A Mostly British Obsession
Attended the Northwest Historics vintage races at Pacific Raceways yesterday. It was a nice day out. Below is a random sampling of photos, some identifiable by me, some not. I’m not a compulsive photographer, so after a couple of races I left my camera in my pocket and was content to simply observe.
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It’s not really anything like a “real” club, just an open-to-anyone gathering once or twice a month on a Saturday. Bring an interesting old car (doesn’t really need to be a sports car, either) for an enjoyable morning spent spreading bull and gawking at cars. My GT was was the sleaziest machine here, which is probably why it has everyone gathered around it.
Naming all of the cars should be pretty easy–but the one at the far end may give you pause.
In one of those fortunate coincidences, a gentleman up in Anacortes was offering a set of good wire wheels with nearly new tires to fit an MGB on craigslist for $200, and since I desperately needed tires, I emailed as soon as I saw the ad. Fortunately, I was the first to be able to get to his house–the GT now has new boots.
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Here is the BSA in a friend’s borrowed shop, with the timing side cover off and the magneto removed in preparation for another rebuild of the balky electrical device, this time hopefully for good. I would ride this bike a lot more than I do, but the poor starting from hot makes it a chore, not a pleasure. I’m dropping the mag in the mail tomorrow; hopefully by this time next week Bill will be able to tell me what is wrong and how much it will be to fix it.
I need to reseal the front forks, too, a job which is not much fun. Not going to worry much about it at the moment. The bike also needs a detail in the most desperate way, and that I will take care of!
The ’67 GT arrived today from San Diego. My friend Paul is manning the wheel while Dave (of “Dave and the Dog” auto transport) guides him off the trailer. The car is very straight, valance panel aside, and the paint is baked, along with the interior. But it’s a nice car. And as a bonus, it was originally painted Grampian Grey, a nice medium grey which I hope to return the car to.
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I’ve wanted a nice early MGB GT for awhile now, and now I own this example. These early GTs had pleasing crackle-finish metal dashes, old-style switches, low-back leather seats, the early style grille and non-syncro gearboxes–all things I admire.
A friend spotted this for sale (in San Diego) and I’ve agreed to buy it for a very reasonable price, even if you include the shipping. The previous owner bought it in the early 1970s and, aside from the severely sun-faded paint, it’s largely original and runs well.
The car does not have overdrive, which is the only upgrade I’d care to make from the original specification. I have yet to own an MGB with overdrive, which is surprising given how much nicer it makes the car on the highway. Ah, well, I’ll keep my eyes peeled for another non-sycro O/D gearbox…
I sold the Vanden Plas earlier today for just a smidgen more than I paid for it. I like the car and felt it was good value, but I’m going to stick to genuinely old stuff for the time being.
I’ve been doing some long-delayed work on the ’63 MGB–I’ll post a roundup of what’s been happening under that bonnet in the next day or so.
If I had to place one car atop my “ultimate wish list,” the S-Type Invicta would almost certainly be the one. I had never seen one in the metal until today–this incredible machine was on display at the Vancouver All British Field Meet.
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This is the AMC Hornet Sportabout my parents owned for a few years starting in about 1972–I think we kept it through the late 70’s. My mom is standing in front of her car in her tennis outfit (she was a champion doubles player at the local country club) in the driveway of our Gales Ferry, Connecticut home, I’d say in 1973. The other snapshot must have been taken shortly after they bought the car, it’s in the driveway of our previous house across town.
As a kid I was fascinated by the “Hornet” emblem, but I don’t have very many specific memories of this car, at least riding in it. I suspect it was forgettable enough, and I haven’t seen one in years. They replaced this eventually with a 1977 Dodge Omni, which I don’t think was a step up!
I must be getting old, because the ride I took from our place to my parent’s in Port Townsend on Sunday was chilly, and yet it was 50 degrees or more out. We were promised a 70 degree day and it never quite materialized. This photo was taken at the Keystone ferry terminal, I was plenty early for my boat, something that will shock anyone who knows me.
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