Back in Miami, Florida

Several of you commented "lots of pictures of cars and other people, none of you."

So here's my last Aussie look, before I had a haircut and shave!

Click on any photo to enlarge.

Day 19 and last of the JNBC Tour - Sunday, October 26, 2008

A line of Alvis 12/50s, resplendent with hares all ready for the go signal.

Martin and I elected to forego the last day’s organized tour surrounding Healesville and along the Yarra Valley, and drive straight back into Melbourne to visit the Queen Victoria Market.

So ends an adventure which began in earnest last February with an e-mail from Martin Boothman asking me if I was interested co-navigating/driving his 1927 Alvis on the JNBC Alvis Tour of Victoria.

A total of 58 Alvis motor cars ranging from 1923 to 1966 participated, clocking up a total of over 115,000 miles. Only four required flatbed service, and of these, two were back in running order within 24 hours, after relatively minor repairs. Just two still need more substantial repair, one to the timing gear drive and the second to the water pump drive.

Miles for Sunday: 42

Total miles driven on the JNBC Alvis Tour of Victoria: 1912

My thanks go to Martin for inviting me, all the Poms and Aussies that made this tour so much fun and successful, and of course to Celia for encouraging me not to miss this opportunity.

There is already a talk of an Alvis Tour of Tasmania in 2010/11

Watch this space….

Day 18 - Saturday, October 25, 2008

Enjoying dinner in Inverloch. L to R: Jill Murphy, Darrell Horton, Jocelyn Coates, Janet Diffey, Ruth Hirst, John Harvey, Phil Diffey, Helen Storrar, Chris Storrar, and Harriet Storrar.

A rest day in Healesville, and a visit to the nearby Healesville Sanctuary to see up close and personal all the live native Australian animals we've been close to seeing over the past 18 days.

Birds of prey, Parrots, Kangaroos, Wallabies, Tasmanian Devils, Wombats, Koalas, Platypus, Dingoes, Emus, Possums, Reptiles, and many other nocturnal animals were to be seen. The sanctuary is doing a great job of preserving these animals in their natural habitat. Since 1788, over 200 species of native Australian animals have become extinct, a greater number than anywhere else in the world.

Tonight was the closing dinner, and the last time we would be all together as a group.

The first class buffet dinner was outstanding in every aspect, and a fitting finale to what has been an amazing 18 days of classic car motoring and camaraderie. The late Julian Collins, to whom the tour is dedicated, would have thoroughly approved.

Acknowledgements were made to all those involved in both Australia and the U.K. in making the JNBC Tour of Victoria the immense success it has been.

Day 17 - Friday, October 24, 2008

“Refreshments” sign at one of our lunch stops, presumably in order of importance. Interesting!

Weather very similar to yesterday (Thursday). Cool and overcast in the A.M., with rain showers changing to warm and sunny after a late lunch.

Another grand day of vintage motoring, with changing landscapes and scenery all day. From Inverloch, we motored through Korumburra (petrol), Warragul (coffee), Yarra Junction (lunch) to our destination at Healesville.

Sadly, today was or last full day of driving. Tomorrow (Saturday), we tootle around locally sightseeing, and Sunday we drive back down to Melbourne prior to all going or separate ways.

Shortly after our start this morning, the magneto on the Storrar 1933 SA Speed 20 Saloon decided it no longer wanted to produce sparks. Successive efforts proved fruitless (actually sparkless) and the car was consigned to a flatbed to be taken into Melbourne for specialist attention.

The Webster 1933 Firefly gave David and Kaye a fright during a long ascent when the engine emitted a wailing shriek, stopped running, and produced smoke from the front and rear of the crankcase. David checked all valve clearances, established all were OK, and found that with hand cranking the engine turned freely. It restarted and ran well for the remaining 90 miles without incident. Strange!

Total miles for the day: 122

Cumulative miles on the tour so far: 1858

Click here for the full route map of the JNBC Tour

Day 16 - Thursday, October 23, 2008

Sally and Chester McKaige, our tour organizers and hosts extraordinaires! Chester is the President of the Alvis Car Club of Victoria, and with the support of Sally and the whole club has put on a magnificent world class tour.

This was our longest driving day so far, 219 miles.

There was a wide variety of driving conditions, flatlands around the lakes, open pastures, rolling hills, steepish climbs, wooded gorges, two lane and one lane B & C roads with sparse traffic, ideal for vintage and older cars travelling between 40-60 mph.

Weather started cool, overcast and damp. We elected to keep the top up to start, which was just as well as it rained sporadically during the morning. The morning coffee stop was at the Gippsland motor Museum in the township of Maffra. The exhibits are rotated throughout the year and currently the “Yank Tanks” are on display. Strange to see Mustangs, Impalas, etc with right hand drive conversions.

After the museum visit we took the top down, and after some initial bracing motoring, the sun gradually made an appearance in the afternoon. Because of the long drive, we arrived at the RACV Club after 6:00 PM

Another great day, and talk over dinner made us all realize that the tour is gradually winding down, with only a few more days to go.

Good news! The Holmes 1948 TA14 Woody has had its distributor and sparks sorted and is back in the tour, with Peter and Susan looking decidedly brighter than yesterday.

Cumulative miles on the tour so far: 1,735

Day 15 - Wed. October 22, 2008 – SNOW!

Martin Boothman contemplates the snow situation in his 1927 12/50 TG

We awoke this morning to find every Alvis covered with snow!

A short morning’s drive down the mountain to Omeo, which was just as well as patches of The Great Alpine Road were covered in ice.

Today was a multi-media weather event, starting with snow, changing to cloudy with rays of sun to hail then rain, and back to overcast, and very cold all day. The top on the Boothman 12/50 went up and down a few times. In our 15 days driving so far, today was the first with rain.

One of the best day’s drive so far, although every day is exceptional and varied. To those used to driving in the U.K., or more populated areas of the USA, these deserted and desolate roads are heaven. Except when we stop for a tea/coffee/meal break, or for petrol/gas, we rarely see another vehicle, Alvis or otherwise.

Mechanically, the day did not start well for a few cars. Most, if not all, of the cars have no anti-freeze, and the unexpected overnight chill, though not severe, was enough to freeze some water in the cooling systems. The previously mentioned East then Woodburn driven, Nicholl owned, 1928 14.75 tourer sheared a pin in the frozen water pump drive upon starting, relegating it to a flatbed and apparently out for the rest of the tour. Two other cars boiled in the freezing weather descending down the mountain. How does this happen? The frozen water in part of the radiator, and further frozen by the wind-chill factor in the freezing temperatures, prevents all water circulation and thus leads to boiling in the block and cylinder head. That’s a new one to me, but you lives and learns.

Later in the day, the Holmes 1948 TA14 Woody began misfiring and this was diagnosed as distributor related - points, condenser, or? After concerted efforts, it also was relegated to a flatbed to be taken to an auto electrician in nearby Bairnsdale. The oldest car on the tour, the Lunsmann 1923 12/40 (side-valve) Tourer had magneto problems (sounds familiar!). An old replacement was installed and lasted about 20 kilometers (12 miles). It has limped into the hotel, but requires magneto triage before continuing.

One of our tasks today was to participate in a Limerick writing competition, the first given line of which was:

There was a young lady from Bright (a township we passed by on Tuesday)

Gorgo, if you are reading, I’m reminded of our days on the racing circuit in 1971 and the hundreds of Limericks we created on the road.

Total miles for the day: 118

Cumulative miles on the tour so far: 1508

Day 14 - Tuesday, October 21, 2008

PS Canberra on the once
“mighty” Murray River, at Echuca. Previously the river’s edge has been at the base of the trees in background, and the paddle steamer to the right would have been floating.

Beechworth to Dinner Plain (near ski resort, Mount Hotham).

Over the past two days, several participants from New South Wales have joined the tour, and others, still ailing from the "Dreaded Lergy", have decided to call it a day and return home to parts Australia.

A cool bright day, once again requiring warmer clothing in the open cars.

The morning’s drive was on deserted well maintained roads, winding through wine and olive producing country. Long stretches of road can go by without sighting another vehicle, Alvis or otherwise. Great stuff!

The afternoon was a long climb into the Alpine region, requiring frequent changes on the crash gearboxes (transmission) of the vintage cars, with outside temperatures dropping significantly as we climbed. We arrived in Dinner Plain to learn there had been a snowfall last night!

The "Antonio's" manifold fix continues to hold!

Total miles for the day: 149.

Cumulative miles on the tour so far: 1390

Day 13 - Monday, October 20, 2008

The principal characters in the re-enactment of the Ned Kelly Trial, October, 1880.

L to R: David McDonald, Melbourne, as Edward (Ned) Kelly; Brian Pooley, UK, as Police Constable McIntyre; Chris Storrar, UK, as defence counsel Mr. Bindon; David Webster, UK, prosecuting Crown counsel, Mr. Smythe; Allan Willingham, Melbourne, as Justice Sir Redmond Berry ; and Michael Beattie, the actor who frequently plays Ned Kelly.

A cooler, yet still warm, rest day in Beechworth.

The morning’s activity comprised a technical talk by Nick Simpson of Earley Engineering on vintage and post vintage classic car maintenance in general, and Alvis cars in particular. This was a boys’ only event, with nary a sheila in sight.

In the afternoon we participated in a re-enactment of the 1880 trial of Ned Kelly, Australia’s best known outlaw. Despite the best arguments by the defence counsel, Ned was once again found guilty and sentenced to death by hanging.

As usual, the car park was a hive of activity with minor maintenance, valve adjustments, and fuel leak suppression taking place.

A lively dinner, followed by a ghost tour of the uninhabited wing of the old psychiatric hospital rounded off the day.

Day 12 - Sunday, October 19, 2008

Before (below) and after photos of the manifold repair on the Boothman 1927 12/50. As always, left click on any photo for a full screen view.

Echuca to Beechworth

Having decided on a plan, Martin and I were already working on a manifold fix at 7:00 AM in the motel car park (that’s a parking lot to the Americans reading).

One of the reasons the manifold has cracked may be that the manifold flange holes have ovalled themselves over time, allowing too much play between retaining stud and flange. We tried to remedy this by cutting ¼” pieces of split pin and inserting between the stud and the flange hole, after replacing the gasket. Next, how to cover and repair the fracture?

We covered the crack with silencer/muffler repair bandage, wrapping around the manifold 4-5 times tightly. Then, remembering Boy Scout First Aid Merit Badge guidelines, we created four “broken arm” splints made up of cut-up stainless steel dinner forks held in place as tightly as possible with three stainless steel hose clamps. Scoutmaster Ben Pumo of Miami’s Troop 305 would have been proud! My Eagle Scout son Brett will now see that some of this stuff does indeed come in handy later in life!

Then came the test! Today was a long drive, 177 miles in 37 C/ 100 F temperatures. Alan McKinnon asked me to ferry his son Ben’s car to Beachworth, so we drove in convoy, Alan and Noeline McKinnon in the 1926 12/50 tourer, followed by me in the similar 12/50 1926 tourer, with Martin Boothman in the repaired manifold 1927 12/50 wide two-seater bringing up the rear, all at a steady 40-50 mph.

Much of the drive was along the lightly driven B400 to Yarrawonga. Not much for me to report as we didn’t stop there, but I just like the name!

Several cars, primarily the cars from England unaccustomed to the heat, suffered some overheating and/or fuel vaporization in the extreme heat and climb along the way, and our trio of 80 plus year old 12/50s all made it without incident, with the repaired manifold holding, at least for today!

The Harvey 1951 TA21 DHC ground to a halt with a failed condenser within the distributor, which was quickly replaced.

We now spend two nights in a former long-stay psychiatric hospital currently run as the Hospitality Industry Training School of LaTrobe University (Melbourne).

About 100 Alvis people staying in a previous mental asylum! We are definitely in the right place!

Cumulative miles on the tour so far: 1,209

Day 11 - Saturday, October 18, 2008

An unusual sight, three different model Cross & Ellis bodied Alvis 4 seat tourers, with owners. L to R: David & Kaye Webster, 1933 Firefly; David Head, 1934 Silver Eagle; Tony, Tash & Beni Hannam, 1936 Firebird.

Bendigo to Echuca

A complete change in the weather. Temperatures rose to about 30 C/90 F.

A short day’s drive today, just 62 miles. Martin Boothman drove David Head’s 1934 Silver Eagle, while I was alone in Martin’s 12/50. During the drive, one of the exhaust manifold gaskets blew, further increasing the raspy ness of the exhaust. Fortunately Martin brought spare gaskets with him, and upon removal of the manifold to change the gasket we discovered the crack previously mentioned and patched had now become a full clean complete fracture.

Hmmm, let’s think about this!

In the afternoon we took a one hour Murray River cruise aboard the paddle steamer “Canberra”, built in 1912 and powered by a 1923 wood-fired Marshall compound steam engine, in full view. The river is extremely low, at least 15-20 feet lower than the highs of 1974/1975.

Dinner was at Antonio’s Italian restaurant in Echuca, with, as usual, a great time being had by all.

Cumulative miles on the tour so far: 1,032

Day 10 - Friday, October 17, 2008

Alvis tour participants, L to R foreground: Tony Hannam from Queensland, Maureen Cole from NSW; 2nd row: Helen and Chris Storrar from the UK, and Chris Higgins from Victoria, riding one of several historic trams in Bendigo.

A rest day in Bendigo, riding the Bendigo Vintage Tramway system and touring the Central Debra GoldMine.

We took the service lift to the second level at a depth of 68 meters to tour the gold mine shafts and see what it was like for the predominantly Cornish miners working the mine from 1939 to 1954. Level 13 is at 711 meters depth, much of which is now flooded. The only light in the mine shafts was generated by the battery powered lights on the provided hard hats.

Several cars were being fettled, including my mount, the Boothman 1927 12/50 TG, with its cracked exhaust manifold. The patching we did few days ago has proved ineffectual, so we resorted to a JB Weld patch (my son Brett knew that was coming sooner or later) which appears not to be holding either. Next step is a manifold bandage with two retaining hose clips.

The Galloway 1961 TD21 Saloon has lost its radiator overflow pipe, and although not serious, does require attention, particularly with hotter days ahead.

Quite a few of or contingent, over the past week, have fallen foul of “The Dreaded Lergy”, some quite seriously, requiring full day bed rests, or, in some instances, hospital visits. So far, Martin and I, in car #1, have managed to avoid such inconvenience. Some have suggested it might be Mad Car Disease!

Tomorrow, off to Echuca and the Murray River.

Day 9 - Thursday, October 16, 2008

Alvis people enjoying lunch at the Paramoor Winery, near Kyneton, Victoria

Today was the first full sunshine warm driving day and was absolutely splendid.

Our drive took us from Ballarat to Daylesford, a village in the heart of Victoria’s spa country (and allegedly the gay capital of Victoria), for morning tea and onto the Paramoor Winery for lunch.

Following an excellent lunch organized by the Country Women’s Association, and the Paramoor Winery’s owners, Will & Cathy Fraser, the afternoon’s drive to Bendigo included a cryptic quiz of sights along the way, primary designed to ensure that the lead footed Alvis drivers took it a little easier while attempting to answer the questions.

Total miles for the day: 137.

Cumulative miles on the tour so far: 970

Day 8 - Wednesday, October 15 , 2008

L to R: Margaret Lang, Martin Boothman, John Lang, Frances McDougall, and John Hetheringon.

John & Margaret Lang, Andrew & Frances McDougall, John & Margaret Hetherington, along with Chester & Sally McKaige (not yet pictured) have been responsible for organizing this amazingly brilliant tour. Kudos to them and the Alvis Car Club of Victoria organization for their extraordinary efforts!

Wednesday was a rest day in Ballarat.

In the morning we visited the Sovereign Hill Gold Mining Town of the 1850s. Highlights were watching the wheelwright create wooden wheel hubs, spokes, rims and tires on mid-19th century belt driven machinery, and observing the massive log fired boilers generating steam to power an engine driving a beam pump. The entire town is a faithful recreation of what the mining town would have looked like over 150 years ago.

In the motel car park, the intermittent rough running of the Higgins 1923 SB 12/50 tourer was cured when the graphite spring-loaded contact in the distributor cap of the magneto was found to be inadequately touching the rotor arm. Alan McKinnon to the rescue!

Dinner celebrated 80 years of the front wheel drive (FWD) Alvis, first launched in 1928. Five fully roadworthy FWD cars were on display to augment a virtuoso PowerPoint presentation by FWD guru Tony Cox, ably abetted by John Lang and John Hetherington, on the history to date of the Alvis FWD cars. Most outside Alvis circles are unaware that Alvis were the first FWD cars to be manufactured on a production basis. Only 143 cars were produced as the market in 1928 was not ready for the innovation of FWD.

Day 7 – Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Halls Gap to Ballarat

This morning’s immediate post breakfast activity was to arrange all the cars in chronological order for a photo shoot with the Grampian Mountains of Halls Gap as a spectacular backdrop.

Another invigorating (read: cold) drive ensued, again on winding, deserted B and C country roads, with touring speeds ranging from 40 to 60, depending on the age of the Alvis or the courageousness of the driver.

Lunch was in the town of Maryborough, founded in the 1850’s during Australia’s Gold Rush.

The afternoon’s drive was spectacular as the morning’s.

Total miles for the day: 131. Cumulative miles on the tour so far: 803

Day 6 – Monday, October 13, 2008

Tour participants just after visiting the sheep shearing sheds in Melville Forest, Victoria

Coonawarra/Penola to Halls Gap

After spectacular weather on our rest day in Penola/Coonawarra, Monday started overcast and cool, requiring once again overcoats and gloves in the open cars.

Scenery is reminiscent of different areas of the British Isles (except for the gum trees), with green pastures, grazing sheep and cattle, wooded areas, rolling hills, mountains in the distance, and well maintained roads, yet extremely light traffic.

Or midday stop was at a sheep station, with lunch provided immediately afterward by the Melville Forest community fire association volunteers.

This tour continues to be brilliant! The afternoon was an exhilarating, lovely drive through the foothills of the Grampian Mountains, overtaking and being overtaken by other Alvis cars, and ending up in the picturesque resort of Halls Gap, with its splendid view of kangaroos in the pasture behind the motel.

As we pass other Alvis motor cars on the side of the road, a simple thumbs up or down indicates if assistance is required or whether we motor on by.

A change in engine noise led us to discover a cracked exhaust manifold on the Boothman 1927 12/50, which has been patched to prevent further expansion. The Todd 1931 Beetleback blew a manifold to exhaust pipe gasket, and had a S.U. carb float chamber leak, both of which were quickly remedied in the motel car park. The Harvey 1951 TA21 DHC had a puncture/flat (I’m trying to use both UK/Oz and US lingo), which was also resolved.

As usual, we enjoyed a sumptuous organized dinner with speeches from Martin Boothman and Mike Hirst on the current statuses of the Alvis Owner Club and Alvis Register, respectively.

Total miles for the day: 157. Cumulative miles on the tour so far: 668

Day 5 – Sunday, October 12, 2008

The Chardonnay Lodge in Coonawarra, South Australia, where many of the tour participants, including your writer, stayed. Coonawarra is a major wine producing region.

Rest day in Coonawarra/Penola

At dinner last night we heard how the Hannams from Brisbane had driven 1000 miles in their 1936 Alvis Firebird tourer to join the tour in Melbourne. Once on the tour, noisy rumblings and vibration alerted them that the universal joint in the driveshaft needed replacing. Once done, they are now back in the hunt.

Frank Mornane offered me a drive of his 1937 Speed 25 “Edinburgh Police force” Charlesworth tourer to compare characteristics with my similar Vanden Plas saloon. I was amazed at how quiet and smooth his was at 60 mph until he told me his gearing was off, and we were actually going under 50! Other than that, the cars are remarkably similar. After the drive, Frank, Martin and I repaired to the hotel (Aussie for ‘pub’) in Penola for ‘Sunday lunch’.

One of the cars suffered a speedometer gear drive collapse in the gearbox, rendering the speedo inoperable for the balance of the trip, but otherwise OK. Not so lucky was the Higgins owned, Woodburn driven, 1932 TJ 12/50 Doctor’s coupe which previously endured the blown head gasket, and is now hors combat for the rest of the tour owing to a stripped timing gear.

There are 52 Alvis motor cars on the tour, with a further seven New South Welshmen who will join us in Beechworth, in N.E. Victoria.

Day 4 – Saturday, October 11, 2008

Photo shows the supercharged engine of the Donnan FWD from Queensland.

Warrnambool to Coonawarra/Penola

The virtually empty and well maintained country roads together with stunning Chamber of Commerce weather provided a marvellous day of excellent vintage car motoring.

Our first morning stop afforded us a view of our first Koala and Emus of the trip in a volcanic crater natural habitat. Yet more Koalas were observed on our second morning stop.

Our lunch stop produced some anxiety when we became aware of the not unreasonable Aussie country custom of closing gas/petrol stations at noon on Saturday. Fortunately, we found a general store which dispensed petroleum spirits.

By 4:00 PM we were in the charming Chardonnay Lodge in the wine district of Coonawarra, with vine just 20 yards from or door.

Mechanical adventures for the day included one rear brake seizing on the Nicholl 1928 14.75 tourer driven by the Easts, leaving a long black skid mark along the road; a front wheel flat/puncture on the Donnan 1928 FWD; and loose driveshaft bolts on the Todd 1931 12/60 Beetleback.

Total miles for the day: 184. Cumulative miles on the tour so far: 496

Day 3 – Friday, October 10, 2008

An Alvis hare outlined on the Bay of Martyrs, on the Great Ocean Road, Victoria.

Rest day in Warrnambool.

A beautiful warm, cloudless rest day in Warrnambool (from the Aboriginal warr, ‘water’, and nimbul, ‘between two rivers’) for local sightseeing.

Minor fettling, tightening of connections and topping up of fluids continued throughout the day in the hotel parking lot. The oil leak in the Blacket 1925 12/50 Beetleback was traced to a crack in the line to the oil gauge. A quick visit to the local plumber provided the copper line and connection to effect the required repair.

The evening’s entertainment was a barbeque dinner followed by a Sound and Laser Light Show, depicting the voyage and destruction of a large immigrant carrying clipper on the shipwreck coast.

On the subject of dinner, our Australian hosts and tour organisers, the Alvis Car Club of Victoria, have done themselves and us proud starting with the wonderful official welcoming banquet on Tuesday, October 7 at the R.A.C.V. in Melbourne, and continuing through each evening allowing all the participants the opportunity of sitting with new dinner companions and getting to know each other.

Day 2 - Thursday, October 9, 2008

Geelong to Warrnambool

A little warmer and less overcast today, but still cool necessitating overcoats and gloves in the open cars. But no rain!

On the road at 9:10 AM, following The Great Open Road, built between 1919 and 1932 as a memorial to the returned service men and women of World War 1.

Great views of the ocean, surfing beaches, forests, small communities and wide open, mostly empty roads.

Breakdown of the day was a blown cylinder head gasket on the Higgins owned, Woodburn driven, 1932 TJ 12/50 Doctor’s coupe. Using parts and tools borrowed from several other drivers, the ancillary parts and the head were removed and replaced, with the new gasket, within 3 hours in a roadside parking lot (photo above).

Your writer’s arthritic hip and shoulder causing great discomfort today, so off to an acupuncturist/massage therapist after dinner.

Total miles for the day: 182

Day 1 – Wednesday, October 8, 2008

Overcast, cold, windy day. Left RACV at 9:00 AM, motored to Nelson Place in Williamstown to have morning tea/coffee with Australian contingent for a total of about 35 Alvis motor cars.

All cars were “ticketed” by two uniformed British bobbies in a proper 1958 Wolseley Six Eighty police car complete with working roof mounted siren and bumper mounted bell. Splendid!

Pressed on for lunch at the Queenscliff Cruising Yacht Club, on an island accessed by two one-lane causeways. Wildlife birds observed were, Pelicans, Galahs, Cormorants, Kookaburras, Australian Magpies, and Royal Spoonbills.

The afternoon drive took us across the Bellarine Peninsula on to Geelong for the night’s stay.

Repairs for the day included: Removing, freeing and replacing the clutch bearing and shaft on the Diffey 1926 12/50 Beetleback; repairing a petrol leak in #1 S.U. carb float chamber on the Nicholl 1928 14.75 tourer crewed by the Easts; solving a 5 cylinder firing only on the Day 1961 TD21 by fettling the distributor; and buying gasket material, making and replacing gaskets, removing/replacing the triple S.U. carbs and inlet/exhaust manifold on the Mornane 1937 Speed 25, all in under 2 hours! My son, Brett, has done the latter, and now has a time to beat!

PY running faultlessly, after an initial slipping clutch scare which somehow resolved itself.

Total miles for the day: 125

October 6 & 7 in Melbourne

Arrived in a cool (48F/9C), windy and rainy Melbourne on Monday morning to be met by Martin in his open Alvis 12/50 for an exhilarating drive to the RACV.

Spent the day walking around downtown or the CBC (City Business Center) as it's termed, cleaning up the 12/50, trying get mobile phone to work with Australian SIM card (without success), and chatting with other Brit Alvis owners.

Three of the 14 Brit Alvises in the garage are already having work done on them to rectify problems which developed on the way to the transport ship in Southampton:

1. A totally disassembled engine with broken camshaft followers
2. An overheating engine with clogged radiator removed for de-clinking and cleaning
3. A broken bonnet (hood) latch.

Official welcome dinner tonight. On the road tomorrow (Wednesday).

Leaving Miami tomorrow for Australia

Several of you have asked if I'm taking my Alvis to Australia on the tour, or if any in the previous photos are mine.

The answers are no and no.

Here's a photo of me with the 1925 SC 12/50 in the Florida Keys.

Click here to see an Alvis currently for sale on ebay in the USA

Just over a week to go

Three of the 14 Alvis motor cars shipped from the U.K. to Victoria, Australia carefully thread their way through downtown Melbourne en-route to the Royal Automobile Club of Victoria (RACV). Click on photo to enlarge.

All 14 cars are now safely in covered secure parking awaiting their owners' arrival over the coming week.

Some Brits are quite excited about the "mild" weather after a less than stellar U.K. summer.

Temperatures ranging from highs of 59F/15C to 77F/25C and lows of 37F/3C to 62F/17C seem a little cool to your Florida-accustomed writer.

Next post will be after I arrive in Australia, October 6, two days before the JNBC Tour begins.

Click here to learn more about Alvis cars and military vehicles

Alvis Cars in Australia

Australian based Alvis Cars on the tour will potentially range from as early as 1923 through to 1967, when the last Alvis was made. The car in the background of the above photo, a 1923 12/40 tourer, may well be the oldest. In the foreground is a 1929 Silver Eagle. Both cars participated in the 2007 Alvis National Rally in South Australia

Alvis cars were produced by Alvis Car and Engineering Company Ltd. of Coventry, United Kingdom, from 1919 to 1967. The company also produced aero-engines and military vehicles, the latter continuing long after car production ceased.

There are five surviving 1920 - 1922 Alvis, and we shall see if any appear on the JNBC Alvis Tour of Victoria, Australia, October 7-26.

Click here for more photos of Alvis cars in Australia

Preview of Victoria, Australia

Ian Todd's 1931 12/60 beetle-back (VC) and Martin Boothman's 1927 12/50 wide 2-seater (PY) quietly reminisce about the past eight decades while aboard the Hoegh Transporter, scheduled to arrive in Melbourne on September 19.

Here's preview of just a few of the wonderful sights of Victoria awaiting us on the JNBC Alvis Tour next month:

Click here for photos of Victoria

How I came to be on the tour

Martin Boothman's 1927 Alvis 12/50 TG, about to board the transporter ship for Melbourne.

It all started in 2000 when Robin Bendall of the Alvis Owner Club (AOC) decided to organize a Fall (Autumn) Tour of New England and Canada. 81 cars left Southampton, many more joined along the way and 195 people were on the three week tour.

I opted not to take my 1925 Alvis SC 12/50 from Florida, but did fly into Maine in the hopes of finding a spare seat in an Alvis to ride along. That's when I met Martin Boothman and his co-driver/navigator, Malcolm, in Martin's 1927 12/50 TG, an Alvis very similar to mine. The dickie/rumble seat was available, and that's where I spent a few terrific sunny and bright, but cold days.

Since then, Martin and I have remained in fairly regular e-mail contact

Fast forward to 2007, when I read with interest the plans for the JNBC Memorial Tour in Australia. "How I wish I could be on that tour," I thought.

Then in February this year in comes an e-mail from Martin advising he's going on the tour and would I like to be his navigator/co-driver! I think it took be about 3 minutes to decide, and seek appropriate blessing from my bride, Celia, which was granted!

Just about 4 weeks to go!

The itinerary in detail

Click on any photo for full screen image.




Prior to being allowed to board in Southampton, August 14, all U.K. based cars, including Ian Todd's 1931 Alvis 12/60 'beetle-back' Carbodies 2-seater sports pictured here, were given a thorough underbody steam cleaning as required by the shipping line and Australian authorities.

For full details of the JNBC Memorial Tour itinerary, click on the following link:

JNBC Tour Itinerary

As you read through, and wonder who Ned Kelly is, it's time for a Google search!

Trivia question: Who starred in the 1970 movie "Ned Kelly?"

JNBC Explanation

The JNBC Memorial Tour of Victoria is dedicated to the memory of Julian Collins, Alvis Owner Club (AOC) member from 1964, and editor of the AOC Bulletin from January 1997 to his untimely passing in August 2006 at age 60.

Julian's father purchased an Alvis Firefly in 1942, so Julian's first Alvis ride was no doubt pre-natal.

Julian signed his first AOC Bulletin editorial Julian Collins, and forever after simply J.N.B.C.

Julian loved visiting Victoria, Australia, and it seemed appropriate to arrange a tour of which he would have immensely approved.

The photo shows 6 of the 14 U.K. based Alvis about to board the Hoegh Transporter which sailed from Southampton for Melbourne, Australia at 17:00, August 14.

7 Weeks to the JNBC Memorial Tour

Just seven weeks to go until the start of the JNBC Memorial Tour of Victoria, on October 8, 2008.

Martin Boothman's 1927 Alvis 12/50 TG is currently at sea with other Alvis cars en route to Melbourne, Australia.

Tickets are booked, and anticipation is mounting.

More to follow.....