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September2020

In This Issue... Candles Update

Shockingly good!

Fancy a quiche, luv?

Meet the members

Horses for courses

Gold Cup

MG5 EV

If I were a rich man…

Name that car!

Electrickery

Merchandise

Forthcoming Events

2021 Club Update

Contact Us

Send us an email for more information about the club’s activities or to join us. Angie Haughton - Area Secretary angie_neston@btinternet.com Neil Wallace - Candles Charity & Tours neil.d.wallace@me.com Mike Haughton - Merchandise & MGCC mgc_mike@btinternet.com Martin Williamson - PR/Newsletter martin@mginfo.co.uk Steve Brace - Treasurer stevejbrace@gmail.com Volunteers: Neil Kennedy, Richard Hayes, and Matt Brookfield.

Visit us on the web at:

www.westcheshiremgoc.club

Cover photo: by Martin Williamson

From the club desk...

This being late with the publication is becoming a thing of habit and this month I am not even going to dream up an excuse!

However, once again our thanks to our contributors and sponsors, and hopefully you will enjoy the magazine. With little resistance, I lost my BEV virginity in an MG ZS EV last month and I was blown away by it, too! That should get you reading the content more closely! Whilst still on the electrical puns and double entendres, Neil Shirley has been polishing his bullets and blowing a fuse or two, and another BEV is due to join the MG line-up. Meanwhile, with all the wet weather, Mike Haughton has been dreaming of his lottery win spend, and Neil Wallace has put together a very tough quiz! Another quickie from Stuart brings us all up to speed with Lorraine and this month’s content.

Our August evening run to Manor Wood Caravan Park was organised by Steve Brace and went very well with a good attendance. Thank you, Steve!

As mentioned last month, Mike Haughton is now taking care of the merchandise and has a new product for you, a softshell jacket, which having seen it, looks very good!

Do make sure you take a look at the events for the remainder of the year and check the website for updates. For September, the Chester Lakes Sunday Breakfast Meets is still going ahead and indeed, will comply with the guidelines thanks to the management team on site doing their best to ensure everyone’s safety. As you will see in the Club Event page and on the website, the Sunday, 20th September Breakfast Meet also ties in with our monthly meet and club run out for afternoon tea. We are limiting numbers so please get in touch with Steve Brace if you would like to join in. All the remains is to wish you all well, and I hope we’ll see some of you during the month..

Martin Williamson

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Keith Davis & Son Ltd

Parsonage Garage

Family run, customer focused business, committed to providing value for

money and traditional honest service & repairs on all modern and classic

cars.

Worked in the motor trade since 1971 and established in Aldford

since 1993.

Work undertaken on all makes & models - modern or classic.

Traditional servicing methods used combined with modern

diagnostic technology.

Classic car enthusiast and MGB owner for many years.

Maintenance, repairs and MOT testing undertaken on all classic

cars including MGs.

Parsonage Garage, Middle Lane, Aldford, Chester, CH3 6JA

01244 620 399 or 07714 157200

keithdavis.citroen@hotmail.com citroen-specialist-chester.co.uk

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We don’t need to remind anyone that the 2020 Cheshire Candles Charity Run never took place! That said, what did happen was a lot of generous participants told the organisers to hold on to their entry fees for the two nominated charities, namely; Brain Injury Rehabilitation & Development (BIRD) and The Clatterbridge Cancer Charity.

BIRD was nominated in recognition of the fact that Lucy Stuchbury at the Bellis Bros. Garden Centre has been instrumental for the last few years in assisting us with contacts along with allowing us the use of the garden centre and Lucy is a supporter and volunteer of BIRD.

Sadly, as many of you will recall, one of our own, a volunteer, sponsor and club

member, Stuart Bebbington, and his family lost their wonderful wife and mother to cancer earlier this year and hence their request for The Clatterbridge Cancer Charity.

As is usual in August, we handed over the money raised to both charities. This year, however, it was a little different as were unable to do this at our usual monthly meeting in the evening. Instead, a number of members gathered on at Chester Lakes where we able to enjoy the sunshine and safely, outdoors, do the necessary, with Stuart, Katie, Grace and Holly assisting.

For 2021 we can now confirm that the event will be held on Sunday, the 9th of May, 2021, and will continue with the planned start, mid-point and finish and route from 2020. We will also be looking to nominate two more charities for 2021. More details for booking etc. to follow.

The Cheshire Candles Charity Update.

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As we’ve written in these pages before the electric vehicle pre-dates the internal combustion engine by some measure. That said, anecdotal evidence suggests that as classic enthusiasts we are all about the visceral pleasures of owning petrol engine powered cars; the noise, the smell, the oil leaks, the regular servicing, the fine tuning of the carbs...hang-on, this is starting to sound like a masochistic hobby. Oh, it is, as I have just been informed. Most sensible people opt for the easy option. Which of course explains today’s plethora of mostly reliable new cars on the market with auto-everything! So having firmly staked myself in the sadistic camp, you’d think I would be nowhere to be found when it comes to more than one 12V battery in a car! For those that don’t know me, I have always lead a double life, as it were, with an unhealthy interest in classic cars and new cars in equal measures. I suppose as an engineer I am always curious as to how things have progressed so I tend to

read as much about modern automotive engineering and design as I do about the technology from the past. Which of course lead me to watching the current (no pun intended) series on Quest called “Vintage Voltage”. Based in mid-Wales, the firm, Electric Classic Cars, offers a service to convert classic cars to electric, usually in a reversible manner. This is just one of a number of growing business start-ups in the last decade. Probably the most famous electric classic car to date would be Jaguar’s own conversion of the E-type which famously featured at someone’s wedding a few a years ago watched by millions across the globe. Jaguar offer this completely reversible conversion to owners of E-types. However, there are several businesses now offering Battery Electric Vehicles (BEV) in the form of the classic Mini and, naturally, the MGB, using Heritage shells. None of these come cheap. The Mini, for example, costs £90,000. Even watching the “Vintage Voltage” show, it’s apparent that the conversions will be at least £20,000 upwards which does make it difficult to justify when dealing with classic MGs that are typically around £10,000 in value. So where is all this heading? Having spent time watching the show and trying to understand the lure of BEVs, especially in classic form, I felt that in order to make an informed opinion, it would be necessary to drive one to experience what the fuss is all about. That’s exactly what I did, thanks to Nick

Hodge at Gallaghers MG! Whilst dropping in copies of the latest “WC Reading Matter” one Saturday morning, Nick passed us the keys to the MG ZS EV. On paper, the ZS has a performance similar to our 2.2L diesel Evoque in getting to 60mph., and is a few seconds quicker than the petrol ZS. The first thing I noted was the simplicity of getting to grips with everything. It’s straightforward, press an “On” button, engage Drive and push the accelerator. Otherwise, apart from a lack of gears, everything else is as we’re used to in normal ICE (Internal Combustion Engine) vehicles. I could not help myself, though and on reaching the end of the 30mph limit on the long straight road towards the British Airbus factory, I brought the ZS to a stop as there was no traffic. Then I floored the “throttle” or go pedal...to say I was blown away is an understatement. Not since my MG6 with the 1.8L Turbo engine have I driven anything this quick from MG Motor UK. The front wheels were scrabbling to put the power down. More amazingly, it was just a continuous onslaught of thrust the like of which I have never felt. Perhaps I should clarify this as coming previously from a 550bhp Jaguar F-Type R clearly, I have done the sub-four seconds to 60mph, but this was different. There was no gear changing, no rise towards a peak torque with a fall-off as the gears swapped ratios, it was just a heady push back into the driver’s seat the whole time until you lifted off.

Shockingly good! by Martin Williamson

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The closest I have been to something like this was once driving an experimental Rover 800 with an infinitely variable transmission. The electric motor, then, is every petrol head’s dream of flatline torque right across the rev range. When I first drove one of the modern turbo-diesels I was always impressed at the way it felt like it was accelerating fast compared to a petrol. The clue, though, is in the torque as opposed to the power. Torque is a turning force, and no matter how much the turning force is, if it cannot be achieved in a reasonable time, then the power is not enough. Which is why diesel, despite the torque they can produce, do not always deliver the power owing to their limited redline rpm thanks to diesel burning at half the speed of petrol. But the hit of torque in a diesel compared to petrol is akin to the electric compared to the diesel and without the limits of a redline on rpm or a gearbox. That said, the ZS EV is not a Tesla in ludicrous mode. Far from it. It is a compromise design in that the platform is built for both petrol and electric drivetrains. It accommodates both very well, and in the EV the motor occupies a reasonable amount of space upfront along with various necessary items that are used in the petrol such as the brakes, steering and even a cooling circuit for the batteries and motor. Inside the cabin, all the normal features are there, from the climate control to the infotainment systems and there is still a 12V battery looking after all of that. Now, whilst the all up mass of an electric should theoretically be less than the petrol in not having a gearbox, the reality is that the battery pack is much heavier than a full tank of petrol. The pack is down in the chassis so the Centre of Gravity is kept relatively low, but being brutally honest here, this doesn’t translate into great road-holding on the ZS EV. That’s not to say it couldn’t be improved with some tweaks to the set-up, but that instant torque was too much for the handling and I found myself having to back off more than I would probably have done in the petrol, not that the petrol would have been making as rapid a progress as the EV between corners. Those that know the road around the back of the Airbus plant will know it has a few challenging corners that frankly the HS auto we took out shortly after handled much better. Then again, these are SUVs, not sports cars so

perhaps I am being too harsh as most would not be driven in this way. In fairness, I should also mention the regenerative braking system (KERS) which literally makes the brake pedal redundant in its most aggressive mode. Had I spent more time at the wheel using the KERS I suspect the handling may have been less of an issue as one simply has to slightly lift off the throttle to slow things up rapidly without worrying about the brakes reining the mass in with the added benefit of briefly adding a boost recharge to the battery pack while slowing up. As I say, in all likelihood, it’s learning a new driving technique but one that will undoubtedly still impress in terms of progress down the B roads. The only other gripe I had was the touch screen panel was a little sluggish but these were the only issues I could really say were noticeable. In all other respects, this was a very good initiation into the whole EV concept. The Exclusive model comes with a lot of extras and frankly, it’s not worth bothering with the cheaper Excite specification for the small saving and Nick tells me that 90% of the ZS models sold are the higher level Exclusive. My wife said afterwards she hasn’t seen me grin like that driving a normal car in a long time. Clearly the BEV made an impact. When we talked the numbers with Nick, it made a lot of sense for my wife’s needs as a district nurse, shopping trolley and mum’s taxi; no tax, low servicing costs, government grants and even the option to have a home charger installed. On looking around at the market currently the ZS EV has to be one of the cheapest BEVs, it has plenty of space inside (bigger than the likes of

the MINI EV), has a reasonable range and has that 7 year warranty. Perhaps the only BEV that bests it is the Kia with a similar 7 year warranty and longer range, at a higher price. Whilst longer term, battery packs may be an issue, I don’t believe that is any worse than the possibility of an engine rebuild at that age. So did we buy one? No. In short our budget didn’t stretch to that on this occasion and that simply is it. It has to be said though that if the E-motion is as quick as is suggested and handles accordingly, it would certainly put Safety Fast back on the MG agenda. Which brings me back to the whole classic car and electric conversion thing again. Whilst driving over to Oulton Park this weekend in both the MGB GT and the 1100, it struck me that the driving experience of the MGB GT is all about its exhaust note, that bark that is just so evocative. No, I could not see myself converting an MGB to BEV. On the other hand, the 1100 is all about the driving position and the float-on-fluid ride, less so about the exhaust note. I could definitely consider a BEV conversion in that! Add to the lack of self-flagellating maintenance of the A-Series engine, the sheer increase in performance would be hilarious! I can see it now, the little 1100 coyly sat at the traffic lights, awaiting the opportunity to blow most other cars off into the weeds!

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Fancy a Quiche?

By Stuart Bebbington

Contrary to popular belief the Quiche actually originates in Lothringen a medieval kingdom under German rule.

The name ‘quiche’ is also from German origin word ‘Kuchen’ which means cake. The French later enhanced the dish and renamed the dish, Lorraine.

The original recipe for the Lorraine consisted of an open pie with a filling comprised of egg, cream custard, and bacon. It was only later that cheese was added to the quiche Lorraine.

Versions of the quiche now exist with vegetables and fusion recipes have allowed for any fillings from smoked salmon to ground beef.

Originally made from bread dough, it has since evolved into a short-crust or puff pastry crust.

Since its time in France, the authentic version of the quiche has evolved to please many different tastes throughout the world. I think it is safe to say France enhanced the dish with its robust flavours and fresh ingredients from its bland original version.

The quiche actually gained popularity in England in the years following WWII after British troops travelled back to their homes and shared the newly found delicious French recipe.

It seems like the British troops weren’t the only ones with a delicious discovery to share. In the mid-1950s the Quiche gained its popularity in the United States, becoming one of the first family-sized dishes to feed one person… Yep, you heard right. A family sized portion for 1 person.

Through time it has since transitioned into a smaller dish.

Authentic Recipe

It is somewhat rare to find a restaurant that serves the original recipe of the Quiche Lorraine. Which brings us to the great variations of the quiche using the original, authentic recipe.

Atelier Monnier’s notable quiche Lorraine has been a spectacular choice for French food lovers and food enthusiasts from around the world.

This is why our chefs have created variations, with a Salmon and Leek Quiche, a Spinach and Broccoli Quiche and a Portobello Quiche. Do you have a favourite?

(Source: ateliermonnier.com)

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Meet the members!

Name: Peter Sumner Age: 75 Currently own a 1976 MGB convertible which I have owned for 5 years.

I purchased my first MGBGT in 1972, it was a 1968 model with an uprated engine and wire wheels. I was working in the nuclear industry as a design engineer at the time but was given time off to attend college. I don’t know how we managed it but four of us would pile into the MG each week for a twenty mile journey to college. I kept the MG for three years but it eventually had to go when we started a family.

Rolling on to 1992, my two sons were growing up and again I purchased a sports car, a 1965 Triumph TR4. I bought this car for £5000 from someone who needed the money urgently .

The car had recently been resprayed, re-upholstered and had a new hood. The engine was in poor condition so I bought another one for a few hundred pounds and refurbished it. I swapped the engines over and sold the original engine for more than the one I had purchased.

I kept the TR4 for five years having made many trips with the TR Registry. I took the TR4 to a Triumph show in Staffordshire one weekend and whilst there someone came up to me and asked if I was interested in selling the car. This guy worked in London and had just received a good bonus and wanted to buy a sports car. I took him for a test drive and he offered me a sum which was more than I thought the car was worth. I reluctantly agreed to sell him the car but told him I lived in Cheshire and he would have to pick up the car. He gave me a cheque and asked me to contact him when the cheque had cleared. A week later he came up on the train from London, picked up the car and

drove it home. I regretted later selling such a good car.

In the period before getting my next MGB GT I owned a MG Metro and a 2L MG Maestro.

I purchased my next, a 1973 MGB GT, in 1990. I had the head polished and converted to unleaded together with a straight through stainless steel exhaust system. The difference in performance was really noticeable. My wife, Nerissa, and myself had many good motoring holidays with the South Manchester MG Owners’ Club.

I sold this car after about five years and purchased a MG ZR. This was my second car which my wife would drive. When my wife had to stop driving due to medical conditions I sold the ZR and was without an MG until I purchased my current MGB in 2015.

The previous owner of this car was a friend of mine who was a car fanatic. He had two 1930s Austins in his garages which he had fully restored, doing everything himself. He also had an Armstrong Siddeley restored to the same standard. One of the Austins was used in a Sherlock Holmes film with my friend Malcolm acting as chauffeur.

Malcolm had restored the MG including re-upholstering the leather seats, re- carpeting, converting to chrome bumpers, installing a wind stop, stainless steel exhaust and a boot-rack. Additionally he had installed

liners underneath the front wheel arches. The car would be driven across Europe each summer without once having a breakdown.

I purchased the car from Malcolm’s widow in 2015 knowing the full history of the car. Since owning the car my wife and I have had holidays with the MG Owners Club but unfortunately my wife is now in a care home so my motoring holidays will be restricted. The only benefit during the lockdown is, because I visit my wife most days and it is an essential journey I have been able to drive my MG a few times each week.

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It was great to get back on the side of a motor racing circuit with our recent annual visit to Oulton Park. Watching the historic racing that the Gold Cup event entails, did get me thinking of an earlier period of racing and of race circuits that no longer exist or that no longer hold the bigger events that they once did. In particular Aintree sprang to mind. Now known for its horse racing and the Grand National, Aintree used to operate as a full Grand Prix racing circuit alongside the famous horse racing course. Our other 'local' Motor Racing circuit used to be compared with Goodwood and was known as the 'Goodwood' of the north for obvious reasons. The Aintree Motor Racing Circuit was constructed in just four months in 1954 and was the UK's first purpose built three mile racing circuit. It used the same grand stands as the horse racing course and was a relatively flat venue ranging from between 15 and 30 meters in elevation. It was intended to be used in an anti-clockwise direction, just like the Grand National horse races. However, it was only used in this way for the first event as it was realised that it would be safer to run the motor races in the conventional way thereafter. Aintree held the British Grand Prix five times, sharing the event with Silverstone for the years 1955 to 1962. During this period Aintree hosted the event in 1955, 1957, 1959, 1961 and 1962 with the 1957 event also taking the title of Grand Prix of Europe. The first Grand Prix in 1955 was won by Stirling Moss making it his first win in Formula One on home soil. His win followed an epic battle with Juan Manual Fangio both racing for Mercedes at the time. The Mercedes team came to Aintree favourites to win with Moss passing Fangio on the 26th lap. Moss held off Fangio on the last corner of the last lap to take a well deserved win. When the British Grand Prix returned to Aintree in 1957, it was Moss again who took the flag, this time driving a British Vanwall. He had taken over his teammate Tony Brooks' car, who was feeling ill at the time. This was the first time that British drivers, driving a British made car, had won a Formula One Championship Grand Prix.

Horses for Courses! By Steve Brace

Jim Clark was the only other British winner, winning the last Grand Prix to be held at Aintree in 1962. He also took the lap record of 1.55 for the 3 mile track that still stands today as Aintree racing Circuit was decommissioned in 1964. As well as the British Grand Prix, Aintree hosted 11 non-championship Formula One races known as the Aintree 200. The first winner was Stirling Moss in 1954, with Graham Hill winning in 1963

and Jack Brabham winning the last event held in 1964. With the end of the full circuit and Grand Prix racing coming in 1964, the site now operates as a 1.535 mile club circuit within the main horse racing course. Limited events are still held and organised by the Liverpool Motor Club. So whilst race events still operate at Oulton Park in a bigger way - for Aintree these days, it's largely a case of horses for courses, as they say.

Stirling Moss & Fangio at the 1955 Grand Prix

1959 British Grand Prix at Aintree

Stirling Moss at the 1957 British Grand Prix

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Gold Cup 2020

By Martin Williamson

As is the norm every year, or was until 2020 decided to kick us all where it hurts, the August Bank Holiday usually sees the club having a stand at the event at Oulton Park. However, despite my rantings about MSV last year, I am delighted to say that MSV included car clubs with a free driver's ticket this year when in reality they could just as easily said no as numbers were being restricted. More over, the time limit for cars was extended up to and including the 90s. On an even more special note, Kev Robinson’s 2004 MG SV was also approved, quite rightly, as a car of significant interest and so it was just like old times with much interest in our cars on display. As usual, the club fielded a reasonable group all three days with Monday being the busiest for the stand as well as the event. The sun came out on all three days adding to the glorious feeling of nostalgia. Whilst there were a good number of spectators, people generally kept their distance and behaved appropriately. In addition with none if the usual attractions most spectators were there for the racing. That said, Sunday was the Concours D’Esprit with Neil Wallace once again invited, and on Monday Hampson Auctions were doing an special show event with one hundred lots on offer, providing another opportunity to walk round them and daydream!

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MG ACHIEVES BEST-EVER AUGUST SALES AND

CONTINUES TO BUCK MARKET TRENDS!

MG Motor achieved its best-ever August volume with

1,010 registrations

Sales up 52.3% over August 2019

MG sales volume is up 32.5% year-to-date against a market

down 39.7%

Visit mg.co.uk/mg5-ev/ to

register your interest and be

kept up to date on the launch

of the MG5 EV

London, 4th September 2020. MG Motor is racing

ahead as Britain’s fastest-growing car brand after

announcing its best-ever August sales figures, up an

astonishing 52.3% against the same month in 2019.

The news comes as MG strengthens its position as

the only mainstream car brand to see its volume

increase in a car market that is down almost 40 per

cent on the back of challenging market conditions

due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Year-to-date, MG’s sales have increased by 32.3%

versus the same period in 2019, with a market share

of 1.2%, with the ZS EV driving volume and

becoming the fourth strongest selling fully electric

car in the UK.

Daniel Gregorious, Head of Sales & Marketing at MG

Motor UK said “We’re delighted with our August

figures as we managed to buck the market trend and

deliver a record monthly sales result once again. This

proves just how popular MG’s latest models – and in

particular our EVs - are becoming and how hard our

dealer network is working to deliver great value

matched by excellent customer service. We’re now

aiming for our best ever September as the new ‘70’

registration plates bring more customers into the

market.”

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If I won the lottery… In the first of these interviews, Mike Haughton tells us about his three dream cars. So what motoring metal would I buy with money no object? Practical or mad - classic or modern - difficult choices! Up to £20,000 So first up would be an under £20k motor. Now, you can just about get a decent MG RV8 for that - but I've got one of those! So I might go slightly more sensible - but still convertible - with perhaps a fairly modern Mercedes E350 AMG Cabriolet. Four seats - so the dogs can lie on the back seat! Or maybe be very sensible and go for an early Range Rover, V8 ideally - loads of room for dogs, luggage, go anywhere vehicle (I know Steve Brace had a similar idea - great minds...). But thinking back I had a really nice Triumph 2000 when I was about twenty - so a Triumph 2000 or 2500 estate would be interesting. Solid cars - plenty of room for all that "stuff" - find a nice, non-rusty one and I think I'd give that a go.

Up to £100,000 Over £20k and up to £100k - well that's a bit easier. When we got married I had a Mk2 Lotus Cortina. Virtually gave it away to a mate and regretted it ever since. So a top notch Mk2 Lotus Cortina it is! I'd be tempted by a Mk1 - Jim Clarke (my hero) won loads of races in one - but I think I'd stick with a Mk2 for the nostalgia element. Should be able to get a really good one for under £40k whereas a Mk1

can be £75k upwards and I'm tight with my money! Basically the car was the 1970's Mk2 Ford Cortina that was uprated by Lotus with some body strengthening, suspension upgrades, better brakes, and a 1558 twin cam engine. Twin weber carbs helped it to 110bhp, and the book

says 0-60 in 11 seconds - but I'm sure it's quicker than that! Over £100,000 Money no limit - well I think I can narrow that down to two possible choices. One is the Ferrari 250 GTO. Nick Mason might

sell me his for £25 millions or so. But its had a bit of a thrashing on the race track! The other is a genuine MG K3 Magnette from the 1930's. I'd love to do some vintage events, and

maybe a (gentle) bit of competition such as Hill Climbs in one of those. I sat in one belonging to Peter Green back in the 1980's - and saw the only original single seater race version when on holiday in Switzerland. An original one could be found for around half a million quid. I think that the K3 was probably the

ultimate example of all the sports and racing cars which MG was well known for back in the 1930s. Not a bad (for the time) 124hp from a 1,086cc single overhead cam supercharged six-cylinder engine. Single SU carburettor - four speed manual pre-selector gearbox (you literally select the gear in advance, and when you next use the clutch it changes gear) - mechanical (rod operated) drum brakes all round. In 1933 and 1934, MG built 33 K3s - and these were probably most successful British competition car until the rise of Jaguar. They were so successful that many copies have been made over the years, but to get my hands on one of the original 33 would be amazing.

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JUST ANOTHER FAMILY CAR (or “name that car”)! By Neil Wallace

I was born in Elgin, Morayshire in the far north of Scotland. This was where my Dad’s side of the family moved to from India, although originally from Moffat, Dumfriesshire before my Grandfather’s career took him to Madras as part of the Raj legal & courts system. In the late 1920’s public transport was rudimentary “up north” and so a car was essential in remote areas (and rare too). Little is known about our family cars from those times, and photography was elemental, but let me tell you something about our early family cars. Most of our holidays as children involved camping, my Dad & Mum spent their honeymoon camping and hill walking in Scotland northwest, and photo 7 was taken on just such a family holiday using a little caravan that my Dad built in our garage. How many can you identify? Answers on the Events page.

Well as a starter for 10 here’s an easy one! It should look familiar if you have seen MG “Old Number One”, although it was the first trials car (Lands End) rather than the first MG. This photo shows the car that was to form the basis of early MG’s and this particular car is parked outside the house in which I was born, with my Uncle and the family Scottish terrier on board. The family had that breed of terrier until the late 1950’s, mostly called “Scotty” for some strange reason.

A selection of cars outside the Elgin house in 1932 of which two belonged to my Dad’s friends. I would be very impressed if you could reel off all three even though they were all popular in the 1930’s. The left hand one looks familiar; could its design have been “borrowed” later by Cecil Kimber for the 1929 M type midget? A strange looking and expensive car with a rear engine, built in 1934, only 20 sold and now only 2 complete cars are

remaining (Beaulieu Motor Museum). This belonged to a friend of my Dad. Identified it yet? No, I thought not!

The business was started by the two men who formed the name of this company in 1895, with a local connection – well, Southport anyway (Vulcan of Southport supplied the bodies in the 1920’s). I remember seeing the very last car produced by this Company when they showed a lilac coloured 2.5 litre sports car called the Lynx at the 1960 London Motor Show at Earls Court. They built only 3 and promptly went out of business. The photo was taken in 1934 and the good-looking driver is, of course, my Dad.

Never one to keep his cars for long, always “pre-owned” as we say politely nowadays, Dad soon moved to a different marque and this was the first of two in quick succession. This manufacturer was probably one of the top 5 in the UK at that time, the others being Morris, Austin, Ford and Singer. Well that narrows the field somewhat doesn’t it? It’s a 1935 car better known for its competitive sports cars and more sedate saloons. It was a bit like MG of that era; too many models chasing too few people who could afford to buy and this led to its demise and takeover by Nuffield in 1938. Ha, that should nail it.

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This was the last of Dad’s pre-war cars and kept until 1952, having been driven throughout the war on pool petrol and no spare parts availability it was somewhat the worse for wear. You’ve seen it before in our Newsletter of September 2019, so your excellent memory tells you it must be another Riley, but which one? But then you know, don’t you? The first car was built in 1902 using parts bought in, somewhat like Morris did later on. This particular car was the last of the open tourer cars in our family and the name reflected a strongly aeronautical flavour, although was something of a curate’s egg (the name, not the car). The various illustrious names that eventually morphed into this post war car marque included contributions by Vickers, Avro, Whitworth, Hawker, Bristol, Peugeot, Wolseley, Austin and Wilson – who supplied the pre-selector gearboxes for this car as well as its pre-war

cars and a few MG’s too. Put that lot together and you can condense it all into a double-barrelled name known for its luxury cars, which finally gave up in 1960.

That concludes the “name that car” article, which I hope you found interesting but if not then put it down to preferring more modern cars with their comforts and gadgets. But don’t forget that the pioneers of early cars gave us many of today’s essentials (?) such as power steering, auto gearboxes, electric engines, independent suspension, windscreen wipers, rear engines (mid engines) – and even pneumatic tyres. Answers at the back of the magazine.

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As the lockdown eases and we can at last start to get out more, then the MG has emerged from its hibernation, and I have stopped taking it apart so much and started driving it more. On one of the recent Sunday morning socially distanced gatherings, as I set off from home the MG pulled away nicely but a glance down showed the fuel gauge reading zero, uh oh, then further

inspection of the dashboard showed no

rev counter working either. A quick check of the switches revealed no heater blower, winkers, or wipers. Now after a lifetime of operating engines that require kick starting or hand cranking, the last thing you do is stop the engine, as a hot engine is the very devil to restart manually. So I have a philosophy that goes… If the engine is running and I am making progress than press on and disregard everything else. This philosophy has at times included brakes, which make for an interesting journey. Anyway, upon arrival at Chester Lakes without incident the fault was investigated. The great thing with MGs of this era is the simplicity. Start with the fuses, and sure enough here was the culprit. There are only two fuses and they reside in an innocent looking black box festooned with wires on the driver’s side inner wing. Pull the cover off to reveal two fuses. The upper one provides power to all the things I was missing and the lower one is for everything else. Looking at the wiring diagram the distribution is interesting, as certain important items are not fused. The horn and lighting for instance. Prised the upper fuse out and found the it had not blown, you can see the fuse wire is intact though the glass case, but it did have a certain amount of oxidation on the ends of the case, plus the fuse holder was also showing signs of oxidation. All this adds up to no contact and no passage of electric. See note at the end. A temporary fix is to rub the ends of the fuse with something abrasive to remove the oxidation and present a bright surface. This used to be a matchbox, but they are now hard to find and for many years the safety match has not used sandpaper for striking. I carry spare fuses in the glove box, and a new one was put in place. But there was still no power due to the oxidation on the fuse holder clips insulating the fuse. Rotated the fuse in position a few times and power was restored. Temporary fix done, everything working and going back to my philosophy I would look at it when I returned home, here a proper look at the fuse box showed everything including the terminals were looking a little dark with oxidation. Pretty much par for the course for fifty year old electrics.

Current electrickery! By Neil Shirley

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A more permanent solution is to remove the fuse box from the car and clean all the copper terminals. Before you start doing a job like this it is very easy to take a photo with your phone showing the positions of all the different coloured wires, this will make the replacement of all the wiring so much easier. I used a bead blaster to clean the oxidation off all the terminals, but a bit of work with a wire brush and some fine emery paper, or if you have a Dremel type tool, will do the same job. Also worth doing when replacing the box in to the car is to coat the holding screw with Copperslip or similar. Makes future maintenance easier and it prevents another source of corrosion from starting. All back together with a lick of silicon grease on all the terminals. The ancillaries are now working well, and

should continue to do so for years to come. Another point to note is that I don’t use WD40 as it is a water dispersant and does not clear oxidation, after a few

months it becomes sticky and then attracts more dirt, so I don’t use it on electrical systems.

Note. The darkening of the copper is copper oxide and forms on the surface due to reaction with oxygen in the air. It is non conductive and can actually form a diode type connection if it is left. Just pulling off the Lucar connectors and replacing them is enough to scratch through the layer and re establish an electrical connection and will fix most roadside failures. The silicon grease whilst being an insulator also excludes the oxygen and keeps the contact clean. The static pressure on the connector easily cuts through the grease to maintain contact If the oxide is green….verdigris… then that is a different reaction due to sulphur being present, mainly seen on copper roof claddings where they go green. But can occasionally be seen on exposed copper wiring on cars. Reading up on some of the remedies for cleaning terminals reveals things such as dipping the terminals in coca-cola ( typically pH 3.4 due to the phosphoric acid ) This will dissolve the oxide layer and restore the bright finish. But may take overnight. Dipping in lemon juice is much quicker and without the sugar residue. Not tried either of these. If I have trouble I usually remake the ends with new Lucar crimp connectors fitted with the correct crimping tool. Squashing with pliers or side cutters does not make a secure connection.

TOP TIP: Visit

www.advanceautowire.com/

mgb.pdf and download the PDF file.

Find the relevant diagram for your

MGB, print it off, laminate it and put

it in the boot for those times you’re

stuck at the roadside, or scratching

your head in the garage.

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Club branded Merchandise

We're using a local firm and are adding a small mark up to go towards the

club funds. Orders will be taken at each monthly meeting along with

payment (we've decided to avoid PayPal owing to the charges) and the

items will be delivered at the following meeting. Please speak to or contact

Mike Haughton for Merchandise queries and orders. Contact details at the

front of the magazine.

Short Sleeved

Polo Shirts by

Uneek. £16.00 each.

A variety of colours and

sizes available.

Long Sleeved

Polo Shirts by

B&C Safran £20 each.

A variety of colours and

sizes available.

Tee-Shirts by

Kariban

£16.00 each

A variety of colours

and sizes available.

Base Ball Cap by Beechfield £12 each

Variety of colours available.

Fleece Jacket by

Uneek £25.00 each

Variety of colours

and sizes available.

Sweat Shirts

(Long Sleeved)

by AWDis £18.00 each

Variety of colours

and sizes available.

Softshell Jacket by

Result. £32 each.

A variety of colours and

sizes available.

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2020 Club Events

Visit the club website for updated information and more details.

www.westcheshiremgoc.club

With the restrictions easing please check the website events pages as we may modify certain club activities to fit with the allowable activities.

September Sunday, 6th - North Wales Classic Car Show at Bodrhyddan Hall - Cancelled Tuesday, 8th - Monthly meeting - see new date - 20th September. Sunday, 13th - Cheshire Candles Charity Classic Car & Bike Show - Cancelled Sunday, 20th - Sunday Breakfast Meets at Chester Lakes and club monthly get together -

contact Steve Brace for more information. Sunday, 20th - Festival of 1000 Classic Cars at Cholmondeley Castle - Check first. Sunday, 27th - Capesthorne Hall - extra event - see www.classicshows.org

Isle of Man Tour 2021

I now attach below the latest details of the tour, at 2020 prices, which includes a change to the ferry arrangements and arrangements for dogs (in red font). The revised return ferry should be more convenient to us, but an outbound daytime ferry from Liverpool is not likely.

I have reserved spaces for 19 cars on the ferries and 19 double/twin/single rooms in the Comis Hotel and Golf Resort. Currently 15 have been booked.

A booking form is is not yet available but I will issue it as soon as I receive it from Isle of Man Steam Packet Co.

Dates: Depart Heysham 14:15 Thursday afternoon 9th September 2021; return 15:00 to Liverpool Monday afternoon 13th September 2021.

Heysham - Douglas takes 3hrs 45min; Douglas - Liverpool takes 2hrs 45min.

• Hotel: Comis Hotel and golf resort, Santon (near airport). This hotel is a large new build with outdoor car parking.

I have now received the 2021 prices for our tour in September 2021, as follows:

two people, one car, return ferry (Heysham-Douglas & Douglas-Liverpool), 4 nights Comis Hotel on B&B basis with double or twin room = £325 per person (£650).

one person, one car, single hotel room, but otherwise same as above = £610

Any accompanying dogs do not need identifying until we have the booking forms.

Once youhave the booking form there will be a non-returnable deposit of £50 per person, with the balance payable early August 2021.

It has been suggested that we might usefully have a rally plaque for the front of our cars; please let me know if this would interest you. I don’t have a price yet but based on other events it might cost, say, £8-10 including initial artwork and setting up costs.

Please email me that you wish to proceed with a confirmed booking (or not!) soonest.

I have circulated the booking forms avia email to those that have expressed interest, if you have not received that, let me know, or if you wish to join then let me know so I can send the forms to you.

Neil Wallace.

Update - Club Travel for 2021 By Neil Wallace

Answers to Neil’s quiz, “Name that car!”: 1. 1925 Bullnose Morris Oxford 2. A late 1920’s Singer Ace, Wolseley Hornet, and a Lea Francis. 3. 1934 Crossley Streamline … of course! 4. 1928 Lea Francis P type 5. Riley 9 Lynx 1.5 litre. 6. 1937 Riley Kestrel Sprite with Tickford body, one of only 2 ever built. 7. 1946-1953 Armstrong Siddeley Hurricane drophead coupe.

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