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Published on 06 August 2020

Dad decided he wanted one of these about ten years ago; so I helped him go and buy one. It was never a show car (ours never are, we drive them); but, of course, with Dad being 75 then, it was my job to make sure it was bulletproof. Dad at the time had an XF van he used for work (gardening/handyman); but if he ever went out, he used to take the MG; so he used to drive it often enough, including once a month to his get togethers with his brothers and sisters; so it had to be able to handle a Perth summers day, and had to be able to handle the 50km drive home in the dark and when freezing in winter. His was a 66 model (5 bearing crank); and his van was mid 80's; but the van was very lumbering and becoming hard to park and see out of - so even though 20 years older, the MG was far easier for Dad to get around in - and more comfortable. I overhauled all the cooling system, fitted an elec cooling fan and an aftermarket heater (out of sight) to keep him and the dog warm enough, and fitted halogen lights; and a brake booster. I would take it for a week at a time once every 6 months and drive it to work to "give it a run" and then change the oil and do whatever else it needed. On one occasion when I took it to work we had a week of over 40 degree days here and I would be shuffling from set of lights to set of lights for about 25 minutes at 3:30 pm on the way home right when the max temp would kick in - but it was perfect. It was a very "different" car...... not overly powerful, but handled like on rails, body roll far less than any other car I have driven. We managed to get Dad into a Getz - and he loved driving that, and was so convenient that he used that all the time. So the MG "had to go" about 5 years ago. I said he should keep it - but Dad has a "not using it all the time/must get rid of it" edict. He said I could "just have it" and was willing to give it to me. I couldn't accept that; and would have bought it from him. But I already have a Stag, Dolomite Sprint, Jaguar, and 4 bikes....... so no room. We sold it to a guy for less than we paid for it. Because people either want a show car for zillions; or a wreck on a trailer that they will then spend 2 x zillions on. Our "ultra reliable, can just DRIVE" car sits in the middle; and no one wants those. But Dad enjoyed the experience, and so did I.