The Windsor-Detroit MG Club made it's annual pilgrimage to Holt, Michigan, today to join members of other MG clubs across the state for a celebration of the 128th birthday of Cecil Kimber, the founder of the MG Car Company Ltd. For the WDMGC the drive meanders across southern Michigan and serves as a lovely kickoff to the new year's driving season.
I have a bit of a sad history with the Kimber Run. I was out of town the first year I was a club member, and the second year the FUN MG never made it to the starting line, as its engine blew up the week in my first shakedown run of the Spring. Last year Monique, the FUN MG, and I made it to the starting line and we were halfway to Holt when our accelerator cable snapped, ending the day's driving for us.
So, we didn't get any Cecil Kimber birthday cake, but I did manage to take this lovely photo of the FUN MG stranded next to a farm field in the middle of nowhere, waiting for its Ride of Shame. This became the April photo on John & Monique's 2016 Calendar, so there was a silver lining in that debacle.
Would this be the year that I finally shook the curse?
I won't keep you in suspense. No.
An April cold snap and snowstorm engulfed Michigan this weekend. With a forecast of several inches of snow across the middle of the state, and salt spread far and wide to keep the roads passable, I decided that the FUN MG's mid-70s British steel didn't need any help rusting. And Monique took one look at the forecast and decided that she didn't need to get up early to drive around in the snow. The FUN MG stayed safe and sound in the garage. Monique stayed safe and sound in bed.
At least I kept my drive British and took Big Smokey -- our ridiculous Jaguar Vanden Plas Supercharged sedan -- for a rare ride through the snow. Fortunately for photography's sake, club members Sonny and Sher Straley weren't daunted by the weather and brought their '77 MGB along for the ride, so I had an MG to take pictures of as we drove from Novi to Holt for lunch, cake, and camaraderie.
Come along for the ride:
"Looks pretty good so far," you say. Here come the first few flurries:
I put an old MG trunk badge on the Jag's dashboard. Did I fool anybody into thinking it was an MG? Probably not.
This is what my view really looked like for this trip. Michigan and an MG as seen across the hood of a Jaguar.
The snow quickly grew thicker and the roads quickly grew sloppier.
We stopped mid-ride for a quick pit stop. Here's our intrepid fleet in full: one MGB, one BMW, one Jaguar, and one Chevy.
Windsor-Detroit MG Club Snowmobile Registry.
At last we arrived at the Delhi Cafe in Holt for lunch, cake, and cameraderie. As it turns out, only three drivers took their MGBs out for this year's snowy expedition: Guy St. John (white), Adam Gucfa (brown), and Sonny and Sher Straley in the green '77 that I followed to the party.
Kudos to all three for venturing forth into that mess in their MGs! They are braver souls than I.
