For classic British car owners nothing adds to the ownership experience more than being involved with a club of like-minded people. That's why SABCC came into being here on the Gulf Coast.
Marque-specific clubs tend to be found in larger metropolitan areas where the number of owners there can support a local club. For places like ours, membership in SABCC and a national marque-specific register or owners club is the way to go.
For you lucky folks with Triumphs, you should check out the Vintage Triumph Register or VTR-The Triumph Owners Club. Quoting from their Web site:
As late as 1970, despite a long and prestigious history of automobile production dating to 1923, and a corporate history reaching back to the 1880’s, there was no American organization dedicated to the history, preservation, and enjoyment of Triumph automobiles. Aware that a large percentage of Triumphs built since World War II had been sold in the USA and Canada, a dedicated group of Triumph owners, enthusiasts, and historians in 1973 planted the early seeds of what would become the Vintage Triumph Register. In 1974 the organization began to take shape, and by January, 1975, the club’s first professionally edited and printed magazine appeared. At last there was a club for all Triumph owners; and growth of the club since has been steady, with more than 2,600 members!
The club has model experts that provide buying guides for all Triumph models found in the USA. For that, the cost of membership is worth it to prevent you from buying a car that will break your heart.
For owners of MGs - MGBs in particular - John Twist is the expert of record. As the owner of University Motors in Ada, Michigan John specializes in MG repair and restoration. He is also the technical advisor for the North American MGB Register.
John has had a presence on YouTube for a couple of years, now and he adds interesting videos every few weeks. There's always something that can be learned by watching them - heck, even if you don't learn anything they're still entertianing.
By the way, would the Southern version of YouTube be Y'allTube? I'm just sayin'...
Aston Martin is not content with racing in the LeMans GT class. They have announced an entry in the top-flight class and intend to compete for the overall win. The team will be racing against the likes of Audi and Peugeot (both diesel powered) with a gasoline powered car. The car is also painted in the iconic Gulf Oil livery of blue and orange. The 24 Hours of LeMans will be June 13 & 14 (the weekend closest to the summer solstice). I imagine that the action will be carried on Speed TV.
Andy Green, driver/pilot of the land speed record holding Thrust SSC, has been tapped to drive/pilot a new record attempt of 1,000 MPH. The new vehicle is called Bloodhound SSC and is expected to be on the Bonneville salt within three years. Here is an article with the details. Best of luck, gents!
One of my very favorite sites on the web is the Unofficial Austin Rover Web Resource. It is absolutely packed with information about our cars and the companies that built them. If you own a product of the BMC, BMH, BL era you'll want to check it out.
There's stories about the development of the cars, the factories in which they were built and the people that built them. You can watch videos from the earliest days of the conglomerate to the final MG-Rover releases. Bring your lunch - you're going to want to stay a while.
Check out the new Rapide from Aston Martin. Aston raided the names cupboard and dusted off this respected model name from Lagonda and bestowed it on this new four door model. The styling is unmistakably Aston Martin and the DB shape translates nicely to the four door model.
The Rapide is aimed squarely at the upcoming Porsche Panamera and should be priced just as stratospherically. Start saving your lunch money folks and you can be the first one in town with your own James Bond-mobile (with two extra doors).
Update - The Rapide will not be built in England - Contract assembler Magna-Steyr will be building them in Austria. James Bond in lederhosen? Ach du lieber!
This article from the New York Times details the efforts of the UK's motor manufacturers to gain access to government-backed loans. Things are tough all over, everybody. Do YOUR part and buy a new Jaguar (and let me have a turn at the wheel!)
MINI has finally released the drop-top version of the latest generation MINI. The new Cabrio has a gauge that counts the number of miles driven with the top down versus up. It calculates the percentage open and displays the number on the gauge, thereby shaming you into going topless. MINI's advertising has always been a little 'out there' but this one takes the cake.
Way back at the dawn of time, I published a note about taking my grandson for a ride in the MGB. Here's a more recent shot of him helping 'papa' detail 'nana's' MINI Cooper. He's only two years old, but he knows his British cars!
It seems like it's been forever since I've posted anything here - and it has been. Work demands have been, well, demanding. I hope I'll be able to keep a few items of interest here. I will also try to keep items of interest to SABCC members as well as British car enthusiasts in general.
Since my last post, I've been retired as SABCC president and have handed over those duties to Noel Eagleson. I have, however been elected activities chair, so it's my job to find fun things for the club to do - as well as make the arrangements for them.
In addition to being a complete slacker here on the blog, I've slacked off working on the project Jaguar E-Type with Richard Cunningham. I really need to get that moving again as the Ebay proceeds were greatly appreciated.
For classic British car owners nothing adds to the ownership experience more than being involved with a club of like-minded people. That's why SABCC came into being here on the Gulf Coast.
