It’s The Latte Latte Delta Tea Break 2018

[Mike Bell]

Originally Posted by John Elwin

Nowadays you pay the Dartford Toll online, there are no toll booths. The queues are just as long however!

And as France has a reciprocal agreement with the UK, no good thinking a French licence plate will avoid the toll!

Info here- https://www.gov.uk/pay-dartford-crossing-charge

And if you’re towing an open trailer with a car on it which has a different licence plate, cover / remove it or you’ll be chased for another payment...

[Mike Bell]

Message for bauble- the front cover photo on MOG magazine shows the owner at the wheel of his car, not me fortunately! Would have been a bit non PC to write an article about the car and owner then use a pic with another bod driving it....

[Mike Bell]

Originally Posted by Mike Bell

And as France has a reciprocal agreement with the UK, no good thinking a French licence plate will avoid the toll!

Info here- https://www.gov.uk/pay-dartford-crossing-charge

And if you’re towing an open trailer with a car on it which has a different licence plate, cover / remove it or you’ll be chased for another payment...

Edit- Or even better- avoid the crossing at all costs!

[bauble]

Originally Posted by Mike Bell

Message for bauble- the front cover photo on MOG magazine shows the owner at the wheel of his car, not me fortunately! Would have been a bit non PC to write an article about the car and owner then use a pic with another bod driving it....

Sorry, Mike I was mislead by the white helmet as Simpn usually wears a black one, as below.

[Gerard C]

Originally Posted by Mike Bell

And if you’re towing an open trailer with a car on it which has a different licence plate, cover / remove it or you’ll be chased for another payment...

Mike, its always the case when the trailer's weight is above 750 kilos, it has its own V5 and registration number. I appreciate the Spanish system, you can go through the toll at an average speed of 50/70 kph, the system "reads" your plate and compares the number with the file. Convenient and fast.

[Gerard C]

Usual great quality pic from you, bauble. Is it a +8 with the Buick engine? My age probably or computer screen but can't see the passenger door… Are the wings GRP? Honey, my glasses please…

[bauble]

Originally Posted by Gerard C

Usual great quality pic from you, bauble. Is it a +8 with the Buick engine? My age probably or computer screen but can't see the passenger door… Are the wings GRP? Honey, my glasses please…

Brigadier Gerard, it is a standard Morgan ARV6 and it des not have doors..

[MGDavid]

Originally Posted by Mike Bell

And as France has a reciprocal agreement with the UK, no good thinking a French licence plate will avoid the toll!

Info here- https://www.gov.uk/pay-dartford-crossing-charge

And if you’re towing an open trailer with a car on it which has a different licence plate, cover / remove it or you’ll be chased for another payment...

It's also a French company - SANEF - who run the toll contract. There was talk of being able to use the French autoroute tag at Dartford, don't think it actually happened yet.

[midgetman]

MiniMM wants me to pick him up from Pontypridd for Christmas, suggested Saturday 15th. He was a bit peeved when I suggested the Tuesday, the day AFTER the toll is abolished on The Bridge.



Sent from my SM-A520F using Tapatalk

[Mike Bell]

Originally Posted by Gerard C

Is it a +8 with the Buick engine? My age probably or computer screen but can't see the passenger door… Are the wings GRP? Honey, my glasses please…

ARV6 is race only and uses an American Ford V6, Gerard. If you are a fan you say it’s the Mustang V6. If you’re not a fan you say it’s the F150 truck engine...... The same.

And Morgan bodies are mostly ‘Superformed’ pressed Aluminium nowadays. Amazingly strong, but a pain if you’re trying to knock out a dent! You can’t work it back into shape with special hammers like the old stuff..... When I got hit in the side at Spa in 2017 (in Plus 4) we tried to pull the wing and running board out again but it was impossible.....

[Gerard C]

Originally Posted by bauble

Brigadier Gerard, it is a standard Morgan ARV6 and it des not have doors..

Aye, aye sir, maréchal des logis chef de réserve tells you we dont have any of those on this continent, sir! The best we have are +8, sir, we're a poor country. As we say, thanks to you i'll to go to bed and have a sleep being less stupid, sir!

[Mike Bell]

Originally Posted by midgetman

MiniMM wants me to pick him up from Pontypridd for Christmas, suggested Saturday 15th. He was a bit peeved when I suggested the Tuesday, the day AFTER the toll is abolished on The Bridge.

Sounds perfectly acceptable to me.....

I’ve done a few journeys involving the Dartford Crossing this year when it’s been possible to cross during the free period between 2200 and 0600. Last time I’m sure it was only seconds away from 0600 when I went under the gantry......

[Gerard C]

Ha, OK, Mike I see. I remember your incident at Spa, more than the wing was damaged, the A pilar too. You've been lucky not be be injured and to be able to close the door or at least to keep the door closed…
Is that Aston Martin the first to heat and grease the aluminium sheets before pressing?
Before bauble's notification, I couldn't imagine the Morgan range be that wide. Impressive. Apart from +4's, +8's and Super Sport continuation the others are probably not imported here. Please mon Ami Robert, dont write this in MOG!

[Willmaz223]

Been reading a interesting article on the latest Motor Sport Mag by Doug Nye (ever heard of him hehe) on the whether historic racing has lost some of its charm shall I say in recent years with the ethos of it being people just getting there machines and showing them off rather than it being more of a business that it has turned into .Interesting points from a relative newbie to historics.Love the way some teams contrasting for example the Sandy Watson crew have matching racesuits and car liveries (Remember the old Jag E Type they had blue and orange my personal favourite of all time .Anyone know what happened to it?Just finish my question on what happened to the Javelin was watching Christian Trabers CSL onbaord from Imola . Looks like a capri when wide and collected the Javelin resulting in it getting punted into the wall sideways, not many things worse than seing a american brute getting launched into a wall.It made me feel a little bad seing it like that.Good driving from the csl though.Was looking at Equipe Europe the other day and I was literally astonished at the amount of cars they have and the quality .4 908's and 5 905's.INCREDIBLE.I hope my endurance races im posting are of any interest to anybody?

[Willmaz223]

Just a side note anyone into the Lord of the Rings here.That and Historics are the two passions I have in life.Whats everyone most looking forward to in 2019 (***** heck 2019 already .

[Mike Bell]

Originally Posted by Willmaz223

Been reading a interesting article on the latest Motor Sport Mag by Doug Nye.

If you’re going to be involved in Historic Racing as a career then read all you can find written by him and learn. One of the most knowledgable and respected journalists on the subject in the world. See wiki- https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doug_Nye That piece he wrote in MotorSport was mentioned in the Goodwood Members Meeting thread, and is very much how many view Historic Racing has changed.....

[Willmaz223]

Originally Posted by Mike Bell

If you’re going to be involved in Historic Racing as a career then read all you can find written by him and learn. One of the most knowledgable and respected journalists on the subject in the world. See wiki- https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doug_Nye That piece he wrote in MotorSport was mentioned in the Goodwood Members Meeting thread, and is very much how many view Historic Racing has changed.....

I will do hopefully.It will take quite a few years.Im interested partly due to my age what the future holds for historics and the grid sizes down to the average age of the people on the grids (another hot topic at the moment )

[Peter Mallett]

Originally Posted by Willmaz223

I will do hopefully.It will take quite a few years.Im interested partly due to my age what the future holds for historics and the grid sizes down to the average age of the people on the grids (another hot topic at the moment )

I haven't read Doug's most recent outpourings but he has been around since my formative years and is generally very knowledgeable. As to the development of Historic motor sport, we've discussed that before and IMO the increase in "festival" type events has lead, over a period of time, to the type of entries we get now.

Anyone remember when historic meant VSCC club meetings and the occasional Yeoman Credit races at the GP meetings and maybe big sportscar races such as the 1000kms etc?

I've got photos from the late 80's at Spa when the majority of the cars at the Summer Festival were MGBs and Lotus', with a few Jaguars (some replicas) thrown in.

Now there are vehicles ranging from the humble "B" to Cobras Ferraris, Astons of all eras and of course more Lotus Cortinas that you can shake that proverbial stick at. Club racing? It is all essentially Historics these days.

Good example is Ludovic Lindsay. I first met him in the early eighties pedalling various "old cars" at VSCC meetings with his father's ERA and other vehicles. Now he's all over the major events in varying cars all of which are quite valuable.

Of course the value of the vehicles means they need to be maintained at considerable expense. Hence we now have "teams" rather than individual drivers.

[bauble]

Message for MIke; I have a spare copy of the September MOG with a report of the TT at the BDC (Please see MI5 for code breaking) in which you figure pictorially and with a mention in dispatches. Would you like it or do you have a copy?


RFB ex ERC, LCCA, ORMA, BCF etc.

[Mike Bell]

Originally Posted by bauble

I have a spare copy of the September MOG with a report of the TT at the BDC (Please see MI5 for code breaking) in which you figure pictorially and with a mention in dispatches. Would you like it or do you have a copy?

No I don’t have that issue Bob. Please hang onto it! I’ve managed to get the aforementioned dec issue with the SLR on front cover, and luckily every racing shot of the car inside (and there are several) is with the owner aboard, which is how it should be!

[Gerard C]

Bauble, you must know that "our" Mike is so famous on this continent, that now we have copies of his red Morgan built! Some have a scoop on the bonnet though…

[Mike Bell]

Gerard, I’m sure your meaning was lost in translation, but just in case anyone misunderstands- neither of the two red Morgan’s I have been privileged to race belong to me. However, if you see me racing a pale blue +4 with black wheels, then I claim ownership of that one...

[Mike Bell]

Originally Posted by Peter Mallett

I haven't read Doug's most recent outpourings but he has been around since my formative years and is generally very knowledgeable.

Indeed, with age comes experience and knowledge (with some exceptions!), and IMO Doug is as much (if not more) a Historian than a journalist. One of a few who is always worth listening to. Hopefully we will see a few youngsters (like Kevin Turner) carry on from Doug, Marcus et al in the future.....

[andy97]

Originally Posted by bauble

Message for MIke; I have a spare copy of the September MOG with a report of the TT at the BDC (Please see MI5 for code breaking) in which you figure pictorially and with a mention in dispatches. Would you like it or do you have a copy?


RFB ex ERC, LCCA, ORMA, BCF etc.

I think you will need GCHQ for code breaking rather than MI5.

[andy97]

Originally Posted by Mike Bell

ARV6 is race only and uses an American Ford V6, Gerard. If you are a fan you say it’s the Mustang V6. If you’re not a fan you say it’s the F150 truck engine...... The same.

Isn't it also the same engine as used in relatively recent Jaguars, a Duratec V6? Its also used in the Ginetta G50/G55. Comes in 3 litre and 3.5 litre forms, I think.