If you have no interest in a national MG Car Club, or it's potiential
benefits or politics, hit your delete key now. If anyone wants
information on how to join or otherwise contact any of the organizations
metioned here, tell me, and I'll dig it up.
dlp@akguc.att.com scribed:
Subject: MG Car Club
As a member of the MGCC of England, I just got a flyer on this, directed
at potential members. (I'll can dig it up and enter specifics if need be.)
For those who don't know, the MGCC is the original, founded in the 30's,
and originally funded by the MG factory (until BFSL took over) They
maintain the original factory records on all the cars, as well as a large
library of other history, such as competition info. They maintain
seperate registers for each type of car which keep data on existing
cars, parts, tech info, etc. Registers include: Vintage, MMM, T-series,
Magnette, MGA (& Twin Cam), MGB, MGC, MGB V8, Midget, 1100/1300, 6R4,
and maybe more. The individual registers have their own newsletters, as well
as space in Saftey Fast!. The MGCC are the "home club" for hundreds of
local chapters, both in the UK and abroad, and now have a permanant office
in a former administration building at the factory site in Abingdon.
I think John Thornly may be the current president.
There is also another large, but independent club in England, know as the
MG Owners Club.
The New England MG "T" Register was formed about 30 years ago, to
cater to the interests of T-Series MG's. The president for life is
Dick Knudson, who has written a few books on MG's. They have several of their
own chapters, and a couple large yearly events. They now include a
"Vintage" membership, for pre-T-series cars, but have no direct provision
for later cars. They provide a bi-monthly magazine, "The Sacred Octagon",
which is directed at club news. The T-reg is an affiliate club of the
MGCC of England.
MG Magazine is a bi-monthly magazine covering all MG's and events, with
some good photos, articles, and tech articles. They have recently started
to offer an "MG Motorists" group benefits free to all subscribers,
which will include discount rate insurance on pre-1974 MG Cars.
MG Magazine is owned/published by much of the same core group that runs the
NEMGTR, and a subscription is included with T-register membership.
I am currently a member of the MGCC, the North American MMM register
(which is the US chapter of MGCC already anyhow), & New England MGT Reg.
My understanding:
The MGCC wants to strengthen it's position and usefulness in the USA.
In North America, there are many local MG clubs (some affiliated), and
some national model clubs/registers (NA MMM Register, NAMGAR, NAMGBR,
NAMGBA, Various MG T regs, etc), but there is no single North American
MG Club serving all models. (ie- Vintage Triumph Register of North America,
Porsche Club of America, and the likes)
Current ways to belong to the MGCC:
1) Join the MGCC (England) for about $35/year. This gets you a monthly
copy of Saftey Fast!, which is good for some news & advertizing, but
it's hard to relate to *their* local club/register/events/classfieds/news,
which makes up a large part of the magazine. You can also buy club regalia
& automaticlly join the proper register(s) for your car(s). Other
membership benefits, such as parts discounts, event entry, group
insurance, etc, are mostly useless.
2) You may belong to a club which is affiliated with the MGCC, such as
the NEMGTR, or SMGTR but it doesn't get you much from the MGCC. Your club
gets to pay a membership fee, and gets a club copy of Saftey Fast!.
What's new, is an effort to create a new "North American MG Car Club", which
will provide it's own NA version of Saftey Fast!, member benefits, etc, and
current MGCC Registers and chapters will convert to it. The cost (to members)
sill be about the same as belonging to the MGCC UK (and you will still be
a member of the parent organization, with access to records, etc.)
Member standpoint:
I think this is probably good. I would rather get US directed advertizing,
event listings, club info, etc, instead of less useful UK info. I have been
considering dropping my MGCC membership, and will now consider continuing
as a MGCC NA member. We will finally have info available on all N.A.
activities, rather than just local club, or single model info. I can
be a national member without having to join a local club (if there
was one). Joing the NA MGCC would automaticly put me on the NA MGB Reg
(which ever is the "offical" one anyhow, but that's another story) and
the NA MMM Reg, etc. I'm not quite sure if this gives me any local
affiliation, or if that requires joining seperatly.
Club standpoint:
This *should* be good, especially for smaller clubs. It gets members
connectivity to national events/info/people/etc, and gives the club
national listing of their events. It should also provide the clubs
with group insurance coverage for meetings and events. (such as would
now have to be aquired through CMC, etc.) But, it may increase the cost to
belong to a local club from something like $20/year to $35/year.
This may not be as good for larger local clubs or registers. If the
national organization is going to suck off most of the dues, it may
not leave much for more elaborate newsletters, etc. But, it could
provide a venue for national publicity, etc, and free up energy
for doing other things better.
> The New England MG T Register and its officers are circulating letters
> protesting the (rumored?) establishment of the MG Car Club of England
> in the U.S.
> Hum! It seems to me that there is more yelling and screaming here
> than justified if all this is true. No one can force a club to
> belong to another orgainzation. What is all the yelling about, unless
> some particular interest group is scared to death that their power
> base will be erroded?
I think you may have hit it there- The NEMGTR seems to try to be the
"national" T-register end-all-club, altho they don't have any allowances
for newer cars. They would probably loose some members nationwide who
join for their national aspects. There might also be competition
in the market of MG Magazine and a national club.
*Opinion mode on*
Altho I appreciate the efforts and results of the T-register, I feel that
they are a bit too elitist, and already try to pass themselves off as
the American MG Car Club, which they are not. I like MG Magazine, but
we'd all be better off if they would work with the club, rather than
against them. It appears that they've already made the decision not
to cooperate. I know several poeple who like people and some events
associated with the NEMGTR, but don't like the club.
*Opinion off*
> Dick is President (king) of the NEMGTR.
>
> "The M.G. Car Club of England is starting a new M.G. Club in North
> America appears to be a purely commercial venture. They intend to go
> head to head with all existing clubs and registers here and to put
> them out of business.
This sounds like Knudson all right. I can't believe either of these
statements as such.
> They have appropriated a large sum of money for
> this purpose and have sent Phil Richer over here for an extended
> period of time to organize this new club and to enlist ... members
This part seems true- they will be at events around the country this
year, promoting the new club.
> over here. As an aside, the Register has been going on for over
> 28 years with an all volunteer effort. It seems they know better
> what we Americans need than we do."
But, what about those profits from the MG Magazine, etc.?
> "...The new MGCC North America will require established clubs such as
> yours to pay an annual fee of $100.00. I further understand that all of
> your club dues will go to MGCCNA!
This sounds misleading- how could the club be expectted to pay out
$100 more than they take in, and not get anything back? There are
many successful national car clubs with happy local chapters.
> Over the week-end I got a three page single spaced letter from
> Dick Raymond (a director of the NEMGTR) raving about all of this, and
> how unfair and presumptous it is of the English, etc...
I would have expected the MGCC to contact and work with local clubs
more before they launched a large nationwide effort. I have the feeling
that they tried this with the NEMGTR, but I don't know about other
local and national groups. They may have even been detered in their efforts
by those in control of the NEMGTR.
________
/ _ \ Roger Garnett (Roger_Garnett@cornell.edu)
/ /|| \ \ Agricultural Economics |
| |\/ || _ | 3 Warren Hall | "The South Lansing Centre
| | || | | Cornell University | For Wayward Sports Cars"
\ ||__/ / Ithaca, N.Y. 14853 | (607) 533-7735
\________/ (607) 255-2522 | Safety Fast!
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