Over thirty-five rare, unusual and beautiful sports and racing cars manufactured in England will be on display at the Simeone Foundation Automotive Museum from February 20th through March 14th, 2010. Titled the “Best of Britain,” the show is comprised of cars from individual collectors in the mid-Atlantic states and is intended to illustrate why the adjective “British” is inseparable from the term “sports car.”

The “Best of Britain” show is included with regular museum admission, $12 adults, $10 seniors, $8 for students. Children under 8 are admitted free. The Museum is open Tuesdays from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Wednesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information call 215-365- 7233, or visit the Web site at: www.simeonemuseum.org.

Cars in the show include a 1935 Triumph Gloria Southern Cross that was once part of the Henry Ford Museum, a 1960 MGA Twin Cam Coupe that raced at Sebring, and a 1966 Aston Martin DB6, one of the most potent sports cars of its era. The poster car, a 1934 Squire is the first of only seven ever built, and is considered by many to be among the most beautiful British sports cars ever made.

“Best of Britain” Cars, Owners and Descriptions

1933 Squire Roadster
Simeone Foundation Automotive Museum
In 1933, at the age of 21, Adrian Squire left his job at the MG factory to build the greatest sports car in the world. Using the most advanced components available, the car was priced beyond what the market would bear and a total of only seven were built. This is chassis number 001, the very first produced. Adrian Squire was later killed in the Blitz.

1935 MG P-Type Lester
Jason Urban, Kintnersville, PA
This MG was one of the first converted by Harry Lester into a race car and was a very successful private entry. It was raced extensively in the UK by Lester and Donald Pitt in the 1940’s, winning the 1947 Ulster Handicap, Prescott Hillclimb,Brighton Speed Trials, and many other UK events. A lightweight aluminum body covers a race prepared PB engine and mostly stock PA chassis.

1935 Triumph Southern Cross
Dennis Mamchur, Verona, NJ
The Southern Cross was popular for rallying and competition work and did especially well in the 1934 and 1935 Monte Carlo and Alpine Rallies. This particular car was brought to the US in 1973 to celebrate the 50 Years of Triumph and was photographed with its designer, Donald Healey. It was also shown at the Henry Ford Museum in Detroit. Only 12 are left in the world, 3 in the US.

1938 Aston Martin 15/98
Vincent Young, Bedford, NY
Prior to the 15/98, Aston Martins were competition-bred sports cars that could be driven on the street. However, the 15/98 was a more civilized design, intended to appeal to a broader section of the market, though several were raced with success. Available in two chassis lengths, this short chassis example was one of approximately 50, 2/4 seaters bodied by Abbey.

1949 Healey Silverstone
Rich Myers,Vorhees, NJ
Before the Austin-Healey collaboration, Donald Healey built his own line of cars. The Silverstone model, introduced in 1949, was a bare bones, two-seat sports car. It featured a 2.5 liter Riley engine capable of 106hp. Only 105 of these cars were produced in the two years they were built. This particular car is considered the most original Healey Silverstone in the world.

1950 HRG 1500
Gary Ford, Voorhees, NJ
The HRG (from the surnames of its founders) Engineering Company LTD. produced impressive sports cars from its founding in 1936 until 1956, with total production reaching just 241 units. In 1939 and 1949, an HRG won the 1.5-liter class at Le Mans. A two-seater car fitted with a 1.5 liter, Singer four-cylinder engine was introduced in 1949. The designs were nearly identical to the pre-war cars.

1950 MG TD
Michael & Myra Jones, Bethlehem, Pa.
The MG TD, arguably, did more to popularize British sports cars after the war than any other model. This MG TD is one of the first 650 TD’s produced. It features solid disc wheels as opposed to the slotted wheels on later models, and originally came without turn signals. This was the owner’s first car and has been used for work, rallies, and autocross since 1960.

1952 Jaguar XK120 OTS
Arnold Rapoport, Allentown, Pa.
When the XK120 was introduced at 1948 Earls Court Motor Show, it was a sensation. The car was modern, smooth, and seductive, and was the world’s fastest production car at that point in time. This car was built in September 1951 but not sold in the States until 1952. This car has most of the features of an early production car with the exception of the later painted seat frames.

1952 Nash-Healey Roadster
DeSimone Collection, Cherry Hill, NJ
The Nash-Healey was a two-seat sports car that was produced for the American market between 1951 and 1954. Nash Motors supplied the Donald Healey Motor Company with the powertrain components. For 1952, Nash commissioned Italian designer Pininfarina to revise Healey’s original body design and the restyled car appeared at that year’s Chicago Auto Show. Only 150 were built for 1952.

1954 Frazer Nash Le Mans Coupe
Frank Allocca, Chester, NJ
Founded in 1922 by Archibald Frazer-Nash, the company produced about 400 cars in the 1930s, including right hand drive versions of the BMW 328. After the war, the company continued to evolve the 328 with a number of models, including this extremely rare (only 9 produced) Le Mans Coupe. This is the only Coupe that was left hand drive. It was raced in the early ‘60s by top woman driver Smokey Drolet.

1958 A.C. Bristol
Sandy Stadtler, Berwyn, Pa.
The A.C. Bristol was made from 1955 to 1961 with a hand-formed aluminum body on a tubular steel frame. The 125hp six- cylinder engine is a BMW design that was given to the English as part of German war reparations. This particular car has been in the collection of the current owner since 1964. It has been used for daily transportation and raced in hillclimbs and road races.

1958 Jomar Coupe
Albert Way,  Ocean View, NJ
The Jomar was the creation of Ray Seidel of Manchester, New Hampshire. The most common model used an English TVR chassis with an 1100 cc Coventry Climax engine to which Seidel formed an aluminum body for racing. A series of coupe models were made by TVR and rebadged by Seidel as Jomars for sale in the US as road cars.

1958 Lotus Seven
Dean & Claudia Giacopassi, Newport News,Va.
The Lotus Seven was in production from 1957 through 1972. Designed by Colin Chapman, the Seven featured light-weight construction and a powerful engine, resulting in great performance, going from zero to sixty in around 5 seconds and atop speed of about 100 mph. This car was originally supplied in kit form to bypass the Purchase Tax in England that was levied on all complete goods.

1959 Elva Courier
Hunter Lott & Bob Brumbaugh
Designed and built by ex-grocer Frank Nichols during England’s thriving cottage car industry in 1958. Its tubular frame, front wishbone suspension,fiberglass body and MG power yielded light weight and excellent handling. Mark Donohue won his first SCCA title in 1960 in a Courier. This car raced at Lime Rock, VIR, and Watkins Glen.

1959 Lotus Elite
Joseph and Patricia Marchione, Absecon, NJ
This Lotus was shipped to Jay Chamberlain, the US importer on November 25th,1959. Indications are that it was delivered to as a factory prepared racing car in Stage II tune, including twin Weber carburetors, four branch exhaust and .360 cam. Although the racing history for 1096 is unknown, it was obvious from things found during restoration that it had been raced - and crashed - at some point.

1959 MGA Twin Cam Coupe
Jonathan A. Stein, Reading, Pa.
Between 1958 and 1960 MG built 2,111 MGA Twin Cams, of which there were 323 coupes. All Twin Cams were powered by a 1588cc, 108 hp double-overhead camshaft engine and fitted with four-wheel disc brakes and knock-off steel wheels. This Twin Cam coupe is one of 95 originally shipped to North America.

1959 Turner Mk.I Climax
Jeff Brenner,  Felton, Pa.
Jack Turner established Turner Sports Cars Ltd. near Wolverhampton, England in 1949. Turners were small, economical, sports cars that were sold mostly to the US and Europe. In 1959 the chassis and body was redesigned and given the name MK1. The standard engine was an Austin, however, a variety of engine and mechanical components, including Coventry Climax engines, were available.

1960 MGA Twin Cam (Sebring)
John Wright, Upper Black Eddy, Pa.
An original and unrestored Works Twin Cam MGA. It is fitted with an alloy hardtop, competition seats,2” SU carburetors, oil cooler, 4.55 gears and close ratio gearbox. The car was built for and raced at Sebring 1960, driven by Californians Jim Parkinson and Jack Flaherty. This competition MGA Twin Cam is a survivor, having covered less than 6000 miles.

1960 Triumph TR3A
Richard T Herwig, Southampton, Pa.
The 20TS prototype appeared in 1952, followed a year later by the TR2 before being replaced by the TR3 in 1955. In 1956, Girling disc brakes were added, a first for production automobiles. Over 60,000 TR3s were built. Among many local and regional first places, this car has received 1st in class and senior awards at the National Vintage Triumph Registry.

1961 Triumph Italia 2000 GT
Dave Hutchison, Quakertown, Pa.
This Michelotti styled body was built by Vignale of Turin Italy and was fitted to the Triumph TR3A chassis. About 300 cars were built between 1959 to 1963 with 35 imported to the States. Many of the Italia design cues were later bought forth in the TR4 by Michelotti. This is car # 194 and was restored by Ragtops & Roadsters in 1995 and has won many National and Concours awards.

1962 Austin-Healey 3000
Bob Owens, Quakertown, Pa.
The Austin-Healey 3000 was introduced as an improvement to the 100/6 in 1959. It featured a larger six-cylinder engine and front Girling disc brakes. Horsepower rose to 124 bhp and top speed was 114 mph. Starting in 1961, the 3000 came with a new gearbox and in 1962 creature comforts like winding windows and foldaway top were added.

1962 Daimler Dart
Brad Rosengarten, Conshohocken, Pa.
The original Dart was introduced in 1959 at the New York Motor show. At first it was remarkably popular with a fiberglass body, 2.5 litre Hemi-head V8 and four wheel Girling disc brakes. After being threatened with legal repercussions by Chrysler’s Dodge division, the Dart name was dropped and renamed the Daimler SP250.

1962 Morgan Plus 4
Michael Mulroney, Villanova, Pa.
The Morgan Plus 4 is a larger and more powerful version of the Morgan Motor Company’s 4/4 model and was made between 1950 and 1969. This Plus 4 was modified by London-based Lawrence Tune for competition. It has extensive U.K. and European competition history. The car has been driven by Professor Mulroney since 1988 in over 100 SCCA and vintage events.

1963 Triumph TR4
Dick Stockton, Ocean City, NJ
The Triumph TR4 was introduced in 1961 with a drivetrain based on the TR3 and a modern and updated body by Michelotti. This car has been a race car its entire life. Raced and built by Dick Stockton it sat on the pole of the SCCA Run-offs at Daytona in 1965. It was then raced successfully by Buzz Marcus, and then Mike Farling. Dick Stockton has been racing the car again since 2002.

1965 Aston Martin DB6 Volante
Vincent Young, Bedford, NY
The Volante, a convertible version of the DB6, was unveiled at the 1966
London Motor Show. As with all drophead Astons, the DB6 Volante was the
absolute height of elegance. Their timeless elegance and relative rarity,
with only 140 produced, has ensured that these are among the most
desirable Astons ever.

1965 Sebring Sprite
Jeff Brenner, Felton, Pa.
The Austin-Healey Sprite was produced from 1958 through 1971 with 129,347 examples of the two-door, low-cost, open roadster being produced. In 1959, special-bodied Sprite coupes were made by English tuner Speedwell and entered at the Sebring 12-hour race. Many “Sebring Sprites” followed including this example that raced at the 1965 Sebring and featured unique running gear.

1966 Jaguar  XK-E Coupe
William Avery, Gwynedd Valley, Pa.
A direct descendent of the company’s famed D-Type racer, the E-Type Jaguar was an immediate sensation when it was launched in 1961. Its combination of good looks, high performance, and competitive pricing established the marque as an icon of 1960s motoring. A great success for Jaguar, over seventy thousand E-Types were sold during its lifespan.

1966 Sunbeam Tiger
Sumra Manning, Lansdale, Pa.
The Sunbeam Tiger was developed by Ken Miles and Carroll Shelby using the Sunbeam Alpine chassis with a Ford 260 cid engine. A “poor man’s Cobra,” the Tiger was actually more advanced in design. This car was sold new in Dayton, Ohio, exported back to England and then re-imported 15 years ago. The car is a consistent class winner in regional car shows.

1967 Ginetta G4
Hunter Lott & George Alderman
Designed and built by the four Walklett brothers in England, the G4 was intended for both the road and track. The car was powered by a Ford 105E engine with cross flow head and 2 Weber 45DCOEs producing 160hp. Production continued until 1969 with around 500 examples being constructed. Acquired in 2007, this car has won a vintage race at Watkins Glen.

1968 Aston Martin DB6
Irene and Hunter Lott
The Aston Martin DB6 was introduced in October of 1965 and production was discontinued in 1970,with only 1,172 examples created. The DB6 was somewhat larger than its predecessor, the DB5. Top speed was just under 150 mph while zero-to-sixty took just 6.2 seconds. The DB6 was the final phase of evolution for the Touring-designed DB series. This car was acquired by the present owners in 2008.

1968 TR5 PI
Kevin M. Kelly, Absecon, NJ
The TR5 announced ‘PI’ for Petrol Injection on its badge, the first British production car so equipped. It was produced from August, 1967 thru December, 1968 concurrently with the North American market TR250. Only 2947 TR5s were built, with Lucas Mk2 mechanical fuel injection, higher compression,hot camshaft, and twin exhaust manifold, which increased power to 150 bhp for the TR5.

1971 TVR Boss Tuscan
Albert Way, Ocean View, NJ
The Tuscan continued TVRs sporty pedigree, being clothed in a fiberglass body, fitted with a tubular steel chassis, and incorporating an independent suspension setup. This one-of-a-kind Tuscan was built by TVR Distributor Gerry Sagerman and powered by a Boss 302 engine sourced from Shelby American.

1974 MG B
Terence Allen,  Kintnersville, Pa.
The MG B was introduced in 1962, replacing the popular MG A. Over a half million “Bs” were made until production ended in 1980. This MG B was built in early 1974 and was one of the last cars built with chrome bumpers. The 1.8 liter engine produced 95hp and a top speed around 105 mph. This car is also fitted with the desirable overdrive transmission.

1974 MGB GT V8
Peter Cosmides, Moorestown, NJ
British Leyland offered this Rover V8 powered MG for a brief time from 1973 through 1976, and only produced a total of 2591 cars, and only for the UK market. The Rover motor used is the 215 cid aluminum V8 that had its origins with General Motors between 1960-1963. Fewer than 20 of these factory-built MGB GT V8s exist in the USA today.

1976 Triumph TR6
Chip Krout, Skippack, Pa.
The Triumph TR6 was introduced in 1969 and featured similar running gear to its predecessor, the TR5/TR250, but with new external styling. In mid-1976 production of the TR6 ceased, with over 94,500 examples produced. This car is one of the last 500 built. Other than the color of the paint and engine modifications, the car has been restored to original standards.

1978 Triumph TR7 Coupe
Peter Cosmides, Moorestown, NJ
Introduced in 1975, the TR7 was a completely fresh design from the ground up. Sophisticated for its day, it offered a very comfortable ride as well as modern cabin accommodations. Unfortunately, controversial styling and poor initial build quality plagued the car. This example is a standard production version in extremely original condition, with only 30,000 miles since new.

1980 Triumph Spitfire
Gregg R. Chapman, Babylon, NY
The final evolution of the Spitfire, this car is a true survivor, remaining original in every aspect and likely the lowest mileage in existence (400+). Complete with original Certificate of Origin, window sticker, invoice from Triumph to the selling dealer and a letter from Jaguar Triumph dated June 20th, 1985 questioning the status of the warranty since the car was still considered “New” stock 50 months after it was delivered.