MTWC Group Events in August are listed after the GO’s report Dates for your 2014 diary 17th/18th and 19th October: The AGM and Dinner Dance Weekend ( see p6) Saturday 29th November: Sporting AGM and Dinner (see p42 September) Contents: 38 Oreste’s Brolly 3 Editorial Claptrap 16 Chaddesden Shows Holder 4 Chairman's Adrian’s Resumé Question(s) Steering Column 17 MOG 14 Winners 40 Unexpected Treat 5 Training Day 20 Travels with my 3W 41 New Members 7 Training Day Extra 22 Mogspares 42 MTWC Stool 8 What has the Club... 23 Help the Aged 2 43 Aluminium Head 8 24 Competition notes 44 Past Photo 9 Manx Trip 25 Darley Moor 45 Dieppe Montage 14 Letters and emails 25 Where is EOH 896? 46 Floggery 15 Harpenden Classics 30 Group Reports 48 Racing in the USA Guy Burnat 38 Cover Photo: Barbara Caroline talking about “Baggage “ at the Training Day photo: Grahame Joseph 2 VOL 69 September 2014 No 9 THE BULLETIN THE MONTHLY MAGAZINE OF THE MORGAN THREE- WHEELER CLUB AFFILIATED TO THE ACU: NON - TERRITORIAL CLUB WEBSITE: www.mtwc.co.uk Editorial “This is Jim Rockford, at the tone, leave This column is much more cheerful, being your name and number and I’ll get back to the right-hand side. More Dexter than you” … and in the voice of James Garner, is Sinister. what you will hear if you telephone the editor I am delighted to announce that we have a and he is out. The purpose is to foil the many volunteer for the post of Chairman - Adrian cold calls received …. This is just for Murray-Leslie has willing put his name clarification, so don’t hang up and do leave a forward - you can read his resumé on p16. message please. Of course if dozens of you I am minded that he is an excellent candidate ‘phone to check, or have a laugh it will be and will, if elected, be a splendid Chairman changed again! …. after all, having served as a member of I must apologise for the late delivery of the Clergy for a number of years, he will be your Bulletin this month. Following the PC mare than capable of dealing with sinners crash, the Harts House Collective were and have had plenty of experience of parish struck down with Noro virus, Rotavirus and council meetings …. So committee meetings or viral gastro-enteritis which took some will be a pleasure! three weeks to overcome. Talking of PC in Finally, on behalf of the membership, I the other sense, political correctness is said to would like to express considerable thanks to be equivalent to trying to pick up a dog turd Michael Joseph the outgoing Chairman. In by the clean end. …. There you go some just one year, Michael has made his mark on thing else to moan about besides the delayed the Club and confounded the sceptics. The Bulletin …. or Mrs Trellis. Training Day was a huge success and all who Talking of moaning, turn to page 8 for a bit attended thoroughly enjoyed the event. I only more of something completely different. wish that I had been able to attend. The While I’m apologising, I must explain why AGM weekend is a sell-out, and with the the report of Darley Moor appears a month factory providing three 5-speeders to cope late. I forgot to include in the September with the huge demand for drives it looks a copy and author Jonathan Garside rightly and though the AGM will be just as popular …. justifiably pointed out my omission. and FUN - which is what the Club is about. 2014 AGM Weekend ~ Spares Fair The Spares Fair will be held on Sunday morning in the Elgar Suite of the Abbey Hotel, It is open to the general membership from 10 am on the 19th October 2014. The doors will be manned (or womaned) prior to opening. Members will not be permitted to enter and Traders must not sell to anyone before 10 am. To achieve this, all Traders must apply to Gary Caroline for entrance permits in advance. To register please email him at [email protected]. Please supply staff names and business or company represented. Traders will be issued with their entrance recognition on the morning of the Spares Fair 3 Hon. Chairman — Steering Column Michael Joseph A year ago, when I came into the As a result of their performance the Club Chair, the Club was facing a downward really has turned the corner, improvements spiral. We had a serious drop in membership, are visible and the Club is again without very few younger members, no one coming doubt on the up. (… it most certainly is … forward to run Regalia, no Night Trial, Ed) Please read the officers reports which smaller racing grids, half the Leavens Fund are available on the website and at the AGM. disappearing into thin air and the Amiens These positive developments have been debacle. achieved despite the problems aired in the To stand still is to slide backwards. I could Bulletin much earlier in the year. have just chaired the meetings but instead Unfortunately, as a consequence of my opted for a positive approach, focusing on endeavouring to resolve said acrimony, my our Club objectives to encourage the health has suffered and for this sole reason, I restoration and enjoyment of Morgan three am putting my well-being and that of my wheelers. family ahead of the Club and will not be standing for re-election as Chairman at the To achieve this we have our magazine and AGM. website, Mogspares, used parts, technical advice, library, registry, groups, regalia, and Tony Quinn and his small team are competition. Then there is our administration currently carrying out a much-needed with secretaries for club, company and Governance review which covers how we membership together with our finances to can best go about running the Club in a manage and safeguard. polite, efficient, democratic and business- like, yet club-appropriate way. They have Most importantly, my role has not been to diagnosed the problems, provided options dictate or interfere with the work of my and will be putting them out for consultation. fellow officers but to facilitate, listen, show Tony will be making a presentation to the appreciation, give support and provide the membership at the AGM. Any changes to our tools to do the job. They are a fantastic team Articles of Association will be put to a vote doing excellent work and I have the greatest at next year’s AGM. admiration for their achievements and exceptional generosity. In the meantime I wish my successor a trouble free run. Please afford him or her and It has to be remembered that they are all all the elected officers the opportunity to volunteers giving not only their expertise but carry out their work with due respect and enormous amounts of their valuable time. I without hindrance. I am not about to am also mindful that we do not have the disappear or slam the door behind me. I luxury of an endless supply of members to believe in this Club and still wish to join in, fill these roles. help and enjoy all that the Club has to offer. 2014 AGM Weekend BRING AND BUY STALL At the Spares Fair on the Sunday, will be the usual Bring-and-Buy stall. Do bring along any new or used Morgan items that you want to sell A 10% charge goes to Club funds 4 Training Day, Gaydon Nick Jeffrey What a super day! And the best tenner I have the parts they needed to illustrate their talk. spent for years – it should have been at least Barbara Caroline kicked off the day with a £20! From which you will gather that this long- light-hearted presentation entitled “Excess Baggage” and which covered 'How to pack', to attend the first Training Day at Gaydon. 'Hotel car parks we have parked uphill on (or From the super-friendly welcome on arrival to was it downhill?) to stop the oil running out of the gearbox' or 'Hats I have lost from Morgans'. A wonderful entrée to remind us (as if we didn't know) that Morgans should be FUN. I last drove a Mog some 45 years ago as a Gary Caroline then passed on the benefit of university student and the memory of heavy his vast experience of Morgan steering foibles steering, strange controls, brakes that even then – and cautionary tales of points to watch, might not have been cutting-edge in the reminding us that, with many cars being at performance stakes and that wonderful low- least 80 years old and subject to all sorts of flying experience behind a rorty JAP left an 'modifications' in the interim, suspension and indelible impression. steering parts should not be taken on trust - as The car I drove, GW39, a 1932 Super Sports, the consequences of failure can be disastrous. And of course, when you get 3 Morgan experts in a room you will always get (at least) 4 different opinions on any issue - and so it was with track rod ends, steering arms and sliding axles and a lively debate ensued! So, as a near Morgan-virgin, the day was perfect for me. I was efficiently signed-in and, after looking over the assembling Morgans, made my way to the marquee where the tech-nical sessions were going to be held. Michael Joseph's opening remarks set the scene for the day – in fact I can't remember what he said but they were undoubtedly welcoming and encouraging! A great feature of the sessions is that each speaker had a 'visual aid' in the form of either their own car or Gary Caroline 5 Dave Pittuck then followed with an inspiring inveigle myself into it with only slight and presentation on traditional coach painting, with fleeting engagement of gears as I manipulated his own car demonstrating his prowess.