MGs In Maberly

Oct 17, 2013

The Coffee Shop in Maberly was the place to be for lovers of British sports cars, specifically lovers of the MG. On October 6, the coffee shop's parking lot was bumper to bumper with an assortment of no fewer than 18 classic MG models spanning decades - the oldest was a 1951 MGTC. They represented just half the total of 36 cars driven by members of the Ottawa MG Car Club (OMGC), a club that boasts 140 members who were out for their annual Fall Colour Run. The tour is the last run of the year for the club and it began in Kemptville where the group split in two and drove a loop from Kemptville through Lanark and Maberly, then on through Westport, with a stop in Merrickville for lunch at the legion.

I spoke with Ivan Wood, past president of the club, and asked what happens in the event of a breakdown while enroute. “We have what we call a roadside technical session. Usually someone will have a spare part and can fix the problem,” Wood said. Asked what kind of person tends to drive an MG, he replied, “You definitely have to be a little bit crazy to own one of these cars. They all leak oil, the roofs leak, and the electrics don't work very well. You have to be dedicated." Wood said some of the members own not just one but sometimes two or even three cars. In the fair weather months, the club makes about two trips per month; one this past year included a trip to Stowe, Vermont.