The MGA

By David Petrie, Story Contest Winner

I have been fascinated with sports cars for a long time. It probably began in middle school in Boulder, Colorado, when I would sit in a neighbor ’ s sports car or carefully look at sports cars at local car dealers. In college, my roommate had a Triumph sports car. It was so much fun to ride with him around town or into the mountains of Colorado. I decided that someday I would own a sports car.

During the summer after my junior year in college I worked underground in the huge molybdenum mine at Climax, Colorado, and earned enough money for a car. But my first car was a rather boring used 1963 Chevy Biscayne. Three-on-the-tree with a bench front seat. But the car got me around the area just fine.

In early 1970 I came across a white 1959 MGA that a guy in Boulder wanted to sell; he needed a more practical car. The car actually belonged to the guy ’ s son who had for some reason moved away and left the car with his parents. (By the way, this story will later repeat itself.) MGA…wow! The classic British roadster built by Morris Garage during the years 1955-1962. Beautifully rounded fenders, four-speed stick, rag top, and a tonneau cover. Not exactly in the best condition, but I could handle those details later. The guy and I struck a deal where we would do a straight trade of my Chevy sedan for the MGA. We even crafted $100 bills of sale to keep the state sales tax reasonable on both auto sales. When I went to the courthouse to get the title and license plates for the MGA, the clerk looked at the sales receipt and said, “I hope the car runs. ”

The clerk was partially correct. Keeping the MGA running was a challenge. For one thing, the car would not start if the outside temperature got below 40 degrees. So, I carried a can of ether to spray in the two carburetors. I had to leave the hood open until the engine started or risk an explosion of the confined vapors. The car had no heater, so driving around in Colorado in the winter was a thrill. Then there was the problem with the differential. On rare occasions, the rear wheels would suddenly seize up bringing the car to a screeching halt. But after the stop, the car drove fine. I finally opened the differential to try and locate the problem. Oddly, a small gear fell out; not attached to anything. I looked for a place to reinstall the gear but decided the part should not even be there. I threw away the extra gear, closed the differential, and never had another problem with sudden stops. The list goes on, with strange oil reservoir shock absorbers, idle adjustments by bending a control wire, and a tricky spark timing adjustment. But when it was running, the MGA was totally fun.

In the summer of 1971, I received orders from the Navy to report for six months of communications training in Pensacola, Florida. And then I would likely go overseas for a year and a half. By then I had bought a nice used Chevy Camaro that could be trusted to make longer trips. So, the MGA would have to stay behind in my folks ’ garage in Boulder. That fall I found out that my father had invested quite a bit of time (and probably some money) to get the MGA running great. He would drive around town in this hot MGA and attract lots of attention. One of my brother ’ s coworkers was amazed, “I don ’t know what kind of car that is, but I want it. ” So, my father sold the MGA to an eager buyer. I signed the title for the sale, but never saw any of the proceeds from the deal. I guess that was fair.

My interest in the MGA continued, but I didn’t own another sports car until 1989. I bought one of the first Mazda Miata cars to arrive in the US. Often referred to as a “ polyester sports car, ” the Miata did not have the mechanical challenges of the MGA. But it also did not have the personality that I fondly remember to this day. Maybe I need to look for another MGA.