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MORGAN OWNERS GROUP NORTHWEST VOLUME 30, NUMBER 4 - July - August 2010

The life of a newsletter editor is one of feast or famine.

You may recall that last issue it was famine.

This issue is feast, thanks to the support of

Steve Blake, Claire Hauge, Win Muehling, Kit Raetsen, and even a cartoon sent to me by the sympathetic editor of

the Mog Belgium newsletter, Jacques Gallien.

A big THANK YOU to all of you.

Inside you will find

Steve’s story and photos of travels in England

VanDusen ABFM stories and photos by Claire and Win

Devil’s Punchbowl run stories and photos by Claire and Win

Father’s Day Weekend stories and photos by Kit and Win

and the above mentioned cartoon.

Enjoy the read and drive your Morgans.

VOLUME 30, NUMBER 4 MOGNW - NWMogazine JULY-AUGUST 2010

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2010 MOGNW Officers and Board

President Kay Jones [email protected]

Treasurer Craig Runions [email protected]

Secretary Pat Miles [email protected]

Editor/Webmaster Tom Henderson [email protected]

Historian Steve Hutchens [email protected]

Regalia Bob Stinson [email protected]

Island Pod Rep Kit Raetsen [email protected]

Midlands Pod Rep Mike Amos [email protected]

Northern Pod Rep Win Muehling [email protected]

Southern Pod Rep Wayne Harris [email protected]

Treasurer’s Report - Jun 30, 2010 Craig Runions The Publication: NWMogazine

NWMOGAZINE is the bimonthly newsletter of the MORGAN OWNERS GROUP NORTHWEST, a non-profit organization serving Morgan automobile enthusiasts in the Northwestern United States and Western Canada. Copyright © 2009 by MOR-GAN OWNERS GROUP NORTHWEST.

Permission is hereby given to reproduce portions of this newslet-ter (except material copyrighted by others) for non-profit, non-commercial use. Please give MOGNW credit, acknowledging the issue and author, source, or photographer if stated.

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Regalia

Club merchandise can be purchased by contacting Bob Stinson, whose email address appears above.

Limited non-commercial advertising is free to MOGNW mem-bers. Commercial advertising, priced below, is available. Please pay MOGNW in advance in US$ and provide suitable digital or scanner-compatible copy. We publish six issues per year.

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Driving events and social meetings are held in each of our four Pods: Island (Victoria), Midlands (Seattle), Northern (Vancouver), and Southern (Portland). Times and locations are listed on the MOGNW calendar. Please contact your closest Regional Rep for more information on activities in your area.

Meetings and Events

6 MTH 12 MTH CATEGORY DESCRIPTION ACTUAL BUDGET DIFFERENCE BANK BALANCE 01/01/10 $4,471

INCOME Advertising $25 $250 ($225) Dues 3,901 3,840 61 Regalia Sales 813 2,000 (1,187) Foreign Exchange Factor 0 0 0 TOTAL INCOME $4,739 $6,090 ($1,351)

EXPENSE Island Pod $0 $613 $613 Northern Pod 536 768 232 Midlands Pod 0 761 761 Southern Pod 389 658 269 subtotal $925 $2,800 $1,875 Awards 0 400 400 Club Insurance 0 400 400 Island Pod Rep Ferry 0 200 200 NWMogazine Newsletter 0 150 150 Oregon License 50 50 0 President’s Discretionary 113 500 387 Regalia Purchases 1,080 1,500 420 Website 0 0 0 Foreign Exchange Factor 79 0 (79) TOTAL EXPENSE $2,247 $6,000 $3,753 YEAR-TO-DATE (NET) $2,492 $90 $2,402 BANK BALANCE 4/30/10 $6,963


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Southern Exposure

(Notes from the Southern Pod) By Claire J. Hauge

Photos by Linda Huntley and Claire J. Hauge

Vancouver ABFM – 25th Anniversary Celebration Saturday May 22, 2010 (Victoria Day Weekend) VanDusen Botanical Garden, Vancouver, B.C. Canada Day 1 (Thursday, May 20) Portland/Longview to Olympia. Three Southern Pod cars (Stromquist, Bowman & Hauge) headed north from the Portland/Longview area stopping overnight in Olympia to make the run on Friday to Vancouver, B.C. shorter. It’s a tradition. Day 2 (Friday, May 21) Olympia to Vancouver, BC The day started out overcast and raining. Undeterred, the group decided to paddle away. As we put the miles behind us, the clouds eventually lifted. By the time we reached Mt. Vernon to pick up fuel and the Barofskys, we actually saw sunshine. Shortly after re-entering the freeway, we caught up with a Healey and four MG B’s also headed north. Just before 1 p.m. we were all admitted to Canada with a very short wait at the border. After crossing the border, we re-grouped for the drive to the Abercorn in Richmond. The Huntley’s had arrived just ahead of us so after settling in, we re-grouped (again) in the pub to unwind and de-brief (a/k/a tell car stories). Being quite comfortable where we were, we moved to the dinning room, ordered dinner and continued the story-telling. Garth and Melissa Morgan arrived a bit later after attending the official ABFM banquet. They were gracious enough to pick up registration packets for the entire group. Thanks Garth & Melissa!!

Day 3 (Saturday, May 22) ABFM, VanDusen Gardens & Annacis Island The weather was kind and provided a great day for the field meet. All indications are this was a very good turn-out. The gardens and cars looked great. Lunch was provided by the Northern Pod – many thanks to Christine and Joyce. At the awards presentation, mention was made that some 100 cars were turned away as the field capacity had been exceeded. By my count, 38 Morgans were on the field: thirteen 4/4’s; 13 Plus 4’s, seven Plus 8’s and five Drop

Head Coupes. Great showing for the 25th Anniversary of the Vancouver ABFM!! Speaking of awards, congratulations to the following:

(Continued on page 4)

Class 24-Morgan 4/4 Class 25-Morgan Plus 4

Michael/Marianne Povey 1975 Morgan 4/4 Ron & Yvonne Theroux 1958 Morgan Plus 4

Fred Bowman 1959 Morgan 4/4 Ron Akehurst 1963 Morgan Plus 4

Garth Morgan 1960 Morgan 4/4 Steve Blake 1962 Morgan Plus 4


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The after-field meet dinner was organized and hosted by Theroux’s, Burkholders, Muehlings and McDiarmids. Lt. Commander, Ron Theroux, provided the perfect setting at the Sea Cadet Corps Training Facility on Annacis Island located on the Fraser River in Delta, British Columbia.

The Morganeers arrived to quite a feast with a fabulous assortment of beverages and hors d’oeurves, salad, breads and perfectly

barbequed steaks. Dessert was also a treat with a cake featuring Morgan wings and the MogNW Club logo. Ron, Les, Win, Bob, Yvonne, June, Christine and Judy succeeded in making all the guests feel welcome and comfortable and made sure we were very well-fed. (My apologies if I missed someone.)

We all had a wonderful time and truly appreciated the amazing Canadian hospitality. Days 4 (Sunday, May 23, 2010) Vancouver, BC to Port Angeles Very early Sunday morning the Southern cars (Barofskys, Bowman, Hauges, Hutleys & Stromquist) headed toward the border for what turned out to be a very long wait at the Peace Arch (over 90 minutes). We were pushed for time as we had reservations on the Keystone Ferry, Whidbey Island. All turned out well; we made good time once we crossed the border and caught the ferry to Port Townsend. Lunch at Mr. T’s provided a great time to relax and we were treated to a re-creation of

(Continued from page 3)


Class 26-Morgan Plus 8 Class 51-Morgan DHC

Bob Algar 1987 Morgan Plus 8 Ken Miles 1960 Morgan Plus 4

Christopher Allen 1972 Morgan Plus 8 Laurie Fraser 1962 Morgan Plus 4

Gerry & Tanya Seligman 2005 Roadster Rodger/Linda Huntley 1961 Morgan Plus 4


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an 18th-century naval battle featuring cannon fire and close-quarters maneuvers. The tall ships Lady Washington and Hawaiian Chieftain were in port providing quite a show. The Lady Washington is a replica of one of the first U.S. flagged ships to visit the west coast. In 1788 she sailed the area of what would become Washington state, skippered by Capt. Robert Gray. Launched in 1989, it was designated the state's official ship in 2007. She has appeared in several movies, including the 2003 “Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl.” The Hawaiian Chieftain is a steel-hulled replica of a typical 19th-century merchant trader that sailed the South Seas; it launched in 1988 and often accompanies the Lady Washington. After lunch, the group motored on to bed and breakfast accommodations - Inn at Rooster Hill in Port Angeles where we would spend the next two days eating, drinking wine, sight-seeing and engaged in very lively conversations. Day 5 (Monday, May 24, 2010) Port Angeles & Lake Crescent The Inn at Rooster Hill in Port Angeles provided a quiet respite from the frenzied pace of the previous four days. We took a few short drives, including a beautiful tour a long Lake Crescent culminating in lunch at the lodge. We did a little shopping, spent lots of time visiting and enjoyed very fine dining in recommended restaurants. Day 6 (Tuesday, May 25, 2010) Port Angeles & Home On Tuesday morning the group headed south, realizing that it was probably time to get back to reality. Starting out on Hwy 101 East, waiting for the morning caffeine to kick in, I was day-dreaming and took notice of the spring flowers still blooming. After a few minutes of driving, I happened to ask Bob if he’d noticed the orange buttercups, white daisies and yellow scotch broom. He said he’d noticed “some purple stuff back there.” Something in the tone of his voice made me realize he was more interested in gauges, noises and the sound of the motor! As many of you know, the drive down the canal is always beautiful and interesting and this day was no different. Even with a couple of




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sprinkles, it was a nice trip. Reluctantly, we merged onto I5 at Olympia and continued home dodging trucks. Thanks to all of you who joined our little group at various points of the journey and made the event so pleasurable. And a special “thank you” to the Canadians who made us feel very welcome!

Back row: Fred Bowman, Heinz Stromquist, Rodger Huntley, Doug Barofsky, Lilo Barofsky Front row: Bob Hauge, Claire Hauge, Linda Huntley


Coming Events Jul 24 - Bellevue ABFM Aug 20 - Southern Pod Wine Tour Aug 29 - Concours d'Elegance of the San Juan Islands Friday Harbor www.sanjuanconcours.org or call 360-370-5531. Sep 4 - Portland ABFM Sep 17-19 - Rogue River Run Don’t forget the monthly gatherings held by all the pods. Plan to participate in as many of these wonderful events as you are able. They truly make your membership much more valuable.


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The Island Report By Kit Raetsen

Our Father’s Day weekend kicked off with a visit to Merridale Cider Works for a tour and tasting. Merridale is situated just outside of Cobble Hill, about 40 minutes north of Victoria, and is a beautiful property tucked in amongst rolling pastures and dairy farms. We were all to meet at Merridale at 2:00 p.m., g i v i n g t h e m a n y Morganeers time to make their various ways from the mainland and from up and down-Island in glorious sunny top-down weather. It also gave Bob and Judy McDiarmid, Les and June Burkholder, Ron and Yvonne Theroux, Bill and Faye Sterne, Roland and Pat Gilbert lots of time for a pre-tour lunch at the Cidery’s “ La Pommeriaie Bistro”. The chef was one of the youngest to be granted entrance into the Master Chefs of Great Britain, so you know lunch could not have been too bad. By 2:00 p.m. Leo and Trisha Lee, Ron Akehurst and Norma Gordier, Hal and Garnet Irwin, Ken and Marion Butler, Ken and Lesley Douch, Bruce and Anne Maycock, Pam Mahoney and Chris Allen, and Malcolm Sparrow had arrived and filled the parking lot. Off we went for a tour of the facility. Expecting a small operation, we were blown away by the size of it.

Started in 1990, the Cidery has been steadily expanded over the past decade by its current owners. They first added a tasting room to the tiny cellar, then the bistro. To complement the bistro they built a brick oven, and the result is a great supply of home-made bread and pastries, apple pies, and pizza. Meanwhile, as their cider-making skills improved, they added the Brandihouse to make a Calvados-style brandy from their apples. Our guide toured us through the production areas, following the route the apples take from tree to bottle. There were large vats of cider fermenting, with French and American Oak barrels used for finishing. No tour would be complete without

sampling the wares, so off we went to the covered veranda overlooking the orchard and trout pond (Continued on page 8)


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where we had a tasting of 6 different ciders. Almost every one of us found a favourite, and cider (and baked goods) sales were brisk after the tasting. After Merridale we dropped in briefly at Jim Walter’s place nearby. Jim is entered in the Peking to Par is Motor Challenge this year, as are Lloyd and Treacy (and that’s a whole other story!). With much preparation still required on his La France for the endurance rally, we left him to his work and continued on to Sooke and the Reddington’s home for a barbeque. Win and Christine Muehling had kindly arrived in Sooke earlier to give a hand in setting up and a terrific spread was awaiting the convoy as it pulled into the driveway and lined up on the lawn.

M i k e a n d R o s e Ma r i e Powley ,Doug and Gill Seager and Anna Rochfort and Sam Harris arrived shortly after. Everyone brought their favourite side dish and soon tables were overflowing with appetizers, salads and veggies. There was a pork loin, barbequed to perfection by Lloyd, a beautiful ham, and sausages. There so many wonderful desserts that we couldn’t sample then all, and the wine flowed along with the conversation. Needless to say no one went home hungry. The next morning we were all up

early and off to Beacon Hill Park

for the annual picnic. There we

were joined by Drew Irwin, David Sheftel, Hames and Heidi Marshall. After checking out everyone

else’s Morgan, and all the other pretty British cars and motorbikes, it was time for lunch. The

leftover ham and pork from the night before made fantastic sandwiches, and along with salads, fruit,

cookies and brownies, we were the envy of Beacon Hill Park. Many thanks to the Reddingtons for

opening up their home on Saturday and entertaining us all so royally. Kudos to Chris and Pamela

who arrived early to Beacon Hill to reserve a prime space for our Morgans, as well as doing a

masterful job of organizing us into a Morgan Rainbow. A fabulous weekend!



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Northern Pod Rep By Win Muehling

It’s been an incredibly busy year so far – so busy that I even neglected to put my 2 cents worth in the May/June Mogazine, much to our Editor’s chagrin. My apologies. Unfortunately, it wasn’t because we were out and about running around in one of the Morgans, but things of a more mundane nature took up our time. (and a bit of travel). Received an e-mail the other day from Mike Powley about a pub fire out in Surrey. The Tidewater Pub located beneath the Alex Fraser Bridge burned to the ground. On several occasions over the past few years the Tidewater served as our lunch stop on club outings. Too bad, as the food and service were quite good. In March 14 your club was invited on a “fun rally” by the BC Triumph Owners Club via Brian Thomlinson, who is also a MOGNW member. Unfortunately, only one MOGNW morgan showed up – Ken & Pat Miles. Too bad really, since when Brian put one of these rallies on for us the previous year, it really was a lot of fun. Christine and I couldn’t attend since we were on a family visit in New Zealand. (I did encounter three Morgans in NZ, but unfortunately they where headed in the opposite direction). Our April outing was arranged by Chris Allen and Pam Mahony and they even delivered on the

weather! We met at the McD’s on the King George Hwy in White Rock and Chris and Pam led us in their Plus 8 out to Langley on to Dave & Rosemary Pollon’s “Chicken Farm”. A fully working chicken farm it certainly was, and after we set foot into one of the barns, a nondescript 200x36’ building, I understood why Chris referred to it as the “Garage Mahal”. It was like a walk back in time from the moment you entered the barn. Half the building is a museum built as the old town of Clayton Hill, which is the historic name for the area. The back half of the building is the mother of all collector car showrooms. The Vintage American cars on display are nothing short of spectacular - a beautiful collection of old American iron, complemented by an equal number of newer muscle cars and retro muscle cars,



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including a rare 2006 Ford GT. One end of the building encompasses a full size replica of a 1950's diner -"Rosie's Diner", along with a period Texaco Service station. Topping it off, so to speak, was a 'roof-top' lounge with a 1950's theme featuring tail-fin couches and art deco recliners. If the whole scene sounds familiar to you, even though you never visited the place in the past, it may have been on your Telly a couple of years ago, when it formed the set for “Driving TV”, featuring Ron & Yvonne Theroux’s Plus 4. Afterwards we went for lunch at the funky Choo-Choo's Restaurant in Langley. Our poor waitress really had no clue as to what was going on and couldn’t quite figurer out why the members having to wait the longest for their food to be served seemed to be the happiest! Finally, at the end we explained the “Al Allyson Cup” to her, much to her relief as she had been quite concerned that she had done something wrong. Excellent service with equally good food, and a nice semi-private seating area to boot. Will keep it on our list for a return visit We had an excellent turnout: Ric Macdonald, Steve Blake and navigator Susan (welcome to the club, Susan!) , Win & Christine Muehling, Doug & Jill Seager, Ken & Pat Miles, Val & Terry Sadler, Ron & Yvonne Theroux, James Theroux; John Rennie, Verna & Laurie Fraser, Doug & Leona Robb, Les & June Burkholder, Ted & Judy Carew-Gibson, Kay & Frank Gruen, Mike & Rosemarie Powley, Pam Mahony & Chris Allen. All in Morgans except for Carew-Gibsons and the Gruens, and James Theroux in his Tiger. During our visit Mike Powley noticed that the Pollons had a Betty Boop collection, which is also one of his interests. Mike graciously returned a week later to the chicken farm and presented the Pollons with a framed Betty Boop commemorative stamp as an additional “Thank You” gift from the club. Thanks Mike, and also a big Thanks to Chris and Pam for putting it all together. The Victoria Day weekend brought us the 25th Annual ABFM at Van Dusen Botanical Gardens in Vancouver. It billed itself as “The Greatest Show on British Wheels”, and it did not

disappoint. Entries were cut off at the maximum of 600 this year, including 39 Morgans. I don’t have space to enumerate all the Morgans, but we had them from as far afield as Calgary,




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Alberta (Bob & Joyce Algar in Plus 8), Dave Hammond, Medford Oregon in ’58 Plus 4, Doug & Lilo Barofsky from Bend, Oregon. We had an excellent turnout from the Southern Pod, but the Midlanders and Island Pod were not up to their usual strengths. A good selection of Mogs,

including a few of Drop-heads, but no three-wheelers or Aero 8’s. Lunch was once again provided to all members by the Northern Pod. Great home-made sandwiches thanks to the efforts of Christine Muehling and Joyce Algar, who spent all morning in our kitchen.

The Northern Pod hosted the usual post show BBQ, for the third time at the Annacis Island Sea Cadet Base. We served 51 steaks plus a couple of pieces of salmon, all very ably done on the BBQ by Ron Theroux and Les Burkholder. The trimmings were all prepared and organised by Yvonne Theroux, Judy McDiarmid and June Burkholder. Cake with the MOGNW crest was the crowning touch. Thanks to all the aforementioned, as well as Terry Sadler and Val Smith, Ric McDonald, Bob McDiarmid, Ted Carew-Gibson and Malcolm Sparrow who all came out on Friday morning to help prepare the facilities. Thanks also to those who stayed behind and helped with the clean up and anyone else who helped but I might have missed. As always, there are awards galore at these events. Too many to name here, but they can all be viewed at the “Western Driver” website http://www.westerndriver.com/abfm/awards.htm . You might also be interested in a Video Clip on the Hagerty website at http://www.hagerty.com/lifestyle/hobby_article.aspx?id=70100 showing a bit of the ABFM, including some glimpses of Morgans. In spite of being in the middle of some renovations and trying to get our home ready for sale, Christine and I managed to get away in our Plus 8 to the Southern Pod’s “Devil’s Punchbowl”. We were joined for the trip by Val Smith and Terry Sadler in their Plus 4. We made the hotel in Kelso, WA, on Thursday afternoon with plenty of time to head over to nearby Longview, to a supper hosted by Claire and Bob Hauge. What a lovely town. The only other Canadians to venture south were Kit Raetsen and Joanne Cockshutt (Plus 4) from the Island Pod. Friday morning Heinz Stromquist led us via a very circuitous route to lunch at a winery and then




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eventually to the Oregon coast. Beautiful country roads with very little traffic and amazingly, all 19 (?) cars in our convoy managed to stay together most of the time. Heinz really outdid himself once again. I am certain that more details will follow elsewhere in the Mogazine. Thank you Heinz, for a very memorable weekend! In close succession to “The Punchbowl” came the “Fathers Day Picnic” in Beacon Hill Park in Victoria, organised by our own Jim Walters. The

Island Pod did not have its Pig roast as in the past, but rather put on a great spread at Loydd and Treacy Reddington’s place in Sooke on the Saturday afternoon prior to the picnic. As always

plenty of food left over to provide an ample lunch at the picnic. Besides Christine and I, a number of other mainlanders took the ferry ride over to

the Island – Therouxs, McDiarmids, Burkholders, Powleys, Chris Allen & Pam Mahony,and Malcom Sparrow and contributed to the spectacular display of Morgans at the Picnic. The Reddingtons of course are in the midst of their preparations for this year’s “Peking to Paris” Rally, but unfortunately, their just in time finished 1936 RR Phantom III was still being tweaked and was not available for viewing. Most generous of

them to take time out of their busy schedule to host the club at their home. Thanks, Treacy and Lloyd and the best of luck on the “Peking to Paris”! Would you believe that the Island Pod has a second participant in the “Peking to Paris” Rally? Jim Walters and his cousin Lennox McNeely, will take on the challenge in a 1917 LaFrance . Jim of course prepares his own car, but also had a big hand in Treacy and Lloyd’s Rolls. Best of Luck, Jim!



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By Claire Hauge


Morgan Owners Group

Northwest

Heinz Stromquist’s

Devil’s Punchbowl XV


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Heinz has done it again – another great run to the beach. The 2010 Devil’s Punchbowl (June 10-13, 2010) included lots of tradition and a few new features: including a ferry ride, some fabulous Morgan roads and plenty of great memories. Thursday night 35 folks gathered at the Hauges’ house in Longview for a social hour and dinner that included salmon chowder, Italian meatball soup, salad, an assortment of breads and dessert. Morgans lined both sides of the street producing a mini car show for the neighbors. Trivia Question #1: How many Punchbowl runs has Heinz organized? (This one is easy – they will get tougher.) (See answers at end of article.) Friday morning we organized early, to catch the Cathlamet Ferry across the Columbia River. There were so many Morgans it required two ferry trips. Regrouping on the Oregon side, we followed Highway 30 east a short distance until turning south on Highway 47. This leg of the trip featured at least 10 miles of continuous s-curves through Tillamook State Forest exercising both the cars and the skills of the drivers. Very exhilarating! Leaving Highway 47, we continued south on a variety of perfect twisty Morgan roads stopping in Lafayette for a rest break and fuel. Leaving Lafayette, we made our way to Highway 99 East for a short drive to White Rose Winery in Dayton for lunch. White Rose provided a spectacular 360-degree view of the Dundee Hills. Heinz had arranged a catered lunch and complimentary wine tasting in the barrel room. After lunch, the afternoon drive took us further south through Amity to Highways 22, 18 and 101 to the Alpine Chalets south of Depoe Bay. Trivia Question #2: How many miles were driven in Punchbowl XV? The mid-afternoon arrival time gave us time to check in, settle in and enjoy beverages in front of the chalets before heading off to Mo’s West for dinner. No trip to Devil’s Punchbowl would be complete without sticky buns on Saturday morning. Three full trays of the gooey items and several pots of coffee disappeared in a flash. A unique feature of this event is the totally unscheduled time on Saturday. The coast provides opportunities for beach combing, sight-seeing, shopping, visiting galleries or just relaxing with a good book. Everyone took advantage of the first full day of sunshine in a long time. The highlight of Saturday is the parking lot potluck. Every year the food and wine selections get better. Judging by the leftovers, we could have doubled the size of our group and still had plenty to eat. The Harris’ and Vandermays’ hosted the group in the “penthouse” after outside temperatures dropped. On Sunday we each headed in different directions or paired up to make the trip home. Part of the group spent a few more hours on the coast, some headed straight home, some headed off for an extended vacation. It was obvious the route Heinz chose this year intrigued us all. Button and Hendersons took the opportunity to retrace our steps by catching the ferry at Clatskanie back across the Columbia River to Cathlamet where we started. Trivia Question #3: How many Morgans participated in the first Punchbowl? Trivia Question #4: How many people participated in the first Punchbowl? Forty-six people with 16 Morgans and eight “Morganish” vehicles enjoyed various aspects of the 2010 Punchbowl run. A very good turnout!!




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Trivia Question #5: Name the people who partici-pated in both the 1st and 15th Punchbowls. Well done Heinz. Thanks for another great Devil’s Punchbowl. Trivia Question #6: Will there be a Punchbowl XVI?

Heinz Stromquist (Plus 8) Doug & Lilo Barofsky (Morganish-Dodge PU) Dee Buffum & Cati Waterman (Morganish–Honda SUV) Bill Button (Multi-XLR8) Eric & Sandy Glover (Morganish-Mini) Garret & Jaime Green (Plus 4) Wayne Harris (Plus 4) Linda Harris (Morganish - MR2) Bob & Claire Hauge (4/4) Tom & Mel Henderson (Morganish-Honda S2000) Roy Hodges (Plus 4) Rodger & Linda Huntley (Plus 4 DHC)

(Continued from page 14) Skip Jones & Joan Darling (Plus 8) Mike & Elizabeth Miles & company (joined the group for Saturday lunch) Garth, Melissa, Nick & Gavin Morgan (4/4; Morganish-Rover) Win & Christine Muehling (Plus 8) Loretta Nelson & Gail (Plus 4) Kit Raetsen & Joanne Cockshutt (Plus 8) Craig & Judy Runions (Morganish-Ford Explorer) Terry Sadler & Val Smith (Plus 4) Dwight Smith (Morganish-BMW) John & Cynthia Svensson (4/4) Dick & Ann Tilden (4/4) Larry & Vicki Vandermay (Plus 4)


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Morgans, Bentleys, and Jaguars By Steve Blake

Great Britain is always enjoyable for driving narrow, windy roads through picturesque villages, eating at good pubs, and visiting auto museums and events. We just returned from a two-week holiday and I thought I would share some of the automotive treasures we enjoyed. Car spotting is great fun as you drive between destinations. There always seems to be a higher proportion of interesting classic cars on the roads in England. As we drove to Llandudno on the north coast of Wales, we seemed to pass an overabundance of classics, even for Great Britain, going the opposite direction. It turned out that these were returning from the Extravaganza in Llandudno. Spotted were several MGs and Triumphs, a Morgan +8, an early Mini pulling a Mini trailer, a restored 1950s Bedford truck, and a steam traction engine, among others. Driving the twisting roads of backcountry Wales brought us into the town of Betws-y-Coed at lunchtime. As we walked through the town in search of a good sandwich and ale, I heard a throaty rumble and looked up to see a 4 ½ litre supercharged Bentley coming toward us. It was not long before another drove past and finally a third. I was able to photograph two in action and later found two parked in town.

On the way back to Preston, we stopped at Moss Motors in Cheadle Heath, outside Manchester, and picked up a new tonneau cover for my MG TC. Prices in England were less than half of what it would have cost me to order from Moss in California. However, the product is different and locally sourced. It was explained that the English tonneau is made to the exact specs of the original covers and the modified ones sold by Moss US, made with side zippers, wouldn’t sell in England because the local demand was for original parts. The next weekend we drove south to Worcester, stopping at West Bromwich along the way for the Sandwell Car Show. There were about 250 cars parked on a field more recently used by sheep. One did mind their step! Cars of note were a 1930 Austin motor home and a pair of nicely restored MG J-types. There were numerous nicely restored cars but most were drivers of 1960-80 vintage. Missing were Aston Martins (there was one DB5 on display), Morgans (none at the show), TVR’s, and only a



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small handful of Lotus’s. In abundance were Morris, MGBs, Austin 6, Triumph Spitfires and TR6s, and a range of small sports cars and sedans typically seen on the road in the 1970’s. The show was interesting but short on the “Wow!” factor. They did have an autojumble but less than 10 stalls had car related items. I picked up a chrome Morgan script emblem for $8US and a new Jaguar key fob for $4 so it wasn’t a bust. Upon arrival in Worcester, I made my pilgrimage to the Morgan Factory in Malvern Link. I have been there many times since my first visit in 1976 and always enjoy seeing the new cars under construction. I wasn’t able to get to Morgan for the Centenary celebrations so was quite interested to see what changes had been put in place since my last visit three years ago. The factory was very busy; there were many cars under way and a delivery room full of cars to be shipped out. The “new” reception area has moved yet again to a new building behind and to the east of the factory. Morgan has acquired a new piece of property where they have a larger car park and a new reception facility with museum and store. This was built to handle the volume of people coming for the Centenary celebrations. The downside is that Morgan has again gone back to charging people for tours of the factory. Current charge is 10 GBP per person for the guided tour. You can no longer go through the buildings on your own. However, if you drive into the factory using the main gate, you can park at the bottom of the hill and walk up to the old reception past all the factory buildings. The doors are open and nobody minds you looking inside and taking a photo or two. If you haven’t done the tour, it is a must, but for repeat visitors, a stroll past the garages gives you a good flavour of what is going on. On the day we were there, three different school groups were touring the facilities. A fellow I spoke to in the office said that Morgan was encouraging school groups based on the principle that the cars you enjoy in your youth will be the ones you purchase when you are older and able to afford a sports car. Morgan is definitely looking to the future. We went to the old reception area, finding that it was now the parts and service reception. I picked up new door hinges for my Morgan and a chrome “Plus 4” script that they fasten to the new roadsters. After receiving my VAT refund papers, we made our way down to the new reception centre. In the conference room, they had 32 of the three-wheeler pedal cars on display.




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These sell for 2500 GBP plus the VAT. Production is being limited to 500. We went into the store where they had a range of clothing on display with assorted other Morgan books, mugs, and ties. Centenary clothing was reduced to half price so one could pick up a ball cap for the equivalent of $7US or a golf shirt for under $20. After a couple more purchases, we moved through the store and into the museum. Three cars were on display, including a three-wheeler and a flat rad, and the walls were filled with history and old photos. A video was playing in a small theatre and several old parts and items from the old factory were on display.

We exited the museum just in time to see the Morgan Life car being off-loaded from a flatbed truck. I talked to the driver and he said this car was the bane of his existence. He said the tires always go flat and the windshield is not even attached at the front. The front pillars are taped in place making the car difficult to push around. The Life car has no engine in place and spends its time on the show circuit advertising Morgan’s look to the future. Walking back to the factory, I was amazed at how the mix of cars being finished has changed. The most popular model, certainly the most

abundant, is the traditional roadster, but the Aeromax is not far behind. There were a handful of the Aero 8 roadsters, but it looks like the hardtop Aeromax is in greatest demand, at least for production time we were observing. After soaking up the atmosphere for another hour, we headed off to Coventry to see the new Jaguar

Heritage Centre. Jaguar Heritage has about 130 cars in their stable but only have room to show about 30 cars. They are hoping for a larger facility so they can show all of their cars. The centre has the Jaguar

archives and a small store. The Jaguar C and D types were out running in the Mille Miglia but several important cars were on display. I was happy to see a 1955 Jaguar XK140 coupe, same as my own, which had competed in the 1956 LeMans race. The first and last XKEs were on display along with the first SS1. The museum had two Austin Swallows and a Vauxhall designed by SS




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Cars, the name used prior to the end of World War II. The name was changed to Jaguar after the war because they did not want to be confused with the initials used by the German SS. Jaguar Heritage displayed three prototypes and two movie cars. One was an XKR used by the villains in the James Bond movie “Die Another Day.” It was equipped with dummy rockets in the grill and a mounted machine gun on the back. The other movie car was an XK8 painted with the Union Jack and used by Austin Powers in the third instalment of “The Spy Who Shagged Me.” Even with only 30 cars on display, the centre was worth the visit and there was no charge for entry.



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For Sale or Wanted

As noted on pg. 2, these entries are available to club members only. Content and format are at the discretion of the editor in the interest of producing an attractive and engaging newsletter. For Sale: 1953 Plus 4 Flat Rad four seater Chassis # P-2669, engine # TS12486ME (not original to this car) left hand drive, current color cream body with chocolate wings, with new dark brown interior and carpets. New custom fitted top and side curtains, newer tonneau cover, carbs have been completely rebuilt, valve rock-ers have been rebuilt, newer battery, new clutch. Price: $34,000 Tim Johnson (425) 455-1629 For Sale: 1990 Plus 8 two seater 3.9L engine with fuel injection Front cowling was chromed by the previous owner Luggage rack Custom sheepskin bonnet strap Alpine AM/FM radio & CD player with a Bazooka woofer Price: CDN$55,000 Rick McGrath [email protected] For Sale: 1991 4/4 two seater Repainted and reupholstered in 2009 Dayton chrome wire wheels w/SS spokes SS luggage rack 2005 Honda S2000 engine and gearbox ~ 8.5 pounds per horsepower Price: $45,000 Tom Henderson (253) 589-8698 For Sale: Custom made dark brown bonnet strap Never installed New roller buckles $75 Stainless Steel luggage rack w/side screen stowage area Slight bend in right ‘leg’ but serviceable Shipped from England would be ~$500 new $250 Locking Flip-up Chrome Gas Cap Comes with one key $50 Tom Henderson (253) 589-8698

morgan owners group northwest volume 30, number … › mogazine_archive › 201007mogazine...

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