"She is called Betsy because when I bought her in HK in early 1967 her rubber petrol feed pipe was de-composing which caused her to misfire (cough) and run badly (sputter). My wife had previously worked in a bank in the UK and the manager’s wife smoked and drank a lot resulting in her ‘coughing and sputtering’ like the Morgan. The manager’s wife was called...Betsy."
"Chama-se Betsy porque quando o comprei em Hong Kong no início de 1967, o cano de borracha de alimentação de gasolina estava em decomposição, fazendo com que o motor falhasse (tosse) e funcionasse mal (gagueira). A minha mulher tinha trabalhado num banco no Reino Unido e a mulher do gerente fumava e bebia muito, o que fazia com que “tossisse e engasgasse” como o Morgan. A mulher do gerente chamava-se... Betsy.
De seguida o testemunho de Worrall sobre a participação na prova de clássicos do GPM de 1978, ano da celebração dos 25º aniversário da prova.*
Pictures show some of the cars going back on the track after the 1978 race. On the left a Bentley (I think owned by Michael Kadoorie of Hong Kong), in the middle is my Morgan, Betsy (race number 16) and on the right one of the Japanese contingent’s other cars.
The top picture is of the race results. First place was the ‘straight 8’ Alpha Romeo race car belonging to Mr Hayashi, a wealthy Japanese classic car collector. Betsy (16) in second place and only 5 seconds behind the winner after 6 laps! In third place was the newly restored Jaguar SS 100, which was driven by Mr Hayashi’s mechanic. Betsy started from the back of the grid with the Alpha at the front “in pole” and the Jaguar close behind. There was much catching up to do but whilst doing that Betsy and I also set the fastest lap time of the race …….just like “Dinger” Bell, also driving Betsy, did at the first Macau GP in 1954.
Betsy is the main reason that the Classic Car Club of Hong Kong was formed. That is because the Clerk of the Macau GP course, Mr Phil Taylor, told me that because were so few old cars in Hong Kong organising the Classic Car Race had proved to be very difficult (that was why most of the cars were from Japan). He said that if I could get old car owners in Hong Kong to get together he would allow old car events at future the Macau GP’s.
Shortly after that, I started work contacting classic car owners in Hong Kong and eventually formed the CCCHK. I kept in contact with the Japanese car owners and also with the owner of the Triumph TR3A which was the sole Macau entry in 1978. Did you know that there is a very rare Jowett Jupiter sports car which I believe is still in Macau where it’s Chinese owner keeps/kept her in a garage. It is my understanding that the TR3A was subsequently turned into the replica of the TR2 that won the first GP and is the car display in the Macau GP museum.
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