27th December 2008
600 !
Another highscore on the gallery. And it's something specal. Another of the
very few non-quarterlight Magnettes, that were built in the early days. And it's
also the first Magnette here on the gallery which number is in the sevenhundred
range. So welcome Ronald Barnes and # 739
And the race is going on. Next target is 666...
23rd December 2008
No. 599 on the gallery is Magnette # 12833 belonging to Wolf Juchem from Germany:
20th December 2008
# 4215 was on ebay Australia.
Interesting, it's the first '54 car with a number above 4000! Where are the late
'54 cars?
Next are two Magnettes from The Netherlands, kindly sent in by the Dutch
Registrar Henk Kroese:
# 9131 belonging to Harry Hilgerdenaar
and # 22543 belonging to Kees Wagemans.
Well, 598 Magnettes on the gallery! I'm sure we can hit the 600 this year....
More updates during the next days: But I don't want to miss to say a very big
thank you to everybody who sent pictures, reports or any stuff to keep this
website alive. A big thank you also to all those visitors!
P.S. Please vote for our poll if you haven't yet!
The
Magnette Register
wishes you all a
Merry Christmas and a
Happy New Year!
19th December 2008
The card is a movie! This was Eddy Lepez' reply just 10 minutes (!) after I uploaded the christmas card below. Look what he means and how the picture was drawn...
15th December 2008
Jeroen van
den Akker sent
this nice christmas card.
I thought you might like to see it, if you haven't received it directly from
him!
We are closer to the 600 mark on the gallery!
Halvor Asland from Norway registered three Magnettes he rescued from a
scrapyard. They will join his collection of appr. (!!) 3 MGA 1500 Roadsters, a
NAS 77 MGB and a 67 MGB GT, a TR6 PI and a original mint 25 000 miles 78
Allegro. Well, I wonder when he will find time to restore the Magnettes...
# 12034, #19973
and # 27320
So come on guys, just 5 cars to hit th 600...
Please vote for our poll if you haven't yet!
12th December 2008
We had at least one response on the winterly pictures.
Gilbert W. Hardy wrote: Love the new photos for Dec. Don't see these little
cars in hard serious daily use like that much anymore. Slip-sliding on the icy
roads looks like fun.
I agree totally!
The register committee was discussing about new regalia on their last meeting.
We are going to produce some new items, but want to know wat you exactly are
waiting for. So I created this small poll, where you can tick your favourite
items. You can thick more than one item and even write down your own idea!
Please use this to help us producing the right regalia for you! Thanks. Günter
4th December 2008
The countdown is running. Will we get the 600. Magnette on the gallery this
year? Here are number 591 and 592, bth from England:
# 26241 of David Burgess
# 29727 of Chris Hobden
1st December 2008
Have you seen the new picture on the homepage? Urs Müller from Switzerland
sent this, showing his Magnette in truly snowy conditions and carrying
contemporary skir on the roof!
I also made another picture of this car to the picture on the
month, as it's fitting perfect into the season (at least here in Europe.
It's snowing outside, while I type this...)
Also some news on the galley:
We start with # 6956 purchased by
John Cunneen from Australia , who now can share his time with a restorition
project.
Followed by Colin Blke's #16722
Next is # 26699 belonging to Edwin
Sweeney from the USA and the we switch to Australa again.
Ian Willder's #32214 is finally another
sequent number. We don't have many cars listed, that must have been standing
aside on the production line.
All a warm welcome!
Will we reach the 600 mark on the gallery this year? I still have a few in my
mailbox, but will that be enough? Let's see...
23rd November 2008
MG Enthusiast had a nice article in their November issue, which we are allowed to reproduce here....
18th November 2008
Most of you will know that the nice clock is one of the things that never
work. I got mine repaired three times during the last 10 years as I like the
tick-tack. Without that it's not a clock!
Despite that Malcolm Robertson made a report about his experience
converting the Magnette clock to quartz.
So, his clock makes no noice but shows the right time. I should overthink my
opinion...
16th November 2008
Today we have some information on parts:
Andy Brock spooted these reproduction bumpers made of stainless steel
at ebay. The manufacturerer is located in Vietnam.
As former Register historian and "Nile-Trial" rally driver Warren Marsh sold his
car earlier this year and also sold all his second hands parts I had to delete
Zedparts from the suppliers list.
10th November 2008
Dan Docwra's Magnette has been added to the
wedding gallery....
...and to the Magnette gallery, marking the 200th entry for Great Britain. Well
done Scotsman!
And the next car on the gallery comes from Wales: David Williams registered #
31797.
5th November 2008
Let's start this month with a bad news.
Former rally driver Pat Moss died after a long illness on October 14, 2008, aged
73. During her career she drove a Magnette on her first continental rally in
1955. Unfortunalety she crashed the Magnette on the journey to the start, when
she stopped to read a road sign and then drove off on the wrong side of the road
to meet another car head on. The Magnette suffered front end dmage. Here's an
obituary...
But we also have good news: here's a report about the
M.G. Saloon Day
and
a new picture of the month...
28th October 2008
Jose de Sousa ("our" Peking-Paris rally-man) loaned his Magnette to a friend
for the "Classic Safari Challenge" across Namibia, South Africa and
Swaziland.
Here's a short report:
The Magnette lost a rear wheel, complete with halfshaft, in the middle of
nowhere in Namibia. I only read the BBS thread "Hub nut on rear axel for ZA
magnette" now ! I have not yet seen the parts but apparently the rear hub nut
unscrewed itself ... I had a spare halfshaft but it was not possible to
repair/remachine the thread (damaged/split from hitting the ground) where it
happened, so Maggie and Roger opted to send the car back to Cape Town and rent a
4x4.
The suspension seem to have performed well. I am now considering further
improvements for the 2010 Peking-Paris: a sanction 2 MGB engine with more power,
perhaps a stronger rear axle (Morris Marina Van ?), limited slip diff, a ZB
steering column, traction tyres, plus ???. Any ideas?
More pictures
here...
26th October 2008
More Magnettes for the gallery:
# 10450 of Randall Wharton, Ireland
# 23244 of Rodger Shaver, ID, USA
17th October 2008
Last week I received a letter (with a nice stamp) from Australia. Chris Gray
sent some information about four Magnettes (out of ten) he owned. Here they are:
# 9432, #
11207, #
23633, #
29300
Thanks Chris!
9th October 2008
Grant Howlett sentsome nice pictures of the Festival of Speed at Goodwood with racing Magnettes...
3rd October 2008
Some more entries to the gallerie:
# 12864,
# 24134 and #
33322. All seen on ebay.
1st October 2008
The season in Europe and the rest of the northern hemisphere is going to an end, which means that the Magnettes and their owners in the southern part of the world start into the new season:
Loz Scott sent a report of
"Wagga Wagga" in Australia.
And Alberto Cruz in Portugal finished his restoration on
# 35929 and brought a nice example back
on the road.
And yes, there is a new picture of the month...
28th September 2008
Well no updates for nearly two weeks. But I had to check my MGA for the MOT and the last reports for our German MG Club magazine had to be written. So unfortunalety this website stood at the end of the list. But here we go again. We start with another wedding picture sent by Robert Schmitz....
16th September 2008
Please welcome # 35983 of Rikke
Nissen, Denmark on the gallery.
And back to another part of Europe: Portugal. You all remember the Peking-Paris
report of Jose de Sousa. After his return home he started to change his
supension, as this was the weakest part during the trial.
Read on...
14th September 2008
New on the gallery is
Richard Sherman's # 28607 and
# 2980 of Valentine Venimore from New
Zealand and
# 26668 of Mark Michalak, USA
7th September 2008
Last weekend the last formal event of the Register was held in Norwich.
See report and pictures by Brian
Pollard and Peter Martin...
4th September 2008
Jeroen van den Akker and Karel vermeer sent more photos...
2nd September 2008
Jeroen van den Akker sent report and pictures of the
Continental Old Z Meeting in the
Netherlands.
1st September 2008
Stephen Tickell sent a report of the
Athelhampton House
event at the beginning of August. Somehow the report got lost in my email
account but luckily Stephen reminded me. Thanks! So here we are....
Also a new picture of the month.
25th August 2008
Please welcome on our gallery:
# 24988 of Colin Heald, New Zealand
17th August 2008
There is another Magnette in France, belonging to Thomas Reiss, which has
been added to the gallery: # 34090 .
Your webmaster had a nice scenic drive today to organise the Magnette Day 2009.
I found a nice place which hopefully will please many of you....
14th August 2008
The Z & Farina Magnette Register has a glittering array of silverware to
distribute every year. Much of this is for the usual sort of thing - concours
and pride of ownership awards, driving test prizes, etc. There's one award,
however, which often causes a lot more debate when the committee meets in the
spnng to decide on the winner for the previous year - that for Magnetteer of the
Year.
This is for the person who, during the previous year, is judged to have done
something special to promote the cause of the Magnette and the Register. The
rules for the award are a little vague, hence the vigorous discussions at that
spring meeting as members argue in favour of one or other candidate. For the
2007 year our task was easy, however - nobody could deny that Jose & Maria de
Sousa's amazing achievement in completing the Peking to Paris Centenary Rally in
a ZA Magnette not only took the biscuit, it demolished the whole packet!
Actually presenting the award was a little more difficult; Jose & Maria live in
Oporto, Portugal and Register funds would (unfortunately) not stretch to a
committee outing there. However Jose and his wife are frequent visitors to the
UK so when he said they would be here in May to attend an auction in Newport
Ragnell (he also owns an Aston Martin DB2 drophead, which must be almost as much
fun as the Magnette) we lost no time in arranging to meet.
Over a delightful meal at my local, the George and Dragon in Upton, we heard
many a fascinating tale of adventure from China via Mongolia, Siberia, Moscow,
the Baltic States, Poland, Germany, and all the way to Paris, of just how to
keep a 51 -year-old car going across trackless stony deserts, through rivers and
for thousands of miles of inhospitable terrain. And of the kindness and
enthusiasm of the local people whose basic engineering skills, when faced with
vehicles from another era and people who must have seemed from a different
planet, kept the whole show on the road - quite literally.
But this is a mere trailer for the Register spread in Safety Fast!
where you will be able to read, in Jose's own words, all about this amazing
feat. And just to prove it wasn't a fluke, they plan to do the whole thing again
in 2010!
Paul Batho, chairman
9th August 2008
Rhys Timms and Loz Scott sent a report of the EMR with the Victorian MGCC...
3rd August 2008
Greg & Jill Thornton's MG ZB Varitone was judged "Best Car of the Day" and
also the MGCC Z Register concours at the Rover Event at Lincolnshire Aviation
Heritage Centre on 20/7/08, which took place in conjunction with MGCC
Lincolnshire Centre's MG Day.
Greg says: "We were particularly pleased as there were 277 cars entered in
the rally programme. We thoroughly enjoyed the day and the venue, and even the
rain held off till the end of the day!"
Congratulation!
1st August 2008
New month - new pic of the month!
Also a new picture on the
wedding gallery sent by
Robert Schmitz , Germany
And Lionel Burrell sent an email and picture saying:
My 1955 ZA magnette 4 up with luggage at the 2008 Le Mans Classic. We did 954
miles, the car never missed missed a beat. We averaged between 24 to 30 mpg and
only used a cup full of oil. What a super comfortable turing car.
Sure Lionel, this is what the car was built for! It's good to see more and
more Magnettes getting used regulary.
29th July 2008
Here are some more entries for our ever growing gallery:
# 7477 an update of Rich McKie's car.
Look at the wheels!
#
11712 new entry Andrew Murdoch,
Australia
and two more ebay founds:
#
13180 ebay and #
16865 ebay and finally an update of
G.Wayne Hardy's Magnette # 33170
in new paint...
27th July 2007
Hi Magneteers outside! Just returned from a holiday, so the update-free-time
is gone! lets start with an announcement from Wayne Hardy, Texas, USA:
Just a head's up to watch for a soon to be released video called "Inside the
Octagon" Part 11. The first part is all about MG in the pre-war days, part 11 is
the company since 1946. This is a lovely little showing of the cars and people
involved, put together by a couple of MG enthusiasts, one of whome is in the
professional film business, doing promos ads and the like. And most of all
watch for the lovely little "Black Cherry" coloured Magnette in a couple of the
shots, which is old KAA 3133170. Yes I had the honor of being picked to
represent the Magnette family in this video. That said, the video is worth the
cost and the 90 or so minutes of time for viewing. I also recommend ITO part 1,
which was done a few years ago and has some lovely interviews with some of the
now departed MG people in Abingdon, (like John Thornly).
10th July 2008
A handful of pictures of the Magnette Day added...
2nd July 2008
Here is a report and pictures of the
Z Magnette Day in
Germany....
And a new picture of the month ....
