###1). Funnily enough, several of them were in the same room with me on
Wednesday 30th July at a book signing session at the Heritage museum. I
have come to know them personally through my research.
###2). It isn't.
###3). Please don't generalise about the British - just because we sold
our only remaining home grown car industry to the Germans (having jilted
the Japanese at the altar), just because we stopped exporting the most
popular sports cars ever made, just because we fostered Joseph Lucas in
our midst.......
----------
From: Kai Radicke
To: David Knowles; MGDIGEST
Subject: Re: Yet more on the MGB Twin Cam
Date: 01 August 1997 18:00
> Don Hayter, in case you didn't know, was an draughtsman (later
> engineer) at MG, joining in 1956, becoming Chief Engineer in 1973. In my
> book (plug plug), I suggest that if Syd Enever - as Chief Engineer - was
> the father of the MGB, Don Hayter and Jim O'Neill - who between them
> shaped its classic lines - were its God-Parents. Don, deeply involved in
> ALL R&D work should know if there had been a twin cam MGB, and I asked
> him the direct question. I have also spoken to others who would know -
> e.g. Terry Mitchell (Chief Chassis Engineer) and Jim O'Neill (Chief Body
> Engineer), Dickie Wright, Cliff Bray, Geoff Allen, Uncle Tom Cobbledy
> and all etc. and I can assure you, if it happened at Abingdon, they
> would know about it. But they say it didn't. Period. Sorry.
I know who he is...wow you managed to find and talk to 6 differenet
ex-MG
workers in 2 days...and they all said no? Quite impressive...but then
again, that is kinda hard to believe.[###1]
> Don't get me wrong - it is a lovely idea - and I agree with you, it
> would provide a truly fascinating project, with a unique slant on MG
> `heritage', but please please don't be taken in by some of those
> `papers' which come with cars - I found out that a Daimler V8 engined
> MGB which was built by an employee at Ricardo Engineering in his spare
> time somehow gained an `official' history, with papers (which I have
> copies of) implying official Abingdon involvement. I checked back
> thoroughly with all the proper sources - Abingdon sources - and they
> confirmed that although a Daimler V8 engine was tried in a bodyshell in
> the experimental shop, no complete car was ever built. The Daimler V8
> MGB was last seen in Switzerland, with a for sale tag on it.....
What if the car that he owns, is the original Prototype car that is
documented? [###2]
> Another thing, for fans of competition MG's; you should know that
> Abingdon wasn't averse to swapping chassis and registration numbers
> around a bit, making the life of the masochistic MG historian all the
> more interesting. Add to this the fact that two people could try to
> build a single car from different bits......
Yup, that is what I have said before. British Organization is like a
hole
in a fish tank.
I know, I deal with it 40 work hours a week and then some at home.
[###3]
> David Knowles
> 1974 MGB GT V8 Damask
> 1980 MGB Inca
Kai M. Radicke -- mowogmg@pil.net @ 1966 MGB --
http://www.pil.net/~mowogmg
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