BRITISH SPORTS CARS ALASKA

Transcription

1 BRITISH SPORTS CARS ALASKA British Sports Cars Alaska Limited is the club for owners of all British sports cars including Austin Healey, Caterham, Jaguar, Jensen Healey, Lotus, Marcos, MG, Mini, Morgan, Sunbeam, & Triumph October 1, 2017 Bird Point & BBQ > Activities > Road Rally! > All British Field Meet > Vintage Racing > Lenham Sprite > On the Road > Calendar Photos Needed NOW! > Buy/Sell/Trade

2 British Sports Cars Alaska is the monthly newsletter of British Sports Cars Alaska Limited. British Sports Cars Alaska Limited is the club for owners and enthusiasts of all British sports cars. Individual or family dues are $30.00 per year. BSCA is also a North American MGA Register chapter. The BSCA Ltd board is: Johnson Quarles, President johnsonquarles@gci.net Martin Walters, President-elect martinwalters@gci.net Dean Cox, Past President mdcox@msn.com John Martin, Treasurer/secretary mrjohnmartin@mac.com David Baldwin, At-large jaguar_xk8@mac.com Ken Morton, Newsletter Editor ak.roadster@att.net Useful contacts British Sports Cars Alaska (BSCA) Facebook North American MGA Register (NAMGAR) North American MGB Register (NAMGBR) Vintage Triumph Register (VTR) Austin Healey Club of America (AHCA) Austin Healey Club USA (AHCU) Jaguar Clubs of North America (JCNA) Antique Auto Mushers of Alaska (AAMA) Midnight Sun Street Rod Association (MSSRA) Cover: Bird Point, Chugach State Park Photo: Martin Walters Bird Point and Barbeque August 9, 2017 Photos: Martin Walters & Travis DeMoss A small but enthusiastic group met at 12:00 noon at Carr s Huffman for an early fall drive down scenic Turnagain Arm to Bird Point. The usual suspects: Johnson s Jaguar E-Type, Travis Mini 30, Martin s MG Midget, Dean s Triumph TR8, and Aaron s Lotus Elise, left to right British Sports Cars Alaska, October 1, 2017 Page 2

3 Evening drives? Jackie, Johnson, & Travis Who says there s no such thing as a free lunch? The club picked up the tab for delicious BBQ on the way home. Ya shoulda been there! More 2017 BSCA Activities Saturday, October 7 Highland Road We re going to try for one more drive this fall. Let s meet at Eagle River Fred Meyer s at noon and take a short drive up Highland Road or Eagle River Road. We ll return to Eagle River and the club will buy lunch, maybe pizza at Pizza Man! If it s too rainy on Saturday, we ll try again on Sunday. The driving season is winding down, but it may not be over yet. Interested in an after work ride some evening? Martin sent an out one recent sunny evening asking if anyone wanted to join him for a drive. He wrote afterwards, Nobody showed up this time but I think it's something I'll keep doing with more notice next time. My theory is that many people don't attend drives because of other plans on the weekend or weather. If you have an idea for an event, be sure to contact President Johnson Quarles at or President-elect Martin Walters, martinwalters@gci.net or BSCA Calendar Photos Needed As we did last year, we will publish your 2018 calendar photo submissions in the November edition of the BSCA Newsletter. Voting will be by or mail, and we will have the calendars printed in time for the Christmas party. We need your calendar photos by October 26 to make this happen. Please your jpg files to ak.roadster@att.net no later than October 26. If you haven t taken your photos yet, time is running short. To help you take your best pictures, David Fidler s hints are reprinted page 10. Christmas Party, 2017 Speaking of scheduling, the BSCA Christmas Party will be held on December 9. Since we had such a good time at Pizza Man last Christmas, we re going to do it there again this year. There ll be door prizes, Bits-ina-Bag contest, and free pizza! Mark your calendar! British Sports Cars Alaska, October 1, 2017 Page 3

4 Road Rally Alaska! September 15-17, 2017 Story: Ken Morton Photos: K. Morton & T. DeMoss The 2017 United States Road Rally Challenge (USRRC), sanctioned by the Sports Car Club of America, was held over the September weekend. A road rally is not a race, though with big numbers on the car doors it might appear to be a race to the casual observer. In a nutshell, the point of a rally is to navigate through a set of complicated directions, driving at the legal speed limit, and arrive at the unknown location of the finish within the prescribed time. Penalties are assessed for getting off course and for being either early or late. The winner is the team with the least penalty points. There were three classes based on the sophistication of the navigation and timing equipment used. A number of national teams from the lower 48 competed in the event, and there was a fourth regional class essentially for locals and novices. I was in Oregon when I received a message from Travis DeMoss, asking if I might be interested in navigating for him on the 3-day 2017 United States Road Rally Challenge, starting in Anchorage on September 15. Dolly and I were planning to drive home from Oregon after Labor Day, arriving by September 14. I was skeptical, but I agreed to try. I wouldn t be able to attend the rally school being held for novices because of a prior commitment. And we didn t have good or internet communications once we hit the road north into Canada. But a couple of days into Canada, I received a call from Rallymaster (and TR3-owning BSCA member) Cheryl Babbe. She registered me by phone, and I was committed. Travis plan was to drive his 1989 Mini, a classic rally marque with multiple wins in the Monte Carlo rallies of the 1960s. But an apparent carburetor problem on the day of tech inspection led to us taking Travis vintage Mitsubishi Pajero, also a classic rally marque with a winning record in the 1980s Paris to Dakar Rallies. Team Brit Power became Team Dakar. We departed from the start on West Dimond Boulevard early Friday morning. Although our Rallymaster had promised us there would be no carbreaking roads, the first leg took us high up the Anchorage Hillside on some pretty gnarly roads. British Sports Cars Alaska, October 1, 2017 Page 4

5 Another classic Mini had made the start, and we wondered if it would be swallowed whole by one of those Hillside potholes. We were almost glad we had the Pajero instead of the Mini. Next up were two short legs through Girdwood, which had to be altered on the fly due to last minute road construction projects. Though we missed a checkpoint in Girdwood, almost everyone seemed to have missed it to, so we were feeling like we were getting the hang of it. On the way to Seward we stopped for a few photos at the Welcome sign below Turnagain Pass and ran another leg into the old goldrush town of Hope. The following day, we ran a couple of legs around Seward, then departed for Tern Lake for group photos. After photos, we set out on the next leg for Skilak Lake. By then of day two, we appeared to be holding third place in the largely novice group. Day three began in and around Homer. We had been navigating pretty well, so we thought we d try to pay a little more attention to our timing. That may have proved to be our downfall. We got off course in Homer, and by the time we got back on course, we British Sports Cars Alaska, October 1, 2017 Page 5

6 had missed a checkpoint for a massive penalty. Worse yet, we then arrived at the next checkpoint early for another huge penalty. We did better on the last leg, and managed to finish fourth in the Regional novice group. And though we didn t earn a trophy at the awards barbeque, we did get a round of applause and a Sportsmanship award for aiding fellow Rallyists Sue and Carol in Car #22 with their flat tire. Maybe we have a future as a pit crew! All British Field Meet Portland, Oregon September 1-3 Pictures & story: Ken Morton Every Labor Day Weekend for 41 years, British car lovers in the Northwest have gathered for the annual Portland All British Field Meet, held in conjunction with the Columbia River Classic vintage races at Portland International Raceway. If you ve never been to a big vintage car festival, you owe it to yourself to go to one sometime. The No. 13 Mini of Austin Betts and Jen Bersch was the top finisher in our Regional group. There is always a huge field of MGs and Triumphs at the Saturday car show. There are also Austin Healeys and Jaguars, Lotus and Morgans, Sunbeams and TVRs, Marcos and Minis large & small. Never seen a Minibased Mini-Marcos, a vintage Bentley, or a TR3-based Peerless GT? There was one of each. There were Land Rovers, luxurious and rough. There were race cars and one-off specials like an MGB pickup. In addition to hundreds and hundreds of automobiles, there were motorcycles too. And a swap meet. Kim Ciccone presented Rallymaster Cheryl Babbe (left) with a beautiful fireweed print signed by the participants in appreciation of all her hard work. Peerless GT British Sports Cars Alaska, October 1, 2017 Page 6

7 Triumph, Matchless, & BSA, left to right 1924 Bentley 3 Litre Speed Tourer. Many 30s Bentleys were fitted with superchargers for racing. Rovers included this very original Series II short wheelbase Land Rover, above, and 3500S Rover P6B V8 saloon, below. Jaguar XK120 Drophead Coupe Rover purchased rights to the aluminum block 215 cubic inch Buick/Oldsmobile V8 from General Motors in the mid 60s. The V8 was used in everything from Land Rover Defenders to the Triumph TR8. Before the Austin Healey, there was the Nash Healey. Powered by a 4 litre Nash straight six, the Nash Healey competed successfully at Le Mans in the early 1950s. The Nash Healey resulted from a chance meeting of Donald Healey and Nash president George Mason aboard an ocean liner. British Sports Cars Alaska, October 1, 2017 Page 7

8 Coventry Climax-powered Lotus Eleven chassis shows off Colin Chapman s practice of adding lightness to achieve incredible performance from very small engines. Columbia River Classic Portland, Oregon September 1-3 Pictures & story: Ken Morton As the All British Meet is taking place in the grass outfield at Portland International Raceway, vintage sports car racing is taking place on the road course. The Society of Vintage Racing Enthusiasts, or SOVREN, is a sanctioning body for vintage racing in the Northwest. SOVREN holds the Columbia River Classic annually at Portland International Raceway over Labor Day weekend. SOVREN competition rules recognize three age groups of cars: Pre-War (pre- 1941), Vintage ( ), and Historic ( ). Formula (single-seat) race cars up to 1989 are allowed. Various production and race car classes are combined to make up fields for six race groups; smallbore production sports cars may be on the track at the same time as Formula Vee cars, for example, and mid-bore production sports cars may be on the track at the same time as under 2.5 litre sedans. Small-bore race included TR4s, Sprites & Midgets, a Lotus Elan, Costin Nathan, Porsche, Devin specials, Alfas, and MGBs. Open pits are among the best things about vintage racing. Spectators are generally allowed to roam through the pits; car owners and drivers are usually happy to talk about their cars. These guys looked pretty busy with their Morgan, so we didn t disturb them. British Sports Cars Alaska, October 1, 2017 Page 8

9 Triumph 2000 saloon runs triple Weber carbs on a 2 litre straight six. Austin Healey 100 had its factory windscreen folded back for the track. Classic battle of Corvette vs Cobra. This is an alloybodied continuation Cobra built by Shelby, although SOVREN also now allows reproduction Cobras in an effort to increase the field. Mustangs, Camaros, Porsche, and Sunbeam Tiger help fill out the grid. Painted in classic 60s Lotus Ford livery, this 1968 Forsgrini Formula B was in a large open wheel field. Lenham Sprite Pictures & story: Ken Morton Corvette was faster on the straight, Cobra was quicker in the curves. One the sleekest cars at this year s Columbia River Classic was the Lenham Sprite. The fastback body was originally crafted from aluminum in 1963 by Booty and Rix of England, then produced in fiberglass. British Sports Cars Alaska, October 1, 2017 Page 9

10 Still on the Road: KM The curve of the bonnet shut-line was the clue that this fiberglass-bodied coupe was based on the Austin Healey Sprite. While driving home through southern British Columbia in September, we met the southbound MGA Guru, Barney Gaylord. He s been visiting MG owners and British auto shops over western Canada since leaving Alaska. To follow Barney s travels or to check his tech articles, here s a link to his web site: Originally developed in the 1960s on a MK I Sprite (Bugeye, or Frogeye, as the Brits call it), the kit is apparently still available to convert later Sprites, too /offset=0&sort=normal If you want to build your own Lenham Sprite, this right-hand-drive 1968 Sprite for sale in Anchorage would be the perfect start / Barney caught up with former BSCA member Matthew Fox in Calgary, Alberta. Take a picture of your car! Reprinted in shortened form from Triumph 6 Pack Magazine article by David Fidler (Photos: K. Morton) Turn the front wheels away from you. The wheel looks nicer than the front suspension. British Sports Cars Alaska, October 1, 2017 Page 10

11 Keep people out of the shot. It s all about the car. Set your camera to the highest resolution to get a quality image for a large calendar print. Make sure the sun isn t directly behind the car or you. Keep your shadow and reflection out of the picture. Make sure the camera is focused. Look for interesting angles, compose the shot, squat down or stand on up on something to add interest. Have some fun with this! Let s get pictures from some of you folks who have never submitted one before! your jpg files to Ken Morton at ak.roadster@att.net no later than October 26 so it can go in the November newsletter. BSCA Grill Badges Don t shoot all car and nothing but the car. Having the car full frame makes it impossible to crop the photo for the calendar format. Watch out for signs, poles, trees, trash cans and people sticking up out of your car. BSCA grill badges are beautifully cast in bronze with enamel. $40 each. or call Treasurer/Secretary John Martin at mrjohnmartin@mac.com or If you have paid for a grill badge, and haven t picked it up yet, please contact John Martin. Be sure to check out our BSCA Facebook page: Don t use a wide-angle lens setting; it distorts things badly. (Check out the bumper and right wheel.) British Sports Cars Alaska, October 1, 2017 Page 11

12 Buy/sell/trade/etc MGTD 2005 Lotus Elise Not a kit car, but a 1970 California hot rodded 52 MG TD. The powertrain is Ford Pinto 4 cylinder, but the body is original metal and wood. Front disk brakes, 4 speed synchromesh transmission, and drum brake rear end are also Ford. The car runs well, looks great, and is fun to drive. $13,500 Jay Skaggs, My red Lotus is up for sale. It is a 2005 with about 36 thousand miles. Asking $29,900. Aaron Butterer abutterer@hotmail.com 1992 Jaguar XJS Blue convertible. Good condition, runs fine. $10,000 Jim & Julia Ede P.S. When you thought you d seen it all MGB shop truck at the All British Field Meet was built from a totaled MGB GT Also at the ABFM was this 1988 Ford Falcon XF Ute imported from Australia British Sports Cars Alaska, October 1, 2017 Page 12