John F. Quilter's Cars |
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John F. Quilter
A note from John Q. March 2013
 
John F. Quilter
Morris Minor 1960
This black 1960 Morris Minor four door sedan was a relatively recent acquisition from an elderly lady in Portola Valley, California, Mrs. Nova Crisp, who had owned and carefully cared for the car since new, having purchased it at British Motors in San Francisco in April of 1960. It was her sole transportation for 42 years and when she decided to give up driving at age 89 she wanted me to have the car, being that I had serviced it for a number of years after her husband passed on. 
Morris Minor 1960
She knew I had great knowledge and affinity for these machines and that my care for it would continue. A totally original numbers matching 948cc engined four door made it quite a rare survivor in spite of its 184,000 miles. I spent over 196 hours cleaning, repairing, and overhauling it after acquisition. Though it was in exceptional condition, it was still well into its 5th decade so some restoration work was prudent to bring it up to a very high level of reliability and condition for regular street. It serves as a fine errand running car along with my convertible also a numbers matching car with just a few thousand more total miles on the clock. 
MGTD 1951
This 1951 MGTD was the second car ever owned my me and was purchased from a neighbor in 1977 when I lived in Brisbane, California. It had been sold new and used until 1964 on Long Island New York as evidenced by the faded and rusty New York World Fair license plates still in place when I bought it. It had been rail shipped from NY to California circa 1968 but had never been made operable since its last registration in NY in 1964. It had been passed from brother to brother, to brother in law and being the proverbial basket case none had the motivation or the knowledge to restore it. 
MGTD 1951
My neighbor who I acquired if from dragged the rolling chassis into my back yard and handed me the balance of the disassembled parts over the fence and wished me luck. Ten months later, and an unknown number of hours of work I had a very nice street restoration entirely suitable for what I intended to use the car for, local errands, and the occasional country drive or car show. I did all the work myself with the exception of the paint work and chrome plating. 
MGTD 1951
Now 35 years and 21,000 miles later it still serves me well, never fails to start and proceed down the road at its relatively leisurely pace fitting for its 62 years of age, having rolled out of the Abingdon on Thames MG works on July 11, 1951. Albeit with a bit more patina now, it still shows well and a drive in it never fails to provides true automotive therapy. 
John F. Quilter 
John F. Quilter 
John F. Quilter 
John F. Quilter This car (Jaguar 3.8S 1965) was purchased by my late mother, Adrienne Quilter in February of 1966 for $4500, 25% off of the list price when new a year earlier. It was a fairly rare model with disc wheels and a manual plus Laycock overdrive. Most 3.8S models in the USA were automatics and with wire wheels. The car was my mother's daily driver for 8 years until her passing in 1974 at which point my father took on the car and used it as his longer distance car when his Morris Minor was unsuitable. 
John F. Quilter In 1975 I went to work for the regional zone office of British Leyland Motor Corporation in Brisbane California. This afforded me employee pricing on all Jaguar and Leyland parts so the car was kept in pristine condition by me until my father's death in 2000. At this point I became the sole steward of this machine and it remains in my personal collection of British cars. Always garaged and properly maintained as needed, it is a fine driver but not a ground up restoration car suitable for concours shows. 
John F. Quilter
I prefer to drive and enjoy the cars not keep them as garage artifacts. The car was resprayed in about 1986 and the black interior is mostly original as is the chrome plating. Now at 160,000 miles it is a fine car for local trips and non concours cars shows. Having been connected with this car for 43 years I am intimately familiar with its technical features and its service, repair, and mechanical history.
John F. Quilter 
John F. Quilter 
John F. Quilter 
John F. Quilter 
John F. Quilter 
John F. Quilter 
Morris Minor 1960 I have come to realize that the month of June 2008 marks the 48th year of my personal involvement with a single particular Morris Minor, MAT3L839171 a pearl gray, red interior tourer that was purchased on an overseas delivery program by my late father, Rear Admiral Joseph F. Quilter of Portola Valley California. The history of this car began on June 14, 1960 when it was built and June 30th 1960 it was duly claimed by my older sister, Jane Quilter at the Morris Garages Limited, Cowley, Oxford, England. The arrangement was my father purchased the car for my sister with the understanding she could use it for an extended European tour as a college graduation present but when the tour was complete it would be delivered to a port of departure for San Francisco and upon arrival it would become my father's machine. Little did he know that he would drive this car for the next 40 years until the day before his death at 93 years. So where did I, the son and current owner, fit into this Morris picture? (More of the story... click here) -pdf 
Morris Minor 1960 
Morris 1960 Tourer and John Quilter
Austin America 1969
I have owned this car (1969 Austin America) since February 1971. It was my first car, purchased with 23,000 miles on it from Peninsula British Cars in Palo Alto for $1250. Now with just under 100K miles it sports its original paint, interior, and chrome and has never even had the cylinder head removed. One of the best handling cars I own with its Hydrolastic liquid suspension system, exceptionally roomy, and with a good sized trunk. A big brother of the BMC Mini it is a 1275cc A series engine with single SU carburetor and a four speed fully synchronized transmission mounted in the engine sump and sharing the same oil.
Austin America 1969
Austin America 1969
Austin America 1969
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