22nd Annual British Car Festival

I'm pleased to unveil the artwork for this year's British Car Festival. As you probably know by now, the theme of the show is the 50th anniversary of the introduction of the the best selling British sports car model ever - the MGB. We've captured the beloved 'B in both its original chrome bumper visage and the later "rubber" bumper design. 

The South Alabama British Car Club has once again secured the south lawn of Faulkner State Community College in Fairhope for the Saturday, October 20 show. The site was universally praised for its level, open layout and the proximity to the shops and galleries in downtown Fairhope. 

For the fourth year running, MINI of Pensacola is signing on as the title sponsor for the event and will have cars and representatives there on the day of the show. 

Make your plans to attend BCF 2012 now.

Picknickin' - SABCC Style

"Smell them shrimp, they're beginning to boil..."

Mark your calendars for the next SABCC activity of 2012 - the annual club picnic scheduled for Saturday, May 19. For the fourth year running, we'll gather at the lovely Oscar Johnson Memorial Park in Silverhill, Alabama, on state highway 104 just east of the village.

This year, we will be enjoying boiled shrimp along with new potatoes and corn on the cob courtesy of SABCC'er John Shaw and the club. Since this is a rather special menu, we will need to get a firm count of the number of people planning to attend by May 12th. It is important that you confirm your plans to attend.

We are asking that everyone bring a side dish or dessert to share with the group. There will also be an alternate selection for those not wishing to partake in the seafood. The club will provide a selection of drinks.

We plan to serve lunch at noon so be there a little ahead of time to claim your spot.

I hope to see you and your British car there!

An Answer to a Question No One Asked

MGB/GT. The successful "closing" of the MGB roadster by legendary Italian deign house Pininfarina has been declared the inspiration for a new MG SUV concept called Icon rolled out at the Beijing Auto Show over the weekend. A toned-down version of the four door concept is likely headed to production at some point in the future with build taking place either in China or the UK Longbridge assembly site.

The concept uses an almost perfect re-creation of the chrome MGB grille and similar angles of the rear roofline as carefully pointed out in the press releases and presentation at the unveiling. The most jarring aspect of the concept is the use of the older car's bumper overriders as inspiration for the running and fog lights.

British Leyland: Chronicle of a Car Crash

My son, John, was kind enough to give me a basic Kindle recently for no apparent reason other than his generous nature. Amazon produces several versions of this e-reader whereby the owner can purchase electronic copies of books, magazines and even newspaper subscriptions. Mine is the simplest version, ideal for the old dog to learn new tricks.One of the first books in my electronic library is British Leyland: Chronicle of a Car Crash 1968-1978 by Christopher Cowin.

The book is available only in electronic format and can be purchased for your device from Amazon for $6.50. This is the my first experience with a volume that cannot currently be had in print form but I understand that this is the wave of the future for works of limited public interest. While the printed version will not likely happen, the ability to e-publish is a boon to authors who wish to share - and sell - their work.

Chronicle of a Car Crash is written in a scholarly tone and charts the creation of the huge British Leyland conglomerate through the efforts of the British government. If you're looking for road test results or driving impressions of the cars we know and love, you won't find it here. Rather, you will learn about the people and firms behind the erstwhile auto giant and see how the deck was stacked against the success of the company literally from its inception.

Seeing that the economics of auto production favored automakers who could produce literally millions of cars per year, the British government decided that, in order to preserve the domestic auto industry, it had to arrange several shotgun marriages to create a true world-class player to take on the growing Japanese threat. As most British car enthusiasts know, British Motor Holdings and Leyland merged under pressure and incentive of the government. Until I read this book, I was unaware that Her Majesty's Government worked very hard to bring the Rootes Group into the fold as well. 

Chronicle of a Car Crash is not a rehash of history or a finger-pointing screed, but a concise, deeply researched work about the slow motion death of a nation's auto industry. The book is very possibly worth purchasing an e-reader just to read it.     

Hey, Man - It's a Hillman

It's a Hillman!

Hillmans aren't too thick on the ground here in the states so it's a bit of an event to find one that hasn't been rodded or on it's way to returning to the good earth through corrosion. 

Here's a Hillman Husky station wagon for sale right here in south Alabama, listed on craigslist.org. The photos aren't much to write home about but the seller claims that it is in reasonably good condition. White isn't the most exciting color for a classic but you'll probably not see another one on the southern British  car show circuit. 

Gimme, Gimme Good Lovin'

In every hobby there are objects of interest that may be deemed more desirable than other similar ones. In the British car hobby, we've got a few instances of certain series of car models not held in as high esteem as other (usually earlier) series of the same line. Thankfully, the South Alabama British Car Club is a pretty inclusive bunch so we don't hear disparaging remarks about the cars that follow below.

Jaguar E-Type 2+2

Jaguar E-Type 2+2. Prices confirm that the 2+2 is not collectors first choice in E-Types. While the 2+2 filled a niche that Jaguar wished to exploit in the '60s, it was the final incarnation of the fixed roof body style at the end of production. Some enthusiasts claim that the roofline and windshield are too high for the rest of the body giving it a less graceful look than the original coupe fixed roof model. I believe that had the 2+2 had been rolled out in 1961 instead of the coupe, it would have been just as big a sensation in the automotive world. But it wasn't. And, sadly, it isn't.

Your Blogger's Faithful MGB

"Rubber" Bumper MGB. Being a member of the black bumper MGB owner's guild, I've heard all sorts of comments about the raised ride height and heavy bumpers of the '74.5 through '80 MGB and MGB-GT. True, the 'B lost some of its nimbleness in the transition and they do look a bit like they are on stilts, but they are a big part of MG history. With new US safety regulations in the works and a starvation budget on which to meet them, the people at MG did the best they could to keep this sports car on sale here.

Mini Clubman - The Original

Mini Clubman. No, not the current station wagon thingy that MINI is offering but the square nosed two door produced in the '70s and not generally seen on these shores. BMC snagged some Ford of Britain stylists and gave them a brief to "update" the look of the standard Mini. They responded with the Clubman. Looking somewhat like a Ford Cortina from the front, the Clubman offered wind-up windows and an instrument binnacle placed in front of the driver instead the center of the fascia. The Clubman was available in hot 1275 GT form, but only dyed-in-the-wool Mini enthusiasts are in the know about that one in the States. The Clubman boasts more under bonnet space meaning that the grill does not have to be removed to change the oil filter.

MG Midget 1500

MG Midget 1500. The poor "rubber" bumper Midget doesn't get a lot of love and that's a shame. The run-out Midgets are probably the least expensive entry into the British car hobby and they repay every kindness shown them. Again, the MG designers were hard pressed to keep the littlest MG on sale in America and they followed the same recipe that they did for the MGB: black bumpers and raised ride height. But, unlike the MGB soldering on with its 1800cc engine, the Midget went from a 1275cc A-series to the 1500cc lump found in the Spitfire. The extra power helped keep performance respectable for the time. While serious restoration of a late Midget is probably uneconomical, the fun factor in running a less than perfect example can be huge.

Do you know of a model loved less than its brethren? Drop me note in the comments section.

A Pox on Idiot Drivers

A Sad Circumstance

Anyone driving a classic car these days has to deal with a lot of highway issues, not the least among them are tailgating drivers. This point was driven home through an accident that involved a fellow Mini owner in Birmingham, Alabama. He was enjoying the fine spring weather when he was stupidly rear ended by an idiot in a pick up truck who may or may not be insured - he had no proof of it, anyway. The mini driver came away with a bent boot lid.

I can certainly sympathize with him. It's an unusual ride in my Mini when I don't have a tailgater or three during the outing. And by tailgater I mean following so closely that my rear view mirror is full of bumper and grille. I appreciate the fact that people may want a little closer look at a classic car, but driving stupidly is certainly no way to do it. Rather than resorting to rude (but effective) hand gestures, I'll gradually slow down to the point that the following driver will tire of the game and pass me. If that doesn't work, I've been known pull off the road. 

A Tasteful and Effective Third Brakelight

What to do? Other than the above you can drive even more defensively by anticipating other driver's moves and expect the unexpected, to use a couple of well-worn cliches.Keep an eye on the other driver's face if possible. You might be able to guess what their next move will be. Are they on a cell phone or - God help us - texting while driving? Regard them with the same caution as you would with an impaired driver.    

As far as our tailgaiting friends are concerned, a third brake light might be handy - especially if your taillights and brake lights aren't separated as is the rule these days. Some younger drivers have never seen a brake/tail combo or a car without a center brake light before. That third light may save your sheetmetal and possibly your life.

Yo, Superman - Nice Car

Courtesy- supermanhomepage.com

The man of steel and his rakish convertible. Can anyone identify the car that he is posing with in this photo from the 1950s? It appears to have an interior nicely trimmed in wood and you can just make out an open engine compartment vent on the right side. I don't see any obvious badges or mascots, either.

For those too young to remember, George Reeves played the role of Superman in the television series of the same name. Judging by the prop glasses, I'd say that this is a publicity still for the series. Reeves was also the subject of a recent film, Hollywoodland.

Mao's Garage?

Some Chinese automotive web sites are unbelievably reporting that the iconic MG brand, owned now by China's Shanghai Auto Industry Corporation, is to be recast as "Mao's Garage" in a hat tip to the leader of the Communist revolution there. 

MG enthusiasts around the world know that MG grew out of one of  William Morris' early business concerns named Morris Garage. Cecil Kimber, Manager of the business, developed a line of sports cars based on Morris automobile mechanicals and the new marque grew into world wide fame. 

In SAIC's early days of MG ownership, the MG marque was introduced to the Chinese buying public as the car for the "Modern Gentleman", with a heavy dose of cloying British imagery to go along with it.SAIC is now apparently trying to ride the wave of Mao's revived popularity as a Chinese icon. 

Reports indicate that the change will take place on or about April 1, 2013.