The magazine for vehicle enthusiasts Classic - Collectable - Unusual - Interesting

Issue 22 - Summer 2012

CENTRAL GARAGE
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General service & repair of all makes

A REAL PUB SERVING REAL FOOD TO REAL PEOPLE Pool Room and Darts

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Air Conditioning Service and Repairs Retail Motor Industry Auto Electrical Federation Engine Analyser Breakdown Recovery

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LARGE MODERN WORKSHOP 49 HIGH STREET, SHERINGHAM TEL/FAX: 01263 823168

nce again our annual St Georges Day charity event has come and gone. Despite the weather we had a spectacular turn out with a record 222 vehicles joining the run at Sheringham and others meeting at Hunstanton. What a brilliant event - thank you to all who joined in and did the run and to those who did stewarding on the day. About 3,000 was raised for East Anglian Air Ambulance. The exact figure will be known when Gift Aid has been worked out. As usual a lot goes on in a short space of time, this year we had just about enough club members helping at the start but sadly not enough at the finish where we were let down by some members who did not turn up on the day as promised even though we reminded them. We had no opportunity to get extra people in and this could have left us vulnerable in the event of a mishap. However more of that later. Our summer season is in full swing with events all over the place. This year we seem to have had a bit of a trend whereby members leave bookings until close to the event and then miss out as the event is full which is not the fault of the organisers who have a certain amount of space to display vehicles and they need to make sure there is plenty of space around them so cramming more in is never possible. You will have noticed we have beentrialing a few club weekday events having been asked to do this by members who can rarely get to events over the weekend. Unfortuneately the response has been poor so no further midweek events will happen this year. We will look at it again for the future if members indicate a need which they will support. With an important club event coming up - our inaugural Clas-

Chairmans Report

sic Vehicle Show and Summer Fair on Sunday August 26th now entirely in aid of Help for Heroes and local Charities I must raise the question of help from members for club events. Your small committee work very hard, mind you we still find time to make committee meetings most enjoyable. There are however gaps in the system, What happened on the St Georges Day run was a clear example and it must not happen again We do recognise our membership is quite spread out and some of us maybe not as fit as we used to be. Other commitments can restrict help being offered, but that still leaves more than enough of us to more than cover the few times in a year when we do need hands to the pump. Similarly whilst not every member attends our splendid indoor nights, we do get a good turn out, but there is some setting up and rearranging things afterwards. I recently asked for members to put names on a list so we could make a rota of members to do their bit. We only got 6 names, out of around 75 people on the night. Certainly myself Membership Secretary Rex and Secretary Roy should be spending our time meeting and greeting both existing and new members and dealing with the myriad of questions from members. Plainly we all need to decide what we want out of our committee. Do we really expect them to do almost everything or should we all chip in and help in some way. After all not every person may like the prospect of committee work yet we all like the prospect of our club events. We will be doing more asking in the near future so please get ready to raise your hands. The club belongs to us all so let us all do our bit.

Geoff

Secretarys Report

I were pleased to see so many young people taking part in the St Georges Day run which is part of the Federation of British Historic Vehicle Clubs Drive It Day initiative. To encourage this and a greater participation for the future the committee have decided to trial a Next Generation membership package. This will be at an affordable annual fee of 10 for young people up to the age of 25 years old who share the interest and enjoyment of classic,collectable, unusual and interesting motor vehicles of w every description. Next Generation members will enjoy the benefits of membership including the quarterly magazine, our regular newsletters and wall calendar. We will also arrange additional events which may have more appeal to our younger members. I have discussed this project with the Federation who regard our club as a shining light Many of us will recall that a vast number of the vehicles we now regard as classics had not even Committee Contacts
Chairman Vice Chairman Secretary Treasurer/Membership Events Geoff Jones Christine Sparrow Roy Beckley Rex Chipp Graham Gibbins

of you will have read ManyheardGeoff, the Clubs or about latest project Rex and

been designed, let alone manufactured when we were under 25!. Geoff and I were recentlyi nvited by Team Panhard to attend an event at Gressenhall to dedicate a seat in memory of the past Chairman and guiding light Mike Vincent and the fitting of new headlights to the 1899 Panhard - Levassor originally owned by C S Rolls. We were also treated to a ride around the local lanes which was an experience not to be missed. It was good to see some of our members -Frances Graham, Andrew Curtis and Peter Wilgoss involved with the oldest vehicle in Norfolk We hope to see the Panhard at one of our events in the future. We are already looking at possible venues for the St Georges Day run 2013 so if you have any ideas let us know. Thank you to all who have responded to my call for articles -at one time it looked as if I would have to fill up the pages with pictures. Instead we have 32 pages! and some articles for the next issue

Roy

Magazine
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Disclaimer:
Please note that although every care is taken, the North Norfolk Classic Vehicle Club (The Club) accepts no responsibility for the return of photographs or other material submitted from contributors. Care is also taken to ensure that the contents of all our publications are accurate but the club cannot accept responsibility for any errors that may occur for the statements or views that occur editorially. Whilst care is taken when accepting advertisements, if in doubt readers should make their own enquiries. The Club cannot accept any responsibility for any resulting unsatisfactory transactions. Nor shall the club be liable for loss damage or injury to any person or property acting on information contained in the Club Magazine or any other Club Publication or the Club Web site. The Club will however, investigate any written complaints which they receive.

at Felixstowe. On the route were plenty of spectators waving as we drove by which is certainly a fun thing to happen. After parking up we have a good four hours to entertain ourselves before the journey home. So many vehicles were there it was mesmerising. It is one of those Excitement grew in the prior things where you cannot describe couple of weeks at the prospect of a day trip to see and partake in it but rather that you need to go this fabulous run courtesy of Nick and be part of it. I am sure everyWebster who drove us there in his one found their favourite vehicle somewhere in the line up. 1964 Harringtons coach. My wife Ann and Carol Pearce decided to have a look round a Now we all know the weather Dolls House collection in the has been grim so not being put sports centre on the promenade. off we made sure we had winter Mike Pearce and myself decided weather gear to keep us toasty warm during the day. Some of us to meet up with them later so we enjoyed a walk along the promjoined the coach at Southrepps and the rest took advantage of the enade viewing the metalwork Mill Inn at Newton Flotman who on show. We had agreed to meet the girls later near Nicks coach. kindly offered their car park to leave the cars during the day. We A call on the mobile phone announced they were waiting for us, had planned a time to be ready but where? Carol informed us for Nick and guess what he got there before treasurer Rex Chipp they were near the red bus!!!! Funny that, plenty of red buses and Trish who were behind him about on the day. On asking for and could not get by!! A really pleasant coach plenty of more details we were told it was near the sea, well it would be we room nice and quiet though as you might imagine we did make a were on the prom. I probably will get castigated for mentioning that fair amount of noise of our own. but Mike and myself thought it On arrival at Christchurch Park worth us all enjoying. in Ipswich we had time to look On leaving Felixstowe we settled round the many vehicles which down to the drive home and had turned out, crikey what a collection. The weather must have frankly we were all a bit tired so not much humour on the kept some people at home but coach. As we passed Diss all that there were hundreds of vehicles changed a distinct vibration was and also 40 or 50 motorbikes. Once assembled the vehicles had felt though the coach. Nick drove a set route through Ipswich and Trimley and on to the promenade carefully

Turned out nice for the Ipswich to Felixstowe Classic vehicle run on May 6th

to a lay by on the Dickleburgh by pass. Here indeed we found the rear nearside inner tyre had gone. Nick phoned for the Tyre man to come and change it, but no time was given as to how long it would take him to get there. We had thought of being marooned on the lay by all night and having to resort to drawing straws as to who we would eat first.

Southrepps with his passengers waving like mad at us as they passed by. A fabulous day out Nick thank you so much. The Dickleburgh By pass lay by. This lay by has been visited by the club previously after a visit to Helmingham Hall some years back. It was a jolly hot day and Rex had fuel starvation problems with his Wolseley 6/80. It was that very lay by that he pulled into to do a bit of head scratching. If we get any more breakdowns near this lay by we might need to start and do detours when driving that way.

Geoff
Nick was quite concerned that he was spoiling our day out, but to the contrary it had made our day. In true British spirit we found our humour revitalised by the occasion and had a simply great laughter session whilst waiting for the recovery vehicle. Those of us who had left our vehicles at the Mill Inn eventually called a taxi to get us there, the landlord of the pub (who we had phoned to tell him of our delay) was fine about it. We had a very pleasant meal the tables were vibrant with us recalling the exciting day we had taken. That was rounded off by seeing Nick on his way driving past the Mill Inn on route for

Shadow Buying and Tracing the History of a Classic Car

Summer at August 1965of the swinging the height sixties. Harold Wilson is Prime Minister and in the United States President Lyndon B Johnson is steadily increasing troop number in Vietnam. The Beatles are touring America and back home they are at No1 with Help! On the holiday island of Jersey a young and ambitious car salesman eagerly awaits the delivery of his, not a customers, new sports car. It has been specially ordered from Triumph with many optional extras including an overdrive gearbox, removable hard top, 60 spoke bright chrome wheels and even a heater. Unusually, it will be painted black but this will set off the chrome wires and its Matador Red seats.

Aylsham. At the wheel is a man in his forties and sitting beside him is an elderly lady with grey hair, and quietly satisfied smile. The car is black and its seats are red.

The elderly lady is my mother, who was pregnant with me in August 1965, and, of course, the connection to the young man in Jersey is the car. To be specific Triumph TR4A IRS commission number CT58475, that I call Shadow because its black. It was built at the Standard Triumph factory in Coventry on 16th August 1965 and dispatched to St.Helier Garages (Jersey) Limited two days later. However my search for its original In Stranraer southwest Scotland Jersey registration number and first owner was quite a journey the wife of a local school headmaster is also anticipating a which was only completed of a to the delivery of a different sort, albeit thanks classicperseverance that fellow car enthusiast not for a few months. She is five I met via the internet. months pregnant with her second son ! Ive always been interested in things which have some history. On the face of it there can be Be it a car, an aeroplane, a no connection between these building or an antique, history people but fast forward 45 brings with it personality years to Norfolk in September and personality is 2010. A classic sports car is interesting. driving along the A140 towards

Three years ago I had only the vaguest of interests in classic cars. They were something I would occasionally notice as an added attraction at an air display (aircraft have always been my passion) but I paid them minimal attention. Then my elder brother, who works overseas, decided he fancied the idea of having a classic car to run about in when he was in the UK on holiday. He had always hankered after a TR6 and I agreed to help him look for one. This involved pouring over classic car magazine ads, web sites and visiting specialist TR dealers. Now I have nothing against the TR6, they are smart vehicles, but the more I looked at Triumph sports cars the more I found myself attracted to the lines of the earlier TR4 and, particularly, the TR4A with their attractive bodies designed by the Italian Giovanni Michelotti. Something was stirring deep in my subconscious. I wanted one I definitely wanted one. So the search for a TR6 for brother turned into a search for a TR4A for me. It took nearly a year and there were many near misses and disappointments along the way to the point I had almost given up on finding the car I really wanted. Unfortunately I was being more than

a bit fussy. I wanted a car in generally good condition, it had to have overdrive, the unusual removable hard / Surrey top, wire wheels and a decent bit of history would be nice too. As usual in life just when you least expect it something happens. One Sunday night in June 2010 I decided to have a quick look at a few classic car web sites before going to bed. One had been updated the previous day and there it was a black TR4A in good condition, with overdrive, hard top, wire wheels and even an extensive history file. The price looked pretty fair but from recent experience I knew that probably meant it would sell very quickly. I did not sleep well and on the stroke of 9 the next morning I dialled the number of a garage in Cambridgeshire. The black 4A I enquired, is it still for sale ? Yes was the reply. Three hours later I was standing next the car and an hour after that I was paying a deposit. A few minor jobs need to be done so it would be a week or two before I could pick the car up. As I drove home I was thinking what have I done. I really know very little about classic cars, what if it turns out to be a total basket case ? Im sure Ive paid too much, is it too late to change my mind ? But as I began to rationalise the

of test-drives. However nothing broke, it didnt leak (that hard top was a good idea) and the windscreen wipers more or less coped. Basically the car got me home rather than the other way round. As time has gone by Shadow, as I christened the car, and I have got to know each other situation I found the answer to better, but I wanted to find why I had bought the car. It had out as much as I could about personality. When I first saw the cars history and that the car I noted it was on an F proved more complicated, registration so, trying to make and interesting, than I initially out I at least new something, I expected. With the car came a came out with, I see its on an box file full of history. This F so it must be a late production turned out to be mainly a large car from 67 (TR4A production collection of bills and receipts finished at the end of 1967). for everything from nuts and Nope was the reply, its a 65 bolts to new carpets. It was car. But surely it cant be if clear the car had been with its on an F plate I protested. one particular owner for a long It was originally delivered time nearly 32 years and to Jersey. Came back in 68 he had done a fairly extensive was the emphatic reply. This restoration including a respray was interesting on two fronts. and replacement of the interior Firstly I was born in 1965 so trim in the early 90s. However the car was more or less the the original colour black same age as me and secondly had been retained as had the company I worked for was the Matador Red seats and (at that time) based in Jersey. trim. This could be confirmed Already the car was talking to from the paint and trim codes me. stamped on the data plate in the engine bay. Overall there was For various reasons it took every indication the car was about a month before I was able still in fairly original condition. to collect the car and the day I went to get it the weather was While the receipts and bills foul with heavy rain. Hardly for parts and work done were the best conditions for driving interesting they gave little a classic car especially when insight as to previous your total experience of such ownership of the vehicles is a few hours worth car. However

there were some old registration documents, MOT certificates and, a hand written receipt for the purchase of the car in November 1973 for the princely sum of 455. By far the most useful document in the file was a copy of a Heritage Certificate that had been obtained by the previous owner to myself in 2005. This document, produced by the British Motor Industry Heritage Trust, gave full details of the original factory records for the car. These included engine, chassis and body serial numbers, dates of build and dispatch, the original destination (dealer) the car was shipped to and full details of all factory fitted equipment built into the vehicle.

Armed with the details from the Heritage Certificate and after checking various data plates and stamped serial numbers on various parts of the car I was able to confirm that it was indeed still in largely original condition as I had been assured it was when I bought it. The only significant change was the original chrome wire wheels had been replaced with painted wires. This was confirmed through the pile of receipts which showed the replacement wheels being exchanged in March 1974 for 31.35 and these subsequently being overhauled with new spokes fitted in March 1993 for a total cost of 150.50 ! Combining the Heritage Certificate details with the registration documents and old MOTs I came up with the following known facts. The car was built on 16th August 1965 and dispatched to St.Helier Garage Jersey on 18th August 1965. It was first registered in the UK, in Bournemouth, on 1st February 1968 and was sold by an A.W.Orr of Wallington to Geoffrey Francis Ryder of Bishops Stortford on 12th November 1973. Mr Ryder eventually sold the car to Mrs Lynda Chidwick of Stotfold on 12th March 2005 and it was registered in my name on 12th July 2010. I was pleased that I had now sorted out a fairly comprehensive history for the car since it returned to the UK in 1968 but I had no information at all about who owned the car while it was in Jersey. I

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really wanted to know who had first owned the car and what the Jersey registration number had been, so it was time to start searching but I was going to need some help and advice. I had joined the TR Register (the owners club for Triumph TR cars) and they had quite a good internet forum which I occasionally looked at. One of the people that regularly posted on the forum had the screen name Jersey Royal and his location was given as Rock in the English Channel so I guessed he was probably in Jersey ! I decided to send him a personal message and explain what I was trying to do. That proved to be a good move as he came back to me the next day and suggested I contact the Jersey equivalent of the DVLA and helpfully provided their e-mail address. At this point I hit the first of several brick walls. The car registration records for Jersey had been computerised in 1980 but anything before that was still on index cards which were now stored in the Jersey archives. These were accessible but the records were stored by registration number so it was a catch 22 situation. You needed to know the registration to get the history but I needed the history to find the registration. I contacted my new Forum friend and broke the bad news.

Not to worry said Guy (his real name is Guy Therin and he owns a TR6 and a TR3) try contacting the Jersey Car Club. With Jersey being a small island and the car being fairly unusual (particularly being black) it seemed possible someone might remember it. More than 40 years down the track it seemed a bit of a long shot but Guy gave me the contact details so I sent another e-mail and also put a post on the TR Forum. I got plenty of encouragement from the Forum community but no useful info and there was no reply from the Jersey Car Club. I contemplate going over to Jersey and trying to search the archived index cards but it would have been like looking for a needle in a haystack, especially as I found out that the registrations were often reissued so you couldnt even correlate the number sequence to approximate original registration dates. Just because my car was brought to Jersey in 1965 it didnt necessarily follow that the registration was in a specific number range so searching the index cards would just have been a lottery. After a few weeks I contacted Guy to thank him for trying to help and to say it was clearly hopeless and there seemed no realistic way of tracing

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the car. However I had under estimated my friend. Dont give up he advised. Send me a wanted poster with basic details and a picture of the car. Ill get it sent out with the next Car Club newsletter. Someone is bound to remember the car . It still seemed a massive long shot but again I took the advice and Guy kindly printed over 200 copies of the wanted poster and got them sent out as promised. To my amazement within 48 hours of the wanted posters hitting the streets Guy was getting calls and one name kept coming up Roger Porteous. He had been a bit of a character in the Jersey motor trade in the 1960s and had owned several black sports cars. It had been a bit of a personal trademark. This was tantalising information but we needed a registration number and it turned out Roger had left the island in the early 1970s and his whereabouts were now distinctly uncertain. Could anyone remember the registration number of a car from 40 years back ?

One of the people that got the wanted poster from the Jersey Car Club was a reported on the Jersey Evening Post and he decided the search for the cars identity would make an interesting story. Via Guy he got the details of the car and a picture and within days the story was in the paper. Possible registrations now started to be quoted. A former friend and colleague of Rogers, who had worked with him at St Helier Garages, was confident the registration was J19 as Roger had used that number on several of his cars. This sounded very promising and the next day Guy visited the Jersey archives to check the index card for J19. My hopes were high, then - disaster J19 had been on a Vauxhall Victor from 1961 to 1967 then went to a Lotus (which was Rogers). There remained a strong consensus that Roger Porteous had been my cars original owner so the search went on both for the registration number and for Roger. Another number, J39, was now being suggested by several sources but of even greater interest was the discovery that Roger Porteous son was still living in working in Jersey as a professional photographer. Guy managed to get his office number and web site details but when I called it I just got an answer phone. I didnt to like to leave a message but managed to

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send an e-mail to the office via the website. I wasnt too hopeful the e-mail would be taken seriously so planned to call again the following day.

J39 was the most common suggestion but Roger himself thought the number was J414. J48 had only been suggested by one person and seemed sufficiently unlikely that it Just after 9 oclock the following probably wasnt worth checking. morning my phone rang and on answering it the voice on the Monday arrived, and I waited other end said Hello I believe nervously what if none of the youve been looking for me numbers were right ? The phone this is Roger Porteous. I was rang - it was Guy. Shadow stunned. Rogerss son hadnt wasnt J39 that had been on replied to my e-mail but had had several cars including a Roller forwarded it to his father, living but never a TR. J414 had indeed in retirement in London, and he been on a black painted TR got straight on the phone. I spent owned by Roger, but it was a about half an hour chatting to TR4, not a 4A, he had owned Roger and from our conversation before Shadow. That just left I became convinced that he J48, remembered by just one had indeed been Shadows man who thought he had test first owner but what about driven a second hand car with the registration number ? that registration 44 years ago. Unfortunately Rogers memory The index card for J48 contained wasnt what it used to be. the following information : Although he did recall owning cars with the registration J39 he MAKE Triumph (TR4A), CHASSIS NO. CTC58475, was pretty sure he never had a COLOUR Black, ANNUAL TR with that number. However TAX 7, DATE OF FIRST his recollection was that hed REGISTRATION 27AUG 1965, had a TR with the registration FIRST OWNER Roger St.Clare J414. Porteous T/A Castle Cars Ltd, 21 It was coming up to the weekend St Saviours Rd. so Guy would need to wait until the following week to visit the archives again. However over the weekend a chap called David Arden called him with another possible registration J48. This chap claimed to remember testdriving a black second hand TR4A, being sold by Roger, sometime in 1966. We now had three possible registrations.

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Finally it all came together. The original number had been J48 and, interestingly, the car had been registered to the business Roger was in the process of setting up as he was leaving St Helier Garages to go it alone in the car trade. The log card went on to record that Roger sold the car six months later and there were three further owners in Jersey over the next two years before the car returned to the UK in February 1968. This all tied in with the known UK history and so I finally had the full life story of the little black sports car I call Shadow.

Holmes and I became known as Watson so perhaps it is fitting to end this story with a quote from Conan-Doyles great fictional detective ; When you have eliminated the impossible what ever remains, however improbable, must be the truth. Just one man, who never even owned the car, correctly remembered the registration after 44 years !

John Allan

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I owe an immense debt of gratitude to Guy Therin, the classic car enthusiast community in Jersey, and to Roger Porteous. Without their combined efforts I could never have traced Shadows full history. It is also fair to say that the internet played a major part in the search as it brought me into contact with Guy Therin in the first place. Jubilee Clip As the progress of the search Front Cover - part of the 200 was reported on the TR Forum Guy gained vehicle line up at Hunstanton the nickname

Club Visit to Ware Hall House

days of April Over the two to club members 13th and 15th were privileged visit Ware Hall House in Wells, which had been the subject of the superb talk by Christine Adams at the Golf Club on 19th March.

herself, who was about 60 years old when she took on this huge task, and which she unfortunately did not live to see completed, dying at the age of 83, and also almost equally in some respects of Christine Adams who took on the daunting task of finishing the house for her Auntie May. It seems so sad that May, after all those years of toil, did not see her house completed. But so good to see the end result lovingly finished by Christine. Most people who visited the house over the weekend would have been both moved and fascinated by what they had seen and heard but, for those who missed out, the book Miss May Savidge Moves House is available and a brilliant read. An amazing day out and one that will remain in the memory for a very long time.

Over the two days Christine hosted two tours on each, with approximately twenty people per session. Tea and cakes were laid on at the start while Christine gave her introductory chat.

The purpose of the visit of course was to view the completed Ware Hall House, the medieval house dismantled by the amazing May Savidge in Ware in Hertfordshire, and rebuilt by her in Wells over a twenty year plus period, after the council had put a demolition order on the property to make way for a roundabout. The house itself was absolutely fascinating, but probably the overiding feeling for most people, was of the extraordinary feat by May

Geoff Sparrow Scan this QR code with your smartphone to visit the NNCVC website.

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Weybourne Country Fair

3rd On thevery of June, 12 theday dedicated souls from club braved a wet and chilly on 3rd June. The weather really was too bad to lure the public out from two big marquees, so viewers to our cars were very few and far between. It was great to see our two new NEXT GENERATION club members Jake and George Neale with their 1987 Vauxhall Nova and 1990 Diahatsu Charade respec-

tively adding to our numbers. If their enthusiasm is anything to go by, then we should be seeingplenty of them in the future, and hopefully they have young friends of the same persuasion. Unfortunately the weather put paid to many of the outdoor events but there was plenty to see (and buy!) in the marquees. Lets hope the sun comes out for this event next year as the location is excellent and it is a really good day out.

Geoff Sparrow

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After leaving school I trained in general car body repairs and carried out this work for around 10 years before moving to alternative work. However, my passion & love of classic cars has always remained and following a serious car accident 5 years ago it was a natural progression to start up my own business as I found myself permanently at home surrounded by my beloved classic cars requiring restoration. I am

actively involved in car clubs and forums and love taking part in events like the Autoecosse, Round Britain reliability run, Historic Counties run and other local events. My current collection of cars includes a rare 1968 Triumph 2500 MKI PI Estate, one of 254 made and one of only 3 left on the road, 1972 Triumph MKII PI Saloon , 1971 MKIII Spitfire, MGB GT & 1977 Stag . I have set up a website to show the work I have carried out on my own cars and several of my customers.See advert on page 6 Although the accident changed my life I cant think of anything I would rather be doing!

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Andy Dann.

Euston Park Farm

for this The weather forecast beforehand. huge Rural Pastimes event looked appalling 24hrs However on the 10th of June we were blessed with warm sunshine, so enabling everybody to really enjoy this super show.

There really is something for everybody here including children. For those who have never attended, it should be pointed out that this is not just a classic car show, although there are around 200 cars there, but the event has a huge number of attractions including vintage tractors, traction engines, heavy horses, Whippet & Lurcher racing and all manner of stalls many of which are of interest to the ladies.

large extent, the same members can be seen at most events flying the flag for N.N.C.V.C. Basically few of the clubs bookings are more than about an hour or so away from Sheringham, so presumably most members cars are capable of such a short journey without any problems. We really would like to see more members at events with their cars. Its great to see the familiar faces but some new ones would really make the day, so come on people, get the polish out and give the old girl (the car that is!) a buff up and join us for a fun

day out. From the club Vernon Enevers beautiful Alvis convertible was selected to join the parade in the ring and at the end of the day all entrants were able to collect the excellent horse-brass (something else to polish) as a memento of the day. So as usual a super day out had by all with the added bonus of lovely weather.

There is also a superb Flower Show in the Church plus the sale of plants. This is one of the major events of the year on the club calendar, and it was very disappointing to see that only 13 cars turned out. Unfortunately this seems to be a recurring situation where, to a

Geoff Sparrow

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Breeding Programmes. Shorelands is also home to a large collection of water birds, with a significant collection of ducks,geese, number of us attended Swanton cranes, herons, egrets, bitterns, wadMorley Vintage day on Saturday ers, storks, cormorants, many living 16th June, sadly a pretty cold windy free in the gardens. These gardens are visible from their excellent cafe, day which gave us no chance to shop building which in its own right really meet and enjoy the company is a super place to be in and view the of old and new members. birds. Move forward 24 hours the weather looked much better and 15 cars were Once we had all arrived and introductions been made to the new on the road heading to Blacksmith members who turned up we were Cottage Nursery near Dickleburgh. gathered into their meeting room. Only Christine and Geoff Sparrow had been there before, it was on their Here we met Ben Potterton who recommendation that we visit. On

What a difference a day makes

arrival in the car park provided we found most of the cars already there and the members already parked up and looking at the herd of Alpaca. Shorelands which is on the site of the nursery is an ornamental perennial plant garden that is home to a selection of rare, unusual and generally smaller species of birds and mammals. The emphasis is on endangered species, with many of the inhabitants being part of International looks after the breeding programme. Ben gave a splendid 40 minute presentation on the work that they do in breeding rare bird species from all over the world. Working with zoos and many other groups worldwide they are doing a wonderful job to help these rare and valuable species survive.

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During the presentation we were shown a few of the species they had on site. Particularly of interest was a Striated Heron a quirky little bird which loads of character. He was able to show us the ability of the species to keep their head perfectly still whilst its body was moving, this skill being essential in the hunt for food, jolly nice to see and funny too but with an obvious purpose. We were shown a large Blue Crane which standing about chest height was quite an imposing bird. A tame bird having been bred in captivity and thus very comfortable with people. Whilst Ben was telling us about the bird it stood on one foot, as they do, it did a spot of preening, as they do, and generally was just so wonderful to see. Ann and myself, as many of you probably know, are keen birders and have suffered all sorts of trials and tribulations to see rare birds in their habitat, they can be enchanting to watch and interesting to see them feeding, the antics they get up to, they must have a sense of humour. Lunch followed the presentation, excellent sandwiches and drinks in the cafe went down very well, some new members eating there and some in the car park again getting their feet under the table in more ways than one. A great opportunity for us to make new friends. Our thanks go to all at the nursery who made our visit so special.

Reluctantly we had to move on having also booked ourselves in to the 100th Bomb Group museum at Thorpe Abbotts. On arrival we were treated royally with the cars parked up to display for the visitors. After a short introduction we were let loose to enjoy the museum. Not every ladies cup of tea, but none the less they all had a wander round and enjoyed it immensely. By this time the skies had cleared and we were able to have plenty of time to relax with fellow members. To stand back and see our new members enjoying the company of established members gave me a real thrill. Obviously when people do come along for the first time they are perhaps wondering what sort of a day they will have. I am sure those who joined us will have gone home having made new friends and had a great day out. On any club event it is imperative that we make new members welcome though also they do need to reciprocate. It is not so easy to get to know members of the club at our indoor meetings. All the more reason to get out and enjoy a day out such as this. We have already made our minds up to visit Shorelands in the future and combine it with another destination to fill the day up. The new Club events

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shelter first trial at Shorelands We have a club gazebo which we can put up for shelter at events, though they do not stand much wind and are really too long to fit into most classic motors. Having given a bit of thought to this we have purchased a large events shelter. It is best described as looking a bit like a parachute with four corners side fitted to a curved frame. Being a little breezy yet sunny we decided to try it out. The frame went together easily enough, no point looking at the instructions!!! Once the cover was thrown over and fastened on and the shelter pegged down it was firm as a rock with much more space than a gazebo. We did have a piece of strapping left over but as we had got it erected without reading the instructions it was decided we should carry on and save looking at the instructions till later. When it came to taking it down

with a few helping hands it was packed away in minutes and

fitted neatly in the corner of a boot. This bit of kit is going to be very useful for us and I hope we all get chance to enjoy its benefits. Since it is smallish we hope members will, when the chance occurs, offer to take it to events and have it in use for shelter from the sun the rain or the snow. Well it has been that sort of summer so far. All in all a day to remember.

Geoff Jones

Yaxham Vintage Day

another bright start to NotbraveSunday 24th June the day on yet a few souls met in Dereham to make the short drive in convoy to Yaxham so we could park together. The field was a little wet but OK to drive across. However it was not long before huge dark clouds rolled in bringing a thunderstorm with them, however we were lucky as we just got the edge of the rain clouds with the consequence having to shelter, but no worries, sheltering with other club members gives you plenty of time to chat. I suppose around 60 cars arrived, not bad for the weather conditions, we did miss a few who felt the day would not be good. Still

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considering the Old Buckenham Flying day was on and we had a number of vehicles attending that event we had a reasonable number of club cars out and about during the day. For those in the know Rex Chipp our Treasurer & Membership Secretary has a delightful 1954 Wolseley 6/80. After a mega restoration over many years it is a very fine example of the make. During the day judging took place and three cars were chosen as the best on the day. Third was a 1950s Vauxhall Victor, a well known car in Norfolk in silver and black. Second was a 1967 Triumph TR4 in black. First was Rex and his Wolseley also in black. Each were presented with a silver salver, and as you know first is always biggest. Well done Rex we are proud of you. Cant help thinking the judges had a thing about black.

Personal Profile.

Bob Smith- Committee Member

born Iwas movedintoReading, Berkshire and Norfolk permanently in 2009. I read Applied

Rex and Trish showing off their winners salver.

Geoff Jones

Physics at City University in London whilst working as a Scientist at the Royal Aircraft Establishment in Farnborough. I carried out research on a range of missiles and weapons until 1995 when I moved to Brussels to open an office to access EU funding for civil research to be carried out by UK military scientists. I took early retirement in 2001 following two years of major back surgery. Having driven motorcycles from the age of 16 my first car was a Berkley T60 three wheeler which I rebuilt and used in London whilst at University. The usual range of Fords, Citroens, Peugeots and Skodas then followed. Currently I drive a Skoda Fabia estate and a Smart Four Two. However my proper car is the Triking tricycle which I built in 2005. Hobbies include DIY, ballroom dancing and pedestrian doubles tennis!

Bob

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Advertisers Profile REGENT GARAGE- PEACE OF MIND, WHEN YOU NEED IT MOST.
Regent Garage has recently reopened for business having undergone complete refurbishment thanks to our valued & appointed contractor MH Construction (GB) Ltd. We hope that you will support the new facilities that we offer and shall make available to you. Employing the very best technicians to ensure a consistent high level of quality workmanship, at an affordable price for everyone. Our investment in the very latest technology will set us apart from our competitors and give us a

leading edge in looking after your vehicle. Regent Garage is the first garage in the country to use the latest Pro 42 Software with the V3D Ultra Arago Wheel Aligner. We are committed to providing the very latest technology in order to be able to maintain your vehicle to the very highest of standards. We are looking to form long term relationships with all our customers and we will achieve this by offering you all, a customer friendly service, High standards in work ethics and most of all value for money. Our staff are ready to help you look after your car, to book your next MOT or service or to find out more about what we have to offer please call us on 01263 825914.

The Crew with owner Mark Harris and his hand built Race Car shortly to be joined by a C-Type Jaguar reinvention using genuine Jaguar parts.

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Cutting MOT red tape for some classic vehicle owners

announced recently.

exempt vehicles for an MoT test on a voluntary basis. Owners of classic vehicles will still be legally required to ensure that they are safe and in a proper condition to be on the road but scrapping the MoT test for these vehicles will save motorists money.

be Classic vehicles willPenning exempted from the MoT test, Roads Minister Mike Pre-1960 licensed vehicles make up about 0.6% of the total number of licensed vehicles in Great Britain, but are involved in just 0.03% of road casualties and

Editors Note.
Do you think this is a good idea? Many I have spoken with seem deternmined to have an an annual MoT test on a voluntary basis. Of course all of us cosset and fuss over our old ladies. We tinker with the engines and polish the paintwork. But how often do we get to have a good look underneath which, I would guess ,is the area where the cause of most MoT failures in older cars happen! At least once a year a trained eye is cast over all the important bits. Reminds me when I used to do annual fire insurance surveys of a well known group of holiday camps. We accidentally let them know about four weeks in advance of when we were coming - when we turned up it was hard to find anything out of order- job done. At least we knew that once a year all the rubbish had been cleared away, the fire extinguishers were all serviced and in their proper places, etc. Also saved us a lot of paerwork!

accidents. Evidence shows that the initial MoT test failure rate declines by the age of vehicle after the vehicle is 13 years old. The current requirement to undergo an MoT test goes over and above the obligations set out in European legislation. Following a public consultation which showed high levels of support for the proposals, vehicles manufactured before 1960 will be exempted from the MoT test from 18th November 2012 reducing costs for owners. Owners of pre 1960 vehicles will still be able to take

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Roy

Blue Cloud over Little Snoring

problem on a left hand drive Magnette!

year I had In the autumn ofoflastour 1957 MG the bright idea fitting an automatic gearbox to

ZB Magnette in preparation for my arthritic old age! Some of you will know the MG has an MGB engine and overdrive gearbox in it. I did a lot of research into the project and the answer was,it would fit with minor shaping of the gearbox tunnel. So, armed with that knowledge, I found a good MGB auto box with all ancillaries including the torque The exercise wasnt wasted, however, as I took the opportunity converter. to fit a new clutch and new roller release bearing to give, hopefully, With the help of a friend we got trouble free motoring. It also got the engine and gearbox out and rid of a mysterious squeak at low onto the bench. A different spigot revs, the cause of which I could bush at the rear of the crankshaft never find. It did introduce anwas needed and was fitted. The other mysterious rattle at low revs, gearbox was then mated to the which I eventually traced to the engine and it was discovered bonnet catching on the bulkhead. that a different backplate was All is now quiet and running well needed,because the starter ring and the blue cloud has blown on the auto box is of a greater circumference so the bell housing away. is larger. This should have rung the alarm bells, but it didnt until Mike Seppings. later. Having a larger bell housing meant the starter motor sits Jubilee Clip further out and fouls the steering column!!!! With a very large blue cloud over Little Snoring, I decided to keep the manual box with overdrive. The auto box could have been made to fit,but it would have meant major surgery and I didnt want to stray too far from the original. There would be no

Membership of the Club has surpassed last years total and stands at 203

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Trikings in the New Forest, 24 May 2012

get together The annual18th and 20thofplace Triking Sportscars took between the of

would be able to cope with the run around the New Forest on one leg, there was no way that I could manage the journey to and from Hampshire! Cars assembled ready to go. The weekend proper started with a trip to the organisers cabin deep in the forest for what was to be an al-fresco meal whilst watching the sun go down in the West. However due to the un-seasonally cold weather this turned out to be a very pleasant meal sitting around the wood burner inside the cabin! Following an excellent evening we all retired back to the Hotel for an early-ish night in readiness for the run organised for the following day. We all awoke on Saturday to the unusual sight of blue sky and sunshine; something that had not been seen for weeks in the UK. After a leisurely breakfast we made ourselves ready for the days run. The route was to take us through some of the smaller roads through the New Forest with the first stop at the Sammy Miller Motorcycle Museum. Sammy was a leading motorcycle trials rider back in the 50s and 60s. Sammy himself welcomed the Trikings and spent some considerable time admiring the cars assembled. The museum was crammed full with all types of motorcycles from the earliest to the most recent:- well worth a visit.

May this year in the New Forest. The event was organised by a Triking owner living in Ringwood Hampshire and based around the very pleasant Tyrrells Ford Country House Hotel in Avon near Ringwood. The cars assembled at the hotel during Friday afternoon following differing length journeys. The event attracted 3 cars from Germany, 2 from Norfolk, 1 from Leicestershire, 1 from South Staffordshire, 1 from Surrey, 1 from Bedfordshire and 1 from Hampshire.

As I had been in hospital the previous week having a knee operation, my car (FL 16) was kindly transported to the venue by Alan Layzell who builds the cars in Hingham, Norfolk. I had decided that although I

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where herds of Red Deer can be seen. After a few hundred metres walk into the Forest we emerged into a clearing where, as if on cue, we came across a herd of some 50 or so Red Deer. The return run to the hotel took us through both forest and open heath land. The day was rounded off with an excellent meal in the hotel restaurant. Morgan (with the correct number of wheels)! Sunday morning arrived with overcast skies and a considerable drop in temperature. The participants from Germany decided to start the journey back to the channel port whilst the weather remained fair. However some of the other cars and drivers assembled once more for a run into Christchurch. Returning to the hotel at around noon the remaining participants then left for their various home locations. Everyone agreed that the weekend had been a resounding success and congratulated the organisers for delivering an excellent weekend and in particular laying on the best weather for weeks! I took away three major memories from the event: firstly the way that other road users gave way to our convoy of Trikings at road junctions even though they had the right of way, secondly the way pedestrians in the villages smiled and waved as we roared through, and finally the sound of 10 Trikings firing up when we left the various locations. All in all a very enjoyable event.

Small collection of the motorcycles Our route on leaving the museum took us through more of the Forest until we arrived at Bucklers Hard. This is a small village where many ships were built for the British Navy, including some of Nelsons ships. We were lucky enough to visit at low tide and as a result it was possible to still see some of the wooden slipways where the boats were built. On leaving Bucklers Hard we drove back into the Forest for a further 15 miles or so until we reached Bolderwood car park. This location is well known as a place

Bob Smith

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Carroll Shelby 1923-2012

the race and he believed the dungarees brought him luck. Offers to drive came from many wealthy sports car owners. He raced Allards, Jaguars, Aston Martins, Ferraris, Maseratis and Porsches. after one accident, he continued to race with his arm in a fibre glass sling and his hand taped to the steering wheel! Not only did he have success in the US he also made a big impact on the European racing scene,winning the 24 Hr Le Mans in 1959 with Britains Roy Salvadori ( who also passed away shortly after Shelby),driving in eight Formula One Grand Prix between 1958 and 1959. He set 16 USA and international speed records in an Austin -Healy 100S. He retired from racing in 1960 because of a heart condition. He underwent a heart transplant in 1990 and a kidney transplant in 1996 and became an enthusiastic fundraiser for the World Childrens Transplant Fund. After this he founded Shelby America and aimed to storm the US road racing scene with a European style sports car - the Shelby Cobra-( He came up with the name after seeing a cobra in front of the car in a dream) It was to become the best performing long distance Grand Touring cars of the mid 1960s.winning many Championships inc the GT class at Le Mans in 1964 and the FIA

n May the passing was announced of Carroll Shelby, aged 89,the flamboyant Texan creator of the iconic Shelby Cobra,a car said by some to be largely responsible for the introduction of the 70mph speed limit in 1965. In 1962 Shelby teamed up with the Bristol based AC Cars to create the AC Cobra. The popularity of the roadster, powered by a Ford v-8 engine enabled the faltering historic car maker to continue producing the chassis for two seater sports cars. However, safety concerns grew as drivers of the vehicle reached speeds of 150mph on Britains growing motorway network,leading to the Ministry of Transport to act. In 1952 ,after a failed attempt at a chicken farming he turned to motor racing and like so many of his contemporaries he cut his teeth on the drag racing circuit after which he quickly moved on to racing in MG sports cars in Sports Club of America road races. In one early race he wore for the first time a set of striped dungarees which were to become his trademark ( he had been helping out on a friends farm earlier in the day and kept them on for the race because he thought they would cooler than a proper track suit ) He won

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World GT Car Championship in 1965 beating Ferrari which had been the outstanding car for several years. Later he became involved with Ford in their big push at Le Mans inc the GT40 Mk IV driven to victory in 1967 by Dan Gurney and A J Foyt at a then record speed covering 5233 Kms in 388 laps. which ( 45 years later in 2012 the winning car covered 5152 kms in 378 laps with 3 drivers!) This also remains, to this day, the sole all-American victory at Le Mans: an American-built car, prepared by an American team and driven by American drivers. When the winners mounted the victory stand, Gurney was handed the traditional magnum of champagne. Looking down, he saw Ford CEO Henry Ford

team owner Carroll Shelby and their wives, as well as several journalists who had predicted disaster for the high-profile duo of rivals Gurney and Foyt. Instead, both drivers took special care to drive the car with discipline and won easily. On the victory stand, Gurney shook the bottle and sprayed everyone nearby, establishing a tradition reenacted in motor racing victory celebrations the world over ever since. His racing team was closed in 1969. He returned to farming and chilli sauce manufacture - he was co- founder of the International Chilli Society in 1976. In later years he returned to car production with a new generation of Cobra roadsters appearing in 1995.

Roy

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Some pictures from the St. Georges Day Run between Sheringham and Hunstanton from John Allan