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The 2004 Winter Park Concours d’Elegance was held the weekend of October 16-17, 2004. The activities began with a buffet breakfast on Saturday morning at the Windsong Estates, an exclusive Winter Park development and one of the weekend sponsors. The breakfast was held poolside at the community lake front area with many delightful and delicious treats to munch on while we renewed or made acquaintances. Since the breakfast was the start of the Tour d’Elegance, a number of classic and sponsor motorcars gathered in the pool parking lot and on the adjacent streets to the delight of the Windsong residents. The classics certainly provided a prelude to the Concours show to be held the next day in downtown Winter Park. Following our time of visiting, viewing and eating we all returned to our vehicles for the start of the Tour d’Elegance. First out were friends Rick and Sam Frazee in their 1936 three wheeler Morgan Super Sport. This unique automobile/ motorcycle is not only a treat to the eyes but provides great entertainment as we watch Rick manipulate the steering wheel mounted throttle, spark advance and choke to get the Morgan under way. The V twin cylinder Matchless engine announces to all that something unusual is coming their way. We all fell in line behind the Morgan as a wonderful parade snaked it way through Winter Park, across Orlando on our way to Windermere and another exclusive community, Isleworth for a luncheon at La Villa Pietra, an $8 million private residence. Many famous neighbors reside in Isleworth including Shaq and Tiger Woods but the stars of today's visit were definitely the featured marque for the weekend, the classic Rolls Royce, celebrating 100 years. La Villa was open to all to enjoy and with 17000 square feet under roof and two 3 car garages it took some time to see it all. While way to rich for my blood, it was fun being part of the Tour and being able to enjoy all the great food and the setting. The luncheon was served buffet style on the covered lanai overlooking the lake. With a couple of $400,000 Maybachs in the driveway brought by sponsor Suncoast Maybach, the whole scene was really over the top.

Sunday was one of those Chamber of Commerce days, sunny and bright with the early morning temperature in the high 60s with a forecast for a cloud free 80 degrees. I was the first Healey on Park Avenue, the site of the Concours and quickly proceeded to my assigned space and started the cleaning process to remove the dust from the Tour. My Red over Black BT7 was soon joined by four additional Healeys, CFAHC member Bob Cooper in his wonderfully restored 100 BN1( this car even has it’s original 50 year old fabric top that Bob has painstakingly brought back), Tampa Bay AHC President Jim Clark in his exceptional OEW BJ8, TBAHC member and good friend Gary Cox in his outstanding Healey Blue over OEW BJ8 and new acquaintance Chuck Billingsly in his very nice White over Red BJ8. We all had a great time talking about our cars with the thousands of visitors to the Concours. With the announcement of the awards I was glad to see that Bob won 1^st place with his 100 and Gary took 2^nd with the BJ8, both very deserving. I would like to thank the organizers for including Healeys in this invitation only event and for the great weekend. They are Bob Tallgren, Joyce Crabtree and Joe Sabatini, all with TSC Events…

With all the hurricanes this summer the British Car Breakfast Club Summer Luncheon and Iced Tea event was finally held Sunday October 31, 2004 at the lovely home of Terry and Marine Bumbalough. The event had twice been postponed thanks to Charlie, Frances and Jeanne, that trio of blustery hurricanes that just seemed to blow into town when the tea was scheduled. A number of Breakfast Clubbers and their cars convened at the Bumbalough at noon bearing all sorts of wonderful treats. Jan Burg had an assortment of wonderful iced teas to wash the tasty treats down. After lunch around the pool , in the dining room and seated in the living room we adjourned outside to check out the cars. We could not have had a better day weather wise, so the wait was worth it. Thanks to Terry and Marine for hosting this great event and to all the ladies for the great food (the guys ate it but the ladies made it, and that’s the truth).

The 18^th Annual All British Field Meet and Auto Jumble, hosted by the Tampa Bay AHC, was held Saturday, October 23, 2004 at the beautiful Safety Harbor Resort and Spa. This unique facility on old Tampa Bay provided a terrific setting for over 200 British motorcars and cycles. The Healey entries totaled 29 with two 100s, 11 roadsters and 16 convertibles. I haven’t seen that many Big Healeys at a show since I attended the British Car Show of the South several years ago. Besides the Healeys, every British marque you can think of was represented. It was a typical late Fall day in Florida, bright sunshine and 80 degrees and not a hurricane in sight…Friend Bill Emerson, author of “The Healey Book”, had his newly purchased Innocenti Coupe at the show. A cute and very rare Sprite based car of which only 487 coupes were produced. He found it in Italy. Anumber of Breakfast Clubbers were over from the Orlando area, but I was the only Healey. Awards went to friends Gary Cox (1^st) and Jim Clark (2^nd) in the convertible class and yours truly (1^st) and friend Clete Gardenhour in the roadster class and Walt Mainberger, my fellow contributing editor, (1^st) in the 100 class. A great time was had by all and we look forward to the next edition. Thanks to the TBAHC, especially Marion Brantley and Ed Swartz for a great event.

A number of Central Florida Austin Healey Club members attended the British Car Breakfast Club Holiday Party held Sunday, December 12 at the home of John and Jean Webber. (Our own club party had to be cancelled due to illness, but Richard says we will get together in January to elect new officers.) John and Jean live in the Seminole Woods development northeast of Orlando that was hit hard by our trio of hurricanes this year. Fortunately John and Jean’s home (and John’s fantastic three car workshop) did not suffer any damage but they did lose a number of trees on their five acre property.

An even dozen British cars were on display in the Webber’s drive with many of the partiers opting for the comfort of their daily drivers as the first serious cold front of the season brought cool, crisp temperatures. British marques represented included John’s Sunbeam Tigers and TR8, along with Healeys, Morgans, a Mini and a MGB. Most of the guys drifted into John’s workshop/garage, after grabbing a beer, to check out the Tigers, while the ladies assembled a holiday feast fit for British royalty.

Appetizers on the serving table quickly brought the tire kickers back to the house for crab dip, egg rolls, shrimp, deviled eggs (one of my favorites) and chicken wings (also a favorite). The main course included ham, turkey, casseroles (broccoli, scalloped potatoes and green bean), cranberry sauce and tossed salad. The dessert table had cheesecake, pumpkin pie (excellent), key lime pie, chocolate cake and assorted cookies, rumballs and chocolates.

Following the feeding frenzy, we all assembled in front of the Christmas tree for the annual gift exchange. Each person selected a number from the hat, a coin toss selected the low numbers to begin. Starting with number one each person picked a gift from under the tree or if they liked what someone else had unwrapped, they could take that gift. With the rules allowing two ”take-aways” before permanent possession was declared, there was a lot of strategizing for that special gift (like the radio controlled MINI I had for a short time).

A great time was had by all, with special thanks to the Webbers for sharing their lovely home and to Jan Berg for pulling the whole event together.




	Enjoying the fine weather, good food and fellowship, and great British motorcars at the Classic MG Club Fired Chicken and Car Show... All Photos by Ron Swiger

The Classic MG Club’s Annual Fried Chicken Picnic and Car Show was held on Sunday, November 21^st at the home/10 acre horse ranch of Jim and Camille Flankey. The MG Club takes some of their proceeds from the annual British Car show and holds this terrific British car event. The Classic MG Club invited all members and their families from each of the Central Florida British car clubs regardless of marque. A number of CFAHC members joined in for the fun and food. The MG club provided the fried chicken, beans, cole slaw and soft drinks with the attendees bringing hors d’ouvres, side dish or dessert. The serving table was spread with an amazing array of wonderful goodies to sample. As always there was more than enough food to go around.

As we sat around groaning from stuffing ourselves, the awards committee was busy determining who would win this years coveted prizes. The ladies of the Classic MG Club were the judges and came up with many “special” awards including longest distance driven to the picnic (won by a TF driven from Ormond Beach), the Mazzotta’s won best decorated for their MG Midget decorated with a turkey head and fall leaves, Funbeam Chuck Collie won the most unusual item in a glovebox award, the oldest license plate award went to a 1954 TF with a ’54 Florida tag , Will Bowden won for some reason that had to do with his TF not having a hood (bonnet) and my Healey won for cleanest (last year it won sexiest, I still have that award hanging in the garage).

A special thanks to the Classic MG Club for inviting the CFAHC and in particular to Dean and Bev Sprague, Tony and Xandra Roth and Jim and Camille Flankey for organizing this great time.