I tried to enter my “First Car Story” but there is nothing in the images that looks anything like my first car. I don’t think I’m being terribly picky, but after all, my first car was a 1952 MG TD. How is it that there is no image for this car to represent first car stories?
And to add insult to injury, in the drop down box in this discussion, here is no make and model where I can select MG either.
Whaaaaa?
MG-TDs were built in the 50s. You won’t find 1950s models of any cars on the pull down list unless they continued for a couple of decades at least. And TDs didn’t last long in general. They rusted quickly, and were always the loser in accidents. My Mom was rear-ended by an MG-TD in the late 1960s at a stop sign. There was a little dent in her bumper, and the MG was disassembled behind her. She couldn’t believe all he pieces on the ground after such a small incident.
I agree, it was a bit of a death trap, but I think it had greater threats from termites than from rust. It also had the classic gas tank strapped on the back - likely even worse than the ill-fated Pinto. Since I had it in Southern California, it lasted pretty well, but the hardwood structure was always an interesting “feature”.
But I still think it would be an interesting story and since Tom had (has?) one, there at least ought to be an icon on the site.
I don’t know that the TD is a death trap based on an incident that happened here. Back in the 70s a performance shop on the main drag had a TD for sale; in British green of course. They allowed some guy to test drive it one afternoon and unbeknown to the shop, this guy was fairly well intoxicated on Vodka.
He blasted off from the shop and a few blocks later was doing almost 70 MPH. That was the speed he was at when he plowed into a police car with 2 cops in it who were sitting at the red light. The guy never even touched the brakes and keep in mind this was the era of steel bumper cars.
Both cops went to the hospital with neck injuries and the intoxicated TD driver was examined and released while suffering no injuries; followed by being arrested.
I went down to the lot and the police cruiser was just as bad off as the TD, if not worse. The rear bumper on the cruiser had been shoved clean into the back seat and even the cruiser’s roof was buckled. The TD had the front end smashed up pretty bad but did look repairable.
It’s ironic that the drunk with no seat belt in use got out of this wreck almost unscathed.
His stars were in perfect alignment, OK. Those cars were a lot of fun to drive but in a front impact the driver often took a bad hit from the steering wheel.
I bought mine “well used” and on one of my first outings I discovered that the passenger side door latch was pretty well worn (poor grade of cast aluminum on the striker). (These doors were “suicide doors” hinged at the rear and opening to the front. I made a left turn and my buddy in the passenger seat was surprised when the door swung open. We weren’t speeding or turning hard, so the only repair was cleaning his soiled seat. Even though I repaired the door latch and installed seat belts, he never again rode in the MG without a death grip on the “chicken bar” on the dash.
" I made a left turn and my buddy in the passenger seat was surprised when the door swung open."
It’s not the only car of that era with this issue. My parents had a 1955 210 Sedan. When making a turn one day, the front passenger door flew open. I was sitting next to my dad (driver). As I rolled towards the door he grabbed me. My lucky day!