The Official Newsletter of The Philadelphia MG Club, Inc.

Volume 29
The Official
The purpose of The
Philadelphia MG Club
is to provided its
members with an
opportunity for social
interaction and a forum
for the exchange of
information pertinent
to the appreciation,
enjoyment, and
preservation of their
MGs.
The Philadelphia MG
Club, Inc. is a nonprofit
corporation organized and
existing under the laws of
the Commonwealth of
Pennsylvania
President:
Steve Harding
610-275-7960
mgbgtl@hotmail.com
Vice-President:
Mark Johnson
610-754-9710
MarkMGBLE@aoLcom
Secretary
Larry Macy
215-275-2823
LMacy@phillymgclub.com
Treasurer:
Jim Craig
215-368-0367
JimCraig@msn.com
Board Members at Large:
Glenn Davis
610-436-4400
amdb5Ltd@hotmail.com
Bill Hixson
215-932-0295
mgbv6t5@verizon.net
Gordon Todd
610-584-4671
GLTodd@aol.com
2008 MG Enthusiasts
of the Year:
Kristi Liebel &
Lambert Liebel
Club Web Site:
www.phillymgclub.com
Newsletter of
OctoberlNovember
Numbers 10 & 11
The Philadelphia MG Club, Inc.
WELCOME
We welcome Tom Bostock (79 MGB), Doug & Diane Small (77 MGB),
Scott & Paula Evans (80 MGB), and Bill & Peg Robinson (58 MGA) to the Club.
CLUB "GET-TOGETHERS"
We have a new "home" for our monthly "Get-Togethers" ("GTs") - Phil's
Tavern in Blue Bell, PA. The restaurant is at the intersection of Skippack and
Butler Pikes. Park in the parking lot across from the restaurant As usual, the
"GTs" start at 8 PM. See you there.
IN THE WINDSHIELD
(Upcoming Events)
The November event is the Fall MG vs. Triumph Rally, on the 2nd - the
Sunday that we put our clocks back an hour - so don't forget to do that or you
won't show up on time! Mark McCarraher is the Rallymaster and has set up the
Rally to end at the Boyertown Car Museum - not to be missed. The starting point
for the Rally will be behind the new Wawa at the intersection of Ridge Pike and
Lewis Road, just west of the Limerick Diner and next to a breakfast/luncheonette.
car off at
We will meet at 9 AM, with Driver'slNavigator's Meeting at 9:30,
10. The cost is $10 per person - to cover the cost of admission to the Museum and
a hoagie lunch at the Museum.
Our December event is the Annual Octagonal Holiday Lunch, on the 14th,
week in
at Northside Ortino's in Zeig1ersville. mvitations will be sent the
November.
IN THE REAR VIEW MIRROR
(Past Events)
On September 27th the MGs of Baltimore Club put on their annual "MGs
on the Rocks" Car Show and a few intrepid Philadelphia MG Club members made
the soggy trip down to Maryland for the Show. This Show usually attracts close to
200 cars, but this year because of the rain there were only 69 cars.
Here is Kristi Liebel's report about the "Rocks" Show:
"There were a few of us who braved the weather: Lambert, Wynter &
Kristi Liebel (MG Midgets), Ryan & Annie Kubanoff (MG Midget), George
Burton (MGB/GT), Jim Witte (without his MGB), and Bill & Peg Robinson
(MGA.) Actually the weather was okay in PA, but when we got close to the Park
the rain started. It rained on and off all day. It was probably one of the most tiring
and gloomy Shows that we have attended. First Place went to George with his
"Diamond in the Rough" BGT. Kristi & Wynter won Third for Chrome Bumper
MG Midgets, and Lambert won Third for the Rubber Bumper Midgets. Bill & Peg
took Second in the MGA class. That was all that we got, except for puddles in our
cars and water in our shoes!"
The other September Club event was the Radnor Hunt Car Show . See
Glenn Davis' report about the Show further on in the newsletter.
Our October Club event was our "Brits at the Village" British Car & Bike
Show at Peddler's Village in Lahaska, PA. A comprehensive report will appear in
the December newsletter.
TECHNICAL ARTICLE
This month's Technical Article, "Keeping Cool," is from the November 2008 issue of "Classic
Motorsports" magazine. If you are wondering why there is an article about cooling systems in a fall
newsletter just check out the box at the bottom of the last page of the article.
BUSINESS MEETINGS & MINUTES
We will continue to discuss business at the montWy "GTs." We have set aside half an hour (8:30 to
9:00) for business. We will discuss any business any Club member wishes to discuss. If you can't make the
"GT" but want something discussed call (610-275-7960) or e-mail (mgbgt1@hotmail.com) me with your
topic. Our new Club Secretary, Larry Macy, will have business meeting minutes available for your reading
at any "GT" or call him for a copy.
CLUB E-MAIL & WEB SITE ADDRESSES
Larry Macy has set up a Club E-mail address so that Club members can communicate with each
other about problems with MGs, plans to caravan to events, etc. If you'd like to be added to the list just
send Larry an E-mail requesting inclusion at his "new" E-mail address-lmacy@phillymgclub.com. Also,
Larry has arranged for Club members to have their own phillymgclub e-mail addresses. To get your own
send Larry an e-mail at his e-mail address. The Club's Web site is www.phillymgclub.com and will soon
undergo a makeover.
EMBROIDERY SERVICE & CLUB HATS
Because of family health problems Club member, Ed Bullard, and his wife, Pat, the Club's
embroiderers, may not be able to make the "GTs" as often as they have in the past. The Bullards will still
be able to embroider shirts, but it would be best to check with them fust. Their phone number is 610-367­
2809.
We still have a few Club hats with the Club logo on them. Hats earn you 10 points towards the
"MG Enthusiast of Year" Award. They cost $10 and can be purchased at any Club event.
IN CLOSING
I hope to see you at the Fall MG vs. Triumph Rally - where we will (hopefully) retain the "Lucas
Cup."
W
e've all been there, bl iss full y
ing along in our classics only to
corne to a halt thanks to a steam­
ing, hissing radiator. Once
car stopS roil­
ing, the next step is usually to pop the hood
and blame something beneath it.
In teal ity, the blame lies with us owners. A
cooling system is fairly simple in terms of cause
and effect. but allowing just one link in the
chain to falter can lead to problems.
When
time to troubleshoot or improve
a cooling system. many people misunderstand
the basic thermodynamic principles involved
and waste time, money or some combination
of both. We're here to help.
Hot Topic
Before you can think about keeping your
engine cool, you need to know why it gets hot
in the first place. One is directly correlated to
the other.
Our cars run on rhe Otto thermodynamic
cycle. described and developed in the 19th
century by German inventor Nikolaus Otto.
The Otto cycle is perhaps best known for
describing the action of a four-stroke engine.
MGB Horsepower
100
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
Whatever your car's
power output,
not
making peak horse­
power all of the e,
50 it doesn't always
need maximum
capacity. In the (
of our
MGB,
inf Oi ll p ill
starts near lO dl l' I
builds to s IIIdX III II II il
power rvel O., II
engine
e!:,
Kdse
20
10
-.
o
Classic Molorsporls 107
power to idle and about 15 to 20 to cruise.
Lesser known, but germane this
is where the heat of combustion goes.
The engine will produce more power and heat,
The good news is that engines turn heat
but only under brief periods of acceleration.
into power. The bad news is that only about
Most radiators can absorb this incremental
power at the
one-third of that heat turns
increase in heat.
crank. Another third of the heat goes straight
Let's say someone convinced us switch
out the exhaust pipe. The last third goes
an electric fan since the engine fans usually rob
some power. After the change, we're suddenly
the cooling system.
running very hot at idle. Is it because of the
Engineers and mechanics have been work­
power upgrade? No, the Otto thermodynamic
ing for more than a century to make engines
than this, bur the truth is that
more
cycle tells us we can't be making any more
they've only made slight progress. Some of the
power and heat at idle. The problem must lie
engines our there
don't with the fan. If it's not pulling its weight­
most
of their heat and power or, more appropriately, pulling enough air
even send 40
the crankshaft.
through the radiaror-then the car will run
think a little further: How much
hOI at idle.
Now
power and corresponding heat does a
Understanding how the system works can
car generate? We're going to use a basically stock
make for quick detective work when prob­
example.
93-horsepower MGB as our
lems arise. Now let's get a little deeper into
We put data acquisition equipment on the
the subject and discuss the basics of our
MGB and found that during aggressive street
cooling system.
driving, the car spends about 30 percent of its
time at or near idle thanks to stoplights, traffic A Collection of Parts
and coasting
a halt. The car spends about
A cooling system is made of a radiator, water
of its time at cruise, with only the
60
pump, thermostat, coolant, some hoses
tie
remaining 10 percent of its time under accel­
everything together and usually a fan or two.
eration or load.
Each of these components must be sized and
While it seems obvious assume we have a
matched to each other and their applicarions.
If there's a failure in the system, you could find
93-horsepower MGB all the time, the truth is
that we only have that 93 horsepower for short yourself on the side of the road.
bursts of time-at high engine speeds and
under hard acceleration. The rest of the time
Radiator: Radiators come in ' two basic
have a pretty low-horsepower engine.
styles. Older vehicles use down-flow radiators,
Some more figures
know:
only takes
where the coolant flows from the top of the
radiator to the bottom. Newer vehicles tend
abOUt 5 horsepower
keep
engine idling.
use cross-flow radiators, where the coolant
When the car is cruising on a level surface, it
enterS on one side and exits our the other.
only needs about J 5
20 horsepower
keep
rolling-that's why your foot doesn't have to
These radiarors are often wider than they are
push
pedal
tall, and they're usually more efficient than
The accelerator pedal could also be called
their down-flow counterparts.
"horsepower pedal" or "heat pedal," as
The most common
materials used
in older cars are copper and brass. The cores
it limits the peak
power (and heat)
engine makes. This actually makes our
are made of copper due to its excellent con­
MGB more efficient, as it only uses the power ductivity, while the tanks are made of brass
current operation. Instead of since copper would quickly harden and break.
it needs for
wasting 93 horsepower of fuel , wear and hear
Unfortunately, brass and copper radiarors
when idling, it only uses 5 horsepower. And
weigh quite a bit.
instead of wasting 93 horsepower just to cruise
Aluminum radiators weigh less, but they
along, it only uses J5 20.
are technically not as efficient-aluminum
When we mash the pedal to accelerate,
has a lower heat transfer rate than copper.
we're still not making our fuji 93 horsepow­
However, a well-engineered aluminum radia­
er-at kast not right away. We're making
will often outperform an OEM brass and
the
power that is somewhat proportional
copper unit.
engine's speed , as. shown in our horsepower
A third style of radiator has found its
way into a large part of
's production
curve. For example, at 2500 rpm under load,
cars, including some of our classics from the
we're making 50 horsepower. Moving up the
tachometer, at 3500 rpm we're making 75 " late '70s and early '80s like the VW Rabbit
and Mazda RX-7. Japanese manufacturers
horsepower, while our MGB's peak 93 horse­
pioneered compact, high-efficiency radiators.
power comes at 5000 rpm.
Now,
take our 93-horsepower MGB
They usually have aluminum cores fitted with
and port the cylinder head, increase the com­
efficient, tightly spaced fins and tubes mated
plastic tanks.
pression ratio and install a more aggressive
camshaft. These upgrades will increase the
Radiator Cap: No matter what the radiator
car's horsepower to J 15.
Will it need a bigger radiator? Probably construction, the cap does more than just plug
of
unit. also pressurizes the cool­
not. If the car is driven in the same manner
the
as before, it will still only need about 5 horse­
raise the boiling point
ing system in order
the track-a coolant booster plus water is a
popular cooling system recipe.)
Don't use these products to try to cure other
problems. Remember, you need to treat the
cause, not the symprom. If your cooling system
passes inspection, then these products usually
make it wotk a little better, If your cooling sys­
tem has a leak, a plugged radiator or a similar
issue, then you have other problems to fix.
of
coolant. For every pound of
re the
radiaror cap holds, the boiling point is raised 3
degrees Fahrenheit.
Our newer classics have caps in the 10 to 15
psi range, thus raising
boiling point 30 ro 45
otten have lower ptessurized
degrees. Older
systems-4 ro 6 psi is common. Really old cars
have open systems-no pressure at all-which
don't benefit
an
boiling point.
011
Water Pump: Water pumps are often driven
via a belt and pulley. Most
by the
water pumps ate cast from iron or aluminum
and will have cast or stamped impellers. When
fail,
either leak at their seals, wobble
at their bearings or both.
Thermostat: Thermostats regulate the flow
of coolant through the engine and radiator.
A cylinder filled with expanding wax pellets
causes a pisron found inside the thermostat ro
open at a predetermined poim--commonly
160, 180 or 195 degrees Fahrenheit.
A thermostat stays closed at warm-up ro
bring the engine up to its ideal operating
temperature as quickly as possible. Once the
engine is warmed up, the thermostat opens
to regulate the flow of water our of the engine
and through the radiaror. The thermostat
ensures that the warm coolant cools off suffi­
ciently in the radiaror before it heads back into
the engine. When the thermostat is closed,
engine through a
water recirculates within
bypass line in the thermostat housing.
A common trick, especially on race cars, is
ro remove the thermostat. This trick is rarely
beneficial and is not recommended since a
properly operating thermostat does nothing
but help petformance. We highly recommend
that you keep your thetmostat. However, if you
must remove it, ir's importanr ro replace ir
a resrricror, a componem thar resembles a large
flow of coolant
washer. The resrricror slows
and helps ro control the foaming that occurs
unrestricted.
when a rhermostat housing is
Coolant: The coolant found in the radiaror
and cooling system is usually a 50/50 mix of
water and ethylene-glycol, the latrer commonly
known as antifreeze or engine coolant. Coolant
rechnology has greatly improved in recent years,
mainly in corrosion resistance and environmen­
friendliness.
is a misnomer, as this
all-importam liquid both lowers the
point and raises the boiling point of the coolant.
Always maintain a 50/50 mix of water and
coolant. Too little coolant can lead ro freezing
and overheating, as well as corrosion problems.
Too much usually leads ro overheating.
Coolant boosters like Red Line WaterWetter,
DEI Radiator Relief and Royal Purple Purple
Ice also .exist, and these productS lower coolant
temperatures by reducing surface tension. Some
designed ro reduce corrosion and lubri­
are
cate the water pump. (Since many racing regu­
lations prohibit cars from running coolant-it
can cause a very slippery mess should any land
..................................................................... .............. ... ........... .....................................................................
The factory installed ashroud inside the Triumph TR6's engine compartment to direct all the incoming air
through the radiator. Air that's allowed to bypass the radiator doesn't help cool the engine.
Fan: The radiator doesn't do much good
unless thete is air flowing through it. To help,
most cars have a fan or two.
Fans are powered by either the engine or an
electric moror, and each type has its advantages
and disadvantages. Engine-driven fans gener­
move more air through the radiator, bur
can be guilry of robbing small amounts of
power and running inefficiently at low engine
speeds, like idle.
Electric fans can be mounted forward or aft
the radiator. Front-mounted fans are called
pusher fans, while rear-mounted fans are called
pullers. Puller fans are bener since they block
less airflow
most pushers, but they're
often tougher to mount because of engine
clearance issues. Generally, electric fans are
mote helpful for cooling an engine at lower
speeds, while engine-driven fans work better ar
higher speeds.
A few sundries complere
cooling
system. Many systems have shrouds around the
fans to bener direct airflow. Cars with engine­
driven fans often have a fan clutch ro prevenr
parasitic loss at higher engine speeds. Cars
electric fans usually have a thermostatic switch
so the fan will only turn on when ir's needed.
Expansion tanks are common additions.
They catch the small amount of
over­
flow thar results when coolant expands as
it's heated. These tanks allow the r:ldiator to
recover this overflow when ir cools down. Of
course, street cars usually have a hearer and at
least one heater valve to regulate flow.
System
Now
we've covered the basics of how
a cooling system works,
start the trouble­
shooting process. There are two tools that
come in handy when troubleshooting.
The first rool is a digital infrared thermom­
eter, and you can buy a nice one for abour $30.
The
useful tool is a ptessure tester­
prices starr at $75, bur some auto parts srores
have loaners available. You can probably get
by without the pressure tester, bur you'll never
to its
regret buying the thermometer
wide range of uses.
The first thing most people blame when
thermostat,
there's a cooling problem is
followed quickly by
radiator. While rhese
are some other
are good places to inspect,
basic components to check out first.
Step one is to determine if the engine is
overheating. Don't JUSt trusr the gauge,
which can otten be inaccurate. Confirm its
accutacy by checking various locations in the
drivetrain with your infrared thermometer.
Good spots to check are the rop and bottom of
the radiator,
cylinder head, the block and
the thermostat opening. As a rule of thumb. if
an engine is nor boiling over-meaning it's not
puking ontO the ground-it's not overheating.
car is overheat­
Many people worry that
ing if the coolanr temperature goes above 190
or 200 degrees. While this can be discomfort­
ing, it takes about 250 degrees to start damaging an engine.
Most classic cars normally run at around 180 degrees, but
temperatures 10 or 20 degrees higher do not necessar­
ily mean there is a problem. In fact, engines are technically
more efficient at higher remperatures-that's why many
long as rhe car not
modern cars run above 200 degrees.
boiling over, a few extra degrees could actually be helping.
When it. comes ro coolant temperatures, the most
important thing ro keep in mind is consistency. If the
car normally runs around 200 and is not boiling over, it's
However, if the car usu­
probably nothing ro worry
aJJy runs around 180 but is hitting 210 on hot days and at
idle, there might be an issue.
Once you've determined that there is, in fact, a problem,
ensure that rhe cooling sysrem is absolutely full with a
50/50 mix of water and coolanr. If the system is not full,
air pockets can cause flow problems, hold steam or both.
When filling a cooling system, make sure the heater valve
is open so you're filling the entire system . Then squeeze the
upper hose ro feel that there is coolant inside of it.
Now check rhe coolant. Ir should be green, not brown,
and a hydromerer will tell you its general condition. If the
coolant fails the test, dispose of it responsibly (animals find
coolant tasty yet lethal) and replace it.
The next step might sound obvious, but it's imporrant:
Check forleaks in the system, no matter how small. Even
a pinhole leak causes two different problems : First,
the system won't stay full. Second, the leak will not
allow the system ro build pressure, reducing the boiling
point significantly.
If you
find a leak visually, use your pressure tester
to pressurize the system. This should help locate the leak. If
that doesn't work, it might be time to perform a leakdown
test and see if coolant is getting into the engine via blown
gaskets or a warped or cracked head.
The engine must also be in a good state of tune. Lean
fuel mixtures and over-retarded or over-advanced
are notorious for causing overheating, but any poor run­
ning condition can exacerbate cooling problems.
Next, check or replace the thermostar. Starr the engine
cold and use your infrared thermometer ro moniror the
temperature of the block and thermostat housing.
LEFT: The digital infrared
,thermometer is your
best friend for trouble­
.shooting cooling system
issues. Here we're
checking the tempera­
ture of the engine block
It
up, You can
buy
infrared
for
$30.
RIGHT: (001­
nt
upper
the
hose is
effective and easy
way to make sure the
long as the thermostat is closed, the thermostat system is full. ABOVE:
housing will stay at or slightly above air temperature, A simple pressure tester
thermo­ can help diagnose
Meanwhile, the block will warm up stcadily. If
stat is working properly, the temperaturc of the thermostat cooling system leaks.
housing and the block will be cqual when the thermostat Don't want to buy one?
auto parts stores
opens. In other words, when the block hits 180 degrees,
the thermostat will open and the thermostat housing will have loaners available.
go from 90 degrees to 180. And as we already discussed,
: It
trick,
don't be tempted to remove the thermostar. If yours doesn't but this electric fan led
to cooling problems.
pass muster, replace it.
Look at airflow next. Before you blame the fan, make First, its mounting loca­
sure rhat the grille and radiator slats are clean. Bugs and tion at the front of the
other road trash, especially on radiator slats, can signifi­ radiator was blocking
cantly inhibit airflow. A trip ro the pay-'n'-spray car wash airflow. Second, it
didn't move nearly as
can quickly blow everything clean.
air can get out of the engine much air as the stock,
Next, check to see
important for air ro escape the engine-driven piece.
compartment. It's JUSt
...
engine compartment as it is ro get in. If you or anyone else
has made modifications that prevent the air from leaving,
thar might be your problem.
Now srarr thinking about rhe fan. If the car has its
original fan (or fans) and they're properly working, then
the problem probably isn't here. Engine-driven fans on
our classics are always very robust and consistently do the
job-that is, until they turn about 50 years old. By this
age, it's possible that their fans have become bent or out
Classic Motorsports 111
of balance. Th'e fan rivers might also be loose.
Periodically inspect your car's fan-you don't
a blade flying off.
Original equipment electric fans also tend
be very robust.
long as the fan's electric
thermostat is turning it off and on in spec and
the motor 'is spinning the fan quickly enough,
the fan is most likely working as intended.
Aftermarket electric fans are another story.
We've rarely seen an aftermarket fan as efficieilt
as
OEM counterpart.
a result, we've fixed
scores of cooling problems by removing usually
undersized aftermarket units and purring
OEM fans back in. If you feel that you must
use an aftermarket fan, make sure
buy
biggest, best-flowing fan you can-the cheap
ones just don't do the job.
Once you've checked each of these points,
suspect
radiator.
it's finally time
engine at operating temperarure, take your
infrared thermometer and scan various parts of
the radiator. Temperatures should be consis- .
tent with slightly higher numbers on the inlet
end-a variance of 10 to 20 degrees ftom inlet
outlet is common. You might find spots
where the radiator is at ambient air tempera­
ture. This is a sure sign of clogged tubes, mean­
ing the radiator is not working at capacity.
At this point, getting the radiator repaired,
recored or replaced altogether might be your
only solution. If you're considering a new
replacement, do some research .first. Some of
replacements on the market are coming
from Third World sources, and their quality
great. If that's the case,
your
isn't
option.
radiator recored is probably a
You'll note we haven't spent much time on
water pump. It's very rare for water pumps be
problem, as long as they're
leaking. Every
now and then a water pump impeller will come
loose. If
happens, you'll have a
radical
and obvious overheating problem
you should
be able diagnose
your infrared thermom­
thermostat will
eter. The engine will get hot,
radiator won't warm up.
open, but
Cooling Runnings
Now that we've gone through theory, prac­
tice and diagnostics, you've hopefully gained
knowledge thar will help your car keep its
thermo­
cool. If you keep in mind the
dynamic cycle and understand what's
ducing the heat and when, you'll be
more skilled at preventing issues with your
..
cooling system. And that means miles
of trouble-free driving.
But It's Almost Fall
Fall is just around the corner, so it's
okay to put off that cooling system
work, right? Wrong. Get the system
ready now, and come spring you'll be
out driving around instead of waiting
for parts to arrive.
IN MEMORIUM
Our new Editor and Club member since 2000, Dave Ushler,
passed away October 6th. Although Dave had been fighting cancer
for awhile, many of us (including his family) believed
death
would be further away than it was.
Dave worked for Lucent (formerly Bell Labs) until he went
on disability. One of his jobs at Lucent was editor of their in-house
newsletter. When he retired for Lucent he volunteered to take over
the Club newsletter editorship - mostly for something to do with
his time. In fact, Dave put together the September newsletter while
he was in the hospital having radiation treatments.
Dave joined the Club in late October 2000 after attending
our car show, then know as "MGs at Mercer," as we then held the
show at the Moravian Pottery and Tile Works in Doylestown. He
was somewhat active in the Club - I recall his attending some
rallies - but I found at at his Memorial Service that he very much
eulogy
enjoyed his blue 1972 MGB. His nephew mentioned in
that "Uncle Dave" was known by two initials - M and G!
At the time of his death he and I were working on a special
MG 2008 newsletter - you might remember Dave lurking about
hundreds of pictures of the goings on!
during MG 2008,
Dave will be greatly missed, not just as an enthusiastic Club
member and our Editor, but in his inspiration as he battled his
cancer.
In Loving Memory of
DAVID 1. USHLER
OCTOBER
2008
To those I
and those who
me
When I am gone, release
let me go.
I have so many things to see and do.
You mustn't tie yourself to me with tears,
Be happy that we had so many years.
I gave you my love, you can only guess
How much you gave to me in happiness.
I thank
for the love you have shown
But now
time I travel on alone.
So grieve awhile for
if grieve you must
Then let your grief be comforted by trust.
only for a little while that we must
So bless the memories within your heart .
I won't be far away, for life goes on.
if you need
call and I will come.
Though you
see or touch
111 be near.
And if you 1isten with your heart you'll hear
All of my love around you soft and dear.
And
when you must come this way alone
111 greet you with a smi1e and 'Welcome
Joseph A.
Richboro, PA
215-968-8585
Funeral Home
New Britain, PA
215-340-9654
MGs AT RADNOR HUNT
By: Glenn Davis
The Radnor Hunt Club Concours d'Elegance is a 3 day event (this year
September 12, 13 and 14) which culminates with a world class car show on
Sunday held on the stately grounds of the Radnor Hunt Club in Malvern,
Pennsylvania. The event kicked off with a Welcome Barbeque on Friday
evening presented by Victory Brewing Company (a micro brewery in
Downingtown, PA). On Saturday, a road rally was held on the beautiful back
roads of Chester County which ended with a buffet picnic lunch. On Saturday
evening their was a black tie art show and cocktail reception, featuring the
automotive artwork of artist Roger Blanchard. Mr. Blanchard personally
attended the art show and was available to discuss one-on-one his pictures and
method of painting. There were also original works of his available for sale.
The art show was immediately followed by a gala and silent auction.
1934
MG-PA/B
Lemans by Roger
Blanchard
The Concours d'Elegance on September 14 was attended by several
members of the Philadelphia MG Club including Richard Williamson (1966
MGB); Steve Harding (1974 1/2 MGB GT); Gordon Todd (1954 MGTF);
Allen Venditti (1980 MGB); Ken Collins (1973 MGB GT); AI French (1979
MGB LE); Jim Witte (1977 MGB); Bill and Peg Robinson (1958 MGA); Mark
and Lynn Johnson (1968 MGC); and Don Scholl (MGTC).
Although it was a wann day the crowds came out in record numbers to
view the superb collection of world
condition classic cars and motorcycles
which ranged from a 1932 MG Jl Sports Tourer to a 1966 Corvette Penske
Sunoco L-88 Sting Ray and everything in between. Among the one hundred
cars, the Morris Garage marque was well represented. In addition to the Sports
Tourer, there was an MGB, a 1935 MG P, and an MGA.
There are clearly cars in our membership that are worthy of being
included in the 2009 show and thought should be given to nominating PMGC
members' cars for next year. The crowd also was able to view the wares of a
variety of vendors. New automobiles were on site, some of which were
available for a test drive. Aston Martin, Bendey, Rolls Royce and Lotus, among
others, had their latest models on display. There was also a display of ornate
horse drawn carriages (including horses) driven and occupied by individuals in
period costume. Two food tents insured that the crowd did not go hungry or
(the beverage selection included a "never empty" commemorative glass
pint of Victory draft beer). An elegant VIP sit down lunch was also available.
In addition to the concours cars, the Club Field (a special parking area
for car clubs to display their autos) had an impressive collection of MGs
(including a PMGC tent), Jaguars, Porsches, Rolls Royce, and others. I was
advised by Bill O'Connell, rally chairman and member of the Radnor Hunt
Concours d'Elegance Committee, that the intent is to make the Club Field a
permanent part of the yearly event.
The concurs judges cast
their ballots and selected a
1947
Delahaye
135M
Cabriolet as the "Best of
Show." The selection for
the motorcycles went to a
1965 Ducati Desmo.
1947 Delahaye 135M
This was a superbly organized and well run event which was of great
interest to auto enthusiasts and I encourage PMGC members to consider
attending this event in 2009.
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- - - - --The Philadelphia MG Club, Inc.
104 Valley View Road
East Norriton, PA
19401-1844
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The Philadelphia MG Club's Web Site: