May, 2010

Next MeetingsMay 3rd, 2010 7:00 pm at The Weathervane in Bedford

(603) 472-2749

Hindustan Ambassador

2

The Hindustan Ambassador is a car manu-factured by Hindustan Motors of India.It has been in production since 1958 withfew modifications and is based on theMorris Oxford III model first made bythe Morris Motor Company at Cowley,Oxford in the United Kingdom from 1956to 1959.

Despite its British origins, the Ambassa-dor is considered as a definitive Indiancar and is fondly called “The king of In-dian roads”. The automobile is manufac-tured by Hindustan Motors at its Uttarparaplant near Kolkata, West Bengal.It is themost popular car in India and is perceivedto be best suited to the harsh Indian ter-rain due to its very good suspension. Itsiconic status was helped by the fact thatit was the preferred means of convey-ance of India’s political leadership, includ-ing the Prime Minister of India, beforethey moved on to other luxury cars andSUVs.

When the Birlas wanted a new model toreplace their already old Hindustan mod-els based on Morris Oxford Series II(Hindustan Landmaster), they scoutedfor the then-new Morris Oxford SeriesIII. The car initially came with a sidevalve engine but was later improved toan overhead valve engine. Also the carat that point was quite an innovation witha fully enclosed monocoque chassis,which is why it is spacious inside.

Hindustan Motors Limited (HM), India’spioneering automobile manufacturingcompany and flagship company of theC.K. Birla Group was established justbefore Indian independence, in 1942 byB.M. Birla, commencing operations in asmall assembly plant in Port Okha nearGujarat,

Evolution

The Amby, as it is affectionately called,has been in continuous production sinceits inception, with very few changes toits frame.

In 1948, Hindustan Motors shifted its as-sembly plant from Port Okha in Gujaratto Uttarpara in West Bengal’s Hooghlydistrict and strengthened its manufactur-ing capacity in the automobile segment.

The 1954 Morris Oxford series II in In-dia was licence-built at Uttarpara,(Hooghly dist.), West Bengal, three yearsafter its debut in England and labelled asthe 1957 Hindustan Landmaster. It had arounded rear squab and a curvaceoussloping hood.

Engaged in the manufacture of the Am-bassador, Contessa and utility vehicles likethe Trekker, Porter and Pushpak, the plantalso has to its credit, many innovationsand improvements in the automobile in-dustry in India. Hindustan Motors is theonly manufacturing facility in the worldto manufacture parts for Bedford truckscurrently.

Ambassador Mark I to Mark IV

In 1957 all the tooling of the British Mor-ris Oxford Series III was transferred toIndia. The car was renamed the Ambas-sador and series-production started in1958.

Styling changes from the Morris Oxfordseries II (Landmaster) to Morris Oxfordseries III (Ambassador) included deepheadlamp cowls and small rear wing “tailfins” — all the rage in 1956. The dash-board and steering wheel were completelyredesigned. The Landmaster’s flat-plane

two spoke steering wheel gave way to astylish dished steering wheel with threespokes made-up of four wires per spoke,for the Ambassador.

Also a new, dimpled hood debuted. Allsubsequent models in this series werenamed Ambassador, Mark II, Mark III,Mark IV, etc.,.

In the 1960s, it underwent a minor frontalfacelift with a closely chequered grill andwas named as the Ambassador MarkII.

Like with other British designed Markcars, while there was never really anyAmbassador Mark I, the arrival of theMark II got people calling the older model,Mark I.

In 1975, another minor facelift to the samegrille and a much bigger frontal faceliftwas turned out as the Mark III, the mostpopular face of the Ambassador. TheMark IV was the last of the Mark cars.Further on, it was renamed the Ambas-sador Nova.

HindustianAmbassador

3

AC – ALLARD – ALPINE – TVR – DAIMLER – MORRIS MOTORCYCLES – TRIUMPH – MG - JAGUAR – AUSTIN HEALEY

LAND ROVER – RELIANT SCIMITAR – LOTUS

BRITISH CARS OF NEW HAMPSHIREMEMBERSHIP APPLICATION

Visit us at www.bcnh.org

Please send application and $30 annual dues (payable to BCNH) to:Linda Cagan, 25 West Country Road, Bedford, NH 03110

If possible, please submit a photo and article of your car to be included inThe Boot, Hood & Bonnet - BCNH’s monthly newsletter.

Any photos submitted will be returned.

Name_______________________________ Spouse______________________

Address__________________________________________________________

City____________________ State____ Zip________ Phone_______________

E-mail address____________________________________________________

Year, Make, Model of Your Auto(s)___________________________________

_________________________________________________________________

Name of Referring Member_________________________________________

British Cars of New Hampshire (BCNH) is an organization devoted tothe preservation, restoration and enjoyment of all British automobiles.

BCNH provides to its members and their families British auto-orientedactivities and social events throughout the year. Benefits of the club par-ticipation include monthly meetings, rallies, tech sessions, club socials,car shows and other events.

The club publishes a monthly newsletter, The Boot, Hood & Bonnet.News of upcoming events, club activities, car show results, technical tipsand articles submitted by members are included in the newsletter. Mem-bers also receive a discount on a subscription to the British Marque, amonthly car club newspaper.

A club logo window decal is provided. Additional decals may be pur-chased.

Meetings are held on the first Monday of each month at the Weathervanerestaurant unless otherwise announced. All members are encouraged toattend and bring guests.

BCNH invites you to become a member of our active and growing clubby submitting the application above.

___ Paper Newsletter or ___ electronic copy of the Newsletter

BCNHMONARCHY

DIRECTORSWade dos SantosRobert Mitchell

TREASURERJohn Giese

NEWSLETTERJohn Giese

Irene MacDougall

REGALIA(open)

SECRETARYNorma Karle

WEBMASTERKate Stanley Robinson

MEMBERSHIP COORDINATORSLinda Cagan

Louis Belanger

TECH SESSIONS COORDINATORWade dos Santos

ADVERTISING COORDINATORLinda Cagan

PUBLIC RELATIONS(open)

INTER-CLUB COORDINATORJeff Abbe

SOCIAL DIRECTORSGinger Christiansen

Cheryl BernsteinIrene MacDougall

CALENDAR COORDINATORNorma Karle

SHOW OF DREAMS DIRECTORMike Sweet

HISTORIANMike Sweet

www.bcnh.org

Contact information on page 5

4

Director’s CornerMcLean Enterprises Inc.

Sales & ServiceOrderingInformationFax

Over 30 Fine British Sports Cars in stock14 Sagamore Road (Rte.1A) Rye. Nh

Check out our Web Site at www.britbits.com

603 436-1989800 995-2487603 433-0001603 433-0009

MG • Austin Healey • Triumph •Sunbeam • Jaguar • Morris MinorSales & Service • Parts, New & Used • Gifts • Clothing • Accessories

Brit Bits atBob Mitchell is director once again. How-ever, Bob had to spend a few days in thehospital (he is OK) and was unable tocontribute a directors corner this month.Get well soon Bob.

Contact informationJeff Abbe 243 Queen Street, Boscawen, NH 03303 796-2922 mgdurango@yahoo.comLouis Belanger 11 Forest Lane, Litchfield, NH 03052 424-7835 80mgbman@comcast.netCheryl Bernstein 14 Franconia Drive, Nashua, NH 03063 882-8682 Cherylbern@comcast.netLinda Cagan 25 West County Road, Bedford, NH 03110 472-5212 lcagan@comcast.netGinger Christiansen 7 Sycamore Lane, Nashua, NH 03063 883-0288 gingchrist@aol.comWade dos Santos PO Box 840, Manchester, NH 03105 623-5209 wade@grolen.comMaggie DuPont 75 Island Pond Road, Derry, NH 03038 434-4627 grammymag@comcast.netJohn Giese 153 Crooked S Road, Lyndeborough, NH 03082 654-2565 johgie@tds.netNorma Karle 22 Partridge Lane, Londonderry, NH 03053 437-8931 karle01@comcast.netIrene MacDougall 147 Concord Street, Nashua, NH 03064 305-5976 limacd@msn.comRobert Mitchell PO Box 270, Stratam, NH 03885 772-1116 RBMit-MM@comcast.net

Kate Stanley Robinson PO Box 235, Chocorua, NH 03817 491-4667 webmaster@bcnh.orgMike Sweet 42 North State St, Apt 11, Concord, NH 03301 715-5346 CoventryCat71@comcast.net

$4216.28-$35.00

-$149.96$25.00$65.00$40.00

$4161.32

Treasurer’s Report

Start BalanceRegalia expenseNewsletterMembership duesRegalia50/50 raffleEnd Balance

March 15 to April 15Club account

$1082.68-$1000.00

$500.00$582.68

Start BalanceNick depositSponsorshipEnd Balance

Show of Dreams account

Disclaimer:As a matter of policy, British Carsof New Hampshire does notendorse any of the businesses thatadvertise in this newsletter.

5

Minutes

The April BCNH meeting was called toorder at 7:40 PM. There were twenty-seven members in attendance. First itemon the agenda was the one member whoshowed up with a British car.

Bob Mitchell will be staying on as a Di-rector along with Wade. The first itemof business was to discuss the perceptionthat the Show of Dreams seems to bedominating the meetings. As Wade & Bobexplained it may seem this way becausewith a two day show it requires substan-tial investment of time and energy. TheSOD committee starts in October to planfor the next year’s show. It has beendecided that since the meeting minutesare generally published in the newsletterwe will limit the amount of time spent onthe SOD.

As a way of getting in touch with themembership Bob asked us each to out-line why we are members and what ac-tivities bring us out.

1. Meeting others who can help techni-cally with car issues

2. Rides and tours

3. Rallies / time trials

4. Socializing and dinner

5. Meetings

6. The club has all British marques

7. Multi day trips

8. Trips and getting to drive our cars

The spring tech session will be May 2 inLondonderry. Look in the newsletter forthe flyer. We hope to see all of you there.

We discussed the possibility of organiz-ing a poker run / rally of some type.

The June events are a Lupine tour June5/6 and the Mid Maine rally June 13/14.

There was a motion proposed to give ourold car show T-shirts to a homeless shel-ter. It was seconded with the caveat thatwe save one of each for our historicalfiles. It was passed whole heartedly.

The previous months minutes and

treasurer’s report were accepted as pub-lished.

Mike Sweet has offered to become theclub historian.

There are several posts open waiting foryour help. We still have a position forregalia open. Like to shop? This could

be for you.

We also need help on the Show ofDreams.

Norma

BCNH / MG T-Party Spring Tech SessionSunday May 2, 2010 - 10:00 AM

Open tech session

Come with your questions or concerns or problems. Moe Aubert is a mastertech and has done many types of British cars over the years. He will start witha what to do when session and go where the questions lead. There is a liftavailable if needed.

Rain or Shine!

Rod & Norma’s22 Partridge Lane, Londonderry, NH 03053

603-437-8931

Potluck Barbeque Burgers & Dogs supplied. Please bring a dish to share.

BYOB - BYOC (chair)

RSVP - Please email or call Norma at karle01@comcast.net or at 603-437-8931 or 603-490-6115 to let us know what you will be bringing.

Bring your British Car! There is plenty of off street parking.

From the North

From Rt 93 Take exit 5. Take a left at the end of the exit toward Derry. Takethe first left at Poor Boy’s Diner onto Auburn Rd. Go 1 mile to the 4 way stop.Take a right onto Old Derry Rd. Go about 1 mile take a right onto PartridgeLane. #22 is a black house with white trim on the right (across from CardinalLane)

From the South

From Rt 93 Take exit 5. Take a right at the end of the exit toward Derry. Takethe first left at Poor Boy’s Diner onto Auburn Rd. Go 1 mile to the 4 way stop.Take a right onto Old Derry Rd. Go about 1 mile take a right onto PartridgeLane. #22 is a black house with white trim on the right (across from CardinalLane)

6

First BCNH Sunday Dinner Drive of the Season

May 16Destination – The Coat of Arms Restaurant in Portsmouth - Director Bob

The “ride” will take us from just east of Concord (Epsom actually) down the byways of south-eastern NH and then up all 17 milesof the NH Seacoast. The route is just about 70 miles so at LBC speeds – and with frequent stops to “pick-up” members whochose to join along the way, I expect that it will take 2 to 2 ½ hours to drive it. Since the Dinner Hour at the Coat of Armsnominally starts at 4:30, we will shoot to arrive at about that hour.

So. Departure time will be 1:45 from the Cumberland Farms in Epsom. I think most of you can find the Epsom Traffic Circle thatis the junction of Route 4 and Route 28 just about 9 ½ or 10 miles east of downtown Concord – take I-393 to Route 4 or come upRoute 28. From the Traffic Circle, go just about ¾ of a mile east on Route 4 to the 2nd traffic light at Black Hall Road. The Cumberland Farms is at that intersection.

From the Cumberland Farms we will take the following route. All times noted here are approximate at best. If you chose tojoin up with “the parade” along the way, please plan to be at your meeting point 5 or 10 minutes before the time given – and beprepared for the possibility that we will actually arrive 5 to 10 minutes later than the time noted here.

Route 4 east from Cumberland Farms for about 2.8 miles to Route 107 South

Route 107 South into Deerfield. In approximately 7.25 miles we will drive through the parking lot of the Lazy Lion Café –Approximate time: 2:00

Continue south on Route 107 for another 2 miles to where Route 43 branches off to the right toward Candia.

Route 43 for 10 miles to Exit 2 on Route 101 – Hooksett Road. On the north side of 101 is a rest stop with a large parking area.There we will meet up with the contingent from Milford. Approximate time: 2:15

South on Hooksett road for 1.6 miles to the Route 121 Traffic Circle in Auburn – Approximate time: 2:30

Continue south on Rte 121 for about 6.3 miles to the junction with Route 121A in Chester

7

Follow 121 past our friends at the Zorvino Vineyards (2:45) for just about 11 miles, through East Hampstead to a side roadcalled Country Road

Country road turns into Sweet Hill Road and following them allows us to avoid Plaistow and Haverhill – About 6 miles to Route110 in Merrimac, MA

East on Route 110 for about 3 ¼ miles to Skip’s Snack Bar. Skip’s has regular Cruise Nights and Car Shows on their grounds. Approximate time: 3:00

Continue on Route 110 east for approximately 9 miles – over and under I495 and I 95 and across Route 1 to Route 1A at SalisburyBeach.

North on Route 1A for all 17 miles of the NH Seacoast. Then we’ll jump over to New Castle Island to go past the Wentworth-by-the-Sea and New Castle itself Approximate time: 3:30

Entering Portsmouth over the New Castle Causeway we will continue to hug the coast by taking Mechanic Ave past theWentworth-Gardner House

And then up Marcy Street to – and under - the under-pinnings of the Old Memorial Bridge to Kittery.

Right on Bow Street and then Left on Hanover Street will take us to the Coat-of-Arms on Fleet Street.

Being Sunday, I think we will all be able to park in the street level parking lot across Hanover Street from Fleet Street,

Approximate Arrival: 4:00 – Cocktail Time. I am told that The Coat of Arms does serve Old Speckled Hen ale

My Cell Phone Number is 603-770-8660

If you plan to join us along the way, feel free to call 5 or 10 minutes before you expect us to be where you expect us to be and I’lltell you where we actually are.

Milford Contingent – John (less verbose) Giese - cell 603-801-8486

I will be leading drivers who would like to meet up at the Edgewood Shopping Plaza just east of downtown Milford on NashuaStreet. We will leave the parking lot at 1:15 and take Route 13 to Mont Vernon (1:25), New Boston (1:35) and Goffstown (2:45).

We will then take 114 and 114A to the Queen City Bridge (2:00) into Manchester. We will take Elm Street North to Valley StreetEast onto Candia Road to the Massabesic traffic circle. From there we will continue on Candia Road, pass under 101 and takeRockingham Road to Hooksett Road where we will meet up with Director Bob and the eastern gang (2:15).

8

It was about February of 2007 when Ifirst saw the article in a Rotary club maga-zine. A classic car rally in India. It lookedreally interesting. Join a group of peopleand see parts of India most people neversee.

I had just returned from a river cruisedown the Danube from Vienna toBudapest. India was never one of thoseplaces that was really high on my list ofplaces to visit but I had images of the TajMahal , elephants and saris dancing roundmy head. I placed the article aside andtold Rod that I had read about it and thatit sounded like an adventure. He gruntedand kept on with whatever he was doing.About two months later I saw the samething advertised in another newsletter (ordid I just dream that?) so I decided it wasdestined to be. Something was calling me.I ran to check out the websitewww.classiccarjourneys.com to see whatI could find. I looked at the photos. I washooked. Ok, maybe the car wasn’t ex-actly what I imagined a “classic” car tobe. I really did imagine driving around inan E-Type or maybe an MG-T series car.I could see us touring around on windingback roads next to the bicycles and peoplewalking. In my mind’s eye we were wav-ing at the locals and enjoying the scenery,stopping for a cup of tea here and there.

Ok, the car was a little sedan. Sort of re-minded me of an English Ford. Ok, I candeal with that. It still looked fun. We’d bein a competition with other teams to seewho could find their way. Just a drive simi-lar to running around rural New Hamp-shire, only warmer. Oops! Pictures ofcows and elephants. That looked like fun.I was sure they were all tame. Further inthe website I started reading about thetrip, references to it being adventurous andnot necessarily something the womenwould enjoy. Ok, so it’s a bit rustic. I’vebeen camping. Then I read somethingabout snakes. I do not like snakes. Theonly good snake is a dead snake as far as

I’m concerned. Thinking about it I real-ized I only needed to be able to push Rodat the snake and run the other way. ThatI can handle. He doesn’t mind snakes. Idecided he’d never know what happened(he’s not very observant). He’ll just thinkhe tripped. So I sent off an inquiry viaemail asking a few questions.

About four hours later I was cleaning thehouse (it was Saturday & long overdue)when the phone rang. It was SteveMcCollough, the organizer of the event,calling from the UK to answer my ques-tions. Exactly how rustic are the accom-modations I wanted to know. Are wesleeping in tents and eating off the land;cooking over a campfire? He laughed andassured me that the hotels were very nice.He went on to explain that one of thehotels was a former guest house for amaharajah. Another was a quaint hotelbuilt in the 30s or 40s, best known for theservice and ambience. He went on todescribe the cars and the route and thefact that it was a fun rally. Do we need torent cars? “No”, that was part of the fee.Owning two old British cars I was con-cerned about breaking down. Did theyhave the equivalent of AAA? Steve ex-plained that it was even better; we hadour own group of mechanics and extracars. The mechanics traded cars with youand you continued on your way while theyremained and fixed it. I asked about thefood. Breakfast and dinner was includedin the fee. A normal English breakfast anddinner was planned as a buffet of localfoods (read this as curry dishes). Ok, Iwas ready to commit. Now, I only had toconvince Rod we should go.

“Rod, look at this a classic car rally inIndia. I think we should go”. “What areyou nuts? India?? Why do we need to goto India?” Ok, that won’t work.

“Hey, Rod! Look at this. Doesn’t this looklike it would be an adventure?” “Whatare you nuts? India? I’ve been to Viet-nam I don’t need to go to some third worldcountry!” Ok, that won’t work either.

Ah ha! I know! “Rod, look at this. A tripto India. When will we ever get anotherchance to do something like this? Younever know what’s going to happen. You

might be too old to do this in a few years.We only live once. Think of the romanceand adventure.” Yup, that will work! Reelhim in.

So, we signed up, made the airline reser-vations, and wired our first payment.Steve sent back a kit list and I found theitinerary on the web site. Steve notifiedme that someone from Exeter was alsogoing. That’s two towns over! Yup, hername is Amy Bailey. That’s anotherBCNH member, I exclaimed! I knew thename but we had never met. I quicklysent off an email and we started corre-sponding about arrangements.

Not knowing much about India, off I wentto the bookstore. Purchased a travelguide and a map so I could see where wewere going. Hmmm, only a few of theplaces we were going were to be foundon the map. It was a bit confusing. Itseemed like every place had at least twodifferent names or spellings for the names.Bombay was also Mumbai, for example.It took a while but I finally determinedwhich city we were to start the rally fromand where it would end. Then I found acouple of other places we were headedto but didn’t see any roads on the map.Ok, the scale must be off and they justdon’t show the roads. I can live with that.So, I read some history; information aboutthe customs and was surprised to see thatthe guide books recommend against rent-ing a car and driving around. Oh well,we’ve driven in the UK, Spain, Italy, Bos-ton, and New York. How bad could it be?They must mean other people. After all, Ilearned to drive on a farm as well as backroads in New Hampshire and I’ve drivenin Boston and New York since I was ateenager. So I put the book aside andwaited for more information. I told thegroup I work with I was going to India.Several were from India and wanted toknow what the hell was I thinking. Whoin their right mind went to India on vaca-tion? They just shook their heads,mumbled something about crazy Ameri-can women, and walked off.

Passports were renewed, Visas wereobtained by early September we had ourinternational drivers licenses. We wereready. Then came the series of immuni-

Classic Car Rally in India

9

zations and malaria pills and pulling to-gether all of the items recommended inthe kit list. One nurse at the travel clinicwent on and on about what not to eat:only eat fruit you can peel. Only eat meatin reputable restaurants. Wash you hands,wash your hand, wash your hands. And,by the way, don’t forget you’ll be carry-ing your own bag so pack as lightly aspossible. I was also warned that luggagefrequently gets lost so make sure the es-sentials are in your carry on.

Finally the end of October arrives andwe’re ready to go. The limo picks us upat home and we are driven to Boston’sLogan Airport. We’re up really early sincewe snagged the British Air 8:00 AM flightout. We arrive in Heathrow in the evening,wait about two hours and then we’re offto Mumbai. No problems at the airportexcept that we end up checking both bags.We wonder if this will be a problem laterbut it’s too late now. We make the con-nection just fine and land in Mumbai.Getting the checked bags takes forever.We determine that we need to go throughcustoms and then take a shuttle bus fromthe international airport in Mumbai to thedomestic airport; about a ten minute ride.We miss the shuttle and our flight. Wetraipse around to multiple airline desks andend up in some hallway waiting outsidean office for about an hour. They rebookus on another airline to our destination afew hours later and we did not need tochange airports. We find some very nicelounge chairs and take a nap, along witheveryone else. Then around the time wewould board we walk over to the secu-rity area. I of course get in the men’s linewith Rod and am quickly told to get in thewomen’s line. No problem! It’s shorteranyway. Yup, segregated lines. We thenwait in the boarding area quietly with ev-eryone else. No announcements are madeand all of sudden everyone just gets upand heads to the plane. Must be like mi-grating waterfowl. You just know whenthe time is right.

We land in Calicut about six hours lateand make a call to Steve’s cell phone.We’re told there is another team also ontheir way in and that someone will pickus up within the half hour.

We meet Ron outside the terminal. Weknow it’s him because he’s holding a Clas-sic India sign with our names on it. Wesquish into the back seat and our luggageis placed into the rear hatch. Along comesthe other team. Another Ron and hiseighty-year-old Dad. Now I’m feelingbetter, if an eighty-year-old can handle thisso can I. So, we squish two more peopleinto the car along with luggage and offwe go. Our first experience in the Indiantraffic. It’s not for the faint hearted.

First, they drive on the wrong side of theroad. They drive where there are nolanes. Whoever gets there first has theright of way. You honk when you ap-proach someone and you honk on cor-ners. Our favorite phase of the trip,“you’ve got to ‘onk your ‘orn” waslearned on this very first drive. The traf-fic in the city was daunting; I was just sotired I didn’t really notice.

We check into our room in the hotel andhead out to the dinner with the rest of ourgroup. It’s raining a bit and we don’t re-ally get a good look at the grounds but thelush vegetation, swimming pool and re-flecting pools make us think we’re in para-dise.

We arrive in time to meet some of theteams and attend the first briefing. Wewere scheduled to remain at this hotel foranother day, the cars would arrive tomor-row and we’d take a short familiarizationride to the local beach. Oh, you want tosee a map with the route? Sure, it’s uphere on the front table. Look at it whenwe’re done. We’re told about traffic rules,some of the places we’re going and thelocal beach and how we’ll travel in agroup tomorrow and we’ll receive ourroute books tomorrow. I don’t remembermuch else but I was intent upon seeingthe map since I couldn’t find a good mapat home. I rush up to the map. It’s notmuch better than the one I have. Oh, oh!

The rally master quickly pointed out theroute. Yes, that squiggly line someone hasinked in that goes from here to there. Isthere really a road there I wonder? I’mreally too tired to care and by now Rodhas had several single malt scotches, andsince he’s a bit deaf he can’t really un-

derstand the English accent half the timeso everything is ok with his world. Offwe go to sleep.

The accommodations are excellent – airconditioned, beautiful view, friendly andhelpful staff. We head off to breakfastand see the banner announcing the event.

At breakfast we’re told that there is astrike so we can’t go out on our planneddrive to the beach. We’ll wait until laterin the day and see what’s up. The localpopulace is on strike because the inter-national airport in Calicut is not getting itsfair share of flights; so in sympathy ev-eryone strikes. Why can’t we drivearound? Because no one is allowed to beon the roads - there could be vandalismto the cars. No one would intentionallyhurt you but they might throw some stonesat the cars. It’s a sort of forced holiday.We enjoy the day at the pool, sleeping,walking around the resort, reading, eat-ing, drinking and chatting with our fellowteam members and staff. We’ve alsospent some time with our other NH team,and a team of one from San Francisco.Other teams were from the UK, Wales,and New Zealand.

The hotel in Calicut

10

We’re given our first look at our cars.Each team is assigned a car and we checkthem out. We place our BCNH logo onthe windshield. Other teams have broughtflags with them and they place their flagon the little flag pole on the front of thecar. We each get a white Hindustan Am-bassador.

Our Hindustan Ambassador with theBCNH emblem

The car is roomy – they are all fourspeeds, they all have normal back seatsand they’re all diesel. At about 4PM weare informed that the strike is over andwe will take a short twenty minute drive.We all rush to our cars and in processionhead around town for a short tour andthen to the hotel for drinks and dinner.

At dinner we’re presented with our rallyinstructions; a book of about forty pageswhich outlines the route. We’re told somemarkers; we’re told the mileage andwhether to turn left or right when we hitthe mileage. It also gives us the total mile-age to that point. Rod & I hope that thespeedometer and odometer are more ac-curate than the ones in the E-Type or wecould be in big trouble. They do providesome descriptions of where to turn, thelandmarks, the signs, etc. We’re told totake care of our cars since they’re allrented from people who use them to makea living and they will need them back inone piece.

We’re also told the rules of the road.When you’re on the mountain roads withthe hairpin turns the vehicle coming downhas the right of way. When you go aroundthe hairpin turns “beep your ‘orn” so thetraffic coming from the other directionknows you’re coming. Watch out for thebuses. The drivers are paid by the num-

ber of passengers they pick up so theyrace to the next stop to beat their compe-tition and you don’t want to get in the way.If you hit an animal or god forbid a per-son or damage property shut up and callthe cell phone of one of three people orsimply wait for the mechanics. If youbreak down, not to worry. The mechan-ics are bringing up the rear and within thehour they will be along to switch cars withyou and fix yours (as long as you’re onthe proper route and haven’t taken awrong turn somewhere). Why did theyselect the Hindustan Ambassador? We’retold that they perform well under all con-ditions. Unlike modern cars, they are highoff the ground and are perfect for the ter-rain in which we’ll be driving.

The next morning we’re up bright andearly for breakfast. We stash our bags inthe boot and wait for the beginning cer-emony. The cars all need to be blessed.We get our first look at an elephant. Theprocession of monks who will bless ourjourney are led by an elephant. Appar-ently, this is the way to celebrate the be-ginning of our tour. The cars have all beendecorated with garlands of flowers andthe monks chant and play cymbals andlight incense as a way to appease the gods.I can’t help but wonder if Lucas thePrince of Darkness has been appeasedor if he will visit us at some time duringthe journey.

After about forty-five minutes the cer-emony is done and we line up to start therally. We’ll be leaving at three minute in-tervals.

Blessing the ralleye

The starting point

By the way, in the starting point photo:the guy in the uniform? He’s the door-man from the hotel. The doormen are al-ways dressed in a traditional type of uni-form. The guy with the hat and the UnionJack is one of the organizers of the event,Steve Mccullough. The guy in the orangeblaze vest is the Indian organizer. He ar-ranged for the cars, the hotels, and themechanics and will deal with any issueswe encounter.

So, we’re off!

Day 1: Kadavu Resort in Calicu to LalithMahal Palace in Mysore

Today we will drive a distance of about228 KILOMETERS, if we don’t get lostor off track somewhere. We start outdriving through the narrow streets of thecity and then out into the country. Rod isdriving and I am navigating. We quicklycatch up to the cars in front of us in the

11

traffic around town; no big surprise withRod driving. We make the two Vital turnswe’ve been told not to miss at the driversmeeting (not that Rod was paying atten-tion). About eighteen kilometers into thedrive, one of the notes in the route bookindicates, “head straight at the big circle,this is a major junction, drive carefully.Its ‘effin chaos”, and they’re right. We’relaughing our way through it and can’tbelieve the way people drive! We makeit out of the city and into the countryside.At about thirty KILOMETERS we getour first view of the Western Ghats. Theyare beautiful in the distance. Everythingis lush and green. Monsoon season hasjust ended. The flat farmland we’re pass-ing through has mainly rice and other veg-etables in the fields. We see sheep andgoats and of course cows. We continuetoward the mountains and stop about twohours in at a village where others in ourgroup have stopped. I stay with the car,talking to the other team members and,Rod being Rod, he heads off to foragefor food. He comes back with somesnacks and little bananas. The school chil-dren come around to look at the cars, ourcameras and to see if we have pencilsfor them. The area is very poor but noone begs for money. The children aredressed in their school uniforms and speakvery good English. They ask, “what is yourgood name?” And, “where are youfrom?” We explain we are Americans andhand out pencils and pens. After eating abanana and drinking bottled water we areoff.

Rod’s comment? “The roads are dread-ful. They should fix them”. I don’t thinkthey’re any worse than some of NewHampshire’s roads after a bad winter offrost heaves. He also makes the commentthat driving in the traffic is worse thanthe first lap at Limerock.

After driving about sixty kilometers weare at the foot of the mountains and areready to start the climb. The road is verysteep and narrow. We start up a series ofhairpin turns. Rod, being from New York,loves to beep the horn and is more thanhappy to beep around every blind curve.We are passed by other cars and motor-cycles anywhere they feel like. There are

buses, trucks, tut-tuts, motorcycles, bi-cycles and pedestrians. The only thing wedidn’t see was rollerblades and horses.What is a tut-tut? It’s essentially a threewheeled motorcycle with a body. The seatin the back can fit 2-3 people if yousqueeze in. The driver is in the front. Thegood thing is you’re out of the rain. Theyare not air conditioned and neither is ourcar. The motorcycles carry anywherefrom one to four passengers. Dad driv-ing, Mom in the back with a child sittingon the seat between them and anotherbaby in Mom’s arms. Oh, and did I men-tion Mom is wearing a sari so she’s sit-ting sidesaddle? No seatbelts or child seatshere!

As we start the climb we catch our firstsight of the wild life: monkeys hanging outon the side of the road. Several teamsstop to get photos and feed them. Not agood idea.

Towards the end of the day we pass thestate border, stop to pay our toll and headdown into Gundalapet. At the toll themonkeys come out of nowhere and theirlittle arms and hands whip into the carand steal things off the dash and run off.Good thing it was only candy. Someoneelse lost a camera! At the end of a longday we arrive in Mysore. We pass theMysore race club where the Maharajahraces horses. We pass several elephants,race horses, cows in the street, stray dogs,and goats, all in the middle of the city. Wearrive at the hotel. The Lalith Mahal Pal-ace was the guest house for the Mahara-jah. It is a white, Italianate, domed andcolumned structure just outside of town.It is beautifully decorated and very com-fortable. There is a wedding taking placein the backyard that we can see from ourbalcony. The men sit separately from the

women and there is a long receiving line.We take a rest, a shower and head downto a buffet dinner. The food is good; lotsof curries, rice, vegetables, and somemeats. Mainly chicken. No, no beef. Af-ter dinner we will be taking a motor coachtour to see the Maharaja’s palace. Theorganizers have timed our arrival so thatwe are there on one of the days duringthe month that the Palace is lit up withthousands of lights at night.

Lalith Mahal Palace – our hotel.

The dining room

The Maharajah of Mysore’s Palace

Rod somehow finds the Red Sox on TV;it’s the World Series. He stays up late tofind out if they win. I drag him out of bedearly to take a tut-tut and go to visit themarket.

12

Tut-Tut

The market is not yet crowded. We seefruits, vegetables, flowers, dyes, and ofcourse there’s a cow or two roamingaround.

Market in Mysore

We buy some souvenirs, spices, and ba-nanas and head back to the hotel so wecan leave with the group.

The bananas are the best - they are nolonger than your finger and about an inchin diameter and are the best bananas I’veever eaten.

Today, I decide it’s my turn to drive andRod’s turn to navigate.

Local Modes of transportation

Lupine Tour

Lupine

13

Lupine SeasonNorth of the

Notch

June 5 (and 6?) 2010

Lupine Season is upon us – andBCNH/T-Party plan to make the

most of it.

Along the lines of last year’s Lupine Fes-tival Ride, we plan two separate routes –one up the eastern portion of the State,with a second group (under the guidanceof Ridemaster John Giese) will leave fromMilford and go up a western route. Mem-bers are free to join up anywhere alongthe way. If you look at the route map,you will see that most members live within10 or 15 miles of one of the two routes.

In fact, since the two starting points areonly about 25 miles apart, some membersfrom the southeast might want to do thewestern route – since they don’t get tosee that part of the State so often – andsome “westerners” might want to do theeastern route for similar reasons.

Each route is about 130-140 miles, so atMG-TD speeds – and with multiple stopsto pick up additions members along theway – it should take about 4 hours foreach group to complete their route. Ifwe start at about 9:00 we should meet upin North Woodstock at about noon andget to Sugar Hill at around 1:00.

We will eat lunch at Polly’s PancakeHouse in Sugar Hill and then there is lot’sto see and do at the Lupine Festival. Theyhave a multi-vendor “Farmers Market andCraft Display” on the village green and,of course, there are Lupines every-where.

Those that would like to stay in the areafor the weekend – Joyce and I stayed atthe Sunset Hill House last year and lovedit – are encouraged to make reservationsnow – Lupine Season is a big draw up

there. Be aware that many inns in thearea – including the Sunset Hill House –have a two night minimum on weekendsduring Lupine Season.

Those that chose to just make this a daytrip will be welcome to head home afterLunch and Sight Seeing – doing any ad-ditional touring they chose along the way.

The Eastern Route will start at the BeanTowne Coffee House in Hampsteadat 9:00 and drive the following route withstops at the following approximate times:

9:00 – Bean Towne Coffee House –on Rte 111, 100 Yards north of the Rte121 Intersection

We’ll follow Route 111 to Exeter

9:30 – The Baker’s Peel – 231 WaterStreet – near Swasey Parkway

We’ll avoid Downtown Exeter by goingup Route 85 through Newfields to Route108 - then 108 North to

10:00/10:15 – The Dunkin’ Donuts onCentral Ave at the RR tracks just northof “the Dover Loop”

We’ll avoid the Spalding Turnpike by stay-ing on Central Ave/Rte 108 past theSkyhaven Airport to

10:30 – the Dunkin’ Donuts on SouthMain St at Columbus Ave in Rochester

We’ll head out of Rochester on Rte 11and pay homage to the Pink CadillacDiner on Rte 11 just west of the Spalding.Then we’ll get off Rte 11 at Rte 153 andtake Old Bay Road and New DurhamRoad (much nicer “Sports Car Route”)to get up to the Traffic Circle at Alton.

11:00 +/- - McDonald’s at the Rte 11/Rte 28 Traffic Circle in Alton then on toRte 28 to

11:15/11:30 - Dunkin’ Donuts inWolfeboro just after Rte 28 & 109 turneast as you come into Town.

Rte 28 joins Rte 16 in Ossipee – afterwe turn left onto Rte 16 we will duck intothe

11:30/11:45 – The Black Bear Café onRte 16.

We’ll continue on Rte 16 to theKancamagus Highway and follow itwest across the mountains

WHAT A RIDE!!!!

When we get to North Woodstock we’llpick up Nancy’s Favorite Tour #1 (seehttp://www.sunsethillhouse.com/pdf/nancystourno1-2.pdf) and follow Route112 through Lost River to Bath andLisbon and then on into Sugar Hill andthe Sunset Hill House. Arriving at about1:00/1:30

Call my cell – 603-770-8663 to find outwhere we are – if we’re not in a “deadzone.”

The Western Route will start at theYankee Clipper Diner in the EdgewoodShopping Plaza two blocks east of theMilford Oval on Nashua Street (101a).The dinner is quite busy so give yourselfenough time if you plan to eat breakfastthere. We will Leave the Diner at 9:00.If you are planning to leave from Milfordor would like to join us en-route, pleaselet me know so I can make a list of ev-eryone. My email is johgie@tds.net. Mycell phone is (603) 801-8486. The trip isexpected to take about four and a halfhours.

9:00 - Leave Milford10:00 - Hillsborough11:00 - Danbury12:30 - 1:00 - North Woodstock - meetup with the eastern contingent.

MEMBERS ARE WELCOME TOJOIN US ANYWHERE ALONG

THE WAY

14

An Invitation to Subscribe to

British MarqueCAR CLUB NEWS

We are now a Participating Club of the British Marque Car Club News, a monthly tabloidnewspaper featuring the news of our club and numerous other British car clubs as well.

Members of Participating Clubs can subscribe to the Marque at a discounted subscriptionrate. You can use the form below to subscribe and begin receiving 11 issues/year full ofinformation about British car events, tech tips, special features, parts supplies andclassifieds.

Free Classified Privilege

Each subscriber from Participating Clubs is also entitled to one free non-commercialclassified (up to 20 words) per issue. An additional 15 cents will be charged per wordover the 20 word limit. Photos are also additional, at $7.50 each.

Subscriptions for U.S. Participating Club members are only $14.00/year.Subscriptions for Canadian club members are only $17.00 (U.S.)/year.

Subscriptions for U.K. and elsewhere overseas are only $22.00 (U.S.)/year.Regular subscriptions are $22.00 U.S. and $26.00 Canadian, and $31 U.K./year.

Don’t delay ~ Subscribe today!

British Marque Car Club Newsc/o Enthusiast Publications, LLC5 Old Nasonville RoadHarrisville, RI 02830U.S.A.

PARTICIPATING CLUB SUBSCRITION FORM

Club Name _________________________________________________________

Member Name ______________________________________________________

Address ____________________________________________________________

City ______________________ State/Prov.______ Zip/Post Code ____________

Phone (Optional) (____) _____-_________ Date ___________________________

Attach cheque or money order payable to Enthusiast Publications, LLCForm and cheque must be received by the 20th of month prior to receive next issue.

15

SHOW OF DREAMSCOMMITTEE MEETING

NOTESDATE: APRIL 17, 2010

The main purpose of this month’s meet-ing was to sample the appetizers for theCocktail Cruise on the WinnipesaukeeBelle. Two years ago, we did not havethis opportunity. There is a 1000% im-provement in the quality of the food prod-ucts presented to us. This change shouldmake for a more enjoyable cruise.

New Committee Members:

Linda Blackford and Roger SienkiewiczWelcome!!

Dash Plaques:

Doris brought a sample of the “2010 dashplaque”. As usual, Doris and Kat havecreated another beautiful keepsake toremind us of the SOD. Thanks Doris &Kat for all your hard work!!

Sponsors:

The following sponsorships have beenreceived:

Fairpoint Communications $500.00

The Tire Guys $50.00

TL Consulting $500.00

Little British Car Co. 5- $20.00 gift cer-tificates

Permits:

The Town of Wolfeboro has issued theSpecial Events Permit for the Show ofDreams.

The application for the Raffle has beensubmitted. Approval will be mailed tous.

Applications for signage are in process.

Advertising:

Information on the Show of Dreams hasbeen e-mailed to The Weirs Times andNew Hampshire ToDo Magazine.

We are still searching for advertisingsponsorships in the amounts of $325.00

for the Weirs Times and $195.00 for NewHampshire ToDo Magazine. If anyoneknows a company or individual who maybe interested in sponsoring one or both ofthese items, please contact Diana Stanley.

Advertising for the show has been placedon NH365.com. NH365.com disburses

the information to other outlets like UnionLeader, Concord Monitor and various ra-dio station website calendars.

Linda Blackford prepared a spreadsheetlisting of possible advertising outlets.Linda is contacting them to see whichpublications are free. Thank you, Lindafor all your work!!!

Tasks to complete:

Plans for the “Safety Tent”

Pricing for Trophy Mugs

Details of the activities planned for thechildren’s area

Confirm with Strawbery Banke CroquetClub

Speak with Bob Hartson to confirm aschedule for his Penny Farthing Bicycles

Regalia

The SOD committee meeting for Maywas not scheduled. We need to checkthe club calendar to avoid conflicts withother events.

MAPLE WEEKEND A SWEET SUCCESSOn March 27th and 28th, the Maple Syrup Producers in the State of New Hamp-shire opened their doors to the public for the Annual Maple Weekend Celebra-tion.

Tim and Kate Robinson, owners of Turkey Street Maples, in Chocorua, NHwere among that group who welcomed visitors from all over the state to demon-strate the process involved in syrup production.

The weekend began with beautiful, but chilly, weather. Bob and I volunteereach year at both the Turkey Street sugarhouse and the sugarhouse at Remick’sFarm Museum in Tamworth Village greeting visitors and, of course, selling syrup.

This year the day and night temperatures have not made for a “great” syrupseason, but, Tim managed to produce enough syrup to make the weekend worth-while. You will always find Tim ready, willing and able to explain and demon-strate the details of this time honored tradition.

The visitors began arriving around 10am and there was a steady stream until5pm. All in all it was a great weekend to be outside with friends both old andnew and sample syrup.

We’d like to extend a special “Thank You” to all of the BCNH members andfriends who took the time out of their busy days to drive to Chocorua to showtheir support.

Bob & Diana Stanley

16

Free to good home1. Owners Workshop Manual (softback)for MGB Roadster & GT Coupe 1962 to1974 by Haynes2. SU- Hitachi Carburetors Manual(softback) by Carbooks, Inc. - Tune,Adjust, Repair, Rebuildemail me at: Robert.Weller@Bdal.com

1948 MGYA 4 door with large sunroof.Will sell to club member for $16,500 now.Not many of these. Active club in UKhas most parts. Uses some MGTD pieces.No time for this car. No space to store it.Car in Bedford, NH.wmann@mannad.com

MGA 1500 short block - fresh groundbalanced crank and rods crank .020 and.030 Bore .020 Block only No head. Allwork preformed by Auto machinist$2,400.00 call 603-652-4717 Ivan.

May3rd Meeting at the Weathervane, Bedford14-15th Minis in the Mountains, Stowe,VT16th Monthly Dinner Drive -Coat ofArms Pub, 174 Fleet St, Portsmouth,NH 0380118-20th Vintage races – NH MotorSpeedwaywww.vintagecelebration.com

June5-6th British Car Show and Hill Climb,Camden ME,6th - CTMG British by the Sea,Waterford, CT 860-482-MGMG6th - British Car Day 9AM LarzAnderson Auto Museum, Brookline,MA7th Meeting at the Weathervane, Bedford12-13th Manchester Classic Car Show,Manchester VT5-6th BCNH Lupine Tour, contact BobMitchell19th BAMG British Car Day FaneuilHall, Boston20th Monthly Dinner Drive, Holy GrailPub, 64 Main St, Epping, NH25th 6-10PM Moonlight Madness,Wolfeboro,NH

BCNH 2009 Calendar of Events

JulyTBD Castle in the Clouds Car Show11th JANE at Myopia Polo Matches,Hamilton, MA12th Meeting at the Weathervane, Bedford18th Monthly Dinner Drive TBA30-31st The Roadster factory SummerParty, Armagh, PA

August2nd Meeting at the Weathervane, Bedford6-7th BCNH Show of Dreams,Wolfeboro NH22nd Monthly Dinner Drive - TBA21-23rd Mt Equinox Hill Climb

September13th Meeting at the Weathervane, Bedford16-19th British Invasion XX

October1-3rd Speckled Hen Tour, West Dover,VT1-3rd British Legends Weekend, CapeCod, MA4th Meeting at the Weathervane, Bedford17th Monthly Dinner Drive – YankeeSiege Trebuchet Greenfield, NH , thento Pig Roast at Paul & Doris Karle’s inMilford

November1st Meeting at the Weathervane, Bedford

December6th Meeting at the Weathervane, Bedford

For Sale

Save These Dates - Watch this Space On the 3rd Sunday of each month we will have a Sunday Dinner Cruise which will end at arestaurant that (hopefully) has some British connection. We will arrange at least one (andperhaps more) “windy road” route for members to follow to get to the restaurant. Details willbe posted in this space in the month of each dinner drive. General plan is to “drive’ for two or three hours and then get to the restaurant for an earlydinner (5:00ish) so we can get home before it’s too late.

May 16 – The Coat of Arms in PortsmouthJune 20 – The Holy Grail (Irish Pub) in RaymondJuly 18 – Do You Have an Idea for a Good Restaurant?Aug 22 – Maybe a Beach Party?Sept 19 – British Invasion in Stowe, VTOct 17 – Pig Roast

No “meeting”; nothing “official”; just good times with our cars and our friends.

17

Wanted

1953 TD Engine I would appreciateanyone’s help in finding a 1250cc Engineto rebuild. Ivan Dorechuck23@metrocast.net

1973 MGB 4-speed with new head.Good top, fair interior and seats. Needsnew floors. Rockers are solid. $3500 orBO. Call Ivan at (603) 652-4717.chuck23@metrocast.net

AA & RAC CAR BADGESRAC badge is new old stock; comes withfitting instruction sheet and mountinghardware. $45.00AA badge serial number 8A83344 (issued1957 – 59) VGC $60.00AA badge serial number 3B34774 (issued1960 – 61) VGC $60.00These are not reproductions. Please seewww.oldclaasiccar.co.uk orwww.theaa.com for additional info onbadge dating.Mike Sweet (603) 230 – 5124 orsweetm@graphicpkg.com

Marquette DTNA VISIONOwned by a local garage since NEW. Ithink one cable got lost asI never got it from owner.I never used it because Ihave 2 others in mygarage. A real classic toolpriced to move $150.00or best offer Ivan.chuck23@metrocast.net

4 Tires for 1959 Morris Minor 1000.Size:5/5.60x14". Call John 225-6915, oremail jod4019@comcast.net

MGB Removable hardtop - This isan aftermarket unit that is black with awhite interior. Top is in very goodcondition, but some weatherstrippinghas to be replaced. It’s held on by the2 clamps along the top windshield railand 2 angle brackets mounted justbehind the seats on the side. $200.00.(603) 883-0288 Gingchrist@aol.com

7” Lucas Pre-Focus Headlamps,good shape with bulbs and holders$40.00 for the pair. Mike 230-5124 orsweetm@graphicpkg.com

British Motor Corporation AM RadioNo knobs, no idea if it works. Best offer.call or e-mail Mike, (603) 753 -9164sweetm@graphicpkg.com

1975 TR6 - 54,087 original miles. Redwith black interior. This is a two ownervehicle and the first owner is family.Always garaged. Never had any bodywork except paint about twenty yearsago. Bondo-free. Michelin red-lines.Seats and carpet were to be next project.Small patch on conv top, but otherwise ingood shape with very clear windows.New stainless exhaust. $10,250. Pleaseemail with further inquiries and photos.dhreedjr@yahoo.com

Vintage London Street Sign -Ennismore Mews S.W 7. Porcelain onsteel – nice home or garage décor. Niceshape for its age. Go to Google Maps andcheck the street out. $375 bro. Call MikeSweet (603) 230-5124 or (603) 731-4509sweetm@graphicpkg.com

TR6 Metal rims for sale: I'm convertingover to wire wheels so I'm selling 4 newlypainted rims, spare tire rim, four chromewheel trim rings, and black hub caps.The 4 wheel rims were bead blasted andpower coated only about 5 months agoand look great! Spare rim in good shapebut has not been repainted. Chrome wheelrim rings are in great shape with no rustor nicks... Black hub caps are also in verygood shape.I'm looking for: $275 for the 4 newly painted rims $25 for the spare tire rim $50 for the 4 chrome wheel trim rings $35 for the 4 hub capsLocal pickup only. Willing to meet you foran exchange if the distance isn't too far.Please call (603) 512-2675, ask forDennisNote: pictures show the rims mountedon red line tires... this sale is for therims, trims and caps only...not the redline tires.

Wanted Jaguar XKE, - manuel, straight6, convertible, in driver condition. If youknow of one or can give me advice onfinding one please contact Nancy at:nar05@hotmail.com

British Cars of New Hampshire25 West County RoadBedford, NH 03110

Classic Car Rally in India (page 8)