VOLUME 13, NUMBER 5 SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2008 INSIDE THIS ISSUE UPCOMING EVENTS EDITOR’S BIT Alec Issigonis & Alex Moulton .......3 Tue., January 6: 7 pm, Roma Hall, It’s time to get your old English car Autojumble and online....................8 1930s Austin Factory Video ready for winter. If you’re putting it in Collector Car Council Update ........6 Tue., February 3: 7 pm, Meeting TBA storage, change the fluids and give it a Healey Conclave..............................4 Tue., March 3: 7 pm, Roma Hall, good bath. If you’ll be using it, a good Iron Man in a Wooden Car .............5 Vancouver Coast Branch AGM bath and coat of wax will help protect Little British Car’s Prayer..............5 2009 Events Calendar coming soon! it. See my side curtain article on p. 6. London-Brighton Commemorative 1 Nu-Brite Wheel & Tire Meeting.....7 HAPPY HOLIDAYS! Rejuvenate Your Side Curtains .....6 IT IS DUES RENEWAL TIME Ticket to Fame ................................7 Trivia (assorted)..............................8 $20 BY 12/31, $25 AFTER London - Brighton Commemorative Run 2009 Walter Reynolds and Several Participants To end the meeting I read The Little ticipants following the run as well as British Car’s Prayer (reprinted on page contributions of OECC members. 5, with permission of the author). The travelled route was through the David Austin (OECC): ‘Thanks for a “Cow Tunnel” by Burns Bog then into very good run. Leah, my six year old Surrey, Langley and Aldergrove. From daughter, had a great time and was able there the route took the cars through to successfully read and navigate the Abbotsford, old Matsqui and then into route. Can you give me a copy of the Mission. The destination of the run was prayer that you read at the start of the the Mission Springs Restaurant and event? Brew Pub for what turned out to be a very enjoyable lunch. There were 24 cars on the run, 18 of OECC Vancouver Coast Branch mem- bers. The remainder of the cars were from the Langley Area Mostly British Club, the Rolls Royce Club, one member of the TVR Club, and two guests.. We had a few breakdowns, re- stricted thankfully to only two vehicles, one of which broke down several times, David Birchall (Guest): I participated each time saved by Patrick Jones. in today’s run and, despite the weather Saturday, November 1, 2008 was a The London to Brighton Commemo- and despite my 1953 Aston Martin DB2 rather nice day, weather-wise. Too bad rative Run for 2008, 2009 and 2010 re- breaking down for a while, I had a great it didn’t hang around for Sunday, for the places the Ladner to Bellingham Run time! I wonder if you can put something first running of the London to Brighton which was started several years ago by Commemorative Run. Roy Wilkins. The future of the event Little did we know that the weather (that is, to remain as the London to at the start and during the run was only Brighton Commemorative Run or revert the overture for the rain that was to to the Ladner to Bellingham Run for- come for the drive home! mat), will be decided following the 2010 Registration was in the lobby of the run. Delta Town & Country Inn and was At the restaurant, I heard several looked after by Alan & Mary Lou Miles people saying that they had never who did a commendable job. Each par- driven through the portion of Matsqui ticipant received a package that in- that the run went through. in the newsletter from me to thank the cluded a London-Brighton Commemora- The Organizing Committee for the people who stopped to help , especially tive Plate and a dash plaque, as well as 2008 event were Steve Hutchens, Italo the couple in the Wolseley who stopped pins and travel information from both Cirillo, Bence McIntyre, Bart Shaw and Delta and Mission. myself. The Committee will be meeting The Grand Marshall this year was later this month to wrap up the 2008 yours truly who started the Driver’s event and start the process in prepara- Meeting a few minutes late. Bart Shaw tion for the 2009 committee. read an email message from Chairman Although all participants were re- Ken Miles who was gallivanting around quested to complete a Comment Sheet Australia with Pat in their Morgan, in their package, the following are ex- along with 130 other Morgans. tracts from emails I received from par- three times [Pat Jones and Elaine La- Lorna and John Hoare (OECC): We the windows fogged so badly that we fontaine]! Bless 'em! The car ran per- had a great time on the run, but got a couldn't see. Due to the Lucas effect, the fectly all the way home. good soaking as we have no windows or only heat setting on defrost is blast fur- I forgot to fill out the comments- wipers (good old Lucas!). Lorna was the nace, so we had a choice of going blind suggestion form so if I could pass on my window wiper person! We enjoyed it all, or frying. Sort of like those warnings our comments through you. I would suggest but would like to have the distance be- mothers used to give us? a staggered start (thirty second inter- tween turns next time. It is hard to read Super event. Super people. Great vals?) so that processions are avoided a wet paper in the best of times. I had choice for brunch location. We'll defi- and make more of a rally of it. Perhaps the directions on my lap under the dash. nitely be back next year. a quiz or a TSD aspect? But nothing too Thanks for the LARGE PRINT instruc- complicated as they can be very hard on tions! Malcolm and Barbara Tait (OECC relationships. My own co-driver, a for- and Rover Car Club of Canada): Great mer RCAF, pilot would have had us route and good location for lunch. bombing our own air base if it were WW2 again! Les Foster (OECC): Attempting a 120 mile roundtrip in driving November rain in a '51 Thames with 30 HP, no heater or defroster and one tiny vacuum wiper is, perhaps, a tiny bit mad. Nev- ertheless, I was quite confident at the outset and my faith was only slightly Alan and Mary Lou Miles (OECC): shaken when the motor coughed and Loved the route, but not the weather. John Walkden (LAMB): Other than stalled briefly just through the cow tun- We left our form in the car and pre- the weather, I felt the run was well or- nel - I thought it had just swallowed ferred to stay dry so we decided to email ganized and as far as I'm concerned some water. The presence of Elliot our feedback. Here are a few recollec- staying in Canada is a plus. I didn't en- Sclater in his almost-as-challenged Pre- tions and anecdotes from the London- ter in previous years as I had no desire fect and Elaine and Patrick watching Brighton Commemorative Run. to deal with the border issues. Please over us in their Wolseley was reassur- It was a great route, although Mary pass on my kudos to the rest of the com- ing. Lou and I took a wrong turn and ended mittee. up missing a chunk of it. I do think Wal- ter could have done something about the torrential downpour of rain. I mean, what type of event organizer is he any- ways? The funniest moment was when I went up to John Chapman at the pub after the run and asked him if his Mor- gan leaked at all. “Does the Morgan Our little convoy motored on at a leak?!,” he exclaimed and proceeded to steady 30 MPH. There were some really tough hills - 168 St. was a double-clutch down to first gear! Finally reaching the high and level ground of Aldergrove was a relief but then disaster struck. A nagging noise from up front escalated into an ominous show me his right pant leg which was rattle. It could not be ignored and I drenched from the knee down. I guess it pulled over. The others stopped to help was a silly question. and Patrick pronounced it a bad rod Great job by everyone involved. bearing. At least I was first back (is there a prize for that?) albeit on the back of a flatdeck! Ian & Doreen Newby (LAMB): Great event, our first! The only drawback in driving an English car is the defroster. Unless we kept the defrost on full blast, VOLUME 13, NUMBER 5 THE ROUNDABOUT PAGE 2 Alec Issigonis - Part III: Alec Moulton, Inventor of the Hydrolastic Suspension Walter Reynolds In Parts One the son of a wealthy engineering busi- and Two, I re- nessman (and great-grandson of viewed my 1968 Stephan Moulton, the “forgotten man” of interview with the UK rubber industry – see Part Alec Issigonis Seven for more on Stephen Moulton), a and his design man who set up his own business, made achievements. an independent fortune, and dabbled While preparing with new projects till late in life. those articles, I Issigonis’ Mini could not have been realized that built without Alex Moulton’s contribu- Alex Moulton, Moulton at work in his office there were other tion, for it was his long-held fixation circa 1990 themes arising with fluid suspension units, later sim- In 1962, three years after the Mini from his life which should be written plified to still-complex rubber units, all appeared, the larger, Pininfarina-styled about.