How did I get started with MGs? Like most of us, it was due to a misguided youth. Both of my older brothers were into amateur racing. The oldest brother raced stock cars at O’Hare, the other brother - big Healeys at Meadowdale, Road America and the drag strips in Oswego and US 30. I, of course, went with them and hung out whenever I could. About the time I started (legally) driving, my brother’s friend had a Healey to sell cheap, which I bought. A 1956 100-4 fitted with the ‘LeMans kit.’ But it was Rough. I mean Rough with a capitol R. I would fix it up and have a pretty sweet ride. I fashioned myself as the next Graham Hill. My driving wasn’t too bad, but it didn’t take long for me to realize that I was not much of a wrench or body & fender man. But at least the car kept me off of the streets and out of other trouble. (Un)fortunately I had been bitten by the LBC bug.

This my prize Healey...I wish this was my prize Healey!!

College came along. I was commuting to school from Wheaton to the north-west side of Chicago. I needed more reliable transportation. So goodbye Healey (wish I had that car now) and hello ’66 Chevelle with a 283 4BBL and 4 speed trans. But several years of shifting in Chi-Town traffic made my left leg ache. So goodbye Chevelle (wish I had that car now) and hello Ford Maverick Grabber. My first brand spanky new car. Lime Green. But with a six cylinder automatic. At least it looked fast. Years passed, and the Maverick moved on (wish I had that car now, with a small block, proper trans and some suspension tweaks.)

My ‘91 MGB purchased ‘new’ in September 1993

Time marched on and so did a series of non-descript cars. Eventually I got a career job with a company car. No need to worry about commuting with my own car. I went to the Fiat dealer to check on a car for my partner and came home with a new Fiat 124 Spyder. Dark red with a tan interior. Beautiful. But it was their last year with carbs before they went to fuel injection. And with the late 70s emission gear it overheated in hot weather and wouldn’t start in the winter. Otherwise it was a lot of fun.

Fast forward. Deb and I buy a house. Need a pickup truck. So goodbye Fiat (glad I don’t have that car now) and hello Ford F-150. Around 1993 Deb, some of her friends from work and I went up to Elkhart Lake for the vintage races. The LCB bug that had bitten me years before had infected me. The disease had been dormant for years but flared up again. I had only been in remission, not cured. As luck would have it, my company car was getting some work done at a transmission shop. Just across the street was a foreign car repair shop with a blue ’71 B parked outside for sale. Need I say more?

Since then several other MGs and other LBCs have come and gone, but that B is still parking in the premier spot in our garage. When it’s not in the shop.

~~ Wilber Mennell