KEEPERS
Grant’s MG has been in his family for 68 years and has driven across the USA
‘I was introduced to my grandfather’s MG at the age of ten; I’d been invited to a wedding and was lucky enough to ride in the back; no-onene really ever sat in the back and it was always covered by a Scottish tartan picnic blanket.
After that, I was often invited back to do an annual oil change, which I always enjoyed doing as a child.
‘Grandfatherather had owned the car since it was new and kept it immaculate during his 40-year ownership – only one mechanic serviced and repaired it. He owned other vehicles, mostly trucks, but the MG was his weekend car and used primarily to take my grandmother to Sunday lunches.
‘I was living in the US in 1998 when I inherited the car so I shipped it over. I had never driven it at that point and remember being utterly shocked at its condition when I picked it up from the port on my birthday after it had been on a boat for six weeks. The engine bay was orange with rust, the door cards had been removed and customs officials had broken into the boot to check for drugs.
‘Setting off on the 310-mile journey home from the docks was a true highlight because I was now driving my grandfather’s car in America. I remember being concerned when trying to cross six lanes of highway because the MG only had trafficators. I also questioneded whether it would make it to its destination in 43-degree Virginia heat! Luckily, it did.
‘The first weekend of ownership was dedicated to getting rid of the rust in the engine bay and re-fitting the door cards with my daughter’s help. The accelerator pedal also wouldn’t go down fully, but we discovered that this was because my grandfather had six layers of carpet sample on top of the original carpet, due to him being a wholesale carpet supplier. We even found the original keys underneath! The car needed a name and earned its “Lord Peter” moniker, after my grandfather – Lord Peter Miller.
‘Going over metal bridges in roasting Virginia weather with 1955 cross-ply tyres was a bit like playing chess with death – the car had zero grip – so I swapped them for Dunlop Radials.
‘With the car now cleaned up it was time to take it to various car shows; it’s funny, because most Americans that I met figured that an MG would be a soft-top two-seater sports car, not a four-door sports saloon. Convincing them that it really was an MG was somewhat tricky.
‘The car and I were invited to various concours events around the US after word got out that an original Magnette was around. I would often drive anywhere between 500 and 800 miles on a weekend just to attend shows.
‘After six years of US ownership, I got an MGA specialist in Virginia to overhaul the engine. They stripped it down, replaced various components and painted it in
