At Ron Dao’s before seeing The Addams Family Musical.
Photo courtesy BCCSWF

A Very Active May for BCCSWF!
by Hermann Schaller, Ed O’Neal & Isabel Mack

Fort Myers Theatre & Dinner — May 12th

The Triumphs of Southwest Florida organized the dinner at Ron Dao’s Pizzeria & Sports Bar, followed by a visit to the Fort Myers Theatre close by. The BCCSWF joined the event, which drew ten members and guests from both clubs. The food at Ron Dao’s was good and the many TV screens created a pre-theatre atmosphere.

Then we drove the short distance to the theatre. We found the place located in a strip mall next to the Point Ybel Brewing Company. The community theatre has 65 very comfortable seats plus 11 spots for handicapped people in front, which were empty at this performance.

The play, The Addams Family Musical, surprised us all, but specially yours truly, who had no clue about the Addams Family. The U.S. TV show didn’t make onto German TV as so many others. I had heard the name and seen some pictures during my 25 years in the States. But I was convinced that my cousin by name, Herman Munster, was part of the Addams Family. Before the show started, I was educated by the others in our group about the existence of two different TV shows.

Anyway, sitting in the first row and looking right in the eyes of the performers, it was hilarious and great. We all enjoyed it immensely.

The cast of 16 people for such a small theatre showed passion and commitment. The value for the money was unbeatable and we should go back there. —HS

The Chokoloskee Lunch Tour — May 14th

The lunch tour to Chokoloskee was a blast. Great weather, great people, good food, and lots of fun. We left on time with six cars and 10 people.

The drive went smoothly until just after we turned onto busy Hwy. 29 going into Immokalee. Tom’s car abruptly stopped. With Tom still at the wheel, three would-be mechanics ganged up on the little MG TD. She was no match for the expert touch of Price Lindsay and Doug McPherson. In short order Doug had the problem solved and the TD was back up and running.

With the expert driving of Marcia McCartt bringing up the rear guard, she pulled out onto the busy highway to block the traffic allowing our merry band of travelers to get up and going once again.

We arrived at the restaurant a little late — but no problem. The lunch and conversations went very well. Soon we departed with travelers choosing different return routes for their various home destinations. —EO’N

Our group among the sculptures.
Photo courtesy BCCSWF

Peace River Botanical & Sculpture Gardens and Ice Cream Lunch — May 20th

Under daunting skies and between downpours of rain, 15 1/2 members of the BCCSWF managed to get to the Peace River Botanical & Sculpture Gardens on the outskirts of Punta Gorda. (The entrance of the Gardens was part of the clues on our Murder Mystery Drive.)

Encouraged by our member Dan Sater, we started talks a month ago with the Gardens management for a car show on their grounds and received free tickets for BCCSWF members to visit the park. Unfortunately, the 1/2 member wasn’t too impressed with the Gardens and made his grandparents to pull out just when we got ready to start.

The President of the Board of Directors, Bill Klossner, gave us a free guided tour and explained the special plants and the sculptures, which were extremely interesting.

After visiting the butterfly house, a few raindrops caught us on the way to the north side of the Gardens. But it stopped right away and we were able to take a group photo with sculptures.

After the photo, we cooled off a little in the building in the rear, visited the rest of the Gardens, and managed to get back to our cars before it got too hot.

We continued our event with a short convoy drive to Zoet Sweet Boutique, where the owners had arranged the tables for us. Charlotte County’s No.1 Ice Cream Shop offers lunch fare as well, which most of us took advantage of. Their offer to split the large sandwiches for the couples allowed us to order ice cream afterwards. —HS

Memorial Ceremony in Arcadia — May 30th

British tradition states that British soldiers are to be buried where they fall. During World War II, 15,000 British airmen came to the U.S. for pilot training. One training site was located in Southwest Florida. At the Oak Ridge Cemetery in Arcadia are the graves of 23 cadets who died in training or by other mischance.

Since 1994, the BCCSWF has joined a Memorial Day event hosted by the local Rotary Club to raise the Union Jack and lay a wreath for the fallen Commonwealth soldiers interred there.

Led by Club Vice President Dr. Cecil Carter, 16 members and eight cars of the BCCSWF made the trip to the ceremony, including six British vehicles.

Following the solemn ceremony, the club drove 26 miles to the Celtic Ray Public House in Punta Gorda for lunch. We were joined for lunch by past club officers Bill and Mary Newman. —IM

Isabel and Cecil with the club wreath at the cemetery in Arcadia.
Photo courtesy BCCSWF

The monthly member meeting on June 14th was preceded by a Board meeting. The member meeting was called to order by President Hermann Schaller at 6:30 p.m. There were 25 attendees.

Membership status —

A roster of members may be posted on the club webpage. Details are being finalized to ensure privacy is protected.

Treasurer’s report — The current balance was provided, with no outstanding items.

Past events — Four articles were submitted to British Marque covering activities during the past month. [They are combined into the single report above. —Exec. Ed.]

Upcoming events (as of the meeting date) — The following calendar brings us into next year:

June 15 — REVS Institute (car museum and research facility), Naples.

July 12 — Monthly member meeting.

July TBD — Club activity, likely to be a drive and breakfast.

August 9 — Monthly member meeting.

August TBD — Pool Party, Mack/Pierce residence.

September 13 — Monthly member meeting.

October TBD — Britoberfest, Sanibel Causeway (members voted to select a weekday).

November 20 — British Invasion at Cars & Coffee 239, North Naples.

December TBD — Holiday Party, Orr residence.

January 15, 2023 — Cars & Art International Car Show, Peace River Botanical & Sculpture Gardens.

Other items — It’s the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee. She trained as a mechanic during World War II.

Ideas for activities or alternate meeting locations are invited.

The meeting adjourned at 7:15 p.m.

The crime scene!
Photos by Jeri Schaller

Murder Mystery Drive & Party
by Hermann Schaller

On Saturday, April 30th, at 9 a.m. Jeri Schaller discovered a dead body in the garage. Police were called and secured the scene with yellow caution tape.

Jeri’s husband, Hermann Schaller, who is also the President of the BCCSWF, arrived at 11 a.m. from visiting friends on Florida’s east coast, where he had been for two days. Shocked by the news and police at home, Hermann learned that the dead body was that of his friend, a mechanic, who died under the car lift in the garage, which had lowered on him in an accident, or suicide, or homicide.

The police found a damaged cell phone at the scene and were able to retrieve the victim’s movements of the last 24 hours, as well as photos from Friday. But the photos were partially damaged, and their time information was missing. The local Sheriff’s deputies informed Hermann about this but pointed out that due to the weekend and a staff shortage, they were neither able to take the body away, nor follow potential leads.

Knowing that solving mysteries is as British as MG and Triumph, Hermann called on the BCCSWF members to help.

By 1 p.m. a total of 27 amateur detectives had driven through pouring rain and were reviewing the gruesome scene in the garage. Two teams arrived in their classic British cars and one investigator, Isabel Mack, was dressed like Emma Peel from The Avengers.

All received copies of the turn-by-turn description of the victim’s movements, as well as copies of the photos. With that, 13 lead detectives and their assistants left to follow the movements and find the places where the photos had been taken on a search for clues to determine motive, opportunity and suspects.

The 98-mile drive took them in a figure eight over beautiful back roads to Solomon’s Castle and back to the Schaller house.

After their return, they shared their findings with Hermann. Several teams had found security camera footage that showed Hermann in his car outside a well-known ice cream shop. Inside the shop at that time were his wife and his mechanic friend. While nobody pointed out that Hermann had lied about being at the east coast on Friday, many BCCSWF members made their case that Hermann may have killed his mechanic friend because he suspected he was having an affair with his wife.

This conclusion was supported by circumstantial evidence.

While Hermann claimed his innocence, the majority found him to be the most likely murderer. But fortunately for Hermann, the victim shocked everyone by showing up — completely alive! — and explaining that the real victim was Hermann, the victim of a bold prank.

The mechanic, aware of the tools Hermann was missing in his garage, had met secretly with Jeri to advise her on a good surprise birthday gift for Hermann. They noticed Hermann outside the ice cream place and the jealous temper in which he drove off, so they planned to stage the scene in the garage and have two friends pose as deputies. They wanted to scare Hermann, which worked out very well through the evidence the BCCSWF members were finding as the case unfolded.

The team of Norma (a/k/a Miss Marple) and Jim Woodall identified all clues and found the locations of all photos, winning the first prize in the mystery challenge. Deb Watkins (a/k/a Dr. Watson) and Rich Lesinski took second place, while former BCCSWF President Headley Wilson (a/k/a young Sherlock), with Shirley and James, took third. The consolation prize went to Kitty and Bob Begani.

They all celebrated with the 23 other guests — a good use of a rainy Saturday.

Winners of the Murder Mystery challenge with the lead murder suspect.
Photo by Jeri Schaller

The meeting was called to order at 6:30 by President Hermann Schaller with 29 attendees present.

Membership

As of April 12th, there were 69 paid membership accounts with 131 voting members. Membership Director Tom Shore reported on the progress of the members list.

2022 budget

Hermann Schaller reported that we have the minimum eight NAMGBR members to be able to get insurance through them. This will improve our cost situation and allow for more money to support events. The updated budget was presented and unanimously approved.

Past events

April 16 — Wheels Across the Pond, Jupiter. John Sergeant reported on this large show. Ed O’Neal and Dennis McKinley led a group of club members there.

April 22-24 — MG GOF South, Howey-in-the-Hills. No member present went there.

April 23 — Ed O’Neal’s Lunch Drive to Gator Shack. Five cars participated.

April 30 — Murder Mystery Drive & Party. There were 32 participants (see accompanying write-up).

May 7 — SanCap Motor Club Cruise-in. Tom Berger stated that it had a great turnout.

Upcoming events (as of the meeting date)

May 12 — Addams Family, musical comedy at the Fort Myers Theatre, 16120 San Carlos Blvd.

May 14 — Ed O’Neal’s Lunch Drive to the Havana Café on Chokoloskee Island.

May 20 — Visit to Peace River Botanical Garden.

May 30 — Memorial Service, Arcadia.

June 14 — Member meeting.

December — Christmas Party & Cape Coral Lighted Boat Parade.

January 15, 2023 — BCCSWF International Invitational Car Show at Peace River Botanical & Sculpture Gardens.

For Sale

Club cars for sale included a 1953 MG TD for $25,000 (contact Bob Engelhard) and a 1954 Lagonda DB 3-Litre Drophead Coupe (contact Hermann Schaller).

‘British Cars Only’ parking at the Tarpon Lodge.
Photo courtesy BCCSWF

BCCSWF Events Report
by Hermann Schaller

Photo Drive & Lunch at Tarpon Lodge

On March 23rd, seven British cars, and three cars from countries that had been occupied by British forces at some time, brought 19 BCCSWF club members to a meeting point in western Cape Coral. These members — Christine and John Baum, Kitty and Bob Begani, Sue Fero and Steve Kurowski, Martha and Tom Lambert, Kim and John Orr, Jim Pase and Jackquie, Jeri and Hermann Schaller, Angela and John Sergeant, Jim Woodall, and Liz and George Young — drove from there in nearly complete convoy formation through Matlacha to Pine Island.

We stopped at a parking lot to take advantage of the opportunity to make semi-professional pictures of the cars for our 2023 BCCSWF calendar. The mostly empty parking lot, the lush green background and the lighting worked well, but the reflections in the shiny dark paint of some cars presented a challenge.

After that, we drove to the historic Tarpon Lodge, where the owner had blocked off a “British Cars Only” section of the parking lot right at the waterfront.

Maureen Larkin met us there for the group photo before entered the Lodge for a coffee or drink ahead of lunch. The staff at the Tarpon Lodge took great care of us and we enjoyed a classy meal in the cool atmosphere of this “hidden gem” location. Al Jensen arrived a little late for lunch, but not too late for the remainder of the tour.

After finishing lunch with a piece of real Florida key lime pie, we crossed the street to the Randell Research Center, where a guide was waiting to inform us about the significance of this location to the Calusa People, who had dominated southern Florida long before any European set foot on this continent. The details about the Calusa culture were fascinating and the circumstances of their demise sobering.

As interesting this history lesson was, we were facing increasing temperatures for the afternoon, and driving back through the Matlacha traffic jam would be a test of the cooling capabilities of the older British cars as well as their drivers and navigators. Everybody made it and no reports about overheating engines were submitted to the organizer.

Tom Shaw’s fundraiser for Ukraine

On March 26th, BCCSWF member Tom Shaw used the community garage sale in his neighborhood to offer hot dogs in his driveway to raise donations for the Ukrainian Red Cross. Many BCCSWF members responded to his call and drove their British cars or daily drivers to his address. Ed O’Neil organized a drive of three Austin-Healeys to Tom’s house.

Tom was able to raise $1,650 for the good cause. Our thanks goes out to Tom for taking the initiative to help the people of Ukraine.

Tom’s hot dogs. All for a good cause, the Ukrainian Red Cross.
Photo courtesy BCCSWF

The meeting was called to order at 6:30 p.m. by President Hermann Schaller with 49 attendees present.

Bylaws

Two amendments were proposed and carried unanimously as follows:

Article 4: The references to “odd” and “even” years was removed from the verbiage in the first sentence.

Also Article 4: “In the event an officer cannot carry out their term of office, the President shall name a new person to that position” was inserted.

Membership

Per the Bylaws, each membership includes all family members. Each person within the family counts as one member, and is also entitled to vote on club matters. As of April 12th, there were 68 paid membership accounts with 129 voting members.

Member listing

Regarding this listing, members voted on the following content:

The list shall include a member’s name, city/town of residence (no street address), phone, and e-mail contact, with the possibility to opt out of sharing contact information.

The member listing will be available on the website under password protection. Membership Director Tom Shore will supply a printed list upon request to any member.

50/50 drawing for the Ukrainian Red Cross

The total pot for this month’s 50/50 was $172. Dan Sater was the winner and donated his winnings back. (Thank you, Dan!) The club matched the pot and a total of $350 will be donated to the Ukrainian Red Cross. With the funds generated through Tom Shaw’s “Hot Dog Day” (see accompanying article) $2,000 will be donated!

2022 budget

The 2022 Club Budget was presented to members and was approved. Hermann Schaller will follow up on the possibility to get insurance through NAMGBR. If this wouldn’t turn out to be the better deal, the membership supported going with Hagerty Insurance.

Past events

March 19 — Lunch run to LaBelle at the Forrey Grill on Saturday seven cars participated.

March 23 — Photo Drive & Lunch at Tarpon Lodge and visit to Randell Research Center 21 members participated, with nine British cars and three others.

March 26 — Ukrainian Red Cross fundraising event, “Hot Dog Day,” in Tom Shaw’s driveway. Many BCCSWF members and neighbors came and donated $1,650 in total.

Upcoming events (as of the meeting date)

April 16 — Wheels Across the Pond, Jupiter, http://www.wheelsacrossthepond.com/. Ed O’Neal is leading a group drive to Jupiter.

April 22-24 — MG GOF South, Howey-in-the-Hills, https://www.gofsouth.org/.

April 23 — Ed O’Neal’s Lunch Drive to Gator Shack.

April 23 — Boynton Beach Charity Car Show. Contact John Robinson, Johnrob12706@gmail.com or (561) 523-1072.

April 30 — Murder Mystery Drive & Party. RSVP to hermannschaller@msn.com, deadline April 22nd.

May 5 — SanCap Motor Club Cruise-in, 9 a.m. to 12 noon, Periwinkle Place Shops, Sanibel.

May 10 — Member meeting.

May 12 — Addams Family musical comedy at the Fort Myers Theatre, 16120 San Carlos Blvd., 7 p.m., possible dinner together before.

Tech sessions

Hermann Schaller will send e-mails about time and place. Topics include:

Pertronix conversions for MGBs. Ken Groh, John Baum and Ken Taylor have experience with this.

Stromberg carb repair. Chris Cosden, Dennis McKinley and Hermann Schaller will schedule this.

MGB parking brakes. John Baum needs help with his.

TR8 fuel injectors. Dennis McKinley and others are looking for somebody knowledgeable with the Rover 3.5L V8 fuel injection. Please contact Hermann Schaller.

For sale

The meeting closed with members discussing cars and parts for sale, including an Austin-Healey Mark III ($59,000, contact Dennis McKinley), a 1954 Lagonda DB 3-Litre Drophead Coupe (contact Hermann Schaller), and a 1970s Spitfire window (free, contact Jerry Blessing).

Attendees at the Chili Cook-off.
Photo courtesy BCCSWF

BCCSWF Chili Cook-off
by Hermann Schaller

On February 26th, the first annual BCCSWF Chili Cook-off was held in Punta Gorda-Harbour Heights, with 25 members attending.

Several appetizers opened the taste buds of the participants before the line-up of chili pots was approached for testing.

Eight chilis, made with secret ingredients, competed for the honor of Best Chili. The variety of chilis couldn’t be any larger, from burning spicy hot to flavorfully mild, using beef, pork, chicken and turkey. There was something for every taste.

At the end the votes were counted and Jeri Schaller announced the winners and gave out the prizes.

The 3rd-place chili was prepared by Sharon Cunningham, who took home British-style pot holders to protect her hands from future hot chili.

Dan Sater had created his fearsome “Jagzilla-Chili,” which won 2nd place and a British flag apron to stop the chili from burning holes in his shorts.

The top prize went to Larry McCartt’s “Not Your Mother’s Chili.” For this achievement Larry was knighted as “Sir Larry of Crockpot,” using a ceremonial British umbrella that he then received out of the hands of President Hermann Schaller (yours truly).

In a special category, Susan Fero won the Best Name Award for “Honkin’ Good Chili.” For further inspiration for creative meals, she received a copy of The White Trash Cookbook.

Cookies and chocolate mousse offered a sweet ending to this culinary odyssey into the realm of chili, while club members relaxed in the company of their fellow British car lovers.

The only widely seen point of improvement for the next time is to time the Chili Cook-off in a period of cooler weather, which supposedly can occasionally happen even in Florida.

BCCSWF member Sheldon Arpad’s Best of Show winner, a 1935 Bentley.
Photo courtesy BCCSWF

After being forced by the coronavirus to forgo last year’s show, the Charlotte Harbor Yacht Club (CHYC) finally hosted their second annual show for classic, exotic and sports cars on Saturday, February 12th — the Land Yachts Commodore Cup.

Members of the BCCSWF organized and supported the event. A very wide variety of vehicles came together in perfect weather conditions on the grounds of the CHYC.

Considering the limited space at the Yacht Club, the organizers welcomed back the winners from the 2020 event and completed the show field with selected makes and models by invitation only. The result was an impressive display of design and technology development over the last 100 years.

There were 91 models from 37 manufacturers out of six countries, plus one very special “Art Car” from the Punta Gorda Quilt Guild. The Art Car captured the hearts of the spectators and it was voted People’s Choice Best in Show.

The British cars were the largest group among the six countries, with Aston Martin, Austin-Healey, Bentley, Elva, Jaguar, Lagonda, Lotus, MG, Morgan, Rolls-Royce, Sunbeam-Talbot, Triumph and TVR all represented.

BCCSWF members brought 26 cars and took 17 trophies home including Best of Show, with a 1935 Bentley 3.5 Liter Open Tourer from Sheldon Arpad winning over a 1941 Ford and a 1973 Lamborghini Espada.

When it was all over, the winners celebrated their accomplishment and their enduring passion for the special motor vehicles that brought them together that day. —Hermann Schaller

February 8th meeting

The meeting was called to order by President Hermann Schaller. It was announced that the minutes from the January meeting are on the club website. The Treasurer, Larry McCartt, stated there are 45 paid members. New or renewing members included Steve Cleveland, Tom Berger and Mark Schlian.

Marcia McCartt invited the membership to Larry McCartt’s 90th birthday party at their home on Super Bowl Sunday.

Past event

Cecil Carter reported on Cars on Fifth. There were 700 cars, including 18 British cars from the club. He said the crowd liked the variety of British cars at the Show. Proceeds exceeded a million dollars and will be going to a charity.

Jim Collins received one of the Best in Show awards for his Jaguar XK150S.

Upcoming events (as of the meeting date)

February 12 — CHYC Car Show.

February 20 — Gold Coast British Sports Car Club show, Coconut Creek.

February 26 — Chili Cook-off.

March 6 — B.I.G. Show, Cape Coral.

March 8 — BCCSWF member meeting.

April 12 — BCCSWF member meeting.

April 16 — Wheels Across the Pond, Jupiter.

April 22-24 — MG GOF South, Howey-in-the-Hills.

Other items

Cecil Carter is selling his Jaguar Mark II. A door prize raffle was held. The meeting adjourned. —Mary Newman

March 8th meeting

The meeting was called to order at 6:32 p.m., with 38 members in attendance.

President Hermann Schaller welcomed everyone. He noted that membership and meeting attendance have been ramping up in recent months. The club is planning to have a driving event every month.

Club officer change

Mary Newman, BCCSWF Secretary, has had to step down effective immediately due to family needs. The club’s current Bylaws do not provide a mechanism for appointing a replacement or staging an election out of cycle.

President Schaller appointed Isabel Mack to take the meeting notes until such time as the Bylaws are amended and a new Secretary is confirmed.

President Schaller proposed two options for an amendment to the Bylaws and the members voted to accept the change allowing the President to appoint an officer when needed to fill a seat between elections. An e-mail will be sent out to all members to note the change and a final vote on the new Bylaws will be taken at the April meeting.

Membership

The club stands at 56 “household” members. It was proposed that membership numbers reflect all members who have a name tag (104).

Tom Shaw has been appointed Membership Director until December 2023. He will partner with the Treasurer and will be pursuing lapsed members as well as recruiting new ones. There is the potential for reducing annual dues as the roster grows.

New members that joined at the meeting included Bob Begani (returning member), Austin-Healey BJ8, Sheldon Arpad, 1935 Bentley (Best of Show at the CHYC event), and Dan Tiedge, ’56 Healey 100, ’62 TR4 and ’95 Defender 90.

Member birthdays and anniversaries were noted and celebrated.

The Treasurer reported the club’s balance. He added that the club needs insurance for events and there are other potential expenses upcoming. A budget will be proposed at the May member meeting.

Past/upcoming events

February 12 — Charlotte Harbor Yacht Club car show (101 vehicles, 23 BCCSWF attendees, 17 awards, numerous BCCSWF volunteers).

February 13 — Club Treasurer Larry McCartt’s 90th birthday celebration, great turnout (14 members) and a lively event.

February 24 — TSWF tech session on “Installing a Color Tune” glass spark plug to review the fuel mix.

February 26 — Chili Cook-off hosted by Hermann and Jeri Schaller (25 attendees, eight chilis).

March 6 — B.I.G. Show (130 cars, 16 BCCSWF attendees, six awards won).

March 23 — Photo Drive, Lunch at Tarpon Lodge and guided tour of Randell Research Center on Pine Island.

April 12 — BCCSWF member meeting.

April 30 — Murder Mystery Drive & Dinner Party, hosted by Hermann and Jeri Schaller.

May 10 — BCCSWF member meeting.

Other events of interest were also noted.

Calendar/photo guidance

The club would like to print a 2023 calendar featuring member vehicles.

President Schaller is acquainted with noted vehicle photographer Blake Discher. He shared a list of pointers for taking pictures of cars:

• Don’t “shoot from the hip.”

• Show all four tires.

• Tilt to lift the front of the car in the photo.

• Fill the screen with the car you lose resolution when you crop a larger photo.

• Take quarter views.

• Use your zoom to show the real shape of the car.

• Watch for reflections in the shiny finish/paint.

• Plan for the best light: the first or last hour of the day, a deep blue sky, the sun at your back.

Other items

Name tags are $12 and can be ordered from the Treasurer. Other tech sessions are planned watch for e-mails and please propose topics/vehicles. As attendance increases, should the club consider other dinner/meeting venues? Suggestions are welcome.

Before lockdown, the club held an annual Spring Picnic at Franklin Locks. VP Cecil Carter will contact ACOE to see if any pavilion reservations are still open for this year. Plan now for a 2023 event.

The meeting adjourned at 7:40 p.m. —Isabel Mack