News and views

Firstly, especially for those who print their copies of Dispatch – the last edition, Number 90, had its second page numbered 89 instead of 90 – please alter! Another slip too in that I said that D0289 under cars for sale was a J4 look-a-like – this should have been more correctly a C Type look-a-like.

The Vintage Minor Register had hoped to reinstate Pre-War Prescott this year, which the D Group attended each year, but it was not to be. However, agreement has been reached with Shelsley Walsh Hill Climb and the inaugural Pre-War Shelsley will be on September 27th 2027 next year. Keep the date! But well before that is the Pre-War Cotswolds Summer Rally from 17th to 19th July. At the time of writing there was still some vacancies – full details on the Vintage Minor Register website.

And talking of Prescott and following on from the last edition about D Types being good for carrying children here is a picture of Bill in D0253 at Pre-War Prescott back in 2016. The 3 grandchildren all grown up now!

Our sole D Type representative in The MGCC European Event of the Year held in France last month was Vincent Dransart in D0456 shown here sandwiched between a vintage MG Tigress and a K3 no less!

Picture showing Vincent next to his car at the end of the Event – complete with celebratory bottle! Picture taken by D owner Peter Chapman who was on the event in his RV8 with his wife Janet in the left of the picture.

EX120

Our intrepid Asia correspondent (none other than Onno Konemann of racing D0353 fame) was on a visit to Japan recently and managed to visit the museum that houses the EX120 replica. Long time readers (see Dispatches 61 and 64 amongst others) will recall that this is built using an unnumbered D chassis.

Onno has sent a host of pictures including these two.

Onno has also sent me 2 documents including one, in Japanese, which is a copy of the importation document; the date is difficult to decipher but could be November 1990.

Rear lighting

I know there is a lot of controversy about LED headlights on modern cars in the UK at the moment but surely there is case on safety grounds at least, for our pre-war cars, to have LED on the rear lights? Triple M enthusiast in the States Lew Palmer has reminded me that Brittax (www.brittax.com.) make the necessary inserts for virtually all old lights

Including for the ‘pork pie’ Lucas ST 38 normally on D’s now and even for the original fitment on the D : the Lucas TF 201. Both shown here. The inserts come in both 6 and 12 volt versions. Shipment from the States for these items is no problem.