Where are they Now?

For those interested in competing 4 cylinder Morgans

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Roger Bonsall
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Re: Where are they Now?

Post by Roger Bonsall »

Good morning Mark and Andy - everyone else!

Anyone can find out if a car got onto the DVLA records when they were computorised in the early 1980s. Just go to the DVLA's vehicle online services and select Vehicle Enquiry. You'll need the make and registration no and, if it got on their records in the 1980s, it will tell you brief details including if it's currently taxed - but not the owner's details.

Glass's Index of Registation Numbers (published in 1965/6) will tell you which year a registration number was issued and by which Local Authority. My copy was 'borrowed' from former employer many years ago!

MOG1 was issued in Birmingham between May and Sept 1952 for goods vehicles. It never seems to have got onto the DVLA computorised records.

818AOA was also issued in Birmingham in September 1959. It also never seems to have got onto the DVLA's computorised records.

Right - that's the basic pedantry over!

I know Jake Alderson is now on 1962 and has a lot of info about the car in Adrian Dence's ownership and Brian Kendall can help with his period ownership (1963/4). Alan House's subsequent racing activities (late 64 on) are fairly well recorded, but the mystery remains of when, why and how it become left hand drive and what happened to it thereafter. Maybe a race report of a major shunt (possibly at Silverstone Brian vaguely remembers) would be a clue.

Thanks in anticipation of a flood of illuminating replies!

Roger.
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RICHARD PLANT
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Re: Where are they Now?

Post by RICHARD PLANT »

HI Roger

Happy New Year. What makes you think that AOA was converted to left hand drive? The car that Roy North drove was certainly left hand drive
and was registered ALT 82 B (a London registration number) this car does not exist on the DVLA web registration check service, ALT was then raced
by John Stapleton in 1969 before passing on to Bob Stuart and Aubrey Brocklebank from there on who knows it’s probably tucked up in
someone’s garage just like 49 AFK without the owner knowing anything of its previous history ect. I will phone Brian Jenkins to see if he can
remember anything of House / North period etc.

Regards

Richard.
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John Clarke
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Re: Where are they Now?

Post by John Clarke »

Morgans at Goodwood - the early days.

Opening Meeting 18th Sept 1948
Event 2 Open Sportscar race 3 laps
Car no 14 Driver Peter Morgan Morgan 4/4 Posn 2nd
Car no 17 Driver David Render Morgan 4/4 (MPH750)
Car no 24 Driver Mike Anthony Morgan 4/4
Sorry if it breaks the AOA thread, but came across a book in Waterstone's "100 Years of Motoring in Pictures" (Associated Press) where there was a nice picture of the paddock at this first Goodwood race. In the foreground was Morgan 4-4 number 17 with Reg H(?)PH 750. A perfectly standard looking car with the double curvature back panel.

There was another racing Morgan in the background which I believe was 'Dick' Anthony - not sure if the listing of 'Mike' Anthony is correct? More about Dick Anthony here http://www.mogsport.net/LeMans/Anthony.html

Dick would have been in HPC 13, the blue car rebodied by the factory for Dick which was then used by him in various trials. Oh, and Peter Morgan would have been in CAB 652.

As for AOA - nothing I can add I'm afraid.

Regards

john
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John Clarke
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Re: Where are they Now?

Post by John Clarke »

1st Members Meeting 13th August 1949
Event 2 3 Lap handicap (B)
Car no 26 Driver M Turner-Bridger Morgan (1276cc)
Event 3 3 Lap Handicap (C)
Car no 33 Driver G Murray Symons Morgan 4/4 (1098cc) Posn 9th
Event 5 5 Lap Handicap (B)
Car no 33 Driver G Murray Symons Morgan 4/4 (1098cc) Posn 6th
Event 6 5 Lap Handicap (C)
Car no 74 Driver A B Napper Morgan 4/4 Posn 4th
Car no 33 was reg JTT 703 (Chassis 1097) . This was one of the bona fide Le Mans Replicas built by the factory. Reg Hellier of Central Garages (Barnstaple) bought the car from the factory in June '46 on behalf of Murray Symons. Murray used the car in trials as well as the odd race. The car was sold to Aileen Jervis for £520 in April 1950. The car then found its way to the USA via Ali Lugo to Tom Hooker (New York) during the 1970's. It was sold by Tom to Dave Bondon who then sold it to a museum in Florida. Which museum, I do not know but perhaps someone else does - I will try and find out!

Regards

john
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Mark Shears
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Re: Where are they Now?

Post by Mark Shears »

Hi John,

Happy New Year! Peter Morgan was competing at the inaugral Goodwood Meeting in the pre-war racer, the TT Replica registered as CAB 652. (Ex: HFS Trials Car.)

This car is still extant but like many living in America.

Look forward to seeing you at The Leathern Bottle on Sunday - weather permitting!

Cheers

Mark
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Roger Bonsall
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Re: Where are they Now - 818A(OA/MOG1?

Post by Roger Bonsall »

Richard P was quite right to correct my wild leap of conjecture! I was getting away from following the AOA/MOG1 evidence to trying to trace House and North. In fact the trail of the car runs cold after House won the 1965 'Autosport' Championship in Class B. By the Spring of 1966 he's racing North's LHD SS. I suspect that Brian Kendall's vague memory of being told of a major shunt 'to your old car' may prove to be correct but I'd still like to try and trace Alan House if possible.

A trawl through the 1965/6 Autosports in the attic draws ominously nearer!

Roger Bonsall
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Re: Where are they Now?

Post by Hermen Pol »

Mark,

If you want to see VOC 365, you don't need to travel Down Under, as it ended up in Holland. If the price was right, the current owner might even part with it.

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Re: Where are they Now?

Post by Hermen Pol »

John,

JTT 703 ended up in the "Checkered Flag Collection". If it's still there, I haven't checked yet.

Hermen
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Re: Where are they Now?

Post by Hermen Pol »

701 HOB still exists, but is in need of a rebuild. It has been in the USA since the 1970s and recently changed hands.

Hermen

Mark Shears wrote:Hi Tim and John,

I spent a very interesting afternoon yesterday with John Mac (if I had been there the day before I would have met Andy Garlick too.)

Needless to say we were talking racing Plus Fours (and Plus Eights) and John showed me several photographs (and a DVD!) of him and his fellow Normog contingent racing in the early Seventies.

One of the photos showed a lineup of cars including a genuine lowline Supersports belonging to (Sir) Aubrey Brocklebank.
The registration number is 701 HOB.

Does it ring any bells with anyone?

Where is it now?

Cheers

Mark
Bruce Stapleton
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Re: Where are they Now?

Post by Bruce Stapleton »

Just a few notes -some from memory and some from an old sales book.
I bought ALT 82B from Alan House in May 68 and raced it pretty extensively through 68,69 and 70. We had the Le Mans car at the same time-then JHX 142B-and raced them both in the Mugello Grand Prix in July 68. ALT was always LHD when I had it. Both sold at the end of 1970. ALT to Bob Stuart and t'other to Chris Lawrence.
If of any interest the car I had before ALT was 405 FXO (1959 highline) bought from Gerry Marshall at the infamous Barnet Motor Co. This used to be XRX 1 at one time and had Pip Arnold as a previous owner, the first I think, in the log book. Where is that now?
We had 49AFK from Serge Griessemann through our books in July 1969 and seeing what we got for it,I'm sure it did need rebuilding! Cheers Bruce
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Mark Shears
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Re: Where are they Now?

Post by Mark Shears »

Hi Bruce,

Good to hear from you and what an interesting first posting!

I was looking through an old box of Race Day programmes whilst reading your post and came across the official programme for the Birkett Six Hour Relay race on Saturday 17th May 1975.

On the front cover is a line drawing taken from a photograph showing a Morgan registered 818 AOA ahead of a Spridget registered 138 DMO and a TVR registered XPG 1.

The Morgan is quite clearly left hand drive!

Looking at the entries there is a Middlesex Polytechnic Libra Morgans team comprising mostly Plus 8s (including Charles Morgan) and Chris Cooke in a 4/4. There is also the Team Anglemog comprising a mix of Morgan models including Mary Smith in a +4 (1991cc) and one Allan Samuels also in a +4 (2138cc).

I wonder if you or Mary remember whether this Plus Four was the elusive 818 AOA?

Cheers

Mark
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Mary Lindsay
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Re: Where are they Now?

Post by Mary Lindsay »

The two plus 4s in the Six Hour that year were my brother John's 1953 2-seater, VCR 352, pictured here during a very wet 6 hour, driven by me, and a 1964/5 4-seater, ECB 268D, driven by Allan "Sam" Samuels. The photo of his car was taken at Snetterton the same year.
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Roger Bonsall
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Re: Where are they Now?

Post by Roger Bonsall »

Hi Bruce, Mark and Everyone

Bruce, the current owner of 49AFK told me he bought it it from your firm in 1969 with some front end (possibly racing) accident damage, hence the price! Did the car pass through your hands once before - possibly late 66 or early 67 and do you know anything about Griesseman? I have a fairly comprehensive article about 49AFK with pics ready for Miscellany - if they can squeeze it in between the 'bulb field tour' pieces.

Mark, now you're really confusing me re 818AOA! I'd love to see a copy of the line drawing you refer to. Would you mind scanning it and e-mailing it to me?

Roger.
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Mark Shears
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Re: Where are they Now?

Post by Mark Shears »

Great pictures - great memory Mary!

Will do Roger. I will dig it out again when I get home!

Cheers

Mark
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Chris Acklam
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Re: Where are they Now?

Post by Chris Acklam »

Mark Shears wrote:On the front cover is a line drawing taken from a photograph showing a Morgan registered 818 AOA ahead of a Spridget registered 138 DMO and a TVR registered XPG 1.
Mark, given normal printing practice, the cover photo is probably of a previous Birkett (or, more likely, whatever photo the printer has to hand that has a vague relevance to the content). If you're lucky there may be a reference to the front cover pic, otherwise your best bet may be to find the programme for the previous year and see which Morgans were in that.
Chris
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