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MG parts spares and accessories are available for MG T Series (TA, MG TB, MG TC, MG TD, MG TF), Magnette, MGA, Twin cam, MGB, MGBGT, MGC, MGC GT, MG Midget, Sprite and other MG models from British car spares company LBCarCo.

MG MG Y Type - Reaction to The Y Type.

Last weekend, September 8th to 10th, I was at The Goodwood Revival. For the past four years I have had the honour of being a member of The Goodwood Revival Transport Corps. Part of my duties is ferrying VIP guests from the hotel to the showground, and back.

Just three passengers came up with the car's model name and only one knew that there were three Y Types. One odious character did describe the car as a TD donor. There were many, despite the octagon dashboard dials, despite the octagon radiator cap, who registered great surprise that MG made cars other than two seater sports models. I have sent them all home enlightened.

We get well looked after by The Goodwood management, they do ask though, that if we get any tips, to put them into the charity collection bucket. One generous chap, when I told him to put the ten pounds he wanted to give me into the charity collection, was so pleased by the gesture that he not only did as I asked, he doubled it.

Whilst I was there, a fellow with an Australian accent came up and shook hands, I was so busy that I didn't have time to engage with him. I think he said his surname was Briars, but having checked Y's on Parade I couldn't find it, I'm probably mistaken. If it was you Sir, my apologies for not having time to stay and chat.

Goodwood, like all open air festivals is heavily reliant on good weather. Sadly we were not so blessed this time, in fact the camping fields were reminiscent of the mud slides that Glastonbury revellers are famous for, but I shall be back again, a drop of rain won't put me off.

Have you ever been to a non MG event where members of the public ask what your car is? Do you have a story to tell?


R Taylor

Could you have met a Mr Prior from Down Under perhaps ?.
A L SLATTERY

Not quite the same thing but at the Himley Hall classic car show on Sep 3rd where my YT was displayed one chap looked at the car for a few minutes without speaking and then glanced at me and said 'MG TD, right?'. Another chap wandered up towards the end of the show and engaged the owner of the next car along from me (a Mini) and said 'do you know what that is?, indicating my car. He replied 'no idea, never seen one before' and the original enquirer then stated 'I think it's based on a Y type but this one has obviously been converted from a saloon by the owner into a convertible'. I thought I'm standing here, why don't you ask me? At that point I interjected and fully informed the enquirer of the history of the car. Must get a sign board done for next year!

Regards
Terry
Terry Staines

Hilarious stories!! Love them all.

One time I had someone tell me (over here in the US) that I had a early Jaguar and MG never made anything like that! My English accent (and my other protestations about running the IMGYTR) fell on deaf ears. In the end I said to him he could carry on thinking it was a Jag if that made his day!

Paul
Paul Barrow

It happens a lot as Paul knows. Whenever a Y is on a Club Stand I guess 7/10 folk have no idea what it is. The YT is even less well known and in some respects I guess that it is not surprising. However, the lack.of awareness of the marque amongst MG owners is a little more worrying/sad perhaps.

We took the YT to Portugal last month and joined up with the Swiss V8 Register's 'Enjoying Portugal'Event a 6 day visit based around Lisbon and organised by our good friends Victor and Evelyne Rodrigues who own a YA amongst several MGs. A brilliant time from where we travelled to Porto for the MG European Event of the Year.
We got to know the folk in Lisbon well and whilst a few knew of the Y very few had seen or even knew of the YT and nearly all of them
had no idea that the IFS and rack and pinion steering on their V8 MGBs and RV8s evolved from the Y.

Peter Wallace's YT was at Porto but no other Ys. Sadly the event was not as well supported as other EEOTYs such as France last year and the Porto MG experience
suffered from poor communication (not language). The weather more than made up for it with a figure of around 35 daily (not as hot as Oz Tony!) or Italy where it was in parts in the lower 40s. The roads were superb and often empty.. great fun and hopefully a little awarenesd raising of the Y Marque over a 2000+ mile adventure. See and be seen. Next week the MGCC Y Register will be raising the flag in the Isle of Wight.. hope the weather improves compared with the miserable weather we are presently experiencing in this part of the UK.

Keep the Y flag flying!!
Jerry



J P BIRKBECK

Hopefully a pic of the YT near Lisbon on one of our trips!

J P BIRKBECK

On our trip through France two men were inspecting the radiator closely and said "aha! c'est une GM!".

In Holland the most common comment is that it looks like a Citroën Traction Avant. A comment you don't hear in France BTW.

The nicest comment (mind you, made at an MG event..) was: "is that an MG too?".
Willem van der Veer

Jerry said:
" Next week the MGCC Y Register will be raising the flag in the Isle of Wight.. hope the weather improves compared with the miserable weather we are presently experiencing in this part of the UK."

Jerry, I do hope that you had a good turnout. Years ago I had a contract serving the Island's pharmacies, August Bank Holiday on Ryde's Esplanade was a sight not to be missed. 5000 pot bellied, 60 year old Mods, on their scooters, with The Who emblem emblazed across the back of the obligatory parka. Wonderful!

The reason we can't get over to the Island today is because the YB is off on another modelling shoot. A group of ladies are getting their kit off to produce a tasteful, if not saucy, calendar, in aid of breast cancer awareness. It's a tough job, but someone has to do it.

There have been a couple of occasions when on first glance an open tourer VA made me look again. The YT, of course, has solid wheels not wires and the VA has it's spare wheel housed in the nearside front wing. But in dimension, the two models can appear similar.

When we were on Poole Quay, where the model was photographed, the one that made the front page of the German MG club MG Kurier, a chap said "Is your car the one that appeared in Foyle's War?" He went on to explain that he knew it wasn't a Wolseley, but was convinced that he had seen it in the background. No amount of history briefing would shift his opinion. In the end I just said: "If you say so."
R Taylor

Lovely memories Robert.

We went to the IoW with John James's 'Totally T Type Tour' in the YT in 2014. Neither of us had been there but great fun and a kind of 60s time warp. Several interesting motors and bikes around and of course the railway. We met up with the M Minor Club outing with around 50 cars covering the complete range.

Hope your photo shoot goes well.. please forward or post some pics on the Octagon MG Facebook site.

As I represent the interests of Y owners on the Octagon Committee are there any spares that you think we should be producing or sourcing? Please let me know. We have a Board Meeting on Wednesday 20/09.

Thanks
Jerry
J P BIRKBECK

Hi Robert, at least I think it is Robert? It was I, Richard Prior from Perth Western Australia who stuck his hand through your window to shake your hand. It was a bit of luck that I spotted your car and just had to wander over and say G'day Mate! I don't think the area was an open public area because I was asked did I require assistance by a couple of guys, I said no and continued on, I couldn't miss an opportunity to say hullo to a fellow Y Typer when I was so far from home.

I have to agree that late afternoon rain was bloody awful but a great day up until then!

Good guess Tony Slattery
Cheers
Richo YT3208
R A Prior

Richard said: " I don't think the area was an open public area because I was asked did I require assistance by a couple of guys."

Your confidence, candour and probably dogged Aussie determination got you through one of the most secure areas of the festival. Most of those people queuing are VIP's from the sponsor companies, they stay at The Goodwood Hotel, we in the Transport Corps ferry them to and from the showground. Others in the queue are media hangers-on, but three Dutch guests asked me to take them to Goodwood House, they were guests of Lord March. If you come back next year maybe you can use that ruse. When security asks if they can help, say yes, you're a guest of Lord March and you want a lift to the house. And if you really want to name drop. Tell them that you are one of Freddy's mates. His name and title(s) are actually:
Charles Gordon-Lennox, 11th Duke of Richmond, 11th Duke of Lennox, 11th Duke of Aubigny, 6th Duke of Gordon. But knowing him as Freddy is a real clincher.
R Taylor

To say that I'm not tech savvy is something of an understatement, absolutely low-tech, that's me. But as social media is not my cup of tea, I have written a 120 page journal, full of pictorial images as well as the written word. I had planned to display it on the bonnet but now, thanks to the talent of a good friend of mine, I have a lectern to display it on. Some lectern too, there shouldn't be any issues about the marque in future.

Paul, I'm just waiting until the end of the month for the calendars to be released and one will be on it's way to you along with a condensed version of the journal. See the photo of my friend's handiwork.



R Taylor

There is a chance that the very person who apprehends you is in fact THE Lord March who has never seen you, I suppose plan B is to claim to have played polo against him in Australia - its worth a try

I suggest that lectern is well chained down otherwise it may appear on E Bay

Recently my Anglia was parked along with others outside a motor museum I inadvertently left the passenger door unlocked, apparently two men just walked up and entered the car bold as brass and tried to start it, but without an ignition key were foiled by a fellow club member

Bryan


B Mellem

Quote
"Recently my Anglia was parked along with others outside a motor museum I inadvertently left the passenger door unlocked, apparently two men just walked up and entered the car bold as brass and tried to start it, but without an ignition key were foiled by a fellow club member"

Typical UK, no deterent, their actions amount to an act more than merely preparatory and they should have spent time in the clink. They could hardly say they got one modern euro box mixed up for another could they!

Typical UK no deterent factor or fear anymore! Well done to the fellow club member and more important, prevention and safety always better than cure. I often see articles about trackers etc, but no use if it's in container en route to some states of Africa or beyond. It does miff me that I can't just leave my car unattended for fear of some low life either scratching, stealing or doing some other untoward act. I always recall Jerry, telling me about some tourists feeling it appropriate to sit in his YT at Stoney Stafford whilst they took selfies, outragious.

Richard
R E Knight

Spot on Richard

You were half right with our experiences .. though it was Stratford on Avon not Stoney Stratford (which we did visit on New Years Day this year)!

I will be on the MG Octagpn stand at the NEC Classic Car Show next month (10-12 November) with the YT
and look forward to catching up with a few of you.

Impressed with your lectern Robert!

Cheers Jerry
J P BIRKBECK

I think we should all consider some form of immobiliser, I did once have a hidden petrol tap on the Anglia but it was removed when it started leaking. The idea was that the car would start with what petrol remained in the carb and run a distance before stopping, hopefully somewhere very inconvenient. A petrol pump immobiliser on the Y type should give a similar result. The event was certainly a wake up for me. Bryan
B Mellem

Bryan, an immobiliser was fitted to my car when I bought it. The garage that I use has upgraded it. The devise uses a removable key in a secreted, hidden keyhole, and as an added bonus, if you should ever leave any electrics inadvertently on, as long as you remember to remove the immobiliser key, you won't flatten the battery.
R Taylor

Has anyone ever traced their car back to the first purchaser? Writing a journal about the adventures we've had with our car has been a labour of love. It occurred to me that a chapter about the car's ownership history, a sort of (auto) biography, would be an interesting topic.

To get a copy of such data I have printed off the DVLA form V888. Any suggestions, bearing in mind The Data Protection Act, to answering the question, on the form that reads:

Please state why you require this information and how you are going to use it.
R Taylor

When I bought my YT I was fortunate that the previous owner kept a large history file with the car and amongst this was the original Ceylon logbook detailing all the first eleven owners from 1949-1979. I understand that the car was imported to the UK in 1984 and the last owner had it from 2007 until sold to me. In with the documentation the oldest invoice was to a gentleman in Lancashire dated 1998 and I know that the car was sold at auction by Bonhams in 2003. The V5 lists 3 previous owners prior to the lady I bought it from but apart from that I do not any further information on the former UK owners.
Terry Staines

Our YT was imported to New York State by JS Inskip who also dealt with other upmarket cars like Bentley's and Rolls. He had a signature to YTs - a chrome strip along the bonnet and doors. His New York customer for this YT is unknown.The car as exported was finished in black but when it was sold in 1952 to a dealer in Buffalo Springs and the car had been completely repainted MG Red. By the garage or by the original dealer..no idea?

We acquired the YT in 2009 from a chap in New Hampshire who had owned the car since 1999. I managed to find the previous owner from a plaque on the dashboard of the Red Leaf Rally 1957 which I posted on an MG Blog. I had an email with a contact who confirmed that it had been in his family between 1952 and 99 (47 years) & was restored in 1984/5.

We also have a 1947 TC which was exported from Abingdon to South Africa in December 47. The car which I purchased last year has a full list of owners and I am the 9th. The longest tenure was by the last owner in SA who had the car from 1985 -2012. It was then exported to the UK in 2013. Having been fully restored in 1981/2.

Jerry














J P BIRKBECK

See plaque below.. hopefully!

J P BIRKBECK

Hi Robert

Thank you for your recent package with a copy of your booklet and calendar in. It was a great read and I enjoyed seeing and reading all about what you get up to with your Y! It is really satisfying when you can use your classic car to raise money for charity too!

Good work and thank you!

Paul
Paul Barrow

You are most welcome, Paul.
R Taylor

This thread was discussed between 12/09/2017 and 20/11/2017

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