Author Archives: Mark Braunstein

29 Jan

A new way of doing old (www.timesofmalta.com/)

 

The Morgan Plus 4 is a classically styled British sports car that uses up-to-date components in a traditional frame. How does the marriage work?

As ever with Morgan, new doesn’t necessarily mean new. The Plus 4 still retains all of the trademark Morgan touches, such as a frame crafted from ash and hand-beaten body panels.

However, the Plus 4 now gains a 2.0-litre engine sourced from Ford as well as a Mazda-sourced five-speed manual gearbox – so it’s not all elements of yesteryear.

Of course, you don’t just buy into the car, but the excellent attention to detail that Morgan provides, which is why they remain quite so popular – and why the Malvern-based carmaker’s order books remain so constantly full.

The Morgan Plus 4 is a pretty thing, there’s no doubt about that, with every swoop and curve painstakingly crafted.

The wire wheels on all four corners sit at just the right level, while the prominent front grille that is so synonymous with Morgan cars looks just as at home as always.

Morgans have a truly steadfast image. Because their styling hasn’t changed all that much throughout the years, they remain timeless and because of the factory’s relatively low yearly output, they stay in demand. Any Morgan car is known for its hand-built, made-in-Britain image, and the Plus 4 certainly is in keeping with this.

As a two-seater, classically designed sports car, the Plus 4 was never going to be all that practical. However, the boot area behind the seats is surprisingly large, while side pockets and a deceptively deep glove box mean there’s a bit more room than you’d expect. Certainly, there’s enough storage space in the rear of the car for two soft weekend bags – though you’ll struggle to fit anything substantial in there.

The Morgan truly is a giggle to drive – especially on twisting roads, where it is best suited.

Getting in and out of the Plus 4 can be a bit of a struggle given the car’s low ride height, but once you’re in it the Morgan proves to be a comfortable place to be. It’s snug, but the good support offered by the quilted leather-clad sports seats and space given by the elongated footwell mean that it’s not as harsh a place to be sat over long journeys as you’d think.

As soon as you press the large starter button and the 2.0-litre engine crackles into life, it’s clear that the Plus 4 is going to afford one heck of a driving experience. The upright driving position, with the steering wheel right up in your chest, is classic British sports car, while the pedal position means that it’s easy to get comfortable.

Up and running, the Plus 4 certainly provides a lot of drama. The sports exhaust cracks and pops on overrun, with the engine singing throughout the rev range in a wholeheartedly lovely manner. Of course, the unassisted steering is exceptionally heavy at low speeds, but up and running it really feels alive – though its lack of precision does mean you have to judge your place on the road a little more carefully than you would in other cars.

The engine suits the car nicely. Though lacking the supreme punch afforded by the V8 engine fitted in the larger Plus 8 model, it has enough shove to whisk you down the road at a quick enough pace. Because of the Plus 4’s low-slung driving position, even moderate speeds feel terrifically fast, and the slick gearshift means that it takes just a flick of the wrist to get the Morgan back up to speed.

There’s plenty of response from the throttle too, and while those looking for out-and-out performance may want to go elsewhere, the Morgan truly is a giggle to drive – especially on twisting roads, where it is best suited.

The Morgan Plus 4 isn’t cheap. Given the breadth of trims, paint colours and interior touches to choose from it’s hard to put a price on one – but you’ll be looking at a budget close to €50,000, and that’s before you start ticking option boxes.

However, Morgan cars do hold their values exceptionally well and have a solid owners’ club too. They’re also built well, and given the Plus 4’s utilisation of a Ford engine, reliable as well. Morgan claim that you should see over 30mpg in the Plus 4, and it certainly appears to be just as economical out on the road – it uses a lot less fuel than you’d think.

However, the biggest way that this car justifies its price is the way it makes you – and others – feel. There’s no other car like it for putting a smile on the face of passers-by, and it does equally well with those inside the cabin too. Can you put a price tag on this? Probably not, and that’s why the Plus 4 is such an irresistible package.

27 Jan

MORGAN 4/4 REVIEW – A modern classic. Or is it a classic modern? (www.driving.co.uk)

 

CLASSIC car ownership has never been more popular than it is now. A constant stream of events and an abundance of flourishing owners’ clubs is testament to the fact. But not everyone wants to spend their weekends lubricating trunnions or tuning carburetors, which is one of the reasons why the modern classic has become something of a phenomenon.

Arguably the ideal classic is one which looks ancient but features modern running gear, so you don’t have to worry about overheating in traffic and you don’t need the calf muscles of an Olympic athlete to work the clutch. Step forward the Morgan 4/4.

In a world where the lifespan of some car models can be measured in months rather than years, it’s faintly ridiculous that the Morgan 4/4 has been in production since 1936. In 1955 the radiator cowl was redesigned and there have been numerous mechanical updates along the way, but the Morgan 4/4 pictured here isn’t as different as you might think from its 1930s forebear.

The basic construction hasn’t changed for example; there’s still a steel chassis under an ash-framed body shell with the panels tacked into place. The fit, finish and quality of construction have improved immeasurably over the years, but you still need to view the Morgan in a very different light from any other 35 grand sports car, although the 80th Anniversary special edition we drove (and which has now sold out) breaches the £40,000 barrier.

If a Porsche Boxster or Audi TT floats your boat, the chances are you’ll be distinctly unimpressed with the coachbuilt wonder from Malvern, but don’t be too quick to dismiss it. On paper the 4/4 doesn’t have much to offer. It’s basic and not very fast; a top speed of 115mph doesn’t excite and the 0-62mph time of eight seconds sounds positively pedestrian, but as you’d expect, there’s much more to the Mog than raw figures.

It would be easy to assume that to go with those pre-war looks there’s a pre-war driving experience, but the 4/4 is unashamedly modern to pilot and as easy to drive as any supermini.

While the unassisted steering is light and direct but disappointingly devoid of feel, the rest of the package helps to compensate. The sweet and flexible 1.6-litre Ford Sigma engine is happy to rev, which is just as well as it doesn’t wake up until there are 3,000 revs on the dial. As a result you have to make use of the Mazda MX-5-sourced five-speed gearbox, but that’s no hardship as it has one of the best gear changes going.

“The lack of multiple electronic safety nets is somehow rather liberating”

Our test car also came with a side-exit exhaust which pops and bangs on the over-run. It’s essential if you want any aural presence; the regular rear-exit pipe is disappointingly quiet.

Morgan has stuck with leaf springs at the back and sliding pillar suspension at the front, so the handling isn’t exactly scalpel-sharp. The ride is firm thanks to the limited suspension travel but the heated seats are fabulously supportive and they do a better job of absorbing bumps than the dampers do, although they’re necessarily narrow because of the cockpit’s limited width, so there’s no room for fatties.

There’s a complete lack of driver aids of course; you’ll find no anti-lock brakes, airbags or ESP. A pair of seat belts is the only concession to safety; even the headlights appear to have been taken from an MGB. Drive the 4/4 on a greasy surface and the 795kg kerb weight means it’s easy to lock up the wheels if you try to stop in a hurry. But the lack of multiple electronic safety nets is somehow rather liberating. It forces you to think when you press on, rather than just switch off and expect the car to sort things out.

If the dynamics are a mixture of brilliant and antique, it’s all the other stuff that makes the 4/4 such a tempting prospect. The fabulous view through the heated windscreen and down the bonnet. The cabin that’s swathed in leather and the plethora of post-war details such as the stalk-mounted mirrors, the side screens and the white-faced dials scattered across the fascia.

The build quality is superb too; our test car didn’t come with any of the squeaks and rattles that you might expect from a low-volume sports car with a pre-war construction, and the lustrous paint is beautifully applied. Practicality is also surprisingly good thanks to a decently sized stowage area behind the seats, underneath the tail panel.

What no doubt swings it for some owners though is the fiscal argument, because the 4/4 seems to be immune from depreciation. Buy one and look after it, and when you come to sell you should get most of your money back. You might even make a profit, despite Morgan’s waiting list having been cut from a legendary seven years to more like one.

While similarly priced rivals might be quicker or more capable, they all shed value like any other car. But perhaps most importantly they don’t force you to mentally change down a gear every time you go for a drive, which is why if you’re looking for the perfect way to escape the stresses and strains of modern life, the Morgan 4/4 might just be it.

22 Jan

2017 MOGSouth Spring Meet Updates (Jan 2017)

2017 MOGSouth Spring Meet (April 21-23, Greenville, SC) 

You need to Make your hotel reservations very soon.

  • The rooms are running out.  There is a possibility of more rooms at the reduced rate, but nothing is certain.
  • The Spring Meet hotel is the Hampton Inn Haywood, 255 Congaree Rd., Greenville, SC. Telephone – 864-516-2400 greenvillei385haywoodmall.hamptoninn.com
  • Rooms should be reserved using the group code Morgan Car Club or MCC.

Also, this meet requires you to Register with the hosts so that accurate headcounts can be predicted and possible hotel room requirements can be adjusted.  Click Here for the Registration Form.  Spring Meet Registration Form

The Saturday lunch (25$ per person) must be prepaid so a check is required, Not Later Than (NTL) 15 March 2017.

Please send this completed registration form and a check for the appropriate amount to cover the lunch costs, payable to Judy Buckley, and send to:  Judy Buckley, 4705 Taproot Lane, Durham, NC 27705

Thanks, the Leos and Buckleys

 

Tentative Schedule

Friday, 4/21

  • Arrive Greenville, SC.  Check in Hotel
  • Hospitality room open at 4:00pm and after dinner
  • Dinner on your own: suggested restaurants:
  • Copper River Grill (5 minute walk from hotel)
  • City Range Steakhouse Grill (3 block drive)
  • Portofino’s Italian Restaurant (very short drive from hotel)

Saturday, 4/22:

9:00am

  • Driver and navigator meeting in hotel parking lot. We will be driving to Ceasars Head State Park and then to lunch to Hotel Domestique. The hotel is owned by internationally famous cyclist George Hincapie… check out the hotel and George on line.
  • You will be given driving instructions… we will not try to keep everyone together.

Approximately 1:00pm

  • Return to Greenville…plenty of sightseeing and shopping to be enjoyed!

6:30pm

  • Dinner at Liberty Taproom and Grill, 941 South Main Street, Greenville.
  • Hospitality room open after dinner

Sunday, 4/23

  • Departure

 

20 Jan

The MOGSouth Fall Meet is set.

The MOGSouth Fall Meet is set.   It will be hosted by Richard and Janet Ihns on September 15th (Friday) and 16th (Saturday) at the Kingwood Resort in Clayton GA (www.kingwoodresort.com).

There is a block of rooms reserved under ‘Morgan Car Club.’  Call them directly to make reservations and get the group rate.  Their phone number is 706-212-4100.  There are normal hotel rooms blocked for the club however the resort has 2 or 3 bedroom condos available as well (minimum 2 days). This may be a good choice for some.

Other details are being worked.  Possible dinner at the best, local Italian restaurant on Friday and a group dinner Saturday at the Resort.   Morgan drives on Saturday.   It looks to be a great weekend.  Be sure to pencil in the dates on your calendar and make your reservations now!!

Cheers,
Mark

17 Jan

The Discrete Charm of a Decaying Car by Peter Egan (roadandtrack.com)

Seduced by the idea of a cheap Morgan 4/4, our intrepid hero discovers the horrors that hide beneath the shade tree.

This article originally appeared in the November 1983 issue of Road & Track.

“Forty-five hundred dollars for a 1962 Morgan 4/4,” I said loud enough for my wife Barbara to hear. She was seated nearby at the breakfast table, reading that questionable part of the Sunday paper that contains no used car classifieds.

“Is that a good price?” she asked, trying hard not to look like a person who is about to have half her joint life savings wiped out by a single check.

“I haven’t seen one that cheap in years,” I responded. “If the car’s any good, that’s an excellent price.”

For nearly a year I’d been setting money aside for a project car, preferably something with the words Jaguar, Morgan or Lotus on the grille. The money was building up in my savings account much the way voltage builds up in a static electricity generator, and the first car to come along with the right credentials was going to get zapped with a bolt of greenbacks. In one year I’d saved literally tens of dollars. The rest would be borrowed against our Datsun.

I called the owner of the Morgan and got directions to his house. He lived in the foothills north of Los Angeles on a five-acre horse ranch, way back in one of those steep canyons that make the evening news three times a year during the fire, flood and mudslide seasons. A place where the occasional earthquake is just gravy. Two hours later we pulled into the ranch.

The Morgan sat on the front lawn in the shade of a huge oak tree, strategically placed to melt the resolve of tight-fisted car buyers. It was dark green with black fenders and a leather strap across the hood. From our vantage point in the driveway, the Morgan looked beautiful. I let out a low whistle. “I think we may have found ourselves a car,” I said.

The owner, a pleasant fellow, appeared and showed us around the car. Up close the Morgan had a few rust spots along the fender seams and the interior looked fairly weatherbeaten, but overall it appeared sound enough. It would be fun, I thought, to paint this car and reupholster the seats in nice leather.

We looked under the hood at the Ford 109E engine, which was covered with oil-soaked cobwebs. The oil appeared to be the product of excessive blow-by from the valve cover. I shrugged. The English Fords were sound engines, easy to work on and fun to rebuild. We looked in the trunk.

The trunk had problems. I wiggled a piece of the ash frame and a large chunk of the inner wheel arch came off in my hand. When I tried to put it back in place, the wood crumbled in my fingers like a slice of week-old pound cake. I apologized profusely, but the owner was quite good-natured about it. “Oh, that’s okay. All the wood is worthless in this car. Dry rot. It needs a whole new body frame. You can get one from a place out East for about $800.”

I got down on one knee and looked under the car.

“The steel chassis rails are all rusted out, too,” he added, “but you can still order a whole new chassis from the factory for less than $ 1500.”

He suggest we take a test drive, so I opened the driver’s door and the door came off in my hand. “Dry rot around the hinges,” the owner explained. I latched the door back in place and he said, “I’ll have to give you a push down the hill. The teeth are all gone on the ring gear and the battery’s pretty low anyway.” The car roared to life in a cloud of smoke, and settled down to the most complete collection of mechanical noises I’ve ever heard from a single running engine. Big-end rod knock, small-end rod knock, main bearing rumble, timing chain noise and deafening valve clatter. The only functioning instrument on the dash was the oil pressure gauge, which hovered between 3 and 5 psi when the cold engine was revved. I slipped the gearshift into 1st and we were off. “Skip 2nd gear,” the owner shouted over the absent exhaust system. “It’s missing a few teeth.”

“What’s that shrieking noise?”
”The rear end is bad.”
As we motored up the canyon road, thick clouds of blue smoke began pouring from the hood louvers and from under the dash. After a mile the smoke got so bad I couldn’t see the exact location of the road. It was like driving through the boys’ room at a high school basketball game. At halftime. I looked over at the owner, who smiled at me pleasantly through the haze, apparently oblivious to the choking fumes. I wondered if I was the only person who noticed the smoke. Was I dying? Maybe this is what it’s like, I thought. The car pitched wildly into a corner, and the man warned me to be careful because the sliding pillar suspension was badly worn and the spokes were all loose.

We clattered back to the ranch on 1 lb of oil pressure. I carefully parked the car beneath the tree, turned off the ignition, removed the door and got out.

“Well, what do you think?” The owner asked.

Having just been recently gassed, I struggled to collect my thoughts. What did I think? I thought the car was a wonderful collection of dreams held together by cobwebs and green paint. I thought if the car were a 1962 Ford or Chevy you’d have to pay the wrecker $35 to haul it away. I thought how wondrous it was that Morgans and a small handful of other cars in the world had such charm that a man could even hope to sell one in this deplorable condition. For money. With a straight face.

“Well,” I said, “the wood-rimmed steering wheel is in nice shape and the front fenders seem pretty sound . . . but $4500 seems like a lot of money for a steering wheel and some fenders. I think the rest of the car needs to be replaced.”

The owner looked at me with a mixture of amusement and genial pity. “The car is completely shot, of course,” he said, appealing to my sense of reason, “but a nicely restored Morgan will cost you two or three times what I’m asking. At $4500 I’m sure someone will buy the car and fix it up.”

I thanked the man for his time, and for the first time in my life I did the unthinkable. I turned around and walked away from an opportunity to buy an overpriced, worn-out, nearly unrestorable facade of an old British roadster that looked good sitting under an oak tree. Age, reason—something—had finally overtaken my usual witless optimism. Maybe it was the smoke. The owner was right, of course. There really was someone out there who would buy the car for $4500 and fix it up. But this time it wouldn’t be me.

As we drove back down the canyon toward home I felt oddly elated, remarkably carefree and suddenly wealthy. We stopped for lunch at a hamburger place. “Milkshakes all around,” I said to the waitress. “My wife and I have just come into a large sum of money.”

Barb stared out the cafe window and shook her head. “I really wanted that car when we first saw it,” she said. “How could such a neglected, worn-out old car look so good, sitting there on the front lawn?”

“It’s a Morgan,” I said. “And no one ever throws a Morgan away.”

15 Jan

Winters in Florida!! You Live Where??

Whilst there are those of you tucked in, covered up and shivering – nestled around the drafty fire place with cold coffee, a tattered old comforter and dreams of the sun . . . we here in Florida are out.  Yes out!  In our shirt sleeves, driving our Morgans with the top down and, oh yes, sweating.  It’s 80°F!

Saturday brought us an impromptu run up the coast to lunch in Saint Augustine.  St Augustine is a spirited two hour run north for us in Central Florida and barely a leisurely hour drive south for those in Jacksonville.  It is situated on the Atlantic Ocean and it claims to be the oldest continuously occupied European-established settlement within the borders of the continental US.  This means lots of old buildings and lots of tourists.

John and Debbie Stanley, in their newly acquired Roadster traveled north from Deland, while Chuck and Karen Bernath, in their 1963 Plus 4, 4 Place, traveled south from their home in Jacksonville.

Rick and Sam Frazee in their BRG Roadster met Mark and Andrea Braunstein in Sanford, and then ran the back roads in convoy with Ugly Betty to St Augustine.  The last 5 minutes were stop and stop.  A religious protest shut down major routes.   Really no go, but then a break, the draw bridge was down and everyone dashed forward for 100 yards.  Luckily for us, while everyone else went left, we went right and arrived almost immediately at our designated lunch stop, O.C. Whites. O.C. White’s has a history dating back to 1790 but I won’t bore you with the details.  The good news, unlike many great spots in St Augustine, it had a parking lot!

The traffic had taken its toll on the cars.  They were hot and overheating.  A bit of Parking Lot diagnostics and we were all off to a great lunch and a cool beer.

Wish you were here!!

Cheers, Mark

 

12 Jan

On the road in Morgan’s 3 Wheeler (www.standard.co.uk )

‘Take the Morgan,’ they said. ‘It’s there to be enjoyed,’ they said…

There are no bad cars nowadays. There’s just bad car choice.

The Morgan 3 Wheeler is by no means a bad car. But choosing it for a 70-mile trip down the M3 on a freezing winter’s night? That’s not just bad. It’s verging on masochism.

It takes a special kind of madness to relish an experience like this. No journey has ever been so uncomfortable.

Imagine your worst traffic jam experience, then subtract about 20 degrees from the temperature in the climate-controlled cabin of your commuter-mobile. Imagine that when you do finally get moving at any sort of speed, the wind chill makes it even more miserable than being sat there in a sucking pit of Friday night misery.

Imagine that every lorry you pass fires shoals of grit in your face. Imagine a ride that feels like someone’s poured several pounds of said grit into a washing machine, thrown you in there with it and set it to fast spin.

Imagine how under such circumstances, the small bulb illuminating the speedo is about the closest thing to a friend you feel like you’ve got in the whole world.

Now imagine that bulb snuffing it with miles still to go before your journey is brought to an end by the sweet relief of home.

Most of all, though, imagine arriving home… completely smitten with this lovely, lovely car. Because that’s exactly what happened.

It would be pushing it to say we drove right past our front door and on to enjoy another few miles. But despite all the suffering, we had been completely charmed by the Morgan’s wonderfully old-school nature.

It’s not just the fact that it’s so cheerfully raw and involving to drive, either. It’s knowing that whenever you stop, people will gather round and ask if they can be your friend. Admittedly, a few blips of the throttle sent one of them scurrying off in tears, but we’re fairly sure that was just jealousy.

Either way, when people see you in one of these they fall in love with you, in exactly the way they wouldn’t if you were behind the wheel of any other eye-catching sports car. That’s unless they see you on the motorway on a cold Friday night, of course, in which case their overwhelming reaction is likely to be one of sympathy.

Which is all wrong, really. Because behind those chattering teeth, you’ll be the happiest driver for miles around.

MORGAN 3 WHEELER

Price £31,800
Price as tested £34,567
Economy 26.8mpg
Faults None
Expenses None

10 Jan

MOSS MORGAN CHALLENGE

[This is the report submitted by MOGSouth members Charlie and Anita Hill to Moss Motors following their participation in the Moss Motors Scavenger Hunt called the Moss Motors Challenge.  Enjoy.   Mark]

     

Some of my friends participated in the Motoring Challenge in their MGs in 2013. It seemed like it could be a lot of fun. My wife and I thought it might be something we could do. We like touring in our car. Much more fun that sitting around at a car show. But my British sports car is a Morgan and my Japanese sports car is a Honda S2000. MOSS doesn’t have a catalog for either car.

I thought I would try it in the Morgan any way. Why a Morgan? First, some of you may be asking “What is a Morgan?” Morgan is a small British car company over 100 years old. They started with 3-wheelers which were popular in Britain then. They introduced their first 4-wheel car in 1936 and continue to build very much the same car today. The most revolutionary change occurred in 1955 when they redesigned the front end from the exposed radiator and free-standing headlights to the current cowled radiator and faired-in headlights. They were forced in to this radical change when Lucas stopped making the headlights when they lost their last big customer, MG. This was when the MG TF was introduced with faired-in headlights.

The most common question I am asked about my Morgan is if it has a wood frame. Morgans do really have a steel chassis. This common misconception is due to the traditional coach-built body which has the body panels tacked to a wooden skeleton, a construction method common in the 1930s.

Back to why a Morgan. Reading the Moss Motoring Challenge guide, I noticed it didn’t mention anything about catalogs, only that the car must be supported by Moss. Morgan, as a small manufacturer, used many off-the-shelf parts such as Lucas electrical equipment also used by other manufacturers. Also, Morgan never (and still don’t) make their own engines. They used the TR4 engine in my car, a 1964 Morgan +4. Moss sells many of these parts in their catalogs for other makes. I looked through the Challenge Guide and concluded that I could at least win the Challenge Decal and a T-Shirt. Traveling to all 50 states, much less the Canadian provinces was not a realistic goal for us but many of the rest of the points were possibly attainable. The whole point was to get out and drive the car and have some fun.

The first challenge was to wait for the spring rains to wash the salt off the roads here in the Mid West. This is normal though if you have a car here that you don’t want to rust out. The only impact on the Challenge was that we would not be able to get the Ski Resort with Snow photo. (There is actually a ski resort near Kansas City which I did get later!) When we passed that hurdle, we started out easy with destinations in our suburb. Our first destination was the library about 3 blocks from our home. Then came the bowling alley, Main Street, playground and a few more obvious destinations. Then we started moving on finding more difficult destinations. The degree of difficulty can be deceiving. We thought that finding a dead end street sign would not be a problem as there are lot of cul-de-sacs and broken-up suburban streets around. “Dead End Street” seems to be politically incorrect today. They are all marked as “No Outlet”! We finally found one in an older out-of-the-way neighborhood. Another one, that I thought would be easy, we couldn’t get – “Under a Full Moon.” The weather was uncooperative during the driving season here. It was either overcast or raining. And during the non-driving season (when there was salt is on the roads) simply pulling the car out of the garage wouldn’t work as trees and buildings blocked the view of the moon. I doubt if I could have made a decent photo anyway. I have never had any luck with trying to take night photos with a digital camera. I have tried to take photos of Christmas lights several times with dismal results. I never had a problem with my 35mm Nikon. On the other hand though, some destinations that would be difficult or impossible for others were easy for us. As example, there is a National WWI Museum and Memorial is in Kansas City.

As we ran out of destinations we could find in our local area, we started longer trips. This takes a little planning with the Morgan. What is the weather going to be? Do we put up the top or put on the side curtains? Or do we leave them down. Getting caught in a sudden rainstorm in a Morgan is not fun. It is going to take several minutes to stop, pull out the top and side curtains and put them on the car. We had that happen once and that was enough. You are fine if you can keep going at least 35 or 40 miles per hour, otherwise you get soaked. Luckily we were in town and were able to pull in to a self-service car wash and put up the top. If it is going to be cooler you will want to wear a windproof jacket and/or put up the side curtains. With the low cut doors, a Morgan can get pretty chilly going down the road. We picked up some more cities and counties and even a couple of states. We had some fun drives but it wasn’t nearly as challenging as trying to find some of the more unusual destinations. Along the way, though, we drove on some great roads, saw some beautiful scenery and met many interesting people. Even the couple of encounters we had with the police were quite cordial. In both cases we were stopped in an unusual location beside the road taking Challenge photos. After they discovered that we were on having any trouble, they were interested in the car and the Moss Challenge. As we started to run out of destinations that we could reach in one day trip from our home we decided that we would not be looking for destinations that would need an overnight stay somewhere. The long drives involved would change the Challenge from a casual, fun pastime we really enjoyed to something more serious that neither of us wanted.

In February, 2015 we were surprised to find that somehow we ended up in the top 50 challengers in spite of never traveling much more than 100 miles from our home.

More next year.

By Charles and Anita Hill

27 Dec

Classic car gift makes charity £25,000 (http://www.yorkpress.co.uk/)

[A special holiday.  Someone got a car they very much wanted and a worthwhile charity welcomed the proceeds.  Well done.  Mark.]

A CHRISTMAS gift with a difference has funded a generous donation to York Against Cancer.

A businessman, who has asked not to be named, has sold his classic Morgan V8 sports car to donate £25,000 proceeds plus Gift Aid to the city charity.

The car had been given to him as a Christmas present by the late York farmer and motor rally driver David ‘Piggy’ Thompson to thank him for advice he gave him some 20 years ago.

David Thompson, father of World Touring Cars star and former British Touring Cars champion James Thompson, was a major motor enthusiast and following the advice, David asked the businessman what sort of car he really liked.

He told David that the only car he had ever really wanted was a Morgan V8. “That Christmas Eve, there was a brand new Morgan sitting on my drive!”, he said.

David sadly died in the years after he made his generous gift, and recently the businessman began to think it was time to do something with the Morgan as he no longer used it very much.

“I didn’t want it to just sit in the garage so I rang David’s widow, Barbara and said, ‘Look, I am going to sell it and give the proceeds to York Against Cancer.’ A sentiment she totally supported.”

Another friend was keen to buy the car and agreed to pay the highest price they could find for a similar vehicle on the internet – with York Against Cancer receiving the £25,000 proceeds plus Gift Aid.

The money will launch York Against Cancer’s 30th anniversary appeal to keep its new mobile chemotherapy unit on the road when it comes into service in the summer.

The businessman has long supported York Against Cancer and David’s widow said that David would have been delighted to see the cash support the mobile unit since he had had to travel to Leeds for treatment during his illness.

Steve Leveson, Chairman of York Against Cancer, said the charity was touched by this kind gesture. “The charity is very grateful for this gift, which couldn’t have come at a better time as we are about to launch an appeal to raise money for our mobile chemotherapy unit.”