Annual Morris and Austin Day, Brooklands, Sunday March 9th

[Ian Grace]

Anyone going? Anyone been to a previous one? Might be a good place to promote the EMS? Who can say more?

http://www.brooklandsmuseum.com/events. ... r=2008#cal

[chris lambert]

Ian,
I think this is organised by Roger Bird's IAMO http://www.iamo.org.uk as their website certainly promotes it. I have seen an image from an earlier such meet where there were perhaps 80+ cars lined up on the banked circuit, with models representing both marques, pre and post war. I have no idea if any other activities take place, but its a good excuse for a run out to Brooklands!
Chris

[Highlander]

Ian, I may be going but will be late - This Sunday , 9th March, is the Motor Cycle Pioneer Run from Epsom Downs to Brighton and I now like to see the start having done the run for over 40 years. I will buy a pint for every Morris Minor, sv or OHV driver and this from a Scotsman!!Alister.

[Highlander]

I posted a reply on the wrong heading - so here goes again. I went to Brooklands. I was the only Morris Minor there. Perhaps a dozen Morris cars from Bullnose to 1936. I have never seen so many Austin 7s at one place (I was an Austin 7 man) All models, shape and sizes. 1923 to 1939. All "vintage vehicles were in the Paddock and could have a crack at the test hill. It was just a plesent gathering wi8th plenty of chat. Outside the paddock were 100s of 50/60 Morris Minors, A35s etc. I enjoyed the couple of hours I spent there. I saw Roger Bird but he was busy. I read in this forum that we complain about Austin 7s but they do USE their cars! I am now into my third year with a Minor and only two people have visited my home in a similar minor. In this same three years I have been visited by a dozen Austin 7s, a dozen Humber 8 or 9, (small cars like ours) and at the other end we had SIX Silver Ghosts in the drive one morning!!! Is it me?, the South East of England? or are there no active Minors in this area? I am abour to have another large dram to celebrate Scotland win!!!!!! Keep the wheels turning, Alister (tongue in cheek) Reid.

[Ian Grace]

Alister,

Thanks for the report. Six Silver Ghosts in your drive? Spooky. I should call Ghostbusters! Or had you been hitting the malts a wee bit too much?

As for Minors, it cannot be the cars as they are distinctly more robust than Sevens, and particularly so the SV cars. So, for me, it comes down to the owners (and I'm generalizing here of course) - the sort of owners that Minors attract. I think it has a lot to do with the sporting pedigree of the Sevens which has been a constant undercurrent since the thirties and was pushed for decades by the 750 Motor Club. The Minor never had much of a sporting background and so all the driving enthusiasts over the last 50 years went for a Seven or an MG, and the Minor got left to a tiny handful of bonnet polishers and the ravages of the MG boys. This is also why the emphasis in the VMR has shifted from trying to encourage owners to use their cars (almost always a waste of time and energy), to getting them into the hands of people who will use them, and we have numerous success stories in that category.

It has proven VERY hard to overcome this situation - the inertia out there is monumental, but we have had some success - particularly with the OHC Minors on the VSCC. Getting SV Minors into the same VSCC groove would be a great step forward in this respect, but has so far eluded us.