Sadly, this will be the last Max’s Mutterings. We intended putting it up in a few instalments, but have decided to publish it in its entirety. Dad passed away quietly in the early hours of Thursday morning 13th January, 2022, 50 years after he started Vintage Motor Garage. He was 87 and suffering from congestive… Read More
1000 Miles in 24 hours Max wrote this back in 2003 and as October is fast approaching it’s worth reminiscing over this particular escapade of 1973. On October 23 1923 the International 200 Mile Race was held at Brooklands Race Track in Surrey UK. Alvis were a fairly new company making cars with better than… Read More
Thank you to Anna’s teacher who reached out to us via email overnight. We are happy to include the article Anna found in the course of her studies about the history of cars. It’s a great article and only takes a short time to read. It explains the difference between classic, antique and vintage very… Read More
Bicycle Frame Geometry This is an interesting exercise in bicycle frame fit and why one size fits all frame geometry, doesn’t! The crimson and white frame is one I built for a customer in 1987 that I was given back a few years ago. Ishiwata 019 tubing. Suntour Superbe Pro equipped.The white and green frame… Read More
Bicycle Days – Part 3 I did all my own paintwork and here too I tried to be innovative by doing multiple colours, and even using my own handprints to make a pattern that made every paint job unique. All the while I was racing NSW State A grade, I usually finished in the top… Read More
Bicycle Days – Part Two That first frame ended up being crashed within a few months. I acquired it back from the guy and still have it hanging on my shed wall, albeit with a few fittings removed when I ran short later on. I had a partially successful batch of stickers printed by a… Read More
Bicycle Days – Part One Adapted from a post originally on Jonathan Houston Classic Racing Facebook page. I started bicycle racing at 15 years of age in 1978 with the (NSW) Central Coast Youth Club Cycling Club, later to become the Central Coast Cycling Club. I remained in the club for my entire cycling career,… Read More
Continued: – We managed to hitch a ride back to Sydney and immediately returned in a rather decrepit British Dodge truck we used to take rubbish to the Kurnell tip. It was a long night, a very long night. On dismantling it was apparent that a big end bolt had broken, they were unoriginal bolts… Read More
Continued: – In the Alvis Club I won 7 All Night Trials, competed in the Petit Prix de Tourisme at Marsden Park airstrip, won a Hill Climb at Old Razorback, competed in VMC Mountain Rallies and participated in Historic Racing at Amaroo Park in the 1970s. Alvis Day by the Ferry at Lower Portland was… Read More
Continued: – One day a man came into the shop at Enmore where I worked to enquire who the owner of the Alvis parked outside in Stanmore road was. His name was Norm Adams, who started the Alvis Car Club and was the President for 21 years. He gave me the little green card that… Read More
Vintage Motor Garage 