About Time

[Tim Moore]

Those who know us should need no introduction, but to those that don't, well Christine and I have been members of the Rover Sports Register since 1985, living then in Kraainem Belgium, having moved back to Belgium from St Germain en Laye in France where we had lived in between. In the past we have been active members in the Belgian Rover Club as well as the Rover Owners Club in Holland when we attended events there from Belgium. Countless events have been attended in Britain by us, notably Glamis Extravaganzas, all but one of the Scottish All-Rover Rallies (SARR) between 1995 and 2007, and more than a few Lake District Rallies in the 1980's 1990's and the 21st century. We still own our 1947 Rover 16 Export P2 saloon (Chassis number R7411445) with which, at one time, we regularly used to claim the furthest distances travelled in any one year with an old P2 as we journied around mainland Europe as well as attending from mainland Europe, RSR ralles in England, both at the Lakes and to the much lamented Belvoir Castle Rally. We moved back to Portree in Scotland in 1990 driving the P2 here from Belgium via Zeebrugge and Hull, importing the car Rover exprted new to Belgium from Solihull in June 1947 and back into Britain obtaining a UK registration number plate for the first time in its life. Between then and 2002 every two years Christine and I organised and ran the Isle of Skye Classic Vehicle Rally attracting owners of all-makes of classic vehicles to attend the weekend event often and mostly from quite far away. After 7 events though we threw in the towel and sadly, since on the North West Coast of Britain, North of Fort William and to the west of the Great Glen, no "old-vehicle" activity, Clubs or branches meet and enthusiasts of any marque are very few and far between, we still have to journey to events far away  when time and resources/work commitments allow. There isn't much we haven't restored/reconditioned in our now 24 year ownership of R7411445 so if we can be of help to anyone we will try to assist. All these long trips in a (pre-WWII  designed car) that was already almost 40 years old when we purchased her and virtually "exhausted" at that time having been neglected by her previous owner- needing a complete rebuild/renovation by us from 1984-1987- and is now 61, means that living on The Island of Skye, so far away from most classic-car gatherings - any event we do attend in the P2 requires careful planning in fact, day-trips to events are pipe-dreams! Over the years we have contributed many printed articles to the RSR Club magazine "Freewheel" which some of you will be familiar with.

[Richard Clements]

Hi Tim, welcome to the forum.

[lakesrally]

Hi Tim,

Maybe you should instigate a long distance award to those who arrive on your doorstep in their old Rover. It might be a while before anyone beats some of the trips you and Christine have done, usually in the rain. Hope to see you both this year some time.

[The Flying Dutchman]

Welcome Tim.

[Paul Gregory]

Hi Tim,
Good to see that you have found your way to the forum. I think Stewart is right that people just don't use their earlier Rovers in the way that you and Christine have done. Feel a bit of a whimp really in comparison as our visits to further away events have tended to be undertaken in our modern 75 ...only because I don't think it fair towing a caravan on the back of the P3 or Cyclops though. With a bit of luck I'll have something earlier to tow the caravan which is a bit older this year... well I've had things for several years actually just haven't made them roadworthy! Will you be venturing down to the SARR this year? Hopefully we'll manage to get there though it is only just up the road for us compared with you.
Regards to you both
Paul

[47p2]

Hi Tim,

Glad to see you on the forum at long last, I thought you would never get here.

I'm still waiting to see The Stone of Destiny as I missed it when it was on in Glasgow, I think it is around May when it will be available on DVD so I must get a copy of it then.

The furthest I travelled in 2008 was to the SARR event at Thirlstane Castle. Building the new garage seems to be taking forever, but hopefully should be finished this summer and I am looking forward to a few more rallies this year. I just checked my mileage for the year and have managed to cover an all time low of 350 miles. Today the new SVVF yearbook arrived so I really should put pen to paper and organise my year ahead.

Will we be honoured with your presence at Thirlstane in 2009?

Regards to you both

John

[Tim Moore]

Been away down to Wiltshire, Dorset, Somerset and Warwickshire (modern car!!) last two weeks. Great to read Paul, Stewart, and John's comments in reply to my post as well as a couple of welcomes from others. Doubt that Christine and I will get down to anything much again from Skye in the P2 this year as things currently stand, BUT you never know...... Have though done a few jobs on R7411445 recently, like (at last sorting out the worn steering damper which only recently became a rebuilt/exchange item through Meteor Spares. Ours was "just OK" having shimmed the play over the years between the spring and its ball-end...... An indulgence though, going on at present - an artist long-time friend of ours is finalising a water-colour of our 16 in Glen Shiel, from afavourite photograph from 2005 which at least one day MIGHT end up in, say, 2209 on the "Antiques Road Show" worth a few bob for its owner speaking from Mars Intersteller Human Outpost Base where the show is being televised from.....!.

Oh forgot to post our last and probably unlucky but otherwasie very £££££££££££££££ and enjoyable very long trip, namely that I wrote about in Freewheel in 2003 when after successfully spending a nice 6 days getting to and back from the RSR 50th at Blenheim in July 2003 to the National Rally you may recall we were clocked by a Gatso in Woodstock at 30.7mph in a 30, YES 30.7mph and with the no-tolerance attitude of Thames Valley and no let-off despte my appeals, I obtained 3 penalty points (now knocked off under the "3-year rule") on my driving licence. That's what you get for taking a then 56 year old car almost 1800 miles to and from an event in Britan with no other mechanical problems.... Oh the joys. Had we been gunend by an officer we would undoubtedly have been let off, but once camera-d you've had it with the computer..... Strange though taht it took driving the P2 in Oxfordshire at just over 30mph for me to get a fine and penalty points when others these past couple of weeks have been speeeing past us on roads down in England at well-over the limit in their modern cars........

Good by the way to see the "cogniscenti" Adrian Chandler (kiwi land), Stewart (Cumbria) and Patrick (Canada) at last having another blather about Solex FFIA carbs and sun-roofs on P3's on the "old " RSR chat group. Year ago the P2 used to dominate tech gossip but recently thanks to Stewart, Patrick and Paul Gregory the P3 is the running board Rover in the news. Those of us in the RSR for so long with the same model can get stuck-in on anorak detail, but it's all necessary and important.

Now let's read all about modern Rovers on this site................

Best to all.

Tim Moore R7411445