Author Archive for Alistair Courtney

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Stoneleigh 2016

Published on July 25, 2016 in Uncategorized. Closed

After the success of the club’s 30th anniversary celebration in 2015, we wondered whether 2016 might be a bit of a come down. We were down by a couple of cars on Sunday with around 17 cars present, but on Monday we had 16 up by 4 on 2015.

We may not have had a Midas birthday cake to share around this year, but we still held our AGM, barbeque and concours. The standard of presentation was even better this year, making the judges job harder than ever and it was great to see that the cars are being used and loved.

Midas Cars featured in Kit Car and TKC Magazines

Published on November 11, 2015 in News. Closed

November has brought along two Midas magazine features:

Kit Car magazine has an eight page feature on Richard Streets’ kit car history, telling the story of his Mk2 Bronze, a brief flirtation with a Robin Hood and how he has transformed his Gold convertible into one of the best examples currently on the road.

TKC magazine has a feature on the Midas Owners Club, its anniversary and in particular it relates the story of how the Gold Coupe moulds were retrieved from Berlin.

These magazines are currently in the newsagents, so look out for them now!

The Footman James Classic Vehicle Restoration Show, 7th & 8th November 2015, Royal Bath & West Showground, Shepton Mallet.

Published on October 8, 2015 in News and Past Events. Closed

MOC stand being prepared on Saturday morning

For our first venture for the club into classic car shows we could not have dreamed of a better show.

The club members rallied round and we ended up with more cars than we could fit on our stand!

Fortunately, the last bit of empty space was just across the aisle so we set up a satellite stand there for a couple more cars.

Stephen Jiggins and Tony Moss on the MOC satellite stand

Guests of honour were Roger and Melanie Garland representing the Mini Marcos Owners Club, further cementing the ties between our two clubs. As the Mini-Marcos is celebrating its 50th birthday this year and both the Mk3 Midas Gold Coupe and the Mk4 2+2/Cortez are celebrating their 30th and 20th birthdays respectively, we felt it appropriate to give the stand a party theme. The cars were adorned with balloons and birthday banners, whilst cake was shared out among the club members present.

And a remix of the cars for Sunday morning.

And a slight remix of the cars for Sunday morning.

The show consisted of three large halls for the cars and another one for trade stands. A few more trade stands were situated in the corridor between the main halls and a small autojumble was situated outside. To add further variety a classic car auction was held in another hall, whilst classic and kit car owners were parked on the tarmac right next to the halls.

The Kit Car hall was a new idea for the show itself and thanks must go to Ian Stent of Complete Kit Car magazine for arranging it. The show’s organizers were very pleased with the content of the hall and the positive response from the visiting public. They expect to repeat the exercise next year and the Midas Owners Club hopes to be able to attend again.

Mini Action Day 2015, Castle Combe Circuit, September 26th 2015

Published on September 14, 2015 in News and Past Events. Closed

Once again we were blessed with good weather and the sun shone down on Castle Combe for the last outdoor event of 2015.

As usual our members took full advantage of the activities. Some ventured out on track for the fast lapping sessions, whilst others preferred the more restrained lunchtime parade laps. Some just came along to soak up the atmosphere, chat with fellow enthusiasts and peruse the trade stands.

Our friends in the Mini-Marcos Owners Club were celebrating the 50th aniversary of the launch of their model and were out in force. They had the honour of leading the parade laps and continued their celebrations with an evening meal and trips to notable Marcos venues the following day.

More photos and comments from Midas Owners can be found on the Forum

And the official Mini Action Day Facebook page provides an overview of the whole day.

National Mini Day, Stanford Hall, September 13th 2015

Published on September 7, 2015 in Past Events. Closed

This proved to be a really great show and the Mini fans couldn’t have been more welcoming.

Held at Stanford Hall in Leicestershire, just a few miles from where the M1 meets the M6 and A14, so it would be hard to find a more central location. Stanford Hall itself is a 17th century manor house, but it seems to be most famous for being the site where early aviation pioneer, Percy Pilcher, died in a hang gliding accident in 1899. That is about 50 years before the Americans think they invented hang gliders! (It is reckoned that the Chinese beat the Americans by about 1400 years, but then again what was Icarus up to when he plummeted to his death?)

Nowadays Stanford Hall is open to the public and hosts many events such as the National Mini Day. We didn’t get time to investigate the old manor house as there was too much else to see and do. Hopefully, the club will attend the show again next year and more Midas owners will bring their cars along to show the Mini fans what it is all about.

Haynes Rare Breeds Show, September 6th 2015

Published on August 3, 2015 in Past Events. Closed

Another event blessed with glorious weather! Our group of Midas cars was rather split up by various interlopers (although some comparisons could be made), but that didn’t stop the Midas owners who attended from thoroughly enjoying the day. There was a splendid mix of cars outdoors in the sunshine and a museum full of interesting cars to view indoors.

What with the bacon baps served in the morning and the cream teas just before we departed what more could we ask for? Well someone did point out the lack of any ice cream vans, but that was just being picky…

The Mini-Marcos and Marcos Euro-regions meeting 2015 – Leusden August 30th.

Published on August 3, 2015 in Past Events. Closed

Three European Midas owners attended the Mini-Marcos and Marcos Euregio event and had a great time. The Midas and the Mini-Marcos share a common bond in that the Midas was born out of Harold Dermott’s experiences gained from building the Mini-Marcos. The owners of all the cars, Midas, Mini Marcos and Marcos, also share a common bond that comes from driving a car that is different from the mainstream and the enjoyment of driving a car that is not simply a tool for getting from A to B.

2015 Open Day and MOC barbeque.

Published on July 23, 2015 in News and Past Events. Closed

This year’s event took place on Sunday 19 July. Over 50 people and 15 Midas Cars turned out for the day.

With 1 Mk2 Coupe, 4 Mk3 Gold Coupes, 4 Gold Convertibles, 4 Mk4 Cortez Coupes and two Excelsior convertibles present, just about every model was represented and, if you include the cars being worked on in Alistair’s workshop, every model was there.

As usual tea, coffee and cake was served on arrival and everybody got into the swing by talking about important matters, i.e. our Midas Cars.

The Owners’ Club Barbeque soon got fired up and we all tucked into a lunch of burgers. hot-dogs and chicken drumsticks (there were also some salad side dishes available for those seeking something healthier).

Continue reading ‘2015 Open Day and MOC barbeque.’

Midas Cars featured in Complete Kit Car photo shoot

Published on June 24, 2015 in News. Closed

Complete Kit Car July 2015

During the National Kit Car Show, at Stoneleigh, Ian Stent of Complete Kit Car magazine gathered together a selection of Midas models for a photo shoot.

The results can be seen on the cover and in a seven page feature in the July 2015 issue.

In the feature, Ian relates the history of the Midas marque and how the MOC was founded.

David Johnson

Published on December 30, 2014 in News and Past Events. Closed

It was with great sadness that we learned of the death of David Johnson at the beginning of June. David had been our Membership Secretary for the last couple of years and had done a great job of sorting out the membership records and boosting our numbers.

He will be greatly missed by us all. Not just as our Membership Secretary, but also as a great Midas enthusiast who regularly attended events in his Midas.

A small delegation of Midas owners attended David’s funeral and joined other mourners in remembering a man who embraced life with much enthusiasm, joy and good humour.