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V8
Column for January 2004
published in Safety Fast!, the award
winning monthly magazine of the MG Car Club
This month we
have news of the first event in 2004 - the Annual Curry Night
- and details of the availability of a video recording of the RV8
Talk in June 2003 on both DVD and CD.
The Annual V8 Curry Night is on Saturday 14th February at
7.00pm at the Moghal Tandoori Restaurant in Warwick Road in Beaconsfield.
This event was first held in Epsom back in 1979 and has become the
traditional start to the V8 Calendar. The restaurant is on the north
side of Beaconsfield near the railway station, but there is a useful
map with directions on the V8
Website which will help you find the restaurant. There is good on-street
parking in Warwick Road and should you arrive early, you will find
a very pleasant wine bar opposite the curry house where you can
relax beforehand. Contact David Biddle on 01753 892714 or 07803
131007for reservations and any further information. As it is also
Valentines Day that evening, early booking is strongly recommended!
Walter and Brigitte Kallenberg from Germany have confirmed they
will be there as they plan to be in England that week.
Many members attended the RV8 Talk given by John Yea and
David Bishop at Buckingham in June at the start of the V8 25th Anniversary
2003 week of events but many more were unable to be there, particularly
our overseas members. Well Dr Gavin Bailey has produced a video
recording of the talk and the interesting question and answer session
that followed which is now available on DVD and as a recording squeezed
onto a CD which can be played in Windows Media Player on your home
computer. Copies are available from Victor Smith - just see the
V8 Website for details where you can order
online or by mail order. If you do not have internet access,
call him for details. The RV8 Talk was an extraordinary tale during
which John and David related what had inspired the RV8 development
team to do what was an extraordinary, low budget project - creating
a modern classic sports car to keep the name of MG alive as a modern
brand. It was fascinating tale.
Peter Buckles introduced the speakers commenting "projects
like that just don't happen like that any more". The availability
of MGB bodies from the BMH Body Plant and fuel injected V8
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Back
White Gold 2176 was posted for sale on our popular RV8s
for Sale webpage in November. A rare colour and a UK
spec RV8 plus an astonishing 1.882 recorded miles. (Photo: Adventure
Autos, Northampton)
engines were the essential inputs but it needed enthusiasm and imagination
to make the project happen. Many of our V8 enthusiasts contributed
to the project including Roger Parker, the late Trevor Taylor, Ron
Gammons and of course Peter Buckles and his team at the leading
specialist parts supplier, Moss Europe. John Yea said "I
don't think a retro type car built in an old body will be seen again
- manufacturers don't keep old tooling any more - it's just binned,
gone for ever!" He related how tracing the tooling for
the RV8 project was a key part of their work. Timing too was a factor
for vehicle conformity - another six months or so and the RV8 might
not have met the increased "drive by" noise limits - it
was really that close!
The two workshop notes series for the V8 and RV8 continue
to grow and both are approaching milestones - Volume 8 of the V8
series should be closing at Note 299 early in 2004 and Volume 6
of the RV8 series at Note 199. Copies of both series are available
on CD in Word and PDF formats and a reduced price Update CD is available
for members who have had an earlier copy of the Notes. They can
be obtained using the convenient online
sales webpage on the V8 Website or by mail
order from Victor Smith via the Club Office address. An
updated contents listing and detailed index for each series are
available online and copies can be downloaded from the V8 Website
in Word or PDF formats.
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