Where are they Now?

[john bevan]

I know this is slightly off topic, but what happened to Chris Alford's 4/4 that he won the 1976 production car championship in? Was it owned by John Britten? And where is it now?

John

[E Jeffries]

I contacted the DVLA historical archives to inquire about 405 FXO. They responded and said that FXO was a London County Council issue, but unfortunately the records were destroyed in the 1970's. They also said that the FXO series was issued between April 1963 and January 1964. Pip Arnold took delivery of his new low bodied Super Sports in April, 1963, so the FXO issue date range would be coincide with the arrival of the new car and sale of his high body car, the 1960 version of TOK 258 which became registered as XRX 1 during a registration swap. On the surface it's all a bit confusing, but with a little digging the picture becomes more clear.

Eric

[Philip McKelvey]

I have read with interest the above postings but must confess to being more confused than ever regarding the originalty of cars and thier registrations.
On a lighter note does anyone know the whereabouts of the 64 reg black high cowl car featured in the Doris day film, I have asked my wife to note the reg number when the film is repeated again, I even thought I caught a glimpse of a Plus 4 Plus during one scene.

Regards
Philip

[angela-cooper]

George Murray Symons was my father and I have many photos of him in the Morgan mentioned as well as several cups he won. I remember him talking about his days at Brooklands and on trials and we also had a picture of the car - as I recall it was red! He died in August 1985. I would be interested to know which museum in Florida has the car, if anyone knows. Angela Cooper

[E Jeffries]

I would be interested to know which museum in Florida has the car, if anyone knows. Angela Cooper

The Collier Automotive Museum in Naples, Florida might have the car. Collier's collection of sports and racing cars is huge. Here are their contact details:

Collier Automotive Museum
2500 S. Horseshoe Drive
Naples, Florida 33942

phone +1-813-643-5252

[Leigh Sebba]

Philip

I consulted the ‘bible’ but not too much info there on this film -

http://www.gomog.com/movies/movies.html

Do Not Disturb
1965 starring Doris Day and Rod Taylor
A very sorry movie for a very fine performer. Nothing seems to work here
except the Morgan Roadster. E.Herman

[Guy Loveridge]

There used to be a car museum in the vacinity of Breadenton Airpoty near Sarrasota in Florida. They had a 4/4 when I was there in 1998. Also an Arnott-Bristol and some other fine macheneary.
It was down the main drag, poss Tammy-Ammy Trail, from the Ringling Bros Circus Museum and the Barnum Art Collection.

[Philip McKelvey]

Thank you Leigh

The Morgan is well featured, the efforts of Doris with the manual shift would presume it has now had a replacement box. I will try to confirm the number plate. There is also another Morgan featured in a film not listed on site, details of which I shall forward on confirmation.

Regards
Philip

[Guy Loveridge]

Here's another one for you all -

Where is TKL 859?

I have a picture of it racing at Brands in the 1960's, with number 85 on the door, and a be-spectacled driver up. High-Coweled, on SUs - hole cut in bonnet side for them.

Pip Pip!

[John Clarke]

Hi Angela

I've moved this topic to the Series 1 section here

viewtopic.php?f=27&t=1391&p=12814#p12814

I have two photos of JTT 703 which I have posted there

regards

john

[Guy Loveridge]

To clarify a few things ref- Jim Tucker's car and mentions on here.

Jim's two "Big" races were both at Brands. in 1965 and 1966. In 1965 he ran in the famous "Guards 1000" - or "Double 500 " race. There were lots of Morgans in the entry list - Lawrencetune (slr - TOK 258) driven by Lawrence and Spender with Donnelly; R. North with A House; J Thurston with J V Terry; Jim with Brian Kendall. In the reserves were D S Jones and J S Maclay and Charles Blythe, Jenny Bond-Smith and David Wansbrough.

Jim came home 1st placed Morgan.

In 1966 he was back again for the Ilford Films 500 - here he was a reserve with Charles Blyth. They made the race though and did pretty well, second Morgan home well inside the top 20 of 35 starters.
Charles Blyth was sadly killed at the Targa Florio in 1970 or 1971 - not competing, he stepped out in front of a competition car and was run over.

Jim was an "amateur" driver, he raced for the love of it and the challenge. However, if you look at the drivers in the Ilford race, for example - names you might know:-

David Piper, Bob Bondurant, Mike Salmon, Chris Irwin, Roy Pike, Chris Amon, Innes Ireland, Peter Sutcliffe, Bernard Unett, Jackie Oliver, Bill Nicholson, Jean Denton, Gerry Marshall, Tony Lanfranchi, Peter Gethin, Mark Konig.......

GP racers, GP winners, Le Mans winners etc - It was all pretty hot stuff! Given Jim's was a self prepared car, worked on in the street in Luton outside his 'digs'; driven to the races and that the "accomodation" was "The Big Blue Hotel" - a bell tent!

There was a twin spare wheel red +4 before Jim bought his BRG car back over from Jersey. He raced up until the 1970 season. With a year out for repairs after Chris Dixon wrote the car off at the 8 Clubs' Meeting. After that Jim rebuilt it as a "Super sports" - low-line etc and painted it bright Orange!

[Roger Bonsall]

Hi everyone.

A couple of years ago I was able answer an enquiry in the ‘Where Are They Now?’ topic about 49AFK, one of the first +4s to receive the ‘LawrenceTune’ treatment and the car used to homologate those modifications in 1961. Because of my close friendship with the three drivers who principally raced and hill-climbed it in the 1960s, I set out to trace the car. I hit lucky and have now met the current owner (for the last 40 years!) the Rev. ‘Toddy’ Hoare and seen the car several times.

As it is surely a significant car from the great days of +4s and in very original condition, I felt it deserved a brief article in Miscellany. I therefore wrote a piece and submitted it to the Editor and, some ten months later, he responded. While graciously admitting “I find it is actually quite good”, he felt that “as (at a very generous estimate) only about 50 of our members would have any idea what you were on about…”, and that “while the racing history of old Plus 4s is of interest to a few, in such detail it would go straight over the heads of the other 4950 of our members”!

I therefore offered the article to the ever enthusiastic Melvyn Rutter for his magazine Morgan World and it has been published in the latest edition (No29). I hope some of you find it mildly interesting. I do feel it’s sad if Miscellany’s Editor is right and these cars are really of no interest to 99.5% of Morgan Sports Car Club members.

Incidentally, the earlier this year 49AFK was used to take Toddy’s daughter to her wedding and three weeks ago he drove it down to Dyrham Park near Bath for ‘The Spirit of the Sixties’ event commemorating the hill-climbs held there in that decade. There it was joined by +4s TUY875 and VHT198, both of which it regularly vanquished in its day. Pete Garbutt let me drive TUY up the hill, behind a pace car. God! Was it narrow - and isn't Morgan steering heavy!

Roger Bonsall

[Andy Downes]

I have just re-read the whole of this thread - it is absolutely fascinating !

It all serves to underline the fact that the Registration Number is the most recognisable, but is perhaps the least reliable means of identifying a particular car.

Chassis number is more reliable, if imposssible to spot from photographs - although the chassis as a Factory 'Service Item' supplied without a number is not infallable either.

This coupled with the flexible nature of the Morgan's construction techniques - separate chassis/frame/panelling - allows body changes to be effected that would be nigh impossible on a unitary monocoque construction. Add in Chris Lawrence's (and many others') liberal interpretation of the rules and an eye on the main chance and the result is the richly debated detailed picture we have today

Have Fun

[Andrew Potter]

Good Morning Ladies and Gentlemen. Nearly a year after the last posting on this thread, and three and a half after a name I recall from the 1960s, John McKecknie, perhaps I could make some connections about John, previously mentioned by Bob Bull and Tim Hill from their results cards. I am unable to help with registrations or chassis numbers, and my recollections may be with a different John McKecknie.
In 1966, '67' and '68 I was a young policeman in Cheltenham, and one of my beats was around the Bath Road. Being interested in cars, but more especially in racing,
(at that time I would spend most of my free weekends at Castle Combe), Cedar Motor House in Bath Road, opposite the Eagle Star building, attracted my attention because it had a racing shop.
I would spend time in there rather than pursuing miscreants! The owner was a John McKecknie, and he came over from Newent each day where his family had a wine business, (could it be what is now Three Choirs Vineyard, I wonder?). John had as his daily driver a Coombs Jaguar Mk 2 in dark blue, though whether he raced that I am unable to recall. In the racing shop was always a Morgan in dark blue and silver, a Ginetta G12 in dark blue, and at first a Ford Anglia in dark blue and silver, later replaced by a Lotus Cortina, I think, and also in the same colours. Naturally I sat in them all.John and his staff were extremely friendly to me and I used to watch John or his mechanic racing regularly. Perhaps in '67 John bought a silver Ferrari 275 GTB, and if I was on duty along the Tewkesbury Road at about 8 in the morning, I could hear him coming to work a mile or so away- music to my ears. However, John had underlying health problems, which I didn't know about, and the last time I saw him he complained about having to buy his ex-wife a little runabout- a Triumph Spitfire. John died suddenly perhaps at the end of '67 or in '68.
The garage soon disappeared.
With best wishes,
Andrew Potter

[Andy Downes]

Hello Andrew,

Absolutely fascinating ! I have been on the lookout for anything about John McKechnie for a while, perhaps we can have a longer chat.

Can you recall how the Blue/Silver livery was on the car (e.g. Blue body/Silver wings ?) ?

Best Wishes

Andy

PS - coming to the Birkett ?