Project Cars of the Mid-Atlantic
Terry King • 1959 MGA 1500 Roadster
In 1986, Martha Anne and I bought a pair of ZB Magnettes, a ’58 and a ’59. I stripped the ’58 and had the hulk hauled away. The ’59 was once owned by John and Linda Wright and had the NAMGAR registration number “V2” (Variant #2) meaning this car went all the way back to the founding of the original NAMGAR chapter.
A couple of our chapter members, who will remain nameless, convinced me to sell the Magnette and buy a roadster. So, in early 1990 we sold the ’59 ZB to a guy from Baltimore and the search for an “A” was on in earnest. I found one in Warrenton that had been owned by a professor at UVA.
The good news … the car was complete and stored in a shed. The not so good news … it was in boxes, crates and bags.
The tub was sitting on the frame. The paint looked like it had been applied with a roller. It was robin’s egg blue, not resembling any MG color I’ve ever seen. After closer inspection, the car looked like it had been used as a golf driving range target and the golfers were good shots!
I stripped the paint, knocked out the dents, primed and repainted, rebuilt and re-chromed the windshield, replaced the floorboards, rebuilt and upholstered the seats, rebuilt the front suspension, and bought all stainless fasteners to replace the originals.
For years the major hang-ons swung from the basement workshop rafters. It looked like “Rocky Balboa’s meat locker training center.” All the parts and pieces are now resting in the rafters of our garage in Mathews, Va., patiently waiting for the renovation of the house to be done. Then final assembly can begin.
What’s a few more months when this project has been underway for 17 years!
Hey, I’m thinking about repainting my “A” fire truck bright greenish-yellow … what do you think?
