No matter how pretty a flower garden may be, it looks nothing when teamed with a scruffy lawn. Likewise, even the most handsome motorcars appear second- rate if forced to ride on unattractive wheels. Many British classics were, of course, born on the wire-spoked variety – stunning when in good fettle but shoddy and potentially dangerous when allowed to deteriorate.
It is worth knowing that balancing machines employed by many modern tyre outlets are unsuitable for wire wheels.
| Publication Information |
|---|
| Cover Price: Free |
| Page Count: 20 pages |
| Subject: Aviation, Cars, Motorsport, People |
| Format: Digital (pdf) |
| Frequency: Quarterly |
| Publisher: British Motor Heritage |
| Wires Within Wheels |
Download British Motor Heritage’s Summer 2016 Motoring Classics Magazine below!
Motoring Classics Summer 2016
No matter how pretty a flower garden may be, it looks nothing when teamed with a scruffy lawn. Likewise, even the most handsome motorcars appear second- rate if forced to ride on unattractive wheels. Many British classics were, of course, born on the wire-spoked variety – stunning when in good fettle but shoddy and potentially dangerous when allowed to deteriorate.
All of which is good news for our featured supplier, the renowned wire wheel specialist Motor Wheel Service International of Slough, that’s been repairing old ones and creating new ones for the veteran, vintage and classic fraternity for almost 90 years.
The skill and courage of our WWII pilots is well chronicled, but the extraordinary story of how their aeroplanes and related supplies were transported from the factories to the airfields is less well known. Read all about the equally brave men and women of the Air Transport Auxiliary on pages 10-13, plus what it’s like to ‘take to the skies’ in a Spitfire simulator!
Ever wondered why the DB Series of Aston Martins was so named? This issue’s Classic Character features Sir David Brown, the fascinating entrepreneur behind those famous initials, while our equally regular Missing Moniker column concerns the bizarrely aerodynamic Burney Streamline produced in Maidenhead between 1930 and 1936.
Britain’s motorsport heritage is second to none and our crowded island is awash with just about every form of such competition most weeks of the year. But did you realise that the number of venues employed for racing, sprinting and hillclimbing alone has topped 800 since we first started pitting machine against machine and/or the clock? Check out our feature on pages 4-7 and see what may have taken place in your neck of the woods.
Last but by no means least, if your classic has a BMC A Series engine under the bonnet, there’s a fair chance you’ll know of BMH approved specialist Bull Motif Spares. If not you probably should, as they stock no less than 11,000 replacement parts for Morris Minors, Austin A30/35s and classic Minis – see our Dealer Spotlight page for details.
Enjoy,
Gordon Bruce, Editor
For all the latest news, offers and great tips … Motoring Classics
Dealer Spotlight: Bull Motif Spares
The origins of this interesting multifaceted company date back to the early 1980s, when Pat and Deanne Fitton formed Bull Motif Restorations to specialise in the renovation of Morris’ ubiquitous Minor. However, a growing market for related parts sparked a change of focus and the company’s description was accordingly updated from Restorations to Spares.
Britain On Track: An off-the-wall peek at UK motorsport – past and present
Several countries inevitably claim to be the home of motorsport, of which France, the US and the UK are arguably the strongest contenders.
Missing Moniker: Burney Streamline
Back in 1927 car design and aerodynamics were still relatively unacquainted with each other – unless that is the vehicle in question was penned by somebody with aeronautical knowledge. That is certainly the back story to the extraordinary Burney Streamline, which was the brainchild of Sir Charles Dennistoun Burney, who’d previously been the driving force behind the R100 airship.
Classic Character: Sir David Brown (1904-1993)
Every James Bond aficionado can recognise an Aston Martin DB5, as driven by the famous fictional spy in the films Gold Finger, Thunderball and Skyfall. But how many know what those evocative letters DB stand for? The answer is David Brown, the thrice-married knight of the realm, who not only rose to manage the engineering company established by his grand-father, but acquired for it the high-speed boat manufacturer Vosper and prestige car makers Aston Martin and Lagonda.
Forgotten Flyers: The remarkable story of the Air Transport Auxiliary
Watching emotive films like ‘Battle Of Britain’ and ‘The Dambusters’ brings home the outstanding bravery and skill of our RAF pilots, and the national genius behind the Spitfires, Hurricanes and Lancasters, etc., they flew to victory. But have you ever stopped to think how those aircraft and related supplies constantly came to be in the right place at the right time? That was the task of the relatively unsung Air Transport Auxiliary (ATA).
Chocks Away – In Maidenhead! – The Editor ‘takes to the skies’ in a Spitfire simulator
The centrepiece of the ATA exhibition and archive mentioned opposite is a state-of-the-art Spitfire simulator. You know it’s a simulator because it amounts to little more than a cockpit and five monitors, and sits on the first floor of the Maidenhead Heritage Centre (MHC), but my goodness it’s uncannily real to ‘fly’.
Wires Within Wheels: How Motor Wheel Service Keeps Our Classics Turning
Let’s be honest, most of we classic car owners have a love-hate relationship with wire wheels. There’s no denying they set our vehicles off a treat, but they’re a pain in the proverbial to maintain. Thank goodness then for Motor Wheel Service International Ltd (MWS) who’ve been in the business of manufacturing and restoring such items since 1927, and are now a worldwide one-stopwheel- shop for the owners of veteran, vintage and classic cars.
News From BMH
Managing Director John Yea reveals all.
Motoring Classic in Motorsport
British Motor Heritage MD John Yea reports from the cockpit.
British Motor Heritage
British Motor Heritage Limited was established in 1975 to support owners and the marketplace by putting genuine components for classic British cars back into manufacture, using original tools wherever possible. Since 2001, when the company was acquired from BMW, it has been successfully run as an independently owned company.
British Motor Heritage is the largest organisation of its type in the world. With access to unparalleled knowledge, authentic production information and original drawings and patterns, the company manufactures previously unobtainable body parts for British classic cars.
It occupies a unique position since it assembles 32 derivatives of body shells and has built total production volume of over 7,000 for the MGB, MGR V8, MG Midget, Austin-Healey Sprite, Triumph TR6, Original Mini and Mini Clubman using original press tools and assembly jigs.
Website: https://www.bmh-ltd.com/
Tex Automotive
Tex Motor Accessories have been manufactured in England for over fifty years, and many of our products are still produced in our factory in Witney on the original tooling.
Since their first appearance on British cars in 1947, Tex products evolved over the years to keep in step with changing car designs. The current range includes wipers and mirrors that were original equipment on a huge range of Austin, Ford, Morris, MG, Triumph, Vauxhall, etc. from 1974 to 1983.
Tex are also major distributors of the Renovo car care product range (specialising in hood refurbishment) and Samco Silicone hose Kits.
Website: https://texautomotive.com/
Motoring Classics is the printed and online publication of British Motor Heritage and its retail trading arm.
Motoring Classics reproduction in whole or any part of any text, photograph or illustration without written permission of the publisher is strictly prohibited.
The publisher makes every effort to ensure the magazine’s contents are correct but can accept no responsibility for any effects from errors or omissions.
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