Holidays with the B
Pictures of the last holiday in France
The MG B has a surprisingly big boot. Well...it's big as long as you don't want to take loads of luggage. My girlfriend and me are used to backpacking, so two big packs is no problem at all. And some other stuff, like a big box of Champaign when we went through this area of France. A couple of journeys are really worthwhile and have some nice photo's as well.
Perhaps I should make an area here with a header "special preparations", but there is nothing that comes to mind. Just make sure your MG is in good condition and runs well. Give it some grease, some oil and go for it. I take some tools with me, but it is basically the same: I make sure that bushes are okay and everything is securely tightened. Because I drive the car often, minor glitches become obvious and are solved directly. So that leaves a car that gets regular services at the advised intervals.
That's what you get with a B: a big smile on your face! This is Mike Barnfathers car, with me behind the wheel. The picture is taken on the old Reims racetrack (France). Mike has a wonderful B V8 convertible, with EFI under his bulged & louvred bonnet. 15" wheels, leather interior and wood: the icing on the cake. Inspiring, isn't it?
Other people get a smile as well driving a B with V8 power.
Quite frankly Gabri has had her driving license for over a month. Driving her mums Fiat Seicento often she is already used to light brakes and power steering. The MG did not get damaged, but there were some near misses. Comments like "wow, steering is SO heavy...and it gets even heavier when I corner...why do I have to press the brake pedal so hard? Oh my god, it sprints forward when I even look at the throttle!...WHAT KIND OF UNDRIVEABLE ANIMAL IS THIS?!". Right. Some people are just not ready for the MG Experience and need to be de-euro-boxed. The sensory deprivation that is a euro-box has numbed the senses, so Real Driving cannot be enjoyed. Driving is not about pressing a pedal, and not about doing what you've learned - an MG has to be an extension of yourself. Drive by the seat of your pants. Eyes on the horizon, yet alert. Seicento drivers obviously are unsuitable for these pleasures.