2014 Vancouver All British Field Meet Text and Photos by Alan Miles
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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’ Convertible—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—Rootes Group—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, Kjell Qvale (pronounced ‘Shell Kevelley’) the President of Jensen Motors who ran the company from the U.S., By Walter Reynolds was looking for a car to take his company into the very profitable sports car 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.