Bob...
Wow... it's been so long, I don't remember their name. I saw the car
advertised in the Customart Press, a small green newspaper we had back then in
the
Greenwich area. I was 17, and my grandmother had given me $500 to buy a
car. I saw my MG listed for sale at $500 by some people in Riverside, so I
called up and went to look at the car.
Apparently the owner (their son) was in the military and stationed in
Germany. He bought a Mercedes over there and told his parents to sell the MG.
It was black with green interior. It looked great inside and out, but didn't
run too well, missing on a cylinder. I offered $400 and they took it. I
took the car to Greenwich Automobiles and found out that the car had a burned
exhaust valve. $50.00 fixed that. The last $50 went for the insurance, and I
borrowed $10 from my mother for the licence and registration.
I loved the car, took it to Southampton every summer, out to Pittsburgh for
College, into New York once or twice a week on dates when I was home from
school. Rain, shine, snow, sleet, the MG and I went everywhere.
While in Columbia, I worked for Greenwich Automobiles selling all sorts of
interesting exotic cars and was a part of the racing team (Lola T-70) that we
campaigned in the Can-Am series. The MG was put into my mother's garage
since I was given a new "Demo" to drive. I usually switched cars about every
two
months. Alfas, BMWs, Rovers, Land Rovers, and assorted used cars, Jag 150,
Facel Vega, Ferrari 250GT, Maserati 3500, and a whole bunch of other
interesting cars.
The MG had a couple aborted attempts at restoration. But mostly it stayed
outside under a tarp, after my mother died and her house was sold, for the
better part of 30 years while I was raising children, getting divorced, and
finally getting remarried in 1992. Clare and I bought a log house in
Southbury
that had a drive-in basement with two big french doors. I towed the MG in and
went to work. Most of the bolts had to be cut off since they were rusted
solid. I took the car down to the chassis and totally rebuilt it from
scratch.
By 1995 it was ready for the road. I took it to several shows and won a
bunch of awards. Today we simply drive it and enjoy it. I take it to lunch
and for a spin at least once a week. Most weekends, weather permitting, Clare
and I use it for shopping and our regular Sunday trip to Starbucks.
I have since built a barn for the MG and the other toys, '50 Jag Mk V,
Bentley, Rolls, Army Jeep and others, so from it's humble beginnings traveling
the
Pennsylvania Turnpike in the snow, sitting under a tarp in all sorts of
weather, it now lives in heated and climate controlled bliss.
So that's the story of the MG.
Craig Carragan
/// unsubscribe/change address requests to majordomo@autox.team.net or try
/// http://www.team.net/mailman/listinfo
/// Archives at http://www.team.net/archive/mg-t
|