Where are they Now?

[John Clarke]

Hi Tim
I have spent many months / re years researching one car - the '39 Le Mans car "FXD 280" with not inconsiderable help from Jake Alderson and Chris Chapman. Post war, the car was sold to Jeff Sparrowe who was already campaigning "JUO 177". We believe Jeff acquired FXD from the factory in Nov 1950. Thereafter he had two race cars and being a motor dealer, it is thought likely that the JUO number plate appeared on both cars. I have managed to locate many photos of Jeffs Morgans at race meetings.

The Le Mans car had many unique features, in addition JUO is white and FXD green - you would therefore think it would be easy to decide which car was really JUO and which was in fact FXD in disguise at each motor race. However, Jeff also swopped body parts between the cars so the task is not that straight forward! Some photos show a multi coloured car!!!! However, this is what I think were Jeff Sparrowes Goodwood entries:

6th May 1950 JUO
17th Jun 1950 JUO
12th Aug 1950 JUO

22nd Mar 1952 Maybe FXD
17th May 1952 FXD
2nd June 1952 FXD

JUO 177 is in rude heath and owned by Jeff's grandson. I have met up with JUO's owner many times and swopped photos and research. JUO appears from time to time at Morgan events. JUO is usually at the S'stone Classic and I am sure will be in Cheltenham.

FXD, I rescued from USA and is now being restored by Techniques. FXD is now owned by a fellow Morgan racer.

[John Emberson]

Not sure about Tucker/Kendall

Andy[/quote]

Andy,

I've spoken to the expert on Jim Tucker, Guy Loveridge, who says that this confusion often arises as Jim was 3rd reserve at the Guards 1000. Guy said he's planning to share Jim's results with me at Brands Hatch when we're there for the Tucker Memorial Race so I'll try & put them on this forum after that.

Cheers,

[Andy Downes]

Hello John,

Thanks - I didn't realise Guy was knowledgeable about Morgans (apart from publishing Chris Lawrence's autobiography).

I have re-read the period reports on the race and there is no mention Jim Tucker's retirement - I'm going to ask The BRSCC what they've got in the way of results. You're correct the Tucker Morgan was originally a reserve but made the race maybe using the original entrat's number ???

Do you have a contact for Guy that you could PM or Email me please ?

Many Thanks

Andy

[Andy Downes]

You're correct the Tucker Morgan was originally a reserve but made the race maybe using the original entrant's number ???

I think I may be retracting the statement above - as consulting the programme from the event the Tucker/Kendall +4 is on the entry list (not as a Reserve) with a number of 27 !

Anyway the plot (as always) seldom gets any thinner...

Andy

[Roger Bonsall]

Hi Guys

Somewhere in either my attic or my late mother's attic (house sold and now being cleared - more delays for my Morgan!) are Autosports for 1963 to 1968 or so. I suppose I'll have to trawl through them - but don't hold your breath! I'll ask Brian K but I doubt he'll remember the detail.

Yours dustily

Roger Bonsall

[Andy Downes]

Hello Roger,

I trust you're keeping the Autosports ? if not I'd be interested in giving them a good home

Andy

[Roger Bonsall]

Hi Andy

If my wife saw that ...!

Roger

[Roger Bonsall]

I have at last located 49AFK and have heard from its current owner, a former member of the armed forces and a retired C of E vicar, who now lives in Oxfordshire. He has owned the car for 40 years during which time “all the family have enjoyed it” and he reminded me that the car will be 50 years old in November.

However, he knew nothing of its competition history, except that it was raced by a Frenchman called Sergei Greaseman presumably in the late 1960s (any one heard of him?) It appears that Greaseman crashed it and sold it to Morris Stapleton who sold it ‘for rebuilding’ to the current owner who carried out the work himself. Many years later, he had another rebuild carried out by Morgans. It is still in ‘LawrenceTune’ spec.

He added an interesting footnote – “it’s probably the only Morgan that has seen active service as I had it in NI in 1975 and went about my business with a rifle down the passenger footwell.”

I will ask him about the car’s ownership between November 1959 (when new) and late 1962 (when Ian Swift bought it) to see if it sheds any light on who upgraded it to ‘LawrenceTune spec and how it came to be used by Morgans to Homologate the LawrenceTune extras. I would very much like to see a copy of those Homologations papers if anyone can help.

I now see Brian Kendall quite often, as it turns out that as well as being an old Morgan racer, he enjoys jazz and often comes to our gigs. He has lent me the press reports of the two Brands Hatch long distance races in the 60s. The Motoring News press report of the 1965 ‘Guards 1000’ confirms that the Tucker/Kendall +4 (RU) finished 12th, the highest placed Morgan, and the program confirms that they were not reserves. The ‘Auto News press report for the 1966 ‘Ilford Films 500’, which is headed with a great photo of “the gallant Morgan +4” 49AFK, confirms that the Andy Pugh and Brian finished 8th, the highest placed Morgan, with the Tucker/Blyth +4 two places behind them in 10th.

Interestingly, the ‘flies in the Morgan ointment’ in the 1966 race were ‘quasi-works’ MGBs and a Lotus Elan. The latter were beginning to spell the demise of +4s and the other more ‘traditional’ sports cars in ‘Marque’ racing.

Morgan names from the past which also appear in the program include J.S.Spender, Jim Donnelly (who I recall wrote off CJL’s SLR at Castle Combe in 1966 - about 75 yards in front of me), Alan House, Roy North, D Jones and John Maclay. The latter I got to know quite well in 1966/7 when he raced a Daimler SP250 which was quicker in a straight line than my Morgan, but slower round the corners. How often has that happened to Morgan racers over the years! He later bought a +4.

Sadly, still no trace of the Dence/Kendall +4 818AOA.

Cheers

Roger.

[Richard Smith]

BNP 370: I was chatting to a friend about it only today. His great aunt was Prudence Fawcett, who entered it into the 1938 Le Mans. He has lent me his copy of the Illustrated Morgan Buyer's Guide, inscribed by Ken Hill: "To Charles, with very many thanks for allowing me to use your mother's photographs. She was a very special lady and I am proud to have met her"

[Tim Hill]

HUY 982

For those that may be interested, Derek Atkinson has updated his website and has devoted a whole page to HUY

www.morganrestoration.co.nz

Cheers
Tim

[Roger Bonsall]

Happy New Year to all you +4 racers - have a good 2010 season - I hope to pitch up at one or two races.

Now some help please! 818AOA!

There is now little doubt that Brian Kendall sold 818AOA (in July 1964 after only a year's ownership) to either Roy North or Alan House. The car almost certainly was either re-registered or at least 're-labelled' MOG1. There are several photos and race results for this car in Alan House's hands, sometimes with Roy North as co-driver. Later references are to a left hand drive (and sometimes 'Supersports') +4. Was this a result of a rebuild following the major shunt (a concrete marshal's post at Silverstone?) which Brian K vaguely remembers hearing about?

The car achieved some very good results in its various owner's hands. Adrian Dence won the Goodwood-based Brooklands Memorial Trophy and was I think second in the Veedol Trophy (first prize a new Lotus FJ car and budget for a season's racing!). Brian K was lying second in the 64 Freddy Dixon when he 'ran out of budget' and Alan House achieved some excellent results.

However, I have been unable to find anything about or trace Roy North (who was a well-known TR racer and contemporary of Sid Hurrel's) or Alan House (who was believed to be a dentist). Any help or leads would be very welcome please!

Many thanks

Roger Bonsall

[Andy Downes]

The car achieved some very good results in its various owner's hands. Adrian Dence won the Goodwood-based Brooklands Memorial Trophy and was I think second in the Veedol Trophy (first prize a new Lotus FJ car and budget for a season's racing!). Brian K was lying second in the 64 Freddy Dixon when he 'ran out of budget' and Alan House achieved some excellent results.

Hello Roger - do you have any dates (even if just the year) for these events pleae.

Many Thanks an Happy New Year

Andy

[Roger Bonsall]

Hi Andy

Adrian Dence's 2nd place in the Freddie Dixon Trophy series and his victory in the Brooklands Memorial Trophy series were both in 1963. I'm not so sure about the Veedol Trophy. Brian Kendall was lying 2nd= in the Freddie Dixon in 1964 when the money ran out! All in 818AOA. I've not investigated Alan House's successes in MOG1 yet as I've only just proved almost conclusively that the car was 818AOA.

Neither 818AOA nor MOG1 are on the DVLA records. Is MOG1 still in use?

Roger.

[Mark Shears]

Hi Roger - and Happy New Year to you and all Morgan Plus 4 racers and enthusiasts.

As you probably know 1 MOG belongs to Graham Bryant and is on his racing Plus 8 that he has owned for many years. But was MOG 1 ever issued? I have looked back at old copies of Noel Woodards definitive books on Cherished Number Plates and it doesn't appear.

Knowing your ability to extract information from the DVLA I assume you haven't been able to trace it through them! I therefore assume it was a sported as a talking point or a bit of fun. Does anyone know different?

Cheers

Mark

[Andy Downes]

Adrian Dence's 2nd place in the Freddie Dixon Trophy series and his victory in the Brooklands Memorial Trophy series were both in 1963. I'm not so sure about the Veedol Trophy. Brian Kendall was lying 2nd= in the Freddie Dixon in 1964 when the money ran out! All in 818AOA. I've not investigated Alan House's successes in MOG1 yet as I've only just proved almost conclusively that the car was 818AOA.

Thanks Roger, I have some results from the early 1960s, I'll have a dig around and see if I can throw anything up.

Best Wishes

Andy