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, 2016 This issue: Tour d Eagle River > 2017 Calendar Photos Needed by OCTOBER 25! Coming Events > Portland All British Field Meet > BSA > Costin Nathan GT Periodical News > Member News > Buy/sell/trade
Tour d Eagle River Story & photos: Ken Morton For our last planned drive of the season, Rick volunteered to lead us up and down some of his favorite roads above Eagle River and Dean offered to host a BBQ at his home when we were done driving. By the time we were ready to depart, we had three Jaguars, three Triumphs, one MG, and of course, Rick s Marcos. Leonard brought his TR4A, and everybody had to inspect the engine compartment. The week of rain ended and the sun began breaking through as we gathered at the Eagle River Fred Meyer parking lot. After checking to make sure no one was left behind at the Carr s parking lot, we headed up Eagle River Loop toward Skyline Drive. Through numerous hairpin turns and blind intersections, the route becomes Jamie Drive, McCrary Road, Upper Skyline, Canyon View Drive, and eventually Golden Eagle Drive according to Goole Maps. At the end of Golden Eagle is the Mt. Baldy Trailhead. Jason arrived in style. A bit of socializing always seems to include looking under at least one bonnet. Coming Events Sunday October 2, 2:00 PM. Members meeting, Jitters Coffee Shop, Eagle River On the cover: High above Eagle River on Stewart Road Continued on page 3 British Sports Cars Alaska, October 1, 2016 Page 2
Where do we go next? Mt. Baldy parking area on Skyline Drive. Front to back: Rick s Marcos, Ken s TR6, Leonard s TR4A, John s E-Type, Martin s Midget, Johnson s E-Type, Dean s TR8, and Jason s XJ6. Coming down Skyline Road. The photographer s TR6 waits while Rick, Leonard, John, Martin, and Johnson pass by. Historic plates on Triumph and Jaguar Terry and Dolly visit Heading back down Skyline Road From Mt. Baldy we descended again to Eagle River Road and continued on to Stewart Drive. Through another series of twists and turns, Stewart Drive Continued on page 4 British Sports Cars Alaska, October 1, 2016 Page 3
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. BSCA is an affiliated chapter of the North American MGA Register. Individual or family dues are $30.00 per year. becomes Canyon Drive, Sheppard Drive, Lynx Way, and Brownie Drive. The road is gated just past the intersection of Brownie Drive and Barclay Drive, where we made a U-turn at the switchback and parked for the view and photos. Near the top of Stewart Drive/Barclay Drive Continued on page 5 The BSCA Ltd board is: Dean Cox, President mdcox@msn.com Johnson Quarles, President-elect johnsonquarles@gci.net Rick Harding, Past President rharding@pesiak.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 https://www.facebook.com/groups/441619005978014/ North American MGA Register (NAMGAR) http://www.namgar.com/ North American MGB Register (NAMGBR) https://namgbr.org/ Vintage Triumph Register (VTR) http://vtr.org/ Austin Healey Club of America (AHCA) https://www.healeyclub.org/ Austin Healey Club USA (AHCU) http://www.healey.org/ Jaguar Clubs of North America (JCNA) http://www.jcna.com/ Antique Auto Mushers of Alaska (AAMA) http://www.antiqueautomushersak.org/ Midnight Sun Street Rod Association (MSSRA) http://www.midnightsunsra.com/ British Sports Cars Alaska, October 1, 2016 Page 4
Stewart Road/ Barclay Road. Looking up Eagle River Valley Following Johnson s E-Type up Eagle River Road 2017 BSCA Calendar: We need your photo by October 25! We re going to do the calendar a little differently this year. Please email your photos before October 25 to me at ak.roadster@att.net. Send me a photo of your car, plus a group picture for the cover if you have one. Photos will be published in the November newsletter for everyone to see. You may vote for your favorites by email, and tell me how many calendars you want. Calendars will be printed. The calendars will be available to pick up at the Christmas party. After the party, the remaining calendars will be mailed out to those who have paid. Don t forget the Triumph 6-Pack helpful photo hints: Take time to position the car nicely. Keep other people out of the shot. Set your camera to the highest quality. Don t have the sun directly behind the car. Keep your shadow and your reflection out. Make sure the camera is focused. Watch out for signs, poles, trees, trash cans and people sticking up out of your car. Don t fill the frame with the car as it makes it impossible to crop photo for the calendar. Wide angle lens distort things badly. Look for interesting angles, compose the shot, squat down or stand up on something. The afternoon ended with a delicious meal at Dean & Sandra s house above Eagle River Road. Many thanks to them both. British Sports Cars Alaska, October 1, 2016 Page 5
Portland All British Field Meet (ABFM) Story & photos: Ken Morton From T-series MGs to Triumph TR8s Sunbeam Tiger Most Labor Day weekends find your editor in Portland at the All British Field Meet. This event includes a huge British car show on Saturday and a British car swap meet on Sunday. The ABFM is held in conjunction with vintage racing all weekend on the adjacent Portland International Raceway road course. 1924 Bentley 3 Litre 1953 BSA Bantam 125 motorcycle Land Rover was the featured marque this year, and there was a huge variety of standard and special Landies including campers. At the ABFM this year were a couple of cars I d never seen or heard of before, and one I learned more about. They are profiled in separate articles beginning on page 8. Morgan Plus 8 Continued on page 7 British Sports Cars Alaska, October 1, 2016 Page 6
The small-bore race grid included Bug-eye Sprites, MGBs, a Triumph GT6, a Morgan 4/4, Elva Couriers, a Haggispeed Clubman, plus a variety of German, Italian, Swedish, and Japanese cars. (SOVREN) also allowed Cobra replicas to run this year. Classic battle between Triumph TR6 and Datsun 240Z in mid-bore race. Out and out race cars included a large number of 70s open-wheel Formula Fords, and a handful of V8 monsters like this winged 1969 Ford Can Am car. The large-bore races were dominated by big-block Mustangs and Corvettes. The Sunbeam Tiger was one of the more interesting also-rans. Race organizers, the Society of Vintage Racing Enthusiasts, Cars and parts for sale at the Sunday swap meet ran the gamut from rusty, dented and nearly useless bits to beautifully restored cars like this Alamo Beige MGA. British Sports Cars Alaska, October 1, 2016 Page 7
BSA Automotive Division Story & photos: Ken Morton Most of us probably think of motorcycles when we hear the name BSA. At its peak, Birmingham Small Arms Company was the largest motorcycle manufacturer in the world and owned Triumph as well as BSA. But BSA once manufactured automobiles as well as firearms, bicycles, buses and motorcycles. In 1912, BSA became only the second auto manufacturer worldwide to use all steel bodies. The BSA Scout, introduced in 1935, was developed from BSA s three-wheeler, which differed from Morgan s three-wheeler in that it was front-wheel drive. The four-cylinder flathead engine sits backwards in the chassis, with the transmission ahead of it. The unique front suspension is fully independent and utilizes an upper and lower pair of quarter elliptic springs on each side serving as both the A-arms and the springs. The Scout had a 90 inch wheelbase, and weighed about 1300 pounds. And there s another interesting tie-in to the BSA Automotive Division. In 1910, BSA had merged with Daimler, one of Britain s earliest auto manufacturers. In 1956, Edward Turner, Managing Director of BSA's Automotive Division, was asked to design a V8 engine for Daimler. Turner based the design of the cylinder head on those he had developed for Triumph motorcycles, including the use of hemispherical combustion chambers. 1937 BSA Scout Series 2 The resulting Daimler 2.5 litre V8 was used in the Daimler SP 250 sports car and a larger version was used in the Daimler Majestic saloon. After Daimler was acquired by Jaguar in 1960, the V8 was used in the Daimler 2.5 V8, an upmarket version of the Mark 2 Jaguar saloon. Production of the SP 250 ended in 1964. Source: Brian Long, Daimler V8 SP 250 (Editor s note: A highschool classmate of mine owned one of these remarkable cars, while I drove a mere MGA!) BSA Scout front suspension Daimler V8 SP 250 British Sports Cars Alaska, October 1, 2016 Page 8
Costin Nathan GT Story & photos: Ken Morton rivals Alfa Giulietta Sprint, Lotus Elite, and Porsche 356B. Despite its somewhat antiquated chassis, that high-revving twin cam engine puts the MG far ahead of its competitors in acceleration. A unique car competing in the Columbia River Classics vintage races at this year s Portland ABFM was this 1967 Costin Nathan GT, seen here passing an MGB. The Costin Nathan was designed by aerodynamicist Frank Costin. Costin was, of course, the cos in Marcos, and also designed the Lotus 11 and Lister Jaguar. Roger Nathan developed the highly tuned 998cc Hillman Imp engine. Weighing just 700 pounds, the car had a power to weight ratio of around 250 hp per ton. The monocoque chassis, like the Marcos, was constructed of resin-bonded plywood, and like the Marcos, the smooth body was fiberglass except the aluminum prototype. About six open Spyders and two dozen closed GTs were built between 1965 and 1968. www.classicandsportscar-magazine.com Hemmings Sports & Exotic Car The Workshop Restoration section of the November issue of Hemmings Sports & Exotics tells one man s tale of restoring a 1973 Triumph TR6. Periodical News Highlights from favorite classic car magazines: Classic & Sports Car The October issue of C&SC carries an interesting comparison of four 1950s sporting coupes. The magazine profiled the MGA Twin Cam coupe with British Sports Cars Alaska, October 1, 2016 Page 9
BSCA on Facebook We ve had a Facebook presence since last year, thanks largely to BSCA member-in-exile Ben Compton. Martin Walters has volunteered to help administer the page. https://www.facebook.com/groups/441619005978014/ Member News/Projects: 5-speed Spitfire? Norm Leuthold is looking for sources of information and/or parts to install an overdrive or 5-speed transmission in his late Spitfire. Contact Norm at homestead12351@mtaonline.net Buy/sell/trade/etc. 1952 MGTD This is not a kit car, but a 1970 California hot rod of a 1952 MG TD. The powertrain is Ford, but the body is original metal and wood. The engine appears to be a racing version of the Ford Pinto 4 cylinder. Front disk brakes, 4 speed synchromesh transmission, and drum break rear end are also Ford. The car runs well, looks great, and is fun to drive. The top is serviceable. The tonneau cover needs snaps, and the side covers need recovering. $13,500 Please call for an appointment to drive the car, and put it up on my lift for inspection: 907 223-5831, Jay Skaggs MGTD Charlie Laurence writes: I have finally decided to sell the MG. This is the 1952 MG- TD that founded British Sports Cars Alaska in 1998. My earliest information on the car had it purchased from a fellow in Seattle in 1980. I bought it in 1981 and have owned it ever since. In 1983, the engine was completely rebuilt after we spun a rod bearing. The clutch was replaced at that time also. It never skipped a beat until the last day of an Alcan Highway trip when I burned a valve due to cheap Alcan gas. I limped in on 3 cylinders and a quick valve job put it back on the road. It was the following year that I put an ad in the paper for anyone interested in forming a British Sports Car club and BSCA was born. It has never left me stranded. Current mileage is 88,200 amounting to 12,000 miles in 34 years due in part to summer driving only in Alaska. Virtually every mechanical system has been rebuilt and it is a good strong runner. The body is a bit rough as it has not been touched in those 34 years. I am asking $8,000 for it and can assist with shipping arrangements. Charlie can be reached at: claurence@cox.net Triumph TR4A radiator Used, but serviceable. It came out of a running car and I didn't want to send it to the scrap yard. The radiator is at Rick's. FREE! Richard Black, 907-250- 5864 akking55@hotmail.com Contributors wanted Got a story you d like to tell, a picture you d like to share, a question you d like to ask? Write it up and email it to Ken Morton, ak.roadster@att.net I ll be happy to help you polish it up a little if you re nervous about your writing skills! Join or renew! Annual BSCA dues for an individual or a family are $30.00 per year, payable at the time of the Spring membership meeting. Dues include the BSCA Newsletter. Mail to: British Sports Cars Alaska c/o John Martin 8004 Meadow Hills Circle Anchorage, AK 99502 British Sports Cars Alaska, October 1, 2016 Page 10