Andrew Kelly was beaming with pride. We were both in his MG TF 1500, he behind the wheel, chatting and enjoying the balmy British summer’s lazy afternoon sun, waiting for our turn to hit the tarmac at Silverstone. At UK’s most famous racing circuit, located a couple of hours away from London, the annual MG Live event is playing out. In his clipped British accent, the octogenarian, who bought the car in 2014, announced that he had just become a grandfather — again. Kelly had another reason to be proud: this was the third outing at the track for his own baby he called Tiffany.
Like us, there were more than 3,000 other owners of Vintage and Classic MG cars who had turned up at Silverstone for the weekend for a celebration of everything that connects the British brand and its checkered history.
Past less-than-perfect
MG Motor’s roots go all the way to 1924, when Cecil Kimber decided to strike out on his own and start Morris Garages (MG) in partnership with his erstwhile employer. They had been hand-building cars together. Based out of Abingdon near Oxford, the MG marque’s yo-yoing fortunes led to the brand swinging in and out of bankruptcy. After changing hands many times, including being owned or contract manufactured by the Rover Group and BMW amongst others, it is currently owned by the Chinese automobile giant SAIC. The MG brand now has a portfolio of modern cars that are being manufactured by SAIC in China. Next year, they’re set to enter India with vehicles that will be custom-built for this market, with a manufacturing facility in Gujarat.
MG’s unique history and its small manufacturing runs pre- and post-WWII, have meant that its cars are rare and have become prized possessions amongst collectors and fans. This has led to special relationships between the cars and their owners, who, in their childhood, were often users of their parents’ MG cars. Many owners of vintage MGs have managed to trace their parents’ cars, located them in various states of disrepair, and then painstakingly, restored them.
The handmade tale
Two very unique advantages that MG owners enjoy is that much of the paperwork of cars produced as far back as 87 years ago is still intact (after being salvaged from a dustbin), and many of the parts for MG cars are still being hand-fabricated due to strong demand from restorers and owners. This year’s 68th edition, held across two days, also had a large section of the display lawns dedicated to spares and parts sellers.
Entrants could race these beauties on the historic Silverstone Grand Prix circuit. Said to be one of the largest motoring events, it is organised by the MG Car Club, one of the oldest car clubs with a global footprint. The Indian arm of the MGCC was formally launched as part of this year’s MG Live. The club has over 10,000 members worldwide today.
MG was best known for its two-seat open sports cars and coupes, such as the MGTF and MGB. At this year’s MG Live, hundreds of these examples (including a couple of them owned by Mr Bean — Rowan Atkinson) were lined up for inspection for their restoration quality. They were busy burning rubber on the slalom courses set up on the skid pads nearby. There was live music playing, stunt shows, workshops on restoration and a range of food stalls.
People and Co
Vintage and classic car shows are often more about the people who own the cars than the machines themselves. Kelly, who was giving me a taste of the ‘sprint on the track’ in his MG TF 1500, had his own beautiful story for how the car got its name. The story goes that after the previous owner had imported the vintage car from the US in 1991, and extensively refurbished it, including changing it to a right-hand drive vehicle, he had driven the car along with a few friends to The Savoy in London, where actor Audrey Hepburn was rumoured to be staying.
After a few hours of being parked in the driveway, they got a lucky break when Hepburn is said to have stepped out to see the cars and check about the commotion outside. The owner of the MG gushed that he’d like to name the car after her, but Hepburn shook her head in disapproval, though she loved the car. Just before she headed into the hotel again, the MG owner shouted out to her, “How about I name her Tiffany?” Apparently, Hepburn tilted her head and nodded her approval with a smile. ( The writer was in Silverstone on invitation)
