Serving the
Pre-War OHC and SV Morris Minor and M Type MG
Membership
is open to the owners of all pre-war cars
Patron: Lady Tanya Field
The Vintage Minor Register is proud to support Midlands Air Ambulance
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The Latest News from the Register
17th November 2024 Collection day! After spending decades in an American museum and more years in Canada and then Seattle, the Maddox EN 5810 is finally back on home soil and in the hands of Paul Maddox, grandson of Archie Maddox, who built the car in 1934. Paul (right) collected the car straight from the container yesterday, a day which was made even more special as the collection was attended by Mike Oxenham (left) who owns the sole surviving Maddox-bodied Humber which is currently nearing the end of a protracted restoration. Mike has owned the car since he was in his teens. It is hoped that the two cars (of only four known surviving Maddox-bodied cars) will get to meet at our Summer Rally next year.
16th October 2024 Today we welcome Mark Measures of Craven Arms, Shropshire to Register membership. Mark owns this lovely 1936 Riley 12/4 Lynx JB 8887, which he brought along to our monthly pub meet at the Fountain, Tenbury Wells last night, where a good time was had by all. Mark acquired the partially-restored car from Geoff Hooker in 2020 and then followed a full restoration by Riley expert Neil Reading with the engine rebuilt by G. Bland Engineering of Barnsley, Yorkshire. Welcome, Mark.
14th October 2024 Today we welcome Barrie Carter to Register membership. Barry may well be known to you as a longstanding and highly-respected dealer but has acquired this 1933 Minor saloon XXG 270 (SV21191) for his private collection. Welcome, Barry.
4th October 2024 Today we extend a warm welcome to David Hughes of Caxton, Cambridgeshire who joins the Register with his 1949 M.G. TC and Austin 7 Ruby. David entered his TC in Pre-War Prescott 2022 but we have not seen his very smart Ruby yet. Welcome, David.
3rd
Oktober 2024 The poster says it all! All owners of pre-war
and interesting cars warmly invited to our autumn pub meet at the Old Bull,
Inkberrow, Worcestershire WR7 4DZ on Sunday 20th October. Let's see if we
can assemble a good Minor lineup this time. I'm planning to bring my 1929
fabric saloon from Ludlow, aiming to arrive around eleven ack emma. Also,
don't forget our new monthly evening pub meet at the Fountain Inn, Tenbury Wells
WR15 8TB on Tuesday 15th October (and on the third Tuesday monthly heading
forward).
Plan to arrive around six pip emma. All pre-war and
interesting cars most welcome.
27th September 2024 This week, we welcomed Philip Brown to the Register with his Morris 8 2-seater. Phil, who lives in Cheltenham, acquired the car from Barrie Carter last year, and it replaced his 1934 Riley Kestrel. The 8 is fitted with a Series E engine and gearbox, which, although not original, has the advantage of shell bearings. Evidently the car previously belonged to an elderly gentleman and he and his wife towed it behind their campervan to take it to shows. Hopefully it will now cover more miles under its own power. Welcome to the Register, Phil.
22nd September 2024 Here is a rare opportunity to acquire an original Semi-sports Minor. Over in Hamburg, Germany, Volker Tilly has his example for sale. Volker has owned and enjoyed the car for many years, having originally bought it to provide a spare engine for his M Type! But he soon realised that the body was not home-made, but a genuine Semi-sports. The chassis is M31487, engine 31943. Full details here.
12th September 2024 And today we welcome Huw Davies to membership with his 1932 M.G. D Type RX 9867 (D0353). This car has extensive competition history from the day it was delivered and an article describing its fascinating history and pre-war competitive exploits will appear in our Autumn magazine. Welcome, Huw.
11th September 2024 Today we welcome Ron Warr to Register membership with his 1934 M.G. PA, seen here last weekend on our Escape to the Lakes Rally alongside Roger Davies' similar model. Both cars aquitted themselves admirably in the lakes, including the climb of Honister Pass. Welcome, Ron and Barbara!
29th July 2024 Today we welcome Peter Rowland of Saxthorpe, Norfolk to the Register with his 1939 M.G. TB, seen here at the Norwich Aviation Museum. Peter has very little history of the car, having bought it as a project from Andy King a couple of years ago. Can anyone add more? Welcome, Peter.
24th July 2024 I would very much like to invite owners and enthusiasts of all the cars that survived the War to join this club. We were founded 25 years ago to support and promote the vintage Morris Minor, a stout little vintage light car that had been all but forgotten. The club grew rapidly and in 2003 we organized our first gathering at Prescott. To be able to pay the substantial fee to hire the hill, we invited other pre-war car clubs, including the VSCC, to join us - which they did. Three Prescott meets later, we met in 2010 and the then Prescott manager, Ian Patton, offered me an annual slot at Prescott if I would organize an all-comers pre-war car weekend. That was the genesis of Pre-War Prescott which propelled the club to the forefront of the pre-war car world. The result was that the Register became an organization to promote and support all pre-war cars and now we are able to organize weekend rallies like Pre-War Ludlow that so many enjoyed last weekend. If you would like to support us as we plan more such rally weekends, I would happily accept membership applications from owners and enthusiasts of all those cars that survived the War, be they Austins or Alvises, Bullnoses or Bentleys, and we have several of these in the club already. If you would like to join us, or simply learn more about us, please e-mail me at vintageminor@gmail.com. Thanks so much, Ian Grace, Register founder.
24th July 2024 We extend a warm welcome to John Bate who joins us with his 1930 Minor fabric saloon FH 7004 (M27047), seen here at Walcot Hall on Sunday (Phil Jones).
23rd July 2024 This was the scene at Walcot Hall in Shropshire on Sunday when we held our Vintage Picnic as part of our Pre-War Ludlow weekend. A superb weekend was had by all and the Herefordshire and Shropshire countryside was graced by around sixty Edwardian, vintage and pre-war cars, among many Morrises. Many more pictures will be posted to the Forum shortly and a full report will be included in our Summer Magazine which will go to the printers in the next couple of weeks. (Gracefoto)
17th May 2024 I am delighted to announce that the Register's new designated charity is the Midlands Air Ambulance. When elderly Belgian couple Gaston and Annie Lenaerts left Pre-War Prescott last July, they were involved in a horrendous collision in their M.G. PB just a few miles from Prescott. Gaston suffered multiple injuries, but his wife Annie suffered life-threatening injuries and rescue services took over two hours to extricate her from the wrecked M.G. She was airlifted from the scene to Bristol where she immediately underwent a twelve hour operation that saved her life and both of her legs. If it were not for the air ambulance that evening, which turned out in decidedly marginal weather conditions, it is doubtful whether Annie would have survived a road journey to Bristol. We have proudly supported the RAF Charitable Trust for fifteen years, but in the light of this truly miraculous rescue mission, we feel the time is now right to switch our designated charity. We look forward very much to working with and supporting this vital and life-saving service and paying back, in some small way, our incalculable debt of gratitude to the Midlands Air Ambulance and their incredible team of pilots and medics for their vital mission.
13th May 2024 The magnificent Walcot Hall in Shropshire will play host to our Vintage Picnic on Sunday 21st July and will form part of our Pre-War Ludlow weekend itinerary. An elegant Georgian country house owned by Clive of India, Walcot Hall dates to the Elizabethan period, but the original house was remodelled after Clive purchased the estate on the advice of his uncle, Sir Francis Dashwood of Hellfire Club fame. Picnics will be provided against advance order by the Ludlow Kitchen, adjacent to the Sunday start. Ordering details will be added to the Rally web page shortly.
21st January 2024
As I have mentioned before, our repatriation to Blighty in June will open up the
opportunity to mount spring and autumn Register gatherings – perhaps smaller,
more relaxed and more intimate than the main event of our Summer Rally, but no
less enjoyable, and in turn affording the prospect of gathering in locations
around the country that should be more accessible to members and Register
friends too far flung to reach Ludlow.
To that end, we are truly excited
to announce that we will be organizing an Autumn Escape to the Lake District,
over the weekend of Friday 6th to Sunday 8th September. Ten years ago, we ran a
rally based on the
Grange Hotel on Loweswater, Cumbria. Eighteen bods took part with six
vintage cars and a couple of moderns and I have to admit that, for Jayne and I,
it was one of the most enjoyable Register gatherings that we have ever
organized. (Full disclosure - I have stayed at the Grange since the late
seventies when, as a student, I visited with my Mum to spectate for several
years on the VSCC Lakeland Trial and our visits can still be found in their
Visitor’s Book!) There was ample time to relax, chat and enjoy the stunning
scenery of the Lakes. So we are going to do it again! This time, there will
perhaps be a few more entrants, but we will work to ensure that the relaxed
spirit of that first Lakes weekend is perfectly preserved.
There is hotel
and self-catering accommodation, plus further accommodation in the local area.
There is also plenty of trailer parking. There is also additional accommodation
at the cozy and historic Kirkstile Inn
in Loweswater village. Also the nearby
Scale Hill Inn, which includes
dog-friendly cottages. There is also camping just behind the Grange at
Askhill Farm.
I’ll
have more to share over the next few months, but for now, do
get in touch if you think you would
like to join us, so that we can gauge likely numbers and refine plans. All
pre-war cars warmly invited! And feel free to book your accommodation (we
suggest Friday to Sunday nights inclusive). We have booked into the Grange
already.
The historic Ludlow Castle with the Shropshire hills beyond - Ludlow will be the venue for our
Pre-War Ludlow rally weekend 20th/21st July
1st January 2024 First of all, may I wish all of our members and friends of the Register a
wonderful New Year.
We have an exciting year ahead, the
highlight of which will be Pre-War Ludlow - our Summer Rally in Shropshire,
Herefordshire and the Welsh Marches. The web page for the weekend can be
found here.
6th August 2023
A rare opportunity has arisen to acquire an early nickel radiator Minor
tourer. Oxford-registered in April 1929, WL 6501 is being offered
by Pam Knight.
The car needs some reconditioning,
but under the bonnet is an engine that was totally rebuilt to M.G. standards
by Ollie Richardson and is not yet run in.
The car has also been authentically
re-wired. Pam is asking a very reasonable £6,250 for what will
make a super vintage Minor after a gentle running restoration.
Contact
Pam for further details. The car is centrally located at Cookham,
near Maidenhead.
6th August 2023
This
week we welcomed Barry Smith to Register membership. He recently
acquired the 1931 fabric saloon LG 6677 (M33466), first registered 29th
April 1931,
and as such was one of the
last fabric-bodied Minors to have left Cowley. This car, which
is in highly original condition, was displayed in Jim Peacop's Mouldsworth
Motor Museum for many years.
It was owned at that time
by Tim Armitage who also had a Dellow in the museum. It passed through
the hands of Mike Hobday, who offered it in 2006. It was acquired
by Derek Hardiman
from whom Barry collected
it a couple of weeks ago. The car has a reputed mileage of 4,370
miles. As can be seen above, the original fabric will require replacing,
but the car has super potential
and it will be good to see another original fabric saloon back on the road
before long.
17th June 2023 Our
Summer Rally weekend is now just four weeks away! We currently have
a creditable 14 Minors entered among the 200 entries for the weekend.
Planning is virtually complete,
although entries remain open for all three days. Full details of
the weekend can be found here.
ALL pre-war cars are warmly invited to enter or join us on the day.
If you have any questions regarding the day, or the full rally weekend please contact us for assistance.
Enter online here (entries or spectators) or simply turn up on the day and pay at the gate.
16th May 2023
With just two months to go today, we are in the final planning stages for
a fabulous day at Prescott and an equally fabulous weekend of rallying
and fun in the glorious Cotswolds.
We have a tremendous variety
of Edwardian, vintage and pre-war cars entered and of course entries remain
open.
As of today, we have a tremendous 110 M.G.’s already entered as we look forward to marking the Centenary of M.G. in style and with an MG100 cavalcade up the hill in the lunch break.
And in a fantastic first for Pre-War Prescott, the RAF Battle of Britain Memorial Flight Spitfire and Hurricane are scheduled to beat up the Paddock at 1425 hrs!
If that is not enough to
whet your appetite, we have Scenic Tours on Friday and Sunday, plus the
Lewis & Nicholson team challenge on Sunday – the annual
and hotly-contested navigation
rally competition between teams of Austin Sevens and vintage Morris Minors.
The Friday Tour includes
an optional private visit to the Morgan Car Company factory in Malvern
and will conclude with cream teas at the Beckford Silk Mill.
Our Sunday Scenic Tour and
parallel Navigation Rally will conclude with cream teas at the gorgeous
Stanway House where we will once again be treated to a launching of the
300 ft gravity fountain.
Full details of the three-way weekend – including our tours, the Navigation Rally and our social evenings can be found here.
And keep an eye here for breaking news as the weekend approaches.
If you have any questions regarding the day, or the full rally weekend please contact us for assistance.
Enter online here (entries or spectators) or simply turn up on the day and pay at the gate.
See you there!
30th April 2023
Despite the April showers, around two dozen cars turned up at the Old Bull
today for our Spring Pub Meet in Worcestershire.
Five Minors were joined
by a wide variety of other vintage and pre-war cars, and Joe the landlord
fed 60!
Mike Jones (second from left) was presented with the Roy Hogg Trophy at our 2004 Summer Rally by host Heidi Maeers.
28th April 2023 More sad news, I'm
afraid. Mike Jones passed away recently. He had been unwell
since Christmas and was hospitalised for 6 or 7 weeks at the end.
A memorial service is being planned at the Church
in Elsing, Norfolk for around end of June. The Bean Car Club is planning
a Commemorative Lunch in early August probably in Heckfield, near Reading.
Details will be circulated when finalized.
Mike was founding member number 9 of the Register. We pass on our
condolences to his family and friends.
24th April 2023 -
Back to Africa - MISSION ACCOMPLISHED! Peter Hills has finally accomplished
his long-cherished dream of returning his 1929 Morris Minor
to the exact spot where
he discovered it as a wreck decades ago and also visiting the locations
of the many owners of it in its early days.
Peter reported this morning:
"[The photo above was taken]
near to the spot where Mrs. Lang abandoned the Morris (M10228) in 1970
at No7 Azurite Road, Itimpe, outside Kitwe, Zambia
(see old number NK3177 -
Northern Rhodesia Kitwe). In spite of some skeptics and that it seemed
not only a mad project driving the car from Mutare Zimbabwe to Zambia
totalling 1,506 miles we
achieved the mission. The project was postponed since April 2020,
due to political issues, then Covid, a big end bearing failure, a cracked
crankshaft
just before departure on
23rd March. This apart from several changes in the Back to Africa
Team due to various medical issues or availability. Managing these
changes was stressful
but with some measure of
luck and co-incidences we have achieved an over 53 year dream. Nothing
would have been possible without my dear Sandy’s support
as well as many friends
and their generosity. Achieving this amazing experience of returning
'Chiriapala' home is so satisfying."
Hearty congratulations,
Peter!
22nd April 2023 And
today we also welcome Tim Milvain to Register membership. Tim recently
acquired 1929 M Type PG 1045 (2/M333) from Frank Ashley.
The car, as it is today,
can be seen below (16th April), but here it is in 1967 when Frank bought
it. That was the start of 46 years in his ownership.
Tim will be at our spring
pub meet next Sunday with PG 1045 and also at Pre-War Prescott in July,
where this very well-known car will take its place in the MG100 Cavalcade.
22nd April 2023
Today we extend a warm welcome to Peter and Janet Chapman, seen here in
their M.G. D Type (D0295), who join the Register with membership number
V717.
Peter and Janet live near
Malvern and are regular Pre-War Prescott entrants, either with their D
or their Riley Gamecock. They also own several other M.G.'s and Rileys.
Welcome Peter and Janet!
22nd April 2023
All members and pre-war car owners are cordially invited to the Old Bull,
Inkberrow, Worcestershire next Sunday 30th April
for our annual lunchtime
Spring Pub Meet. The Old Bull is to be found just off the A422 between
Worcester and Alcester.
16th April 2023 It is with great sadness
that we must report that Frank Ashley passed away this morning after a
short hospital stay.
He will be much missed by VMR, MMM, Morris Register
(he was a founder with his much-campaigned M Type), VSCC, BOC and ACOC
members, to name a few.
We send our sincerest condolences to his partner
Thelma and the family. This
letter from Frank was published in our Spring Magazine.
(Photo - Norma Lambert)
16th April 2023
Chris Lambert, longtime organizer of the highly-recommended Pre War Minor
Network, is offering his 1930 Minor Semi-sports for sale after 17 years
of happy and active custodianship.
The restoration of VJ 3156
(M29128) was started in the very capable hands of Ashton Keynes Vintage
Restorations for Brian Ellams and completed by Chris.
This is a tremendous example
of the rare Semi-sports Minor 2-seater and is heartily reccomended. Contact
Chris for details, more of which can be found here.
Catherine seen at the wheel, with daughter Emilia at her side. Emilia has expressed a desire to learn how to drive vintage cars with the intention of gentle trialling, driving tests, tours and rallies.
14th April 2023 Welcome
to new member Catherine Buck who joins us with her newly-acquired 1930
CMS special VG 3260 (M30850).
Catherine will be joining
us at our spring pub meet on Sunday 30th April at the Old Bull, Inkberrow,
Worcestershire as well as our Summer Rally in July.
Our 2022 spring pub meet was very well attended and another good turnout is expected this year.
14th April 2023
Our spring lunchtime pub meet is just over two weeks away - at the charming
and historic Old Bull, Inkberrow, Worcestershire.
All very welcome - members
or future members!
17th March 2023
Fantastic news this morning from the RAF BBMF. We've been provisionally
allocated a Spitfire AND a Hurricane, to display over Pre-War Prescott
together at 2:25 in the afternoon.
What a sight and sound that
will be! To have not one but two BBMF fighters over Prescott is a
tremendous first for PWP and underlines the massive level of support we
receive every year from the Flight.
The allocation is provisional
at this stage and will be confirmed in May, but the already-announced presence
of the Flight at nearby RIAT for that weekend
gives me confidence that
this provisional allocation will be confirmed, barring any catastrophic
operational issue.
Because the hill must be
closed during aerial activity, I will be requesting the BOC hold their
lunch break slightly later this year, from 1:30 to 2:30
and the MG100 cavalcade
to re-open the hill for the afternoon climbs as soon as the fighters have
departed.
VG 2007 at the 14th Century New Inn Pembridge, Herefordshire on New Year’s Day.
8th January 2023 Here's wishing all members and friends of the Register a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year.
27th November 2022
Members, friends and all are most welcome to gather to see the New Year
in at The Old Bull at Inkberrow for lunch or just a pint in good company
on New Year's Day.
Joe Reed, the landlord is
a Register member and owns a rare SV tourer. Joe can be contacted
at 01386/792428 if you have any questions regarding the catering or the
beer, etc.
The full address of the
pub is Village Green, Inkberrow, Worcester WR7 4DZ.
And another date for your
diary - our spring pub meet will be held on Sunday 1st May at the Old Bull.
.
.
5th November 2022 Two interesting 2-seater Minors - one OHC and one SV - are included in the Dorset Vintage and Classic action on 24th November.
VG 3260 (M30850) started
life as a 1930 saloon. Tony Gamble acquired a new CMS special ash
frame from Gideon Booth and created this high-quality replica (see the
frame below).
Auction details here.
AFZ 323 (SV31826) has had
a chequered history, starting out registered AMG 30, then 289 UXG
and now AFZ 323.
This is the ex-Simon Tuke,
Alister Reid, Roger Lucke car.
Auction details here.
VG 3260 at an andvanced stage of build with Tony Gamble in 2015.
1st September 2022
Welcome to Register membership to Richard Bullock (left), seen here recently
receiving the keys of 1934 2-seater BPB 357 from seller Paul Ellis.
Paul will remain a Register
member with his M.G. TC.
31st August 2022
An early fabric saloon has come on the market today. RX 4207 (M4322)
was laid down 22nd March 1929 and first registered in Berkshire on 10th
April 1929.
Contact
Robin Knott for further details.
19th August 2022 It is with great
sadness that we must announce the passing of our founder member Max Dawkins.
Max acquired his beloved Minor buckboard in 2001
and campaigned it energetically for years.
He also became an authority on Minors and provided many of our antipodean
members with help and spares.
We understand that the buckboard will be taken
on my Max's son. The Register extends our sincere condolences to
his wife Jane and the family.
With just five weeks to go
today to our Summer Rally and Pre-War Prescott, we are all set for a fabulous
day at Prescott and an equally fabulous weekend of rallying and fun in
the glorious Cotswolds.
We have a tremendous variety
of over 200 Edwardian, vintage and pre-war cars entered and entries remain
open. Enter online here
(entries or spectators) or simply turn up and pay at the gate.
The Battle of Britain Memorial
Flight Avro Lancaster PA474 will arrive at 1415 hrs for its bombing runs!
If you have never visited
Prescott, or Pre-War Prescott before, this is your time to experience this
relaxing and unique annual event.
Full details of Pre-War Prescott 2022 can be found here.
Full details of the entire three-day rally weekend can be found here.
If you have a questions regarding the day, or the full rally weekend please contact us for assistance.
15th May 2022
Further to the early saloon for sale over in Holland mentioned on 8th May
below, a 1930 OHC Minor tourer is being offered for sale
in Portugal. Full
details here.
9th May 2022
We are delighted to announce that Mintex
is once again sponsoring our Summer Rally and Pre-War Prescott this year.
This is the third year of
the partnership, for which we are extremely grateful.
Among much else, Mintex
provides the brake shoes for the RAF Battle of Britain Memorial Flight's
aircraft, including the Avro Lancaster PA474
which will grace the skies
over Pre-War Prescott in July. Read the full story here.
8th May 2022
Our spring pub lunch at The Old Bull, Inkberrow was blessed with bright
spring weather and a tremendous turnout.
With a full car park, the
overflow parked on the grass opposite. Our best turnout yet.
Six Minors were in attendance, including Tom Swain
who drove his 1929 fabric
saloon up from West Sussex. Landlord Joe Reed also had his rare 1932
tourer out for the first time.
Thanks to everyone who turned
up. More photos can be found here
and there will be a full report on the meet in the June Newsletter. (Peter
McFadyen)
8th May 2022
This very smart early coachbuilt saloon - built in 1929 - is being offered
for sale over in Holland.
A trophy winner at the Morris
Register Belton rally in 1981, full details can be found here.
A sleeping beauty. James Spiteri's 1931 Minor Semi-sports PL 6199 (M32961), first registered 24th March 1931.
7th May 2022 We
are delighted to welciome James Spiteri of St. Austell, Cornwall to Register
membership today.
James has recently acquired
this Minor which, on the surface, looks like a crude home-made speical.
However, it didn't take us long to discover that this car is in fact
a rare surviving Semi-sports
2-seater, retaining many original features. It is currently fitted
with what is believed to be a late thirties Hillman engine.
James is considering his
options for restoration, but the first thing to go will be those monstrous
wheels!
James becomes Register member
number 700.
30th April 2022 Everybody
will be most welcome to come along to the historic Old Bull, Inkberrow,
Worcestershire at lunchtime on Sunday 8th May to join us at our spring
pub gathering.
The landlord Joe Reed reports
that the engine rebuild for his SV Minor saloon (VSU 308, SV15890) is finally
complete after eight months, so he will have his own car there for the
first time.
Do join Joe to mark the
auspicious occasion in the time-honoured publy manner.
A Tiger Moth’s view of the hidden gem of Colesbourne Park, the lake, arboretum and church
30th April 2022
This year, we are planning something very different from the usual Sunday
pub lunch at our Summer Rally on Sunday July 17th. We are planning
a Vintage Picnic!
This is being organized
at the hidden and seriously delightful Colesbourne
Park in the heart of the Cotswolds. We will gather on the formal
lawns in front of the house.
Here is what you need to know:
You can bring your own picnic
or you can pre-order sumptuous picnics and refreshments from Revills
Farm Shop in Defford.
These picnics will be collected
from the farm on Sunday morning so will be crisp, cool and fresh.
You place your order, and
your picnics will be awaiting your arrival at the Park. The Picnic
Menu is available here.
will also be e-mailing it
to everyone who has already entered.
Immediately adjacent to the
Park is the Colesbourne Inn and also the very special Old Rectory restaurant
for those who do not wish to picnic.
If you wish to take up one
of these alternative options, you should pre-book lunch as follows:
The Colesbourne Inn (50 covers currently available)
The Old Rectory restaurant (25 covers currently available)
Fuel will also available at the Gulf station in Colesbourne on Sunday if your car also needs a top up.
6th April 2022
This interesting 1931 SV Minor saloon has come on the market in Holland
for sale by member Albert Koolma and his colleagues Henri de Jong and Carst
Koelman van Doornik.
This is a true 'oily rag'
example of the early scuttle tank, black radiator sidevalve Minor.
The chassis number is SV3267, first registered UF 7502 in Brighton on 17th
April 1931.
Find full details here.
17th March 2022
We are enormously proud to announce that we have been allocated the RAF
Battle of Britain Memorial Flight's historic Avro Lancaster PA474 as air
support at Pre-War Prescott on Saturday 16th July.
Weather and operational
factors permitting, this iconic aircraft will grace the skies over Prescott
and will serve as a reminder of the 55,000 Bomber Command personnel who
made the ultimate sacrifice
during World War Two.
16th March 2022
With just over four months to go to our Summer Rally and Pre-War Prescott,
planning is now progressing flat out and the latest information
can be found on the Forum.
We already have 154 wonderful Edwardian, vintage and pre-war cars entered
for various elements of the three-day weekend.
If you have not already
entered, you may do so by following the link on the Summer
Rally web page.
19th December 2021 This
1931 OHC Minor saloon is being offered for sale by The Motor Shed Ltd.,
Bicester. SV 8134 is chassis M33032, first registered 2nd April 1931.
Further details here.
18th December 2021
And welcome to Dickon and Liane Armstrong who joined the Register this
week. Liane bought this M Type (2/M1075) in August from Tony Bugbird
who had owned the car since
November 1976. The photo above shows Robbie at the California
Cup Autotests at Silverstone in 2004.
The M is built in the style
of a Le Mans car but was originally a standard blue 2-seater sports, registered
in Sidmouth, Devon.
Welcome Dickon and Liane,
and we hope to meet you at our Summer Rally at Prescott in July.
6th December 2021
Today we extend a warm welcome to our newest members - John Lay and Jess
Smale.
John and Jess co-own this
delightful 1924 AC Royal and have entered it in our 2022 Summer Rally and
Pre-war Prescott.
Register membership is open
to owners of all pre-war cars.
16th November 2021 We
are delighted to announce that the date for our Summer Rally 2022 is now
officially confirmed as Friday 15th July to Sunday 17th July.
Entries are now open!
You can view the full details of the weekend and enter here.
If you have any questions regarding the weekend, please contact
us.
Due to the huge popularity
of our Friday run this year, we have now made the Friday run a permanent
feature of the weekend.
On Friday 15th, we will
head east via a number of places of interest to the impressive Victorian
Hook
Norton five-storey tower brewery where a ploughman’s buffet
will be available as well
as tours of the brewery (with tasting!), and a visit to the brewery museum
and shop.
The return run in the afternoon
will take in more places of interest and conclude at the Plough at Ford
for cream teas.
Pre-War Prescott 2022 will take place on Saturday 16th July and our traditional Navigation Rally and parallel Scenic Tour will take place on Sunday 17th July.
There is much more to announce as plans develop, so stop by here regularly to see all the latest news.
12th November 2021
This 1929 Minor tourer is being offered
for sale on eBay by member Simon North.
The chassis number is M15076.
The car has a fascinating
history. Member Jon Streeter acquired the car from fellow Shropshire
man Richard Shuker in 2016 and is ex-Arthur Hulnick of Brookline, Massachusetts,
USA.
It was exported to Malaya
when new in 1929 and found by an American GI after the war. Arthur
bought the car in the USA and subsequently sold it to Colin Pilkington
in Missouri.
Colin shipped the car to
the UK around 2002 to use in the UK. It was registered in the UK
as SV 9789 on 2nd September 2003.
However, when his mother
in England died, Colin no longer had plans to drive it in England, so sold
it via eBay, after it failed to reach its reserve at a Kings Lynn auction
on 3rd September 2005.
John Downs looked after
the car for Colin in the UK and handled the sale to Richard Shuker.
Finally, Jon Streeter sold the tourer to Simon North, who now has it for
sale.
21st August 2021 Here's the latest PWP entry. No, honestly!
It is a 1998 Massey Ferguson
MF32 combine and will be on display in the Prescott Paddock along with
other farm machinery.
I'm sure most of you will
have seen the incredibly popular Amazon series Clarkson's Farm, and you
also probably realise that Jeremy and his team have done more
to highlight the challenges
facing our farmers than anything else. So what more topical display
could we have? We will have a crew in attendance to show it all off
and answer questions.
I must admit I'm really
looking forward to seeing it as the only time I've been up close and personal
with a combine has been when stuck behind one in a country lane at harvest
time.
We've had some Prescott
firsts over the years, including a Harrington motor coach and an Air Training
Corps Vigilant gilder, and I'm certain this will be the first combine to
visit Prescott.
14th August 2021 Apologies for the lack of website updates lately, but all spare hours have been spent putting together our Summer Rally which is now just four weeks away.
With just four weeks to go
today to Pre-War Prescott, we are finally all set for a fabulous day and
an equally fabulous weekend of rallying and fun in the glorious Cotswolds.
We have a tremendous variety
of over 200 Edwardian, vintage and pre-war cars entered and entries remain
open. Enter online here
(entries or spectators)
or simply turn up and pay
at the gate. We heard today that the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight
Spitfire will arrive at 1419 hrs to liven up the proceedings.
And in the evening, proceedings
will be further enlivened by the renowned Eureka Jazz Band who will be
entertaining us at the Prescott Clubhouse at our evening buffet BBQ.
It has been a long and tortuous
road to PWP 2021, which started as PWP 2020 back in 2019, but, after four
reschedules, we are finally nearly there
and I’m sure the wait will
be all the more worthwhile. And there will be few if any restrictions,
so as always, spectators will have full access to the Paddock, the hill,
the displays and full catering.
If you have never visited
Prescott, or Pre-War Prescott before, this is your time to experience this
relaxing and unique annual event.
If you have a questions
regarding the day, or the full rally weekend please contact
us for assistance.
20th July 2021
One of the finest vintage Minors has come on the market. It is the
1929 fabric saloon VG 2007 (M14258), restored over ten years by Halbe Tjepkema
in Holland to an extremely
high specification and currently in the hands of arch Minor collector Tony
Gamble in Yorkshire, who is downsizing his collection.
You can follow the restoration
of this car on
our Forum. Contact
Tony if interested. The recently-reduced price is £10,750.
16th July 2021
An early OHC Minor coachbuilt saloon (TP 8399, M15256, laid down 21st October
1929) that left England's shores for Canada over half a century ago
has come on the market near
Toronto. The car was acquired in 1968 by Alan Sands of Toronto when
he came across it in the Cheddar Motor Museum in Somerset while on holiday.
Amongh other documentation,
it comes with an original British logbook and MoT, so registration recovery
should be simple. It was originally registered in Portsmouth in late
1929.
Regarding possible shipping
to the UK, our member Ian Samuel lives only about 100 miles from the car
and has kindly offered to facilitate shipping.
Who will step up to repatriate
this early example of a Minor coachbuilt saloon?
Details can be found here.
The asking price is Can$8,900 or best offer.
Contact
the Register for further information about this car and shipping assistance.
And see this Forum
thread for more photos and background on the car.
Andrew Gilg, son of Cameron
Gilg, and his wife at Pre-War Prescott 2012 trying out ANO 17 for size.
The car was in the ownership
of Clive Holland at the time.
5th July 2021 David
Molyneux of Ulverston, Cumbria is selling his rare 1933 Minor tourer ANO
17 (SV30846).
We've had this car at Prescott
in the past, when the families of Gilg and Kay were reunited in 2010, as
ANO 17 is the same type
of '33 4-seater as the Gilg
and Kay expedition car. It can be viewed here.
16th June 2021 As
I am sure you are all aware, the current lockdown restrictions are placing
an almost impossible strain on our Summer Rally weekend and Pre-War Prescott
2021.
And this week’s news from
HMG is that the lockdown is likely to be extended to 19th July.
Therefore, after much consultation
and consideration, I have made the decision to postpone Pre-War Prescott
2021 to SATURDAY 11TH SEPTEMBER, and the rest of the weekend accordingly.
The revised dates and full
weekend particulars, including online entry facilities can be found here.
24th May 2021 Yesterday
we held our first post-lockdown pub meet at The Old Bull, Inkberrow, Worcestershire.
Despite the poor weather
forecast, there was a good turnout of Minors and pre-war cars, while others
arrived in their moderns because of the heavy rain foercast.
A good time was had by all,
and landlord and Register member Joe Reed made everyone very welome.
More photos and reports
on the gathering can be found here.
In view of the success of
this inaugrual meet, we will plan for another meet at this delightful and
historic pub in the autumn.
(Photo - Roger Wasley)
9th May 2021
Today we extend a very warm welcome to Mark Burnett of SU who spotted Howard
Dixon's SV Minor special VE 5919 (see 3rd May below) in our May Newsletter.
He acquired the car immediately
and is delighted with it. Here it is seen on its first Burnett family
outing - the very minute it was unloaded from the trailer!
Longtime members will remeber
that Mark and The SU Carburetter Company
were sponsors of the early Pre-War Prescott events and their support was
invaluable in getting
our annual pilgrimages to
Prescott off the ground.
8th May 2021
Looking for a project - or two? A pair of SV Minors are being auctioned
online by H&H next Wednesday, 12th May. The car above is OU 9888
(SV7924), first registered
5th October 1931.
The car comes with the chassis and remains of another SV Minor, registered
NV 850, first registered 16th December 1931 (below).
Both cars are located in
Conwy, North Wales. View both here.
3rd May 2021
With the next step in the lockdown easing expected on May 17th, we are
delighted to announce that the inaugural spring pub meet at The
Old Bull, Inkberrow, Worcestershire
will go ahead on Sunday
23rd May. If at all possible, DO come along, vintage car or modern,
and make this inaugural VMR meet a success.
Everyone is invited – members
or future members! Gather from 11 a.m., and you assured of a very
warm welcome, fine ales and great pub grub.
..
27th April 2021
And another interesting Minor comes on the market today. This is
Howard Dixon's 1931 SV Minor special.
As you can see, Howard has
done a superb job of building the car. Howard reports, "This newly
built 2 seater has a rebuilt side-valve engine and 3 - speed gearbox.
All wheels rebuilt with
new tyres. New M Type exhaust system, springs and brakes. New
ash framed, light weight fabric covered body.
Aluminium bonnet, front
valance and wings. New upholstery and tonneau cover. Many new
parts. Original registration on V5C. Ideal VSCC starter car!"
Howard can be contacted
here.
26th April 2021
In the same Vintage & Classic Car Auctions auction as the 5 cwt. van
KR 8810 mentioned below is this really nice 1932 season Minor OD263 (SV5592).
This car was first registered
22nd September 1931.
Unfortunately it doesn't
come with the Tiger Moth! View it here.
VMR Honorary Member, the
late Richard Francis Bonner Letts with his 1930 Minor saloon OG 6216 (M30467)
which he acquired in 1948.
The Minor was Richard's
only car until 1956. He passed away on the 28th of December 2010,
aged 82.
25th April 2021
Today we are delighted to welcome Quentin Letts to Register membership.
Quentin is the son of our late Honorary Member Richard Letts.
Richard acquired his Minor
in 1948 (that's 73 years ago), and he recalled obtaining spares from Cowley
- perhaps we should all try that source for our needs!
Quentin lives in Herefordshire
and is hoping to bring this historic Minor to our Summer Rally in July
- if he can sort a fuel leak.
Quentin may be familiar
to you as a journalist
and theatre critic. Quentin
takes up his late father's membership number 174.
24th April 2021 A
rare and significant OHC Minor, the ex-Roy Hogg 5 cwt. van KR 8810 (M31930)
is to be auctioned by Vintage & Classic Car Auctions on 20th May.
Roy will be well known to
longstanding Minor enthusiasts as a pioneering Minor proponent since the
early sixties.
When he passed away in 2001,
the van was bought by Jim Worth but shortly afterwards, Jim contracted
an eye problem and the van went to auction in 2004.
Since then, nothing has
been heard of it and all attempts to locate it have failed.
So this represents a rare
and unique opportunity for someone to acquire this extremely rare and historic
Minor and bring it back into the Register.
Details of the auction,
to be held in Stalbridge, Dorset can be found here.
5th April 2021
Here's another superb 1929 Minor fabric saloon that has just come up for
sale. This time it is the well-known and very early ex-Tony Gamble
example SK 1508 (M1243).
The car was purchased from
Tony by David Hall in October 2019 and since then he has carried out a
great deal of work to bring the car to its current condition.
David is looking for £11,500
and can be contacted here.
30th March 2021
Today we welcome Jo Langford-Yates back to Register membership with her
1930 Minor tourer DV 3600 (M18960).
Jo is planning to bring
her car to our Summer Rally but would like someone to convoy with her from
near her home in Harston, Lincolnshire.
If anyone is planning to
drive down from the approximate area, please let
the Register know.
Geoff rounding the Pardon hairpin at Pre-War Prescott 2018
23rd March 2021 We
extend a warm welcome to Geoff May who joins the Register with his 1934
Wolseley Hornet Special BLK 554 (chassis 155403).
Geoff has booked in for
Pre-War Prescott in July which will be his third attendance at the event.
Geoff will also bring along
his single-seater cyclekart replica of his Hornet - a true miniature masterpiece.
(This machine features in
this short introductory cyclekart YouTube
video which is well worth watching.)
22nd March 2021
Another long road ahead.
In Seattle, USA, Debbie
Borman and her husband Mark (above) have been custodians of Debbie's late
father's Hundred Pound Minor OU 8760 (SV2277) for many years.
Debbie's father bought the
car back in 1977 as a non-runner. The car was once owned by Mr. Harrah
and displayed in the Harrah Collection, which is the United States National
Motor Museum in Reno, Nevada.
(It is not known when it
was shipped to the USA.) Harrrah purchased the car originally from
Joe Fass of Newark, New Jersey in 1965. Mr. Harrah then sold the
car to David Schultz of Olympia, Washington in 1973.
Mr. Schultz sold the car
to Michael Gardner. In 1977, Bob Bourgeois (Debbie's father) bought
the car from Mr. Gardner. Since then it has been stored at the family's
Queen City supercar body shop in Capitol Hill, Seattle.
When the shop moved to Redmond,
Washington in 1984, the car was stored on the roof of the spray shop where
it remained until 2009 when the Bormans decided to restore the car as a
surprise for Bob.
However, when Bob passed
away on 2nd January 2015, these plans were shelved and the car was put
back into storage.
Now the Bormans have finally
decided to let the car pass to yours truly and a full restoration will
commence shortly at VMR HQ.
Unsurprisingly over the
decades, a few parts have gone missing, but otherwise it remains remarkably
original. The history of the car prior to 1965 is currently not known,
other than
the chassis was laid down
12th March 1931 and the car was despatched from Cowley on 28th April.
However it was not registered in Hampshire until early 1932.
So the car saw its 90th
Birthday ten days ago.
Below - loaded up when the car was liberated from the paint shop in 2011.
22nd March 2021
A long road ahead. In Western Australia, member Gary Byfield has
discovered and saved this tourer built on the June 1931 sidevalve export
chassis SV5007.
Gary found the car on a
farm half way between Northam and Goomalling about 30 miles from his home.
The farmer on whose land he found it told him the car was in the paddock
when he bought the farm
a number of years ago. He did not have any history for the car and
did not know when it last ran.
The car is now completely
stripped to the bare chassis as a total restoration commences.
Gary is Chairman of the
York Branch of the VCC
of Western Australia and also the manager of the York
Motor Museum.
As found below:
21st March 2021
An update on the saloon below. We had around fifteen enquiries about
this car, and today it was bought by the first responder - member Haydon
Edwards
and will be joining his
Hundred Pound 2-seater up in Tyne & Wear. Haydon was the first
to respond, so was given first refusal. He is already planning a
full restoration.
Now if only someone could
find a barn with another dozen or so!
18th March 2021 And
still they turn up. This 1930 Minor saloon has popped on to the Register
radar. First registered 30th December 1930, M31741 was originally
registered
NG 50, but sadly the number
has been sold and is now BF 9470. The current owner has owned it
for the past fifteen years, but is only the second owner.
UPDATE
This car is available for sale and risks being CUT
UP if it isn't found a new home quickly, as
its accommodation has been lost.
Much work has been completed
including a full engine rebuild.
The car is in Stratford-upon
Avon.
If interested in saving
it, contact the Register immediately.
16th March 2021
New member and landlord of The Old Bull at Inkberrow Joe Reed brought his
nrecently-acquired 1932 Minor tourer out for the camera this morning.
We will be inaugurating
regular Register pub meets as this historic inn, made famous by the BBC
series 'The Archers', as soon as restrictions permit.
VSU 309 (chassis SV15890)
is a rare 1932 4-seater tourer and was originally registered GV 776.
Since this number has not been reallocated, it might be possible to recover
it.
15th March 2021
We are delighted to report that once again we have been allocated air support
by the RAF Battle of Britain Memorial Flight for our Summer
Rally.
This year we have been allocated
one of the Flight's Spitfires, but won't know which one until nearer the
time. But it will be one of these! (John Dibbs)
As of today, we have 182
entries for the weekend, including 18 Minors and six M Types, among a mouthwatering
selection of other pre-war cars.
The weekend will celebrate
the 21st Anniversary of the Register's founding.
1929 fabric saloon UR 4313
(M11538) at VMR Prescott in 2005, when in the ownership of Allen Jubb.
I went to view this car
nearly forty years ago when it was owned by Adrian Moores,
who was storing it at the
time in a shipping container. I remember it well because at that
time,
it retained its original
fabric and there were coats of arms painted on the doors.
15th March 2021
Hearty congratulations to new member Tom Swain who today acquired UR 4313
from Nick Craddock (see 21st September 2020 below).
Tom is the son of our Honorary
Member Annabelle Swain, who is, in turn, the daughter of Barbara Skinner
(of Skinners Union) and John Bolster.
We hope to see the car again
at Prescott this July and to meet Tom for the first time.
13th March 2021
In Australia, Barry Gilbert owns this Ruskin-bodied OHC Minor 2-seater
M25121. The car appeared in our magazine M 107 - the spring 2002
issue.
M 107 was circulated to
our members this week as we continue to send out our back issues so that
members have something to read as they await the end of lockdown.
In this issue was a brief
news article reporting that Barry had just completed a twelve year resoration
of his Minor and that the car was now in everyday use.
The article also mentioned
in passing that the car is fitted with an M Type M.G. engine, number 1174.
This week, our member Bill Fuller, who also lives in Australia
and who owns M Type 2/M1523
read the issue and immediately realised that this was the engine originally
fitted
to his M Type! Bill
and Barry have put their heads together and are organizing an engine swap!
12th March 2021
Late summer 2009 and the Lightrcarist faithful gather at Madresfield Court
in the heart of rural Worcestershire and with the timeless backdrop of
the Malverns
for some light-hearted driving
tests. In the foreground is Frank Sanders' 1931 fabric saloon.
This car is about to become available. Interested parties should
contact
the Register.
(On the day, Frank scored
a very creditable 128 points lost, beating many of the Sevens!)
5th March 2021
Much in the news lately, 1929 Minor tourer KX 2397 has finally found a
permanet home with member Richard Prest, who collected it today.
The Minor will join Richard's
1926 Bullnose Cowley, and we very much hope to see it for the first time
at our Summer Rally in July. Congratulations, Richard!
Seen here at Pre-War Prescott
2019, is Anthony Littlejohn in JB 855 alongside Jerry Salaman's 18/80 Mk.
II.
We look forward to meeting
them both again in July, alongside Geoff Radford with his Tigress.
(Phil Jones)
1st March 2021
Today we welcome Anthony Littlejohn to Register membership. Anthony
owns the M.G. 18/100 Mk. III 'Tigress' JB855. One of just five built,
JB 855 was owned for more
than 60 years by Chris Barker who acquired it in 1935. It was the
Olympia Motor Show model in October 1930 with Carbodies coachwork.
1st March 2021
Tony Gamble is offering his July 1930 M Type project for sale. This
is WM 5429 (2/M1771). Tony acquired the project in 2019 and has been
working on it,
but it must now go in order
to help complete another project. Tony reports, "The engine has been
totally overhauled with all new parts where needed.
The radiator has been stripped,
fully restored and rechromed and the instrument panel is also fully restored.
The rolling chassis is sound
but was restored over a decade ago and needs tidying up a bit. No
new bits are needed for the rolling chassis
apart from a correct set
of new brake cables which come with the kit. The body is the main
item that needs looking at as it is a fair attempt but
needs improving in its general
condition before the fabric covering can be applied. The wings are
reasonable, needing some finishing
efore painting but are sound
units to work on. The only items missing are the hood frame, and
hood, although these are not essential items for the fine weather driver!
Please email me on Anthony.gamble@btconnect.com
to discuss."
27th February 2021
For Sale - again! Steven Fathers is offering 1929 Minor tourer KX
2397 (M4884) for sale, after carrying out a good deal of work on it over
the last month,
including sourcing and fitting
the correct front bumper, fitting a stainless exhaust, sorting the instruments,
fitting two new tyres and more.
Initially offered at the
end of January (see below), it was acquired by a dealer who sold it to
Steven.
Now Steven has found a very
interesting project that will require him to sell the tourer and another
car to secure.
Contact Steven at sfingarage@hotmail.com
for more information and more photos. Offers over £10k.
This remains an excellent
opportunity to pick up a rare and unmolested nickel radiator vintage Minor
tourer that is ready to go.
15th February 2021 While
researching chassis plates for a major article to be published in the spring
Magazine, Mike Dalby sent me a number of M Type chassis plate images, including
this one from his own M Type - 2/M1056.
The plate is clearly a reproduction,
as it quotes the chassis number as S/M1056 instead of 2/M1056.
But it was not only this,
but the engine number that intrigued me. 114A sounds reasonable,
and if an M Type engine, this would have been the 114th engine,
since the M Type engine
sequence started with number 1. But then Mike sent me a photo of
the block (below).
Prominent in the photo is
the large round boss, with three bolts (there is a similar boss on the
other side). These bosses were a feature of the very first few (and I don't
know exactly how many) OHC Minor engines.
On the boss on the nearside
are clearly stamped the number 114A and 3095. 114A is clearly the
engine number, but what is the meaning of 3095? Not a date - what
could it be?
Flashback 20 years or so,
when I visited Gaydon and transcribed the data for all 34,599 OHC Minors
and then copied them into a spreadsheet which became the OHC Minor 'Genome'.
I recorded the body type
for every car and all of the notes in the notes column, plus the full build
data (chassis laid down, test, body shop, final test, despatch, engine
number, body type)
for all of the chassis known
to be surviving at the time. Clearly it was impossible to manually
transcribe all of this data for all these thousands of cars and, being
before the era of digital cameras,
I could not practically
photograph every page. And in any case, I would probably not have
been allowed to.
However, I found the early
cars on the first page interesting and recorded all of their dates and
engine numbers.
Not surprisingly, these
early engines were not fitted in numerical order, and the lowest engine
number in this list of the first 20 cars is number 131 - presumably the
31st engine,
since Morris started both
their chassis and engine numbers with 101.
But there is an oddity. The
very first Minor - chassis MM101, had a rather higher number recorded in
the Progress Book. And that number is 3095.
So the engine in Mike's
M Type is the engine that was fitted to the first production Morris Minor,,
chassis MM101, whose chassis was laid down on 12th September 1928.
Incidentally, we know that
there were 12 pre-production prototype Minor fabric saloons and one prototype
tourer - containing 13 engines in total. And here we have the 14th
engine in the first production car.
Congratulations Mike - you
have an historic engine in your M, and I believe it to be by far the earliest
Minor or MMM OHC engine in existence.
Now, where did this engine
come from? Mike's M was originally fitted with engine 827A, so who
replaced it with 114/3095 and where did he get it from?
Was the engine saved from
a scrap yard perhaps? Sadly, we may never know the fate of MM101,
but at least we have found its engine and it is running well!
15th February 2021
And still they turn up. We extend a very warm welcome to Alexander
Campbell who is restoring this Minor in Stornoway on the Isle of Lewis.
The car is something of
an enigma. Research so far suggests this was originally an OHC Family
8 saloon, that has, in relatively recent times, been the subject of conversion
into a van.
It came with a SV engine
but retains the 9" Lockheed hydraulic brakes of the OHC LWB chassis.
Alexander is looking for a 9" brake drum and hydraulic backplate assembly,
as well as a complete clutch
and cover plate, which are all missing. Please contact
the Register if you can help Alexander with any of these parts.
(We now have two Campbells
on the Membership List. Alexander is member number 666, and Arthur,
who is member number 444.
Any bets as to who member
number 888 will be?!)
3rd February 2021
I didn't think it would be on the market for long! Hearty congratulations
to Register member Steven Fathers who has just become the next custodian
of KX 2397.
Now installed with good
company - Steven's 1928 Frazer Nash Interceptor. Well done, Steven!
For Sale!
31st January 2021 An
update on the tourer KX 2397 (see 29th January below). The car was
indeed sold and is now being sold on by dealer Robert Dudrenec in Stratford-on-Avon
for £8,995.
Robert can be contacted
by e-mail here.
More photos and background on our forum here.
The car went live on Car
and Classic tonight, so move quickly if you are in the market for an
early tourer.
There is a YouTube video
of the car here.
30th January 2021 The
latest entry for our Summer Rally is Stefan Wulff, from Hamburg in Germany
with his much-traveled 1932 blown M.G. J2.
As of today we already have
166 entries for the weekend.
(Update 1st February.
On checking, the chassis number is D0491, so actually a much rarer D Type
M.G.), which was news to Stefan!)
30th January 2021
Mud pie and custard anyone? This is the fabulous creation of new
member Andrew Newton, based on a 1933 SV 2-seater chassis SV29638 and registered
KY 4191.
Andrew reports that he bought
it as a rolling chassis and over the last year has rebuilt the engine,
made a completely new body and has also modified the differential to accommodate
four planet wheels.
All set for trials!
29th January 2021
This incredibly original 1929 Minor tourer has turned up in County Durham
and was previously unknown to the Register.
Originally Buckinghamshire-registered
KX 2397 in early 1929, it was recently advertised on Gumtree, but the advert
has now been taken down.
Can ayone say whether it
has been sold?
19th January 2021
Not a lot of news to shave lately, due to the season and the lockdown,
but here's an opportunity for someone.
This 1931 scuttle tank SV
Minor PFF 685 (SV3279) is currently being offered in Northampton (trade)
and may be one of the most original survivors of the model.
According to the blurb,
"Utterly original & charming. This Morris Minor was discovered
in a barn after a 40 year lay up with just 9,000 miles showing on the odometer.
It really is a time warp.
The pedals show no sign of wear whatsoever and the rexine interior is in
pristine original condition though out with just a little foxing to the
headlining.
The fold back front roof
has been recovered in black mohair as it had deteriorated to the point
where replacement made sense.
The car was sold by the
son of the former 90 year old owner and has been sympathetically recommissioned
to the condition we find it in today.
First supplied in Anglesey
the dash carries a plate from J. Henry Roberts of Plas Garage, LLangefni.
Price: £12,800."
What a pity the registration
number isn't original. The wheels should be black and the mirror
isn't original, but I mustn't get too picky!
Ex-Chris Cocks, ex-Chris
Cole. Check it out here.
3rd January 2021
Continuing with M Type news, down in Somerset, Fred Boothby has completed
a meticulous restoration of his M Type UR 7145 (2M/1768).
Fred is looking forward
to bringing the M to our Summer Rally at Prescott in July.
2nd January 2021 More
12/12 news! Another 12/12 rep. recreation, VC 8174, chassis CM/2608,
so built on another Sportsman's Coupé chassis (like HX 91 below
-28th December)
by the late Colin Reynolds
was featured in today's Daily Telegraph (below), where it is described
as a 1931 T-Type! One despairs of the media!
28th December 2020
Today we extend a warm welcome to Greg Smith who joins the Register.
Greg looks after this 1930 M Type M.G. Double Twelve replica HX 91
(CM/2660, so originally
a Sportman's Coupé which is owned by Register members George and
Marguerite Morgan who live in Dawson, Victoria, Australia, and who also
own an historic M.G. J3
which they entered in Pre-War
Prescott last year. Seen here at Pre-War Prescott 2019, is HX 91
which Greg has entered again for Pre-War Prescott 2021. (Photo -
Phil Jones)
20th December 2020
This splendid photo and Christmas wishes arrived this morning from Ken
and Kate Martin and features Ken's 1930 saloon
captured on the Marlborough
Downs last December. VX 4590 has been in the family for many
decades, having been bought by Ken's father long ago.
Always on the road, Ken
gave the car a thorough makeover a few years ago to prepare it for their
daughter's Wedding. The body is painted in the original
two-tone brown of the 1930
season saloons. Merry Christmas Ken and Kate, and Jayne and I wish
you many more happy motoring miles in 2021!
19th December 2020
This 1929 coachbuilt saloon is currently being offered for sale by David
Molyneux online.
With chassis number M16767, the chassis was laid down 16th November 1929,
making this an early coachbuilt
saloon. Originally registered TF 48, the number was removed from
the car by the previous onwer about four years ago.
The car is currently fitted
with a SV Minor engine. David has recommissioned the car and it represents
excellent value at the asking price of £5,450 ONO.
Why not acquire it and run
it while you sort an OHC engine for it? This has to be a very good
way to get into genuine vintage Minor ownership.
A Christmas gift for someone?
The car is located in Ulverson, Cumbria.
16th December 2020
Today we welcome new member John Crighton of Queensland, Australia with
his M Type 2M/2712 (originally registered BG 168 in England)
which is nearing the end
of a comprehensive restoration. John is hoping to have the car completed
by Christmas, but has been slowed down this year by the rebuild
of his MGB rally car that
wa subjct of an unfortunate accident during last year's Peking to Paris
rally. Will you be taking the M on the Peking to Paris, John?
Check out the 23rd March
2017 entry below for earler history of the car.
16th December 2020
Welcome back to past members Richard and Anne Bryant who have rejoined
the Register after several years.
They own this Cornwall-registered
SV Minor van CV 6374, chassis SV15780. This chassis started life
as a 1932 2-seater but was converted into a van many moons ago.
Named Marmaduke, it retains
its original 1932 radiator and with 1934 Minor wings it makes a pleasing
looking 'special' van.
15th December 2020
This image appeared in the Daily Telegraph this morning, with the caption:
"Muddy waters. A 1933
Morris Minor splashes throught a flooded road after heavy rainfall in Garrigill,
Cumbria, yesterday.
The 850cc vintage car, manufactured
by Morris Motors Limited from 1928 to 1934, cost £100 when it was
first built."
This VT 9329, a cut down
saloon. Ex-Brian Woods, then it went to France where Graham Hemsley
bought it in 2013, then to Keith Jenkins in Somerset.
It was offered for sale
in January this year. Does anyone know the current owner?
Sometimes I wish I had never joined!
11th December 2020
A reminder to members that the 2021 subscription falls due at the end of
this month.
The renewal form may be
found here.
Thanks to all those who have already subscribed for next year.
If you would like to join
the Register (and membership is open to owners and enthusiasts of ALL pre-war
cars) the Membership Form may be found here.
6th December 2020
This 1930 M Type is being offered by Anglia Car Auctions Saturday 30th
and Sunday 31st January.
Chassis 2M/1287. First
registered in Buckinghamshire on 4th April 1930. Estimate: £15,000
- 18,000. Details here.
5th December 2020
Welcome to new member David Edwards of Ledbury who owns this very smart
M.G. TD, which he has owned since 1991.
It is seen here in front
of the unique and historic Much Marcle garage. David also owns a
1933 Austin 7 special, acquired in 1968, but he has entered his TD in our
Summer Rally next July.
We look forward to meeting
him there.
2nd December 2020 Today
we also extend a warm welcome to Ian Westrope of Haverhill, Suffolk (above)
who joins us with his very interesting 1932 Morris Family Eight saloon
EV 7441.
With chassis number M39140,
this is the youngest surviving OHC Minor known to the Register. The
chassis was laid down around the 10th of July 1932, and the final OHC LWB
chassis,
M39199, was laid down on
the 21st. Essex-registered, EV 7441 was purchased in 1950 by Ian's
father from the first owner and the car is in highly original condition,
never having had any major
restoration work. Welcome, Ian!
2nd December 2020
Today we welcome David Webster to the Register with his gorgeous 1937 Alvis
Speed 25, captured here by Peter Hills
at Toddington station on
our Sunday Scenic Tour last year. David has booked in again for next
July.
(Register membership is
open to owners and enthusiasts of all cars that survived the War.)
1st December 2020
Welcome to new member Mike Shaw who lives in Herne Bay, Kent and owns this
1930 M Type RB 2330 (2M/1901).
Mike has spent the last
eight years restoring the car and it is now on the road after many years.
The proevious owner, John Massey, owned it for fifty years,
taking it on his honeymoon.
Mike joins Phil Sowry and Stephen Taylor as Kentish VMR members with M
Types.
Mike becomes the tenth new
member to join the Register in the last month.
29th November 2020 We
extend a warm welcome to Peter Burrows who joins us with his very well-built
Morris Minor special, insipred by the Jarvis-bodied M.G. M-type.
Peter is a longtime metalwork
and woodwork teacher to A level and his craftsmanship is clearly evident
in the finished product,
particularly when one sees
what he started with (below) - originally a 1934 SV saloon that had previously
been converted into a crude special with an OHC engine.
Here is the car as Peter
found it in a scrapyard in 1967.
27th November 2020 Delighted
to say that my new 1929 tourer WE 6554 was delivered from Chipping Campden
to Bromyard today without a hitch.
I bought it from Geoff Colquitt
and Lawrence Bleasdale will be looking after it and exercising it at his
farm in Bromyard until our return to the UK.
The tourer is a direct replacement
for VF 6700 (below) which I sold to Peter Stubberfield many moons ago.
Does anyone have an original
'MORRIS' radiator script for a 1929 Minor?
27th November 2020
Welcome to new member Joe Reed who recently acquired this rare 1932 Minor
4-seater tourer VSU 309, which was re-registered in 1989,
originally having been registered
GV 776. Joe is the landlord of the Old
Bull, Inkberrow, the quintessentially English village pub made famous
as ‘The Bull’ at ‘Ambridge’
in the long-running BBC
radio serial and which has been frequented by Archers characters since
the show first aired in 1950.
We look forward to meeting
Joe at Prescott next July - as well as having a pint or two in his fantastic
pub,
which used to be our local
in the eighties when Jayne and I lived in Worcester. Small world
- read more below!
Since the landlord of one
of the most historic of English pubs in all England is now a Minor owner,
the thought crossed my mind that we might organize
an occasional VMR pub meet
there– lockdowns permitting of course. Indeed, we lunched at the
Old Bull during our 2013 Navigation Rally and Scenic Tour.
If anyone within striking
distance would be interested – please let me know and if there is sufficient
interest, I will get something organized.
New Year’s Day perhaps?
RSVP!
Geoff Thornton (right) with Jack Blyth who was
visiting from New Zealand during our inaugural Summer Rally in 2001.
We had just moved to the USA and Geoff was
caring for our tourer VF 6700.
20th October 2020 It is my sad duty
to report that our Honorary Member, and member number five of the Register
passed away last week at the age of 91
after suffering from dementia over the last few
months. We pass on our sincere condolences to his wife Pat, his children
Janet and Jeremy and their children.
Read more on
our forum.
18th October 2020
After advertising the car for around five years, Roger Carette has finally
sold the ex-Bev Hicks 1933 McEvoy Special Morris Minor to Etienne Tinant.
The car was actually sold
to Etienne in July who, as a trader, was advertising the car, but he has
now decided to keep it.
So the car will be remaining
in Belgium for the time being.
3rd October 2020
David Hall lives in Malvern and acquired the 1928 fabric saloon SK 1508
from long-time owner Tony Gamble last year.
He spotted the photo below
in our Autumn 2013 magazine M 147 and decided to replicate the scene, so
he drove over the hills to Ledbury with his daughter
one evening last week and
captured the above scene. David reports, "SK 1508 pulled up the Malvern
Hills at an easy if noisy 30 mph in second gear."
2nd October 2020
Today we extend a very warm welcome to David Clarke who has joined the
Register.
David is a motorcyclist
and here we see him at Pre-War Prescott on his 1937 Monet Goyon racing
special, with a capacity of just 100 c.c.!
1st October 2020
I am delighted to be able to provide some provisional details of our expanded
2021 Summer Rally.
As this year's gathering
had to be canceled, I want to make next year's weekend something special,
so we are adding a third day - Friday 16th July.
We will be visiting the
Morgan Car Company in Malvern on Friday morning for a factory tour, lunching
at The Swan Inn, Hanley Swan
and then visiting the Westons
Cider Mill at Much Marcle in the afternoon for a tour, tasting and cream
teas before returning to the Prescott area for our traditional
Friday evening pub reception.
Full details, including prices, timings and booking arrangements will be
added to the rally web page shortly.
30th September 2020
Tom Partridge has discovered, and Ian Holmes has just acquired a pair of
intriguing cars. The above photo shows one of the cars, with a second
chassis in the background.
The cars appear to have
been connected with the Herstmonceux dealer Harris Brothers, now long defunct.
While RD 1296 appears to include a number of M Type components,
the chassis number is SV3XX82,
a SV Minor of around January 1934. This hybrid car is fitted with
a 1929 OHC Minor engine (12024A), M Type radiator, J Type
gearbox and remote, M Type
four-spoke steering wheel and early wheels with M Type hubcaps. However,
it is still fitted with its SV Minor rear fuel tank, hydraulic brakes and
original pipework.
The windscreen appears to
have come from a 1934 SV Minor saloon, so perhaps is original to the chassis.
However, the bare chassis
in the background is of even greater interest. It is early M Type
2/M395. The offside dumbiron is stamped with this number (and is
riveted on),
and the corresponding chassis
plate is also among the parts. The number RD 1296 is a January 1st
1930 Reading registration number, so could be the M Type or it could also
be
the car that donated the
OHC engine to the hybrid SV chassis. The M chassis has SV Minor rear
tank spring hangers bolted on, so are not original to the chassis.
There is also a second engine
in the haul, with M Type engine ancillaries (finned exhaust manifold, alloy
cam cover, top water outlet without the fan bracket), but the block is
unstamped,
so it can offer no help
in sorting the mix. Clearly, several cars have been thoroughly intermingled
in the past, so this little lot is taking a good deal of research to sort
out.
Ian is offering everything
for sale, apart from a few parts he needs. He can be contacted here.
29th September 2020
Welcome to new member James MacKeith and M Type 2/M662. Here we see
James' son Iain at the wheel.
This M was originally registered
UW 6265 in England and was shipped to Virginia in the USA last year.
Welcome James and Iain!
27th September 2020
Another Minor saloon is currently being offered by our member Tim McLoughlin
on eBay.
SV2789 (RVS 230) is a 1931
scuttle-tank saloon dating from March 1931, so quite an early example.
25th September 2020 Ken
Allen is selling his 1934 Minor saloon. Here's his advert: "1934
SV Morris Minor Saloon DG 8657 (34/MS/42866).
Royal Blue with black mudguards,
matching numbers, opening windscreen, all working gauges, period trafficators,
hydraulic brakes,
robust 4 speed part synchro
gearbox, modern pedal configuration, VSCC eligible. Purchased nearly
7 years ago, as a body off restoration
during which £2,000
was spent refurbishing interior. Since then, I have had the engine
professionally rebuilt including;
head and block skimmed and
de-lime scaled, new pistons/rings/valves and springs, etc. New petrol
pump/fabric couplings/two new 6v batteries
for increased cranking amps,
re-metaled thrust bearing and oil lip seal fitted, oil pump and dynamo
refurbished. Starts, stops and runs well. No leaks or drips.
Looking to sell to a practical
enthusiast who will capitalise on my expenditure and continue to take ‘DouG’
forward over the next 14 years,
to be in fine fettle to
celebrate his ‘100th’ Birthday! Price: £8,850.
Kenneth Allen Woking Surrey
UK. Contact initially through e-mail
for more details and telephone number."
More photos can be found in the Marketplace section of our Forum.
21st September 2020
This 1929 fabric saloon, UR 4313 (M11538), first registered 1/8/29, is
also for sale by owner Nick Craddock.
Nick reports, "I have had
to decide to part with my fabric saloon as the years are making problems
for me to maintain the car."
Nick can be contacted at
craddock318@btinternet.com.
20th September 2020
This 1930 fabric saloon FH 7004 is currently being offered by Turn Two
Classics in Winwick, Northamptonshire for
an asking price of £9,995.
First registered 30th November 1930 and with chassis number M27047, we
believe that the chassis
is actually stamped M12991
and the engine fitted is U12362, which would make this a 1929 fabric saloon,
first registered 28th August 1929.
This is the ex-Alan Napier,
John Purser, Arthur Peeling car.
Full details here.
19th September 2020
The Barnett brothers with their mother seated in TJ 4258, a 1934 Minor
2-seater which belonged to their late father who passed away 17 years ago.
The brothers are having
a push to get it back on the road for next year so their ageing mother
can have a ride in it while she is still mobile.
There is an urgent need
for a pair of rear wings. If anyone can help, please contact
the Register.
Jo reports, "My father
was a great dad. He had 8 kids and put all his hobbies and interests
on hold when we came along. His intention was to get to these when
he retired
but he never got to do that
as he was robbed of his retirement by a degenerative disease (Progressive
Supranuclear Palsy) which resulted in his untimely death.
He had a number of cars:
an MG TC, Rover 12 and the Minor and a few vintage motorcycles languishing
in garages when he died. Of all the cars he had,
the Minor was the one he
really wanted to get back on the road and he had started to do a few things
just before he was diagnosed.
He had Morris running through
his veins having owned more than a few Eights. The reason he bought
the Minor was so that he could be more competitive
in the driving trials they
used to do back then. So to be restoring it now is great.
Every time I get a part
out of the many boxes of parts we have I feel that the last person to have
touched it was my dad and that feels great!"
17th September 2020
SV5535 (WX 8158) is for sale after having been off the road for nearly
fifty years and in the same ownership.
Update 28th September 2020
SOLD
This is the VERY LAST scuttle
tank Morris Minor (except for the 5 cwt. vans). So it is the very
last of the vintage style Minors.
The body number is MP11473
which is the highest number recorded in the Chassis Register.
Chassis SV5535 was laid down
on 17th July 1931, while the very next chassis, SV5536 was not laid down
until 12th August,
after the works summer break
and after the lines at Cowley had been re-configured to produce the new
and quite different rear-tank 1932 season Minors.
If you think you might be
interested in saving this landmark Minor, please get in touch with Graham
Taylor who, after many years of ownership
feels he has to pass on
custodianship due to health issues. He can be contacted here.
The car, registered in Yorkshire as WX 5148 on 28th July 1931,
is currently in store in
Watford, having been off the road for nearly fifty years. The engine runs,
it is virtually complete and it has a current V5 with its original registration
number.
This is a tremendous opportunity
for someone.
16th September 2020
French member Vincent Dransart, D Type owner (and TA, YA, ZB, MGA, etc.)
and arch Pre-War Prescott supporter (left)
looks delighted with his
new acquisition - M Type 2M/600 (KX 3495). He acquired the car from
William Barber, who lives in the Orne.
16th September 2020
Welcome to new member Andy Plunkett who collected his new Minor today.
KJ 1664 (M34411)
has been off the road for
eleven years, but has recently undergone a recommissioning and is now in
sound running order.
6th September 2020
First, sincere apologies for the long gap since the last post. It
has been a mad summer, with no Summer Rally,
but hopefully we can all
look forward to getting back to normal life and vintage motoring in the
coming weeks and months.
To kick things off, I'm
delighted to have been able to acquire the 1929 tourer WE 6554 (M9378)
from Geoff Colquitt last week.
Geoff has owned this well-known
car for the last 11 years and has decided that it is time to pass it to
the next custodian.
The car will remain in the
UK until Jayne and I retire back to the UK in 2022, but I am definitely
planning to have it at our Summer Rally next year.
24th March 2020
Today we welcome Michael Boulton to our membership, Michael owns
M Type RX 6795 (2M/1594).
This was the car that famously
made 100 consecutive climbs of Beggar's Roost in 1930.
The photo above shows Michael
climbing Beggar's Roost in 2010 to mark the 80th Anniversary of this amazing
feat.
Welcome, Michael.
Summer Rally and Pre-War Prescott - Important Update
23rd March 2020 After
a highly productive discussion with the Bugatti Owners’ Club this morning,
I am very pleased to announce that the date
for Pre-War Prescott 2020
is re-scheduled to Saturday 19th September – just over a three-month delay,
which will hopefully suffice to get us past the current situation.
Our navigation rally and
scenic tour will therefore take place on Sunday 20th. Of course,
should the entire 2020 motorsport season be lost then we shall postpone
again
– to Saturday 17th July
2021, but I think the current plan is the best we can do as of now.
For those of you who have
already entered, and for our traders and displayers, please let me know
if you cannot make the September date and I will arrange a refund.
On the other hand, I know
that a number of you could not make the June date but may well be able
to join us in September.
f you have already entered
and I don't hear from you, I will assume that the new date works for you.
Clearly, this is an evolving situation and some of you are bound to have questions or concerns. Please e-mail me and I will do my best to help.
In the meantime, if you would
like to enter for the new date, but have not already entered for June,
please do so here,
or return the Entry Form. availabel for downloat here.
(I will update the form
with the new date in due course, but for the time being please ignore the
June date.)
Thank you all so much for
your understanding, messages of encouragement and best wishes already received.
I hope I have responded to you all, but apologies if not.
All the very best to everyone,
Ian
Joy Rainey with her specially-adapted McLaren at
Pre-War Prescott 2018, where she gave numerous runs
in aid of our charity, the RAF Charitable Trust.
That is Laura Hamilton-Gould in the passenger seat. (Ronald Trumpi)
17th January 2020 Very sad news reached
VMR HQ this morning. Joy Rainey, stalwart supporter of the Register
and Pre-War Prescott has passed away suddenly
and unexpectedly whilst on holiday in Australia,
believed to be by natural causes, an aneurysm whilst dining with friends.
The Register extends its sincere condolences
to Joy's family. On our first meeting I
thoughtfully knelt down by her scooter to be on a par with her. "Oh",
she said, "Are you going to propose to me?"
The last time I saw her was at PWP 2018 (she couldn't
make it last year), when she drove me up the hill in her 2018 McLaren F570S.
12th January 2020
Congratulations to Volker Tilly, who won the best pre-war car award with
his M Type (2M/2818) at the 2019 "Oldtimer Deichparade" in Friedrichskoog
on the German Sea.
Here we see Volker accepting
his trophy. Looking super, Volker!
2nd December 2019
Late yesterday, the ex-Captain Angus Hambro 1930 Minor Semi-sports LJ 4435,
otherwise known rather irreverently as the Bed-Pan was delivered
from Goudhurst in Kent to
Tarlton in Gloucestershire and into the hands of Peter Balding, who will
be looking after it until Jayne and I retire back to England in a few years.
The car has been owned by
Andrew Streek since I sold it to him in 2008, after our Dorset Rally where
the elderly daughters of Captain Hambro rode in the car in which they learned
to drive
in the thirties around the
Milton Abbey estate – the Hambro seat in Dorset. But Andrew found
that he was too tall for the car, and so earlier this year, he offered
it back to me.
The car has hardly turned
a wheel in Andrew's ownership. John Stubberfield, who lives nearby
in Cirencester was in attendance yesterday and was able to confirm,
after a brief search, that
the engine is still under the bonnet! Darkness precluded any further
check-out, but it is hoped that the emergence from hibernation will be
straightforward.
Needless to say, the car
is already booked in for our 2020 Summer Rally.
(Photo - John Stubberfield)
1929 fabric saloon MM 9063
was acquired by Terry Hibbard from Albert Spence in Orkney.
Here we see it at the ferry
terminal at Gills Bay, about three miles west of John O'Groats, after its
ferry trip from Orkney.
Albert's neighbour had taught
the ferry's purser to drive the car so he could drive it on to and off
the ferry, saving Terry the trip to Orkney to collect it!
6th November 2019 Congratulations
to joining member David Hall who has bought the fabric saloon SK 1508 (below).
But if you missed it, there is a nearly identical fabric saloon
for sale at the moment.
This is MM 9063 (chassis M11282) being offered by Terry Hibbard, another
joining member who also owns fabric saloon MM 9215 (M12482) which he is
restoring.
Terry can be contacted at
terry@harworthheating.co.uk
and
lives in Nottinghamshire. Terry is asking £10k.
8th October 2019
A particularly fine and early vintage Minor has just come on the market.
It is the ex-Sword Collection, ex-Tony Gamble 1928 Morris Minor fabric
saloon SK 1508, chassis MM1243.
The chassis was laid down
17/12/28 and first registered on New Year's Day 1929. It was totally
restored by Tony Gamble in the 1990's and has had little use since.
It is in concours condition.
Health issues are the reason
for the sale by current owner Norman Fisher. The asking price is
£8,750. For fuller details, contact Mike Hewson on 01562/388680
or mobile 07949/031818.
13th August 2019 Vintage
sports cars as far as the eye can see. Over 250 vintage and pre-war
cars gathered at our Summer Rally at Prescott on Saturday 20th July
and a further 90 entered
our navigation rally nand parallel scenic tour on the Sunday. The
whole weekend was a superb celebration of the cars that survived the War.
Entries for the 2020 weekend
are now open here.
Many more great photos here.
9th July 2019
Our 2019 Summer Rally is just days away now and what a fabulous weekend
we have in store! With 250 entries for Pre-War Prescott on Saturday
and 90 entered for our Cotswolds Rally
on Sunday, we have record
numbers all round. All this will be topped with a visit by the Station
Commander of RAF Conningby overhed in one of the RAF's two remaining Hawker
Hurricanes.
Full details of the weekend
can be found here.
3rd April 2019
Important Pre-War Shuttleworth news. The Moth Club, who the Vintage
Minor Register will be joining on the day wish to encourage young people
to fly with them and so
those between the ages of 13 and 18 will be able to get up in the air in
a vintage aircraft for just TEN POUNDS!
These flights must be booked
in advance no later than June 5th and the Moth Club advises contacting
them directly to receive a booking form.
Young people who fly with
the Club will also be offered the chance to take part in a short written
competition for which the prize will be a formal flying lesson in a Tiger
Moth
at a suitably approved organisation.
There is no pre-booking for any other flights, all of which are offered
on a first-come basis. These will cost £95 per person.
You can call the Moth Club
on 01442/862077 or email them at dhmoth@dhmothclub.co.uk
More details of Pre-War
Shuttleworth may be found here.
1st April 2019
At the weekend, the VSCC's Light Car and Edwardian Section held their traditional
spring weekend in Wales.
This year, there was a healthy
entry of six Minors, plus the 1929 M Type of Roger Tushingham. Here
we see the Langford-Yates in their 1930 tourer,
one of three attending the
weekend. (David Hinds)
26th March 2019
We are deligted to announce that a Royal Air Force Battle of Britain Memorial
Flight Hawker Hurricane IIc will grace the skies over our Summer Rally
at Prescott on Saturday
20th July. We are deeply grateful to the Flight for the RAF for its
support as we raise funds for the RAF Charitable Trust.
18th March 2019 Over
the weekend David and Claire Rolfe were out and about on the VSCC Herefordshire
Trial in their much-campaigned Riley-engined M Type.
Great spring weather and
plenty of mud! Mark Smith also entered his ex-John Peckham M Type
(below). (Photos Steve Kent)
9th March 2019
Entries for our Summer Rally are pouring in! (We received SIXTEEN
entries just today!) As of today, we already have an incredible 153
entries. We reached this point on 14th JUNRE last year!
335 climbs have been
allocated, we have 56 entries for the Sunday run and 109 cream teas have
been booked. We have 127 tickets allocated for the Saturday evening
BBQ.
If you have not entered
yet, now is a good time to do so, because we will have to CLOSE entries
well before the weekend.
Full details of the weekend
may be found here
and you can book online here.
(Photo Phil Jones)
7th March 2019 Member
Tony Slattery (that's his M Type centre front) reports that it has become
a tradition in South East Queensland, Australia for M-Type owners to gather
annually
to share their passion for
these iconic little cars, and celebrate Cecil Kimber’s birthday.
Cecil was born on the 12th April 1888, so this year the M's are gathering
on Sunday 14th April 2019,
also 90 years since the
sale of the first M-Type! Hosts for this year's gathering are Bill
and Zrinka at their home at Cleveland. Please send your RSVP's well
before the gathering directly to Bill
Fuller.
Last year we had six of
the 25 M Types known in Australia - how many can we gather in 2019?
5th March 2019
Today we welcome Philip and Wendy Coombs to Register membership with their
1932 M Type RH 5831 (2M/1932).
Philip and Wendy have entered
our Summer Rally and will be joining many more M Types at Prescott where
we will be celebrating the 90th Anniversary
of the start of M Type production
in 1929, which also marked the dawn of the MG Midget Magna Magnette era.
5th March 2019
This interesting 1931 SV Minor is currently being offered for sale up in
Cumbria. It is reputedly a Jarvis-bodied car, but we have no confidence
in this assertion.
A trader who advertised
the car in 2017 trod carefully, stating "This car is based on a Morris
Minor Tourer chassis which appears to have a coachbuilt body
in the style of one that
could have been built by coachbuilders Jarvis of Wimbledon."
Caveat emptor!
Ford E93 918 c.c. SV engine
with an Aquaplane manifold and twin SU carbs.. £8,500 ONO.
Call 01931/714624 for further details.
4th March 2019
As of today, we already have an incredible 130 entries for Pre-War
Prescott and our Summer
Rally.
The latest entrant is Geoff
Radford, who is entering his historic 1930 MG 18/100 Mk. 3 Tigress GH 3501.
It has a 2468cc 6 cylinder
OHC dry sump dual ignition engine, a four speed gearbox, massive
14" brakes and a top speed of 100 mph. Just five examples of this
car were built
specifically for the 1930
Junior Car Club, Double Twelve Race at Brooklands. Only two complete
examples have survived. This car was first owned by Lord Victor Rothschild.
Geoff entered this car in
our first VMR Prescott back in 2003, so it will be wonderful to see it
return and to meet Geoff again.
Geoff is entering under
the umbrella of the Early MG Society
who
have already entered a fantastic eleven early MG's, spanning
the early Bullnose and Flatnose
cars, though the 18/80 to Geoff's 18/100.
3rd March 2019 When
is an M Type not an M Type? When it is a Morris Minor.
Paul Gregory owns this very
good looking hybrid PG 2676 (M12562). Originally a fabric saloon
and off the road since the 1970's, it was sold to Belfast and rebodied
with an
MG M Type body in the early
1980's and off the road until Paul acquired it at the end of 2017.
It is now back on the road and booked in for our Summer Rally at Prescott
in July.
2nd March 2019
The Register's March Newsletter was circulated by e-mail to all members
today.
If you are a member and
did not receive your copy, please let
us know.
1st March 2019
Today we extend a warm welcome to Vincent Dransart who lives in France
and owns this gorgeous MG D Type (D046).
We look forward to meeting
him at our Summer Rally in July.
27th February 2019
Today we welcome Jerry Salaman to Register membership. Jerry lives
in Kent and owns this 1930 M Type and 1930 MG 18/80 Mk. 2.
Jerry has owned his M since
1961 - indeed it was his first car. He found it in a local breaker's
yard, fitted with a J2 body at the time.
Jerry's 18/80 is also a
very interesting car. It was built at Abingdon and first registered
on 19th August 1930 as a Carlton bodied drophead coupé.
The motorcar featured in
RKO Radio Picture film “They Flew Alone”, the story of Amy Johnson’s life
and starring Anna Neagle and Robert Newton. However, this was film
directors ‘licence’
for in real life Amy Johnson
had been given, as a personal gift from Sir William Morris, a MK 1 Salonette,
registration No MG 720, in recognition of her 10,000 mile,
19 day solo flight to Australia
in 1929. Until in 1960 it was reported as being stored ‘under potatoes'
and then in a cellar 'under coal’. In 1976 the body was removed and
the complete chassis
and running gear with scuttle
and bonnet was rescued by Mike Ellis who spent the next 20 years carrying
out restoration work. He decided not to re-build the Carlton body
but to build a 4 seater
tourer. Sadly Mike died before completing the restoration and Jonathon
Tilley purchased the car and completed the restoration
Jerry brought the car in
2014 and covered over 3,000 miles in his first year of ownership.
He has entered this wonderful car in Pre-War Prescott in July.
Incidentally, Jerry sold
the the MG PA in the above photo to make spac ein his garage!
18th February 2019
I am very sad to report that Jock Mackay, our founder member number 29
passed away recently at Scrabster, Scotland.
Jock was the owner of the
Upper Deck restuarant in Scrabster, but also the owner and restorer of
this very early 1928 Minor tourer which was his pride and joy.
Jock also owned a Bean 14
and both cars are being retained in the family. His son-in-law Roddy
Mackintosh is taking on Jock's membership. Welcome Roddy.
18th February 2019 Springtime conditions in England yesterday saw Nick Williams out and about in his recently-acquired sporting Bullnose. Sweet lines!
17th February 2019
It is official! Mintex is now the
official headline sponsor of the Vintage Minor Register. Mintex has
been at the forefront of vehicle braking systems
and components since 1908
and has a storied history in the race and rally fields. We are delighted
with the new partnership which will help bring significant enhancements
to the Register and its
events.
Pre-War Prescott 2018 - a Morris miscellany. (Gracefoto)
15th February 2019
With our Summer Rally and Pre-War Prescott just over five months away,
entries have just passed the hundred mark!
This is an incredible entry
so far - we had received just 40 entries by this date last year, and ended
up with a record entry on the day!
100 BBQ tickets have already
been snapped up for the Saturday evening buffet and we already have 41
pre-war cars entered for our
Sunday Navigation Rally
and parallel Scenic Tour. Full details of the weekend can be found
here
and the Pre-War Prescott website can
be found here.
You can enter online here
and you can check the entries as they arrive here.
You can also download the
Entry Form here.
FV 2585 is a rare OHC Minor
Sports Coupé. Where is this car now?
(Edited 25th February -
owner found!)
13th February 2019
The Register maintains a Chassis Register of all known surviving Morris
Minors, both OHC and SV.
The Chassis Register can
be found in the Members' Area of this website. The vehicles are listed
in chassis number order.
However, there are a large
number of Minors known to have survived for which we do not have chassis
numbers and, in many cases, details of the current owner.
The list of Minors for which
we seek details can be found here.
The list currently includes 43 OHC Minors and 287 SV Minors for which we
seek details.
(There are two tabs - one
for OHC Minors and one for SV Minors.)
If you own a Minor, please
check to see whether your vehicle appears in these lists, and if it does,
please contact the Register so
we can maintain accurate records.
No data will be made public
without your permission. Many thanks.
13th February 2019 We
are delighted to announce that the Vintage Minor Register will be mounting
a Register display at the Chateau Impney Hillclimb over the weekend of
13th/14th July,
the weekend before our Summer
Rally and Pre-War Prescott. Plans are being put in place to have
three Minors on display each day, together with a club gazebo with Register
information, etc.
If you are planning to be
there, stop by and say Bonjour!
10th February 2019
This Hundred Pound Minor is being auctioned at Sledmere House Classic Car
and Motorcycle auction with an estimate of £2,000/2,500 on 2nd March.
Sledmere House, Sledmere,
Driffield, YO25 3XG. Further details here.
This car was first registerd
in April 1931, but was last taxed in Maidstone in 1994 and would appear
to have been off the road ever since.
The 1994 tax disc is included
with the sale and the car is registered with the DVLA. he car is
fitted with a 1933/4 radiator grille and a Morris 8 engine.
Contact
the Register for more photos and details. Remember that these
SV Minors are now VSCC-eligible and therefore make inexpensive entry-level
vehicles.
All hands on deck! Paul Rogers and father Barry on the 2005 LCES Welsh Trial. (Jim Wood)
9th February 2019
Entries for the LCES Welsh Weekend are now open. This annual road
event will take place on Saturday 30th to Sunday 31st March
and will see the Section
returning again to the Metropole Hotel in Llandrindod Wells for the 21st
Anniversary of the Section's first event there.
Saturday will see the Section
taking to the roads for a 99 or so mile circular tour on the quiet local
roads to a secret destination with some optional simple tests
to demonstrate the driver’s
ability to safely conduct their vehicle at some venues detailed in the
route instructions along the route. There are several short cuts
available
for the less ambitious (either
cars or drivers!). This will be followed in the evening by the Section’s
Annual Dinner and Awards at The Metropole Hotel.
On Sunday, there will be
a gentle sporting trial, finishing in time for lunch and the results of
the trial before departing.
The evnet always attracts
a good vintage Minor entry - let's see if we can make it even bigger this
year.
27th January 2019
1930 Semi-sports LJ 4435 was named the Bed-Pan by the three daughters of
Angus Hambro when he acquired it new in 1930 for his chauffeur to teach
them to drive.
This photo was taken on
24th June 2007, moments before it embarked on its return trip to England
from Grand Rapids, Michigan in time to attend our 2007 Summer Rally at
Milton Abbey in Dorset,
the longtime home of the
Hambro family. The car had been the subject of a meticulous 13-year
restoration that spanned time in Germany, England and the United States.
Your secretary sold the
car the following year - for the usual tiresome reason! And, as usual,
regretted it immediately! I am delighted to announce that later this
year I will be re-acquiring this car,
the current owner having
never driven it since, at 6' 2", he simply did not fit into it. An
arrangement has been made to purchase the car once again and it will remain
in England.
The Last Collection before Christmas
Merry Christmas to all our
members, friends and families!
Please see the Register's
Christmas wishes
here.
1st December 2018
Today we are delighted to announce details of our 2019 Pre-War Shuttleworth
gathering. Pre-War Shuttleworth 2019 will take place on Sunday 9th
June
and we will be joining with
the de Havilland Moth Club as they hold their Charity Flying Day.
This means that this time we will have the increible opportunity to actually
fly
in a wide range of DH Moths
and other rare and historic vintage aircraft for a very reasonable fee,
all of which will be donated to charity.
So far, the aircraft expected
to take part include examples of DH 60 Moth, DH 82a Tiger Moth, DH 84 Dragon,
DH 85 Leopard Moth and DH 87 Hornet Moth.
Guest aeroplanes are also
expected to include a Miles Magister, a Focke Wulf Stieglitz and a Miles
Messenger.
As with all our events,
the day will be open to all pre-war cars. Save the date!
Find more details here.
18th November 2018 More
mudplugging. This time Clair Rolfe, bounced by husband David on the
VSCC Cotswold trial yesterday, well on her way to a 25.
It was a spectacular, if
chilly autumn day and Claire was entered in the Newcomer class. Meanshile,
new Register member David Rushton (see below),
bounced by Rachael Bolton-King
was giving it max in his M Type.
(Both images Colin Murrell)
David Rushton on the 2016 VSCC Cotswold Trial.
4th November 2018
Today we welcome David Rushton to the Register with his 1932 M Type PJ
7970 (2M/3473).
David is no stranger to
VSCC trials and driving tests and is the first MG M Type entry for Pre-War
Prescott 2019.
2019 marks the 90th Anniversary
of the start of production of the MG M Type, and, as such, we are expecting
the largest
gathering of M Types in
living memory at Pre-War Prescott in July.
Stuart Cooke's 1922 Morris Sports - a wonderful example of an early Morris.
3rd November 2018 There
is a hugely significant anniversary that we will be celebrating next year
at our Summer Rally.
That is the Centenary of
the formation of Morris Motors. Morris Motors Ltd. was incorporated
in July 1919.
So how appropriate to celebrate
the occasion in July 2019 at our Summer Rally at Prescott in the Cotswolds!
Consequently, we will be
pulling out all the stops to gather as many pre-war Morrises at Prescott
as we can - including Minors of course!
Please start making your
plans. Entries are now open for the weekend. Just go to tthe
Summer Rally webpage here,
where you can download the Entry Form
or simply enter online here.
2nd November 2018 Today
we welcome Keith Herkes to the Register with his ex-Gordon Crosby MG 18/80
Mk. 2 WL 9253.
After having been off the
road for 45 years, Keith completed the restoration of this fine MG last
year and brought it along to our Pre-War Shuttleworth event.
The car was the subject
of a feature article in our spring 2017 Magazine, M 161.
Keith reports that at least
eight Early MG Society members are planning to attend Pre-War Prescott
next year.
30th September 2018
Entries are now open for our 2019 Summer Rallly and Pre-War Prescott 2019.
Full details of the weekend
can now be found here.
30th June 2018
Welcome to our first member in Sweden, Anders Ahlkvist who has acquired
this 1934 Minor 2-seater kit (34/MS/40629).
The kit is very promising
and much work has been completed, but it is incomplete. Anders is
searching for the following items needed to complete
the restoration: CW&P
8x34, dynamo with fan, carburetter SU O.M with 1” throttle diameter, distributor,
oil filler cap,
radiator cap, gearbox cover
and lever, Cardan propeller shaft, front lamps, front road springs complete,
instrument panel with gauges,
radiator badge, brake cross
shaft bracket, bracket to facia board (steering column), ignition control
rod assembly, triangular scuttle supports, radiator tie rods,
three 18" wheels and wheel
spokes. If you can help with any of these parts, please contact Anders
at anders.ahlkvist@telia.com.
18th May 2018 We have a very important update to our plans for Pre-War Shuttleworth.
We have received news from
the de Havilland Moth Club that the venue for this event has had to be
changed. The Shuttleworth Trust announced to the Moth Club
that they had double-booked
Old Warden on the day with a hot rod rally and so they could not accommodate
the Moth Club on the day.
Very quick work by the Moth
Club resulted in a Plan B which is to gather at RAF Henlow on the same
day.
RAF
Henlow is only a few miles from Old Warden, so anyone who had already
booked accommodation will not have a problem.
RAF Henlow is (for the time
being), an operational RAF station and therefore anyone entering the station
is required to request access in advance, for security reasons.
Therefore, any member intending
to attend on the day should contact
the Register well in advance, providing registration number, type and
colour of their car,
along with the names of
all occupants. I will collate this information and pass it to RAF
Henlow in advance of the day.
The good news is that RAF
Henlow is a large grass airfield, ideal for Moths and the combined aircraft
and car event will be private, and not open to the public,
so the atmosphere will be
much more intimate than would have been the case at Old Warden. Watch
this space for further news.
Please note that the Saturday and Sunday night pub meets will remain unchanged.
The event website can be found here.
Hopefully, the event will revert to Old Warden in 2019.
17th May 2018
As of today, we are at 100 entries and counting for Pre-War Prescott 2018!
So that means we are about half way to the expected 200 entries,
and climbs are also going
fast, with 275 of the absolute maximum 475 already spoken for. Advance
entries attract a free climb and you can pre-book up to three additional
climbs,
so why not get your entry
in to guarantee your place on the start line!
18th April 2018
Hearty congratulations to members Andy and Debbie Stewart who won the best
in rally trophy at the combined Morris Registers of Australia and Vintage
Minor Register Rally in
Hervey Bay, Queensland over
the Easter weekend with their very recently-restored 1928 Properts-bodied
OHC Minor (left above). This is the first time in the history of
the Rally that a Minor has won outright.
The Rally was a tremendous
success, with around 120 Morrises of all ages entered over the four-day
weekend. A full report on the Rally will appear in the Spring Magazine.
2nd February 2018
Hearty congratulations to Halbe Tjepkema over in Holland who has completed
his meticulous ten-year restoration of 1929 Minor fabric saloon VG 2007
(M14258).
(That's Halbe's Aston Martin
behind.)
Halbe and his father collected
the car from Bungay, Suffolk in January 2008 - see below.
Pre-War Prescott next, Halbe?
Just as we like to find them. VG 2007 emerges into the Suffolk daylight after many years in hibernation. Tired but highly original and unmolested.
21st January 2018
Pre-War Prescott 2018 is just six months today! We have another superb
day in the planning stages, and have received 20
entries already.
We have lots of new features
for PWP 2018 and we will be celebrating the twin Centenaries of the Armistice
and the founding of the Royal Air Force.
We will also be welcoming
the Riley RM Club who this year are marking the 70th Anniversary of the
RM Roadster. These, and post-war Rileys of all models
will be gathering in the
Orchard as spectators. Pre-War Prescott is but one day of our Register's
Summer Rally weekend and on Sunday we will be holding
our regular Cotswold Navigation
Rally and parallel Scenic Tour. With an informal reception on Friday
evening, a buffet/BBQ with live music and dancing on Saturday evening
and our traditional farewell
pub run on Sunday evening a tremendous weekend is in store for everyone.
ALL pre-war cars are most welcome to enter any or all of the weekend's
events
and post-war and moderns
are welcome as spectators in the Prescott Orchard on Saturday. Entries
can be made on the Pre-War Prescott
website,
and further details of the
Register's Summer Rally weekend can be found here.
Alternatively, you can download the Entry Form here.
Finally, a reminder that
owners of ANY pre-war car may now join the Register and enjoy the hefty
rally discount which pays half of the annual membership!
You can join right now,
right here.
See you in six months!
A mingling of Minors, MGs and Moths at the inaugural Pre-War Shuttleworth in 2017.
20th January 2018 We
are delighted to announce the launch of Pre-War Shuttleworth 2018 on Sunday
12th August.
The weekend will include
an informal pub reception on Saturday evening, a pre-war Garden Party and
Vintage Picnic at the Shuttleworth Trust
in conjunction with the
de Havilland Moth Club on Sunday and the weekend will conclude with a farewell
pub run on Sunday evening.
Now in its second year, Pre-War Shuttleworth offers the rare opportunity to visit the flight line and chat with the aircraft owners during the lunch break.
There is no entry form or
entry fee required for pre-war cars, but an entry list has been started,
and we need everyone who plans to attend on Sunday to contact us
at vintageminor@gmail.com
with their vehicle details so that we can provide the entries to the Trust
in advance.
The event website which includes full details may be found here.
Miss Barbara Skinner poses
in her striking White Minor, chassis 34/MS/41564. The chassis was
erected by Morris Motors on 22nd February 1934.
The Morris Progress Books
contain the note: "M. MINOR 2 SEATER Less Engine. 'Chassis on permanent
loan to SU, used by Miss B Skinner for racing
& presented to her as
wedding present from Lord Nuffield."
11th January 2018
We extend a warm welcome to new member David Baldock who is well advanced
with his heroic restoration of the famous White Minor,
Barbara Skinner’s Skinner
Special. Barbara Skinner was gifted the previously loaned White Minor
Special by William Morris (by then, Lord Nuffield)
on 22nd September 1936 as
a wedding present for her forthcoming wedding to John Bolster on 8th October
1936.
The car was based on a 1934
Minor rolling chassis fitted with a lightweight racing body and a very
special Zoller blown Minor engine.
We cannot wait to see this
car out, about and hillcimbing again after many decades.
9th January 2018 Today
we welcome new member Tim Sharp and his blown 1936 MG PB VXS 544.
Tim reports:
"I acquired chassis PB0685
with a 2008 Enrique Llinares ash frame and various correct PB parts in
2018. These have been built up by James Gunn with a Volumex supercharger.
The car is MMM Register
3614 and I wrote a piece on the development of the car for the Triple-M
Register Bulletin October/November 2017."
Welcome to the Register
Tim!
2nd January 2018
In illustrious company. Keith Durston’s M Type parked beside the
Benjafield 1928 4½ Le Mans Bentley in front of the Brooklands Clubhouse
on New Year’s Day.
The weather was as kind
as can be expected in January across most of the UK and many members turned
out in their cars to celebrate the arrival of the New Year.
Nick Williams took these
shots at the VSCC's popular meet at Much Marcle in Herefordshire.
19th December 2017
And still they keep turning up! This 1933 SV Minor 2-seater (SV30663)
has surfaced in Karachi, Pakistan. New member Faraz Latif tells us
that it was acquired
by his late father fifty
years ago, but is in very poor condition. However, he is planning
a full restoration to return it to its former glory. Not surprisingly
he is looking for many parts
and a full list will appear
in the December newsletter. Offers of help please to the Register.
Barbara Skinner poses for the camera in her brand new Skinner Special - the White Minor - a blown hillclimb special based on SV Minor chassis 34/MS/41564
7th December 2017 Following
on the good news that the Vintage Sports Car Club has granted eligibility
to sidevalve Minors, we are delighted to announce that the Register
is to inaugurate a prestigious
new award for 2018, to be awarded to the Register member who achieves the
best aggregate performance in VSCC events through the year.
The Trophy
has been graciously sponsored by our Honorary Member Annabelle Swain, daughter
of Barbara Skinner
and will be
known as the Barbara Skinner Memorial Trophy.
Barbara had such conspicuous
success in competition in the thirties with the White Minor, a SV Minor
special based on a 1934 chassis that was presented to her
by William Morris as a Wedding
gift on 19th February 1934 on her marriage to John Bolster. Her brother
Peter also had considerable success with another SV Minor special,
the White Minor, based on
a 1931 SV chassis.
Details of the aggregate
award and the scoring system will be announced shortly, but will include
points for entering VSCC tours, navigation rallies, driving tests and speed
events,
with additional points awarded
for scores achieved at the competitive events plus further points for any
awards gained.
The prototype 1932 Sidevalve
Minor McEvoy Special RC 300 at the start of the 1932 RAC Rally (the first
one), being driven by the one-legged A. Squillario who gained a First
Class Award in this car
in February 1932 on the Colemore Trial. McEvoy is the gent on the
left chatting to him. Navigating is Squillario’s wife-to-be ‘Johnnie’
Johnson.
This car has survived in
the hands of a Register member who, until now, has had his VSCC eligibility
applications declined for this car. It is now eligible.
Vintage Minor Register NEWSFLASH - The VSCC has granted PVT eligibility to all sidevalve Morris Minors with immediate effect
1st December 2017
Mere hours after the circulation of the latest VMR Newsletter comes this
tremendous news from the latest VSCC Newsletter.
The Club's Eligibility Sub
Committee made the recommendation in the autumn and it has now been formally
ratified by the full Committee and takes immediate effect.
The Vintage Minor Register
has been fighting vigorously for over a decade for VSCC eligibility for
the SV Minor, and that effort ramped up further a few years ago
when the VSCC granted eligibility
to many thirties Austin Sevens while withholding eligibility to even the
early scuttle-tank Minors
and even the rare McEvoy
specials, even examples with proven pre-war sporting history like RC 300
above.
But enough of the past. This is tremendous news and will in time prove to be the saviour of so many SV Minors that are currently languishing in store or in pieces, or both.
As the note in the VSCC Newsletter
states, this move will also hopefully allow younger enthusiasts to get
on the bottom rung of the competitive ladder.
This was one of the key
arguments that the Vintage Minor Register has been pushing for years.
And there are plenty of SV Minors to go around, compared to the OHC models.
The decision will not affect the Light Car & Edwardian Section eligibility which will remain solely for pre-1931 light cars in standard form.
On behalf of the Register, may I offer my hearty congratulations to the Vintage Sports Car Club for this momentous and historic decision.
Footnote
From our inauguration in
2000, the Register has always welcomed owners of any pre-war car to join
us on our rallies.
Earlier this year, the Register
formally opened up its membership to owners of ALL pre-war cars.
We will continue to lobby
the VSCC to follow suit and accept, like us, all those cars that survived
the War.
22nd October 2017
New member Guy Harris contacted the Register
a few weeks ago in the hope that we would have knowledge of the present
whereabouts of two Minors that he had owned many moons ago.
One of these - a 1933 2-seater
FS 5294 had been his first car, which he had bought as an impecunious student
in 1957 for £5. Inspection of Register records showed
that in 2013, the then owner
Alan Price had contacted
the Register. Alan’s father originally acquired the car in 1980 and
Alan himself has worked on it on and off since he inherited it,
so it had been in the same
family for 33 years by then. Alan had finally decided at that point
that he wanted to pass it on. I relayed this information to Guy who
contacted Alan
to see if he could tell
him who he had sold it to. he was surprised and delighted to dicover
that Alan still had the car. Guy was able to purchase the car (for
a little more than £5!)
and
has now been reunited with FS 5294 after a gap of fifty seven years!
Guy reports that FS 5294 is in very solid condition and has obviously been
well looked after over the years.
This is a tremendous example of the value of the Register and the best possible conclusion to Guy's search.
Below we see Guy with FS
5294 in 1958. He sold the car in 1961 for £15 and after covering
10,000 miles.
The photo was taken somewhere
in Northumberland, north of Newcastle. Guy was 20 at the time and
the “L” plate was for his flatmate who had just started to drive.
Guy recalls that the Morris
put him off for a bit!
15th October 2017
Meet Lily, a charmingly attractive 1910 Talbot 4AB tourer, registration
number A238. Lily belongs to new VMR member Dr. David Pike
who lives in farthest Pembrokeshire
and also owns a 1927 Darraq DTS and a 1931 Sunbeam 18.2 coupe saloon.
David has entered his Darraq in our 2018 Summer Rally.
Membership of the Register
is now open to owners and enthusiasts of all pre-war cars, that is, all
the cars that survived World War Two.
15th October 2017
This unique 1934 long wheelbase Minor with fixed head coupe body by Holden
is currently being offered
on eBay in Australia.
The car, with chassis number
34/ML/38171, is being offered by Anthony Barbara on behalf of his elderly
father Paul.
The sister car with chassis
34/ML/38172 has also survived, fitted with an open tourer body, also by
Holden.
The car has been in the
family for forty years. Let us hope that it finds a good home.
7th October 2017 Today
we welcome Matt Boroweicki to Register membership. Matt has been
a solid supporter of our events for many years with his 1929 Chummy, being
a regular competitor
on the Austin team for the
Lewis
& Nicholson Compass, competed for annually on our Navigation Rally
between Team Austin Seven and Team Morris Minor.
Membership of the Register
is now open to owners and enthusiasts of all pre-war cars - even Austin
Sevens!
Hereis a short but delightful YouTube video made by Matt at this year's Pre-War Prescott.
6th October 2017
As of noon today, our Summer Rally and Pre-War Prescott 2018 is officially
up and running!
Download the entry form
here.
The Rally website can be found here
and the Pre-War Prescott website can be found here
6th October 2017
David Rolfe and daughter Philippa were spotted by David Hinds on the VSCC's
Welsh Trial today in his newly-restored 1930 Minor tourer. UR 7238
now carries corrected coachwork.
Here
is what he started with. They scored a very creditable 212 on the
trial, not bad for only the car's second sporting trial. Two other
Minors were entered this weekend which is very good to see.
Ben Maeers entered the family
1929 tourer 'Dorothy' PG 5664 and Martin Redmond and Graham Goode entered
Martin's Semi-sports special BS 9400 in the Sunday Trial.
However, sadly, Martin broke
a bone in his foot last week and had to scratch. But he reports that
he should be fit for the Lakeland in November.
The weather was superbly
sunny and warm on Sunday and several other larger Morrises could be seen
rumbling up the various sections including
the Major of Pete Williams
(left below) and his brother Nick Williams' red Cowley, which was good
to witness. Sam Makins (seen putting air back in the rear tyre)
was one of Nick's bouncers
(son of Ian Makins, former BNMC editor from Ludlow, who can be seen sat
in the back of the car sporting the woolen hat).
Nick finished slightly ahead
of his brother in the results. All great stuff!
(Photo - Nick Williams)
29th September 2017
Earlier this week, this 1933 Minor fixed head coupé, bodied by Archie
Maddox of Huntingdon arrived at VMR HQ in Seattle from Picton, Ontario
where it has resided since 2011.
Prior to that it was a resident
at the Ellingson Motor Museum in Minnesota for many years. It will
be the subject of a thorough mechanical servicing over the winter and then
be shipped to its new home
in Cirencester where Jayne
and I will use it during our summer holidays in England. For the
rest of the year it will be run by our very good friends Peter and Ally
Balding at whose home it will reside.
As far as we know, Maddox
only built this single coupe on a SV Minor chassis. It was shipped
to the USA some time in the eighties, and its history prior to that is
currently the subject of research.
The seller in Canada, VMR
member Ian Samuel, is delighted that the car is to be repatriated to travel
the byways of the glorious Cotswolds.
Follow the progress of the
Maddox recommissioning in the 'Our Cars' section of our forum here.
In the late summer of 1928,
this early Morris Minor fabric saloon was taken on a publicity tour of
Norfolk.
Here we see it parked at
Horsey Mere windpump, now restored
and owned by the National Trust.
(UD 2483 is the only vehicle
to have its registration number written in the Morris Minor Progress Books,
from which we learn that the chassis number was MM119,
or the nineteenth production
Minor built. In the remarks column is written "This car being run
experimentally at Cowley UD 2483".)
16th September 2017
The Centenary of the Morris Minor and the M Type MG will occur in 2028.
This might seem a long way off, but perhaps not so in terms of restoration
project timescales.
The Register is therefore
delighted to announce that we will be celebrating the Centenary in style,
with the twin targets of gathering ONE HUNDRED pre-war Minors, and ONE
HUNDRED M Type MG's
for a major celebration
in the summer of 2028. Details of the dates and venues are unimportant
at this early stage, but it is hoped that this announcement will encourage
owners of examples
that are currently unrestored
(and there are many) to set 2028 as their goal to complete their restorations.
Look out for more details in our Autumn Magazine and in upcoming Newsletters.
12th August 2017
1933 Maddox-bodied Minor EN 5810 is about to be shipped from Picton, Ontario
to VMR HQ in Seattle, USA
where it will receive a
full service before being shipped to Southampton and on to Tarlton, Gloucestershire
which will become its new home.
There it will be cared for
and driven by Peter and Ally Balding. Ian Samuel acquired this unique
Minor in 2011 from the Ellingson Car Museum
in Rogers, Minnesota.
Ian has now sold it on to Jayne and I and we we will be using it extensively
on our annual trips to England,
starting with our 2018 Summer
Rally. The original British registration EN 5810 is in the process
of being recovered.
12th August 2017 The
August Newsletter was circulated electrically today. E-mail
us if you didn't receive a copy but would like to.
A copy may also be found
in the Members' Area of the website.
5th August 2017 The
weekend after Prescott saw the Register holding its inaugural Pre-War Shuttleworth
event in conjunction with the de Havilland Moth Club who were holding
their second annual Gathering
of Moths at Old Warden. Four Minors were present out of the entry
of around 25 pre-war cars that pre-booked.
Once again, the pessimistic
weather forecast put off many of the Moths, but the actual weather was
fair and sunny.
Moths and Minors make a
good mix, particularly as most Tiger Moths were built by Morris Motors
at Cowley! (Photo Keith Herkes)
5th August 2017
Just back home from our Summer Rally weekend and getting sorted.
It was another fabulous weekend with nearly 200 entries, and 60 cars entered
the Sunday run.
The weather forecast was
poor but the actual weather was sunny apart from a short period of rain
on Saturday morning and a few sprinkles late on Saturday afternoon,
none of which dampened spirits.
The forecast put off many, while there was an equal number of cars that
turned up on the day without pre-booking.
Sadly, of the twelve Minors
booked in, only five showed up. One of those was Sarah Gibson (above)
with her 1932 McEvoy, now sporting an original and correct Zoller supercharger.
The mounting plates had
been stored at the back of the garage for decades, their purpose completely
unknown until the Zoller was acquired, and the mounts lined up perfectly
with the holes in the chassis!
The next step will be to connect it to the crankshaft via a fabric coupling.
A full report on the weekend will be included in our next Magazine.
29th June 2017
With just over three weeks go to our Summer
Rally weekend and Pre-War Prescott, we have another superb weekend
in the making!
As of this morning we already
have 14 Minors entered, as well as a record twelve M Type MG's.
We have a total of 149 entries,
representing virtually all of the major pre-war marques, plus some fascinating
rarities.
We also have a record 58
entries for the Sunday Navigation Rally and parallel Scenic Tour, so a
fantastic Sunday is also in store.
If you have not yet entered,
please do so at your earliest convenience!
You can enter directly online
here.
The Pre-War Prescott website
can also be found here.
11th April 2017 The
Register is a subscribing member of the Federation of British Historic
Vehicle Clubs which does so much to preserve our right to use our pre-war
cars
on the open road in the
21st century. Every spring, the FBHVC organizes a Drive it Day which
gives owners the opportunity to showcase their cars to the general public,
to generate great PR for
us all and of course it also offers a great excuse to dust of our cars
and perhaps take them for their first run of the year, very probably to
the pub!
Thus, all Register members
are warmly encouraged to do just that on Sunday 23rd April. Take
your box Brownie, take some snaps and send them in to the Register for
publishing
in the May Newsletter!
And if you live within pootling
distance of Bicester, why not pootle along to Bicester Heritage on the
day for their Sunday
Scramble.
Our very good friends at
Finest
Hour Experiences will be offering Tiger Moth flying lessons on site,
click here
to book your 20 minute flying slot.
By the way, the FBHVC published
their second Newsletter of the year today and a copy may be found in the
Members' Area of this website.
Always an informative read.
9th April 2017
After a protracted and meticulous restoration with many twists and turns,
Halbe Tjepkema's
1929 fabric saloon VG 2007
(M14258) is very nearly ready for the road in Holland.
Left to complete are the
wiring, propshaft and carb. and also the beading and part of the interior
but she will be on the road this year!
Jim and YD 4198 at Claverton on our 2002 Summer Rally
30th March 2017 Jim
Peacop is offering his rare and sporting McEvoy for sale at the Brightwells
auction on 5th April. Estimate £15,000 to £18,000.
Here
is the catalogue. Jim purchased this car from an advertisement in
the Blackpool Evening Gazette in 1962. Fitted at the time with a
Morris 8 engine,
he has since fitted a SV
Minor unit.
26th March 2017
It has been another fabulous weekend in sunny Wales, where the Light Car
Section of the VSCC meet every spring.
New member Alistair Bond
entered his Semi-sports which is seen here beside Ben Maeers' tourer 'Dorothy'.
I will be posting many more
photos on the forum shortly.
This is YOUR chance to run up Prescott in a Ferrari 458!
25th March 2017 Planning for our Summer Rally and Pre-War Prescott are advancing apace.
We are very excited to announce
that Cotswold Motorsport will
be bringing three supercars to Prescott to act as Course Cars for the day.
Not only will they act as
Course Cars, but we will be holding a raffle on the day, the three lucky
winners of which will have the opportunity to run up the hill
in one of these cars, including
a fabulous Ferrari 458! The winning tickets will be drawn immediately
after the lunchtime auction.
More exciting news!
In past years, we have held an auction of donated spares and
automobilia with the proceeds
being donated to the RAF
Charitable Trust. After discussion with Hereford
Vintage Auctions and the Trust,
we can now announce that
this year, Hereford Vintage Auctions will be holding a full-blown charity
auction with the net proceeds going to the sellers and the commissions
donated to the Trust.
Lots are now invited from members and non-members alike and will be posted
here,
so that everyone can view the lots in advance of the weekend.
We would also welcome donated
items as in previous years, and 100% of the proceeds from these will be
donated to the Trust.
So this is your opportunity
to turn your unwanted spares, automobilia and even your pre-war car into
hard cash, and support a very good cause at the same time.
24th March 2017
And this OHC Minor (chassis M16710) is currently being offered on eBay
Australia here.
Apparently it has been in
storage for 46 years. It was originally shipped to Australia as an
export chassis.
23rd March 2017 This
M Type has just been sold by Ken Macken in Australia. 2M/2712 was
originally registered BG 168 in England.
Ken bought it from late
Mr Brian Flowers (his neighbour of some 33 years). The car
was purchased in England in the early 1970’s by Rob Dunsterville
for Brian ans shipped out
with other pre-war MG’s.
Rear wheels spinning and four hands on the roof. A classic photo of Paul Rogers and his father Barry on the 2005 Light Car Welsh. (Jim Wood)
20th March 2017
Next weekend the Light Car and Edwardian Section of the VSCC will hold
their traditional and highly popular Welsh Weekend,
based once more at the Metropole
Hotel, Llandrindod Wells. This year, Steve Kent will be entering
his 1929 tourer MM 9385, the first event that
this Minor has ever entered.
Originally exported to Malta, MM 9385 returned to England aboard the Ark
Royal 1954. Good luck Steve!
In all, a very creditable
eight Minors plus an M Type are entered.
Saturday will see entrants
taking to the roads for a 65 or so mile circular tour on the quiet local
roads to a secret destination with some surprises on the way.
There will be short cuts
available for the more elderly and infirm (both cars and drivers!), and
little in the way of hills meaning that it is ideal for you
to bring out older and less
powerful cars. This will be followed in the evening by the legendary
Section Annual Dinner and Awards at The Metropole Hotel
in the heart of this scenic
spa town. On Sunday everyone will be up early for the Trial, finishing
in time for lunch. In a break from tradition the minimum age
or entrants for the Trial
has been lowered to 14 subject to the front seat passenger being competent
to take control if required and to drive between sections.
20th March 2017 The
VSCC's Herefordshire Trial took place over the weeekend based at How Caple
Court near Ross-on-Wye.
Two M Types (those of Davids
Rolfe and Rushton) took part. The Minor of Martin Redmond (above)
also took part
with Graham Goode driving
and Martin bouncing, here seen on Pinford Rocks.
Martin reports, "We had
a stunning Saturday, being fairly dry and dropped only 3 points out of
an available 210.
Sunday was back to a pretty
Morrissey sort of day but reasonable in its way. We are hopeful of
getting half way up the results board!"
More great photos from the
weekend have been posted on the Forum. (This photo Steve Kent)
18th March 2017
A forlorn sight. This 1934 Minor saloon is currently being offered
for sale in Toledo, Washington State, USA.
It comes with a 1933 saloon
body. EV 9245 was originally registered in Essex in early 1934.
How it came to the USA is unknown,
and it appears not to have
been registered for road use in the USA.
Will Clark 1920 to 2017
This photo was taken on Will's 95th Birthday when
he was finally presented with his World War Two campaign medals
by the Chief of the Air Staff, Sir Andrew Pulford
at St. Paul’s Cathedral, London.
17th March 2017 An old friend of the
Register, Will Clark passed away peacefully early this morning in the Queen’s
Medical Center, Nottingham.
Will was not a vintage car owner, but was an enthusiastic
supporter of the Register. He was a World War Two Hurricane pilot
who donated the last dozen copies
of his wartime memoirs to the Register to help
fund the display by Peter Vacher's Hawker Hurricane at Prescott in 2015.
I have relayed condolences on behalf of all of
us to his daughter and family.
8th March 2017
In past years, we have enjoyed the awesome sight and sound of the
RAF Battle of Britain Memorial Flight's Spitfire, Hurricane and Lancaster
over Pre-War Prescott.
We can now announce that
this year the Flight has allocated us their iconic 1942 Douglas C-47 Dakota
ZA947.
ZA947 is currently painted
to represent Dakota FZ692 of No 233 Squadron, around the D-Day period in
1944. This aircraft, which was named ‘Kwicherbichen’ by her crews,
was involved in para-dropping
operations on the eve of D-Day and subsequently in re-supply and casualty
evacuation missions into and out of forward airfields in the combat areas.
The female nurses who escorted
the casualties on these flights became known as ‘The Flying Nightingales’.
By the end of 1944, 1,092
stretcher cases and 467 sitting wounded had been evacuated to England by
the 233 Squadron Dakotas.
The Dakota will make a stirring
sight and sound over the hill on Saturday.
To read more about the 233
Squadron operations, Dakota FZ692 ‘Kwicherbichen’ and aeromedical casualty
evacuation in 1944, go here.
5th March 2017
The superb resurrection of what is believed to be the only surviving 1930
Australian-bodied Morris Minor Bullet is nearing completion in New Zealand.
The restoration is all the
more remarkable as the car as recovered from a farm in a decrepit condition,
sunk half way up the wheels in mud.
Note the drawing of an original
Bullet on the workshop wall. The chassis, M29833, was laid down 27th
October 1930
and exported without body
to Australia. More images on our Forum.
Morris Minor Bullets were
originally created and distributed by S. A. Cheney Motors (Victoria) Pty.
Ltd.
Their advert below shows
a marvelously art deco rendition of a Bullet at speed.
An example was tested in
August 1930 and achieved 62.2 mph over a measured mile.
5th March 2017 Entries
for our Summer Rally are running well ahead of this point last year.
As of today we have forty entries for Saturday at Prescott.
We also have a fantastic
26 entries for the navigation rally and parallel scenic tour on Sunday
which is 50% of full capacity. So if you are planning to make a weekend
of it,
may I suggest that you get
your entry in without delay as we are bound to be fully subscribed long
before the weekend.
You can check out the entry
list here which is
updated as entries arrive.
You can enter online for
either or both days here,
or download the Entry Form here.
The Summer Rally wesbite
can be found here,
and the Pre-War Prescott website can be found here.
4th March 2017
More OHC tourer news. HY 1833 (M32707) was registered in the spring
of 1931 and is currently for sale by Maurice Kirk - the famed Flying Vet.
Maurice has owned this car
for many years and was at one point converting it to run on gas!
He's selling it to help fund his recent flight in his Piper Cub
to the Cape from Greece
during which he lost power and force landed in the middle of nowhere, but
was found safe some time later.
Back in the sixties this
tourer was owned by Rod King in Bristol and at that time had a collision
with a fire engine.
The above photo was taken
on Madeira Drive, Brighton on the Morris Eight Tourer Club’s London to
Brighton Run in 1966.
Left to right – Rod King,
Ken Martin with his well-known saloon VX 4590 and others unknown.
(Photo - Ken Martin)
It is currently on offer
on eBay here.
Note that altough chassis M32707 was laid down 12th March 1931, ALL OHC
Minors are now VSCC eligible.
The eBay blurb states, "It
is now in need of restoration recommissioning. The engine is dismantled
but complete less the radiator.
There is a spare engine
and gearbox also to go with it."
The photo below shows Rodney
King in the tourer at Maiden Castle just after he acquired it in 1964.
See more photos and history
on the Forum. A very good car to save. If you buy it, please
let us know!
26th February 2017 It
is not often that a previously-unknown OHC Minor tourer surfaces - particularly
when they are in sound restored condition.
This 1930 example, DV 3600
(M18960), was recently sold by Castle Classic Cars of Wadhurst, Sussex.
Does anyone know the new
owner?
25th February 2017
Also congratulations to new member Paul Brigden on the acquistion of 1929
Minor tourer FL 7665 (M3962) from Derek Tew.
The Minor joins Paul's M
Type project in Amersham and in destined for action on our rallies and
in the VSCC's Light Car & Edwardian Section.
..
25th February 2017
Congratulations to Peter Vacher on his acquisition of these two Post Office
vans from Lester Pearson of Eye, Suffolk.
Members will recall that
Peter recently sold his Battle of Britain Hawker Hurricane and has since
restored a de Havilland Puss Moth to full flying condition.
The Post Office van on the
left (ELO 290) is to be restored for use as a tender vehicle for the Puss
Moth.
Peter's wife Polly owns
the earliest known surviving SV Minor, chassis SV107.
18th December 2016 Today
we welcome two new members to the Register. Roger Tushinghamn has
recently aquired an M Type
and Anthony McGarel-Groves,
a regular Pre-War Prescott attendee joins with his 1937 Alvis Speed 25
Charlsworth DHC.
Welcome both!
17th December 2016
Today the final Club Newsletter of the year was distributed to all members
and our Pre-War Prescott friends.
A copy may also be found
in the Members' Area of the website. Contact
the Register if you have forgotten the username and password!
This issue contains some
very important news regarding a brand new Club event for 2017. The
clue is in the image above!
17th December 2016 Here's wishing everyone a wonderful Christmas and a vintage New Year!
30th November 2016 Today
the 2017 Vintage Minor Register calendar was uploaded to the Members' Area
of the website.
Both A4 and 8.5" x 11" versions
are downloadable as printable Adobe pdf files. Also uploaded
today to the Members' Area is the 2017 Pre-War Prescott
2017 calendar - also in
both formats. Both calendars feature our 2016 Summer Rally and Pre-War
Prescott.
29th July 2016
Today the November Newsletter was launched into the ether and all members
should have received a copy.
If not, then members can
access this and all our past Newsletters in the Members' Area of the website.
Contact
the Register if you have forgotten the username and password!
Also, the latest FBHVC Newsletter
has been uploaded to the Members' Area.
27th November 2016
Today we welcome Bill Fuller of Queensland, Australia to the Register.
Bill owns this 1930 M Type export model,
exported as a chassis and
Australian-bodied.
2nd September 2016
Welcome to new member Michael Slater who has acquired Colin Lee's 1930
Minor saloon. Mike is busy working on the car,
sorting hub studs and kingpins,
etc. We also welcome new members Richard Prest, well-known in VSCC
circles with his Bullnose Morris
and Evie Formhalls of Formhalls
Racing and Engineering who regularly supports us at Pre-War Prescott.
6th June 2016
A reminder that, as a susbcribing member club of the Federation of British
Historic Vehicle Clubs, we are automatically subscribed
to their excellent bi-monthly
magazine. The latest issue shown here can be found in the Members'
Area of this website along with past issues
going back to 2013, when
we joined.
24th May 2016 Today we welcome Stuart Stubbs to the Register. Stuart has acquired 1930 Minor saloon PN 6603 (M28933).
18th May 2016 We
warmly welcome Conrad Mershon to the Register. Conrad lives in Florada
where he keeps his immaculate 1934 Minor saloon,
with which he has won numerous
awards over the years. Conrad shipped APK 552 to Florida 25 years
ago.
29th April 2016
And today we warmly welcome Mike Wevill from Devon to membership with his
1934 MG PA. Mike has also entered Pre-War Prescott, so we look forward
to meeting him there.
As of today, we have no
less than 36 MMM MG's booked in for Pre-War Prescott, so it is going to
be a tremendous Morris/MG day.
29th April 2016
Congratulations to Clive Hamilton-Gould for his latest driving test success.
He gained a Third on the new VSCC AotoSolo event at Silvertsone last Saturday.
AutoSolos are a wonderful
addition to the VSCC sporting calendar and are highly suited to pre-war
cars. Tests are simple, all-forward affairs and don’t include any
of the awkward reversing
you can expect to encounter
at standard Driving Tests. Clive just beat just beating Mark Garfitt
in his 319 BMW. (Photo Phil Jones)
16th April 2016
The final trial of the season saw Martin Redmond out once again last weekend
in his Minor Semi-sports special.
Here we see his bouncer
abandoning the sinking ship. Scoring 155 points, he was just short
of an award. Our new member Charles Gillett gained a First in his
Bugatti Brescia,
while David Rushton picked
up a Second in his M Type. Thanks to Gary Clarke for this great photo.
5th April 2016 Today
we welcome John Fincher of Victoria, Australia back to the Register with
his MG M Type replica built on
OHC Minor chassis M10767.
25th March 2016
It's official. The VMR will be holding its second Australasian Rally
over the Easter weekend 2018,
in conjunction with the
Morris Register of Queensland. All VMR members worldwide are very
warmly invited.
There will be much more
news anon, but for now, here's
the Rally Brochure and entry form.
The Rally will be centred
around the incomparable Frazer
Coast of Queensland.
Jayne and I are extremely
excited to announce that we will be attending in person and look forward
so much to meeting as many
members as possible. Save the date - 30th March to April 2nd.
25th March 2016 Today we welcome Roger Davies to the Register with his 1934 MG PA 2-seater (PA0454), looking little changed since the war.
24th March 2016
Today we welcome Charles Gillett to the Register with his 1930 Minor saloon.
Here we see DY 8063 in the capable hands of Philip and Christine Parkinson
on the VSCC Herefordshire
earlier this month. Since acquiring the Minor, Charles has enetred
a number of trials, including last year's Lakeland Trial.
He was unable to enter the
Herefordshire, so loaned the car to Philip and Christine for the weekend.
They were second in class
after the first day but fell back on the second. Apparently they
had not refuelled and had the tap on ‘main’
and on two hills the car
lost power probably due to lack of fuel as the tank was low and only just
above the main.
It is tremendous to see
a Minor saloon entering VSCC main club trials once again.
Charles tells us "My other
trials car is a Brescia Bugatti, so when I say I enjoy the Morris, I mean
it!!"
22nd March 2016 And today we warmly welcome Michael Barber with his Hundred Pound Minor and M Type, fresh from the VSCC Derbyshire Trial.
21st March 2015
Today we welcome Peter Woodley to the Register with his M Type 2M/1041
(549 HYM, was originally RB 667).
What a super looking project!
19th March 2016 Today
we extend a very warm welcome to Murray Maclean who joins us with his rare
and delightful 1929 Alvis 12/50 Doctor's Coupe.
At 88, Murray has owned
this car for 52 years and it was used by him as regular transport until
he retired.
18th March 2016
Today we welcome back Mike Tebbett to the Register. Mike was a founder
member with membership no. 28 way back in 2000.
Today he drives this rakish
1921 GN Salmson which he has entered for Pre-War
Prescott this year.
Mike is also well-known
as the Editor of the VSCC Light Car & Edwardian Section's excellent
magazine.
18th March 2016
The March issue of the combined Vintage Minor Register/Pre-War Prescott
Newsletter was distributed around the globe this morning,
and can be read here.
A copy has been lodged in the Member's Area alongside all previous issues.
12th March 2016 Following
last weekend’s successful John Harris Trial in Derbyshire, VSCC competitors
head this weekend to the Wye Valley for the next round of the trials season,
the Herefordshire Trial,
based at How Caple Court near Ross-on-Wye. Here are the two M entries
of Rolfe and Rushton earlier today.
Super spring weather at
last!
(Photo David Hinds)
M Type 2/M 700 taking shape
in South Africa with owner and new member Tony Lyons-Lewis.
Delivered on 15th November
1929 to Donovan Charles Baird of Wimbledon, London, this car was entered
in the Lands End Trial of 1930.
This brings to 52 the number
of M Types currently owned by Register members.
8th March 2016 Today
we extend a very warm welcome to four new Register members. Keith
Fowlie of Hervey Bay, Queensland, Australia has recently acquired Col Schiller's
1929 Minor roadster, chassis
Y273, one of the rare Australian export chassis that were sent to Australia
at the end of 1929 in CKD form. Keith hopes to have the restoration
complete for our Easter
2018 Rally in Queensland. We also welcome Neville Barraclough of
Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch
with his Hundred Pound Minor
2-seater. At first I wondered how I was going to put that on his
Magazine address label, but apparently the common abbreviation is Llanfair
TH. Phew!
Next up is Tony Lyons-Lewis
of Knysna, South Africa who joins us with his 1929 M Type MG (above).
Lastly, Murray Maclean joins us with his 1929 Alvis 12/50 which
he expects to bring to Pre-War
Prescott in July. Welcome all!
6th March 2016
Mud, mud, glorious mud! A great Phil Jones action shot of Martin
Redmond on the VSCC's John Harris Trial in Derbyshire yesterday.
In addition, four M types
entered - those of Messrs Dark, Rolfe, Rushton and Barber.
This particular hill included
this jump just after the start, and unless you went for it, a low score
was assured.
Three M's went for it.
Barber lined up, and then changed his mind.
More great Phil Jones shots
from the day will be included in our spring Magazine, M 157.
24th February 2016
Don't forget the Brooklands Museum Austin Morris Day on Sunday March 6th.
Full details here.
23rd February 2016 Welcome
to new member Andrew Fearnley who owns this interesting 1934 Minor shooting
brake, and we also welcome Peter Robinson who owns a 1932 Minor pickup,
both vehicles being conversions
from saloons. Peter's pickup was seen in the 1999 screen play of
Rosamunde Pilcher's 'Nancherrow' as a builder's truck.
22nd February 2016 The February Newslettter was distributed electrically today, and a copy has been lodged in the Newsletters section in the Members' Area.
19th February 2016 We
welcome Arthur Bell to the Register with his 1933 Minor saloon. Arthur
traveled almost four thousand miles in this car last year.
Arthur had been looking
for a tourer since 2013, but eventually found this very smart saloon.
Welcome Arthur!
(Photo Authur Bell)
19th February 2016
We extend a warm welcome to Ian Goddard of Leominster who joins us with
his 1931 MG F1 (now to F2 specification), chassis F 0283.
Here we see Ian at the wheel
as he leaves the startline at Pre-War Prescott last year. Ian also
has a P Type in build.
(Photo Phil Jones)
PV 1660 'Sweet Pea' at Angoulême, September last year for le Circuit International des Remparts
19th February 2016
Welcome to Tim Luffingham of Tonbridge who joins us with his 1934 MG PA
four-seater PV 1660, chassis PA 1392.
Tim acquired this car early
last year.
(Photo Tim Luffingham)
The front cover of our spring
magazine features David and Claire Rolfe with their daughters Eleanor and
Philippa
enjoying the VSCC Cotswold
Trial in November.
12th February 2016
The Winter Magazine was posted worldwide by our new print shop earlier
today.
This issue was delayed somewhat
by the closure of our previous print shop after over eighty years.
Finding and then transferring
the operation to the new printers has taken some time, but we are confident
that the result will be
worth the wait. Meanwhile, our spring 2016 issue nears completion
and will be deivered
to the print shop by the
end of this month, thereby getting us back on schedule.
12th February 2016
Peter and Steph Field of Nelson, New Zealand own this early Hundred Pound
Minor, chassis SV1012.
This chassis was laid down
at Cowley 85 years ago today. To celebrate, Peter and Steph took
their car for a Birthday run out to
Belgrove to take this picture
beside the restored windmill that pumped water for the Nelson
Railway steam trains.
Belgrove was the terminus
of the Nelson Railway Line from 1881 to 1899. Road transport continued
from there to the West Coast.
Belgrove was an important
station until the closure of the line in 1955. Windmills were once
a common feature of the railway landscape
and those remaining are
visible links with the age of steam locomotives. The Nelson railway
line was an important focus for the development
of the province and the
Belgrove windmill is one of only two such structures remaining in New Zealand.
A birthday lunch was
had in Wakefield where many people asked questions about the Morris.
It was a great day.
9th February 2016
Today we welcome Ian Davison of Haverhill, Suffolk to the Register with
his 1933 MG J2, seen here at Pre-War Prescott 2015.
(Photo Phil Jones)
8th February 2016 We
also welcome John Emmett to the Register. John owns this 1932 MG
J1 (J0346), seen here at Pre-War Prescott,
as well and a 1932 D Type
(D0430) and and M Type (2M/687) under restoration.
John has entered his J1
again for Pre-War Prescott 2016.
(Photo Chris Lambert)
8th February 2016
Today we welcome Jon Streeter to the Register. Jon has acquired this
1929 tourer (M15076) and is currently overhauling the engine
for the coming vintage motoring
season. This is the ex-the late Richard Shuker's car that Richard
re-imported to the UK from the USA where it
was owned by Arthur Hulnick
many decades ago.
1st February 2016
This fascinating book has just been published by the SU Carburetter Company.
In addition to the history of the relevant members of the Skinner family
and the SU Company,
the book has two chapters
devoted to Barbara and Peter Skinner's hillclimbing and sprinting activities
in the 1930s' and includes the details and history of the five Skinner
Specials -
three of which survive to
this day. Another chapter covers the period leading up to and during
World War Two when the SU Company manufactured aero-carburetters
initially for the stillborn
Wolseley radial aero-engines which led onto them producing carburetters
for the Rolls-Royce Merlin and Griffon and the Napier Sabre aero-engines
for many of the RAF's aircraft.
In 1944 the Merlin 100 series engines used in the Mosquito had SU single-point
fuel injection.
Order your copy here.
1st February 2016
Today we extend a warm welcome to Steven Kent of Leigh Sinton, Worcestershire
who has acquired this 1929 Minor tourer
from member Nick Williams.
Its claim to fame is that it was exported new to Malta, then repatriated
to the UK in 1954 aboard the Ark Royal aircraft carrier,
whereupon it was registered
JBK 920. This number was evidently lost after DVLA computerization
and has more recently acquired the number MM 9385.
Welcome Steven!
31st January 2016
The VSCC held their traditional New Year Driving Tests at Brooklands today.
The weather was as might
be expected in January with drizzle enough to soak the paper instructions
by the end of the first couple of tests.
The Brooklands Museum is
currently spending millions on new buildings and moving the Wellington
hangar off the finishing straight.
This hangar is about to
be taken down sent away for repair and then rebuilt in its new position.
Several VMR members competed
and a full report will appear in the spring Magazine.
(Photo - Clive Hamilton-Gould)
31st January 2016 The
2016 Summer Rally webpage was launched today!
Find the page here
and download your Entry Form here.
30th January 2016 The January Newsletter was launched into the ether yesterday and a copy may be found in the Members' Area.
Alan Cameron Gilg and Walter Kay (driving) at speed during the making of the Granada TV documentary 'Once in a Lifetime' in 1978
15th January 2016
We have been contacted by Chris Kay who is the nephew of Walter Kay, who
members will know as half of the
1933 Gilg and Kay expedition
in a brand new Morris Minor tourer from Liverpool to the Cape.
Alan Gilg and Walter Kay
lost touch after the expedition and only met again in 1978 when Granada
TV made their documentary TV programme of the expedition
entitled 'Turn Left, the
Riffs have Risen'. After that reunion, the families lost contact
again. The Register has been in contact with the Gilg family for
several years and now
another Gilg and Kay reunion
is a very real prospect - 38 years after the last one! Chris has
an additional wealth of photos and memorabilia relating to
his uncle's fascinating
life and the expedition. Follow this breaking story as it unfolds
on our Forum.
1st January 2016
Next up, David Hinds 'took' his M Type to the New Inn at Pembridge today.
Actually, this is David's garage - opposite the pub!
His house is appropriately
named Garage House.
1st January 2016 Meanwhile,
it was somewhat colder in England! Here's a well-wrapped Mike Wood
at The Duke at Bratton near Westbury in Wiltshire
in his slightly later 2-seater
'Henry'. Mike reports, "After the mildest December on record, New
Year's Day started very cold and has turned wet this afternoon."
Peter Field's 1931 Hundred Pound Minor (SV1012) at Cable Bay, New Zealand, New Year's Day 2016.
1st January 2016 Since
New Zealand is one of the first countries to greet the New Year, it was
perhaps appropriate that the first images of 2016 would come from there.
Peter Field who lives in
Nelson near the north end of South Island reports:
"Hi Ian, A response to your
request for pictures on Jan 1 2016. This afternoon we went on a family
picnic with the Minor to Cable Bay, 20 miles from home.
It was a beautiful day with
25 degree C temp. A great place for fishing and swimming, the bay
is so named because in the late 1800s it was the terminal for the
first telephone cable between
Australia and New Zealand. The picture above shows the boulder bank
across the bay with open sea to the left
and a to the right, with
a mudflat that is only covered with water at high tide."
11th December 2015
We extend a particularly warm welcome to our newest member, Albert Koolma
of The Hague, Holland.
Albert today became our
500th Register member. He and two friends have just bought this Hundred
Pound Minor and,
as you can see, share it
equally. (That's Albert in the rear seat.) Albert's other car
is a 1933 MG J2 (below) with which he entered Pre-War Prescott
in July as part of the Dutch
MG contingent organized by the Dutch MG Workshop. Welcome Albert!
11th December 2015.
The 2016 Register calendar has now been sent to every member and is also
downloadable from the Members' Area of the website.
The 2016 calendar features
fine images from our 2015 Summer Rally. If you would like a hard
copy, please contact the Register.
The historic moment when two Minors met in the middle of the Sahara. A screenshot from Disk 2.
29th November 2015
How about this for a unique Christmas gift? At long last we are now
able to offer complete sets of the original 8 mm cine films taken by Cameron
Gilg
and Walter Kay on their
record-breaking Liverpool to Capetown expedition in 1933 in a brand new
Morris Minor tourer. These original and fragile films were lost in
the seventies
when Granada TV made a documentaty
of the expedition. After years of searching, the originals, still
in their pre-war leather suitcase, were rediscovered
in a film archive in the
Midlands and have now been digitally re-mastered, preserving them for all
time. The Vintage Minor Register is delighted to be able to offer
the complete set of films
which fill no less than seven DVD's. The set comes with a free copy
of the 1970's Granada TV documentary.
The complete set of eight
DVD's is yours for £40 including worldwide shipping. If you
would like to order a set, please contact
the Register.
27th November 2015
Joining us today is Alan Filby with his 1931 SV Minor saloon DG 3005 (SV4383).
Alan purchased this car
for twenty five pounds from Wyboston Garages Ltd, of Bedford on 11th July
1957
which means that he has
owned and driven it for 58 years. Is this a Minor ownership record?
Welcome Alan!
Among our recent new members
is Nick Williams who has just acquired MM 9385 - a 1929 tourer with an
interesting history,
including being repartiated
to the UK from Malta in 1954 aboard the Ark Royal.
21st November 2015
After the rush of the Summer Rally, things have been quiet of the last
couple of months, but that is about to change
as we start the run-up to
2016. Our 2016 Summer Rally is set for 16th/17th July and entries
will be open by the end of November.
In anticipation, the Pre-War
Prescott website is undergoing a complete upgrade at www.prewarprescott.com.
We have had a host of new
member since July and many are listed in the Autumn Magazine that should
be with every member in the next few days.
Welcome, one and all!
Also in the next few days, the 2016 subs forms will be sent to everyone.
Your continued support of
the Register is very much appreciated.
26th July 2015 Just
arrived back in Seattle yesterday after a hugely successful Summer Rally.
We gathered over 150 cars at Prescott on Saturday
and followed this with a
record entry of forty on Sunday for the Enigma Navigation Rally and Scenic
Tour. We were incredibly lucky with the weather,
with only a brief shower
mid-morning on Sunday. In particular, we had a lovely summer evening
for the Hawker Hurricane display on Saturday evening
where 168 members and guests
witnessed a superb aerobatic display by R4118. We also welcomed five
new members to the Register over the weekend.
A full report on the weekend
will be included in Magazine M 155.
5th July 2015
We extend a very warm welcome to Tim McLoughlin who joined the Register
this week.
Tim has driven post-war
Minors for ten years or so, and his daily drive is a 1954 Minor.
But he has decided to take the plunge
and acquire a vintage Minor.
We are actively helping him with his search!
5th July 2015
Down in New South Wales, Ewan Lambess has completed the monumental restoration
of Y329 - one of those rare late 1929
chassis that were exported
by Morris Motors in 'knocked' down' form to avoid Australian import duties.
What makes this a monumental resotration is
the fact that when Ewan
acquired the car, it was a derelict chassis- in two pieces! It was
cut in half sometime in the fifties
and the rear was made into
a trailer. Nice job Ewan!
There are many more photos
of the restoration on on Fourm here.
4th July 2015
Our Summer Rally is two weeks today! We are expecting another record
turnout. The 14-day weather forecast is looking great,
we have a superb entry of
around 140 cars with more arriving every day. We have 142 tickets
taken up for the Saturday
evening Battle of Britain
Victory Party where the highlight will be the display by Battle of Britain
Hawker Hurricane R4118.
We also have a superb 40
cars entered for the Sunday Navigation Rally and Scenic Tour.
Jayne and I are flying to
London a week today and can't wait to meet everyone again!
If you have not yet
entered - with or without your car - do so IMMEDIATELY!
1st July 2015
We extend a warm welcome to Gerry Annett and his 1932 D Type MG.
Gerry has booked in for Pre-War Prescott
and is taking advantage
of the discounted entry fee for VMR members. We look forward very
much to meeting Gerry at Prescott.
18th June 2015
Our Summer Rally is one month today! Planning is going extremely
well for our biggest and best rally ever which will include for the first
time
a convoy of World War Two
military and RAF ‘heavy’ vehicles. These will be coming to us from
the Ashdown military camp near Evesham.
So don’t be surprised if
you are met by the Military Police on the gate when you arrive! If
you are planning to come along for the Pre-War Prescott Garden Party
and day of untimed climbs
on Saturday 18th July and/or the Navigation Rally or Scenic Tour on Sunday
19th, then please get your entry in without delay
so that we can arrange to
get your tickets to you in good time. If you are entering the Navigation
Rally, you will need Ordnance Survey map 150 (any edition),
but if you are entering
the Scenic Tour, your Tour Handbook will contain easy-to-follow route instructions.
And don’t forget our Friday evening informal reception
at the Shutters Inn in Gotherington
– just a couple of miles along the lane from Prescott. All most welcome!
29th April 2015
We are saddened to have to report the loss of another member. Peter
Widdison, aged 80 was
a founding member of the
Register with membership no. 21. Here he is seen with his modified
but much-traveled
and beloved OHC tourer.
He also owned a Family 8 saloon. It was through Peter that we were
able to track down the late Olive Willats'
fabric saloon which now
lives at VMR HQ. I have passed on our sympathies to his family via
his daughter Diana.
27th April 2015 Yesterday's
Drive-it Day brought out several Minors and M Types - including David Hinds
and his M, seen here on a halt
in Dilwyn, just west of
Leominster. Photos of other cars out and about yesterday have been
posted by members on our forum.
20th April 2015 A quick reminder that THIS SUNDAY 26th April is Drive-it Day!
12th April 2015 It
is with great sadness that I have to report that our member and stalwart
supporter Andrew Batey died yesterday aged 68 after a battle with cancer.
Andrew owned this 1934 Minor
which he has brought to our Summer Rallies many times and this year he
was planning to bring his 1939 Morris 8 series E tourer,
and we had jointly prepared
a feature article on the car for the Prescott rally programme.
He was one of the first
to enter this year and was greatly looking forward to the weekend again.
Andrew and I were both involved
in the Falklands campaign in 1982 - I was in the RAF and he was in the
Merchant Marine -
hence the Red Duster flying
proudly from his Morris above. Condolences on behalf of the club
to his wife and family.
1940 Hawker Hurricane Mk. 1 R4118 arrives at RAF Fairford for RIAT 2014
11th April 2015
Tremendous news! We have secured Hawker Hurricane R4118 for our Battle
of Britain 75th Anniversary Victory Party in the evening of Pre-War Prescott!
With 49 combat sorties,
five enemy aircraft destroyed, and being itself shot down in the Battle
of Britain, Hurricane R4118 is regarded as the most historic
British aircraft to survive
in flying condition from the Second World War. Even more significantly,
this historic aircraft is currently for sale and 2015
may very well be the last
time it is seen in the UK! Owner Peter Vacher is an old friend of
the Register and his wife owns the Hundred Pound Minor
on display at the National
Motor Museum at Beaulieu. The aircraft will be coming to us from
RAF Fairford and giving a full aerobatic display!
Do NOT miss this tremendous
party and very possibly one of the last chances to see this British icon
in the skies over England!
The Hurricane will not be
the only visiting aircraft this year. During the lunch break, we
also have a historic pre-war Tiger Moth displaying for us!
Full details and entry form
may be found here.
Per ardua
ad astra!
5th April 2015 Happy
Easter! Here's Janie and Phil Shepherd calling in to visit Clive
Hamilton-Gould on their way south yesterday to catch the Isle of Wight
Ferry.
See more images here
of their trip in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support as their trip progresses.
Brian Maeers in his beloved 1929 tourer ‘Prudence’. This photograph was taken shortly after Brian purchased the car in 1998.
3rd April 2015
Brian Maeers’ daughter Janie and her husband Phil are about to set off
this weekend from Market Harborough in Leicestershire
to circumnavigate the Isle
of Wight in order to raise funds for Macmillan Cancer Support, in return
for the support they provided to the family during Brian’s illness.
Brian died of cancer 19th
December 2013 after little warning. Janie has launched a JustGiving
fundraising website that can be found here
and we encourage everyone
to consider supporting Janie by making a small donation to this extremely
worthy cause.
29th March 2015 Sue and Richard Woodward on the VSCC Light Car Section's Welsh Trial earlier today. A great action shot by Phil Jones.
28th March 2015
Up in Yorkshire, Tony Gamble has run out of space for all his Minors -
again! So he is putting his very interesting 1930 CMS replica project
out for offers.
It is registered (V5C) VG
3260, with chassis no. M30850. The chassis was laid down 25/11/30
as a saloon. T he car is fitted with a new Enrique Llinares ash frame
and is the standard model
with standard Minor wings and running boards, making it a very stylish
car indeed. These standard models were offered by CMS with either
steel paneled or fabric
covered body's, so the car could be correctly completed in either material.
Further photos may be found on the Forum.
Contact
the Register for Tony's contact details if interested.
1st February 2015 And
still they turn up! This 1934 Minor 2-seater, JA 4208, has just been
discovered in a garage in Aldridge near Walsall in the West Midlands.
Dave Holland was clearing
out his late grandfasther's house when he opened the garage to find a slumbering
Minor.
His grandfather bought the
car from a Mr. John Mackley in 1969 and ran it until 1975, which is the
last sime it saw daylight - exactly forty years ago.
David is looking for a good
home for the car. More details can be obtained via
the Register.
VMR Honorary Members past and present. The late Robin Barraclough (left) and Peter Seymour
1st January 2015 HAPPY NEW YEAR to all our members and their families worldwide!
We are delighted to announce
that we have a Register New Year Honours List this year!
As many of you will know,
we sadly lost our Honorary Member Robin Barraclough in December.
But we are very pleased
to announce that the Morris historian Peter Seymour, a longstanding friend
of Robin
becomes an Honorary Member
of the Vintage Minor Register today.
In 1959, Peter commenced
a 5-year engineering apprenticeship with Morris Commercial Cars Ltd. in
Birmingham.
By 1974, he had risen to
work in the Service Marketing Department of Leyland Cars, Cowley, on special
projects.
By 1976, he was a Distributor
Development Executive with Leyland Vehicles Exports Ltd., resident in Singapore
covering the Southern Hemisphere
and in 1981 became General
Manager of Trans International, Singapore, the John Deere distributor for
Singapore, Indonesia and Burma.
In 1983, he returned to
the UK, becoming Managing Director of Vicarys of Battle Ltd. (his
family's retail motor business),
a position which he still
holds. The company was awarded a Morris franchise in 1924.
Over the years, Peter has
provided us with a wealth of historical Morris material for our Magazine.
Welcome Peter!
29th December 2014 Down
in Seaton, Devon, recent new member Alan Dolman is making superb progress
with his 1930 saloon BF 6638 (M28190).
He acquired the kit of parts
from Tony Gamble which included the chassis and a saloon body that had
been restored by Steve Lewsley and is now assembling
the whole into what will
be another vintage Minor that will be put back on the road before long.
Well done Alan!
28th December 2014 More
holiday reading! The sixth and final FBHVC Newsletter of 2014 is
now available
to members in the Members'
Area. The Vintage Minor Register is a proud member of the FBHVC,
and all
FBHVC Newsletters are archived
on this website as a service to our members, part of whose subscription
supports
the Federation and its vital
work to ensure that we can continue to enjoy our cars on the open road.
26th December 2014
Magazine M 151 is at the printers and will be with every member shortly.
In the meantime, hereis
a low resolution print proof version so you have something to read over
the holidays!
8th December 2014
The Register magazine is now being printed in the UK, and our new printers
- Stanley Hunt Printers Ltd. have produced
this outstanding 2015 calendar
for us, depicting the very best professional images captured at Pre-War
Prescott since the inauguration
of the event in 2011.
These calendars are now available for £15, including worldwide postage,
with £1 from every sale being donated
by the printers to the RAF
Charitable Trust. To secure your copy, simply contact
the Register by e-mail for ordering instructions.
Order now for delivery before
Christmas!
6th December 2014 The December Newsletter was distributed electrically today. A copy has been archived in the Members' Area of the website.
1st December 2014
Welcome to new member John Balson who lives in Maidenhead. John has
recently acquired this 1930 Minor saloon WD 1321 (M24783)
from David King who has
now permanently emigrated to Canada. David has completed much work
on the car over the years, including a full engine overhaul,
so John hopes to have this
fine vintage Minor back on the open road without undue delay.
14th October 2014
Mike Jones sent in some pictures of his 1930 Semi-sports at the Kop
Hill hillclimb in the Chilterns.
He is seen here in the paddock
with Helen Barnard, the wife of the organizer.
14th August 2014
Getting back to normal (whatever that is!) after a super visit to England
and of course our Summer Rally, Pre-War Prescott
and a hugely enjoyable VMR
Lakeland Weekend. Prescott was superb again this year. In spite
of the Biblical deluge in the morning, we had a record attendance
all round, including no
less than twenty Minors. Thanks to everyone who came along, and in
particular all of you who helped marshal the day and man our tent,
sometimes in trying conditions!
A full report will be included in the Autumn Magazine - M 151.
The partially-restored White Minor at VMR Prescott, 2005
10th July 2014
First off, sincere apologies for the lack of updates lately - planning
and preparation for our trip to England and our Summer Rallies has swamped
all else.
However, we do have some
very significant late-breaking news regarding our Summer Rally at Prescott.
SU Carburetters will not only be bringing their
Skinner Triangle Special
once again (the car based on the original 'Red Minor'), but also this year,
the White Minor, campaigned so successfully in the thirties
by Barbara Skinner.
This car has been the subject of a protracted and meticulous restoration
for many years by David Baldock. Although not running quite yet,
the car now features its
'new' engine - an heroic recreation of the original blown SV Minor engine.
It is believed that this will be the first time the pair of historic Skinner
Specials
have been united since 1937!
A number of Skinner family members will also be joining us on the day,
including Annabelle Swain (Barbara Skinner's daughter),
Richard Skinner and other
family members, as well as several people who have been closely associated
with the White Minor over its long history,
and also by author Mike
Harvey who is about to publish the authorized history of SU.
3rd June 2014 Further
to the June Newsletter, the Lakeland
Weekend has been RE-INSTATED.
Currently there are three
MMM MG's entered plus a fifties Morris owned by Register member Mike Taylor.
If any other Register members
would like to join us at Loweswater - in a Morris, M or modern, do
get in touch.
3rd June 2014
Every year, the third Saturday of May is the day for the Meet The M.G in
Japan. This year, 17th May was the day for that gathering.
It was the 25th Meet The
M.G. and MG 90 was also celabrated -marking the 90th Anniversary
of the first MG.
This year, the overseas
director of the MGCC-UK, Mr.Paul Plummer joined this gathering.
The venue was the Shin-Nishinomiya
Yacht Harbour as usual. It was a beautiful day, and 33 MGs including
three MMM gathered
from all over the country.
Kenji Matsuoka's M Type (left) joined this gathering sporting its new VMR
badge.
12/5/14 Many
years ago, the Register was in correspondence with certain individuals
in Romania regarding a
unique 1928 Morris Minor
that was built for the King Michael (Mihai) of Romania. The car was
a gift for him, when he was aged 9.
It left Cowley as a chassis
(chassis MM1078, engine 990) and received its special coupe coachwork built
in Austria.
The car is now to be shipped
to the UK for restoration and the Register has been asked to provide guidance
and assistance.
We look forwared very much
to doing so.
27/4/14 The
big news from the Drive-it Day weekend was that Ian Harris, owner of a
rare Cunard-bodied Morris 10/6 Special
traveled to France to meet
John Seddon and returned today as the proud new owner of John's Calshot-bodied
Minor.
We are delighted to report
that the car is safely back in the UK and taxed and insured.
And best wishes to John
in his retirement, and who wishes to remain a member of the Register.
Seven VMR members attended
the 2012 Morris Register of Australia's Rally. John is third from
the right in this photo.
John's 1929 Minor roadster,
seen here, took home the Minor trophy.
23/4/14 As mentioned
below, we lost John Wien-Smith, a founding member (number 10) of the Register
recently.
In 2001, John received award
from The Sporting Car Club of South Australia, for 50 years of membership.
He also found out that he
had been made Life Member of the UK Morris Register after 25 years of membership.
His father was an early
member of the Sporting Car Club of SA, and ran a single-cylinder 1904 De
Dion Bouton.
John still owned that vehicle
until his passing, and some time ago shipped it to
the UK to join in with The
London to Brighton Run.
We send out sincere condolences
to John's family.
22/4/14 Nigel
Stroud's heroic restoration of 12/12 rep. KW 7956 (2M/927) is nearing completion
near Chipping Norton and he hopes to have the car ready for our Summer
Rally.
This is the ex-Tim Miller
car, and was a wreck when Nigel acquired it. The car joins Nigel's
other slightly earlier M Type PO 1357 (2M/734).
Great job, Nigel!
From left to right are Gary Kingston, Ewan Lambess, Ted Pavitt, and Max and Jane Dawkins
22/4/14 The Australian
Morris National Rally was held at Forbes NSW over the Easter long weekend.
92 Morris vehicles ranging
from 1913 through to 70's examples turned up, including four pre-war Minors
- three OHC and one SV.
Max and Jane Dawkins were
there with their blue buckboard, Ted Pavitt with his white two-seater,
Ewan Lambess with grey 2 seater and Gary Kingston with his green side valve
tourer.
Saturday was an all day
display day followed by a 140 km run on Sunday. We're pleased to
say that all Minors behaved themselves and completed the day with no issues.
It was sad to hear of the
passing of VMR Member John Wein-Smith of South Australia who had a very
original '29 Minor.
John was founding member
number ten of the Register.
Thanks to Ewan Lambess for
this report and photograph.
10/4/14 Today
the April Newsletter was launched into the ether worldwide, and a copy
has been archived in the Members' Area of this website.
Also archived today was
the latest FBHVC Newsletter which can also be found in the Members' Area.
2/4/14 And hearty
congratulations to Clive Hamilton-Gould and Sue Woodward who both thrashed
the hoards of Austin Sevens with their Minors at the Light Car Welsh!
Clive in his 1930 Minor
tourer DG 325 was the overall winner of the sporting trial, beating ALL
the Austin 7's - and all others including the GN's.
And Sue also achieved a
1st Class Award and the Winifred Boddy Trophy for being the top scoring
lady driver.
This is another fantastic
Minor triumph that shows just what our cars - and our members - are
capable of!
(Photo - David Hinds)
29/3/14 The
VSCC Light Car Section is gathering in Wales for their traditional Welsh
Weekend this weekend. Here are Sue and Richard Woodward,
recently returned to the
UK from overseas RAF postings enjoying themsleves in the Welsh countryside
once again.
Today's roue took the light
car crews on a punishing 130 mile route as taken by the 1924 Light Car
trial 90 years ago.
Clive Hamilton-Gould is
also entering his 1930 Minor tourer this weekend, and also Alan Webber
with his M Type.
An excellent day out was
had by all in lovely springtime sunshine - at last!
(Photo - David Hinds)
ANO 17 and some boating enthusiasts
25/2/14 And today Philip Young also joins us. Philip has
just acquired the rare 1933 tourer ANO 17 (SV30864) which has been a regular
attendee of our Summer Rallies with Clive Holland.
If you recall, this car is identical to that driven by Gilg and Kay from
Liverpool to Cape Town in 1933 and we were delighted to show the car to
the Gilg family at Prescott
in 2012 and 2013. It is particularly apposite that Philip has acquired
the car as he runs the Endurance Rally
Association and recently broke the record for the drive from Cape Town
to London
his Fiat Panda (with the same size engine as the Minor). He was so
inspired by the story of the Gilg and Kay Expedition detailed by the Register
that he went straight out and bought the Minor!
We look forward to seeing ANO 17 once again at Prescott in July with its
new owner. And of course the Gilgs will be there to meet him.
Tony Gaston's 1934 Minor has spent most of the time since 1962 laid up, but is about to receive a new lease of life
25/2/14 We are
delighted to welcome Tony Gaston who joins us with his 1934 Minor saloon
BPB 177 (SV35916).
This car had been off the road since 1962 when it was purchased by Tony's
father-in-law in 1974, partially rebuilt and painted maroon.
It attended the Yeovil Festival of Transport in 1982, '83 and '84 when
half shaft broke. It was repaired but was then laid up until
Tony's father-in-law died
recently and BPB 177 was passed on to Tony.
4/2/14 The 2014
vintage motoring season kicked off last Saturday with the VSCC's Driving
Tests at Brooklands.
Three VMR members took part
- Clive Hamilton-Gould in his 1930 Minor tourer, and John Haine and Nigel
Stroud in their M Types.
Here we see John's 1932
M Type with Nigel's 1929 model behind. (Photo - Phil Jones)
19/12/13 It
is with deep sadness that we must report that Brian Maeers passed away
last night.
Brian was diagnosed with
cancer shortly after our rally at Manor Farm in July.
We have lost a towering
character and great proponent of the Morris Minor.
To Heidi, his children,
grandchildren and all the family we send our sincere sympathies.
9/12/13 Our
Winter Magazine is being packed and is about to ship worldwide. Your
copy should be with you in time for a good Christmas read!
The cover depicts ‘The Last
Collection Before Christmas’, a delightful seasonal rendition by Kevin
Walsh.
Inside there are all the
usual articles, plus a major feature on the completion of the Minor Genome
which
analyses the entire Minor
production from 1928 to 1934. There is also a fascinating article
written by Cameron Gilg for the
Vacuum Oil Company of South
Africa’s house magazine ‘The Gargoyle’, recounting his Expedition from
Liverpool to Cape Town in 1933.
As a special
Christmas treat for everyone - members or not, here
is the print proof copy of the Magazine.
If you are not yet a member
of the Vintage Minor Register, but would like to join us and receive our
Magazine quarterly,
as well as our monthly
Newsletters and other Register services, simply complete and return the
2014
Membership Form.
8/12/13 Rachel
Bolton-King in her late steel paneled M Type APB 298 at the VSCC's Winter
Driving Tests at
St. George's Barracks, Bicester,
Oxfordshire yesterday. For some reason this car wasn't registered
until 3rd January 1933,
resulting in it being given
the three letter, three digit number.
(Photo Phil Jones)
6/12/13 And
still they keep turning up! This highly original 1931 MG D Type has
just surfaced in India. With chassis number D0401, this car is owned
by
Venkatram Reddy in Hyderabad.
The car has been in the family for some thirty years and is to be restored.
Apart from the dashboard and instruments,
the car is in amazingly
original condition. Thanks to Ted Hack of the MG
D Group for this story.
28/11/13 Here's
wishing our far-flung membership a Happy Thanksgiving from VMR HQ!
(Martin Redmond's Semi-sports
special on the VSCC John Harris Trial - photo Phil Jones)
22/11/13 We
extend a warm welcome to Peter Oliver who owns this 1933 SV Minor.
Fitted with a post-war Morris Minor engine which required
the radiator to be pushed
forward and a number of other bodywork modifications, there is no hiding
the Jensen origins of the body.
Whether this was originally
a Jensen Special or a McEvoy Special is currently under detailed investigation.
Either way, this is a very
rare Minor indeed. Much more can be read about this car on our Forum.
21 11/13 Today
we welcome Mick Roberts who owns this extremely nice 1932 Minor 2-seater.
Here we see him winning
the best Minor award at the Morris Register's Thoresby Hall Rally earlier
this year.
Congratulations Mick!
Spectacular and secret Loweswater in the far corner of the Lake District.
16/11/13 Today
we launch the 2014 VMR Lakeland Weekend, to take place over the weekend
of 26th/27th July next year.
We will be spending a very
relaxed and enjoyable few days based at the Grange
Country House, Loweswater, in the far north-west of the Lakes,
far from the madding crowds
of Windermere and Ambleside. Preliminary details may be found here.
16/11/13 In
1976, television producer Barry Cockroft made a documentary about the Gilg
and Kay Liverpool to Cape Town expedition for Yorkshire TV.
During the making of the
documentary, Gilg and Kay were reunited for the first time since 1933.
The programme shows the
pair meeting at Gilg's country home and motoring in this 1933 Minor tourer
- an identical model to that used
in the expedition.
It also includes many fascinating 16 mm cine film clips from the expedition.
The programme, titled 'Turn
Left - the Riffs have Risen', was shown twice on ITV as part of the 'Once
in a Lifetime' series.
We showed the programme
at our Summer Rally this year in the Clubhouse at Prescott where it captivated
the audience.
We are delighted to announce
that the Register can now offer DVD copies of this historic documentary
for £20 including
worldwide postage. Please contact
the Register if you would like a copy.
16/11/13 Up
in Southport, Martyn Griffiths has this very tidy 1932 saloon (SV14602)
for sale.
It's in nice original condition,
lots of patina and the interior is mainly original. The engine was
rebuilt in the winter of 2011.
It has a 4 speed box, and
Martyn is asking £4,500 for the car which makes it very good value.
Contact
Martyn for more details.
15/11/13 Today
we extend a warm welcome to Kenny Moffat of Motherwell, Scotland who collected
JJ 9069 today.
JJ 9069 (SV26797) is a very
smart 1933 saloon that was auctioned by Bonhams back in 2010, but has recently
been offered for sale
through
Bonhams again, due to the passing of the elderly owner. Welcome
to the Register, Kenny!
14/11/13 Congratulations
to Derek Chatto on the acquisition of his 1931 M Type, MG 1930 (2/M2620).
Derek has a couple of year's
work ahead of him, but intends using the car for trials. This M was
originally registered JV 291.
12/11/13 Today
we extend a warm welcome to Eddie Torr of Rotherham, South Yorkshire who
joins us
with his 1932 Minor saloon
JK 2439 (SV18796). Eddie recently acquired this car and is currently
restoring it apace.
He reports that someone
has previously painted it with a yard brush! It is being repainted
black and maroon.
Welcome, Eddie!
12/11/13 The
ex-Hamish Orr Ewing 1932 LWB OHC Family Eight is up for sale - in Japan.
Hamish carried out a sympathetic
but expensive restoration of this very original car back in 2005 including
a new Phoenix crank and rods before offering the car for sale.
In M 119, Hamish reoported,
"It now goes quite well - quicker than an unmodified Minor, but not of
course compared to a Minor with similar mods.
Where would we be without
Mike Dowley?! All this has cost lot of money and is quite uneconomic,
but if one is going to make economic judgments one wouldn’t own
this sort of thing to start
with. I have a great affection for these cars because, when in the
Army in 1946, I bought one for £30 to visit my then girl friend.
It was a completely dependable
little car. These cars were far superior to the Austin 7 on which,
like so many of my generation, I learned to drive,
in my case around the roads
on our property in Perthshire, at the age of 12. The Austin’s clutch
and brakes were atrocious and the engine wouldn't pull the skin of a rice
pudding!"
Since then Hamish, a past
Chairman of Jaguar Cars, has campaigned his Derby Bentley at VMR Summer
Rallies, including Pre-War Prescott this year.
Hamish sold the car in 2005,
after which it was sold on to the current owner in Japan.
Find the full details of
the Family Eight here
- if you can read Japanese!
5/11/13 Ian
Harris (seen here on a VMR Summer Rally in his 10/6 Cunard Special) lives
in Hitchin, Hertfordshire
has supplied our spares
needs for many years. His latest catalogue of Minor/M Type spares
may be downloaded here.
4/11/13 A very
significant opportunity has arisen to acquire an outstanding vintage Minor.
Albert Spence, founder member
no. 20 of the VMR lives up on Orkney and is reluctantly selling his 1929
Minor fabric saloon MM 9063 (M11282).
Albert has owned and driven
this car since 1986 and it comes with much history. The car has had
a total body off restoration and is very sound.
The engine has recently
been rebuilt by Sports and Vintage Motors and is about run in by now.
Reason for Sale - due to
his age Albert is down-sizing his collection to his 1932 M Type MG and
1926 Cowley Tourer.
Interested parties should
call Albert on 01856/771295 without delay.
1/11/13 The November Newsletter was circulated by e-mail today. A copy may be found in the Members' Area.
21/10/13 Little
and large. Meanwhile, a little further north in the quiet Northamptonshire
lanes, new member Martin and Jean Gregory exercised their 1930 saloon
and were joined by a friend
with his 1927 Oxford tourer. This was the first real outing that
Martin had given the car - 23 miles without incident.
First stop was a wonderful
church in Whiston (built in 1534 and hardly changed since) and then off
to Castle Ashby for coffee. Then a stop for photos on
Yardley Chase with Castle
Ashby as the backdrop on our way to the Rose and Crown at Yardley Hastings
for lunch. The party then returned to
Castle Ashby to see the
gardens before driving home for tea.
21/10/13 Glass
half full? VMR members Pat Guthrie-Jones (left) and Peter Hills with
his Minor tourer at the Phoenix yesterday.
Pat is a local man, but
Peter drove down from Putney for the meet. Peter's 'Out of Africa'
car is named Chiriappala
(which is Bemba for the
one with no hair, i.e. a tourer!). A milestone was recorded, DS9936
passing the 5,000 mile mark since restoration,
which, Peter says, may not
seem much since 1992, but the car was off the road for a few years with
a damaged diff.
and then spent the last
nine years garaged while Peter was in India.
The spectacular San Juan islands from Orcas Island, one of the stops on our Two Hemispheres Rally in the Pacific Northwest in August 2015.
3/10/13 The
second in our monthly Two Hemispheres planning Newsletters was circulated
today and a copy may be found in the Members' Area.
(The October VMR Newsletter
has also been uploaded to the Members' Area this afternoon.)
17/9/13 We are
delighted to welcome Martin Gregory to VMR membership. Martin has
acquired the ex-James Wheeler, ex-Tim Brown and Elina Helenius
1930 Minor coachbuilt saloon
UF 7090 (M31579). Martin lives in Weston Favell, Northampton.
Many moons ago, Martin onwed a very early Hundred Pound
Minor 2-seater with chassis
number SV306, which is, apparently, still extant on a SORN. More
about this car in M 147.
Welcome, Martin!
5/9/13 The date
for our autumn pub meet at The Phoenix, Hartley Wintney, Hampsire will
be Sunday 20th October - the week before the clocks go back.
Please make a note of the
date. Of late, turnout at our spring and autumn pub meets has been
quite disappointing, so please make a real effort to come along
in your Minor, M or modern
if you are within striking distance. This is the pub where the Vintage
Sports-Car Club was founded in 1934, and they have been meeting there ever
since.
5/9/13 Today
two Newsletters were circulated to members by e-mail - the September VMR
Newsletter and the first of what will become monthly Newsletters
providing news, information
and updates as the planning for our 2015 Two Hemispheres Rally progresses.
Both Newsletters may be
found in the Members' Area of the website.
8/8/13 The latest FBHVC Newsletter was received this morning and has been uploaded to the Members' Area of the website.
Washington State car ferries connect Seattle and the Puget Sound with the San Juan Islands and Vancouver Island
1/8/13 The Vintage Minor Register is extremely excited to announce The Two Hemispheres Rally, 2015.
We are planning a rally right
here at VMR HQ in Seattle! One of the unfortunate aspects of the
Register is that we have two main communities of members –
one in the UK and Europe,
and the other in Australia and New Zealand. Apart from one or two
visitors, it has never been possible to truly bring
our antipodean members into
the mainstream of our events.
Until now.
This will be the 2015 VMR
Two Hemispheres Rally. Here’s the basic plan. It is possible
to fit six of our cars into a 40’ container – by double-decking the container,
thereby dramatically reducing
shipping costs. We therefore plan to ship at least one container
from England and at least another from Australia/New Zealand
in order to gather a dozen
cars or more here in the Pacific Northwest for at least two weeks of concentrated
rallying and touring, with the possibility of extending
over four weeks for those
who wish to stay longer. We will be visiting and touring the incomparable
San Juan Islands where we will take a whale watching trip
to meet the resident Orca
pods, crossing Stevens Pass in the dramatic Cascade Mountains to visit
the German town of Leavenworth and the beautiful Lake Chelan.
We will cross Puget Sound
to visit the Olympic Peninsula and mountains, we will visit Paradise, high
on Mount Rainier, to see the incredible alpine flowers among the glaciers
and we may also get up into
British Columbia and Vancouver Island. And much, much more in this
most spectacularly scenic corner of North America.
VMR HQ will host numerous
social events during the rally and full maintenance facilities will be
available onsite – as will a couple of spare Minors and several moderns
for those not able to ship
theirs (we would welcome any members – with or without their cars).
The Register will shortly be initiating a regular Two Hemispheres Newsletter
to interested parties, so
if you would like to be included in the circulation list (and with absolutely
no obligation!), please simply e-mail
the Register.
Detailed planning can then
get under way, but in the meantime, we can promise that this will be the
rally of a lifetime for those able to make it.
And of course we will welcome
members from across the US, Canada and elsewhere, and provide all possible
logistics support where required.
Much more news as plans
develop.
1/8/13 The August Newsletter was distributed electrically last night and can now also be found in the Members' Area of the website.
31/7/13 After
eight years of research at Gaydon, the original Morris Minor production
records have been completely computerized by the Register.
The OHC and SV Minor 'Genomes'
are finally complete and available for study in the Member's Area of the
website. They record chassis build data
for OHC chassis MM101 to
M39199 and SV Minor chassis SV101 to SV47332.
28/7/13 Just
back from a fabulous two weekends VMR rallying in the UK. The Midland
Weekend at Brian and Heidi Maeer's Manor Farm was superb,
as was Pre-War Prescott
and our Summer Rally. Huge thanks to everyone who attended - particularly
those who marshaled, of course. Special thanks go to Brian Maeers
for hosting the superb Midland
Weekend and for loaning Jayne and I one of his tourers for the weekend,
so that we could take part. Both weekends enjoyed
the superb weather of this
record-breaking July. Around 160 Edwardian, vintage and pre-war cars
gathered for Pre-War Prescott and there were 495 climbs
of this historic hill during
the day. Full reports will be included in the Autumn Magazine, M
147. Peter McFadyen's images of the Prescott weekend may be found
here.
Now the planning gets into
top gear for 2014!
6/7/13 We're
all set for the Midland Weekend next weekend and our Summer Rally including
Pre-War Prescott the following weekend.
Jayne and I fly to England
(via Frankfurt!) next Thursday and will be in the Cock Inn, Peatling Magna
in the evening after driving down from Manchester airport.
So what on earth has the
above photo to do with these weekends? Absolutely nothing, except
this will be the venue for a VERY special VMR gathering in 2015.
Much more after we get back
from England.
6/6/13 Nimrod
- the Mighty Hunter! This is the first production Nimrod, XV226,
c/n 8001 which is preserved at the Cold War Jet Collection, Bruntingthorpe.
We'll be visiting the Collection
during our Midland Weekend in July. XV226 is special to me as it
was one of my aircraft when I was an Engineering Officer on 42 Sqn.,
RAF St. Mawgan during the
late seventies/early eighties. I'm planning to give rallyists an
informative tour of the aircraft - not to be missed! We will also
be able to get up close
and personal with the other
aircraft in the Collection, including a Victor, Hunter, Canberra, Comet,
2 off Lightnings , Starfighter, Mystere, Sea Vixen,
4 off Buccaneers, 4 off
Jet Provosts, Super Guppy, Iskra and a Jaguar. We will also be able
to park our cars close to the aircraft for photos.
If you have not yet entered,
but would like to do so, full details of the weekend and an Entry Form
may be found here.
30/5/13 The
May Newsletter was distributed by e-mail to all members this morning (just
in time!) and has been archived in the Members' Area.
If you are a member and
did not receive the Newsletter, please let me know.
10/5/13 And also welcome to Andy Brown who joins us with his equally smart and original 1934 saloon, recently acquired from Register member Richard Mace.
10/5/13 Welcome
to new member Paul Critchley who owns this very smart and original 1932
saloon which he recently purchased.
The above photo was taken
at Brooklands during their annual Austin/Morris Day in March.
VMR member Michael Banfield receiving the Transport Trust's Lifetime Achievement Award from Prince Michael of Kent in July 2007
3/5/13 Yesterday
I learned of the sad passing of one of our members - Michael Banfield of
Staplehurst, Kent.
Michael joined our Register
just last year when he acquired the highly original Minor
5 cwt. Van PJ 5453 from Steve Johnstone.
We send our sincere condolences
to his family. Michael's obituary may be found here.
3/5/13 We are
delighted to announce that the Vintage Minor Register has been accepted
as a member of the Federation of British
Historic Vehicle Clubs.
The FBHVC exists to uphold
the vital freedom we enjoy to drive our historic cars on the open road.
It does this by representing our interests to politicians,
government officials and
legislators, both in the UK and (through the Federation Internationale
des Vehicules Anciens) in Europe.
There are over 500
subscriber organisations representing a total membership of over 250,000
in addition to individual and trade supporters.
Membership of the Federation
further raises the standing of our Register and will bring many important
benefits to our members in the future.
2/5/13 Those
of you who are following the Gilg Expedition diary (link above) will notice
that tomorrow, the diary will reach its one hundredth page.
The Gilg's diary of the
trip is developing, day by day, into a fascinating insight into life in
the thirties in the Dark Continent - a look back to another age.
Eighty years ago today,
Gilg and Kay had reached Eldoret in Kenya on their way to Cape Town.
Here they met up with this 1932 model Minor tourer.
Notice the handy bathing
facilities at their hotel!
30/4/13 We are
very excited to announce that our 2013 Summer Rally Navigation Tour and
parallel Scenic Tour (Sunday 21st July)
will conclude at the spectacular
Stanway House, home of Lord Wemyss. Rallyists from last year will
undoubtedly remember the incredible 300
ft gravity fountain,
and His Lordship has very
generously offered to run it again - twice - for us this year at the conclusion
of the day. NOT to be missed!
Entry to both events is
open to all pre-war cars, and an entry form may be downloaded here.
30/4/13 This
the perfect time to pick up a vintage Minor for the coming motoring season.
Right now, there is a mouthwatering collection of
vintage Minors on the market
- including four OHC saloons (two very much on the button and two projects,
including the above car
currently being offered
by Tony Gamble), three Semi-sports (one in concours condition and two projects),
a concours Cunard Calshott, a Maddox and a McEvoy.
Take your pick! These
can all be found on our Marketplace
page. If anyone needs any further information on any of these cars,
please contact
the Register - we'd be delighted to help.
And incidentally, the CMS
(see 26/4/13 below) was successfully auctioned in Ireland yesterday for
7,000 Euros. A bargain for someone!
27/4/13 (In
New Zealand!) Today marks the 80th Birthday of our Founder and Honorary
Member Jack Blyth. A resident of New Zealand, Jack
has been a Minor stalwart
for decades. He flew from New Zealand to be at our inaugural Summer
Rally in 2001, and famously bought a suitcase of spares for members!
Ten years ago, to mark his
70th Birthday (and the 75th Anniversary of the Morris Minor), Jack took
his fabric saloon on a 1,400 mile circumnavigation
of New Zealand's South Island.
In the summer of 2005, we sent our son William to New Zealand and Austraila
for his 18th Birthday.
William stayed with Jack
who took him all over South Island and gave him a very special holiday,
for which William will always be very grateful.
To mark Jack's 80th Birthday, here are some of the articles that he has provided for the Register's Magazine over the years.
Happy 80th Jack!
M103
- Jack Blyth's Fabric Saloon
M
108 - Jack Blyth planning his South Island Circumnavigation
M
111 - More Planning
M
112 - Outside front cover
M
112 - Jack Blyth's South Island Tour
M
115 - Jack Blyth's West Coast Tour
M
116 - Outside front cover
26/4/13 The
ex-George Bryne, ex-Tony Foot 1930 CMS Special (M20036) is to be acutioned
in Ireland by Mealy's next Monday 29th April.
George acquired this car
in a poor state in December 1992 from D Page who had owned it since 1973.
He then undertook a complete restoration.
The rear of the car is non-standard,
but nevertheless, this is a rare opportunity to pick up a genuine vintage
Minor special.
Auction details may be found
here.
26/4/13 The April Newsletter was lauched into the ether today and has also been uploaded to the Members' Area of the website.
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The Vintage Minor Register - it's about time