I bought my first MGB when I was just 16. A lawn business coupled with a loan from an adventurous dad got me there!
Think back to your first MG. I haven’t a clue how old you were or the circumstances or your frame of mind but I can say that motivations for buying an MG are FIRST “general” and LATER “specific”!
General being the car, an English roadster, unique, character, need for a hobby, etc, etc…… Specific comes later……once the honeymoon is over……and the owner is either disgusted (if this is the case, the decision to buy was never right in the first place) or committed to the marquee.
“Specific” is when the car now has you body and soul and the issue is NOT whether there is a future in your life for your MG but rather what you want to do with the car in the future. Specific is what you want your MG to be, what should it look like, colour, interiors, top, etc..
I don’t exactly know when I “coveted” chrome wire wheels for my MGB. At the very least, Richard Nixon was President then. I do remember being shocked at their cost at the time i.e. $700. I figure that was at least 35 years ago??
What is it about having an MG with chrome wire wheels. They are probably one of the ultimate extravagances for the car. No practical application can be claimed as, at the very least, they require MORE maintenance than painted wheels. Of course there is the ever nagging question (or demand) of what an MG owner can do with $1000+.
For years I have talked with people who bought chrome wire wheels and NOT ONE mentioned the cost….,only the beauty! And that is the one and only point about putting chrome wire wheels on an MG – they simply look great!
So I laboured with the thought of the beauty and the cost….for decades! I watched the cost grow from $700 to $800 to $900 to the magical $1000 mark and beyond. Then came 2008 and some money back from taxes I started to get serious and actually suggested it to Susan, my wife! Ah, but the cost!!!
Well, two dynamics took place. The first was a 15% promotion at Moss and the second was that the wheels were again going up in price from $1400 to $1700. I took the leap!
The wheels arrived last Friday and boy do they look good. I am so happy I decided to get my chrome wire wheels and just can’t wait to see them on the Mongrel.

There is only once hitch... I don’t have any money left over for tires!