WWW.VOLUSIABRITISHCARS.COM ………………………………December 2012……Volume #21 Issue 12 The British Connection We will not have a newsletter, a treasurer, or a secretary. I have spoken to VP Steve Bradley and he agrees with me that a change is needed if this Club is going to continue. As for our December Events everything is in place. December 8th, We will head out to the Moody Museum. On December 9th our annual Christmas Party is at Mike & Gene Schoonmaker’s. We have plenty of Message from the president capable members in this Club so I am hope-

Well the holidays are upon us and as ing someone will step up and in the right we prepare for the Season. I would like to direction again. Remember it is about the thank everyone who helped with the Club people not the cars. this past year. Sometimes it is easy to get distracted by the small stuff instead of From my family to yours, have a safe remembering what this Club is all about. and healthy Holiday Season. Ken So I’ll make this short. I am not going to continue to be the President going December Events forward. I enjoy the Club and the all the members and will stay on as a member, Driving out to the Boyd Moody Museum on th but I don’t have the time to invest as the December 8 . This will be a special occasion board member this Club needs. I want to because Gary Thomas has a unique presenta- follow not lead. It seems that most of the tion for Mr. Moody. We will also have lunch Board members are not going to run there and overall, it is a nice drive this time again, and no one is stepping up to lend a of year. Please call Ken if you need more information @ 386-492-6278 hand. Perhaps because, it has always been done, by the same few, that others think December 9th is our annual Christmas get- they are not needed to help. together. The address is 1300 Mandan Ln.,

Ormond Beach, and the time is from 1pm until 4pm, or so. There is lots of good food available but we will not have the gift exchange this year. Please come and bring something to share. If you need to RSVP, email Gene at [email protected].

1 This email was sent to one of our members, Volume#20 Issue 12 December 2012 and we thought there might be some

interest – So – CLUB OFFICERS FOR 2012 “I work for Cooper Classic Cars, a classic car President – Ken DeLeeuw - [email protected] showroom and film car company located in New Vice President – Steve Bradley – [email protected] York City. Our film car department specializes in Secretary - Connie Hart – [email protected] locating vehicles to be used in photoshoots, films, Treasurer – Mary Ellen Watz – [email protected] television shows and special events. We've been in Editor – Gene Schoonmaker – [email protected] business for over 35 years and frequently work with some of the top names in the industry (Ralph Lauren, Calvin Klein, Vanity Fair, Glamour, etc.). OUR LAST LUNCH BUNCH WAS AT With the arrival of winter in the northeast, many of DB PICKELS our clients migrate to the south, holding And a great eating experience was had by photoshoots in Florida. We are constantly seeking out vehicles to add to our database and were all. Have you ever checked out that pickle wondering if any of the members of your club had bar? Those attending were quite impressed any interest in making their vehicles available for with this restaurant. Perhaps we will go photoshoots/films. If your vehicle is selected to be again. Those attending were: used, you are paid for your time and get to have your vehicle in a major ad Mike Schoonmaker, Ursula Suddard, Allen campaign/commercial/film/etc. We require that all Wright ,Jim Lubinski, Charlie & Linde vehicles that are used are insured for up to $1 Richardson, Jere & Bonita Dotten Million in damages by the production company. If Richard & Joyce Heckathorn, Burt & Celia you could pass this message along to members of Martin, Steve & Debbi Bradley, Doug & Linda your club, I would greatly appreciate it.

Rothwell. Gary & Sylvia Thomas, Bob & Betty To add your car to our film car database, please Storke, Vic Hall stopped by to say hi to send the following information to everyone [email protected] -Several pictures of your vehicle -Name and telephone number of owner -Location of vehicle

Adding your car to our database is free, so feel free to send as many different cars as you like. The requests of our clients range from the most mundane vehicles to extremely rare- so feel free to send whatever you've got!

Visit our website www.cooperclassiccars.com for more information about our company and feel free The LUNCH BUNCH will meet at to email or call me with any questions you may Wong’s 8th Wonder Kitchen in DeBary have.

on 54 South US Highway 17 – 92 on Thanks, Wednesday the 5th of December. At Thomas Marosy Cooper Classic Cars 1pm. Let’s make this a great time to P: 212.929.3909 get together for lunch for the last F: 212.633.6952 www.cooperclassiccars.com time in 2012. 2 The doors were fitted with more modern, flush- Volume#20 Issue 12 December 2012 fitting handles and the wheelarches were flared slightly. The windscreen's height increased by 2"/50mm and its frame became an integral part Continuation of the of the scuttle construction, so it was no longer removable by simply unbolting it. The styling of Triumph Spitfire History the rear was brought into line with other Triumph models like the Stag and the 2000

saloon. This also brought slightly improved In January 1968 Leyland boot space. The rear bumper now came in one Motors, the company that had piece, instead of the previous two small bumpers on the corners. The only outer panels been the owner of Standard- to remain completely unchanged were the sills. Triumph since 1961, took over Triumphs own stylists came up with a smart , which included new hardtop, with a much flatter roof panel Jaguar, Daimler and the whole of the BMC than the previous bulbous offering, opening rear quarterlights and a flat rear window. The company, including Austin, Morris and hood frame of the softtop was partly covered MG. The merged company was rechristened by black plastic moldings, in an effort to prevent injury to the occupant's heads. . The dashboard was of One of the results of this merger was that the type that had already been competing sports cars (Triumph Spitfire and the introduced in the Midget/Sprite range from MG and Austin- 1969 Mk3's for the US market: black plastic, Healey) were now built by the same company. with the main Designer Michelotti had proposed popup headlights, as seen here instruments in front of on a prototype MkIV. It didn't happen because of high the driver, instead of production costs and the fear that in the middle. Later in these would soon be outlawed in the US. its production life, a wood-veneered dashboard was fitted. At last, black padded sun visors, safety belts and a heater came as standard on all markets. Cars fitted with overdrive now had a sliding switch on the gearknob instead of a lever on the steering The Spitfire MkIV had a fresh new look, with a distinctly restyled front and rear and a smart new hardtop. column. The MkIV basically had the 1,296cc engine MkIV from the Mk3, but to simplify parts manufacture and supply it was fitted with the larger conrods In 1970, Triumph came out with what of the six-cylinder engines. can be called an almost complete re-skin of the Contrary to popular belief, the MkIV engine Spitfire, executed by the Spitfire's original was not detuned form the start. Initially, its designer Michelotti. The front was cleaned up, quoted output was 63HP, as opposed to the losing the trim strips on top of the bonnet and quoted output of 75bhp for the Mk3 engine. the chrome headlamp surrounds. A black The only difference was that the 63HP was a plastic grille and black plastic bumper under- result of measuring according to the German rider covers were added. DIN system - actual power output was no different. Still, the MkIV was slower than the 3 Mk3, due to higher weight, a taller final drive Spitfire 1500 (3.89:1 as opposed to 4.11:1) to improve fuel economy, and a new gearbox with a taller first Two years before the gear (which, incidentally, was now end of MkIV synchronised). production, Triumph had already At last, a major design weakness in the rear introduced the suspension was properly dealt with. Handling 1,493cc engine in in corners of previous Heralds and Spitfire MkIV's for the US The Spitfire 1500 engine. models had been 'interesting', with dangerous market, albeit with a tuck-under of rear wheels easily achieved. This single Zenith was caused by the transverse rear leaf spring Stromberg carburettor. Changing the design to assembly being bolted solidly to the top of the conform with US emission regulations had differential casing. robbed so much of the old engine's power that The solution of the an increase in swept volume was badly Triumph engineers needed. was both effective and cheap: just the In December 1974, the 1,493cc engine was bottom leaf of the also introduced on other markets, in a mildly assembly remained reworked model called the 'Spitfire 1500'. The fixed to the differential engine, which was basically a stroked version casing, but the others of the old 1300cc engine, produced 71bhp and were free to pivot mated to a simpler 'Marina' gearbox, turned the Thanks to a simple modification Spitfire into a genuine 100Mph (161km/h) car around a central axis. of the rear axle, handling of the This transformed the MkIV was much improved. for the first time. Fuel consumption was no handling of MkIV higher than before but the car was much more Spitfires compared to earlier models. Finally, flexible to drive, thanks to improved torque. Spitfire drivers could throw their cars about without the danger of being launched into the Throughout its scenery. production life, many detail changes were Wire wheels were still an option, but they were made to the 1500. no longer of the centre-lock type, but of the The main visual much simpler and cheaper 'bolt-on' variety. upgrade happened in

Later on, the rear axles were lengthened by 1" 1976, when - in 'Houndstooth cloth' upholstery, keeping with the introduced in 1977. (25.4mm) each, improving roadholding. fashion of the time - Top speed of Euro-spec MkIV's was 97Mph the bright stainless steel windscreen wipers, (155km/h) and 0-60Mph (0-96km/h) took about chromed door handles and door mirrors were 12.5 seconds. From 1972, a slightly detuned replaced with matte black items. In 1977 the engine was fitted, lowering the numbers to old steering column switchgear, which still 95Mph (152km/h) and a disappointing 14.5 stemmed from the days of the Triumph Herald, seconds. was upgraded to more modern TR7 column stalks. A few months later, the all-vinyl seats Note: previous marks of Spitfire were called were replaced with cloth-vinyl seats. Spitfire4, Mk2 and Mk3. The MkIV was not Apart from minor changes, British Leyland did designated Mk4 to avoid confusion with the not invest in the Spitfire. BL originally planned original Spitfire4. to keep the Spitfire in production until 1982, but in 1980 it was quickly discovered that the old Triumph 1,500cc engine could not possibly meet new Californian emissions regulations. 4 Since around half of Spitfire sales at that time MOST IMPORTANT THINGS TO took place in California, this meant that production halved and became uneconomical. REMEMBER IN LFE Besides, the car was an old design after 18 years in production and could no longer 1. Never give up on anybody, miracles happen compete with more modern offerings like Fiat's every day. X-1/9 and BL's own TR7. The last Spitfire 1500, an Inca Yellow 2. Be brave even if you’re not, pretend to be. specimen with hardtop and overdrive, rolled off No one can tell the difference the assembly line at Canley in August 1980, 3. Think BIG thoughts, relish small pleasures bearing commission number 4. Learn to listen. Opportunity sometimes TFADW5AT009898. It was never sold and is knocks very softly still in the British Motor Heritage museum at Gaydon today. 5. Never deprive someone of hope. It might be all they have. Final Production Figures 6. Strive for excellence, not perfection. 7. Don’t waste time grieving over past

mistakes. Learn from them and move on. Model Years Produced Number 8.When someone hugs you, let them be the 4 1962 – 1965 45,763 first to let go. 9.Never underestimate the power of a kind Mk. II 1965 – 1967 37,409 word or deed.

10. Don’t expect life to be fair. Mk. III 1967 – 1970 65,320 11. Remember, success comes to the one Mk. IV 1970 – 1974 70,021 that acts first. 12. Never waste an opportunity to tell 1500 1974 – 1980 95,829 someone you love them.

13. Laugh a lot; good sense of humor cures Total Production 314,342 almost all of life’s ills. 14.Watch for the big problems. They HAPPY BIRTHDAY disguise big opportunities. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ This has been a terrific experience for me to be the Editor of the ABCC Newsletter, these two years. I would like to express my appreciation to all

Jim McCarthy December of you who have given me material to include Deanna Deleeuw December 11 for the use of all the club members, and also Don Buck December 12 to those of you who have encouraged me Bruce Worth December 23 with your praise and good wishes. I hope someone will come on board as the new Editor, because this is a good club and deserving of continuing in a job well done. Thank you – Gene Schoonmaker

5 FOR SALE Volume#20 Issue 12 December 2012

December TR Tales

Events: JANUARY 22-27, 2013 Cavallino Classic, Ferrari Gathering. Palm Beach, FL. –

www.cavallino.com/cavallino-classic.html Have 4 MGB rims with tires that someone can have if they pick them up. The top three are JANUARY 18-27, 2013 Mecum Auction. Cooper Sport 1000 Metric GT. The bottom one is a Kissimmee, FL. - www.Mecum.com Pirelli ( I think) and is flat. Removed when I purchased Mags. Kept one of the good ones for a spare. Tires are located in Orange City. Contact JANUARY 26, 2013 8th Annual Central Florida Doug Rothwell at [email protected] Law Enforcement Car Show. Oviedo, FL - http://owsoptimistclub.com/carshow.html Thining down the collection

JANUARY 24-27, 2013, Rolex 24 hours of Daytona. Daytona Beach, FL. – We are selling our very rare 1976 TR-7 Victory www.daytonainternationalspeedway.com Edition, air conditioned coupe. Manufactured by Triumph to celebrate Bob Tullius' 5th SCCA win. FEBRUARY 16, 2013 Hot Rodding for Heroes Car We are the second owner in 36 years, always Show. Gainesville, FL. - garaged and well maintained. We have all the www.hotroddingforheroes.org original recipts, dealers window price sticker, sales brochure plus two national magazine articles FEBRUARY 14-17, 2013 Vintage races (HSR). featuring our car. 93,000 miles, one of the good Palm Beach International Raceway, Palm Beach, ones produced by British Leyland, Very affordable FL - www.hsrrace.com fun to drove. We have invested over $8,000.00 in new interior, paint, tires, parts, and mechanical FEBRUARY 21-24, 2013 37th Annual Zephyrhills work. Winter Autofest. Zephyrhills. FL. – $5,200.00 firm 386 785-5380 Gary Thomas http://zephyrhillsauction.com/

FEBRUARY 22-24, 2013 Boca Raton Concours d' Elegance. Boca Raton, FL - www.bocaratonconcours.com

FEBRUARY 28–MARCH 2, 2013 British Motor Trade Assoc. Annual conference. Richmond, VA - http://www.britcar.org/conf2012.html

FEBRUARY 27- MARCH 3, 2013 Sebring Endurance Challenge (SVRA) Sebring, FL - /////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// www.svra.com/

6 Joe Vetter has a variety of antique license WANTED plates and a variety of framed British car posters, perfect for your man cave...or as a unique gift. Call Looking for a MGA MkII/Austin Healey 3000 jack Joe V @ 214-7232 for appointment. with no cracks or chips, rust no problem. Please contact Steve Bradley at 386-775-9558 or [email protected] 1951 TD-MG ABCC RECOMMENDED WEB SITES It is in good condition New paint 2 years ago..I put a MGA rear end in it for freeway driving. New Our club’s web site: tires.. Also a Arnold(?) heater. That is about all http://www.volusiabritishcars.com/ from original I think. Asking price is negotiable – should go between $15,000 and 35,000 – let’s talk . For the MGA (our club’s godfather): ...... http://www.namgar.com/

For the MGB and Midget: http://www.mgclub.org/index.htm also http://www.mgcars.org.uk/namgbr/

For the MGC: http://www.mgcars.org.uk/amgcr/

For the MG: http://www.mgexperience.net/

For the Triumph Spitfire, GT6, Herald, Sports 6,

and other small Triumphs: http://www.triumphexperience.com/ and, http://www.triumphspitfire.com/ and also, http://www.gatriumph.com/

For Jaguar: http://www.jaguarexperience.com/

For Austin Healey: http://www.healeyexperience.com/

For the Austin and Morris : http://www.minishrine.com/

For the Morris Minor: http://www.morrisminorforum.com/

For the Land : http://www.serieslandrover.com/

For the ABCC of Central Florida: http://www.allbritishcarclub.com/

For the MG Car Club Florida (Brevard County): http://www.mgcarclubflorida.org/

Please contact Dale Drake if you are For the MG Classics of Jacksonville: interested in this TD. Contact at [email protected] http://www.mgclassics.org/mgclassics/Home/tabid/ or call 386-734-7201 36/Default.aspx

For a worldwide forum about MGs: ````````````````````````````````````` http://www.mgcars.org.uk/

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