MG Car Club: Annual Combined Gauteng Centres Showday

Once a year, the Johannesburg and Northern (Tshwane) Centres of the MG Car Club in South Africa, combine their resources to put on the Club's annual Combined Gauteng Centres Showday.

The Centres alternate in hosting the event and 2006 is the turn of Johannesburg Centre and Brightwater Commons was approached to ascertain if this event could be held at their venue in June 2006.

This event is generally considered as the primary or highlight event in any MG Car Club Centre's annual calendar. Interestingly, the MG Car Club is the largest single marque car club in the world which is headquartered in Abingdon in Oxford, England, which is where MG's were manufactured from the 1920's until that factory closed down after the MGB ceased production in 1980.

The MG Car Club in South Africa, with other centres in Kwa Zulu-Natal, Port Elizabeth, East London and Cape Town, is considered to be an active country in world wide MG circles, with bi-annual MG Indabas taking place that attract entries from MG centres internationally.

The annual Johannesburg/Northern Centre Showdays attract 100 to 150 MG's dating from the few 1930 models that are in South Africa, to the most modern MG's which of course again ceased production in 2005, when the MG Rover factory in the UK closed its doors.

Usually, the most common MG participating in Showday is the MGB which was produced from 1962 to 1980, and as MGB (roadster) and MGBGT (coupe) models, held the record of being the largest number of single type sports car ever built - in excess of 500,000 - until this mantle was taken over by the Mazda MX5 a few years ago. Many of the very last MGB's manufactured, were exported to South Africa in 1981/82 and a few of these cars are still actively used as day to day transport by their owners, since they are still able to survive the rigours of today's traffic volumes.

The MGB's predecessor was the MGA which was manufactured from 1955 to 1962 of which over 100,000 examples were built, both in roadster and coupe models. Last year the MGA celebrated its 50th anniversary and many MGA's were rebuilt to celebrate the occasion and to participate in the numerous MGA tours which took place in various countries around the world. In South Africa, almost 50 MGA's participated in a 4000km tour around the country and it was probably the best organized and most well attended MGA tour anywhere.

After WWII, the MGTC started production in 1946 and many were taken back to the US by returning military servicemen, which was the beginning of the MG's popularity in the US, and is the country to which most of the MG's produced until 1980, were exported to. This MG model with its flowing front mudguards and motor cycle like wheels, continued in production in various guises, with the TD and TF following in its classic shape.

Not many pre war or saloon MG's are in South Africa, but those that are, are usually taken by the owners to the annual Showday and we hope that this year won't be an exception.

The 'modern' MG's recommenced production in 1993 with the limited edition MGRV8 of which there are only 2 known examples in Gauteng. Only just over 2000 MGRV8's were produced, mainly for the UK and Japanese markets. In 1995 the MGF was introduced, which as a mid engined sports car withexcellent road holding, soon became the biggest selling sports car in the UK. The MGTF, which is a face lifted version of the MGF with a different suspension set up, commenced production in 2002 until MG Rover closed down last year. Only time will tell what the new Chinese owners will do with this famous marque.

A number of MGF's were imported by MG enthusiasts into South Africa in the late 1990's until MG Rover South Africa opened up as the official importers and distributors of MG and Rover cars in SA.

Many MGF's and MGTF's were sold over the period of time that MG Rover operated in SA and these sports cars, together with the MG ZR sports saloon and MG ZT saloon and station wagon, soon became quite a popular brand on SA roads.

It is the owners of these modern MG's that the MG Car Club wishes to attract to their fraternity, since these are the enthusiasts most likely to take this car club, that was started in 1930 in Abingdon England, to the next chapter in the MG history book.

We thus hope to have a mix of both the old and the new model MG's at the Brightwater Commons Showday.

Judges will choose from the cars as they arrive, which ones will enter the Tops Only category, which are those cars that are in a superior condition but are nevertheless, used on a regular basis by their owners around town and on regular MG runs, country wide.

The best of the best MG's will enter the Concours d'Etat which is for the owners that rebuild and maintain these cars in as original and pristine condition as possible. Concours cars can range in age from vintage to modern. Owners of these cars demonstrate incredible diligence and commitment preparing these cars for Showdays and their condition is more than likely to be better than when they were bought new off the showroom floor.

Expert judges spend hours judging these cars, which are often in such original condition, that it is a case of trying to find what few faults that could exist, until a winner is finally chosen based on the highest cumulative score determined by originality and cleanliness.

Website: www.mgcc.co.za
Email: mgcc@worldonline.co.za
Contact: Stuart Hain - 082 881 4787; Vic Fear - 072 398 4073

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