MG C0291

In 1932 Mr. John Ludovic Ford, of Dove Mews, London, advertised for a trainee motor mechanic. My father, who was then aged 14 years, applied for the job and was successful. Mr. Ford’s family also had country estates in Scotland and the West Indies. My father, Lewis Henry Ward, was born in 1918 in South Kensington, London and lived in Ifield Road about half a mile from Dove Mews, which was off the Old Brompton Road.

In 1951 Mr. Ford gave my father a book entitled ‘Circuit Dust’, which covers the 1933 European racing season. As a teenager I read this book often. In March 2000, after a lapse of many years I stated to read the book again. This rekindled my interest in both Mr. Ford’s and my father’s racing exploits. I now knew that Mr. Ford raced an MG Midget in 1933. My mother had some old photographs. These showed my father seated in the MG with the UK registration number JK 2340. I wondered if JK 2340 was still around. Therefore, feeling excited at the prospect of finding it, I began my research……..

I started searching on the World Wide Web and eventually found an MG owner’s WEB site where I posted a request for information on JK 2340. I did not know that this was an American web site. Within a matter of hours I had my first reply from Brian Kelly in Kansas, who informed me that a Gavin Standford-Morgan owned the car. Further searching of the WWW gave me two records of Gavin and from these I gleaned that he lived in Adelaide, Australia. Next contact was with Russell Garth of the MG Car Club in Adelaide and he very kindly contacted Gavin and asked Gavin if he could pass on his address.

So, in late March 2000 I wrote to Gavin telling him about my search for JK 2340, adding that I would be interested in hearing from him. In late April I had my reply from Gavin and over the next eighteen months we communicated regularly, exchanging information regarding the car and my father. I began to know the car as C0291; its chassis number. I sent Gavin photographs of the car in the 1930s. He kindly sent me photographs and a video of the car as it is now, in its restored condition.

Gavin was able to give me a detailed history of the car. He first owned the car in 1947, sold in 1948 and then bought it again in 1965.

I managed to buy two books on Le Mans, 1923 to 1939, and found a photograph taken after the finish of the 1933 Le Mans with Ford and Baumer sitting on the car, looking suitably grubby. I traced the owner of a photograph, showing the opening lap of the 1933 Mannin Beg race, which shows them in second last place. I have since obtained a print of this photograph, which now proudly joins my photographic collection.

Mr. Ford had a racing partner, Mr. Maurice Baumer. They entered various races in the UK and in Europe. As far as I can tell their first joint car was an ALTA, Chassis 14, which they entered in the 1932 International Tourist Trophy where they retired on lap 5 and in the 1932 Le Mans 24 Hours, retiring after six laps with clutch failure.

In 1933 they purchased MG Midget C Type chassis C0291, previously owned by H. Leeson, who had been killed racing. They entered the car in various races throughout 1933 including the following:

International Tourist Trophy, 2^nd September 1933, Newtownards, Northern Ireland.

In 1934 Mr. Ford’s mother died. He moved to Haddington, in Scotland, to manage the family estate. My father went with him. He helped Mr. Ford to run the estate and continued to work on his cars.

In 1939 my father was conscripted into the armed forces and was sent to France as a truck driver/mechanic. He was captured at St.Valery on the 13^th June 1940 and was finally freed from POW camp on the 1^st May 1945. Mr. Ford also joined the army and survived the conflict. After demobilisation both of them went back to Scotland to get the estate back up and running, but the days of car racing were finished.

The spirit and attitude of adventure during competitions during the 1930s is highlighted in the book ‘Circuit Dust’. Ford and Baumer are mentioned a number of times but the following paragraph says much about the way they raced in the 1930s.

‘They discussed these plans during the day before the final practice, while they were perfecting their pit arrangements, and nine o’clock that night found them at the Caféé de l’Hippodrome for dinner, accompanied by the big Mercedes, which they intended to use for a last survey of the circuit. While Baumer was eating hors d’oeuvres, Ford drove the Mercedes for two laps, then came in to commence his dinner, when Baumer took the car around. He returned and handed over in time to start on the soup, and when Ford returned Baumer went out again. Between courses they achieved the distinction of each covering eight laps, a total of nearly seventy miles of fast motoring between hors d’oeuvres and coffee.’

This description becomes almost legendary. It is very hard to imagine this happening in today’s environment of safety and conformity. I can imagine that several glasses of wine were consumed with the meal!!! Amidst the competitive spirit, the social scene was just as important.

The MG Car Company, whilst not entering an official works team, did give encouragement to the privateer drivers by offering discounts if the car was entered in various events. One of the invoices to Mr. Ford offers a 15% discount if C0291 is entered in the German Grand Prix and the Isle of Mann. I have not been able to verify its participation in that Grand Prix.

In September 2001 Gavin Sandford-Morgan told me that he had sold C0291. It was on its way back to the UK. I tracked the car down to Bill Ainscough of Wrightington, Lancashire, England. I arranged to see C0291 at his house in early January 2002. Upon seeing the car for the first time, what struck me initially was how small it looked. The car was in immaculate condition, in its British Racing Green. After looking at the outside of the car for quite sometime, I sat in the passenger and driver seats. Sitting there, brought a lump to my throat. I imagined what it must have been like to race these cars for twenty-four hours with the noise, dust and vibration. My admiration for these drivers and mechanics is truly immense.

I was born in July 1951, with Mr. Ford becoming my Godfather. We lived in a flat above the stables at Clerkington. Mr Ford left Scotland in 1952 and moved to Jamaica, where he had an estate. My father was offered the opportunity to go, but having a wife and a new baby, he decided to stay. Mr. Ford died in 1956, in Kingston, Jamaica and my father died in 1997, in Haddington, Scotland.

I believe that Ford and Baumer also raced an Alfa Romeo8C, but that is a chapter, which I have still to start.

I can’t thank enough the people who have gone out of their way to help me and point me in the right direction during my research,. With hindsight I wish I had obtained more details from my father whilst he was alive. You never think of these things when people are around you.

In January 2007 I saw C0291 advertised for sale in the ‘MG Enthusiast’ magazine. I emailed the advertiser asking if he would be so good as to let me know contact details for the new owner when the car was sold.

Much to my surprise and delight I had a reply from Martin Chisholm inviting me to come and see the car at his premises in Cheltenham.

So, on Friday the 2^nd February 2007, Derek and I set off to Cheltenham. We arrived at Martin’s premises around 10:30, expecting to be there for an hour at most. Little did we know how wrong that idea was.

Martin first of all had to move a Ferrari 250L and a Bentley 4 Litre to allow access to C0291. She looked great in her British Racing Green. So small looking. Listening to the Ferrari and the Bentley certainly wetted the appetite for all these great cars. Just lovely noises but also so contrasting.

Finally C0291 was pushed to the entrance of the garage. But, she wouldn’t start. The battery appeared to be flat. Poor Martin was so embarrassed, as he had made sure that the battery had been on a trickle charge for the past few days. He tried various jump packs and other 6 volt batteries but no luck. She would start but there wasn’t enough power in the battery to keep the fuel pumps running and the engine died when the fuel in the carburettor float chamber ran out.

Martin decided to jump start the MG from his Mitsubishi and see if that would help. By now I was sitting in the driver’s seat starting her up on Martin’s instruction. I felt like a small boy with his new toy. Just so happy and thinking that my Dad had sat in this very seat and started her up on many occasions. I was getting a bit emotional.

Martin was still trying to keep her going but every time we disconnected the jump leads she just died. I said to Martin that I was more than happy just to see and hear her running and to sit in her, and for him not to take any more of his valuable time up. But he said that no way was he having me drive three hours to get to him and for me to leave without driving her.

He then had the brilliant idea of putting a battery in the passenger seat-well with jump leads going to the car battery behind the passenger seat. Martin said that he would sit in the passenger seat with the other battery beneath his legs!!

So we did that and she fired up and kept running. We would be okay so long as I didn’t stall her as the spare battery wouldn’t start her again.

No pressure then!! Just drive a priceless MG on the public road, don’t stall her and make sure you don’t damage her. No, not a lot of pressure!

My feet were covering all three pedals without even moving them, so making sure I had my feet on the right pedals at all times was certainly taxing my concentration. The steering was so direct that the slightest movement of the steering wheel and she responded instantaneously. That was exciting. We set off down the narrow country lanes, the solid suspension, the vibration and noise making it feel as if I was doing 100mph although I don’t think I went over 30mph (no speedo fitted). We continued along the lanes for about ten minutes, the engine exhaust, just a couple of feet away from me, blasting its crisp note into the air. By now I had a couple of vans behind me, so Martin suggested that we turn her round at the next cross roads. Much to my relief I managed to turn her round without stalling her and we set off back down the road. All too soon we pulled into her premises and came to a halt. I was very emotional now and I couldn’t help but shed a few tears. We then went to Martin’s office where he enjoyed looking at all of my research on C0291 and I was more than pleased to let him have copies of whatever he wanted. I can’t thank Martin enough for taking so much trouble to let me drive C0291. A real gentleman. An experience that I will never forget.

I now have a photograph of myself sitting in the car along side a photograph of my father also sitting in the car in 1933.

Below are five photographs supplied to me by John Phillips, who lives in Canberra, Australia. John knew C0291 from the 1940s until she came back to the UK in 2001, and very kindly sent me these photographs in July/September 2007.

The following photographs (8 Off) of C0291 were kindly supplied to me by Ingo Weinberger, who photographed her in 1971 at the Birdwood Mill Museum, South Australia, where, owned by Gavin Sandford-Morgan, she was under restoration.

The photos (17 Off) below are from our visit to Martin Chisholm’s on the 2^nd February 2007, with me looking very serious as I try and keep her on ‘the cam’ and also checking the instruments.

In 1934 Baumer purchased MG MAGNETTE Type K3, K3028. It was a friend in England who alerted me to this car. He had purchased a magazine in which there was a supplement on MG pre war racing cars. One of the photographs, in the magazine, showed Mr. Ford in K3028 at the 1934 Le Mans 24 Hours, when they crashed out on the 84^th lap whilst lying second.

Now to find K3028! I contacted Bob Clare of the MMM Register in the UK. He pointed me to Gerry Goguen in the USA. So began a series of correspondence with Gerry.

Gerry had kindly sent me photographs of K3028 and he also advised me of the book, ‘K3 Dossier’ by Mike Hawke. I now have a copy of this book, which details the known history of K3028 and K3027, the K3 purchased by Mr. Ford in 1935.

During the rest of 1934 and 1935 Ford and Baumer mainly raced K3028 in various events, including the Brighton speed Trials, Klausenrenen Hill Climb, BRDC 500 Mile Race, British Empire Trophy and again the Mannin Beg in 1935. See below.

Entered MG MAGNETTE Type K3, Chassis No. K3028, in the following races & competitions:-

Le Mans 24 Hour Car Race. 16^th and 17^th June, Le Mans, France; with Maurice H. Baumer.

Retired after 83 laps. Spun into ditch avoiding spinning car, then following car lost control and crashed into the MG. Petrol tank damaged beyond repair.

J.C.C. International Trophy Race. Entered MG MAGNETTE Type K3, Chassis No. K3028.

British Empire Trophy. Entered MG MAGNETTE Type K3, Chassis No. K3028, with Maurice H. Baumer. 6^th July, Brooklands, England.

Dieppe Voiturette races. Entered MG MAGNETTE Type K3, Chassis No. K3028 by Maurice H. Baumer. (No record of J. Ford competing at this event.) 21^st July.

Sadly Gerry Goguen died in 2003 and recently K3028 was sold to an American collector, but despite contacting the new owner by email I haven’t received any reply from him.

I had the most amazing shock when I attended the 2008 MG Car Club, Silverstone International Meeting, because there in the main display building was K3028, along with many other Magnette K3s where the 75th anniversary of the K3 production was being celebrated. I was so excited to see her, so I spent a long time admiring her lines and took plenty photos. Unfortunately I didn't get to meet her new owner.

In 1935 Mr. Ford purchased MG MAGNETTE K3027 and they entered this car for the 1935 Le Mans 24 Hour race, but unfortunately retired with piston problems around 4am on the Sunday morning. Ford didn’t compete with K3027 again until 1937 when he entered a hill climb at the Kinneil, near Bo’ness in Scotland. He was unclassified. Mr. Ford sold K3027 in 1940.

My search for K3027 has finally found her. The ‘K3 Dossier’ states that it was with Bill Hill in Chicago in 1980 and no one was allowed to see her apart from one or two of his very close friends. In 2007 he sold K3027 to an American collector.

I have found out, recently, that she is in the Simeone Foundation Museum, in Philadelphia., I have contacted the owner of the museum and asked him if he would be so good as to send me some photographs of K3027, but so far I haven't received anything (October 2008).

The following photos (8 Off) of K3027 were kindly supplied to me by Gary Westbury,

whose farther, Colin Westbury, worked for Fred Hobbs , owner of K3027 from 1947 to 1948,

At the MGCC Silverstone International the Kimber trophy Race was run on the Saturday with three K3s taking part. The following link is to a short video, on YouTube, I took of the practice and race. Video link.