> I often follow the practice, after I write an email, of re-reading it and
> deciding if the average reader could understand not only my humor, but
> the experience that I was attempting to relay. Such is the nature of our
> medium: that which needs to be emphasized often cannot be, and the reader
> is left to make their own conclusions.
Maybe I should do that......
> I attended the New Orleans British Car Show with high expectations. I
> was looking forward to the opportunity to meet other LBC owners and share
> stories. I parked my car in the parking lot, not in the show area, and
> made my way to the display. At the edge of the parking lot was an older
> gentleman with one of the T series MG's. I didn't realize it was his
> car, but when I walked up, I exclaimed that I had never seen one in
> person before. "Son", he said, "I saw you pull up. I think you deserve
> a seat." He opened the door and let me, dirty shoes and all, sit in his
> car.
Man, I remember my first time in a TD...problem was I was clean and the TD
was a restoration in waiting.
> Taking that as a providential sign of good things to come, I made my way
> to the display. I tried to talk to the owner of a Sunbeam, but the owner
> was too busy wiping the dust off the engine. A gentleman with a Bugeye
> Sprite wouldn't answer answer my questions with anything more than a flat
> 'yes' or 'no'.
Typical american auto collectors. Same thing happened last Sunday when I
went to the car show my HS puts on every year. 4 MGs, all rubber bumpers,
the owners were snobby essecially after they realized that a 15 year old
knows more about MGs then they do.
> One man, after watching me make my way down the row of E-Types, came over
> and showed me all the variations in each car. I recognized him as the
> owner of the T type. He hurriedly excused himself when an announcement
> was made over the PA.
I assume this man liked you in some way, there is always one "older"
(wiser) automobile owner at the shows that will spare time for the young
and less knowledgable people.
> I spent a good deal of time looking at the MGB's. I saw a boy about 5
> years younger than me looking at a B up the line. By this time, I had
> already postulated what was going on, so I admired the car next to the
> one the boy was looking at.
I'm guessing 14-18 years of age.
> He was trying to ask the owner some questions about his carb (it was a
> Mikuni). The owner of the car was giving him the same disinterested
> answers that I had gotten from other owners. Then, the boy's father
> walks up and the owner begins to talk, in earnest, about the car with the
> boy's father. The boy would ask a question, and the owner would tell the
> answer to the boy's father, not the boy.
Boy don't I know about this problem. This happens very offen to me. It
wouldn't happen except that my dad or mom has to drive me to the shows.
Then when I ask a quesiton I get ignored and my dad gets the answer, well
my dad has no idea how to change the oil on a car, let alone anything else.
> As I left, I passed by the old man and his wife enjoying some shade.
> "Leaving already?" he asked.
>
> He did not seem to be surprised. I think he knew that I was viewed by
> many there as immature. I suppose my youthful looks indicated a
> predisposition to loud stereos, lowered suspensions, and other un-british
> qualities.
Geez you nailed it. I am not any of those qualities yet I get labeled with
them.
During my summers at British Miles, I get to meet alot of people. This is
a story about a
co-worker. He might still be on this list (hi Gary), anyway, Gary wanted a
69 MGB
and then he was going to lower it until it scraps the ground, install 2 12"
speakers in the
trunk and who knows how many in the interior. His next proposition was to
put in a 215
american V8, and a custom int. I later convinced him to get a 62-67 MGB
and do an
original near concours resto.
I think grown-ups (those over 30), label youth as loud, arrogant, dumb,
etc. Well, I can
kick most MG owners rearends in MG trivia. I have been to car clubs, and
ussually
end up talking to the walls, the "elders" just don't like thier hobby being
invaded by
Youngin's.
> The truth is, I could not care at all for those things. My top only goes
> up on the coldest of nights or the rainiest of days. I don't have an 800
> watt stereo. I have no intention of modifying my MG from its original
> stature (witness my removal of the cruise control when I was berated by a
> friend for falling victim to modernization). Only one person there saw
> the real me: a 24 year old British Car enthusiast.
Me niether, leave it original and pure please. In all the MG spirit in the
world
I would never put my top up even if it was snowing, I just think it is a
crime.
How many watts is a BMC AM stereo? I know it isn't more than 25.
> Jim, I hope this catharsis did not offend you. I realize that New
> Orleans is your home town and you will fell a natural inclination to
> protect it: I understand. Allow me to say that the most offensive of
> characters sported liscense plates from either Arkansas or Texas. It was
> not the New Orleans crowd that had eschewed me.
Oh boy now you offened the people from Lucas, Texas...if thier lights go
off
tonight I had nothing to do with it.
> The next time someone says that the next generation will grow up to
> worship Miatas instead of MG needs to remember how we are treating the
> next generation.
This is an email, I almost posted 9 months ago, but I didn't have the
nerve.
Yes thats right, Kai did not have the nerve. I like to pick on newbies and
the hardcore listers, but I do it in jest, even if I get real mad.
What Miatas, are you insane? :-)
Anyway, my message would have been different, I was upset the day I went to
work and I was helping customers at the front desk at British Miles.
Anyway,
I normally let other people take customer orders, but this day we were
short a
man or 2, so I had to do it. I had an Jag XK120 owner I was helping, he
didn't
even want to talk to me, he even said to me "what do you know about XK120s"
well I'll admit I don't know alot about 120s, but I would have loved to
learn. I got
upset and let my boss take care of it.
Then the same day we had a guy with a Spitfire, I guess he was about 80.
He
had been building this thing for 10-15 years, completely custom. It had a
fibreglas
shell, and a 27 HP deisel engine, and a SpitFire OD trans. I asked the guy
alot of
questions about the car (I think I bugged him my whole lunch hour). Anyway
the guy
even took the time to show me all his photos of the car.
There are 2 differences between the 2 examples:
One is a TRUE auto enthusiast and other a collector in it for the money.
Regards with some reservations....
Kai M. Radicke -- mowogmg@dynanet.com
1966 MGB -- http://www.dynanet.com/~mowogmg/mg.htm
Webmaster -- webking@bigfoot.com
Dialogue Internet -- http://www.dynanet.com/~mowogmg/isp/default.htm
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