If Cost Equals Quality - These Folks Have it

The fleet at the McDonald garage get a bathing on a pretty regular basis. Insects, road dirt and the occasional bird poo get cleaned off by the backyard hose and whatever auto "shampoo" that I have laying the around the house at the time. Most of the British car shows that I attend are pretty generous with car wash supplies as door prizes or goody bag stuffers. I am indeed grateful for them.

Courtesy, Swissvax

For those of significant means, there are vendors quite happy to assist them in getting the very best car care supplies for their eleventy-bazillion dollar rides. One of them is Swissvax. 

Swissvax advertises in a number of publications that I regularly browse and I've never really read their ads in depth for the reasons outlined above. Lately, I have and they are not shy about quoting prices for their products. The one that caught my eye is their Swissvax Crystal Rock product. It's available in the US of A from their American importer for $1,499.00. 

Yep, you read it right. In their defense, Swissvax says that the product contains "over 76% Vol. of pure ivory coloured Grade one Carnauba wax from Northern Brazil". That must be a good thing - I can't even remember which British car show awarded me the gallon of wash shampoo that I've been using for the last few years. 

Swissvax also carries several other wax products at comparatively reasonable costs - still too dear for my drivers, though. 

One intriguing offer on the US web site is an extensive car care guide. I'm not sure that I'll be requesting one but if you do, let me know. 

 Happy waxing! 

Follow This Blog

Depth of Speed is an automotive/photography/video/lifestyle blog that you must follow. I can't describe it better than Josh Clason, owner of Depth of Speed, so I'll let him do it:
 
Depth of Speed was born from a desire of story, travel, and a love of anything automotive related. Next year my wife and I will be taking to the streets to uncover and document the greatest stories from the automotive world. From coast-to-coast and from top to bottom, finding the best stories will take the highest priority. Every time I meet someone new or attend an event I amazed at the depth, passion, and love that the automotive world brings. Depth of Speed is just that, an in-depth look at these stories. There is something about motors and machines, that to an outsider looking in, would make us seem plain crazy.


Here is a sample of Josh's talents: 

A Little Bit of Dixie in Italy

This photo appeared in the 'PS' section of Road & Track magazine in the early '70s. The car is the iconic Porsche 917 sporting an Alabama license plate. It seems that the owner, reputed to be Count Rossi of Martini & Rossi fame, bought a 917 and set it up for road use. The story goes that no European country would permit the car to be road registered so he had the car licensed in Alabama. I suppose that it passed muster with the Italian authorities since it was photographed on an Italian highway.

The '70s porn star mustaches and aviator sunglasses make the cramped accommodations of the Porsche look even more amusing.    

Appropriately enough, the county code on the plate is from Talladega county, Alabama.  

Rover's Last Gasp in the USA

Ah, poor Rover. They were never really taken seriously as mainstream cars in the USA instead, they were the choice of those who sought the obscure or different. Rover's last attempt to make a go of it in the American market was the Sterling marque - a product of a close collaboration between Rover and Honda in the UK. 

Check out this US television ad wherein Sterling will give you back some of the money you'll spend to purchase one.

 

Busted

My long suffering wife and I decided to make a Sunday jaunt to the bay side village of Fairhope, Alabama for a quiet cup of coffee at Page & Palette, an independent bookstore that has become a force in the arts community. We've been regulars there for almost twenty years. Most of the trips made there are usually in either the 1976 MGB or the 1973 Mini. Today we chose the Mini since it was a bit warm for a drive in a convertible and it appeared that we might see an afternoon thunderstorm - not an uncommon occurrence along our part of the American Gulf Coast. 

We finished our coffees and clambered into the Mini for the ten or so mile drive back to Spanish Fort. As we drove north out of Fairhope, one of the city's finest was belting himself into his cruiser in front of the police station when he did a double take at us in the little car. I thought nothing more about it as he did a U turn on Section Street and fell in behind a car following us. the next thing I know the officer is behind us with his car lit up like a blue Christmas tree.

Courtesy, policelightsled.com

What now?

I pulled over into a parking lot and killed the engine. He approached the side of the car where a driver should be only to see that the steering wheel was not where he expected to see it. He came around to my side and asked for the usual documents (registration, drivers license and insurance card). When I asked the reason for the stop, he simply said that he wasn't sure if my license plate was legal.

I run age-related vintage tags on my cars with the appropriate state-issued gold sticker that gives them same status as a "vintage" plate as issued by Alabama. I've written about the law in this blog before and how it might be good idea to print out the state Department of Revenue regulations to have handy when applying for an age-related vintage tag at your local Probate Court office. I didn't think I would need it for a police officer. 

The officer seemed skeptical that my 1973 license plate was: A -the genuine state produced item from almost forty years ago, and: B - the "V" sticker was legit. After a few moments of back and forth conversation and comparing numbers on my registration with the ones on the tag, he finally sent us on way with a thanks and a handshake. In all, ten minutes. The officer (whose name I failed to get) was unfailingly polite and professional - a true credit to the City of Fairhope.

Yeah, I'm probably going to keep a copy of the law in the cars now.

Maybe it is a Sports Car

Courtesy, tocmp.com

I was trolling through the car advertisements over at The Old Car Manual Project and I ran across this gem of an ad from 1962. Pontiac was just introducing the Grand Prix as their personal luxury car with a "sporty" flair. 

The sharp-eyed amongst you have already spotted the car Pontiac chose as the "full-blooded competition sports car" on the right as a Lotus Seven. Obviously it is a competition car as someone has helpfully added a white shoe polish number to the windshield and the steering wheel is on the wrong side. Exotic stuff for sure.

As GM's performance division, Pontiac chose model names that made the prospective buyer think about motorsports and speed. Names such as Bonneville, Grand Prix, Le Mans and later Trans Am, and Can Am brought an air of Walter Mitty racer to the marque. They even lifted the "GTO" moniker from Ferrari for the first of what became known as muscle cars.

But today, the humble Seven is still being produced in England and Pontiac is another orphaned GM division. 

The Cure for Wimpy Shifting

MGBs are known for their delightful "snick-snick" gear shifting characteristics. The short gear lever placed perfectly for wrist-rocking gear changes is one most endearing - and satisfying- aspects of driving it. The action has been likened to a rifle bolt and I can't say that I disagree with that description.

Photo courtesy, Ed Sweeney

Some high mileage 'Bs exhibit a less than perfect shift action with the gear lever feeling loose and rattling or buzzing while driving the car. Fear not, 'B driver, the fix is not internal to the gearbox and can be performed in a matter of minutes while comfortably seated in the car. 

The usual suspect in cases like this is small nylon bushing that cradles the ball on bottom of the shift lever and prevents the lever from rattling in the remote shaft socket. The bushing (sometimes called an anti-rattle bushing) can be found in the Moss Motors online catalog as part number 461-110 BUSH, SHIFT LEVER and as illustration item 114 on this page. 

To access the bushing, simply remove the trim ring that holds the shift boot or gaiter in place. You'll see a flange (officially the lever seat cover) with three bolt heads. Remove the bolts and pull up the gear lever. Shining a light in the newly-open hole, you'll find the remains of a nylon bushing (mine was off-white in color). It can fished out with a small screwdriver, hooked probe or bent wire. Place the new bushing in the same receptacle and reassemble in the reverse procedure to disassembly. In all a cheap and easy fix.

The result is a much tighter shift action and any vibration induced buzzing of the lever will be eliminated. Just the way the boys on the line in Abingdon intended.      

Mugs & Motors: We Shut Down a Restaurant Edition

The Gang at Serda's

Mugs & Motors  -Coffee and Conversation for Motoring Enthusiasts continues to a favorite of SABCC members. Last Saturday's event brought out 25 SABCC'ers to Serda's Coffee and Tea in downtown Mobile for a cup of joe and something from the baked goods case.

We arrived at opening time for the coffee house on Royal Street and immediately began the began the line for service at the barista counter. Most of the gang ordered a standard coffee (although a couple of members required a complete sentence to describe what they were after in their particular coffee) and something delicious from the baker's artistry. The staff at Serda's took care of us in fine fashion as always.

Noel and Cecil Grab Their Mugs

Grabbing our favorite spot in the back of the 100+ year old building, we filled the tables to capacity and the conversation never let up. It was a pleasure to see some faces that we don't always get to see at club events. And it was a joy to view the photos taken by our immediate past club president Noel Eagelson of the weekend he and ace British car restorer Mike Darby spent in Dillard, Georgia at the annual convention of the North American MGB Register. The photos showed literally hundreds of MGBs and other classic British cars in the beautiful mountains of northeast Georgia. Mike allowed how his MGA was running better than it ever had after NAMGBR Technical Advisor John Twist laid hands upon it at the famous "rolling tech session" John is famous for conducting.

The Fort Conde Portrait

We understand that the trip to Dillard was pleasantly uneventful, but the return trip was a soggy mess due to the incessant rain that pounded the southeast that weekend. 

A quick poll taken at the Mugs & Motors event confirmed that the members present would enjoy a Saturday morning coffee gathering a little more often. The feedback from the gang indicated that a later event in the day isn't really necessary to having a great time - maybe something as simple as a scenic drive. You've been heard loud and clear!

Pierre Fontana (right)

Once the coffee was consumed we gathered our cars for a group photo at Mobile's lovely Fort Condé Village. This area consists of several ante and post-bellum   homes that are in various states of preservation or restoration. A number professional organizations have their offices in the village and there is a lovely bed and breakfast tucked away in this quiet corner of old Mobile.Our impromptu car show brought a number of guests and staff to the front porch of the B&B to sip coffee and look over the classic Brits on the street below.

The brick paved streets were a perfect spot to park the cars and take advantage of the sunrise lighting conditions. All of the members with cameras snapped away with a few of them taking advantage of a steel fire escape to shoot from above. Yours truly decided that he was probably over the safe weight limit for the fire escape of unknown vintage and elected to stay firmly on terra firma. 

The Gang at Auto-Fleet

Photos taken, we caravanned to Auto-Fleet Machine and were delighted to see SABCC's Technical Advisor Pierre Fontana at the door to greet us and introduce us to the staff at the shop. The tour got started a bit late as we took time to admire Pierre's newly-acquired 1950 Ford Tudor with a mildly tuned flathead V8. 

This was the first time most of the members present had seen the inside of an operating machine shop. Auto-Fleet is neat and well laid out with specialized machinery to perform practically any operation on automotive mechanical bits.  

Lunch at the Tiny Diny

Zeno and the rest of the team were incredibly patient and thorough in answering our questions and going into as much detail as we wanted (or could handle). We saw such rarities as a crankshaft from a Packard straight 8 engine or as common as a GM 350 V8 and an MG Midget engine. Pierre kindly showed us some of the work that he brought in and vouched for the expertise of the crew at Auto-Fleet.

 Almost two hours passed and the interest of the members present never waned. In fact it took a mention of lunch before everyone headed for the door. The group decided that we'd lunch at a Mobile institution - the Tiny Diny just up the street from Auto-Fleet.

We headed inside looking forward to simple homestyle cooking that the restaurant is known for. As we took our seats, SABCC'er Sandy Walter announced to the club that this day was the last day that the Tiny Diny would be open. It was shutting down at the end of business that evening. The news put a bit of a damper on lunch, but the wait staff did their jobs to perfection and with smiles on their faces. 

With lunch dispatched we said our goodbyes to each other and headed to our own destinations.

SABCC owes a great deal of thanks to Pierre Fontana and to the staff of Auto-Fleet Machine.

Unexpected Entrants in a British Car Show

Mention a British car show and most folks immediately think of the more famous marques such as Triumph, Austin Healey and MG. Those less in the know might be surprised to see cars from manufacturers like Volvo, Nash or Hudson on the field. Let's take a look at a few of those less expected to be seen:

Volvo P1800 Sports Coupe

Volvo P1800 (Volvo Publicity Photo)

This rakish 2+2 from the land of the midnight sun was a sensation when launched in 1961. Volvo cast about for a contract manufacturer to take on assembly duties of this new model. They first looked to Germany where they were very close to a deal with Karmann, who had to back out at the last minute due to threats from Volkswagen to take their specialty business elsewhere. Volvo turned down several other German firms due to concerns about quality control.

The Swedes finally struck a deal with Jensen of West Bromwich, England and gave them an order for 10,000 cars, an order that helped alleviate an underutilized production line. In all, Jensen completed around 6,000 cars before Volvo withdrew the contract due to quality issues and transferred production to Sweden.

1961 and 1962 Jensen-built P1800s are easily identified by the "cow horn" front bumpers. The Swedish-built 1963 models have a horizontal front bumper and are badged 1800'S'.

Nash Healey 

Nash Healey (Nash Publicity Photo)

This Anglo-American hybrid was the result of a chance meeting of British automotive engineer and designer Donald Healey and Nash-Kelvinator chairman George W. Mason aboard the ocean liner Queen Elizabeth in 1950. Healey was looking for an American V8 to slot into his Healey Silverstone model but was rebuffed by GM. Mason saw an opportunity to go a bit upmarket with a two-seat sports car using the Silverstone chassis but with a few modifications. 

Healey designed a new head for the Nash straight six that Mason supplied (along with a three speed w/overdrive gearbox) and added SU carburetors to squeeze out a few more horsepower. Healey also styled the first generation car and used stock Nash grilles and bumpers that helped maintain the family resemblance. The cars were completed in England.

The second generation Nash Healey was re-styled by the Italian design house Pinin Farina to help update the look and harmonize the "face" with the rest of the Nash line. Post-1951 cars were finished in Italy (from American and British components) and shipped to the US. Nash dropped the Nash Healey due to word that Ford was developing the Thunderbird and the 'Healey's high selling price ($5,908.00 or over $51,000.00 2012 dollars).

Nash, Hudson  Metropolitan

Nash Metropolitan (Courtesy boldride.com)

Again, Nash went calling on their British friends for a smaller small car to add to their lineup. Although designed in the USA, the Metropolitan was shopped to several overseas manufacturers since Nash determined that this small and inexpensive car could not be built domestically and turn a profit. This time, British Motor Corporation was tapped since they had a line of small displacement engines and they had the capacity to build them.

About the only part of the Metropolitan that was American was the name. As one of the first captive imports, the Met was built entirely in the UK of UK-sourced components. Body makers Fisher and Ludlow stamped and assembled the body panels and Austin completed the vehicles.

The met was produced from 1953 through 1961 and sold under the Nash, Hudson and in its final years, as simply 'Metropolitan'. In 1956, Austin sold Metropolitans as Austins in nations where American Motors did not have a presence. Fewer than 10,000 units were sold under this arrangement.    

Do you know of other unusual British car show participants? Drop me line in the comments section.

A Trip to Atlanta (and Some Track Time)

"I've got tickets ordered for the Mitty in April. You can get off work, right?" came the question from long time friend and fellow British car enthusiast Richard Cunningham. Actually the inflection was more in the form of an order than a question. "Uh, sure. Lemme see what I can do," I replied not at all sure that I could swing it.

Fast forward to a really early Friday morning in late April and Richard and I were stowing a lot of gear in the back of my daily driver Honda Civic for the trek to the Big Peach. I've always considered myself a 'travel light' kind of guy but since absolutely nothing about me can be remotely thought of as light any more, my baggage and other required accoutrements seem to have grown over the years as quickly as my middle. Slamming the trunklid, we started our weekend of vintage speed.

For those not in the know, The Mitty is the annual party that the Historic Sportscar Racing Limited organization puts on in conjunction with Classic Motorsports and Grassroots Motorsports magazines at the famous Road Atlanta race track just northeast of Atlanta. Owners of historic racing cars gather to give their cars a good spring workout and put on a show for fans of vintage racing. There's bound to be a car in the dozens present that is of interest to even the most casual auto enthusiast.

A Feature Race

We rolled through downtown Atlanta at one of the less busy hours for the highways in town. My inner Fangio came out when I saw that I had to cut and thrust in traffic just to keep up. Since there were two of us in the car, we took advantage of the HOV lanes as much as possible and we soon found ourselves looking for the exit to Braselton and Road Atlanta.

Richard and I were warmly greeted by HSR and magazine staff members at the gate and since this was the first race event I attended in about eight years, I had a hard time paying attention to the other cars on the entrance road while ogling the fast movers on the course just a few hundred feet outside my window. We found a convenient spot to park and wandered through the specialty car parking corral and vendors row. 

For late April it was beastly hot in the hills of north Georgia with nary a cloud in sight and very little breeze. Most of the vendors had tents set up to protect their wares from the weather and provide a little shade, but instead of cool shade the tents were more like saunas in the heat and humidity. 

I chatted with one of the vendors - an automotive artist - and looked through his work. He is a painter, but he also uses modern computer graphic software to create startlingly accurate plan views of classic road and competition cars. One of his prints caught my eye immediately; it was a dead ringer for my brother's vermillion MGB. It became a gift for him in some small repayment for his generosity to me. Richard found a photographer who had been shooting the practice sessions earlier in the day and print of a Group 44 Racing Jaguar XJR became his first souvenir of the trip.

The Downhill Prior to Turn 12

We moved into the VIP tent (actually, everyone could come in, so don't be too impressed) to find a cool drink and some shade. As we were talking, I thought I spotted a familiar face at a table on other side of the tent. Pointing out the white haired gentleman, I asked Richard if that was Bob Tullius (the driving force behind Group 44 Racing back in the day). Never the shy, retiring type Richard decided he would find out the only way he knew how: he would ask him.    

Richard and Bob Tullius (in dark shirt)

As it turns out, it was indeed Bob Tullius and Richard spent the better part of a half hour chatting with him and sharing photos that he took at Road Atlanta in the 1970s when Group 44, and many others, raced for all the marbles. Bob graciously autographed the souvenir photo of the Jaguar XJR that Richard purchased earlier in the day and gave him the background story about the car.

Seeing that the time was quickly approaching for us to take part in the on-track parade laps, we headed back to the trusty Civic and fell in line for access to the race course. I was impressed that the Road Atlanta team didn't require signed releases or provide a litany of thou-shalt-nots, unlike another well-known course that I was able to drive on.

It turns out that the laps were anything but parade. The line of cars moved quickly out on the course and we were being pushed hard by a riced-out Miata to pick up our pace. Right. A mid-trim Honda Civic with an automatic transmission with two gentlemen inside built for comfort instead of speed. Nothing left to do but floor it and try remember everything I'd learned at the controls of a Sony Playstation running Gran Turismo 4. 

Richard with a Jaguar XJR7

We climbed the hill after the first turn and headed down to the esses. From Spectators Hill they look long and undulating, like a country road. From behind the wheel at speed, they look like killer turns, with the curbing reaching out to snatch you off course. To add more excitement to the event, cars ahead would suddenly decide to stop to allow traffic to move on so they could get a fast run at a particularly fun part of the track. This meant that you might not know that cars had stopped just over the next blind rise. Yeah, that was fun, too.

The first time around, I completely screwed up the last turn. Just after a quick left-right complex, the course rises to the Audi overpass where the road drops immediately and enters turn 12 to the pit straight. I stayed too far left and almost went down the escape road before I was able to catch it and stay on the course. Much nervous giggling ensued and kept up for the next four laps. 

For All the Marbles

I did get better as the laps progressed by manually shifting the automatic and keeping my growing panic under control. Apexes were clipped and braking got later until Richard very kindly said that I was "doing pretty good." It seemed to the both us that we were absolutely flying around the course, but the video that Richard shot showed otherwise. Catch us in the right mood and we'll show it to you. Oh, and the telephone ringing while we were scything through the esses is for real.     

We finished our parade laps and found a a spot on Spectators Hill to watch the rest of the day's practice session. We were entertained by cars at speed that we remembered from our misspent youths. For Richard, the trip marked his first return to Road Atlanta in over 40 years. We were lost in our thoughts as the historic racers roared past. Soon it was time to head to north Atlanta and to our accommodation there.

Andy Wallace Chats with His Team

We headed back to the track early the next morning where we were greeted by cool misty weather that made for perfect wandering through the paddock. We were struck by how friendly and open the the owners and team members were to fans like ourselves. This was underlined when Richard and I were admiring an Audi R8 and a Jaguar XJR7 from a respectable distance outside the temporary shelter attached to the support rig. We were waved inside by none other than multiple LeMans winner Andy Wallace who chatted with us about the cars and the event. 

That's PBCA's Mike Japp in the Yellow Spit

The featured marque for this year's Mitty was Triumph and I have to admit that I've never seen so many Triumphs in one place. My best guess would be in excess of 200 TRs, Spitfires and various rarer-in-the-US models. A series of parade laps for the featured marque looked like a bumper to bumper traffic jam. A thrilling sight, indeed.

The day's events included qualifying and racing and we both got what we came for in abundance. Classic racing cars from all classes and marques were given their own races, most of which were 30 minute sprints. While we came for the classic British cars, we were just as thrilled to watch the high-horsepower prototype cars from the recent past as well as classic Can-Am, Trans-Am, Formula 5000 and NASCAR classics. The event was even open to classic motorcycles which put on a show to remember.

As the day wore on, the cool weather gave way to more searing, white-sky heat prompting us to seek shelter in the air conditioned Civic while we chugged water.

The Featured Marque Race

Road Atlanta has a number of fine vantage points for spectating from hillsides, under shade trees and at points of the track where cars brake hard and downshift (my favorite) and areas of acceleration out of the turns. I have to give the facility high marks for access, amenities and upkeep and everyone we dealt with at the venue was quite friendly and seemed to be genuinely concerned that the fans had a great experience.

Our next goal is to return to the track to take in a Petit LeMans 6 hour race at some point in the future. I can't wait.
  

Click on the photos to enlarge them