MG-Cars.info

Welcome to our Site for MG, Triumph and Austin-Healey Car Information.

Parts

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 - 'Y' Identity problem.

Does anyone else suffer from the problem of driving their 'Y' about, and the Great British Public not having a clue what it is? ( Or the Great USA Public, or Australian Public, or New Zealand Public, etc.)

If I had a £ ( pound,) for every twerp who has told me, " That's a nice Riley mate," I would be rich. Even though the car has a large 'MG' badge at both ends, they still get it wrong. It is even more fun to ask them what year they think it is. This can be anything from 1930 to 1950, as the shape is pre-war.

It is nice they admire the car, but a blot on the poor education of todays 20-somethings, who cannot recognise a car made in his/her own country.

Now if it was a Nissan Mundane, or some other euro-blob, no doubt it would be instantly recogniseable. Time to bring back hanging I say.

Neil.
Neil Cairns

Its that Cairns again. Thanks to you and all the others who have guided me about...sway bars. Good stuff.

I ask you, could many tell the difference between a Lanchester and a Renault which was 50 years old in 1950?

I might get the body tub on the chassis again next week.
Slater Reynolds
Slater Reynolds

Having driven T-series for some 35 years, I have heard most all of the dumb questions. While some have been irritating, I recall one time while in rest stop, a some what harried father with his small children, pulled in along side me and the TD MKII I was driving. The kids immediately asked what it was I was driving and the father announced, in his best fatherly manner, that it was a Packard. One of his bright little charges, who was standing at the front, asked why it was a Packard, if the badge said MG. Seeing the poor man's dilema, and understanding that he was not one of the boors we encounter at times, I responded that the badge indicated it was a "Minor Grade" model. The look of relief on that man's face, has stayed with me throughout many testy moments with my own kids. On the other hand, most people I encounter are fully unaware that MG ever made a saloon. All they know are TCs. On a side note, am seeking brake rebuid kits for my Y(A)'s master and wheel cylinders & rear of seat ash tray. Wilfred is #5174, a '50 LHD Saloon.
Paul

Neil et al,
The ignorance of the young automotive is rampant. About 20 years ago a kid acked me in a rest stop if my TF was one of the twin cam models. It seem he had been following me down the X-way and had trouble keeping up in hiw/s Karmann-Giah VW.
Ain't it fun having an MG with a back seat?
Tom
ttbaum

This is demi deja vue. We had a similar thread a few months ago.But it stirs up this otherwise rather lethargic site.

It is not a surprise, to me at least, that not one in a thousand recognise a YT. Here in Britsh Columbia I would doubt that, fifty years ago, no more than two in a thousad would have recognised one. There were only five sold here and I dont think any saloons. That is sort of holding on.

At the risk of stealing the line of one Steve Taylor who from time to time enters this site to champion the Octagon Car Club I would recomend to Paul that he go to its site from the main site of the MG Entusiast' s Club. Under Spares ( Brakes) you will find the the Y(A) (T) kits you are looking for. If you are looking for lots of parts the club is worth joining as the prices are rather good for members. However the dues for overseas members, whose participation in Club events is limited to say the least, are fairly steep; but there is a good monthly bulletin in some ways better than the TSO.

Reproductons of the Ash Trays are avilable from David Hague in the UK. His telephone # from North America is 011 44 1730 266362. This is info gleaned from the Octagon Club bulletin. I got two a couple of years ago, not from Hague,but they have been made for the Y register of the MG Car Club and I would guess that Hague is the current poohbah.They are well done,particulary the body, the chrome knob is a bit on the dull side, but overall they are very good and as I recall not that expensive.

Terry O'Brien

On the subject of inane comments from the uninformed I find it a telling comment on modern values that the most common question asked 30 (or so) years ago was "how fast will it go mister? has been replaced by "what's it worth?". I still find it embarrassing to refuse to answer this question; the best which I can come up with is "its immaterial as I am not going to sell it anyway". Perhaps somone out there could come up with a better way of sparing my blushes. I must admit though that its the TC which tends to get these comments while poor old Y is more often than not ignored.
Ian Thomson

IAN I tend to answer that question with "to make things easier sign a blank check and I'll fill in the amount later"
ROB ROBERSON

On Y identification, mine is in for spraying and its only the tub on the chassis. the neighbours on the industrial estate all call in and think its a sit-up-and-beg Ford Popular. then they see the jacks...
Slater Reynolds

This is a good topic. I will recant my own experience on this.

I had dropped down the local tyre shop early on a Saturday morning with the YA to have a tyre tube patched (no I could not be bothered to do it myself before anyone says anything - least not for £5!), when suddenly this 19 year old came up to me and said "Is it a YA, or YB?"
This, as you can imagine - rather like Neil knocked my socks off - a 19 year old, who knew, and cared!! "A YA," I replied, "do you know the difference?". It materialised that his Dad had a YB in the garage that had not seen the light of day for over 25 years. A good friendship has now been established and son Richard and Dad are now restoring it.

It is quite amazing!
Paul Barrow

This thread was discussed between 10/12/2000 and 11/02/2001

MG MG Y Type index

This thread is from the archives. Join the live MG MG Y Type BBS now