Mike Page setting about the rear hubs on his BN1.Midland Centre took part in two shows recently, the Stoneleigh Restoration Show in October and the NEC Classic car show in November.
The theme at Stoneleigh is very much restoration, and the organisers were keen to know what we would be restoring on the stand. No displaying a finished car then! Mike Page, newly elected to the committee, was persuaded to let us put his BN1 on the stand. Most will know Mike for his white BJ8 in which he competes on the Euro Classic each year. For several years now, when time permits, he has also been restoring his 100. The chassis, suspension, engine and transmission are finished, and the bodywork trial fitted. He is now working on the wiring and dashboard. However, for the purpose of the show we decided to tackle the minor task of replacing the studs in the rear hubs. With the help of Eddie Ridgwell, we loaded the car onto a transporter at 6:30 am in order to get it to the show by 8:00. Once there, the stand was set up and the car put on axle stands for work to commence. Progress was however, very slow with most of the time spent talking to the many visitors. A striped down 100 is much less common than a 6 cylinder car and attracted much interest, with a surprising number sharing their experiences of a similar rebuild.
Mike Page setting about the rear hubs on his BN1.The NEC Classic Car Show was a more glamorous affair, and our stand was organised by Peter Dodson. The theme this year was music of the period. With the Austin Healey 50th birthday coming up we opted for a '50's look. Peter truly entered into the spirit, creating his band "Healey and the 100's", he turned up in full Teddy Boy style. On Sunday, The club won the show organiser's award for the "Best Themed Club Stand". I have to disappoint members however, by saying that he will not be including the outfit in the Regalia range.
Stand
Organiser, Teddy Boy Peter DodsonThree cars were loaned for the occasion: Richard Vaughn's BJ8 which features a 200 bhp engine with ex-works alloy head, triple 2" SUs and free flow exhaust system. Jeff Carr's BN2, a genuine UK 100M which was at one time the Earls Court Motor Show demonstration car. And last Ian Cooke's MK4 Sprite, a winner at this years National Concours at Brooklands.
The
Best Themed Club Stand
Healey
& The 100s
A
Sprite Moment (For Mell anyway)
Time
Warp 
Next
front cover for The Classic Sports Car Magazine