webmaster at the wheel of his Magnette

14th March 2010

It's time again for an update on the gallery. This time we go across the years of construction (sounds a bit like Barry McGuire's song). Please welcome:
# 1184 Alan Sanders, England
# 8791 Jeremy Woolley, England
# 16100 Ivor Croft, Tasmania
# 35796 unknown owner in England

1st March 2010

New on the gallery are:
# 17664 an # 23815 both of Jeremy Woolley, London
You all may have recognized that Oxford Models now offer a grey ZA (after the very red one), but only few of you will have recognized the number plate. This car is our chairman's car!

Well and of course a new picture of the month...

16th February 2010

John Hastie sent two more pictures of the Melbourne concours...
Also the events calendar has been updated

14th February 2010

Today our Australian friends met for the Melbourne concours. And here is already a report sent by Loz Scott.

Also more for the gallery:
# 8476 a nice old picture from Trevor Jones and
# 27847 another one of committee member Trevor Jones' cars. Also
# 25640 Barn find in New Zealand, spotted by Colin Heald.

Please find also the entry form for this years' Magnette Day on the events page.

1st February 2010

I nearly missed this monthly update as the winterly weather with more snow than usual keot me busy. Is this the global warming? Anyway. Here we go with some more updates on the gallery:
First we have # 1228 of Justin Greenwood, Australia
# 24223 of Alastair Clements, Surrey, England
# 14206 John Hunt, England
# 22378 spotted y Göran Johnson, Sweden

Paul Barrow gave me a hint that the Brookland Road Test Book has been re-released. It replaces the old black and white covered one published by Brooklands and includes more tests.

And finally we have a new (and sad) picture of the month...

24th January 2010

Time to do some updates on the gallery:
Please welcome

# 5079 Davies Digger, Qld. Australia
# 7227 Chris Moore,USA
# 16339 Steve Adlem ,UK and
# 23749 Pascal Pignolet, France

18th January 2010

"When Steve peeled a sticker from below the rear window it came off with a lump of filler 10mm thick attached to it. Further investigation revealed that we could actually remove the paint with a chissel as the filler seemed to extend over the entire car."
Read on the dragster-story...

13th January 2010

Silverstone, or MG Live what it is called nowadays is now confirmed for 4th - 6th June 2010.
And here are more Magnettes on the gallery:
# 15720
# 15944 the last remains:the logbook
#16518 from Ebay USA and # 20110

11th January 2010

Some time ago Charles Reece made a batch of new steering motifs (see report here...).
He is now planning to do another batch, but wants to know how many are interested.
I had one of the first made, and all I can say is that you can't see a difference to the original, except it's not faded. So if you are interested please contact Charles at "candbreece(at)msn(dot)com".

6th January 2010

John Barringe had some more information on the picture of the month...

3rd January 2010

Hello Magnetteers all over the world. Welcome to a new year. We start the new year with a unbelievable story. Some of you might alraedy heard about it or met the guy. This sory is absolutely nothing for purists and Concours d'Elegance-lovers. But it's an absolutly magnettic story. Read part one...
Also there is a new picture of the month...
I had an information from John Weston-Smith saying that our December picture shows the village of Burwash in the county of Sussex in South East England, which is famous being the home of Rudyard Kipling, who wrote the Jungle Book.

29th December 2009

When I took the picture below for my christmas greetings I had no idea anymore where I got it from. The answer came jst a few hours later:
Just noticed the latest update on the Magnette Website, a picture of Grusty has been recycled from the Magnette advent calendar from a few years back. Thanks for posting it, it is a very fond memory, and the kids were thrilled this moring to see it again. Not that we have white chistmasses in Australia !!

I have to say that this is the best photo of Grusty - as the snow actually covers up the rust. The photo was taken a couple of years back in at an overnight car rally (the MGCC Springtime Rally) October in Victoria in the high country - when we had an unexpected blizzard. It was officially the end of the snow season a fortnight earlier, hence the mountain not being prepared for a snowfall, and 40 odd MG's being dumped by approx 30mm of snow. One of the best rallys we attended based on the unplanned events. It was the first time our kids had seen snow, so the three kids (i think 7, 5 & 3 at the time) had a ball. Malcolm Robertson sent the photo in some time ago for your advent calendar.

The car was nicknamed Grusty as it is "Green & RUSTY" by John Hastie for obvious reasons. Not that I am into naming cars, but the name just sticks. About 18 months ago, Grusty was onway to the start of the 2008 Springtime Rally, when it broke its crankshaft, and was destined for the wreckers. Johns' father Doug intervened and rebuilt the engine pro bono & used all his contacts in the MG car club in Melbourne to locate crankshafts & original parts, and now has the best looking engine in my fleet. Grusty lives on ! This christmas is its first anniversary with the new heart.

Grusty will have to wait a bit longer before anymore major surgery as John & I will be taking my other Saloon, a 1936 MG SA on the Peking to Paris next year (to join the MGs of Harry and Jose) - so if you are in Paris to cheer on Jose's Magnette, then you may see us as well.

Thanks enjoyed reading your website & the effort you go to with the regular updates, and the photo this morning prompted to write and wish you & your family "Grusty Wishes".
Rhys Timms

Many thanks Rhys and all the others who sent me season greetings!

19th December 2009

The Magnette Register wishes you all a
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

And as you may have some free time and time for some reading, here is a report of the Ex-works 6 cylinder Magnette...

13th December 2009

As promised here's a report of Jose de Sousa's Casablanca Challenge...
The first dates for 2010 have also been added to the events calendar.

1st December 2009

The headline says it: the year is comming to an end. Although the season has ended here in Europe, the Magnette-world is still turning. Luis Bogarin from Mexico sent some nice pictures which are a real contrast to our winter. And he's doing a good job there, with videos about Abingdon and M.G.s! No wonder that he again won the award for the Best European Sedan! See pictures...
A new month also means a new picture of the month. This time again from karel Vermeer's never ending colection of postcards with Magnettes on.
The next update will bring a report and pictures of Jose de Sousa's Casablanca Rally. Don't miss it. It's worth reading and great pictures. I hope I wet your appetite enough. So come back!

29th November 2009

Please welcome Per Sæter with # 1663 from Norway, the 5th Norwegian car on the gallery.
Grant Howlett sent me an email:
I recently was asked to take the Magnette for a full days studio shoot for classic cars magazine,they are doing a four page feature in the February 2010 edition on -" A MAGNETTE BUYERS GUIDE", The Feb magazine with it in,will be in W.H.SMITHS shops and other news agents from the end of december.
In other European countries and also America, the magazine is called" Thoroughbred and classic cars"
Here are some insight shoots...

23rd November 2009

More for the gallery;
# 31503 is from Switzerland and belongs to Daniel Ingold.
# 22300 is one of Rob Meier's Magnettes in Ohio, USA

22nd Novemder 2009

Please welcome Tom Strickland with his Magnette # 32829 and Peter Chowney with # 34892 on the gallery.

18th November 2009

Sorry that I haven't updated for a while, but I struggle with my PC... Here is another "CKD"-Magnette on the gallery. Terence Clark bought # 29659 that was imported from SA to the UK. I also updated Loz Scott's report on "Completly-kocked-down"-Magnettes.
In Australia another Magnette restoration is coming to an end:
I thought you might like to be brought up to date with my ZA Restoration project and I have provided you with a couple more photos to put into the Gallery. As you ca see, I have not stayed with a standard ZA. After totally stripping it down I sand blasted every nut, bolt, washer, body panel and sub assembly. I have gone for a duotone non standard paint job which looks fantastic. All relevant sub assemblies have been plated or powder coated, MGA disc brakes fitted up front, a B engine and overdrive gearbox fitted and a better ratio Woseley differential installed. All the glass will be new and all the woodwork fully restored. I will be fitting 15 x 5 rims. All the upholstery and carpets will be new and all the chrome re done. It will be fully re-wired and I have even found an original valve radio. Less than a year to go and it will be back on the road.
Bruce Bramhill , Melbourne, Australia.

9th November 2009

The logbook seems to be the only remains of # 21141 whereas # 32278 was a "straight" ZB, I spotted on ebay a year ago.

One of the roughest places were Magnettes cruise is Iceland. This picture shows Johann E. Bjornsson's '58 Magnette Varitone in Iclandic countryside last July, with his granddaugther standing by.

4th November 2009

It was my aim for the gallery to reach the 666 mark. Looking at the calendar I have to rush. So please, send your picture, if your Magnette isn't on the gallery yet.
Today we welcome Andrew Williams from Tasmania, Australia with # 16433 which is the 90th Australian Magnette.
We stay Down Under: The Z and Y Register attended 60th anniversary of the MG TD at George Hetrel's 'Como Gardens' ;located in the Dandenong ranges close to Melbourne. See pictures and report...

3rd November 2009

Welcome in a new month again, which means we have a new picture of the month. This time very magnettic...
# 6456 has changed hands (and national flag), so please welcome Thomas Nebauer from Austria.
That's all for the moment as I still suffer from a long weekend. The Magnette register committee met for the autumn meeting to discuss matters arising for the next season...

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