The MGA With An Attitude
MGA Guru Is GOING MOBILE
NAMGAR GT50 Car Show, Traverse City. MI - (June 4, 2025)
Presented by the Michigan Rowdies and National MGA Register
Wednesday, June 4, 2025:
Day for the car show.The show field was supposed to open at 8-am with the cars on display from 9 to noon (wishful thinking). Early morning email message noting rain storms with show time pushed off to 10-am. Well, I showed up there at 10-am to discover i was first car there, and I had missed a later email message noting a later start time. So I parked on the side and lent a hand (and feet) marshaling incoming cars and traffic in a very tight space. Getting to use the new camera in daylight, and I think it works okay. They were trying to stage the cars to one side while taking pictures on the way in, but the photographer was late, so we had grid lock for a while, same time as the organizers were trying to set out flags for staging cars on the show field. Bit of a fiasco for a while, but finally got it together for show start at noon, truncated to 2-hours duration to finish at 2-pm. That cut into lunch hour and some self-driving tours, but seemed to come out okay in the end. Oddly, I didn't see any food vendor at the show grounds, but luckily I had brought my own drinks.
First up in a prime position was a group of five 1955 MGs, to celebrate the first production year of MGA in 1955. There was one MG Series MGA (a 1500 near beginning of production), and a MG TF-1500 Midget (near end of production). Also three MG Z Magnette (two years into production since 1953 start). The Brown/Tan Magnette not here may have missed the show.
A row of MGA 1500 wire wheel cars, including the famed Chicken car.
At least five MGA 1500 (not including mine), followed several MGA 1600 with wire wheels.
Half a dozen cars in Premier class, the best of the best, being cars that had won First In Class in the past year or two. I'm pretty sure there must have been one more Z Magnette in that group, but no picture.
Several MGA 1500 with with wire wheels. At least five MGA Coupe, mostly wire wheels, and one MGA 1600 Coupe with bolt-on alloy wheels. The third picture is definitely four more MGA Coupe with wire wheels, one 1500 and three 1600.
Two MGA 1600 roadsters with wire wheels. An overall shot of most of he MGA Coupe parked close together. Far left is one 1600-MK-II with wire wheels. Center of picture are 1500 models. Foreground right is an MGA 1600 Deluxe, essentially a complete Twin Cam car except for having a pushrod engine (and associated radiator and optional heater). Farther right are the 1500 and 1600 Coupe seen in an earlier picture.
At least seven Z Magnette, in addition to the three in the 1955 group, and maybe one more in the Premier group (maybe 11 or 12 total). The ZA Magnette had the hockey-stick side trim extending down to the front bumper. The ZB Magnette had the straight side trim from front wing to front door. The ZB Varitone had a trim strip from the bonnet across the front door and the rear door. There was also a wrap-around rear window glass. The ZB could be dressed in two-tone paint, but many were done with both tones in the same color (monochrome).
For sure the slickest car in the show was this 1931 MG D-Type 8/33. I think he was in a class of its own called Other MG. There were only 250 built, maybe half of them surviving somewhere today.
It is old, similar vintage as the MG M-Type Midget (but larger in the rear end).
Nice Escapade trailer tied to a wire wheel MGA 1500. Pretty sure I already have this one documented in the MGtech/trailer tech section.
There were at least two MGA Twin Cam present.
More pics of the MGA Coupes, very nice. First one on the left is the 1600 Deluxe Coupe.
At least two MGC, followed by lots of rubber bumper MGB (1975-1980).
One two-tone green MGA, very nice aftermarket interpretation, and one Alamo Beige MGA, rare original factory color.
Back to the hotel just in time for 3-pm tech session called John Twist & other Tech Leaders - Open Discussion. Apparently I had been drafted to sit on the open panel and answer some of the questions, 5 or 6 panelists for the visitors entertainment, and that turned out well. this was followed by another tech session with Forrest Johnson on SU Carburetors. -- After another phone call we went to the hospital for a brief visit, and picked up the keys for Gary's Coupe. Back for a look under the bonnet early evening. Sure enough a loose Field terminal and a bit of noise in the generator, but it was still charging. Running out of daylight, so making plans to fix it later. Into the hospitality Suite again late evening.
|
