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Allon White
Morgans for sale Lotus for sale Servicing Bespoke trimming
Morgans for sale Lotus for sale Servicing Bespoke trimming

October Newsletter

Hi

As we normally find, our pattern of business is starting to change as we enter the Autumn months.

In the workshop, the amount of routine servicing we do decreases quite markedly, and we start to take on the larger projects.  Two full scale Morgan restorations have just been started - one car's complete and the other is many boxes of bits!

Slightly strangely, we always find that autumn is an excellent time for car sales and better than the summer.  We've never quite worked out why this is the case as the summer months would seem the obvious time to buy a convertible sports car, but we're not complaining about our autumn spike!

At the weekend we're working on the Morgan stand at 'Classic & Sports Car' magazine's London Show.  This is a new show, promises to be a great event, and will be held at Alexandra Palace from 30th October to 1st November.  So if you're wondering what to do at the weekend, come along!  For more details see www.classicandsportscarshow.com

Turning to a little known side of our business (as a shoe shop!), we now have in stock - they've been a long time coming - the race style boots from Piloti.  These are FIA approved, available in 2 styles - Superleggera and Competizione - and for more details about these and other Pilotis, click on Piloti Shoes

Hope you enjoy the latest newsletter!

News on the Morgan front

Morgan Aero 8

It's getting close now to when Morgan have their first new style Aero 8 demonstrator on the road.  Sometime in November is the target, and we can't wait!  After that a little bit of patience will be required for our own demonstrator, which is scheduled to arrive early in the new year.

Next month sees us attending the annual 'Global Dealer Meeting' at the Morgan Factory where the plans and objectives for the coming year are revealed.  Always an interesting event and the opportunity to meet dealers from all round the world, and learn about some very diverse businesses - it would be very boring if all Morgan dealers were the same!

Last week we had an interesting visit from Dan White, the MD of Suplex.  His company will be well known to many Morgan owners for the excellent upgrade kits they make for the front suspension of traditional style Morgans.  Dan has now turned his company's skill and knowledge to the Morgan rear end, and his own 4/4 has been fitted out with a rather interesting set-up.

The Suplex rear end utilises a 5 point linkage which retains the live rear axle, but does away with the leaf springs and instead uses progressive rate coil over springs and dampers.  The net result, vastly improved ride and handling, and I certainly enjoyed my far too brief test drive!

The Suplex rear end kit will bolt straight in, with no drilling or welding required, and promises to be straightfoward to fit.  We expect to have prices and further details in the next newsletter...

Winter workshop offer



If you're thinking of having work done to your Lotus or Morgan over the winter months, be it upgrade work, restoration type work or just routine servicing, then now could be a good time to get in touch...

From the 23rd November until the 29th February we're running a winter offer in our main service workshop.  This allows 20% off our normal labour prices as well as discounted rates on MOTs.

To find out more, or talk through possible work to your car, please call Mike or Julie on 01234 750205 or email workshop@allonwhite.co.uk

(Please note that this offer only applies to our main service workshop and not our coach trimming workshop)

Saturday Breakfast Club - racing vintage cars

Allon White Sports Cars Breakfast Club Allon White Sports Cars Breakfast Club

Our very successful Breakfast Clubs have now been running for over 3 years.  They take place on the first Saturday of the month, kicking off at 9:30am with bacon rolls and hot drinks, followed by a talk or demonstration with a motoring theme at 10am.

Our next Breakfast Club is on Saturday 7th November and we're really pleased to welcome along Clive Temple as our guest speaker.  Clive is a long term Morgan owner, senior lecturer in Advanced Motorsport Engineering at Cranfield University and also a keen racer.  He'll be chatting about his time preparing and racing vintage race cars.

All are welcome to our Breakfast Clubs - no need to book, but just turn up on the day.  Or for more information, including a list of the upcoming events, visit our website by clicking on Breakfast Club

Lotus news - driving academy renews fleet



The Lotus Driving Academy uses the famed Hethel test track at Lotus' Norfolk HQ to run some truly excellent driving courses.

Hot news from the Driving Academy is that it has just added the new, critically acclaimed Evora 400 to its fleet.  What's more, the rest of the fleet has been renewed, with five Elise 220 Cup, two Exige S and one Exige S Club Racer joining the new Evora 400.

To coincide with the launch of the new fleet, the Lotus Driving Academy also launches two brand new driving experiences, the Exige Experience and Evora Experience.  These will run alongside the hugely successful Elise Experience that has been part of the Lotus Driving Academy’s programme for several years.

The Lotus Driving Academy rewards passionate car enthusiasts with an unforgettable driving experience.  Those attending one of the Elise, Exige or Evora Experiences, can explore the performance of Lotus’ very latest sports cars on a purpose-built test track facility, under the guidance of world-class instructors who are skilled at teaching drivers how to get the best out of the car and themselves.

The 'Experiences' include: a vehicle dynamics briefing; two 20 minute track driving sessions in the Evora or Exige Experience, or one session in the Elise Experience, a high speed passenger ride; a Lotus factory tour.

Prices are: the Evora Experience is £349; the Exige Experience £299; and the Elise Experience £169.

As well as the Experiences, the Driving Academy offers the 'Lotus Licence' and 3 levels of full day driving instruction on its test track.

To find out more, click on www.lotusdrivingacademy.com

DRIVE 7TENTHS Feature - the art of changing gear

This is the latest in a series of articles by Neil Furber of DRIVE7TENTHS about driving technique.  Last newsletter he looked at skidding and mentioned clutch release and gear shifting.  This month he looks at this area in more detail...

In the past, the art of changing gear was a major part of driving.  Synchromesh made swapping cogs easier but, with the adoption of the current twin-clutch automated manual gearboxes, are drivers losing the art?  Is this a problem?

There are the purists among us that insist upon a manual gearbox for a sports car. Sitting alongside them on a regular basis highlights two sub-groups: those who use it effectively and those who do not.  So how should the clutch and gears be used?  Certainly, being in the right gear at the right time is high up the list.

As with most topics in driving there isn’t one correct answer.  The ‘mode’ of driving dictates the driver’s objective.  Ultimate performance, maximum economy, minimum wear and tear, maximum smoothness, engine drivability (including engine braking) or a compromise between modes are examples.

Timing and mechanical sympathy are key to using a gearbox effectively.  I am surprised how many drivers change gear during or immediately after a corner and often with quite a lurch.  Shifting down whilst braking in a rear wheel drive car can lead to ‘shift lock’ if the driver does not match the revs during the shift.  This is a strong braking effect at the rear wheels upon clutch release as the engine resists the increase in revs required.  Near the limit of grip, this can lead to the rear wheels skidding and potentially a spin.  Changing gear and fully releasing the clutch before entering a corner will help maximise stability.

The timing of the gear selection and clutch release can significantly affect the smoothness of the shift and one's mechanical sympathy.  It's a case of matching rotating speeds, both inside the gearbox and between engine and gearbox.

As is becoming apparent, the art of how to use a gearbox effectively is a larger topic than there's space for in this article, so I’ll leave you with some questions:

  • Do you always use a gear that you have selected?
  • Do you block change directly to the gear required or sequentially through every gear?  Which of these minimises wear and tear?
  • At what engine speed should the gear be changed for maximum performance or maximum economy?
  • If driving a manual, would you spend more time with one hand on the steering wheel?

For further information about rev matching, the introduction of heel & toe and a further explanation on shift lock please click on Heel and Toe Tutorial

If you have any questions or would like to learn how to use your gearbox more effectively, please feel free to get in touch via the DRIVE7TENTHS website by clicking on www.drive7tenths.com/contact

Cars for sale

Lotus Elise S2 Morgan +8

Currently in our showroom we have an excellent range of Morgans for sale, from cheaper but good condtion 4/4s right through to brand new and unregistered cars all ready to go and just waiting for their next owner!  And our most unusual?  Well it's probably a left hand drive Drop Head Coupe.

On the Lotus front we have a brace of Elises - a rather good example of an early S2 and also a much sought after model, the 111R.

We also have an attractively priced, entry level Caterham, which is a joy to drive.

To find out more about our cars, please click on the links below:

Morgans for sale

Lotus for sale

Other makes for sale

Our used cars come fully serviced, HPI checked, have a new MOT (if applicable), and if sold for use in the UK have a 3 month warranty.

If you're interested in any of these cars, or would like advice on any aspect of Morgan or Lotus ownership, email sales@allonwhite.co.uk or call 01234 750205.

Other interesting classics - Mini Cooper

In this section - a regular feature of our newsletters - we look at interesting cars we've seen in our dealership or ones we'd maybe like to have...

This month we turn our attention to the legendary Mini Cooper.

Many say there is only one iconic car in the history of motoring that has had an influence on generations of families - namely that wonderful creation of Sir Alec Issigonis, the Mini.

This started life as a remarkable small, economy car in 1959.  Its space-saving transverse-engine front-wheel-drive layout, allowing 80% of the area of the car's floor pan to be used for passengers and luggage, was a revolution in car design.

Then when racing car manufacturer Cooper Cars got hold of the Mini, the Cooper was born!  This was an instant success, winning the Monte Carlo Rally in 1964, 1965 and 1967.  It would have won in 1966, except that the French Monte Carlo organisers disqualified the first-placed finisher when they decided the car's lights were the wrong size!  A French manufacturer, Citroën, was awarded victory instead...

Subsequently over the years on the race track, the victories at national and international level run have run into the thousands.  Not only did the first Mini Coopers win the aforementioned Monte Carlo Rally, but also the 1961, '62, '69, '78 and '79 British Saloon Car Championship, the British Rally Championship in 1962, '63 and '70, the European Rally Championship in 1965 and '66, and the European Touring Car Championship in 1964 and '68.

So what did the Cooper Company do to the humble Mini?  Well they increased the standard car's 848cc engine to 997cc and added twin SU carburettors to up the power from the original 34bhp to 55bhp. In addition there was a close ratio gearbox and front disc brakes.  This version was called the Mini Cooper and released in 1961.  A more powerful variant, the Cooper S came along in 1963 with a 1,071cc engine with strengthened bottom end and 70 bhp, along with larger servo assisted front discs.  Subsequently, engines on the Cooper S changed to 970cc and 1,275cc, with the latter continuing in production until 1971.

Rover Special Products relaunched a new Cooper-badged Mini in late 1991. It became very popular, but could not match the earlier model for performance.

Today's Mini Coopers are radically different cars to the original Coopers, yes they still carry the badge, and are extremely fun, popular and competent cars, but arguably just do not have the character of the original...

If you are unfortunate enough not to have driven an original Cooper S, do seek one out if you can - it's an experience never to be forgotten!

And finally...

With Halloween around the corner, it seemed only fair to reflect on the spookier side of motoring.  So if your screens flicker or the lights go out, there may just be something in the ether…

  • Creepily named car models are surprisingly popular.  On the tamer front, there’s the Hillman Imp, the Alfa Romeo Spider and Austin Healey’s Frogeye Sprite.  Or getting more ghoulish there’s the Rolls Royce Spirit and the Phantom, not to mention the Pontiac Banshee.  And do you remember the Spectre R42 from the 90s?
  • Meanwhile, the reputation of Archduke Franz Ferdinand’s 1910 Graf & Stift Double Phaeton is surely damaged beyond repair. After the assassination it was involved in several car accidents and went through a dozen owners in as many years, each of which are said to have met a violent fate.  It now resides in a Vienna Museum and should you dare to visit, check out its registration, A 111 118.  Armistice 11/11/18?
  • For something more recent, there’s a Renault Megane that was seen “jumping jerkily” around the yard in the middle of the night; jerkily perhaps because the handbrake was on.  The police were summoned and ridiculed the tale until the car roared into life in front of them.  Renault’s explanation was a rusty starter cable, causing the car to short circuit and start itself, but they couldn’t explain the revving engine…
  • On the fictional front, the Ecto-1 of Ghost Busters fame was a 1959 Cadillac ambulance chassis built by Miller-Meteor.  Originally sprayed black for the film, this didn’t work for the mostly night scenes, so it was resprayed white.  But it wasn’t all makeup.  The car really was as rickety as it seemed and caused a major traffic headache when it broke down on Brooklyn Bridge during filming.
  • Or if you like your magical cars to be have more of a mind of their own, gloss over the flying Ford Anglia from Harry Potter (too nice) and check out Christine on Google. This eponymous villain was a dilapidated red and white 1958 Plymouth Fury, bought as a restoration project. However the repairs go a little too smoothly and it becomes apparent that Christine is fixing herself and out for some very bloody revenge.
  • And finally, we must share Ford’s Halloween prank from last year. After luring unsuspecting drivers into a car wash, the overhead lights went out to be replaced by occasional flashes and a greenish glow.  Followed by ghouls and aliens, banging at windows and throwing themselves on the bonnet.  Hmm, another good reason not to use a car wash!

Contact us

If you want to talk to us on any sports car related issue, please contact Allon White Sports Cars by:

Phone: 01234 750205
Email: sales@allonwhite.co.uk
Website: www.allonwhite.co.uk

Kind Regards

John

John Bellenger
Allon White Sports Cars Ltd
 

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Allon White Sports Cars Ltd
119 High Street, Cranfield, Beds, MK43 0BS
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