ME AND MY CAR/MOTORCYCLE #141946 STANDARD EIGHT TOUREROWNED BY SIMON GOLDSWORTHY

Simon Goldsworthy, editor of MG Enthusiast magazine tells us about his current barn find project.

I hadn't really been looking for a project on quite this scale, but I had been on the lookout for a Standard Flying Eight Tourer for a couple of years, and had already been gazumped on one and out-bid on another. So when I was offered this project by a friend, I decided to give it a go. The car itself is a 1946 Eight Tourer (Standard dropped the 'Flying' name after the war), and it had been dismantled a decade ago by the previous owner, who sadly passed away before getting much further.

As they always are, the car was a mixture of good and bad. It had been sitting without any paint for a decade and so was covered with surface rust, but on the plus side the basic structure was remarkably sound. The serious rot seemed confined to the sills and the B-post bottoms, plus a bit along the outer edges of the inner wheelarches. On the other hand, the wings, doors, bonnet and radiator shroud – whilst also covered in surface rust – were remarkably good, and the engine and gearbox were complete and very clean in another part of the garage.

One of the reasons that persuaded me to take the project on was that my eldest son wanted to help restore a car to learn how they work. He has never shown any interest before, but the fact that he was about to turn 17 and start learning to drive must have played a part in this transformation. I am not naive enough to believe that his enthusiasm will last the length of a project like this, but the chance to pass on a bit of practical knowledge made me take the plunge.

I brought all of the dismantled Standard parts back to Lincolnshire and arranged to have the rolling chassis, body tub and engine/gearbox transported here professionally. Trying to decide what belonged to the Standard and what belonged to something else in the vendor's garage was far from easy, but Paul (the previous owner's son) and I gradually worked our way through the various piles and made our best guesses. And there were some real treasures among the rusty and rotten relics that only reinforced my belief that I had done the right thing. For example, a lot of the brightwork had already been rechromed, there were four new and unused tyres, the steering wheel had been professionally recoated, and there were two sets of wings to choose from. The seats and hood were also there, probably beyond saving but very useful to have as patterns.

Since getting everything home to my own garage, initial progress has been quite rapid, thanks to the enlistment of some professional help to take it back to bare metal. I braced the body, and having roped in all my kids (Ben, 17, Max, 15, and Megan, 12) to assist, we lifted it off the chassis. This was then sent away for grit blasting, the body and panels following shortly afterwards. So now we have started building the suspension back up, and are about to send it off to my brother for some new ash framing. The work is being detailed in Triumph World magazine, which is an added incentive to keep up progress. Initially I had planned on taking two years, but right now I am hopeful of having it back on the road in one.

Are you working on a car/motorcycle or restoration? Leave a comment!

TRADITION: FUTURE - PORSCHE MUSEUM CELEBRATES ‘50 YEARS OF 911’ AT GOODWOOD

Goodwood is honouring one of the world’s most versatile and popular sports cars – the Porsche 911 – at this year's Goodwood Festival of Speed in West Sussex, 11 – 14 July.

Walter Röhrl, the two-time World Rally Champion

1900 Lohner Porsche Semper Vivus

1973 Porsche 917/30 Spyder

Demonstration runs by historical Porsche road and race cars spanning the seven generations of the 911 will be a highlight of the event. These cars, many of which will instantly evoke fond memories among the thousands of spectators, will be driven by two-time World Rally Champion Walter Röhrl, and two-time winner of the Le Mans 24 Hours and German Touring Car Champion, Hans-Joachim Stuck, amongst other notable star names.

Joining this outstanding selection of 911 icons will also be an incredible line-up of historic Le Mans veterans from the Porsche Museum collection based in Stuttgart. The 911 GT1 '98 and 935/78 ‘Moby Dick’ have been rarely seen in the UK, while the 1987 962 is a frequent visitor to the Earl of March’s West Sussex estate.

1978 Porsche 935/78 ‘Moby Dick’

1977 Porsche 936/77 Spyder Le Mans

Pit stop for Porsche 962 Le Mans 1987

In addition, the former Porsche factory race drivers Hans Herrmann and Richard Attwood will once more be reunited behind the wheel of the legendary Porsche 917 KH, with starting number 23, in which they captured the winner’s trophy in the Le Mans 24 Hours for Porsche in 1970; the first of a total of 16 overall victories achieved to date.

The delectable 936 Spyder will also travel to Goodwood; with three victories at Le Mans, it is among the most successful Porsche race cars. The contingent from the Porsche Museum will be completed by a further five star guests. Two examples of the rallying 911; an SC ‘Safari’ and ‘Paris Dakar’ Carrera 4x4; two 911 race cars, a ‘Type 964’ from the Porsche Supercup Championship and ‘Type 996’ 911 GT3 RSR; and the formidable 1,000 hp 917/30 Can-Am car will all be vying for fans’ attention at Goodwood.

Alongside the Lohner-Porsche ‘Semper Vivus’ –the world’s first full hybrid automobile and one of the earliest innovations of company founder, Professor Ferdinand Porsche– the Stuttgart factory will also send a very special, original 911 from 1967 to Goodwood. As part of an innovative ‘Follow the 911’ campaign, this car has been engaged as a rolling ambassador for Porsche at various international events, trade fairs, historic rallies and racing events on five continents since the start of the year.

Further details regarding the involvement of Porsche in the Goodwood Festival of Speed, and more information about the wider event itself, will be confirmed over the coming weeks.



Source: Porsche

90TH ANNIVERSARY OF LE MANS 24 HOURS

With the 2013 Le Mans race taking place this weekend, we thought we'd celebrate the 90th anniversary with a selection of classic Le Mans images from Veloce books!

Images from Le Mans Panoramic, Motor Movies - The Posters, Gulf Mirage, Audi R8, and Porsche 908.

HONOURING THE PAMPAS BULL

Next month’s Silverstone Classic (26-28 July) will pay special tribute to José Froilan Gonzáles, the legendary Argentine racing driver who passed away last weekend at the age of 90.

Nicknamed ‘the Pampas Bull’ thanks to his burly frame and swashbuckling style, Gonzáles will forever be linked to Silverstone. He not only scored both his two Grand Prix wins (from a total of 26 starts) at the famous Northamptonshire circuit but the first of these in 1951 was also of huge historical significance being Ferrari’s first-ever victory in the FIA Formula One World Championship.

"Everyone was shouting and I was carried to the winner's podium," recalled Gonzáles in his book My Greatest Race. “After a few minutes they led me forward to the Queen of England who congratulated me. I had never experienced anything like this before. When I saw my country’s flag being hoisted, it was just too much for me and I cried. That moment will live with me for ever.”

Honouring that milestone achievement the two races organised by the Historic Grand Prix Cars Association specifically for F1 cars from that era will be named the Froilan Gonzáles Trophy for HGPCA Pre ’61 Grand Prix Cars.

“Gonzáles will always be a giant figure in motor sport history and it’s a huge privilege for us to be honouring him at this year’s Silverstone Classic,” said event director Nick Wigley. “His two Grand Prix victories came at Silverstone and his 1951 win for Ferrari is a watershed moment in the annals of Formula One racing. What’s more he was also a regular visitor to the Silverstone Classic back in the Nineties always happy to be back at the scene of his greatest victory.”

Notably Gonzáles returned in 1997 to take part in a dramatic Ferrari demonstration. Aged 74 he drove a 1952 Ferrari 375 Indianapolis alongside Phil Hill, John Surtees and Jody Scheckter in three of the Scuderia’s more modern F1 machines. Two year’s later he also took part in BRM’s 50th anniversary celebrations at Silverstone.

Like so many of the drivers in his era, Gonzáles also competed in sportscars winning the Le Mans 24 Hours for Ferrari in 1954. Several of the magical machines he raced in the Fifties, and that raced against him, will be among more than 1000 of the finest and most authentic competition cars all recreating history at what’s now firmly established as the world’s biggest classic motor racing festival.

Source: Silverstone Classic

MAZDA MX-5 SETS NEW WORLD RECORD

Mazda was able to set a new entry in the Guinness Book of World Records during the big MAX-5 2013 event on June 15 in Lelystad, Netherlands. A total of 683 Mazda MX-5s joined the procession on the roads around the RDW Test Centre at Lelystad, forming the longest parade of driving Mazdas ever. 1450 participants contributed to the successful record attempt, shattering the existing record for the “largest parade of Mazda cars” – 459 Mazda MX-5s – set in Essen, Germany in 2010.

The MX-5 parade through the fascinating polder landscape was led by a spectacular version of the MX-5, a third-generation (NC) racing model with the Dutch TV presenter Allard Kalff behind the wheel and President and CEO of Mazda Motor Europe Jeff Guyton beside him. Later on, after the successful record attempt, Guyton also received the official certificate which was presented by Guinness World RecordsTM adjudicator Pravin Patel.

Throughout the MAX-5 2013 event, the RDW Test Centre at Lelystad was completely dedicated to the Japanese brand and the Mazda experience. This included demonstrations by the Ribank Mazda MaX5 Cup racers and the three-rotor-engined Mazda3 20Bowned by Belgian racing family Van Herck. Participants also had the opportunity of extensively testing Mazda's new i-ACTIVSENSE technology on the banked circuit, or entertaining themselves in one of the racing simulators. All the new Mazda SKYACTIV models were on hand for those interested in taking a test drive and visitors also had the opportunity of a free inspection of their own roadsters. During a special display with some of the finest MX-5s on hand, the award for the most beautiful and authentic Mazda MX-5 of the day was handed over to Pieter Staat from Meteren (NL). The second prize went to Maarten Tuiten from Almelo (NL), followed by Ludo Vander Vliet from Duffel (B), winning third place in this competition.

At the end of the day, about 250 cars still present joined to form a large drive-in cinema. Prior to the showing, the viewers were asked to pick from three films and seated at the wheel of their cars, the owners cast their vote by blowing their horn to indicate their preferred film. The loudest ‘vote’ was cast for Arbitrage with Richard Gere in the starring role.

Source: Mazda

Available from Veloce!

Mazda MX-5 Miata 1.8 Enthusiast's Workshop Manual
By Rod Grainger

Phenomenally detailed book which covers the car from bumper to bumper. Every detail of important repair and maintenance jobs is covered.
More info.

Available from Veloce!

Mazda MX-5 Miata – The Essential Buyer’s Guide
By Carla Crook

Having this book in your pocket is just like having a marque expert by your side. Benefit from the authors years of real ownership experience, learn how to spot a bad car quickly, and how to assess a promising one like a true professional. Get the right car at the right price!

More info.

TONY MASON BOOK SIGNING AT AVO CLUB DAY

Rally legend Tony Mason had a very successful day signing copies of his brand new book Mason's Motoring Mayhem! at the Ford AVO Club National Day at Hatton Country World on Sunday. Tony will be out and about at events throughout the year, watch this space for more updates!

Few people achieve success and notoriety in more than one field, but Tony Mason has managed it! He joined a local car club before he even had a car, eventually climbing to the top with rally wins in his native Lake District, before joining the prestigious Ford works team and co-driving Britain’s biggest rally star, Roger Clark, to win outright the RAC Rally – Britain’s toughest event of its kind. He started a successful car accessory business then ventured onto the stage for a short while, before being signed by the BBC to appear on its popular Top Gear programme, on which he was a main presenter for 15 years. His cheery presence became a popular part of the programme, and he moved from rallying to driving all manner of vehicles, from vintage Rolls-Royces, Reliant Robins, tanks, fire engines and Eddie Stobart trucks. After he was famously bombarded with snowballs during a report on the Monte Carlo Rally, he became even better known, with the famous out-take being shown on programmes around the the world.
Tony Mason’s light-hearted, jovial persona transfers from television to page in this autobiography, taking readers on a trip from his early life in the seaside town of Morecambe through almost 100 countries, with thrills, spills, ups-and-downs all vividly remembered and often shown in photographs.More info.

A LONG WEEKEND AT THE ISLE OF MAN TT 2013 – REAL WAY ROUND ... THE MOUNTAIN CIRCUIT

Thanks to Jonathan Yates (author of The Real Way Round) for sending some great photos from The Isle of Man TT this week.



Michael Rutter nicknamed 'The Blade', relaxing between TT practice sessions reading The Real Way Round.



Jonathan Yates (right) with former England cricketer Darren Gough.





Guy Martin.







Available now!
The Real Way Round - 1 year, 1 motorcycle, 1 man, 6 continents, 35 countries, 42,000 miles, 9 oil changes, 3 sets of tyres, and loads more ... by Jonathan Yates.

One man’s real-life experience of motorcycling solo around the globe – no back-up teams, no spare bikes, no film crews – just him and his Yamaha Ténéré XT660, travelling 42,000 miles through 6 continents and 35 countries, seeing amazing things; meeting fascinating people; experiencing different cultures, and coping with extremely challenging conditions. 
This book is not only proof that anyone can do it, but also a practical guide to motorcycling round the world: what to do first; what to plan for, and how to cope with the unexpected. Featuring nearly 700 stunning, inspirational images of the places, people and events of our wonderful world (which make you want to experience them for yourself!), the book also contains route maps, points of interest, and practical guidance on freighting a motorcycle. 
An eye-opening, absorbing and pragmatic account – described pictorially and by informal, straightforward commentary – of motorcycling around the world. More info.