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Our column is published monthly in the
British
Marque Car
Club News.
This is a 28 to 32 page monthly
tabloid-sized paper serving over 100 British car clubs in the U.S. and Canada.
Clubs represent such marques as Austin, Austin-Healey, Aston-Martin,
Bristol, Dellow, English Ford, Ginetta, Jaguar, Land Rover / Rover, Lotus, MG, Mini, Morgan, Morris, Taxis, Triumph, and Multi-Marque.
- Examples of Typical
Monthly Articles -
“Miss
Daisy” On Display
by Frank
Oglesby
Our “Club President for Life,”
Jim Phelps,
has found the ultimate solution for storing his precious British metal during the long upcoming winter when his garage space
is lacking. On November 3rd, the Reno National Auto Museum introduced
a new temporary exhibit entitled "Orphaned Cars of the Auto Industry".
Perhaps a dozen cars owned by private
individuals were put on loan to the museum. The entries represent interesting
cars whose manufacturers are no longer in business. You had to have a pretty
rare and pristine bird to have been invited to join this exclusive group. Among
this gathering, that includes a couple of rare German "bubble” cars and a Borgward sedan, shining in all her black &
grey splendor was the 1959 MG ZB Magnette of Jim and Muriel.
The Phelps
sat bursting with understandable pride as their baby was inducted into this hall of fame before a large enthusiastic audience. The Phelps invited their daughters and some long time friends
to help celebrate. Some rowdy members of the Reno MG Club were also on hand to
scream, shout and partake of the opportunity to indulge in some free food. These
freeloaders included Chris & Ann Askin, Dennis & Erin Conly, ,Steve
& Linda Newberg, Frank & Sherla Oglesby and John Young. Superb hors d'oveurs and excellent selection of wines were provided by the Museum's good neighbor, The
Sienna Casino.
Jim rebuilt
his Magnette from the ground up from bits and pieces to be representative of the fine British coachwork and design available
in the 50's (before the industry collapsed).
Be sure to visit the museum to admire Jim's car and rest of the museum before the exhibit concludes in the spring. Remember MG Car Club members are admitted free. Simply identify
yourself at the ticket desk. It is hoped that during the long cold winter nights
after the throngs of visitors have departed and the lights are turned down low (with perhaps some romantic music still playing
in the background) that the very voluptuous and passionate Miss Daisy does not succumb to Teutonic charms of the handsome
Mr. Borgward residing close by. For everyone knows that British Lucas DNA does not combine well with German over-endowed engineering.
Long Road To Build A Dream Machine
Carson City man spent more than three years rebuilding rare 1958 British
sports sedan
by Jarid Shipley Appeal
Staff Writer
It began at a race in California
in May 1999. Jim
Phelps and his wife, Muriel, were approached
by friends with an offer: Two MG cars, both in questionable condition, for $1,000.
"We had an MG Magnette
in 1961, and it was a great little car. Our daughters were raised in that car," Jim
Phelps said.
So Phelps bought the cars sight unseen to help him accomplish his dream
of again owning a working MG.
"I had two cars that I used to make one; they were both pretty much junk when I started. They were
rusted throughout, and it took me four months to disassemble them when I got them home," Phelps
said.
The MG ZA Magnette, introduced in 1953, was considered the first car to be classified a sports
sedan. In 1956, the ZA gave way to the ZB model, which had an improved power unit and was capable of over 90 mph, making it
the fastest 1.5-liter saloon - or, in America,
sedan - available. Production on the MG Magnettes
ceased in 1958, with a total of 36,600 manufactured.
"At the time, they were kind of expensive little cars," Phelps said.
The final year of production, the Magnette could be purchased for a total cost of $2,470 - $600
more than a Mercedes.
After disassembly, the slow process began of restoring the current vehicle to the car he remembered.
"I tried to restore it back to as close to original as you can with the parts available," Phelps said. "Having owned one before, I knew what the car was supposed to look like."
Using a combination of old parts from the cars and new parts ordered over the Internet from the
United Kingdom, Phelps'
MG Magnette
began to take shape.
Three years and $24,000 later, the 1958 MG ZB Magnette, known as "Miss Daisy," was reborn.
She boasts a button turn signal, a rearview mirror-mounted clock and the signature MG octagon-shaped
steering wheel hub that remains fixed in place as the wheel spins around it.
At her first car show, Miss Daisy took first in her class. She has since racked up more than a dozen awards, including
Best in Show and People's Choice at the Coeur d'Alene, Idaho,
car show and a national first place at the North American MGA Registry show in
Welches, Ore.
Miss Daisy's latest honor is an invitation to be showcased in the National Auto Museum (The Harrah's
Collection) as part of the "orphan car" exhibit). The car will be on display for six months, beginning in November 2005.
Museum curator Denise Sins said the exhibit, titled "Orphan Cars: Detours From Destiny," will feature
eight cars whose makers have gone out of business or whose line is no longer made, including an American Bantam station wagon,
a BMW Izetta and a Messerschmidt.
"We always try to have a variety of interesting cars to show the public and not a lot of people
have seen these cars," Sins said.
Phelps said, "We are very proud of that car and it is really an honor to be invited to the museum.
It's kind of nice to let the public see the car because it's a rare automobile."
Of the more than 36,000 produced, less than a 1,000 are estimated to be left worldwide, in any
condition.
While his car is considered one of the best examples of a restored Magnette in the country, to
Phelps, it's still not where he wants it to be.
"There are always things to do. I've got a door that doesn't close, so I've still got to tinker
with it," Phelps said.
Contact reporter Jarid Shipley at jshipley AT nevadaappeal DOT com or 775-881-1217
A Day on the Village Green
by Charlie &
Carolyn Manchester
September 2005: Two Reno-Tahoe areas British car clubs combined
forces on June 25th to hold a Concours at Genoa lakes Resort Golf Club. The Reno MG - All British Car Club and the Reno
Jaguar Club turned out in force with a field of cars ranging from our 1949 MG TC to Ron Spoltore's rare 2001 Jaguar XKR.
As usual, Jim Phelps showed "Miss Daisy," a 1958 MG Magnette of
much fame, winning 1st place awards from coast to coast -- in Connecticut, Oregon, and Idaho, to name a few.
Jeff Egner's 1948 Jaguar drop head coupe was nearly perfect.
Not to be outdone by Jeff, Sherron Egner brought a 1995 Aston Martin Volante scoring 99.89 points!
All cars were judged using the Jaguar Clubs of North America format.
Jaguars were judged in two classes, Driven and Champions, and all other marques were judged
in Driven class. Bruce Blair brought a really cute combination of Morrises: A 1958 Convertible
that scored 99.90 a 1961 Morris Van, and a 2004 Morris pedal car, all in concours condition.
Every car on the field was near perfect, whic goes to show the interest
and love of British cars that exists in the Reno area. The all-British cars' scores ranged from the lowest of 99.76,
Dennis Conly's 1980 TR8, to a high of 99.99, Randy Wrights DB7 Aston Martin. All entrants were presented with an 8 x
10" photo of their car taken as they entered the event.
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