A Spitfire Finds a New Hangar

The unloved Triumph Spitfire that Richard Cunningham and I took in some time back was on display (unintentionally) the recent SABCC 'noggin & natter' at the Garagemahal. Several club members took time to look the old girl over, ask questions, offer advice or just wince.

The Spittie won't win any beauty contests, but she's got a pretty good heart. This was proven when Richard and I got a good battery hooked up and gave it a splash of gas. She started on the first turn of the key and showed a healthy 60psi oil pressure.

SABCC'er and all around good guy Don Pritchett has an eye for the unloved and looked a little closer at the car. In fact, he's taking her in. That's right - Don is going to adopt the old car and give it the love it needs.

Stay tuned for details!

Backlash from the Gulf Crisis?

With the news (none of it good) rolling in from the Gulf of Mexico regarding the BP oil spill, will British Car Festival 2010 suffer from negative community feelings? Some newscasters have consistently referred to BP's British base and sound bites from BP CEO Tony Hayward ("I just want my life back") have not been in the company's best interest.

To my knowledge, British Car Festival has never had support from BP or any other BP-owned company (Castrol, ARCO, ARAL), but it could be possible that we may find it difficult to get airtime or print space. I certainly hope not, but I am concerned.

I hope everyone in the club will put in the extra effort needed for both this 20th anniversary event and to make sure we are viewed in a most positive light.

SABCC Family Picnic - A Hot Time in the Little Town of Silverhill

One of the club's longest-running traditions is the annual family picnic. For a number of years, SABCC enjoyed the relative seclusion of Meier State Park on the Causeway but recent construction there meant we had to find a new venue.

This year marked the second year that SABCC met at Oscar Johnson Memorial Park in the quiet town of Silverhill, Alabama in Baldwin County. The nice folks at city put our name on the calendar to use the pavilion in the center of the park for our picnic.

The day started early for Mike Darby (a Silverhill resident) and Richard Cunningham who both arrived to make sure that we had the place nailed down. They set about sweeping the pavilion, putting on table cloths and generally getting the place shipshape. Shortly after the early crew arrived Ron Wolverton and Becky Kramer came on the scene to get the grills going in anticipation of hungry club members. SABCC'ers arrived to the scent of hamburgers and hot dogs sizzling away under Ron's watchful eye. Everyone brought a dish to share, and boy did we have a TON of food to try.

The temperatures soon were hovering in the lower 90s and there was nary a breeze to be felt. A number of members brought fans in an effort to move some air in the pavilion and, while they were helpful, it was still white-sky, shimmering hot!

Club president Noel Eagleson invited everyone there to start through the self-serve line and he didn't have to ask twice. Once lunch was dispensed with Noel called the group to order to begin our June meeting. The business of the day was the selection of a charity to receive a donation from part of the proceeds of British Car Festival 2010. Several worthy groups were introduced and in the end, Ozanam Charitable Pharmacy was chosen. While the club would like to support more than one group, it is felt that we can make a greater impact with a single donation. Several other minor points of business were dispatched in short order.

Becky Kramer always mentions that she enjoys the club activities but she doesn't actually own a British car. At the picnic she was surprised to learn that her humble Honda CR-V was actually built in Jolly Old. That's right - her Honda was built in the Swindon, UK assembly plant.

All in all, another fun SABCC event.