December, 30th, 2004
The last update in 2004
brings a review of Loz Scott
in Australia about his trip to Europe to visit the 50 years
celebration.
I wish you all a good start into 2005!
December,
22nd, 2004
Well another Magnette year is going to an end. It was a
wonderful year with the Golden Jublilee on several continents. I received
many many friendly mails and met many enthusiasts. I'm really looking
forward to the next year. Looking back 50 years will bring us into 1955,
the year the Magnette had their Rally debut at Monte Carlo. I hope I will
find the time to bring some interesting stuff just in time. But time is
more than limited at the moment especially after I crashed my fathers
Mercedes yesterday, which I use as a replacement for my crashed Magnette.
Slowly I'm running out of cars ;-)
Anyway. Thanks everybody for the support on the website either by sending
pictures and/or reports or just by visiting regulary!
Enough talking here's another pictue on the wedding
gallery...
December, 18th, 2004
Another magazine reprint has been added on the articles
page. It is from July 1954 and could be the first road test in the USA.
This reprint is again from Paul Barrow. Thanks a lot for sharing it with
us!
December,
14th, 2004
Too much work around so there was no time for an update.
But I assume you visit the advent calendar regulary, so there's something
new every day.
Last Saturday I removed engine and gearbox from my car. It was a sunny
day, the garage wide open - but only 3 degrees! Some of my readers on the
other side of the world surely can't imagine this. Anyway.
Someone (sorry lost mail and name!) sent me link, where I found this
picture:
When
I looked closer at the picture, especially the rear view I recognized a
fram I had seen before.
Quite a long time ago we had an article about a conversion. I assume this
is the result.
read the older article and the rear view here...
We
also reached 290 cars on the gallery
with two cars found on ebay! I don't believe that we will reach 300 but
who knows?
December,
2nd, 2004
The sale of regalia is in full swing now. But I recognized
that I converted some prices intoUS $ wrong. This has been corrected by
now.
Please note: if you order more than 1 item I can calculate the net-prices
and add the charge for p&p once! Up to 2 kg this is about 12 € or 17
$. In that case it's easy to send mugs as well! Just send me your enquiry
before I run out of stock...
December, 1st, 2004
A wonderful year with some nice events is going to an end.
But I'm sure the next year will bring some nice events, too. No Golden
Anniversary events, but places to meet like-minded.
More dates for 2005 have been confirmed and I also added more information
on the Z-Magnette Day on the events-page.
While you read this you already should have recognized the advents
calendar. Not? Here it is. Many new
pictures, not only Magnettes, have been added and I hope you enjoy it from
day to day!
Also another sad example of survived Magnettes has been added the gallery:
# 33342.
And of course a new picture of the month...
November, 23rd, 2004
Please note:
Normally all emails are answered immediatly! But more and more people use
"blacklists" to stop spam. Unfortunalety these blacklists do not
work absolutly correct. Several times I could not answer because my mail
was blocked! This happens because I use a freemail servce to save the
register costs. So should you not receive an answer within 3 or 4 days this
is what might have happened! You might try again with another email
address.
But here's another good news:
We again sell regalia via the website. And that's not all. We sell
them at self-cost price to clear our stock!. This is the chance before
christmas. These prices really are worth looking...
November,
22nd, 2004
The collectibles page has been
updated. Browse around...
And an old newspaper article
from the late 50's I assume.
November,
18th, 2004
Two new entries on the gallery. We welcome Norman and Rose Pethybridge, UK with # 20014
and
Gene deRuelle, Reno, Nevada, USA with # 23479.
After the last AGM I took over the job as Registrar from David Johnson,
who became our chairman after the sudden death of Roy Smalldridge. So my
ask is not only to keep this website alive. I also keep the register
database with all known cars beiing scrapped or alive. So if you
think you shouild update your information or haven't even registered with
us please send me an mail or use the registration
form. Help to keep as much history of our cars as possible. After 50
years it's getting less and less.
Well, we also have a new face on the committee. Janet Craiger has taken
over the role as treasurer and will keep an eye on our finances.
And at least Paul Barrow recognized the origin of the KIGASS choke on
Magnette # 589. It is from a Spitfire. Not that littleTriumph two
seater... Look here...
Help needed: I would like to update the advents calendar before I go
online next week. If you have any pictures that would fit please send. I
not only need Magnette pictures!
November, 17th, 2004
Today Malcolm Robertson from
Australia continues his restauration report called "Underneath the
Grease and Grime"
November,
7th, 2004
# 31058 recently on ebay found a new
home with Bruce McHardy in Scotland. We welcome both!
Neal Yates sent the rest of a 54' brochure
of Hambro, New York, the MG represent in the US then.
The early birds amoug you may be interested in the 2005
diary. Some dates have to be confirmed but you may start your planning
right now.
November, 1st, 2004
I just returned this afternoon from a
Register committee meeting oin Abingdon, where we had some good
discussion. I will report a bit later and also add the dates for 2005
during the next dates. But before this here is the update I prepared
before left. (Sorry Alan that I didn't manage to upload for Monday
morning 7 o'clock, but I still was in UK at that time!).
Winter is comming nearer and nearer, while
our friends on the southern hemisspere are starting their season. This
means technical articles and other stuff to read for us and hopefully
reports and pictures from events in Australia and elsewhere!
We start with a technical article fron Alan Bacheldor, USA who did a
proper shop wih a MGB 5 brg engine and a Datsun 5speed gearbox. More...
Beside the
Picture of Month I found some other pictures. First a Dunlop tyres
advert, and then I added an advert about "KIGASS"
to the MG #589-page, as this car was fitted
with this at some time.
October,
26th, 2004
+++Motif production stopped+++
My apologies for not broadcasting this earlier: I have been transferred
from the corporate office to the power generating station, and must now
commute to work. As such, I cannot devote adequate time to my wife and
family without ceasing production of the MG Magnette steering wheel motif.
Thus, I will not be making any more motif on a regular basis. My apologies
for this. Thanks for your understanding. Chuck Reece
With the update on 1st of October I announced more information on the temp
sender unit. Unfortunalety it showed only the old page missing the updated
information. So here's a
new try...
Also we have a few more entries on the gallery. I wonder
whether we can reach the 300:
First we have # 4552, which is for sale in
Stockholm, Sweden, and was spotted by Lars Tersmeden.
# 10277 seems to be first entry from NZ
and belongs to Ray Green, who has big plans. But I wonder why there are
not more entries from NZ!
# 17271 belongs to Alan Grace from
UK and
# 22809 was spotted on ebay
October,
18th, 2004
I scanned another old article for you. It appeared in Enjoying MG November 1987 and tells the story of ownership of 619 EPP. Does this car still excist? If the current owner reads this, please contact me if you're interested in the original magazine.
October, 11th, 2004
France. Well known for good wine, good cuisine, B.B. and Le Tour de France. But that's not all: Les Francais also have Magnettes. And if they not have a very early barnfind (like we reported a few month ago) they make it special. More...
October, 7th, 2004
You may onder why I update the
website frequently instead of repairing my own car. Well the progress is
much slower than I hoped. I'm still waiting for prices from our suppliers
to show the insurence and to get their OK.
My delay is your fortune: I have two nice new pictues. First a new picture
on the Wedding
Gallery and
another old article from 1954 which
Paul Barrow found in his large archives.
October, 6th, 2004
Thank you all who sent me emails
after the latest news. Well, luckily I wasn't injured and even the other
lady can be happy that my Magnette hit her car at the front wheel. I
suppose she would have been hurt when I hit the drivers door. Anyway. At
the moment I' wating for prices from our suppliers in England. The next
problem seems to transport a bonnet to Germany. It looks as there is
enough stuff for the news-section during the next weeks.
As time is limited at the moment I only have another advert.
It was in a horse show catalog in New York '56, spotted by Paul
Barrow.
October, 1st, 2004
I don't like mondays!
You may
wonder what this means and why I write this. The answer is here...
Just in time John and Lou Shorten have a new price
list. Probably I'm the first who is in need for some parts ;-(
What else?
Of course a new picture of the month, and another
tech tip: This time on the never ending story "temp
gauge" by Arch Boston, USA.
Some more pictures and information of the oldest excisting Magnette (so
far) # 507 of Prof. Francis A.
Dalrymple-Hamilton and please also welcome
Graham Gittins, Australia with # 7732
I had more reports etc. but since monday I have to sort out a few oher
things to get her back on the road!
September,
22nd, 2004
Since months I have a lot of
small articles and pictures, which I have to make ready for uploading. As
especially these small things make a lot of work I only saved them in my
folder "unpublished". But it seems I'm loosing control, so during
the next days I will try to publish many small things (if time allows...
MGA waiting for new MOT...) even if during the winter period I may again
call for some input. Enough intro, here we start:
New on the Magnette
wedding gallery are Andy and Jo Brock with their ZA.
Rutger Booys sent the following mail
after reading the 62' article about the H.R.G derrington crossflow head:
"I just
saw the article on the Derrington conversion on your website and I
remembered this picture in the book "M.G. Cars" by David Palmer,
printed by C.ArthusrPearson Ltd. London 1958."
P.S. Rutger also has a
nice website with MGA and Magnette specials and provided me with a lot
of old pictures which you will see later...
Ton
Matthuis from Luxembourg wrote a tech tip about weak
Magnette wheels. This seems to happen more often than you think as I
already heard this story from other owners! So keep the M.G. slogan
"safety Fast!" in mind and check your wheels carefully!
Another tech tip comes from Clive
Shelley, UK. He converted his Jaeger clock to
quartz. Surely a good idea
as most clocks don't work. But if they do it's nice to hear the tick-tack.
Clocks without this noise are no clocks!
You
want more pictures to browse? No problem! Here are some
more pictures of the Magnettes that took part in the Somerset event. I
wonder whether Eddy Lepez, who took these photographs, did see anything
during the trip without a lense in front of his eye :-)
Well, it seems my folder "unpublished" is a bit smaller now. But
still so many picturesto prepare... So it seems this page will not get
boring soon. But don't hesitate to send me your reports and pictures as
this is what keeps this site alive!
O.K. just to finish: another
advert... and # 12866
that was on ebay recently.
Magnettic MotorinG
Günter
September,
14th, 2004
Four new Magnettes on the gallery! And for the second time we have a
following number. It's # 31017 .
Welcome Roger Vandy-Smith, UK. Also a warm welcome to Alexander McCraw frm
Scotland with # 8780 and Clive
Shelley with # 23993.
Laurie Scott wrote an interesting
article (pdf 1 Mb) about mass production during the 50's, camparing
the Nuffield products.
September, 10th, 2004
Some more pictures to shorten your time 'till weekend (hopefully in
your Magnette):
Laurie Scott from Australia sent some more impressions of the Silverstone
race track and of the Hambridge
event.
On the gallery we welcome Lars Tersmeden from Sweden with # 2519
and Udo Barthelsfrom Germany with # 8628.
Udo is also our 275th entry! I suppose he will send some pictures for
another gallery soon...
And have you read the rebuild article on the MG
owners club website?
September,
5th, 2004
Just returning from a nice M.G. event in the middle of Germany. Only
one Magnette, so no pictures for you. Needless to say that my Magnette ran
smooth except a bit pinking on hilly roads. But still fast enough to show
the modern cars the large chrome grille....
But I know that some of you will switch on their computers on monday
morning and expect some news. So I don't want to dissapoint you!
Here is an article, which Mike Chew found in an old magazine. It's from
1962 and is about the H.R.G. Derrington
cross-flow head.
And an early brochue kindly sent in from
Neal Yates, USA.
September,
1st, 2004
Because of the many reports and pictures that had to be uploaded first
to be actual, I missed to update the gallery. Some of you may have noticed
on the board that Magnette # 507 was (or still is?) for sale in London.
Although it's probably the oldest excisting Magnette and surely is a
historically important car, the price of over 6,000 GBP seems a bit high.
Anyway. The register would love to see this car in enthusiastic
hands.
Already in good hands is # 628 which we could see in Hambridge. To be
honest I noticed the car just before leaving on the Sunday!. Before I just
recognized an old rusty (but driving) Maggie until I had a closer look and
noticed the missing quarter lights...
Also new are #11555, # 33041 and #
37017.
Big thanks to John Barringer for the work and pushing up the numbers on
the gallery!
Please also welcome:
# 2304 of Barry Alexander, UK
# 34572 of Jim & Sharon Jans, USA
# 34784 of Steve Giannoni, USA and
# 5684 I think I saw it on ebay, not sure anymore
Well, and before we end we have the obituary for our register chairman,
Roy Smalldridge, who is missed by all of us.
And... yes of course the Picture of the Month. readers of Safety Fast might
have enjoyed the article about Gregor Grant during the Mille Miglia 1955.
Here a picture taken a year later...
And at least the reminder for the Norwich event this weekend. Please don't
forget to give Lou a ring in advance if you plan to attend! Will anyone
send a report nd pictures, please?
August,
28th, 2004
Here's another update. Seems some of you try to keep me busy!
John Barringer send some pictues and report of an event in Dorset, which
seems to be a nice place. Look here...
August,
26th, 2004
Added some more pictures of Silverstone.
Marion Arnhold made some nice shots on the race track during the parade
laps.
August,
25th, 2004
During the last weeks we were talking about the golden anniversary of
the Magnette a lot. And it seems there's no end: exactly 50 years ago the
Magnette made it's debut in Australia on the Sydney Motor Show. Laurie
Scott (whose holidays must go to an end now...) prepared a
nice article about this.
August, 19th, 2004
I received the following mail, which I thought might be of general
interest:
Thanks to Jorn Rasmussen for kindly giving me a lift around the
Silverstone circuit in his Magnette on the Sunday parade laps. While
sliding around on the back seat (no belts of course!) I managed to take
some snaps of the two leading MGs "giving some welly" down the
straights and round some of the corners. I particularly like the
(attached) one taken through the side (yes) window at Luffield - a perfect
illustration of the "proper racing line". The whole experience
set me up well for the Thornley race in my B. They told me in the tent
that putting MGB engines in Magnettes is quite acceptable. Now I see why!
Best wishes, Ronald Watt, MGB #15
Here's the picture
We have also two other pictures:
First a nice wedding
picture, which is also our first entry from Norway on the gallery! Welcome
Trygve Sandberg!
The second car is # 17696
and was recently on ebay, spotted by Mike Chaw. Thanks.
August,
17th, 2004
Eddy Lepez from Belgium also took "some" pictures. I had the choice amoung 297 (!) pictures. The work is done and after selecting, renaming, resizing and many hours later the result is here...
August, 12th, 2004
What a lot of work but I finally managed to get a report
& pictures of the Hambridge event online. Enjoy! More to
come.
And the Picture of the Month. Attention! I'm running out of pictures for
the monthly pic. Please search your archives or maybe you find a good spot
tomorrow!
August,
11th, 2004
Slowly I'm getting sorted again. The Magnette has done the 2,000 miles
trip well and so I already gave her a good service. Now I'm sitting here
with oily fingers as some are already looking for reports. So here we
start with the Silverstone
report...
and Lou Shorten asked me to inform you that during the last four weeks she
had big trouble with her emails. Should you have sent an email and did not
receive an answer yet, please contact her again.
August, 10th, 2004
Three weeks without update! I hope you now know what you missed? As you
may guess I took my Magnette to Silverstone and the official Golden
Anniversary event in Somerset. Full reports will follow during the week.
The week before I left I showed a bit of my country to Laurie Scott from
Australia, who sends a lot of articles and reports for the website. Here's
a picture of us in front of my car.
I also have a very sad news, but I didn't want to start with that:
The week before Silverstone Roy Smalldridge, our chairman suddenly passed
away. A full obituary will also follow.
July, 17th, 2004
We have two new entries on the gallery:
Please welcome Mikeal Falk from Belgium with #22523
fresh imported from Sweden and #10502
belonging to Keith Frazer in UK. Both a warm welcome in the Magnette
family!
July, 15th, 2004
Don't want to keep this
picture that I received from Japan for myself. It shows an interesting
speedometer...
Are your Magnettes already ready for Silverstone and Hambridge? I hope to
meet many of you there! Bring your Magnette to Silverstone and park at the
signed Register parking. As far as I know some Magnettes will be on
display in the main marquee to celebrate their 50th anniversary, too. So
let's ave a good time. Looking forward to seeing old faces as well as
seeing new faces of which I only knew email adresses before!
A week later Hambridge will start, but the entry list is closed now.
Pictures of both events will of course appear here mid-August.
July, 14th, 2004
You may know that when the Magnette was launched it nearly took a year until factory cars were available for magazine for roadtests. The first roadtest from end of July was based on the private owned Magnette of the tester! This makes the following article moe interesting as it is dated Oct. 1954 and seems to be the first roadtest in the USA! Neal Yates kindly send us the Mechanics Illustrated Magnette road test from Oct. 1954.
July, 11th, 2004
Today we start with a new series called:
"Living with Alison -
Malcolm Robertson reports from Australia about his Varitone".
And I "tuned" the report of
the Z-Day a bit. The pictures might open larger and better now.
And please welcome the 260th entry: Wayne Hardy from Texas, USA with # 33170
on the gallery.
July, 6th, 2004
It's done! The 251st entry on the gallery! It was sent
by......... Gobby. And it looks as it could be a special Magnette:
I'm sure most of you know about the spirit around the number 251. Not?
Well, for many years it was Abingdon's telephone number and the first car
of a new line always carried this number. After the foundation of BMC in
1952 they used the phone number of the drawing office in Cowley, which was
501. Well, I suppose the Magnette was the first car to start with this
number (or was it the TF?).Anyway, we have a new target! Help to double the
numbers. We will start here right now:
# 6836, # 16772, # 27811, #33557 are Magnettes on the scrapyard in
Arizona, numbers located by Buckey (BIG Thanks!)
# 35035 is for sale in USA
#35479 is for sale in UK
# 36658 of Mark Gray, Kent, UK
# 37037 of Stephen Tickell, Surrey, UK
A warm welcome in the Magnette family to the new owners.
July, 3rd, 2004
Well a bit late for the monthly update, but an illness forced me to bed
a few days. Luckily it happened after the Z-Magnette Day. What again was a
wonderful weekend. Read more...
And of course a new Pic of the Month. Another
example for true enthusiasm!
