Tom,
Before you act on what others have told you about inter-marque prejudices,
I suggest you attend some of those meets. I doubt that anyone is going to
walk up to you and sneer at your car. LBCs of any marque are getting
scarce; Your appearance will add to the field. You never know who might
have their interest piqued by seeing your car.
As to single-marque club events, I think that most club members expect you
to have an interest in the marque that their club centers around, be it AH,
MG, Jag or whatever. Again, though, I doubt that someone would jeer at your
car unless it was good-natured ribbing. For instance, the MG club gave me a
full round of razzing for showing up at one of their monthly meetings in my
Sprite. We all had a great time, espcially when I asked how many had driven
their Midgets to the meeting in the freezing rain. For 30 miles. With the
top down. If a member does seriously sneer at your car, I can almost
guarantee that most members in the room will be cringing over their fellow
member's loutishness.
I guess my take on this thread is "who cares about the few malcontents?"
There will always, always be someone at the meet or in the room with a size
double D flagpole inserted straight up. Ignore 'em and focus on all the new
friends you haven't made yet.
BTW, I completely agree with the age issue. I find people of generations
different than mine to often be more interesting; their perspectives and
experiences usually differ from mine.
J
---
On 10/21/99, Tomsjetta@aol.com wrote:
>As a new MG owner, I guess I haven't seen a lot of apathy in my club, but
>again, how could I possibly recognize it. Still, at an event last weekend, I
>was told that the number of cars appearing was down by half.
>
>Since I've been on the list since I bought my Midget in August, we've talked
>of concerns about getting younger people involved, and how important it is to
>the future of the preservation of the marque that baby boomer's children get
>involved. At last weekend's event, I'm guessing I was 15 years younger than
>the youngest MG attendee at the gathering. My wife and I had a splendid time,
>but as we left, a club member said they hoped that "us old timers didn't bore
>you."
>
>Let me set the record straight. Because many of you may be older than me, you
>are not a bore. My father has no real interest in cars like I do. He's never
>owned a british car, and never will. In my opinion, this is where many of you
>learned how to work on LBC's. Me, I have no mechanical experience whatsoever.
>I count on this list to help me keep my Midget feeling well despite my
>embarassing lack of experience. If I do not learn from you, I cannot learn
>from anyone else.
>
>Second, as long as we all love Sprites and Midgets, I could give a hoot about
>your age. At my club events, I pray for another Midget to show up. Last
>weekend, one did, a '72 I think. Still, at MG club meets, I sometimes feel
>like I am showing up with the "un" MG. Yes, the car started out as an Austin
>Healy. Yes, the car has a Triumph Spitfire motor. Worse, than beast has the
>cursed rubber bumpers.
>
>I'll readily admit I won't win any beauty contests parked next to an MGA,
>chrome bumpered MGB/MGB GT or any T-series car. If I had the dough, I confess
>I probably would have bought a chrome bumpered MGB. But, the Midget is what I
>could afford, and by God it is a nice one, and I love it like a son.
>
>So that's my car. I've been told to avoid Austin Healy club events since I
>would get totally blown off from the big healy owners. I had hoped to go
>seeking spridget folk, but what a turn-off. It's this cavalier attitude that
>keeps me away from some events. I love my car, and I don't need to waste a
>day of my life to have some E-Type or big Healy owner to tell me I own a dog
>of an LBC.
>
>So, list, say what you will, but these are my impressions since I've bought
>the car and attended a few events.
>
>Tom
>78 Midget
Jeffrey H. Boatright, PhD
Senior Editor, Molecular Vision
http://www.molvis.org/molvis
"Seeing the Future in a Very Tiny Way"
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