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from the US through Steve’s British Connection from Sandwich, IL), Dick and Jacqueline would borrow another 1934 green N-type from a friend so that Henneke and I could drive their 1934 two-tone blue PB. How is that for an offer? MG Friends for Ever, as I said.

Although Henneke’s mom is doing very well, having two people stay for a week is maybe a little bit too much so we stayed at our best friends Ton and Yolande de Zoete also in our home town. Some of you may remember them from the breakfast buffet that they served our American MG friends when we were at the MG Convention in The Netherlands in 2005 or from MG 2006 in Gatlinburg, TN when Ton and Yolande came over to the US. They gave us their BMW Z3 to go to the start of the Triple M rally, Again, how is that for an offer? Friends for Ever, as I said.

The weather on Henneke’s mom’s birthday was perfect, but the next day was as Dutch as it is ever going to be; cool, overcast, fog, and rain. The rally started at the beautiful home of club members Diana and Fred Weber in the town of Lunteren, only 30 minutes East of Soest. When we arrived and parked the Z3 we met with the Bronkhorst family who already had unloaded ‘our’ PB from the trailer. It continued to rain but we had much to talk and to catch-up with old friends under a large canopy in the very nice and spacious garden. The start of the rally was pushed back a few times because the radar showed some dry weather on the way. When we took of it was indeed top-down and aero screens up. What a fantastic car was the PB. Probably double the horse power and at least 10-fold braking power compared to Emma (our 1932 M-type). It was actually the first time that we drove in another Triple M car together and we liked the more spacious interior and the side mirrors. Because the PB has a 4-speed gear box, it is a lot quieter at speed and the overall handling on the twisty roads was quite good for an 82-year-old MG. The Netherlands is flat, really flat. Even in the area of the rally, which is above sea level, it is flat. Much flatter than what we call flat here in the Midwest. But the occasional overpass or bridge offered a good impression of the capabilities of the PB. The additional horse power not only increases the top speed to keep up safely with regular traffic, it also allows you to go uphill (up-overpass or up-bridge) with ease in third gear. Soon after the start the rain returned, but we kept the top down and while hiding ourselves behind the aero screens, we could stay dry. But then it started to rain hard and we had to put the top back on and the real wind shield back up. And boy, is it nice to have two windshield wipers instead of just one. Specially in the Netherlands where it rains more often than it does in Chicago. After a while, when a hint of the sun appeared behind the thinning cloud cover, we stopped once more to take the top down again to fully enjoy the ride. There were no break downs and all (about 20) pre-war MGs made it back to the finish in running order.

After the wonderful tour -- there were no check points or questions -- we returned back to the home and canopy of Diana and Fred who served drinks and fresh burgers from the grill.

Thanks to the Dutch Triple M Group, hosts Diana and Fred Weber, and of course our (MG) Friends for Ever, we enjoyed a great MG day in the Netherlands.

~~ Reinout Vogt