the first annual oecc two lions pub westview mall british
TRANSCRIPT
VOLUME 19, NUMBER 4 July-Aug 2014
INSIDE THIS ISSUE Cars of Branch Members 3 OECC Club AGM 6 Brits ’Round BC 7 AC 2 Litre Update 10 New Member Profile—Wilson 11 New Member Profile—Brettoner 12 June Event/Rear View Mirror 13 Triumph BBQ 14 Fraser Valley Show 15 Welcome to the OECC / The Boot
/ At the Wheel 16
UPCOMING EVENTS Sept. 2, 2014—Monthly VCB Event (not finalized at publication time). See website for details or contact Gerry Parkinson. Sept. 6, 2014—Visit to the Peter Welch MG Collection—Lorna Hoare organizing Sept. 11—14, 2014 - annual AGM
Run to Victoria. Alan and Mary Lou Miles organizing. Oct. 7, 2014—VCB Monthly Event, 7:00pm at Douglas College, New Westminster, room 171 (presentation by Steve Blake) Oct. 18, 2014—Fraser Valley Run—Lorna Hoare organizing Nov. 4, 2014—Branch AGM at Rain-
bow Station (details to follow)
The First Annual OECC Two Lions Pub
Westview Mall British Invasion Car
Show
Text by Steve Blake
Photos by Steve Blake and Alan Miles
I think we have the record for the longest name for a
British Car show! 46 cars showed up to the Westview
Mall in North Vancouver on a very warm Sunday, June
8, 2014. We were greeted when we arrived by Gerry
Parkinson and John MacDonald who carefully organ-
ized the parking in the lot. Gerry gave us our coupons
for a free English breakfast at the Two Lions Pub and
another coupon good for discounted food for the rest of
the day.
46 cars arrived with the majority coming from the
OECC. There were also members from the Morgan
Owners’ Group Northwest and the Canadian XK Jag-
uar Register/Canadian Classic MG Club (competing for
the longest club name!) I believe my wife, Susan, and I
were the only ones in attendance belonging to all three
clubs.
Once we parked our cars, dealt with the road dust, and
attached our identification cards to our windshields,
we made our way into the Two Lions Pub where we
were served an English breakfast and coffee. It was a
nice way to start the morning! The pub also provided a
BBQ all day selling hot dogs and pop.
Our cars were parked in a cordoned off area between
the pub and Safeway which provided us with plenty of
spectators who voted for their choice of best or most
favourite car. I observed many of the cars in the lot
getting votes and all the owners need to be congratu-
lated on the way they presented their cars. In atten-
dance were Austin Healeys, Jensen Interceptor and a
541R, MGs including TC, TD, A, B, and BGT, Morgans,
Jaguar E-types, XK140, XK8, Austin, Rover, Lotus Su-
per 7 and Elise, Morris Minor, Land Rover, Rolls Roy-
ces, Mini, Triumph TR4A, 6 and 7, and a couple others
making this a very eclectic group of British cars repre-
senting most brands. I won’t name all the attendees so
as not to disappoint anyone I miss. Carl Knorr poses beside the VCB tent during
setup at the Westview Mall
PAGE 2 THE ROUNDABOUT VOLUME 19 , NUMBER 4
It is always interesting to see the oldest cars and the
1945 MGTC belonging to Richard Taylor in its mixture
of blues with yellow highlights held that honour until
late in the day. At that time Simon arrived with his
1935 Morris 8. The other oldster was John Mac-
Donald’s bright red 1949 Austin A40.
An interesting bit of automobilia was attached to Gerry
Parkinson’s MGA. He still has the chrome dealer badge
for Gordon Imports Vancouver attached to his car.
These dealer scripts or chrome badges were all the
rage in the earlier years but have since been replaced
with license plate brackets and decals. I wonder how
many of our members still have Gordon Brothers, Fred
Deeley, Plimley’s, or Greenberg and Loptson badges on
their cars? How many have ones from other dealers
either here or from the UK?
At the end of the day we met inside the pub where
Gerry and Carl Valentine from the Vancouver White-
caps handed out the trophies for the Peoples’ Choice
awards. Third place went to Derek Neale with his red
1959 Jensen 541R. Second place went to Hugh
McLellan with his yellow and green 1969 Lotus 7.
First place went to Steve and Susan Blake with their
maroon 1955 Jaguar XK140 MC coupe.
Richard Taylor’s 1945 MGTC
John MacDonald’s 1949 Austin A40
John Hoare catches up on the local news whilst
staying cool in the shade
Getting near the end of the show. Larry Sharp
has lost his neighbours.
First place winner Steve and Susan Blake’s 1955
Jaguar XK140 attracts some well deserved
attention
PAGE 3 THE ROUNDABOUT VOLUME 19 , NUMBER 4
Cars of Branch Members and
Their Stories
By Walter Reynolds
The Cars of Robert Follows
This month we hear about the collection of Robert and
Nicola Follows.
When I interview Branch members for this feature, I
always ask why they chose British cars. In Robert’s
case, being from England, the answer was obvious.
Here is his story:
In answer to your question, as my heritage is British,
I’ve always been exposed to British cars. My comfort
level regarding obtaining parts for British cars is a lot
higher than that for European cars. I’ve owned a few
European cars and while in the restoration business,
obtaining parts for the likes of Ferrari, Lancia and
Alfa Romeo was always a challenge, not helped by the
language barrier.
I came to Canada as a young doctor in 1968 and lived
in Kamloops for a year: That’s where I met Nicola, my
wife. We returned to the U.K. in 1973, stayed there for
5 years and returned to Canada. We chose West Van-
couver and have been here since.
I had a short chassis Le Mans Aston Martin in 1971
which I’d bought in the U.K. When we went back there
in 1973 I shipped the car back too. We returned to
Canada in 1978, as did the car, along with a DB6 Van-
tage. In 1983 I traded that car for the very first Aston
Martin 1928 Le Mans Team Car, LM1 which I found in
Toronto. I had this car restored by Ed Arnold in 1985.
This was the Aston Martin Owner’s Club Jubilee Year
and we were able to work a deal with Wardair to fly
the car to England and back so we could attend these
events.
The first event was Motor 100 – a celebration of 100
years of the Motor Car at the Silverstone Circuit. This
was followed by the AMOC European Tour, a two week
tour culminating in a four laps of Le Mans before the
24 hour race. After racing in the Horsfall Race for pre-
war Astons at Silverstone and winning the club con-
cours we flew back with the car and drove it home
from the airport. A unique experience, I suspect. That
was not all for 1985, because we then took the car
down to race at the Laguna Seca Historic Races in
California. We then cleaned it up for the Pebble Beach
Concours and won first in class!
Robert and Nicola in LM1.
(Robert Follows photo)
In the late 1970s, there was no West Coast Area of the
Aston Martin Owner’s Club so I started one and re-
mained the Area Representative for about 20 years.
About that time, I started the Westwood Historic races
with the very capable assistance of Lorrie Hunt. It at-
tracted entrants from all down the West Coast and
ended up as a major event with as many as 100 racing
cars and a 100 racing bikes. I raced my pre-war Astons
and latterly a Cooper Norton and Cooper Climax Bob-
tail sports racer. It was a lot of fun and we met a lot of
wonderful people.
I sold LM1 in 1988 and replaced it with a Bentley 3
Litre which came from Penticton. It needed a body,
upholstery and paint and I looked after it all. This was
invited to Pebble Beach from the Laguna Seca races as
a representative from the race track but won no
awards. The Bentley was eventually sold and I took a
Type 40A Bugatti in part exchange – a little Graber
bodied cabriolet.
Over the years, among the many cars that I have
owned I have had an AC 16/80 Competition 2 seater,
Riley Adelphi, Morgan Trike (Nicola said that riding
in this car was scary. WDR), a few AC Aces, an Aceca
and a Cobra, a Triumph TR3A, TR6 and TR8, several
Aston Martins, a few Ferraris and a handful of Por-
sches, including a couple of glorious 2.7 RS Carreras.
Some years ago, and for 5 years, I was a sleeping part-
ner in Auto Classic Restoration in North Vancouver. I
had a Lancia B24S convertible restored there and reck-
oned that I was the only person to pay full price! It did
turn out very nicely though.
This leads us to the current “fleet”, in no particular
order.
1930 Bugatti Type 44: In 2006, I bought a 1930
Bugatti Type 44 (3 litre, straight eight) which has a 2
seater cabriolet body built by a Prague coachbuilder -
Tomas. I bought it locally from a Czech who had
PAGE 4 THE ROUNDABOUT VOLUME 19 , NUMBER 4
brought the car to Canada following his escape from
Czechoslovakia when the Russians invaded that coun-
try in 1968. When the invasion was imminent, the car
was in pieces so the owner rebuilt it in a hurry and
drove it in the middle of winter with his wife and his
worldly possessions across the border with the excuse
of a rally in England. On coming to Canada he first
lived in Edmonton but soon moved to Vancouver and
put the car away. I had been told of the car by a friend
and made a decent offer which the owner considered
derisory. Several months later, I saw the car adver-
tised at the Okotoks Auction. At auction the bidding
stopped near to my original offer so it did not sell then
either. About ten years later I heard that the owner
was trying to sell the car again (it had now sat for
some 30 years). I contacted him and let him know that
I was still interested in the car and we closed the deal.
He was ill and wanted to return home and needed the
money.
Follows’ 1930 Bugatti Type 44, in current style.
(Robert Follows photo)
The previous owner was very vague about the history
of the car, but over the last 8 years I have amassed an
intriguing East European history of the car, including
the original bill of sale and many period photos. I only
lack knowledge of the period 1945 to 1954 when the
body was slightly modified to change the twin, rear-
mounted spares to side-mounts. I am currently plan-
ning to reverse these changes to original.
1930 Bugatti Type 44 in original style.
(Robert Follows photo)
We’ve driven the car to several events including the
2006 Pitt Meadows Airport’s Wings and Wheels Show.
In 2010, we took the Bugatti to Monterey, California
(along with the Talbot). There was an International
Rally for Bugatti cars. Both cars were shipped down
and back.
(Nicola) We were in the California Redwoods in the
Bugatti on the Bugatti Rally. The route was along
twisting back roads and at one tight hairpin bend my
door opened and I fell out of the car! My injuries were
limited to scrapes and bruises but I was so mad. I am
currently one of an elite club of two women to have
recently fallen out of a Bugatti.
1934 Aston Martin Mk 2: In 2012 I bought Nicola a
1934 Aston Martin Mk 2 saloon.
1934 Aston Martin Mk.2. BMG 400 at 2014
Vancouver ABFM. (Walter photo)
This was the first Mk 2 chassis to have a saloon body
built on to it. This car was owned by Gordon Suther-
land, the owner of Aston Martin. Managing Director
Bertelli drove the car on an Italian Rally and it was
also used in promotional brochures. The car needed a
new engine and that took a year to get here. I’m cur-
rently concentrating on getting the throttle linkage
fine tuned. Nicola has been practicing driving it as it is
somewhat difficult to drive. It has a centre accelerator
pedal, crash box, reversed gear pattern and right hand
drive – takes a bit of getting used to!
BMG 400 in Aston Martin brochure.
(Robert Follows photo)
PAGE 5 THE ROUNDABOUT VOLUME 19 , NUMBER 4
1933 Talbot AV105: I bought this car in 1997 as a
running wreck. The AV105 (3 litre, 6 cylinder) is the
“hottest” variant of this model and has a James Young
tourer body, the only one ever made. As the car needed
a major restoration, my friend Aart Van der Star and I
convinced restorer, Ed Arnold to come out of retire-
ment and perform the work. I delivered the car to him
in Salmon Arm in 1999 with the intention of it being
the family car, as my son was 11. I only got it back
from him in 2010 – 11 years later when Jasper was 22
and had left home! We took the car to Pebble Beach in
2010 but was in a class of heavy hitters. The pinnacle
of my motoring aspirations was achieved when we
were invited to Villa d’Este Concours (Lake Como,
Northern Italy) in 2012.
Robert & Nicola Follows in the Talbot at Villa
d’Este Concours, 2012.
(Villa d’Este internet photo)
Although the Talbot is British perpendicular we did
not disgrace ourselves and were present to share the
excitement of our friends and neighbours, David and
Adele Cohen when they swept the 3 major prizes with
their Figoni-bodied1935 Alfa Romeo 1750 restored by
Rx Autoworks in North Vancouver. (The Vancouver
Coast Branch visited Rx several years ago when the
Alfa was undergoing restoration and the body was bare
metal. WDR)
1960 Alvis TD21, Series 1 DHC: I bought this car a
couple of years ago from its then owner in Courtenay.
It has a Park Ward body. This body style is a modifica-
tion of the Swiss coachbuilder Graber design. Until I
bought it, the car had always lived on Vancouver Is-
land. The car was first owned by the Times Columnist
owner, Tim Mattson, and has led a sheltered life with
2 owners.
1960 Alvis TD21 Series 1 DHC.
(Walter photo)
We’ve driven the Alvis on the last two Spring Thaw
runs (each around 1,000 miles) and it is a good touring
car. (Robert took me for a ‘spin’ around the block in this
car and I certainly agree with his assessment. WDR)
1963 Alvis TD21 Series 2, 2-door Saloon: This is a
right hand drive car and is a recent purchase. I bought
it in Campbell River where the then owner was being
moved into a nursing home.
1963 Alvis TD21 Series 2, 2 dr saloon.
(Walter photo)
The car had been advertised in the OECC classifieds
and was not selling. A few people had seen the car
prior to me, but, if I didn’t buy it, it was destined for
the wrecker. The car’s original colour was dark green
but sometime in the distant past, the car was re-
painted cream. The interior needs TLC and, currently,
the car is not driveable, but it looks good.
1950 Bentley Mk VI H.J. Mulliner: I bought this car
in 2007 and have driven it a lot, including on the 5,000
mile Bentley Driver’s Club ‘Drive to Alaska’ which took
over a month to complete. The car is RHD and was
restored in the early 90’s in Germany. Currently it is
in the shop for engine work.
PAGE 6 THE ROUNDABOUT VOLUME 19 , NUMBER 4
1950 Bentley Mk VI H.J Mulliner.
(Robert Follows photo)
1982 Triumph TR8: This is a great car. I bought it in
2003 through a classic car auction and it is one of the
final cars made in Solihull (after all the TR8 problems
had been sorted out). Like the Bentley, the TR8 is in
the shop. It is having engine surging problems worked
on by local Land Rover and Rover V8 guru, Aart Van
der Star.
1969 Lotus Elan SE, Series 4: When I bought this
car, a few years ago, it had been languishing in a ga-
rage in North Vancouver without its engine, for many
years.
The engine is still out of the car but I’m in the process
of rebuilding it. This is probably the next project for me.
(It is clear that Robert is the current guardian of several
very special cars. WDR)
And there we have this month’s story. The “Cars of
Branch Members and Their Stories” continues in future
issues of the Roundabout. As of writing this, no one has
volunteered to be the focus of the next issue, so I’ll be
hitting the phone to recruit a few. Call me at 604-463-
6305 to volunteer your story before I contact you.
1969 Lotus Elan SE Series 4. (Walter photo).
Don’t forget our annual club AGM
which is being hosted this year by
the South Island Branch in Victo-
ria on Saturday, Sept. 13th. The
following day is the English Car
Affair in the Park (ECAIP) the
South Island Branches annual car
show.
Details and registration forms
have been sent out via e-mail.
Looks like they’ve got a fun
weekend planned. Hope to see you
there!
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS:
Saturday, Sept. 13: For Old English Car Club members, the AGM and complimentary lunch begins at 11:30 am at the Waddling Dog. Everyone is invited to join the Saturday after-noon tour, lasting about 1-1/2 hours in and around Greater Victoria, followed by a great buffet dinner at the Comfort Inn
Hotel.
The tour begins at the Quality Inn Waddling Dog, 2476 Mt. Newton X Rd, Saanichton, V8M 2B8 (Pat Bay Hwy & Mt.
Newton X Rd) at 1:30pm (departure 2:00pm).
Dinner: Cocktails 6:00pm, dinner 7:00pm. Buffet dinner, roast beef (plus vegetarian); $40.00/person including tax and tip. Location: Comfort Inn Hotel, 3020 Blanshard Street
Sunday, Sept. 14: English Car Affair in the Park: Fort Rodd Hill National Historic Site, off Ocean Blvd., Colwood, B.C. (see map & more details on reverse of Registration
Form). Your registration package will be provided at the gate.
The entry cost for the Sunday show at Fort Rodd Hill is: First vehicle, includes Driver and Passenger(s) $15. Additional
vehicles, includes Driver and Passengers $5.00.
PAGE 7 THE ROUNDABOUT VOLUME 19 , NUMBER 4
Brits ‘Round B.C. 2014 – Sun Beams on a
Sunbeam: The Trials and Tribulations of
Motoring around the Province in a
Freshly Restored Old British Car
Text and Photos by Alan Miles
The sixth edition of Brits ‘Round B.C. started on Sun-
day June 29th in Victoria and ended thirteen days later
on Friday July 11th in Hope. This year’s Wagonmaster
was Jim Gislason of the Central Island Branch.
This was Mary Lou and I’s fourth Brits tour and once
again we had a great time despite the breakdowns
(more on that later). We have taken three different
cars on the four tours with varying success. In 2008 we
took our Sunbeam Rapier (before its restoration) and
had only one problem, a broken brake light switch
which we replaced on the road. In 2010 we took our
1962 Sunbeam Alpine (now sold thankfully) and we
endured more than our share of problems. A recurring
image is of us being pushed across parking lots to
bump start the damn thing! We did however get the
problem diagnosed and fixed about halfway through
the tour so all was not lost. In 2012 we took our 1969
MGB GT and sailed through the whole trip without a
problem. This year we again took the Rapier, fresh
from its restoration, and we weren’t quite so lucky al-
though in the scheme of things it could have been
much worse. In other words we made it home under
our own steam. I was initially a bit nervous about tak-
ing it as any time you rebuild a car there are always a
few issues to work out but we wanted to do the trip in a
convertible so we crossed our fingers and set off.
This time out five VCB cars took part in some or all of
the trip (out of a total of 30 participating vehicles). Par-
ticipants were John and Emma Chapman in their 1965
Morgan Plus 4, John and Lorna Hoare in their 1981
Triumph TR8, Ric MacDonald in his 2005 Jaguar XK8,
Mary Lou and I in our 1962 Sunbeam Rapier Converti-
ble and Ken and Pat Miles in their 1969 Morgan 4/4. If
one did the entire tour (as both Miles’ did) you would
have covered approximately 1800 miles in the 13 days.
As mentioned this year’s tour started in Victoria with a
drive up to Courtenay with the South Island Branch
folks (organized by SIB’s Rob Brodie). There we joined
up with the Central Island (CIB) participants and
stayed the night at the Anco Motel in Courtenay. The
next morning we all caught the ferry over to Powell
River and had a great drive down the Sunshine Coast
to Gibsons where we stayed two nights, the 30th of
June and the 1st of July. As is tradition on these tours
we all participated in the local Canada Day parade. As
Gibsons was not having a parade we all drove up to
Sechelt and took part in theirs along with the Coasters
Car Club. In the afternoon we headed back to Gibsons
for an OECC car show across the street from their Can-
ada Day celebrations. Local VCB member Bill Forst,
along with wife Pat and two grandchildren, organized
a great dinner for us all that night at a local Greek res-
taurant. Bill also went to the trouble of coming up with
a fun quiz on cars in the movies for us all to take part
in.
Day four took us to Whistler via the Langdale ferry
and Sea to Sky Highway. Mary Lou and I travelled
with Wagonmaster Jim and wife Cathy plus Wayne
Peddie, all from CIB. We decided to take a trip up the
new Sea to Sky Gondola in Squamish. This is great
attraction and is well worth a visit. The views from the
top are fantastic.
On day five we all took off en masse for the drive up
the Duffy Lake Road on our way to Kamloops. This is
where Mary Lou and I had our first mishap but first, a
little back story. I had been experiencing a wobble in
All packed and ready to go.
What could possibly go wrong?
Lining for the Sechelt parade
(Bill Forst’s Rover in the foreground)
PAGE 8 THE ROUNDABOUT VOLUME 19 , NUMBER 4
the steering at about 60 – 65 mph which had not been
cured by either a wheel balance (twice!) or an align-
ment. In fact the alignment shop could find no reason
for the problem I was having. This wobble had not been
present, to the best of my memory, before I took the car
off the road five years ago to restore it. The only thing
different that I could think of, were the new tires I had
recently had installed. Several people had suggested
that perhaps one of the front ones was a bit out of
round (not sure why the balancing wouldn’t have found
this) and that it might be a good idea to swap the front
and back tires and so I had this done at a Canadian
Tire in Squamish. This appeared to greatly reduce the
problem although I still seem to get a bit of a wobble
sometimes so the jury is still out. Anyhow, after gas-
sing up in Pemberton and turning left onto the high-
way I heard a clanging sound from behind and looking
in my mirror I saw the right rear hubcap careening
across the road and disappearing into the ditch. Luck-
ily John Chapman had a mallet and a rubber pad so I
was able to put it back on (not before missing with the
mallet and thumping my thumb!). It turned out all four
hubcaps were not properly seated. Day five’s problems
were not over yet though. Ever since I had restored the
car it had been having an intermittent stalling at idle
problem which had resurfaced in Squamish. I was also
starting to notice a lack of power and stumbling, espe-
cially on the long and gradual hills coming out of
Ashcroft on 97C on the way to Kamloops. During a stop
John Hoare and I looked at the car to see if we could
diagnose the problem. John advanced the timing a bit
and reset the mixture on the carb so it ran at idle and
we were off. After John’s small adjustments the car
ran much better but I couldn’t help feeling that there
was something else wrong as the car had been running
great when we left home.
Days six, seven and eight saw us going from Kamloops
to Revelstoke, Revelstoke to Canmore, Alberta and
Canmore to Fort Macleod, Alberta. This marks the first
time that Brits has gone into Alberta and it was great
to drive some new roads. The weather was sunny and
hot, as it was all trip long (with the exception of day 1).
Day nine took us from Fort MacLeod to Kimberley,
B.C. Although the Rapier was running much better
after John Hoare’s tweaking it was still having a bit of
a tough time getting up some of the hills and it had
started to stumble a miss a bit once again. Late in the
day while climbing the hill up to the Trickle Creek
Lodge in Kimberley the Rapier stalled out and would
not restart. After some investigation John Chapman
determined that the points had closed up for some rea-
son. We reset them and I took off up the road. After a
minute or two I realized John was not behind me and
returned to find him still at the side of the road but
this time with his hood up. John had discovered that
the fuel pump did not seem to be doing its job although
through multiple disassemblies and testing of the
pump we could find nothing wrong with it. We even
put a new diaphragm and check valves in it and still
the car would not start. After a frustrating hour or so
at the side of the road in the heat John decided it was
time to phone the tow truck. As luck would have it the
tow truck driver also owned the garage and he hap-
pened to be restoring a Morgan himself. John got the
call next morning that the car was ready, the problem
being we had not fully seated the check valves in the
fuel pump. This was strange seeing that John had
pushed them in quite hard with the end of a screw-
driver but we were glad the car was back on the road
(although this story was not over yet).
On our first evening in Kimberley (we stayed two
nights) the Kootenay Branch hosted a bbq. Chairman
Cliff Blakey and his fellow members put on a great
home cooked buffet which was thoroughly enjoyed by
all. The following afternoon some of them came and
joined us for a car show we held at the Trickle Creek
Lodge where we were all staying. One couple had
driven their London Taxi all the way from Kaslo to be
there.
Day 11 started out great but things went south pretty
quickly. This was the day we travelled the Crowsnest
Highway from Kimberley to Rossland. During the first
part of the three or four hour drive I was very pleased
with how the Rapier was running but that was to be a
very short lived feeling. This stretch of highway is
home to some very large uphill grades and the heat of
the day didn’t help things either. When we passed
through Trail it was 42 degrees and on the last climb
out of town the car just would not go any further. John
Chapman and I had both been having fuel vaporization
problems all day although John’s were not as bad as
ours. In fact John had come to realize that this was
what had befallen his Morgan on the way into Kimber-
John wishing he’d never stopped to help that
bloody Sunbeam owner on the hill up to
Trickle Creek Lodge
PAGE 9 THE ROUNDABOUT VOLUME 19 , NUMBER 4
ley and not the check valves in the fuel pump as the
local garage had assumed. We had taken to cooling off
the fuel pumps by pouring water on them and John
Hoare had even suggested tying a wet rag around the
pump which I did for awhile as well. John’s Morgan
had also developed a head gasket leak so he had taken
to carrying a 4 litre jug of water to top up the rad from
time to time (which also came in handy to cool the fuel
pumps!). Actually John was ok as long as he kept mov-
ing but every time he stopped to help us out he would
have troubles restarting.
As mentioned it was the last climb out of Trail which
finally killed the poor old Rapier. At that point we had
been joined by John and Lorna and Rob and Elaine
Brodie. As we were quite close to Rossland it was de-
cided that the Chapmans and Brodies would soldier on
(as John was having problems too and it was best he
kept moving) and that John and Lorna would stay with
us. As luck would have it we were able to roll the car
down the hill into the last parking lot on the way out of
town which happened to belong to a local
pub/restaurant/liquor store. John and Lorna and Mary
Lou and I headed into the pub for a much needed alco-
holic refreshment and a strategic planning session.
Whilst we were enjoying our drink it was decided that
John and I would head back into town and try and get
an electric fuel pump at Lordco to replace the ailing
mechanical one. As luck would have it Lordco did in-
deed have a fuel pump that we thought might work
and when we returned to the pub the Brodies and the
Parkers (both from SIB) had returned to help us out.
The four of us then proceeded to successfully install
said fuel pump and the Rapier roared back to life. After
we finished we retired to the pub and enjoyed a great
dinner with our spouses, including a free jug of beer
courtesy of the owner (a former Austin Cambridge
owner). It turned out to be a very nice ending to a
rather stressful (for me anyways) day. It’s great to
have so many good friends who are willing to help out
when one gets into trouble. When we got into Rossland
later that night we found out that we were not the only
VCB people who had suffered problems that day. Ken
and Pat had suffered an alternator failure but luckily
had a spare they were able to install.
On days twelve and thirteen we travelled from Ross-
land to Kelowna and then Kelowna to Hope. The
weather was exceptional hot so we took off early both
days to avoid the mid day heat. We had a great last
two days of trouble free motoring and camaraderie
with our fellow Brits who remained. Mary Lou and I
even won an award on the last night in Hope for the
people who had their hood up the most.
Wagonmaster Jim Gislason put together a great tour
for this year’s Brits. It’s no small job organizing some-
thing like this and he did an exceptional job. It was a
fantastic two weeks of great roads great company and
great laughs. If you’ve never done this tour I would
highly recommend it. There’s no better way in my opin-
ion to see the province than in an old British car
(despite the breakdowns!) surrounded by your OECC
friends.
A far too familiar site on this trip: the Rapier with
its hood up. On the way to Rossland. (Photo: Lorna)
Post fuel pump transplant. Our saviours, John
and Lorna, Rob and Elaine Brodie and Trevor
and Kim Parker pose with Mary Lou and the
owner of the pub where the whole plan was
hatched
PAGE 10 THE ROUNDABOUT VOLUME 19 , NUMBER 4
AC 2-Litre – An update
By Walter Reynolds
The March - April 2013 Roundabout included an arti-
cle on the AC 2-Litre. In the article were photos of an
example owned by Ian Strange of the UK, along with
information and photos from his web site and details of
the restoration of his own AC 2-Litre. Ian provided cur-
rent details on where he was with his project. I check
his web site from time to time and recently contacted
him for an update. The update, from March 28, 2013
follows as does a photo of his finished body frame. At
the end of this update, I’ve included a quote from his
web site where he details the number of pieces of wood
that make up the body frame.
“Hi Walter:
It's nice to hear from you again. Progress on the AC
since last March does not seem dramatic, considering
the hours that I put in (typically 500 to 600 per year)!
By August 2013, I had completed the wood frame. This
included renewing the timber under the door-steps,
and then painting the woodwork. I've since been work-
ing on the rear of the chassis while I have easy access
to this.
Firstly, painting the chassis frame. I'm keen to use the
best process possible for a DIY repaint. I degreased the
frame, and then gave it a phosphate treatment. Then
primed with a 2 part epoxy, and finished with a 2-part
polyurethane. While many enthusiasts talk about
"anti-rust" paints, the top priority is paint that sticks
firmly and over the entire surface.
Next task? Removal of the rear axle. The chassis
passes under the axle, while the chassis' rear under-
pan is very close under the leaf springs. The only way I
could remove the springs, was to clamp them straight
with girders before removing the pivot bolts. The
springs need to be straightened slightly. A mistake in
the handbook means that many springs were given too
much camber.
A rear axle overhaul now beckons. The ENV type axle
is sometimes wrongly tested for loose bearings by jack-
ing up only 1 wheel. You need to have both rear wheels
off the ground and then check the combined end float.
Below is a photo showing the finished wood frame last
summer.
I've experimented with replica chrome, using the
brushing technique. When finances permit, I'll do more
of this, but preferably plating in a tank, as this will
give a thicker plating. The finish is reputed to be more
durable than real chrome, as well as being a less dan-
gerous process.
I hope that helps!
Kind regards,
Ian Strange
March 28, 2014”
Below is an excerpt from Ian’s web site regarding the
number of individual pieces of the body frame:
“After 4 years and about 1,950 hours work, the wood
frame repairs are complete except for gluing the boot
side panels on. These will be fixed on after attention is
given to the rear of the chassis. The rebuild has in-
volved making 36 new components and repairing 72
others. Those repairs numbered about 110 not includ-
ing packing pieces and drilled/dowelled screw holes. 41
original components were re-glued (with 10 more to
follow when the boot side panels go on permanently).
Including all packing pieces etc., over 250 repair parts
were made. Many of the packing pieces were to fill in
gaps that had been left in the original construction
(actually filled with glue!).”
Ian’s web site is: www.ac2litre.com The rear axle ‘unsprung’. Ian Strange photo.
PAGE 12 THE ROUNDABOUT VOLUME 19 , NUMBER 4
New Member Profile: John Brettoner
Here goes, so I owned a Daimler Conquest, from 1962-1964. A Velocette motorcycle 1959 -
1964. Once in Canada a M.G.B. for a year or so (1963) then a R.R. 25-30 1938, body by
Cockshoot, then an Humber Super Snipe auto, great car was once in the South African auto
rally, but wouldn’t really pull the skin off a rice pudding, then engine overhaul, not much dif-
ference. Then went away from proper cars since I took over a repair garage in West Van, ( OH
I forgot a 1936 Ford Y Type when in U.K. good car). So I started building A.C. Cobra replicars
427, of basically my own design, but did manage to build 100 of them, where are they all now?
Fast forward 40 years or so I have Three Brit motorcycles, a Ford T Bird and a Lexus, you
could say I am not that particular, but that's not true. I am stained to Brit Stuff, because
that's where it all started and where the roots are, owned many American cars and up to say
1972 were all good, then smog and pollution stuff happened, as with the Brit cars like Austin
Marinas and Vauxhalls too, but we got over it, and everything rusted out in those days, ex-
haust system rusting was a joke, the manufactures were messing with smog pumps, lean mix-
tures, and dealing with labour strikes in factories, which did not help overall production reli-
ability, I think we just handed it all to the Japanese, and they said Thank You.
Regards, John Brettoner
PAGE 13 THE ROUNDABOUT VOLUME 19 , NUMBER 4
Calla and I spotted this photo in the Nanaimo Museum. It shows a Vauxhall Victor estate car em-
ployed to deliver food for the Rendezvous Diner. Note the roof mounted spot light to find addresses
after dark.—Les Foster
REAR VIEW MIRROR
VCB June Event
By Alan Miles
Our June branch event was held at Jim’s Garage Collectibles in New West-
minster on Tuesday, June 3rd. Owner Jim Forgie welcomed about 15 OECC
members to his premises on E. Columbia and gave us a short talk on his
business as well as supplying us with plenty of tea and biscuits.
Jim’s Garage Collectibles Ltd. is a mainly mail order and internet based
business. Jim sells vintage gas pumps and all the parts need to restore
them as well as reproduction metal and porcelain gas station and oil com-
pany signs plus clocks and other memorabilia.
Some members may remember Jim as the former owner of O.S. Air Strip
in Richmond. His passion for restoring vintage gas pumps started during
this time and has evolved over the years although he rarely restores pumps
now preferring to focus on selling unrestored pumps and parts as previ-
ously mentioned.
Many thanks to Jim for opening up his business to our branch for the eve-
ning.
Jim’s Garage Collectables is located at 137 E. Columbia St. in New West-
minster. Visit his website at http://www.jims-garage.ca/
PAGE 14 THE ROUNDABOUT VOLUME 19 , NUMBER 4
B.C. Triumph Registry BBQ
Text and photos by Walter Reynolds
The Triumph Register invited members of the Vancouver Coast Branch to the July 9th annual TR BBQ at the
Burnaby Lake Rugby Football Clubhouse. It was a very warm and sunny evening which attracted Linda and I,
John Clark, Barry Ryley, Bill Grant, Dennis Nelson, Bob McDiarmid and new member, Sarah Wilson. Dennis,
Bob and Sarah are also members of the Triumph Register.
We were individually welcomed by TR President, Paul Barlow who told us to "tuck in", so to speak, because din-
ner was on them tonight. We all had a very enjoyable evening and appreciated all the work that a few TR mem-
bers had gone through to cater the function.
Thanks to the weather, all VCB members were able to drive their "Little" British Cars to the event as can be seen
in the photos. Unfortunately, I never saw Bill's blue Morris Minor, so couldn't take a photo of it. Also, as can be
seen, Linda was in fine fettle doing her Vana White impersonation and enjoying herself thoroughly!
In case anyone is wondering why Linda is sitting in Barry's MG it's because, somehow, Barry and Linda ended up
talking about their bad backs. Linda wanted to know how Barry was able to get into his MG. So, Barry told her
and gave her instructions to follow while he directed her entry into the car, and out of same. Simple, eh!
Linda poses with (clockwise from upper left) Dennis Nelson’s 1960 TR3A, Barry Ryley’s 1952 MG TD and
John Clark’s Jaguar Mk 9, Barry’s TD again . (Bottom left) Bob McDiarmid’s 1995 Morgan Plus 8.
PAGE 15 THE ROUNDABOUT VOLUME 19 , NUMBER 4
Fraser Valley Classic Car Show
By: Walter Reynolds
Following last year’s closure of Minter Gardens and
the demise of the Minter Gardens Classic Car Show,
the Fraser Valley British Motor Club (FVBMC) de-
cided to organize a new event, The Fraser Valley Clas-
sic Car Show.
The first running of the new show was Sunday, July
20, 2014, a very rainy day in the midst of several
sunny and hot days. Although 142 cars were registered
for the show only 102 showed up, due, no doubt, to the
inclement weather. I took the Rover to the show, driv-
ing most of the way in the rain. By the time I got to
the Atchelitz Thresherman’s Museum at the Chilli-
wack Heritage Centre the Rover was no longer clean.
Once in position, I set up the car as best I could, and
as much as I dared in the rain. The Thresher Museum
grounds are a mixture of grass and gravel with all the
cars being parked on grass. Sometime after lunch, the
rain stopped. During the morning, I’d made several
circuits of the venue looking for the cars I would vote
for. Each time I came back to the Rover, the adage,
“Black cars look better in the rain” certainly rang true.
When I returned to the Rover after lunch, the rain on
its surface had mainly dried leaving in its wake a very
dirty car. “There go my chances of placing” I thought
to myself.
Allan Reich was there with his Triumph TR6 in the
Presidents Class because he had won the President’s
Choice trophy one year at Minter. Ex-member Mike
Stout was there with his trademark Jowett Jupiter.
Bence and Helen McIntyre were there in the after-
noon, but without their British car. (If I missed any
other OECC members, I apologize, but I didn’t see
you.)
Like Minter, Classes for this show were the same, that
is, ten-year blocks in each of Domestic and Import
categories, with 1975 being the cut off. The Rover was
in the 1961 to 1970 class for judging purposes and by
the time entry of vehicles was closed, the Rover was in
the company of a freshly restored Mini woody wagon, a
Jaguar E Type, a Lancia Flavia Coupe and a Ferrari
“something”. As it turned out, the Rover was placed
between two Minis; the new restoration, plus a red
non-woody Mini in the 1951 to 1960 class.
At the Awards Ceremony, plaques were presented for
‘First in Class’ and ‘Runner Up’. All plaques were glass
on a glass stand. Mike Stout won an award in his
class, but I don’t recall whether it was First or Run-
ner-up. A few cars that I had voted for even won
awards. But the biggest surprise of the day for me was
when they announced that the Rover was Runner Up
in its class.
And now my evaluation of the location: I like the
Thresher Museum for the Car Show because every-
thing is compact and you don’t have to walk miles to
see the cars, or get to washrooms and food; they have
an on-site kitchen manned by lots of volunteers; food
was plentiful and well prepared and was made fresh to
order - prices were very reasonable as well. Whether
your interests lie in farm and marine machines and
engines or in flowers will determine whether an indi-
vidual prefers Minter or the Thresher Museum. The
fact of the matter is that Minter no longer exists!
The Great Canadian Oil Change Company sponsored
the entire show and have already committed to spon-
sor next year’s show. Considering that this event was
organized by a non-profit society (FVBMC), it can be
considered a success, especially when one considers
that over 1200 visitor ballots were cast for the People’s
Choice award. Not bad for the first year and in the
rain, too. My only regret is that I had a senior’s mo-
ment and left my camera at home and could only take
photos with my cell phone. I promise to remember next
year!
AT THE WHEEL
Chairperson: Gerry Parkinson
[email protected] 604-943-3824
Vice-Chairperson: John McDonald
[email protected] 604-942-8223
Treasurer: Bernie Miles
[email protected] 604-943-0535
Membership renewals: mail to 207-4753
River Road West, Delta, B.C. V4K 1 R9
Membership Secretary: John Chapman
[email protected] 604-590-3749
New memberships and correspondence:
7923 144A St., Surrey, B.C. V3S 8C1
Immediate Past Chairperson:
Steve Diggins 604-294-6031
Event and Meeting Coordinator:
Lorna Hoare
[email protected] - 604-584-2564
Communications Coordinator: Alan Miles
[email protected]—604-272-2145
Roundabout Editor : Alan Miles
[email protected] - 604-272 -2145
Good & Welfare: David Ballantine
[email protected] - 604-980-4120
Website Editor: Alan Miles
[email protected] 604-272-2145
PAGE 16 THE ROUNDABOUT VOLUME 19 , NUMBER 4
TTTHEHEHE BBBOOTOOTOOT
WELCOME TO THE OECC !WELCOME TO THE OECC !WELCOME TO THE OECC !
Sarah WilsonSarah WilsonSarah Wilson———Coquitlam, B.C.Coquitlam, B.C.Coquitlam, B.C.———1965 Austin Healey 3000, 1967 Austin Healey 3000, 1965 Austin Healey 3000, 1967 Austin Healey 3000, 1965 Austin Healey 3000, 1967 Austin Healey 3000,
1959 MGA Coupe, 1966 Triumph TR4A, 1968 Triumph TR2501959 MGA Coupe, 1966 Triumph TR4A, 1968 Triumph TR2501959 MGA Coupe, 1966 Triumph TR4A, 1968 Triumph TR250
Paul and Kate FoxPaul and Kate FoxPaul and Kate Fox———North Vancouver, B.C.North Vancouver, B.C.North Vancouver, B.C.———1975 MGB Roadster1975 MGB Roadster1975 MGB Roadster
John WoodJohn WoodJohn Wood———Vancouver, B.C.Vancouver, B.C.Vancouver, B.C.———1950 Jaguar MK V1950 Jaguar MK V1950 Jaguar MK V
Evan and Kirsten WertEvan and Kirsten WertEvan and Kirsten Wert———Bellingham, WABellingham, WABellingham, WA———1969 MGB GT1969 MGB GT1969 MGB GT
Lorna Hoare sends in the following report on our
branch’s involvement in the BC Highland Games
show in June:
The BC Highland games was a fun day for the club
members who attended. We had 8 cars on show
from the OECC, plus 6 other British cars. John and
David were resplendent in their kilts!! We received
a thank you from Simon Scott, and an invite to re-
turn next year. The British car display is always
popular and we were next to the whiskey tasting
tent!!
Thanks to those who attended ,
Lorna
(Opposite—John being resplendent in his kilt)
Steve Hutchens poses with a wooden
Beefeater at the Western Washington All
British Field Meet in July. This was the
first year for the show in their new loca-
tion at St. Edward Park in Kenmore, WA.
Cars were spread around the grounds of
the former Catholic seminary as opposed
to in parking lots at the old Bellevue
College location.