What Started it All

People ask me from time to time when I first became interested in British cars, or just cars in general. Believe it or not, I know when it was exactly.

It was 1959 and my family was living in Sioux City, Iowa and one my dad's co-workers took delivery of a new Triumph TR3. If my memory serves ( I was four years old at the time) it was light pastel green. I remember riding on my mom's lap while Mr. Ziller drove us around and I was fascinated with the low cut doors and growly exhaust note.

Fast forward to 1973 and and friend of mine had a TR3 banger that he drove. I got to drive it few times and it was everything I thought a sports car should be. The next month he tells that he sold it because the brakes were pulling to one side. I never got a chance to make him an offer.

He sold it for $100.00

This is Where Your MG was Born

And very likely your Austin Healey and perhaps your Morris Minor van, too. This is Abingdon - the birthplace of MGs up to 1980. Yes, I know that there were cars built in Oxford prior, but stay with me here.

What you are seeing in the map below is the area occupied by the MG works. Most of it was torn down to build a commerce park. As you can see, there are a lot of individual buildings here housing many businesses. There's even a new hospital on the site. Note the names of the streets - names from MG's historic past.

The only former MG building still standing is the row of units facing Colwell Drive. Google Maps has incorrectly labeled one of the units as "McDonalds". The Golden Arches is actually a bit south of the place.
The standing MG buildings were known as the 'B Block' - nothing to do with MGBs it was just called that. I think minor support functions for the factory were housed there.


View Larger Map

It is possible to zoom in on the map and 'grab' and move it as well, although I recommend hitting the view larger map link above.

Next up: The Jaguar Browns Lane site.

TVR Back from the Brink?

One of Britain's most-often-on-life-support boutique car makers may be back with a vengeance.

TVR has a long history of building bars that were pretty much a step above a kit car in both quality and appearance. Most of them were powered with engines bought in from Ford, BMC or Rover.

TVR is owned by Nikolai Smolenski the 29 year-old son of a Russian oligarch. Smolenski bought TVR in 2004 with promises to keep TVR a British based company. Under Smolenski's leadership TVR went from producing 12 cars a week to 4.

Smolenski announced that TVR production would restart soon, this time building a vehicle powered by a Chevrolet V8 - possibly one with Corvette tuning. Rumor has it that TVR may make a return to the US market.

I'm not holding my breath.

MG Concept Shown at Beijing Auto Show

The Chinese masters of the MG marque seem to be giving the British design team some serious input on the future of MG. The MG ZERO concept was unveiled at Auto China 2010 last week and it doesn't look half bad. the four door concept is a 'B' segment car (larger than a MINI, about Ford Focus- sized) is certainly better looking than some of the earlier leaked photos indicated.

A car that can be sold in large numbers is what is required to secure MG's future as a global player. By bringing some of the MG magic to a car that will be driven every day, MG should be able to find a receptive customer base. Hopefully, the profits gained from a volume car like this will enable MG to finance the more sporty cars we remember here in the States. And maybe even return to the nation that bought more MGs than any other on Earth.

Form an MG press release, Guy Jones, MG Motor UK Limited’s Sales and Marketing Director, added: “MG ZERO is crucial to the development of the brand globally, as it gives clear direction for the future beyond the current products. We are all proud to see our British-designed vehicle wearing the MG badge creating such an impact in Beijing. With the MG TF back in production in Birmingham, sales increasing and the MG6 coming at the end of the year, the MG ZERO has come at the perfect time to build further awareness and interest in the brand here in the UK.”

A Garden Hose is NOT a Fuel Line

I found this photo while trolling the Hemmings Motor News ads today. It was one of a series for a Triumph Stag for sale in Texas. Now I will admit to a bodge or three in my time, but a garden hose fuel line ain't one of them. You will also note the absence of any hose clamps.

It may have burned to the waterline by now.

Formula 1 Champion Powered by American Stock Block Engine

Do you have any idea which Formula 1 engine manufacturer powered a team to TWO back to back world championships using an American V8 stock block?

Repco produced a racing engine for the Brabham team that took them to successive world championships in 1966 and 1967. The engine was based on the Oldsmobile 215 cu. in. aluminum block V8 that we've come to know and love in Rovers, Triumphs, MGs, Land Rovers and many other British cars.

Repco bought up the remaining inventory of surplus Olds aluminum V8s after it was dropped from US production and set to work making it a racing powerplant. The Repco engine held its own against exotic stuff from Ferrari and Coventry Climax, even with it's low-tech two valve per cylinder design. By 1967, Repco had the engine running at 8,500 RPM and pumping out 330 BHP.

Trivia of the day: Do you know how to tell the difference between an Oldsmobile 215 cu in engine and a Pontiac or Buick unit? Count the head studs. An Olds has 24, Pontiacs and Buicks had 20.

Jaguar Wins LeMans

OK, it's been a while since I posted a video from that great international consumer of time, British Pathe. Here's one about Jaguar's 1956 victory in the iconic D-Type. This was Jaguar's second LeMans win and they would go on to win again in 1957.

Enjoy!

BRITISH CARS GREAT SUCCESS

"Cool" - Defined

• Jaguar XKSS

• Steve McQueen

• RayBans

'Nuff said.

University Motors Rises Again

You may remember my post about the closure of University Motors in Ada, Michigan. UM's founder and lifelong MG enthusiast, John Twist, was forced to close the business due to a failing economy in Michigan and his wife's terminal illness.

John has his website up and has planned several tech sessions in various parts of the country. He states that he has his business in partial operation and plans to have a gradual re-opening over the reminder of the year.

I had the privilege of visiting University Motors when I was on a trip to central Michigan in 1999. I wasn't there spend anything but time, but I was treated like a friend when I walked through the door.

Good luck and God bless, John Twist!

MINI of Pensacola is on Board with British Car Festival 2010

I spoke to Sheila Lohbeck, Marketing Director for the Sandy Sansing dealer organization in Pensacola at Brits on the Bay. She confirmed that MINI of Pensacola would once again be British Car Festival's title sponsor.

I know I speak for the whole SABCC organization when I say that we are thrilled to have them back with us again!

Another Great Web Site

While I'm promoting interesting sites I find on the Internet, I might as well toss another one out. T-ABCs Forever is a really nice repository of information on the MG T-series models A, B and C. They take great effort to find and catalog these fine old cars and keep track of their whereabouts worldwide. The owners provide photos of their cars and a number of them are quite beautiful.

The TC started it all here in the US of A so there are a significant number of that model listed as being American residents. I am surprised that the Mardi Gras 'T's in New Orleans aren't represented in any large number. And there are a couple of local TCs that I would love to see listed.

A Bird's Eye View of the Silverstone Circuit and Entry #200!

If you're not a map junkie like me, you might not know about the very cool Google Maps and Google Earth (Microsoft has similar products in their Bing search engine).

Here is a satellite view of the Silverstone racing circuit where the British Formula 1 Grand Prix is held each year. At one time, this was a World War II air base. You can see the intersecting landing strips in the center of the course.


View Larger Map

By the way, this is my 200th blog entry. I hope you've enjoyed the ride!

An Exceedingly Pretty Sunbeam

Sunbeam Alpines (of all series) are pretty thin on the ground in our area. We were quite fortunate to have had three attend the 19th Annual British Car Festival last year in Fairhope. The befinned roadsters are always a crowd pleaser wherever they show up.

One rare version of the Sunbeam Alpine is the quite attractive Harrington Alpine. This semi-coachbuilt car was a product of Thomas Harrington Coachbuilders, Ltd. Better known for their bus bodies, the Harrington concern produced the fiberglass body panels and carried out the conversion.

Harrington Alpines were also veterans of the 24 Hours of LeMans and the Sebring 12 Hour endurance races. In fact, one of the Harringtons took the Index of Thermal Efficiency prize at the 1961 LeMans event.

There is an organization dedicated to preserving these very special cars, The Sunbeam Harrington Alpine Registry based in the UK but catering to owners worldwide. May I suggest that you take a few minutes to browse this impressive site?

Maggie's MG Ride

I took my oldest granddaughter out in the MGB today for the first time and she really enjoyed the experience. She chattered and waved at everyone we passed - it was her own one car parade.

My oldest grandson Will got his first ride at about the same age. I've got two grandchildren that aren't old enough to legally ride yet (car seat laws, rear facing, etc.) but I intend to give them an initiation as soon as it becomes possible.

Meet the Met

I'm sure that everyone knows about the Nash (later Hudson, American Motors, Austin) Metropolitan. The little two-tone bathtub ranks pretty high on the 'cute-O-meter' even though in our local circles we rarely see one.

The Met was America's first captive import -a car imported and sold under a US automaker's badge - and it was built in England by Austin and later, BMC. The Metropolitan was conceived by the freethinkers at Nash-Kelvinator shortly after the end of the second World War. Nash's market research led them to believe that America was ready to embrace small cars. The popularity of the Volkswagen Beetle took Detroit somewhat by surprise, but Nash was the only car company to act.

The designers came up with a concept that used interchangeable body panels front and rear in an effort to reduce tooling costs. It made for a rather strange looking car and eventually the only the door design made the final production car. It didn't have outside trunk access either, possibly giving Healey the inspiration for the same practice on the Mark I Sprite.

N-K saw early on that the car could not be built in the US and priced low enough to appeal to the second car market. Nash executives entered negotiations with several European car makers but selected Austin of England to produce the design. By the time production began, Austin had merged with Morris to create British Motor Corporation.

The first Mets (1953) were powered by the then-new Austin A-series engine of 1200cc displacement. The driver had his choice three forward speeds stirred by a column mounted gear change. While small, Nash tried to give the little car a touch of luxury. The interiors were partially leather trimmed and all came with several standard features that were optional on most cars of the era. Among these factory-installed items were a map light, electric windshield wipers, cigar lighter, and even a "continental-type" rear-mounted spare tire with cover. Mets were available as coupes or convertibles.

Early drivers found the acceleration a bit leisurely compared to American sedans with 60 MPH coming up in 22.4 seconds. The little four cylinder engine was screaming at 4300 RPM when the speedo hit 60 so freeway driving was buzzy. N-K sold over 13,000 Mets in North America during the first full year of sales (1954) with the sticker price pegged at $1,500.00. In contrast the VW was $1,425.00, but it had a real backseat.

The second series cars (after about 10,000 were built) were powered by the BMC B-series engine, although it was still 1200cc. Series two cars got hydraulic-actuated clutches (!) and an improved gearbox. In late 1955 Metropolitans (series 3) were given a 1500cc B-series engine which improved driving experience. This change also began the iconic two-tone paint that the Met was known for. It also marked the dropping of the Nash, Hudson and AMC marque names as the car was sold as "Metropolitan" and available only through Rambler dealers.

In 1956, Austin was given permission to sell the Metropolitan under the Austin badge in world markets that Nash-Kelvinator did not cover. That meant Austin could sell the car in the UK and Commonwealth countries as well as the European continent. In all, Austin sold about 10,000 cars to these nations.

The final series 4 cars (1959) got an external trunklid and vent windows along with an engine compression bump to 8.3 : 1. This design soldiered on until the model was dropped in 1961. In all, nearly 95,000 Metropolitans were sold during its run. Not a roaring success, but certainly far from failure.

As British car enthusiasts, we would welcome any Metropolitan owner that wanted to be involved with SABCC. If you know of Met owner, get in touch with them and invite them to a club event.

MacPherson Strut

I was trolling the Internet the other day and came across an entry in Wikipedia (yeah, I know) about the MacPherson strut. The first car I owned with the device was my 1974 Mercury (nee Ford) Capri. At the time it was considered a selling point - today, not so much.

Anyway the entry was a bit strange. I've cut and pasted the introductory paragraph:

The MacPherson strut is a type of car suspension system which uses the axis of a telescopic damper as the upper steering pivot, widely used in modern vehicles and named after Earle S. MacPherson who developed the design, based in part on designs created by Guido Fornaca of FIAT in the mid-1920s. It is possible the MacPherson was inspired by the suspension on the French Cottin-Desgouttes that used the same design, but with leaf springs. Cottin-Desgouttes front suspension was in turn inspired by Walter Chrisies 1904 design and he was inspired by plants.

Inspired by plants? What kind of plants and how did he use them?

I haven't had time to look into double wishbone suspension. Heaven knows what the inspiration might have been.

Abingdon to Create an MG -Comemorative Park

The Abingdon Town Council is planing to develop a park to memorialize the connection between the town and the MG Car Company. According to the Oxford Mail:

Abingdon Town Council plans to include a sculpture of an iconic MG with information boards explaining the town’s links with the company.

Paving stones in the octagonal shape of the MG badge will also be laid out.

The scheme has not yet been costed, but the park will be created on land the council owns at the corner of Marcham Road and Drayton Road, not far from the former MG factory site in Cemetery Road.

I would expect that MG owners all over the world will be asked to contribute to the realization of this project. The full story can be found here.

Simple Pleasures

My dear mother planned yet another Easter Sunday dinner for all her extended family in Alabama. My oldest daughter and her two children needed to hitch a ride to the event so my wife graciously offered to pick them up in our rice burner. That meant I got to take the MGB out again.

My folks live in Midtown so I get to drive across the causeway to get into Mobile. And it also means a trip through the Bankhead Tunnel.

Driving the MG with its hooligan exhaust through the tunnel is one of life's simple pleasures. As I coast down the incline on the entrance, the old MG is pretty quiet. On the uphill portion of the tunnel on the way out I blip the throttle and downshift to keep the revs in the torque band. I enjoy the higher-rev serenade with the exhaust note echoing off the tunnel walls.

A bit immature? You bet! I don't wanna grow up.

MG Saturday

My brother, Alan and I spent a fine Saturday afternoon driving our '76 MGBs along the Eastern Shore bay front. Our long-suffering spouses joined us for the ride and they really got into the navigation chores (Note: I did not say "Telling us what to do".)

The weather was overcast, but pleasant. Traffic was surprisingly heavy on Scenic 98 south of Fairhope - it seems like everyone got outside today!

We came back through Fairhope and stopped for a cup of joe at the Coffee Loft. We pretty well had the place to ourselves while we sipped our coffee and nibbled on sweet treats.

We convoyed back up Scenic 98 through Montrose and Daphne and parted ways at the 98- I10 interchange. Alan reported that he put around 80 miles on his car.

Now I need to get the Mini's brakes sorted so I can get her outside!

Keith Woodcock

When it comes to art, I've been told that my taste resides firmly in my mouth. That's OK - I like what I like.

One artist that I've come to admire is the UK's Keith Woodcock. He's a highly respected aviation and automotive artist who does a fine job capturing moments of action on his canvases. I own one print - an image of an MGCGT racing at Sebring in 1968. The print is signed by the two drivers, Paddy Hopkirk and Andrew Hedges as well as the artist.

Check out Keith Woodcock's site here. You'll find that his prints are quite reasonable.

Sherman's Way

I had the opportunity to rent the light comedy Sherman's Way a couple of weeks ago. Some of you may remember that this 2008 film was given an unofficial premiere at the national meeting of the North American MGB Register that summer. The reason being that one of the film's subplots involved the 'restoration' of an MGB tourer. The sharp-eyed MG nut will see a couple of faux pas that the average movie goer would miss.

The film was somewhat amusing - the theme being following one's impulses to see where they take you. Of course, it's a love story but not exactly a chick flick. It's set in California wine country so the scenery is nice.

Let me know what you think - maybe an SABCC movie night selection?