SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER, 2015/ VOL 41, NO 1

Summer is upon us and driving season is in full gear. Get your MGAs out on the road so other people can see what a car that is now celebrating its 60th birthday looks like and how well preserved it is. I just wish I was just as well preserved as my MGA.

GT-40, in Frankenmuth MI, was a great success. The town has a Bavarian theme and is famous for their fried chicken. We had many events, from valve cover racing, to arts and crafts, and our car show. There were many beautiful cars including different MGAs as well as MGBs, as our annual events were one week apart and near each other. I had the honor of being the MC of the banquet dinner for the first time and am still learning about my duties and some things I am responsible for (and did not do as required). I owe an apology to all the winners whose names I mispronounced and will practice them for next year’s banquet. Jeff Zorn, who writes a newsletter for his company, also wrote about the GT-40 and mentioned my name in his newsletter… with my name misspelled. I wrote to him about it and he said he did it on purpose because I mispronounced so many names of the car show winners. He was going to use another misspelling of my last name, but decided to keep it clean. Look in this issue for all the winners of each event. As far as I am concerned, everyone was a winner who attended the show and enjoyed the cars and all their friends, who many of us only see once a year.

GT-41 will be an all-MG meet in Louisville, KY next year. You will be able to see all of the different MGs from the very beginning to some of the later models such as MGF built in the late 90s into the 2000s before MG closed down again. I have been to the last two all-MG events, held every five years, and this is an experience you will not want to miss. Watch for upcoming news and registration information. Make sure you sign up early, because with so many cars and people, we want to make sure everyone gets a room.

NAMGAR is also proud to announce that the site of GT-42 is going to be in California, at a beautiful town called Solvang. This town has a Danish theme and the food is great, especially the pancakes with strawberries and whipped cream. Solvang is about halfway between San Francisco and Los Angeles with great rallye roads. Watch for upcoming news in our magazine about all of the wonderful things to see and do in the area.

Before you know it, 2016 will be upon us. I am looking for your British car club to sponsor a Regional NAMGAR event. These events are held in different locations in the U.S. and Canada, offering a chance to show off your corner of the country. Some NAMGAR Chapters already have a two day show scheduled, and with a little tweaking can meet NAMGAR’s requirements for a Regional. Remember, if it’s a NAMGAR event, NAMGAR provides the insurance. Any club that is interested should contact me.

I’ve had a busy summer with working, traveling, and house remodeling, and am just getting ready to fix my MGA, which has suffered a brake failure. Normally it would not be a big deal, but my car has power brakes along with other modifications to the system. I just ordered a new power brake booster and should be on the road again shortly. Since it is the most important component to your car, always go with new parts or use one of the well-known rebuilders. Ask yourself what is your life worth if you use cheap or bad parts in your brake system.

When you read this, fall will be around the corner and the changing of the seasons will have begun. I am one of the lucky ones who can drive my car all year long and not worry about salt or snow on the roads. Many of my fellow MG drivers will be preparing their cars for storage to keep them safe and road worthy. Many will also be working on projects this winter that were put on hold for the summer season. When you do work on your car, please support the advertisers that you see in MGA! When I did my first restoration in 1975, I was on a college student budget and many parts, which we take for granted, were not available then. I had to get creative to make certain parts work, like the rubber seals for the splash aprons behind the front tires that keep mud and dirt out. I used a garage door seal and it was still in perfect condition when I removed it in 2001.

Please let me know if there is anything I can do for you, or if you have any questions