Dispatch 62 – Spring 2019

NEWS AND VIEWS

Good response to Dispatch 61, thank you! Because of the size, of the 3 page file, I had to send it in sections – a few addresses at a time – instead of my ‘Dispatch by Email’ group. Unfortunately, I managed to miss one or two people so my apologies if you were one of them!

One car I missed out of the ‘racing’ section was D0295 belonging to Peter Chapman who lives not to far from me. Well Peter joined the Register in 1985 having bought the car off Bob Readdie (via Malcolm Elder) and he has a ‘welcome’ letter from the late Mike Hawke.

Mike stated that Bob raced the D at Silverstone in 1958 and entered some North West centre events. Also, when the Register was formed in 1961 Bob was one of the first to join hence D0295 has Register number 8.

The car is pictured here in 2016 just leaving the start line at Prewar Prescott that year with Peter at the wheel and wife Janet hanging on! (picture by Colin Murrell).

 

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Also, from the last issue, on the subject of the model of EX127 on the D Type, Mike Dalby (of M Type fame) told me that there is a good picture of the model marketed by Triang Toys at the time on page 110 of Mike Ellman-Brown’s book ‘The Complete Guide to MG Collectables’ By co-incidence, some of you might have seen, one of these models was ‘for sale’ on the Triple M Register forum and was very quickly sold.

This is the model from the ‘for sale’ group of pictures.

And finally, from the last issue we have another picture of Onno Koneman’s D0495 – I’m reliably informed that on the first start up at the end of August last year Onno held a garage party to celebrate – why not!

The MG Show/Spares Day was on the 10th February. A lot of people thought it was a bit quieter than usual but must admit the Triple M people seemed to be out in force including quite a few from the Continent. Met lots of people including a few D owners past and present but didn’t manage to buy anything!

The next event of interest to us is ‘Drive it Day’ on the 28th April. I’m lucky where I live my local ‘Natter’ always organise a run with an interesting finish and this year will be no exception. Hoping to do it in D0464 this year to. Do let me know if you use your D on that day and send me some pictures.

On the 15th/16th of June is MG Live at Silverstone and most of you will be aware that it is the 90th Anniversary of Triple M cars and the M Type in particular, which began production in 1929, so there should be some interesting displays.

PreWar Prescott is of course on July 20th this year and this is being marked as a Triple M Register event and entries are already higher than ever at this time of year so worth getting your entry in soon! Expect to see a good turnout of M Types if not Ds! See the website for details and entry form – just search on PreWar Prescott.

And of course we shall have our own plaque as usual! Pictured herewith;

BITS AND PIECES

Another super new part from Peter Frost – these are brand new Water Slide transfers for the ‘Petrolift’ bracket; exactly as original. They’ve been on our website under parts for sale for a couple of months now but you may not have seen them.
I am looking at a set as I write this and the quality is first class. Just £6 including UK postage. Peter can be contacted by email on: frostpeter@talktalk.net

Has anyone got a spare pair of number plate brackets for a D type? It seems that all four seaters had their own bracket as they all are at different angles! We have the drawings to make new but wondered if there are any spare originals out there?

TAILPIECE

Cathelijne Spoelstra in The Netherlands kindly sent me this advert she spotted in a ‘Motor Sport’ for 1932. It is interesting the choice of D and M Types then available and, as I said in ‘Dispatch’ 60, the letters D and M just weren’t used – we were the ‘Occasional Four’ or ‘Foursome Coupe’(The Salonette). Click on the image to enlarge

Presumably the ‘hard times’ referred to is the ongoing depression of the late twenties, early thirties which affected so many motor manufacturers of that era; fortunately not MG that much!

And finally another super picture of Vincent Dransart’s D0456 with a very typical French background.