I visited the MG Fall Festival at the Sheraton Hotel in Petaluma
today. As usual, I was driving a Japanese vehicle; this time my
Mazda pickup as I had errands to run to get building supplies to
prepare for the rainstorms coming next week. If everyone drove a
Japanese car to these events they would not quite work.
Anyway, there were some beautiful cars there. My favourite was the
red 1962 MGA Mk 2 roadster that belongs to Chrisula Asimos. She
bought the car new! What a vibrant and lively woman she is. I can't
imagine what she must have been like back in '62 when she bought that
car. The MGA is pretty much original other than a repaint years
ago. She said the worst mechanical issue was a blown headgasket on
the Bay Bridge years ago which led to her having the engine partially
rebuilt. The original grey top and sidecurtains with grey vinyl
still are on the car. The seats, though worn, are also
original. The photo I took of the interior did not come out very
well. The one of the car's engine bay shows the patina of the nearly
50 years of its life. Chrisula was kind enough to pose in front of
her MGA for the photo of the exterior of her car. She was also kind
enough to laugh at my joke- an MG gal was walking briskly among the
cars announcing that a pair of bifocals had been found and she was
seeking their owner. I commented to Chrisula that the bifocals could
belong to anyone at the car show.
Andy Preston had two of his four MGs at the show. His red MGA coupe
is gorgeous and is a real work of art as he did most all the work
himself on the car. His cars are so impressive, and his enthusiasm
for MGs has inspired me at times when I think of other hobbies to
pursue. Great guy he is.
There were more TFs than TDs, which defies logic considering how few
TFs were made, and how few remain. There was a cream coloured one
which I photographed that was stunning. The owner had just had the
car restored, and the detailing was phenomenal. Even the lining of
the little tool box in front of the firewall was there, and
intact. It had a valve cover that I had not seen before with a
complex filler on the rear. I learned that it was a TC item which
was sought by later T-series owners as it was such an art piece. The
owner started up the engine and told me it had been rebuilt and
balanced. It sure ran well. I must say, this car gave me an
inferiority complex as I own a similar car with the same colour
scheme. Until I saw this TF, I thought mine was as nice as they got.
I saw Jim Legg of Napa, who had sold me an MGB radio years ago. He
drove his MGB that tows a trailer made of a severed MGB's
hindquarters. Jim is very dedicated to his MGs, and has two MGBs.
One of the more unusual MGs at the show was a "tubbed" MGA roadster
powered by a massive chromed and blown V8. I noticed that the car's
grille was from a '62 Mk 2 and the taillights from a 1600. No
originality/concours prize for him!
The other odd MG was a GT that had been converted to a
roadster-pickup truck. The owner had done a lot of beautiful
woodwork to it, and I was impressed how pretty the car looked. The
owner's wife told me that her husband had started with a parts car
that ran so well he couldn't just discard it, so made it into a
custom. She placed their little pet dog in its special doggy seat
for me to include in my photograph of the car.
There was a dearth of MG sedans. Only one I saw was an MG 1100. It
was very well preserved, and wore its original tartan red paint. I
always thought only MGBs were tartan red. This has got to be one of
a handful of 1100s left in the world.
My photos:
https://picasaweb.google.com/104973305347633073496/September302011?authkey=Gv1sRgCIGxsaijrPb8XA
Website for the show:
http://mgfallfestival.com/i
Don Scott
Calistoga CA USA
1955 MGTF
1962 MGA Mk 2
1973 MGB GT (selling)
1963-7 MGB (seeking)
Misc. Japanese cars
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