Serving the Pre-War Morris Minor and M Type MG
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Summer
Rally 2012 and Pre-War Prescott, 21st to 23rd July
(Images of
our 2011 event may be found here,
here,
here,
here,
here
and on YouTube here.)
Northern Weekend, 28th/29th July
The Latest News from the Register
4/2/12 Hearty
congratulations to Kartikea Lunia in India who took his 1930 tourer to
a local show today.
What makes this such a huge
achievement is that his car was not much more than a pile of bits only
weeks ago.
In the last seven days,
the car has been assembled, rewired, painted, upholstered and all the myriad
finishing details sorted,
with work finishing in the
small hours this morning. A full report on this record-breaking restoration
will be published in our Spring Magazine.
24/1/12 The
Register's 2012 calendar is now available for download in the Members'
Area in both A4 and 8.5" x 11" formats.
The theme of this year's
calendar is our 2011 Summer Rally.
19/1/12 VMR
HQ is battling the worst Pacific winter storm in living memory. Two
feet of snow has now given way to
freezing rain and an ice
storm that is bringing down hundreds of trees, and power lines with them.
The city of Seattle has
ground to a halt. I'll try to post a few more images on the Forum.
Roll on the spring!
16/1/12 The
2012 Pre-War Prescott website has been launched at www.prewarprescott.com
and includes an online entry form.
Keep wathcing the website
for all the latest event news and it breaks.
8/1/12 The start
of the 2012 vintage motoring season is here and promises to be the best
yet!
The 2012 Summer Rally website
has been launched today and can be found here,
and the entry form can be
downloaded here.
Once again, the highlight of our Summer Rally will be Pre-War Prescott.
The following weeked will
see the inauguration of our Northern Weekend in Teesdale,
details of which may be
found here.
In addition, we are planning a number of new pub meets and short runs this
spring,
details of which will be
posted here shortly.
3/1/12 The January Newsletter was distributed by e-mail today and a copy may also be found in the Members' Area.
John Nagle's recently-restored two-seater in festive setting.
24/12/11 We
wish every member across the world, their families and friends a wonderful
Christmas
and a happy, peaceful and
safe New Year.
Please visit our virtual
Christmas pub meet on the Forum for a virtual pint with friends!
If you are considering
joining the Register, December is a great time to do so, as you will receive
the Winter 2011 Magazine
plus four quarterly magazines
next year for the price of your 2012 subscription.
Download the 2012 Membership
Form here.
8/12/11 We extend
a very warm welcome to the following new members who have joined us in
the last two weeks.
Paul Meeker (1934 Minor
2-seater), Andy Tullis (1934 Minor 2-seater), Doug Spooner (1933 Minor
2-seater),
Lee Robertson (1929 Minor
saloon) and Tony and Debbie Slattery in Queensland who are looking for
an M Type.
Welcome one and all!
7/12/11 The
Register website is once again operational after the successful transfer
to TalkTalk.
Numerous updates will be
made in the next few days, but the first major addition was uploaded this
afternoon.
It is the first part of
the SV Minor 'Genome' - a table listing the body type fitted to chassis
SV101 to SV18330,
as well as the full build
data for all known surviving SV Minors within this production run.
This, and the full OHC Genome
may be found in the Members' Area.
20/11/11
One out, one in. Bill Piggott has sold his 1929 fabric saloon UR
4313 and acquired this very smart M Type which he plans to use
for LCES events. As
the M is currently in 12/12 trim, Bill is looking for a 3-speed box and
standard single carburetter and manifold.
Please contact
the Register if you can help.
ANO 17 all present and
correct at the Alresford Watercress Line annual 'War on the Line', the
2011 weekend event.
Lt. Cdr. Holland on the
left.
18/11/11 Welcome
to new member Clive Holland who owns this rare 1933 4-seater tourer.
Regular readers may recall
that Clive's car played host to a
very special reunion last year.
And next year, Chris will
be doing us another great favour when his Minor will play the role of HF
8547,
the Minor tourer that Cameron
Gilg and Walter Kay drove from Liverpool to Capetown in 1933 (see 3/11/11
below).
ANO 17 will form the centrepiece
of the Gilg and Kay exhibition at Pre-War Prescott next July.
The picturesque village of Romaldkirk at the foot of Teesdale will be the weekend's headquarters
13/11/11 Provisonal
details of our inaugural 2012 Northern Weekend are now available here.
Start making your plans
now.
Near the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge which marks the gateway to New York, Martin Redmond sets Pacific water free in the Atlantic.
12/11/11 14
countries, 80 cities and 15,000 miles. Tonight, Martin Redmond and
Roger Gaunt reached New York city
on the final leg of their
epic round-the-world drive in their 1938 Morris 25 'Stanley'.
Congratulations to you both on a truly magnificent, once in a lifetime achievement!
Many of you have been following their progress online, but if not, here is their final daily blog from the Big Apple.
Our first Register Magazine was published in the autumn of 2000. Just sixty copies were printed.
11/11/11 Last
year we celebrated our Tenth Anniversary as a Register, and we have certainly
come a very long way in that time
since our very first Magazine
was distributed to about sixty founder members back in 2000. Just
how far we have come becomes clear
when one looks back at some
of
our early Magazines, which make fascinating and sometimes poignant reading
today.
In our first year, we published
36 Magazines. These have now been tidied up and converted to .pdf
format files and are available as a full set on CD.
The Anniversary CD also
contains all of our Yearbooks and a wealth of other fascinating material
and comes in a very smart
commemorative presentation
case. All of the files are fully searchable for names, registration
numbers, etc. and all of the
Magazines and Yearbooks
are presented in full colour, high resolution graphics – unlike the black
and white photocopied originals.
So this represents a tremendous
opportunity for members who joined after 2000 to acquire a complete set
of the Register’s publications.
A one-time limited run of
fifty Anniversary CD’s are being prepared by our printers – Northwest Fine
Art Printing.
To order your copy of the
CD, please use the order
form, or simply add £25 (or $Au45, $NZ50, $US40) to your 2012
subscription payment.
By purchasing this CD you
will be supporting the Register, enabling us to make even more improvements
in our publications and
services for you as we head into our second decade.
The wild moorland above Teesdale's picturesque and historic villages affords some of the most spectacular vistas in Britain.
10/11/11 The
Register is delighted to announce that we will hold an inaugural Northern
Weekend the weekend after our Summer Rally next year.
The date for our Summer
Rally is 21st/22nd July, so the Northern Weekend will take place over the
weekend of 28th/29th July, and will be
based in Teesdale
in the northern Pennines, a region of Britain famous for its quiet lanes
and dramatic scenery.
This brand new Register
event is designed to offer our northern
members the opportunity to meet and enjoy a relaxed weekend
of touring and socialising.
However, southern members will be tolerated - if they promise to behave
themselves!
Two days of gentle
touring and visits to places of interest will be planned, with a slightly
special Register dinner on Saturday night.
A hotel will be selected
with safe parking and plenty of space for trailers for those traveling
from afar.
There will be no competitive
aspect to the weekend (except getting to the bar first in the evening!),
so it should be a very family-friendly
weekend. So far, at least eight of our northern members have expressed
an intention to gather
and more expressions of
interest would be most welcome. Please let
the Register know if you might be interested, so that we can secure
sufficient
accommodation and hopefully negotiate an advantageous group rate.
There will be NO rally entry fee.
For our European members,
there is a DFDS
car ferry from Amsterdam, and ferries from other European ports to
Newcastle,
which is only about forty
miles from the Rally area. Keep an eye on the website and our publications
for more information
as plans for this exciting
new Register weekend develop.
6/11/11 Over
in Jaipur, India, Kartikea Lunia's 1930 tourer (M22335) was driven for
the first time in forty years today.
He recorded the momentous
event on these fascinating videos.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aPKDO8Ldmlc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vf1BEa2ieK8
Congratualtions on returning
another vintage Minor to the open road, Kartik.
4/11/11 Martin
Redmond and Roger Gaunt have reached Madison, Wisconsin on the trans-America
leg of their round the world drive.
In Madison, Martin and Roger
met up with Register member Peter Caldwell for a chat and a look at Peter's
workshop
and classic British car
spares business. Also in attendance was the President of the local
British Car Club.
Next stop for Martin and
Roger is the windy city - Chicago.
3/11/11 In 1933,
Cameron Gilg and Walter Kay drove their new 1933 Morris Minor from Liverpool
to Capetown,
thus achieving the first
ever crossing of the Sahara in a light car. For the trip, the car
was adorned with a
serpent radiator mascot
and Red Duster. Here we see Cameron's wife who still has her late
husband's radiator mascot and duster
from that adventure.
The family will be our Guests of Honour at our Summer Rally next year,
where long distance adventure
will be a major theme of the weekend.
1/11/11 Today
we warmly welcome Eberhard Sasse to the Register. Eberhart lives
in Schwerte which is near Dortmund in Germany.
He runs a firm of architects
- Schlosserei Sasse.
He has always wanted a Mercedes SSK or Blower Bentley,
but has decided that what
he really wants is a Morris Minor! We wish him well with his
quest.
1/11/11 The November Newsletter was e-mailed to members last night and is available in the Members' Area.
31/10/11 Just
how we like to find them. As mentioned below, new member Philip Butland
has acquired a Hundred Pound Minor
which he collected from
Surrey today. TF 4293 (SV802) is a very sound and quite original
early two-seater which Philip
intends to recommission
rather than rebuild. The car is currently sitting on 18" wheels,
but Philip has already sourced
a set of correct 19" Magna
wheels. We very much look forward to seeing another Minor out and
about before long.
The Minor will join Philip's
very smart Morris 8 tourer.
30/10/11 Meanwhile
over in Japan, the Meet the MG 2011 event was held at the Shin-Nishinomiya
Yacht Harbour yesterday.
Front and centre is Kenji
Matsuoka's ex-Dave Cooksey 1930 M Type WH 2424 (2M/886), behind which can
be seen
Shinichi Nagatani's recently-completed
1930 Double Twelve PJ 4513 (2M/1342). Shinichi has spent the last
seven years restoring his M.
Completing the lineup is
a C Type and a K3.
30/10/11 VMR
member Martin Redmond (centre) has reached the Rockies with his friend
Roger Gaunt
on their trek across the
USA as part of their round the world drive in their 1937 Morris 25.
The Badlands await them
over the next few days as they head east towards Chicago.
Last night they stayed close
to Yellowstone. You can follow their journey each day on TravelPod,
and you can easily sign
up for their fascianting daily e-mailed updates.
29/10/11 Today
we welcome Mark Morris to the Regsister. Mark is looking for a 1929
nickel radiator
fabric saloon, and has discussed
the two cars below with the Register. However, if anoyone else has
one
that they may be interested
in parting with, please let the
Register know. Mark is the Registrar for the
Bugatti Owners Club, and
so is no stranger to Prescott. We very much look forward to
seeing him there
at our Summer Rally next
July with his Minor - whichever one he acquires.
28/10/11 And
here's another vinatge saloon for sale - to be auctioned by our very good
friends and sponsors
Hereford Vintage Auctions
on 23rd November. This OHC saloon, chassis M12504, started life on
12th August 1929
as fabric saloon and was
exported to New Zealand. Re-imported to the UK in 2007 after an estate
clearance,
in New Zealand, it was sold
by Orchid Cars in May 2008, but is now for sale once again.
The car has been steel paneled
at some point in the past. It is fitted with a 1931 OHC engine with
large dynamo.
Smart, sorted and with a
realistic estimate of £5,000-£6,500, it is ready for the coming
vintage motoring season.
Find more photographs here
or contact the Register for more details.
24/10/11 This
very fine 1929 Fabric Saloon RX 4207 (M4322), first registered in Berkshire
on the 10th April 1929
was auctioned at the Goodwood
Festival of Speed back in July (see 15/6/11 below) and is now being offered
for sale again
by Jaguar dealers Arun
Motors of Pulborough, West Sussex. It formed part of the Bunn
Collection in Dorset
prior to being auctioned.
Here's the sales blurb:
"This fabric-bodied example
of a now rare Vintage-era Morris comes with a report dated April 1983 written
by noted automobile
historian and author,
Michael Sedgwick, who found that it was a good example of a now very rare
car.
The car was refurbished
quite some time ago and is now offered in excellent condition both inside
and out.
Documentation on file
records a complete engine rebuild in 1975 by St Christopher's Garage, Dorset
while accompanying photographs
appear to show the Morris undergoing a full 'body off' restoration in the
1970s
with in excess of 300
hours labour spent (at £2.80 an hour!!). The car has obviously
stood the test of time as it remains
in superb condition both
inside and out - an unusual opportunity to purchase a great looking little
car
and is nice to have something
apart from the usual Austin 7."
We agree that this would
make a fine vintage light car and is definitely worthy of a closer look.
23/10/11 Welcome
to new member Philip Butland of Hailsham, East Sussex who joins us with
his 1938 Series 2 Morris 8 tourer,
seen here rounding the Semi-cicrle
at our inaugural Pre-War Prescott event in July. (Photo: Graham Abbott)
Philip writes: "Loved Pre-War
Prescott, had four runs up the hill and am now besotted. Have been
looking out for a Minor for
some time and now think
I may have found one. Anyway, whether the Minor happens or not, it's
time I joined the Register."
Welcome, Philip.
UPDATE 25/10/11! Congratulation,
Philip, on your purchase of a Hundred Pound Minor today!
23/10/11 The
contents of the Members' Area of the website is currently being overhauled
and expanded.
The first upgrade was to
add wiring diagrams and lubrication charts for most OHC, SV Minors and
M Types.
These diagrams have also
be uploaded in French, Spanish, German and Dutch from original overseas
Morris Minor Handbooks!
The remaining missing diagrams
are being sought and will be added in due course.
Emphasis is being put on
providing more technical information, sources of spares and providers of
services.
If you have any material
or suggestions to help with the upgrade, please contact
the Register.
Similarly, if you find any
information on the website which is out of date or incorrect, please let
us know.
23/10/11 After
a few months of snags including a chewed-up oil pump, John Nagle has nearly
completed the restoration of his 1934 2-seater
OW 4224 (SV37955). John
had OW out today in fine fettle in the autumn sunshine. Congratulations
on another high quality restoration, John.
21/10/11 Jeff
Body has completed the new body for Toby Sears' 1931 (1932 season) four-seater
tourer
(UX 9251, chassis SV 6690)
and the result is spectacular, as can be seen above. Hereis
what he started with.
This was the car that Toby
won in our Register auction two years ago, after it was found as part of
the estate
of the deceased owner.
It has been off the road since the 1960's. We look forward to seeing
this rare SV tourer
out and about once Toby
has completed the restoration.
19/10/11 During
the summer of 2011 Kip and Carmen Waistell drove, unsupported, from Peking
to Paris.
Unfortunately they used
two vintage Austin Sevens! However, they had an epic journey.
The purpose of their journey was
to raise funds for SmileTrain,
the charity that treats children in developing countries with the dreadful
affliction of cleft lip and pallet.
They will be giving a slide
presentation of their exciting cross continental journey in
PEMBRIDGE VILLAGE HALL,
HEREFORDSHIRE ON WEDNESDAY 2nd NOVEMBER AT 7.30 pm.
Tickets in advance price
£7.50, to include light refreshments, may be obtained from David
Hinds, Garage House, East Street, Pembridge, HR6 9HA.
Please make cheques payable
to D. Hinds and enclose a sae. All profits to SmileTrain.
There will be a number Minor
Register members there, perhaps some of them will be inspired to make this
journey in a Minor.
18/10/11 Our
Summer 2011 Magazine has been made available online here
as a sample copy of our quarterly Magazines.
It replaces the old-format
Spring 2009 Magazine. Our quarterly 48-page Register Magazine is
now professionally printed in full colour
and distributed to all members.
So, if you are not currently a member, and you like what you see, you
know what to do!
16/10/11 Register
member Martin Redmond and friend Roger Gaunt are driving their 1937 Morris
25 around the world.
From Bedford in England,
they drive across Europe and Asia to Vladivostok, where they shipped the
car to Los Angeles.
They have now left Los Angeles
for the east coast. Here we see them headng for the mountains yesterday.
You can follow their progress
on TravelPod,
where you can also sign up for e-mail updates.
14/10/11 The October Newsletter was distributed by e-mail today and a copy may be found on the Members' Area.
5/10/11 Just
how we like to find them. UP 5286 is an early Hundred Pound Minor
2-seater, chassis number SV910.
It has been laid up in this
shed since 1986. It belonged to Paul Palmer's father,
who died 25 years ago, but
the family have now decided to restore it for their sons and daughters.
The first step will be to
try to recover the registration number.
28/9/11 Once
again this Sunday we will be holding our founding autumn pub meet at the
Hatchgate, Bramshill, Berkshire.
This was our very first
pub meet and we met regularly at the Shoulder of Mutton at Hazeley.
In more recent times, the meet has moved
to the Hatchgate at Bramshill
which has proved very popular, and we are now joined by our friends at
the Morris Register and the Bean Car Club.
So DO PLEASE
see if you can come along to the Hatchgate this Sunday 2nd October at noon
and help mark
this auspicious Register
anniversary with a record muster of Minors and M Types!
Full details and directions
may be found here.
Cheers to one and
all, please invite your friends to join us and please bring your cameras
too!
25/9/11 It was
a beautiful autumn day for our Minor muster at the Alice Lisle earlier
today.
Next Sunday is the Hatchgate,
Bramshill.
(Photo: Toby Sears)
21/9/11 A reminder
that our New Forest Autumn pub meet will take place THIS SUNDAY at the
Alice Lisle, Rockford Green, Hampshire.
Details here.
All most welcome!
21/9/11 The September Newsletter was distributed by e-mail today. A copy may also be found in the Members' Area.
30/9/11 And
today we also welcome Michael Norrey to the Register. Michael recently
acquired this
Stewart & Ardern-registered
1930 Minor saloon MU 2165 (M28983) from Newtown in Wales.
Incidentally, new members
joining the Register between now and the end of the year will receive
membership through to the
end of 2012. The Membership Form may be downloaded here.
16/9/11 Today
we welcome John Newell to the Register.
John has acquired this 1932
2-seater CG 1140 (SV15401) which was offered for sale earlier in the year
and also auctioned at Castle
Combe in March. Good luck with the collection tomorrow John, and
welcome aboard!
30/8/11 Our
autumn pub meets are almost upon us. We will be holding two meets
this autumn.
Our traditional meet at
the Hatchgate at Bramshill, Berkshire
will take place on Sunday 2nd October
in conjunction with the
Morris Register and Bean Car Club.
Our other meet is
our roving New Forest meet, taking place this time at the Alice
Lisle (above),
which is a superb country
pub. All are most welcome at both meets, which start at noon.
22/8/11 Bill Piggot
is offering his very tidy 1929 fabric saloon UR 4313 (M11538) for sale.
This is an excellent opportunity
to acquire a vintage Minor that is ready to be enjoyed.
Contact
Bill for further details.
3/8/11 Welcome to new member Andy Pocock of Birdham, West Sussex who recently acquired this 1934 saloon AYF 733.
22/7/11 A number
of superb Pre-War Prescott photosets are appearing on the web.
Paul Saunders (Dart Images)
can be found here
(including the one above).
Peter McFadyen's images
can be found here.
Allan Rhodes (Track Car
Photography) has posted his images here.
Hereford Vintage Auctions
has posted a selection on their web page here,
which
include shots of the Navigation Rally on Sunday.
Nick Williams has posted
a good selection here.
David Southcott (Bonzer
Photos) has posted more here.
Finally, there is a lovely
video by the Bowie contingent here
that sums up the spirit of the day and includes shots of the Lancaster
display.
I also hope to be posting
some of the GoPro onboard videos to YouTube shortly.
If anyone posts any other
online galleries of the weekend, please let
us know.
22/7/11 Over
in Picton, Ontario, Ian Samuel is offering his unique 1933 Maddox Coupe
Minor for sale.
It would be good to see
this car repatriated. If interested, please contact
the Register for further details.
20/7/11 Just
back from a superb weekend in the Cotswolds. Here's the Triangle
Special ready for its first run in the hands of the boys from SU.
Photo sets are starting
to appear on the Internet. Peter Mcfadyen's can be found here,
and Paul Saunders' here.
Also check out this
YouTube video which nicely sums up the day. I'll be posting a
selection of GoPro onboard videos to YouTube shortly.
Thanks to everyone who worked
to make the weekend a huge success.
12/7/11 Just
signing off before flying to London tomorrow, arriving Thursday mornning
for the Summer Rally.
We have 99 advance entries
and are expecting many more on the day, so a super weekend is in store
for everyone.
I will be running around
the navigation rally/scenic tour route on Friday after calling in at Prescott
in the morning to check on
final arrangements, and
then I'll be at the Gardeners Arms, Alderton on Friday evening for our
reception.
I am also bringing Magazine
M 138 with me, so if you are attending at any point over the weekend, I'll
have your copy for you.
See you there!
28/6/11 With
just over two weeks to what will undoubtedly be our best ever Summer
Rally, planning is in its final stages,
and we already have over
a hundred cars booked in over the weekend. On Sunday we will be holding
a Navigation Rally
and spectacular Scenic Tour
across the glorious Cotswolds. Meanwhile preparations are virtually
complete for our
inaugural Pre-War
Prescott event on Saturday. The incomparable and historic Battle
of Britain Memorial Flight's Avro Lancaster
is booked to arrive over
the hill at 1445 hrs precisely, and we heard today that it may also be
accompanied by
a Spitfire and Hurricane
from the Flight.
Definitely a weekend
not to be missed, and there is still time to enter.
19/6/11 With just four weeks to our Summer Rally, have you booked yet? Your tickets are waiting for you!
16/6/11 This
stunning advert will be published in our Pre-War Prescott Rally programme.
The SU Carburetter Company
is the event's main sponsor and the advert proudly highlights their recent
acquisition -
the Skinner Triangle Special
which will be attacking the hill on the day.
15/6/11 More
auction news.
The Bunn Collection, comprising
two Bentleys, five Rolls Royces and this very sound Berkshire-registered
1929 Minor fabric saloon
RX 4207 (M4322) is being
auctioned by Bonhmas at the Goodwood Festival of Speed on 1st July.
Thanks to Dave Aston for
spotting this one.
View it here.
Gavin and his M Type seen
here arriving at Milton Abbey School on our 2007 Summer Rally.
Since this photo was
taken the car's original number - TM 5321 - has been re-allocated to the
car.
14/6/11 Gavin Barnett
is offering his superb early M Type 2M/371 for sale by auction.
Comprehensive details and
wonderful historic images may be found at
vintagemg.co.uk.
This is the car used in
the MG Profile Publication and known to Wilson McComb. An astonishingly
original
Oxford-built car with complete
known history and original competition accessories.
This is a once in a lifetime
opportunity to acquire arguably the best MG M-Type in existence.
It will be offered on eBay,
the auction starting Thursday 30th June and ending on Sunday 10th July,
just in time for the lucky
new owner of this superb MG to bring it to Prescott!
10/6/11 And
a very warm welcome to William Armston-Sheret who joins the Register today
and lives in the New Forest.
William writes for Classics
Monthly, is currently restoring a post-war Minor and has obviously seen
the light because he is looking
for a pre-war Minor saloon
to restore after that. If anyone has such a project, please contact
the Register.
Funds are somewhat limited,
as William is 16 years old.
9/6/11 Last year,
David Aston brought his growing family to our Summer Rally, but has since
exchanged his 1930 tourer for something a little larger.
The Minor was acquired by
Raymond Douglas, who has now joined the Register and will be bringing it
back to Prescott
for this year's Summer Rally.
See you there, Raymond!
8/6/11 This
is the half page advert for Pre-War Prescott that will appear in the July
issue of The Automobile - out in a couple of weeks.
It will be printed in black
and white, but only here you can see it in gloroious Technicolour!
The header photo was taken
at VMR Prescott last year.
3/6/11 The June Newesletter was distributed by e-mail today and a copy may be found in the Members' Area.
Mark Burnett (left) receiving the Triangle Special from Andrew Harding (right) at Brooklands
31/5/11 We are
also delighted to announce that Burlen Fuel Systems has acquired the Skinner
Triangle Special
which has been on display
at Brooklands and will be exercising this historic car at Pre-War Prescott.
The Triangle Skinner Special
is the direct descendent of a Supercharged Morris Minor SV used as a publicity
vehicle
by Morris to show that their
new ‘£100 Morris’ could reach speeds of 100mph and a fuel consumption
of 100mpg.
The car attained the 100mph
target at Brooklands over an officially timed mile. It was then gifted
to the Skinner family
and converted into a hill
climb special by Peter Skinner, son of Carl, in the early thirties.
Details of their acquisition
and their support of Pre-War Prescott can be found in their latest Press
Releases.
24/5/11 We are
delighted to announce that Pre-War Prescott,
which is being hosted by the Vintage Minor Register,
has been awarded major sponsorship
from the SU Carburetter Company.
SU is part of Burlen Fuel Systems Ltd.
and will be bringing their
trade stand to Prescott along with a very interesting and appropriate car
- of which more will be announced shortly.
Mark Burnett of SU notes:
"I am pleased that we have
been able to support an event that I believe will become a significant
date on the vintage calendar."
24/5/11 Today
we welcome Harold Blair to the Register with his 1934 two-seater CRF 572
(SV 44504).
Harold bought this car in
1964 for £3 10s. from a fellow student. It had a large hole
in the side of the block with a conrod sticking out.
He managed to find another
engine and got the car going. He then used it in the mid seventies,
intending to rebuild it,
but work and family commitments
precluded this. After many false starts, he was able to give it the
time needed after his retirement.
With the help of a very
good friend it was put back on the road in March last year.
Although it has won a number
of awards in shows in the past year, Harold's main intention was always
to rebuild the car to go rather than show.
That concisely sums up the
true spirit of the Register, and Harold has had 2,000 miles of fun since
putting his Minor back on the road.
Welcome aboard, Harold,
and congratulations on 47 years of ownership.
24/5/11 Bev
Hicks' funeral took place yesterday in Eardisley village. Ian Makins,
the Bullnose Morris Club Magazine editor reported:
"Remarkable turn out for
Bev. Angela overwhelmed by the turnout and the number of vintage
cars in attendance.
Church full. A man
well liked by a diverse range of characters. As I said to Angela,
at least we knew him and have the memories..."
21/5/11 In Brisbane,
Ed Zillman has finally decided to sell his OHC Ute, chassis M18566.
Ed has a number of Austin, Morris and MG vehicles
ranging from a 1923 ‘Clover
Leaf’ Cowley to a 1955 Austin A30 Countryman. He took this Minor
Utility from one of his sheds back in 2007,
thinking he would like to
do something with it, but never did. At one point he was considering
donating it to a local museum.
The original engine no longer
with car. It was last seen when on display at a local Historic Commercial
Vehicle Day in 2000
and appeared on the front
cover of the September 2001 Morris Register of Queensland Magazine, and
was written up in VMR Magazine M 129.
It is available here
on eBay.
19/5/11 Sold
to ...!
The Skinner Triangle Special
has a new custodian - see 28/4/11 below.
Watch this space to find
out who bought this historic car - you will be surprised!
17/5/11 Today
we welcome Tim Brown and Elina Helenius to the Register as new custodians
of
James Wheeler's much-campaigned
1930 saloon UF 7090 (M31579).
15/5/11 A service in Bev's memory
will be held on Monday, 23rd May at 1.00pm, at Eardisley Church (Herefordshire).
Those who attend are welcome to go afterwards
to Eardisley village hall, where tea & sandwiches will be served.
The church is on the main road, which is
narrow, but opens out at the Hereford end of the village, where parking
is suggested.
The village hall is opposite the village shop,
on the main road.
There will be a private Crematorium Service
later in the day, for family members only.
No flowers please, but any donations to
Help For Heroes or British Legion.
Bring your Morris or MG if possible.
12/5/11 Extremely sad news.
Bev Hicks passed away last night. Bev's life was dedicated to Morrises
and he was a kingpin of the Register. More
news will follow.
11/5/11 And
today we welcome Mike Wood with his 1931 (1932 season) 2-seater HN 8234
(SV8067).
This is the car that Brightwells
auctiond last November (see 26/11/10 below), since when it has passed through
a number of trade hands.
Mike drove it home the 110
miles from the dealer. Welcome, Mike!
10/5/11 Today
we welcome Martin Horsler to the Register. Martin owns this very
smart 1932 2-seater
439 UXP (was RM 8758, SV16644)
that was advertised by Nicky Paul-Barron last November.
9/5/11 Yesterday I
checked out an amazing micro video camera - designed for motorsport.
It records up to 8 hours
of HDTV quality video! I'll be bringing one to the Summer Rally to
attach to cars climbing the hill.
For a nominal charge, we'll
be able to take the videos and burn them on to DVD's for competitors to
relive their climbs.
The picture quality is stunning.
Here's
the camera. And here's
a YouTube video captured with the GoPro HD Motorsports HERO camera we'll
be using.
So if you record your climb
on video, you'll also be able to indirectly time your untimed climb, as
well as analyze your racing line!
9/5/11 The Beaulieu
Spring Autojumble is next weekend - 14th/15th May.
Toby Sears will be manning
the VMR stand number RF293 - so do stop by and say hello.
Full details of the weekend
may be found here.
Happy hunting!
9/5/11 Clive
Hamilton-Gould entered his much-campaigned Minor tourer in the VSCC's Northern
Rally at the weekend.
Based in Lancashire, the
navigation rally took in about 95 road miles.
and brought home a 2nd Class
award with just 14 penalty points. Well done once again Clive!
The photo above shows Clive's
tourer alongside the winning Alvis of Potter and Hughes
which ended the rally with
a clean sheet, so 7 is evidently a lucky number!
Clive reports that the new
head gasket held up well, but that he had to drive "rather hard" on a couple
of sections.
Knowing Clive's competitive
motoring spirit, we think this may be a slight understatement...
9/5/11 Register
member Martin Redmond (seen left above) has just returned from a little
trip from Bedfordshire to
Vladivostok in this 1938
Morris 25. The car is now on its way to Long Beach, California before
being driven
across the USA to complete
a round-the world trip.
Follow Martin's exploits
here.
Ian Harris washing his 10/6 Cunard special on the VMR Cotswolds Scenic Tour last year
7/5/11 Member
Ian Harris has been supplying Morris spares for many years and recently
acquired the entire stock of
the late Harry Edwards'
'Yesterday's Components'. By merging Harry's stock with his own,
he has now been able to
produce a comprehensive
catalogue of pre-war Morris Minor and M Type spares which may be downloaded
here.
He will also be bringing
his stall of Minor and M Type spares to our Summer Rally where he will
set up shop
in the Prescott paddock.
Items ordered before the Rally may be picked up in person, and you will
have chance to meet
a real gentleman!
4/5/11 The May Newsletter
was distributed by e-mail today. Six members' e-mail addresses bounced,
so if you think you should
have received a copy but did not do so, please contact
the Register.
A copy of the Newsletter
has been placed in the Members' Area.
4/5/11 And today
we are delighted to welcome David Hattam to the Register. David has
acquired this delightful 1931 5 cwt. van from
our old friends at Pioneer
Automobiles. This is an extremely early SV van, having been registered
in Bedfordshire on 21st May 1931.
2/5/11 Today we welcome
Daryl Johnston of Christchurch, New Zealand to the Register.
Daryl is restoring this
1929 Minor (M15843) and is planning to build a Hundred Pound Minor body
to replace the original saloon body
which disappeared long ago.
Daryl becomes member number 400 of the Vintage Minor Register.
Today we also welcome Ed
Morrison of Paso Robles, California back to the Register with his 1930
saloon which he imported from New Zealand.
Robin Harcourt-Smith and
his dashing CMS Special are now a LCES regulars.
(Photo: Ian McFadyen)
29/4/11 It is
time to get your entry in for the VSCC Light Car Section's Summer Navigational
Rally and Tour – Sunday 26th June 2011.
This year's event will be
based at Shelsley Walsh hillclimb (OS 138/721630).
The entry form and regs.
may be downloaded here.
Let's have another strong Minor entry!
28/4/11 Today
we welcome Mike Rose to the Register as member number 399 with his 1932
2-seater WP 1085,
pictured at our High Corner
spring pub meet in the New Forest earlier this month.
Mike, who lives near Wimborne
in Dorset has owned his Minor since 1964.
Although a 1932 model, WP
1085 was registered in Worcestershire on 7th December 1931.
Welcome Mike! (Photo:
Toby Sears)
28/4/11 What
is possibly the most historic Morris Minor is for sale - the Skinner Triangle
Special.
Developed from the £100/100mph/100mpg
Morris Minor by the Skinner (SU ) family into the Hudson 4.2 litre straight-eight
powered
unlimited Shelsey Special
class record holder for 1937/8/9. Further developed by Ted Lloyd
Jones into its current form as one of the three Triangle specials.
Complete with twin rear
wheels and earlier body. See p175 in Bateman's Vintage Specials.
Large file of continuous history. Ready to compete.
Offers to Andrew Harding.
akharding@tiscali.co.uk
27/4/11 And
welcome to yet another new member today - Englishman Ian Samuel of Picton,
in the beautiful Prince
Edward County of Ontario, Canada who is just about to take delivery
of this unique 1934 Maddox-bodied
Minor from Ellingson Classic Cars.
27/4/11 And
welcome also to Ian Harris who also joins the Register today. Ian
is a well-known Morris spares supplier
and has recently acquired
the entire stock of the late Harry Edwards and Yesterday's Components.
Ian will have his spares
stall at Pre-War Prescott in July and is seen here at the VMR Prescott
BBQ last July.
(He's the one with the silver
beard. Well, the one with the silver beard and glasses!)
He is planning to bring
gaskets, head studs, valves, springs, guides, timing chains, engine mountings,
clutches, flexible couplings,
radiator mounts, fanbelts,
kingpins, track rod ends, shackles, pins, ‘U’ bolts, seals, felts, ball/roller
bearings, brake master cylinders,
brake cables, pulleys, wheel
cylinders, rubber seals, flexible pipes, linings, exchange shoes, plugs,
points,
reconditioned cut-outs,
lighting/ignition switches, horns, trafficators, SU pumps – everything
with a full guarantee.
If you are in need of spares,
Ian may be contacted at 01462/456330 or by e-mail at ian@harris84.fsnet.co.uk,
or simply come along and
meet him on the day.
27/4/11 We are
delighted to extend a particularly warm welcome to John Hicks, stalwart
of the Prescott Marshals Club,
who joins the Register today.
John has been a huge supporter of the Register and our Prescott Summer
rallies.
Many years ago, John was
gravely injured by a wayward modern hill climb car but to this day gives
up his summer weekends
to support events such as
ours. Here he is seen on his famous, fascinating and highly entertaining
lunchtime hill walk
which has become an unmissable
feature of our visits to Prescott, and 2011 will be no exception.
No matter how many times
you have been to Prescott, you are sure to learn something new from John.
26/4/11 Today
we welcome Andy Gallacher of Carmarthenshire to the Register. Andy
doesn't have a Minor yet,
but is a true vintage enthusiast
who is also interested in steam engines and vintage radios.
Welcome, Andy, and keep
scanning our Cars For Sale adverts!
25/4/11 Today
we welcome Terry Broomhall of Rochford, Essex to the Register with his
very smart 1934 2-seater AYF 22 (SV41783).
Terry acquired this car
from VMR member Simon Hyslop last year, and his advert for the car can
still be viewed here.
Terry reports that he is
nearing the end of some remedial work and perparing the car for the MoT.
Good luck Terry!
24/4/11 Today
we received photographs from Belgium of the ex-Bev Hicks 1933 McEvoy Special
being offered for sale (see 17/4 below).
In total there are 14 images
depicting the meticulous restoration which can be fowarded to interested
parties.
This truly historic Morris
has been valued by Sotheby's at around 75,000 € (about £66,000),
but direct offers would
be enteretained around 50,000 €.
It is possible that it will
be auctioned in the UK. Watch this space for further news.
Contact
the Register if genuinely interested.
18/4/11 Today
we extend a warm welcome to Neil and Jane Beck who become our first members
in the in the Republic of South Africa.
Here is their 1919 M Type
that they are about to start restoring. They are looking for drawings or
patterns to build a 12/12 replica body.
If anyone can help, please
contact
the Register.
TJ 1876 at Beaulieu in
the sixties when owned by Bev Hicks
Photo - John Hagger
17/4/11 Extremely
important news in the Minor world this morning. The ex-Bev Hicks
1933 McEvoy Special TJ 1876, which went to ground
back in the seventies after
being exported to Germany, was rediscovered by the Register in Belgium
last year. News was received from the owner
this morning that the car
is for sale, having become too old to drive. This is one of the most
important Minors in existence and every effort
is being made to repatriate
this car to the UK. Interested parties should contact
the Register immediately for further details.
17/4/11 This
1930 OHC saloon (M23761) is currently being offered for sale at $NZ 7,000
in Nelson, New Zealand.
Contact
the Register for further details.
17/4/11 John Nagle didn't complete his '34 tourer in time for our spring pub meet at the Hatchgate today, so brought it along on a trailer.
16/4/11 The
Vintage Minor Register's Summer Rally and Pre-War Prescott is just three
months today!
So it is time to make your
plans and get your entry in - see the links at the top of this page.
Let's make the first rally
of our second decade as a Register the biggest and best ever.
16/4/11 The
new format, professionally-printed, all-colour Magazine M 137 about to
be packed at VMR HQ this morning.
This landmark issue is the
first to be published in our second decade as a Register.
15/4/11 Chris
Arnott is looking for a vintage Minor tourer in at least reasonable condition
for VSCC eventing.
If you can help, please
contact Chris at c.arnott@blueyonder.co.uk
15/4/11 The
ex-Jeremy Evans 1929 saloon remains for sale in Northern Ireland with Dave
Carson,
who offers to deliver it
to the Birkenhead ferry terminal for the buyer.
Road sorted and ready for
the summer, full details of this interesting car may be found in Marketplace.
8/4/11 Our spring
pub meets will take place next Sunday - 17th April at noon.
The
Hatchgate at Bramshill, Berkshire, the Royal
Oak at Barrington, Cambridgeshire,
and a beand new meet at
the High Corner Inn, at Linwood in
the New Forest.
Everyone welcome!
8/4/11 Hearty
congratulations to Andrew Miles, aged 16, who has been working all winter
to re-commission his father's
1932 OHC Special Coupe which has been off the road for many years.
Today, the car passed its
MoT and is now taxed and ready to go for the new motoring season.
Well done, Andrew!
That's the spirit!
7/4/11 Congratulations
to new member Chris Garner who has acquired WE 9759 (see 25/3/11 below)
from Ken Cox.
Chris has been searching
for a good vintage Minor for many months and is delighted with his new
mount.
5/4/11 The April Newsletter was distributed electrically today. A copy may be found in the Members' Area.
29/3/11 Today
we welcome Kartikeya Lunia of Jaipur, India to the Register. Kartikeya
recently acquired this 1930 tourer
which was first owned by
the Royal Family of Ayodhya. Last week, he fired up the engine and
now the body is being removed
in perparation for a full
restoration. Many parts are needed, but in particular, a radiator
cap, calormeter and wings are sought.
If you can help, please
contact
the Register.
Laura Hamilton-Gould on last year's LC Welsh
25/3/11 We have
a strong team fielded in the VSCC Light Car Section’s Welsh this weekend:
Clive Hamilton-Gould (1930
tourer DG 325)
Wendy Cooksey (1930 Duple
tourer GN 4524)
The Rolfes (1930 saloon
UT 7156)
Pam Knight (1929 tourer
WL 6501)
Colin Lee (1930 saloon CV
3487)
James Wheeler (1930 saloon
UF 7090)
David Roscoe (1929 Semi-sports
rep. GU 1342)
Sadly, Bill Piggott has
engine issues with his 1929 fabric saloon and so will be marshaling with
his Bristol 401.
All the very best for a
super weekend, guys!
25/3/11 Up in
Aberdeenshire, member Ken Cox is offering his 1930 Minor saloon WE 9758
(M29355, first registered 14/10/30) for sale.
He reports that he has been
very pleased with it, and it has been his runabout this past 18 months,
but he has had another vehicle
on his wish list since the late '70's, so it has to release some funds
along with his 1929 La Licorne
and an American motor home.
The Minor is in excellent
condition. Contact Ken
if interested.
25/3/11 Toby
Sears has just sent his rare 1932 tourer to the coachbuilders to have a
new ash frame made,
and is offering to co-ordinate
additional frames, suitable for 1932 or 1933 season chassis if anyone is
in need.
This represents an excellent
opportunity to obtain a new ash frame of you are in need. If so,
contact
Toby without delay.
3/3/11 The March
Newsletter was distributed by e-mail today because the iBuilder website
is experiencing difficulties.
The Newsletter is also viewable
in the Members' Area.
1/3/11 The Pre-War
Prescott website was launched today. Click on the image above to
enter the site.
The Vintage Minor Register
is proud to host this exciting new motoring event
which will form the centrepiece
of our Summer Rally.
1/3/11 Today
we welcome Nigel Stroud of Chipping Norton to the Register. Nigel
acquired this very smart M Type
last year (2M/734, first
registered 28/12/1929). During the War, it was kept in London at
the Royal Horse Artillery's
headquarters in St. Johns
Wood and used by the officers for getting around London.
This is one of the early
Oxford-build M Types with the 'suicide' doors and rod front brakes.
To date, Nigel has entered
it in VMR Prescott 2010 and the Beggars Roost 100 ascents re-enactment
last year.
Welcome to the Register,
Nigel, and thanks to Colin Lee for the referral, and who will therefore
receive a £10 on his
2012 subs.
27/2/11 Dave
Aston has passed on his tourer MM 9326 to a new custodian and past M Type
owner not too far from Brooklands.
Here is it seen on the 2010
LCES Summer Rally near Rugely, Staffordshire and gracing the front cover
of Peter McFadyen's
highly recomended book 'A
Vintage Year - Vintage and Historic Motor Sport 2010'.
Dave reports, "This rally
and VMR Prescott were the highlights of our 2010 vintage motoring season
and turned out to be a glorious
swansong for our Minor ownership".
Bugatti Owners Club Prescott
manager exercises Frank Ashley's M Type - VMR Prescott 2010.
(Image copyright
Allan Rhodes, Track Car
Photography. Check out more of Allan's photos of VMR Prescott
2010 here.)
16/2/11 Today the VMR Summer Rally web page has been launched. View it here, and download the Entry Form here.
16/2/11 26th/27th
March is the date for the traditional VSCC Light Car Section’s Welsh Weekend.
The weekend will be based,
as usual, at the Metropole Hotel in Llandrindod Wells, from where the Section
will
sally forth northwards to
Llanidloes for a Tour (and fun and games) on the Saturday, and westwards
for the Sporting Trial on the Sunday,
both offering light car-friendly
entertainment for drivers and passengers alike. In between the two,
the Section’s unmissable Annual Dinner
will be held on the Saturday
evening. Colin Lee and Clive Hamilton-Gould thrashed the Sevens in
2010,
so let’s see if we can put
up a really strong Minor contingent again this year. Regs and entry
form can be found here.
Entries close Friday 11th
March.
16/2/11 The February Newsletter is being distributed today, and may also be found in the Members' Area.
15/2/11 Sadly, we must say farewell
to another of our Honorary Members. Richard Letts passed away 28th
December aged 82.
Richard owned his 1930 Minor saloon OG 6216 (M30467)
since 1948, and used to collect his spares from the works at Cowley!
His mother bought him the car when he was on National
Service because he threatened to get a motorbike!
The car still carries its suppliers plate and
was sold by Cirencester Garage when they were still on the High Street/Dyer
Street,
and they serviced and MoT’d the car until the
garage was taken over in recent times.
Richard's Daily Telegraph obituary may be found
here.
Our sincere condolences go out to Jocelyn and
the children.
4/2/11 Today
we welcome Malcolm Jones to the Register with his 12/12 replica UW 3853
(2M/2016).
Malcolm lives in Herefordshire.
27/1/11 Due to circumstances
beyond his control, Tommy Jardine has had to sell his Minor saloon LV 5437.
During his brief ownership,
Tommy commissioned this delightful painting of his car, and is now offering
it for sale.
Tommy tells us that the
painting cost £150 but that he would take the best offer for it.
The registration number
could easily changed by anybody interested in making a purchase.
Please contact Tommy in
Scotland on 01555/770961 if interested.
25/1/11 Today
we welcome Bruce Reay of Thatcham in Berkshire to the Register.
Bruce owns the well-known
ex-Gren Strickland '34 2-seater, AYY 681 (SV45081)
as well as a '33 2-seater
RV 2852 (SV35821).
24/1/11 As has
become a tradition, the VMR has invited the Morris Register and the Bean
Car Club
to our Hatchgate spring
pub meet - Sunday 17th April. John Nagle over at the Morris Register
is co-ordinating lunch requests
so that tables can be pre-booked.
Find full details here, and
please
contact John if you think
you might be hungry!
24/1/11 Welcome
to new member Ray Campbell of Rollingstone, Queensland who recently acquired
this 1928 Minor roadster
chassis MM 1226 from Ian Hancock.
The car is depicted here
as it arrived for the inaugural Australian VMR Rally in 2005,
complete with plywood front
wheels for Ute loading!
24/1/11 Dave
Aston is reluctantly selling his 1930 tourer MM 9326 (chassis M12965).
The car is seen here at
VMR Prescott 2010 with the family onboard.
View details here.
13/1/11 The Register's
2011 Calendar features a number of high quality images that have come to
light over recent years.
It may be donwloaded in
either A4 of 8.5" x 11' formats from the Members' Area.
10/1/11 Congratulations
to Stuart Clark's daughter Tamsin and her husband Peter Coulson who tied
the knot
on 29th December in County
Durham. They used Dad's 1930 Minor saloon WD 1430 as the Wedding
car.
The front passenger seat
was removed for Tamsin and her dress - Pete is over 6ft 2in tall and had
to sit behind the drivers seat.
The 10 miles to the reception
were very cosy and the Morris acted as a rolling road block on the A66
for a couple of miles!
10/1/11 The January
Newsletter has just been launched into the ether
and an electric copy may
also be found in the Members' Area.
VMR Prescott 2010 - left to right - Toby Sears and legs, Ian Grace, Ian Harris (Ken Martin photo)
8/1/11 And congratulation
to Register member Ian Harris who has acquired all the stock from the late
Harry Edwards' Yesterday's Components.
In due course the catalogues
will be merged but transfer of parts between the premises may take a month
or two.
All parts enquiries should
now be made to Ian at 01462/456330 or via e-mail to
ian@harris84.fsnet.co.uk.
Ian is located in Hitchin,
Herts.
8/1/11 Congratulations
to new members Ray and Viv Davies who took their recently-acquired 2-seater
for its first run on New
Year''s Day. It proved to be a trouble-free day. A record of
nearly 150 Edwardian, vintage,
pre-war and classic vehicles
took part in the run from from Sturminster Newton to The Fox at Ansty on
a cold but dry day.
Ronald Hogg also enjoyed
the run in his 1929 tourer.
23/12/10 The
December Newsletter has just been launched into the ether
and an electric copy may
also be found in the Members' Area.
16/12/10 This
1933 season saloon BZ 2002 is being offered for sale near Ballymena in
Northern Ireland.
Details here.
14/12/10 Something
for your Christmas list?
This very smart 1932 2-seater
is being offered for sale by
Ashted Classic Car Specialists
in Kenilworth. The subject of a complete restoration,
the car comes with a full
history from new. Asking price is £7,950. View it here.
8/12/10 Congratulations
once again to Clive Hamilton-Gould who won another First Class Award in
the VSCC's Winter Driving Tests
at Bicester on 4th December
under somewhat chilly conditions. The results show that Clive was
fastest in 10 of the 13 tests,
losing just 599 points to
come first in the Touring Class and coming second only on the day to Edmund
Burgess in his Brescia Bugatti,
a car well-known for agility
in driving tests. Andy King and Rachel Bolton-King (pictured above)
entered their M Type
and won a Second (681 points)
and Third (746 points) respectively, making this another excellent day
for overhead camshafts.
7/12/10 Today
we welcome Dr. Ross Spall who joins the Register with his ex-Ralph Marriott
1931 OHC Minor saloon (M34334).
Ralph was a Rolls Royce
engineer and completely restored this car to a superb standard. Ross
has used the car regularly since 2007
and reports that it has
been totally trouble free - a testament to Ralph's outstanding work.
The car was also present
in Ralph's hands at our Inaugural Rally in 2001.
6/12/10 Member
Barry Henderson is offering his very smart 1932 Minor 2-seater CG 884 for
sale due to ill health.
This car has a fascinating
history. It was once owned by Roy Hogg - before he bought MT 3286.
CG 884 was owned dueing
the war by a pilot at an RAF station and one day he went missing.
Everyone presumed he was
missing in action. The car was left laying about to camp.
Roy Hogg was posted to thew
same camp at that time on National Service and started using the Minor.
One day the pilot returned
- he wasn't missing in action but had been posted!
He saw that Roy was making
good use of the car, so handed over the logbook and gave it to him!
Barry acquired the car in
1995 as not much more than a chassis and engine from a chap named Len who
had stored it in London for about 20 years.
Len had moved to Hastings
and was obviously not going to do anything with it so sold it to Barry,
who still has some photos of the car pre-restoration.
He also has a large quantity
of Minor spares which will go with the car (will not seperate).
Price £8,000.
If interested, please call Alister Reid on 0208/3936732.
4/12/10 Clive
Hamilton-Gould's tourer tries to keep warm at the VSCC's Winter Driving
Tests at St. George’s Barracks,
Bicester, Oxfordshire earlier
today. Clive reports: "Cold, but better than the previous week, not
quite as slippery as it looks.
Many non-starters due to
the snow overnight and during the last week in many parts of the country.
New venue in the Army base
rather good, proper bar and canteen, etc."
3/12/10 This
sound 1932 2-seater partly completed restoration project (SV8645) has become
available in Connecticut, USA.
Asking price is $11,500.
Contact Gary Booker for further
information.
30/11/10 This
sound-looking 1930 saloon is being offered for sale in Portugal.
View it here.
"So, remind me again Vicar - which one is the accelerator pedal?"
29/11/10 Here's
another Minor that doesn't seem to have survived - OW 1225 - registered
in Southampton on New Year's Eve 1931.
Tim Dyke's father owned
this car back in the fifties. He was a keen amateur cine photographer
and their Minor, 'Rosie'
starred in many of his masterpieces.
Here you see him in his habitual role of vicar, alongside a great family
friend, during the course of one of his epics.
Unfortunately, some scenes
in the films look as if Rosie was left-hand drive because Tim's father
managed to get the film
the wrong way round after
splicing, and Tim hadn't the heart to ask him to film it again. After
much searching in the attic,
Tim has managed to locate
these priceless original cine films and transfer them to DVD, and copies
are winging their way to VMR HQ.
Watch this space to find
out when these historical gems will be coming to a silver screen near you!
Echoes from another time
A 1929 Minor tourer and
a 1930 DH60M Gipsy Moth VT-ABL (c/n 1471) somewhere in India before the
war.
Neither has survived
... as far as we know.
28/11/10 After
a decade assiduously assembling the Chassis Register of surviving Minors
and M Types,
we have initiated a register
of all those Minors that have not survived. Some 90,000 of our cars
were made between 1928 and 1934,
but only around 1,200 are
recorded (so far) as survivors. With this new register, we will be
attempting to record the onetime existence of
as many of those cars that
probably have not survived as possible. This new register may be
found in the Members' Area and has been
started with 50 vehicles,
together with links to images. Clearly, we will never be able to
record the identity of all 90,000 vehicles,
but that should not
discourage us from recording as many as we can. Please help the Register
assemble this important historical archive
by sending in details (and
images where available) of any Minors or M Types that cannot be found on
the chassis register of surviving cars.
Mike marshaling Laura and Clive Hamilton-Gould on our 2006 Navigation Rally
27/11/10 It is with
deep regret that we have to report that Mike Hawke, VMR member and past
MGCC Vice President,
passed away on Thursday
evening at 8.00pm. Mike never regained consciousness after a fall
at the start of the week.
Mike’s family have made
no funeral arrangements so far, but have said it will not be next week
.
The family have requested
privacy and have asked all messages be channeled through Kimber House.
They will let us know the
arrangements, and as soon as we have them they will be posted here.
A condolence page will be
posted on the MGCC website very soon.
In the meantime, please
e-mail any messages to webmaster@mgcc.co.uk
Thanks to Ken Martin for
passing on this news this morning.
26/11/10 Offered
earlier in the month by Pioneer Automobiles, this neat 1932 2-seater
(chassis SV8067) is being auctioned
by Brightwells
Classic Vehicles on Wednesday December 1st in Leominster,
Hereforedshire.
25/11/10 Hearty
congratulations to Clive Hamilton-Gould who entered his standard 1930 tourer
in the VSCC's Costwold Trial last weekend
(see 21/11/10 below).
Provisional results sho that Clive won a Third Class Award in the Standard
SWB Class with a score of 266.
This is the first time Clive
has won an award in a VSCC main club trial, having owned the car for 29
years!
He entered several main
club trials when he first had the car, but gave up as the Minor did not
have enough power to get of the line.
But since his daughter Laura
had a go last year, and did well, Clive thought he should have another
try this year.
And what a result for a
standard light car! Well done, Clive, and bouncer Dave Whittle.
This is a significant achievment.
23/11/10 These
three Minors are currently being offered on eBay. A 1933
2-seater, a 1932
saloon and a 1934
saloon.
We are particularly keen
to see the '32 saloon WV 864 saved from the number plate merchants.
22/11/10 Magazine
M 136 has been uploaded to the Members' Area of the website today
and hard copies will be
posted to all members next week, along with the 2010 Yearbooks
for those who have ordered
them.
22/11/10 Today
we welcome Christian Brodersen from Denmark to the Register with his 1933
Minor 2-seater (SV27922).
Registered as X 377, this
Minor was imported to Denmark immediately after the war, and Christian
is the 5th owner in Denmark.
There is no doubt that the
Danes really know how to restore cars, as this photo attests.
Welcome, Christian.
21/11/10 The
Register's 2010 Yearbook will be published and shipped a week tomorrow
- in time for a great Christmas read.
Included are some superb
articles to mark our Tenth Anniversary, together with some outstanding
contributions from members,
period articles and images.
Each copy comes with a CD containing all of the articles in full colour,
a directory of all the images in full resolution,
plus plenty of bonus material.
Price is £12. If you have not ordered your copy yet, contact
the Register without delay.
21/11/10 It was a
gloomy and muddy day in Gloucestershire yesterday for the VSCC's annual
Cotswold Trial, centred on Prescott.
Clive Hamiton-Gould entered
his 1930 tourer - bounced and encouraged by ex-tourer owner Dave Whittle,
and the Rolfes entered their
saloon (two behind Clive above). Clive ran out of power or traction
on several hills,
but didn't make many mistakes.
He managed two out of three stop and restarts, which is an excellent performance
for a Minor.
Well done, guys.
20/11/10 Today
we welcome Tony Margel to the Register with his much-traveled 1932 M Type
ST 6963 (2M3888).
Purchased at midnight after
a night in the pub - cost £30. When the car was delivered the
next day,
Tony could see that he had
been robbed - it was a wreck. That was in 1967.
Since then it has been to
New England (twice), Holland, France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany,
Scotland and Guernsey, and
even to Lancashire. It has a few mods.
Non-standard headlamps,
D Type gearbox top, ali footboard from a Bradford Corporation bus,
and various bits of old
X-ray machines.
Known as the Spokesman to
many of our members for his wheel services
he can supply wheel rims
and spoked for Minors and M Types.
Visit
his website for further details.
Welcome, Tony.
Dave Aston on the startline at VMR Prescott earlier this year
18/11/10 Dave
Aston still has his 1930 tourer for sale. This is a very special
car, having been totally rebuilt by Terry Dickie
and David Cooksey, with
a brand new body and wings, Phoenix crank and rods and much, much more.
For further details on this
superb vintage Minor, please contact
the Register.
18/11/10 Today
we welcome Keith Lawrance to the Register. Keith is the owner of
the modified saloon MJ 1285 (see 12/11/10 below).
After confirming with Gaydon
that this is indeed a modified saloon, and not a coachbuilt special,
Keith has decided to keep
the car and develop it into a proper Minor special.
He is currently looking
for a replacement engine and radiator for the car. If you can help,
please
contact the Register.
18/11/10 This
rare 1933 Minor Special Coupé is currently being offered for sale
by Peter Rodgers Car Sales in Huddersfield.
Asking price is £7,950.
Details here.
17/11/10 Originally
advertised back in April, this Minor was first registereed 25th November
and is being offered for
sale again over in Holland for £6,050.
Details here.
17/11/10 Today
this very tidy 1933 saloon goes under the hammer at Bonham's sale of collectors'
motor cars,
motorcycles and automobilia,
at the Yorkshire Event Centre, Harrogate. Full details here.
JJ 9069 was registered in
London on 2nd March 1933 - the same place and the same day
as new member Richard Earlam's
Minor 2-seater JJ 9085 - see 10/11/10 below.
How about a matching pair,
Richard?!
17/11/10 As
the year draws to a close, those VSCC members among us have one more opportunity
to compete.
The club’s Winter Driving
Tests will take place at St. George’s Barracks, Bicester, Oxon on 4th December.
2010 sees this well established
event move to this new venue, whilst remaining under the experienced guidance
of Malcolm Elder and his team.
This year, the tests have
been designed with an emphasis on easy-to-follow instructions (so I am
told!).
They will be on good surfaces,
and spread over a vast area, mostly pleasant and sheltered,
so do arrive with full tanks
as no fuel is available locally, (Bicester closest). There will be
full catering services
from full hot breakfasts
to a good selection of lunch courses in the canteen, all at remarkably
low cost.
There will also be full
bar facilities, including a mobile bar to cater for those on far flung
tests!
Let's see if we can put
a really good vintage Minor contingent together for the day!
16/11/10 And
welcome to Andrew Miles who also joins us today with his father's rare
1932 OHC Sports Coupé RT 8431 (M36296),
shown here alongside Eric
Mouser's 1930 OHC saloon. After laying in repose for some years,
Andrew managed to fire the car up
over the weekend and posted
the scene on YouTube.
Welcome, Andrew, and good luck with the rest of the recommissioning.
16/11/10 Today
we extend a warm welcome to Peter Burt of Poole, Dorset who has just acquired
this gorgeous black 1929 M Type (2M408).
(Note the rear-hinged doors
and rod front brakes - features of the early Oxford-built M's)
The car was rebuilt 5 to
7 years ago and is still in sparkling condition.
Peter reports that his son
will soon buy an OHC Minor.
Welcome, Peter and son,
and congratulations on a great purchase.
15/11/10 The
November issue of the Register's Newsletter was distributed today.
If you did not receive a copy via e-mail,
please let
the Register know. Also, a copy has been placed in the Members'
Area as usual.
12/11/10 And
by coincidence, this similar car has just become available. Unlike
the car below, this Minor was not modified
by Mulliners. It certainly
requires some fairly serious TLC, but will go to a caring new home for
a very reasonable sum,
and considerably less than
€12,500! Contact the Register for more details if interested.
11/11/10 This
interesting SV Minor is currently being offered for sale in Belgium.
The vendor reports that it was converted
from a coachbuilt saloon
in 1935 by Mulliners. Chassis SV15752, engine U15206. Asking
price is €12,500.
Contact Anton
Deja for further details.
10/11/10 Welcome
to Richard Earlam who joins us with his 1933 season Minor 2-seater JJ 9085
(SV26464).
This is the ex-Hon. Richard
Buxton car that was once fitted with an Arnott supercharger,
and was auctioned by Richard
last year, having been in his family since the war.
Richard (Earlham) works
at Cardiff University and is currently recommissioning the Minor,
which has been off the road
for many years.
5/11/10 Roger
Bashford has put his 1929 tourer up for sale. This represents an
excellent opportunity to pick up
a very suitable car for
VSCC Light Car Section eventing. The price is a very reasonable £4,450.
This car was famously repatriated
to England in 1954 aboard the Ark Royal.
Contact the Register for
more information on this car's interesting history.
The car is located in Llandovery,
Carmarthenshire, and Roger can be contacted on 01550/721196.
Ted with his beloved cars - the Red Bomb and Jane Austin (photo: Annette Spiller)
4/11/10 Further
to the report below (12/10/10), we are delighted to welcome the Rev. Ted
Spiller's son Richard to the Register,
where he will take up his
late father's membership number 337. Both of Ted's cars will be kept
and cherished by Richard.
Welcome, Richard!
29/10/10 New
member Tony Eldridge has reported in on his 1934 saloon restoration.
Tony acquired the car in February.
He reports, "Its coachwork
is decidedly shabby and the radiator grille is very non-original but I
have a proper one for it.
So far the utterly worn
out running gear has been put back to new condition and the previous owner
conducted a top overhaul and bottom inspection.
I have now sourced the missing/wrong
parts to complete it and have begun to deal with the bodywork.
There is much still to do
until it is finally brought back to something like it was when it left
Cowley in June 1934.
I am hoping that the project
will be completed during 2012 at the latest.
The registration mark is
ATO 441 should anyone have come across the car in the dim and distant past."
Keep up the good work, Tony.
31/10/10 Welcome
to new Register member John Pallister who won this 1933 saloon on eBay
today.
The car has been in dry
storage for many years. Looks like a great project, John!
28/10/10 Over
in Northern Ireland, Paul Machaughton is offering his 1930 M Type project
for sale.
He purchased the car a while
ago, but now has a storage problem.
The engine is running and
the cylinder head and dynamo were rebuilt by the previous owner.
The car goes with a correct
pair of headlamps and four correct wings.
There is a UK logbook with
the car and Paul is asking £4,500.
Contact
Paul if interested.
27/10/10 Tony Gamble
is making tremendous progress with his ex-Roy Hogg Semi-sports KJ 607 (M30499).
Here it is seen after delivery
back from Garry Waiting yesterday.
Garry has been busy on it
in the fabric and trim departments.
Looking great Tony!
Good work, Garry!
26/10/10 And
congratulations to Terry Bouncer who has recently acquired this 1933 2-seater
and joins the Register today.
Welcome Terry! (This
is a good time to join the Register, as new annual memberships from now
will run to the end of 2011.
Download a Membership Form
here.)
25/10/10 And
congratulations to Ray and Viv Davies who have just acquired the ex-Brian
Govier, ex-George Bryne 2-seater, OD 263.
Welcome to the Regsiter,
Ray and Viv.
19/10/10
Congratulations to Bill Piggott who yesterday traveled to Cornwall and
acquired the ex-Allan Jubb 1929 fabric saloon UR 4313 (M11438).
See also 28/9/10 below.
Bill is an enthusiastic VSCC and Light Car Section member, so expect to
see this car very much
out and about next year.
Welcome to the Register, Bill.
1933 McEvoy Special TJ 1876 at a Morris 8 Tourer Club rally at Beaulieu in the early 1960's - photo John Hagger
18/10/10 The
ex-Bev Hicks, ex-Tony Dunster 1933 McEvoy Model 70 TJ 1876 (SV31850) has
as long last been traced.
This historic car was exported
to Germany in the mid 1970's and subsequently went to ground.
It was believed to have
passed to a new owner in Belgium around 1987.
The current owner has been
traced in Belgium, and turns out to be the owner who acquired the car back
in 1987.
Since then he has completely
rebuilt ther car, and we await further news with great anticipation.
A fascinating article by
Bev Hicks relating the tale of his ownership of this car
will appear in the 2010
Register Yearbook.
15/10/10 Congratulations
to Bruce and Irene Davison who recently purchased this 1932 season saloon
via eBay.
WV 215 (SV7384). Unfortunately,
the car is missing its sliding roof. If anyone can help, please contact
Bruce
or Irene.
12/10/10 Orchid
Cars is offering this 1929 fabric saloon (M 12504 - now paneled) which
was recently
imported from new Zealand.
Details here.
12/10/10 Sadly,
we must report the passing of another Register member - the Reverend Ted
Spiller, who has died of kidney cancer.
Ted, who lived in Thirsk,
Yorkshire, had been an early member of the Morris 8 Tourer Club back in
the sixties
and had recently located
and re-acquired the same Minor 2-seater that he had sold forty years ago.
He joined the Register in
July last year. Our thoughts and prayers are with Ted's family.
10/10/10 Another
great turnout under cloudless skies today at our autumn pub meet at the
Hatchgate.
(Photo: John Nagle)
6/10/10 This
1932 (1933 season) 2-seater is to be auctioned by Richard Edmonds specialist
auctioneer
at Castle Combe circuit,
Wiltshire on Saturday 30th October.
OD 6730 (SV31417), first
registered 23/8/32 and with a V5.
The estimate is £800
to 1,200.
View it here.
5/10/10 The October Newsletter was distributed today. A copy may be found in the Members' Area.
5/10/10 A reminder
that our autumn pub meets will take place on Sunday 10th October this year.
Details may be found here.
All pre-war cars - Morris or otherwise - warmly invited.
4/10/10 One
up for the Morris Minor! Hearty congratulations to Colin Lee who
successfully saw off competition from
no less than sixteen Austin
Sevens at the VSCC's Light Car Section Driving Tests in the New Forest
on Saturday 25th September.
Good job, Colin!
4/10/10 Update
on the Thing from the Deep! Simon Hodgins went along to the Wey and
Arun canal last week to view the remains
of this Morris Minor (see
report dated 24/9/10 below). He reports: "A rather bent and twisted
rotten chassis with block, crank, front housing,
front wing stays, shock
absorbers and headlamp shells. No head, sump, dynamo, starter, pistons,
rods, flywheel, springs, axles or wheels.
Too rotten and corroded
to read the chassis number or the engine number, the cast iron block was
rotten
and turning to powder when
wire brushed but we think there was a 9 in there."
The Wey and Arun Canal Trust
has written up the find on their website - read about it here.
Interestingly, there are
no roads anywhere near the find, but the canal does adjoin Dunsfold
aerodrome at this point,
which was constructed by
the Canadians in 1942. So perhaps the Minor was dumped in the canal
at the time of construction,
or at some other point during
the war, or ealy post-war years.
30/9/10 Harry
Edwards' funeral will be at Chelmsford large crematorium (off Writtle Road)
at 2.00 p.m. on Monday 11th October.
Afterwards there will be
a gathering at 'The Three Compasses', West Hanningfield.
Flowers are welcome,
but also/or donations to 'Wallace Kennels', for whom there will be a collection
on the door.
28/9/10 The
ex-Allen Jubb 1929 fabric saloon M11538 has turned up again in Cornwall.
It is being offered for
sale by West Country Classics and can be viewed here.
West Country Classics is
also offering a 1933 SV saloon (ALL 806, SV33413) for sale. View
it
here.
A 1932 2-seater is also
being offered for sale in Reading. View it here.
24/9/10 The
thing from the deep! No, not a morning after photo from a VSCC trial.
Incredibly, what appears
to be an OHC Minor has just been dredged up from the Wey and Arun Canal.
An attempt will be made
to read the chassis number and identify the car.
24/9/10 Our
autumn pub meets will take place on Sunday 10th October this year.
Details may be found here.
All pre-war cars - Morris or otherwise - warmly invited.
24/9/10 This
1933 season 2-seater (SV29435, first registered 1/1/33) is being offered
for sale in France.
Details here.
Thanks to Mike Tebbett for the information.
21/9/10 The September Newsletter was distributed electrically today. A copy may also be found in the Members' Area.
Harry Edwards (hands in pockets) in his element
at a past Morris Register Rally
(Photo: Ken Martin)
20/9/10 Sadly,
we must report the passing of Harry Edwards, Morris Register historian,
Honorary Member and
member number 3 of the VMR,
universal focus of knowledge on all things Morris.
Harry died in hospital of
surgical complications early yesterday morning after suffering for some
time from bowel cancer - he was 81.
An obituary will
appear in the next Register Magazine, but for now, I am passing
on the thoughts and best
wishes of all the Register to his family. Details of funeral arrangements
will be announced
as soon as they are known.
16/9/10 We have
a copule of new members to welcome to the Register. Paul Fraser-Bennison
is hoping to aquire
this very sound looking
'barn find' 1932 saloon WV 864.
We also welcome Richard
Mace, of Cawston, near Norwich who has recently purchased 1934 Minor saloon
DG 8657 (34/MS/42866) and
is looking for help with his sliding roof - which doesn't. Contact
Richard if you think you can help him.
16/9/10 Goodness
- how time flies! Jayne and I have been totally consumed by events
over the last few weeks - not least of which
was Amanda's Wedding which
was held at Roche Harbor in the San Juan Islands. After the Wedding,
many guests who attended
from all over the world
seemed reluctant to go home! So we have been, and are still entertaining
until the end of next week.
In the coming days, I'll
be picking up work on the next Magazine, the September Newsletter and completing
the Yearbook.
With a further Magazine
to publish before Christmas, any and all contributions by way of articles,
restoration updates, etc. would be warmly received!
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, hereis 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.
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 ithere.
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