Abingdon Rough Rider Review February 2014 Vol. LVI no. 2 President - Brian Sonner Vice President - Terry Sanders Activities Director Howard Shempp Secty/Treas/Newsletter Editor- Allan Chalmers Eminence Gris Bill Traill Web Master Rick Storms Returning to Capitola Sunday February 16th Our Hosts: The Taylors and Stobbe's We are returning to that wonderful sea side town of Capitola. Where Jeff and Colleen Stobbe will open their home to a bit of checking out the latest of Jeff's shipbuilding expertise, then on to the beach where we will meet up with John and Elizabeth Taylor for a festive time of food and drink. Be sure to bring some munchies and drink to share. A bit of a warning, parking is tight at the Stobbe s so pack 'em close. Northerners can meet at the parking lot at the Woodside turnoff from Hwy 280 at 9, then we will meet at 10 at the Hwy 9 and Skyline the usual route for the Sausage Run. Heading directly? Address is 310 Park Ave in Capitola, take the Bay Ave turnoff Hwy 1, it turns into Monterey, then turn left on Park Some folks stated that it would be nice to spend the night, so Jeff and Colleen did a bit of research and came up with the following: Venetian Courts - very close to the beach. Harbor Lights - also very close to the beach. Capitola By The Sea - away from the beach, but may be walking distance. Next month: Boating on Spreckels Lake in Golden Gate Park - March 8 It s dues time! Kindly send $25, made out to Allan Chalmers (not ARR ) at 1231 12 th ave, SF 94122. There is also the option of paying by Paypal, to abingdonroughriders@yahoo.com
An advisory from our webmaster For those receiving the web version, remember, you can contact your esteemed officers by clicking the About Us link and clicking on the name of the officer. This protects us from malefactors! On the Events page, each month's event includes three icons. One is to email the host, one is a link to a Google map that shows the starting point of the run, and finally, one to show weather conditions. Rick February 16 Coming Events a reprise of the run to the Stobbe s in Capitola and the Taylor s beach house nearby March 8 Sailing on Spreckels Lake in Golden Gate Park with our harbor master, Jeff Stobbe April 6 West Marin Tour, hosted by the Storms May 3-5 Another Placerville mini-conclave put on by the Sonners not to be missed June 1 MGs by the Bay A run over to this time-honored tire kicking event by the MG Owners Club tour leader to be announced July 13 South Coast berry picking hosted by Norman Tuck & Brenda Hutchinson August 25 29 GoF in San Diego September 14 Sonoma County tour hosted by the Chalmers October 3-4-5 58 th Annual Conclave ARR / TCMG in Sonora (CA, not Mexico!) November 8 Dinner in San Francisco or? Linda Chalmers/ Cindy Weiss December 14/15 Holiday Party Healdsburg at the Taylor s
Missive from the desk of the president. The new year began at Terry and Cindy s place. There was a good turnout. We were able to review the 2013 activities and map out the 2014 schedule. As usual the events were identified and individuals volunteered to arrange and lead them. Of special interest is the Conclave in October. This year is our turn to host the annual event that brings the Rough Riders together with the TC Motoring Guild. Howard Shempp volunteered to organize the event and has already visited the proposed site, Sonora. He has found a delightful Gold Country hotel and things are well underway in smoothing the details. We are hoping for a great turn out. The Mini-Conclave will be in Placerville again this year. We actually thought ahead and avoided scheduling over Mother s Day weekend. We had 17 TCs last year. Let s break that record. The next order of business was the election of officers for 2014. I can only say that if you do not like the outcome, you should have been there to nominate and vote! I have reviewed the by laws and there is no provision for absentee ballots. Rick Storms has made a major redesign of the web site this past year and is updating it with all of the new events. The web site is fantastic and is the lifeblood of our ability to get the word out. USE IT. Brian
Annual Meeting We had a small turnout, including folk from afar Brian & Jane Sonner, Howard Shempp & Carolyn, Lawrie Alexander and Ed Dail and a little late, Betz Miller and Mark Medynski as well as Terry Sanders & Cindy Weiss of course, Jeff & Colleen Stobbe, Norman Tuck & Brenda Tuck, Barry & Sue Swackhamer, Dan Shockey (great to see you back, even without your stache) and friend Thuy, Bob Alley and the resuscitated Healey 3000 mentioned here a few months ago, Bill Traill, Jim Hill and yours truly sans Linda who was in Peru at the time. El Presidente Brian Sonner showed up with his own version of the Lyft ride share mustache. Hey maybe this is where Dan s stache went! Ready for the ride back to the Valley As you can see by the banner, we reelected Brian and Terry said, seeing that there was very little work involved, he agreed to be VP and Howard was convinced that being Activities Director would only require beating event coordinators about the head and shoulders each month. Bill, Rick and I are going continue on. to
Visit the historic gold rush town of Placerville May 2 nd, 3 rd, and 4 th 2014 Arrive Friday afternoon; check into the Cary House Hotel in downtown Placerville (300 Main Street). Parking in the city operated parking lot behind the hotel is free while you are staying at the Cary House. There is parking available for trailers at the Sonner s for those who intend to trailer their cars. Rooms are large and include a kitchenette, and complimentary continental breakfast (7-10 am): Queen Suite: $121/night King Suite: $132/night All prices include tax, etc. The hotel is giving us a $29/night discount below the normal summer rate. Friday evening there will be a BBQ at the Sonner s home in Placerville. The membership attending the annual meeting decided that the treasury would fund the cost of materials needed for the BBQ. However, BYOB. There will be a Saturday drive. At this point, we have not decided on a route and place for lunch. More will follow on this important information. Saturday afternoon will be open for relaxing and/or wandering around the shops in Placerville. We will be dining at Bricks Eats & Drinks in Placerville again this year. It is a short walk from the hotel. We will be gathering at 5:30 for drinks and dinner. The restaurant is accustomed to handling groups like ours, allowing us to order off of the menu and have individual bills. By gathering at this hour we can be assured that we will be seated. Bricks also has a web site so you can take a look at the menu. At a reasonable time on Sunday morning (about 9 am) the group will leave for home. Sunday brunch will be in Ione at Clark s Corner Restaurant. It is a buffet brunch for $10.65. There are other breakfast delights for those who do not want a large meal. We will go through the brunch line and eat on the patio or if you want something smaller you can order it at the counter. Carey House Hotel reservations should be made individually at (530) 622-4271, indicating that you are part of the Abingdon Rough Riders. They are keeping a block of rooms for us for Friday and Saturday nights. This is downtown-frontier living so I recommend that you make reservations early, request a rear room and that you be placed with other members of the group. If you plan on attending, please let me know by email (sonnerb@comcast.net) or by phone at (530) 295-9406 as soon as possible. GoF West This year it will be in San Diego, hosted by the San Diego T Register and the Vintage MG Club. It will be at the Bahia Resort Hotel on Mission Bay, a very classy spot August 25 to 29 You can apply on-line at the web site www.gofwest.org. You can also read about the hotel there.
A foreword to the following interview with your humble servant, from the estimable Joe Marcotte Following the precedent set by Norman Tuck, over the past year or so I've conducted a couple of interviews of club members. At the ARR Christmas Party Norman buttonholed me and asked when "someone" was going to interview Allan Chalmers and publish it in the Abingdon Rough Rider Review. Frankly, the idea had occurred to me a long time ago but given the magnitude of the project, I shrunk from the challenge. However, when confronted with the concept, although still loath to take it on, I didn't feel that I could decline either. So I countered Norman's idea by posing that we collaborate to address what still seems to me a formidable task. Due to postage rate constraints the newsletter is kept to a not-to-exceed page limit, which would serve as a barrier to inclusion of an interview that would contain all that must included. Then there was the question of separating Allan Chalmers' story from that of the Rough Riders. Further, from my perspective any such opus should also some input from the distaff component. In order to accord each of these concerns their just due Norman and I concluded that the project should consist of three articles, not just one. That being said, the first of this series follows. Unofficially founded in 1956, the ARR is a mere two years younger than the TC Motoring Guild, our august sister club in the south. Our specialist TC-andearlier organization is eight years older than the much larger and less personal New England MG T Register, who welcome TDs and TFs in addition to our beloved TCs. Our 58 year old organization is second to none in the provenance of its members and their cars. Its indefatigable enthusiasm and easygoing tone have proven to be an unbeatable formula for success. With that introduction, ladies and gentlemen, I give you the condensed history of the Abingdon Rough Riders! Abingdon Rough Rider History A cyber interview with your humble servant by J. Marcotte Why was the Club formed? I would say there were two obvious reasons: 1. It s a cool car. 2. People are always banding together over some interest, and auto enthusiasts are no exception. There is even an AMC Gremlin club! How was the Club formed? Three guys; Lucien Remy, Jack Van Der Male and Bob Winklemann were TC owners and thought forming a club was a great idea. Lucien remained in the club until his death a number of years ago. The whereabouts of Jack are unknown and Bob lives in Muir Beach. If you drive north on Hwy 101 past the Pelican Inn you will see his compound before the turn to the left. Lucien s car was in the hands of a former member who had painted it cream, Bob s car, TC 1920 has disappeared and Jack s car is in the hands of member Steve Glenn. Lucien & Linda Remy at the 1959 Conclave Bob Winkelmann, wild and crazy Steve Glenn with Van der Male s TC
When was it formed? August, 1957. The club was incorporated in the state of California in November 1958. Officers were Glenn Wilson, Marv Gidley, Tom Newcomb, Lucien Remy and Bill Fieldhouse. The club was declared tax exempt by the Treasury Dept in 1960. Where did the Club meet, how often and were they organized meetings? The Club met mostly in members homes, often in San Francisco. The first I went to was in the home of brothers Tom and Tony Newcomb, who were restoring a TC. After a while we slipped into annual meetings. We ve recently started having a November dinner meeting, purely social. Did the Club ever sponsor tech sessions. On an irregular basis, yes. When Charlie Paradise had his shop in SF we had several tech sessions, including one by Al Moss on steering and front end set-up. What were the requirements for membership? One had to own a TC. Only one non-tc that I knew of in the early days was the MG NA owned by Bill Fieldhouse (now owned by Dick Duncan). Bill popping into the NA -> We did have membership applications earlier. We later modified the requirement to TCs and earlier open MGs. We also allow former owners, who had joined with their cars, to continue as members. I also keep a list of ARR Friends who I notify of newsletter printing each month. What did early Club activities consist of, that you can remember? As today, most were tours, but we also took in races, especially the Stockton Road Races, at the airport. That was my first tour with the ARR, in 1959. I drove a 56 Pontiac and was generally ignored! We organized and ran Gymkhanas until a TR3 flipped at the Corte Madera shopping center and the driver was seriously injured. We had an insurance policy that required us to notify them when we were doing an event. Somebody forgot. That was the last event for outsiders! We held Poker Rallies occasionally. Don t ask what they consisted of didn t attend any We organized a Concours in Pleasant Hill. A lot of work, but it went well. Bill Fieldhouse, who sold cars at British Motors, drove Kjell Qvale s K3 Magnette from San Francisco to the show, with Tom Pope Jr as riding mechanic. Both had correct era hats, turned bill to the back and goggles. a major highlight of the day.
Members and their cars Who were they, and any famous folk? Of course it started out with anybody who loved the TC and could afford one and who wanted to associate with other like minded folks. An early member was Bob Lutz, the legendary car guy who retired as Vice Chairman of GM after a career in the auto industry. Bob was in the MBA program at UC Berkeley and restored a TC at the same time. He was very active in the club, along with his wife Betty and two small girls, who sat in seats in the back of the TC (no worries in those days about kiddie carriers). Another well known guy was Anatole Lapine, Porsche s chief designer at the time. He restored and, ahem, modified a TC as a project for his sons to participate in. The car was powered by a twin cam Fiat of 140 DIN HP, tuned suspension, etc. Tony was hired by Dr. Porsche, and as he told me, fired by Dr. Porsche. Tony died a few years ago. He and Bob Lutz were friends by the way Tony was a Latvian displaced by the war, who came to Detroit as a designer, working with Bob. Both moved on to stints with European car companies. Our great good friend, the late Phil Frank, needs mentioning of course. Nigel Shiftright lives forever! Bob Lutz Tony Lapine & his twin cam and of course Phil Nigel Shiftright Frank What was the size of the Club at the end of the first year or so? When the club was formed there were 10 member couples and singles. Member lists usually had 20 or so members for the next few years. Were there any members who didn t own TCs, and what did they drive? Our charter required TC ownership, but as I mentioned, Bill Fieldhouse was an exception. Focus What was the original purpose of the Club? Touring group? Mutual assistance in keeping cars running? Social?) I would say all four needs were met. Interestingly, in the early days the cars were less dependable and folks assisted each other. We have done valve jobs, changed rear ends, axles, etc on the road ( At one conclave, a tow bar was fabricated in Oakhurst to haul a TCMG car back to LA!). How had the focus of the club evolved over say, its first five years? Ten years? 20 years? Initially of course, the focus was on enjoying these neat little cars. They were very affordable, lots of fun to drive and were so different from Detroit iron. The club did the same things we do now, with more overnighter events, including campouts. We would range far afield on runs in the Sierra, up the Coast to Mendo, etc. There were also regular meetings, at members houses and occasional restaurant venues
Was the Club ever formally interested in exhibiting cars in competition? Racing? Or were these always the province of individual members? The founding members raced, but not as a team. I don t recall any team racing. Several members would occasionally enter concours events together. Were any of the members restorations/transformations the result of a Club-wide effort (e.g. where more than five members gathered on a regular basis to contribute to a restoration for show or repurposing for, say, racing? One club enterprise was a project to get Rhoda Parks TC reliable. Her car was an import from GB and pretty sad. We went through the whole car at Charlie Paradise s shop. Driving to the next Conclave her ring and pinion disintegrated. We hadn t done anything with that component! How is today s ARR different than the original Club (in size, orientation, requirements)? As I mentioned, there were ten original member families. Currently there are 95. A few didn t pay dues last year, but when there is no contact for a year or two, they are dropped. ARR Review When was it determined that a newsletter was warranted? The first newsletters were pretty much notices of events. A page or two. There was a lot of mimeographing being done. In fact we had a mimeo machine that I inherited and sold early in my tenure - I never used it. I note on the banner of each newsletter the edition date, in Roman Numerals. This is the 56 th year of formal newsletters Where did the name, Abingdon Rough Riders come from? As I recall, the three guys decided that the comfort level was a signal feature of a car built in Abingdonon-Thames How frequently was it published? Pretty much every month. At one point for a very short time I was doing one every other month, but then I decided that we really needed a newsletter for monthly event notices. Present a description of the first/and early edition. In the beginning there was just a mimeo d sheet. Here are four early headers. They got progressively better as you can see. The fourth was created by Gert Jensen and was used for many years, until Phil Frank created the current one.
Have you always been editor (if not, who was)? I have been editor for many years as you know. Prior to my reign, Bob Kaiser was editor, before him Dave Gumz was in the job for 17 years. I believe Marv Gidley was the only editor prior to Dave. I did a little search and discovered that this is my 31 st year doing this. Holy Moley! Which car will you choose for lessons? The best car in the photo is Jim Sullivan s, of the ARR and TC Tourers in Washington This was in Autoweek magazine. Member Businesses Support your TC vendors! Sure Fit Seat Covers Jim Silva (510) 357-4355 13922 E 14th St, San Leandro, CA 94578 Cross Streets: Between 139th Ave and 138th Ave