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MG 18/80

Posted: Fri Jul 22, 2016 10:33 pm
by porscheman
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Re: MG 18/80

Posted: Sat Jul 23, 2016 12:10 am
by C3s
Nice car & appropriate plate

Re: MG 18/80

Posted: Sat Jul 23, 2016 6:05 am
by Barry
Absolutely lovely!

Re: MG 18/80

Posted: Sat Jul 23, 2016 8:52 am
by 911hillclimber
What a gem!
always wondered what life with a Vintage is like in reality, full-on romance or just bloody frustrating.

If I had a spare garage would be very tempted to sell my Boxster for something similar.

Re: MG 18/80

Posted: Sat Jul 23, 2016 9:15 am
by Ashley James
MG dealers University Motors bought up all the MG plates and cars they sold were fitted with them. You really have to love very old cars to enjoy them because they're leaky, bumpy, noisy, dog slow and very hard work to drive. I've had them all my life, I'm seventy now, the best by miles was a 1951 MKVI Bentley which I've recently sold after eighteen years of ownership and having driven all over France in it and most of the U.K. As well as marrying my two kids in it. I'd fitted a handle kit so it handled like a modern car and a high axle ratio so that it cruised at between 70 and 80 without stress. They were one of the best cars anyone ever made, but not being no sports cars means no one has noticed them.

Now I have a Healey 3000, the 356, the Boxster and a Merc for shopping etc. I'd quite like a '36 Ford three window coupe, tuned a little and with some handling bits on it, but 12 mpg is wearing.

Re: MG 18/80

Posted: Sat Jul 23, 2016 1:53 pm
by hot66
Out of interest, do you prefer the healey or the boxster

Re: MG 18/80

Posted: Sat Jul 23, 2016 2:12 pm
by Ashley James
Hard to compare them because the Healey is a crude Brit sports car with an early fifties chassis. Apart not having much power, the 356 is better in most respects.

The Healey is a great old touring car if you don't want to go too fast and the weather is moderate. Otherwise the engine and gearbox heat is intolerable and also the floor over the exhaust on the passenger side.

My son is just off across France, the Alps, Switzerland, Germany and back through France in it tomorrow and I'm wondering if he decides to reduce the mileage.

The Boxster is hard to fault in most respects except that the ride in the 356 is a better compromise for Britain's Jonathan Porrit designed roads.

Re: MG 18/80

Posted: Sat Jul 23, 2016 3:58 pm
by porscheman
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Re: MG 18/80

Posted: Sat Jul 23, 2016 4:00 pm
by porscheman
Thanks for the kind comments. The car is truly vintage (1930) and its one of five in existence. For sale at the moment so that I can get back into 356 ownership ..... SWMBO doesn't like to travel far in the car grrrrr

Re: MG 18/80

Posted: Sat Jul 23, 2016 4:05 pm
by porscheman
Ashley James wrote:MG dealers University Motors bought up all the MG plates and cars they sold were fitted with them.
Full marks ...... University Motors badge top left of dash

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Re: MG 18/80

Posted: Sat Jul 23, 2016 4:47 pm
by hot66
I like that

Re: MG 18/80

Posted: Sat Jul 23, 2016 5:06 pm
by 911hillclimber
You must feel that you are bound by a frustrating distance you can achieve each a day, and days out are within a limited radius?

Drove my 987 Gen2 2.9 Boxster today after about 10 days rest. It really is quite a car for today which makes me loath to use my mega '73T Coupe with a strong 3.2 in it.

A Vintage car perhaps would be pushed even further back once the honeymoon wore off or the first forced lay-bye rest had occurred?
Not sure my car-friendly wife would live with unreliability.

Re: MG 18/80

Posted: Sat Jul 23, 2016 10:21 pm
by porscheman
The car will run for hours without problem, it really is extremely reliable. The wife is a petrolhead, but simply doesn't get the appeal of vintage motoring (despite my best efforts). Wife or car? I did toss a coin and the wife won.

Re: MG 18/80

Posted: Sat Jul 23, 2016 10:36 pm
by majordad
Toss again, tell here it's the best of three ! Lovely car.

Re: MG 18/80

Posted: Sun Jul 24, 2016 9:39 am
by Ashley James
It's a stunner and I'm guessing a very rare model. I see another at Prescott occasionally.