The Crankhandle January 2016

NEWSLETTER OF THE HEREFORD AUSTIN SEVEN CLUB

Editorial

Welcome to the January 2016 issue of ‘The Crankhandle’.

Amazingly, the weather is still warm enough to while-away numerous hours in the workshop maintaining,

building or re-building our cars (or perhaps boats in some parts of the UK!)

I’m happy to report that my ‘new’ car is rapidly taking shape – the

completely refurbished RN rolling chassis is nearly complete, so as soon as

I have practiced welding rust - I will direct my attention to the bodywork.

This Newsletter contains a variety of articles that I hope will entertain you,

including - the first in a series of ‘Meet the Committee’, tales of an amazing

adventure through Asia by two of our more adventurous members and of

course some technical interest.

As usual - my very grateful thanks to those members who have kindly provided articles or photographs –

these valuable contributions are much appreciated.

Breaking news – At last night’s AGM, the club committee members were re-elected ‘en block’ for another

year. Also, my thanks to all who attended for completing the survey of preferred club activities, I will

feedback the findings at our next meeting.

I hope you enjoy the issue.

Bob

2

Secretary’s corner

Hi Folks, Do I detect that daylight hours are becoming just a little bit longer? We are already a good way through January but not too late I hope to wish everyone a Happy New Year. With thoughts of vintage motoring on the horizon, I gave the Windsor a ‘once over’ yesterday afternoon and a quick run to make sure all was well. That led me on to thinking about our events diary for 2016. Other than December, I note that there is something going on every month of the year, the next being our AGM on Tuesday 26th January. Michael Harcourt and I both have a busy year ahead but for entirely different reasons. I have already indicated that it would be extremely helpful if another Member would take over as Secretary for the next year and longer if he or she would like. So far, there has been a deafening silence, which I am not entirely surprised at. We are all busy people in our own ways but please let me know if you are even remotely interested otherwise there will be a reduced service; so spreading the load, would benefit everyone. Likewise, Michael H’ could be persuaded to remain as Events Co-ordinator if we could lighten his load so that he could ‘co-ordinate’! For example, if someone were to suggest a venue for a Sunday for lunch, I am sure that Michael would be only too willing to make the dining arrangements on our behalf. This would lighten his load and we would still have something resembling a Club Run. This is not to say that if you would like to organise a full Club Run then nobody will stop you and that would be fantastic. Please consider these suggestions and let me know. Work on the Opal in the motor-house has had to take second place of late, but in more recent days I have turned my attention to refurbishing the windscreen. I say refurbish because, to my knowledge, I cannot recall the windscreen being opened since I have owned the car and that is since 1968! The pillars are in remarkably good condition and therefore I am concentrating on the pivoting tubes at the top of the screen. As one might imagine, everything was seized solid but I have at last got everything disassembled. You never know, we may have a suitable summer for its use. Do look at the excerpts of the FBHVC’s News that Bob Garrett includes for us in the Crankhandle. This is an excellent organisation that strives to ensure that Clubs like ours get fair recognition from the UK Government and indeed noticed by the EC. My recent attendance at the DVLA historic vehicle meeting at Swansea certainly indicated to me how well we are represented by the FBHVC. Finally, a further plea - committee members were otherwise engaged last Sunday so none of us could attend the Austin Seven Clubs’ Association meeting at Gaydon. The next meeting is to be held at the Heritage Motor Centre, Gaydon on Sunday 10th July and if you would like to do something for the Club, it would really help if you could represent us. Attendance at the meeting allows entry to the amazing exhibition and if you have never been - it is certainly worth a look. There is nothing onerous at the meeting, just make a note of what might affect us in Hereford. Other Clubs are represented and the chat over coffee is always interesting. Please let me know if you think that you might like to go. July is a long way off so in the meantime enjoy your ‘Seven’ whether it is in the workshop or on the road. Happy Sevenning …. Mike

Chairman’s thoughts – (Choppen’s chatter)

A year has gone by since you kindly elected me as your chairman and you would not believe how many times I've asked myself, "How did that happen?" Sadly, we have lost Robert Bird and also Richard Youard in the last year. Rob was particularly close to me and I still find it very painful not being able to speak to or see him. Question. What do we need to make our wonderful club thrive and grow?

3

One answer is YOU. We need you to throw ideas at the committee members and to let us know what you want from the club. One great idea put forward is that we need some of you to plan a club run or indeed some other event. It only needs three or four members to do this and half of our year’s outings are fulfilled. Other answers will hopefully emerge from the simple questionnaire that I circulated at the AGM. Moving on to another question. Who wants to take up the position of Publicity Officer and therefore join us on the committee? This is a really important placement, as this club like all others, needs to keep getting new members to thrive and grow. We have in the past discussed a tool-sharing scheme, for example you may have something that you only use once in a blue moon. An item/tool that you would be willing to loan out on a 'you bend it you mend it basis'. We had thought about making a list of such items, giving out the lenders details and what they have available. We then felt this wasn't a good idea and a better way forward, would be for potential lenders to liaise with Eddie Loader. He can then make a note of all such item/items so that members can consult him to discover whether specific items might be available within the club. Finally, I would like to thank you all for being A7 enthusiasts, and also thank my fellow committee members for the input they freely give all year round, including the support they have all given me. Derek (Chops) Meet the committee This is the first of a series of articles aimed to provide you with information (the printable material anyway) describing the backgrounds of your committee. It was thought such articles might be useful for those members who are less familiar with these individuals and help us all decide whether they are suitable for future re-election! The following is the first in this series of ‘meet the committee’ and in his own words - introduces our shy and retiring Chairman - Derek Choppen ….. Ed I am now of an age I would rather forget! Ron Sadler tells me I have the best toupee he has ever seen, this, as he can’t see the join. I'm starting to believe him, he tells me so often. My background is as follows: I was born in Gosport, Hampshire. My mother divorced my father when I was young but she remarried and we moved to London. School was a technical one and refusing to answer to 'Chopin' when my form master (Mr Harry who was also the music teacher) did the twice-daily roll call was nerve racking for an eleven year old. "Chopin he would call". I had not answered on day one and he informed me that while I was in his class I would be 'Chopin'. I told him my name was Choppen and I would not answer to 'Chopin"!!! He would call the register getting the "here sirs" from the other boys and when getting to me and calling 'Chopin' raised his eyes to note I was present. He would then mutter 'here'. I achieved enough examinations to get apprenticed as an electrician. Lots of night school, I achieved my goal, becoming an electrician at twenty, an approved electrician at twenty two and finally technician at twenty five years of age. In the late seventies I worked in Saudi Arabia then after returning and deciding I did not want to work for a company again, I became self-employed doing electrical work for the likes of London County Council and Lewisham Council. In the early eighties I took up management for Dolphin Showers, becoming employed again. It was in 1985 that I lost my mother after a long and undignified battle with strokes. Then, on what would have been her next birthday 17th August came my son Christopher. What a shock children are! Christopher's mother came from Huddersfield and her father - Ted (TV show there?) had a very successful haulage and heavy goods driving school. In 1988 he finally enticed me to move to Yorkshire to work with him. I gained a heavy goods driving license and began to teach driving lorries. Unfortunately over

4

a period of time Ted and myself disagreed and our business relationship turned sour. I left and went back to Dolphin who had now moved into Bathrooms and I had a local office in Normanton near Wakefield. The company had major management issues and I continually found myself working away from home helping in different areas of the country. Finally my relationship with Christopher's mother broke down and home for me now is at How Caple Gardens. My son Christopher worked with me for a few years living at How Caple then he then met his partner Carrie, the daughter of the late Rob Bird. They decided to live near Cardiff and he now applies his skills in maintenance for a company called Integral. l have a wonderful partner Karen, who for some reason only known to her puts up with my hobbies and indeed my shyness!! Karen has two sons Louis who is 19 years old who is apprenticed to Jaguar/Land Rover, and Harvey who is 16 years old who is at college studying plumbing; and for two days a week I employ him to learn my business. Karen owns a jewellery business in Ledbury and I own a bathroom company that specializes in keeping elderly and disabled people in their homes by adapting bathrooms to suit their needs. I joined the Hereford Austin Seven Club when it was first started, becoming the Crankhandle's first editor. I own an Austin 7 Mark ll Ruby that I have named Dorothy after my late mother. I am a member of the Hereford Society of Model Engineers, and I run a 5" gauge train in the summer months at our club site in Broomy Hill, Hereford. I am also a founder member of the Jaguar Enthusiasts Club founded thirty years ago, being member number 34. Up until the age of forty I was a keen runner competing in marathons for charity, and running 2/3 miles most days, 4/6 when preparing for a race, the knees started to ache so I decided getting fat was a better option than being crippled. I am a keen follower of car racing, mainly sports cars and have visited Le Mans on too many occasions to mention. A dear friend of mine Derek Pearce races Jaguars - an XJS and a Mark 2. It's fair to say at times I have been his 'groupie'. Karen and I have a 1996 Jaguar XK8 that is a delight to own and drive. I have owned the following cars, Sunbeam Talbot 90, Mini Countryman, Hillman Hunter, Vauxhall VX4/90, Daimler 2.5 V8, Reliant Regal Mk1 three wheeler convertible, MGB roadster, MGC roadster, Jaguar XJC 4.2, Daimler XJC 4.2, E Type Jaguar V12 fixed head, Ford Escort Van with Mexico running gear and a 1999 S Type Jaguar that when I sold it had achieved 225,000 miles, with a 4 litre engine I often wonder what that cost in fuel. To finish, I have to say that of all my activities and interests - the Hereford Austin 7 Club is my favourite, and I have made many friends. It would be wrong of me not to say it is like an extended family. Strangely, I didn’t take up driving until I was 26 years old. I hope this has been interesting and I look forward to reading the next committee member’s story. Derek Choppen (Chops) Treasurer’s report

5

The Club’s financial year and also the membership year – both end on 30th September and membership fees are due on 1st October. Most members have paid their fees for 2015/2016 but there are a few who have yet to pay. In the next few days these members will be receiving an email from me informing them that they are in arrears and their membership is about to be terminated. If you have

not paid for your 2015/2016 mrmbership, this is the last issue of‘The Crankhandle

’you will receive.

To continue to receive our Newsletter, please send me your subscription (£10) to

Sallytree Cottage, Ruckhall, Eaton Bishop, Hereford HR1 9QX. Of course - you don’t have to wait until you receive an email! Finally – I thought readers would like to see a photo’ of my new girlfriend Cheers …… Ron Committee meeting Minutes of the meeting held at the Pilgrim Hotel, Much Birch on 22nd January 2016 Those present - Derek Choppen Chairman. Mike Ward Vice Chairman/Secretary. Ron Sadler Treasurer/Membership Secretary. Bob Garrett Newsletter Editor. Eddie Loader Technical Advisor/Valuation Officer. Michael Harcourt Events Co-ordinator. 1 Apologies - None, all members present. 2 Minutes of the previous meeting - Held Wednesday 11thNovember 2015 were read and agreed. 3 Matters arising

(6)/1/13 Big Pit Visit - Eddie now to arrange for May 2016 - Action continues EL

(8)/1/15 Fun driving tests - Bob continuing to plan this event. Action continues BG. Derek also agreed to advise Bob if Howe Caple Court could be used for the event. He explained that Richard Lee, who owns Howe Caple Court, might have some issues over this. Mr Lee had recently suspended Hereford Auctions from taking place there. Derek to approach Mr Lee when he feels the time is right. Action Continues DC

(3)/11/15 Club tool List - Derek agreed to compile a list of Tools that members may be willing to lend to others in the club. Others of the committee had reservations about this fearing there was a chance of potential damage to tools by anyone that did not fully understand how to use them. Bob was still willing to lend his tools to selected people. It was suggested that Eddie be the focal point for member’s to advise if they were willing to lend their tools. Derek agreed to publicise this in the Crankhandle. Action continues DC

(4)/11/15 Personal details - Mike had sought member’s views on the release of their personal details to other HA7C members. Nobody responded, therefore it was assumed that there were no objections. Action MW complete

(5)/11/15 Club Evenings - Derek is yet to contact Glenn Sanger for a talk on rebuilding his Swallow on Tuesday 31st May 2016. Action continues DC. Derek has spoken to Karen who had agreed to speak on making Jewellery on Tuesday 25th October. Action DC complete

(6)/11/15 90th Anniversary DVD - Ron had not yet ordered the A7CA 90th anniversary DVD taken at Warwick in 2012. Action continues RS.

6

(6)/11/15 Publicity Flyer - Derek had had difficulty in reproducing a quality version of the Club Logo for a publicity flyer. Michael offered to help and forward it to Derek and also to Bob for Crankhandle. Action continues DC and new action MH.

(6)/11/15 Publicity Officer - Mike had contacted Club Member’s for a volunteer to take on the role of Publicity Officer but here had been no response. Michael will ask Graham Baldock if he would be willing as he already carried out this task for the A7CA. Action MW Complete but new action MH

(6)/11/15 Committee Member Profiles - Derek had written a piece for the Crankhandle as first in a series of profiles of committee Member’s. Action DC Complete and Michael was asked to prepare a similar piece for the March edition. New action MH

(6)/11/15 Richard Youard Trophy - Derek had explained the new award of the Richard Youard Trophy to Club Members. Action DC Complete. Derek yet to arrange for a small replica to be kept by the winner. Action DC Continues

4 Membership/Finance Ron distributed an updated Membership List that showed that the late Richard Youards name was now removed. He agreed to advise committee Members of new member’s details as and when they joined. Ron would also let Bob have new member’s details – Name(s), car(s) and approximate location in the County so that he could publish a welcome in Crankhandle. Ron also agreed to write a piece to go into this month’s Crankhandle to advise any member that had not yet paid their annual subscription, that this would be the last edition that they would receive. Action (4)/1/16 RS. Ron also circulated an up-to-date Balance sheet in preparation for next week’s AGM. He stated that the cash in the bank amounted to approximately £1,100 and all outstanding invoices had been paid. 5 AGM Matters

Committee Members/Elections –

Events Co-ordinator - Bob suggested that Michael might agree to continue if his load could be lightened; perhaps by seeking to encourage or ask other members to organise Club Runs. Possibly, just simply agreeing to meet-up for lunch. Michael said that he would be happy to continue if this was the case leaving him to ‘co-ordinate’ the events, thereby relieving him of the task of ‘organising’. Derek offered to draft a questionnaire for next week’s AGM to ascertain what Members wanted from the Club. Action (5)/1/16 DC

Secretary - Mike had zero response to his plea for someone to take over as Secretary. He was still hopeful that a Member might indicate an interest even if only for one year. However, he was willing to carry on in a reduced role so as not to cause problems for the Club

Publicity Officer - It was discussed whether someone may be co-opted onto the Committee if the post was not filled at the AGM. This was considered viable but Derek agreed to make a point of announcing the role in his opening at the AGM, Action (5)/1/16 DC.

6 Events Michael presented an updated Calendar of Events. He pointed out that arrangements for the French trip were well underway. Pat Caine had indicated that the trip to Ireland was also looking positive and would be making an announcement next Tuesday about arrangements. Saturday 23rd April will be a run to the Wartime event as in past years. Drive-it-Day would feature a Club run to Abby-cwm-hir that would include a lunch stop and dinner at Castlefields near Clifford. At sometime in July, Michael was hoping to arrange a trip on a Vintage Steamer in the Bristol Channel. Dates for Shed nights had not yet been arranged and an alternative to Stuart Howard’s venue had been found at Frank Sibley’s farm, if Stuart’s was unavailable. Michael offered to sort this out by first talking to Stuart. Action (6)/1/16 MH. 7 AOB

Bob suggested that we might consider circulating a ‘Guidance for Club Runs’ similar to that used by the Dorset A7C - simply as a guide to good practice, safety and courtesy to other road users

Eddie stated that it was imminent that he would be getting a computer

Bob suggested that it may be useful for the issue of the next edition of the Crankhandle to be held back until after the AGM so that any relevant points could be included and seen promptly by Members unable to attend. The committee were in full agreement.

7

Bob also suggested that if the Secretary could quickly let him have the minutes or some brief notes on the Committee meeting - then they could be published in the forthcoming ‘Crankhandle’ for the benefit of the Membership as a whole. Action (7)/1/16 MW

Next committee meeting The next meeting will be held at the Richmond Club prior to the Club Meeting on Tuesday 26th April 2016 at 6.30pm. The meeting concluded at 3.30pm. Club activities Christmas Lunch at the Bunch of Carrots I’m afraid it seems a long time ago now, but Michael and Gill’ kindly organized our annual Christmas bash at the ‘Bunch of carrots’ on Sunday 29th November. As previously, we had the upstairs function room all to ourselves complete with a bar and our own carvery from which the food was both plentiful and delicious. The following photo’s may serve to remind you of the event ………

8

9

New year’s day at Much Marcle

A group of the club’s hardiest members attended a very cold and wet VSCC gathering at the Royal Oak at Much Marcle on New Year’s Day and enjoyed the morning viewing a splendid collection of interesting vehicles. Many rare and exotic cars were on show including a good selection of Austin Sevens. A number of ‘survivors’ (and a stranger befriended by Derek) eventually retreated to the Bunch of carrots for warmth and a late

10

lunch. It was noted that some members cheated and went straight to the pub suffering the excesses of the previous night. Our very grateful thanks to Eddie and Anne for organising the lunch. Wye Valley Wander Apologies, but your Editor forgot to include the results of the 18th October WVW in the last edition. Michael H has kindly provided the following …… The winners were Max and Elizabeth Moses, ably assisted by their parents Jason and Hazel. They got every clue correct, and were also first to arrive at the Castlefields. So very well done to them! Eddie and Ann Loader managed the wooden spoon. This was a considerable feat and they even found time to have three separate arguments along the route. So well done to them also! The event was great fun to organise, and thanks to all those who took the trouble to take part. The only downside is that Gill mentioned it at the Ladies Coffee morning in the village, and now they want us to do one for them! Hey-Ho ……. Michael H The HA7C Richard Youard trophy Before Richard left us he kindly donated a lovely model of an Austin Seven and asked that it be awarded annually to someone who has made an exceptional contribution to the club. No guidance was given as to exactly how the recipient should be chosen, so the Committee decided it would select someone (not on the Committee) that in its view had contributed significantly. The award for 2015 was presented jointly to Kip and Carmen (a unanimous and very easy decision) at the club meeting on Tuesday 24th November 2015 - in particular to recognize their exceptional organization and hospitality in connection with the HA7C trip to Normandy during July. Members’ activities Kip & Carmen’s scooter trip Most of our readers will be aware that Kip and Carmen are an extraordinarily adventurous couple, who for example have driven Austin Sevens from Peking to Paris on two separate occasions. I recently discovered that they had also travelled from Kasakhstan to the UK on scooters in 2005 - and when they offered to share the story with HA7C members, I very quickly accepted. It is not exactly an Austin Seven outing but between them they sported the same number of wheels, and enjoyed a similar level of ‘comfort’ and total power output. The whole story runs to many pages, so this Newsletter contains an introductory history of central Asia where they started, together with Chapter 1 that describes organising their scooters in Almaty. Further episodes will follow in future Newsletters ……… Ed Episode 1 of ‘Along the Silk Road to Samarkand’ Preface - a Short History of Central Asia and Turkey In the early 12th century, Central Asia, then a sleepy collection of sultanates and khanates, was overrun by the hordes of Genghis Khan. This gentleman and his followers, split into several armies, were every bit as

11

bloodthirsty as one’s worst imagination, and left a trail of death and destruction wherever they passed. This was not a quick campaign…sometimes two or three years would go by before one onslaught was followed by another, and the devastation was huge. The city of Merv in Turkmenistan, one of the major centres of that period, was besieged before its luckless citizens accepted an offer of safe conduct and surrendered. The Mongols slaughtered every man woman and child they could lay their hands on, and the city was flattened. It is estimated that at least one million people died, as the city was full of refugees. It is also estimated that each of Genghis Khan’s soldiers methodically killed three to four hundred people. These armies reached as far as Pagan in Burma, Vladimir in Russia and even the gates of Vienna. Genghis Khan passes from history, to be followed two centuries later by a more enlightened ruler, Tamerlane, whose capital was at Samarkand. He brought in all manner of builders, intellectuals, etc etc, and left behind buildings which stand to this day. Still not a particularly pleasant individual. His empire decayed, and once more sultans and khans set up little kingdoms, only to be devastated by the advance of the Russian Empire in the late 1800’s. That Empire fell in its turn, and 1991 saw the emergence of independent states, sometimes with ex-communist “locals” taking over from their Russian overlords. The Russians, previously the masters, did not fare well in this new climate. Some stayed, but often as second class citizens (older ones feeling the pinch with no state assistance on which to fall back), many left to find homes in what was left of the USSR. The Central Asians are Turkic, speaking a language much like Turkish, as well as a declining amount of Russian. Turkey itself felt the sword of the Mongol, but on the whole was not so desperately ravaged as Central Asia. Let us briefly outline the last thousand years of Turkish History. The first empire in that area was that of the Seljuks, from 1037 till 1109, based in Persia. The Turks came from Central Asia, captured Baghdad in 1055, defeated the Byzantines in 1071, grabbing most of what is now Turkey and establishing a capital at Nicaea (modern Iznik), a hundred miles or so south-east of Istanbul, but of course separated from that city by the sea. This empire produced great art and great thinkers. Eventually it fell apart, the last of it being based round Konya in Central Turkey, being overrun by the Mongols in 1243. But the Mongols did not stay. The power vacuum was filled by Turkish warriors fleeing west from the Mongols. Warrior bands took over the west coast. Osman founded a small principality in 1288, that was to grow into the Ottoman Empire. He moved his base to Bursa, just south of the Sea of Marmora, in 1326, and from there the empire began to expand. By 1402, the capital had been moved to Adrianople, now modern Edirne, close to what is now the border with Bulgaria. Mehmet the Conqueror, 1451-1481 as Emperor, began the great era of Ottoman power. 1453 saw the fall of Constantinople. The zenith of this Empire was reached under Suleiman the Magnificent, 1520-1566, who beautified Istanbul, rebuilt Jerusalem, and extended Otttoman power to the gates of Vienna. When he died, the Ottoman Empire included all or parts of Hungary, the Balkans, southern Ukraine, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Labanon, Israel, the Arabian peninsula, Egypt, and the north African coast all the way to Morocco.- 15 million square kilometres. His successors were but pale imitations, luckily supported by a succession of competent and talented men called viziers, ruling in the sultan’s stead. However, by the early 1600’s, the expansion had ended, and a long slow period of decline began.

12

From 1700, for complex reasons associated with the essentially military system of government, and the conservative influence of Islam, the empire began to drop behind the west in every sense - socially, militarily, scientifically and materially. For centuries, mixed ethnic peoples had lived side by side in harmony, but in the 19th century, decline and misrule made ethnic nationalism appealing. In 1832, the Kingdom of Greece was formed after bitter fighting, The Serbs, Bulgarians, Romanians, Albanians, Armenians and Arabs soon sought independence. The European powers hovered around as the breakup occurred, trying to pick up the pieces. Using religion as an excuse, they sought to justify their actions by saying they were protecting Christians from misrule. The Russians, for example, pressured the Ottomans to allow them to “protect” Orthodox Christians, the result being the Crimean War, when the Ottomans and the British fought side by side. By the late 1800’s, a secret movement had formed- the Young Turks- striving for western style reform. By 1908,. Bulgaria declared independence, Austria seized Hercegovina and Bosnia, there were massacres in Armenia, and war then broke out with Greece, Italy, Bulgaria, and Serbia. The Grand Vizier was assassinated. In World War I, the Turks made the mistake of siding with Germany, and although nominally ruled by a sultan, power was actually in the hands of the Young Turks. In eastern Turkey massacres of and by Armenians occurred. The Armenians claim that they lost between 1.2 and 1.5 million people between 1915 and 1923. With the defeat of Germany, the Ottoman Empire completely collapsed. Since the beginning of the War, the Allies had been planning a huge carve -up, and with victory in their hands, now was the time to give Christian peoples the choicest slices, with the Moslems being relegated to a small land-locked area of semi-barren steppe. Ever since independence in 1831, Greece had entertained the idea of a Greater Greece- in effect, a new Byzantine Empire. With British encouragement, in 1919 the Greeks took Izmir, on the central west coast. From there, the Greeks began to push inland, and by 1921 had nearly reached Ankara. However, this is where greed changed history. Had Greece stayed put on the coastal plain, they might be there still. As it was, the Greek push towards Ankara was defeated by a Turkish general, Mustafa Kemal, and by late 1922 the Greek army had been expelled from the Turkish mainland. Humiliating post-war treaties were renegotiated, ethnic Greeks in Turkey and ethnic Turks in Greece were forced to leave their homes, and to move back to their respective ethnic nation states. Greeks from Turkey moved into the houses of the Turks in Greece and vice versa, (though the number of Turks entering Greece was substantially less than the number of Greeks leaving Turkey, which is why to this day you can see deserted, or semi-deserted villages as far inland as central Turkey). Byzantine Churches were blown up, the fabulous old frescoes of the cave churches in Goreme were defaced, neighbour turned on neighbour, forced marches to the coast left many dead. Turkey began to become what it is now, rather than its previous rich mix of religions and peoples. Now it was to become essentially Turkish. A republic was declared in 1923, under the 42 year old hero of the hour, Mustafa Kemal. He undertook the westernisation of Turkey- the fez, considered a sign of backwardness, was prohibited, polygamy abolished, a constitution was adopted, western style legal codes were adopted, civil marriage was required, Islam lost its status as the state religion, and the Arabic alphabet was replaced by a modified Latin one. Constantinople officially became Istanbul, and other city names were Turkified. In 1934, women gained the vote, and the right to sit in Parliament. In 1935, Kemal declared that all Turks should take a surname, taking Ataturk as his

13

own. He died in 1938. Post World War II, there were successive so-called democracies, interspersed with military coups. In the later 1980’s, Kurdish separatism led to heavy casualties in south-east Turkey, where sporadic raids were carried out from Kurdish bases in Syria, Iraq and Iran. A ten year spell of centre-right government, led in 1993 to a series of weak coalition governments till the religious Refah Party won a surprise result in the 1995 election. Their extremist viwes promoted another military led coup in 1997, and the party was disbanded. More Kurdish problems beset the south east in the 1990’s, three million Kurds fleeing to the area after the 1991 Gulf War. Virtual civil war raged in the south-east and east till 1999. 1999 elections brought in a coalition of far right and centre right parties, and then in 2001 the economy collapsed spectacularly. 2002 saw the year old Islamic Justice & Development Party win a landslide result- 500 of the existing 550 members of Parliament lost their seats in the rout. Turkey hopes and expects to join the EU, and no doubt that will have a huge say in how the country develops…but one might observe that an Islamic state might be better served joining with its Turkic neighbours in Central Asia than looking to the west! Whilst many Turks undoubtedly are well off, from what we saw on our trip, a huge amount of Turkey is positively medieval, and more appropriate to Central Asian status Chapter One- Almaty, Kazakhstan 5pm.Tuesday May 3rd 2005. By now we had waited at our hotel in Almaty, Kazakhstan, for two days, expecting a call from our freight company, DHL, to say that our two scooters were through customs, and ready for collection from the airport. We ventured out only infrequently, and the suspense was dreadful. The freight agent was a helpful/unhelpful lady, called Anna, - always willing to speak to me on the phone, but never willing to say what the hold-up was, or by when it would be sorted. My worry was that we had a tight schedule for crossing borders for the next three weeks- up to Iran in fact- and we simply could not afford to have anything go wrong at the outset, and risk having a visa expire. We had obtained all visas in advance, so it was vital to cross from one country to another within the visas' permitted time slots. We had been sitting in the hotel lobby for three hours, with the heat from tension adding to the sticky heat of the city. Nothing should go wrong, I kept reassuring myself, but people are fickle, and you cannot rely on them. The DHL lady had said that tonight should be the night! On arrival at the airport on Sunday, we had been met, as arranged, by Anna and her male assistant Andrei, and there seemed to be no problem with all the form filling for the scooters....but then “where are your vehicle ownership papers?” said Anna. “With the freight papers coming from the UK agent” I said..”You should have them already!” No sign of them, it seemed, and without them we could not cross borders. “Andrei will take you to your hotel” Anna said. Outside the terminal was a shiny new Volvo, standing out from all the rather battered old Lada taxis. Andrei put our luggage in the boot, and we were off, at a rather startling pace. “What’s the speed limit here” I asked. “60KPH in town and 90KPH outside, a quick 90KPH that is, ” he laughed, hurtling along. Then out came his mobile phone, and he indulged in a lengthy call whilst overtaking as many cars as he could with just one hand on the wheel, and occasionally treading on the brakes. We entered the city, and it soon became clear that it was basically a grid pattern of streets, with plenty of traffic lights. However, Andrei was not one to slow down in town, not one to slow down at intersections, and not one to stop for red lights. I was soon grateful that I was in the back of the car with Carmen, rather than sitting in the front passenger seat. Several ignored red lights later, we passed an intersection where four Ladas were having a somewhat

14

intimate frontal conversation in the middle of the crossing, their drivers mysteriously vanished , leaving the cars as a slalom for everyone else. “God, we are going to be lucky to get out of this alive”, I could not help thinking. We passed the next light at red, a green Lada was coming at us from the right, there was a squealing of brakes, I shut my eyes, and felt Andrei swerving to the left. We hit sideways on, there was a horrible amount of crunching and grinding of steel on steel, and both vehicles came to a halt in the middle of the intersection. “Are you OK” I asked Carmen. She was! The approaching traffic did not slow down at all, and we became another slalom obstacle. The police arrived within minutes, followed quickly by the insurers, and the position of the vehicles was marked out by one of the policemen drawing his heel along the tarmac. The driver of the Lada, a middle aged gentleman, was very calm about it all, bearing in mind that his wife had trotted off down the road to hitch a lift, leaving him to cope with what first of all looked like a grape-sized lump on his forehead, but which rapidly increased to apricot size, and with his poor old Lada a twisted write-off, the front axle nearly torn from the car. Well they say Volvo’s are well built, and certainly ours seemed to have suffered no more than a very expensive dent all down the right side. I offered the Lada driver a cigarette, which he tucked behind his ear, continuing to stand dolefully by his car whilst the police and insurers did their business. We decided that staying in the centre of the intersection was a bit risky, so went to sit at the side of the road. Another ten minutes or so passed by, another DHL car arrived, and Andrei said we could get on to the hotel. Somewhat subdued now, he asked whether he went over the light at red. “Yes...you went over several”- and he remained somewhat quiet for the rest of the journey. Almaty is full of trees and very beautiful girls. Both are much appreciated, one for the shade, the other for the change from the somewhat hefty and undercooked appearance of some Hereford girls. After we had settled in the hotel, we got a call from David Berghof, who organised the Turkmenistan part of our trip, inviting us for a meal that evening. When he came in to the lobby he did not see us at first, nor we him, as neither saw what the other was expecting. David is a jolly, laid-backfellow in his 30’s. He originates from Berlin, and has been based in Almaty for some years, organising travel for tourists. He speaks Russian like a native, so when we arrived at the restaurant, he was able to decipher the Russian menu with ease, and recommended what we should be eating. It was all a bit greasy, and included horsemeat (very tender and surprisingly tasty). Frankly, I was more interested in the unusual phenomenon of a restaurant seemingly full of tables of beautiful young women, and hardly a man in sight. In fact, when I went to Kiev in 2002. I noticed there how many beautiful women there appeared to be, and how tall they were compared with the men - who all looked a bit nondescript. And of old people there seemed hardly a trace. Almaty was rather similar - perhaps the middle-aged and older people stay at home, or are put to sleep and turned into Soylent Green! David said his goodbyes, and we took a short walk into the city to see the cathedral, taking a coffee in a pleasant little café, made more so by an accordionist playing at the adjoining table. However, he was not appreciated by one of the other customers, was told to clear off but did not do so, whereupon a slanging match ensued, and a posse of policemen, wearing enormous peaked caps, turned up within moments. The accordionist disappeared. Monday we missed breakfast, and had a lie-in, then waited around in the hotel lobby till 1.15pm when the freight agent came to take us to a notary, who prepared the necessary paperwork for the scooters- to allow us to collect them from customs. It all took for ever, especially as the notary could only type, very slowly, with one finger on one hand. Slept very little that night, worrying about the paperwork, and the fact that the logbooks have still not come to light, are we going to get robbed, break down, etc etc.

15

So it is that we were sitting in the lobby at 5pm on Tuesday. It was very boring and the heat was very sticky. We had been in the lobby all day waiting for a call from the freight agent. Hell’s Bells, what IS going on. I made several calls to the freight agent in London, and asked him to try and instill some urgency into the Almaty end of his firm, but “they are not part of DHL, just our local agent, you will have to be patient”. 5.30. “Call for you Sir” said the receptionist....the scooters could be collected and the agent was on her way NOW to take us to the airport! An hour or so later, we were waiting in the freight

unloading area of the airport, knowing we have to drive to the Kyrgistan border that evening, knowing we have to be escorted by our freight agent to ensure we do leave the country, but we did not know the road and we were TIRED!!! Where were the scooters? At about 6.45, a forklift appeared round the corner of a building bearing on its two prongs two crates, in which we could see the scooters. The crates were dumped on the ground and attacked by our agent’s driver and two assistants with crowbars. Wood flew everywhere, and I was worried that something might get damaged. Within a few minutes, the scooters were unpacked and we had 43 kilos of luggage from our suitcases on the ground to pack into two side carriers on each bike plus a back pack. Clothes, medical supplies, camouflage netting, a tent, two sleeping bags, hundreds of cigarettes, balloons and bubbles for kids, spare parts, travel books, maps, torches, inflatable mattresses, .. you name it, we had it. Something had to go- so we unloaded 200 cigarettes- in any event we had soon discovered that Marlborough cigarettes were half the price in Kazakhstan compared to the UK, so not such a potential “bribe” after all. Then we got rid of several Macmillan sweatshirts, and of course we never intended to keep the suitcases, so they went too. 7.15pm Tuesday 3 May. We were packed and ready to go, with two new Honda scooters, 125cc each, which we had only ridden a grand total of 600 miles in miserable Hereford winter weather. Mine is registered ZPE, Carmen’s ZPF, so we christened them Eric and Fanny. Let the adventure commence. Technical Interest Six Volts or twelve I was seriously considering changing to a 12 Volt system whilst rebuilding my RN Saloon because I often wish to drive at night and this calls for a dynamo output approaching ten amps to prevent the battery going flat too quickly when the headlights are switched on. However, I recently discovered the amazing reduction in current required by LED ‘bulbs’. An Austin Seven with a standard 6v 11 Amp 3 brush dynamo and the 3rd brush set to give a nominal 10 Amps current means the battery receives a 10 Amps charge even with the lights off which can cause frequent topping up of the battery electrolyte. Turn everything on with conventional filament bulbs all round - two 24w headlamp bulbs will use 48w or 8 Amps and six side, tail and dash panel bulbs will use 4.33 Amps so the total load becomes a whopping 12.3 Amps. This will show as around a 4 Amp discharge on the ammeter with lights on and even worse if the wiper motor is used. With LED ‘bulbs’ - turn everything on and two 36 Watt LED head lamps will use 12 Watts or 2 Amps but light output from each bulb is whiter and brighter, claimed to be equivalent to a 40w conventional bulb so that's 80w of headlamp power. Six LED side, tail and dash panel bulbs will use 0.15 Amps and give you brighter and thus safer lights. The total load with LEDs becomes 2.15 Amps.

16

This means that with LED lights, the third brush can be adjusted to significantly reduce the dynamo output. It seems that you end-up with - brighter lights, a more reliable dynamo, robust ‘bulbs’ and less topping-up of the battery. However, ‘nothing is ever for nothing’ and the LED ‘bulbs’ are not cheap. I am therefore sticking to six Volts and have obtained my LEDs from ‘Classic dynamo and regulator conversions’ (with whom I have no connection) and whose LED products carry a 10-year guarantee. Details available from http://www.dynamoregulatorconversions.com Bob Garrett Other clubs Tyres suitable for Ruby 17” wheels Longstone Tyres sell a 400/425 X17 tyre with design and dimensions taken from an original Austin 7 Ruby tyre aiming to provide something as close as possible to that fitted to a Ruby when it left the factory. The reasonably strong carcass is designed to suit a light car, and at the same time diminish the wandering of a Ruby at cruising speeds.

Today, it is difficult to find tyres of the original size being made, so Longstone have produced a dual marked tyre 400/425 X17 that is suitable for both 400x17 and 425x17 applications. It is rumoured that Longstone have been known to offer a club discount to Austin 7 people and they can be contacted on 01302 711123 or www.longstonetyres.co.uk

Our thanks to Dougal Cawley of the Dorset club for this information Starter motor bracket – For 3 speed to 4 speed gearbox conversions This is made for cars with the starter inside the car to the near side of the gearbox and enables you to fit the starter in its original position without resorting to a bacon slicer type or cutting the bulkhead. Laser cut from 6mm steel, it is precision-made and ready to paint and bolt on. Illustrated instructions are included. Please note: a small amount of metal must be removed from the side of the gearbox casing. A flywheel cover must also be fabricated, for which a Ruby tin item is a good basis. Contact rogerbateman@rocketmail.com or 07795 006722 price £60 plus 8.25 Royal Mail Special Delivery, or collect if you prefer. Our thanks to Roger Bateman of the DA7C for this. Jim Blacklock’s Very Rare - Austin Seven Arrow Competition 75.

Registration Number:- CMK 210 Registration Date:- 27th April 1935

Chassis #:- 204522 Engine #:- M198898 Gearbox #:- 2SYN 71S Rear Axle #:- 922

17

Chassis and Running Gear

This Arrow Competition 75 is built, on the running chassis (serial number 204522) of an Austin 7 Speedy, which originally passed down the Austin assembly line in November 1934, before being supplied to the Arrow Coachworks Ltd., Boston Road, Hanwell, London W7, along with another Speedy chassis, serial number 204521. These are the only two examples of the Arrow Competition 75 known to remain today, anywhere in the world.

With respect to the Austin Seven 75 Sports and Speedy models, it is not known how many were actually built; but according to Bryan Purves in his research for his magnificent reference book, “The Austin Seven Source Book”, he thought that less than 50 factory produced Austin Seven 75 Sports and Speedy cars were made, between April 1934 and August 1935, though he also stated that “as recently as 1958 the eminent authority L.M. Bill” Williams suggested a production run of only 17” fully built 75 Sports/Speedy. The Speedy Register has records for only sixteen 75 Sports/Speedy, though the Register does indicate that 39 may have been built. It was Austin policy to supply Austin 7 running chassis’ to various specialist coachbuilders, such as Swallow Sidecars, AEW, Mulliner, Tickford and Arrow in the UK, as well as Holden and various other Australian bodybuilders, I think that Arrow was the only company to build their own body onto an Austin factory produced 75 Sports/Speedy running chassis.

One of the unfortunate modifications that Austin introduced in the mid-1930s was to stamp the chassis number on an aluminium plate, which was riveted to the offside chassis rail below the starter motor. Unfortunately, due to time and corrosion, it is no uncommon to find the two rivet holes but not the original chassis number plate. This is the case with 204522, but the number has been stamped onto an aluminium plate fixed to the bulkhead panel.

The 75 Sports/Speedy chassis is very similar to that of the Nippy, with the sports bowed front axle and flatter springs than standard, but the front cross member (BR135) of the chassis was shorter to accommodate the 2inch narrower body of the Speedy. Chassis 204522 has this shortened cross member.

As chassis 204522 is an early low frame version, it was originally produced with the high rear chassis extensions (BR149 & BR150). But, as this type of chassis extension interfered with the Arrow body design, these extensions were cut off level with the top of the chassis rail and replaced with Arrow’s standard fabricated ¼” angle iron framework in its place.

Chassis 204522 has also been further modified and strengthened by welding plates across the length of the bottom of the chassis frame channels (BR133 & BR134) to create a stronger boxed chassis; welding the central section of an additional pair of radius arms, into the fitted radius arms to also create very strong units; a second centre chassis member (BR148) has been fitted into the chassis, parallel to the original centre chassis member; two 1” diameter tubes have been mounted under the chassis, running from the front cross member (BR135), through a bracket attached to the rear cross member (BR140) to the rear angle iron of the Arrow rear chassis fabrication. When this modification to the chassis was carried out I have no idea – it could have been done by Arrow before the body was built for a racing customer or it could have been modified by a later owner. Pete Neighbour, the previous owner of CMK 210 to me, had been told that the car had been raced, possibly at Brooklands, but I have been unable to find any information to confirm that. However, the chassis modifications do look very purposeful for such a use. Look at the pictures and decide for yourself.

Dealing with the Serial Numbers on CMK 210, we have already determined that the Chassis Number 204522 is appropriate for the time when the 75 Sports/Speedy model was produced by Austin and I believe that this chassis is o running chassis that was built by Austin for a 75 Sports/Speedy.

Engine, Gearbox, Rear Axle - Engine Number:- M198898; Two bearing, 11/2” pressure fed crank shaft; clearance bulges in the crankcase; Chromidium engine block; Engine Casting Numbers all have 9E prefix; all

18

of which indicate this is an original Austin Sports Engine that would be appropriate for a 75 Sports/Speedy. Please note that the engine requires an overhaul.

Carburettor :- Zenith 26VF-3 (sadly the incorrect unit, which should be a Zenith 30VEI).

Gearbox:- Serial Number:- Top:- 2SYN 71S / Rear:- S71 (the S71 stamp on the rear face indicates that this is a Sports Gearbox).

Rear Axle:- Number:- 922; Date:– 3-11-34;

The Body:- The body is a two seater sports body, made from sheet aluminium and steel, over an ash frame, with sweeping front wings and running boards, and dummy iron below the radiator, which is a very attractive design (similar to the Arrow Competition 65) as can be seen from the photographs.

In 1934/35, Arrow would appear to have been sub-contracting out the body building of their cars to specialist coachbuilders in London. There is no indication that I could find as to which company actually made the bodywork of CMK 210, but the sister Arrow Competition 75, CPD 900, does carry Whittingham & Mitchell Ltd engraved scuff plates on the bottom of the door openings, which would indicate that this well-known coachbuilder built at least one of these cars and it would seem logical that they built both at the same time.

Although, according to receipts paid by previous owner, a restoration was carried out between 1996 and 2004, the car has suffered from a period in the hot Cyprus climate, between February 2006 to and would benefit from a further restoration. For instance there are a couple of dents in the offside rear wing.

Instrumentation:- The dashboard on CMK 210 includes an original and very rare 75 Sports/Speedy combined speedo/rev counter, oil pressure gauge, ammeter, fuel gauge and Smiths clock. The fitted dashboard is not the same design as that on CPD 900, but a similar one is provided with CMK 210 – I do not know whether this is the original or a replica. The windscreen wiper is fitted with a “slave” wiper arm and blade. The car requires rewiring.

Steering Wheel:- The original steering wheel is a 17” caramel coloured Bluemels, is very weathered, (a spare black rimmed Bluemels steering wheel is included in the sale).

Remote Control Gear Lever:- A Syd Prentice copy of the Super Accessories 1950’s version; fitted in 2005.

Weather Gear:- The car is complete with the original hood frame, hood and side screens and tourneau cover.

Wheels:- All wheels are 3.5 x 19, and the wheel centres are fitted with cast aluminium dummy spinners.

Known History:- Gleaned from documents and receipts included in the sale.

1956:- Owner was James David Lovelock of Edmonton, London, N9.

1960:- Owner was John Anthony Packer of Bowes Park, London N22.

1970 – 2014:- Pete Neighbour, Reading Berkshire & Cyprus. According to a brief history written by Pete Neighbour, for the Cyprus Classic Car Touring Club, in October 2010, “This car came into my possession in approximately 1970 and cost £100.00. When I took possession the car was in 3 large boxes and needed total restoration. I finally had it on the road in 1975. Since then it has been restored numerous times. The last major restoration was in 2005 and cost over £10,000.00. In 1982 this car was driven to Austria and taken over the highest pass in Europe – Gross Glockener. It has been driven the length and breadth of Britain many times and was used as my main car on a daily basis whilst I was working. This car has also been used, on many occasions, for wedding transport.” In July 2005, the car appeared at the Austin Centennial Rally, Cofton Park. In February 2006, the car moved to Cyprus with Pete and his wife, where it

19

remained until August 2011, when the car was returned to England, where it was stored in the garage of Pete’s son in Reading. In July 2012 the car appeared at the 90th Anniversary Celebrations Rally of the Austin Seven, in Warwick.

2014 – Present:- Jim Blacklock, Acle, Norfolk. As I was the Registrar for the Austin 7 Arrow Register, I am interested in any Austin 7 Arrows, especially as there are so few examples of any models remaining – in fact there are only 36 Austin 7 Arrows known to remain, and of those there are only 2 Austin 7 Arrow Competitions. So when Pete told me that he wanted to sell this car, I eventually decided to buy it. Unfortunately, now I do not have time, energy or space to properly restore this car and so I have decided to sell it to an Austin 7 enthusiast who does have those requirements available. As it is impossible to properly value such a rare example of an Austin 7, I decided that the only way to arrive at a correct valuation is to put the car up for auction and which auction house is more suited to this than Richard Edmonds, when in October, they are also auctioning another batch of Austin 7 spares from the treasure trove of Austin 7 Services of Kirby Wiske?

Federation of British Historic Vehicle Clubs

The following notes are selected from the FBHVC Newsletter No 6 2015 because they might be of interest to members.

The full Newsletter can be found on the FBHVC website www.fbhvc.co.uk

Registration Matters In his section, Ian reports on the September meeting at Swansea. As he implies, while the meeting served to explain the position and approach of DVLA well, it did not go far towards settling some fundamental disagreements between the Federation and DVLA. But the meeting did serve to explain the route by which the changes, of which those of you who are dealing with live applications are very much aware, have arisen. DVLA insist, and we have no reason to disbelieve their sincerity, that policy has not changed. Only the application of policy has been tightened. But we found out at Swansea that the internal processes which DVLA applies under V765, Dating Certificate based registrations and Reconstructed Classics have, in the modern jargon, been subjected to a ‘redesign’. This has clearly been done for operating efficiency reasons. We can’t object to that. In times of austerity we must agree that DVLA should do what it does for our movement in the most efficient manner. We have not actually seen the redesigned internal processes. We do honestly wonder what source material DVLA has used to come to its conclusions as to what its new process should achieve. Such has been the concern of our members, especially over bodies for cars and frames of motorcycles, that we have had to research the basis on which the current policies are based. I have to confess that since I took over this task from David Hurley I have not done this. I relied, as we all tend to do, on the variety of guidance notes DVLA have produced. The first thing we need to understand is that the whole process is not set out in legislation or regulations, but is a set of working arrangements arrived at on the basis of discussions between DVLA and our various representatives, including at the outset the RAC. So we are properly stakeholders in the workings of the process. It should not just to be passed down by DVLA as a given. We have found a set of discussions which set the whole thing up in the Eighties and some consultation in the Nineties, but most importantly a formal Consultation on DVLA and VOSA (now DVSA) Inspection Procedures in 2004/2005. This Consultation is very interesting. I shall try to make this as straightforward as possible. I shan’t waste ink by quoting from the detail of the Response to the Consultation in 2005. But it refers in several places to ‘chassis/monocoque bodyshell’. Sometimes the reference is also to the ‘frame’ of a motorcycle.

20

It is obvious from the context that these are regarded as alternatives. In each case a vehicle under consideration will have a chassis (which in all but early cases will be numbered), or a monocoque bodyshell, (which will essentially always be numbered) or, if it is a motorcycle it will have a frame (which will usually have a number). It can’t have more than one. One, and only one, of these three alternative components, constitutes the identity of the vehicle. That is why it is regarded as vital. This important point seems to have got lost. In respect of vehicles other than motorcycles, it rather looks as if the importance of the words ‘monocoque’ and ‘shell’ has not been recognised and assessments are being made on the basis of the body. Nothing in the consultation justifies examination of the body style or construction of a vehicle whose identity is contained in its chassis. It is mechanical components which are supposed to be identified. On motorcycles, there appear to be confusions, which we have not yet quite got to the bottom of, between restored and reconstructed vehicles, ‘reconstructed’ in this context meaning built up from a random set of bits. Anyone with active applications knows that the bar has been raised impossibly high on originality of bodywork and that some really bizarre proposals to offer Q plates for historic vehicles have been made by DVLA. At the same time applicants with motorcycles are being told they must erase the genuine frame numbers if a new VIN number has been allocated to the complete machine, despite the historic importance of frame numbers. Discussions on our unhappiness at what is happening have continued without much success until now. We came to the conclusion that detailed discussions at a working level were not going to change the fundamental DVLA approach. But now that we understand the DVLA process, we have approached the All Party Parliamentary Historic Vehicles Group. The Group’s chairman, Sir Greg Knight, and FBHVC chairman, David Whale, have presented our arguments in a meeting with the Minister, Andrew Jones MP. We have briefed him that the history of these arrangements, and the fact that the differences between our understandings of them and those of DVLA have reached such a level, means the time has come for a full Consultation on the whole question. If we get anywhere with this approach we will clearly be asking what public interest is served by this new obsession with originality where it was previously not required. We will obviously keep you advised of progress. Consequences of Discontinuance of the Tax Disc Sometimes we think we have a visible win. For some time we have been nagging at DVLA that they were talking on their publicity about ‘selling’ a vehicle, when the actual legislation was about transfer of Registered Keeper, which could include, for instance, the gift of a car. We never got any actual feedback but last month the website changed. It now makes clear the existing tax will end even in such cases. Maybe we can chalk it up as a tiny success. Insurance Values and Write-Offs At the end of September, the little lamented Vehicle Identity Check process came to an end. First initiated at the request of enthusiastic policemen who thought it would expose many stolen and ‘cut and shut’ vehicles, it has proved remarkably unsuccessful. It is a justified victim of the Government’s war on Red Tape. But a little known consequence is that DVLA has announced that any vehicle which is a Category A or B write-off under the Insurance Industry’s Code of Practice will never be able to be re-registered. You can understand why, on safety grounds, they might decide to do so. The problem for us is that the Code somewhat confuses safety and cost of repairs. It is all too easy to find that the cost of repairs of a cherished vehicle could exceed by some margin the actual market value of the vehicle. As we know, this might be not only a matter of love and affection for the vehicle, but have a real relationship to the perceived historic value of the vehicle now, or in the future. We have been looking into this issue with DVLA and the Department for Transport. It is early days yet, but one simple piece of advice seems apt. Until you agree a settlement with the insurance company, the vehicle is yours.

21

It is your property and they cannot scrap it without your consent. Many specialist insurance policies allow for the return of the vehicle remains (which may in fact be very little damaged). It is important to ensure, if you intend to rebuild the vehicle at your own cost, or at a cost above the insurance company’s valuation, that it does not nevertheless get involved in being ‘written-off’. Not all inspection engineers are ‘historic aware’ and they do sometimes wrongly apply modern and inapplicable approaches to their inspections. You might be left with a bag of bits you can’t use again as a vehicle. Insurance companies and brokers are picking up on this problem and the best of them should not fall into the trap. But sometimes the solution for a damaged vehicle might actually be to refuse the settlement and let the insurance company walk, while you keep your beloved vehicle and fix it entirely at your cost. Not easy, but be aware it is a possibility. DVLA Ian Edmunds The major event on the DVLA front since our last edition has, of course, been the meeting with club representatives held in Swansea on 23 September. This was the first opportunity that clubs have had to meet DVLA staff face-to-face since a meeting held at Theale in Berkshire in 2011 and a great many clubs expressed interest in attending; in fact DVLA received 260 applications. Unfortunately the building available to DVLA could only comfortably hold 80 delegates so many would-be attendees were disappointed. Correspondence received by the Federation shows some resentment on the part of clubs whose applications were not successful. Given that the event was seriously oversubscribed DVLA obviously had to make a selection and this was done with the objective of covering the widest possible range of vehicle interests and, from my perusal of the list of invited clubs, I feel that was achieved. On the other side of the coin, seven clubs who were invited did not attend on the day. Due to the timing of this Newsletter you may well have read reports of this meeting elsewhere, not least on our website http://www.fbhvc.co.uk/about-us/news/_article/82/dvla-historic-vehicle-event/. All that I have read, supported by verbal reports and my own impression on the day, are very positive. We know that DVLA staff also felt that it had been a valuable exercise. As a result it is highly probable that a second event will be held next spring to accommodate those whose applications were not successful this time. More details as soon as we have them. As FBHVC has frequent correspondence with a designated contact at DVLA and regular face-to-face meetings we adopted a policy for this meeting of just listening and leaving the questioning to the attending club representatives. The following is adapted from the news item on the Federation website which was written by Geoff Lancaster and is a composite of notes taken in the meeting by Rosy Pugh, Bob Owen and myself. The DVLA Vehicle Registration Policy team leader, John Vale, opened the meeting with a general introduction. He stressed that many of the issues currently being experienced had arisen following the closure of regional offices and the centralisation of services at Swansea. He explained that this had not led to any change in policy but that increased consistency in the application and interpretation of the existing rules may have led to a perception of change in some cases. In relation to the recent cases of letters being sent to owners requesting verification of their entitlement to age related registrations, Mr Vale emphasised that these requests would only be made where DVLA had good reason to doubt the veracity of information provided. Julie Riseley of DVLA’s Vehicle Service Design explained that the Agency had redesigned their entire internal process on the registration of historic vehicles and that what they would be explaining were the redesigned processes now being applied. With regard to the conduct of the day, Mr Vale said that they had examined the questions provided by the invited clubs prior to the meeting and had accordingly split the audience into three break out groups to discuss three of the top issues. Group 1 considered the V765 process and late conversions, Group 2 considered reconstructed classics and Group 3 considered dating certificates.

22

In all these areas, due to their complexity, there is considerable scope for interpretation and these sessions gave the clubs a unique opportunity to gain clarifications on detailed interpretations going forward. We will not go into a listing of these here other than to say that this opportunity was welcomed by the clubs and served to offer a degree of reassurance after the many issues that had arisen following the closures of the regional offices. Notwithstanding this, FBHVC is very aware that despite the number of issues clarified there remain a great many outstanding and indeed only time will tell how well this works in practice. The Federation will continue to monitor the situation, represent the interests of its members and make such representations at regular face to face meetings with DVLA. DVLA made it clear at this meeting that it was impossible to provide specialists on its enquiry line and that historic vehicle owners would only have recourse to their general enquiries line. Appeal to FBHVC therefore remains the most effective way of having your case taken up by specialists directly with senior officials within DVLA. We need to emphasise that in the view of the Federation some of these issues, which may affect a fairly small number of vehicles, are nevertheless fundamental, and that in our view, while DVLA may have explained their position on them, they did not establish their justification. We are continuing to work on these issues. We therefore urge all clubs and affiliates to advise us of any issues that arise in their dealings with DVLA. At the recent FBHVC AGM Conference there was a strong suggestion that clubs could and should work together in the sourcing and manufacture of otherwise no longer available spares. I very much agree but it is outside my remit here, however I would like to touch upon another aspect of clubs working together, or at least refraining from undermining each other. I do understand that there is competition between clubs, sometimes it is friendly competition in organised events, sometimes it is competition to attract members and their money and sometimes a club is formed as a breakaway group because of some dispute. However it should be remembered that some of the problems we face are shared by most, if not all, and that in these cases co-operation between clubs can only be beneficial. Against that background I am very concerned to hear of clubs actively lobbying against the use of Glass’s Check Books to provide vehicle dating evidence for DVLA. These books were compiled by Glass’s from data supplied by the manufacturers or official importers and in almost all cases are a totally valid source of information. Your club may have better data for the vehicles they cater for and may choose not to use the Check Books, that is entirely their privilege but please do not attempt to poison the well for others who may not be so lucky. In similar vein we would suggest that clubs who are campaigning to discourage the conversion of saloon cars into more valuable sports versions refrain from involving DVLA in the process as any rulings made by them will affect all registrations. There can be many totally legitimate reasons why an original body style is not retained and Government Agencies should not be encouraged to restrict that choice. We have received a number of questions and reports that suggested it was not always obvious when a change of tax class to Historic could be carried out by the Post Office and when it had to be processed by DVLA themselves. In some cases this confusion appeared to extend to the Post Offices as well. I am indebted to DVLA for this very concise response: ‘If the pre-75 date is held on the vehicle record the change of tax class can be carried out by the Post Office and the INF 34 is now being revised to reflect this. A change of tax class can only be carried out when a licensing application is made, not when a SORN declaration is made. However the Post Office can re-license a vehicle in the Historic tax class if it has previously been under a SORN. Where a vehicle has to be transferred from the obsolete tax class ’Exempt’ the Post Office system will allow the change to be processed. All applications from other obsolete classes would have to be sent to the DVLA.’ Following an enquiry from a member we have also recently learned from DVLA that when a vehicle was first registered by means of a V55/1 the date of manufacture shown on the record cannot be amended, even if the vehicle had been held in stock for some time prior to registration. The reason for this is that the V55/1 form is a secure document only available to manufacturers and official importers and acts as a declaration that the vehicle is new and unused at the point of registration. The V5C for such a vehicle will contain the statement ‘Declared new at first registration’.

Market Place – For sale

23

Parts from an early Thirties A7 ….. * Front axle – Complete with hubs, brakes, drums and radius arms – all looks OK * Front wings – in very reasonable condition * Renault 4 con’ rods (set of four in vgc) * Narrow track rear axle parts – Torque tube, Banjo, 5.25:1 CWP, differential and axle casings machined for hydraulics All items – one careful recent owner – let’s haggle.

Bob Garrett - 01497 831310 Market Place – Wanted

Cheap A7 Ruby Probably a non-runner but I would prefer one that is reasonably complete

Michael Wright – 01432 277551 Events Diary for 2016 Events updated 27th January 2016. Please note the activities introduced in Bold Type are events organised by HA7C members - the remainder are events organised by others that may be of interest to us. This is not a complete and final list because events and dates may change throughout the year. February Sunday 21st - Lunch and Film Show at Cawley Hall, Eye, near Leominster. 12.00 for 12.30 pm. Lunch followed by nostalgic films, featuring this year, “Triumph cars on the Monte Carlo Rally”, “Installation of early Telephone Exchanges”, and “Wartime Rationing”. £16 pp for Lunch and the films. Contact Hugh Girvan girvan-roll@btconnect.com to book your place. Tuesday 23rd - Monthly Meet, Richmond Club 7.30 pm. A film evening with Kip Waistell. Slides in the first half, film in the second half. A film of Historic Racing 1902-1929, lasts about 70 minutes. Then C'Etait un Rendez-Vous which is a 5 minute or so film of a Ferrari racing through Paris in the early hours, then a 20 minute TV Film of Kip and Carmen’s 2007 Peking to Paris trip. March Saturday 5th and Sunday 6th March - Classic Restoration Show at the NEC Birmingham. Tickets: Saturday or Sunday £14, Combined days £23. Monday 28th—Easter Monday. Coleford Festival of Transport, Coleford, Gloucs. 9.30 am to 4.00 pm. Website: www.colefordcarnivaloftransport.co.uk. Contact Mike Ward if you would like to go. The Coleford Carnival of Transport takes place on the streets of Coleford in the heart of the beautiful Royal Forest of Dean. The Town Centre is closed to allow vehicles of all periods and types to be displayed. The Carnival is nineteen years old in 2016 and the organizers are proud that is has continued to grow and have received excellent support from Exhibitors, Traders and the Public. Tuesday 29th -- Monthly meet Richmond Club 7.30 pm. “Austin Production Films” hosted by Ron Sadler. April Sunday 3rd April - Bromyard Speed Festival. 10.00am to 4.30 pm. Take your car around the circuit! www.bromyardspeed festival.co.uk for details. Pre-event social function on the Saturday for participants. Event free to spectators. Friday 8th--Tuesday 12th --- John Williams of SWA7C is inviting HA7C members along to their spring meeting in North Wales. This is 4 nights in the Royal Hotel Llangollen, N. Wales. The cost is £70 per night per Double

24

Room on a B&B Basis. Dinner in the hotel is £15 pp for 2 courses, £18 pp for 3 courses. I don’t have John’s contact details, so please contact Eddie on 01432- 356841 for further details, and to book. Sunday 10th - Prescott Breakfast Club 09.30 for a N&N and breakfast at Prescott. Saturday 23rd and Sunday 24th – Wartime weekend at Gloucester and Warwickshire Steam Railway. An old favourite for HA7C, where you come along in 1940’s attire - a great day out. If you wish to come, let me know. (See also Sunday 12th June). Sunday 24th - Drive-it Day. A trip to Abby-cwm-hir. A lovely and interesting Country House near Llandrindod Wells. Have a look at the website: abbeycwmhir.com. Meet at Honey Café for coffee, and then drive to Llandrindod for lunch and a tour. Optional dinner at The Castlefields, Clifford, to finish the day. Contact Michael H for details, and to book. Tuesday 26th - Monthly Meet, Richmond Club 7.30 pm, “An Opal Restoration” - talk by Michael Ward. May Tuesday 10th- 1st Shed Night 2016. Eversley House at 7.30 pm. A chance to learn about your Seven. Kindly hosted by Stuart and Lyn Howard and features a talk kindly given by Eddie Loader on an aspect of A7 maintenance or repair. Saturday 14th - Hereford Motor Show, Hereford Racecourse, Hereford Round Table and Rotary are organising this event. Contact Luke Conod 07810-008318. Sunday 22nd - Prescott Breakfast Club 09.30 for a N&N and breakfast at Prescott. Tuesday 31st - Monthly Meet, Richmond Club 7.30 pm. “A Swallow Revived” - talk by Glenn Sanger (tbc) June Wednesday 1st- Wednesday 8th – Irish trip. A trip to Innishannon Steam Fair organised by Pat Caine and Brian Bedford. Contact Pat or Brian for full details and to reserve your space. Sunday 12th - A day out on the railway. Friends of Prescott have teamed up with GWSR and are offering car clubs, including HA7C, a day out. The day starts at 10.00 a.m. when you can have Breakfast, Brunch, Lunch and afternoon tea as well as enjoy the great locomotives that GWSR has to offer. Includes a trip past Prescott and on down to Cheltenham racecourse, and a tour of the locomotive sheds. Each Club attending will have its own dedicated parking area in the adjacent field (with all-weather road) with easy entry into the Station. There will also be a number of trade stands for your delectation! They have asked me to co-ordinate the HA7C entry, so if you wish to come along, please let me know good and early. Wednesday 22nd-Monday 27th – HA7C Trip to France hosted by Kip and Carmen Waistell. Saturday 25th - Defford Air Day. This is not an air display but a ‘fly-in’ of up to 60 classic and vintage planes, together with classic and vintage cars with a distinct feel of the 1930s. There is no entry fee for cars or spectators because it has been discovered that more money is raised by voluntary donation. The recipients of the fund raising are the Midlands Air Ambulance and the Mission Aviation Fellowship. Contact Roly Alcock 01905 371061 Tuesday 28th - Monthly Meet, Richmond Club, 7.30 pm. “Bring your Car night” for the Club’s annual photoshoot.

25

July Sunday 3rd - Prescott Breakfast Club 09.30 for a N&N and breakfast at Prescott. July Sometime - A trip on the Vintage Steamer “Balmoral” - “Balmoral” is one of the very few working paddle steamers left, and conducts 50’s style excursions in the Bristol Channel in the summer. Depart points are usually Penarth, Porthcawl, or Swansea and visits are typically Ilfracombe and Lundy Island. The dates and itinerary are not yet published but it is hoped the event will take place in July. If you would like to come, please let me know and I will liaise with the operating company on the Club’s behalf. MH Saturday 9th-Sunday 10th - Le Mans Classic. The 24 hour race for classic cars. Four day packages available from £199. Contact Bob Cole: bob.cole@sceniccartours.com Saturday 16th- Pre-War Prescott. A chance to take your car up the famous Hill Climb. Cost seems to be £25-£40 to do the climb and £15 to spectate. Proceeds to charity. BBQ and Live music. Website is prewarprescott.com, where you can find all the details and entry form. Saturday 23rd July - St Christopher Blessing Service and Picnic. 11.30 a.m. at St Mary's Church, Craswall. Co-ordinates 52. 01' 13.45" N, and 3. 02' 56.03" W. St Christopher is the patron Saint of Travellers. You are invited to bring your transport, ancient or modern, motorised or not, to the beautiful Black Mountain church of St Mary's for a short blessing service followed by a "bring your own" picnic in the grounds of the church (where pre-war cars will be parked) and adjoining field (for post-war). For the Parish, this is an entirely new venture, which we are sure you will enjoy and which we hope to continue and expand in the years to come. An expression of interest to Reverend Nicholas Lowton at lowton.nicholas@virgin.net would be appreciated (to give an idea of numbers), you will then continue to be updated. Tuesday 26th July - Monthly Meet, Richmond Club, 7.30 pm. Members’ Fun Driving Tests details tba August Tuesday 2nd or Thursday 4th - A trip on the Vintage Steamer “Balmoral” - one of only 2 working paddle steamers left, and conducts 50’s style excursions in the Bristol Channel in the summer. Visit the website: whitefunnel.co.uk. The Tuesday 2nd departure point is Penarth at 0930, visiting llfracombe and Lundy Island. Return to Penarth at 2100. The Thursday 4th departure point is Lydney at 0915, visiting Sharpness, Clevedon and Ilfracombe. Disembark at Penarth and a coach will return you to Lydney at 2045. Having spoken to Whitefunnel the cost is £40 for the Tuesday, and approx. £36 for the Thursday. A discount of 10% is on offer for parties of 10 or more. The Tuesday’s fare includes entry to Lundy Island. If you would like to come, please let me know, and I will liaise with the operating company on the Club’s behalf. MH Saturday 13th – Sunday 14th - Tortworth Vintage Rally, Wickwar, South Gloucestershire, GL12 8LF. Open to all Vintage, Classic and Special Interest Vehicles & Motorcycles. If you require more information or are interested in going entry forms can be printed from the website, (www.shakespearesrally.com). Sunday 14th - Three Cocks Show and Rally, Hay-on-Wye. HA7C usually go as a Club. If you are coming, please let me know, and I will book you in. Saturday, Sunday, Monday 27th- 29th - Pershore Plum Festival. A weekend of events in Pershore finishing with a Classic Car display on the Bank Holiday Monday.

26

Tuesday 30th - Monthly Meet, Richmond Club, 7.30 pm. Noggin and Natter. September 16th, 17th, 18th September - Stoke Prior Steam Rally at Bromsgrove, Worcestershire B60 4LF. Open to all Vintage, Classic and Special Interest Vehicles & Motorcycles. If you require more information or are interested in going entry forms can be printed from the website, (www.shakespearesrally.com). Sunday 18th - Prescott Breakfast Club 09.30 for a N&N and breakfast at Prescott. Tuesday 20th—2nd The second 2016 Shed Night - 7.30 pm at Eversley House. A chance to learn about your Seven. Kindly hosted by Stuart and Lyn Howard and features a talk kindly given by Eddie Loader on an aspect of A7 maintenance or repair. Tuesday 27th - Monthly Meet, Richmond Club, 7.30 pm. “Austin 7 Maintenance”. A talk by Eddie Loader. October Sunday 16th - Prescott Breakfast Club 09.30 for a N&N and breakfast at Prescott. Tuesday 25th - Monthly Meet, Richmond Club, 7.30 pm. “All about jewellery” with Karen Owens. November Friday 11th—Mulled Wine and Mince Pies. Eversley House 7.30 for 8.00 pm. An evening very kindly hosted by Stuart and Lyn Howard at their home. Featuring great fun, great company, mulled wine, nibbles, and HA7C’s famous mince pies for your delectation. There will be a raffle, so please bring something along for the raffle, and help it go with a swing. Sunday 27th - Annual Christmas Lunch at the Bunch of Carrots, Hampton Bishop, Hereford. 12.30 for 1.00 pm. Tuesday 29th - Monthly Meet, Richmond Club, 7.30 pm. A talk by Ron Sadler “My life, including Motor Racing”. December - There are no meetings this month Summer sometime - Pat Caine is organising a trip to the JCB factory in Rocester, just north of Uttoxeter Staffs. Please see the JCB website for details of what is on offer and watch this space. Please note - the speaker evenings at the Monthly Meet has been taken from a list given to me to publish. Some of the guest speakers may not yet have been contacted. Therefore, our meeting activities may be subject to change. Also if you are organising an event, or know of something that might be of interest to HA7C members, please let me know. Michael Harcourt … gpandmh@sky.com Humble Hints Rough sounding engine – particularly at low rev’s?

Michael on his new ultra low emissions vehicle

27

I’m not naming names here – but a very effective cure can simply be to tighten the flywheel retaining nut especially if the rumbling noise reduced when the clutch was depressed! …..Anon Hedge cutting How’s this for a great way to cut the top of a high hedge? Tail Lights November’s quiz Yes we are all familiar with SU carburettors – and the question in the last Crankhandle was whether you know what SU stands for? I received only one correct answer – not surprising really, it was from our esteemed Technical Advisor and was of course ‘Skinner’s Union’. This month’s quiz – A well known outfit in the UK has around 635 employees but boasts the following Employee statistics … 29 have been accused of spouse abuse 7 have been arrested for fraud 9 have been accused of writing bad cheques 17 have directly or indirectly bankrupted at least two businesses 3 have done time for assault 71 cannot get a credit card due to bad credit ratings 14 have been arrested on drug-related charges 8 have been arrested for shoplifting 21 are currently defendants in lawsuits 84 have been arrested for drink driving in the last year And between them have claimed nearly £93 million in expenses! Which organisation is this? Answers on a postcard etc. Health & safety

Presumably the ear defenders are to block-out the imminent screams from his assistant? And finally …. The driver screamed, lost control, nearly hit a bus, went up on the footpath and stopped inches from a shop window. For a second everything went quiet in the cab - then the driver said "Look mate, please don't ever do that again. You scared the daylights out of me!" The passenger apologized and said he didn't realize that a little tap could scare someone so much. The driver replied "Sorry, it's not really your fault. Today's my first day as a cab driver - I've been driving a hearse for the last 25 years!"

Also ….

28

Allegedly overheard at the Hereford Hospice - ‘I want to die peacefully in my sleep like my father, not screaming in terror like his passengers’. Stop press As mentioned earlier in the Editorial, I am grateful to those members at the AGM who completed our Survey of preferred club activities. A full analysis of the resulting information will be reported to our next club meeting on Tuesday the 23rd February and be repeated in the March edition of ‘Crankhandle’. The Committee’s reason for carrying-out the survey was to ensure that future club activities reasonably reflect the preferences of the majority of members. Interestingly, although the survey forms did not ask for names - there is some evidence of a possible gender divide, where I suspect the fairer sex are considerably less excited about technical talks than the menfolk. However, an early view of the returned forms suggests significant support for club runs, films & technical talks. In addition, the section for ‘any other suggestions’ seems to give significant support for Treasure Hunts and one or two other less obvious activities - such as ‘skinny dipping’! ………. Ed

29

Committee contact details -

Chairman – Derek Choppen ...........................................Tel 01989740583 Mob 07769352945 derekchoppen@yahoo.co.uk

Secretary - Mike Ward ...................................................Tel 01600-890902 Mob 07939-539926 m.ward789@btinternet.com

Treasurer - Ron Sadler ................................................ Tel 01981-250365 Mob 07775-753412 rsadler6@aol.com

Events Co-ordinator - Michael Harcourt ......................Tel 01600-891345 Mob 07836-225723 gpandmh@sky.com

Technical Advisor - Eddie Loader ................................ Tel 01432-356841 Mob 07817-361921

Crankhandle Editor – Bob Garrett ............................... Tel 01497 831310 Mob 07900-496073 fatcontroller.bob@btinternet.com

HA7C Website Address: www.herefordaustin7club.co.uk Please note that the views expressed in the HA7C Newsletter are not necessarily those of the Club, Committee or Editor.

HA7C Newsletter January 2016