MG Car Club
MGLive! One month to go!
There’s now just four weeks to go until the MG Car Club takes over Silverstone Circuit for the biggest MG gathering in the world – MGLive! 2015.
Now in its 65th year, MGLive! is the highlight of the MG year, but this year the show is open to more classic fans than ever before as the weekend embraces Mini, Triumphs, Rovers and Healeys as the Club celebrates the 60th anniversary of the formation of the BMC (and later BL)Competitions Department, also known as the Abingdon Works.
The Works department built some of the most iconic race and rally cars of the 1960s and 1970s and many of the Works wonders will be reunited at MGLive!
Cars such as Paddy Hopkirk’s Rally San Remo 1275 Mini Cooper S, will be joined by 977 ARX, the Mini that took third on the 1963 Monte Carlo Rally.
When BMC became BL, Triumph came to the fore and the Comps Department began developing the cars for rally use, particularly the PI, the Dolomite and TR7 and TR8. The entire spread of Works Triumphs will be represented, including Andrew Cowan’s London to Mexico World Cup Rally car and Tony Pond’s TR8 that competed on the likes of the Scottish Rally in 1977 and 1978.
With the event being organised by the MG Car Club, MG is naturally well represented, with cars such as PRX 707 which contested the Liege-Rome-Liege Rally, Bob Olthoff’s MGA Twin Cam, a car which graced the front cover of the Club’s Safety Fast! magazine, back in 1962. They’ll be joined by the legendary Sebring MGC GTS RMO 699F – the last competition Works MG to be built at Abingdon.
The display of Works cars will offer fans not only of MG, but of all those famous BMC and BL names the chance to see up close some of the most legendary motorsport cars ever built.
The Works celebrations are just part of a packed programme for MGLive! 2015, a programme that includes two days of full-throttle racing on the historic Grand Prix circuit, dozens of trade stands, autojumble, Pride of Ownership, a Concours D’elegance, 1000s of MGs on display and model-by-model register parking.
Another big attraction at MGLive! is the Live! Arena. This year the show is being opened by TV’s Wheeler Dealer, Mike Brewer – Mike is a huge fan of the marque and will be hosting the world’s first human gymkhana, giving visitors the chance try a selection of challenges and win some top prizes.
On top of his hosting duties in the arena, Mike will be on hand to meet the fans for pictures and to sign autographs.
Mike will be joined in the Live! Arena by Russ Swift – the legendary precision and stunt driver, who’ll be showing his skills demonstrating two-wheeled driving, extreme parallel parking and more, while the Savage Skills BMX display team will be showing their skills together with Russ across the weekend.
MGLive! will also feature two days of racing on the historic Grand Prix circuit, the biggest and best traders in the MG world, autojumble, and, on the Sunday, Pride of Ownership and Concours D’elegance.
As well as the various trade stands, MGLive! will also feature a packed Lifestyle Marquee, including attractions as varied as a nail bar, cakes and sweets, books and beers from a local brewery. Add in the Saturday night After Hours with live music, a fully-licenced bar, a hog-roast and a disco.
With so much going on across two days, MGLive! offers something for everyone. Tickets start at £18 for a day ticket, or £28 for a weekend. You can book them now by visiting www.mglive.co.uk or by calling the club on 01235 555552.
