> Don,
>
> Too many shows last weekend!
>
> There was also the Sonoma Marin Concourse which I went to. Not too many MGs
> there in addition to mine (not entered but got whistled at!).
>
> I went mostly to see a great selection of vintage British motorbikes as I now
> have a restored and running, yes running, 1948 Royal Enfield Model G
>
> Hoping to make it to Infineon on Sunday...
>
> Mark Darley
> Cell: 415-310-5242
> Office: 415-381-5452
> On location
>
> On May 23, 2012, at 5:25 PM, Don <don@napanet.net> wrote:
>
>> This might appear in the Octagon MG Club newsletter. Haven't heard
>> back from the editor yet.
>>
>>
>>
>> Since all my MGs are in various states of (dis)repair, I drove my '01
>> Miata to the Woodland British Car Show. The 90 degree ambient
>> temperatures and the 90 mph speeds on Interstate 80 may have added to
>> the appeal of driving the Miata. This is the same Miata that failed
>> to get me to the big MG show in Reno. Today it performed flawlessly
>> as one would expect a newer Japanese car to do. But the thrill of an
>> MG it doesn't provide even though it's a modern imitation of a
>> classic British sports car.
>>
>> I brought my camera and notepad as usual. As I arrived at the
>> fairgrounds, the first British car I saw was an MGTF attempting to
>> enter the fairgrounds on the wrong entry road. I later found out why
>> the driver was a bit confused as to how to get into the display
>> area. He had left home for the car show at 4:30 that morning and was
>> on the road for four hours in that TF.
>>
>> A beautiful Morgan greeted me when I first walked into the car
>> display area, and it was the first photo of the day. I met my friend
>> Pat, and we toured the swap meet area. Dave Laughlin was there with
>> his van of interesting parts for sale and his dog keeping him
>> company. Selling parts next to Dave's display was a former
>> enthusiast who had abandoned the hobby five years ago, and was
>> liquidating some of his accumulation of parts. I bought a NOS Lucas
>> voltage regulator still in the box for $10. What a score! He told
>> me that after 30 years of owning and driving and working on British
>> sports cars, he had decided to change hobbies. He said he is a
>> surfer now and drives to Santa Cruz from Sacramento in his Honda van
>> to ride the waves. He said he was glad to have a hobby that didn't
>> skin his knuckles and expose him to dangerous chemicals.
>>
>> There were very few T-series MGs at the show, and the one TF that I
>> saw driving in was the only TF at the show. But what a TF it was. I
>> own a TF myself and can now recognize some of the details which
>> distinguish an ordinary car from a show winner. This TF belongs to
>> Grant Ross of Carson City. He has not owned it that long and told me
>> he bought it sight-unseen from its prior owner in
>> Pennsylvania. Grant relied on the pedigree of the car as it had won
>> AACA contests and they have very exacting standards. He didn't come
>> right and say it, but I think he paid around $30,000 for this
>> car. Seeing its detailing, I would say he did well on this purchase.
>> When it arrived by truck, he must have been delighted when he first
>> saw the car. Being a TF1500, it has a bit more power than the 1250
>> model, and he told me it has had a modern 5-speed installed for
>> better highway cruising. It had a frame-off restoration in 2007.
>> Even the tires are period correct Dunlop bias ply which he said were
>> old but never used. The four-hour drive was from Carson City,
>> Nevada. And when I left the show Grant said he was going to drive
>> home again that afternoon! He has more courage than I have!
>>
>> Bruce Blair must be the ultimate Morris Minor enthusiast. He also
>> drove down from Carson City. With help from his family, he was
>> displaying three Morris Minors and a Minor Junior pedal car. Bruce,
>> wearing a factory-authorized BMC white shop coat, appears in the
>> photograph beside his Minor 1,000,000. These little lavender Minor
>> saloons were the special commemorative cars that marked the milestone
>> 1,000,000 of Morris Minor production. BMC made a total of 350 of
>> these unusual coloured cars, and Bruce's car is one of only 21 that
>> were exported to North America. Bruce told me that his Morris
>> collection consists of 12 1000s, 1 1000000, 1 MM (the split-window
>> model), two Minor trailers, and two pedal cars. I told Bruce that I
>> gave up on Minors after I nearly died in one. I once was very
>> enthusiastic about Minors myself, and had just purchased a '67 Minor
>> sedan that had been sitting for some time in western Marin
>> County. With a new battery and a bit of work, I had it running and
>> thought I could drive it home. As I was going down a very steep,
>> winding, and long hill that descends into the Napa Valley, the brakes
>> failed, the transmission failed, and the emergency brake cables
>> broke. I was able to drive it into the hillsides on curves to scrub
>> off speed. Closest I have come to dying as I am sure I was going
>> about 60 mph by the time I reached the last curve at the bottom of
>> the hill. But those cars do handle well and I survived without
>> killing myself. However, I did sell that car and my other Minors and
>> have not considered buying a Minor again.
>>
>> I saw few Mk 1 MGBs at the show, but Brandon Augustine's Mk 1 was a
>> standout among all the MGBs. Brandon told me that he has owned his
>> red B roadster since 1986, and that he and his dad restored it over a
>> five year period ending in 2005. This red '67 roadster was very
>> pretty with silver wire wheels and detailed engine
>> compartment. Brandon told me that the car was sold originally in
>> Walnut Creek, but was stored in a container from 1972 to 1986 prior
>> to his purchasing it. I commented that there were few enthusiasts
>> his age involved with this hobby, and he said that none of his
>> friends had old British cars. Brandon, who is 41, lives in Napa, and
>> I had seen the car parked in St. Helena where he works but I didn't
>> know its owner until now.
>>
>> The '51 Allard of David Rossiter's was a standout at the show. Red
>> and outrageous, sporting a Cadillac 331 OHV V8, an Allard like this
>> must have really been the ultimate blend of hot rod and sports car in
>> its day. David said that an original Allard only weighed 2,300
>> pounds, and had a top speed of about 140 mph. His car was purchased
>> from a museum collection. I liked it a lot.
>>
>> Having owned four MGB GTs, I was captivated by Carl Biagi's '72 B
>> GT. It was located in the Winner's Circle as it won Best of Class
>> last year. Carl told me he had purchased his GT in 1974, and had
>> used it originally as a daily driver. The restoration was lengthy;
>> taking the better part of a decade, it was at a paint shop for seven
>> years. Being a mechanic, Carl did all the other work himself. This
>> car was outstanding. I have seen few B GTs that were this well
>> detailed. He even retained all the smog equipment, so that it looks
>> like a car in an MG showroom in 1972. About the only modification to
>> the car I could see was wheels that were period alloys. But on the
>> wheels were correct 20-year old Michelin XZX tires. We shared MGB GT
>> stories, as I had just sold my '73 which I had owned for 25 years.
>>
>> Unfortunately, an MG show took place on the same Sunday in Danville,
>> and this did have an effect on the numbers of MGs at this
>> show. There were only four MGAs here. The last photo I took as I
>> left the show was an MGA Twin Cam coupe which must be one of the
>> rarest of MGAs. According to the book Original MGA, only 323 MGAs of
>> this configuration were manufactured.
>>
>> Out in the parking lot was another red Mk 1 MGB roadster that should
>> have been displayed inside and I snapped a photo of it. Parked in
>> what little shade there was my Miata and next to it was a fibreglas
>> Austin Healey replica that was also leaving. I asked the Healey
>> replica owner why he didn't display his car, and he said he didn't even ask.
>>
>> Last photo is of a 1950 Ford convertible barn find that I checked out
>> on the way home in the foothills of Napa. This car needs a lot of love.
>>
>> https://picasaweb.google.com/104973305347633073496/Woodland2012
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