SUMMER 2013 Summer Savings Inside Ladies takeL eadthe www.MossMotoring.com Summer Drive Sale When Carl’s Happy, We’re Happy. “The blade-type throttles and adjustable accelerator pumps improve flow and throttle response. Drivability is smooth and consistent throughout the entire RPM range.” “There will always be a lot of debate about which carb setup is the best one for the MGB. I think ultimately, the buzz around the performance of the carbs and the quality of the kit is what’s going to sell the Mikuni.” Introducing the all-new Mikuni Carburetor Conversion Kit for the 1962 thru 74½ MGB. Part # 366-380 $1,195.95 Carl Heideman, owner of Eclectic Motorworks in Holland, Michigan, has tested just about every performance part ever made for an MGB. 800-667-7872 WWW.MOSSMOTORS.COM 16 Pages of replacement & Upgrade parts to keep you on the road during peak motoring Season Nürburgring Drive Like a Girl GR8 D8 B8? Ginger Stereotypes be damned. Are British cars good for your We’re so pleased to know Novice Man-handling a car is not the love life? Drive Away Cancer’s Follow Christabel Carlisle only way to win a race. newest sibling: A spirited around one of the world’s 15 Spitfire from the big heart of most famous tracks. 9 Arkansas. 4 17 On the Cover: Anita Hodson’s daily driver is a black 1958 MGA named Audrey. Read their story on page 22. Photo by Anita’s neighbor, Harmoni Everett. An open call to British automotive journalists. (and those who missed their calling) hare your experience, wisdom and talent with British car enthusiasts across the country. Do you have an idea for an article? Try tag-teaming it. Perhaps a wordsmith and a Sphotographer from the same car club could work together to create a masterpiece! Contributors whose work is selected for use in the magazine will receive Moss Motors Gift Certificates! Now, since there is no way to print all the terrific stories and tech articles that are sent to us, we will place relevant and first-rate submissions on MossMotoring.com for all to enjoy and benefit. Sorry, submissions that are published online are not eligible for gift certificates. [email protected] The very best way to submit material is via email. Please attach digital photos at full size when MGs, the Sea & Me Air Superiority possible. Film photographs and handwritten articles MG love crosses oceans and An air compressor can make may be mailed to: Editor – Moss Motoring, finds a home in the City of a huge difference to your 440 Rutherford St., Goleta, CA 93117 Angels. restoration. But what to get? 22 20 $200 Gift Certificates Three to four-page stories and articles (approx. 1500 words). This includes: technical/restoration articles, historic accounts, Club and Event experiences, and anything that will inspire or entertain. Please include pictures for us to choose from—the more, the better. Editorial contributions to Moss Motoring Published by Moss Motors, Ltd., are welcomed, and should be emailed to $100 Gift Certificates 440 Rutherford Street, [email protected] Cover and main feature photography. General or mailed to Editor – Moss Motoring, Goleta, CA 93117 440 Rutherford St., Goleta, CA 93117. 800-667-7872 interest stories. Medium length tech articles. Product, book and movie reviews. Moss Motors assumes no responsibility Publisher: Robert Goldman for lost or damaged materials. Materials accepted are subject to such revision as Moss Motoring Editorial Team: required to meet the requirements of this $50 Gift Certificates publication. Unless otherwise specified, Editor: David Stuursma Tech Tips. Cartoons/Illustrations. Humorous all correspondence will be considered Senior Editor: Shawn Carlberg anecdotes. Odds-n-ends that help make Moss for publication. All materials accepted Creative Editor: Tamara Cribley become the sole property of Moss Motors, Motoring great. Ltd., which reserves the right to reprint/ Website Designer: Anne Ducale republish accepted materials. Staff Photographer:Ky Schultz © 2013 Moss Motors, Ltd. Contributors credited individually It’s a good tHING LOUD PEDAL it’s not a boys club. By Robert Goldman any years ago, while working the gate America, it seems, is there some crazy notion about at our British Car Festival, a woman cars and racing being for the guys. It doesn’t help came wandering up the driveway. when the media, short-sighted creatures they so She had come from the farm across often are, treat Danica Patrick as a sex symbol first, Mthe road, and although her life then revolved around and successful racing driver second. And I have horses, she related in a distinct British accent how no doubt, even as I write this, somewhere some she had once driven British sports cars. More guys are scoffing at the idea of women as true car specifically, she had raced Austin 7s in the 1930s. enthusiasts and talented drivers. Get over it guys. During the late 1920s, and into the ’30s, A couple weeks ago, I was watching an NHRA Austins were no doubt raced in many guises, up drag race at Pomona. Ashley Force won the Funny to and including in the form of factory supported Car division outright. In some ways, beyond the supercharged monoposto race cars. As with noise and thunder, the most impressive aspect of makes like MG, or ERA, the depression may have drag racing is the speed with which race teams encouraged smaller bore racing, but make no can tear down a 6,000 horsepower race motor and mistake, it was serious stuff. completely rebuild it in an hour’s time. Each of the The woman telling her story clearly needed to mechanics must be strong and fast. To paraphrase be sat down on the spot and grilled (ahem, gently Tom Hanks, there’s no crying in a Top Fuel pit. interviewed) about her experience. Sadly, cars At least one of the teams had a female mechanic were waiting to come in, everyone was busy doing working one side of the motor, while her male something, and the woman drifted away. So did she counterpart worked on the other. drive an Austin Nippy in local club events, or did The great thing about this tableau was the she race a single-seater in serious anger? announcers saw no need to call out the presence As a woman, she would not have been alone of a female mechanic on the team. Of course, I’m on the track. Another name from that era, Doreen taking what I consider a backwards tack in writing Evans, comes immediately to mind. The Evans about it. My idea of progress is when women are family raced together, boys and girl. Their shop, sufficiently common participants in the motor sports Bellevue Garages, turned out a series of well world to where there is no need to point them out. prepared race cars, and Doreen gave nothing to her I hope we’re getting there. And if ever our editor, brothers when it came to competitive spirit. David Stuursma, asks for another editorial about The fact is, as you’ll see inside this issue, there women in the car hobby, I hope he can convince were plenty of women involved in European Denise McCluggage to write it. She’s forgotten motorsport before and after WWII. Only in more about automobiles than I’ll ever know. MM WWW.MOSSMOTORING.COM 3 4 MOSS MOTORING nurburgringChristabel Carlisle-Watson novice At the end of August 1961, John Whitmore had been racing in Denmark at the Roskilde Ring, doing battle with the work’s Saabs. He and Eoin Young then hurried down motorways to arrive in Germany at Adenau, performing a handbrake turn in the car park to celebrate a non-stop marathon. John and I were to share a Mini entered for the Nürburgring 500 km. I had arrived more leisurely driving my road Mini from England, spending a day in Bruges enjoying its architecture, paintings and relaxing on a sightseeing boat trip on the canals. What subsequently happened was a huge shock to the system. he Nurburgring was built in the 1920s unusual for the circuit to be closed in order to clear around the village and medieval castle up crashed or broken-down cars. The only hope was of Nürburg in the Eifel, as a test and to get up early and start before the rush of traffic. racing circuit. It was 22.8 km long with I soon got the knack of the Karussell. John T172 bends (84 right and 88 left) designed with showed me how to use a certain tree to mark the every conceivable combination of radius, camber point where it was necessary to drop into the and gradient—rising and falling almost 1,000 ft. By concrete banking, although once committed I payment of one German mark, anyone could drive prayed that nothing was stuck around the blind around the circuit. Way back at home the thought of bend. If forced out suddenly, the flat outer ring of racing at the ’Ring had sounded exciting, but now, the surface acted as a slide, sweeping cars into the actually here, the whole idea appeared daunting. trees bordering the edge of the track. John drove first to introduce me to the circuit. The rising sections were extremely important. By the end I felt sick. I had been jolted from side It was necessary to know how the road behaved, for to side, g-forced around the Karussell. I welcomed taking one’s foot off the accelerator lost both revs a short respite up a hill only to be hurtled down and minutes. On the other hand one had to be sure twisting roads with a blind bend at the bottom.