Autumn Classic Car Show Morgan Hill 2011

Autumn Classic Car Show Morgan Hill 2011 Photos and Stories.

Automotive, Car Show, 2011-10-16, Morgan Hill,CA, USA

Photos and story provided by Don Scott and Rick Feibusch Contact Photographer for Information.

Autumn Classic Car Show Morgan Hill 2011

Text and photos By Don Scott

Big car adventure for me on Sunday! Thanks to email and the MG Experience website, I was able to connect with fellow MG enthusiast Jim Legg of Napa and catch a ride to the Autumn Classic Car Show in his 1970 MGB GT. We left Napa at 8AM, and arrived in Morgan Hill at 10AM for the car show.

The weather was ideal, without the rain that stunted the show last year, resulting in an exceptional array of sports cars for the day's event. I don't think I have ever seen so many high-end restorations of old British sports cars assembled in one place, ever. But there also were many less expensive, driver quality cars there too. The cars were displayed along Monterey Avenue which had been closed for the event.

MGB Tub
Autumn Classic Car Show 2011
Morgan Hill California
Don Scott Photo 2011

First thing that caught my attention when we began looking at the many cars assembled in the historic downtown was the red '64 MGB body displayed by Bill Hiland of On the Road Again Classics, in Morgan Hill. The workmanship on the MGB body appeared impeccable in its new tartan red paint, and being a body sans anything else, it was a stark contrast to all the cars that were complete and running. I asked Bill what it would cost to get an early MGB done properly, and he said about $35,000. As expensive as this sounds, I can understand with all the detail and handwork involved. In fact, that sounds like a bargain!

Austin Healey
Autumn Classic Car Show 2011
Morgan Hill California
Don Scott Photo 2011

Next car that seemed to stand out from the rest was a white and black 1956 Austin Healey 100M. My comment to Jim was that the letter M on the Healey probably doubles its value. The car's owner, John Batterton, laughed and stated that was indeed the case. He said that his car had been battered and been through some strange ownership history before he adopted it, and with painstaking work he had made it into an absolute beauty. He told us that there are only 200 100Ms left of the 640 that were made. He estimated that his car was worth $140,000. I could see no defects in it John posed next to the car for a photo.

Sunbeam Tiger
Autumn Classic Car Show 2011
Morgan Hill California
Don Scott Photo 2011

I counted five Sunbeam Tigers, and one Alpine. One of the Tigers, a blue '65, was spectacular, and I made an offer on the spot . . . to photograph it. Robert Petrokas, the proud owner, was kind enough to pose next to it for a photo. I love these cars, and this one was unusually well restored.. He said it has been a concours winner, and it looks it.

MGA
Autumn Classic Car Show 2011
Morgan Hill California
Don Scott Photo 2011

A car that was unusual for its originality and unashamedly showing its years, was an early MGA. A 1956 red roadster, it still had its original leather seats. The tires were Firestone whitewalls that looked like they could have been with the car since 1956. The owner said that the car had been stored in a garage for many years, and that he had brought it back to life. This car was really a time capsule and was unusual among the other cars that have had so much restoration work done on them. His daughter drives the car, and she seemed to love the car. Rarely do you see this hobby being passed down to a daughter, and not all that often to a son.

MGTF
Autumn Classic Car Show 2011
Morgan Hill California
Don Scott Photo 2011

I counted seven MGTFs. All of them were immaculate and each car would win an award if I was giving prizes. I am partial to TFs, as I own one. So few were made it is hard to believe that so many survive in this region. Not many MGAs were there, but the number of MGBs was high. But I spotted only one early MGB, an iris blue roadster. Survival rate of the Mk 1 MGBs must be low in North America as I see so few at any car shows given that they were once abundant here.

A car that I have seen and appreciated at more than one show was the 1975 Midget owned by Craig Kuenzinger. Craig said that it is a 98 point restoration; his assertion was supported by the beauty of his car which looked like it just drove out of a dealer showroom back in 1975. He explained that he had done a lot of painstaking work to make it this way as there are many parts that are no longer available since these cars don't have the following of many of the other British sports cars. I jokingly commented that the radio in the Midget was a Sony, and that if I was a judging the car, I would subtract another point for this glaring defect. Craig explained that a factory Leyland radio was nearly impossible to find. Jim Legg came to his rescue and told Craig that he had one of the radios at home in his parts cache. Craig was elated to find such a part for his car. Oddly enough, it was in the course of buying a BMC type radio for an early MGB that I met Jim several years ago.

Austin Healey
Autumn Classic Car Show 2011
Morgan Hill California
Don Scott Photo 2011

I caught a photo of a BRG 1967 Austin Healey 3000 as it was leaving the show. The couple in the car were both smiling and Roger Hawk said that his wife, Donna, had bought the car new in 1967.

At most of the British car shows there are several TR8s and rarely any TR7s. This time was the opposite, as there was only one TR8, and two TR7s. The wedge-shaped cars look identical, but the source of power is not the same. The TR8, sadly, was British Leyland's swan song. I am partial to these little hot rod V8s, having owned a couple "poor man's Tigers" in my past.

There were a few other cars that I liked, and photographed. One was the '70 Triumph GT6 of John Leggett, which looked like it was a brand new car. And the Mini Cooper S of Chris Miller who claimed that its engine was producing 120 horsepower. Two of the Bugeye Sprites were powered by Japanese DOHC engines; they must be like little rockets given the light weight of a Bugeye. The red '72 RHD Ginetta was a beauty, and had been updated with a late model Ford OHC engine. While Jim thought the Arnolt MG was the rarest car there, I thought the two Nash Healeys were the rarest.

Aston Martin
Autumn Classic Car Show 2011
Morgan Hill California
Don Scott Photo 2011

Later in the day on my way home, I stopped at Peets Coffee in Napa. Parked in front of the store was a red Aston Martin convertible of the late 1950s that was drop dead gorgeous. Everyone that walked by that car stopped and admired it. I was able to catch a photo as it was leaving, and I told the two fellows in the car that there had been a big British car show in Morgan Hill and had they taken the car, it would surely have won a prize. In the latest copy of Sports Car Market magazine there is a short feature on these cars. These Aston Martins cost $3,650 new, but their value now is between $275,000 and $450,000 according to the article.

The California Autumn Classic Concludes with Great 2011 Event

The California Autumn Classic had its final show of a nineteen year run with the 2011 concours and tour. A record turnout of cars, beautiful weather, an enjoyable tour plus a delicious Italian Welcoming Dinner, allowed the event to finish on a high note. The Santa Cruz British Motorcar Club has been one of the co-sponsoring clubs of this event from the beginning.

Seventy cars gathered on Saturday, October 15th, for a tour to the restored Casa Grande Mining Museum in New Almaden. The weather provided a fantastic Fall day and the route passed through beautiful country estates and the scenic Calero Reservoir area.

The Sunday show was expanded to cover four blocks with nearly two-hundred cars with seven area British car clubs represented. The event was first started by Bill to give the average British sports car owner the opportunity to win a nice silver trophy even if their car was a "daily driver" and not a high-end concours car. Twenty-six silver first place class trophies were awarded for every make and model. Trailered cars were not eligible for the show.

Bill Meade, event Founder and Organizer said two factors have brought the event to a close. After organizing the event from the start, Bill wanted to step back and let another British car enthusiast take the lead organizing. Bill had tried to find a local British car club that was willing to assume the position of organizer but unfortunately, no club felt they could take it on. An effort to get several clubs to join together to produce the show also never went anywhere. Sadly, it seems the exclusive British car shows are disappearing from the scene.

The final blow to the event came this year when the Morgan Hill Downtown Association, at the last moment, decided they would no longer put any money into the event which was required to close the streets. This decision dumped an additional $4,000 expense onto the event, which is not financially possible.

Bill said, "Its been a long run of many great shows and tours but the time has come to retire the Autumn Classic event and name. Perhaps someone will start another exclusively British, year-end show in the future but the California Autumn Classic name is now a part of history."

MG Arnolt
Autumn Classic Car Show 2011
Morgan Hill California
Don Scott Photo 2011