January 2015

WWW.GOBMC.ORG
Volume 7 Issue 1
January 2015
President’s Corner
And so another year in the great adventure of life begins. Welcome to
2015,GOBMCers. The New Year always brings out the calendars and the planning
begins. Drives, events, and, of course, dining opportunities all beg to be part of the
year ahead. New excursions and fresh pavement ideas mix with old favorites so
feel free to contribute or even lead a jaunt. Boring roads need not apply. The first
few months of the year are usually not good for driving events, so a bit of learning
thru sharing at tech sessions has been a good use of club time and resources.
Three sessions with new subjects are currently in the works. Several new
members joined in the last quarter of 2014 and we are anxious to meet them and
theirs at the monthly meetings and events. Our new member benefit package
remains in place and our Mistress of Regalia stands ready to outfit them and their
rides with the GOBMC hallmark. So if ya see someone ya don't recognize - stick
out a hand and make them feel welcome. Monthly meeting venues are proving a
bit hard to come by, so keep an eye out for possibilities. Logan's does a good job
for us, but variety is nice too. Seating for 40 - 50 in a meeting area, decent food,
reasonable pricing, cleanliness, and good service are our only requirements. And
perhaps a decent beer selection. And easy parking. And fewer ladybugs on the
patio. New membership dues date is in effect so our esteemed Treasurer, Ron
Branson, stands ready to collect from one and all. Don't make him come lookin' for
you. More techie stuff is coming in the form of a Facebook page for both the club
and the show in an effort to improve our worldwide recognition. Decisions are
pending on website viability and improvements.
Our year promises to be an interesting one for GOBMC folks - so grab yer gear and
lets go for drive. See ya at the meeting. Dan
Submitted by Rodger Grantham
An Englishman in France was pulled over by a policeman while
completely drunk. The French policeman asked if he had been drinking.
The Englishman said his daughter had gotten married to a Frenchman
that day, and he had champagne and a few bottles of wine at the
reception, and quite a few glasses of single malt thereafter.
Quite upset, the policeman proceeded to alco-test him and then asked
the Englishman if he knew why, under French law, he was being arrested.
The Englishman answered "No sir, I do not! But while we're asking
questions do you know that this is a British car and my wife is driving...on
the other side???"
Table of Contents
GOBMC Annual Meeting
and Christmas Luncheon
History Corner:
Win Some, Lose Some
Calendar, Contacts, and
For Sale
2
3
4
P2
GOBMC Annual Meeting and Christmas Luncheon
GOBMC Annual Meeting and Christmas Luncheon
It was crisp and clear on the first Saturday of December, as eighty GOBMC members, families, and friends
assembled at the Keeter Center on the campus of College of the Ozarks at Point Lookout for our annual election
meeting and holiday dinner. We began arriving at 11:00 a.m. and gathered under the massive yellow pine rafters
spanning the huge entrance halls of that remarkable building. A few stalwart members made the trip in
their vintage British iron as we caught up with others whom we had not seen for a while.The wait staff opened
the banquet room to us and we enjoyed views of the campus and the White River Valley beyond. A slide show
organized by club photographers recounted a year’s worth of club activities on the three projection screens
while holiday music played over the sound system.
President Dan Craig called the business meeting to order as we prepared to cast ballots for officers for the
coming year. We paused to recall members who had passed away during the year: Gene Moore, Wayne Chapin,
and Dodie and Bill Rinke. College of the Ozarks Master Chef Robert Stricklin, a longtime club member who had
piloted his MGA to work, oversaw the food preparation. A large Ice sculpture, bedecked with the GOBMC logo
graced the serving table. The lunch—what we call dinner in this neck of the woods—was tasty and beautifully
presented, as usual.
After dinner we continued our meeting. Last year’s recipients of the GOBMC Dziwanowski Award, Walt and Beth
Reid, presented the award to the Jon and Delores Joyce family in recognition of their many years of service to
the club. Member Tom Sentman presented an engaging slide show expounding on the merits of various small
goods and supplies in the workshop. He then surprised everyone by dispersing the pile of goodies he had
demonstrated, by way of a drawing, and some of the members (who had been very good all year) received their
prizes from the hands of Santa Claus himself (who sounded a little like Bob Stone).
We announced the election results (see elsewhere in the newsletter) and everyone departed, having enjoyed a
wonderful meal and great company, as we look forward to another exciting year of British motoring activities.
P3
Win Some, Lose Some
Win Some, Lose Some
Say the name Alec Issigonis on one of the Mini Cooper forums and you will get responses full of the sort of
reverence usually reserved for a deity. As a matter of fact, a recent post went a little something like “Our
Father, who art in England, Alec Issigonis be thy name.”
But even the greats have a miss sometimes. In 1973 Sir Alec Issigonis
designed a car for British Leyland. It was meant to turn things around for
the company. It was nicknamed “the flying pig”. A staff writer for The
Rakyat
Post recalled “Several things I remember very vividly though. The interior
smell was very distinctively British and it had a rather impressively
appointed interior. The other aspect I remember very clearly is the most
important of all: it broke down anywhere and everywhere.”
The Allegro used a British Leyland A-series engine with a sump mounted
transmission. It was available in 1.0, 1.1, or 1.3 liter. One of its more
unique styling features was a “quartic” steering wheel. This was supposed
to provide long-legged drivers with more room. Instead it earned the
Allegro with another, less inventive, nickname “the car with the square
steering.”
During this time hatchbacks were becoming more popular in Europe. The
ease of use was appreciated by young families. However, British Leyland
had decided the Austin Maxi should have a hatchback, and to make it a
unique selling point none of their other cars were going to have one. To
make a more utilitarian vehicle, the Estate verion of the Allegro was
introduced. According to Jeff Daniels in British Leyland, the Truth About
theCars, the corporate thought at the time was to follow Citroen by
combining advanced technology with styling that did not follow current conventions. They
certainly may have achieved part of this goal, as the Estate would be hard pressed to be called “fashionable”
during any time period.
Quality problems also plagued the Allegro. There were body leaks. The rear window sometimes fell out
when the car was jacked up forrepairs. The response that this did not happen very often did not inspire
consumer confidence. Nor did the tendency for a wheel to fall off while driving.
The Allegro managed to be relatively popular during its 10 year run, but it failed to meet its purpose of saving
the company. It certainly can’t be completely blamed for the demise of British Leyland, since those problems
had already existed for over two decades before the inception of the Allegro. That falls squarely on the
shoulders of executives intent on saving a buck by sacrificing quality, and who thought going against the
grain for no other reason than to be different would boost sales. It did not.
As a bright spot, over 40 years after its introduction, many car collectors now recommend getting into one.
They are relatively scarce-only around 1000 are still registered in the UK, and the notoriety is somewhat
appealing at this point.
P6
Calendar, Contacts, and For Sale
The Chicagoland MG Club has requested we pass on some
information:
March 15, 2015 Wheaton, IL.- All British Car Swap Meet &
Autojumble
19th Annual All British Car Swap Meet & Autojumble. Sponsored by
the Chicagoland MG Club. Sunday, March 15, 2015 from 8 am to 2
pm. All marques welcome. All vendor spaces indoors. Free parking.
Located about 30 miles due west of Chicago. Vendor offerings
include regalia, tools, and services as well as new, used, and
refurbished parts. This event draws both vendors and shoppers
from throughout the Midwest. This event includes all marques of
European cars as well as British and other European motorcycles.
Vendor space available. GPS to: DuPage County Fairgrounds, 2015
W Manchester Rd, Wheaton IL 60187 Info: www.britishcarswap.info
or Jim Evans 630-858-8192
GOBMC Events
February meeting @ Logan's-9:00 Tech Session at O'Reilly
Automotive Machine Shop, 2523 E Olive Ct. Don't wear our good
clothes
March Meeting @ Logan's- 9:30 tech Session at Swope Automotive,
corner of Glenstone and Meadowmere.
GOBMC
P O Box 4304
Joplin, MO 64803
www.gobmc.org
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GOBMC
Contacts
GOBMC
Contacts
President-Dan Craig
VP-Membership-Bill Heath
VP-Activities-John Joyce
Secretary-Roxanne Darby
Treasurer-Ron Branson
Newsletter Editor-Nikki Gonzales
Mistress of Regalia-Tanya Lawson