Motorsport Alexandre Haynes Motorsport Alexandre Haynes

A Classic Sunday Afternoon

I believe time machines were invented, but we haven't taken the time to notice them as yet.

I believe time machines were invented, but we haven't taken the time to notice them as yet.

I met up with Woody again, and met his friends, who are also huge classic car enthusiasts, it turned out to be almost a British Classics Owners Club, call it what you want, it was amazing to see these gems with impeccable restoration work done to them. 

MGB

These Classics, transform their surroundings and take to you to the time they exist within. These cars can give you that glimpse of the past, and they do it so effortlessly. 

MGB

Their presence is indelibly made known anywhere they are parked.

MGB
MGB GT

This gorgeous MGB - GT is a work of art. It's not a roadster no, but it certainly is beautiful in its own right. The hard top adds that Grand Touring feel, giving it character. The MGB - GT sports the same engine as the MGB, the same 98 horses and similar torque, at around 110 ft lbs, and it's a bit heavier with the hardtop, but goodness, that form, its just the perfect shape. 

The fun really came with this Austin Summerset. Mr. Cozier took me for a spin in it, it was unexpected but a pretty amazing experience. 

Austin Summerset

This Austin Somerset was made in 1954, and has been left untouched since then, tiny rust lines and some cosmetic flaws show the age of the car, but mechanically it's been well maintained, it's a sound machine. 

It's "massive" 42 hp output from it's 1.2L engine, along with some beer, really got the rear wheels spinning in the grass. Somersets were used for racing at one point, in the past, its racing pedigree showed that afternoon. 

Photo By Terrell Inniss

Photo By Terrell Inniss

Lotus Elon
Lotus Elon

Some familiar faces were there as well, this Elan, we would've read about it at the Vintage Car Show was owned by Derek, he wasn't afraid to get into some of the action as well. 

To wrap it up, I'm glad I got this chance to hang out with a community of classic car enthusiasts, for them, these gems aren't just cars to keep in the showroom, they are machines that deserve the life they were built for, they deserve to be driven, let's hope they keep it that way. 

Alex, until next time, happy motoring! 

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Maurice Chapman Maurice Chapman

The MG Shop

These days MGs are a collectors item for car enthusiast. We got the opportunity to photograph this pair of MGs recently. They both took him four years to restore and the results are fantastic.

 

The MGB roadster first started development in 1962. To many back then, this was the epitome of the British sports car. The car checked all the required boxes for things a sports car should have back then: a long hood, it was deliciously streamlined, low ride height, nice exhaust note and as a bonus it was affordable and also if you really tried you could fit 1.5 passengers in there.

 
 

These days, MGs are a collectors item for car enthusiasts. We got the opportunity to photograph this pair of MGs recently. The owner Ryan aka Woody was so enthused by the cars he restored two of them. It took him four years to restore the pair and the results are fantastic.

 
 

The blue MG is from 1972 and the red is from 1971. In a previous life, the blue car was an ... interesting mustard color (it's one of those colors you either hate or love).

 
 

He keeps them tucked away in his garage away from those nasty UV rays and liquid sunshine. The garage itself is a very eclectic place filled with some MG paraphernalia, family photos and racing trophies, you see, Woody is actually an extremely talented professional race car driver.

The garage was the kind of place all car lovers want to have, where you keep the things closest to you; your family, your legacy and definitely your cars. 

 
 

There's nothing like OEM parts. The attention to detail during this restoration is what I like the most about these cars, from the wooden gear knob to the dials and the overdrive switch to the right of the steering wheel, it's all really well done, and of course a single din pioneer head unit for only the freshest beats was added.

 

Woody is actually an extremely talented professional race car driver.

 

They really compliment each other.

 
 

Both of the cars are completely stock with the factory inline 4 1800cc SOHC, dual carbureted engines which made about 92bhp from factory, a few modern quality of life touches were added to the engine however because unfortunately, British sports cars weren't too reliable.

The parts added were a Lucas ignition coil, braided fuel lines, new wiring and hoses.

 
 

I just absolutely love old cars! The lack of computers basically means it's just you and the car interacting, the ultimate driver's experience...as long as you aren't to ambitious with your speed around a corner. It's all good fun!

 
 

Their styling is actually quite reminiscent of 1960s American muscle cars, mainly the Mustang. You can see the similarities when you look at the arches over the rear lights and the distinct round headlights, they're just placed a little higher on the MG roadster. It was a smart design choice as the cars were very popular in America when it was released. This was a change from the MGA.

 
Their styling is actually quite reminiscent of 1960s American muscle cars vs the MGA. 

Their styling is actually quite reminiscent of 1960s American muscle cars vs the MGA. 

 

Woody's MGs aren't driven that often, as you can tell by the condition they're in. They're probably only driven on weekends with the top down on a nice long road, dodging potholes.

 
 

There's something special about someone's love for their car, it doesn't matter what kind of car. You can really tell when someone puts a lot of work into a build and has a lot of love for it and for cars in general. If it's one thing you can say about Woody, he loves cars. As car lovers I think we can all respect that.

Maurice (fist bump)

 
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