Tony Fox sent me some pictures of the Niagara NTQ Run.

Enjoy!

From: Don Walker [mailto:dwalker4@cogeco.ca]
Sent: May 5, 2012 7:01 PM
To: 'David Wood'
Subject: I Am Now a Real Saloon Car Owner!

Hey David,

It is now official......I am an actual owner of a British SALOON Car!!! My 1969 MGB GT was a quasi saloon in that it was not a roadster.

I just bought this beautiful 1957 Wolseley 6/90 from Gordon Lawson. He lovingly spent 3 years in restoring my new baby. You can see his painstaking work of the restoration at www.gblandco.com/gb/wol/wol1.html.

Don Walker

She runs absolutely smooth, quiet, and comfortable. The gearshift is on the left between the drivers seat and door. It is a tad wonky with a complex linkage That has beenworn over the years. I had her out today practicing my shifting, and after a few bad starts in the wrong gear, I think I have it sort of mastered. Thank goodness for the "C" series 6 cylinder engine (same as Austin Healey 100-6) that has the bottom end torque which cancelled out me using 3rd gear instead of 1st.

Don Walker

My MGB GT unfortunately now is in the driveway with the Wolseley taking her place in the garage. She is a tad upset about this with her oil pressure dropping off to about 20, when she normally runs at 60+ when she went to bed in November. I think she is trying to tell me something.

Don Walker

Now my new Wolseley Saloon now needs a name.

Cheers,
Don
BSCCoC Membership Guy

I found these pictures while doing some aimless surfing of the web.

Jalopy Journal

There was no context for these pictures. It does look like a showing of the car, but not a big public release. I have to tell you the bonnet looks like a head and upper body trauma waiting to happen.

The motor is not an A series, and I would guess not British.

Jalopy Journal

The body size and shape looks Metropolitan. The styling, just bit different. Could this be an early prototype? Anybody with a better grasp on history than me?

Jalopy Journal

Thanks to Daniel Colburne

Thanks to the British Sports car Club of Hamilton, the Austin Healey Club of Souther Ontario and all of the volunteers they got together to host this event!

The Ancaster British Car Flea Market was today. Not a bad day, for the tail end of April. There was no blizzard, which was a definite improvement

Check out my pictures and Jim and Daniel Colburne's pictures

VARAC invites car club members to actually drive the race course at its 33rd annual Canadian Historic Grand Prix sponsored by Wilson-Niblett Performance to be held at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park (MOSPORT) this coming June.

That is right! We are making available driving opportunities so that more enthusiasts can see and feel what it is really like to crest the top of Corner 2 and experience the world falling away, sweep sharply down hill through Corner 4 and climb rapidly up to 5, then the long uphill sprint to 6 & 7, sweep through 8 then carefully choose your apexes through 9 & 10 before being released to the Start/Finish straight, then do it all over again! It is great stuff that you won’t want to miss.

Read More.....

I put Bugsy's battery on trickle charge Monday. It just gets the battery back up to snuff before I throw it into Bugsy.

It's now Friday, and I have a fully charged battery. Usually I skip this step and have to take it back out when the starter fails to engage fully. There is no electricity in Bugsy's garage.

Bugsy would not start, as usual. It would turn over, chuff a couple of times. It was time for Glenfiddich. Well not really, there is gas in the bottle of a different type. I could not get anything but more chuffing. I took the rest of the gas in the can and poured it into Bugsy's tank. Now I had some results. Bugsy was now running and after a short time not badly

All there was then was to check all fluids and tire pressure. I am ready for the Summer!

However there is the nagging question of where does all of my gas go. Please no naked flames anywhere near my garage.

http://www.greatrace.com/ '61 Morris Minor driven by Arthur Willenbrock and Joe Litchro Behind, David and Shirley Lowe in their 1928 Ford Boattail Speedster 2011 Great Race

This year the round the Lower Great Lakes Route will take the race along Hwy 17 from Sault Ste. Marie to Sudbury, south on Hwy 69 and 400 to Barrie. The route then takes them east to Ottawa. The last day (in Ontario), the route turns south to Kingston, crossing to Clayton NY for an overnight stop.

http://www.greatrace.com/

From the Great Race Website, "The Great Race is an antique, vintage, and collector car competitive controlled-speed endurance road rally on public highways. It is not a test of top speed. It is a test of a driver/navigator team’s ability to follow precise course instructions and the car’s (and team’s) ability to endure on a cross-country trip. The course instructions require the competing teams to drive at or below the posted speed limits at all times".

This is a great opportunity for those across the Nickle Belt, Georgian Bay, Kawarthas, and Eastern Ontario to see a great rolling car show or get up close and personal at the lunch or overnight stops.

The schedule may change. Keep an eye on http://www.greatrace.com/ for any new information and updates. This site also has a wealth of blogs, and information.

Doug wanted a Vauxhall PA Cresta from an early age. He could not find one for the longest time. Then in a great wash of fortune several came his way.

None of these cars were, by no means, complete and just in need of restoration. They weren't even the same year. But they all seemed to compliment each other.

Read on....

C'mon, blow the cobwebs off of and out of your LBC. The Niagara Region members are planning an early spring run, the middle of April. Details at: Niagara Region Forum

Facebook

From Hemmings Listing

From Hemmings Listing

From Hemmings Listing

In the Hemmings ad this is listed as a 1966 Morris Mini-Cooper Lightspeed Roadster/convertible. The ad then goes on to list a bit of history and work done to the car with a picture link, and two video links (video 1 video 2)

Both Alan and I were curious if there were more like it or if it was a one off. He went searching. I google searched "Lightspeed Mini", "Lightspeed Roadster", and any other combination of words in the ad description. All I could come up with was this car in it's sale ads from 2008 or 2009 until now. All getting cheaper as I went back in time.

I was about to give up and figure it was a one off. I did one last google search on "lightspeed magenta" (magenta from the photobucket site). I found the Magenta Register, with a picture of a car that was our car above. From this is the Magenta Register on Facebook. The website has information on the different cars Light Speed Panels Ltd. provided new bodies for. The Facebook site is active with new builds, restorations and activities.

Light Speed Panels built 5 different kits from the early 70s to 1986. The Magenta 1100/1300 is based on the BMC 1100/1300, The LSR (Light Speed Roadster) is based on the Ford Escort, and the Mini Sprint was built on a donated Mini. These were sporty 2 and 2+2 seater sports cars that did get some experience on track and rally courses. The Magenta 1100/1300 was the most numerous, at about 500 kits made. The LSR and Mini Sprint were about 40 and 20 respectively.

The 2 remaining kits were the Magenta Tarragon and Tarragon TXR. These were not sports cars but estate wagons. The Tarragon used mechanicals from an Escort Mk 1 and 2. The TXR, made in the final year of the company, was made for a Capri donor. Production numbers were 35 for the Tarragon and "very few" for the TXR.

Light Speed Panels Ltd. ceased operations in 1986

Now for the answer to, "What is it?".

From communications I had with the Magenta Register Facebook site members Ken Warburton, and Leigh Smith, the car above is a Mini Sprint with an 1100/1300 bonnet. It is one of 20 built.

It is now the high point of St. Patty's week, it is St. Patty's day. Seeing as it is on a Saturday, it may be even more of a bender than normal

Don't drink and drive! You may miss driving this summer. Take a cab, pull an overnighter, have a designated driver!

Have Fun!

It is St. Patrick's Week! Why not? If there can be a "Grey Cup" week, there should be a St. Patty's week!

So, let's raise our Guinness, Harp, Bushmills, Jamesons or whatever to St. Patrick and all that is Irish, including the Shamrock.

Shamrock?

John DeLorean was not the first to attempt to bring automobile manufacturing to Ireland. In 1959 William Curtis tried this with the Shamrock.

Curtis was not an automobile manufacturer but a restaurant equipment manufacturer in California. His motivation was to help bring industry to Ireland, his ancestral home.

The Shamrock was basically a fiberglass body on a ladder frame with Austin A55 mechanicals. It made it through the prototype development to early production, where everything ground to a halt.

Most sources state that only 8 cars were built, while others claim up to 60 were made. You either have no chance at finding one or you have a reasonable chance.

Read all about it!

Jellybean AutoCrafters

Jellybean AutoCrafters

Jellybean AutoCrafters would like to invite you, your car club and your friends to our annual Fall Colours Tour. Registration is now open so I've attached a few pictures of what you can expect to see and experience on the event.

The 3 day driving adventure covers up to 1100 kilometers (680 miles) of scenic paved roads designed for a great driving experience. While the route can be enjoyed in almost any vehicle we plan it with the classic car enthusiast in mind, choosing enjoyable driving roads that are unknown to most folks and having enough scenic stops to take in the sights while giving time to socialize with other participants. The magnificent hotels and dinner on Saturday evening enhance the relaxing atmosphere of the event.

The $500 per vehicle entrance fee includes 2 people for both nights and dinner for 2 on Saturday evening. We anticipate having a variety of interesting vehicles participate ranging from European & British sports and classics to hotrods and such. We are limiting the event to 60 vehicles with entry preference given to pre 1986 vehicles.

We’ll have the rooms reserved for each night stop so the route will remain unknown to the participants until the day the event starts giving an element of surprise and adventure to the tour.

The event starts on Friday morning September 28, 2012 at our shop in Surrey BC and ends on Sunday September 30, 2012 by mid afternoon.

At this point we have participants coming from Alberta, BC, Washington & California so please feel free to pass this invitation on to anyone whom you think may be interested

Have a great day & hope to hear from you soon

Ewald Penner

Jellybean AutoCrafters
205, 14770 - 64th Avenue
Surrey, BC V3S 1X7
Phn: 604-594-6800
jellybeanautocrafters@telus.net
Registration Form

Bob Deshane has just brought to my attention that on Saturday March 10th at noon, the TSN television show MOTORING 2012 will air a segment filmed of Little Britain Motor Company’s "LINDSAY TO BRIGHTON RUN" in October 8, 2011. It features a lot of British Cars, great locations and interesting folks.



This year's Lindsay to Brighton Run will be Saturday October 6th. Keep the date open!

Doug Frechette

Doug Frechette had empty space. He figured it should be occupied by a car. It was three years through a false start and ended up with a Vanguard from a most unlikely source.

(Artists representation)

The new Niagara Chapter co-ordinator, Darrell McDonald, has set up a forum for, primarily, contact amongst the members in the chapter. Come by, visit, join up.

Tony Fox sent me in some pictures from the Triumph display at the Canadian International Auto Show. I am guessing he was there helping with the set up as there are no crowds of people.

I information on some cars, if you have more send it to me. I also have room for more pictures.

Enjoy!

The Automobile Club de Nice is one of the oldest car clubs in the world. Being in the south of France, they know motoring in just about any type of car, through any weather, any time of the year.

February 5th and 6th the club had their inaugural running of the Prom' des Neiges Classic. Fifteen cars took place, starting from the Centennial Monument on Promenade des Anglais, in Nice, and ending in the ski village of Valberg. They don't stop for winter.

The cars in the run varied from a rare Hotchkiss AM 80 through to a Triumph Spitfire driver

The Automobile Club de Nice

Take a Morris Oxford straight from England. Transport it, lock stock, barrel, and tooling to the Hind plant in Uttarpara, West Bengal India. It becomes the Hindustan Landmaster (Oxford MO and Series II) and later the Ambassador (Series III).

From late 40s to the present the Hindustan Landmaster and Ambassador followed the English Oxford evolution up to the Farina redesign. It has stayed the same car since, with only minor styling changes. There was no Farina styling to take the Ambassador in an entirely different direction.

In 2004 Hindustan Motors came out with the Avigo. Again, there was only minor styling changes with the Morris still showing strong. This model is history already.

In the present day Hindustan is competing with many Asian car manufacturers, and falling in market share. A redesign along the lines in the picture below is supposed to keep the Uttapara plant in operation. I still see the Morris in it, at least a bit. Time will tell if this venture is successful.

According to Wikipedia Ambassadors were imported to the United Kingdom in 1993 as the Fullbore Mark 10. The importer went bust very quickly. Hindustans became available in the UK in 2002 from Merlin Garages, an importer in Wales.

Now, you could import one of these babies to Canada, as long as it is 15 years or older. There has been some quirky stuff imported in the last few years. Why not one of these?