Friday, June 26, 2009

Want NOW!

ACE Cycle-Car. Oooooo. Their webpage. I swoon.

(Three wheels and noise for this one!)

...Almost as good: '52 MG TC on *Bay.
__________________________
Mutterings:
From another MG ad: "...OF COURSE THE LUCAS WIRING, ALTHOUGH THAT WORKS PRETTY WELL IF KEPT CLEAN." As someone who's owned a couple MGBs, I'd have to agree; it's terribly easy to fall behind on maintenance of these cars and once you -- or a previous owner -- has done so, it operates in #BRITISH SPORTSCAR FAIL mode until put right and that goes at least double for the electrical system. On the other hand, the only issues that ever sidelined mine for long were near-terminal rust and spousal disapproval; they break but they're highly fixable. And an utter treat to drive.

N.B.: If you're looking at an MGB and notice even a little bubbly paint under the doors? Look closer! That sill is the outer part of a box beam, the main front-to-back strength of the car and it likes to rust from the inside out. When it's gone, well.... Not a real good day, that. Can get lots worse if you open both doors at once and have a large passenger.

16 comments:

Anonymous said...

Very nice, no price tag I speculate over $50,000

Anonymous said...

The one article said about 35 large, which isn't too bad, really. I'd take mine with one of those little Polish radials instead of the Harley motor, but thats just me. Add a few brass fittings, some copper tube, and a 14" venturi to make the gyro go, and it could be a winner.

Jim

Anonymous said...

Want.

Their webpage indicated around $48,000, but they are custom, one-time builds, and I would guess that features and options only serve to bump the price higher.

Still want :).

perlhaqr said...

Holy crap that's pretty.

rickn8or said...

Oh, the MG is pritty, but twin SU's, Lucas electrics, and plywood?

Too much masochism in one spot.

og said...

Nice. Like the Ariel Atom, having the bits visible on the outside makes it kewl.

Roberta X said...

...Yes, plywood is the Achilles' heel of the T-series MGs. I don;t know about the MGA but the the B, they'd opted for rust instead. It's slower and you have some chance of stopping it.... :)

John Peddie (Toronto) said...

What I've never understood is why cars, made in a soggy climate like Britain's, are afflicted with something as bad as Lucas electrics.

Generations of toffs with plummy accents have blamed the weather instead of the wires.

Gewehr98 said...

Cool!

A modern-day Moggie!

jed said...

Updated Morgan with a Harley motor? Yep, way cool. I wonder whether you'd have to register it as a motorcycle or a car. Doesn't look like it meets DOT specs for a car, so good luck to the owners with their local DMV.

Buyer's choice of engine? That could get really interesting.

Roberta X said...

Most states think it's a motorcycle. And some of us already gots the endorsement for that. Just sayin', you know, so if anyone's got 40 or 50 large that needs to go do somethin' nice for somebody... ;)

Drang said...

I see no address on their website, was thinking maybe I'd go check out their facility, maybe get some pictures..

As for prices, if they'd move out of Seattle they could save a ton of money on NOT having to pay the "We-hate-capitalism" business taxes.

Being in Seattle, they're probably crypto-socialists anyway.

jed said...

A friend of mine has had some arguin' with the DMV on that point, though he did in the end prevail. Sometimes, you have to educate the drones.

Sure thing, as soon as I win the Powerball, I'll see you get one. You sure you want the Hog motor? Doesn't appear to be space for an R100 pancake. Not sure a Desmo would work well, but Honda and Yamaha both have engines that'd probably do fine.

Roberta X said...

D.W. there's a map and directions on their website -- their primary business is sidecars.

I dunno what their politics are, either what they mean 'em to be or what they actually are. (Very few folk manage to keep those two in alignment). Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.

og said...

MG: Because we hate you.

http://www.mgnuts.com/gallery/index.php?action=show_custom&id=357&cat=21

Roberta X said...

Cooool, Og.

...Must admit, I am giving serious thought to ditching both my cars ("The Even Hotter Needle Of Inquiry" Hyundai Accent and my hanger-queen MGB) in favor of an MGB-GT and then keep my eyes open for some kind of near-junker pickup truck for utility and backup.

I have had good luck in the past keeping MGBs running. While insanity lurks in some of the design choices, they are not all that complicated. Engine tuning daunts me -- last time I had the valves adjusted, I had to find an old-time mechanic who understood you gotta do 'em hot or they will be *way* off; and the dual SUs, I left to professionals. But all the other stuff that normally breaks, from fuel pump to U-joint to brakes, I was able to do myself and it was usually fun in hindsight. (Fave? the busted U-bolt betwixt rear spring and rear axle. My, doesn't that get your attention when the car slew crabwise!)

It occurs to me that anyone who drives modern cars and has never had to coddle clunkers may find the idea of "stuff that normally breaks" to be crazy talk. So it goes.