MG Oil DRIPS 

How hot was it? How cool was that!

As seven cars pulled out of the Bee Cave Elementary School parking lot a bit after 9:00 a.m., it was a pleasant 82 degrees with a nice breeze blowing. However, it didn’t take long for the temperature to reach 100 degrees.  But that didn’t deter this group. Led by Scott and Trish Hardy, we set out for a fun hour and half drive to Gateway Classic Cars’ Caffeine and Chrome gathering in New Braunfels. 

Gateway Classic Cars is in a large industrial space that houses about 130 vehicles of all makes, models, and years.  The Caffeine and Chrome gatherings are very low key and offer attendees convenient parking as a club, unsupervised access to their showroom, a goody bag with lots of reminders of our fun day, and, of course, coffee and donuts. 

The pictures below are sure to impress any car enthusiast!  The collection of cars in the showroom included the usual Camaros, Mustangs, and Corvettes.  There were some hot rods from years past, but also TDS, MGs, a Rover Sedan, and a handful of other unique cars. 

After walking and talking about our memories of the cars we owned and the memories of the ones we wished we still owned, the group made their way to a nearby Willie’s Grill and Icehouse for more stories and tall tales.  We bid farewell to our fellow car guys and gals and struck out on a quick path to our air-conditioned homes.

Contributed by Joe Vining

                               

The 27^th annual Keels and Wheels Concours was held the weekend of May 6-7 in Seabrook, TX, at the Lakewood Yacht Club. 

The show is always a chance to see a curated selection of very nice classic cars and wooden boats.  One of the themes of this year’s show was “100 years of MG,” and there was a good representative showing of MGs, from a lovely 1937 MG VA Saloon to a 1979 rubber-bumper MGB. 

One of the highlights of the show was Aaron Shelby, grandson of Carroll Shelby, who was there celebrating the 100^th Anniversary of Carroll’s birth.  Aaron showed Carrol’s first race car, a beautifully restored 1949 MG TC.  

Many folks don’t know that Carrol Shelby, the “father” of the Cobra, the Ford GT, and so many other successful racing and sports cars, started out his career racing an MG TD!    

Overall, there were a total of eighteen MGs, including the aforementioned VA Saloon, seven T-Series cars (TCs, TDs and TFs), six MGAs (including a very nice Twin-Cam roadster), three MGBs, and my Arnolt MG Coupe (representing the Capitol City MG Club).  The weather was fairly nice on Saturday, not so much on Sunday, but we all kept a stiff upper lip and got lots of exercise putting car covers on and taking them off!  The MGs were right up front at the show, so we got a lot of exposure and interest.  Many CCMGC cards were passed out, and and I think everyone had a great show.  If you have never been to K & W, I highly recommend it.  The venue is great, the weather is usually good, and there is always a great variety of vintage vehicles.

--Submitted by Craig Burchsted

Best wishes to those club members and partners who are celebrating another circumnavigation of the sun!

June: Martyn Atterton, Marius Chanson, Jessica Furrer, Sandy Gottner, Charlie Hampton, Debra Herrmann, Harold Paulson, Joe Vining, Karla Vining

July: Dave Braun, Craig Burchsted, Bobby Galvez, Mike Gottner, Jennifer Hempel, Scott Ogle, Debbie Olson, Wayne Samson, Ron Shimek, Bev Van Note, Bruce Whiteside

As we have traveled around Europe, I am constantly on the lookout for MGs in the cities and towns we visit. If I can find a car and its owner, I enjoy talking to these folks about their car. But, more recently I have wanted to create a stronger connection. I wanted to offer them membership in the Capital City MG Club. That idea eventually expanded to setting up a challenge with the other clubs in Texas to see who had the farthest member from their home city base. This “project” is about four years old now, due in part to the scarcity of our LBCs, not to mention COVID restricted travel.

Of course, I would occasionally see an MG on the road, but it was impossible to flag them down. Would you pull over for some crazy person who was driving wildly and waving his arms? Right! Once, in downtown Lyon, France, we were on foot waiting to cross the street when suddenly, I hear the unmistakable exhaust note of an MGB. A really nice BRG roadster with the top down comes right by us as we wave and yell at them to stop but they just kept on cruising, scarves flying from their necks, without a care in the world. Newer, non-Abingdon models do not count in my hunt.

Finally, I am happy to report, I have recorded my first successful contact and recruitment!

Karla and I left the day after our Capital City MG Club Spring Picnic for London. We enjoyed a few days in Oxford (more about that visit later) before returning to London to board the Viking Venus cruise ship to sail the British Isles. During a stop in Dover, we joined a tour, “Britain at War.” It was an excellent tour if you ever have the chance to do that cruise. The tour included several interesting stops including the British Memorial Museum. As we are getting off the bus, my sister-in-law spots a red MGA in the parking lot. (We are a family of MG enthusiasts as my brother-in-law has a beautiful MGB-GT and they know the challenge I have.) I immediately trotted off in the parking lot to see a nicely restored red coupe, with vintage racing trim. I pulled out our club business card and wrote a note on the back of it to email me about joining the club.

I walked into the museum and began to look around and wonder who the owner of the car might be. As I wandered the exhibits I lost myself in the incredible history being told in the museum and the adjacent grounds. As I stood looking at the monument to the brave flyers who had been a part of the battle of Britain, a gentleman walked up and asked me if I had an MG. I realized I had an MG pin on my hat and he had seen the pin. I asked if he was the owner of the A in the lot and, of course, he was. I met Philip and Piper Kiss. We had a great visit talking about our cars and showing each other pictures of our cars.

I told Philip about my challenge, and he wasted no time in checking out our Facebook page. Philip enjoyed scrolling the Facebook page and getting to see pictures of some of our members cars, even posting a photo Piper took of the two of us. I appreciate Eric Van Note and Martyn Atterton engaging with him on the Facebook page.

Now I’m off to find more MGs and their owners!

- contributed by Joe Vining.

- photos by Joe Vining

The CCMGC is proud to announce an exclusive offer for our members! These handmade cloth MG tote bags are easy to carry around and perfect for car shows or just a trip to the store. They are also fully reversible and washable. We have a limited number of these exclusive bags available to our members. Take advantage of our easy on-line ordering to get yours today! You can find these under the Regalia tab.

Please follow the link to find a great story chronicling the first 100 years of the MG marque by driving five representative cars:

https://www.hagerty.com/media/automotive-history/mg-at-100-driving-the-english-carmakers-greatest-hits/

Likely you have heard that the MG sports car is returning in the form of an electric vehicle made in China. Click on the link below to learn and see more:

https://www.hemmings.com/stories/2024-mg-cyberster-sports-car/?utm_medium=email&utm_source=EDaily&utm_campaign=

Saturday, April 15 was forecast to be a 90° day, but it dawned cool and cloudy. The Georgetown All British Squadron soldiered on to their early morning rendezvous at the Williamson County Courthouse to show their cars at the monthly show. Six CCMGC members showed up with their MGs. After the show, the gang took off for brunch at the Simmer Down Café. While brunch epitomized the slow food movement, the group carried on chatting about their past, current and future adventures.

Vol. 1 of the Gregarious Garrulous Garage Guys took place on Saturday, April 8. The dreary weather did not discourage about 25 of our members from making the drive to Elgin to enjoy some of Gary and Sherry Potter’s hospitality. Their collection of thirteen wonderful cars was a great feast for the automotively tuned eye. From the 1934 Hupmobile to the marvelous Morris Minor (my favorite), they have assembled quite a collection:

British	American
1937 Riley Lynx touring	1927 Franklin coupe
1952 MG TD roadster	1927 Chevrolet touring
1954 MG TF roadster	1934 Hupmobile K421 sedan
1957 Morris Minor 2dr sedan	1949 Ford convertible
1960 MGA roadster	1967 Mercury Cougar hardtop coupe
1960 Austin Healey Bugeye Sprite roadster
1960 Austin Healey 3000 roadster
1966 MGB roadster

In addition to the cars, a very interesting display of automotive memorabilia including license plates, vintage oil cans and dispensers, tools and some antique pedal cars made for a great complement to the cars. What a great way to spend a Saturday morning with knowledgeable car folks and some great examples to enjoy! Our thanks to Gary and Sherry for their hospitality and for treating us to a fine event!

• Contributed by Joe Vining
• Photos by Ed Rogus

On a perfect spring day, twenty-four English car lovers and one English dog corralled their steeds at the Circle K ranch to meet up for an easy trot to downtown Bastrop. A variety of breeds were represented, ranging from the ever-popular MGB to the venerable MG TD and a not-so-chill MGC. Being the first round-up of the driving season, all the participants eagerly greeted each other and chatted about their adventures with their steeds over the icy winter. Drive Master Joe Vining corralled the troops by luring the drivers with sweet treats from Round Rock Donuts, an unexpected pleasure. After a brief driver’s meeting, the thoroughbreds were roused and the posse took off into the rising sun, headed for beautiful Bastrop.  Our destination was the 602 Brewery on Main Street in the downtown historic district. 

While the temperature was perfect and there wasn’t a cloud to be seen, the experience was enriched by the magnificent display of spring wildflowers. We passed vast fields of bluebonnets and red paintbrushes, which culminated in an iconic Texas spring scene. As we approached the outskirts of Bastrop, we drove by a pasture blanketed with billions of bluebonnets, occupied only by longhorns and horses. Our convoy received several thumbs up from passing admirers as we made our way east. The only traffic we encountered was in Bastrop, where we had to traverse a frontage road as clogged as any you might find in Austin. If you haven’t been to Bastrop lately, it has really grown!

After hitching our slightly lathered steeds in a municipal lot, we made our way to the 602 Brewery, located in a renovated historic building. We were seated in a separate section at a long table, where we resumed our conversations and ordered craft burgers and beer. We were pleased to be joined by our newest Club members Esteban and Veronica Monclova, the proud owners of a 1974 MG Midget that is currently under restoration. After a great meal, we left the restaurant to again enjoy the magnificent weather on our ways back home. All in all, it was a great way to kick off our driving events for the year.

Hope you enjoy the photos and will join us on our next drive!