NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2015, VOL 41 NO2

Hello again from California. It should be very close to Thanksgiving by the time you get this. Our members on the East Coast and in the Midwest will have, or shortly have, their cars put into winter storage.

This will be a great time to fine tune your cars to get ready for a fun filled trip to GT-41, which is an all MG meet in Louisville, KY in June. I don’t want to forget those people in the dry, dry West Coast. The event is still about seven months away, so get the cars ready for a truly great car show with old MGs from the 30s all the way to the 80s in one car show. I want to see a great turn out of MGAs and Magnettes so everyone can enjoy the beauty of our cars and the time and love it took to restore them.

A few weeks ago, I went to my local car club, the Southern California MG Car Club’s once a year car show held at the Driving Museum near the Los Angeles Airport. This is a great place, as every weekend they take out three cars to be driven by docents. I had the pleasure of driving in a 1965 Pontiac Bonneville convertible, a 1946 Packard Clipper, and a 1941 Dodge Business Coupe. As I was walking around and voting on the cars, I saw a beautiful MGA that turned out to be NAMGAR car number three. I talked with the owner about his car and he stated that the car was owned by one of the original founders of NAMGAR. The car looks as good as when it came off the assembly line. I hope he brings the car to GT41.

One of my jobs as Vice Chairman is to get our local chapters involved in sponsoring local Regional GTs. Specifically, I am looking for a club to sponsor a regional GT for 2016. We may have one, which was uncovered by our Chairman, Carol Shamonsky, but we will have to wait until the next issue of MGA! to see what happens. A local GT does not have to have a car show, but be set up for drives and interesting things to see and do in their area. Please talk to your local club members and your Board of Directors about hosting an event. It’s an opportunity to put your club in the spotlight and even get written up in

NAMGAR’s MGA! magazine. Please contact me for more information at Vicechairman @NAMGAR.com Remember how much you enjoy NAMGAR GTs; now is the time to help give back by having a show in your local region.

Plans for GT-42 in Solvang, CA are underway, but I have to start thinking ahead for our 2018 GT. I know this seems far off, but before we know it the summer of 2018 will be here. It takes time to plan and organize for a GT. I need your club to step forward and volunteer for this event. It is a very rewarding experience and great memories will be created for both your club and all the members that will attend. Remember, if you build it (volunteer), they will come.

I have a Magnette that I am restoring, and it is a very slow project that is being done in my spare time and the body shop’s time. The car now has a rust free body with all new sheet metal where the body was rusted. The body shop technician is doing this in his spare time and moving his shop did not help!

The Magnette has a little more light bodywork to be finished and it will be ready for painting. I have been collecting parts for this car for over ten years. Many people in the Magnette group have been very helpful in getting parts or even having parts made when they were no longer available. I have an 18v engine and a High Gear five-speed transmission for it. Most people that I know have an extra car just for parts to complete their restoration. If you have, or are interested in owning a Magnette, check out thelist.com. I believe you have to contact someone who is on the list to get on it. This is to prevent spam. The site is a great source of information on cars for sale and locating something you might need for your car.

Christmas is coming soon, so I wanted to mention what our club does every year for our Christmas dinner. We require everyone to bring a brand new, unwrapped toy. The local fire department sends their crew over in the fire trucks to collect the toys for kids who are underprivileged. Your club might want to do the same or something similar to support the kids near you.

In closing, I want to wish everyone Happy Holidays and a prosperous New Year.