Where are they Now?

For those interested in competing 4 cylinder Morgans

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Mark Shears
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Missing Mogs

Post by Mark Shears »

Hi John,

There seems to be a natural reluctance from people to discuss their Mogs, so inspired by the story of the ex: Le Mans Series 1 Reg.no BNP 370 / FXD 280 in this months Miscellany I thought I might be able to get them to talk about other peoples in a "Where are they now?"

To get the ball rolling here are a handful of "Missing Mogs" and it would be very interesting to hear if anyone out there knows anything about them, or other cars, especially their present whereabouts and ownership.Who knows we might even get them out if not on the racetrack at one of the many Morgan events this season.

Starting with the oldest and the precursor or all Plus 4's first:

HUY 982 - The original prototype Plus 4 (offered for sale by F.H.Douglas in June Miscellany 1994 page 97).

KUY 387 - The sister car and suspected to be the 1952 Le Mans car.

VOC 365 - The ex Pip Arnold Le Mans Replica (built by Pip and Vic Champness and sold by Rick Bourne circa 1994/95).

818 AOA - The ex Adrian Dence car...

I wonder where they are now? And there are plenty more too. Anyone know?

Cheers

Mark
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RICHARD PLANT
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Post by RICHARD PLANT »

Good one Mark.

I think VOC 365 went Australia at the end of the 90's???

I have often wondered what happened to the Le Mans 1952 flat rad ? now that would make a good project for the 2008 Classic Le Mans :lol:

There must be a big barn somewhere full of Plus 4s.

Richard.
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John Clarke
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Post by John Clarke »

Re KUY 387.......

I have had this article filed on my computer for some time

http://www.mognw.com/62flatrad.html
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RICHARD PLANT
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Post by RICHARD PLANT »

John,

Thanks for the swift reply on the 1952 Le Mans Plus 4, what a fantastic story any more up your sleve :?:

Richard.
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keith.ahlers
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Post by keith.ahlers »

Does anyone have current contact details for sixties Plus4 racer Adrian Dence?

Thanks, Keith.
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John Clarke
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Post by John Clarke »

Hi Keith

Chris Chapman will know - have a look in your private message thingy where I have left Chris' contact details

regards

john
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Mark Shears
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Re: Where are they Now?

Post by Mark Shears »

Looking through the FIA Homologation papers for the Supersports I saw that the factory had used a Plus Four with the registration number 49 AFK.

Question. Does anyone know anything about this car and what has happened to it?

The second set of papers uses a picture of TOK 258. We know what happened to that! Keith - did you ever get in touch with Adrian Dence?

When I was competing at The Silverstone Classic this year in the Black car a very knowledgeble gentleman engaged me in conversation about it. I soon realised he knew a lot about period Morgans that wouldn't be readily known by Morgan enthusiasts today and after introducing myself to him asked him his name. He said it was Adrian Dence.

Needless to say we continued a very interesting conversation until he had to go, but not before I told him that XRX 1 was just around the corner. (TOK was not there.) He expressed surprise as he thought it had disappeared years ago so I was delighted to show him to where Brands Hatch Morgans with Brett were looking after it.

I got the impression he was somewhat out of the Historic Morgan 'loop' and regret not taking his phone number when he told me he lived fairly locally to Silverstone in the Solihull area.

It would be nice to get him along to one of the Historic Morgan races - the TT at BDC Silverstone immediately springs to mind.

Cheers

Mark
Tim Hill
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Re: Where are they Now?

Post by Tim Hill »

FOUND - HUY 982 resides in New Zealand

Chassis 2100 Bought in 1990's from Douglas' by John Fernehough (since deceased) and restored in New Zealand for him by Derek Atkinson. Car is still in Fernehough collection but not accessible.

Picture can be seen on Dereks website http://www.morganrestoration.co.nz/index.shtml

Also in the collection is a very early Moss Box +8, chassis number 18.



Also believed to be in NZ is the original factory +4 pre production car that was converted from a 4/4 Series 1 and fitted with a Vanguard engine. More details to follow.

I knew I moved out here for a reason :)

Cheers

Tim
Leigh Sebba
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Re: Where are they Now?

Post by Leigh Sebba »

Adrian Dence’s brother lives fairly near me and I know him and I think I got Adrian’s details once and gave them to Keith (or else Keith already had them).
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Mark Shears
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Re: Where are they Now?

Post by Mark Shears »

Thank you Leigh - I think I understand! But it's good we can get in touch with him one way or another.

Cheers

Mark
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John Clarke
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Re: Where are they Now?

Post by John Clarke »

Hi Tim

Way back in '93, Sarah and I "borrowed" a +4 flat rad with NZ reg 'MH 1793'. It was dark green and we toured all around the North Island.

We picked the car up from a suburb of Auckland where the NZ Mog club hosted us an impromptu BBQ. A few flat rads , one or two 3 wheelers and some cowled cars turned up.

When we picked up the car, the owner said that he had just sold it(!!!) and the engine had been overhauled so please run her in. The new owner was also there who cheerfully waved us off on our 3 week tour. The +4 ran faultlessly other than the petrol guage which gave up and I dropped my dipping twig into the tank!!! The only other drama was that we were accosted at the bottom of that Volcano (Ruapehu) by an angry bloke who knew the car but not yours truely - we just managed to explain we had borrowed the car before he threw a fist!!!

Happy times

regards

john
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Mark Shears
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Re: Where are they Now?

Post by Mark Shears »

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
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Andy Downes
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Re: Where are they Now?

Post by Andy Downes »

With reference to 818 AOA do we know where this car is ?

There is a great photo of it in a marque race at Brands Hatch in 1966/67 in the 1967 Cars and Car Conversions Tuning Manual, left hand drive and sporting a Lawrencetune hardtop.

It's leading a bunch of really interesting (and now famous) cars;

138 DMO - MG Midget

X PG 1 - TVR Grantura

880 or 860 something - Daimler SP250 ' Dart'

SMO 746 - Austin Healy 3000

Have Fun

Andy :)
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Roger Bonsall
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Re: Where are they Now?

Post by Roger Bonsall »

Hi lovers of 'proper' +4s!

49AFK was a +4 first registered in Worcestershire in November 1959. It was fitted with a 'LawrenceTune' engine I think from new by the factory. I always wondered why it was sometimes described as a 'SuperSports' as I understood that this name was hurriedly (re)introduced by Peter Morgan in late 1961 after Chris Lawrence had upset him by rebuilding TOK with a 4/4 'lowline' body for the 1962 Le Mans entry.

49AFK was bought by Ian Swift of Backwell near Bristol for hill climbs in mid-1962. He had previously rallied various TRs and finally an ex-works 2138cc TR3 bought from the Triumph Competitions Department through the auspices of their works driver 'Tiny' Lewis. Before selling the TR3a, Ian almost certainly discretely swapped its the pistons and liners over with those in 49AFK and the rest of us west-country Morgan hill-climbers and racers spent the next few years failing to catch 'Swifty'! The car was immaculate as well as swift and Ian collected a host of Class wins. He stayed mainly in the South West but regularly went up to Shelsley and Prescott to mix it with Ray Meredith.

At the end of 1964, Ian sold 49AFK to Andy Pugh of Bristol who used it for racing, including a memorable 11th place in the 1965 Brands Hatch Double 500 with Brian Kendall co-driving. In July 1966, at the final race meeting at Goodwood, Andy spun off into the bank on the exit of St Marys necessitating a new chassis. I don't know exactly when he sold it but I raced against him a few times in 1966.

Twenty-odd years later Ian and I tried to trace the car but all we could find out was that the registration number was on a Vauxhall Estate. Sadly Ian died in 1984. A year or two ago, I asked the Morgan factory if they could trace the chassis number in the hope that it might be possible to trace the car this way. Although there couldn't have been many +4s sold in 1959 with LawrenceTune engines, they seemed unable or unwilling to help.

818AOA was sold by Adrian Dence to Brian KendallI in late 1963 when he bought TOK from CJL. I think Brian raced it for one season. He lives near me so I might call him and ask him what happened to the car. Incidentally, wasn't Adrian runner-up in 818AOA to Bob Burnard (AC Bristol) in the 'Brooklands Memorial Trophy' or 'Veedol' Trohpy in 1962 or 63?

TUY875 was of course the factory's development +4 in the late 1950s, raced and trialed by Peter Morgan and much photographed. John Palmer bought it early 1963 and hill-climbed it for a season. Starting a new business meant it had to go and John sold it to his cousin Peter Garbutt. Peter has always cared for it although he doesn't use it much, and still owns it after over 40 years. Sadly John Palmer died about 5 years ago.

I guess these notes pose as many answers about these cars as they answer!

Forty years after selling my +4 (VHT198) I have bought a '67 +4 which is currently undergoing re-build and restoration. I live near Bath and would like to hear from any racers of 'proper' +4s in the west country.

Roger Bonsall e-mail: roger.bonsall@tiscali.co.uk
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Mark Shears
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Re: Where are they Now?

Post by Mark Shears »

Welcome Roger to the home of 'proper' Plus Four enthusiasts! And what a first posting! You have certainly filled in a lot of the blanks and we look forward to hearing from you again especially if you find out any more news as to the whereabouts of some of these historic Morgans.

Where is VHT now? You will be interested to know that Simon King who owns and races FOJ lives in your part of the country.

Cheers

Mark
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