The Saga of Merlin
How did it all start? I was sitting in my apartment during the summer
of my Junior year at UC Davis. It was 1974, and Nixon was about to
abdicate the throne. The doorbell rings, and I am surprised to see my
ex-girlfriend Janice standing there...with her new boyfriend Ernie.
Now, ex-girlfriends generally don't darken one's door unless they
realize they have left something really important (like their ceramic
Unicorn collection or their Bobby Sherman LPs) at your place. Neither
do they take the trouble to introduce new boyfriends to you, unless they
are very vindictive. I was prepared for the worst.
Before I could respond, Janice introduces Ernie and he asks me if I want
an MG engine. Since I had always been intrigued with cars, I thought
that would be interesting. The idea of something imported to fiddle
with was also interesting, since my main transportation at the time was
a rather prosaic 1962 Buick Special station wagon. Before I could say
yes to the engine, Ernie asks if I want the whole car. A whole MG? For
free??? I had fleeting visions of a small convertible negotiating the
twisty bits up to Lake Berryessa...this can't be real. Well it was,
sort of.
Ernie was describing the car in vague terms as we drove over to his
apartment. All I could really gather from his description was that it
was not a convertible, that it had 4 doors, and that it didn't run.
Most people in their right minds would have abandoned the adventure
right there. I guess I'm not in my right mind. We pulled into the
carport at Ernie's apartment and there it was. A 1965 MG 1100 Sports
Sedan. I had never seen anything quite like it. It was small, boxy,
and did indeed have 4 doors. I sat in the driver's seat and felt like I
was sitting at the steering wheel of a small bus. The pedals were tiny
and offset to the center of the car. Ernie said that he had bought the
car at one junkyard and the engine at another, he had gotten the engine
in but didn't know enough to get it hooked up and running. Never being
one to refuse an automotive challenge, I forked over $1.00 to Ernie (to
make it all legal) and towed the car back to my apartment.
After about 3 months of working on the car, I finally fired it up and
took to the streets. For someone who had been weaned on ponderous
American iron, this was a breath of fresh air. To be able to take 90
degree corners without slowing down, to drive a 4 on the floor instead
of a 3 on the tree, and to listen to a sound like the combination of an
angry hornet mixed with a hungry garbage disposal....THIS WAS DRIVING!
I named the car Merlin, and promptly joined the Sacramento Valley MG Car
Club. I found out about the club during one of my many excursions to
British Motors for parts. I met this guy named Paul Lewis, who tells me
about a club that caters to people with our affliction. I figured that
he must know what he's talking about concerning MGs, since he had an
authentic British accent! I think I was the only one with an 1100 in the
club, even at that time. It's interesting to note that even then, the
1100s were almost all gone, only 10 years or so after they were built.
Merlin lasted about 4 years with me, actually running during about 2 out
of the 4 years. The car had an insatiable appetite for tuneup parts and
engine mounts. You could always tell when the rear engine mount would
break, because the gearshift lever would bob up and down as you
accelerated and decelerated. The car was great for first dates, because
you knew the girl was still interested in you if she actually agreed to
ride in the car a second time! The final episode came when the
differential ring gear lost a tooth, with a great BANG..KATHUD,
KATHUD..etc. Merlin never again ran under his own power, although his
engine ended up as a support for the kitchen table in my apartment.
I still have the wooden dash that I made for Merlin, it's hanging on my
garage wall. Merlin was the beginning, the start of my long standing
appreciation of MGs. As I always say, if you can own and drive an MG
1100 and still enjoy British cars, you've got them in your blood for
life.
Cheers,
Paul Kile
1965 MG 1100 (Merlin)
1964 MG 1100 (parts source for Merlin)
1970 Austin America (high performance parts source for Merlin)
1959 Hillman Husky (Winston)
1968 MGB-GT (Guinnevere)
1972 RHD MGB-GT (Stirling)
1967 MGB-GT (Son of Stirling)
1973 Jaguar XJ6 (too classy for a name)
1962 MGA 1600 MkII Roadster (the Hangar Queen)
1974 Factory MGB-GT V-8 (The Rustbucket)
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