November 2018
we went .The
SA club won
first time and
we headed
home .Then,
later
that
week out to
N/E Tyre Co.
again . I
need
new
tyres
after
175 laps plus
practice and
each
way
trip . The
sales manager looked at me little
strangely and enquired asking “did you
buy these last week” to which my reply
was “great tyres ,but they don’t last
long !”After I explained what had oc-
curred and how the race became a wet
race favouring the Pirelli Tyres and our
success. I accepted an offer to meet the
national manager the next week and
that led to me having a free set on that
occasion and having heavy discounts
for some time .
Don Offler and his TF and what Con-
cours were all about still stuck with me
and when the club decided to conduct a
full on open Concours and to involve the
public the die was caste as they say!
Having dismantled the car and then
moved houses mid stream created a
few problems to overcome. Christine
and I worked feverishly at the job .
Christine even said why not take all the
paint off the chassis “look it comes off
easy !” well she did and the painting as
well. It turned out later the only car that
received 10 out of 10 for any section
was the TF (her work ).
Two nights without sleep before the big
day arrives . The morning of the con-
cours I slide out from under the car after
bleeding the brakes and splashed brake
fluid down the drivers door . the paint
goes from metallic green to white and
months of work appeared lost. Help
arrived from all quarters. The door was
removed ,cleaned and prepared for
painting in transit to the other side of
town . Painted with a plastics co. tiny
spray gun , dried under heat lamps and
polished on the way back. Its times like
these when you know who your friends
are. Onto the trailer , covered in plastic
and off to Arndale shopping centre for
the event.
Securing a win at that event and seeing
what could be achieved justified my
love of the rebuild and getting a result
to be proud of continues to this day.
1967 , the year that was the culmina-
tion of what owning the MG would lead
to .It was of course the wedding to
Christine . it turned out to be a club
affair from go to whoa . two MG SA
Saloons as wedding cars and a squad-
ron of all models to make sure we actu-
ally did it !
Then off to New Guinea for work for
three years . On our return back into it
with a short break starting a family.
Two more major restorations and club
involvement and loving it .
70 years but who is counting ?
25