The date for this year’s Festival is Sunday, September 12, 2010, the first Sunday after Labor Day. Located at the Des Plaines Campus of Oakton Community College in Des Plaines, Illinois, the Festival is easily reached from major expressways. There is ample paved parking for both participants and spectators. Vendors and local marque clubs will be on hand to answer questions and provide information.
Sponsored by the British Car Union, a not-for-profit organization made up of representatives from Chicago area British car clubs, the Chicagoland British Car Festival is the 24th annual gathering of Midwest British car enthusiasts.
The event is a celebration, not a show….A come as you are party for British cars and their lovers. All owners and fans are welcome. We even have had a British made pre-war Fiat on the field. Come see what other cars not usually associated with British manufacturing attend.

For driving directions and a registration form please visit our website at www.britishcarunion.com.

Guenevire
My MG is like a member of my family. My dad named her Guenevire some years ago and the name has stuck ever since. The picture you see here is of it way back in 1987.
Guenevire in 1987

That was about the time it was purchased by my dad from my uncle who had left a lot of totaled LBC’s in his wake
My dad insisted on buying the car off him to save it from what seemed like certain destruction. For the next several years he used it as a daily driver. My dad and I spent many hours working on it. Some time in the early 1990's it was totaled, rebuilt, and repainted green.
My dad continued to drive it for a while, but he was starting to feel his age and having trouble fitting into the little car. So it sat in the garage for a number of years with a worn

Guenevire, the “Get-Away “car

out clutch release bearing. In 2000, my dad told me the car would be mine if only I could get it roadworthy. I was skeptical at first, but once I got the clutch issues fixed and drove it I was hooked. Learning stick with this car wasn't easy. The clutch was still a bit finicky, but the performance of the car more than made up for it. It went to college with me in Arkansas that fall.
Then when I flunked out a few years later it came back with me to Illinois. It was daily transportation to National Louis University where I graduated in 2007. Then it became the datemobile of choice for me and my then future wife Rebekah.
In 2009 the engine finally quit and needed rebuilding. This was only a few months before my wedding too and it had long been my dream that my old friend would be our getaway car! Fortunately, with Barney's help, we got the engine out, cleaned up, and rebuilt with a month to spare. The best part was that it had a lot more pep than I'd ever remembered. Even though the car is rusting out, the mechanicals are in great shape. I hope I never have to part with my old friend. Some folks try to talk me into trading her in for one in better shape, but it just wouldn't be the same.

-Seth Jones

Seth had sent me this article for the inside front cover of Driveline. I decided that it was just a bit too long for that. But I wanted to be sure that he got to share this journey of his in its entirety. Bill Reece, editor