SABCC Movie Night - A Small But Enthusiastic Crowd

Garagemahal Theatre Ready for the Feature

The third in the SABCC Movie Night series was the most over-the-top effort yet from event host and AV expert Richard Cunningham. Using his contacts in the display and video industry, he was able to obtain the largest screen we've ever had along with a high-powered video projector to go with his amped-up sound system. The transformation of the spacious garage into movie theater mode was the result of a full day's work by Richard and his visiting guest, Steve Madosik of Colorado. Thanks, guys!

As always, the popcorn machine was ably attended by our own Jack Ross who made sure that bags of the steaming, buttery delicacy were ready for the crowd. Donna Cunningham had coffee ready as well as an artfully-arranged selection of theater-style candy nearby.   

A Few of the British Cars in Attendance

 This year, the feature was Tucker - The Man and His Dream and it did not disappoint the audience made up of SABCC'ers and members of the Panhandle British Car Association and the Mardi Gras MGs. The film traced the arc of the flamboyant Preston Tucker's foray into the automobile manufacturing business and the ultimate failure of the venture due to powerful industrial and political interest's behind the scenes efforts. It was a story of unflagging optimism meeting the forces special interests.

The attendees brought along their own comfy chairs for the evening (this is a garage, you know) and arranged them for their own "best seat in the house", some of them almost under Richard's Jaguar E-Type restoration project sitting high on the lift. A brief intermission allowed everyone to refill their snacks and drinks in preparation for the second half of the film. 

Mike Darby Chats with Jeannie Schmitz

Everyone who attended expressed their appreciation for the film and efforts of our hosts with round of applause at the end of the feature. People were in no hurry to depart, such was the pleasure of the event.

SABCC owes a debt of thanks to Richard and Donna Cunningham and to their guest Steve Madosik for their hard work and hospitality on the evening.   

Another Half-Century Observance

Mini Cooper

If you want know when the golden age of British automotive industry occurred, check out the several posts I've put up this year observing a number of "50th Anniversaries". Yep, it hit its stride 50 years ago.

The latest addition to the 2011 fifty year anniversary parade is the Mini Cooper. While the original Mini was introduced in 1959, it took only two years for John Cooper (of competition car building fame) to convince BMH Chairman Sir Leonard Lord and Mini designer Alec Issigonis that the little car had performance possibilities and then develop it for sale.

Cooper added a hotted-up engine, front disc brakes and a much improved gearchange along a few cosmetic alterations. The package proved quite popular with weekend racers and rally entrants. 

Happy birthday little guy! 

British Car Festival 2012

Click image for larger version

The Executive Board of the South Alabama British Car Club has selected Saturday, October 20 as the date for the 22nd edition of British Car Festival. The festival will once again be on the South Lawn of Faulkner State Community College's Fairhope Campus and it will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the introduction of the MGB - the most popular British sports car ever made. 

MINI of Pensacola is on board as title sponsor for the fourth year running. Thank you for your continued support, MINI of Pensacola.  

The 2011 festival was one of the most successful SABCC events ever and I hope you will make plans now to join us next year!

There Will Always Be an England

While we Yanks tow trailers, the British enjoy "caravanning" wherein the hobby's participants travel to twee camp sites in search of peace and quiet and perhaps a little socializing. Top Gear presenters never miss an opportunity to heap scorn on caravanners, but they likely never saw a caravan rally.

The British Pathé website- that repository of all things properly British - has clip of a caravan rally that took place in 1960. Having never seen a rally, I have to admit I was seriously impressed with the events that the planners put forth and the gusto with which the participants approached them. I am certainly captivated with the tow cars in the film with Jaguars, Rovers, Humbers and even a punching-above-its-weight-class Mini. Hot laps, smoking panic stops and a tight slalom are featured prominently.

Check out the clip and see if you can identify the estate car about three quarters of the way through the film for me.

CARAVAN RALLY

A Metropolitan Finds a Home in Mobile

Go Get 'em, Tiger

This photo is from the captivating collections housed at the Museum of Mobile Collection - McCall Library of the University of South Alabama Archives that I wanted to share with you.

I've had the privilege of visiting there in person and found the staff enthusiastic and helpful. From time to time I look in via the Internet as they are always posting new and interesting finds.

The photo is from Thigpen Studios in Mobile and is likely a publicity shot taken for Hardy Motor Company - the Nash dealer for the area. The photo was taken on May 11, 1954 and the accompanying information does not identify the nattily dressed gentlemen in it but it appears it was to kick off the new Nash Metropolitan.  

The Former Hardy Motor Company Site

Hardy Motor Company occupied a building at 657 St. Louis Street in downtown Mobile near the intersection of Dearborn Street. I've included a screen shot from Google Earth that shows the former dealership as it is today - a nondescript building without any signage. 

St. Louis Street in Mobile was the home most of the new car dealers in the city up until the 1970s when many of the surviving businesses moved west to follow the population shift away from the downtown area.

We see very few of the British-built Metropolitans at our club events, but we would certainly welcome their presence.

Showstoppers in Their Own Right

As mentioned elsewhere in these scribblings, the 21st edition of British Car Festival was a resounding success in the numbers of cars in attendance as well as the new downtown Fairhope venue. We had a wide variety of truly stunning cars on the field along with some solid drivers and what the editors at Hemmings Motor News would call Drivable Dreams - cars that deserve our admiration because they are loved just as they are - scruffy, scabby or a bit down at the heels, but on the road and enjoyed as they were intended.  

When my '76 MGB came into my life, it was a great driving car that didn't look much like it had just been loaded on the transporter at Abingdon. No, it had a number of rust holes in the front fenders and at the "dog legs" behind the doors and it had been afflicted with a velour interior - probably better than duct tape upholstery, I'm sure. Rusty or not, I was proud of the old girl. My MG was a survivor and I was going to do all I could to keep it in driving condition. With the help of many South Alabama British Car Club members, a few good friends and a little pocket money, I was able to renovate it with better body panels, paint and original-style upholstery. While not a concours queen (and never will be) it looks better and is more reliable.

With that said I doubt I will ever forget the snickers and less than kind remarks made by a few enthusiasts who either didn't know of my connection to the mangy little car on the show field or just didn't care. Yes, the remarks hurt, but they didn't diminish my pride in my first MG - pride that allowed me to drive the car to the show instead of locking it up in a trailer to be hauled.

No one appreciates a perfectly restored car more than me. I am in absolute awe of the effort and craftsmanship of the restorer. These cars are truly a view into the past and inspire others to reach the same heights. We probably won't see any of our local cars at Pebble Beach, but they can and do win judged events in the southeast. They are show stoppers in our area and clubs consider themselves fortunate to attract vehicles of this class.

A Well-Loved MGB

I was excited to have two very special cars on the British Car Festival show field this year that -in my opinion - captured the spirit of the automotive hobby. One was a Jaguar E-Type and the other one was an MGB. Both were driven by owners significantly younger than the average age of the rest of the show entrants.

The MGB was owned by a young man from Perdido Key, Florida who acquired it just a couple of months prior to the event. He spent evenings and weekends getting the car running reliably and polishing out the Tahiti Blue paint until it gleamed. Proudly pointing out the dealer installed air conditioning to me he said it was one of the few MGBs in the area that still had the original smog gear and Zenith-Stromberg carburetor. He was right. We chatted about serial numbers, date of manufacture, original equipment and nearly anything that came to his enthusiastic mind. I can't imagine many young drivers in a car 18 years older than they are and being as proud as he was. And his family was obviously proud of him.

The Future Wedding Car

The Jaguar E-Type was the subject of a "reawakening" by a young man who documented his efforts on a blog that has become a favorite of mine. The 1969 E-Type roadster was owned by his father who drove it for many years until it was parked with the intention of renovating it one day -one day many years later, it turned out. The father and son found SABCC and attended one of our meetings where they met other E-Type owners who were able to provide advice and assistance. Getting the E-Type ready for the show was his immediate goal, but he intends to have the car in condition to drive his bride away from their wedding ceremony in the spring. In my opinion, he's good to go.

Maybe my simple view of the world is not as sophisticated as others, but I (and a lot of people in the hobby that I've come to know) tend to take a "big tent" approach to the British car hobby. Shiny or not, if its classic, British and still on the road it's welcome to our events and we try to make sure everyone knows it.

The show attendees were spot on in voting the newly-purchased MGB a second in class and awarding the reawakened E-Type the "Diamond in the Rough" trophy.

Well done, lads - well done. 

One More for the Dream Garage

The Old Car Manual Project

I do love the postwar MG ZA Magnette. While not quite into the prestige realm of Jaguar saloon cars, these smaller, sporting four door cars offered such luxuries as wood and leather to the interior, optional two tone paint and the highly-regarded MG badge. It was just the car for the lower-level British manager on his way to the top.

I've only seen a few of these fine cars and I'd love to have one as a near-daily driver.

The excellent web collection of old car manuals at The Old Car Manual Project include a scan of a sales brochure for the MG Magnette.  

I'll take mine in Island Green, please.