Hate those rubber bumpers.
Saw a nice green BGT go past the house this morning with some (probably fake but still nice) Minilites on it.
Next best thing to wire wheels imho but without the hassle.
Hate Rostyle too…
Why would you?
When I was working in Alabama, back in my marine biologist days at Dauphin Island Sea Lab, I rented a room from a local character, who went by the name of Yankee Dave. The houses on the island were generally built on stilts, due to all the hurricanes they had (Hurricane Sally wrecked the place recently), so the “room” I had was actually just the space under his floor. He used one of the other spaces as a garage, and in there had a pair of 1980 MGBs, one red, one green. The red one had never been registered. It turned out, back in the day, Yankee Dave was a warranty guy with British Leyland North America, and he had the (dis)pleasure or sorting out Rover P6 and SDI issues. He was a British car nut. When BL North America went belly up, he got paid off with unsold stock, two MGs.
The BRG MG was his daily, along with his battered Buick Regal (no headlining, but icy cold air). It was beater, the hood had long ago rotted to nothing, the BRG looked more limelike. But he was a Briish car nut (he wanted to buy the MGF, based off a brochure). The never used red car. It was a sad state. In it’s wood garage, the Alabama humidity had gotten to it, and critters were taking up house in the car. Trim was shredded, and I think rust had taken a hold.
He had made a ton of cash in the 80s shipping MG wrecks to Germany, on what he called tramp steamers, strapped to the deck for cheapness. The buyers didn’t care about condition, they just wanted that chassis number.
These dry stored museum pieces have such a tiny market. What are you meant to do with it. If you want to drive it, you’ll have to spend money recommissioning it, and then it costs in that, and depreciation.
If people recall, there was that MX5 Berkeley in Scotland, with minimal mileage. Didn’t sell that well at auction, I think less than what it went for 12 months earlier.
They don’t float my boat at all, I briefly thought about buying one many many years ago until I was given a ride in one. I could see the road through a hole in the floor.
I regularly pass one in a sorry state covered with some sort plant growth that’s got out of hand, just the roof showing now.
Nobody wants it, certainly the owner doesn’t.
The early BMC cars were, for their time, a decent and good looking car.
The late cars were not, having had the ride height increased and horrible rubber bumpers added to make them conform with American safety regs.
Why oh why did they also try to flog the same resultant abomination on the home market???
Having driven both, I am happy to own a MX5.
Not pristine but driven hard, well cared for and very much loved.
For that sort of money I would rather have a brand new MX5…
…if I wanted a “classic” for similar money you could probably get a tidy 1950’s era MG TF?