Fairhope and Back at 62 mph

Posted on October 22, 2023November 13, 2023 by Bobby Spann

Fairhope Alabama was one of the best shows yet, even though they didn’t have the Bellingrath Girls this year… 🙁

All-you-can eat Friday supper, door prizes + $500 cash giveaways, a beautiful day Saturday… Arh, Arh, Arh!

A record 154 cars on the field, close to 50 MGB’s and the 250,000th MGB-GT ever made! A few of our club members won awards and Danny was runner up for the valve cover races on their new track. My vote for coolest couple goes to Jack and Audrey Kennedy who drove their 1957 MG to the show from New Orleans!

Me, Randy, and the Huber brothers cruised to the MS welcome center Friday and met up with North and South Shore members, but they all decided to cruise the coast. Wally & Lulu and Darrell and Margaret pulled in just as the 4 of us were leaving for Mobile, where we joined Danny & Dana, their neighbors Jimmy & Louann and my brother Benny and his wife Pat for lunch at Wintzell’s Oyster House. Fantastic!!!

Saturday night the Hubers joined the Bradley’s at a French restaurant while D&D, Randy and me went to Agave’s Mexican restaurant on Hwy 98. It was GREAT and we had a blast! Couple of mechanical glitches over the weekend in a couple of BR cars but we got them sorted in short order. Damn we’re good!

Sunday morning Randy & I hooked up with the Bradley’s, Hughes and Steigler’s for a nice smooth trip home. At 62 miles an hour! then Randy and I stopped at Don’s in Hammond and pigged out once again. See a theme here?

We missed the rest of you guys!!!

Roving Reporter

Bobby Spann

Fairhope October 2023

Cruisin’ the Coast

Posted on October 11, 2023November 13, 2023 by Bobby Spann

This year’s Cruisin the Coast was GREAT. I spotted several little British Cars while driving from Ocean Springs to Bay St Louis and back. And again, and again! Wednesday, I drove the MGB on I-12 and met Tom Halbert at the Shell in BSL. They have a 100% pump and let me tell you if you only have around 66 horsepower, that extra 5-10% of power really comes in handy! We cruised to “Cruise Central and registered, and hung out with Peter Braun. Then I went and checked out the Biloxi Block Party.

Thursday, I met Tom and Nancy in BSL and we checked out the cars then ate at ‘the Buttercup.’ Saw a fine XK120 and E-type power parked on the corner and gave the guy a “save the date” card for our show next year. Then I hit Pass Christian and Edgewater Mall before returning to the Beau Rivage for the night.

Friday my friend Brian came down from TN and rode with me to the swap meet at the Coliseum, where I bought another MGB! Well, it was a 1/64 scale Johnny Lightning, but still… We met Rick and Nathan Mol in their bright yellow Spitfire at The SHED for lunch, then went and checked out Ocean Springs. Packed as usual but I talked with several people interested in MGBs and gave out 3 BMCNO business cards! Friday night was the Beach Boys concert, and I was reminded… the Jag actually made it through ‘Dead Man’s Curve!’

Saturday, I tried to do BSL again but there was not a parking place in the whole town! Ahhh. Saturday traffic was bad right around Biloxi as the traffic lights there are NOT synchronized! Sunday there was an exodus of people heading to Louisiana and Texas in RV’s and pulling trailers… with perfectly good cars on them?

The Roving Reporter

Bobby Spann

Bobby’s B and RIck M’s Spitfire on Hwy 90

Brits on the Bluff, again

Posted on September 20, 2023September 20, 2023 by Bobby Spann

Wow, what a nice weekend! Rick & Mary Lynne, Milton & Annette, Darrell & Tom, Wally & Lu Lu and I drove up Friday and joined the Mississippi club for lunch at Roux 61. Danny & Randy met the North & South Shore group and caravanned up with them. (see Benny’s post)

Later Milton & Annette, Darrell & Tom and Wally & Lu Lu and I toured the Longwood Antebellum house – the largest octagonal house in America! It was impressive. Then we had a very nice reception that night at the Grand Hotel.

Saturday the BR group put together our Valve Cover Racetrack while cars filed in. Of 48 cars, 27 were BMCNO! Very laid back show – but too quiet. They never plugged in their sound system, no announcements or music…

Our Valve Cover races went over really well and had 9 valve cover racers. Danny won by a photo finish. Literally! Benny won Valve Cover “Best of Show” with his Rat Rod. Many BMCNO class winners – Cathy added them below.

Saturday lunch at the Pig Out Inn and that night a lot of us went to Fat Mamas for Mexican and a bunch of the South Shore folks went to Monmouth Plantation.

Cruised home with 14 cars in the caravan to Gloster!!!

GREAT BRITISH CAR SHOW

Roving Reporter

Member	Car	Award
Hugh Coleman	1978 MGB	1st in Class
Randy Flemming	1981 Mini Van-1000	2nd in Class
Tom Halbert	1959 MGA 1600	3rd in Class
Hans Hassinger	1972 MGB	1st in Class Hard Luck
Rick Huber	1964 Austin Healey 3000	1st in Class
Cliff Hughes	1960 MGA	2nd in Class
Bill Lacher	1959 Triumph TR3-A	1st in Class
Dan McGovern	1977 MG Midget	3rd in Class
Bill McQuade	1974 Triumph TR6	2nd in Class
Tobey Pitman	2009 Jaguar XK Super V8 Portfolio	1st in Class
Blake Sonnier	1972 MGB	3rd in Class
Benny Stiegler	1967 Austin Healey Sprite	1st in Class
Keith Vezina	1978 MGB-V8	2nd in Class
Wally Waguespack	2004 Jaguar XK8	1st in Class

BR Ice Cream Social

Posted on September 10, 2023December 12, 2023 by Bobby Spann

Meanwhile in Baton Rouge:

On Saturday Sept. 9th THE social event of the season happened at Danny and Dana Varnado’s in Watson, La. About 30 BMCNO members with 12 LBC attended an Ice Cream Social tech session to get our cars ready for the upcoming fall British car shows at Natchez (9-16-23 and Fairhope 10-21-23).

We worked on cars, swam in the pool and tried out our new Valve Cover Raceway! Then Dana brought out some of her famous homemade ice cream in chocolate, vanilla and creme soda!

What a day! Thanks to the Varnado’s for hosting.

Cars at the Baton Rouge Ice Cream Social

BR Breakfast Cruise 11/21/2020

Posted on November 21, 2020December 12, 2023 by Bobby Spann

I’ve been waiting to write this note as the substitute Roving Reporter about our drive on Saturday, but my heavy heart after going to Reg Dunbar’s service on Friday has had me searching for what to say. I don’t know what else to say except that it sure does hurt to lose people you’re friends with and care about and share a common passion with our little British cars. I’m afraid our suffering is not over, as Bob Gullic is hanging on to a thread after three weeks in the hospital with the virus. Also, I talked to Jim Smith this morning after he missed the Saturday drive, and he and his wife Honie both have Covid, although, thankfully, at this point it sounds like they both have “light” cases.

So, yes, we soldiered on, social distanced, and had our drive on Saturday morning. I think Reg would have wanted us to. One of his daughters told me that they were burying him with his BMCNO name tag, she said our club was one of the highlights of his life. Barbara wasn’t there, she’s still fighting her battle with Covid. Maxine told Bob we were out driving again on Saturday, and he was happy for us, wished he could be with us again. Jim would have been there if he was well.

It was another beautiful day. Six cars and nine people participated. I was asking why there weren’t more cars/people, and Betsy Harper said probably because the LSU game was on at 11. I just figured they’d be playing in the afternoon or evening, so missed that one. We had two E-Types, an MGA, B, and C, and a TR3. Here’s a link to a couple before pictures and a couple after pictures. Mary Lynne and I led, followed by Hank & Betsy Harper in their MGC, Robb in his MGB, new member Will Jones in his TR3, Milton and Randy in Milton’s E-Type, and Marc Zebouni in his MGA. The drive was close to a repeat of our April drive, starting out from Alex Box Stadium at LSU and hopping on River Road just south of Baton Rouge. This time we went all the way through St Gabriel, around a few plants, and then back to Bluff Road via LA3115 and LA74. Bluff Road ends at LA427, the Perkins Rd extension, which we took up to the Home Depot parking lot for a little show and tell session (masks on, social distanced).

So a nice drive together, but hard not to think of the people we’re losing to the virus. Please keep praying for those suffering and dying from this or any illness and their families and friends.

We still have very much to be thankful for on Thursday. Wishing you a Thankful Thanksgiving.

Rick H

Substitute Roving Reporter

BR Meeting, Sept 9, 2020

Posted on September 11, 2020October 11, 2020 by Bobby Spann

September 9, 2020, Café American, Baton Rouge

We had 10 members attend our September meeting last night at Cafe’ American in the big room, so we were able to spread out some.

We talked about the upcoming Natchez British Car Show, Cruisin’ the Coast, The Euro Fest in MS, and Fairhope.

The Saturday morning cruise breakfasts at Cracker Barrel have been well attended by the ‘British’ segment, although we do sit kinda close to each other. Most Saturday at 7:00am at the Cracker Barrel on Airline at I-12 in Baton Rouge (by Celebration Station). Rick will plan a drive from there one morning when the weather looks nice. Probably leave around 8:30 and travel roads North, but he will let everyone know.

Talked about projects – Bobby’s rattle, Rick’s Lotus’ wiring and tires, and Jaguar carburetor problems… And starter problems.

Randy Fleming was presented a wall plaque with his “MGM garage alternator adjustment tool” from the Natchez car show a year or two ago. It was a stick on a string, designed (in theory) that if your belt loosened on the road just pull the string and the stick would wedge the alternator tighter. Didn’t work in practical application, but it was a good reminder that we got him going that weekend and he was able to limp home in the Mini.

The “Loo Lid” Award – lovely Union Jack toilet seat – was created to “honor” those club members who drive their LBC to club events. If you break down and can’t fix your car with parts you have with you… you get to take the seat and carry it until the next person breaks down! Fun!

This month Reg Dunbar gave up the seat to Bobby Spann, for having alternator/battery problems that turned him around from driving to breakfast a couple of weeks ago. *note: Rick and I were holding our breaths and then washed our hands.

Then we drew numbers to see who got to pick first from the AWESOME face masks Cathy Greenfelder made!!! Everyone loved them!

Cruise Safe,

Roving Reporter

Bobby Spann