Cup. Ray Collier was totally dominant in his MG ZR190, taking the race win, and Vicky Peters Trophy for Class C. The other class winners and Vicky Peters Trophy winners were Mark Bellamy (B) driving his MG ZR170, Paul Wignall (A) in his MG ZR160 and Brian Butler (F) aboard his MG MGF. After the calculations were completed, Brian Butler was declared to be the Cockshoot Cup Champion for 2020 with three class wins and two third places in the five races which were held.

SOUTH EAST Ray Ruffels and William Opie raywillmg@gmail.com www.mgccse.co.uk Autumn Meeting Leonardslee Lake and Gardens On September 13 in glorious sunshine 120 MGs had a wonderful day visiting Leonardslee with 75 cars enjoying a scenic run to the event, starting in the West at Denbies Wine Estate and in the East at Polhill Garden Centre. The entire event was strictly Covid-compliant, so thanks to all participants for observing social distancing and to Peter Best Insurance for sponsoring the day. Many enjoyed using their cars for the first time this year and catching up with friends from a distance!

There was a special display of T types to celebrate their 75th anniversary, with all models represented, which proved a great spectacle to all. Even the Wallabies made an appearance and members appreciated walking the stunning gardens and lakes, coupled with the excellent catering facilities on site. No reported breakdowns, so Lockdown produced some very reliable MGs!

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In the other classes, Paul Wignall (A), Mark Bellamy (B), and Keith Egar (C) finished on top of the points table.

Nearly 30 drivers competed during the truncated season and with new drivers buying cars in recent weeks, the outlook for 2021 is very bright. The Cockshoot Cup has become the home of racing MGFs and TFs with eight on the Oulton grid and more promised for next year. These cars can be raced in standard form in Class F using treaded tyres and in “Cup” specification in Class C using 190 HP engines and slick racing tyres. It would be great to see even more Fs and TFs out, so for those of you thinking of competing in one of these cars, now is the time to act. The other option for low-cost racing is the Class A ZR 160 and more of these cars are expected in the future.

Turning to this month, if we can hold meetings then the Cheshire County Sports

Table Top Rally Philip and Rosemary Bayne-Powell organised the second table top rally on September 13 which had 29 entrants and as before was broken down into novices and experts. The MG Car Club team did well to come second (out of six teams) to the Rileys, largely helped by Bob Blackstock, David de Saxe and Jeremy Bayne-Powell. See full results at www.mgccse.co.uk Newsletter The latest SE Newsletter was sent out early in October, so If you did not receive it make sure your email address is correct for circulation, as it’s full of your local SE news and articles from Members. For example, 76 addresses failed as undelivered after Mike Breare sent out the July issue to 1220 contacts. Email addresses are provided to us by Abingdon HQ, so please check and update your address to receive a copy. This can be achieved easily at www.mgcc. co.uk/membership/add-email-address/ or you can update your details on the SE website newsletter sign-up at www.mgccse.co.uk/ newsletter/

Brian Butler, 2020 Cockshoot Cup Champion

Club gathering will be on Tuesday November 10, followed by the Plough and Flail one week later on Tuesday November 17. The Wednesday lunchtime meetings continue to be suspended because they obviously involve households eating together.

Finally, dates for indoor and outdoor events are emerging in the hope that more activity will be possible next year. Clubs and organisers are sharing their experiences to help in this work.

Finally, the SE AGM will now take place in January 2021 so watch this space for more info or contact austin.banner@gmail.com

Covid-compliant MGs at Leonardslee www.mgcc.co.uk

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CENTRES SOUTH WEST Mike Angwin m.angwin@tiscali.co.uk www.mgccsw.com www.facebook.com/mgccsw Twitter: @mgccsw Our Chairman Jim Lott reported in last month’s Safety Fast! on the successful Wiscombe Hill Climb organised by Bruce Weston and his team, which was the only competitive event that the South West Centre was able to run this year. It appeared that many drivers were pleased to have the opportunity to compete after months of lockdown and the entry list was quickly filled. Wiscombe is a superb venue and next year’s event is already planned for September 11 2021. We hope that spectators (and the beer tent!) will be allowed to return.

The South West Centre has a long tradition of running both competitive and social events and the SW Committee has been meeting online to consider the programme for 2021. The Centre Dinner and the Kimber Classic will not take place in the spring, but social runs and picnics are popular and may be the easiest to organise

TYNE-TEES Tony Wood anthony@scrutonvillage.co.uk “Plan for the best, manage the worst” is our new Committee mantra, courtesy of Vice Chairman Noel. With that in mind and despite all our plans for a 90th Anniversary event falling prey to circumstance, our latest Committee meeting, expertly socially distanced by Zoom, spent its time drawing up a calendar for 2021, our Golden Jubilee year, which subject to date confirmations will hopefully be with you this month. Our intention is to hold a weekend event based around Beamish Museum in August, but as the man with the final say is furloughed until mid-October, tying them down to one of our

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in compliance with whatever government Covid restrictions are in place at the time. We hope to hold the usual ‘MGs on Grass’ events and to find a new venue for the Kimber Car Trial formerly held at Pagan’s Hill. As events are arranged they will be listed in the Events Calendar and in Jim Lott’s ‘Chairman’s Chat’ page on the South West Centre website www.mgccsw.com, and also here in Safety Fast!

This year’s project on my own MGF started as getting the boot light to work which, as usual,

revealed other problems and turned into a bigger task. It was caused by the wires in the loom leading to the boot lid getting pinched and cut in the hinge and spring mechanism, and seven wires were eventually repaired or replaced. It has now passed its delayed MOT, requiring just two tyres and a new lambda sensor. This month’s photo shows the car sitting disconsolately on the drive, waiting for the rain to stop, while the Land Rover pictured behind it gets to play in the deep puddles on the country lanes around here!

three preferred dates is proving tricky. I am sure this will be overcome – we have held successful events there in the 1980s, 1990s and lastly in 2013, whence cometh our photographic offerings this month, with Gerald Breedon’s TC in pride of place on the Main street and a chance (!) meeting between Brian Ireland’s MGB and a very smart looking MGA. The MGA and I have history. When I bought it in 1978 from Edwin Atkinson and dragged it from a barn near Chester-le-Street, the optimistic aim was to have it ready for Hausach the following year. The reality was that I sold it on about five years later with relatively little progress made.

Having bought a Zoom licence and taken the Treasurer into a darkened room to recover from the shock, it’s our intention to use it to connect with you, probably kicking off with a Quiz.

Zoom is a useful tool as we have all learned over the last few months, its major weakness is an inability to create a social conversation in the way conversation would normally swing back and forth in a Natter situation, hence our desire to begin with a more organised get-together which will hopefully be fun for all participants.

Keep an eye on Tyne Tees Tidings or your inbox for further details.

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CENTRES YORKSHIRE Ken Cothliff kencothliff@hotmail.co.uk https://mgccyorkshire.co.uk With no more Natter meetings here in Yorkshire, and back in a sort of lockdown with extensions to restricted areas affecting more of us, the ‘rule of six’ has hit us hard. We, in the Vale of York Natter, did experiment with an ‘unofficial’ gathering at our pub, the Anchor. It was well organised by the Landlord, plenty of spacing,

ULSTER Carol Willis 07831 345560 www.mgcculstercentre.co.uk carol.mgulster@hotmail.co.uk We sent out a very informal little newsletter to all members who have email in which we advised of a Nosh on October 8 and a Photoshoot at Stormont on Sunday October 11 to be followed by a run.

A beautiful sunny, autumnal day heralded our display. We had a very enthusiastic response with 22 cars parked below the steps of Parliament Buildings, the oldest being Simon and Emily Johnston’s 1933 J2 and the youngest the MG ZR EV of Bill McMahon. It took some time for Gordon and Ray to get the cars in the right place for the

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and about eight members and wives attending.

However, the new rule means that is now not an option. A visit to a local classic car show in Northallerton has been cancelled.

South Natter is still continuing their successful Zoom meetings and have attracted a new Member, Mark Elliott, who took his 2003 MGTF 135 out for a week’s trip around Norfolk. He still hasn’t met any of his new friends in the South Natter.

However, members are getting around on sunny days – self-isolating in an MG. During a run recently, I ‘bumped’ into Paul and Rosemary Croft of North Yorks Natter out and about in Otley.

This month’s selection of photographs includes new member Mark Elliott’s MGTF out and about at Beachamwell in Norfolk, with its rare wooden-towered church; the conclusion of the Daffodil Run at the Yorkshire Air Museum in 2018; a good selection of MGs at the Croft Vintage Race

photographs. The excitement at this gathering was super. Everybody was very elated at being able to see so many of their pals again, having been locked away for so long. At the front we have the oldest car a 1933 J2 of Simon Johnston and the youngest, the 2019 ZS EV of Bill McMahon.

The background to our display was as magnificent as the colours in the parkland stretching out beyond with the trees lining The Prince of Wales Avenue down to the main gates. I am so fortunate to have such a glorious park close to home!

To avoid travelling in convoy, we took our leave of Stormont in groups of four or five along the outer ring to take us through Hannahstown to the first of the racing circuits, ie Dundrod, where some stopped to have a chat before driving

Meeting Festival; and your scribe’s Mk1 Midget out on a sunny evening this August, by Barden Mill near Skipton – a 13th Century Hunting lodge and castle.

Let’s hope things get back to a sort of normal before too long.

around the actual circuit. We then made our way cross country to Ballyrobert where we tackled the Ballyclare Circuit before heading off to part of the Clady Circuit to drive up the Seven Mile Straight.

All good plans of mice and men brought us to Antrim Castle Gardens. It was absolutely heaving and bursting at the seams. Difficult to find a parking space, let alone a spot to socially distance gather for a picnic. Nevertheless, all seemed to have a good day with plenty of sunshine, great views and company.

We would like to congratulate Zak Armstrong upon passing his driving test and also David and Caoimhe Mutch upon the birth of their daughter Enya, baby sister for Conan.

We’ve tackled the three hillclimbs and the three race circuits, where shall we go next?

Suggestions please on a postcard…

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REGISTERS VINTAGE Rob Constant rob@littleabingdon.co.uk Welcome to this month’s Vintage notes and I hope that last month’s superb Vintage six-monthly spread left you suitably enthused. Editor Andy did us proud, especially with it being the MG Car Club 90th birthday edition, so thanks in particular to him and, of course, to the original author Doug Harris.

In these ongoing bizarre times, we look back fondly on times past and in many ways as we do, it helps us look forward to when more normal activities can resume. More than that, to when the whole atmosphere of ‘life’ returns to something like that which we are used to…

It is in this vein we enjoy this month’s photo, kindly provided by the South West Centre (thanks indeed, Neil Lock) which is of a rather youthful Roger Stanbury aboard his trusty steed – MG 1200 - his 18/80 Mk. I Speedmodel. Shown here competing at Babdown ‘Point to Point’ during the period 1971-75, it is rather appropriate that in the background sits KX 5195 (also a Mk. I Speedmodel) in the hands of another of our motoring heroes, Morgan Marshall, the gentleman

TRIPLE M CATHELIJNE SPOELSTRA +31 (0)6 41216600 cathelijnespoelstra@outlook.com www.triple-mregister.org My poor crankshaft broke at the end of a lovely 250-mile run the other day! It did last for 87 years, though, which is rather good, I suppose, and I knew it was somewhat of a timebomb anyway, so no complaints. Plus, it snapped ever so gently leaving the original block intact. My car being entirely ‘matching numbers’, and that includes the ignition, dynamo, starter motor, body, back axle, gearbox and engine, it would have been terribly sad if the block needed replacing, too! Just

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justifiably credited with helping to ensure the survival of many of the remaining Vintage MGs. Roger, whom we of course all miss deeply, competed in pretty much every form of motorsport known to man aboard ’1200 and, rather appropriately this morning as I get up early to write this, I find David Allison (of the famous Allison MG family) yesterday evening observed on the Vintage Register Facebook Group: “Morgan was such a lovely man, no one ever drove an 18/80 harder or with more verve. Roger Stanbury comes close, though”. A lot of truth in that, although I can think of a few other present-day names who must join Roger in that same following pack.

A lovely trait of Roger was the regularity with which he would find reason to get in touch, make a

quick telephone call, sometimes on just a very minor matter, which, in retrospect, I can see was his own little way of helping to keep our Register, and the people within it, ‘together’. He was a lot like glue.

And, as we continue to make our way towards the time when we can again freely enjoy our hobby, why not take a leaf out of the same book? A quick call to an old friend will mean a lot, and, in reminiscing and looking towards better times, it will no doubt give both the caller and recipient a ‘lift’. We are all in this together – different boats, same storm – so as we look forward keenly to better days, stay in touch! It is good for us, good for the grey matter and good for our Register. Here’s to better times ahead! #marqueoffriendship

another job for ‘my mechanic’ to do this winter … We were actually in the process of building a spare engine to possibly replace the one in Thijs’ J2539 which also still contains its original crank, but Thijs clearly being more of a master driver than I am, he’s managed to coax it through several Kimber Classic Trials and leisurely runs for years on end already without the little bent wire thingie breaking, and so the steel crank we had at the ready, can now go into J0577.

To make things better still, providence made me ‘check Facebook’ early one morning a few weeks ago and, lo and behold, there was a post by Tony Slattery on the Aussie’s ‘Pre War MG Register’ page asking if anyone knew the J1 depicted in June 1939 and if it was still about. Well, I never! I immediately double checked my files

for the car’s original registration number before I allowed myself to get perhaps disproportionately excited over a bunch of photographs, but there it was: FS 6208! My beloved J1! I’m still thrilled, actually! Will try and do a full write-up for the Bulletin one day, if of interest, but for now I’ll leave you with two piccies of my darling car and a repeated “take care” as times are still rather odd and ominous!

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REGISTERS SVW Paul Campbell svw.safety.fast@gmail.com www.svwregister.co.uk Last month I mentioned a photoshoot at the lovely location of Amberley Castle featuring my VA Tourer. It had previously been postponed due to bad weather, but August 21 was perfect for the occasion. The photographer/journalist Mike Taylor took lots of photos in various positions – hood down, windscreen down, hood up. This was followed by a recorded interview in the library!

I had an opportunity to proofread it once. It will appear in MG Enthusiast in due course, perhaps the December edition. I’ll let you know via the Facebook group or please send me an email if you want to be kept informed.

Events this year have been few and far between. However, the MGCC SE Centre organised a COVID-compliant event on September 13 with two drive-ins culminating at Leonardslee Gardens in West Sussex. This was nice and local for me, but I was unable to make it. There was a good SVW presence, though, with two VAs: Ian Burton in his recently acquired VA Saloon 0251 (ex-Bas de Voogd and Keith Bush of course) and Peter Wallace in his

Peter Wallace with his superb VA Tickford. Photo: John Dutton

T TYPE Paul Plummer 01926 854574 scribe@tregister.org At last, something to report upon!

The T Register held its first ‘virtual’ Committee Meeting on October 4.

This was carried out using ‘jitsi’ (an alternative to Zoom) which from the technology and user point of view worked very well, with 11 members taking part.

Working through a shortened agenda, the main items discussed were the impact that the pandemic was having on the Register’s events and what new initiatives we might use to keep in touch with our members. Our plans and activities for the 90th anniversary social at Gaydon were discussed

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(also) recently acquired VA Tickford 1752, following the sad death of the previous owner last year. VAs, especially, are changing hands regularly with VA 1607 having sold this week, too.

I’ve just fitted LED bulbs to the sidelights and indicators on my VA Tourer. My front sidelights also function as indicators, so flashed white; it’s nice now to have the amber built into the LEDs. My Thirtilite was repurposed as a dash warning for the indicators, but this stopped working, necessitating changing the flasher unit, so I also built in a more audible warning at the same time. They are amazingly bright with minimal drain, encouraging me to use them as running lights on duller days.

Ian Burton’s historic VA Saloon 0251. Photo: Martin Stevens

bearing in mind all the social distancing measures that need to be observed. Reports were submitted by all the officers, including the Treasurer who was able to report that the finances were in good order. The Spring Tour to Flanders was reviewed, and currently it is the only event planned for 2021 which (at this time) is scheduled to go ahead.

Another ‘virtual’ meeting is planned for Sunday January 3 2021.

Now a return to normal – well, sort of!

The Car Club’s 90th anniversary celebration took place at the British Motor Museum at Gaydon on Saturday October 10. Over 300 MGs were assembled in every other parking space, and despite the chilly wind and the odd squally shower a good time was had by all. A variety of MGs from the early days to the latest models, with the museum displaying many MG prototypes and record breakers. Several Registers, including the T Register, had displays featuring models from their range.

NOVEMBER 2020 SAFETY FAST! 87

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REGISTERS Y TYPE Jerry Birkbeck 01926 258691 Mob: 07855 566325 birkbeckjerry@gmail.com www.mgccyregister.co.uk I hope you are all okay and coping with these strange times.

MGCC 90th Celebrations I decided to attend the event organised by MGCC as part of the 90th birthday celebrations at the British Motor Museum in Gaydon, Warwickshire.

It’s less than 10 miles from where we live and it gave me the chance to add a few more miles on the rebuilt YT engine.

The weather looked promising but when I reversed the car out of the garage it decided to drizzle. I was determined not to erect the hood and could have fitted the tonneau cover.

MAGNETTE Stephen Tickell 01737 760330 stephen.tickell@gmail.com www.magnette.org To add to the general nostalgia around the 90th anniversary, it’s worth highlighting that one feature of our long-established website magnette.org is the archive of past Register events, going back to the turn of the millennium. Gunter actually

Norwich weekend, August 2000 88 SAFETY FAST! NOVEMBER 2020

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This would have wasted more time so I just ran her with the side screens erected.

All this was fine and like many I wasn’t too sure how the event would pan out. When I arrived at the British Motor Museum at 1.00pm I was the only vehicle at the time. Thankfully those folk attending were sensible.

I haven’t been to the Museum for several years and it was good to go round the Jaguar collection and the workshop. No big crowds so an opportunity to look round at leisure, which was a benefit.

I had expected to see Reg, Linda and Derek and by chance I saw Derek’s YB and then noticed him having a fag outside the main Museum. He mentioned that he was waiting for Reg and Linda.

Good to see them all, but no sign of Reg’s Y. They had decided to come in their MGB. More on flexible pipes Some of you may be aware that on our return

started it in 1999, making it one of the oldest single-model sites, and you can still delve back 20 years, when the climax of the events season was a weekend at the Norwich Showground Police Gala, near the home of Lou and John Shorten. This tradition has continued – apart from this year, of course – although sadly now without Lou or the Gala, and admittedly slightly fewer Magnettes.

It was reported that nearly 60 cars were on display at the 2000 event, which I think has

from the Isle of Man last September the oil pipe from the oil pump to the block had fractured.

This had resulted in a complete loss of oil and a knackered engine.

Following the oil loss we had fitted a flexible pipe, (stable door open and horse bolted, I know!) refilled with oil and tried to make our way home.

It was then a trailer job home.

In July this year we decided to have the engine rebuilt and Jason Waller of Classic and Sports Car (Essex) has done an excellent job.

Reg mentioned that some years ago when he acquired his YB, the pipe to which I am referring had been replaced with a plastic pipe! Quite obviously he wasn’t at all happy with this and fitted the same arrangement as he has on his TD. The photos show Derek’s YB and our YT, together with a photo of the fitted rebuilt engine, though the flexible pipe is none too clear!

only been narrowly exceeded since then on one occasion (the 2013 Magnette 60th weekend) and Silverstone regularly attracted almost as many.

Unfortunately, website photos such as the one here were of rather low quality then, partly because broadband was only just appearing and many visitors were presumably still browsing via dial-up on smaller screens. You can, though, make out a younger-looking Malcolm Eades, and no doubt one or two other Register regulars.

Nearly as long-established as the Register site is the ‘MG Experience’ Magnette forum (at mgexp.com) where you’ll always find wellinformed technical contributors from around the world. There’s a few discussion subjects which regularly re-surface of course, with one of the delights being dormant threads that are revived 10 or 15 years after they were started, when somebody has a new question or observation – such as one I noticed recently on Magnette heaters. For the record, the conclusion (as nearly always) was that the valve needed rebuilding, but along the way were yet more suggestions about how the original design could be improved. I’m sure the collected wisdom on this subject alone would be enough for a complete book!

www.mgcc.co.uk

26/10/2020 15:21

REGISTERS MIDGET Chris Hale c.hale1962@btinternet.com www.midgetregister.com This year has been pretty much a write-off with respect to classic car events, with most being cancelled or postponed until next year. Whilst this has allowed some of us to get on with jobs on our cars, a lack of activity is not always good for older vehicles as many components can deteriorate unnoticed.

Rubber seals, hoses and bushes can perish, old grease dries out and lets moisture in leading to corrosion/wear, and lack of use can lead to some parts seizing and breaking when asked to perform. If you put your car into storage for the winter months it is well worth checking over these components both before and when coming out of storage to ensure all is well. The Register Forum on the old website www. midgetregister.com/forums/ contains links to many technical articles and you can contact me or any of the Register Committee who will endeavour to assist with problems you encounter.

Register President Dennis Wharf has been delving into the archives and details another of the rapid Modsports cars.

MGC Mike Haughton mgc_mike@btinternet.com www.mgcc.co.uk/mgc-register/ Another quiet month for MGC activities – but here are photos from John and Gwen of their lovely Red CGT engine bay and and the MGC out in glorious sunshine. Let’s hope for a more ‘eventful’ 2021.

www.mgcc.co.uk

SafetyFast_Nov2020_49-98.indd 89

Andrew Bailey’s 21st birthday present was a Mk I Sprite registered 1897 VX. Used as daily transport while at university, the car was gradually self-developed, first for speed events, but then progressing to be arguably the quickest up to 1150cc Spridget in Modsports racing between 1971 to 1975, and then again in 1978. All the work was carried out by Andrew, including his own modified cylinder heads, and producing an in-line 1071 cc engine. The car was consistently quick, and having mastered out-braking competitors to overtake, he was soon beating far more powerful machinery, proving to be a thorn in the side for drivers of the rapid 1293cc Spridgets with more power, whom he often eclipsed. These included Malcolm Beer, plus Ed Reeve and David Hipperson both in supercharged cars. With numerous class wins in the two Modsports Championships, and also outright wins at MGCC meetings etc., between March 1973 and December 1974, he entered 48 races, taking 21 class wins, and only failed to finish four times, this at a time when race entries cost no more than £4.50 to £6.00! Following a brief lay off, he returned to the fray in 1978, but then sold the car in 1979 to Richard Borthwick who raced it with a

1275cc engine. Then it was hill-climbed by David Jerromes and David Edwards in the mid 1980s to early 90’s with a 1476cc engine, until one of them unfortunately hit a tree at Wiscombe. Now owned

by Robert Nettleton it’s been repaired to a state of complete rolling shell.

Unfortunately, despite best efforts, we cannot find an in-period photo. It would be great if anyone has one in their collection they would share.

We are always interested in what you have been up to, so please do send in any articles or details of your Midget-related activities.

The other pic is of my small collection of CGTs (the white one is a K&R kit). Does anyone else collect diecast models? There are a few around in different scales, but they can get a bit expensive these days – keep a lookout on certain auction websites – you may pick up a bargain winter restoration project!

Merchandise and regalia – If anyone wants to order in time for the festive season

please let me know as soon as possible. Polo shirts (long or short sleeve) for £17 or £20 respectively), fleece jackets for £25, or I can now source a nice ‘soft shell’ jacket for £35. All will be extra for postage of course, but I will let you know the cost before ordering. Some 50th anniversary items are still available. Contact Mike for details – colours, sizes, etc.

A lovely Midget that attended the MG Car Club 90th celebration at the British Motor Museum at Gaydon

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REGISTERS V8 Victor Smith 0208 392 9434 victorsmith@v8register.net www.v8register.net Buying an MGV8 Which is the better choice when looking to get an MG V8 – a high-priced, low-mileage example or a well-maintained car with a moderate mileage of more than 60,000 miles? In many ways, the justification for the premium for a low-mileage car can be doubtful because an MG V8 that has had such low use, sometimes with extended periods in a lay-up, can develop problems that require considerable expense when recommissioning it for even modest use. Also, once a low-mileage car is used even in a moderate way, for example 5,000 miles pa, and the recorded mileage begins to grow, the annual reduction in value becomes a

FWD Ben Hatton ben2692@hotmail.co.uk www.mgcc.co.uk/fwd-register/ My love of MGs started as a very little girl from my dad. He’d had to sell his pride and joy TC when he married my mum and always vowed one day there would be an MG on the driveway again. We ended up with various types, but as a teenager my love of MGs was firmly established when he let me drive his MGB. From then I was smitten.

I started with a Metro, moved on to a Maestro,

90 SAFETY FAST! NOVEMBER 2020

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significant cost for the owner. A recent article on the V8 website looks at the potential maintenance outlays and other costs with low-mileage MG V8s and reviews the benefits that can be had when buying a well-maintained car with a higher mileage at a lower price.

Buyers with more modest budgets may feel that an RV8 with 50,000 to 80,000 miles that has been regularly serviced and well-maintained is not something to cringe away from, but in fact is likely to be a car in better mechanical and electrical condition from regular use, plus the purchase cost as a Condition 1 car will usually be much lower.

So overall their car could be much better value for money and after the first five years they could have a better investment.

the simultaneous sealing of two junctions with four water ports at opposite corners. In practice, if assembled carefully these joints appear to be relatively trouble free. The other bolted junctions, thermostat housing and heater valve, are simple joints with gaskets and relatively easily made leak proof if the faces are flat and undamaged and new gaskets are fitted.

More troublesome are the numerous hose-topipe joints. With eight hoses and 16 joints, double check each seal for leaks.

See “More” on both items above at: www. v8register.net/more.htm

Cooling system pressure testing and leak detection on the MGB GT V8 In a new V8 Workshop Note Jim Livingstone explains the issues which need to be addressed if sealing the MGB V8 engine cooling system is to be successful, as it is challenging because the system includes a large variety of joints, both bolted and clipped. Of the bolted joints, the inlet manifold to cylinder heads would appear to present the greatest challenge as they require

Worm drive clip showing distortion if the wrong size is used

back to a Metro and then in 1999 bought my first brand new MG in the form of my MGF. Dad was firm in the belief that I must have something a little different and in May 2001 he spotted an MG 1100 for sale in Surbiton, which he was desperate for me to purchase. ‘Dolly’ came with her original invoice so I knew she had been purchased new in Redhill, Surrey, in June 1966. From Redhill she moved to the Isle of Wight where I believe she had two owners and stayed until 1999 when she had relocated to Surbiton until I was lucky enough to make her mine and took her to live in Luton where I used her for my daily commute to work at the Airport. From what I knew, she’d

had very little done to her and amazingly had remained in fantastic condition, apart from some filling around the arches and other areas on her body; underneath she was solid and remained completely original on the inside. Since I relocated to Norfolk 11 years ago, Dolly has been under the loving care of MG Mecca and last year I was lucky enough to be able to have her body totally restored to original condition – no traces of filler here now! The MG love continues in the bloodline and my son has recently started driving ‘Dolly’.

Totally loved and cherished, I think Dad would be very happy!

Beverley Hampshire

www.mgcc.co.uk

26/10/2020 15:21

REGISTERS anniversary of the MG Car Club. The MG Social attracted over 300 cars which was an excellent turnout. This was maybe the first opportunity JOHN THOMPSON for many months that some had been able to 01702 298866 attend an event. There was an especially good johnt5@btinternet.com turnout of Zeds together with Fs and TFs, which www.mgcc.co.uk/zedregister are celebrating their 25th anniversary this year.

It was good to catch up with everyone again Events after so many months and to meet some of our It’s been quite a while since we’ve had an new members who had joined us during the event to review, but on October 10 we headed year. Across the parking area there was a real to the BMM at Gaydon to celebrate the 90th mix of models from all eras The Zeds put on a very colourful show which included many monogram examples.

Everyone we spoke to were enjoying the day.

Thank you to everyone who braved the wind and light rain to support the Register that day, especially those who volunteered to have their The Register stand at Gaydon, ZR 160s and ZS 180s all the way! cars in our display area.

ZR/ZS/ZT

There were many questions asked and interest shown in the Zed’s 20th anniversary next year.

We already have some exciting plans and ideas in the pipeline which will be announced in due course. Watch this space...!

Join The Zeds – Update Thankyou to everyone who has shown an interest in joining the committee or volunteered to help, but the recruitment drive continues. As we mentioned last month, next year is the 20th anniversary of the launch of our cars and plans are already in motion. This is an ideal time to become involved. Some of us have been involved with the Register committee for many years and we would certainly welcome an injection of fresh ideas and views. If you would like to contribute to the committee directly or be a volunteer at one of our events, we look forward to hearing from you.

For further information contact me directly at the email at the head of these notes.

In the January issue of Safety Fast! we conclude our review of the Zed models in the register newsletter, by looking at the ZT/ZT-T and V8 story.

O C GT LO T MG B E S H E T! N T E LAT TES O GO H TH ENCH TC EB WA NGIN E

We are proud to offer an extremely well restored 1954 1250 TF.

MG TF 1250 (1954)

MG TF 1250 (1954)

This fine car was repatriated from the US in 2014 and underwent an in depth body-off restoration.

The end result is a car of stunning appearance that drives as well as it looks.

The car is ready to go. Just fully serviced and although MOT and tax exempt is offered with a new MOT as an external and independent validation of its integrity and quality. £28,495 (P/Ex a pleasure)

NOW £26,495 REDUCED PRICE

We are proud to offer an extremely well restored 1954 1250 TF.

This fine car was repatriated from the US in 2014 and underwent an in depth body-off restoration. The end result is a car of stunning appearance that drives Please visit www.quarryclassics.co.uk for more details and pictures, as well as it looks.

or call John Denton on 07710 808084.

www.mgcc.co.uk

The car is ready to go. Just fully serviced and although MOT and tax exempt is offered with a new MOT as an external and independent validation of its integrity and quality. £28,495 (P/Ex a pleasure)

NOVEMBER 2020 SAFETY FAST! 91

Please visit www.quarryclassics.co.uk for more details and pictures, or call John Denton on 07710 808084.

SafetyFast_Nov2020_49-98.indd 91

We are proud to offer 26/10/2020 15:21 an extr

CLASSIFIEDS

church square

autos FAMILY BUSINESS ESTABLISHED 1981.

Our office/ showroom is at 62B HIGH STREET SHEPPERTON TW17 9AU VIEWING BY APPOINTMENT PLEASE

How to Advertise

Members can advertise their cars free of charge in Safety Fast! The cost for non members is £20. The advert will also appear on the Club website. To place an advert in Safety Fast! please email colingrant@mgcc.co.uk with an attached photo of your car, the wording to be used, your contact details, price of your car, area where you live and membership number. Please keep your advert to 70 words, the editor reserves the right to edit longer adverts.

This is for one insertion only, for additional insertions please email Colin Grant

MG TF 160vvc 2008(08) – 38,000 Miles A Very Very rare 2008 (08) registered TF160vvc, with the number plate MG08 VVC. FSH Late facelift car with soft ride suspension, smokstone cockpit, black leather sport seat, grey alcantara inserts, heated glass rear screen etc. new headgasket/cambelt/water pump by us in 2018 Outstanding condition. £7,995

MG MGF 1.8vvc. One owner – Only 10,500miles 1996 (N Reg), Manual, Petrol Finished in: Red / Red leather One owner very low mileage MGF vvc for sale. Garaged all of its life, with these extra’s from new, Hard top, passengers airbag, full service history, handbooks, number plates, This unmarked MGF vvc is totally original and as near new as you can get, This is a total one off collectors / showcar... can be imported in to the USA. £7,995

1980 MGB GT

Chrome Bumper,Wood effect dash.

Black interior with red pipping and new red carpets,all in very good condition.

New castle rail and sill. 58,000 miles with old M.O.Ts.Had much recent work done.£5000.Tel.01362668667 or email. glodansdock@gmail.com. (Norfolk)

1980 MGB

MG ZT-T CDTI + 135 Auto

Diesel. First reg 09/11/2004 to MG Rover Group Commissioning number ZT-28760, purchased by me, the second owner, on 4/4/2005. Do you want to own an unmolested, unmodified MG ZT-T? Mileage 130K. MOT until Oct 2021.

Price £2,250.00. Tel. 01787 269767 (Essex/ Suffolk boarders)

Inca Yellow. One owner from new, before me, genuine 60,000 miles. Not used in 5 years, just back from bare metal respray which included new doors. The car now needs recommissioning, all complete including reconditioned seats, plus new waterpump and thermostat housing. Very sound and genuine car £5750. Please call David on 01255 675358 or 07740 636158 (North Essex)

MG MGF Freestyle – Limited Edition.

2001 (51 Reg), 70,000 Miles, Manual, Petrol, Finished in: BRGreen/Black leather Last MGF ltd edtion made. MGF Trophy front and rear spoilers, full Black leather sport seats, 16” ‘SE’ alloy wheels. Rare in British racing green. Serviced, new headgasket cambelt, new mot, no advisories. A very sort after MGF model. £3,495

1932 D type Midget 1967 MGB GT

Old English White with black interior.

New Ivor Searle 1800 remanufactured unleaded engine in September 2019, refurbished starter motor September 2020, New front leather seats added in 2013 with headrests. Car drives brilliantly.

Fantastic condition inside and out.

Complete rebuild approx. 2006. £8,500.

First registered Feb 1967, I have owned it since June 2013. Tel: David 07421 877997 (Reading area)

Barn find in Market Harborough area.

Current V5c and original registration number. Needs work but appears to be at least 90% complete. Wheels stated as having been re-furbished and new tyres fitted. Vendor would be looking for £10,000 or near offer. Contact Roger Cooper on 01858 463417.

(Market Harborough, South Leics)

MG MGF 1.8i Convertible – Just 57,000miles 2001 (Y Reg), 57,000 Miles, Manual, Petrol, Finished in: Black metallic / Full Black leather Lady has owned this MGF since 2006. Low mileage, abs, wind deflector, ew, cl, alloy wheels. Service history, spare keys. Covered just 1,700 miles since 2015. Full service plus a new headgasket/cambelt/water pump and cat/ lamba sensor, new mot £2,695

THIS IS JUST A SMALL SELECTION FROM OUR STOCK 01932 241843 OR 07836 281493 mgsales@churchsquareautos.com • david@usedmgf.co.uk www.churchsquareautos.com • www.usedmgf.co.uk SALES &PARTS FOR YOUR MGF/TF 92 SAFETY FAST! NOVEMBER 2020

SafetyFast_Nov2020_49-98.indd 92

1955 MG TF 1500 1968 MGB Roadster

Cherished car with current owner since 1984. In its current format it competes in the MGCC Speed Championship RGM. Peter Burgess 1950 engine. Webbers Uprated disc and pads. Battery box in passenger footwell. Roll Cage, etc. £15k ono.

Contact Terry Pigott on Mobile 07799 377641.

(Hall Green, Birmingham)

Please note that the Advertising deadline is November 10 for the December issue of Safety Fast!

In Firefrost red. 29,200 New set of 5 Falken ZE original hood, goes ve too modern for me! B of another project (ha March, would like to s unfinished/ incomplet pre 1960’s. For sale £3 ex, cash either way W. on 07709 621385 (Nor

1968 MGCGT

MG MGF 1.8i – Every bill from new 1997 (R Reg) 47,626 Miles, Manual, Petrol, Finished in: B.R.Green / Green leather Father and Daughter plus now me from new, with MEGA full service history + every bill old mots original handbooks etc. Very low mileage. Headgasket + bottom rail replaced at 46,000m at a cost of £3800+ have bills.

New Mot with no advisories. Outstanding condiion. .£3,495

MGB engine, 5 speed ill health less than a ye rebuild. Body work by professionally reupho leather. New carpets, and dashboard re-ven hensive engine rebuild cam, head and block s electronic ignition, alt tyres, brake servo, all exhaust - no expense s in exceptional conditio Invoices available. £1 details contact Alan on email: trishsanders200 (Near Bath)

2005 MG TF Sp

MG MGF Convertible + H/Top – Just 43,000 miles 1999 (V Reg), Manual, Petrol Finished in: Silver / Black leather MGF 1.8i Facelift model, with removable colour coded hard top, black soft top. Fitted with black leather sport seats, passengers airbag, adjustable steering column, electric mirrors, documented service history.

Just moted. New headgasket/cambelt/water pump (13/10/20). Outstanding original car immaculate condition. £3,795

1957 ZB Magn

Period Shorrock Supercharger, updated diff, concealed LED lighting, Aero Screens, stainless exhaust, boot rack. Cherished MG Number plate, possibly unique specification, owned over 20 years. Condition 1-2, offers over 30K. Tel: 07714767714.

(Hampshire)

BRG mot. 7/21, 97K u 51/2J wires, new splin MK11B servo, twin ele calipers, drilled discs, exhaust, replaced eng pump, carb jets/needl li dampers, front susp Refurbished front seat parts. £17250 ono. Te (North Cornwall)

2003 MG ZS 1974 MGBGT

Reg. 2905 MG. 67,000 miles. Owned for 19 years, stored for 10 years. New starter motor, batteries, water pump and recent new tyres; brake slaves, clutch master, and slave cylinders. S/S exhaust, overdrive. All the body work is solid, some paintwork needs attention. £8,000. Full details and more photos call Mick 07708 162111 (Essex).

Atomix Limited Edition nity to obtain one of t “Atomix” special editio Owned since 2013 and history since then with some history prior to t 124,000 miles with rec gasket, head bolts, wa and cambelt. Recent f Greenstuff pads and d February 2021. Offers Tel: 07759224657 or Nigel.silman@gmail.co

www.mgcc.co.uk

26/10/2020 15:22

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1933 MG 2-seat ‘L’ Magna. Very, very rarely do these models come to the market. Here is a car built by two of the best MG engineering shops in the UK. 1400cc engine, 80 bhp – excellent condition right through. Surely one of the most handsome of the . .£67,500 ovno. early MGs. Full history, reg No, paperwork....... ...........................................................................................................................

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ARE SOME RARE & DI FFI CU LT P ARTS N OT OFTEN AVAI LABLE WE HAVE SPARES, SPARES, SPARES FORHERE ALL PRE-WAR MGs MGs – BOTH NEWNEW & USED WE HAVE SPARES, SPARES, SPARES FOR ALL PRE-WAR – BOTH & USED VisitVisit www.barrywalker.com or phone or email www.barrywalker.com or phone or email P Series cyl. block...excellent...............................................................£ 85 0 * cyl.DIhead...excellent..............................................................£ 9 5 0LABLE HERE AREARE SOME RARE DI & FFI CUFFILT ARTS N OTN OFTEN AVAIAVAI LABLE * P& Series HERE SOME RARE CU P LT P ARTS OT OFTEN * Set of 12” cable brakes...per corner.....................................................£ 25 0 NOW RE DUCE D...£42,500...Just view it Set of orig.

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V. good bodywork. complete but restored rolling Complete Visit www.barrywalker.com or phoneJ2 oreng. email *Price steel J/Lsteel /P/N differential.................................................£ 9 7 new 585 09 dashboard dependent on your engine choice....£20,000 guide. This car is virtually complete.

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It J/Ltruly is adifferential.................................................£ bargain and needs to be HERE fiARE V.4-star rare 4-star /P/N 7 5 RARE rewall, (no gauges), oldLTseats, plus tyresLABLE and brand * V.* Prare cyl. block...excellent...............................................................£ *Series SO,SOSOME MUCH MORE TO IF CU YOU CALL IN v.N good & SEE DI FFI P ARTS OT wheels, OFTEN new AVAI ADROW This H AD E E isW L the S....................................................................£ 50 each will make aview very valuable car if built as the 2-seat Magna*with NSeries engine. new 2-seat body byROGilbert. defi nition of a bargain!...... £18,950 delivered UK. V. rare MG ‘ M’ 9 : 44 RE B UIL T diff........................................................£ 85 0 NOW RE DUCE viewed, D...£42,500...Just it H E E L S....................................................................£ 50 each V. rare MG ‘ M’ 9 : 44 RE B UIL T diff........................................................£ 85 0 P cyl. head...excellent..............................................................£ 9 5 0 * * ALL P RI CES P LU S CARRI AGE & VAT OR CALL I N FOR BETTER BARGAI N S ON P RI CE V.* rare J2 windscreen...£ 6 5 0..........................................P type..........................£ 5 5 0 P Series cyl. block...excellent...............................................................£ 85 0 Set V. of rare 12” cable brakes...per corner.....................................................£ 25 0 5 5 0 J2 windscreen...£ 6 5 0..........................................P type..........................£ WE HAVE SPARES, SPARES, SPARES FOR ALL PRE-WAR MGs – BOTH NEW & USED * * * WE HAVE SPARES, SPARES, SPARES FOR ALL PRE-WAR MGs – BOTH NEW & USED Complete NEW 12” cable brake sets now coming back on stream, available as full sets or pairs.

8: 43 ; 8: 41; 8: 3 9 brand new crown wheel & piston sets to suit 2 or 4 star diff. units.............the very best availa P Series cyl. head...excellent..............................................................£ 9 5 0 Set V. of orig.

J/F/D cable brakes...whole car...........................................£ ** V.* rare * * D/F1 dash panel, complete...totally rebuilt as new......................£ 9 5 06 5 09 5 0 Visit www.barrywalker.com or phone or email rare D/F1 dash panel, complete...totally rebuilt as new......................£ cable brakes...per corner.....................................................£ 25 0 Visit www.barrywalker.com orNAMOS phone or email * L UCAS ORIGINAL L AMPS...HE AD/TAIL /SIDE for all early MG models...all totally restored, outright or exchan shelf4-star FUL L Y steel restored & rebuilt MMM & TA/B & STARTE R MOTORS, V.*rare J/L /P/N differential.................................................£ 9 7 5 * Set/CofDY12” * Off* the HERE ARE SOME RARE & DI FFI CU LT P ARTS N OT OFTEN AVAI LABLE SO,SO MUCH MORE TO SEE IF YOU CALL IN Set of orig.

J/F/D cable brakes...whole car...........................................£ 6 5 0 SO,SO MUCH MORE TO SEE IF YOU CALL IN RO * AD W H E E L NTS S....................................................................£ 50 each * available) INSTRUME - we carry one of the largest ‘ off the shelf’ stock of early MG gauges, OR E ‘ M’ X CHANGE RUSH .

MG 9 : 44 RE ( B 2T diff........................................................£ * V. rare HERE OUTRIGHT ARE SOME RARE & UILB DI FFIMMM CU also LT P ARTS OFTEN 85 0AVAI LABLE V. rare 4-star type..........................£ steelN J/LOT 5 J2 TYwindscreen...£ 6 5 RI0..........................................P 5 5 0 CALL UCAS PE 16 ALL 0 RE AR VIECES MIRRORS L AGE MGs FROM 19 differential.................................................£ 3 0OR - 19 CALL 5 0OR types,BETTER any9 7 model, outright P ALL P LU SP * FOR CARRI & /P/N VAT I N FOR BETTER BARGAI N SorONexchange.

RI CE block...excellent...............................................................£ 85 0 rad shell with nose… really excellent condition...............................£650 * P Series PW RI CES LU rare SAL CARRI VAT I N allFOR BARGAI SP ON P RI CE * NE* W V.L rare RO AD W H E E N L S....................................................................£ 50 each V.RE rare windscreen… £650...............P MG ‘ M’ 9 : 44AGE B UIL& TJ2 diff........................................................£ 85 0 type .................................................£550 * V.rebuilt BARE PA CHASSIS V.‘ King-of-the-Road’ rare D/F1 dash panel, complete...totally as new......................£ 9 5 0 * J Series with medallion....................................available with RH & L H arms.

Remember factory specification TOOL KITS...NO RE PROS. All original, all correct, all MMM & TA/B /C. head...excellent..............................................................£ 9 5 0 rad shell with nose… really excellent condition ...............................£650 * * Complete engine, fully restored, assembled ................................£7,500 V. windscreen...£ 6 5 0..........................................P 5 not 5 04 2star cyl. block...excellent...............................................................£ NEW 12” cable sets now back on stream, available as full as sets orsets pairs.

43 85*; boxes 8:0*8: 41; 8:8:J23 41; 9 all brand new crownJ2 wheel & piston sets tosets suitbut units.............the very best available.

NEW 12” brake cable setscoming now coming back onW stream, available fullMUCH orMORE pairs.

43 rare ; MMM 8:CALL 3 9 button brand crown wheel &type..........................£ piston to2 -or suit or 4diff. diff. veryD best * P Series with trunnion and * Other shells, poorer but brake cheaper. * Complete * 8:TO ble brakes...per corner.....................................................£ 25 0rad * Complete e can now offer SO,SO original large button/parallel sided horn dipnew switches Remember we carry offstar the shelf,units.............the both NOSE -MOUNTE & SIDEavailable.

MOUNTE D SEE IF YOU INcomplete...totally Another, also complete, J2 engine, but unrestored ......................................£5,500 V. rare D/F1 dash panel, rebuilt as new......................£ 9 5 0 * * * head...excellent..............................................................£ 9 Orig 5 0 ORIGINAL chassis * Set cable brakes… whole car ..................................................£650 * L UCAS L AMPS...HE AD/TAIL /SIDE for all early MG models...all totally restored, outright or exchange.

Off the of FULJ/F/D L Y restored & rebuilt MMMcyl. & TA/B /C DY NAMOS & STARTE R MOTORS, cross tubes. /F/D cable brakes...whole car...........................................£ 6 shelf 5 0orig. * P Series

2016

MIKE ROLLS SERVICES FOR MGs

*

* Off the shelf FUL

*

*

*

*

L Y restored & rebuilt MMM & TA/B /C DY NAMOS & STARTE R MOTORS,

*

*L *

* *

* *

UCAS ORIGINAL L AMPS...HE AD/TAIL /SIDE for all early MG models...all totally restored, outright or exchange.

Complete set ofCALL restored gauges, plates, switches in black or brown with chrome plinth..............long each. supercharger installations forN ....................................£950 all ALL P with RI CES P 25 LU 0overdue.........................................£96.50 S CARRI AGE & VAT I N PA FOR BARGAI S pre-T ON P models.

RI CE MUCH MOREOR TO SEE IF YOU IN BETTER No. and complete with SO,SO * TA/B.C 8:39( 2high ration differential .......................................£1,250 Set 12” cable brakes...per r steel J/L /P/N differential.................................................£ 9 7 5 fully INSTRUME NTS - we carry ofone the largest ‘ offCALL the‘ off shelf’ of earlyof MG gauges, OUTRIGHT OR restored E X OR CHANGE B RUSH MMM also available) . corner.....................................................£ INSTRUME - weP one carry of the largest the stock shelf’ stock earlyBETTER MG gauges, OUTRIGHT E fully X CHANGE (MM 2- of B and RUSH MMM also available) . From £750 pair orig. reg. No. ........... £3,950 NTS ALL Coming stream, rebuilt TJ/F/D series headlamps .......

RI crown CES P LU S CARRI AGEsets & VAT OR CALL I N star FOR BARGAI N S ON best P RI CE RO 12” AD W cable H E E L S....................................................................£ 50 each M’ 9 : 44 RE B UIL T diff........................................................£ 85 0 on NEW brake sets now coming back on stream, available as full sets or pairs.

8: 43 ; 8: 41; 8: 3 9 brand new wheel & piston to suit 2 or 4 diff. units.............the very available.

Set of orig. cable brakes...whole car...........................................£ 6 5 0 *NE* Complete * W L NEUCAS TY PE TY16 0PE RE 16AR VIE AR W VIE MIRRORS FOR ALFOR L MGs FROM 19 3 0 -1919 3 5 00- 19 5 0 all types, any model, outrightoutright or exchange.

W L UCAS 0 RE W MIRRORS AL L MGs FROM all types, any model, or exchange. dscreen...£ 6 5 0..........................................P type..........................£ 5 5 0 ORIGINAL AMPS...HE for all models...all or exchange. the shelf FUL L Y restored & rebuilt TA/B J/L/C/P/N NAMOS & 12” STARTE R MOTORS, NEW brake sets now coming back *onL stream, as full L sets or pairs. *AD/TAIL 8: 43 ; 8: 41;/SIDE 8: 3 9 brand newearly crownMG & piston sets totally to suit 2restored, or 4 star diff.outright units.............the very best available.

V. rareMMM 4-star&steel differential.................................................£ 9 UCAS 7 5 available * Off‘ King-of-the-Road’ *DYComplete with medallion....................................available with RHcable & L RH H arms.

Remember - factory specification TOOL KITS...NO REL AMPS...HE PROS. Allwheel original, allallcorrect, all MMM TA/B restored, with L H arms.

Remember - Rfactory specification TOOL KITS...NO RE PROS. All original, all correct, all & MMM &/C. TA/B‘phone /C. dash panel, complete...totally rebuilt as new......................£ 9 5 0 ‘ King-of-the-Road’ * L UCAS ORIGINAL AD/TAIL /SIDE for early MG models...all totally outright or exchange.

Off the shelf FUL L Y with restored &&rebuilt MMM & TA/B /C *DY INSTRUME NAMOS & STARTE MOTORS, NTS we carry one of the largest ‘ off the shelf’ stock of early MG gauges, OUTRIGHT OR E X CHANGEmedallion....................................available ( 2- V. B RUSH MMM also available) . please before calling in * AD W H E E L S....................................................................£ 50 each rare MG ‘ M’ 9 : 44MMM RE B UIL T diff........................................................£ 85 0 button/parallel sided horn button Remember -any weROmodel, carry theoff shelf, NOSE -MOUNTE & ofSIDE MOUNTE eL UCAS canoffer now offer large sided MMM horn Remember - we off carry the shelf, bothNTS NOSE D &largest SIDE ‘ offMOUNTE D barry@barrywalker.com *both INSTRUME - we-MOUNTE carryDone the theDEmail: shelf’ stock of early MG gauges, OR button E dip X CHANGE 2- B5 RUSH MMM also available) .

SO,SO MUCH MORE TO SEE IF YOU CALL IN W * eNEcan W W now TY original PE 16 original 0large RE AR VIE W button/parallel MIRRORS FOR ALOUTRIGHT L MGs FROM 19switches 3 dip 0 - ( 19switches 0 all types, outright or exchange.

Web: www.barrywalker.com British Motor V. rare J2 windscreen...£ 6 5 0..........................................P type..........................£ 5 5 0 ....for the very best MGs.....

TYwith PE RH 16 ed0 RE W MIRRORS FOR ALRemember L MGs FROM 19installations 3 0 -in 19installations 5 vintage 0specification all types, anymodels. model, outright or exchange. black brown with plinth..............long overdue.........................................£96.50 each. supercharger for all pre-T models.

Heritage approv ALL P RI CES P LU S CARRI AGE & inVAT OR FORchrome BETTER BARGAI N S ON P RI CE overdue.........................................£96.50 with ‘ CALL King-of-the-Road’ & L AR H VIE arms. factory TOOL KITS...NO RE PROS. All original, all correct, all MMM & TA/B /C. * NE W L UCAS in or black orI N brown with medallion....................................available chrome plinth..............long each. supercharger for all pre-T * 9 5 0 with RH & L H arms.

V. rare D/F1 dash panel, complete...totally rebuilt as new......................£ with ‘horn King-of-the-Road’ medallion....................................available - factory specification RE PROS. * Remember W e wheel can now offer button/parallel sided MMM button dip switches - we carry off the shelf, both NOSE -MOUNTE D &TOOL SIDEKITS...NO MOUNTE D All original, all correct, all MMM & TA/B /C. s full sets or pairs. * 8: 43 ; 8: 41; 8: 3 9 brand new *crown & piston setsoriginal to suit 2 large or 4 star diff. units.............the very best available. * Remember W e can now offer original large button/parallel sided MMM horn button dip switches - we carry off the shelf, both NOSE -MOUNTE D & SIDE MOUNTE D * or in black or /SIDE brown chrome plinth..............long overdue.........................................£96.50 installations for all* Remember pre-T models.

SO,SO MUCH MORE TO SEE IF YOU CALL IN each. supercharger * L UCAS ORIGINAL L AMPS...HE AD/TAIL forwith all early MG models...all totally restored, outright exchange.

R MOTORS, in black or brown with chrome plinth..............long overdue.........................................£96.50 each. supercharger installations for all pre-T models. * INSTRUME NTS - we carry one of the largest ‘ off the shelf’ stock of early MG gauges, ALL P RI CES P LU S CARRI AGE & VAT OR CALL I N FOR BETTER BARGAI N S ON P RI CE pleaseplease ‘phone‘phone beforebefore callingcalling in - 19 5 0 all types, any model, outright or exchange. in Tel: 400181 Mob: 07836 244103 L H arms. specification TOOL now KITS...NO RE back PROS.on Allstream, original, all correct, all & TA/Bor/C. Complete NEW- factory 12” cable brakeBritish sets coming available asMMM full sets pairs.

8: 43 ; 8: 41; 8: 3 9 brand new crown wheel & piston sets to suitEmail: 2 or 4 star diff. units.............the very best01789 available. * Remember barry@barrywalker.com Web:calling www.barrywalker.com Motor Motor Email: barry@barrywalker.com Web: please ‘phone before inwww.barrywalker.com please ‘phone before calling in ....forD the very best in vintage MGs..... witches Remember - we carry off the shelf, bothBritish NOSE -MOUNTE D & SIDE MOUNTE

* * * * * *

Specialising in all MG’s BARRY WALKER

TRADE MEMBER

.

TEL/FAX: 01258WW 820337 B ARRY ALKER B ARRY ALKER B ARRY W ALKER BSat:ARRY Mon, Tues, Thurs, Fri: 8am-6pm,Wed: 8am-5pm, 8am-1pm WALKER

Tel: 01789 400181

Mob: 07836 244103

Tel: Tel: 01789 400181 Mob:Mob: 07836 244103 01789 400181 07836 244103

* * shelf FUL L Y restored Heritage approv ed & rebuilt MMM & TA/B Heritage approv ed * Off the ..........£96.50 each. supercharger installations for all pre-T models.

*

Tel: 01789 400181

Mob: 07836 244103

. &.....for very best *inL UCAS vintage MGs.....

ORIGINAL L AMPS...HE AD/TAIL /SIDE for all early MG models...all totally restored, outright or exchange. /C DY NAMOS STARTE the R MOTORS, Email: barry@barrywalker.com Web: www.barrywalker.com British Motor Email: barry@barrywalker.com Web: www.barrywalker.com British in Motor .....for the very best vintage .....for best vintage MGs.....

INSTRUME MGs.....

NTS - we the carryvery one of the in largest ‘ off the shelf’ stock of early MG gauges, OUTRIGHT OR E X CHANGE ( 2-Heritage B RUSH MMM approv ed also available) .

Heritage approv* ed NE W L UCAS TY PE 16 0 RE AR VIE W MIRRORS FOR AL L MGs FROM 19 3 0 19 5 0 all types, any model, outright or exchange. * Tel: 01789 400181 Mob: 07836 244103 with ‘ King-of-the-Road’ medallion....................................available with RH & L H arms. * Remember - factory specification TOOL KITS...NO RE PROS. All original, all correct, all MMM & TA/B /C. please ‘phone before calling in can now offer original large button/parallel sided MMM hornWeb: button dip switches * W ehaving * Remember - we carry off the shelf, both NOSE -MOUNTE D & SIDE MOUNTE D Email: barry@barrywalker.com www.barrywalker.com MGs..... nt condition wned since . overdue.........................................£96.50 ell known to MGCC. in black or brown with chrome plinth..............long each. supercharger installations for all pre-T models.

2016 201 6

LKER

MGB Roadster

M G A T w in C a m

C o u p e MIKE ROLLS

myself and other Matching numbers. riginal Mineral lue ars. ritish acing with pale grey Connolly hide on e u e Tel: 01789 400181 Mob: 07836 244103 enquiries@mgsforsale.com www.mgsforsale.com Specialising in all MG’s ather interior. he has seats. ody o 0,000 miles ago. lmost TRADE MEMBER please ‘phone before calling in e seats which are in TEL/FAX: 01258 820337 everything renewed. uilt for modern Email: barry@barrywalker.com Web: www.barrywalker.com British Motor the very best in8am-6pm, vintage MGs.....

Heritage approv ed s is the whole interior.

Tues, Thurs, Fri: Wed: 8am-5pm, Sat: 8am-1pm tra Mon, c. .7....for 2cc TC engine, arwell head, ard li s the whole MG overdrive gbo and di . Most intwork are very MG RV8 - 1995 original bits included. £2 ,000 ono.

MG CGT 1968 AUTOMATIC Older Nut & Bolt Restored an these payments in house.Roadster 1967 Mk1 MGB M G A T w MGi n RV8, C a 1995 m C finished o u p ine Woodcote Green, andprocess the underneath Email: jfarrington999@gmail.com (RWD628G) MG CGT 1968, automatic, excellent Mineral confirmation atThe thecar present time. is in e cellent condition having wned sincethe car was . ell known toback MGCC. y immaculate. he re-imported to the UK in Blue coachwork with nicely mellowed original Black 2016 MG6 GT diesel been cared for by myself and other Matching numbers.

Mineral late 0s. The car 2005, it hasriginal only done aroundlue 50,500 miles leather interior trim, original genuine leather bound MGC model. owners over the years. ritish acing with pale greyaceli Connolly hideTop on ofe the u erange T enquiries@mgsforsale.com www.mgsforsale.com tion and a enlow fan from new and has been fi tted with an Electric as we can process these payments in house. steering wheel, nicely detailed engine compartment Green with black leather interior. he has turboago. diesel. seats. ody omodel.

0,000. miles lmost,000 miles obtain confirmation at the present time. hat an original. truly power steering kit and recently a new hood. green piping on the seats which are in housing the smooth 3.0 litre engine ideal with the Borg daily driver everything renewed. uiltsoformileage modernwill increase 0 s ritish engineering.

The car comes with a very nice registration superb condition as is the whole interior.

Warner automatic gearbox making this particularly rare tra c. 7 2cc TC engine, arwellinserts. head, MoT d until alloys, red bumper s. £ 2, number and history file, it is MOT’d to The walnut dashboard li s the whole model an ideal classic today, this vehicle apparently formed part of a collection of a deceased MG overdrive gbo and di . Most une 2020. ecent discs and pads as well r 0 1 7 3 2 8 8 7 2 6 5 cabin. ody and paintwork are very £23,995 2021 drives superbly. original bitsMarch included. £2and,000 ono. estate, on inspection one can see the of theAUTOMATIC rebuild fromOlder a number yearsRestored ago and as new tyres. ull leather interior, sat MGquality CGT 1968 Nut &ofBolt @ g m a il.c o m strong with no rust and the underneath Email: jfarrington999@gmail.com with likely little miles since is still very fresh in appearance, just automatic, arrived £24,950.00 nav, luetooth connectivity. ull service (RWD628G) MG CGT 1968, excellent Mineral is sound. ngine bay immaculate. he MGC - 1969 history ROADSTER serviced by C Motor 2016 Tech MG6 GT diesel Blue coachwork with nicely mellowed original Black was restored in the late 0s. The car MGofBGT (LLF951K) MGC in Old English White.. nical Roadster, Centre. n1969 good condition. pacious, leather interior MG trim,BGT, original genuine leather bound MGC ite. are aceli model. Top the1972 rangeLast T Owner 37 Years has electronic ignition and a enlow fan 1972, last owner 37 years, chrome bumpers, overdrive, This car comes with overdrive, painted wire economical engaging modern MG. £ 00 steering wheel, nicely detailed engine compartment uild model. . turboMG diesel. ,0001934 milesTwo Seater (NG7281), PA Midget a delightful pre-war example in Cream coachwork 2 0 1 0 M G T F 8 5 t h tted other than that an original. truly chrome Rostyle wheels, Aqua coachwork now requiring wheels, black sports reclining seats with ono.

Call dam on 07 07 0 with Black leather interior trim, a known example that has appeared “The Magic the Marque”, housing the smooth 3.0 litreinengine ideal ofwith the Borg uspension. daily driver so mileage will increase nniversary ne of only 0 ever stunning e ample of 0 s dition. ritish engineering. not a concours show car it does emanate an original ‘time warp’ feel, the car also has hadrare the some improvement but a very solid vehicle indeed with a white piping, uprated engine with gas fl owed Warner automatic gearbox making this particularly er years. alloys, red bumper inserts. MoT d until built, full leather ased in evenoaks. £ 2, seats, air con, heated benefi t ofand an pads overhauled engine withoriginal little miles a history file has invoices both past & nice original feel and appearance, style since, navy cloth head, Maniflow exhaust system, Motolita une 2020. ecent discs as well C a l l 0 7 9 3 0 4 glass 9 1 0 2 rear 7 o r window, 0 1 7 3 2 8 8 Twist 7 2 6 5 of Pepper alloy present by engine copy documentation fromand when supplied by Turnhill North & Co. new in trim, gold sat seal fitted mid 80’s drives wood rim steering wheel, new hood and good tyres. ullinterior as new leatheraccompanied interior, uk 1934. The weather equipment of black hood, side screens and tonneau are in good serviceable e m a i l : w a l k wheels, e r m r 2 0 wind @ g m astop, i l . c o m hood cover, full si e nav, luetooth connectivity. ull service delightfully, history with original documentation service history. The car has recently been Oxon ) spare wheel and the rare MGT toolkit condition, thegood leather interiorfile provides a nice patina and also benefits from deluxe instrumentation, history by istoa C Motor Tech car re-commissioned and serviced by us and is in servicedback the 80’s, anumbers plethora of invoices renowned Brian Browndoes Classics &B this matching and whilstfrom maintaining so specialists many original features also have This edition is the only MGT to every nical Centre. n good condition. pacious, Hive, original Gold Seal papers, mot’s etc. etc.just justarrived, arrived£39,950.00 £5,950.00 good condition.,£19,995 indicators fittedUnipart which can be reversed of old course if desired, have mechanical modi cation with economical engaging modern MG. £ 00 2 0 this 1 0 M G T F 8 5 th factory uprated suspension to make ono. Call dam on 07 07 0 oadster nniversary dition. ne of only 0 ever the best driving MGT every produced. erior. The car has built, full leather seats, air con, heated nly 2 000 miles £ , .00.

MG GT 1967 f bodywork restoration glass rear window, Twist of 1967 Pepper alloyin black with MGB GT, MK1, finished T e l: A la n o n 0 7 7 9 9 7 1 7 0 0 7 o r e tremely well and wheels, wind stop, wire hood cover,and fullMichelin si e XAS Tyres, painted wheels email: motorfan@hotmail.co.uk 00 spent on it over spare wheelitand the rare MGT toolkit comes with an impressive spec of a 1950 fast (Fleet Hampshire) o rust or rot in This edition is the only MGT to every road engine. This car has been built for Rally, has been recently M G modi A 1 cation 6 0 0 with have mechanical Fast road, Track day use, it has a very sound eaded to be used in factory uprated suspension to make n good condition, builtthis . n the MkII MGB roadster body and excellent paint, it drives like a proper the best driving MGT r refreshed with a ed with black interior. The car has tacho are every 000produced. miles. t has approv sports car with loads of torque, it has a Heritage Walker 1 15/09/2020 09:27 nly 2Barry 000 miles £ 20.indd , before .00. d doorcards li ingundergone the al October papers this it was approved hours of bodywork restoration Barry certifi Walkercate, October 20.indd 1file and is Tax and good history e was SEE OUR WEBSITE FOR A COMPLETE LISTING OF OUR STOCK T e l : A l a n o n in0 7 7 wit 9 9 7 erland 1 7 0 0 7 The o r power of the motor ar. The car has a sports which is holding up e tremely well and ing the £15,995 MOT exempt. email: motorfan@hotmail.co.uk nds ama ing and has shehad over £ 0,000 spent on it over is 7 P and had be changed to lead ford large (Fleet Hampshire) .00. ono. the past few years. o rust or rot in free petrol. The15/09/2020 car is black 09:27with a beige tory and Do not confuse the above vehicles with cheaper inferior quality models offered elsewhere. Part exchange Barry Walker October 20.indd 1 15/09/2020 09:27 Units 9/10 Fifehead Business Park, Manor Farm, Fifehead Magdalen, Gillingham, Dorset SP8 5RR interor. t s innear a good condition.

32 887265 or mobile the car. The engine has been recently M G A 1 6 0 any 0 make of Motor Car with generous allowances. Discounted cash purchases. Viewing by appointment only na 0s E-mail:tomikerolls4mgs@compuserve.com • www.mikerolls.co.uk The wheel is on the le side of the car. rebuilt allowing unleaded be used in n good condition, built . n the please (available evenings & weekends) no obligation to purchase. All our vehicles carry a warranty, have an ate. Comes Mail Quality000 Service” MOT and are aretfully fully serviced prior to to collection/delivery. collection/delivery. uro or £ 200 G tacho P. Theare 000 the car. The interior refreshed with a Order “FriendlyPrice g m s, a il.c o m MOT and prior miles. hasserviced approv d@ scu car has to be picked from rance.

Phone new dashboard and doorcards li ing the al papers before this it was approved spots are 00 0 or mail whole feel of the car. The car has a sports in wit erland The power of the motor me means e haust which sounds ama ing and she francoise@bignens.org is 7 P and had be changed to lead children we NOVEMBER 2020 SAFETY goes very www.mgcc.co.uk well. £ 0 .00. ono. free petrol. The car is black with a beige Tel: +44 (0) 1953 717618 Fax: (0) 1953 717850 FAST! 93 Barry Barry Walker October 20.indd 1 1 6 10 0 M 15/09/2020 09:27 09:27 1 9 6 0 M G A k 1 Walker October 20.indd 15/09/2020 interor. t s in a good condition.

Please call on 01732 887265 or mobile one Chris . complete body o rebuild.

The wheel is on the le side of the car.

0 7 9 3 0 4 9 1 0 2 7 .

Price 000 uro or £ 200 G P. The E m a i l : w a l k e nished r m r 2 0 @ ing old m a english i l . c o m white with black u leather trim. Thousands spent and must car has to be picked from rance. Phone be seen to be appreciated. £2 ,7 0 00 0 or mail T e l : 0 7 8 1 3 7 4 3 5 7 6 o r 93 WANTED ALL MG MODELS! francoise@bignens.org SafetyFast_Nov2020_49-98.indd 26/10/2020 15:22 All conditions wanted, from barn finds to E m a il: g r a h a m a lla w a y @ y a h o o .c o .u k

SERVICES FOR MGs

BARRY WALKER SOLD

01707 876089

07831 556666

01707 876089

07831 556666

URGENTLY WANTED URGENTL Y WANTED

ANY MG

ANY YEAR

ANY CONDITION

www.mgsforsale.com www.mgmecca.co.uk

WANTED

www.mgmecca.co.uk

How to Advertise

Members can advertise their cars free of charge in Safety Fast! The cost for non members is £20. The advert will also appear on the Club website. To place an advert in Safety Fast! please email colingrant@mgcc.co.uk with an attached photo of your car, the wording to be used, your contact details, price of your car, area where you live and membership number. Please keep your advert to 70 words, the editor reserves the right to edit longer adverts.

This is for one insertion only, for additional insertions please email Colin Grant

1980 MGB GT

Chrome Bumper,Wood effect dash.

Black interior with red pipping and new red carpets,all in very good condition.

New castle rail and sill. 58,000 miles with old M.O.Ts.Had much recent work done.£5000.Tel.01362668667 or email. glodansdock@gmail.com. (Norfolk)

1980 MGB

MG ZT-T CDTI + 135 Auto

Diesel. First reg 09/11/2004 to MG Rover Group Commissioning number ZT-28760, purchased by me, the second owner, on 4/4/2005. Do you want to own an unmolested, MG ZT-T? Old Englishunmodified White, with red trim.

Mileage 130K. MOT until Oct 2021.

Originally aTel. North Price £2,250.00.

01787American 269767 (Essex/ SuffolkBrought boarders)back into the Export.

1956 MGA ROADSTER

Inca Yellow. One owner from new, before me, genuine 60,000 miles. Not used in 5 years, just back from bare metal respray which included new doors. The car now needs recommissioning, all complete including reconditioned seats, plus new waterpump and thermostat housing. Very sound and genuine car £5750. Please call David on 01255 675358 or 07740 636158 (North Essex)

2009 MG TF 85TH ANNIVERSARY.

only 26,000 miles covered. Full

concourse condition. Restored to

service history with hardtop.

RHD spec. A stunning example

Only 50 Built. A chance to own

1967 MGB GT

Old English White with black interior.

New Ivor Searle 1800 remanufactured unleaded engine in September 2019, refurbished starter motor September 2020, New front leather seats added in 2013 with headrests. Car drives brilliantly.

Fantastic condition inside and out.

Complete rebuild approx. 2006. £8,500.

First registered Feb 1967, I have owned it since June 2013. Tel: David 07421 877997 (Reading area)

1971 MGB V8 ROADSTER.

5 Speed gearbox, Power steering, Custom Metallic Blue paint, Beige trim with blue carpets. Blue Everflex Hood, Wood trim dash with a Mota Lita steering wheel. The car was rebuilt in 1993 with many upgradesNot for the purists, but 1968 MGB Roadster Cherished car with current and owner beautifully detailed a since lot of 1984. In its current format fun! it competes in the MGCC Speed Championship RGM. The car has just come in and it is Peter Burgess 1950 engine. Webbers awaiting preparation.

Please Uprated disc and pads. Battery box incall pasfor Roll more details. senger footwell.

Cage, etc. £15k ono.

Contact Terry Pigott on Mobile 07799 377641.

(Hall Green, Birmingham)

£23,995

one ofDthe last beloved 1932 type MidgetMG TF

Barn findseries in Market Harborough sports cars. area.

Current V5c and original registration number. Needs work but appears to be at least 90% complete. Wheels stated as having been re-furbished and new tyres fitted. Vendor would be looking for £10,000 or near offer. Contact Roger Cooper on 01858 463417.

(Market Harborough, South Leics)

£7,500

1968 MGC ROADSTER White with Black Interior piped White, Black Mohair Hood, Still retains its ‘original’ registration number ‘OOB 1955 MG TF 21G’ 1500Stainless Sports Exhaust, Spax Shocks Period Shorrock Supercharger, updated diff,Conversion concealed LED lighting, Aero Screens, – front and rear. stainless exhaust,Wire bootWheels, rack. Cherished Painted MG Number plate, possibly unique specSuperb history going back over ification, owned over 20 years. Condition many 1-2, offers over 30K.years Tel: 07714767714.

(Hampshire) Invoices, photographs, Original Sales Brochure etc.Please call to arrange inspection or to discuss further.

£24,995

For full stocklist please see our website

Please note that the 1974 MGBGT Upton deadline Fields is Garage, Upton Reg. 2905 MG. 67,000Road, miles. Owned for Advertising 19 years, stored for 10 years. New starter Southwell, Notts.

NG25 0QB. motor, batteries, water pump and recent November 10 for the new tyres; brake slaves, clutch master, www.sherwoodrestorations.co.uk December issue of and slave cylinders. S/S exhaust, overdrive. All the body work is solid, some sales@sherwoodrestorations.co.uk Safety Fast! paintwork needs attention. £8,000. Full

or call us on 01636 details and 812655 more photos call Mick 07708 162111 (Essex).

94 SAFETY FAST! NOVEMBER 2020

SafetyFast_Nov2020_49-98.indd 94

Japanese car. One owner in Japan and two in Aussie and UK. You will not find a better RV8 at this price, beautiful car. 3.9 litre V8 engine. Five speed manual gearbox. All leather interior and wood trim.

Has air con not that it’s needed with the hood down. Finished in Woodcote Green with beige interior.The wheels recently refurbished. MOT until August 2021. New battery in August. Must be seen at this price. £17500. Tel: 07716835030 or Email: brian@deaconhall.com (Bucks)

1930 Double Twelve

casings.

a ‘Nut & Bolt’ restoration to

£36,995

1994 MGRV8

In Enigmatic Silver, with

Two owners from new with

and one of the best MGA

MGB engine, 5 speed box. For sale due to ill health less than a year after complete rebuild. Body work by John Shorten and professionally reupholstered in burgundy leather. New carpets, cloth headlining and dashboard re-veneered. Comprehensive engine rebuild, balanced, new cam, head and block skimmed. New electronic ignition, alternator, battery, tyres, brake servo, all brake parts, s/s exhaust - no expense spared! The car is in exceptional condition and drives well.

Invoices available. £13500. For more details contact Alan on 01761 434753 or email: trishsanders2001@yahoo.co.uk.

(Near Bath)

Aubergine seats and door

UK in the late eighties and given

Roadsters we have owned.

1957 ZB Magnette

2005 MG TF Spark 135bhp

In Firefrost red. 29,200 mls, MOT 040321.

New set of 5 Falken ZE310, hardtop, original hood, goes very well but just too modern for me! Bought instead of another project (have 1950 TD) in March, would like to swap or p/ex for unfinished/ incomplete project ideally pre 1960’s. For sale £3,500 ono. Swap/P/ ex, cash either way W.H.Y. Contact Mark on 07709 621385 (North Oxon)

1968 MGCGT

BRG mot. 7/21, 97K u/l head, tubeless 51/2J wires, new splines, s/s sleeved MK11B servo, twin elec fans, replaced F/ calipers, drilled discs,123 distributor, s/s exhaust, replaced eng/gb mounts, fuel pump, carb jets/needles, rear springs, telli dampers, front susp. inner polly bushes.

Refurbished front seats. Receipts for £6K parts. £17250 ono. Tel:01840211164 (North Cornwall)

2003 MG ZS

Atomix Limited Edition. A great opportunity to obtain one of the few remaining “Atomix” special edition ZS models.

Owned since 2013 and it has a full service history since then with all receipts, with some history prior to this. Currently 124,000 miles with recent Payen head gasket, head bolts, water pump, radiator and cambelt. Recent front and rear EBC Greenstuff pads and discs. MoT until end February 2021. Offers around £750.

Tel: 07759224657 or email: Nigel.silman@gmail.com (Salisbury area)

M-Type. A replica ‘Double Twelve’ completed in 1999 by the current owner who has owned the car for the past 40 years. Finished in British Racing Green and fitted with a J2 4-speed gearbox. The car featured on the cover of Safety Fast, October 2004. A walkround video of the car running can be seen online at https://youtu.be/c-gos3optsA Selling on behalf of my father-in-law.

Price £22,000. Tel: 01483 200270 or Email: jbaynepowell@gmail.com (Godalming area)

2004 MG ZT CDTi Saloon

2 litre diesel variant finished in X-Power Grey. 101,100 miles, MOT to September 2021. New sunroof and battery. Condition in keeping with mileage. Selling on behalf of my father-in-law. Price £ Offers. jbaynepowell@gmail.com or phone 01483 200270. (Godalming area)

2004 MGZR 1.4

MONOGRAM. Manual petrol finished in monogram Celestial blue 92nd/159 made.

12 months mot no advisories. 35000 genuine miles, wheels refurbed in full sparkle silver with new tyres, trophy rear lights, oval xpower cat back exhaust. Couple of bad bits rust bubble near sunroof, small bump on rear bumper, little bit of laquer peel above drivers door and roof lining sagging. £2495. Tel: 07546940950 or email: leetraynor@hotmail.co.uk (Hinckley Leicestershire)

www.mgcc.co.uk

26/10/2020 15:22

1947 MGTC

Dismantled and for restoration.

Some work done. £14000. Please text 07919033228 for further details.

(Matlock, Derby)

2001 MGF Trophy 160

Trophy Blue, 62k miles. MOT till end of March 2021. 4 refurbished Spheres fitted last year (by the Kennedy’s) Roll hoops wind stop. Glass rear screen. £3750 ovno.

Tel: 07453 264845. (Essex)

MGTD 1951

Almond green, beige hood, green leather, RHD, matching numbers.

Chrome wires. Extras. Lovely car. Good history.Drives extremely well. Regular servicing. Sadly, ill-health forces sale. £20, 500. Contact : Joan Edwards 01752 863600/07530327472

MG TD, 1952, Original UK RHD car, 36k miles with huge provenance and history to back all up, genuine and unrestored ........................................................................ £25,950

M G T F 1 3 5

67,700 miles. Serviced and maintained by Halls Garage MG specialists. Good overall condition and runs well. Can be viewed at Halls Garage, Morton, near Bourne Lincs. £950 ono. Phone Steve on 01778 570286.

MIDGETS! WANTED

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

www.mgmidgets.com

WANTED WANTED ALL MG MODELS! All conditions wanted, from barn finds to concours. Complete collections purchased.

Cash buyer. Discretion assured.

Please do not hesitate to contact me if you are interested in selling your MG and are looking for a prompt hassle-free cash buyer! Please feel free to contact me for a no obligation friendly chat.

MORGAN FLAT RAD 2.0, 1954, Ground up restoration in 2000, featured in many magazines, now looking original and patinated ................................................... .£39,950

www.derekcmowat.co.uk

Tel: 07836 740333

I am especially interested in the following models: MG TC, MGA, MGB, MGC, MGB V8, Magnette and Midget.

CALL DIRECT ON: 07787 528131 UK Based Buyer

URGENTLY WANTED MGA/MGB/MGC/V8/ MIDGET/SPRITE ETC

Any Condition from non runners to rebuilt cars

Please call Edward 01923 840236 or any time on 07774 484497 Email: ejwclassiccars@btinternet.com Website: www.mgandporsche.com (Northwood, Middlesex)

FOR DISPLAY ADVERTISING IN THE NEXT ISSUE OF www.mgcc.co.uk

SafetyFast_Nov2020_49-98.indd 95

PLEASE CALL NICK ON 01452 730770 NOVEMBER 2020 SAFETY FAST! 95

26/10/2020 15:22

Call for a quote today

01376 574000

Insurance for all MG’s classic and modern How to Advertise

Members can advertise their spares free of charge for items less than £2 0 in Safety Fast! The cost for spares more than £2 0 is £20. The advert will also be posted on the Club website. To place an advert in Safety Fast! please email colingrant@mgcc.co.uk Please keep your advert to 0 words The editor reserves the right to edit longer adverts.

This is for one insertion only, for additional insertions please email Colin Grant

M G B G T V 8 LT 7 7

Gearbox’s. One with unknown alloy bell housing £350.

The other without bell housing £300.

Tel. Stuart Gilbert on 07775-711411.

MG Midgert Header Rail As Re-conditioned, £100.00 ono + carriage. Tel 0140447577 or Email:j.m.ward12@btinternet.com

1967 MGB Roadster Parts

For sale, serious offers.

3 Syncro o/drive gearbox,gear lever and clutch fork 3 Syncro to 5 brg ywheel 3 Syncro to 5 brg engine backplate 2off Inertia starter motor 4 x 14 inch wire wheels Pair of doors bare Pair of quarter lights Long spindle winder and latch mechanism parts both sides N/s drop glass Steering wheel with horn push 4 Syncro gearbox case with gear clusters I am in the Co Durham area could organise mutual collection.

Tel: Clive on 07888822707

MGF Hardtop

This is a black hardtop that is in very good condition. There are a couple of very small marks/scratches that are hardly noticeable (photos available).

Glass heated rear window. £400 ono.

Buyer to collect Contact John on 07972 906040. (Central Bedfordshire)

MGA Coupe Spares

AFH 2624 Outer sill panel R/H 2625 Outer sill panel L/H 1659 Sill plate L/H 1656 Closing panel R/H 1657 Closing panel L/H 1704 Splash plate rear wing R/H 1705 Splash plate rear wing L/H 4783 Splash plate rear arch forward R/H 4782 Splash plate rear arch forward L/H 4894/5 Mounting body to chassis front 4894/3 Reinforcement wheel well R/H 4894/6 Channel reinforcing 6131/7 Repair panel side of chassis ( 4 pieces) 1702 Splash plate front arch forward R/H 1658 Sill plate R/H. According to Moss, the new price for all the panels is just over £700. I would like £350 or a near offer for the lot. I am not willing to sell items separately.

I can be contacted by email at eastlound@btinternet.com or Tel: 01636 893895.

(Newark, Notts)

MGBGT S/H Parts

Pair of Fibreglass Front Wings.

Pair of Doors.

Oil cooler pipes.

Pair of Rear Side Windows Chrome Frame, Catch Glass.

1 Front side glass.

No reasonable offers refused.

Collection from Kent/East Sussex border Contact: pgwhitemg@gmail.com

1958 Magnette ZB

Pair of new/old stock front doors £150 each buyer collects.

Tel. No. 01461 500826

MG3

Brand new black lower front grille complete with fixings for sale from our 2014 MG3 Style. Still packaged.

Part Numbers:- 30063158, 30081918.

Value new over £100. Offers to Nigel 07981267171

MGA, T Type, Magnette

MGA instrument panel in primer £220 MGA Gearbox £250 MGA Clutch plate hardly used £10 MG T Type Tourist Trophy aluminium rocker box, new £190 MGB 18V camshaft £35 MGB 18V water pump £30 MG Magnette column change gearbox £80 MG Magnette sump £30 XPAW engine bored out to 1400 cc and rebuilt- ring for details Set of 5 Minilites 15 x 6J in good condition £180.

Transport arrangements to be agreed.

Contact Richard on 01833 660000 email: beckside.41@gmail.com

MG TF HARD TOP

Used MG TF hard top, trophy blue, heated glass screen, black liner (not sagging), very good condition, ready to snap on. £250.00. Tel: 01844299079.

Mobile: 07836 600717

TC Spare Parts

Accumulated spares for Sale after rebuild :- Chrome grab handles ,side screen plates ,tank filler cap Rocker cover Steering column and bishop cam Clutch housing and face plate assembly Distributor Half shaft and hubs both sides Gear box mountings Brake shoes Float chamber tops Wheel cylinders Torpedo 1130 side lights Full list available with prices and photos.

Contact: david.mee7@icloud.com

SafetyFast_Nov2020_49-98.indd 96

M G B

Five 165SR14 Pirelli Cinturato Tyres.

Four of the tyres are unused and still have their labels on, whilst the fifth has tread of 7.6mm. These have been in my garage a c for more than twenty years being starved of natural light, meaning there has been no ultraviolet deterioration. This type of tyre was original equipment on MGBs, but was also fitted on Rover 2000s. Buyer collects, but could be sent by courier at additional cost. £185ono. Contact Philip 07768 570821. (Shropshire)

M G A

1 x 10 spline (early car) wire wheel half shaft £25.

MGA 2 x 25 spline wire wheel half shafts £60 the pair.

Postage possible at cost.

All used but in good serviceable condition and not required after diff change.

Phone Jim 02476 673894 (Coventry)

Various Parts

4 x Z Magnette 1500 B Series Engines.

All complete and ready for rebuild.

One has a Tacho Drive so possibly a Riley 1.5 or MGA. One looks like a Goldseal example. One is a ZA missing sump cover and oil pump. One is possibly ZB All £100.00 each, Buyer collects or could arrange transport/courier at cost.

Various B Series Cylinder Heads of all ages (Ring for casting numbers) 2 x Z Magnette Gearboxes £50.00 each 1 x Z Magnette/MGA 15 Road Wheel with hubcap £50.00 VA Gearbox (Condition unknown) £200.00 2 x Z Magnette Front Bumpers - Good condition but could do with rechroming £40.00 each 1 x Z Magnette Radiator £30.00 2 x Z Magnette Radiator Grilles (Rough!) £10.00 each. Contact Nigel on 07790 034288 or 01962 774625.

(Hampshire)

MGTC

Headlights, pair in good condition but need rim clips and one rim needs chroming £250. Tel: 01344 424258

M G A

Complete steel wheel rear axle inc drums, no rust and in excellent condition. Offers. Please phone 01873 853287 (S Wales)

MGF/TF Spares

TF 1 x Tech Grey centre console in excellent used cond. £24 - or £30 with switches + white dials.

TF 1 set of 3 silver heater control switches - excellent used cond. £18 F/TF 1 set of 4 Matt Black 7Jx16 11-spokes - excellent used cond.

Matching set ‘09build, compatible with red 4-pot calipers. £245 F/TF 1 x Emergency spare wheel + tyre 175/65/R14 Goodyear. Never used in anger. £20 F/TF 1 x Pioneer DEH-1300MP car radio/cd player, MOSFET 50W x 4 - WMA /MP3 - will plug straight into a TF. Good used cond. £18 email: chris.muffett@talktalk.net. Tel: 01978 872939/ 07821 143497 for pics + further details. (West Sussex area)

Please note that the Advertising deadline is November 10 for the December issue of Safety Fast!

96 SAFETY FAST! NOVEMBER 2020

www.classiccarinsurance.co.uk MGF SPARES FOR SALE

1. Hamilton Moltex Outdoor Car Cover.

This fits several small cars including F and TF. It is unused and has not been removed from the storage bag. It was purchased a few years ago and then not required. £130.00, buyer collects from No ngham, or postage would be extra.

2. New, unused, old stock original equipment Tonneau Cover. It has been de-lined so no crumbly foam. This was bought in error as fits only early MK1 MGF. Offers around £50.00, buyer collects from No ngham, or postage would be extra.

3. MGF, late MK1 original hood with MG Mania (Peter Jones) working heated glass screen. This ips into the hood, which is usable, not ripped, but worn in places. Offers around £30.00, located near Abingdon, buyer collects only, rather not post as glass. Transport to No ngham area could be arranged.

Please call Maggie or Mike Yeadon on 0115 939 6115

MG Midget Spares

Dynamos, differentials, carburettors, lay gears and headlamps plus much more.

All original genuine parts. Message for prices and items available. Email: leslie.steele@sky.com

MGB Parts

Steel bonnet in excellent condition, including recently fitted sound proofing pads. £210 Steel front valance £40 Front chrome bumper including brackets and Number plate mounting £115 Rear chrome bumper including brackets and number plate light. £115 Brand new boxed clutch with steel roller bearing release. £90 Aluminium bonnet needs stripping £65 Front near side used steel wing for roadster needs attention £55 Tel Charles 07957345767. (Cheltenham)

SPARES WANTED WANTED ZB Magnette Diff

Differential 4.3 ratio, to fit my 1958 ZB Magnette. Tel. No. 01461 500826

V8 Steering Rack

Required for GD21343G after accident which bent the rack beyond repair, which means I require the outright purchase of a complete rack or a servicable pinion shaft, part no: 37H 8042.

Please phone Bryan on 01189 326346

DONHOODS-SFAug07.QXD:Layout 1

23/9/09

16:22

Page 1

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Choice of heavy duty PVC, ICI Vynide, Everflex, Duck and Mohair A MAKES &LL incl: MG, MODELS Tr Escort, Giumph, olf etc.

mingham B23

Hampton Road, Bir

13 Tel: 0121 373 13FICE SOUTHERN SALES

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26/10/2020 15:22

rie r a 01308 and A 01376 574000B email barriem 868884 ‘T-type’ - ‘T-type’ - ‘T-ty Call for a quote today

Insurance for all MG’s classic and modern

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Alan Bartlett mgracer@yahoo.co.uk

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Triumph TR6 150HP Totally rebuilt from a dry state car into this fabulous RHD TR6. It was professional body off rebuild to the highest of standards, everything new or reconditioned. Superb body, chassis and all matching leather interior, new carbs, rebuilt O.D. box, wood rimed wheel, all unused weather equipment, Minilite rep wheels, and so much more. Less than 500 miles since it was rebuilt and its gorgeous. This must rate as one of the best TR6s about, much more to tell if you ring. ÂŁ2 , 00

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MGB Roadster 1977. Terrific chrome bumper car converted by a leading MG company, owned and cherished for 9 years with

as many sensible upgrades as you could wish for, suspension, ,¡YH GHFLGHG WR FUHDWH VSDFH IRU WKH ZRUN WKDW¡V FRPLQJ WKURXJK RXU GRRUV 0*¡V 5DFH FDUV &ODVVLFV RI DOO W\SHV all leather interior, new wings, lovely underneath, Minilite rep and Alan Bartlett wheels, oh and 45 DCEO. This car pulls like a train and is the ,¡YH GHFLGHG WR FUHDWH VSDFH IRU WKH ZRUN WKDW¡V FRPLQJ WKURXJK RXU GRRUV 0*¡V 5DFH FDUV &ODVVLFV RI DOO W\SHV WE ARE OPEN AND NOW IS THE TIME TO HAVE ALL YOUR WORK CARRIED OUT, SO THESE SALE CARS ARE AT, OR WELL BELOW THEIR COST TO ME. ,¡P YHU\ GHDODEOH ultimate long distance classic MB. To coin an old phrase, it’s a barriemgracer@yahoo.co.uk Belter I love it. wheels, and so much more. £1 2 0 WE ARE OPEN AND NOW IS THE TIME TO HAVE ALL YOURemail WORK CARRIED OUT, SO THESE SALE CARS ARE AT, OR WELL BELOW THEIR COST TO ME. ,¡P YHU\ GHDODEOH

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Ihas used in TC Racer Although there been mounting plate for any 72 spoke 14telescopics, wheels, Avon 22R. To Triumph TR6 150HP Totally rebuilt fromTa Type. dry state£3250. car into this trampbars, alloy panels, fabulous RHDTR6 TR6.150HP It wasTotally professional body aoffdryrebuild the Triumph rebuilt from state to into this 2, XPAGs removed incar highest of standards, new or reconditioned.

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Iteasy, hasCar a fully prepared Company.

Anpainted easy, entry to Revival andcheap your body andtomost entry Revival and can your protĂŠgĂŠe G.P.parts, driver missing lights, bumpers protĂŠgĂŠe G.P. driver can help you build it, all ready & sea covers, all available helpnext youyears build it, all ready for Goodwood from the Vintage Pedal Car for next years Goodwood romp. ÂŁAn easy, 0 cheap Company. romp. ÂŁ 0and your entry to Revival protĂŠgĂŠe G.P. driver can help you build it, all ready for next years Goodwood romp. ÂŁ2,750

It was built as a and exterior have been decorated body off new or as only a true Romany living van reconditioned. It is could be. The ceiling is insulated immaculate. O.D. and quilted cloth, and the double Locust (Lotus 7comfortable. type) Kit Car. With 2 box, gearboxes, new carbs, bed is supremely It has Locust (Lotus 7 type) Kit Car. With 2mini gearboxes, lite cage, reps, it’s pinto engine, rolling chassis, all bodywork, full been built with vintage wheels and just magnificent pinto rolling all bodywork, full cage, new tyresengine, and has anfor ‘A’chassis, frame tobound simple completion garage retiree ÂŁ2,250 having ÂŁ2,250 covered enable it tocompletion be towed on road, bound retiree simple forthe garage only a few hundred this van has been built with care miles, in the hands and historical skills now largely of an octogenarian forgotten. It is ready to use, show, owner. The best Air B&B. Unrepeatable, and will I’ve seen. ÂŁ27,995 always make you smile. ÂŁ11,995

COMING IN - Morris J40 8 Tourer Although Revival has been put on hold, it will be 1 owner many years. Beautifully restored. back and so will the race ÂŁAsk for young G.P. hopefuls in

Buy rare, buy fun ÂŁ5,750

Subaru Justy Van No. You’ve still about as far as we Subaru Justy You’ve still about as miles, far as we know.

It’s just likeVan theNo. saloon, around 60,000 just likeand thewith saloon, around 60,000It miles, in know. lovely It’s condition a superb interior. drives lovely with a superb drives likein an MX5condition and has and a switchable 4wd interior. system.ItI like likeballs, an MX5 andwife.... has a switchable odd ask my fun £2,6504wd system. I like odd balls, ask my wife.... fun £2,650

Subaru Justy Van No. You’ve still about as far know. It’s just like the saloon, around 60,000 m in lovely condition and with a superb interior. It like an MX5 and has a switchable 4wd system odd balls, ask my wife.... fun £2,650

www.barriecartermg.com www.barriecartermg.com the lovely J40 pedal cars,

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Derrington inletwith andMGex. 1935 L.S.D. Ford Y Type for special fitted period P or 13/4 JY Body.

Built for hillfitted climb sprints 1935 Ford Type 50s for special with MG manifolds, vented brakes, inperiod the 50s/60s familyBuilt owned.

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Body is probably the car. £The250 more thanwould the car. cost £ 25050k but it’s a build this 1935 Ford Y Type for special fitted with MG proven car. It can be sold as a rolling period P or J Body. Built for hill climb sprints in the 50s/60s a family owned. driving chassis all complete butRunning less engine, great vintage fun. The Body is probably worth or more withthan a less engine or the car.modified £6,550 whatever combination you wish. It’s FORGET YOUR SHEPHARDS HUTS! TR6. This fabulous very cheap and will give you lots TR6 of was build This superb showmans living van using a sound cameor fromcompetition. a showmans family and fun, road Ring RHD unrotten US donor. is absolutely fabulous. The interior

MGB Roadster 1977. Terrific chrome bumper car converted by a leading MG company, cherished forcar 9 years with by MGB Roadster 1977.owned Terrificand chrome bumper converted as amany sensible upgradesowned as youand could wish for, leading MG company, cherished forsuspension, 9 years with all as leather wings,as lovely Minilite rep manyinterior, sensiblenew upgrades you underneath, could wish for, suspension, wheels, oh and 45 DCEO. This carlovely pullsunderneath, like a train and is the all leather interior, new wings, Minilite rep ultimate distance classic MB. coinlike an old phrase, it’sthe a wheels,long oh and 45 DCEO. This carTopulls a train and is Belter I lovelong it. wheels, so much more.

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SafetyFast_Nov2020_49-98.indd 97

covers, all available from the Vintage Pedal Car Company. An easy, cheap entry to Revival and your protĂŠgĂŠe G.P. driver can help you build it, all ready for next years Goodwood romp. ÂŁ 0

TED

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NOVEMBER 2020 SAFETY FAST! 97

26/10/2020 15:22

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

Copyright MG Car Club 2020 2019

Editor: Andy Knott 01235 849730 / 01235 555552 andyknott@mgcc.co.uk Deputy Editor: Colin Grant 01235 849733 colingrant@mgcc.co.uk Editorial Committee: Andy Knott, Colin Grant, Adam Sloman PR and Communications: Advertising: Hine MarketingJade 01452 Beckett 730770 01233 849731 Published by:Hine Advertising: HineMarketing Marketing, 01452 Hill Farm 730770 Studios, Wainlodes Lane, Bishops Glos, GL2 9LN. Tel: 01452 730770 Published by:Norton Hine Marketing, Hill Farm Studios, Wainlodes Distributed Lane, Bishopsby: Norton Air Business.

Glos, GL2 Merlin 9LN. Centre, Tel: 01452 4 The, 730770 Acrewood Way, St Albans Tel: 01727 890600 Distributed by:AL4 Air0JY Business.

Merlin Centre, 4 The, Acrewood Way, St Albans President: John AL4 Day 0JY Tel: 01727 890600 President: Vice Presidents: John Day Ron Gammons, Peter Best, Ian Quarrington Chairman: Vice Presidents: Bill Silcock.

Ron Gammons, Don Hayter, Peter Best, Bill Silcock.

Vice Chairman: Keith Williams Chairman: Richard Dave Tynan Treasurer: Colston Vice Chairman: George Wilder Directors: Dave Saunders, Peter Cook, Lorraine Noble Treasurer: Colin Thompson, Richard Withers, Colston George Wilder and Dave Tynan Directors: Secretary: Company Dave Saunders, ColinPeter Grant Opie and Peter Cook Staff Members: Company Secretary: Adam Sloman Colin Grant (General Manager 01235 849732), Andy (01235Adam 849730), Lauran Gallacher (Assistant General Staff Knott Members: Sloman (General Manager 01235 849732), Manager 01235(Competitions 849735), Liz Allsworth Secretary John Hutchison Secretary(Membership 01235 849738), 01235 849734), Mark Baulch (Motorsport 07554(Assistant 160840),General Andy Knott (01235 849730), Lauran Gallacher Colin Grant (01235 849733), Cherina(Membership Scarrott (Finance Officer Manager 01235 849735), Liz Allsworth Secretary 01235 849736)Colin and Ineke (Merchandise 01235 849734), GrantSherman (01235 849733), Jade 01235 Beckett 849737) Gemma Bray (Communications Administrator) (01233 849731), Cherina Scarrott (Finance Officer 01235 Honoraryand 849736) Members: Ineke Sherman Michael(Merchandise Allison, Ron Gammons, 01235 849737) Peter Best, John Quenby, Paddy Hopkirk, Norman Rob Oldaker, Honorary Members: Michael Allison,Ewing, Ron Gammons, Peter Best, SteveHayter, Hanegan, McGovern, AnnMoss, Hawke, JohnHopkirk, Dutton, Don JohnGerry Quenby, Sir Stirling Paddy John Day,Ewing, Julian Piers White,Hubbard, Bill Silcock.

Norman Rob Oldaker, Steve Hanegan,

R

eading the main feature this month, and seeing the special-bodied T Type that George Philips and co built to race, this month’s dip into the MG Car Club’s archive shows some of the special or unusual bodied MGs that have been built over the years. As always, any information you can supply about the cars is appreciated.

The top photo is of a special-bodied MGA, undergoing a bit of a restoration, spotted by Colin Grant at Waddesdon Manor during the MGA 50 celebrations

98 SAFETY FAST! NOVEMBER 2020

SafetyFast_Nov2020_49-98.indd 98

back in 2005. I wonder if the restoration has been finished The photo above, taken by Antony Ward at the MG Car Club’s 1965 Oulton Park Race Meetings, shows what we believe to be the streamlined 1098cc Speedwell GT Sebring Sprite of PJ Smith pushing along.

The final photo shows the splendid and varied shapes of some of the XPAG specials that graced MGLive! in 2017 with their presence. All being well, we’ll be back with MGLive! next year and a superb display of MG specials.

Gerry McGovern, June Wallis, Ann Hawke, John Dutton, John Day, Company by guarantee Julian White,limited Bill Silcock.

The Club, as a corporate body established as the MG Car Club Limited, is a company limited by guarantee. Every member of the Company limited by guarantee Club undertakes to contribute to the assets of the Club in the The a corporate established as the MG Clubone eventClub, of itsasbeing woundbody up while he is a member, or Car within Limited, is a company limited by guarantee.

Every member of the year after he ceases to be a member, for payment of the debts Club undertakes to contribute to the before assets of Clubtoinbethea and liabilities of the Club contracted hethe ceases event of its woundcharges up while is a member, or within member, andbeing the costs, andheexpenses of winding up, one year after ceases to be a member, payment of theamong debts and for theheadjustment of the rights offorthe contributors and liabilitiessuch of the Club contracted before henot ceases to be a themselves, amount as may be required, exceeding member, and the costs, charges and expenses of winding up, one pound. and for the adjustment of the rights of the contributors among Whilst every effort has beenasmade the not accuracy of themselves, such amount may to beensure required, exceeding information one pound. at the time of going to press, neither The Publisher (herein referred to as Hine Marketing), the Editor, nor the MG Whilst every made to ensure accuracy to of any Car Club caneffort accepthas anybeen responsibility or lossthe occasioned information time of going to press, Publisher person actingatortherefraining from action as neither a resultThe of any material (herein referred to The as Hine Marketing), the are Editor, norown theand MGHine in the publication. opinions of authors their Car Club can lossare occasioned toto any Marketing, theaccept Editorany andresponsibility the MG Car or Club not bound agree person acting or refraining from Reproduction action as a result of anyormaterial with opinions expressed herein. in whole in part in the publication.

The opinions of authorsSafety are their without written permission is prohibited.

Fast!own andand TheHine MG Marketing, the Editor and the MG Car Club are not bound to in agree Car Club badge are protected through trademark registration with opinions expressed herein.

Reproduction in whole or in part the UK and in the foreign countries where Safety Fast! circulates. without permission is prohibited.

Safety Fast! andorThe MG Readers written are warned that if they attempt any mechanical other Car Club badge protected through trademark registration modifications or are methods referred to herein, they do so at theirinown the in the foreign countries Safety risk UK andand no liability will attach to thewhere MG Car Club,Fast! the circulates.

Editor nor Readers are warned thatshall if they mechanical other Hine Marketing.

Neither theattempt MG Carany Club, the Editorornor Hine modifications or methods referred to herein, they do so at their own Marketing have any responsibility for the accuracy of the content of risk and no liability will attach to the MG Car Club, the Editor nor the editorial, neither the content of any advertisement published in Hine Marketing.

Neither shall the MG Car Club, the Editor nor Hine Safety Fast!

Marketing have any responsibility for the accuracy of the content of Ittheshould be noted that Hine the Editor, nor the MG editorial, neither theneither content of Marketing, any advertisement published in Car Club make any recommendation in respect of any goods and/ Safety Fast! or services advertised or featured in this issue. It is the responsibility It should neither Hine theservices Editor, offered nor the or MG of readersbetonoted satisfythat themselves that Marketing, the goods or Car Clubtomake any recommendation in respect any goods and/ referred are bona fide and in no instance shallofHine Marketing, or services advertised or featured thisresponsible issue. It is for thethe responsibility the Editor or the MG Car Club be in held quality or of readersof toany satisfy suitability suchthemselves items. 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.

www.mgcc.co.uk

26/10/2020 15:23

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