Reg and Audrey Beer at overlooking Niagara Falls at the Niagara-on-the-Lake 1980 Canadian Morgan Club Meet. Reg was the artist-craftsman who hand carved the wooden wings (with a hammer, chisel, and knife) of the trophy we use for The Harry J. Carter Memorial Esprit du Vent. Reg, Audrey, and Harry were friends, each admired the other’s enthusiasm, energy, and skills.
Reg was Rolls Royce factory trained, and always liked to joke that with 6 months of training, one whole week was devoted to the proper shifting of gears. He founded and ran Reg Beer Coachworks, and became renowned in North American Rolls Royce clubs for his restoration work. It was Audrey who loved Morgans and after Reg built one for her, she turned herself to energizing the Canadian Morgan Club, regularly leading a convoy of some 12 - 20 Canadian Morgans down to Virginia for the MCC-DC Fourth of July MOG meets. Their two sons, Steve and Martin, got involved in Morgans and Morgan competition at an early age, and later acquired CMC, then the Canadian Morgan dealership. CMC/Reg Beer Coachworks - Canada’s Morgan dealer - is today owned and managed by Steve and Martin; their restorations regularly win awards at esteemed concours events, such as Amelia Island.
Audrey, Reg, and sons Martin and Steven were regulars at meets back in the 70’s. The Rolly was familiar to most Morganeers and referred to as “The Great Flat Rad”. Reg would drive it down from Canada for meets in VA. Audrey would drive her (you can’t see the color because the photo’s in black and white) fire-engine-red Plus-4. After the meet, they would drive to the North American Rolls Royce Gathering in VA.
Photos by John Sheally, II.