Serving the Pre-War Morris Minor and M Type MG
2010 is the Register's Tenth Anniversary Year
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(Forgotten the password?) 2010 Autumn Pub Meets (coming soon) |
The Latest News from the Register
5/8/10 The August Newsletter was just launched into the ether and can also be found in the Members' Area.
28/7/10 Photos
of our Summer Rally may be found here.
148 more superb photos taken
by Allan Rhodes of Track
Car Photography may be found here
and can be ordered in a variety of colour formats.
Ordering details on the
Forum under Events/VMR Tenth Anniversary Rally 2010.
27/7/10 What
a fantastic weekend! Undoubtedly the best VMR Rally to date - made
so by the wonderful group of entrants.
Just got back to VMR HQ
- more news anon. In the meantime, hearty thanks to everyone involved!
27/7/10 Welcome
to new member Dan Witcher who owns this very tidy 1932 2-seater KJ 9306
(SV22691).
Dan lives in Pulborough,
West Sussex and acquired the car last year.
16/7/10 VMR
Prescott - a week tomorrow! In the last few days, I have had several
owners ask if it is too late to enter.
Absolutely not! Simply
turn up on the day and pay at the gate. Climb tickets will be available
from the start line hut,
and there will be spare
BBQ tickets available during the day if you would like to join in the evening
social fun on the hill.
See you there!
15/7/10 We now
have the VMR lunch menu for the Inn
for All Seasons,
which will be our lunch
stop on the Scenic Tour on Sunday 25th July.
Here
it is.
10/7/10 Impatient
to get Minor motoring in his saloon, Mike Houston has acquired the Semi-sports
IA 9142.
The car has a long and fascinating
history that Mike is now piecing together.
Much more on this car on
the Forum.
9/7/10 With
just two weeks to go to our Tenth
Anniversary Summer Rally, we are all systems go!
It is NOT too late to enter
- either e-mail the Register
or simply turn up at Prescott on Saturday 24th July and pay at the gate!
The July Newsletter, just
launched into the ether, has all the final details and can also be read
here.
I shall be flying over to
Heathrow Thursday night next week and returning Monday morning.
See you all there!
3/7/10 Back
in April we reported that Tommy Jardine had ended his search for a Minor
saloon with the purchase of a 1934 model.
He has now got it running
and taken it for its first road test. He reports: "The road test
was very good - it appears that the
old rusty exhaust contributed
to bad running and I fitted a new distributor cap and leads plus a new
coil.
The gearbox is also rattle-free
after repairs to reverse selector. It is now up to my brother to
respray the car
as the paintwork is very
poor. This will be a long job as he strips everything down to bare
metal."
Tommy is looking for a pair
of half shafts, and here we see him in his Phillipines transport.
30/6/10 The
Light Car Section of the VSCC held their Summer Rally last Sunday around
the wilds of Staffordshire.
Here we see Dave Aston's
tourer (currently for sale) alongside the Rolfe's saloon - the only two
Minors to attend this year.
Dave reports: ":Just to
prove I take my daughters out in the sunshine too ... my and Dave Rolfe's
Minor at the VSCC LCES Summer Rally.
I drove my car from Tenbury,
Worcestershire to the event near Rugeley, Staffordshire mostly on B roads.
We had a great party there
Saturday night, with glorious weather all weekend.
Being kind to our kids,
Dave and I had elected to do the tour rather than the competitive rally.
Hence we were able to really
enjoy a very scenic 60 mile route on the Sunday, including two fun water
splash fords.
Neither Minor missed a beat
the whole weekend, a 200 mile round trip for us.
Shame there were only two
Minors compared to the Austins which made up 50% of the entry.
Glad I haven't sold my Minor
yet, I would have missed out on a fantastic event."
19/6/10 Welcome
to new member Anthony Haddock of Worksop who has acquired Jen Lees' Minor
US 2299 (see 2/2/10 below).
This car features in the
new Longstone Tyres advertisement which will
appear in the Yearbook.
11/6/10 The
June Newsletter was distributed today and is also available in the Members'
Area of the website.
Magazine M 135 has been
posted worldwide and is also available in full colour in the Members' Area
of the website.
The Register's 2010 Yearbook
will be published at the end of June - order your copy here.
6/6/10 Believe
it or not, a second extremely rare 1934 Minor 4-seater tourer has turned
up in India. Parth's 4-seater is already well-known
to Register members.
This one - chassis 34/MS/38026 - was spotted by Dave Aston, who reports:
"Here are some photos of
a sidevalve Morris in Jodhpur, India.
I went there to rewire the
Maharaja's Phantom II Rolls Royce. As seems usual for Maharajas,
they keep all the cars they ever bought,
and the Morris was on display
as part of the Maharaja's collection at the Umaid Bahwan Palace, Jodhpur
- where Liz Hurley was married,
I'm sure you will have that
copy of "Hello!" magazine!"
So Parth, it looks like
you have a very useful reference car not too far from you - but please
ignore the front bumper, front wing brace,
headlamp stone guards and
radiator mascot!
5/6/10 Three
inches of snow, and the hood down - that's the vintage Minor spirit!
Dave Aston is regrettably
selling his 1930 tourer. This very capable and sorted car
is well-known in the VSCC,
having been totally rebuilt with a new body, wings, etc. by Terry Dickie.
Dave reports that his daughters
enjoy vintage motoring but don't travel light, so he needs a larger car.
(However, we think that
they may have objecyed to being frozen
to death!)
He is asking £10,000.
Those interested should call Dave on 07968/225262 without delay.
3/6/10 Magazine
M 135 has now been uploaded to the Members' Area of the website.
Printed copies will be on
their way to all members next Monday.
3/6/10 As reported
(16/5/10) below, the MG Car Club's South West centre mounted an historic
re-enactment of the 100 ascents
of the Beggar's Roost Trials
Hill by an M Type MG in May 1930 last weekend. Several VMR members
were in attendance,
and three entered their
M Types. In all 8 M Types ascended the famous hill over the weekend.
This line-up was captured by Melvyn Tubb.
A full report on the weekend
will appear in the Yearbook which will be published at the end of this
month.
Download the Yearbook order
form here if you have not
yet ordered your copy.
27/5/10 Roger
Baker is offering this very tidy 1934 Minor saloon for sale at £4,950.
More phots and a full description
may be found here.
18/5/10 This Model
70 McEvoy Special Morris Minor has been languishing in an Ipswich engineering
workshop since 1957.
Today it was finally removed
from its lair and has been delivered to Walker Freight in Colnbrook
for onward shipping to VMR
HQ in Seattle, where its arrival is eagerly anticipated.
The car was delivered by
Robin
Hunter, who did an outstanding job.
17/5/10 Mr C.
Leeper is offering his award-winning 1933 season Minor 2-seater is being
offered on the Internet at present.
It is seen here at
the Vintage and Classic Car Show at Hebden Bridge on the Vintage Weekend
on 3rd August 2008.
First registereed 31/12/1932.
Asking price is £9,000.
View it here.
16/5/10 The
MG Car Club (SW Centre) will promote an Historic Re-enactment of the 100
ascents of the Beggars Roost Trials Hill
by this MG M Type in May
1930. The 80 year commemoration is to take place at Barbrook, near
Lynton, North Devon
on 29 May 2010 between 2-4
pm and on 30 May 2010 between 10-12 am.
The aim is to make 50 non-stop
climbs of the hill on each day.
During the time each car
is making its ascents its engine must continue to run without stopping.
Details and the entry form
may be downloaded here.
We understand there are
about 12 cars entered.
15/5/10 Over
in Japan, our member Kenji Matsuoka attended Meet the MG 2010 at
Shin-Nishinomiya Yacht Harbor
earlier today (Japan is 16 hours ahead of VMR HQ!).
41 MGs, including
one M-type (Kenki's), three J2s and one P Special (Q replica).
Kenji reports that this
spring it is colder than usual in Japan, but it was beautiful on the day,
and many people came to
see old MGs.
14/5/10 The May Newsletter has just been launched. A copy may also be found in the Members' Area.
14/5/10 Don't
forget that the Register will have a club stand at Spring Beaulieu this
weekend (look out for the banner!).
Stall number R293 (red field,
bottom half towards the Thomas Cook bank).
Stop by and sday hello to
Toby.
7/5/10 In New
South Wales, Ian Hancock is offering his 1928 Minor roadster for sale.
Chassis mumber MM1226, chassis
laid down 14/12/1928. Au$12,500 firm.
Contact
Ian for details.
Laura and Clive Hamilton-Gould and friends. LCES Summer Rally 2004. (Photo Phil Jones)
6/5/10 The VSCC's
Light Car and Edwardian Section has just released the Regs and Entry form
for their 2010 Summer Rally,
to take place in Stafordshire
over the weekend of Sunday 27th June. Download here.
6/2/10 Not a
Minor, but member Kenji Matsuoka's new toy over in Japan. Kenji reports
that the beginning of May
is a short holiday week in Japan, so he has spent
several days with the car,
a 1933 Austin Seven. The driver here is Hiro Nishio,
and the young boy standing
next to the car is restoring a Nippy.
Below is Kenji with his other
car (ex-WH 2424, 2M886).
This car was fully rebuilt
by David Cooksey in Wokingham 1988/89.
2/5/10 This
1932 Minor OJ 772 (SV17683) is currently being offered on eBay. View
it here.
Thanks to Mike Tebbett for
spotting this one.
1/5/10 John Nagle is
making rapid progress with the restoration of his 1934 2-seater OW 4224,
which he hopes will be ready
for our Summer Rally in July.
It is seen here with the
newly-restored body ready for paint.
(Photo: Ken Martin)
(Photo: Toby Sears)
(Photo: Brian Maeers)
25/4/10 Our
spring pub meets were very well attended today.
The upper photo shows the
Hatchgate meet - with about 20 attendees including five vintage Minors
and an M Type.
We were joined by the Bean
Car Club and the Morris Register.
The middle photo shows the
attendees at the Hurstbourne Tarrant meet including Ronald Hogg with his
1929 tourer,
and a big smile that may
have something to do with the car's recent engine overhaul.
The pint sitting on the
bonnet was spotted at our Peatling Magna meet, where 21 people in 9 Minors
and other vintage cars followed
the pub meet with driving tests at Brian and Heidi Maeers' farm
Up hill, reverse, then around
the pond and back down. FTD went to Tom Walker in 1931 Minor 2-seater
TM 8687 ('Agnes')
with a time of exactly one
minute. Second was a Frazer Nash (1.02), third was a Lea Francis
(1.04),
fourth was Agnes driven
by Brian (1.05). More photos of this meet here.
All in all, a great day
was had by all.
24/4/10 A reminder
that we are holding our spring pub meets this Sunday, starting at noon.
Find all the details here.
Everyone is welcome.
.
16/4/10 Down
in Dorset, member Hugh Knott is sadly having to sell his 1932 Minor OW
1920 (SV18463) due to immobility.
OW was featured in a Practical
Motorist article in August 1981 entitled 'Cars Worth Keeping' when in the
ownership of Ken Ford.
Hugh reports, "I have known
the car since 1972 when I went with Ken to help push it to his home when
he purchased it.
Ken had known it since the
Second World War, after which it was owned by Horace Lane of Wareham."
Contact
Hugh if interested.
15/4/10 We are
delighted to welcome back Col Schiller in Toowoomba, Australia as a Register
member.
Col left in 2002 when he
sold M11421 to the late Lawrie Buckand (where is it now?).
Recently, Col acquired Y581
with this fascinating roadster bodywork which exactly matches that
on new member Brian Jeffery's
car (M9722 - see 20/8/09 below).
Happily, Brian and Col are
now in contact.
Since leaving the Register
in 2002, Col has been bitten by the MG bug and now owns
an MG 14/40, an MG 18/80,
an MG M Type, an MG J1 and an MG SA.
That must have been quite
a bite, Col!
13/4/10 The April Newsletter was published today and is also available in the Members' Area.
13/4/10 Tommy
Jardine joined the Register last month as he was searching for a Minor
saloon.
He has now acquired this
delightfully original example - congratulations Tommy!
12/4/10 In Queensland,
Australia, Gary Schulze is offering his 1931 OHC tourer for sale.
This car just won the best
early Minor at the Morris Register of Australia's National Rally.
Details in Marketplace.
11/4/10 This
original 1934 saloon has just come on the market.
"Very original condition,
untouched car, reconditioned brake master cylinder and pipes.
Has been in storage for
30 years, very good original paint work and bodywork, original interior
with sunroof, engine runs."
Located in Hampshire.
View it here.
10/4/10 A rare
and gorgeous Minor. Sarah Gibson's 1932 McEvoy captured recently
and looking resplendent in Spain.
Thanks for the great photos,
Sarah. More in the next Magazine.
8/4/10 Four
VMR members supported the Morris Register of Australia's 17th National
Rally at Goondiwindi,
about 200 miles south of
Brisbane over the Easter weekend. Shown here are (l to r)
Ted Pavitt's 1929 roadster,
Max Dawkins' 1929 Buckboard, Gary Schulze's 1931 OHC tourer and Ewan Lambess'
1929 tourer.
There will be a full report
on the weekend in the next Register Magazine. Photo courtesy of Ewan
Lambess.
7/4/10 And this 1931 2-seater is also for sale in Cheshire - view it here
or contact Richard on 07043/228880 for further details.
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7/4/10 This
1931 SV Minor is currently being offered for sale by Peter Dolley.
Chassis SV2955, engine U3586A.
Peter acquired it in 1990 and restored it over 3 years. Little used
since then.
Internal trim and external
paintwork in excellent condition. Current MoT.
£5,500 ono.
Garaged near Sevenoaks, Kent. Contact Peter at 01732/870888.
31/3/10 Hot
news! Clive Hamilton-Gould has won the Llwynbarried Trophy at the
2010 VSCC LCES 'Welsh'
with his 1930 Morris Minor
tourer. The Llwynbarried Trophy is the premier award for the weekend,
for the best overall performance
across the weekend to include the Touring Assembly
on Saturday and the Sporting
Trial on Sunday.
Well done Clive!
25/3/10 Today
we welcome Les Beardmore to the Register.
Les is restoring this Hundred
Pound Minor (MU 3272, chassis SV2693) for his boss,
and doing a wonderful job.
This
is what he started with. Les is on the lookout for a replacement
radiator -
please contact
the Register if you think you can help.
(Les's boss also owns a
1930 Semi-sports (EC 9689, M30077) which he has
owned for about 40 years
and was his first car.
Les will be working his magic on this car once the SV 2-seater is completed.)
24/3/10 We are
delighted to report that, at long last, the 'time capsule' 1931 fabric
saloon LG 6677 (sadly now BF 4527)
has been acquired by true
enthusiast Dereck Hardiman in Southport who joins the Register today.
Dereck and his wife also
own a Top Hat Austin 7 and are doing everything possible to
reunite the car with its
original registration number.
23/3/10 We have
added a fourth pub to our spring pub meet calendar - the George and Dragon
in Hurstbourne Tarrant
near Andover, Hampshire.
Sunday 25th April at noon. An appropriate venue since this is not
only ther FBHVC's
Drive It Day,
but also St. George's Day
falls two days earlier! All welcome - members or otherwise.
Details of this and our
other spring pub meets may be found here.
17/3/10 And another on eBay - view it here.
12/3/10 This
1932 season 2-seater is currently being offered on eBay.
Location is Cardigan, South
Wales.
View it here.
10/3/10 The March Newsletter was distributed today and can also be downloaded from the Members' Area of the website.
8/3/10 This
1932 season saloon is currently being offered on eBay. Located in
Morpeth.
View it here.
7/3/10 At long
last, spring is just around the corner, and the start of the summer motoring
season.
So time to get the car out,
crank it up and get it ready for the open road once again.
We have three Spring Pub
Meets organized so far, with at least one more to come.
Find all the details here.
7/3/10 Last
summer, the Register held an online Midsummer Auction which was highly
successful.
The highlight of the auction
was this rare 1932 four-seater 'barn find' which found a good home.
So this year, we will hold
another Midsummer Auction of cars, spares and automobilia.
Please send in details (with
reserve and photo if possible) to the
Register.
(Here
you can view last year's auction.)
6/3/10 This
1934 saloon has surfaced in New Zealand where it is being offered for sale.
View it here.
Thanks to John McDonald and Peter Field for spotting this one.
4/3/10 This
1933 2-seater is being offered by dealer D. W. Mathewson up in North Yorkshire.
View it here.
4/3/10 Our very
special Tenth Anniversary Yearbook will be published in June.
To reserve your copy, download
the order form here.
2/3/10 Talking of M Types, here is one currently for sale in the Dordogne, France.
2/3/10 Young
VSCC member Rachel King is looking for an M Type in which to compete in
standard class VSCC trials and driving tests.
She is looking for a car
in in any state (from a pile of bits upwards) but ready to go and classed
as standard would be good too!
Contact
via the Register if you think you can help.
2/3/10 As reported
19/1/10 below, Les Heward owns this very tidy Minor saloon
and reported that, prior
to his ownership, it had previously been stored in a skip.
For those restorers in need
of a little encoragement, here is what
Les started with.
1/3/10 Over
in Northern Ireland, Peter Mann has his 1933 Minor 2-seater (chassis SV31597)
for sale once again.
Last summer, after advertising
the car, it suffered a bent rod, broken piston and scored cylinder liner.
Paul is therefore looking
for a realistic offer for the car in its current state.
E-mail
Peter if interested. See the current advertisement here.
For those looking for somewhat
more of a restoration challenge,
find the remains of a 1933
saloon on eBay.
25/2/10 The
1929 tourer seen above and offered for sale below (7/2/10) is now being
offered on eBay.
View it here.
25/2/10 Member
Simon Hyslop up in Dumfries is offering his 1934 2-seater AYF 22 (SV41783)
for sale.
View it here.
23/2/20 Today
we welcome Simon Candlin of Bath to the Register. Having recently
sold his early twenties Austin 12,
Simon is looking for a sound
OHC Minor tourer to campaign in VSCC Light Car Section events. Offers
of help via the Register please.
Simon also owns this 1927
Humber 14/40.
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23/2/10 Jeremy
Evans over in Aberaeron is offering his 1929 M Type LJ 455 for sale (2M/617,
engine MG481, first registered 4th October 1929).
Jeremy reports: "the car
is now on the road (MoT etc.) and running in. I have done about 120 miles
so it is getting a bit happier now.
I am looking for £17k
o.n.o. It is standard mechanically, early engine, early cam, 3 speed
gearbox, transmission handbrake, rod/cable brakes
but with new Bob Hudson
brake drums (cast in one piece in good old iron so no belling out on braking).
It is fully rebuilt - everything
that needed doing has been done, although I did not make a terribly good
job of painting the bonnet!
It has its original
(transferable) Bournemouth number, it has the later dashand as I did not
have any wings
I have fitted cycle types.
The front ones turn with the steering. No windscreen I am afraid."
Contact
Jeremy for further details.
22/2/10 The
February Newsletter is now available in the Members' Area.
If you are a member, and
did not receive your copy via e-mail, please contact
the Register.
20/2/10 The
VSCC's Light Car Section will once again be holding their Welsh Weekend
March 27th/28th.
Since this is the Register's
Tenth Anniversary year, let's see if we can get a bumper entry together.
Regs and entry form can
be downloaded here.
18/2/10 Today
the number of SV Minors recorded in the chassis register reached 400.
This is nowhere near the likely total survivors,
but is something of a milestone
for the chassis register. Of these 400, 190 chassis numbers are recorded,
and these numbers are increasing
at a good clip.
For comparison, we have
412 OHC Minors recorded, for which we have 319 chassis numbers.
For the M Types, we have
341 examples recorded, for which we have 286 chassis numbers.
If you can provide any of
the missing chassis numbers or provide information on cars not currently
listed
on the chassis register,
(which may be found in the Members' Area), please contact
the Register.
18/2/10 Today
we welcome Tommy Jardine from southern Scotland to the Register. He is
looking for a 1931 to 1933 SV saloon,
in restored condition, preferably
in black, and preferably within a reasonable distance of his home in southern
Scotland.
Contact
Tommy if you can help.
17/2/10 Jen
Lees' Minor 2-seater sold today at auction for £5,280 (see news item
for 2/2/10 below)
Auction results may be found
here.
17/2/10 Sadly,
we must report the passing of member Les Simpson of Sheffield. Les
was an early member of the Register
and owned this CMS Supersports
replica, based on 1929 chassis M6671. Happily, Les's son Richard
has taken custodianship,
is joining us, and will
inherit his father's membership number 76. Les rebuilt the car when
Richard was 12 years old.
Welcome, Richard.
16/2/10 We extend
a warm welcome to Rasmus Larsen of Oelgod, Denmark who joins the Register
today
with this very smart Hundred
Pound Minor, Z 9489, chassis SV1918.
15/2/10 Here's
a mouth-watering collection of MMM MG's,
including an M Type Sportman's
Coupe (CM/1973) and 2-seater GK 489 (2M/2125).
However, you may be surprised
at the location - the Kawaguchiko Motor Museum in Japan.
Thanks to Kenji Matsuoka
for forwarding this image and thanks to Hiro Nishio for
forwarding data on nine
known M Types in Japan for the chassis register
which can be found in the
Members' Area.
14/2/10 This
Aberdeen-registered 1933 season Minor 2-seater has just been listed on
eBay.
Only two owners from new
and it has been off the road for forty years.
But it looks like it could
be recommissioned with a clean and a service.
The car is located in Woodbridge,
Suffolk. View it here.
And many more photos here.
12/2/10 Update
to the recent sale of the ex-Olive Willats fabric saloon KR 5670, reported
5/2/10 below.
The car is for sale again
- view it here.
8/2/10
Today we welcome Derrick Gück to the Register. Derrick lives
in Florida and has three Morrises in the UK -
a 1931 Minor tourer, a 1937
Morris 8 tourer and a 1923 Bullnose.
8/2/10 Yes,
this ghostly apparition is a Morris Minor! Owned by Eduard Delgado
in Barcelona, and currently under deep restoration.
1934 saloon, chassis 34/MS/42892
and registered BU-2252 in Spain.
7/2/10 Mark
and Debbie Borman survey the dismantled Hundred Pound Minor (chassis SV
2277) belonging to Debbie's father,
who acquired it in the seventies
from the Harrah Collection in the USA. A complete restoration is
about to commence in their
home town of Monroe, Washington
- about 12 miles from VMR HQ!
7/2/10 As spring
approaches, it seems that several Minors are coming on to the market, including
the ex-Tony Gamble 1929 OHC tourer
SV 9091 (originally Bath-Registered
as FB 8045), chassis M12591. The original engine, U12700 has also
been replaced by an earlier unit U2079C.
Auctioned by Bonhams in
2001, it had been in the previous ownership for forty years, when it was
acquired from Clearwaters Garage in Salisbury in December 1966.
Tony sold this car to Kevin
Mitchell, in Banstead, Surrey in 2008, but circumstances dictate that Kevin
must now pass it on again.
Tony reports: "It is pretty
well complete (minus exhaust system , from memory), but really needs a
complete new body as the ash frame
has the dreaded "worm" in
several places and the bodywork has rusted at the bottom of the doors.
It has, however, been completely
retrimmed, and the seats and interior are quite good. A new body
would make it a reasonably good car.
The engine does run (or
did run) but I don't know how sound it is."
Kevin is looking for offers
on £3,750 . His mobile number is 07957/288125 and his home
number is 01737/350321.
Hurry - this car will go
quickly!
6/2/10 And another
saloon has come on the market - the ex- Rob Lawrance 1930 OHC saloon (M26625)
which was purchased in 2002
by a number plate dealer who stripped the car of its original number (BR
8362).
The car has been fitted
with a SV engine for many years, replacing the original OHC unit U27147.
First registered 22nd July
1930. Find the full details
here.
This is a trade sale.
6/2/10 This
very smart and original December 1931 Minor was offered for sale by House
of Carriages in July last year,
and is being offered again
by Dorset Vintage Car Auctions at
their sale on Thursday 25th March.
Also, Tony Barrett is offering
an identical car for £4,000 - 01604/858939 (Northampton) - a.e.barrett@btinternet.com
5/2/10 Today
we welcome two new members to the Register.
Richard Parker has joined
the Register with the remains of three Minors - two OHC and a SV.
One of the OHC Minors is
1930 saloon VE 2782 (M20663). Richard doesn't have any paperwork
for this chassis,
but the Register was delighted
to be able to provide Richard with the original brown logbook for this
car!
The full and fascinating
story of this, and Richard's other two cars will be included in M 135.
Our second new member today
is Tony Eldridge who has recently acquired a 1934 saloon in need of restoration.
The car was last on the
road in 1986 and was acquired from an elderly friend.
Thanks also to Chris Moorhouse
for referring Tony, which means that Chris will receive a £10 discount
on his Register subs.
Welcome both!
5/2/10 Many
members will be aware of the late Olive Willats' fabric saloon, seen here
in Italy on the FIAME Rally Della Laguna in 1964.
After being offered for
sale for some considerable time, this famous car has now found a new home.
Read more about Olive and
her car here.
2/2/10 Jen Lees
is passing on her tidy and well-sorted 1933 Minor 2-seater, seen here climbing
Prescott on the 2005 VMR Summer Rally.
The car, chassis SV26862,
was first registered 10/7/33 and is being auctioned by H&H at The Pavilion
Gardens, Derbyshire on 17th February.
Details here
or contact the Register for
more information.
31/1/10 Member
Dave Manning is passing on his 1930 saloon restoration.
HX 7747, chassis M31567,
engine 32370, first registered 31/12/30.
Find it here
on eBay.
22/1/10 Bruce
Murray is making excellent progress with his 1929 tourer (M11171) in Dunedin,
New Zealand.
This car has a long and
fascinating history which will be detailed in the upcoming 2010 Register
Yearbook.
20/1/10 We have
been able to arrange with the Bugatti Trust for them to open their museum
for us at Prescott on the Saturday of our Summer Rally.
The museum is definitely
a 'must-see' for those who may not have visited it before.
Entrance will be completely
free for Rally entrants and their guests.
19/1/10 Welcome
to new member Les Heward of Sheffield who owns 1933 saloon VE 8450 (SV27846).
Les tells us that be bought
the car in pieces in the late 1980's - it had apparently been stored in
a skip!
The ash frame was totally
rotten, so was replaced, and the car was MoT'd in 1993 but has been little
used since.
However, Les hopes to get
it back on the road this year. Les also owns the remains of a 1934
2-seater and a Morris 10/6 Special.
Welcome aboard Les!
18/1/10 Does
anyone know the current whereabouts of this 1930 OHC Minor? This
was David Biles' first car, and he would like to trace it.
It IS still registered with
DVLA. The car was first registered in London on 19th June 1930 by
Stuart & Ardern.
It is parked outside Maria
Grey College, now part of Brunel University, and was registered to someone
in Acton, London W3 until about 1962.
David then owned it from
1963 to 1965 in Ruislip, Middlesex and then sold it to someone in Northwood,
Middlesex.
The picture shows a delightful
example of a typical sixties student hack with all the usual modifications
- Magna wheels, lost front bumper,
ex-WD head and sidelamps,
SV radiator cap, Sparton horn sportily relocated up front, and the obligatory
bald tyre!
Otherwise, the old girl
has fared very well compared to the great majority of her contemporaries.
David reports that the car
was great fun for him 45 years ago. Can anyone say what state is
she in today?
18/1/10 For
those undertaking brake rebuilds in the near future, the Register is contemplating
having another batch of brake parts made,
including the SV brake pulley
gear shown above. If you have a current or possible future need for
kingpins, brake cables or pulley gear
for either an OHC or SV
Minor, please contact the Register
to discuss.
15/1/10 Malcolm Elder and son Mark in Oxfordshire have this very smart 1934 2-seater for sale for £7,750. Chassis SV40171.
13/1/10 The
restoration of 1930 tourer VA 9714 (M23264) is well advanced in the capable
hands of Walter Watson up in Lanarkshire.
Walter sold this car to
Edwin Farrall in September 2008, but re-acquired it last April, since when
the restoration has continued apace.
M23264 will soon join a
very small number of surviving 1930 season tourers on the road.
By 1930, demand for saloons
was far outstripping demand for open models.
12/1/10 The
VSCC's Light Car Section will once again be holding their Welsh Weekend
March 27th/28th.
Regs and entry form can
be downloaded here.
9/1/10 And by contrast, here is Trevor Wilkinson's 2-seater taking an airing earlier today in Bedfordshire.
9/1/10 New Year's
Day at the Hatchgate. This is the Bean Car Club meet, to which we
were invited.
Mike Jones reports:
"Sadly no VMR cars there
except for those in BCC too, but in the prevailing cold it would have been
quite a long way for them.
The only Minor there was
the Cookseys', seen entering left, in the shot of most of the other cars
there.
That and my 12/50 and the
Cowley on the right are all sporting radiator muffs! Alan Wheeler
came by Cowley (second from left).
I thought his Minor saloon
would be the car of choice for the cold, and Pam Knight with friend Max
in his 1970s Merc (boo!)
I gather their Minor fell
foul of MOT tester for worn shackle pins/bushes.
If I'd known the weather
was going to be sunny all day I'd have made the effort to go Minor - and
avoided the hassle
of the 12/50's headlights
trying to take the day off when I set off for home from our tea-stop!"
6/1/10 If you
were planing to be at Brooklands for the VSCC's New Year Driving Tests
and film show,
please be advised that this
event has been postponed due to the prevailing weather conditions.
The VSCC has announced:
"Brooklands Film Show and
New Year Driving Tests - 9/10 January 06
After careful consideration,
it has been decided to reschedule these two events for 6/7 February.
Tickets issued for the film
show will be valid for Saturday 6 February at the same time.
Anybody who is unable to
attend on this revised date is asked to contact Ann Watson at Brooklands
Museum
after Monday 11 January
on 01932/857381 Ext 244.
Similarly, all tickets and
passes
issued for the Driving Tests will be valid for Sunday 7 February with the
event timetable remaining unaltered.
If you are unable to take
part on this revised date, please contact the VSCC
Competitions Department."
6/1/10 Has anyone
seen this Minor? The son of a past owner is searching for it.
Last heard of around 1980.
Please contact
the Register if you have any information.
4/1/10 The January
2010 Newsletter was launched into the ether today. A copy has also
been placed in the Members' Area of the website.
If you do not receive the
Newsletters but would like to, please contact
the Register.
2/1/10 It was
a glorious day in the New Forest yesterday when Toby Sears captured this
image of his saloon
on his return from the VSCC
New Year's Day meet at the White Buck Inn, at Burley, Hampshire.
2/1/10 As we
enter our tenth anniversary year, it may be of interest to members who
have joined since then
to read the very first VMR
Magazine from the year 2000.
Download it here.
1/1/10 With
the start of our tenth anniversay year, what better time to join the Vintage
Minor Register!
If you own a pre-war OHC
or SV Morris Minor, or an M Type MG, and are not yet a Register member,
please consider joining
over 200 other owners worldwide and becoming part of the Chassis Register.
Simply download the 2010
membership form here.
1/1/10 Mike
Stubbings (6' 2") is instructed how to fit into a Minor 2-seater by Alister
Reid at Brooklands earlier today.
Great day, great vintage
turnout - cold but sunny - the perfect way to start the New Year!
Thanks for the great photo,
Mike.
29/12/09 Today
we welcome Kenneth Cox of Huntly, Aberdeenshire to the Register.
Kenneth has recently acquired
1930 saloon WE 9758 (M29355)
from Dennis Wilson. This saloon will join another 1930 saloon in
Huntly - KR 958 owned by the Frendraught Estate.
22/12/09 As
we approach the end of another splendid vintage motoring year,
it is only fair to recognize
some of those who work so tirelessly behind the scenes to keep the wheels
of the Register turning smoothly.
Today, therefore, we would
like to honour the following for their undaunted loyalty and support throughout
the past year:
Subscription Rate Advisors
Illgott and Gaines
Subscription Refund Administrator
Imelda Czech
Chief Accountant
Candace B. Rittenoff
Complaint Line Operator
Levon Hold
Sexual Harassment Counselor
Natasha Diaz
Morris Minor Back Seat Testers
Wilma Butfit and Fitz Matush
Back Seat Drivers
Veronica Lizzioncourse and Mischa Turnov
Member Care Representative
Kurt Reply
Fleet Manager
Lisa Carr
Transportation Coordinator
Orson Buggy
Assistant Chassis Registrar
Megan Model
Magazine Humorist
Nadia Geddit
Tyre Technologist
Yessir Issaflat
Summer Rally Entry Forecaster
Luigi Bord
Summer Rally Jazz Band Leader
Sasha Noyes
Stop by for more staff credits in the coming days.
22/12/09 With
the UK in the grip of blizzards, here's a seasonal shot of the editorial
1929 fabric saloon in Germany
about ten years ago, and
now owned by Tom Dixon.
17/12/09 The
Members' Area now contains a full set of the original pre-war Morris service
sheets for the Minor.
Grateful thanks to Sam Christie
for providing these.
17/12/09 New
member Peter Rowley's 2-seater turns out to be a saloon! Originally
registered WD 4182 in Warwickshire in 1932,
and with chassis number
SV935, this is an early SV saloon. Peter has owned the car for over
thirty years and brought it to the States
eleven years ago.
Now retired, Peter is picking up the pace of the rebuild. WD 4182
joins a number of other saloons
currently under restoration.
And Peter's membership bring to ten the number of US Register members.
16/12/09 Congratulations
once again to Clive Hamilton-Gould who gained a Second Class Award
in the VSCC's winter driving
tests at Westcott on Saturday 5th December. Clive reports:
"It is a pity that no other
Minors were entered as they are so nimble, only the brain struggles to
keep up!
They are complex tests -
only the winner in my class did not get a test wrong.
My car had more mud on it
than after the Cotswold Rally!"
So, is any other Minor or
M Type entered in the New Year Driving Tests at Brooklands on Sunday 10th
January?
16/12/09 Today we
extend a warm welcome to new member Peter Rowley, of LaGrange, Georgia,
USA who is restoring a 1931 Minor 2-seater.
Peter's daughter Debbie
has just purchased membership for him as a Birthday gift.
We look forward to talking
to Peter and learning details about his Minor.
14/12/09 By
popular request, a virtual pub meet has been opened for a third year on
our forum for Christmas and the New Year.
Pop in for a pint and a
chat with other members from around the world!
14/12/09 The
December Newsletter was distributed today. A copy may be found in
the Members' Area.
If you did not receive your
copy - please contact the Register.
8/12/09 Very
little news at present, which is not surprising, given the season.
However, we have been invited
to join the Bean Car Club at the Hatchgate, Bramshill for lunch on New
Year's Day.
The BCC are regular supporters
of out spring and autumn Hatchgate meets,
so this is an opportunity
to reciprocate.
Contact
the Register if interested in attending.
17/11/09 Up
in Lancashire, Les Beardmore is making rapid progress on his boss's Hundred
Pound Minor MU 3272 (SV2693).
This was the car that was
rescued along with many other cars in parlous state from a field in Norfolk
and
auctioned earlier this year
by Keys. Here is what Les started
with and here is the car as found.
And here
is the Daily Mail story of the discovery and auction.
11/11/09 The
November Newsletter was distributed today and is also downloadable from
the Members' Area.
If you are a member and
did not receive a copy by e-mail, please let
the Register know.
11/11/09 Hereford
Vintage Auctions has these items on offer at their How Caple auction on
25th November.
Full auction details here.
We are happy to support HVA, as they are also strong supporters of the
Register.
Thanks to Simon Hodgins
for this snippet.
10/11/09 The Richard Buxton 2-seater JJ 9085 (see below) sold for £3,600 plus 15% commission.
3/11/09 New
Zealand members Neville and Val Wilson are offering to co-ordinate with
any members from New Zealand or Australia
who would like to visit
the UK next August to attend the Register's Tenth Anniversary Rally.
Neville and Val may be contacted
at (+64) 6/8340967 or via e-mail at neval.wilson@xtra.co.nz
3/11/09 Member
Richard Buxton is reluctantly auctioning his 1933 Minor 2-seater JJ 9085
(chassis SV26464, engine 26069)
through Charterhouse Auctions
this Sunday at their Bristol Classic Car Show auction at the Royal Bath
and West showground.
The car has been in Richard's
family since the War and comes with an Arnott supercharger which was once
fitted to this car.
View the catalogue entry
here
(lot 291).
31/10/09 Today
we welcome John Wheeley to the Register. John lives in Great Yarmouth
and is looking for
a Hundred Pound Minor two-seater
similar to the one above that was just sold by Miller's Garage in Newbury.
If you have such a device
surplus to requirements, please give John a call on 01692/670294 .
17/10/09 And
this rare Cowley-bodied 1933 2-seater is being offered by dealer David
Ekberg in Sandringham, Victoria, Australia,
where everything is upside
down and SV Minors are far more rare than their vintage precursors.
Chassis SV29421, engine
30168. More details here.
Thanks to Ewan Lambess for spotting this one.
15/10/09 This
1933 saloon is currently on offer over in Holland.
Original UK registration
was AXU 976, chassis SV33231. The chassis and coachwork have been
fully restored,
including new leather, but
the interior needs some completing. Details here.
Price €11,500. info@potomacmotors.nl
13/10/09 Hearty
congratulations to Clive Hamilton-Gould and Paul Rogers for achieving a
Second on the VSCC Welsh Rally
last weekend, dropping only
8 points on the day - great job guys!
12/10/09 It
was a day that favoured saloons at the Hatchgate yesterday, but the turnout
was excellent,
including this lineup,
plus a brace of MMM MGs and a rare Calshott Special OHC Minor.
(Photo: John Nagle)
9/10/09 Just
how we like to find them. Joe Barnett's father pondering his discovery
in the sixties.
His son Joe who recently
joined the Register is now completing the restoration that his late father
started.
We wish him good luck and
many miles of happy motoring.
9/10/09 Congratulations
to Mike Jones for his fifty years of membership of the Vintage Sports-Car
Club.
Among other cars, Mike campaigns
a 1930 Minor Semi-sports and is seen here accepting the coveted Roy Hogg
Trophy
at our 2004 Summer Rally
having just won the trophy in our navigation rally. Mike is also
a stalwart of the Bean Car Club,
for whom he is the magazine
editor, and is working tirelessly to encourage BCC members to join us at
Prescott in 2010.
Mike is member number nine
of the VMR, so is also coming up on ten years membership of our own esteemed
club.
7/10/09 With
Christmas just around the corner, my company is already gearing up for
Secret Santa gifts, socials and more,
which made me think about
the VMR. Living so far from England, I always like to receive Christmas
cards from my old car friends,
particularly ones depicting
old cars!
So here’s an idea which might
be worthwhile and may well lead to new friendships. Why not check
out the Members’ List
and pick, say, ten members
- perhaps ones that you don’t necessarily know, and possibly some that
live far away around the globe,
and add them to your Christmas
card list. You might like to include a brief note and a few details/photo
of your car(s)
and family along with some
seasonal best wishes to them and their families. Perhaps you could
pick members
with cars identical to yours
in year and type. You might also look for members who do not have
e-mail addresses,
and so have more tenuous
communications with the Register. You might also consider the Honorary
Members,
all of whom have given far
more to our sport than they have taken. I would be happy to provide
suggested addresses
if you don't want to plough
through the Members' List yourself.
As for the holidays themselves,
is there any interest in local Christmas dinners anywhere, or New Year's
Day meets,
or even a Boxing Night Informal?!
If so, I will co-ordinate as best I can.
6/10/09 Our
Barrington pub meet on Sunday was very well attended. Apart from
regulars,
Hugh Barnes brought several
of his Austin Seven friends, and Keith Herkes from the EMGS
brought along his MG 18/80.
It was also good to see Michael Taylor and his vintage Austin 12.
Two more meets this coming
Sunday - the Hatchgate, Bramshill, Hampshire and
the Four Horseshoes, Thornham
Magna, Suffolk.
(Photo Keith Herkes)
6/10/09 Today
we welcome Chris Warman to the Register. Chris is looking for
a vintage Minor restoration
project. Chris lives in Dinas Powys, near Cardiff.
1/10/09 Today we welcome
Joseph Barnett of Great Barr, Birmingham to the Register
with his 1934 Minor 2-seater.
Joseph becomes member number 345.
1/10/09 The October Newsletter is now downloadable from the Members' Area.
30/9/09 Does anyone own up to building this very clever Minor saloon? Find it here.
30/9/09 Barry
Whitehead of Ratby, Leicestershire is parting with his 1933 Family 8 project
- ANO 252 (MML8/32603).
Find it on eBay here.
Ends 6th October. Or contact
Barry directly.
30/9/09 Declarations
of Interest are arriving for our Tenth
Anniversary weekend at Prescott next August.
The latest to arrive in
the post is from Annabelle Swain - daughter of Barbara Skinner and Honorary
Member of the Register.
Annabelle has entered her
1929 Australian-bodied roadster which she brought back with her when she
repatiated in 2005.
Her son is working hard
to recommission the car in time for the Rally.
30/9/09 Today
we welcome Peter Cowdrey to the Register with his Oxford-registered 1933
Minor 2-seater JO 6062 (SV24045).
Peter lives in North Fambridge
near Chelmsford and has owned this car since 1973.
29/9/09 Member
and M Type owner Hugh Barnes is commissioning a batch of M Type bonnet
and front apron catches.
They will come as shown,
finished in bright nickel or chrome to choice. Please contact
Hugh directly if you have an interest.
He is looking to place a
firm order for production by Friday 16th October with delivery hopefully
2 - 3 weeks after that.
The cost will be £45
each plus P&P.
29/9/09 Robin
Clifford is selling his 1933 Minor chassis SV31272 (engine 40580) on eBay.
Find it here.
The chassis includes a valuable
4-speed box - itself probably worth more than the current bid of £175.
27/9/09 Welcome
to two new members this weekend. Geoffrey Colquitt has joined us
with his
ex-David Whittle 1929 tourer
WE
6554. Geoffrey is a VSCC member so we hope to see the continued
presence
of this fine early tourer
in Light Car and other events. Wally McCormack also joins us with
his M Type 2M/1094, PG 6768.
24/9/09 The
password for the Members' Area of the website was reset today - to that
provided with the last Magazine.
If in any doubt, please
contact
the Register.
24/9/09 Welcome
to new member Peter Smith of Aylesbury. Peter acquired his 1930 M
Type, MG 770 (2M/1918) from his brother
last August and has spent
the last year returning it to roadworthiness. The final remaining
task is to refit the reconditioned dynamo,
so we hope to see the car
out and about again shortly. It was last on the road in 2000, having
previously been rebuilt
between 1984 and 1989 by
Peter's brother.
21/9/09 The
VSCC held their traditional and ever-popular driving tests at Madresfield
yesterday,
and Francis Sanders entered
his late father's Minor in his first ever competitive event.
Clive Hamilton-Gould reports:
"We sorted Francis Sanders' Minor which is now going very well and he followed
me to Madresfield
where he did his first competition
in the car. He was doing well but could not see much going backwards!
No results yet but he must
be best Minor if he does not win an award. No others entered.
21/9/09 After
the house move, VMR HQ is up and running again.
All went smoothly and e-mails/forum
posts are being answered as fast as possible.
11/9/09 A quick
update from VMR HQ, which will be moving tomorrow to 13416 Kellogg Lake
Road, Sultan, WA 98294, USA.
The pre-move chaos is the reason for not posting much news lately - we
shall be off internet from tomorrow until next Wednesday
when we shall (hopefully) be back up with satellite internet (no cable
up in the mountains). Very quickly, this weekend will see our first
Rally in Holland -
Halbe Tjepkema has worked hard to organize - we have three Minors traveling
today from the UK. Also, it is the Beaulieu Autojumble this weekend,
and many members will be attending. Hunt down Toby Sears, who will
be flying the VMR flag on stall at R327/328 - he'd be delighted to meet
other members.
There
WILL be an autumn pub meet at the Cock Inn, Peatling Magna, Leicestershire,
hosted by Brian Maeers. 18th October. This meet needs your support!
Please
come along if at all possible. Everyone should have received their
M133 Magazines and Yearbooks by now - thanks to Bev Hicks and Ewan Lambess
for forwarding
well over 200 envelopes. I have also finally found time to post various
spares to various members - so if you are expecting parts, they are on
their way now!
Finally, included with M 133 were Declaration of Interest forms for our
10th Anniversary Rally next year - please return these ASAP so that we
can gauge
interest and make plans. So far interest has been strong, and we
have just hears that the Wolseley Hornet Special Club will be joining us.
Signing off until later
next week.
27/8/09 Meet
the Grey Ghost - RB 6600. The gent on the right, sitting on the passeneger
door, took his driving test
in this car shortly after
the War. Yes, there are six people in the car - but is it an OHC
tourer or a 1932 chassis?
Answers on the back of a
ten bob note please. The gent on the right is Clifford Wright and
he is still very much
with us and excited to tell
the story of his beloved Minor which will appear in the next Yearbook.
26/8/09 This
Hundred Pound Minor is currently for sale by Millers Garage in Newbury
for £5,995.
Details here.
22/8/09 And
the first new member to take advantage of the half subs for the rest of
2009 is Mick Bennie,
whose smart red Australian
Minor appears below. Welcome Mick!
21/8/09 A reminder
that anyone joining the Register between now and the end of the year will
only pay half of the annual subscription.
Also, existing members who
refer new members receive a ten Pound discount for every new member they
refer.
Indeed, one of our members
is actually ten Pounds in profit for the year so far!
Download the Membership
Form here.
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21/8/09 And
still they turn up - in Australia. M3953 has recently been acquired
by Mick Bennie of Epping,
Victoria from Ken Smith
in Pambula, NSW. The car dates from March 1929 and was originally
one of a batch of eleven
export chassis.
20/8/09 Over
in Northern Ireland, Peter Mann has his 1933 Minor 2-seater (chassis SV31597)
for sale.
Unfortunately, since placing
the
advert on the internet,
the car has suffered a bent
rod, broken piston and scored cylinder liner.
Paul is therefore looking
for a realistic offer for the car in its current state.
E-mail
Peter if interested.
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17/8/09 In New
South Wales, Ewan Lambess is making progress with his recently-acquired
chassis of Y329 - see news item for 13th June below.
The chassis, which came
in two halves, has now been welded back together again!
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16/8/09 Debbie
and Mark Borman finally exhumed their Hundred Pound Minor from its lair
above their spray shop in Redmond, Seattle, yesterday.
The car had been gathering
spray dust for twenty six years, so required a good air blast before loading
up and hauling back to their home workshop.
The car's history is fascinating,
having been acquired by Debbie's father in 1984. Prior to that it
formed part of the standby stock of the Harrah
Collection
which was sold in 1978.
Harrah acquired the car from a private owner in New York, but the history
prior to that was unknown - until yesterday.
Among the parts were the
original British number plates - OU 8760, confirming that the car was first
registered in the spring of 1931 in Hampshire.
Further research is now
under way to see if we can discover some of its English past, and a full
restoration will now commence.
Black Bess climbs Kop Hill in 1925
14/8/09 The
Register has been invited to a commemorative climb of Kop
Hill over the weekend of 26th/27th September.
Kop Hill, near Princes Risborough
Buckinghamshire, was a speed hill climb for motorcycles and motorcars between
1910 and 1925.
The Register is planning
to attend on Saturday 26th - members may either take part in the commemorative
run or simply to spectate.
If you would like to enter,
then we recommend you send in your entry as soon as possible as numbers
are limited.
Full details and an entry
form may be found here.
If you intend to attend in any capacity, please let
the Register know,
so that we may co-ordinate
lunch which will be at the Peacock
at Henton.
14/8/09 The August Newsletter is now available in the Members' Area.
12/9/09 Peter
Widdison took his SV Family 8 along to the Crich Tramway Village's 1940's
weekend
last weekend.
11/8/09 The Register received the folowing this morning. Please feel free to respond to Pam, and offer a suitable donation in return.
"My name is Pam Brew, I am
part of the comittee of my local scout group.
An elderly local man has
donated some bits and bobs including:
An undated operators manual
for the Morris Ten Four and Twelve Four
A 1942 Operation Manual
for an Morris Ambulance
A handbook for the Morris
Oxford series 3
A 1941 Morris 10 hp Light
Utility car illustrated list of spare parts along with some lubrication
diagrams for Morris Oxfords series 1 and 2
These are not in great condition
so no use to a book collector, I just wondered if any of your members or
enthusiasts would find them useful?
My e-mail address
is pbrew935@btinternet.com"
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9/8/09 The Morris
Register held their annual Summer Rally at Thoresby Hall this weekend.
Tony Gamble visited yesterday
and took these photos.
These three Minors were
present - long wheelbase models outnumbering the single SWB car
and no vintage examples
present!
6/8/09 Declarations
of interest are now being gathered for our Tenth Anniversary Prescott event,
and may be downloaded here.
Please return your form
as soon as possible so that numbers can be assessed and planning made accordingly.
4/8/09 There
is major news regarding our 2010 Summer Rally which will mark the tenth
anniversary of the Register.
In addition to the traditional
Navigation Rally/Scenic Tour and social events, we will be returning for
a third time to Prescott
for a Vintage Garden Party
and day of untimed climbs of the hill – the previous two occasions being
in 2003 and 2005.
Saturday 24th July has been
booked with the Bugatti Owners Club and we were very lucky to be able to
secure the last
of 30 days for 2010 that
the club is permitted to use the hill for noise reasons. Of course,
the cost of the hill and associated costs
of insurance, etc. have
risen substantially since 2005 and so the following strategy regarding
entries is being adopted.
Provisional declarations
of intent will be sought between now and the end of 2009. If a threshold
number of provisional entries are received,
then the deposit to the
BOC will be paid by the due date of 31st December. If not, then the
hill booking will be cancelled.
As in 2003 and 2005, several
other clubs are being invited to join us on the day – most notably the
VSCC, MGCC, EMGS and MSG.
A provisional booking form
will be available shortly. So dip your finger in engine oil and write
24/7/10
on
the garage wall!
3/8/09 And we
would also like to extend an equally warm welcome to Caz Lester of Stoke
Prior, Leominster who joins the Register
today with his Oxford-registered
1934 saloon UD 5962 (SV33436).
3/8/09 We extend a very warm welcome to Anne and Richard Bryant who joins the Register with their fascinating 1932 Minor van.
2/8/09 Congratulations
to Toby Sears who annexed the Roy Hogg Trophy at our Summer Rally yesterday
- by just half a point!
The weather was wet on Saturday,
but all were cheerful - and there were no official protests!
The buffet dinner on Saturday
nightat the gardeners Arms also went off well, and the landlady remarked
to me what a lovely group
of people we were. She must have confused us with another party.
In other weekend news, Paul
Rogers had an 'off' at Prescott on Friday in his 30-98 when he ran into
the tyre wall
and deranged the front axle
fairly comprehensively. Thankfully, Paul is OK, and rumours that
Michael Schumacher
will be standing in for
him are being officially denied.
26/7/09 Gordon
Smiths' mother and grandmother. The huge load of luggage perhaps
explains why the engine is being coooled!
With acknowledgement to
Gordon's grandfather, Chief Yeoman of Signals George Smith RN, who was
the photographer.
More on this car and the
family in M 134.
22/7/09 Dave
Whittle may be selling the ex-Philip Knight, ex-John Peckham, ex-Paul Harris
1929 tourer,
chassis M9738, engine 9630,
first registered 10/10/29, rebuilt 1976.
Update - David has now sold
the car to a VSCC member - more details anon!
Flashback to the 2002 VMR Summer Rally - eight vintage Minors await the start
20/7/09 Just
under two weeks to our Summer Rally. Tickets have been posted to
entrants - all except the
VSCC Prescott tickets which
will be distributed by hand on the Saturday of the Rally.
19/7/09 Ted
Spiller (see 9/7/09 below) took his Minor 'The Red Bomb'
to Newby Hall yesterday
and won fourth prize agaist some far more illlustrious vintage mounts.
Well done, Ted!
13/7/09 Less
than three weeks until our Summer Rally!
If you have not yet entered,
but wish to do so, please e-mail
your intentions without delay
so that tickets can be purchased
and catering number finalized.
9/7/09 Today
we are delighted to extend a very warm welcome to the Reverend Ted Spiller
who joins the Register with
is modifed 1931 Hundred Pound Minor 2-seater.
Ted, who lives in Thirsk
in North Yorkshire owned this car back in the sixties
and recently rediscoverd
and re-acquired it.
Here it is seen at Otterington
Hall in June.
1/7/09 The electric newsletter for July was launched into the ether this evening and is also available for download in the Members' Area.
29/6/09 Congratulations
to Laura Hamilton-Gould and navigator Clive for achieving only one of two
First Class awards in yesterday's
VSCC Light Car Section's
Summer Rally. Other entrants were Robin Harcourt-Smith in his CMS
Special, and Brian Maeers
also entered the Touring
Assembly on one of his tourers.
The full results may be
viewed here.
Photos here.
29/6/09 By pure
coincidence, the ex-George Bryne Hundred Pound Minor featured
on the front cover of M
133 (below) is to be auctioned on 19th July by Charterhouse Auctions in
Dorset.
Here
is the link.
28/6/09 Magazine
M 133 is now available for download in the Members' Area.
Printed copies will be on
their way to members shortly.
28/6/09 Today we welcome M Type owner Garry Waiting to the Register.
23/6/09 We heard
today via Chris Lambert from a John Richardson who lives in Thirsk, North
Yorkshire.
He has a friend, the Reverend
Ted Spiller who owns a 1932 two seater.
John says that Ted doesn't
have long to live as he has kidney cancer
and wants to attend the
VMR Summer Rally in his car.
BUT his car is missing a
hood frame and the purpose of the contact from John Richardson
was to establish if we could
help find one or provide him with a set of drawings.
He would then make up a
frame for Ted (John is a retired coachbuilder) prior to the Rally.
So, can anyone help with
a detailed drawing or even better - could an original frame
be borrowed temporarily
to use as a pattern? Or even better still,
has anyone got a spare frame
and/or sidescreens?
If so, please contact
the Register immediately. Thanks in advance.
22/6/09 We extend
a warm welcome to Bruce Sharman of Western Australia who joins the Register
as he is about to acquire
the remains of three OHC Minors in his locality.
All three were previously
unknown to the Register - two were export chassis, and the third was a
saloon.
Also in the haul is an Australian
roadster body. We look forward to learning more once Bruce has
recovered these these cars.
21/6/09 Our
online Midsummer Auction concluded successfully this evening.
In particular, congratulations
to Toby Sears for successfully bidding on the 1932 tourer!
Sincere thanks to all who
offered lots and to those who bidded for them.
Sellers and winning bidders
will be contacted shortly by e-mail
with instructions for concluding
their transactions.
Thanks again everyone.
15/6/09 The Register received this invitation today from the MG Car Club:
The Gold Cup Center's
Summer Concours d'Elegance
Petwood Hotel, Woodhall
Spa, Lincolnshire - Sunday 16th August
The Chairman and Committee
would like to invite the Vintage Minor Register to take part in this annual
event
in the delightful grounds
of the Petworth Hotel; and we have arranged for "After the Break" to play
for us on the terrace overlooking the cars.
We do hope that you will
be able to accept this invitation on behalf of your members,and ask you
to publicize it in your Club magazine.
A copy of the invite and
entry form are enclosed, and further copies are available here.
It would be appreciated
if you would confirm your Club's acceptance of this invitation by 17th
July.
Yours sincerely,
Mike Hewson
Competitions Secretary &
Secretary of the Meeting
http://www.mgcclincolnshire.co.uk
Mike is a longtime VMR member,
owning the ex-Captain McCloud MG Q Type-engined Morris Minor fabric saloon.
So let's see if we can give
Mike and the MGCC some support - right?
Please let
the Register know if you intend to enter.
13/6/09 Congratulations
to Ewan Lambess of Lochinvar, New South Wales, who has just returned from
a 1,900-mile
round trip to collect a
1929 Minor project, chassis Y329 - one of only 14 known surviving
Y-chassis Australian export
Minors in captivity. The car will join Y581 - Ewan's other Minor.
12/6/09 Today
we welcome Melvyn Tubb of Sutcombe in Devon to the Register. Melvyn owns
a very special Hundred Pound Minor.
He bought the car for fifteen
Pounds in the mid sixties and rebuilt it himself. It was used as
his only car until about the early seventies.
Unfortunately, it has been
unused since and since then its condition has deteriorated markedly.
However, Melvyn has recently
been fired with enthusiasm and, as he is now retired and has more time
on his hands,
and has started to rebuild
her again. Welscome Melvyn and we look forward to helping you with
the rebuild.
11/6/09 A reminder
to get your Summer Rally entry form in as soon as possible so that a host
of planning issues can be completed
including catering numbers,
group tickets, etc.
Download the entry form
here.
11/6/09 Four
more lots have been added to the Midsummer
Auction today, and more are in the pipeline.
If you have any items to
sell, simply e-mail details to
the Register.
10/6/09 The June Newsletter
is now downloadable in pdf format from the Members' Area.
Any member who has an e-mail
address and who has NOT already received an e-mailed copy, please contact
the Regsiter.
10/6/09 Today
we warmly welcome Nigel Hawkins to the Register. Nigel recently acquired
this 1929 coachbuilt saloon, M12504
that was recently been imported
from New Zealand. It was offered for sale there in February as part
of an estate clearance
and imported by Andrew Booth
at Orchid Cars. Now it lives a starting handle's throw from Ken Martin.
The car is interesting,
in that it appears to have originated as a fabric saloon and has subsequently
been paneled.
The production of coachbuilt
saloons commenced in September 1929 with chassis M12739,
so this lends weight to
the argument. The Genome also confirms that M12504 was bodied
at Cowley - not in New Zealand.
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The Vintage Minor Register - it's about time