Vintage Minor Register

Of course I know the car!

This is the Honourable Richard Buxton, and I can confirm that his car is a common or garden 1933 SV Minor. I worked with him on this car 25 years ago. JJ 9085, 2-seater, chassis SV26464, engine SV26069, Arnott supercharged, '34 hydraulic brakes, green and black. Been in the family since the war. Unrestored, scruffy runner. I am not aware of any particular racing history which may make this car eligbile. I don't believe that he has any other car which might put him into the driving member category. I'll give him a call.

McEvoys are NOT yet eligible. I was told by Roger Ballard to "wait until the dust settled" [after the eligibility debacle] before pushing my application.

So where does this leave the s/v Minor as regards VSCC eligibility? Does it now mean they are now ALL eligible? Perhaps it means you have to have a title and own a side valve Minor to get your buff form. Has it been given a buff form because it is supercharged? Or is it simply a cock up? The shambolic saga continues.........!

Dunno, but I may learn more if I can get hold of Richard tomorrow. Can't wait to get to the bottom of this. I have e-mailed Roger Ballard asking him to revisit my McEvoy eligibility request. Watch this space...

OK - had a long chat with Richard this morning. He joined the VSCC, not knowing whether his car would be eligible or not, and not really having a grip on the eligibility situation (but he does after talking to me!). Someone in the VSCC obviously dropped off in signing him up as a driving member, which, presumably, he applied for in all innocence. So this doesn't mean that his car is in any way eligible...

However, the good news is that he is almost certainly going to join the Register and his car, even though it has been off the road for years, is only a brake job away from an MoT, so hopefully an inject of enthusiasm from the VMR will do the trick and get another Minor back on the road. The Arnott is not fitted at present, but is with the car. I'll be e-mailing him later today with all the VMR info.

As a result of this thread, I suspect that there are going to be a few chuckles on Tuesday morning in an old Post office building in Oxon. Me, I would test their resolve (if I were the owner) by applying for my buff form and then vigorously arguing my case.
Chris

I have re-applied for eligibility for my McEvoy. To be more precise, I have asked Roger Ballard to process the application I submitted a year ago, alongside our eligibility case for all thirties Minors. My Mac request was shelved, pending "the dust settling" on the other one. Now a year has passed and Roger (who gave 100% approval to our thirties Minor case, but was outvoted by the main committee who had not so much as read our case) is also now VSCC President.

Since our application, I know that many of our members have written personal letters of support for the case to the club. I am not interested in waiting until the next review in ten years time, which will be another complete shambles like the last one. The amazing decision at the last review to blanket accept thirties Sevens has very much weakened the VSCC's defences. Let's keep the pressure on hard.

The vscc bulletin came throught the post today. Theres a picture of a very nice McEvoy Minor taking part on the Welsh Weekend. So are they eligable now or has this one just seeked in?

I to saw the special in todays VSCC bulletin, it looked very good. How did it get there? I turn up at VSCC meeting in my 1932 sv two seater and nobody says a word, I park, kick tyres, and drink pints with everyone and then go home!! If you compete then it may be different. Lets all live a little, Highlander.

......................................

Is this Jim Peacop's example - presumably so, because Jim's is the only one in the UK. I don't get my Bulletin over here for a couple of weeks yet. He has had it out on a few VSCC and Light Car events in the past - as a spectator. McEvoys so look the business, don't they? And they are good for a genuine 70 mph, so they will see any standard M Type off with ease.

By the way, this arrived this week from Roger Ballard at VSCC HQ:

"Dear Ian,
Thank you for your request for VSCC eligibility for your 1933 Morris Minor McEvoy Model 70. This has been extensively debated by the Eligibility Sub-Committee and subsequently raised at the main VSCC Committee. As the decision not to accept the Morris Minor has recently been confirmed, it was felt that the McEvoy Special did not differ from the production model significantly enough for it to be considered a special case."

So let's see - Le Mans coachwork by Jensen (all of whose pre-war cars have just become eligible), polished and ported head with oversize downdraught carb. and special finned manifold, gearbox remote, Brooklands wheel on raked and lengthened column, chassis outriggers removed, ... Maybe if I fitted an Austin Seven engine and a Box saloon body ...

Here's Jim in his Mac on our Bath Summer Rally - for which it IS eligible!