When I first learned that Mike was going
to Colorado and could be buying a 1956 MGA that had been completely restored, I
was excited -- to say the least -- for I had loved the MG ever since I was a
kid. Now to have one here in the shop, I could hardly wait to give it the
proverbial test drive.
The lines of the car are iconic and just
scream true sports car. British Racing Green with tan interior, wire wheels and
the chrome luggage rack on the back.
When the car arrived at the shop, I had my
chance. With the top down, 72 horsepower 4 cylinder engine and 4 speed on the
floor I was ready for Friday night. I would take off for home , pick up Carol
and head to an ice cream shop in Bella Vista for a fun evening of just cruising
and enjoying this remarkable car.
On the way home I have to go through 3
smaller towns. It was great to see the reaction of people seeing this MG coming
down the road. Lots of waving and thumbs up displaying their approval of a car
which is not usually found on the Highways in Arkansas.
Carol was excited to see the MG and we
headed over to our friends home to show off our latest purchase and then on to
the Dairy Queen. This car was a real attention getter by old and young alike.
The younger ones had never seen one and the older crowd remembered when they had
owned one or could have purchased one new. It was a great evening and when I put
the car in the garage for the night, I just stood there and admired the MGA as
truly great Garage Art.
However, reality began to creep in. The
cars appearance was unquestionable, but there were other features which weren’t
as desirable: the brakes were soft ( it took about a country mile to stop it);
It steered like a truck (no power steering); the steering wheel almost rested on
your lap ( maybe my 200 pounds didn’t help); there was no synchro in first gear
( stopped me from my rolling stops); no roll up windows; no radio; turn signals
that have to be manually turned off; horn located in the center of the dash; no
air conditioning; top speed of around 60 mph; and worst of all NO CUP HOLDERS (
where was a guy to put his coffee?).
I realized that I had gotten too old for
this car. If I was younger, most of these things would not have bothered me. But
now I am used to all the amenities and this car did not have them. Reality is a
wake -up call for many of us.
Sometimes the Dream is better than the
Reality.
