Stranger in a Strange Land

or
Triumph Owner at an MG Event

Last August, Judge "Dredd" Morse asked me along to the annual MG Summer Picnic in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Basically, if it is auto-related, I'll go. I've even been desperate enough for an auto fix in winter that I went to a truck pull at the Rosemont Horizon. Note: running internal combustion engines indoors is never a wise idea. However, there were hordes of carbon monoxide impaired junkies who were multiple event attendees.

The Dredd mobile is a '53 MGTD which is a nostalgic fun ride in a basic sports car. Technology wise it makes the TR3 series appear out of Star Wars. The TD is relatively slow, has poor braking, poor top end and has two cockpits, temperature range is boil and freeze. It also has all the traditional British features: dim lights, temperamental starting, exhaust fumes in the interior, leaking top, etc.

We left in mid-morning on a beautiful Thursday in a caravan with an MGB and a minivan. The lovely Dan Ryan was our route out of Chicago and was a special adventure in the TD as large semi-trucks tailgated us. The gas tank in the TD is mounted vertically about 2 feet from the seat, adding to the adventure.

Next came the scenic ride through Scary, Indiana, which can best be described as hell with the cover ripped off. The good news was the TD's interior fumes almost blocked out the nearby sewerage treatment smells.

Shortly after we crossed the Michigan state line, we took scenic county back roads to Grand Rapids. This is was sports cars are all about. About 2 1/2 hours later, we pulled into a sea of MG's in the Hilton parking lot. It felt like we had landed in a parallel universe. The MG people all looked like Triumph people. There was a Spuds, Wazbeard, Manteno brother, etc., except they talked about MG's instead of Triumphs.

That night there was a car show at the local micro-brewery. There was a myriad of cars, street rods, antiques, Gonzo Chevelles and MG's. The local MG club, "The Speckled Hens", stuffed the ballot box for best of show and one of their brethren won with a so-so MGB. The Gonzo Chevelle crowd didn't look happy with the MGB vote (understandably), and we left quickly.

The next day, Saturday, there were numerous driving event options. Being macho-guys, we did not go on the antique tour. It was pure coincidence that we happened to go to the same town and antique mall that the tour called for. We also went on a covered bridge tour and a tour of University Motors. (John Twist is the owner of University Motors and sponsor of the party.) University Motors is a large facility that specializes in MG repairs and restorations but will take in the occasional Triumph, Jaguar, etc. It's a well run organization (but not cheap) that seems to do the job. It was interesting to see how other people "invest" their money in British cars. There was an MGA coupe that was in the process of a complete restoration. A good estimate of final costs could be around $30,000.00 plus. It's good to see stuff like this to justify my shrewd British car expenditures.

The next day (Sunday) there was the show in a County Park. There were hundreds of MG's, broken into different categories. There were more MGB's than any one person should ever have to look at in a day. Because of the high number of "B" entrants, the judging was broken down into several classifications other than the usual chrome and rubber bumper classes. There was a class for B's assembled by drunken Englishmen (rather large), a class for B's assembled by sober Englishmen (rather small) and so on.

After the show that evening, there was the awards banquet. The guest speaker was Paddy Graham, who was a supplier of MG midget parts. The gist of his quite humorous talk was that he decided to sell used parts after totaling his car and finding out that the car was worth more smashed in parts than running.

The ride home the next day was uneventful till we hit bad traffic coming off the Skyway. The TD was running hot so we had to bail out in a neighborhood of the city that may never have had a MGTD go down its streets before. I was also wearing my Sharper Image personal cooler which looks like the glasses the Blind Star Trek guy wears except you wear it around your neck. Between the TD and the Trekkie look, we got several stares, a few horn honks, but no bullets. So all in all a successful side trip. We eventually got on to Lake Shore Drive and were home in about another hour.

This is a fun summer car event. The MG people were a friendly group, who talked to me even after they heard I owned a Triumph. In fact, they even allow non-MG's to enter for anyone interested in going. For information contact University Motors in Grand Rapids, Michigan at (616) 682-0800. The event is scheduled for the weekend of August 21st, and the 1999 show may be the last one for a while.

Bob "Man of" Steele
June 1999