Technical

The classic car hobby is only partially about car shows, races, auctions, drives through the countryside, and camaraderie with like-minded friends.  Many, many of the hours spent in the hobby are in the shop with restoration, repair, upgrades, and maintenance activities.  Many hours.  A shop is important, so important that one classic car magazine is actually having a contest to see who has the best shop.

Twisting wrenches is part of the fun.  Diagnosing an issue, developing a solution, and being able to have the car running correctly again is rewarding.  Just finding the right part for a car that has been out of production for 70 years is a challenge in itself.  It can be like winning a big Bingo game when you find the part that will work.  Time spent polishing and waxing is rewarded with a gleam that is satisfying.

Classic cars are like boats in the maintenance required.  A German friend who sailed to the US on a 23 foot sailboat (a long story in itself) tells a story about his friends' view of him working on his boat.  When he sees a friend they often ask, "Hans, what is wrong with your boat?"  "Nothing," he replies.  "Oh, Hans, there must be something wrong with your boat, you are always working on it."

Cars of yesteryear required more maintenance.  The MGA shop manual lists daily and weekly maintenance tasks to be performed by the owner.  It schedules the first maintenance, with a visit to the dealership, at 500 miles - the second at 1000 miles, then the third does not come until 3,000 miles.  Cars of today often have scheduled oil changes at 7,500 miles and go 100,000 miles on a set of spark plugs.  What fun is that?

Some of the posts on the blog will detail a repair or upgrade to one of the MGs, to share some of the technical aspects of the classic car hobby and provide information to others who might like to achieve the same task.

Sunday Drives

Driving a car was once a celebrated adventure.  Families piled into their car for a ride on Sunday, venturing out on roads unexplored and for sights not before seen.  Sunday drives were a family affair that brought joy, built memories, and was a bonding experience.

It took knowledge of the car and how it functioned to be able to complete a drive somewhere and successfully return home.  Roads were primitive.  Some cars carried two spare tires as having one was not often enough.  Tires were not the only spare parts carried.  One had to anticipate what might fail and be prepared to accomplish the needed repair along the roadside.  Roads were two lane, often winding as they were laid out on the easiest route requiring the least earth moving.  Paving a bend around a large tree was easier and quicker than removing the tree.  Traffic was light.  Forests were left close to the roads.  Small towns along the back roads were quaint and rarely visited by outsiders.  Driving was fun and adventurous. 

Longer, multi-day trips required detailed planning to determine the route.  The American Automobile Club featured custom-made, thick, spiral-bound books of maps to assist the navigator in finding those tricky turns and poorly-signed roads leading to their destination.  There were no chain motels providing overnight accommodations.  Days were spent working on the car in preparation for the long trip.  

Fast forward to today.  Roads are straight, multi-lane, and packed with cars.  Traffic comes to a halt with the slightest hiccup, causing drivers with schedules to fume and become profane.  Driving in the 21st century just requires knowing where the fuel fill is and turning the key.  A computer in the car will tell the driver where to turn and what road to take.  Part failures are rare and maintenance is handled by a dealer's shop.  Cars are designed to isolate the driver and passengers from the road.  Driving has become a chore required for daily life, one dreaded by many.

Sunday drives and the enjoyment they once provided is still there for classic car owners.  Some of those back roads still exist but are becoming rarer as large earth moving equipment levels and straightens every roadway in preparation for paving.  All feedback from the road and the environment are experienced by the people in the car.  Sunday drives can still be an adventure and bring great joy.

Oh, there are classic cars that sit in garages, are on display at museums. reside in collections, rarely, if ever, driven.  The detailed, expensive restorations are too valuable to risk a rock chipping the paint or having a part break that is irreplaceable keep them from even being started.  On the other hand, there are those in the classic car community who want to experience the thrill of being on the road and the challenge of finding the enjoyable roads to experience the journey rather than the quickest and easiest route to a destination.  Some go to great extremes to create an ultimate adventure - The Great Race, for example:  Great Race Link .

April, 2017, Tangerine, FL

One Sunday Drive for us was a bit longer, an overnighter, to the small Central Florida community of Tangerine.  The Cinnamon Inn Bread & Breakfast provided the comfortable, quaint, and quality accommodations, and a number of backroads and roadside experiences provided the adventure.  Who would have thought a large, popular German bakery would be located on a back road?  A stop at the bakery rewarded one not only with beautiful and delicious baked goods - a wide selection of German beers was available.  Yahala Bakery Link  Unexpected joys are waiting on the back roads.

One Sunday Drive included the curviest road, known as The Tail of the Gator, with the road ending at the Crystal River.  Literally, at the river.  Someone even thought a sign was necessary to point out that the road ends at the waterline.

It is appropriate that a post on cars concludes with the rear end of a car.

Daytona HSR Vintage Races and Daytona Classic 24 Hours

Daytona International Speedway, November 9 - 12, 2017

Four days of historic, and often collectible, race cars on the track at Daytona provides an overwhelming amount of visual experiences.  There are multiple vintage race car sanctioning organizations, offering racing opportunities across the country.  Historic Sportscar Racing (HSR) used Daytona International for their season-ending races and partnered with IMSA to host the Daytona Classic 24 hours.

The multiple race event is organized more for the racers than spectators.  The small number of spectators creates easy access to the cars and pit areas allowing one a close up examination of some automotive works of arts.  The Audi R8 in this image exposes the engineering and design of the engine, suspension, and braking systems.

The event is more than cars.  One of the activities was a panel discussion about racing.  Bill Warner, the organizer of the Amelia Island Concours de Elegance, lead a discussion with Ray Everingham, NASCAR crew chief and classic car builder, and Adrian Newey, the Formula 1 car designer with 10 titles on his record.  All very high achievers.  What brought them to Daytona?  They were all driving in the races.  It was a most interesting and informative sharing of stories and ideas.

Thousands of interesting cars were in attendance and on display.  In addition to the historic race cars, participants and spectators brought cars for transportation and to share.  Some were for sale, so the opportunity to add to one's collection was available.  This Maserati supercar did have the price listed on the page on the windshield - 4.5.  That figure has an M behind it, as in millions of dollars.

Cars, racing, people, and related vendors all provided experiences for the auto aficionado.

Some cars, such as this Jaguar XKE factory racing special were just beautiful works of art to behold.  Looks fast just sitting in the pit garage.

Daytona Classic 24 Hours Cars & Coffee

November 11, 2017  Daytona Beach, Florida

Amelia Island Concours de Elegance partnered with the HSR Vintage races and the Classic 24 Hours at Daytona.  One of their activities was hosting a Cars & Coffee on Saturday morning.  There were cars of all sorts, many more than captured in this image.  There is always good "tire kicking" and discussion when enthusiasts bring their cars together for a show.

One of the features of the Cars & Coffee was a couple laps around the track.  Although, it was at a reduced speed, with a little strategy some speed could be gained through the tighter corners to generate some G forces and gain a bit of insight of racing on the track.

Amelia Dream Cars

Fernandina Beach, November 4, 2017

The Classic MG Club of Orlando moved the club overnight drive from the traditional date in October to November, resulting in clear, cool weather, lower hotel prices, and a great opportunity for MG camaraderie.  Amelia Island and the city of Fernandina Beach were the destinations, with a visit to Amelia Dream Cars the featured event.

A convoy of MGs left Central Florida on a rally-like tour of Florida back roads.  State Roads 19, 40, 11, and 100 led to A1A at Flagler Beach for a drive north along the beaches of the Atlantic Ocean.  Crescent Beach and the South Beach Grill, with seating overlooking the beach and ocean, made for an enjoyable stop with delicious seafood lunches.

Heading north, the convoy traveled through St. Augustine, Guana State Park, and the Jacksonville Beaches on the way to Mayport and the ferry for a boat trip across the St. Johns River.  Once off the ferry, the trail headed through Little Talbot Island and Big Talbot Island State Parks and onto Amelia Island.  The Amelia Hotel on the Beach, near the north end of the island, is owned by our host and fellow Classic MG Club member, Richard “Choo Choo” Germano.

Saturday morning, a visit to Amelia Dream Cars, Choo Choo’s car shop, was the highlight of the activities.  Choo Choo is a life-long owner of MGs (and some other interesting automobiles).  He has restored many MGs and is in the process of restoring multiple cars, some quite rare and rarely seen.  Amelia Dream Cars is located in the building that was originally built as the Oldsmobile Dealership.  Outside in front of the shop an MGYA and MGTD were on display.

The new car showroom is filled with cars and motorcycles for sale, including a red MGA.  The service department is filled with cars, some completed and some under restoration.  One group in the photo includes an MGC, MGTC, MGTF, and an MGNA with a custom body of which only 9 were built.  The MGNA (the red car)  has the original engine, a 6 cylinder overhead cam.  MGs had overhead cam engines until the motivation for increased production and lower costs became company policy in 1935.  The black TF won first place in a major New England MG event shortly after restoration and has remained a driver for one of Choo Choo’s daughters.  The TC is immaculate.  It truly is in original, showroom condition.  One of the badges on the front of the TC below is an early Classic MG Club badge, with Orlando and Miami listed.  That is a rare MG collectible.

An MGTA Tickford Drophead Coupe was well underway in its restoration process, with the frame, suspension, and body tub completed.  Few Tickfords exist and only a very small number reside in North America.  A couple years ago a TA Tickford sold at the RM Auction in Amelia Island sold for $149,000, a measure of its rarity and quality.  A beautiful MGYT just gleamed.  It could be described as a drophead sedan, as it is a 4 seater, but the English term the car a "Tourer,"  thus the name YT - Y type tourer. Then, there was another YT in complete condition, but in need of restoration, and an MGPB that had one of the members actively negotiating about how he could become its owner.  Sitting on a trailer in the covered area outside the building the body of an MGA Twin Cam was to travel to the paint shop the next week.  Just an overload of MGs.

The many quality restaurants in Fernandina Beach provided a variety of lunch opportunities for the members.  The afternoon had a number of activities from walks along the downtown shops and waterfront to a coordinated drive to the Omni for shopping or a visit to the Falcon's Nest, a flight-themed pub.  Saturday night, all the participants headed to downtown Fernandina Beach for a dinner in a private upstairs room at the Crab Trap, Choo Choo’s restaurant.

Many thanks to Mark and Ellen Tidwell for organizing the Overnighter to Amelia Island, ensuring that The MG Classics Club members experienced an interesting drive in their MGs, enjoyable activities, and great camaraderie.   We are all most grateful to Richard “Choo Choo” Germano for sharing his car collection and teaching everyone more about the cars and history of MG.  His hotel, Amelia Hotel at the Beach, was a great place to spend the night and dinner at the Crab Trap was delicious. 

April 2019 Update:  The Dream is but a Memory now.  Many good things come to pass and so has Amelia Dream Cars.  Choo Choo made the decision to sell the old Oldsmobile dealership building and some of the cars in his collection.  Many of the cars and all the collectibles will be kept and moved to a new building built behind his house.  An important part of MG history has ended.

September 2020 Update: On Monday, September 21, 2020, Richard "Choo Choo" Germano passed away.  He will be missed by his many friends and all in the MG Community.  An even more important part of MG history has ended.

Gilmore Auto Museum

Kalamazoo, Michigan, September 6, 2017

The Gilmore is an amazing collection of cars, too large to see in a day.  Multiple buildings spread out over many acres of what was once farmland.  It is actually located in Kalamazoo, but that is the closest town that you might be able to find on a map.

One of the exhibits is an old diner, a social change created by the automobile.  It is not a static display, it is a working diner.  Having lunch at George and Sally's is part of the experience at the Gilmore.

The car in the parking lot is a 1935 Packard, which had just completed the Great Race from Jacksonville, Florida, to Traverse City, Michigan.  This car is part of the Gilmore collection.  Their cars are not just for show, they are driven, in this case long and hard.

1931 Franklin Pirate Sedan

This is a one of a kind, custom bodied Franklin.  All Franklin cars had air-cooled engines.  This construction allowed them to also make lightweight airplane engines.  This custom car sold new for $8750, the cost of 20 Model A Fords.

1932 Franklin Airman Sedan

Advertised as "The car with the supercharged airplane engine," this was an upgrade of the standard Franklin sedan.  It did not have the traditional roots type supercharger of the time, it took the pressure built up by the large cooling fan for the motor and slightly pressurized the carburetor.  Franklins had large radiator grills as that was the styling vogue of the day.  Being air cooled, there is no radiator behind the large, chromed grill.

The Great Race

Sault Ste. Marie, July 1, 2017

The Great Race is an annual road rally crossing a major portion of North America.  It is limited to cars built before 1972 and gives an advantage to older cars through a handicapping scoring system.

The 2017 race began in Jacksonville, Florida, following much of the Old Dixie Highway to its northern terminus in Sault Sainte Marie, Michigan, where we were able to see the cars cross the day's finish line.  The race continued, south back to Traverse City, Michigan, to complete the final day in the city of one of the major sponsors, Haggerty Insurance.

Although it is a fun event, it is a very serious rally - a time/speed/distance rally.  Participants are given route instruction each morning 30 minutes before they depart.  They must maintain a specified speed, which changes as they move from one road section to another.  Multiple, unknown checkpoint time the cars, which receive a penalty for each second they arrive early or late.  The navigator has a huge job.  The car's instruments must be covered and only a speedometer and clock are allowed in the car.  The navigator can also have a stopwatch.  No cell phones or other devices are allowed.

The 2017 Great Race route was 2300 miles long.  For 2018, the race will run from the Pierce Arrow Museum in Buffalo, New York, through New England states, New Brunswick, and finish in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Participants are limited to about 120 cars to make the race manageable.  A huge variety of cars are entered.  Watching the cars cross the finish line is like being at a car show with the added excitement of a race.

The Great Race 2017 Website