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MG MGA - MGA Hard-top

Just figured that you lovers of the MGA hard-top should have a look at this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WqjZlx4sRtI
David werblow

Wonderful. Me through and through!!!!

Steve
Steve Gyles

Very Good. I love Jeremy on Top Gear. I also love the way the Brits drive their cars in the rain.

David....
David Honness

Something masochistically enjoyable about driving in the rain! Even makes motorways better:
Strange looks from the wifey in the Volvo slowing down as it passes so she can lean forward for a better look at the crazy "anorak".
Thumbs up from other middle aged men who "would if they could".
Total bewilderment of small children.
And a big space to the car in front, just in case...
Neil McGurk

I am a Brit and if I can avoid it I do not drive with the hood down when it is extremely wet or cold, I tend to leave that pleasure to the likes of Steve and the nutters on that show, (Sorry steve).
I generally do not agree with Jeremy but on this occassion he is spot on.
As regarding not getting wet when it is raining? where do they get these idiot from?
I drove home from Silverstone one year when it was absolutely peeing it down with rain and my MGA had no hood to put up. The journey length was about 130 miles and guess what my wife and I were like when we got home. Well if we had walked through a car wash we would not have been any wetter! and the car took a week and half to dry out, as Jeremy would say marvelous
Robert (Bob) Midget Turbo

Hi Bob, understand where you are coming from about avoiding the wet stuff but my driving in driving rain experience was very different from yours.
My wife Chris and I were driving home with the top down on a very busy M1 last year. We were returning from a great day out at the MGA day when we saw telltale cumulus nimbus clouds a mile or two ahead.
After a shouted short discussion about stopping to raise the hood, we decided to just go for it!
We drove though the really heavy rainstorm at 70mph (ish) and to my surprise, we got virtually no water inside the car at all. It was amazing, even after 15 minutes or so of really heavy rain we stayed dry. Luckily we never had to slow down or there would have been a much damper outcome.
Keep your foot down Bob and to hell with it!
Colyn
colyn firth

Colyn

That's the right spirit. Good to see. All you need is an umbrella for when you stop at traffic lights. usually raises a smile from other drivers.

Steve
Steve Gyles

Loved it, made me smile!!!!!
Vin Rafter

Colyn I have also rushed the rain for a few minutes without too much problem but try driving 130 miles with no hood on in a torrential downpour or get on a french motorway for an hour and then tell me what the wife thinks?
If she hasn't already divorced you she will certainly be demanding you trade in your car for a, dare I say it? Focus?
Robert (Bob) Midget Turbo

Come on Bob, I always had the image of you as a hard man, weathered to the joys of open-top racing and driving.

I have done Lands End to John O'Groats (X 2 if you include transit to start point and return from finish) in mid December; also Preston to Le Mans and back in June. Never considered the hood on either occasion. It goes with the car.

Why buy a open top sports car and then put a hood on it when the going gets tough? The cold and wet are good for you. We have become too pampered with air con and heaters.

I can't remember when I last had a cold. Get the wind and rain blowing through the hair.

In fun

Steve

PS. My third occasional passenger in the MGA died today. Barney my cocker spaniel was 17 years old. He also loved the open air; nose out in the wind blast, ears flapping. Very sad day for the wife and I.
Steve Gyles

Come on Bob, I always had the image of you as a hard man, weathered to the joys of open-top racing and driving.

I have done Lands End to John O'Groats (X 2 if you include transit to start point and return from finish) in mid December; also Preston to Le Mans and back in June. Never considered the hood on either occasion. It goes with the car.

Why buy a open top sports car and then put a hood on it when the going gets tough? The cold and wet are good for you. We have become too pampered with air con and heaters.

I can't remember when I last had a cold. Get the wind and rain blowing through the hair.

In fun

Steve

PS. My regular third occasional passenger in the MGA died today. Barney my cocker spaniel was 17 years old. He also loved the open air; nose out in the wind blast, ears flapping. Very sad day for the wife and I.
Steve Gyles

Steve I thought we had established a few weeks ago that you are "raving bonkers", now we have Clarkson rubber stamping that opinion. :-))
Robert (Bob) Midget Turbo

I think I have the answer to your dampness problem Bob, Im sure this would work.
It would give instant shelter from the rain by just pulling on the drawstring.
No more 2-person struggle with a finger chopping soft top frame, no more telling the wife to sit on top of the front of the hood frame so you can tighten up the wing nuts. Choice of hundreds of pretty colours and patterns available from B & Q!

Anyone think I should patent this?
Colyn
PS apologies for the terrible sketch, but for me that is really good!
(if you dont want the roll bars you could always pull the blind up and over your head and tuck it behind the seats. Yes I have really thought this one through!!)
colyn firth

Looks like my sketch didnt upload. Will try again

colyn firth

Steve, so sorry to hear about Barney. Our pooches give us unconditional love. We in turn, pass that on to our cars. Was he a seat, floor or lap passenger? My German short-haired pointer is a bit of an ear flapper too. Sometimes I think she's going to take off.
Phillip Hughes

Phillip. Thank you. Normally a floor dog, but he used to get too hot down by the tunnel so he would come up for air occasionally, standing on the passenger's lap.

Colyn. Novel idea! Quite a decent MGA sketch. Take some commissions!

Steve

Steve Gyles

Really sorry to hear about your dog Steve, makes me feel a little guilty when I think about my previous posts.
I hope the thought of Bob driving along in the rain with a floral pattern roller-blind resting on his head cheers you up a little. (No offense Bob)

You have made me think a little more about having a dog though Steve, Im already visualising myself saying to my wife, "Im just taking the dog out for a drive"! Marvelous!
all the best
Colyn
colyn firth

Steve,
Very sorry to hear about your dog. We had a boxer that loved to ride in the “A.”


David werblow

Steve, so very sorry to hear of Barney's passing. Deepest sympathy to both you and "her indoors".
Andy Bounsall

Steve,
As we say here "you don't catch a cold by being cold"!
Temperature in Melbourne today is predicted to be 42 C (107 F) - may have to put the hood up for shade, then again maybe not!
Mike
Mike Ellsmore

Great drawing Colyn, prhaps you could use it in your presentation to Dragons Den!
Robert (Bob) Midget Turbo

Glad you didnt take offence Bob, I have a feeling though that if I took the "Bobs Blind" idea to Dragons Den, they wouldnt just stop at saying in unison,"WE'RE OUT", they would also take great pleasure in physically throwing me down the stairs too!( once they had stopped laughing )
Colyn



colyn firth

This thread was discussed between 16/11/2009 and 18/11/2009

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