What’s in a Name? Enchy B

I thought I’d put pen to paper (or finger to keyboard) in response to Roche’s request for car names and genders, and to tell you the story of my 1971 MGB Roadster in Old English White and how ‘she’ got her name.

I’ve owned my car for about five years (since I was 27) I’ve always been interested in cars and after selling my Caterham 7 (summer use car) and my Opel Manta I decided to buy a Rover 220 Coupe with the proceeds. The Rover caused nothing but trouble, I lost a huge amount of money through depreciation and had been ripped off many times by unscrupulous garages (nearly every one I took the car to, but that’s another story). After forking out £350 for a gearbox only to find the problem hadn’t actually been fixed I decided enough was enough and the 220 would have to go, I would get a car which had the feel of the Caterham (open top motoring) and something which I could do all the work on.

Enchy and the boys

My wife (to be) insisted this time I should get a car with real doors rather than the vinyl flaps of the Caterham and being interested in classic cars the search began. The decision was made that I would get an MGB Roadster but finding one in the colour, year and price I wanted was proving difficult. I finally found one in Old English White, with wire wheels for £3500, it had an MOT was tax exempt but needed some TLC. I used the proceeds from my Rover and went cap in hand to my parents for the short fall and the car was mine.

Dale taught himself welding in order to restore the MGB. The B’s rear chassis leg before repair

We had recently bought our house and I had built a garage and small workshop which was to be the MG’s new home, we were (and still are) on a very tight budget so the MG was and still is, a rolling restoration being my daily transport. I had a list of to do items for when finances allowed, most of which have still not been done, because no sooner do I save up some money then other work is required to get the car through its MOT. I taught myself welding to save money (I am an electrical engineer by trade and part time specialist rescue engineer, I like to be able to turn my hand to most things). My first job was to replace the rear chassis rails, boot floor, boot corners, inner wheel arches and rear valance, not a small job for a beginner. I’ve no idea how the MGB had got through its last two MOT’s considering the amount of corrosion I had to chop out. Luckily my neighbour was a coach builder by trade who also built racing motorcycle side cars for a hobby, so he was able to spray the car for me, and what an excellent job he made of it (thanks Ian). He also commented on what a good job my welding was and couldn’t believe it was my first attempt after only practicing on scraps of metal, he checked it over, measured it for trueness (before and after). Much of the car had been poorly repaired over the years and a lot of it was not original having had parts from older and younger cars fitted. I’m not a purest when it comes to originality as long the car retains its character, as it’s my daily transport any improvements in reliability are fitted regardless of originality. As the car is older than me it’s no surprise there’s not much left that hasn’t been replaced at some time. There are still holes in the wings and doors that have been awaiting funds since I bought her.

I sometimes have to beg my wife to use her car in torrential rain or snow, most of the time unsuccessfully. But I have found the MGB to be one of the most reliable cars I have owned to date having only broken down once due to a fuel pump failure.

I must say at this point that I have found other MG owners, garages, and suppliers to be very polite and helpful. Once I went to get some spares from my local MG specialist soon after buying her (the MG Barn, Shedfield) only to find they didn’t accept Visa card payments, however Martin let me take the £70 of spares to get my car through it’s MOT and trusted me, a stranger, to bring the money in to him over the next few days, which I did the following day. Where else would you get such great and trusting service? They are also very helpful with technical advice whenever I have phoned them and I always leave their premises with the ‘I wants’ after seeing their mouth watering stock of MGs.

I find that other owners and would be owners will come up and ask about the car, they usually end up escaping after half an hour or so of me waffling about MGBs. I also try to convert as many people as I can to the joy of classic car ownership, especially MGBs.

Dale with Enchy B

MGB support vehicle for Dale’s role as a part time specialist rescue engineer

Three years ago my wife and I had our first child, a boy, followed the next year unexpectedly by our second son. Budgets became even tighter but I have still managed to keep the MG going and have found that as parts and insurance are cheap and as I do not pay road tax it’s probably cheaper to run than the wife’s car, that’s what I tell her anyway, I hope she doesn’t find any of my parts receipts.

My two sons are now becoming classic car enthusiasts and we regularly attend classic car shows, Oliver the eldest at three years, can now spot an MGB and MGA from a mile away, usually before me. One day I’ll own an A, if there is anyone who wants to donate one or a B that needs some TLC, it will be going to a loving home. William at two two years thinks all older cars are daddy’s MGB and caused us some chuckles at this year’s Butser Hill Car Show pointing to every car he passed saying “look MGB” until we finally got to an MGB and he repeated “look MGB” to the astonishment of the owners who couldn’t believe that an eighteen month old toddler could distinguish between different marques and models, we didn’t point out to the contrary.

Enchy B

The boys regularly run to the back gate when they hear the car pulling up the drive, and I am not allowed into the house until I let them help me put the car to bed. This consists of William in the passenger seat, and Oliver on my lap, then we have to back up the drive. Oliver puts her into first gear and we drive back down the driveway into the garage, very slowly I add.

This brings me to the point of why I was writing this piece, as I mentioned we put ‘her’ to bed, I call my car the ‘old girl’ and she is definitely a ‘she’, when she has made it home sputtering but not breaking down. I put her to bed and give her a pat on the bonnet saying ‘good girl’ and give a sigh of relief at making it home (sad perhaps, but I bet some of you do the same). Sometimes I describe her with expletives or call her a female dog when I think she won’t make it home, but I am still very proud of her. Maybe not all Bs are ‘she’s’ I think they are all individuals with their own personalities. So, what is her name I hear you ask? Well…

I had been trying to give my car a suitable name for the last three to four years, trying like most owners to make a name from the registration plate (DAC 806J) unsuccessfully and so had put the idea of a name to the back of my mind.

When Oliver started nursery last year he came home with a picture he had drawn for me, the typical colourful blur like a piece of modern art that only a parent would appreciate, I asked him what it was and he told me it was my MGB and I thanked him very much saying what a lovely picture it was. I sat down later with a cup of tea and looked again at the picture and there it was, the name I had so long wanted, I laughed and laughed until tears were streaming from my eyes.

The staff at the nursery group had obviously been as impressed with Oliver’s art as I was and had asked the same question I had asked. “What is it?” To which he had obviously replied “Daddy’s MGB”. Now, a parent can understand their child’s speech, but to someone else trying to understand a three year old, words can sometimes not be so clear or coherent unless they know what context the word is used in, which led to the nursery staff writing down the title of the picture as they heard it phonetically, the picture’s title was “Daddy’s Enchy B”, so from that day forth the old girl has been known as “Enchy”.

So if you see Enchy driving around give us a wave and you’ll get one back.

Dale Didwell