Experiences with British Motoring: Moving Into MGs

Every now and then we have the pleasure of sharing motoring stories from fellow fans of classic cars and driving. If you would like to share a story from your time owning, running, developing or finding your MG please do reach out and let us know.

Today’s story is thanks to Classic TF & Illawarra registrar Michael Hough and follows on from an earlier story looking back at his early experiences driving a Riley 9 and MGTC. Enjoy!

As reported last time in Part 1 (published in the Feb 2018 Opposite Lock), the very first car I owned was a somewhat quirky late 1930s Riley 9 four-seater sports soft top saloon. Although I thought it was a great ‘image’ car it was a really quite impractical first car.

I mainly recall how often it broke down, with some minor but usually fixable problem, and I suppose it was an excellent introduction to the quirks and challenges of maintaining British designed cars of that WW2 era.

I followed up the Riley with a very well kept and presented MGTC, which sustained me for many very happy years of growing up and living in the Newcastle of the 1960s and very early 1970s. I had an enjoyable and trouble-free ownership of the TC, and it certainly laid the foundations of an enduring and fond relationship with British cars, and MG sports cars in particular.

After the TC I experimented with some cars from other marques, a Morgan 4/4, a Morris 850 and a Morris Cooper Mk 1 were of particular interest, but to narrow the focus of this story I have owned the following MG’s:

• In the 1960s – a Black MGTC with red upholstery
• In the 1970s – a red MGTF 1250 with cream upholstery
• In the 1980s – a red MGBGT Mk 2
• And currently – a black MGTF 1250 with green upholstery

They have all been very different and interesting cars and, for me, probably the most enduring MG of them all for multi-purpose use plus an element of glamour, was the MGB GT! It is my opinion that owning cars like MGs is a very personal and subjective issue (and I still for example look at MGAs and regret not getting around to owning one!)

I found it interesting and challenging to go back through the family archives and actually find some photos of these cars. The other realisation was how long ago the photos were taken and the rapid decay of some early photos, so I have now begun a systematic process of scanning and digitising the old photos before they crumble and disappear altogether! This is also a way of apologising for the poor visual quality of some of the attached MG memories.

I hope that this brief article has inspired you to write something similar about your history of owning interesting cars AND to resolve to successfully save the old photos before they literally fade way on us! Now, how about sending in some of your stories and photos?

Enjoy your motoring!

Michael Hough,
Classic TF Registrar