VOLUME 19, NUMBER 3 May-June 2014

INSIDE THIS ISSUE UPCOMING EVENTS Games. Contact: Lorna at The Jensen Healey Story 4 June 3, 2014 —7:00pm Visit to Jim’s [email protected]. Cars of Branch Members 10 Garage Collectibles, 137 E. Colum- July 1, 2014 —No branch event this New Member Profile 12 bia St., New Westminster month. Rear View Mirror 13 June 8, 2014 —British Invasion Car Aug. 5, 2014 —Branch picnic and April and May Branch Events 14 Show at Two Lions Pub, North Van- drive at Stuart Farm in Crescent Welcome to the OECC/ The Boot/ couver. Contact Gerry Parkinson for Beach, Surrey 6:30 start. See web- At the Wheel 15 details ([email protected]) or site for directions. check branch website. Sept. 11—14, 2014 - annual AGM June 21, 2014 —Branch car show Run to Victoria. Alan and Mary Lou and picnic at the BC Highland Miles organizing, details to follow.

2014 Vancouver All British Field Meet Text and photos by Alan Miles

John Chapman’s Sunbeam Imp (aka the Demon Imp) finally makes its debut at the Van Dusen ABFM and is rewarded with a medal for its efforts. Quite a nice looking car beside it as well.

This year’s ABFM at Van Dusen Gardens was held on Saturday May 17th with the annual Vancouver Whistler Run (sold out this year!) held the next day. Rain was forecast for both days but instead entrants and guests were treated to mostly sunny skies and virtually no precipitation at all ( the only rain I saw was a bit on the drive back from Whistler on Sunday).

This year’s ABFM was very successful for VCB members as well with 25 taking home class win plaques. Winners are noted on the next page. Congratulations to all and my apologies if I have missed anyone (please let me know if I have).

Vancouver Coast Branch Class Winners—Vancouver ABFM 2014

Class 5—Austin Healey Sprite—Canon Bryan—Austin Healey Sprite—2nd place

Class 6—Jaguar XK120, 140, 150 –Steve and Susan Blake—1955 Jaguar XK140 MC, FHC -1st place

Class 55—Jaguar Mark V, VII, VIII, IX, X—John Clarke—1961 Jaguar Mark IX Saloon—1st place

Class 14– MG T Series—Barry Ryley—1952 MG TD Roadster—3rd place

Class 15—MGA—Gerry Parkinson—1958 MGA Raodster—1st place

Class 24—Morgan 4/4—Steve and Susan Blake—1962 Morgan 4/4 Roadster—2nd place

-Les and June Burkholder—1969 Morgan 4/4 4 Seater—3rd place

Class 25—Morgan Plus 4—Malcolm Sparrow and Laverne Barnes—1993 Morgan Plus 4 2 Seater

2nd place

Class 26—Morgan Plus 8—Win Muehling—1986 Morgan Plus 8 Roadster—1st place

- Ken and Pat Miles—1969 Morgan Plus 8 Roadster—3rd place

Class 51—Morgan DHC (1939-1969) - Les and June Burkholder—1964 Morgan Plus 4 DHC—1st place

- Robert McDiarmid—1966 Morgan Plus 4 DHC—2nd place

Class 34—Rover—Malcolm and Barbara Tait—1970 Rover 2000 TC Saloon—2nd place

- Walter and Linda Reynolds—1963 Rover P5 3 Litre Saloon—3rd place

Class 35—Post War Touring (4 Seater) - Robert Follows—1960 Alvis 2 Door DHC—1st place

Class 36—Post War Sports/GTs—Vern Bastable—1962 Daimler SP250 ‘Dart’ —3rd place

Class 40—Commercial Vehicles—John Pel—1968 Austin A60 Pickup—3rd place

Class 41—TVR—Don Bartlett—1977 TVR 2500M Coupe—2nd place

Class 43—Metropolitan—Don McAllister—1959 Nash Metropolitan 2 Door HT—2nd place

Class 45——Alan and Mary Lou Miles—1962 Sunbeam Rapier Convertible—1st place

- John Chapman—1966 Sunbeam Imp—2nd place

Class 46—BMC Farina—John McDonald—1949 Austin A40 Devon Saloon—2nd place

Class 52—Race/Modified—Robert Smith—1961 Triumph TR3 Roadster—3rd place

Class 54—English Ford—Clifford Jones—1969 Ford Cortina Estate—1st place

- John Titman—1960 Ford Zephyr Saloon—2nd place

John McDonald’s class winning Austin A40 in front of the OECC Tent. More pictures on the next page...

VOLUME 19, NUMBER 3 THE ROUNDABOUT PAGE 2

2014 ABFM cont’d

Above left: John Chapman looks on as Rob Brodie (SIB) shows off the new carburettor on his ‘67 Minx. Above right: John McDonald and Richard Taylor relax by the OECC Tent .

Above left: Bill Grant once again does it up in style. Above right: Walter and Mary Lou pose by the TR 6’s

Above left: Dennis Nelson’s TR3 Above right: Ken and Pat Miles’ Plus 8

VOLUME 19, NUMBER 3 THE ROUNDABOUT PAGE 3 THE JENSENJENSEN----HEALEYHEALEY STORY In 1967, Donald Healey was looking for a replacement for the Austin Healey 3000. At the same time, (pronounced ‘Shell Kevelley’) the President of who ran the company from the U.S., By Walter Reynolds was looking for a car to take his company into the very profitable market. The expensive-to-build Interceptor was not selling in the numbers needed to make a profit, plus there was unused production ca- pacity at Jensen’s West Bromwich factory. (West Bromwich is on the West-Central border of Birming- ham. WR).

Qvale was also the head of a successful California- based British car distribution company and knew that This is an article about the Jensen-Healey into which I a well-built reliable British sports car bearing the have mixed my experiences with the marque. Healey name would appeal to the American buyer, es- pecially on the West Coast. Have you ever fallen in love with a car? Like, really fallen in love? The new car would have to be competitively priced and meet all U.S. safety and emissions regulations. In ad- In 2002 I did, with a Jensen-Healey. While this condi- dition, it had to equal the Healey 3000’s performance, tion may be a marketing executive’s dream come true, boast improved road holding and handling, but also the example which made the impact on me was not have an up-to-date, well-appointed interior. adorned on the front cover of a glossy sales brochure, but was parked outside a house in the Pitt Meadows Not only was Donald Healey, with his U.S. market neighbourhood where Linda and I used to live. It had a knowledge thinking on the same lines as Qvale, but his ‘For Sale’ sign on it, too. sons, Brian and Geoffrey were working on a similar project at Healey’s Warwick plant (Warwick is South- I can’t boast any history with the Jensen-Healey brand East of Birmingham. WR). because the Jensen-Healey wasn’t introduced to the buying public until three years after I left England. In discussions with Healey, Qvale realized that the This Jensen-Healey was dark blue and was being sold Warwick factory was nowhere near equipped to handle by the homeowner’s wife because they were moving and the production volume he envisioned. He met with didn’t have room for the car at the new home. Healey and proposed that the car be built at the West Bromwich plant and marketed through Jensen’s deal- When I first saw the car I was about a half block away erships as the Jensen-Healey. from it and Linda and I were on an evening walk. To- gether we walked to the car to look at what was my As a key point in keeping development and production first-ever Jensen-Healey. The Reynolds experience con- costs to a minimum, the two men agreed to utilize as tinues later. many parts from established volume manufacturers as possible. Vauxhall Motors was approached in 1968 and the Luton-based firm expressed a keen interest in aid- ing the project by supplying their 2.3 litre, 4-cylinder, overhead camshaft engine as the power plant. Vaux- hall also offered to supply suspension components for the fledgling sports car.

Hugo Poole at Jensen was given responsibility for the car’s design plus had the task of sorting out all of the many problems that arose during the car’s design phase. The first problem to be dealt with was that the Vauxhall engine was higher than anticipated by Poole in his original design. He revised the front end design but this was rejected by Qvale. Because of this rejec- tion, the entire styling project was turned over to Wil- liam Towns. Towns had an excellent track record, be- ing responsible for, amongst others, the design of the Mk 2 brochure cover Aston Martin DBS. Towns redesigned the car’s body to Qvale’s satisfaction and the project moved on .

VOLUME 19, NUMBER 3 THE ROUNDABOUT PAGE 4 With the engine lined-up, modifications began to make it suitable for the U.S. The engine’s export version gained twin Zenith-Stromberg carbs giving a maxi- mum power output of 140bhp@ 6,500 rpm and 130 ftlb torque @ 4,500 rpm. For the European market, twin Dellorto carbs were fitted, which produced a marginal improvement in the performance numbers.

Mk 1 at speed. Note metal top to bumper .

The engine and drive train were a different matter. The Jensen-Healey’s main market was America, which meant that the engine had to meet the then current U.S. emission controls regulations. But, considering Lotus 907, 2 litre engine. the vehicle it was intended to be replacing, it had to perform well and it had to meet Qvale’s anticipated performance level of 130 bhp. The Vauxhall engine Although Vauxhall was not supplying the engine, from was failing to meet the performance expectation once it the Firenza they supplied the entire front suspension, was connected to the necessary pollution controls. including rack and pinion steering, with a live rear Enter Colin Chapman of Lotus fame. Chapman offered axle and coil springs and dampers at all four corners. his newly-developed twin overhead cam two-litre en- The planned Vauxhall Victor gearbox was dropped in gine as a substitute for the Vauxhall engine. Qvale was favour of the Rootes Sunbeam Rapier H120 gearbox initially enthusiastic about having a powerful Lotus because of its more evenly-spaced four gear ratios. This engine in the car, but this quickly waned when Chap- decision did not sit well with Donald Healey. man said he could only produce 60 engines a week. The Lotus engine was being developed for the new Lo- This was far short of the projected Jensen-Healey out- tus Elite and was neither fully-tested nor road ready. put of 200 engines per week. However, due to the pressure exerted by Jensen, Lotus Someone suggested that the Jensen-Healey be sold in delivered the first engines but would not issue a war- two forms: Basic with the more obtainable Vauxhall ranty. Jensen decided to take a chance and cover the engine plus an exotic version with the Lotus engine. warranty in-house; the rationale being that, after all, This idea never saw the light of day because of the po- the engine was built by Lotus! tential problem of most orders being for the Lotus- engined car and its related limited production prob- lems.

Qvale talked with Ford but they couldn’t spare enough engines from their production needs. He also contacted BMW but they were experiencing similar difficulties as Ford.

Things at Jensen were becoming desperate and nego- tiations were re-opened with Lotus. Chapman’s firm moved closer to the required engine quota. Both Qvale and Healey liked the Lotus’ 4 valves per cylinder and twin overhead cam shafts because it was a very effi- cient engine and could be readily modified to meet U.S. Jensen-Healey engine bay with Lotus 907 engine emission control specifications.

VOLUME 19, NUMBER 3 THE ROUNDABOUT PAGE 5 By providing the warranty for the engine Jensen also put themselves in a product development position on Lotus’ behalf but without any compensation from Lo- tus. It is reported that this decision was one of the first fatal steps in the Jensen-Healey’s history because a number of the first cars had mechanical problems. Even though these problems were eventually fixed cor- rectly, this wasn’t lost on owners of early cars or the motoring press.

Mk 1

While all this may be depressing to the reader and make one wonder who would buy this car, the bad reputation generated by the early cars tainted the Avro Manchester bomber whole production run. However, the Jensen-Healey was continuously improved and was no worse than any other British marque at the time. Intentionally or not, the Jensen-Healey is a very low-production sports car As a side note, Jensen was not the only mainstream in that only 10,485 were built, most being manufacturer whose name and product were tarnished exported to the U.S. It is this small production run by an engine supplier. In the late 1930s, A.V. Roe that has made the Jensen-Healey the collectible car (known as Avro and manufacturer of the Lancaster that it is today. According to the Jensen-Healey history bomber of W.W. 2 fame), were developing a new twin- video produced in 2003-2004 by James Brinkley, there engined bomber. This bomber, the Manchester, had its are only approximately 1,000 examples in existence of maiden flight on July 25, 1939 and all looked rosy which it is said, only half are on the road today. when an order for 200 was received from the Air Min- istry. The Manchester was highly advanced for the time and its crew positioning, bomb load arrangement and defensive armament, not to mention the aircraft’s systems, were state-of-the-art. However, the Manches- ter’s Achilles heel was the complex Rolls-Royce Vulture engines which were far from ready to enter operational service. Considerably more Manchester’s were lost through engine failures than enemy action. The Man- chester was eventually re-designed to accommodate four Merlin engines and, with other modifications be- came the Lancaster bomber.

Timing was not on the side of the Jensen-Healey. The car was plagued by delayed delivery times (of compo- Jensen-Healey interior and dashboard. nents and finished cars) and poor quality control be- cause of severe British labour problems. One of the The Jensen-Healey has two recognized models; the Mk quality control problems was related to the convertible I and the Mk II. The Mk I vehicles were built from top. This was considered as being flimsy and awkward March 1972 to May 1973 and the Mk II from August to operate for a car of the Jensen-Healey’s class. 1973 to August 1975. In addition, between December Healey himself was unhappy with the quality control 1974 and August 1975 (when production of the con- exercised on the Jensen-Healey. “Those early cars were vertible was halted) the Jensen-Healey was produced so disappointing that it was difficult to believe that as the JH5 concurrent with non-JH5 Mk II cars. From they came from the same factory as the Jensen Inter- September 1975 to May 1976 (when production was ceptor. The top’s mechanism was completely unaccept- ended), the Jensen GT was produced. Jensen-Healey able and the customers let us know it.” production numbers totaled 10,498 of which 3356 were Mk I and 7,142 were Mk II (including the JH5). Only

VOLUME 19, NUMBER 3 THE ROUNDABOUT PAGE 6 509 Jensen GTs were produced. The Mk I cars usually The Jensen GT included some trim improvements over have the quality problems solved by now, but still have the Jensen-Healey which were described by The Motor the 4-speed gearbox, unless their owners have up- as “comprehensively equipped and plushly fur- graded to a 5-speed box. The first 1972 Mk IIs have up- nished…” The article went on to describe the car as, rated trim but still retain the 4-speed (unless owner “..a good long-distance cruiser.” Later, The Motor cor- upgraded). In mid-1974, the Jensen-Healeys were fit- respondent noted, “Suspension modifications have in- ted with the German-made Getrag 5-speed gearbox troduced unpleasant braking and cross-wind instabili- and rubber bumpers. The 5-speed gearbox allowed ties, and the engine is still too noisy when extended.” lower engine speeds and more relaxed high-speed cruising. By 1976, the writing was on the wall, so to speak, for the GT. Jensen blamed high interest rates and a reces- sion for the car’s ultimate failure. Certainly these fac- tors did play their part, but the car’s early reputation for unreliability had really damned it from the start. As stated earlier, only 509 Jensen GT examples were produced.

Mk 1.

Once the Lotus engine problems were sorted out, com- parisons with the Austin Healey began to emerge Jensen GT interior and dashboard. which improved the motoring press’ view of the car.

Testers found that the Jensen-Healey reached 30 mph As a marque goes, history hasn’t been the kindest. in 2.8 seconds while the Austin Healey took 3.6 sec- However, with only 11,007 cars produced, the Jensen- onds. From 0 to 50, the Jensen-Healey took 5.9 sec- Healey and Jensen GT have a remarkable following. onds, the Austin Healey taking 7.0 seconds. Records While there are Jensen clubs throughout the world, also show that the Jensen-Healey top speed was 120 probably the largest following of the Jensen-Healey mph vs. 116 mph for the big Healey. and Jensen GT marque is the Jensen Healey Preserva- The biggest change in the model’s life occurred in 1975 tion Society, based in southern California. The Jensen- with the introduction of the estate-bodied GT which Healey of the Society’s Editor and Webmaster, Greg replaced the convertible. Unfortunately, by this point Fletcher was driven by reporter Robert Daines when Donald Healey had lost any interest in the Jensen he did his August 1991 Jensen-Healey review article which bore his name and distanced himself from the for British Car magazine. project completely. No longer able to use Healey’s In his article, Daines reported that he had driven a name, Jensen released the 1975 car as the Jensen GT. Jensen-Healey only briefly many years earlier and was Billed as a 2+2, the rear seating was somewhat mini- aware of what the car really was. All he knew then mal. In looks, the GT was similar in appearance to the was what he’d heard, most of which was not favour- Tamworth-built Reliant Scimitar. able. Even then, however he was puzzled by how such a seemingly nice car could supposedly be so bad. With his drive in Fletcher’s 1973 car he gained a fresh look at what this maligned sports car was all about.

“I came away convinced that the absence of Jensen- Healeys on the road today does not indicate their ban- ishment to some automotive equivalent to a leper col- ony.” (Emphasis added.)

Jensen GT.

VOLUME 19, NUMBER 3 THE ROUNDABOUT PAGE 7 keeps you involved with what the car’s doing while concentrating on the road.”

Due to the weather being standard-California, the road test was conducted with the top down, so Daines had no opportunity to critique the top. He closed his review as follows:

“The Jensen-Healey is a delightful car to drive. It proved a fast runner and capable handler, while offer- ing the comfort necessary for the daily haul to the of- fice. While not perfect, it offers so much performance, style (which I think has aged quite well… in fact, it looks better today than when new), and value for the money.” Greg Fletcher’s Mk 1 from Daines’ British Car The Jensen-Healey Preservation Society (JHPS) has a article. membership in excess of 400 and they all speak highly of the car. The Society has a monthly newsletter, The Daines continued, “Upon entering the car, I was imme- Standard, with Greg Fletcher still being the Editor. diately comfortable with the environment. Well- The Standard includes technical articles from mem- trimmed and warmed up with a polished dashboard, it bers and a Classified section. Jensen-Healey and Jen- is definitely British in feel, but still very modern in sen GT parts are generally available through Delta function. The placement of the controls was obviously Motorsports in Phoenix, AZ, plus other British car thought out, as nothing required a reach or conscious parts suppliers like Martin Robey Sales in Nuneaton, effort. Pedals allow heel-n-toe downshifting, although England. Some specialized parts are also available the slick-shifting gearbox did not really require it. The from the Society. Greg Fletcher had restored the car latter, 5-speed Getrag ‘box is reportedly better. The driven by Daines and, while I was a member, provided steering wheel has nice “thumbrest” indentations in it monthly updates on the restoration of a second Jensen- (at 3 o’clock and 9 o’clock positions), allowing a natu- Healey that he owned. rally comfortable feel when cruising.

Acceleration from rest is extremely good although I observed a 5,000rpm redline in deference to Greg’s pleas to keep the ‘far from fresh’ motor in one piece. Actually, although it has accumulated almost 118,000 miles since new, it didn’t appear to smoke, and it pulled quite strong. Greg pointed out that it’s not just the original motor, but that the head has never been off, needing only a valve adjustment every few years. ‘My wife and I drove it to Death Valley last June, and it did well in the 116 degree heat!’

The quick response to throttle input speaks well for the breathing characteristics of the DOHC head, even with the (North America-spec) Zenith-Strombergs in Jensen-Healey brochure. place. The European Jensen-Healeys came with Italian Dellorto carbs. Now, back to the Reynolds portion of this article: I took The Jensen-Healey corners very flat, whether during the blue Jensen-Healey for a test drive and prior to the abrupt low-speed maneuvers or high-speed cornering. owner turning the driving chore over to me, I noticed Greg had just re-built the car’s suspension, so I was that there was sufficient flex in the body that the lead- getting full benefit of the system’s design. ing edge of the triangle window on the door would come away from the windscreen when going over While grip is excellent (it’ll out-handle a TR6 with bumps in the road. I have since found out that that ease), ride quality and comfort is every bit as good. anomaly was the result of the condition of that car and Even the view over that wide expanse of bonnet, with not representative of the marque itself! fenders protruding slightly above, is exciting and

VOLUME 19, NUMBER 3 THE ROUNDABOUT PAGE 8 In October 2002 I joined the JHPS and remained a To my disappointment, I had difficulty in getting out of member until October 2004, by which time we had the the car thanks to my knees not wanting to bend suffi- Rover P6 and there was no point in keeping up my ciently to let me out. JHPS membership. During my time though, I organ- ized two Jensen-Healey runs for B.C. members. The first attracted Jensen-Healey owners from the Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island. By ‘special invitation’ we also had a Jensen Intercepter and a Morgan (plus a few daily drivers) in attendance. In those days we had our 1965 Austin Cambridge which was the “Mother Duck”, so to speak, for both runs. Below is the JHPS Standard’s cover for May 2003 showing two of the Jen- sen-Healeys on the first run parked with the Langley Museum of Flight’s DC-3 Dakota.

Ken Griffin’s restored Jensen-Healey (ex-Tom Popovich car).

At this point we still had the Cambridge but our focus

moved to the Rover P6 display at the Show, an exam- ple of which I’d taken a shine to at the September 2003 ECAIP (and eventually bought in July 2004.)

While learning all about the Jensen-Healey’s not-so- glamorous development, my affection for this car did J-H’s of Robert McDonald (left) not waiver and still exists today. I often go onto the and Rowland Atkins (right). JHPS web site to look at the Classifieds and these last few weeks while preparing this article, reacquainted During November 2002, Ken Miles introduced me to myself with the 24 monthly Standard magazines that I his brother-in-law, Ken Griffin who was a Jensen- received while a Jensen Healey Preservation Society Healey owner, living on Saltspring Island. Ken G. and member. I met to allow him to educate me on the Jensen-Healey and to allow him to show me the photos of his Jensen- For an individual Jensen-Healey experience of a Van- Healey’s restoration. (More on the surprising history of couver Coast Branch member, go to the “Cars of this car in the “Cars of Branch Members and their Sto- Branch Members and their Stories” in this issue. ries”, later in this issue.) At the May 2004 Vancouver ABFM I saw the car in person and even sat in it. Sources:

~ Road Test magazine, November 1974

~ British Car magazine, August 1991

~ British Car magazine, February-March 1999

~ Jensen Healey Preservation Society ~ Jensen-Healey video trailer by James Brinkley on

YouTube

~ History of A.V. Roe (AVRO) Military Airplanes, 1910 to 1963

Walter in Ken Griffin’s Jensen-Healey.

VOLUME 19, NUMBER 3 THE ROUNDABOUT PAGE 9 drove it every day to and from work for five years. In Cars of Branch Members the sixth year, however, rust had migrated far enough and their Stories that it was time for a rebuild. Then, along came chil- dren and the JH had to be put on hold for many years until the decision was made to sell it and let someone else restore it. The new owner did restore the car and it By Walter Reynolds remains in the Lower Mainland to this day. ( This car was purchased by Ken Griffin of Saltspring Island and is the Jensen-Healey I refer to in the Jensen-Healey ar- ticle elsewhere in this Roundabout. Small world, eh? The Cars of Tom Popovich. WR ) A second badly rusted JH car came into my pos- session which I stripped of parts and stored all the good stuff. This month we hear about Vancouver Coast Branch member, Tom Popovich’s Jensen GT and previously- About ten years ago a partially dismantled GT came on owned Jensen-Healey. the market. I saw it listed at the Van Dusen Car Show ‘For Sale’ board and bought it for $1,000. A second JH When I interview members for this feature, I always ask parts car came with it. Unfortunately, the seller re- why they chose a British car. In Tom’s case, his answer moved the Lotus engine and gearbox with the inten- was surprisingly close to my starting paragraph in the sions of installing a small block Chevy. This, then was Jensen-Healey article elsewhere in this Roundabout. the start of a three year restoration project that never Here’s Tom’s story: got very far as I found the lack of parts and rusty con- dition beyond my amateur capabilities.

I have always wanted a GT. Why? Because I liked the

burl wood dash!

Tom’s Jensen GT, pre-Collector plates. (Tom photo)

My story relates to my current British car, a 1976 Jen- sen GT, serial No. 30290. The number indicates that it Jensen GT’s burl wood dash. (Tom Photo) is example 290 of the 509 built.

In answer to the question, “Why buy a British car?”, I Earlier in life I had owned a 1968 MGB GT and a 1971 admit to having a love affair with the Austin Healey Triumph GT6+. 3000 from the time I saw my first one in the early 70’s in a small town in the East Kootenays: I was in high My ownership of 290 began in the spring of 2010, when school at the time. I never bought one because they I purchased the vehicle from the wife of a recently were fast becoming too expensive for someone starting passed away owner from San Diego, California. The car out in a new career. The Jensen-Healey was the obvi- was indicated to be rust free, partially restored with a ous ‘next choice’ because it was the next (Healey) in stroked 2.2 litre engine, twin 45 Dellorto carburetors, line. high lift cam shafts and electronic ignition. I arranged for a fellow enthusiast living in the San Diego area to My Jensen ownership began in the early eighty’s when visit the car, take some photos and advise me of the I purchased a 1974 Jensen-Healey; the convertible to condition. Upon receiving a favourable report, I pur- the later GT. The car was in decent condition and I

VOLUME 19, NUMBER 3 THE ROUNDABOUT PAGE 10 chased it and arranged to have it shipped to my home age to the head or cylinder wall (that was the good in Coquitlam. When the car arrived, it was pretty news). However, the cylinder would not hold any fluid. much as I had imagined except for the numerous dints Rings failure – yes indeed! It was a ring and piston and poor respray (what do you expect for a vehicle that failure as a section of about 2” from the side of the pis- is 35 years old). Oh, and by the way, it would not start! ton and rings had melted! My engine builder (RWM Restorations) had never seen this before.

Tom’s Jensen GT, pre-Collector plates. (Tom photo) Tom’s Jensen GT engine. Tom photo.

With 290 home it was time to part out the other GT car I sourced a low mileage Lotus motor from a local GT or what was left if it. As a parts car it was a wealth of car, one of four that came to Western Canada. That new and used parts. engine is now at the RWM shop being readied for a full rebuild. The transmission appears to be in good order The next phase of the 290 was to pass a vehicle inspec- except for the shifter linkage which will be fixed before tion in order for the car to be registered and road wor- it goes back into the car. The plan (can you hear me thy. To get it running was ultimately very easy as the Lord Lucas) is to have her ready for the Van Dusen distributor had turned in its housing, therefore, a little British Car Show in May of this year at which Jensen twist back or forward (I can’t remember which way) is the feature marque. she started right up. Needless to say, she leaked oil and water (it’s British you know) and shifted horribly. As you are reading this after the Van Dusen Show, the After working on the car for nearly three months engine did not make it back from the machine shop in (evenings and weekends), she was ready for her VI. time for the rebuild to be completed, so it was a no Fortunately, she passed with flying colours. Lord Lucas show. Maybe next year…………… and the Jensen Brothers were smiling down on us.

For the past two years we have been driving 290 on nice days, mostly on short trips as the transmission And there we have this month’s story. The “Cars of shifting linkage was not repaired and it was a painful Branch Members and their Stories” continues in future experience driving her hard or for any extended period issues of the Roundabout as follows: July-August 2014, of time. Robert Follows (who was scheduled to tell his story in this issue of the Roundabout, but was moved to the next Last September, as we pulled out of the driveway to go issue to allow Tom’s Jensen GT story to be in the same for a short cruise, clouds of vapour were coming out issue as the Jensen-Healey article). Volunteers are from under the hood! Sadly, this meant putting the car needed for September-October, and November- back in the garage to investigate. A quick compression December, 2014 plus January-February 2015. Call me test revealed the worst -- no compression in the rear at 604-463-6305 to volunteer your story. cylinder (16psi). The other cylinders were also low com- pared to when we last checked the compression as they were all around 155psi. Painfully, out came the engine and transmission and the work was to begin in ear- nest. After I cleaned the exterior of the engine exten- sively, I removed the head and found no apparent dam-

VOLUME 19, NUMBER 3 THE ROUNDABOUT PAGE 11

New Member Profile: Bill and Pat Forst

I didn’t plan to acquire an old English car, but I spied this 1956 Rover P4 90 ly- ing dormant in our local towing company storage lot. After a few months of to and fro, and a very minimal purchase price, it ended up in my driveway in Gib- sons. Much to our astonishment, the glovebox revealed all of the original owner- ship papers, and this very car had first resided right next door to my wife, who was then 5 years old, on Cook Street in Victoria! It was owned by that one family for 45 years before it made its way to the Sunshine Coast. The attached photo shows the two houses, which still stand side by side as heritage houses in Victo- ria. The entire interior has been replaced from a parts car that I purchased, but it took remarkably little mechanical work to get it up and running. Pat and I look forward to meeting Club members. Bill Forst

VOLUME 19, NUMBER 3 THE ROUNDABOUT PAGE 12 REAR VIEW MIRROR

About a month ago I was looking for pictures of Kerrisdale (where I grew up) in the 1960’s on the City of Vancouver Ar- chives website. Imagine my surprise when the very first picture I clicked on (above left) turned out to contain two Rootes Group vehicles. The setting is 41st Ave and the Boulevard and over by the peaked roof building on East Boulevard you can see a Series IV or V and parked across the street from it an early 1960’s convertible. Also turning left onto West Boulevard is a Vauxhall HB. Judging by the model of Alpine I would say this picture was taken in 1966 or later. The other picture was taken further west on 41st. Ave. and you can see an Austin Westminster parked in front of what was then the Safeway. -Alan Miles

Recently, Calla and visited the Vancouver Police Museum. The Museum is located in a heritage building at 22 E. Cordova Street that was once the Coroner’s Court, the City’s morgue and autopsy facilities, and the City crime labora- tory. An interesting place, its collection of over 20,000 artifacts chronicles the evolution of the VPD and highlights some of the sensational crimes that they have had to deal with over the years. Of course, I was especially interested in the possibility of spotting some British car connection and I was not disap- pointed! On a display about the role of women in the Vancouver Police Department, there was a photo of a circa 1960 Ford Thames 400E microbus. Very respectable looking in black with white doors and the police insignia, it was officially designated Car 39 but colloquially referred to within the Department as the "Bunny Bus". The "Bunny Bus" served the "Policewomen", as they were then called, in traffic enforcement and school liaison work and also to transport female prisoners to the notorious Oakalla Prison. It was another reminder that British cars and trucks did make an important contribution to the British Columbia of that era. -Les Foster

VOLUME 19, NUMBER 3 THE ROUNDABOUT PAGE 13 April and May Branch Events Photos by Walter Reynolds and Les Foster Text by Alan Miles The April and May Branch events , held at Octagon Motors and Neil’s Wheels Restoration shop re- spectively, were two of our better attended events in quite awhile. At Octagon, owner Jurgen gave us a short talk on the reasons behind the impending closure of their parts department followed by a tech talk given by head mechanic Sid on changing a head gasket. At Neil’s Wheels owner Neil treated members to a tour of his very large shop and laid on the treats including Irish baked goodies and Canadian beer! A splendid time was had by all!

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WELCOME TO THE OECC !

Brent and Andrea Robertson —West Vancouver, B.C. —1974 Triumph TR6 Bill and Pat Forst —Gibsons, B.C. —1956 Rover P4 90 Judy and Bill Dixon —New Westminster, B.C. —1970 Morgan 4/4 John and Kathleen Brettoner —West Vancouver —Two Velocette Motorcycles

THE BOOT

Alan Miles examines the WWI FWD cab-over truck at the B.C. Vintage Truck Museum in Cloverdale (Surrey). The FWD was built in England using U.S. running gear and a British Slough 4 cylinder engine. It featured a 3 speed gearbox with a two speed auxiliary. The truck could run in 2 or 4 wheel drive. The B.C. Electric Com- pany brought the war-surplus vehicle to Vancouver where it hauled coal tar and ploughed streetcar tracks until 1930.

The FWD is just one of a fascinating collection of beautifully re- stored trucks and memorabilia at the Museum which our Branch will be visiting for "Tea & Trucks"!

-Les Foster

Calla and I strayed from the Faith and at- tended the Monroe Swap Meet in Washington rather than Van Dusen this year.

As expected, there was not much British to be seen. We had fun though, and saw a few items from Britain. There is also a lot of sales brochures, manuals, etc. available from vari- ous vendors for Brit cars.

The weather was good and we brought home some new window channel and "whiskers' for our Thames restoration.

-Les Foster

AT THE WHEEL

Membership Secretary : John Chapman Communications Coordinator : Alan Miles Chairperson : Gerry Parkinson [email protected] 604-590-3749 [email protected]—604-272-2145 [email protected] 604-943-3824 New memberships and correspondence: Roundabout Editor : Alan Miles Vice-Chairperson: John McDonald 7923 144A St., Surrey, B.C. V3S 8C1 [email protected] - 604-272 -2145 [email protected] 604-942-8223 Immediate Past Chairperson : Good & Welfare : David Ballantine Treasurer : Bernie Miles Steve Diggins 604-294-6031 2 [email protected] - 604-980-4120 [email protected] 604-943-0535 Event and Meeting Coordinator : Website Editor: Alan Miles Membership renewals: mail to 207-4753 Lorna Hoare [email protected] 604-272-2145 River Road West, Delta, B.C. V4K 1 R9 [email protected] - 604-584-2564

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