VOLUME 14, NUMBER 4 JULY-AUGUST 2009 INSIDE THIS ISSUE UPCOMING EVENTS NEWS FLASH (8/31/09) - Part VI...... 5 Tue., October 6: Meeting 7 PM, TBA Canadian parts manufacturer Magna, At the Wheel...... 10 Sun., November 1: Annual London- in consortium with a Russian partner, Austin J40...... 7 Brighton Commemorative Run. was slated to buy 55 per cent of Opel Autojumble ...... 10 Chairman: Ken Miles. Details to and, along with it, Vauxhall. Then, at Book Reviews...... 8 follow. the last minute, GM decided that “Club” or “Society”? ...... 4 Tue., November 3: Meeting 7:00 PM, maybe they wanted to keep Opel HMCS Discovery Picnic ...... 4 BCAA Depot, Burnaby. Details to after all. So it looks like the ownership Members and Their ...... 4 follow. of Vauxhall may not change. If the Laycock de Normanville Overdrive ..8 Tue. December 1: Annual Christmas sale had gone through, would the What Was I Thinking? Part IX...... 3 Awards Dinner. Information will be Vauxhall have been a Canadian , available soon. built in the UK? Golden Ears Bridge Opening Ceremonies Walter Reynolds TransLink invited the Vancouver Coast Branch and the ferry and joined the other cars at the Colossus. a few other Car Clubs to participate in the Golden Ears There were 38 cars all together, a mix of British and Bridge Opening Ceremonies scheduled for June 14, 2009. North American. The Clubs included OECC, The Tri- Four OECC members answered the call: Lorna & John umph Register, MOGNW, the MG/Jag Club, the Vancou- Hoare, John Chapman, Fred Bennett ver Club, the Golden Ears and me. Although representing the OECC Representatives: Chapter of the Vintage Car Club of MOGNW club, OECC/VCB member Fred Bennett Canada, and a U.S. Ford car club. Mike Powley was also present. John Chapman We had all been given a list of par- As the congregation point was Lorna & John Hoare ticipants prior to the day, so I knew the Colossus movie theatre in Wal- Walter Reynolds at that point that the would be nut Grove, Langley, Fred and I the first Rover on the bridge. In addi- planned on going together on the Albion Ferry as our tion, also first, for their marques were Lorna and John way of easing out the old (i.e. the ferry) and welcoming in with their MG and Mike Powley with his Morgan. The the new (i.e. the bridge), so to speak. Unfortunately, way we drove onto the bridge, John was behind Mike, so Fred's Spitfire had other ideas and chose to shut its gear- John's Morgan was the second Morgan on the bridge. box down a few blocks away from our meeting point in Maple Ridge. All on our lonesomes, the Rover and I rode

Approaching the Golden Ears Bridge from the south side with a Mini leading the way

Prior to the event, we were also given a map of the club placements on the bridge. All clubs were to be on the south side of the bridge. The OECC cars were to be in the second to last group. On event day, that was changed and the Triumph cars were to go onto the bridge first. Not all the Triumph guys got the message so there was a mix up which saw the OECC group (plus Mike Powley) going onto the bridge with the lone Jaguar representing the MG/Jag Club and the Vancouver Mini Club's lone Mini. Another error in how we were directed saw us being placed on the north side of the bridge almost at the end of the bridge proper, by the north start of the bridge stays. Our view was looking down onto the Pitt Meadows and OECC cars at the Colossus Theatre: Maple Ridge side of the bridge. Reynolds’ Rover and Hoare’s MG (top) and Chapman’s and Powley’s Morgans (bottom) (Continued on page 2)

pedestrians were let onto the bridge early and by 11:00 the mass was at our cars. There were so many people that you could feel the bridge move! (see photo below) By now, everyone will have read and heard about Translink's debacle with the Opening Celebration and the stage that formed a bottleneck for the crowds. We were about 300 feet north of that, so felt the brunt of the non-moving mass several times during the day. I say sev- eral times because twice the RCMP had to close the bridge to more pedestrians because there were too many on the bridge. For our part, we sat (read “hid”) behind our cars, let the mass go by, and let people come to us with questions. A few of us allowed people to sit in our cars for “picture ops.” Who knows how many people took photos of John's Morgan! We had been told by the car show organizer, Paul Barlow, that while all the cars would be getting onto the bridge from the south side, the cars from the north side could leave the bridge from the north end at the end of the day. In our group, that meant three of us (Rover, Mini and Jaguar). All others were to retrace their tracks and exit on the south. At 4:10 p.m., the RCMP and TransLink security staff started "sweeping" people off the bridge by announcing that the bridge was closed. After about 20 minutes, south-bound cars from my group started heading off the OECC cars on the Golden Ears Bridge: bridge to the south. That left the three north-bound cars Reynolds’ Rover and Chapman’s Morgan (top) and to start. I started the Rover and, being the polite soul Lorna Hoare with her MG (bottom) that I am, was waiting for the Jaguar or Mini to start off, but no one did. As such, I started and the Mini followed, We were all settled on the bridge by 10:00 a.m. and with the Jaguar bringing up the rear. enjoying ourselves and getting to know our neighbours We had to go very slowly because of the people still from the Mini and Jaguar clubs. As such, in our group on the bridge. Part way to the exit, I realized that, WOW, there were seven cars (Morgan, Rover, Mini, MG, Morgan the Rover will be the first Collector car to cross the and Jaguar, oh yes, and an Austin Seven). We were all bridge. Not only that, it will also be the first British car given Passports to get stamped at each of the six Pass- to cross the bridges and will be the first Rover to cross port Stations on the bridge. A few in the group set off the bridge. Talk about excitement. O.K., I guess you had before the crowds to get their Passports stamped. to be there! The schedule While I had a called for the pub- good day, Linda lic to be allowed was one of the on the bridge at 60,000 who came 11:00 a.m. Be- onto the bridge cause of our place- and for her it was ment, we could not a pleasant not see what was experience. But happening on the that's another Langley side, but story for another we sure could see day, as they say. the mass of hu- It was a good manity that was day and a very collecting on different way to Golden Ears Way show off our cars. (the approach to More importantly, the bridge) and on we were all taking each side of the part in history. Airport Way ac- cess - 203rd Street exit ramps. It was a Mass of humanity looking north to the start of the mass of colour. The Meadowtown Viaduct in the background VOLUME 14, NUMBER 4 THE ROUNDABOUT PAGE 2 What Was I Thinking? Or the Restoration of a Demon Sunbeam Imp - Part IX John Chapman

Saturday I was off across the border to our American cousins to acquire a door and also a rear seat. The springs on my seat had rusted to oblivion. Now, bearing in mind that these parts are over 40 years old, there was- n’t a bit of rust on either the door or the seat springs. Amazing. When it comes to body work I’m not as good as I used to be or thought I was. Blending in the new panels and repairing the dents was taking far too long. I’d put a layer of body filler over the imperfections only to sweep most of it up off the floor in dust form the next day. I just kept sanding too much off or I didn’t put enough on. It was very frustrating and time consuming. I was having to rework areas four and five times. In a moment of des- peration I logged on to Craig’s list to see if I could locate a mobile body person that would help me out. Low and behold, within a couple of hours I had two guys from My last report on this restoration was over a year Vancouver knocking on my door who, indeed were mobile ago and I must admit I’m a little embarrassed that I body men who did this for a living and had, supposedly, haven’t devoted much time to the project in that year. over 30 years experience between them. A deal was Especially when I started with so much gusto. But I sup- struck and they started straight away. Now, in the pre- pose running out of enthusiasm after two and a half ceding conversation with them I distinctly remember the years of fighting the rust bug is to be expected. I got to terms, “show standard”, “concourse” and “better than the stage where I just had to walk away from it and do new.” I definitely do not remember hearing words like something else. Now, when this happens invariably the “bodge job”, “We’re a couple of cowboys”, or “I’m blind and project never gets restarted and several years later it also have no feeling in my hands”. Without one word of ends up in the classifieds as an unfinished project in kit exaggeration, after 10 hours of work, not one panel was form. But not with me, I’m either very tenacious and close to being acceptable. These guys were no more never give up or I’m very stupid and never give up. Be- skilled than I was. At 10 o’clock at night it was difficult cause six months later, against the odds, I resumed work to see the results. I didn’t realize the extent of the poor on the little beast. What was originally going to be a workmanship until a couple of days later. Needless to quick 18 month, $4,000 project has turned into over 3 ½ say, I never invited them back to finish the job. I spent years and about $9,000. the next couple of months going over what they had done. I wrote in my last report that Pat and I had finished This brought me into early September 2008, hockey time the mammoth task of cutting out rust and welding good for my son. Not only that, I had also neglected other re- metal back in around December 07. Well, when I started sponsibilities and household maintenance. I couldn’t find work on the body I found a few more areas of paper thin the time or enthusiasm for it. I had to have a break. I steel that were rusting from the inside out. So Pat came covered the car up and turned my back on it once again back for some more patch work. The final tally of the project was patching all four floor pans and countless other parts. Reconstructing the rear seat pan, rear suspension box section and inner rockers. We replaced both outer rockers, both lower rear fenders, a front fender and a couple of wheel arches. We also discovered that the passenger door was not only dented from an accident but it was also twisted and after much deliberation and discussion decided that if we were going to do this restoration properly a new door was re- quired. There was no way that that door was going to fit and look like it actually belonged to that car. I could now concentrate on making the car look pretty. Anything that I did to the car would at least show some form of progress for all the work that had been done. I managed to locate a replacement door through the Imp Club American contact in Seattle. So one sunny

VOLUME 14, NUMBER 4 THE ROUNDABOUT PAGE 3 for six months. with fine grit paper to find any pin holes, scratches and April 09: My son’s hockey season done, house mainte- any other imperfections that could rear their ugly head nance up to date and Wife happy. It was time to get back during and after painting. After this I’m going to put the to the Imp. I pulled the cover off and meticulously sur- suspension back on so that I can attach the wheels. Then veyed the car from front to back and top to bottom to re- it’s off to a paint shop for spraying. I originally planned fresh my memory on what had to be done. I was quite to spray it myself, but, I thought if my painting is as good surprised on what I had completed. The back, the driver’s as my skill of dent repairs the car will take another cou- side and roof were finished. Yes, even the roof had dents ple of years to finish. At that rate it was getting to the in it. I had also forgotten that I had undersealed the stage that by the time I had finished the restoration I’d whole car. This gave some extra enthusiasm. So I set to be too old to get in it let alone drive it. work again filling and sanding, filling and sanding, and So, if everything goes to plan I’ll have the car back in more filling and sanding. Oh, and also a lot of sweeping my workshop resplendent in nice new blue paint ready to the dust off of the floor. fit up by the end of August. STOP! If everything goes to July 09: The car is now very much dent free with a plan? coat of filler primer on it. My next task is to rub it down What am I thinking?

A NEW SERIES: VCB Members and Their Cars Walter Reynolds

Starting with the next issue of the Roundabout, I will be writing articles on the cars of Branch members. The arti- cles will be in an interview style and will highlight a Branch member's car(s). These articles are not so much about the member, but more about their British car(s). While I have a few people in mind for the first four articles, if you would like to see your car(s) highlighted, please contact me at 604-465-6350 or [email protected].

“Club” or “Society”? … We’re all in the same Club! Steve Hutchens, Chairman

Recently Fred Bennett, Ian Cox, and I have been reviewing and revising the OECC Bylaws. One of the issues being discussed is the use of the terms “Club” and Society.” Ian, founder of the Club, has been considering how we use the words “Club” and “Branch” and suggests they might be better than “Society” and “Club.” From Ian’s recent email: “I would like to make a point about [the] use of the term “Society.” Looking back in the records, I can see clearly that I initiated the distinction between the branches and the whole-club administration by referring to the latter as “the Society,” but over the past year or so we have become aware that the way we've used the term “Society” is often in- appropriate. The OECC&R is one Club. We [the six Branches] are all the same Club. We meet for convenience in local Branch groups. The Club is registered for legal purposes [under the Society Act with the Province of British Columbia]. This means we have a legal identity which is sometimes termed “society status.” So we are a club with society status due to our registration with the Province. It all becomes clearer if one sees that we could just as easily have named ourselves “The Old English Car Society.” We didn't because there is an Olde British Car Society and we needed to avoid confusion. It takes a bit of getting used to, but I suggest that we try using the word “Club” where we have been saying “Society,” e.g, “our Club's AGM,” and use “Branch” for the local “Club” units [as in “our Branch picnic on Deadman’s Island in June”]. It is helpful to bring us all closer together by using terms that remind us we are all one Club.” I thought members of the Vancouver Coast Branch of the Old English Car Club would find this interesting.

with MOGNW; most of whom also HMCS Discovery belonged to OECC. About eight cars came later in the afternoon. Picnic July 12 The bottom line is that the Steve Diggins weather didn’t cooperate at all. Par- ticipation may also have been hin- About fourteen cars turned up in dered by calendar conflicts, with the All smiles, they were at the HMCS the morning before a cool front came picnic falling on the same day as Discovery Picnic! through. After the temperature Brits on the Beach and the Royal dropped significantly, many went City Show ‘n Shine, and on the same It’s a great venue, so there’s al- home. Several Morgans turned up weekend as Minter Gardens. ways next year!

VOLUME 14, NUMBER 4 THE ROUNDABOUT PAGE 4 Alec Issigonis - Part VI: The 1800 Walter Reynolds The British Version While they were technically interesting, and offered a roomy interior and comfortable ride, they struggled to BMC’s find a place in code name the market. In for the Aus- particular, the tin 1800 was car had sev- ADO17 eral reliability which was problems (the also applied automatic was to the Mor- particularly ris and Wol- troublesome) seley vari- and the styling Wolseley Six ants. The was not gener- Austin 1800 range was ally accepted. produced between 1964 and 1975 and was colloquially In 1975, all models were replaced by the wedge- known as the “Landcrab”. shaped ADO71 or 18-22 series, which bore the same It was developed at BMC by Alec Issigonis as the names at Austin and Morris (1800 and 2200), while the large-car follow-up to the successful Mini (ADO15) and Wolseley variant had no official name save for being mar- Austin 1100 (ADO16) ranges. Additional badge- keted as “the Wolseley saloon.” Eventually, all three be- engineered variants were launched in 1966 and 1967 as came the Leyland . the Morris 1800 and Wolseley 18/85, catering to BMC dealerships selling these marques, and their loyal cus- tomers. The car was unconventional in its appearance in 1964, with its large glasshouse and spacious, minimalist interior including leather, wood, and chrome features plus an unusual instrument display with ribbon speed- ometer. Both Issigonis and worked on its ex- terior. The technology under the skin was also unconven- tional and ahead of its time, including sus- pension and an early example of anti-lock brakes, in the form of a valve which transferred braking force between front and rear axles when one set of wheels began to lock ADO71 Leyland Princess up. The bodyshell was exceptionally stiff, featuring greater structural rigidity than many modern cars in the The Pininfarina Version present day. In May 1968, a Mark II was launched. This featured While the British version of the Issigonis 1800 is well a cheaper and more conventional interior, revised front known, here is some information which may not be as grilles and other trim, and for the Austin and Morris well known. models the slim, horizontal rear lights were replaced by When launched in 1964, the Austin 1800 was vertical “fin” lights which gave a family look along with praised for its combination of handling and interior space the smaller ADO16 range. The Wolseley retained its but received rather less acclaim for its appearance. Al- unique rear lights. Further, less dramatic modifications though it was only 17” longer than the 12’ 2” Austin heralded a Mark III version in 1972. This had another 1100, it appeared a hulking lump, lacking the elegance, change to the front grilles and interior, including a con- style and grace of its smaller brethren. The reason for ventional handbrake. this was that Issigonis was obsessed about offering the In 1969, doors from the 1800 (with Mark II exterior greatest amount of space inside the smallest footprint. handles) were used on the bodyshell of the otherwise new To Italians, style is everything and they felt Long- . bridge should have been as innovative with the 1800’s In 1972, a 2.2 litre, six-cylinder engine was added to appearance as the Mini was mechanically in its day. the ADO17 range. Models that sported this engine were In 1967 a young Italian designer, Leonardo Fiora- labeled as 2200, that is, Austin 2200 and Morris 2200. vanti produced a concept car that signaled a change in The Wolseley variant was called the Wolseley Six. family saloons forever. In Australia, the ADO17 sold better than in Britain His design was the Pininfarina Berlina Aerodi- and a pick-up variant, unique to that market was sold namica. The Autocar’s report on the Aerodinamica de- from 1968 to 1971. scribed it as “a demonstration that so far as styling for The 1800 and 2200 were not strong sales successes. the ‘70s is concerned, this is the kind of shape we shall

VOLUME 14, NUMBER 4 THE ROUNDABOUT PAGE 5 1967 when virtually all saloons were three-box designs, with the notable exceptions of Renault’s 1965 R16 and Simca’s 1100. The public bought Cortina’s, Hillman Hunter’s and Vauxhall 101s by the train load. The idea of combining a coupe-like sloping tail with a four-door body was not just novel, but positively outlandish. And, simply not British! Fioravanti maintained Pininfarina’s tradi- tion of timeless proportions and simple lines, crafting a shape of unbelievable simplicity with minimal bright The 1800-based Pininfarina Berlina Aerodinamica work and a massive glass area. So futuristic was the car that there was no radiator all be driving.” grill in the conventional sense. Instead, the cooling air While at the Milan Polytechnic, Fioravanti devoted entered the engine compartment via two large louvers his thesis in mechanical engineering to, “the study of the under the front bumper that wrapped around to empha- engine and bodywork of an aerodynamic six-seater sa- size the extreme front overhang. The headlights and indi- loon”. cators, housed beneath a single Perspex fairing, also He believed that Dr. Wunibald Kamm, the inventor wrapped around from the nose to the side of the body and of the Kamm-back theory of design, was probably the were separated by a single large rubber nose to empha- only person to have understood how to achieve a signifi- size a ‘theme of original design and protection for the cant reduction in the drag coefficient of the . purpose of active and passive safety’ – a forerunner of the Kamm’s concept of a sharply cut-off tail appealed to Fio- ENCAP crumple regulations to come. ravanti and the basic principle constantly appeared in Boldly implanted on the nose of the car were three his drawings. letters – BMC. Motor called the car “a remarkable exer- Returning to the Issigonis – Pininfarina relationship cise on the unlikely base of an Austin 1800. One only has for a moment: In 1964, when Fioravanti was hired by to look at the original to see that this must be the trans- Pininfarina, the Italian company was producing designs formation of the decade.” George Harriman was not so for BMC, Peugeot and Ferrari. Production vehicles in- enthusiastic. He dismissed the car! “It’s fantastic,” he cluded the BMC 1100 series, the A40, Ox- said to Fioravanti, “but not for us. Perhaps it is good for ford/Cambridge, and Peugeot 405 and 504. Pininfarina Jaguar.” Issigonis, on the other hand, was excited and did contribute to the 1800 and can claim credit for the thought the design marvelous. “We did the 1800 just to “cow’s hips” aspect of the rear wing styling as Issigonis’ make you work,” he told the Italians. original designs were too rounded, giving the rear a bul- In conclusion….. The Berlina Aerodinamica was sent bous appearance. to , where it has since disappeared. Fioravanti In 1964, the 1800 was launched and it was clear to eventually moved to Ferrari and then to Fiat. In 1997 he everyone that Pininfarina’s relationship with BMC had opened his own design consultancy studio, but continues changed – it was obvious that the design freedom of the to do design work for Fiat. The original wooden models of past was gone. BMC’s managing director, George Harri- the Berlina Aerodinamica that grace his studio symbolize man and engineering boss, Issigonis dictated proportions a tragic lost opportunity for the British car industry. which the Italians found distasteful. As the relationship worsened, but before the parting of the ways, so to speak, ======Fioravanti, on Pininfarina’s behalf, secured an 1800 floor pan and running gear to build the 1800 the Italians be- This is the final article in the Alec Issigonis six-part lieved BMC should have developed. series, a series that started life as a single article on the Issigonis knew what the Italians were planning, but man I interviewed while a Commercial Apprentice at did nothing either to encourage or discourage the project. Hardy Spicer in , England. I hope you have The Austin 1800 chassis, number 82605, arrived in Turin enjoyed reading the series as much as I have enjoyed re- on August 10, 1967 and the 1967 Turin Auto Show was searching and writing it. due to open on November 1st. Pininfarina had less than There is an Epilogue to the series and this recalls three months to produce the car, which was known as the the life of Stephen Moulton, the great grandfather of Issi- Berlina Aerodinamica. gonis’ long time friend, . Stephen Moulton is Continuing on with the Pininfarina 1800, amazingly sometimes referred to as ‘the forgotten man of the UK the car was completed in less than three months, incor- rubber industry.’ Watch for it in a future issue of the porating everything Pininfarina then knew about aerody- Roundabout. namics. The revolutionary design included all the popu- lar key elements of a two-box design – the complete ab- Sources: sence of a conventional grill, the super clean body panels, The Unofficial Austin Rover web site the multi-curved windshield, the exaggerated frontal Austin 1800 Australia overhang, the wraparound bumpers and, of course, the The Official Landcrab web site fastback chopped-off (Kamm-backed) tail. Wikipedia web site To understand the impact of the Berlina Aerodi- Peter Robinson & LOCI Ltd, 2002 namica, you must think in terms of what was on offer in VOLUME 14, NUMBER 4 THE ROUNDABOUT PAGE 6 AUSTIN J40 Bruce Smith Here are some historical facts about the Austin J 40. In 1946, , (Chairman of the ) had the idea of producing a pedal car for a child to enjoy and it would be modeled after the A 40 Devon and Dorset Austin. These pedal cars were built at Bargoed, in South Wales . Leonard Lord had a soft spot for the men of South Wales that were disabled with pneumoconiosis from working in the coal mines, so he employed these men (doing light assembly) to produce these pedal cars for chil- dren. It is to be noted that the Austin J 40 was pro- duced with the left-over metal from the production of Austin motor cars. (Recycling ahead of it’s time!) The paper work and pre-arranging took approximately 3 years and in 1949 the Austin J 40, went into produc- tion. Unfortunately, this program was phased out in 1971. From 1949 – 1971 there were 32,098 Austin J40 Roadsters produced and I am the fortunate owner of one of them. Heaven knows where the other 32,097 are at this time. I know there is one on display at the Vancouver Police Museum, but the rest of them

When I was about 8 years old, (1950-51) I remember going to 2nd Beach, at Stanley Park , in Vancouver , B.C., and riding a pedal car that gave me great delight. These colourful little pedal cars were used by the Van- couver Po- lice Depart- Specifications of the Austin J40 ment to (manufactured 1949-1971): sponsor a • Length 5’ 3”, (1.60m.) road safety • Width 2 ft. 3 ½ “ (.69 m.) program for • Height 1 ft. 10 “ (.56 m.) children. At • Weight 95 lbs. (43 kgs.) that time, I did not real- Special Features: ize that the • Adjustable Treadle Operation little car I have been either destroyed or being enjoyed by Collec- • Right Hand Drive was driving tors. Others may still be sitting in some old garage or • Two-position Adjustable Hand-brake - the ‘Austin basement waiting patiently to be found – just like my • Pressed Steel Wheels fitted with J 40 - would new baby. There are Austin J 40 clubs in the United Dunlop 12 ½ x 2 ¼ inch pneumatic become a Kingdom tires collectors and parts for • Pressed Steel Body Work item. these pedal • Leather-cloth Upholstery Seat I am cars are still • Dummy O.H.V. “engine” complete now retired being re- with spark-plugs and leads, under and I own produced. the bonnet one of these I call my • Chrome Bumpers – front and rear wonderful new addition Brilliant Overall Finish little cars to our family • Two 4.5 volt batteries to operate and I am ‘Junior’. He horn and twin built-in headlights. thrilled be- is Candy Apple Red and is in the process of being re- yond words! stored to his originality.

VOLUME 14, NUMBER 4 THE ROUNDABOUT PAGE 7 Book Reviews for Auto Enthusiasts Dennis Nelson As a classic car hobbyist tos, in 280 pages makes a modest size; H 9.75”, W claim to have updated and who reads the occasional for a nice book. Dimen- 12.75”, D 1.25”. Eight revised the current ver- book, the excellent books sions, H 9.5”, W 6.5”, D pages on the 1929 Bentley sion. Of the 250 compa- on this subject are a real 0.6”, are a slight draw- 4.5-Litre, with nine pic- nies that were making treat. Each collector will back, but the print is tures, and not very many cars in Britain in 1920, look for something differ- quite readable. As in words. A classy book, but only 28 remained in 1932. ent in books they wish to many examples of this mostly high class pictures In the first sections, the acquire, and so this list of type of book, it starts with of perfect cars. 461 manufacturers who reviews is aimed at help- the question – “what is a made cars in two or more The Car: a book of clas- ing you decide whether a ”. The book years are listed, with as sic motors and The En- book is worth the invest- tries to cover 169 marques much model detail as the cyclopedia of Classic ment in shelf space, time and a lot of models. The authors could assemble. Cars – both by Martin or money. Jowett Jupiter gets 1.5 Hundreds of light cars Buckley pages and 5 colour pic- and one-offs are listed in I will only try to cover tures, not bad for a model These books have exactly the Appendices, with a books under the classifica- that only had 899 pro- the same content, and few pictures. They don’t tions of sports cars, classic duced. differ only in size. We got provide production num- cars, and collector cars. the little one (H 9.0, W bers (for good reason) but Plus, while Amazon.com The Illustrated Direc- 7.0”, D 0.8”), the second they work very hard to seldom lets you know tory of Sports Cars – title above, for a song, but provide specifications for what size a book is, I will Graham Robson it really has too small a each model “year”. H identify H, W, and D (for “Thousands of facts in 480 print size to ever buy at 11.5, W 9.0”, D 1.25” – thickness), as sometimes pages. More than 150 full price. We later ac- 490+ pages, B/W. it matters. cars described in detail. quired the full size version Standard Catalogue of SPORTS CARS Over 350 colour photos.” for $19.95US, and appre- Imported Cars 1946- Sized at H 8.5”, W 4.5” ciated the H 11.5”, W 9.0”, British Sports Cars – 2002 – Mike Covello and D 1.2”, it is a pocket D 0.75” dimensions. Rainer W. Schlegelmilch book for those with big This is a reference book and Hartmut Lehbrink If you do the math, the pockets. Decent little for classic cars and im- pages have 60% more sur- This is my favourite. Di- book with reasonable in- ported junk, and is based face in the full size ver- mensions are H 10.25”, W formation, and the cover on import data for the US. sion, and identical con- 8.5”, and D 1.0”. Thirty list price was $12.95US. They reviewed each year, tent. And why is this im- manufacturers are listed, And yes, Graham Robson by marque – with modest portant – because the including Ginetta and has written over 100 detail by model. They book is excellent. As an H.R.G. TVR Vixen gets books. have a mix of production example, for Triumphs, four pages with five colour and import numbers, by The A-Z of Sports Cars there are six pages, and pictures. It looks like a model. H 10.5”, W 8.0”, D 1945-1990 – 24 colour pictures. The small coffee table book, 1.25” – 900+ pages, B/W. Mike Lawrence text provides a fairly accu- but has good content and Where else could you read rate history of the mar- a manageable size. Lots “Encyclopedic guide to about a Wartburg? que. There are over 250 of pre-war cars are in- more than 850 Marques pages, 60 of which provide The Illustrated Direc- cluded. Production num- and thousands of models.” an overview of cars and tory of Classic Cars – bers are supplied in At H 11.5”, W 9”, D 0.75”, the evolution of the indus- Graham Robson rather good detail. It has this book is softcover but try between 1945 and a wonderful section at the coffee table quality. More “Thousands of facts in 480 1975. The book is organ- back where they show than 1000 b/w photos, and pages. More than 185 ized by marque as opposed silhouettes to scale of all some colour as well. Very cars described in detail, to model, so you see the the models of note, and well done, and an excel- and more than 290 photo- best of each brand. Good their specifications, a good lent book. Does not cover graphs, most in colour.” pictures, and over 700 of way to understand their cars before 1945. Cover With H 8.5”, W 4.5” and D them. size. Amazon charges price is $29.95US. 1.2” it is a pocket book for $21.63US for 440 pages. The Complete Cata- those with big pockets. CLASSIC CARS logue of British Cars Decent little book with The Complete Encyclo- British Auto Legends – 1895-1975 – David Cul- reasonable information, pedia of Sports Cars – Michel Zumbrunn and shaw & Peter Horrobin and the cover list price Rob De La Rive Box Richard Heseltine was $12.95US. And yes, This book was originally More than 750 colour pho- Graham Robson has writ- A real coffee table book, of published in 1976. They VOLUME 14, NUMBER 4 THE ROUNDABOUT PAGE 8 ten over 100 books. The Encyclopedia of cover 1000 models, from A lovely book, but a some- Classic Cars – over 200 marques, with what pricey coffee table The Ultimate Classic David Lillywhite over 900 (mostly colour) one. Ten British cars in Car Book – photos, and 504 pages - you the Top 100 list which Quentin Willson The ultimate coffee table basically cover all you need their panel selected, but book for the classic car “More than 90 magnificent to. Lots of 20s and 30s many more in the 2nd 100 buff. “Over 1000 of the cars.” This author, in a cars here, which are miss- list. Fantastic photos and world’s finest automobiles, hard cover H 11.5”, W 9.0”, ing from many books. The a good write-up for each from the first models to and D 0.75 book does an cover shows a list price of model. today’s supercars.” This is excellent job on a few very 40 pounds, but it is $35US a big book, that you will SUMMARY significant cars models. A at Amazon.com (or $7.00 not read in bed, H 11.5”, W wonderful book with lots of used). This is a great buy, So here you have some 9.0”, and D 1.75”, and for appearance details on some and is my #2 book. great books and some de- this one we should list the lovely cars. If your car is cent books. Whatever your weight. While the authors The Art of the Automo- in it, you’ll like the book. tastes, there are books you seem to have no idea what bile – The 100 Greatest 18.90US at Amazon.com. can enjoy! a classic car is, when you Cars – Dennis Adler Time to Move On … a letter to members of the VCB Steve Hutchens, Roundabout Editor

Several months ago I assembled a complete Roundabout archive with the help of Les Foster, the Roundabout’s first Editor. As I copied the several years of issues and put them in my file, an article in the September/October 1999 issue caught my eye. It was a copy of a letter that Les wrote to Fred Bennett, the Chairman, on September 7, 1999: “I am writing to give notice of my intention to resign as editor of the OECC Vancouver Coast Branch newsletter, the Roundabout. Effective the date of the Branch AGM, I will cease to edit or otherwise pro- duce the Roundabout. It is only after a great deal of thought and with many reservations that I have come to this decision.” Now, as the third Editor of the Roundabout, my time, too, has come to pass the torch. I will produce Roundabouts through the February 2010 issue to give time for transition. After that, we will also need someone to take over the functions of the Editor as they have evolved: ⇒ VCB Roundabout (assembling and editing the newsletter) ⇒ VCB Website (maintaining and updating content on the website) ⇒ Name Tags (preparing name tags for members) These can be done by one volunteer or two or three. Certainly many hands lighten the load. I’m sure that there are others in our Branch who can be very good Editors and perform these tasks well. Rereading the letter Les wrote in 1999, I find that I, too, have had the pleasure of learning new skills while creat- ing something to be proud of. It has been a real pleasure to interact with the wonderful people in the Vancouver Coast Branch in the course of doing the Roundabout. Though it will be difficult to let go of the Roundabout, it is important to move on to new challenges and continue to develop new skills and abilities. I thank the members of the Vancouver Coast Branch for having made my time as Editor such a rewarding experi- ence. This is my 48th issue of the Roundabout and the articles and photos members have contributed have made the task possible. Walter Reynolds, Les Foster, and John Chapman warrant a special thanks. Les Foster concluded his resignation letter with a sentence that contains wisdom as relevant today as it was then: “Finally, for the health of the Club, I believe that no one should stay in one position too long.” I believe this is a hidden problem for our Branch and, perhaps, the Club overall. When a person does the same task too long, it becomes their de facto role. If too many people do the same task too long, the Branch looses its leader- ship base. Seven positions in our Branch have been filled by the same person for over three years. To make a good or- ganization even better, I would encourage developing a policy of rotating all positions on a two or three year basis. We shouldn’t wait until a volunteer wears out. This might help in recruiting as volunteers would know they had a finite commitment. Members could have a rest or contribute in other areas thus building our leadership base.

Welcome New Members (photos will be published when they become available)

Norm and Lynne Burke (604-986-8420 or [email protected]) and their son Dean. Norm and Lynne live in North Van- couver and bought Les Hetherington’s 1986 Jaguar V12 XJS Cabriolet. Dean bought Les’ 1968 .

Andy and Louise Preddy (604-943-9423 or [email protected]) live in Delta and have a BRG 1953 MG TD.

VOLUME 14, NUMBER 4 THE ROUNDABOUT PAGE 9

VCB Autojumble 1958 (A95): English Cars & Parts For Sale and Wanted 2.6 ltr 6-cylinder, automatic. Com- See more ads at plete bare shell restoration includ- www.oecc.ca/Society/classads.htm, ing mechanical, body and leather interior. Two-tone green. $19,500 oecc.ca/cib/classyfieds.htm, and $16,000. Contact Steve Diggins, oecc-comox.com 604-294-6031. (ads over two months old may be pulled unless renewed) 1984 Rolls Royce Silver Spirit: 1970 : RHD. Man- Looks, runs, and smells like new, ual transmission with overdrive with only 41,300 km. 6750cc V-8. It (rare in North America). Original has been serviced since new by V8 in pieces. Transmission and the same technician who can drive train out of car. Soft and vouch for it. Take over care of this hard tops. Great 2+2 dark blue baby for $30,000. Mike Smith, [email protected] or 604-936-8674. body. Stored dry. Manuals. (7/13) $4,500. All offers considered, or trade for what have you. 2000 Rolls Royce Silver Seraph: Jurgen, 604-737-8065 or [email protected]. Only 70,000 km on this beautiful blue Rolls. 5379cc V-12 with 322 1978 Rolls Royce Silver hp. Second owner, serviced by Shadow: Runs well; new paint, MCL since new. $200,000 when brakes, tires. Some interior work new, now only $60,000. Mike Smith, 604-936-8674 or done. 108,528 miles. $25,000 [email protected]. (7/13) $15,000. Ken at 250-549-1524 or [email protected]. (6/22) 1968 Jaguar XKE Coupe Series 1 1/2: 4.2 litre engine, 3 SUs, 4-speed gearbox, chrome wire wheels. Fuel and ignition systems repaired, but not 1952 Morris : Solid car, complete except for engine and trans- running due to clutch slave cylinder (parts included). Faired headlights. mission. Years in covered storage. Seats reupholstered. This is a New exhaust system. Hood renovated but in parts. BRG paint in gener- “restomod” candidate (restoring cars using modern components to en- ally in excellent shape except for some filler around the rear wheel hance their performance, safety, comfort and beauty) or for a newer arches. Doors installed. Included: Interior and exterior trim and glass; Morris/Austin engine and transmission. $400. Call Sean in Burnaby at Lots of new stainless steel and regular fasteners; Several new body 778-999-5235. (8/3) parts; Two chrome exhaust resonators (brand new, in box); Manuals; Axle stands and a jack; Rust inhibitor and paint. Stored in a dry, warm, 1949 MG TC and 1952 MG TD: See our website Autojumble for informa- underground garage. $12,000 OBO. Serious enquiries only please. Ian tion and photos on these cars (oecc.ca/vcb/autojumble.pdf). Petrie, 604-841-3201 or [email protected]. (7/14)

1952 Sports: Jensen-built aluminum two-door convertible. 1950 Austin A40 Devon: Solid body, extra hood, trunk and miscellane- Restoration project with a parts car. Much work already done. Call Bob at ous. Inside of the car is full of pieces accumulated in anticipation of resto- 604-839-2550. Search for “Austin A40 Sports” on google.com to see ration. Email to learn more or come and see it if you are interested. Pete, what these look like. (8/20) [email protected]. Photo on our website Autojumble. (7/16)

1976 Triumph TR6: One owner Austin-Healey Engine Parts: Block, crank, etc. Contact Steve Diggins, for the last 20 years. 104,000 604-294-6031. (8/28) miles, mechanically perfect, all bills available, new tires, collector plates. ICBC agreed value TOOLS & EQUIPMENT $15,400. Offers? Peter Hender- son 604-682-8290. (8/3) Craftsman Air Compressor: Portable 2 HP, 17 Gallon, 100 PSI air compressor on wheels. Tank is approximately 32” long and 13” tall. Like new, rarely used only to air tires. $100. Call Brian at 604-599-0733.

AT THE WHEEL New memberships and correspondence: Roundabout Editor & Webmaster: Steve Chairperson: Steve Hutchens 10932 Scarborough Drive, Delta, BC V4C 7X1 Hutchens . - [email protected] - 360- [email protected] - 360-733-3568 Immediate Past Chairperson: Ken Miles 733-3568 - Articles, photos, ads - 2090 N. Shore Road, Bellingham, WA 98226-7864 Vice-Chairperson: Steve Diggins [email protected] - 604-576-8036 604-294-6031 Event Coordinator: Lorna Hoare Roundabout Distribution: Richard Taylor [email protected] - 604-298-9346 Treasurer: Colin Crabbe [email protected] - 604-584-2564 [email protected] - 604-590-621 Meeting Coordinator: Steve Diggins - ICBC/AirCare Liaison: Fred Bennett Membership renewals: 864 83 Ave., Delta, 604-294-6031 604-939-1773 / Fax 604-939-1753 BC V4C 2H5 Communications Coordinator: Alan Miles Good & Welfare: David Ballantine Secretary: Dennis Nelson [email protected] - 604-272-2145 [email protected] - 604-980-4120 [email protected] - 604-599-9032

VOLUME 14, NUMBER 4 THE ROUNDABOUT PAGE 10