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V8 Column for June 2002 published in Safety Fast!

This month we have more registrations from fourteen new members, a brief report on a French magazine's road test of a BGTV8, news of the V8 Tour of the Cotswolds and a reminder that the dates for the Club's annual meeting at Silverstone have changed for 2002 - it's July not June!

New registrations of Abingdon built GTV8s have come in from Barry Hamilton (Green Mallard 0210) from Northern Ireland, Richard Langton (Glacier White 0871) from Essex, Terrence Harrison (Damask 1598) from Wiltshire, Pete Shepstone (Red/Black 1724) from Somerset, Marc Harwood (Silver/Green 2205) from Hertfordshire with a car restored for competition in the Road Legal class in the BCV8 Championship and Beverley Hicks (Chartreuse 2792) from Herefordshire. Registrations of MGBV8 conversions have come from Andy Hamilton (Blue 4213) from Northamptonshire and Gerald Butler (Pageant Blue 4212) from Surrey. RV8s have been registered by Brian Powis (Oxford Blue 0361) from West Midlands, Graeme Renshaw (Nightfire Red 0477) from New South Wales, David Boniface (Oxford Blue 1589) in Tokyo, Anthony Williamson (Nightfire Red 1789) from Surrey, Mike Hamlyn (Woodcote Green 1938) a new member from Cheshire and Neil Parke from Wales with a Woodcote Green car.

The annual V8 Curry Evening in March was as popular as ever. The restaurant in Beaconsfield proved convenient and easy to find as it is close to the M40. Mike Russell (Damask 0505) from Buckinghamshire, a longstanding member of the V8 Register, was present with his wife Barbara. Earlier in the day the V8 Scribe had been at the Club's race meeting at Silverstone and met David Beresford who was competing in his standard V8 which handles very well. We hope to have news of that car from Mike Breedon (Glacier White 1536) in the next V8 Newsletter in August.

The French AUTO-RETRO magazine carried out a test on a BGTV8 in February this year at the Circuit de Charade for publication in its April issue. Franck Morand (Mirage Blue 1586) reports "the BGTV8 is a rare classic car in France and this was the first time a V8 was tested by the French specialist motoring press, as you have to bear in mind the V8 was never imported to France".

The plans for the V8 Tour of the Cotswolds over the weekend of Friday 11th to Monday 14th October 2002 are well underway. The event will be based at the Stratton House Hotel, a lovely, quiet, old hotel five minutes from Cirencester, where a special rate has been negotiated for the three night stay to include dinner, bed and breakfast. The organisers Sue and Peter Beadle promise an enjoyable weekend touring around the Cotswolds, taking in a few of the many places of interest. So if you are interested in joining fellow enthusiasts and catching up with old friends and new, please send an SAE to the Beadles at The Fields, 124 Tuffley Avenue, Gloucester GL1 5NS. They have had many letters of interest already and say booking forms will be sent out in May to members who have contacted them. Don't leave it to the last minute as previous V8 Tours have often been oversubscribed - 25 to 30 cars maximum.

A V8 Tour for the V8 25th Anniversary Year is already being planned for the week before the Club's International MG Weekend meeting at Silverstone in 2003 so overseas visitors will be able to join. All we need is for the F1 moguls to settle the motor racing calendar and we will then know what dates the Club has for that weekend meeting!

Now finally a reminder of the changed dates for the Club's annual International MG Meeting at Silverstone where by tradition the V8 Register has its principal V8 Gathering. This year the three day event will run from Friday 19th to Sunday 21st July. The V8 Register has a large marquee on a dedicated grass parking area inside the track from around noon on Friday through to Sunday afternoon. Usually upwards of eighty V8s are parked there each day and it is a good opportunity to meet up with fellow V8 enthusiasts and talk with our spares guru Clive Wheatley, the editor of the RV8 Workshop Notes series Bryan Ditchman, and the V8 Historian Geoff Allen. The V8 Register AGM will be held at the V8 Marquee on Sunday 21st July 2002 at 12.30pm and all V8 members of the MG Car Club are eligible to stand for election and vote. For members not familiar with the layout and arrangements for the Club's weekend meeting at Silverstone, just contact the Victor Smith who will email or snailmail you a briefing note with a layout diagram so you will know what is on and how to get there.