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2009jamesb
United Kingdom
4 Posts |
 Posted - 31/01/2018 : 13:25:43
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I am trying to locate a Lester MG L1 Magna that my father used to race in the 1950's it is on the database here No. 3390 and the last known owner was Hiro Nishio in Japan.
Does anyone know where the car is now or who owns it?
I have pictures of my father racing it in 1954 and a race program from Goodwood with his entry. |
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Westbury
United Kingdom
1964 Posts |
Posted - 31/01/2018 : 13:52:09
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Hello, James.
I was very interested to see your ‘topic’ regarding your father’s Lester bodied ‘L’ type. ( I have a Lester bodied ‘NA’ Reg. No. AYT 197.)
Have you seen the book ‘Harry Lester, His Cars & The Monkey Stable?’ It was written and published a couple of years ago by Stewart Penfound.
On page 133 there is reference to an ‘L’ type (L O 610) Reg. No. MJ 6190.
It is stated that, ‘ It currently resides in Somerset, owned by Stephen Hill.
Hope that is of some help in your search.
Chris.
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Westbury
United Kingdom
1964 Posts |
Posted - 31/01/2018 : 14:10:18
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Hello again, James,
Just realised my mistake !
Yes, have just found the entry in the same book, page 128.
Current owner now shown as a Mr Tajima, Japan. (This was at the time of publication of the book in 2015.)
Sorry for previous information.
Chris. |
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2009jamesb
United Kingdom
4 Posts |
Posted - 31/01/2018 : 14:22:24
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Hi Chris
Thanks for the info, the chassis number of HRO 33 is L 0274 and apparently was the second car built by Harry Lester,
this is a picture of my father at Goodwood in 1954!
James |
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Ray Masters
United Kingdom
563 Posts |
Posted - 31/01/2018 : 16:43:29
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This is the car that for many years was , l think , on a second hand car lot in Ewloe , North Wales.
Used to see it frequently on our way to the North Wales coast in the 1950s / 60s.
Story was that the dealer was either not prepared to sell it or the asking price was very high. |
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powerplus
United Kingdom
599 Posts |
Posted - 31/01/2018 : 17:32:24
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Yes, Ray, I also recall having seen it in the forecourt of a garage in Ewloe on several occasions, also when travelling to Wales. I had not realised that it was one of the Lester cars, but my memory of it is in line with the picture - my Triple- M interest was latent from an early age!
Coincidentally, some years later I owned AYT 197, the Lester bodied NA Magnette, which competed so successfully in the early post war period.
Powerplus. |
Edited by - powerplus on 31/01/2018 17:34:06 |
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2009jamesb
United Kingdom
4 Posts |
Posted - 01/02/2018 : 09:50:00
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Does anyone know if there is a historic MG car club in Japan or any other way to contact Mr Tajima?
James |
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Colin Butchers
United Kingdom
1483 Posts |
Posted - 01/02/2018 : 10:31:36
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James. The best person to talk to is Stewart Penfound who has done a lot of research into Harry Lester and his cars. Stewart's email address is <stewart.penfound@btinternet.com>. I know that he would be very interested to see any photographs and other documents which you might have.
Also, Westbury - is your car really a Lester bodied car ? My understanding is that the body was made by Lionel Leonard himself apart from the cowl or nose cone. This was made by Harry Lester but I have been told that Leonard never paid Lester for it as he said that it caused the car to overheat. Whether it did or not, I don't know but without doubt in Leonard's hands it put up some quite remarkable performances.
Colin B.
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DickMorbey
United Kingdom
3672 Posts |
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2009jamesb
United Kingdom
4 Posts |
Posted - 01/02/2018 : 10:43:53
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I'm not sure of the maker of the body so am happy to be educated, I will ask my father at the weekend if the car overheated, and thanks for the contact details I will try all avenues.
James |
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Colin Butchers
United Kingdom
1483 Posts |
Posted - 01/02/2018 : 11:06:08
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James. My comment about the dodgy nose cone referred to the N Special, AYT197 now owned by "Westbury" - not your father's old car.
Colin B.. |
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Westbury
United Kingdom
1964 Posts |
Posted - 01/02/2018 : 12:44:22
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Hello Colin and fellow enthusiasts !
Thanks for your comments regarding AYT 197. Indeed the car was highly successful during Lionel Leonard’s ownership but even more so when he sold the car to his friend, Cliff Davis ,about 1950. The successes had led to a full page report in Motor Sport under ‘Rumblings’ inwhich the car is described as ‘ this astonishing MG’. ( I have now amassed quite a file on this car’s competition history but cannot find anything about the car between 1957 and 1965, can anyone help?)
The car still carries the Lester body and has a brass plate on the dash saying so. I think, Colin, you may be thinking of the body which Leonard originally constructed during the war, having removed the original four seater body. (. At the very least, I think it was heavily modified by Harry Lester. )
The tail on this car appears to be very similar to other Lester cars and foregive me for saying so but in my and many other’s opinion,not particularly attractive.
I am restoring an original ‘NE ‘ tail to replace the Lester one. The present radiator cowl was a replacement one which was fitted following a rather nasty shunt by Leonard, I think at Prescott. ( This car broke the class record there a number of times.) Again, in my opinion, not attractive and I have plans to replace that with a sloping one to the same pattern as before.
Best regards,and with due apologies to James for my intrusion.
Chris.
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John Brinkmann
USA
151 Posts |
Posted - 01/02/2018 : 15:24:06
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Photo from US Air Force officer stationed in England in the '50s. Details unknown.
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