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Shenandoah Valley British Car Club - Founded 1981
The Shenandoah Valley British Car Club Ltd. Official Newsletter
Volume 26, Issue 9
On Your Marque On Your Marque
1 September Website: www.SVBCC.net
REMINDER—For one reason or another, many of us change our email address and e-mail is our
primary method of keeping you informed of events and what is going on with SVBCC. If you change your email address, please let us know so you will not miss out on any important events. Membership renewal link http://svbcc.net/membership.htm, by Bob Shiflet
In This Issue of "On Your Marque" Page
SVBCC People
Newsletter index and People 1
President’s Letter 2
Where We've Been
Historically Speaking 3
Oct Show Park History 6
Run to Wild Wolf 9
Where We're Going
Calendar of Events for 2013 11
Cass RR Adventure 12
Information for Members
SVBCC Tool Box Discussions 13
Notices/for sale/wanted 14
Back Editor Page and Mailing Labels 15
2013 SVBCC Officers
President : Mark Harris
V. President: John Sanders
Secretary: Mary Ann Harris
Treasurer: Bill Krzastek
Membership: Bob Shiflet
Website: Michael Fitzgeorge
Newsletter: Danny Leech
Historian: Bob Vitrikas
Car Show: Dave Sanders
Welcome back SVBCC Members
Don & Vicki Rich PO Box 725 Nellysford, VA
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Shenandoah Valley British Car Club - Founded 1981
President Mark’s Message— The Road to Watkins Glen
Postwar American road racing came into existence on the streets of Watkins Glen, New York in October 1948. Road racing in the 1930’s had been the exclusive domain of European marques/drivers and a few wealthy amateurs of the Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA). This group held moderately successful events but disbanded at the commencement of the Second World War. The 1948 Watkins Glen event--staged under the watchful eye of Glen resident, Cameron Argetsinger--brought together some of the former ARCA members and a whole new crop of drivers and sports/racing cars. Readers seeking more information about Watkins Glen racing should consult the 50th anniversary publications compiled under the leadership of J.J. O’Malley and Bill Green: “The Glen 50 Years of Road Racing Excellence” and “Watkins Glen From Gris-wold to Gordon: Fifty Years of Competition At the Home of American Road Racing”.
My first race at the Glen was the October 1967 US Grand Prix won by Jim Clark in a Lotus-Ford. I was
attending college in central Pennsylvania and joined a friend with a new MG (don’t recall if it was a Midget or B) for the weekend. College class work always took a back seat to hedonistic delights and, as I recall, the actual race was entirely secondary to the racetrack party scene. Over the ensuing decades the track hosted many national and international events including CART, Trans-Am, Can-Am, IMSA, NASCAR and SCCA region-als. In 1993, the Grand Prix Festival brought vintage road racing to Watkins Glen. Sponsored by Zippo and the Chemung Canal Trust Company and staged by the SVRA, this weekend event has attracted thousands of spectators, drivers, and historic racecars. It has become a major draw for the region.
Locally, Mahlon and Alice Webb (good friends of Ken Brasfield and Mazda RX7 owners) began attending
the Grand Prix Festival in the late ‘90’s and within a few years had recruited the Brasfield family (and their newly acquired MGA). The Webbs and Brasfields soon turned to others in the SVBCC sports car community and began sponsoring/promoting the event. They scouted the routes, tried out accommodations, and rec-ommended various roadside attractions. The trip can be made in a single day but most take two (or more) days. Participants stay on back roads and enjoy small towns and local scenery. Elmira, Bellefonte, Shamokin Dam, Wellsboro, Eagles Mere, Wellsville, and Letchworth State Park have become familiar names and welcome overnight stops.
The first week of this month, a small but energetic group of Club members will again head north towards
the Finger Lakes and the Grand Prix Festival. A few members of the Williamsburg British Car Club will join SVBCC and the full caravan will spend two nights at Raystown Lake, PA. The Lake is the home of a reputed Loch Ness monster called “Raystown Ray” and is near the incredibly comprehensive Swigart Antique Auto Museum in Huntington, PA. The road from there across the remote north central Pennsylvania landscape is incredibly picturesque.
Each year the Festival selects a car to highlight. Owners compete in a “Tour de Marque” around the re-
gion, drive the racetrack, and follow the original street course. This year’s marque is the “Mini” so we ex-pect to see a huge turnout of Mini loyalists—including Michael Brittingham and Rhonda Roebuck. Mary Ann and I (along with the Brasfields) usually drive an MG, because from my perspective, this car defined the post-war sports car craze and was a key participant in early road racing at the Glen. An MG was my ride first to the Glen in 1967; this year, an MG will get us back on the road to Watkins Glen.
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Shenandoah Valley British Car Club - Founded 1981
Historically Speaking by Bob Vitrikas
The Mini: Small, Cute Giant Killer - Part 2
Last month we reviewed the history of the original Mini and this month we will continue the story with what is commonly referred to as the new MINI. The car’s styling and engineering is reminiscent of the original but in a two foot longer version. Guess the all caps MINI name reflects that! The new MINI is also about 1,000 pounds heavier thanks not just to the larger size but the safety and emission equipment and a much more extensive standard equipment list that includes air conditioning and pow-er windows, unthinkable in the original Mini which didn’t even have interior door panels. I’ve owned both versions of the Mini and in my opinion they both have their separate and distinct charms.
The new MINI had a tortured gestation, complicated by the BMW Volkswagen wrestling
match over who had the rights to manufacture Rolls-Royce and Bentley automobiles. In the end they settled their differences, BMW is now manufacturing Rolls-Royce motorcars and VW is making Bentleys. We’ve come a long way since WWII haven’t we? Meanwhile back at the MINI camp, Alex Issigonis’ first cousin once removed, BMW Director Bernd Pischetsrieder, got revved up to build the new MINI. Lest you think the new MINI is a German car let me say it is most definitely not. In fact the MINI is built in Blighty in Oxford near the original Mini factory. The Clubman and Paceman are built in Austria.
The new MINI in its basic MINI One version not sold in the U.S. Some argued that bigger is not better!
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Shenandoah Valley British Car Club - Founded 1981
The MINI project was first approved by BMW in 1995 with Rover having responsibility for its design. In 1999 MINI development reverted to BMW in Germany and the following year BMW sold Rover but kept the MINI name. The MINI was introduced in Europe in 2001 and made its debut in the States in 2002. BMW did a first class job on the car, including the incorporation of an expensive independent rear suspension. The Tritec engine was built in Brazil, not so expensive but it got the job done.
I think BMW has done a fantastic job of keeping the original feel and fun factor of the original Mini in a quality built modern machine that still turns heads and brings a smile to those catch a glimpse of one. Awards include North American Car of the Year in 2003 and the popular British television pro-gram and magazine Top Gear named the 2006 Cooper S their Small Car of the Year.
The new MINI comes in a bewildering variety of body styles, two door hardtop, two door converti-ble, long wheelbase Clubman, two seater coupe and convertible and even a four wheel drive ver-sion. The total number of MINI models now stands at seven! The MINI Coupe show at the left was in-troduced in 2012. Has MINI gone too far? You can power your new MINI with a naturally aspirated engine or choose a super-charged version up until 2007 when turbo-charging was the preferred method of cram-ming more fuel and air into each cylinder. For
those who want that little bit extra, there is the John Cooper
The MINI Clubman. True to the original design with “barn door” rear opening.
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Shenandoah Valley British Car Club - Founded 1981
Fall Trash Bash is Coming Up Soon Breakfast at Shoney’s does not conjure up the same images as Breakfast at Tiffany’s, but breakfast is free at Shoney’s. Well it is if you help us clean our adopted sections of roadways on September 21. We will meet at Shoney’s for their breakfast buffet at 9:00 a.m. and then head out to the Barren Ridge area to see what “treasures” we can find. You bring your gloves and walking shoes, we will furnish the rest. Shoney’s is located just off of I-64 exit 94. Turn right at the end of your exit
ramp and again turn right at the first traffic light if you came from the East and the second traffic light if you come from the West. Shoney’s is right there. They have a small semi-private room in the back which I have reserved.
This is our chance to make the road many of our car show attendees travel look great. I will be away
from September 6th through the 16th but email me at [email protected] if you can help.
Works option package which boosts the horse power 25% compared to the Cooper S. In Eu-rope a diesel engine is also available.
Starting with the 2007 model, the second generation MINI hit the streets. Changes were
significant but the overall package design remained basically the same even though every body panel was changed from the first generation car. Length increased by nearly 2.5 inches. BMW’s thinking was, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it! The bonnet line was a bit higher to meet Euro-pean pedestrian standards and the interior received some minor tweaks. The engine was now based on a design shared with Peugeot Citroen and built in the UK. engine development was done by BMW in Munich resulting in a more cost effective and fuel efficient design.
The MINI continues its com-
petition heritage, participating in the World Rally Champion-ship, and road racing around the world. In 2007 the John Cooper Works Challenge MINI, built in the BMW Motorsports factory in Munich, is an all out racecar. The British based Prodrive World Rally Champi-onship MINI continues the Mini tradition!
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Shenandoah Valley British Car Club - Founded 1981
Ridgeview Park—Home of the SVBCC October Car Shows—by Mark Harris Waynesboro’s Ridgeview Park has been the site of the Shenandoah Valley British Car Club’s October
Show for over thirty years but most of us know little or nothing about this scenic municipal respite. The 83 acre island of green is bordered by the South River, several residential areas, Westwood Hills Elementary School, Route 340 (Rosser Avenue) and the Waynesboro Cemetery. It includes wooded regions (mature Shingle Oaks) and open meadows; the geology is a limestone and dolomite mix commonly seen along Vir-ginia rivers. The park’s lowland river scape serves as our car show field and is subject to frequent flooding. Access to this area is from Rosser Avenue to Lovers Lane and Northgate Avenue. The other park entrance is across recreational fields and does not communicate with the show field. (This can be a source of some confusion for first time show attendees.)
The earliest recorded history of the area is intimately connected to the John Campbell family. Accord-
ing to “A History of Waynesboro, to 1900”, John was an Irish (or Scotch-Irish) emigrant believed to have settled in Augusta County about 1733. In 1738, John’s
three sons (Patrick, Robert, and David) each bought parcels of land to farm from William Beverley. Approx-imately 10 years later, John purchased (also from William Beverley) a 325 acres property straddling the South River and including land that would become Ridgeview Park. Shortly after purchase, construction began on the two story stone house that still stands next to the park on Oak Avenue. The house was com-pleted in about 1751.
According to several sources, John’s great grandson (Patrick’s grandson) was (General) William Camp-
bell (1745-81) and he may have resided in the stone house. According to other credible sources, William was the son of Charles Campbell, a member of Patton’s expedition that mapped Southwest Virginia in 1748. In recognition of Charles’ contribution to that expedition, he was awarded a royal charter for a large tract of land situated near the current Saltville, Virginia in Smyth County. This tract was named “Buffalo Lick” or “Salt Lick” for the abundant salt deposits. These deposits were an important source of revenue for the family and an essential source of salt for the Confederacy. (Saltville was attacked and occupied by Un-ion forces in December 1864.)
William Campbell was to become a farmer, militia leader, and well-respected Virginia patriot. He was
the brother-in-law of Patrick Henry, a signer of the Fincastle Resolution (which promoted armed resistance to the British), and he represented Hanover County (north of Richmond) in the House of Delegates. During the Revolutionary War, William was a Virginia militia leader called to oppose General Cornwallis’ loyalist strategy in the Carolinas. In 1780, the British military sent Major Ferguson to lead loyalists in open warfare against the American cause. William Campbell, as leader the Virginia militia, was nominal commander of the Patriot forces that crushed the loyalists at the battle of Kings Mountain (SC). Colonel Campbell is re-ported to have led his forces into battle telling the men to “shout like hell and fight like devils”. Many loy-alists were killed as they attempted to surrender and nine others were hung as traitors after the battle. For these acts, the British gave Campbell the moniker “bloody tyrant of Washington County”. In March 1781, the Virginia militia under Colonel Campbell fought in support of General Nathaniel Green at the battle of Guilford Courthouse (NC). He was promoted to brigadier general following the engagement but died of unknown causes shortly thereafter.
To recognize General William Campbell’s distinguished service to the American War of Independence,
the Virginia House of Delegates awarded 5000 acres near “Salt Lick” to his son, Charles Henry Campbell (1780-86). This land was passed down through Charles Henry’s sister, Sarah Buchanan Campbell. General
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Shenandoah Valley British Car Club - Founded 1981
William, his wife Elizabeth Henry Campbell Russell, and their son Charles Henry are buried in Aspenvale Cemetery near Saltville in Smyth County.
John Campbell sold his property as two
parcels in 1785 and 1786. The land was subsequently divided and
resold many times over the ensuing centu-ries. Of some note, records show that a gristmill, the Merchant (later renamed the Globe), was constructed on parkland and remained in continuous operation until destroyed by fire in 1930.
In late February 1865, General Sheridan’s forces moved south from Winchester to join Sherman’s army
in the Carolinas. Delayed briefly near Mount Crawford, Sheridan reached Staunton and then turned east to pursue the remnants of Jubal Early’ s forces. On March 2nd, Sheridan’s army (which included George Arm-strong Custer) attacked the fortified Waynesboro defensive position on a ridge north of the river. Early’ s left flank was protected by a thick forest that was believed to be a barrier to Union advances. In reality, troops under General Pennington moved along a small river road that traversed the woodlands (through park acreage) and came up behind Early’ s lines. Coordinating with Custer’s cavalry, the two forces quickly overrun the Confederate left flank and captured most of the army.
The modern history of the park is documented in text prepared by the City of Waynesboro Horticultural
Office and Hill Studio Landscape Architects. It reads in part: “Most of the property now occupied by Ridgeview Park was cultivated as an orchard until the mid-
twentieth century as reflected by area street names including Orchard Avenue, Orchard Place, Stamen Ave-nue, and Apple Acres. In November of 1951…29.13 acres of land situated in the Rose Cliff area had been purchased by the City for just over $13,000 for use as a city park…Initially, the park was named South City Park. The name was re-vised to Ridge View Park in 1961; the winning en-try of a name-the-park contest sponsored by the Waynesboro Jaycees and “The News Virginian”. Two months later, the City Council converted the double name to one word: “Ridgeview”. The name change coincided with a major push by the Waynesboro Junior Chamber of Commerce and Jaycees to raise funds for construction of the pic-nic shelter, band shell, ball fields, and children’s playground. Subsequent purchases by the City of lands adjacent to the original 29 acres including property west of the river were made in the 1960’s; then again in the 1990’s bringing the total, aggregate property to 83 acres.”
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Shenandoah Valley British Car Club - Founded 1981
The Shenandoah Valley British Car Club has maintained a decades long relationship with Waynesboro’s Depart-ment of Parks and Recreation. Ridgeview Park, as the home of our annual car show, combines open meadow, wooded shade, and river scape to create an incredibly positive impression among visiting car owners and local spectators. Car Show attendees will recognize the pa-vilion which is the center of the annual SVBCC show each October
The amphitheater facility provides rest rooms for the car show, though few will recognize this photo as the open air stag faces away from the car area.
There is also a playground and an Olympic size (50 meters) swimming pool near the car show area. A short distance to the east is a foot bridge that will
take you across the South River to see several soccer fields and many trials for walking, bicycles or strollers.
I believe this area to be the most attractive small car show venue I have encountered and am hopeful that we will continue to enjoy this municipal gem for years to come.
One of the early Little League teams at the
new South Park (now Ridgeview) field in 1957
that includes a SVBCC member
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Shenandoah Valley British Car Club - Founded 1981
“Run to Wild Wolf” by John Sanders The weather gods were smiling on the
Shenandoah Valley British Car Club as we did our “Run to the Wolf” drive down the Blue Ridge Parkway Saturday August 17th.
16 cars took part in our outing down the Parkway in what has to be one of nic-est days we have had all summer. With temperatures in the low 70’s, low hu-midity and a little cloud cover I did not even have to turn my new working A/C on in my TR8.
The drive down the Parkway gave one a chance to look out over the beau-tiful countryside we are blessed to live in. After a 90-minute drive we dropped off over the mountain at Crabtree falls where you had better not be looking around, as the drop is steep and there are more curves than at one Hef’s fa-mous poolside parties. Makes you glad you are in a sports car and not a SUV!
Then over to Route 151 for the final
push to Wild Wolf. Waiting to greet us as we drove in was fellow club member and for-mer news editor Don Rich. He had a great spot out front for us where we were greeted by 4 other cars that did not make the tour but wanted to be part of the festivities at Zestivities (http://
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Shenandoah Valley British Car Club - Founded 1981
www.zestivities.com/Pages/default.aspx) one of several of Don and Vicky’s shops in Wild Wolf Vil-lage. We even had Phillip Patch (sitting here with Cindy) join us from the Richmond Triumph Regis-ter who had come down from Fredericksburg in his TR8 Wedge. We also had on our trip, Betty Cordell and Bob Grimshaw making their first outing with SVBCC. We were so glad to have you all with us!
So after the 30 of us chatted around the cars we went about shopping at one several of Don’s shop. Then after our shopping we made our way over to Wild Wolf Brewery (http://www.wildwolfbeer.com/) for a nice cold one and wonderful lunch outside in the beer garden.
So after much socializing we departed the Wolf for home. I am hoping that we will come back next year but we will take a different route starting on the east side of the mountains and a start point that will have nice amenities to start our trip.
A BIG thank you to Don, Vicky and Tyler (welcome back to the club) for hosting us at Wild Wolf Vil-lage. Hope to see you again soon. Cheers!
We had a raffle for two gift certifi-cates to any of Don and Vicky’s shops that were won by Tom Warden and Mi-chael Brittingham.
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Shenandoah Valley British Car Club - Founded 1981
2013 SVBCC Schedule of Events
September 14-15—CVBCC Car Show, New Kent Winery, Dave Sanders September 21—Trash Bash, Bob Shiflet October 4-5—SVBCC Car Show, Waynesboro October 13—MGCCDC Hunt Country Car Show, Marshall, Dave Sanders October 18-20—Highland County Rally & Cass Railway, Wes Maupin/ Mark Harris October 26—Halloween Party, Michael Brittingham & Rhonda Roebuck November TBA Business Meeting, John Sanders December 7—Christmas Parade, Waynesboro, Mark Harris
2013 Select Automotive Events September TBA—Historic Races, Put-In-Bay, OH September 6-8—Vintage GP, Watkins Glen, NY September 13-15—Goodwood Revival, UK September 20-22—British Invasion Car Show, Stowe, VT September 27-29—Gold Cup Historic Races, VIR, Danville October 10-13—AACA Fall Show, Hershey, PA October 10-13—Classic MGs at Callaway, Pine Mountain, GA, [email protected] for more information
Break Out Your Detailing Supplies – Car Show is Coming Up Soon! Yes, summer is almost over, autumn is right around the corner and that means that the SVBCC’s annual
British car show will be here soon. One of the most popular events for British car owners in the mid-Atlantic area, we’ll once again be displaying a collection of Britain’s best under the tall oaks of Ridgeview Park in Waynesboro. So drag out your wash buckets, polish, wax, and Q Tips to get your pride and joy ready for its big day.
When you arrive at the park this year you won’t see the Triumph TRs you normally see. Instead you’ll
see Minis and MINIs, both BMC and BMW. We are prominently displaying these cars this year as our fea-tured marque and Crown MINI of Richmond is sponsoring our event. Crown will have a display of MINIs for you to examine and maybe to test drive. With the entrance to the Blue Ridge Parkway only a few miles away it could be a long test drive!
As in prior years we’ll have food, vendors, and our intrepid DJ will be filling the air with the classics
sounds of the British Invasion. Best of all, our world-famous bake sale will be back, so those of you who skipped breakfast or prefer cupcakes for lunch are once again in for a treat.
Putting on an event like this requires a lot of work and I believe you’ll agree with me that those dozen
or so people on the show committee are doing a great job. But they can’t do it all by themselves on the day of the show, it simply requires more people because there is so much to do. So I am asking, as I have in the past, for your help. We don’t need you all day – we want you to enjoy the show. We do need you for an hour or two at the most. We need help with setting up tents, directing show cars to their display area, help with the bake sale, and help cleaning up the park at the end of the day. Since some of these jobs take as little as a half an hour I hope you’ll consider helping out.
See you at the show—Dave Sanders
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Shenandoah Valley British Car Club - Founded 1981
Cass Railroad Excursion by Mark Harris October 18-20, 2013
With summer just arriving in Central Virginia, you may not be ready to consider fall activities; however, SVBCC is planning a Cass Railroad excursion the weekend of October 18-20. The Cass RR is a Shay steam train that ascends old logging routes in the mountains of WV.
Cass, WV is near the Snowshoe resort. We are planning to take the Bald Knob train Saturday 10/19 leav-ing the station at noon and returning about 4:30 PM. The leisurely ascent/descent leaves time for picnics and walks at the top. Individual rates are about $32 on the weekend with a 10% discount available should we meet the minimum "group" number of 15. The train offers non-reserved bench type seating and could be crowded because of the popularity of this fall activity. SVBCC last visited the Cass RR about 8 years ago and all enjoyed the experience. See their website: http://www.cassrailroad.com/
This event can be a single day's activity, or a one (or two) night event--depending on your interest.
SVBCC is adding the Cass RR excursion to a "Highland County" driving tour/rally organized by Wes Maupin. Wes will meet the SVBCC caravan Friday AM and lead us through the region--covering some of the most beautiful sports car roads in the region. Alternatively, one can make your own way to Cass, WV on Satur-day AM and meet at the station. Those wishing to stay over Saturday night may get together for Sunday breakfast and/or a scenic return trip home.
There are several overnight options in the area: Brazenhead Inn is located 1/2 hour from Cass near Snowshoe. It is a traditional mountain Inn with
meeting room, pub, restaurant, and Irish music Saturday nights. Many stayed here on the last trip. http://www.brazenheadinn.com/
A motel complex is available at Snowshoe--also about a 1/2 hour from Cass. Cherry Hill B&B is also in Monterey, VA http://cherryhillbandb.com/ Highland Inn is a beautiful, restored Hotel in Monterey, VA about 1 hour from Cass. http://
www.highland-inn.com/ Cherry Hill B&B is also in Monterey, VA http://cherryhillbandb.com/ Laural Point Retreat is located just outside of Monterey, VA http://laurelpointretreat.com/site/ Wel-
come.html Railroad company houses are available to rent in Cass, WV and can be viewed/reserved at the Cass
RR offices or online. October is a popular time in the mountains and availability will dry up as we get further into the sum-
mer/early fall. Mary Ann and I will probably stay at the Brazenhead Inn for Friday and Saturday nights. They have small downstairs rooms ($84) and larger upstairs rooms that accommodate up to 4 people ($94). They have current availability of both types and the owner says you should be OK if your reservation gets to them over the next six weeks. They do add a $10 cleaning fee for customers staying only one night. Please reserve your own accommodations but contact me directly to see if we qualify for "group" sales (Again, we need at minimum of 15 for this.) Without group numbers, each person will make their own RR reservations but I can handle group sales for SVBCC.
Please let me know if interested, Mark Harris ([email protected]) 434 295-8469
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Shenandoah Valley British Car Club - Founded 1981
It’s a Colorful World!
For many British car enthusiasts British Racing Green is the color of choice. But why is there a British Racing Green in the first place? The answer may surprise you.
Back in the earliest days of automobile racing, one of the premier events was the Gordon Bennett Cup races sponsored by Gordon Bennett, owner of the New York Herald newspaper. The races were held in Europe over public roads from 1900-1905. Nationalism was running high in Europe. Count Eliot Zbor-owski, born in Elizabethtown, New Jersey but who later became a British citizen, suggested that national colors be assigned to designate the country of origin of the automobiles; blue for France, yellow for Bel-gium, white for Germany and red for Italy. It was customary for the national team that won the Gordon Bennett Cup to host the next year’s race. The UK built “Napier”, driven by Selwyn Edge (and painted an olive green), won in 1902 and so the UK hosted the 1903 race. The problem was that racing was banned on British roads and there were no dedicated race tracks. Brooklands was still 4 years away from being completed. There was no ban on racing in Ireland and so the UK race was held there. The British Napier cars were painted shamrock green in honor of the Irish hosting the race. Shamrock green was a lighter shade of green than is commonly regarded as British Racing Green (BRG) and some British teams used this lighter color of green; Aston Martin racers and MG record breakers used a light shade of green for many years. If you order a new Aston Martin today and specify Aston Martin Racing Green, you will get a light green car. In 1903 green was designated the color for the UK teams. As the years passed, a darker hue of green became commonly accepted as BRG.
In the 1920s, colors were assigned formally by the predecessor of the Federation Internationale d’Au-tomobile; blue for France, red for Italy, white for Germany, and yellow for Belgium. In place of red, the U.S. colors were white with a blue stripe or blue with a white stripe. In the 1930s the German teams broke w/the rules and used unpainted alloy panels, hence the Mercedes-Benz and Auto Union (now known as Audi) teams were referred to as the ‘Silver Arrows’. It was said that the lack of paint saved about 40 pounds of weight but the ‘Silver Arrows’ were around before there was a minimum weight limit on grand prix cars. In the spring of 1968 it all changed when sponsorship liveries were allowed. Interestingly the British teams were the first to drop the British Racing Green color scheme. In contrast, Ferrari and Alfa Ro-meo have remained true to their Italian red racing colors.
In summary, British Racing Green came about because: an American newspaper magnate sponsored races in Europe, an American Count suggested national racing colors, a green Napier British car won the race, so Britain would host the next race, but racing was banned in Britain, so the race was held in Ireland, in whose honor the British painted their cars Irish green and that’s how British Racing Green came to be. So simply put, if it weren’t for the Americans and the Irish we wouldn’t have British Racing Green today!
The August 2013 Capital Triumph Register (CTR) newsletter is available on the website. . The direct link is:August 2013 Capital Triumph Register Newsletter password is “MG” Art Fournier Editor, Capital Triumph Register Newsletter
SCBCC Tool Box Discussions—The Simple Stuff by Bob
Early Automobile Racing History Website - note from Dennis Gorman
I found this web site in an article in the recent Hemming's Motor News. It was created by an auto histo-
rian in Cary NC and contains a wealth of historical information and pictures related to early auto racing in
the US. www.firstsuperspeedway.com
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Shenandoah Valley British Car Club - Founded 1981
Members Buying and Selling: ads will run in the Newsletters 2 months unless you request an extension.
Pictures are welcome. Send ads to the editor, addresses on last page.
Announcement: Classifieds On Line
Webmaster has established a classified section on our club website at http://svbcc.net/Classifieds.htm. Individual members of the club may post Wanted or For Sale items at no charge. The posting will be in place for 60 days unless canceled or renewed. Send ad to the Webmaster at [email protected].
C’VILLE CARS AND COFFEE
LOCATION: C’Ville Coffee---1301 Harris Street, Charlottesville, VA TIME: 7:30 to 9:30 AM Open to pre-1988 classic cars or trucks; and European sports cars of all years. Grab a cup of coffee and some breakfast, walk around, admire the cars and leave when you want! Guided parking spots are available on a first-come basis. Let C’Ville Cars and Coffee be your first stop before you head out to that Saturday car show, or set out on that wonderful Saturday morning drive. Questions? Contact Frank O’Donnell at [email protected] or 540-819-5235
UPCOMING DATES: (the first Saturday of every month) Saturday, September 7th Saturday, October 5th Saturday, November 2nd
For Sale: 1976 MGB
This car belongs to the parents of a friend; I have not seen it and have no personal knowledge of it, so contact the owners (below) for infor-mation. From the area code I assume it is in or near Rockbridge Coun-ty. The following information was sent to me along with the pictures. I hope the price will be right for the lucky buyer.
“… my father wants to sell his MG. My mother and father are moving to FL and need to let the MG go. I am sure
someone will get a sweet deal on this little gem. A few pics are attached for the '76 MG convertible. It has a new roof and dash. My father pur-chased it about 11 years ago and it ran at the time. Since then it has sat, untouched in a carport, awaiting my father's restoration. I hope you will share this information with anyone who may be interested. Dad's just looking for a best offer. “
When I asked about rust she added that she had “looked but saw very little.”
Contact information: John and Susie Bunten 540-691-7467 or 540-691-7468
For Sale: 1973 MGB Motor & Gearbox
I have a MGB Motor and Gearbox [Great Condition] removed from a 73 MGB, for sale on EBay – Richmond VA area – SUPER DEAL! Please pass this info on to anyone in the club that may be interested. Web link: http://www.ebay.com/itm/161075883003?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649
Please contact me if you have any questions.
Daniel, Henrico, VA, 804.874.4798
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Shenandoah Valley British Car Club - Founded 1981
Organ i za t i on Name
On Your Marque is the official publication of the Shenandoah Valley British Car Club, Ltd. Any and all
opinions expressed herein are those of contributing author's and not necessarily those of the SVBCC, its
individual members, or the leaders of the Club. Contributions and comments are enthusiastically en-
couraged. We are always looking for interesting and stories about owning a Classic British Sports Car.
Send your letters, pictures, and articles of interest to: [email protected] or On Your Marque
Newsletter Editor, 1224 Boxwood Circle, Waynesboro, VA 22980
Shenandoah Valley British Car Club, Ltd.
P.O. Box 323
Waynesboro, Virginia 22980
