Hudson's Blog

Jul 30, 2007 - Me, My Father, and My MG

One late December afternoon, my friend and I were driving around rural Bedford County Pennsylvania. It was winter break from college and we were exploring. We were driving on roads I was vaguely familiar with since my summer job working with PennDOT. And this was a particularly out-of-the-way region of the county.

We passed under an old brick railroad overpass and emerged to find a nice little house situated there. Aside from it being an older home with a little porch out front and a garage out back, I don’t recall too many details about it. I do, however, remember the little car parked in the yard right next to the road.

Snow covered the faded orange MG Midget. The body had some rust, but was in good condition. The roof had a hole about 18 inches across where snow could cover the vinyl seats. The inspection sticker expired a year earlier and the useless rear window sported a University of Miami sticker.

It was love at first sight. “It needs me,” was my first thought. But I was just a poor college student.

A few months later, school was over for the year and I was working in a local quarry. My bank account sported a positive balance in the triple digits. And my mind returned to that house next to the railroad tracks in Everett. I had to find it.

I retraced my steps and found the MG just as before, but this time without the snow. The home owner told me the whole story of the car.

Mr Ritchey’s daughter had purchased this car and used it for a few years. She parked it in the yard and there it sat for years. A gentleman purchased the car for $400 but could not drive it away. Another failed attempt to take it left the car as an oversized lawn ornament in Mr Ritchey’s property. Until I arrived.

I was given the name and address of the car’s owner and I promptly contacted him. My letter, in my best legal-ese, stated the current state of affairs. This poor car had been left at Mr Ritchey’s house and was the responsibility of the new owner. Mr Ritchey, as I so eloquently wrote, could have the car removed at the new owner’s expense. And I felt that it was in his best interest to sell it to me for $250; a $150 loss to him.

My letter was mailed on Monday. On Friday of that week, the owner of the car called me. He had moved away from the address I was given and the US Postal Service had taken all of three days to find him. He accepted my offer with no conditions. We planned to meet the very next day.

All of this planning had been made without the knowledge of my parents. I was old enough to buy a car, but I didn’t think my parents would appreciate this project car darkening their doorstep.

Just as I was planning to make the roadtrip out to buy the car, I told my mother. Since I didn’t have a checking account, she took my $250 and wrote a check for the same amount. And, against her better judgement, she sent me on my way.

The following Tuesday, I had planned on having the car delivered to my friend’s house where I would work on it. That afternoon, my mother called me at work to request that I tell my father about the car.

Let me back up a step or two.

My father was a powerful man. He stood only about 5’10 but his rounded chest hid his 220-pound heft. He experienced many ups and downs to that point from plucking chickens for a living to his position as Captain of the State Police. I learned much from his past experiences and I tried to show my maturity by demonstrating that I’ve listened to (and heard) all of his stories and warnings. But my father was not a car person and only tolerated my love of all things automotive.

I called Dad. I explained that I had purchased a car and that I wanted to have it brought home. He immediately went into defensive position.

What did I pay for it? How could he complain about a $250 car that I had an MG expert look at?

Did I have a notary sign the proper documents? Yes…the seller and I found a notary and that’s where the money changed hands.

How was I getting the car moved there and how much did I pay for it? I hired a rollback truck to haul the car about 10 miles for $10 (this still astounds even me).

He had no more questions. He said, “bring it home.” And so I did.

I arrived just seconds before the car. My father walked out of the house with his stern look of disapproval. I had nothing but a shi---, er, crap-eating smile on my face.

The poor little car was off-loaded and parked in front of the house. And then my father took charge.

He moved the car to the backyard. We immediately put it up on cinderblocks and took off the tires. We surveyed the car to find out what our next steps should be.

We removed a wasp’s nest. We removed the old carpeting and seats. Replaced the battery and transmission. Replace a burned valve. Replaced the carpeting and various other old pieces.

We eventually got it running. Those moments working on or driving that car with my father will always stay with me. My father passed away a number of years ago but I still have that car.

The car still talks to me just like it did when I first saw it that December afternoon. It yells from its shed (which itself cost a few times more than all of the money I’ve put into the car) to take it out and drive it around. It’s currently on its third “restoration” since I’ve owned it. And I plan to drive it around in memory of my father. While it was my first car, it was his last.

If you see a faded orange MG puttering around with its driver smiling ear-to-ear, give me a thumb’s up!

11:01 am | Categories: cars, car people, automobiles, antique cars, classic cars, fathers, cars, mg, mg midget Comments (0) | Permalink | Alert Administrator

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Jul 23, 2007 - Another Saturday, Another Car Show

“Put 100 cars in a parking lot and I’ll have a good time.” This is my standard answer when someone asks what I thought of a particular car show.

In most areas, you can find three or four car shows in any given weekend. You can probably find a dozen or more within driving distance on any particular Saturday between May and September in the United States. Unfortunately, I have other things in my life that prevent me from attending each and every one of the shows that are within range in this rather car-show-rich region. So I get rather picky about the shows I attend.

Among my favorites are the New York International Auto Show (NYIAS), the Burn Prevention Concours d’Elegance of the Eastern United States, the Fall AACA Meet and flea market in Hershey (Pennsylvania), and three particular Carlisle shows.

I have a special place for the Burn Prevention show. It remains one of the best Concours events in the United States even though new shows of this type are popping up left and right. In 2000, I was honored when I was asked to judge at this show. For the next six years, I worked the field judging the vehicles in attendance and it’s a great way to view these cars; especially when you are teamed with one or two other car fanatics who see things you miss (and vice versa).

When I judge a car show, I want to disagree with my fellow judges. As the first judge announces that his/her choices are car A, car B, and car C, I just want to offer another choice by pointing out the significant points of car X or car Y. Like I said, these are car fanatics and usually the best cars are car A, car B, and car C and cars X and Y are not nearly as nice. But when you can persuade a fellow judge to see your point of view, it just boosts your confidence in your judging and debating skills.

This year, I was unable to attend and judge the Burn Prevention show. As I was realizing this, I started looking for other shows that could replace it in my schedule. I couldn’t possibly go an entire summer without a concours event, could I?

Fortunately, there was another regional car show. The five-year-old York County Heritage Trust Concours d’Elegance fit into the calendar just right. I contacted the show and found that my judging background could be of assistance to them as well.

My team of judges included an architectural and automotive restorer and a former public relations person for a few import brands. As is always my desire, I was able to learn quite a bit from these two very knowledgeable gentlemen. Details about Rolls-Royce and Porsche flowed in my own private little automotive history class.

Our category was European cars after World War II. The cars listed in our category that intrigued me most included the Lotus Cortina and Jaguar saloon, the latter of which never actually made it to the show. A couple of Volvos and a Jaguar were also in the group. But the stand outs were a white Bentley S2 sedan and a 1976 Rolls-Royce Corniche convertible.

The Bentley and Rolls-Royce were obviously in a class by themselves and picking a winner between them came down to nit-picky things. Both cars were in spectacular condition; the Bentley was fully restored while the Rolls-Royce was all original.

Positive aspects of the Rolls-Royce included a few that I saw as negatives. The owner told us that the 1,800-mile car had never been in the rain and the car’s top had never been put down. My thoughts go back to a long-held mantra of mine: “if you’re not going to drive it, sell it to someone who will.” Cars are meant to be driven. While some of them might be pretty…some can even be considered to be artwork…they’re still just transportation. Driving them is part of the enjoyment of ownership. A convertible top that has never been folded is like having a piece of chocolate that you can’t eat.

As we continued to look at all of the cars to pick Best of Show, we came across a classic Cadillac V16. This long black Caddy had all of the makings of a show winner. Lines of a car that manufacturers couldn’t possibly produce (which is why the body was custom-built by a coachbuilder). Engineering that was absolutely unique to the time period and featured a 45-degree V16 engine. Seven-passenger seating in some of the opulent materials of the day. In our minds, this was the winner.

And that was set in our minds for about five minutes. After we passed a classic Chrysler and a Wills St. Claire, there it was: a French Vanilla 1948 Delahaye. The body of the Delahaye 135 was built by Figoni & Falaschi which made the car a standout. Chrome mouldings wrapped from below the car up over the tail of the car on each fender with an accent like a spit curl coming in from each trim piece. It was an award-winning exterior, but that wasn’t what cinched it for us.

We peeked into many cars that Saturday morning. Interiors of cars of the 1930s and 1940s are considerably different those of today. Where today’s interiors are all about safety and ergonomics, cars of 50 and 60 years ago featured styled interiors. Some of the interiors of these show cars turned metal dashboards and one even had an attractive design with simulated sunbeams radiating from an imagined sun just below the center of the dashboard. But the Delahaye had the most unique treatment.

Gazing across the instrument panel, you noticed that each and switch or knob, even the tiny steering column-mounted shift lever, was Lucite. The almost-crystal-looking features gave a ghostly appearance to the dashboard. But over on the right side of the interior was a large steering wheel, which, except for the center hub, was entirely Lucite. This was the hands-down winner for us. And most of the other judges must have agreed since it did take the title of Best of Show.”

While these fantastic marvels of opulence are the most expensive vehicles at a concours event, they’re not usually the reason why I enjoy them. The biggest draw for me comes in the form of the rare cars that attract fewer people. Vehicles like the odd-ball Thrif-T three-wheeler presented as being so rare that the owner couldn’t find out how many had been produced by the Springfield, Massachusetts-based Tri-Wheel Motor Corporation.

Four themes were evident. First was the featured designer Giugiaro who created the original Volkswagen Golf (known in the US as the Rabbit), the infamous Delorean, and a number of exotics from Maserati and Iso. Second was the featured year of 1957 represented by Chevrolet, Ford, and Plymouth models. Third was the anniversary of the New York to Paris race where an American Thomas Flyer, similar to the one on display, won. And because this show was in York, a local flavor was also spun into the gathering. Four locally built Pullman cars and the locally built Hart-Kraft truck.

When you go to one of these car shows, you could accidentally learn something. Whether it’s an appreciation for the beauty of these cars or the history lesson that comes from hearing how or why some of these vehicles came into being, a day at a car show is more than just walking around and looking at cars. And if you’re like my judging partner, it can become a day where you can bond with your child. Someday I hope to pass my love and appreciate for all things automotive to my children. In the meantime, I can just encourage others to take your kid to a car show.

Perhaps I can get a few more people to enjoy car shows like I do. And maybe I’ll encourage another group of people to put their “100 cars in a parking lot” where I and many others can “have a good time.”

1:03 pm | Categories: cars, car people, people, automobiles, car show, auto show, concours, antique cars, classic cars Comments (0) | Permalink | Alert Administrator

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