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In every project, there are certain moments that stand out, and we have just hit one of those milestones: the engine is finally installed in the TVR! This marks a pivotal step in bringing our vision for this restored classic to life.
The journey to this point was not without its challenges, as we spent months sourcing the right parts, restoring or modifying every single part, ensuring every detail met our standards for performance and compatibility. The freshly built engine was finally ready to go in, but after careful preparation of the engine bay, our first go at the installation uncovered that the engine mounting brackets were the wrong fit—a frustrating setback.
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The 20th of October marked the final round in OUMF’s 14th year racing in the HRDC. Our Riley One Point Five competing in the ‘Jack Sears Trophy’ and the Austin Healey Seabring Sprite in the ‘Dunlop Allstars’. This event would be impossible without the support of the HRDC’s Race Director, Julius Thurgood; him being a key player into letting us race at some of the UK’s finest circuits. This weekend to many of the new freshers, including myself would be their debut race weekend, meaning Ding had his work cut out to pick out a team with the 92+ different members who had joined the club the month prior. The week of Silverstone a list was organized, being a team of 9 previous members to be supported by 10 freshers to ensure the weekend would run as smooth as possible, along with giving the opportunity to see how the freshers would fit in the team and compare to many professional race teams there that weekend.  The Team and cars in the Silverstone pits
The preparations for me began on Thursday evening when I arrived having been away from OUMF due to the start of my placement. It was good to be back at the barn and part of the team again. The team gathered to give our trusty Riley a final once-over before the big weekend. Everything was looking good and by Saturday morning, the Riley was primed and ready to go. We packed up the van, loaded the Riley, and hit the road at 4 PM, bound for Brands Hatch with excitement and optimism.
 A trailer wheel rolling past the van while leaving the HQ was not the best omen with which to start a race weekend - but luckily the OUMF race team is not superstitious! Attempt 2 to leave went much more smoothly, and the team made their way north-east to the very technical Snetterton 300 race circuit in Norfolk. The team had just returned from Belgium the previous weekend, where we had scored a notable success with a Class win with our rally Riley 1.5 in the FIA Ardeca Ypres Rally. Almost as soon as we got off the DFDS ferry, we had continued the race prep our 1959 Elva Courier, in the hope of running it at Snetterton 5 days later. While it was quite the valiant effort to try and get the ol’ girl ‘good to race’, it was eventually decided to put a much less time-constrained effort in on the car after Snetterton. This meant the team fully committed to taking our Sebring Sprite and Riley 1.5 racers, our tried and tested machines which only required a quick refresh instead of a full buildup!
On reaching the circuit near Norwich, we set up our pit at the track and then made our way to the pub for some grub. However, after previous all-nighter of race prep took its toll on many of the team, and upon our return to the track, a rare occurrence took place…the exhausted OUMF’s were all in bed by 22:00!
The OUMF Austin Healey Sebring Sprite had been lucky enough to spend a few months on sabbatical leave at the British Motor Museum in Gaydon – and some readers may have seen it on its own display in the entrance foyer. For us at OUMF this was an opportunity we could not miss; a chance to exhibit the 6 year practical project representing the engineering efforts of 100’s of students. At Gaydon – away from the racetrack - the public could get up close and personal with the car and admire all its beautiful details. Upon collecting our ‘Little BeWT’, a week before it was to be on track at Donington, Jeff Coope (the museum’s MD) kindly took Ding and I for some lunch, over which he described the huge public interest there had been in not only the Sprite, but the overall concept of OUMF and the incredible opportunities it gives us as students. Once we were full of sandwiches and cake, the Sprite was loaded onto the trailer in no time with the help of some visitors, and we set off down the M40, Oxford bound!  Who are Zircotec?
Zircotec Ltd is a world leader in heat management, specialising in high temperature coatings and heat barrier solutions. Originally part of the UK Atomic Energy Authority, Zircotec’s expertise lies in thermal barrier technologies initially developed for the nuclear industry. Zircotec is known for its plasma-sprayed ceramic coating materials that provide thermal and abrasive resistance. Their core products, such as...
 The Classic Car & Restoration Show at the NEC, hosted annually by Practical Classics magazine, has become a favorite of OUMF members in the past few years. OUMF is a club that prides itself on its can-do attitude as can be seen throughout countless event and race emergencies throughout the club’s history! The Practical Classics Classic Car & Restoration Show gives the opportunity for OUMF members to showcase not only the products of their labors but also the techniques and skills built and refined through teamwork and collaboration.
Introduction
The headliner, also known as the roof lining, is the fabric panel that spans the interior of the roof above the heads of the occupants, and in the Kestrel’s case, the fabric extends down the B and C pillars to the waistline of the car. It is suspended from 6 arched metal rods that slide into pockets on the upper, roof side of the lining and their ends locate in holes in the cant rails down either side of the inside of the roof. Over time, headliners can sag, tear, rot, become damaged by UV, or stained by tobacco smoke and hair products. The process of replacing the headliner is a painstaking but rewarding process which can greatly improve the overall look and feel of the car. With the average price to install a headlining kit ranging from £250-£500, our aim was to document the entire process so that other enthusiasts might feel confident enough to tackle the replacement and do a professional job, at a fraction of the price. While our headlining is known as a suspended headliner, and this is a report on the fitting of this specific kit, the steps are applicable to many other models and designs.
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