Saturday, September 27, 2008
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Some More MG stuff
Sorry there hasn't been much news lately. My band's been a lil busy, the weather hasn't been all that agreeable, and domestic stuff has gotten in the way. I don't think I've had any seat time in my B since Labor day weekend. I'm hoping to get quality time in this weekend tho.
So MG is finally back, in one way or another. The new Marque stands for "Modern Gentleman" not "Morris Garages". Also it looks like they won't be hitting North American shores anytime soon either. The new MG is pretty much the same as the last ones that rolled off the line, but I'm hoping they don't follow past trends and not change the car for 18 years.
I prefer their older ad:
In other Classic Car stuff, I renewed my (and my Dad's) subscription to Classic Motorsports Magazine. I highly recommend it to anyone that's into cool older cars (not just British ones) My only complaint is that it's bi-monthly, not monthly. Their webpage is pretty cool, as well as their forum.
Awhile back I got up early Saturday morning and headed to Wakefield tire to see if they could spin a set of MGB wheels I had in my dad's basement. They're the original ones from the MGB and they're pretty grungy. I was afraid to do any restoration work on them, and then find out that they're eggshaped. Thankfully they're ok. 1 pair will have to be specified for the rear tho, as the guy said he wouldn't feel comfortable having those in the front, in case of any steering issues.
the rain held off on this particular Saturday just enough for Dad & I to take a trip up to Milton, NH to take a peek at 3 MG's in varying condition up there. One of my Dad's Co-workers lives up there and told him about the Cars she saw on the side of the road, and we decided a road trip would be a fun thing. So we headed up there. Ironically the last time our MGB was up that way, it was on the back of a trailer, coming back from the paint shop in Berwick, Maine. We got up there to find 3 cars
1-1970 MGB $12000-A bit steep if you ask me
2-1976 MGB $7600-Interesting price, 76 for 76?
3-1973 MGB $2000-Rusty.
The cars were kind of a wash, but the owner seems to have his own machine shop in his garage. If there's a part they don't make any more, he makes it himself. He seems like a nice guy, a true car person, it doesn't matter what make or model, Cool is cool. He's doing over a 1959 MGA in his garage, as well as a 1953 TD that's sitting under a tarp in his yard. He also commented that he liked our "buggy" as he called it.
After making his aquaintance, and chatting for a bit, we headed over to Dad's co worker's house. It was a really nice place up on a lake. I bet it's a bit expensive to live up there, as their neighbour has a Bmw Z-8 in the driveway, a fairly new Ferrari Spyder in the garage, oh and his girlfriends BMW Z3-M3 is also a nice touch. We chatted with Dad's friends for a couple of hours, and on the ride home Dad mentioned that he'd like to stop by Brits bits to take a look at their inventory. I hated to tell him that they were closed by now, as it was 6:15. He was really surprised at how fast the day slipped by.
The next Saturday was the MG/Rover day at Larz Anderson. It was quite depressing. The day started out cloudy & overcast, but the sun came out just as we started driving down Brookline Avenue. I prepared myself properly this time, and decided, regardless of the weather I'm wearing shorts. Good thing that I did too, as it turned out to be a real hot day! The depressing part though: 33 cars. It seems as though the Museum basically "demoted" the show from Sunday to Saturdays, because it's not as a good money maker as some other shows, over the past few years they claimed that it's declined in attendance steadily. Well in 2005 it was ok on a Sunday, and on 2006 they canceled it, citing the fact the rain the night before made it too wet, and Sunday morning at 8:00am it was still raining, so they canceled it, and the sun came out around 10:00 to make it a high of 90. in 2007 they (supposedly the Bay state MGA club) moved it from Sunday, citing the weather on Saturdays have been historically better, and I missed it, due to my own scheduling (we were driving home from the Starks, Maine gig) But I heard that they had about 40 cars. At the end of this years show, they asked if we thought the reason for the weak draw was because of it not being on the usual Sunday morning. I said I bet that's half the reason. Saturdays a lot of guys that have families get stuck with a "honey do" list, or go away for the day, some have to work, and some guys are usually working on their cars! Next year MG day may get combined with Triumph day. The really dry turnout is also the reason I don't have any photos from the event other than this one:
I don't know why it actually was a crappy turnout, and it's sad as, the first show I brought my finished MG to was this event. And I remember more than 60 cars being there. Partially I could blame any perceived snobbery from the MGA folks towards the MGB folks. I'll admit it, the MGA is a classic car, and it's far more elegant than an MGB. But my MGB has side windows, interior door panels, and a 5 main bearing crank with a rear main seal. The usual MGA guy will look down on an MGB, It's a bit more modern, but at 30+ MPH driving down the street no one cares, they just point and look, and ask what it is or what year it is. So yeah maybe some elitist behavior may be to blame. Dad may benefit from this "corksniffery" as he's got a line on a British racing green 1970 MGB GT from an MGA guy for a very reasonable price. Hopefully I'll have more to report on that later on.
So MG is finally back, in one way or another. The new Marque stands for "Modern Gentleman" not "Morris Garages". Also it looks like they won't be hitting North American shores anytime soon either. The new MG is pretty much the same as the last ones that rolled off the line, but I'm hoping they don't follow past trends and not change the car for 18 years.
I prefer their older ad:
In other Classic Car stuff, I renewed my (and my Dad's) subscription to Classic Motorsports Magazine. I highly recommend it to anyone that's into cool older cars (not just British ones) My only complaint is that it's bi-monthly, not monthly. Their webpage is pretty cool, as well as their forum.
Awhile back I got up early Saturday morning and headed to Wakefield tire to see if they could spin a set of MGB wheels I had in my dad's basement. They're the original ones from the MGB and they're pretty grungy. I was afraid to do any restoration work on them, and then find out that they're eggshaped. Thankfully they're ok. 1 pair will have to be specified for the rear tho, as the guy said he wouldn't feel comfortable having those in the front, in case of any steering issues.
the rain held off on this particular Saturday just enough for Dad & I to take a trip up to Milton, NH to take a peek at 3 MG's in varying condition up there. One of my Dad's Co-workers lives up there and told him about the Cars she saw on the side of the road, and we decided a road trip would be a fun thing. So we headed up there. Ironically the last time our MGB was up that way, it was on the back of a trailer, coming back from the paint shop in Berwick, Maine. We got up there to find 3 cars
1-1970 MGB $12000-A bit steep if you ask me
2-1976 MGB $7600-Interesting price, 76 for 76?
3-1973 MGB $2000-Rusty.
The cars were kind of a wash, but the owner seems to have his own machine shop in his garage. If there's a part they don't make any more, he makes it himself. He seems like a nice guy, a true car person, it doesn't matter what make or model, Cool is cool. He's doing over a 1959 MGA in his garage, as well as a 1953 TD that's sitting under a tarp in his yard. He also commented that he liked our "buggy" as he called it.
After making his aquaintance, and chatting for a bit, we headed over to Dad's co worker's house. It was a really nice place up on a lake. I bet it's a bit expensive to live up there, as their neighbour has a Bmw Z-8 in the driveway, a fairly new Ferrari Spyder in the garage, oh and his girlfriends BMW Z3-M3 is also a nice touch. We chatted with Dad's friends for a couple of hours, and on the ride home Dad mentioned that he'd like to stop by Brits bits to take a look at their inventory. I hated to tell him that they were closed by now, as it was 6:15. He was really surprised at how fast the day slipped by.
The next Saturday was the MG/Rover day at Larz Anderson. It was quite depressing. The day started out cloudy & overcast, but the sun came out just as we started driving down Brookline Avenue. I prepared myself properly this time, and decided, regardless of the weather I'm wearing shorts. Good thing that I did too, as it turned out to be a real hot day! The depressing part though: 33 cars. It seems as though the Museum basically "demoted" the show from Sunday to Saturdays, because it's not as a good money maker as some other shows, over the past few years they claimed that it's declined in attendance steadily. Well in 2005 it was ok on a Sunday, and on 2006 they canceled it, citing the fact the rain the night before made it too wet, and Sunday morning at 8:00am it was still raining, so they canceled it, and the sun came out around 10:00 to make it a high of 90. in 2007 they (supposedly the Bay state MGA club) moved it from Sunday, citing the weather on Saturdays have been historically better, and I missed it, due to my own scheduling (we were driving home from the Starks, Maine gig) But I heard that they had about 40 cars. At the end of this years show, they asked if we thought the reason for the weak draw was because of it not being on the usual Sunday morning. I said I bet that's half the reason. Saturdays a lot of guys that have families get stuck with a "honey do" list, or go away for the day, some have to work, and some guys are usually working on their cars! Next year MG day may get combined with Triumph day. The really dry turnout is also the reason I don't have any photos from the event other than this one:
I don't know why it actually was a crappy turnout, and it's sad as, the first show I brought my finished MG to was this event. And I remember more than 60 cars being there. Partially I could blame any perceived snobbery from the MGA folks towards the MGB folks. I'll admit it, the MGA is a classic car, and it's far more elegant than an MGB. But my MGB has side windows, interior door panels, and a 5 main bearing crank with a rear main seal. The usual MGA guy will look down on an MGB, It's a bit more modern, but at 30+ MPH driving down the street no one cares, they just point and look, and ask what it is or what year it is. So yeah maybe some elitist behavior may be to blame. Dad may benefit from this "corksniffery" as he's got a line on a British racing green 1970 MGB GT from an MGA guy for a very reasonable price. Hopefully I'll have more to report on that later on.
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Car Show alert! - September 26, 27 & 28, 2008
British Legends Weekend 2008 Buzzards Bay, Bridge Park
September 26, 27 & 28, 2008
for more info:
http://www.capecodbritishcarclub.org/
and for what it's worth, I plan on being there..
September 26, 27 & 28, 2008
for more info:
http://www.capecodbritishcarclub.org/
and for what it's worth, I plan on being there..
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
You have to start somewhere
and this is where we did in November 2001:
and in November of 2005:
I figured this would be a good place to start with this blog.
Latah
CD
and in November of 2005:
I figured this would be a good place to start with this blog.
Latah
CD
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