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January 2020 From the club desk...

In This Issue... 2020 is here and to you and yours, all the very best for the year ahead whatever it may bring. Facebook Hopefully, though, 2020 will see our club continue to Game birds offer more of the same with Sunday Winter Lunches, Meet the members Summer Evening Runs, a museum visit or two, another rolling road session and a garage service day. Marathon Summer Trip In addition, we’d still love to get that photography Candles Run 2020 day sorted, and if you have any other ideas, don’t be afraid to suggest it. Gaydon Concepts 2020 should also see some new MGs on the road again with Stuart’s MG Motor News MGB hopefully being completed, along with Dorothy’s MG TD back on

Merchandise the road for Summer, too. I’m in the throes of debating whether to strip my MGB GT down for some much needed welding and an engine rebuild; Forthcoming Events plus there’s a supercharger waiting to be fitted to it, too. Contact Us Elsewhere in this issue you will find an update from Neil Wallace on the 6th Cheshire Candles Charity Run, so if you haven’t already, please give Send us an email for more information some thought to volunteering and assisting the team this year, it’s all about the club’s activities or to join us. good fun! Angie Haughton - Area Secretary Hopefully by the February issue we will have a complete list of events for [email protected] the year ahead as we meet soon to confirm dates. Neil Wallace - Candles Run In the meantime, in response to the article in the last issue on turkeys, [email protected] Neil Wallace sent the following email in to the news desk… “Stuart Bebbington’s article about traditional Christmas Day meals, Mike Haughton - MGCC Liaison nowadays largely focussed on Turkey, took me back to an earlier time in [email protected] my career that was spent in Northern Nigeria - the mainly Muslim Martin Williamson- PR/Newsletter Plateau State capital of Jos. We expatriates celebrated Christmas [email protected] European style whereas much of the population celebrated Ramadan, particularly its start and finish (Eid-al-Fitr) at the end of the one month Volunteers: Steve Brace, Neil daytime fasting festival. Our household was no different. I got home from Kennedy, Neil Gray, Richard Hayes, work one evening just before Christmas to the news that our next door and Matt Brookfield. Muslim neighbour had given us a turkey for Christmas Day, which was very thoughtful. The chef (known in those days as a houseboy although

he was married with children) pointed out of the kitchen window and, Visit us on the web at: sure enough, there was a live turkey clucking away in the garden! www.westcheshiremgoc.club Fortunately by the time I got home next evening the turkey was “dressed” and oven ready, neatly avoiding being invited to wring its neck Cover photo: as they could be fairly vicious animals - and try catching one when they suspect what you’re up to! “MG Family motoring” by Martin Williamson For Muslims of course the premier celebration is Eid, which during my time in Jos was midsummer, and it was traditional to have a rather boisterous “party” based around food of course. Two days before Eid I found a sheep grazing on the front lawn on my return from work. I enquired its purpose and Chef informed me it was a gift from his Chief for their celebratory meal. The next evening, day before Eid itself, we had a nice new woollen rug in the lounge!”

See you all at the January meeting on Tuesday, the 14th of January back at THE TROPHY ROOM at The Cheshire County Sports Club, Plas Newton Lane, Chester, Cheshire, CH2 1PR.

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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 . 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 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

[email protected] citroen-specialist-chester.co.uk

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From Facebook... “End of year festivities!” Photos by Mike Haughton on Facebook. To join us on Facebook search for westcheshireMGOC Thanks to Mike and Angie for arranging our year end function at The Oak Tree in Upton Grange!

Julie Ann Brookfield A great night thanks to all and Merry Christmas. Steve Brace Great night and great meal. Thanks to Mike and Angie for organising. Rob Fryer Super night and great venue! Well done ,Mike and Angie, for organising! Great event - hope everyone has a MG Christmas Martin Williamson Brilliant evening, good to be able to make it this year and thanks to Mike and Angie for arranging the event, excellent job! Neil Kennedy A great night....Thanks to Angie and Mike for arranging the event Hope you all have a fantastic Christmas and New year… Jean Entwisle Thank you for a lovely evening, good food and great company. John Hitchen Thanks to Mike and Angie for a great evening. John+Judith. David Thomas Thank you Mike & Angie for a great evening. Merry Christmas & a happy year to everyone.

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It’s all in the game. By Stuart Bebbington As autumn arrives it sees the start of the main game season. Game is good for you. Venison is high in protein, low in saturated fatty acids and contains higher levels of iron than any other red meat. Pheasant and partridge contain a high level of iron, protein, vitamin B6 and selenium. Game meat, from wild animals, is very low in fat. Venison has 1% fat compared to 10% with lamb or 11% with beef and wild birds like pheasants and partridge is 50% lower in fat content than chicken. Most game birds are relatively small and will serve 1 or 2 people per bird. We find in the shop that by removing all the bones and stuffing the birds it makes it a lot more customer friendly and encourages people to try game. Pheasant with chestnut and apple stuffing is the best seller in the shop which is also wrapped in smoked streaky bacon to add flavour and retain moisture when cooking. Game was very popular in Victorian times and pheasants would often be cooked and then dressed with their colourful feathers as extravagant decoration. Raised game pies were also very popular often made in moulded baking tins with elaborate decoration. Our game in the shop is sourced through a local game dealer based on the Wirral. As well as traditional British game we also have access to more exotic game such as kangaroo, ostrich, zebra, and wild boar. Although not the biggest seller in the shop game meat is gaining popularity because of its very low fat and natural lifestyle for those customers looking for alternative options.

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Meet the members!

Name: Philip Roberts Age: 70 What MG(s) or classic(s) do you own? 1971 MGB , fitted with a Mazda MX5 5 speed gearbox. How long have you had it/them?: Since July 2016. Have you had other MGs or classics before this one?: Passed my test in a Triumph Vitesse. In my mid 20`s I owned a two tone MG 1300. What made you decide on an MG? I always thought they were nice cars, but with work and a house to renovate we never had the spare money to buy one. Working or Retired?: Retired this year, having been a self employed Land drainage contractor working with my Dad and brother for 14 years. Then after renovating our burnt out shell of a house I became interested in house renovation. For the last 40 years I have been self-employed builder and joiner. My main interest being woodwork and the restoration of property. Single or partnered? Married to Anne in 1973 (you get less for murder). We have 2 boys Andrew, who is working for Exeter University in research Into fluid dynamics. Adrian who works for Nationwide Bank, married to Claire who is a clinical nurse educator. They have 2 children Dylan and Ellie. Hobbies, what floats your boat? I enjoy doing basic maintenance on the MG and going out on trips with Anne as the navigator. I play crown green Bowls in the Whitchurch league in the summer. In the winter I try to play snooker in the Whitchurch league. Also enjoy woodworking at home In my shed. We have been to Goodwood Revival and Festival of Speed a few times, they are both excellent weekends. Any bucket list items? We have been fortunate to fulfil one of my bucket list items this year, to drive on The Great Ocean Road in Australia. Visit Melbourne and Sydney cricket grounds and snorkel on the Great Barrier Reef, together with other trips etc. Looking forward to more trips with the MG Club, after having such a fabulous time in Ireland on The Gordon Bennett Run. Anne says I`ll just have to save up now before adding to the bucket list .

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A marathon Summer trip. Words & Photos: Martin Williamson

With our 2020 Mid-Wales club getaway coming up, it got me thinking about a marathon classic car journey I undertook back in 2012. Normally during Summer, most folks are boarding an aircraft bound for far flung, exotic locations these days. However, Summer holidays weren’t always that way. Time was that we took our holidays by car here in the UK, or the more adventurous might have opted for a ferry crossing for some Continental touring. In the 1960s and 1970s, Britain wasn’t blessed with the fast flowing motorway and A-road network that we enjoy today, so come holiday time, the single carriage way roads and town centres would end up grid locked as families migrated to the seaside. The result was usually overheating engines and tempers. Today’s families have never had it so good, to borrow a phrase, when it comes to a motoring holiday. Air conditioned luxury, DVD entertainment, Nintendo DS games consoles, smart phones for a bit of social networking…imagine, then, taking a journey in a car from the 1960s? Open windows for a cooling breeze, a crackling MW station on the single speaker (if you were lucky enough), sweaty leatherette seating, and the only social networking was with one’s siblings crammed four abreast across the back seat. Just how bad were those holidays? Watching an earlier series on the BBC with Richard Wilson taking different classics around various parts of the UK trying to recapture the experience of Fifties motoring with original maps on as much of the original road network as possible got me thinking about doing something similar myself. Would it be the romantic ideal of our rose-tinted imagination, or would it be a realistic vision of hell? The biggest challenge to trying to recreate such a trip was the fact that any 1960s car would already be over 40 years old and consequently any touring trip would be a challenge in reliability terms long before it became a challenge in terms of personal endurance. Given 2012 was the 50th anniversary of the launch of the Morris and MG 1100, a group of like-minded souls figured that a fitting way to celebrate would be to prove the reliability of the 1100 range by driving from Land’s End to John o’ Groats in the first week of August. At the same time, the participants could get a taste of 1960s motoring on a mix of 20th and 21st century British roads, albeit with the luxury of some modern gadgetry and a 12v lighter socket for those with the negative earth cars. At the time I owned a lovely MG 1300 that had been purchased as part of a pair of 1300s for sale. So perfect forthe adventure, then! A trip like LE-JOG is not something to be undertaken lightly and a lot of preparation is necessary, especially when one’s car, mine in this case, had not moved in more than a decade prior to buying it as an unfinished restoration. Having got it through an Mot in the July, local test runs were flagging problems with sticking brake pistons and a silted up radiator core and block. The overheating was a reality before the holiday had commenced! Luckily I was able to sort the brakes, whilst a local radiator specialist sourced a new core. The day before setting off finally saw me packing tools and spares and a final oil and filter change. The 1300 has a surprisingly large boot, and, like those games we used to play on the back seat of the car as children on a motoring holiday, it was “and in it I put”; the usual small spares, tools, a spare wheel, essential fluids, car valeting gear (the media was going to be seeing the car, remember), a suspension pump and two spare suspension units, which left room still for my case and laptop bag. I worked on the oft quoted principle of “if I take it I won’t need it”.

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So on the Saturday morning of the 4th August, 2012, I bade the family good bye! Oh yes, the family had decided that trying to recreate a 1960s motoring holiday was not for them, so I was travelling solo. Saturday - Day 0 – 375 miles – Chester to Land’s End. I set off with growing confidence as the coolant temperature remained normal. To prevent my confidence growing too much, somewhere near Bristol on the M5 the speedo stopped working. Luckily the sat-nav kept me informed of my speed, this being my one other concession, along with my phone, to modern travel. Without the family, I wasn’t keen to rely on a mapbook. On I was somewhat elated that the car had managed the 375 miles with minimal oil usage and a reasonably healthy 35mpg. The Saturday night was not without incident, though. My car decided to try and fox me by pretending to have a dead battery, but all it needed was the earth lead securing more tightly. Sunday - Day 1 – 220 miles – Land’s End to Bradford on Avon. Sunday dawned bright, and with the usual formalities of registering for the Land’s End & John O’Groats Club out of the way we lined up for photographs at the front of the complex. Our first stop of the day was at Drogo Castle near Exeter. The heavens opened as we left and the cars were sorely tested through some very deep flood waters on the roads leading back to the A30. I was grateful for my twin speed wipers as fitted to the later cars, but others were coping well with their single speed wipers. By early evening we’d reached Bradford on Avon for our first overnight stop. Monday - Day 2 – 156 miles – Bradford on Avon to Birmingham ADO 16 plus Bradford on Avon can only mean one thing; a visit to The Hall, the home of Dr Alex Moulton and his bicycle factory. Dr Moulton was ninety-three years old but still remarkably alert, although physically frail; in fact, he died just a ewf months later. He was treated to a sight of fourteen ADO16s parked on his drive, but ironically his first words were, “The ride height on that one is wrong!”, pointing with his cane. The owner of the car was not allowed to forget this for the rest of the week. We then headed north through Swindon and onto Abingdon where we were joined at this stage by the rather tall Robinson family of four in their Austin 1300 who proved beyond doubt that the ADO 16 was a spacious car. Rather late in the day we made our way up to Birmingham, so ending the second day successfully with no issues apart from the Innocenti I4 having starter problems owing to a faulty relay which was quickly sorted. Tuesday - Day 3 – 297 miles – Birmingham to Glasgow. We assembled at MG Motor UK at where the ITV Central news crew were awaiting our arrival. I was rather pleased that my MG was selected to lead the convoy into the factory. Wesley Smith, the news reporter also drove my car up to the camera for a short piece. After that we were treated to a tour of the plant and got to see the great grandson of the MG 1100, the MG3 which is currently undergoing European testing at the time. With a long stint ahead we left Birmingham at lunch time and one casualty included a burst by-pass hose that was soon sorted at the roadside. My car was starting to misfire under acceleration, but in stoical fashion I made it to my overnight stop at Motherwell services.

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Wednesday - Day 4 – 320 miles – Glasgow to John o’ Groats We assembled in bright sunshine at Bothwell Castle where I attempted to sort my misfire out, but I’m embarrassed to say I forgot my own cardinal rule that 90% of misfires are electrical, so I fiddled with the carbs instead. One of the downsides to opening the bonnet on a classic is that it seems to attract curious bystanders but in this case it proved invaluable and a kindly gentleman led me to a local garage that understood older cars. With a quick flick of the feeler gauge the engine was soon firing cleanly again and I set forth to catch up with everyone. We followed the route up through Fort William to Inverness, and this was somewhat poignant for me, as memories came flooding back of a family motoring holiday up to this area when I was 12, back in the 1970s. Having cleared the late afternoon traffic in Inverness we had a fairly clear run up to John o’ Groats arriving around 8.00pm. We’d done it! Thursday - Day 5 – 537 miles - John o’ Groats to Edinburgh (and onto Chester in my case) Once again, as at Land’s End, we assembled for the obligatory group photo and then made our way south to Edinburgh via the A9 and over the Forth Bridge. We assembled for a group photoshoot in Queensferry with both bridges in the background before continuing onto another group photo opportunity by the Royal Yacht, Britannia. At this stage, having caught the exhaust on a speed hump, my car was starting to sound like a tractor, so I decided to head on home to Chester where I could give the car a good look over before continuing onto Gaydon on the Saturday. I’d had enough of motorway cruising at this point so I opted for a run down to Jedburgh and then along the Borders to Carlisle before rejoining the M6 down to Chester where I arrived around midnight. Over the next few days I would go on to Gaydon for a national club event adding yet more miles to the tally. Reflecting on the trip, most of us covered over 2,200 miles in the nine days of driving, whilst the French and German families had covered considerably more. With fourteen cars completing the entire trip with only minor faults, and no recourse to the yellow or orange , it was definitely “Myth Busted” when it comes to old cars being unreliable. In my case, call it stupidity or bravado, but more than a decade of standing hadn’t taken the edge off its reliability. I was proactive in certain areas, but the engine and drive train was still a big unknown before setting off. What was it like to drive a 44 year old car 2,200 miles in one week? It certainly wasn’t dull! As a young student in South Africa, I used to drive 800 miles overnight in my Austin Apache (a 1300) and I perfected the art of simultaneously driving with one eye on the dials and one on the road. I quickly discovered I hadn’t lost the knack some 25 years later, but after a few hundred tiring miles each day, I reached the same conclusion, I was no longer in my early 20s. I had the window wound down most of the time to keep cool which made it a lot noisier, but at the same time I felt more connected to what was going on around me. With slower acceleration and longer stopping distances I also had to plan ahead in the traffic, yet I felt thatI drove a lot more safely because of it. When we did get onto the A roads, the 1300 proved quite adept at keeping up with the flow of the traffic, and I often found myself held up by slower traffic on the twisty bits, such was the advanced handling of these cars. Despite a low seat squab and no head rests, the driving seat proved to be just as comfortable as any modern car despite the quaint bus-like position of the steering wheel and the off-set pedals that is the trademark of the 1100. One nuisance, though, was the static seatbelt that kept me from leaning forward. Had I managed to recreate the 1960s motoring holiday? Not really. It was, on reflection, a mad dash from Land’s End to John o’ Groats, with much of the travel on our modern motorway network. More to the point, there wasn’t the accompanying “are we there yet, Dad?” from the back seat. 10

CHESHIRE CANDLES CHARITY RUN 2020 It’s taken a while longer than usual but finally we can announce that the 6th Cheshire Candles Charity Run will start at 10:00 on Sunday 3rd May from Hawarden Castle café carpark, proceed via north east Wales to Hartsheath Hall at Pontblyddyn and continue on after a break to Bellis Brothers Farm Shop at Holt. The run will be approximately 85-90 miles long in total. After 5 years at a £20 entry fee we have decided to introduce a small increase to £22 per car to help to maintain our charity donation targets: this year for the first time there will be 3 charities, being Clatterbridge Hospital Cancer Support Unit, Brain Injury Recovery and Development Unit at Eccleston and a fixed donation of £500 to the Hartsheath Hall Trust which offers modest donations to many small local charities. All MG’s of any age are welcome and also all other makes and models 40 years or older and eligible to be classed as Historic Vehicles (road tax exempt). As with previous Runs there will be food available at all three venues, with that at Hartsheath Hall being by prior order and offering a selection of snacks and drinks – which will be kindly organised by 4 of our own members (Anne and Neil Shirley, Anne and Phil Roberts) who deserve our grateful thanks. More details in the joining instructions to be issued later. Bookings on-line are now available as previously, at www.westcheshiremgoc.club or www.candlesrun.org. Payment is via either PayPal or cash or cheque to Angie Haughton.

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Gaydon and the MG Concept By Steve Brace

So we are now looking forward to 2020 and another year filled with West Cheshire MGOC motoring and social events. As one of our first club events is likely to be our annual museum trip, it brought back memories of one of my own recent trips to the British Motor Museum at Gaydon in Warwickshire, and one that the club did in July 2016, too. The collection at Gaydon came about following the formation of Motor Corporation (BLMC) in 1968. Many of the individual companies that were now part of the new corporation had collections of old historic vehicles which they had kept for historic and publicity purposes. Leyland Historic Vehicles was set up in 1975 to preserve the collection as a whole. The department eventually became self funding and now also included extensive archives of documents. This being the case in 1979, it was reformed as BL Heritage Ltd. By 1983 the archive and vehicle collection had grown so large that it was decided to establish an independent charitable trust to take over the operation. The British Motor Industry Heritage Trust was formed for this purpose and are the current guardians. The collection has been previously housed at the Longbridge Factory, Studley Castle in Warwickshire - which BL had previously purchased as a conference centre, Donnington Park and Syon Park in . The Gaydon premises is the current site for the museum used to showcase the cars, having moved there in 1993, when it became obvious that a larger purpose built site was required. Since the early 80's the Trust has made some ties with other “So on walking into the museum it British car manufacturers in an attempt to include the rest of the British motor industry in the collection. However, it is still was great to see three concept cars mainly based on BLMC vehicles and those of its predecessor with MG connections on display; and subsequent companies. ADO 34, ADO 70 and MG EX-E. “ The museum contains many fascinating collections including, the Time Road - displaying a time line of the ever changing cars produced by British motor industry, British Sports and Race Cars, and also houses the cars owned by the Jaguar Heritage Trust. However, I do have a thing for concept cars. Wouldn't it have been great to have been a fly on the wall at design and board meetings where ideas were presented and decisions made? On seeing concept cars I can't help but wonder why some remained just that and never made it to full production. Was this down to personal opinions, lack of money, bad design or other factors? Ultimately, I like to ask, were the right decisions made and were they made for the right reasons? So on walking into the museum it was great to see three concept cars with MG connections on display; ADO 34, ADO 70 and MG EX-E.

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ADO 34 was active with BMC between 1960 and 1964. The car was an MG based roadster and would logically have replaced the MG Midget and Austin Healey Sprite. The car was designed as well as built by Pininfarina. Along with the development of the ADO34 there was also ADO 35 which was a coupe version and ADO 36 being the Austin Healey derivative. The project was cancelled in 1964. However, in 1965 Peugeot released their 204 Cabriolet which had also been styled by Pininfarina. This had very similar looks to the ADO 34 and was also front wheel drive with a transverse engine - a new approach for Peugeot at the time. General opinion seems to suggest that the 204 was very much inspired by the BMC ADO 34 project. So was the ADO 34 and ADO 35 the BMC mini based roadsters and coupes that could have been? Although ADO 34 never made it into full production, the production of a mini based car to replace the MG Midget didn't seem to go away. By 1970 BLMC again had produced a concept to take up this challenge. The ADO 70 Calypso was conceived by Harry Webster as a for the American market. This became generally known as the Michelotti Mini, however the car was only built rather than designed by the Italian company. The designers came up with a targa-topped design. In Italy, Michelotti then created the car. Despite problems with the initial build, the car was driven back to the UK under its own steam for further consideration. Unfortunately, the car was not favoured by BLMC management. The car was intended to be badged as an MG and sold to the American market. However, it was concluded that a front wheel drive package would not find favour with our friends over the pond. So was this again, another sporting opportunity wasted?

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The third concept car with an MG connection, on view at the museum, is the MG EX-E. The car came into public view at the 1985 Frankfurt Motor show and was based on the MG Metro 6R4 . The car was the idea of Austin design director, Roy Axe. At the time, it was felt that the Austin needed to showcase their design department with a supercar that could compete globally. After discussions, it was decided that the project could go ahead using the engine that was under development for the MG Metro 6R4 rally car. With regard to body design, a GT type car with clear influences of the Ferrari 308 found favour. The MG badge was, of course, considered to be totally appropriate for the concept. The car received a great reception at Frankfurt but never made it passed the motor show circuits. However, at a time when the only MG cars that were available were the MG badged Metro, Maestro and Montego, it was certainly unexpected and showed that MG and the were still interested in producing true sports cars. Can you imagine a road sports car, at this time, containing an MG Metro 6R4 engine. So again, was this a missed opportunity of what could have been the first MG supercar? So good decisions or bad, it's great to see concept cars preserved in museums but with regard to ADO 34, ADO 70 and MG EX-E, wouldn't it have been even better to see them out on the open road.

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ALL NEW MG HS TAKES FIVE STARS IN EURO NCAP TEST

All New MG HS achieves Five Star Euro NCAP rating MG’s new flagship SUV designed and engineered for safety from the ground up High-tech MG Pilot driver assistance suite comes as standard on both versions Quality, reliability and value-for-money underlined by MG’s 7 Year Warranty MG Motor UK is pleased to announce that All New MG HS has passed the Euro NCAP safety test with flying colours, scoring the maximum Five Star Euro NCAP rating. As MG’s flagship SUV, All New MG HS has been designed and engineered for safety from the ground up, featuring the high-tech MG Pilot suite of active and passive safety systems as standard. The Five Star Euro NCAP rating further highlights the car’s quality, reliability and value-for- money, underlined by MG’s famous 7 Year Warranty. All New MG HS impressed in all areas of the Euro NCAP test, including the four stand-out categories: Adult Occupant, Child Occupant, Vulnerable Road User and Safety Assist. The current Euro NCAP tests are the most stringent ever, making this Five Star rating an excellent achievement. All New MG HS was tested in the same cohort as MG’s first-ever electric car, MG ZS EV, which also achieved the coveted Five Star rating. With its family-friendly interior set-up, All New MG HS is a comfortable and safe place for all family members on the road. The well-appointed and high-quality cabin is designed for comfort as well as for protecting the car’s occupants. The MG Pilot suite of high- tech driver aids supports the structural safety engineered into All New MG HS. MG Pilot features include Active Emergency Braking, Adaptive Cruise Control, Lane Keep Assist, Intelligent Speed Limit Assist, Intelligent Headlight Control, Traffic Jam Assist, Rear Cross Traffic Alert, Blind Spot Detection and Door Opening Warning. Daniel Gregorious, Head of Sales & Marketing at MG Motor UK, said: “All New MG HS was designed for comfort and safety, and we are pleased that our efforts to create a great all-round car for families have been confirmed by Euro NCAP, the world’s leading road safety authority. With this Euro NCAP rating, our customers can be confident that All New MG HS is the best value-for- money family car in the UK today.” In showrooms now, All New MG HS is the fourth car in MG’s range alongside the MG3 hatchback, MG ZS compact SUV and the all-electric MG ZS EV. The whole range is backed by MG’s famous 7 year warranty, highlighting real confidence in build quality and providing customers with complete peace of mind. All New MG HS offers affordable luxury across the range with all versions highly specified and prices starting from £17,995 OTR.

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MG ZS EV IS FIVE-STAR SUCCESS IN EURO NCAP TEST

MG ZS EV achieves Five Star Euro NCAP rating MG’s first-ever battery electric car designed with safety and innovation in mind High-tech MG Pilot driver assistance suite comes as standard on both versions Safety rating confirms ZS ’EV s position as an affordable, family-friendly electric car

MG Motor UK is pleased to announce that the first truly affordable, family-friendly electric car, MG ZS EV, has achieved the coveted Five Star Euro NCAP rating. As the brand’s first-ever battery electric car, MG ZS EV has been a huge sales success since launch. Securing a Five Star Euro NCAP rating further underlines the car’s innovation and value-for-money, further supported by MG’s famous 7 Year Warranty. MG ZS EV impressed in all areas of the Euro NCAP test, including the four key test categories: Adult Occupant, Child Occupant, Vulnerable Road User and Safety Assist. Majoring on family-friendly space and practicality, MG ZS EV is intelligently packaged. The current Euro NCAP tests are the most stringent ever, making this Five Star rating a significant achievement for MG. MG’s engineering prowess is further confirmed by the fact that All New MG HS, the brand’s new flagship SUV, also achieved the maximum Five Star rating in the same Euro NCAP testing round. As MG’s most high-tech car ever, ZS EV brings electric car technology to a wider audience and represents an exciting era in the company’s history. The MG Pilot suite of driver aids underpins safety in a car that’s been designed and engineered to protect its occupants. Features such as Active Emergency Braking, Blind Spot Monitoring, Lane Keep Assist and Adaptive Cruise Control were all key factors in ZS EV’s Five Star rating. Daniel Gregorious, Head of Sales & Marketing at MG Motor UK, said: “We’re entering a new chapter of MG’s history with ZS EV, so it’s really pleasing to see that our first-ever electric car has performed do well in the tough Euro NCAP safety tests. Euro NCAP is respected all over the world, so customers can be confident that MG ZS EV is a safe and capable electric car for their family.” MG’s most talked about model, MG ZS EV has delivered record-breaking sales for the brand since orderbooks opened in July. More than 3,000 customers have placed orders and customer deliveries commenced in September. Currently, thanks to MG’s latest offer, the ZS EV in top-spec Exclusive trim is available from just £24,745, after the Government’s plug-in car grant and the generous £2,500 MG customer saving have been deducted. Buyers looking to order the entry level Excite version can go electric from just £22,745.

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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.

Tee-Shirts by Kariban Short Sleeved Polo Shirts by £14.00 each Uneek. A variety of colours £14.00 each. and sizes available. A variety of colours and sizes available.

Fleece Jacket Sweat Shirts by Uneek (Long Sleeved) £20.00 each by AWDis Variety of colours £17.50 each and sizes available. Variety of colours and sizes available.

Base Ball Cap by Beechfield £10 each Long Sleeved Variety of colours available. Polo Shirts by B&C Safran £17.50 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. Look out for another great year ahead with lots of events and activities! Rolling Road Day Garage Service Day Museum visits Winter Sunday Lunches Summer Evening Runs www.westcheshiremgoc.club January Tuesday, 14th - Monthly meeting February Sunday, 9th - MG & Triumph spares Day Stoneleigh Tuesday, 11th - Monthly meeting March Tuesday, 10th - Monthly meeting Fri/Sun, 27th/29th - Classic Restoration Show NEC Birmingham April Tuesday, 14th - Monthly meeting Sunday, 26th - Drive it day - Club outing May Sunday, 3rd - Cheshire Candles Charity Run - www.candlesrun.org Tuesday, 12th - Monthly meeting Sunday, 17th - Festival of 1000 Classic Cars at Cholmondeley Castle Sat, 30th - VSCC Vintage Motorsport Festival at Oulton Park June Sat/Sun, 6th/7th - Classic & Performance Car Show at Tatton Park Mon/Fri, 15th/19th - Llanerchindda Farm - 2020 Club Summer Tour. Tuesday, 9th - Monthly meeting Sunday, 28th - Lymm Historic Transport Day July Sunday, 12th - 30th Caerwys Classic Car Show Tuesday, 14th - Monthly meeting Sunday, 26th - North Wales Classic Car Show at Bodrhyddan Hall August Tuesday, 11th - Monthly meeting Sat/Sun, 15th/16th - Passion for Power Classic Motor Show at Tatton Park Sat/Mon, 29th/31st - Gold Cup at Oulton Park September Sunday, 6th - Festival of 1000 Classic Cars at Cholmondeley Castle Tuesday, 8th - Monthly meeting Sunday, 20th - North Wales Classic Car Show at Bodrhyddan Hall

MG AND TRIUMPH SPARES DAY This popular show at Stoneleigh, near Coventry, will be held on Sunday 9th February, and is ideal for those seeking hard to obtain spares. See www.mgandtriumphspareday.co.uk for details. Neil Wallace will be visiting the show and has kindly offered 3 (free!) seats in his car to those interested in attending. He will be leaving Chester (Hoole) at 06:40 and there is parking available at his house. Contact Neil by email at [email protected] or at the January meeting.

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