Chris Kotting wondered:
> I was wondering, do women driving MGs experience the same sort of thing?
Am I the only woman on the list these days? If so, what did you guys
do to the rest of them to chase them away?
Anyway, in answer to your question, I guarantee that my experiences
driving an LBC are very different from yours, let me tell you. But
then it's hard to tell if it's my gender or just me.
I've driven a '67 B since '79 and people's reactions have changed over
time. I've also noticed that everyone seems to have owned an MG at
some point in their lives, but it's only lately that they claim they
regret having sold it. Back when my car was only 12 years old and looked a lot
better than it does now, total strangers would yell at me that their MG was a
piece of junk (I'm paraphrasing), was always
broken, and they were happy to get $100 for it. They seemed angry at
me for being able to successfully drive a car that they couldn't keep running.
One old man hollered, "How can you drive a thing like that?
Don't you have any respect for yourself?" Then, the paint was new.
Now the car has surface rust and it's a classic.
But this, of course, is not what you want to hear. You want to know
if an MG is a stud magnet for a woman driver. No. Men assume that a
woman is helpless when it comes to cars so the MG must be a money pit
and the woman must be a charity case. When they find out that I do
all my own work, then they _really_ don't want to know me. Unless
their car needs work.
Besides, I drive with my hair tucked up in a baseball cap and people
tell me they think some guy is driving my car. When I get where I'm going and
take the hat off, I have creases in my forehead that look
like lobotomy scars (I'm guessing). I told my mother this and she
asked in all seriousness, "Have you had a lobotomy?" Thanks Mom.
Sorry, no lurid stories of MG inspired romance here. But as soon as
I have one, I'll be sure to tell you guys. ;-)
Denise Thorpe
but I have some stories from when I was a professional MG mechanic...
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