On July 6 Gavin Walker wrote:
"Just owning a British car tends to attract people to your
vicinity. They say all sorts of good things about it. While
not a bad thing, do they like your car or you?"
As someone who is new to this list, but not to British car ownership, this
seemed like a good point add a couple of my thoughts to the wonderful flow of
conversation here. As someone who has owned one or more British cars for the
last 25 years (from the '62 Mini-Cooper that was my first car back in my
college days, to the three MGBs that we currently own, drive, show and
autocross) I've spent a LOT of time in those sorts of conversations. I
really think that it is a combination of both owner and car. The car itself
is certainly the initial attraction, but I think that to most people it is
also symbolic of a certain "unique character" attributable to those of us who
are adventurous enough to own and drive one (or more). One of the basic
precepts that was central to forming our Iowa British Car Club 10 years ago
is that however else you might feel about them, the owner of a British car is
by definition an "interesting" person. I'm also quite involved with Des
Moines Valley Region SCCA as Rally Director and am an avid autocrosser so I
am frequently approached at both our Solo II events, and at local displays
featuring club cars (where I generally am called upon to provide one of our
cars to remind people where the "SC" portion of the club's name came from!).
It's always gratifying that in spite of the attractions of more contemporary
sporting and racing cars, my elderly 'Bs usually spark far more than their
share of conversation from strangers. Perhaps it's just because so many of
those who stop to chat have either owned one, knew someone who did, or always
wanted to, but there are also a considerable number who are just seem drawn
to the cars by the same sub-conscious connection to the spirit the cars
embody that has captured so many of us. As the Harley folks say, "If you have
to ask, you wouldn't understand".
My all time favorite comment is one I got last winter when my '71 roadster
was displayed at an SCCA exhibit at a local shopping mall. A couple had
spent several minutes looking at my 'B and commenting to each other before
approaching me rather tentatively to ask if my car was the next generation
Miata!
Ric Johnson
Ric Johnson Productions
Des Moines, Iowa
1971 MGB (DSP autocrosser and daily driver), 1974 MGB-GT, 1975 MGB
"Freedom is an MGB!"
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