A Henry Manney Treasure Trove

Photo by Patrick Manney- All Rights Reserved

It's no secret that I am a huge fan of the wit and wisdom of motorsports and automotive writer Henry N. Manney, III. I've lamented in these humble scribblings of how little there was to be found on the Internet about "Our Friend", but I think I've found the mother lode.

Henry and Anne Manney's son, Patrick, has scanned and uploaded a trove of family photos to a Flicker account and I have to admit, I spent about 45 minutes going through them. Now, not all of them are of Henry the Third - most of them are of family and friends with a few letters thrown in - but they are a moving look at the Manney family's life in Southern California. 

There are numerous photos of Anne in her days as a ballerina in Paris and a lot of old carte de visites of what I assume are ancestors of the family, but the most endearing ones are of the family looking over their new home in Corona Del Mar, California.

If you were a reader of Road & Track 'back in the day' take a few minutes to check out this delightful photo collection. 

An MG with Room for the Family

Only 116 in existence says the seller

Back in the prewar days, MG had designs on competing head to head with the likes of Bentley and SS-Jaguar in the high performance saloon car market. Large MGs such as the SA, VA and WA models were creditable offerings from the company known more for smaller sports models.

During one of my recent trolls of the Hemmings Motor News site, I ran across this lovely 1937 MG VA for sale by the owner. This car checks all the correct boxes for me with its' suicide front doors, tall wire wheels and two tone paint scheme. Powered by a 1-1/2 liter pushrod four cylinder engine, the pace would be considered leisurely today since the output was only around 54 BHP.

Production ended at the outbreak of World War II with a total of just over 2400 built.

It could be mine for only $39,000.00. One more reason for me to hate my poverty. 

Grab This Tiger by the Tail

Only 536 built in 1967, says the seller

While browsing the Hemmings Motor News web site, I ran across this very  pretty 1967 Sunbeam Tiger. The seller claims that it has been given a complete restoration and has been the recipient of several show awards. You can own it for just $90,000.00. Ee-yow!

Ron Wolverton - get your Tiger back on the road.

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 Two-Wheeled Piece of MG History

Most MG enthusiasts know of the pre-war MG factory hack nicknamed the "Auld Speckled 'Un" that was used for various runaround duties at the Abingdon works. MG had several vehicles that they used over the years to perform errands and other duties, some famous, others not so much. 

While trolling the Internet, I found a charming story about an ex-MG works motorized bicycle that was bought at auction during the liquidation of the of the historic factory. The bike is a 1953 Raleigh Cyclemaster Roundsman and was powered by a 32cc single cylinder engine. The bike does not have a registration number on it so it was likely not taken off the factory grounds. I love the signwritten plate with the MG and Riley information.

Since most manufactured vehicles were exported after the second world war to earn badly needed foreign exchange, Britain had to turn to smaller two and three wheeled motorized delivery vehicles to keep the economic wheels turning at home. A motorized bicycle was a step up from a push bike (that's a regular bicycle to you, cowboy) and it was very miserly with rationed fuel, to boot. 

This photo was part of a blog entry at the oldbike.eu blog.   

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.

One for the Brave Restorer

I'm always trolling the Internet to feed my classic British car fantasies and I find myself a regular visitor to the  purveyors of the particular crack cocaine that is my addiction. Case in point: Gullwing Motor Cars in Astoria, New York always has a nice selection of cars in various conditions from show-ready to basket cases.

One that falls somewhere in between is an intriguing 1934 MG J2 that the seller claims is a 30 year barn resident. The car sports Texas plates with the last tax sticker dating to 1972 or 77 - the photo is unclear. As you can see from the pictures, it is rather rough and the engine is sitting where the passenger's legs should be.

The MG J2 was powered by an 847 cc overhead cam, crossflow head design four cylinder engine. It shared this engine with various Morrises and Wolseleys of the day. Driving the car might be a bit of a challenge for inexperienced drivers as it has cable operated brakes and a completely unsynchronized four speed gearbox. In two years of J2 production, MG cranked out just under 2,200 of them.