Classic British... Tools?

An ABINGDON girder wrench

The annual trek to Magnolia Springs to attend the St. John's Catholic Church lawn party is one that I've come to enjoy. In addition to the fine food, music and antique agricultural equipment on display, there is a fascinating display of antique tools brought by one of the parishioners. While it is only a small part of his collection, the variety of tools on display is truly astounding.

I noticed that he had a number of intriguing wrenches on display bearing names such as "ABINGDON" and "Joseph Lucas". Yep, it turns out that it is the same Abingdon and Joseph Lucas that you've heard of before.

The Abingdon on the wrench is the name of a handtool manufacturer located in Abingdon - the same Abingdon famous for building MGs for 50 years. Abingdon Engineering made a wide range of equipment including motorcycles, chains and gearboxes. At the turn of the twentieth century, the firm concentrated on hand tools exclusively. 

A Joseph Lucas girder wrench

Most British car enthusiasts know the products of Abingdon Engineering by their trade name, King Dick, from the screw jacks and other hand tools found in the tool kits of classic British cars.   

The Lucas hand tool line on the other hand, is not that well known outside the UK. The firm known to us for their automotive electrical equipment and instruments (through the Smiths brand) was a maker of small metal goods in the nineteenth century. One of their main lines was small handtools such as the Joseph Lucas girder wrench in the photo I shot at Magnolia Springs.

If you haven't been to the St. John's lawn party with the club, I suggest that you add it to your calendar next year. The tools on display make it worth the trip alone.

A Rare Breed In The US

One of the blogs that I visit frequently is the entertaining Rusty Heaps blog run by the very talented Roger Los. Rusty Heaps is his public affirmation of his problem of serial-British car purchasing and the trials and tribulations that it brings.

Photo Courtesy Roger Los

A few months ago, he bought a Rover SD1 - the V8 kind. I've had a soft spot for this particular Rover model and it appeared that Roger bought himself a "good 'un". On one of my comments to a post of his, I casually mentioned that I admired the car and thought that the Gulf Coast would make a great home for it. Today, I got a message it could be mine if I was interested and had the ready cash. 

Well, one out of two ain't bad I suppose.

This car is not perfect, but it is rather rare in that it requires deft hand-foot coordination to swag cogs. Yep, it's a manual gearbox car - just right for wringing out that Rover-improved Buick aluminum V8. Roger is quite forthcoming abut the condition of the car, and I think it can be yours for not a lot of greenbacks.   

It's in Whidbey Island, Washington - worth the trip just to take in the scenery - so let me know if you need a navigator when you bring it back home.     

Update: Sold on Ebay.

Reflected Rivalry

I shot this photo during the February Mugs & Motors - Continental Classics tour and I thought it caught the rivalry between Triumph and MG pretty well. 

The MGA and Triumph TR3 were contemporaries when they were new and, as it is today, each had its own devoted following. The MGA is owned by Robb Ogletree and the TR3 belongs to Keith Jarvis.

Easy Method for Cleaning Light Lenses

I'm basically lazy and I'm always looking for ways to make my workload a bit lighter - even down to detailing my classic cars. Now, I'll probably be dropped from Griot's Garage mailing list, but I've got a tip for you and here it is:

Darling, are those CAR PARTS in my dishwasher?

To clean light lenses both inside and out with excellent results and minimum effort, put them in your dishwasher.

That's it. The warm water and detergent will get both plastic and glass lenses looking clear and spotless. Don't worry about the potential for etching from the detergent as it takes literally hundreds of cycles for that to appear. This method is also perfect for rehabbing old, used lenses from your parts cars, too. The folks that I've passed this on to have been impressed with their results.

My crack legal team wants me to tell you that you are on your own if you use this tip.

So there. 

Great Britain, England, United Kingdom

Since most SABCC'ers are American, there are occasionally times when a quick geography/history lesson would come in handy. Blogger C.G.P. Grey went to great effort to educate folks such as ourselves in the nuances of such things.

Pay attention - you never know when you might see this on another pub quiz...

Watch the Cat Go Back Together

Richard's E-Type Before Disassembly

I don't own a Jaguar E-Type. Well, I do have a half-ownership of a pile parts (some pretty good ones, actually) that used to be a complete E-Type that has since given its soul to other E-Types around the world, but its hasn't been a driver since Bill Clinton was in office. I do have a friend that owns an E-Type that I've written about from time to time here and he's starting the reassembly process of his long term restoration.

Richard Cunningham's 1964 E-Type coupe has it's own web site and now it also has a blog to keep all and sundry interested parties up to speed on the progress of the restoration. He has posted a number of photos there and will be keeping Jaguar lovers around the world up to date on his work. You might even see a photo or two of yours truly doing his best to stay out of the way while real work is being done on the car.

Check out his blog often - the cat could be on the road sooner than you might imagine.  

Jaguar XK8s for Toyota Camry Money - or Less

I'm lusting in my heart

Way back in 1996 Jaguar introduced the replacement for the venerable XJS - the stunning XK8. I can recall the first time I clapped eyes on the new sporty cat at one of my early British Car Festivals at Bellingrath Gardens. Joe Bullard's  Jaguar of the Gulf Coast was a major sponsor of the event and used it to introduce the new Jag to the Mobile area. It pushed all the right buttons for me - except in the ready cash department.

Fast forward a few years and the XK8 is in its second generation and called simply XK. Now toting a window sticker with a total price that can exceed $100,000, I began to look into the value of older XKs - just lookin', not buyin'.

A quick visit to Hemmings Motor News' web site found these loverly cats:

• 1997 XK8 convertible - 48K miles. Garage kept, full Jaguar service history. Dark blue metallic -$12,900.00

• 2000 XK8 convertible - 52K miles. Three owners from new. White with navy top - $13,900.00

• 1997 XK8 coupe - 63K miles. All service records. garage kept. Maroon metallic - $12,500.00

• 2003 XK8 convertible - 66K miles. Full dealer service. Black on black on black - $19,000.00

If you like a little more competition in your life, you can take your chances with Ebay. I recently heard about a locally-owned 2006 XK convertible with less than 25K miles on the clock for an opening bid of less than $19,000.00 - American!

For the same (or less) money that a Japanese beigebox costs, you could be driving an honest-to-goodness grand touring machine.

Terminal Triumphs

I ran this photo some years ago on the SABCC web site showing life (and cars) from a simpler time. 

The photo was shot by a Historic American Buildings Survey photographer documenting the impressive Gulf Mobile and Ohio railroad terminal in downtown Mobile, Alabama. The picture was taken in 1964, almost at the end of the depression-era HABS program's life. As with most cities, the railroad passenger terminal was the center for interstate travelers and the more elaborate the building, the better.

The sharp-eyed amongst you have probably already spotted the pair of Triumphs in the photo - they are parked in front of the building with their noses pointed outward. There is a TR-4 and a Herald side by side - the owners were probably Triumph buddies. You can click on the photo for a larger version.

The terminal building was recently re-purposed into an office complex and city bus line hub, saving the elegant old girl from the wrecking ball (no, that's not a Mardi Gras event).

I for one miss the old Tommie's Terminal Restaurant directly across the street from the GM&O building, almost at the photographer's back.  

The Dark Side

The club has had official logo merchandise available for purchase for a couple of years now. We've even got a site up for special limited edition SABCC 20th anniversary goods, too. What's been missing from the offering, however, is dark colored goods with the logo. 

Well, we've got it now. If you've held off ordering a white tee shirt for fear that your grease-covered habits will show up on it, fear no more. The club has tees in long and short sleeve for men and women and a nice selection of sweatshirts, too. Check out the site and show your club colors - in color.

This Was on My Christmas List...

... but it wasn't under my tree. Yeah, I'm not surprised, either. This video "pornifies" the awesome Aston Martin V12 Vantage by contrasting it against the LeMans DBR1-2 prototype racer. The soundtrack of both cars makes the hair on my neck stand up. How about you?


The video that I've posted here looks like it was filmed on the Sir Anthony Bamford estate in the UK - the same place where Alain DeCadenet's Victory by Design was shot. If you haven't seen these great videos, I recommend that you get your hands on them soon.

MINI Countryman is Here

About now,  the new MINI Countryman should be showing up at MINI of Pensacola. I've kept an eye on the development of this model and I thought at first that it was taking the MINI idea a bit far. As I am known to do, I've changed my opinion and I think it's probably a good move for the marque.

The Countryman has four (count 'em four) real doors, can be ordered with a bench back seat (for five up motoring) and is available with all wheel drive. Mini it ain't, but there are several other new cars in the MINI pipeline that are smaller and more sporty. In the meantime, here's a video that MINI produced to introduce the Countryman.   

A Tour of British Motor Heritage

There is a Web site for the modified (read "hotted up") British car enthusiast called British V8. The impressive site has tons of data, photos and an active forum for the exchange of ideas and tech tips. I recommend that you spend some time there just to get an appreciation of the extent of the performance car community.

One very good article in their excellent on-line magazine dealt with a visit to the British Motor Heritage factory where body shells and replacement body parts are produced on original factory tooling. The details and photos of the visit are very interesting and informative. I know it makes me wish for pockets deep enough to order new MGB roadster and Mini body shells. 

While I curse my poverty, take a moment to read this excellent account of the factory visit.

A Website for Healey Lovers

I do love a big Healey. The rumbling six cylinder sound of the later cars is certainly music to my ears - almost as captivating as a well tuned Jaguar E-Type.

One that got away from me during my teenage years was a tatty Austin Healey 100-6. The car was listed in the Sunday paper for $650.00 and it was located just off lower Dauphin Island Parkway - my stomping grounds. I drove up in my beater of an Oldsmobile and the the owner just looked out his window. Obviously I was not worth coming out of his house for and he was right. I did look the car over and it reinforced my desire for one. Of course, I didn't have the bucks and likely would not any time soon. Needless to say, I left the same way I arrived. It made me hate my poverty.

We've been lucky to welcome a number of these beautiful cars to our British Car Festivals over the years and I always linger over them during the show.

There's a great Web site dedicated to these most hairy-chested of British sports cars and I'm sure that most Austin-Healey owners know of it. Check out AustinHealey.com and be prepared for a well designed site that will keep your attention.

The Avengers: Pretty Girls, Action & Cool Cars

I loved The Avengers. The British program was shown on American television from about 1965 through 1969 and was targeted at the Man from U.N.C.L.E. and I Spy crowd. Action shows were in demand and The Avengers fit right in. It was one of my favorite television shows in my pre-teen years. Diana Rigg as Emma Peel checked all the right boxes for me, Patrick Macnee as John Steed was the personification of cool in a bowler hat and the cars - oh, the cars. 

That was my first exposure to British cars from what I consider to be their golden age. Blower Bentleys, Lotus', and other exotics flashed on the screen constantly to reinforce in my mind that there were choices other than the barges from Detroit.

Now, I've been told that I'm pretty pathetic when the subject of my interest in cars comes up, but there's one individual out there sadder than me. A gentleman named David K. Smith runs a web site dedicated to all things Avengers. Called The Avengers Forever, the site is a labor of love. In addition to background information about the show, he has listed every car in every episode - with its' registration number -  and has included a photo of it.

You know you want to visit it.

Malvern Link

Everyone knows that Morgans are built by gnomes in the forests around Malvern Link. What I didn't know that the village had really outdone themselves with their signage.

I'm a sucker for Morgans - three wheels, four wheels it doesn't matter. The modern stuff coming out of the factory is pretty stunning, especially the Super Sports now that they've got that whole cross-eyed thing worked out.

It gives a new meaning to "motor city", doesn't it?

Craigslist Cortina

You can find anything you want (I know, your mental stereos are already ahead of me here) on Craigslist it seems. Have you ever had a deep hankering for a Ford Cortina? Me neither, but they are interesting.

The seller of this car says his 1969 Cortina GT (!) has its original paint and interior. Being a vehicle of the 1960s, that's saying a lot.

This is a Mark II Cortina produced from 1966 through 1970. Ford cranked out over a million of them with engine choices (in the UK) from 1.2 to 1.6 liters displacement. They could be had in four door, two door and estate (that's a station wagon, pilgrim) versions. Brand new it listed in a US Ford dealer for $2,313.00. They were withdrawn from the US market in 1970.

You can buy this little jewel for $6,500.00 and it's located in Fairfax, Virginia. Let me know when you pick it up.

Road Racing 24/7

I've recently found a way to indulge my passion for watching road racing. RaceFansTV is an online source for nearly any sort of racing that involves turning right as well as left.

It is easy to log on and watch competitive events in sports car, touring car, open wheel and motorcycling as well as several other forms racing. It's free to watch events as they are streamed online, but for $5.00 a month, you can get more flexibility in the viewing schedule. The images are certainly not TV screen-sized, but they are adequate for individual viewing on your computer monitor.

I enjoy watching the documentary channel where you can see interesting presentations from the recent past as well as subjects ranging back to the dawn of the sport.

I used to watch this sort of thing on the late, lamented Speedvision before it became the neutered, reality-TV plagued wasteland it is now in the form of SPEED TV .

The Candy Store This Kid Wants to Browse

While I feel like I'm firmly grounded in reality, no real car guy can resist a little automotive fantasy now and then. One of my favorite places to visit via the web is Wire Wheel Classic Sports Cars. I first ran across the folks from Wire Wheel during my forays to the Rolex 24 at Daytona in the early aughts. Wire Wheel would bring a couple of interesting cars to show at the vendors corral and they always found time to run them on the parade laps prior to the start of the race.

Wire Wheel specializes in mostly British iron. They normally have a good selection of TRs and MGs, but they also have the occasional TVR, Lotus or other unusual marque. For a while, they seemed to have the US market for Marcoses cornered. They also have an interesting array classic and modern competition cars on hand. If you look hard enough you'll see that they have been able bring in some "not legal for use on public roads" cars - an MG-ZT260 for example.

Right now they've got a Lotus Europa Twin Cam in eye bleed green that's got my juices flowing. My enthusiasm is high, but my bank balance is low. Ah, fantasy.

Photo courtesy of Wire Wheel Classic Sports Cars

MGB in Song

Some years back I started researching an article that I was going to submit to the MGB Driver - the publication of the North American MGB Register - about two songs I had heard about MGB GTs.

One was by Peter Tork, the former Monkees band member who played a slow-witted character on the 1960s TV show of the same name. His song MGB-GT (surprise, surprise) is an upbeat little ditty that recalls the fun and escape provided by his "little red MG". The song can be found on his 1994 album Stranger Things Have Happened.

I contacted Peter through his music publishing company and exchanged emails. It turns out that in his Monkees days, he did own a red MGB GT (probably a '67 or '68 model) that he bought with one of his first TV paychecks. You can hear part of his song here.

The other song was by Richard Thompson, an English rock guitarist and singer with sort of a brooding sound. You may be familiar with his work with the group Fairport Convention in the late 1960s.

His version is about restoring an MGB GT, taking pains to point out that he "took the Rostyles off and put spoked wheels on", and mentions the Lockheed discs and twin SUs. Altogether a little more technical. Here's a link to Amazon's page where you can hear a short clip.

Embrace This

SABCC'er Tom Schmitz shared this video with me and it's too good not to pass along. Everyone I know wears seatbelts (it's the law, you know) but there are still few drivers who don't. The video was produced for the Sussex (UK) Safer Roads Partnership so that's why the driver's shoulder harness appears to be reversed - right hand drive, you know!