De volta à "Betsy"

No livro "Morgan: the march of progress", da autoria de Charles Neal, conta-se a história da marca desde 1909 até à actualidade. Com um total de 288 páginas e mais de 400 imagens há um capítulo dedicado ao Grande Prémio de Macau. Aqui fica um excerto do texto e uma foto do livro - a que já fiz referência em Novembro de 2022 - com os agradecimentos a Charles Neal e a William Worrall.

In 1953 the Scientific Officer at the Royal Observatory in Hong Kong was one G.J. Bell, known as Dinger. While on leave in the UK he ordered a Plus 4, a four-seater in green with black upholstery, and drove around the UK and France to run it in, before both Mr & Mrs Bell, and their new Morgan, travelled back to Hong Kong by P&O steamship. 

Hong Kong was much quieter in the early 1950s than today, and the rural roads in the south of the island were perfect for exercising the Morgan. A group of businessmen persuaded the government of Macau, the nearby Portuguese colony, to organise a street race. The first Macau Grand Prix took place on 31st October 1954, and is now one of the most prestigious single-seater races below Formula 1, with a host of famous names on the winner’s trophy including Ayrton Senna, Michael Schumacher and David Coulthard. The 4.2-mile track used all public roads – essentially unchanged to this day – with a narrow and twisting back section very reminiscent of Monaco, some very steep gradients and then a long flat-out blast along the seafront promenade. Today it is lined with unforgiving barriers, and the first bend invariably provokes a pile-up, but back in 1954 there were the kerbstones and lampposts to contend with, and the back section was a mixture of cobbled streets and some dirt track.

In the 1950s the event was for sports cars. The leading entries were Roger Pennels in an Austin-Healey 100/4, “Dinger” Bell’s Plus 4, several TR2s, a Riley RM drophead coupe, and several MG and Ford specials. Fifteen cars were lined up for the Le Mans-style start, in front of the temporary bamboo-framed pit garages and grandstands. Ten thousand people turned up to watch the race, and the Governor of Macau waved the starter’s flag. Dinger had prepared his Plus 4 for the race with everything he could get to upgrade the engine to TR2 spec, including a four-branch exhaust manifold and twin SU carburettors, which required a new bonnet to cover them. He had one locally made in ultra-light aluminium, in one piece without a hinge. He also removed the windscreen and hood frame to save weight, as well as the spare wheel.

The Morgan had qualified second to the Austin-Healey, comfortably ahead of the TR2s. Bell was confident that he was fastest through the twisty back section, but the 100/4 would be able to out-drag him on the very long seafront straights. Therefore it was vital to get away in the lead, and he managed to get to Lisboa, the first tight bend, at the front of the pack. From there he pushed the Morgan flat out, in order to build enough gap to prevent the Austin-Healey catching him on the seafront. This worked, and by the end of lap four, Bell had a decent lead, and the fastest lap of the race. He was even seen waving cheerily to his pit crew as he passed at about 90mph.

Rounding Reservoir Bend, back onto the promenade at the end of lap five, the left-front hub failed. The wheel careered straight on into the sea, while an out-of-control Dinger Bell and the Morgan followed, jumping off the sea wall and landing on the beach, not far from the water’s edge. Bell was not seriously hurt, but the car was.

It needed a full rebuild including a new chassis. When ordering numerous replacement parts, Bell told the Morgan works what had happened, and received the reply “...we are aware of the problem and are doing something about it”. The result was a strengthened casting, mainly used on the new 4/4 Series II, and also a new, wider and much tougher brake drum for the Plus 4. 

Dinger Bell continued driving his rebuilt Plus 4 until the late 1950s, and eventually in 1968 it was bought – with wedding-present money – by Dick & Carol Worrall, who had recently been posted to the Hong Kong police force. Betsy, as she was soon christened, was quite tired by this stage. She was their only transport and although very tatty still went very well. After briefly selling her when posted back to England, and buying her back again in an even worse state a couple of years later, they have owned her ever since. 

Dick rebuilt the car twice in Hong Kong, despite the difficulty in getting parts from England. He retained Dinger Bell’s unique bonnet, although it now has a hinge for convenience, but changed the paintwork from green to red over black. 

In 1978, to mark the 25th Macau Grand Prix, the organisers set up a classic car race. Betsy was the only survivor of race no. 1 and she was back again, this time alongside mainly pre-war Grand Prix and Le Mans cars brought over by their Japanese owners. Dick came through the field to finish second, just behind an Alfa P3 Grand Prix car and setting the fastest lap – the second time Betsy had done that at Macau! In addition to further historic races at Macau, Dick took the Morgan on rallies into mainland China in the 1980s. In 1997 Dick, Carol and Betsy returned to the UK and have been keen members of their local MSCC Centre ever since. (...)"