50Th Anniversary of the MODERN MG MIDGET!

THE MG CLUB OF ST. LOUIS NEWSLETTER www.stlouismgclub.com V OLUME 2 4 , I SSUE 9

S EPTEMBER 1 , 2 0 1 1

50th Anniversary of the MODERN MG MIDGET!

Inside this issue: The Nuts and Bolts of British Cars 8 August Meeting Minutes 2

MGB/GT Back in Production 10 Treasurer’s Report 3 30th Annual St. Louis All-British Car Show 11 Editor’s Corner 4 Contacts and Events 15 Models That Were Not Introduced by Abingdon 6

1952 MG TB 7 Heading West 16 V OLUME 2 4 , I SSUE 9 P AGE 2 august Meeting Minutes By Stefanie Barnes

St. Louis MG Club Meeting Minutes Monday, August 8, 2011 Llywelyn’s Pub, St. Charles, Missouri

Chairman Bob Bentzinger called the meeting to order at 7:43pm. Officers present: Bob Bentzinger, Byron Golfin, Simon Dix, Stefanie Barnes Attendees: Richard Griffin, Pat Downey, Bob Horzmann, Gerald Mayo, Carolyn Westbay, Peter Westbay, Mike Tutass, Frank Lauryssen, Chris Kresser, Fred Houser, Rich Berger, Bob Bridges, Tom Bridges, Paul Wortmann, Ranney Dohogne, Robert Rush- ing, John Mangles, Sterling Ellis, Mike Barnes, Bob Strathman, Don Gatheman

New Faces: Paul Wortmann: Has a 1967 MGB. He’s working on it. Frank Lauryssen: Isn’t ―new.‖ Gerald Mayo: Has a 76B, was at last year’s car show. The car has a catalytic converter with the self-destruct option.

Treasury Report: General Fund: $3,819.48 (renewed MO non-profit) Events Fund: $2,845.47 (51 cars pre-registered for the show) Projects: Frank Lauryssen: Converting rear brakes to Stromberg calipers. Much discussion followed. Ranney Dohogne: Sunbeam misfiring, replaced many parts, finally determined problem was broken valve spring. Bob Bentzinger: Roadster work is going at a snail’s pace. Mentioned a MGC GT tribute car. Showed a Moss rear valance. Bob Strathman: Looking for true wheels. Still needs interior. Will have car at show. Body #330. Pat Downey: Has a 1971 MGB GT – declared it ―strange territory.‖ Stefanie Barnes: 1969 GT is getting new (free) engine.

Old Business: GOF: Gilmore Classic Car Museum, Kalamazoo, Michigan. Bridges & Downey attended. Fun show. 110 cars, 2/3 of which were T’s. Spridget/Road America: Fox & Hamper attended. July Cars-n-Coffee: 83 cars. British Car Days: 1st Saturday in August in Dayton, Ohio. August 20 Rallye: Blackjack hands, no skill necessary, 1st car off at 6:30. Sporting Clays: November 19. Black Hawk Sporting Clays – contact John Mangles if interested. Abingdon Trails Rallye: November 5. Endurance & Mini Trial. Start at Red Roof Inn on Lackland in Maryland Heights, Mis- souri. Bob Horzmann organizing. Show of hands = general interest. Much discussion about length of rallye & number of stops.

New Business: September Cars-n-Coffee: September 17 – Starbucks Manchester & McKnight V OLUME 2 4 , I SSUE 9 P AGE 3 August Meeting Minutes (cont’)

Car Shows: —————————————————————————————- Kansas City – September 3 FINANCIAL REPORT British Invasion – Winghaven Imo’s (Hwy N & Submitted by Byron Golfin Winghaven Blvd) – September 10

Chicago British Car Union Car & Motorcycle Show – MARCH Through JULY, 2011 September 11

St. Louis All-British Car Show – September 17

Mike Barnes needs volunteers to help guide cars onto the showfield BEGINNING BALANCE: $4053.78 Memphis Car Show – October 1

Nashville Car Show – October 8

Halloween Rally: October 29 – Mike & Stefanie Barnes to set up. End at John & Carol Mangles’s house for BBQ/ potluck after. More info next month. Income - Dues $230.00 Club Officer Nominations: September meeting Club Officer Elections: October meeting Wine/Fall Color Tour: Bob Horzmann to set up. Will include other local clubs. Probably October 9. Expenses: Holiday Party: January 21, 2012, Bully’s Smoke House. ―Rob your neighbor‖ gift exchange. June Meeting - Park Deposit 30.00 For Sale/Want to Buy: Newsletter Software 156.42 Fred Houser: Website Hosting 42.88 Selling 4 Spridget 4-bolt pressed steel wheels with Appreciation Gift Cards 200.00 tires. $200 OBO. State of MO Registration 15.00 Bob Horzmann: ------Wants back half of an MGA roadster. 636-227-3449. Total Expenses: $ 444.30 Attendance Prizes: Paul Wortmann, Ranney Dohogne, Stefanie Barnes ENDING BALANCE: Adjourned: 8:58pm $3839.48 Respectfully submitted: Stefanie Barnes, Secretary St. Louis MG Club ======FOR SALE 1979 MGB in Dubuque IA, blue w/ tan interior, OD, 17,350 original miles, 2 owners, all original, $6,500. Contact Joe Vize, (563) 564-2280, [email protected] P AGE 4 T HE S T . L OUIS M ETRO G AZETTE Editor’s Corner By Bruce Hamper

The 50th anniversary of the introduction of the Modern MG Midget is being celebrated at MG venues across the country. It is the theme of our St. Louis All-British Car Show which will be held on Saturday, September 17th.; the premier event for British cars in the St. Louis area! You won’t want to miss the fun, so if you have- n’t signed up yet take a look at the Registration information in this newsletter. In the past month, I obtained a copy of an original MG Midget Sales Manual that was used to train the sales team for introduction of the Mark 1 MG Midget in 1961. A comparison chart was provided to the sales force of the likely competition for this new 948cc powered sports car. While some of the names are familiar I had- n’t heard of a number of these entries: the Fairthorpe Electron Minor, Lotus Seven, Messerschmitt TG 500, Morgan 4x4 Series II and the Turner 950. Notably missing is the Triumph Spitfire, which was not introducted until a year later in October 1962. What did the competition look like? Here are some collected photos with details of each entry in the Very Little British Car category, circa 1961. The performance data comes directly from the Sales Guide.

Fairthorpe Electron Minor 948 cc; 4 cylinder engine Mark 1 MG Midget 948 cc; 4 cylinder engine 0-70mph time = 34.3 sec Top speed = ??? 0-70mph time = 24.6 sec Top speed = 88 mph Cost: 799 British Pounds About 700 built (1957-73) Cost: 670 British Pounds

Messerschmitt TG 500 490 cc; 2 cylinder engine Lotus Seven 1172 cc; 4 cylinder engine 0-70mph time = beyond top speed! Top speed = 68 mph 0-70mph time = 25.2 sec Top speed = 82 mph Cost: 638 British Pounds Cost: 587 British Pounds in kit form P AGE 5 T HE S T . L OUIS M ETRO G AZETTE Editor’s Corner (CONT’)

Morgan 4x4 Series 2 996 cc; 4 cylinder engine Turner 950 948 cc; 4 cylinder engine 0-70mph time = 38 sec Top speed = 78 mph 0-70mph time = 18.7 sec Top speed = 85 mph Cost: 738 British Pounds Cost: 815 British Pounds About 250 built

The MG Midget had a real cost advantage over the competition, although all of these entries are interesting and seem to be a bargain in retrospect. The Turner 950 even uses the Austin A-series engine from the Spite- Midgets. The faster times for the Turner 950 can be attributed to the fiberglass construction of the body. OTHER SPRIDGET NEWS Seat Belt Guide for Midget/MGB

This clever Guide keeps your shoulder strap properly over your shoulder instead of chafing against your neck or even falling off your shoulder. It Heinz Meixner with his fiancee and her also keeps your strap ready to grab when getting into your MG. Further- more, it eliminates those twists you always have to untangle when re- mother Frau Thurau, show how they trieving the shoulder strap and seat belt from alongside your seat. This is arranged themselves in his Austin- a remedy available both by original equipment makers and the aftermar- Healey Sprite to drive through the Berlin ket on other cars, but needed badly for our MGs. Wall, Germany, circa 1965 Made of tough but flexible black plastic with UV inhibitors for long life. Installs by removing your head rest and simply sliding on for a friction fit. No tools required. Guide can also be modified for snap- on installation if your head rest is frozen. Sold by the pair. (http://www.clarkandclarkinc.com/1198_seatbeltguide_midg.htm) P AGE 6 T HE S T . L OUIS M ETRO

Models that were NOT introduced by Abingdon

Want to go off-road in a Sport Vehicle? Consider the MG Midget 4X4

Need carrying capacity? How about the MG Sport Ranchero P AGE 7 T HE S T . L OUIS M ETRO

1952 MG TD By Paul Brouillette, Lafayette, LA

In around June of 2009 I decided I had too many cars (like that could ever really happen) so I figured I’d sell my really nice ’67 Austin Healey Sprite. I already had an MG Midget so I really sort of had two of the same car and the Sprite was worth more. It wasn’t selling for a while there. About the time I was just going to keep it I got an email from a guy in Dallas. He was offering a project 1952 MGTD in trade for my running, driving Sprite. At first I thought it was a scam and remember, I already have too many cars. He called a couple of times and I called him. He sent me some pictures and I thought, man that looks terrible. I was about to say no, especially without seeing it in person when he called and offered to load it on a trailer and bring it to Louisi- ana from Dallas. He said if I didn’t want it he would turn right back around and go home with it. Well, now ya got me hooked! This was around November of ’09. The weather was terrible that night and he drove about 9 hours to get to my house. He managed to back the trailer under my garage in the dark. I had a crew there consisting of my dad and friends, Fred Stokes and Jeremy Reed as inspec- tors, advice givers and hopefully sense talkers. We climbed in, on, under and around that machine like ants with drop lights. Turned out to be all complete and in reasonably good condition. The engine turned by hand and was clean inside. The parts were all there and most of all, the wood was good. This would have been a deal breaker for me. We made the trade! Now what? The first step was to hear it run. While I had it apart for carb cleaning and such I decided to paint the engine in the car. If it didn’t run, I was out some paint but if it did, I didn’t have to take it apart again. It did run and ran well! The brakes and body came next. My friends including Dean Duhon came over and spent MANY hours in that garage with me over the cold win- ter. A lot of beer, whiskey and rum was consumed to fuel the V OLUME 2 4 , I SSUE 9 P AGE 8

1952 MG TD ( c o n t )

TD project along and come along it did. I tried to have as many overlapping processes going at the same time. I painted the body tub on Mardi Gras day of 2010 while the seats were at the upholsterer and such. Dean and myself did all the upholstery except the seats themselves. I learned how to make piping out of vinyl and rope. We were trying to make the 2010 New Orleans British car show if possible. It looked like we might just do it. I had it all assembled by early March and was cutting the carpets not long after that. By the day before the car show I was putting the final touches on an amazing whirlwind five month restoration that we were all proud of. No corners were cut and the car drives wonderfully. While at the car show I overheard someone ask how long it had been since I finished the car. Fred said “Oh, about eighteen hours.”. V OLUME 2 4 , I SSUE 9 P AGE 9

The nuts and bolts of british cars By Geoff Wheatley (reprinted from ‘The Dipstick’, Tidewater MG Club of Virginia)

As you are reading this item I think it’s safe to assume radiators, breaks, pressed bodies etc., buying up whatev- that you own a semi vintage British Car. Semi vintage er being anything that rolled out of the British Motor In- manufacturer he could find that made such items. dustry His motto was simple “Keep in the Family; you make between 1945 and 1960. more money that way!” When you are using metric (Please Note my term not any official designation!) nuts and bolts you need metric tools and this could in- I am sure that at some time you have skinned your volve knuckles using a spanner sorry wrench that looked like a major outlay for the production lines. So why it should fit the bolt or nut but did not! There is a com- not retain the threads which are the most difficult part plete in the production of your fasteners but put a British size range of British nuts and bolts that defy logic head on the bolt and the same for the nut. All existing when compared with American or European fittings. tools would fit, so what we now call an Economy of The Morris Empire produced a range of bolts/ Scale was produced. No one ever gave a thought to the nuts etc. that had no reference to any other in the world. fact that this whole process could and eventually A metric thread with a British head that might fit one of did hinder future production especially in the post war your collection of wrenches but don’t count on it. years when Britain exported worldwide with Morris This came about when Billy Morris purchased the UK being one of the leading successful companies in the” branch of the French Hotchkiss factory located in Cov- Export or Die” period. entry, Just to make the owner of a British vehicle just a touch England, in 1923. At one time the Hoctchkiss upset when he or she wanted to do their own service, UK operation had been a money spinner for the French the range of threads and sizes simply boggle the mind. company when it produced a successful light car but in First we have Whitworth introduced by Sir John the post war years for reason not quite clear even today, Whitworth in 1841 when the demand for high tolerance the company turned to the production of super luxury machinery production was starting to grow with the vehicles. With Rolls Royce at their doorstep their Brit- success if the British Industrial Revolution. It total he ish developed no less than four separate ranges of venture went on the sales list and Morris purchased thread: British Standard Fine (BSF) British Standard it lock stock and whatever else was included. As to be Whitworth (BSW) British Standard Pipe (BSP) with a expected Hocthkiss used and produced metric fittings sister thread in that same bracket called (BSPT) The including their own fasteners that Morris decided could tapered version for high pressure use. All of these can be useful in the production of his range of vehicles. It be found on most British vehicles pre or post war. Not also was an economical move as he would no longer to be out done we have another thread that you will need to purchase fasteners from outside suppliers. He find in your classic car called (BA) short for British took the same attitude when it came to such items as Association. You will find these fixtures on the electri- V OLUME 2 4 , I SSUE 9 P AGE 10 MGB/GT BACK IN PRODUCTION!! Reprinted from “MG Car Club Florida = Florida Octagon, Aug. 2011

On the 50th Anniversary of the MGB, one can now place their order for a NEW MGB/GT. Frontline Develop- ments, in conjunction with British Motor Heritage, is to commence production in January 2012 of 50 NEW GT’s. It will be called the LE50 (Limited Edition 50). Frontline is one of the world’s leading experts in MGB. They have been on the forefront of upgrading and im- proving the car’s original designs for over 20 years, as to suspension, brakes, transmission, and engine. The LE 50 will have a production run of only 50 hand-built GTs. It will appear to resemble the first GT of 1966 but will be built to 2012 standards.

Production will be in Abingdon-on-Thames, using the British Motor Heritage body shell. It will be powered by an all new twin-cam aluminium engine producing 215 bhp linked to a new all aluminium 6-speed manual gear box. The brakes, suspension, and cooling system are all to upgraded modern standards, with great atten- tion to keeping the overall weight of the car very low. Engine management will be controlled by a bespoke ECU (engine control unit) and will run sensors for water temperature, air temperature, crank, cam, throttle po- sition, and others. This should provide for both great performance and fuel economy. Smith’s will recreate the original 1962 gauges but to match the new engine and running gear. The tach will now go to 7,800 from 5,000 for shift change and the speedo from 100 to 170 (for those of us who drive the Autobahn). The bench seat will not be there but will be replaced by a larger, nicer rear deck area (as in the early E-type FHC). Interiors will offer Connolly hides for seats, panels, and doors, and switches will be premium quality. Sound and heat proofing will also be incorporated. Ready to place your order? The price is set at £48,000 ($75,000) plus options. P AGE 11 T HE S T . L OUIS M ETRO G AZETTE P AGE 12 T HE S T . L OUIS M ETRO G AZETTE P AGE 13 T HE S T . L OUIS M ETRO G AZETTE P AGE 14 T HE S T . L OUIS M ETRO G AZETTE P AGE 15 T HE S T . L OUIS M ETRO G AZETTE

Club Officers & Support Roles

Name Address Phone E-Mail

Bob Bentzinger 1129 Hudson Road (314) 524-6128 [email protected] Chairman St. Louis MO 63135-1424

Byron Golfin 152 Seabrook Drive (314) 469-7146 [email protected] Treasurer Chesterfield MO 63017-3616

Stefanie Barnes 4657 Varrelmann Ave. (314) 803-2113 [email protected] Secretary St. Louis MO 63116-2417

Simon Dix 27 Coach Line Dr (636) 240-6739 [email protected] Events Chairperson O’Fallon MO 63368

Fred Houser 544 Winding Trail Drive (314) 965-9320 [email protected] Membership Coordinator St. Louis MO 63131

Bruce Hamper 132 Wildwood Lane (314) 822-4831 [email protected] Newsletter Editor Kirkwood, MO 63122

Registrars Name Phone E-Mail

Pre-war Bob Horzmann (636) 227-3449 [email protected] T-Series Mike Barnes (314) 752-3869 [email protected] MGA/Magnette John Mangles (636) 939-9338 [email protected] MGB/MGC Robert Rushing (314) 614-4671 [email protected] Spridget Lee Fox (314) 821-1295 [email protected] Cars In Boxes Mike Barnes (314) 752-3869 [email protected] Other Marques Ranney Dohogne (314) 878-7766 [email protected] Historian [email protected]

FOR A FULL LISTING OF UPCOMING EVENTS, CLASSIFIED ADDS, AND MUCH MORE GO BROWSE OUR EXCELENT WEB SITE AT: http://www.stlouismgclub.com/ Just click on this link to go to the web site

"The St. Louis Metro Gazette (SLMG)" is a publication of the MG Club of St. Louis and remains the property of the club. It is published monthly and is provided free to members in good standing and to officers of other British car clubs upon request. "SLMG" solicits articles from members and other sources. Opinions expressed here are not necessarily those of the Club, Club Officers, or the staff of the newsletter. Technical information is believed accurate, however, any repairs or mechanical advise is attempted at the readers own risk. The Club, Officers, or newsletter staff will not be responsible for any misinterpreted or incorrect technical information. If in doubt, consult with a certified technician. Articles may be reprinted by other car clubs provided that credit is given to author and ―SLMG‖ THE MG CLUB OF ST. LOUIS

c/o Fred Houser—Membership Coordinator 544 Winding Trail Drive St. Louis MO 63131

Web Site: www.stlouismgclub.com Editor E-Mail: [email protected]

Heading West in 2011

Photo: Janel Demick. We're on the Trail Ridge Road at probably 10,000 feet. Road cuts sharply to the right, nothing but air on the left. Duh.