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It's Still Holiday Party Time!
January
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Now that most of the northeast driving events are in our rear view mirror, it is time to enjoy the holidays and support your local sports car clubs. The club holiday parties started in December and run through the end of January. This is a good time to join a club, come out and make new friends with common interests, and reconnect with some old friends.... No need to bring your classic, just come out and have a good time. Check out the special Holiday Party section of the calendar below for a list of some local celebrations with their website to find out more information. |
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Philadelphia Auto Show
Feb 2nd - Feb 10th
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Soon the 2019 Philadelphia International Auto Show will be upon us and it will be held once again at the Pennsylvania Convention Center. We here at Ragtops & Roadsters plan to be there on the red carpet to support the AACA / Elegance at Hershey Exhibit near the Broad Street Entrance. The show kicks off with the Black Tie Gala on Friday night, February 1st and runs through Sunday February 10th. Weekdays are the least crowded, so plan to come to the show and make sure you stop to see the collector cars at the AACA Exhibit! And yes, a couple of cars will be British! Click HERE for more information. |
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Simeone Museum "Best of Britain"
Feb 16th - March 3rd
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CALLING ALL BENTLEY MOTORCARS!!
The Simeone Foundation Automotive Museum will once again host the “Best of Britain” event from Feb 16th through March 3rd 2019. This year we will be celebrating the centennial of Bentley Motors Limited, founded by W.O. Bentley in Cricklewood, North London in 1919. Bentley became widely known as a builder of premium luxury cars and has held that position for the last century, not to mention their legacy of racing heritage earned by winning the 24 Hours of LeMans in 1924, 1927-1930 and again in 2003! We are calling all Bentley Motorcar Owners to celebrate with us by submitting their car to represent this wonderful marque in the 2019 Best of Britain exhibit, sponsored by Ragtops & Roadsters, to be held at the museum from Feb 16th through March 3rd. We are looking for special Bentley Motorcars to represent a century of motoring, so please send a photo and a short description of your Bentley to the Simeone Museum. As of today, there are still a couple of spots open!
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British Car Calendar of Events
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Reoccurring Events
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| 2nd Tue |
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MG Club of Philadelphia Mtg., Blue Bell, PA |
| 3rd Mon |
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Austin Healey Sport & Touring Club Mtg., North Wales, PA |
| 3rd Tue |
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DVT Club GTR Mthly Mtg., North Wales, PA |
| 3rd Sun |
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DVJ Breakfast Social, Spring House, PA |
| Every Sat |
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Katie's Cars and Coffee, Great Falls, VA |
Holiday Parties
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| 1/12/19 |
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British Car Club of Lehigh Valley, Bath, PA |
| 1/19/19 |
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Delaware Valley Triumph Club, Lansdale, PA |
| 1/20/19 |
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Delaware Valley Jaguar Club, Gywnedd, PA |
| 1//27/19 |
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Delaware Valley Region AACA, Springhouse, PA |
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Motorcars Delivered!
by: Dave Hutchison
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After some sorting which included a full carb rebuild, rear brake shoes, and the installation of Pertronix distributor, this 1966 Austin Healey 3000 runs strong and has found a new home! The new owners are passionate car guys and have named the car "Handsome". Recently delivered, Handsome is on a trickle-charger waiting for a warm day!
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This 1957 Austin Healey 100-6 came into the shop via rollback. After a safety inspection it was determined that it needed a new fuel pump and to have the rear brakes rebuilt. After cleaning the spark plugs, a tune up and oil change, and new clutch hydraulics we got this big Healey running very well. It is back home in a heated barn waiting.
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After this past show season, this 1938 SS 100 Jaguar recently came back into the shop to have some period correct modifications made under the bonnet. We sourced and installed these rare parts from the UK, and now the very happy owner just reported that it was exhilarating to drive and he now understands why you wear googles! Look for this 3.5 L SS on the show field at the 2019 Amelia Island Concours!
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Olde York Road Sportscar Club Holiday Party
by: Dave Hutchison
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The Old York Sports Car Club held their annual Holiday Party at Baci Restorante in Buckingham Pa. About a dozen members celebrated the holidays with good food and cheer. Former and long time members of this club include Bob and Al Holbert, Jack Thompson and Steve Pitcairn. This year the annual Door Prize (that dates back to 1969) was awarded to Austin Healey racer, Mike Bartell. Our new fearless leader Matt Winkler addressesd the party with his hopes and goals for the new year.
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Madison Ave Sports Car Driving and Chowder Society
by Dave Hutchison
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I have been a member of the Madison Ave Sports Car Driving and Chowder Society for a couple of years now having attended the last several holiday parties. It is a great group of sports car enthusiasts that are very much involved with the Greenwich Concours and vintage races. Founded by Art Peck and King Moore, the Society had its first meeting on March 12th, 1957, with 93 members who, at that time became Members of the Board. Everyone else, since that time, became Only Vice Presidents. Everyone is a vice president as our website states, "We have no known purpose. We have accomplished nothing. We ain’t mad at nobody!" Sounds like my kind of club! Featured speakers over the recent years for the monthly meetings have been David Hobbs, Fred Simeone, Bob Varsha, and Wayne Carini to name a few.
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This year Bill Warner, the founder of the Amelia Island Concours was to be the guest speaker, however, the day before our Holiday Party, Bill fell and broke his hip while viewing the Christmas Tree in Rockefeller Center! Unfortunately, he was in the hospital waiting surgery with his wife Jane and they could not attend. In his place Judy Stopus did a great job stepping in as M.C. for the day. Murray Smith and Chuck Queener spoke about Bill Warner and his passion for motorsports. Later Santa arrived and handed out gifts for almost everyone who attended. It was a good day. Everyone here at Ragtops & Roadsters wishes Bill the best and hopes he got "new old stock parts" and is feeling much better for the Amelia Island Concours!
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Ragtops & Roadsters is here to help out the late fall and the upcoming winter seasons. Maybe it's time to take care of the deferred maintenance, restoration, preservation, and upgrade needs that are on your car's "to do" list? Click here to send an e-mail to dave@ragtops.com or call us 215-257-1202 to schedule an appointment. We are now scheduling appointments in January and February, so it's not too soon to plan for repair or restoration work. to drive in the spring! Click to see our updated Works In Progress page on our website.
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We have recently listed more of our client's British cars looking for new homes. Click on our For Sale page to see current listings. Click here to see more pictures of this very clean well sorted 1974 Lotus Europa Special shown below.
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Happy Motoring!
Dave & the Staff at Ragtops & Roadsters.
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