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AVCMC Fanmail
August
2017
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From The Driver's Seat
By Joe Janssens
The main event this month was the AGM which took
place at Glens Den and was well attended by 27 paid up members. The
following main points were addressed: election of committee
members, new clubhouse relocation, announcement of Club and
Chairman trophies and regalia. Once again the snacks organised by
Mike Newlands were a great success.
Since 7 members of the previous committee have
accepted to continue to serve for the next year, a seamless
transition will help the path into the future. This commitment can
only be beneficial to the success of our club and all it's members.
As per the club’s constitution a committee meeting
was held during which the office bearers were assigned their
portfolios, which are shown in this newsletter.
The constitution allows the Chairman to serve for
two years, it is also stated in the constitution that the committee
can extend the Chairman’ s mandate for a third year.
It is therefore an honour for me to accept to serve
for another year as Chairman of this great club. I would like to
remind everyone that the success of a club is made by the personal
contribution of each club member.
I trust that the event managers are already hard at
work and that some interesting and fun events will come out of
their hats and that they will be well supported by all members.
The establishment of the new clubhouse is well on
its way and should be fully operational before end of September.
Joe Janssens
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Through The Windscreen
(This
is what lies ahead)
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For Your Diary
Thursday 10
August - 5 to 8pm - Motoring DVD at
the Noggin
Thursday
17 August - 5 to 8pm - Supper Night
Bring and Braai at Glens Den. Please buy all drinks from the bar
Saturday
26 August - 9am to noon - AVCMC Museum
Only R20 per visitor. Bring all of your friends
Sunday
3 to Thursday 7 September - SAVVA National Rally
Golden Gate Hotel will be the base. Cars up to 1997 are eligible.
Entry forms etc are available from René Greenland or phone her
on 0733080827 or you can download them yourself from Free State Veteran
Car Club
Sunday
24 September - 3.30pm - Kowie River Boat Ride
The boat leaves at 4pm. R50 per head. There are only 50 passengers
permitted so book your place now. RSVP to Rob Wallis as soon
as possible: 082 334 0354 or email
Fires will be ready when the boat docks for a Bring and Braai.
Please buy all drinks on the boat or from the Ski Boat Club.
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Birthday Congratulations
August
4 Eden Bradfield
4 Dave McNeill
10 Don Johnston
14 Bill Martin
16 Norbert Drager
24 Len Whittal
26 Hans Van Eck
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The Times They Are A
Changing!
Sent in by Shirley
Martin
Shirley received it from Barry Hugo,
investment manager for Hereford Group. The origin is
uncertain but may be the CEO of Mercedes Benz?
Just a few things for us all to ponder, especially the younger
ones amongst us.
Did you think back in 1998 that 3 years later you would never
take pictures on film again? In 1998 Kodak had 170,000
employees and sold 85 % photo paper worldwide. Within just a few
years their business model disappeared and they went bankrupt. What
happened to Kodak will happen in a lot of industries in the next 10
years and, most people won't see it coming. Yet digital
cameras were invented in 1975. The first ones only had 10,000
pixels, but followed Moore's law. So as with all exponential
technologies, it was a disappointment for a time, before it became
way superior and became mainstream in only a few short years. It
will now happen again with Artificial Intelligence, health,
autonomous and electric cars, education, 3D printing,
agriculture and jobs. Welcome to the 4th Industrial
Revolution. Welcome to the Exponential Age.
Software will disrupt most traditional industries in the next 5-10
years. Uber is just a software tool, they don't own any cars,
and are now the biggest taxi company in
the world.
Airbnb is now the biggest hotel company in the world, although they
don't own any properties.
Artificial Intelligence: Computers become exponentially
better in understanding the world. This year, a computer beat the
best Go-player in the world, 10 years earlier than expected.
In the US, young lawyers already don't get jobs. Because of IBM's
Watson you can get legal advice (so far for more or less basic
stuff) within seconds. With 90% accuracy compared with 70% accuracy
when done by humans. So if you study law,
stop immediately. There will be 90% less lawyers in the
future. Only specialists will remain.
Watson already helps nurses diagnosing cancer, which is 4
times more accurate than human nurses.
Facebook now has a pattern recognition software that can recognize
faces better than humans. In 2030 computers will become more
intelligent than humans. (NEVER says Albert)
Autonomous cars: In 2018 the first self-driving cars will
appear for the public. Around 2020 the complete industry
will start to be disrupted. You won't want to own a car
anymore. You will call a car with your phone, it will show up
at your location and drive you to your destination. You will not
need to park it, you only pay for the driven distance and can be
productive while being driven. Our kids will never need to get
a driver's license and will never own a car. It will
change the cities, because we will need 90-95% less cars for
that. We can transform former parking spaces into parks.
1.2 million people die each year in car accidents
worldwide. We now have one accident every 60,000
miles (100,000 km), with autonomous driving that will
drop to 1 accident in 6 million miles (10 million km). That will
save a million lives each year.
Most car companies will probably become bankrupt. Traditional car
companies try the evolutionary approach and just build a better
car, while tech companies like Tesla, Apple, Google will do the
revolutionary approach and build a computer on wheels. Many
engineers from Volkswagen and Audi are completely terrified of
Tesla.
Insurance companies will have massive
trouble because without accidents, the insurance will become
100x cheaper. Their car insurance business model will
disappear.
Real Estate will change. Because if you can work while you
commute, people will move further away to live in a more
beautiful neighbourhood.
Electric cars will become mainstream about 2020. Cities
will be less noisy because all new cars will run on
electricity.
Electricity will become incredibly cheap and clean. Solar
production has been on an exponential curve for 30 years, but you
can now see the burgeoning impact. Last year, more solar
energy was installed worldwide than fossil. Energy companies are
desperately trying to limit access to the grid to prevent
competition from home solar installations, but that can't last.
Technology will take care of that
strategy.
With cheap electricity comes cheap and abundant water.
Desalination of salt water now only needs 2kW/h per cubic meter at
0.25 cents). We don't have scarce water in most places, we only
have scarce drinking water. Imagine what will be possible if anyone
can have as much clean water as he wants, for nearly no cost.
Health: The Tricorder X price will be announced this year. There
are companies who will build a medical device (called the "
Tricorder " from Star Trek) that works with your phone,
which takes your retina scan, your blood sample and you
simply breath into it. It then analyses 54
bio-markers that will identify
nearly any disease. It will be cheap, so in
a few years everyone on this planet will have access to world
class medical analysis, nearly for free. Goodbye
medical establishments.
3D printing: The price of the cheapest 3D printer came down
from $18,000 to $400 within 10 years. In the same time,
it became 100 times faster. All major shoe companies have
already started 3D printing shoes. Some spare airplane
parts are already 3D printed in remote airports. The space station
now has a printer that eliminates the need for the large amount of
spare parts they used to have in the past. At the end of this
year, new smart phones will have 3D scanning possibilities.
You can then 3D scan your feet and print your perfect shoe at
home. In China they have already 3D printed and built a
complete 6 storey office building. By 2027 10% of everything
that's being produced will be 3D printed.
Business Opportunities: If you think of a niche you want to
go into, first ask yourself, "In the future, do I think we
will have that?" If the answer is yes, how can you make that
happen sooner? If it doesn't work with your phone, forget the
idea. And any idea designed for success in the 20th century
is doomed to failure in the 21st century.
Work: 70-80 % of jobs will disappear in the next 20
years. There will be a lot of new jobs, but it is not clear if
there will be enough new jobs in such a short time. This will
require a rethink on wealth distribution.
Agriculture: There will be a $100 agricultural robot in the
future. Farmers in 3rd world countries can then become
managers of their field instead of working all day on
their fields.
Aeroponics: Will need much less water. The first Petri dish produced
veal, is now available and will be cheaper than cow produced veal
in 2018. Right now, 30% of all agricultural surfaces is used for
cows. Imagine if we don't need that space anymore.
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The Dashboard
(This is
going on right now)
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Remember
Sigrid Drews is at home and receiving 24/7 care. She is very frail.
Please remember this remarkable lady, in your prayers.
Our sympathies are with Roger Darkes whose brother passed away in
the UK. Roger and Sue will be overseas for 3 weeks or so.
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New Member
Welcome to Jackie Viner who has joined as an Associate Member. We
wish her all of the very best.
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Subs Are Due
by Ron Gush
Actually subs WERE due on 30 June.
About half of our members have paid and we are grateful to them.
At the AGM the new subs were approved: R250 for full
membership or R100 for associate membership.
Some members have paid the old
subscription rate of R150 for full and R60 for associate
membership.
So, if you have not paid, or if you have paid the old rate, we
appeal to you to please pay or make up the difference between the
old and the new.
Contact Treasurer Shirley on 071 675 4570 if there is a
problem.
Shirley has performed some kind of a magic trick to
balance our budget for the coming year and has come out with
a minuscule positive balance. Given the new expenses of
clubhouse rental and renovations, this is a truly amazing feat.
Well done Shirley.
But we can't do it without the support of our membership
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Club Regaila
We have a limited number of Club bumper badges
and these can be yours for a mere R200 per badge from Shirley
Martin. Phone her on 071 675 4570.
Unclaimed name badges
are stuck to the fridge in the Club House.
Roger Darkes has sourced very nice Club shirts.
Navy blue with the club badge stitched on where the pocket should
be. About R250. Roger will be getting 3 different sizes for you to
try on and for you to place your order at the next Supper
Night (17 Aug). That was the plan. We might have to wait for Roger
to get back from the UK....
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Classic &
Sports Car Insurance Placements
“We
Drive Classic Cars”
We
insure them with Great Care.
Approved
Broker: Mercedes-Benz Club South Africa
Tel: 031 701 0226
l Cell: 082 781 4410
Email:
pat@smythebros.com
A Division of
Smythe Financial Services cc Authorised FSP No. 16054
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Museum
by Ron Gush
Have you been to our museum lately? Dave and other members have
gone to a lot of trouble to acquire and display interesting stuff -
old tools and bits and pieces. It's not just a couple of old cars
parked under covers because members' garages are full.
Several members are putting a lot of effort into converting a
section of the area into a welcoming clubhouse. Joe has found a
nice bar at a very reasonable price.
Come along and offer some support and ideas. It's going to be a
great facility.
Open
to the public on the last Saturday of each month, 9am to noon. Tell
your friends.
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Website
by Ron Gush
One of the useful items in our website is the Useful Information
Database. UID for short. That is a very fancy name for a simple
list of service providers who are specifically useful to the owners
of old cars. How often have you had a problem and thought, "Now
where did I hear about a solution for this?" Most entries have
been found or used by our members but some are contacts gleaned
from reputable clubs and so on. Take a look. Click here
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The Rear View Mirror
(Past
Events)
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SAAFA Day at PAHS - Sat
15 July
by Ron Gush
Twelve old cars assembled at the Civic Centre to drive
in convoy up the hill to PAHS. The event was a fundraiser in aid of
SAAFA. Visitors were charged R20/person at the gate. Our old cars
got us in free.
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The old cars attracted quite a bit of attention but
far more interest was shown in the display of radio controlled
model aircraft. Flying exhibitions were very impressive, and no
doubt made more difficult, at least for the more conventional
aircraft, due to the gusty wind and presence of rugby posts and
spectators.
Quadcopters flying through the posts and under flag / hoops were most impressive
- even given that the pilots were wearing VR headsets and seeing
the view from the on board camera in real time!
The star of the show was the turbine powered jet
aircraft. Powered up, it sounded just like the real thing - which
of course it is. The pilot only taxied it around the rugby
field. Apparently the field was too short to land the jet
safely (and in one piece).
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It was a pleasant morning chatting to friends and
eating cup cakes and supporting the lucky parachute drop and so on.
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Recollections of
Motor Sport in the Fifties and Sixties
by Bob Duggan
My introduction into the sport happened in 1953 when as a youngster
I'd visited the Aston Martin London show room. I sat in and crawled
all over the most wonderful racing car imaginable, a DB3S which had
just won the RAC Tourist Trophy at Dundrod. I still regard the DB3S
as the most beautiful sports car of all time. Little could I
imagine that some years later I’d be driving in that event,
not at Dundrod but at Goodwood with an ex works Lotus against
amongst others, Innes Ireland appearing with an Aston Martin DB4GT
Zagato in addition to Roy Salvadori a survivor of Dundrod, he
having switched from a DB3S to a lightweight E Type Jaguar. I’m
told that boys of my generation usually wanted to become either
engine drivers, firemen, pilots or racing drivers. I never fancied
being an engine driver, but as fortune favoured me, I, at one time
or another, managed to fulfil the other three options.
Racing drivers have always fallen within three
distinct categories. The majority being wealthy amateurs some of
whom appeared infrequently and quickly disappeared from the scene.
The impecunious enthusiast and finally the professionals who
were engaged to drive factory prepared and entered cars or
alternatively drove for entrants who couldn’t or didn’t wish
themselves to compete. During these times and prior to excess
officialdom the introduction of dubious safety measures drivers
rubbed shoulders with one another, drank in the same Pubs and
chased the same girls. The paying public being charged a nominal
fee to enter the Paddock and getting as close as they wished to
drivers, cars and into the Pits. These structures were aptly
described being no more than a couple of concrete walls covered
with corrugating sheeting affording minimal protection from
inclement weather conditions. Cars receiving anything more than
minor attention were attended to in the open air paddock which was
no more than a piece of roped off ground.
On the subject of paid and amateur divers one might
say that the first named received a contracted wage payment from
their entrants as well as a percentage of starting / prize monies.
The others, like me, relying upon prize money now and then. Let me
say that as far as I know only Stirling Moss made a
satisfactory living from racing the others generally accruing
additional income from other sources. The situation is very
different in today’s world.
There’s always an exception to a rule. I recall that
at a Goodwood meeting in the early sixties a character by the name
of Weasel James (never did know his real Christian name)
having practiced his Brabham Formula Junior on a Friday didn’t show
up the next day for the race itself. It transpired that he was a
member of the Great Train robbery gang and clearly had a job to do
on the quiet. Not a bad way to finance ones hobby providing you
don’t get caught as he was.
(To be continued)
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Farewell To The Old Bar
by Ron Gush
Those of you who spent many a noggin leaning on the
bar can wave it Goodbye! It was sold for R1000 to a good cause and
loaded onto a bakkie. Isn't it amazing what you can get onto a
Bantam? Thanks to Joe for the picture.
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In The Boot
(Useful
Baggage and Tools for the trip)
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HOW TO MAKE YOUR
CLASSIC CAR DEPENDABLE
Sent in by Joe Janssens
Whether the wrench fits or not, anyone who has ever had a car break
down on the road knows that this sequence of events is startlingly
accurate. The car breaks down, then you swear a blue streak. You
hate the car, your spouse isn’t crazy about you… it’s not a good
situation for anyone.
Now, while anything can happen to a car,
particularly a vintage car, that causes it to transition from
moving down the road under its own power to coasting to a stop
while you hurl a stream of invective at it, most of the time, the
things that do break fall into one of six fairly mundane
categories (or, as I call them, The Big Six). They are:
The fuel delivery system (the gas
tank, fuel lines, fuel pump and pressure regulator, filters and
screens, and either the carburettor or the fuel injection system).
The cooling system (the
radiator, water pump, thermostat, hoses, heater core, and fan).
The charging system, by which I mean
the battery, battery cables, alternator, and voltage regulator.
The
ignition system
The belts (typically,
on a vintage car, there’s only one, and it runs both the alternator
and the water pump).
The ball joints that connect
the suspension to the steering.
Note that there is also a zeroth element on the
list: the tires—the part of your car that’s so prone to failure,
the car comes with a spare one. It’s so ingrained in us that tires
fail, but most other things don’t, that we simply call it a
“spare,” not a “spare tire and wheel.” I think that most of us know
not to motor around on 50-year old, bald, dry-rotted tires. And yet
we often don’t think twice about the other old systems in the car
until they fail and strand us.
Don’t get me wrong. It is possible
for anything to happen to a car, particularly a vintage
car.
And, even excepting metal fatigue and bad superseded
designs, it is certainly possible for the vicissitudes of time and
decay to catch up to a head gasket on any car.
But these lightning bolts from the blue are less
likely than The Big Six. Further, while there are many systems on
your car that help you enjoy a comfortable, safe, pleasant ride,
most of them are unlikely to fail while you are driving in a way
that will cause you to pull the trigger and use your AA membership.
For example, take the suspension. While a fresh
suspension is a delight, and seized or blown struts or shocks will
certainly cause oxcart-like handling, the suspension’s performance
is unlikely to degrade in such a way that drags you to the side of
the road. Or the exhaust. It can be grating to ride long distances
in a car which has blown a hole in its exhaust, but other than
attracting stares and possibly law enforcement’s attention, it’s an
annoyance, not a showstopper.
Even the brakes. While, obviously, you want to
verify that the brakes are functioning correctly before leaving for
a trip, and while it is possible for a car to, say, burst
a metal brake line, it is far less likely than a visit from one of
The Big Six.
The take-away message is that if, prior to taking
your vintage car on a long trip, you look at The Big Six – fuel,
ignition, cooling, and charging systems, plus the belts and the
ball joints – and prophylactically address any needs you find, you
will inoculate yourself with a bolus of reliability. Learn it. Live
it. It may save your car, your sanity, your marriage, and your
allocation of blue language.
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Specialist Shocks
Did
I ever publish this ad? Found it in my To Do file. Please let me
know if anyone uses them, and the outcome. In the interim I am
saving the info on the UID. Ron Gush
Ian Glass <ianglass@iafrica.com>
Specialist shockabsorber manufacturer
We manufacture specialised shockabsorbers for any
make of vehicle. Our focus is on shocks that are no longer produced
by the big shockabsorber companies – e.g. Ford Anglia front
cartridges.
If you are interested to see what we do the
best way to check us out is through our website – gtshocks.co.za. Take a look at
our product range to see if your vehicle features on the list. If
it does not, not to worry as we can build shocks from a sample or a
sketch. Just e-mail your requirements – address is also on the
website.
GT Shocks cc, 6 Berram Road, Rondebosch, Cape
Town 7700.
Tel: 021 6855485 cell: 083 4541119
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Committee
Chairman:
Joe Janssens 083 235 1101
Vice-Chairman:
Peter Viner
046 624 3552 or 082 831 5769
Events:
Roger Darkes 046
624 2874 or 082 373 8181
Secretary / Treasurer:
Shirley Martin 071 675
4570
Clubhouse Manager:
Peter Viner 046 624
3552 or 082 831 5769
Grahamstown Rep:
Norbert Drager 046 622 6282
or 072 765 6448
Fanmail Editor:
Ron Gush
046 648 3186 or 083 272 1961
Members:
Keith
Schroeder 046 624 4114 or 082 412 3378
Rob Wallis
082 334 0354
Other portfolio holders:
OD Inggs Co-ordinator:
Peter Viner
046 624 3552 or 082 831 5769
SAVVA rep and Vehicle Dating: Dave Hawkins
046 624 2215 or 082 453 2618
Webmaster:
John
Austin-Williams
(contact via Ron Gush for web content)
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Disclaimer
Opinions expressed in this newsletter are those of the authors or
contributors and are not necessarily those of the AVCMC nor
it's committee nor officials nor of any affiliated club.
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Tailpipe
by Ron Gush
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