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My love of MG's started when I was 7 years old and living in El Paso, Texas.
The guy across the street was in the Air Force and had brought back an MG TC
from England. Naturally with a car like that parked on the street kids were
always around - and he loved giving us rides in it.
I bought my first MGA in 1965 while stationed in California. I'd just
re-enlisted in the Navy and had $1200 burning a hole in my pocket - at the
time I'd rather have had the Healey sitting beside it but didn't have the
extra $100 it took to get it. When I got orders to Vietnam I drove it
across country to North Carolina, parking on the side of the road at night,
scrunched down under the steering wheel with my head on the seat. My sea
bag had the place of honor on the passenger seat.
After Vietnam I was transferred to Scotland where I bought my first TC. It
was owned by an American being transferred back to the States and I
absolutely, positively fell in love with and had to have that car - and
after two months of wheedling, bargaining, and begging, I did. Bald tires,
drafty wooden floorboards with no carpeting, a leaky convertible top,
ill-fitting side curtains, rattles and squeaks, in my mind the most
beautiful car in the world and a veritable *girl magnet*. Unfortunately, my
girl friend (now wife) didn't think so - if you drop the "most beautiful
car" and *girl magnet* from that sentence you get her take on it. The
clatter of the valve train and the rasp of the exhaust - together with the
large steering wheel and skinny 19" tires - combined to make 40 mph sound,
and feel, like you were doing a 100; while the bald tires on the icy winter
streets made cornering sideways a natural occurrence. But once you finally
had it parked overlooking the harbor - well, there weren't too many places
for your date to hide from you in the little space available to her.
All went well until the Navy Base (NAVRADSTA Thurso) went big-time and
opened the club Aeolus. The first night it opened, I filled the car with
petrol and myself with beer, and headed for town - and never made it off the
base. I found a wooden fence pole on the side of the road (upon reflection,
thank goodness) that stopped me dead in my tracks - well, stopped me from
driving but not from going into town - heck, only had a bruise and the
taxi's were running. The next morning I surveyed the damage - the left front
fender was crumpled and the kingpin assembly broken loose from the axle -
more than I could fix with no workshop or tools available - so I sold it to
the highest bidder - while at the same time vowing to own another one when I
could afford it. Believe it or not, I was contacted by the present owner
last year - he'd ended up buying the car for $12 in 1969 and had just
completed a restoration on it in 2004. My wife got to see the car this year
when she went home to visit family.
That was the end of my MG's until 1990 - it was getting close to time to
retire from the Navy and I needed a hobby. I found a basket case MG TC in
Florida, paid way too much for it and restored it over the next 10 years in
my garage. It's now a driver with a supercharger - and it's got a
brother/sister I'm building to go vintage racing with one of these days if I
don't get too old too soon.
Wish I was 7 again so I could do the whole thing over again...it's been fun.
Gene Gillam
Saucier, MS
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