The search!

So now I had to find the car for me!

It needed to be British, sporty and something I could get spares for.

Scrolling through the list of classic sports cars made me really think about what I wanted from my selection criteria.

It ended up between Triumph and MG, with MG winning because of my previous experience.

This led me to looking at basically two types, the MGB GT and the MG Midget.

I wanted to find models prior to the 'rubber bumper' era and certainly if I found a MGB GT it would have to be without a leaking sunroof!

But deep down in the back of my mind was that vision of driving my wife around the beautiful Somerset countryside with the top down, which meant Midget or MGB Roadster and the chances of getting a Roadster were slim on my budget.

Now the biggest issue was the budget, I am not made of money, nor have vast savings to call on. That left me with less than £1,000 to spend.

So the Midget it was then!!

I spent the next few week trawling through countless websites. Here are some of them which link directly to 'MG Midget' search results:

www.ebay.co.uk
www.gumtree.com
www.classiccarsforsale.co.uk
www.mgownersclub.co.uk
www.carandclassic.co.uk
www.mgmidgets.net
www.autotrader.co.uk
www.mgbhive.co.uk

After some considerable time and a lot of frustration I just couldn't find one in my budget or close enough to pop over to check out.

Then one day I found a little ad with no pictures on this website: www.mgcars.org.uk, just a small description which read:

1965 Midget Restoration project. Too many projects, too little space/time!

Correct 10cc engine, Wire wheels (were restored but paint flakey) New Dunlop tyres, new fuel tank, has had o/s sill replaced, but needs n/s sill and n/s floor, rear wings pretty good, dashboard all present/unmolested, correct seats need redoing, does'nt have front wings fitted, but comes with good s/h units, bonnet poor, correct doors and door furniture. Has been sat in dry garage for several years, so abit dusty/grubby. originally BRG, Aftermarket hardtop Would make great FIA racecar!. £750 ono

This seemed like a potential candidate, so I sent an email and to my joy the car was still there and it was only an hour away. So off I went and this is what I found....(click on images to enlarge)

Am I mad?

The best place to start is always at the beginning and for me that would be when I was about five years old. I can still clearly remember sitting on my Dad's 1945 MG TC chassis (no body attached) with a massive steering wheel in my hands (not attached), peering over the engine (not running) pretending to be in some race.

Some 25 years later I was delighted when my Dad told me that he had finished it and a trip over to France confirmed that he had and I was blown away by the dedication that he must have had to complete the work.

Sadly though it was not running and I have yet to complete a dream of mine to ride with my Dad in that lovely TC.

So with that in mind some of you will realise that when you have the bug there is not much you can do about it. It just sits there in the back of your mind festering and having a brain that likes to works things out and fix things mechanically, only adds to ones impression that restoring a classic car is certainly the right thing to do at some point in your life.

So at the age now of 37, married with two young boys to keep me busy, I have been asking myself is this the right time? But when is the right time and how will I know?

A few things have recently helped me to make my decision. Firstly (and certainly the most important) I have been spending the last few years being the best dad and husband that I can and it is not unreasonable to decide that I should have some focus and time dedicated to my own personal development. Doing something that is going to make a difference (in a good way) to my own life and those around me. 

Some will say that spending hours locked away in a garage and throwing money left, right and center at a project is not the best for family stability. But carefully managing ones time between the family and personal interests is the key. For my boys, I want to show them that there is more to life than TV and computer games. For my wife, that one day in the not too distant future I can take her for a drive on a warm summers day with the top down!

The next point that helped me make the decision, was totally down to a good friend who has been more than generous in letting me the use of a workshop. Without this crucial part I would not have this opportunity without moving to a house that had a garage. No chance of that in the next few years.

So there we have it, I am mad or has an opportunity presented itself in a way that was always meant to happen now? Probably both, but I will make sure that I try to enjoy myself along the way and writing this blog will hopefully help me keep a track of what is important during this process. 

I will try to post pictures and detail the challenges that face me on a regular basis.

Mmm...think I had better find a car!!