January Inside this issue: Official Newsletter of MG Car Club Central Jersey Centre IMPORTANT NOTICE!

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1 Official Newsletter of MG Car Club Central Jersey Centre Volume 52 Issue 1 January 27th 2015 January 2015 Inside this issue: Club Info 2 President s Letter 3 Editor s Note 4 IMPORTANT NOTICE! Our January meeting has been cancelled due to winter storm Juno. We hope everyone is safe and warm. The next scheduled meeting is February 24, Club Events 5 NJ British Car Events 6 MG Racing NAMGB 8 Membership 9 Britfest Sponsors 12 Next Meeting 13 1

2 2015 Officers & Trustees Upcoming 2015 Events Acting President Gary Perrault Vice President Steve Wagoner Treasurer Karl Marx Secretary Mary Hayes Trustees at Large Ole Flandrup Eliot Ganek Gary Perrault Britfest Chairman Charlie Tregidgo *Meetings at VFW Post 3401, 45 Tabor Road, Morris Plains, NJ 2015 Meeting Dates 2/24, 3/24, 4/28, 5/26, 6/23, 7/28, 8/25, 9/22, 10/27, 11/24 Technical Advisor Dave Collier Regalia Chairman Gary Perrault Newsletter Editors Rich Breton Event Coordinator Bob Knecht Meeting Refreshments Steve Gastwirth Road Event Cocoordinators Gary Perrault Membership Chairman Mary Hayes Webmaster Dick Bettle Advisor Butch O Conner Club Enthusiast Of the Year Ole Flandrup Are you a member of the MGCCCJC? Annual dues are only $25, and the benefits & events are great all year! Meshing Gears is a publication of the MG Car Club Central Jersey Centre, a non-profit organization established in 1962, and is dedicated to expanding and maintaining interest in British sports cars. The MG Car Club - Central Jersey Centre is an affiliate of the North American MGB Register, USA; the American MGB Association, USA; The MG Owners Club, UK; and the MG Car Club, UK founded in 1930 as the only factory supported and approved organization for all Mg s. Membership in the MG Club is open to all. Ownership of a MG is not a condition of membership. Contribution to the newsletter? Send it by the 10th of the month to: Rich Breton, Cell: , Home: Nancy@Revelation.com or Mike@Revelation.com 2 Visit our website at mgccnj.org

3 Letter From the President Our club is currently seeking a new President to replace Michael Ruane who is passing on his leadership position due to his expanding business and family endeavors. We all greatly appreciate Mike s skillful and enthusiastic guidance of the NJMGCCC during his tenure. We look forward to continuing his good work. Many thanks, Mike! Gary Perault has volunteered to take the President s seat for our next meeting. 3

4 Note from the Editor Greetings, this is my first edition of our club newsletter. I ve made a few changes to the layout, and will make more as I learn more about the Publisher program. My first endeavor is to thank Nancy Ruane for her impressive accomplishments as our Editor for the past six (or more) years. The newsletter you read today is the result of her talents. Equally impressive is the fact that she did this each month while raising a family, teaching full time, growing a business with Mike, and helped to maintain their stable of MGBs. She has always been cheerful and encouraging to our members. Many thanks are not enough, Nancy, we will miss you! This is a short newsletter partly because of the season and that I am fully engaged with restoring two British sports cars, my 1950 MG- TD and a 1969 Jaguar E-Type that captivated me this summer. The TD s coachwork was repaired and painted this summer by Brion Tomkins, a real Maestro of his craft, who did the same for Fred Weber s fine burgundy TD. It is patiently waiting for me to continue it s restoration while I am distracted by the Jaguar. The Jag, which was purchased in running condition, and appeared to need limited work to complete its restoration, had many hidden flaws. While the body was solid and freshly painted, the mechanical components had been poorly maintained by several previous owners. Although the engine was recently refreshed with a partial rebuild, nothing short of a full engine rebuild was necessary to restore it to proper working condition, which I am in the middle of now. My goal is to complete both cars this winter and have them on the road to enjoy this spring. I am sacrificing wintering in Florida for this. Ole Flandrup is our Co-Editor and will fill-in when I am away. Please send any information or articles to include in the next edition to me at rbreton@optonline.net and to Ole at olealice@aol.com. We need your input, so send something! Safety Fast, Rich Membership Changes & Corrections Keep your newsletter coming and your membership info ( , postal mail, telephone, MGs, other information) up to date. Please Contact Mary Hayes with any changes, corrections, or updates, at:

5 Upcoming Club Events Guest Speaker: Officer Rick Kuhrt Rick Kuhrt was scheduled to speak at our January meeting, which unfortunately was cancelled due to Winter Storm Jacob. His talk will be rescheduled to another date to be determined. The son of one of our former member the late Fred Kuhrt, Officer Rick Kuhrt will be speaking to us in his official capacity as a NJ State Trooper.. Currently assigned to the Bloomfield barracks and charged with patrolling the parkway as well as the five major interstate highways from the Delaware Water Gap through the geographic center of the state,he has been on the force for seven years and was previously assigned to one of the Sussex County sub stations. In addition to his serving the motoring public, Rick has the added responsability of being a mentor to young men and women who see law enforcement in general and the State Police in particular as their career path. Topics will include law enforcement as it pertains to QQ plated vehicles, driving in general, and an over view of current law and traffic enforcement policies here in NJ. There will be time for question and answers after his presentation and we may even get some helpful tips about how to insure our "Safety Fast" during our fun motoring adventures. Rick is continuing his father's love for our cars and is carrying on the tradition with membership in our club.he has many happy memories of seeing his father take pride in his 69 Midget. He has also chosen to honor his father in a very special way which I've asked him to share with all of us. So if you see a uniformed State Trooper"packing heat' at our next meeting, he's not there to arrest our former past president for his bad jokes or Steve G. for his lousy snack choices but rather to be part of the people and cars that we all enjoy so much! 5

6 2015 CALENDAR OF NEW JERSEY BRITISH CAR EVENTS (If you know of any events to be included here please send them to the Editor) May 2 BRITFEST 2015, Succasunna: Our own club s signature event, this is the first British car show of the driving season and probably the largest in New Jersey. Contact Charlie Tregidgo to participate and volunteer. June 7 RED MILL BRITISH CAR DAY, Clinton: Organized by the MG Drivers Club of North America to benefit the Red Mill Museum Village, 20th year. June 13 TOUCH OF ENGLAND, HoHoKus: Hosted by the NJ Triumph Association at the historic Hermitage Museum June 21 CATS IN THE GARDEN, Montclair: 8th Annual Jaguar car show hosted by the Jaguar Touring Club Sept. 19 BRITS AT THE BEACH & THE DRIVE IN, Ocean Grove: Organized by the Positive Earth Drivers Club, set in the center of a charming Victorian shore community. This 18th year shared with the MG Drivers Club of North America. Oct 18 CECIL KIMBER RUN, Skylands: 15th Annual British car tour sponsored by the MG Drivers Club of North America 6

7 MG Racing is shaping up to be a great year for MG vintage racers and MG enthusiasts! There will be many vintage races around the country, with various racing organizations, where MGs of all vintages will be competing in vintage races. But four of these race events will have a Special Focus on MGs. They are as follows: April VDCA s 13 th annual Wild Hare Run at Virginia International Raceway. This is also the MG Vintage Racers designated Focus Event for 2015, with MGVR s special awards and socials. ( June VARAC s Canadian Historic Grand Prix at Mosport, Ontario. It will include the MG-Triumph Challenge and the Simms Cup for vintage racing MGs. Canadian hospitality is wonderful! (www. varac.ca) July SVRA s Glenora Wine Cellars Grand Prix at Watkins, NY. Always a favorite for MG racers and MG enthusiasts. It will include the historic 31 st running of the all MG Collier Cup race. ( August 31 st -September 2 nd The Put-In-Bay Road Races Reunion. This year featuring MG. Put-In-Bay is a vacation island on Lake Erie, Ohio, where they raced sports cars many years ago. Now they are re-creating those races and the party atmosphere of them on this historic island. This is as much a vacation as vintage racing for both racers and spectators, plus they have a car show! ( So there will be lots of MG racing going on this year! Mark your calendars! Please contact the sanctioning organizations for more information on each event. Also take a look at the MG Vintage Racers Web Site MGVR.org for more information on MG vintage racing. Safety Fast to all in 2015! MG Vintage Racers - since 1981 MGVR.org MG Vintage Racers Greg Prehodka, Publicity MGracer53@aol.com On The Web: MGVR.org Here is more information for the April Wild Hare Run : MGVR will have its Meet & Greet social Thursday around 6PM in the paddock at MGVR Central. MGVR may also have something going on Friday Evening VDCA will have their dinner Saturday evening. Race entry includes dinner tickets for driver and two crew. MGVR will give out its awards at this dinner. There will be at least one All MG Race. Have to wait to see what entries are received. VDCA info available on their web site: 7

8 2015 NAMGB ANNUAL CONVENTION Members of MG Car Club Central Jersey Centre are invited to participate in the NAMGBR Annual Convention, MG 2015 The MaGic in Niagara Falls Canada, from June 8-12, You do not have to be a member of NAMGBR to attend but you will get a reduced registration rate if you are. Our website is at Check there for Hotel information and an event synopsis. Registrations can be made now as well as reservations at the convention hotels. We have negotiated special MG2015 convention rates from the Sunday night prior [June 7] to the Saturday night after the event [June 13] if your club members want to extend their stay. As of December there are 47 rooms left at the host hotel out of 209 and another 200 at the Ramada just down the street. IMPORTANT: Please bring either a passport or an enhanced driver s license or EDL**, to travel to Canada and return to the USA smoothly. ** Enhanced Driver's Licenses An enhanced driver's license or EDL (currently issued by Michigan, Minnesota, New York, South Dakota, Vermont and Washington) is specifically designed to meet the requirements of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative to re-enter the United States via a land or water border. An EDL will also suffice as proof of identity and citizenship for American citizens entering Canada by road.[4] Peter Mittler and Stuart MAC MacFarlane Co-Chair Persons MG 2015 If you, or a group, wants to organize a convoy to the event, please let us know so that we can publicize it by posting on: 1- the NAMGBR Facebook page / 2- the soon to be created MG2015 Forum on as well as 3- the event website at Please address any questions to pmittler@gmail.com 8

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10 THE REGALIA SHOP M&G Vintage Auto DBA Tuxedo Motor Sport #1 RT 17 Tuxedo, N.Y You aren t the only one in need of proper attire. Your car needs some dressing up too. The MG Car Club Jersey Central Centre has just what you need to make your British car whine pleasantly, instead of just making a racket. Check out these great deals! Grille Badges (2nd Edition) - The club s very own (and quite handsome) grille badges. The cream and cracker color is just perfect for all T and A Series Mg s, and also compliments your MGB s. Contact Steve Wagoner to purchase one! $30.00 License Plate Frame - Show your club pride on not just your British cars, but also on that Honda or Mercury in the driveway. Pick one up at the club meetings. The price can t be beat! $2.00 For information or to place an order, Gary Perrault at gperr@optonline.net Clothing items are available in many sizes and many colors of your choice. Prices vary based on size, and are subject to change. NEW ITEMS Green Table Less is Better Bring it in - give it to a MG friend! Our way to Recycle stuff related to our hobby and other good stuff you might have. Car stuff always welcome, but take a look around your house for those items collecting dust or hidden in your closets that you don t want or need anymore that others might appreciate. We all have stuff like that! Plus bring in anything else you re willing to give away for Free. Just put your stuff on the Green Table Cloth where froggy resides, and let others help themselves to your treasures. Can you get samples of any products from where you work? Magazines, car parts, tools, car literature, models, hardware, manuals, books, videos, photos, posters, and other Good Stuff whatever! Who better to share your unwanted treasures with than your MG buddies! Mugs, Coasters, Clocks, Stickers... All with the new Club Logo 10

11 . Looking for a movie with an MG in it? Check out this database: vehicles_make- MG.html Vintage Part Source Antique, classic and vintage car restoration parts and services directory. Classic car parts don t have to be hard to find, you just need to know where to look. Check out our website, it s free and there is no registration. Thanks Richard Morris Time for a MG watch? g-watch.com/ 11

12 Thanks! To our 2014 Sponsors! 12

13 MG Car Club Central Jersey Centre PO Box 435 Convent Station, NJ Meetings at: VFW Post # Tabor Road, Morris Plains NJ Next Meeting February 24th 2015 MOSS MOTORS SALE Now to February 24th 2015 Up to 30% off Best Sellers! Volunteer to lead a club activity. Members make our club enjoyable! 13