My Day, My Car

My typical day begins with the alarm clock rudely intruding upon my slumbers at 06:30. This is followed by a quick shower, a cup of coffee and hastily leaving for the twenty-mile drive to the city centre hospital where I am one of the senior nurses in charge of the main operating theatres.

  Having moved the family Eurobox off the drive, I am able to open the garage door, and start my 1974 MGB Roadster, known affectionately as ‘Mrs B’, sliding her carefully out into the morning. Then it’s into the car, tune to Radio 4 and point the long nose towards work. The drive is a mixture of following the traffic, a few quick sprints, and traffic jams as soon as I hit the city, but Mrs B takes it all in her stride. Indeed, as I sit in traffic jams, I often notice the drivers of other cars sneaking admiring glances in my direction. Once the 40-minute drive is completed, it’s into the staff car park, where I remove the radio front, lock the car and cover her with a Club rhino hood, which has proved invaluable in keeping the hood in good condition, and the interior dry.

When the working day is completed, it’s time for the drive home. This invariably takes longer than the drive in and the traffic is always heavy. However, looking forward to the drive home is one of the benefits of owning and driving a classic car, if it’s a fine evening then the hood is lowered and I can at least enjoy some relatively fresh air as I sit in the traffic. I always arrive home on these occasions with a broad grin on my face and it’s a great way to relieve the stresses of the working day. I often get comments from passers by as I sit in the traffic queues and everybody from small boys to elderly ladies have come out with comments such as “Nice car mister,” or “That’s a beauty, you don’t see many of those any more.”

So why did I choose a classic sports car for my daily car, when modern cars are more comfortable, more efficient and more reliable? Well, I’d always loved MGs and I actually owned my first MG, a 1969 Midget, when I was 21. This was followed by a very poorly MGB GT which came and went in my late 20s and the bug had stayed with me. The fact that all modern cars look alike and can only be identified by the badge on the tailgate lead me to want something different. The car that I was driving was due for replacement and all but one of the kids had left home, so after long, in depth discussions with my wife Sue, we decided to take the plunge. It’s a decision which neither of us has regretted, and we’ve both had enormous fun and enjoyment in the 16 or so months that ‘Mrs B’ has been part of the family.

Of course, driving a twenty four year old car has not been all plain sailing. The car which I eventually purchased was found after extensive searching and after looking at dozens of unsuitable vehicles. I looked at everything from complete basket cases, to quite reasonable cars, but when I saw this particular car which was found in ‘Enjoying MG’, I knew it to be the right one. She had been very well cared for by her previous owner, who allowed me to crawl all over and under her when I went to view. He had all the relevant history and documentation available for me to read through and on the night of collection even went to the trouble of filling the tank with petrol, to enable me to drive the 80 odd miles home (Thank you Mr. S. of Grimsby). I was very cautious at first, but Mrs B quickly proved to be utterly reliable and has now sailed through two Yorkshire winters almost without incident. In all that time, she has only let me down once, due to a corroded terminal on the starter solenoid and I was quickly rescued by a nice gentlemen in a yellow van. She is not really that much more expensive to run than a modern car and although she only returns an average of 25 m.p.g., I can do all the servicing and most of the repairs myself and the insurance is very competitive through the Club insurance service.

I have made one or two changes to the car since she was purchased. The addition of a free-flow sports exhaust system, electronic ignition and a change to NGK BP6ES spark plugs have improved performance and reliability. A change to a stage 2 lead free cylinder head is to be undertaken later this year, followed by a session on the rolling road.

I get a lot of gentle Mickey-taking from my colleagues at work, but people admire the car, and a lot of those are actually quite envious! The most frequently asked question I get is “how do you keep such an old car looking so good?” The simple answer is by much hard work. Mrs B is washed twice weekly and more frequently if there is a lot of salt on the road. Much attention is paid to wheel arches and seams. She is Waxoyled yearly, and the bodywork is waxed every six to eight weeks. The alloy wheels are kept looking new by washing and then using an alloy wheel cleaner and an old toothbrush. All the chromework, the alloy rocker cover, and the alloy dashpot covers are cleaned with metal polish (I use Solvol Autosol). The interior is kept clean by vacuuming the carpets, using a slightly damp cloth on the panelling and wax furniture polish on the walnut dashboard and console and gear panels. Rubber footwell mats help to keep the carpets clean and dry.

To sum up the B is a great car to use on a daily basis. She’s quick enough for modern traffic and living in a country area, my wife and I can always head out on country roads for a blast, hood down, where I can enjoy provoking the occasional tail slide and steering her through the bends using the throttle. What’s more we can combine all this driving pleasure with our other passion of bird watching without even getting out of the car!

Martyn Young