On the eve of two momentous events in England - The Royal Wedding (Prince Harry & Meghan Markle) at Windsor and the FA Cup Final (Chelsea v. Manchester United) at Wembley - 33 members and friends of our two Clubs staged our own blockbuster event by driving our cars to Woodstock for a garage tour, lunch, and local sightseeing.

Of the 18 cars making the trip, 12 were MGs - with 6 T-Types. No mechanical errors or serious driver (or navigator) blunders were reported.

After meeting at the arranged point in Palatine and signing the waiver (does anybody actually read that thing - or, do we just sign it, so we can get a dash plaque?) we departed shortly after 9:00 a.m. in convoy fashion. As the route instructions were straightforward, no one got lost on the way (a case of the bland leading the bland?).

Yves Boode (on left) describing the work needed for the 1950s era Deutsch HBR5.

Our first stop, just outside of Woodstock, was a unique European car restoration shop that featured equally unique cars of various marques in varying stages of restoration. Vintage Sports Car is owned by transplanted Dutchman Yves Boode. He provided a tour of his facility and explained what services were needed for his cars, many of which needed parts sourced from overseas, preferably Europe - not c-a C (cheap-ass China). (My expression, not his.) Among his project cars were a 1937 Riley, a 1940s vintage Austin Healey Elliot, a 1950s era Deutsch HBR5 (with separated chassis), one of the last (circa 1995) French Citroen 2CVs, and a stunning red Jensen Healey 541R from the late 1950s.



After thanking Yves for his hospitality and sharing his knowledge, we all skulked over to our lowly MGs and proceeded with the second leg of our driving excursion - to downtown Woodstock, the county seat of McHenry County. We were prepared in advance for learning about this town by our Tour Organizers, VMGCC members Ric & Nancy Maitzen, who provided Woodstock Visitor Guides for us, so we wouldn't wander around aimlessly. Once arrived, we scattered into small groups for some exploring, eventually finding suitable eating establishments - and the all-important bathroom facilities.... AH-H-H-H-H :>)

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