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MGC The Journey From 1972

By Cheryl Barry

In November 1972, Roger Barry bought his first MG, a 1969 MGC GT in Snowberry White, which was bought in part exchange for his Ford Capri from Rudds Ltd. in Southampton.

Roger quickly fell in love with the car and used it regularly to roar around the Buckinghamshire countryside, as well as taking it on several holidays and family trips. Roger frequently told us about how he used to cram his young family of five into the MGC for the drive across the country to visit his wife’s family in Wales.

Apparently, his baby twin daughters were placed in carry cots end to end on the parcel shelf with his toddler son in the back seat. There were none of today’s worries about car seats back in the 70s! But people still stopped to stare to see Roger and his family of five crammed into such a small car.

MGC
MGC GT photographed at Exmoor, 1977

General Maintenance

In 1980 the car was taken off the road for some short-term general maintenance and TLC. With the car still off the road, it survived a family house move in 1984 to a now double garage where the beloved C remained just that, garaged. In its new home, there were numerous attempts to strip back the paintwork, grit and sandblasting, various chemicals you name it.

Roger always planned on restoring his beloved MGC and believed it would be his major retirement project. Despite some minor tinkering, the car remained in pieces, stood as a shell, upside down on a self-made wooden cradle (constructed of parts from an old conveyor belt system) in the garage for the next 34 years.

This didn’t deter Roger’s love of cars and, specifically, his love of MGs never waned. He had joined the MG Car Club in 1978 and every edition of Safety Fast! since that date is still safely stowed away. He always took an active interest in everything relating to cars, motor racing and specifically MGs, being a regular attendee at the MG weekends at Silverstone.

  • The body shell on the way to the restorers
  • The MGC GT undergoing restoration in 2014
  • The MGC in its final stages of renovation

With the MGC still in pieces in the garage, for some reason he went on to buy an MGB Roadster in the late 1980s which, other than the paint job, he successfully restored himself and then there were a couple of MGB GTs the early in 2000s. He went to Le Mans numerous times in the 80s and 90s, occasionally taking the Roadster packed with all the camping equipment with him.

Tragedy

On being diagnosed with terminal cancer in August 2014, Roger’s greatest desire was to see the MGC restored to its former glory. In September it was decided that the car would be sent off for a full respray which would then allow Roger to concentrate on the mechanical side of things.

Roger formed a close relationship with the owner of the classic car restorer who graciously allowed him the use of the premises to work on the areas of the car he was going to do himself. He got on so well with the employees that, on return from a holiday, one of the guys, Dave, was greeted with a sign hanging above his work area saying “Roger’s Bench!”

In reality, this camaraderie gave him a purpose and kept him going through the winter months.

Work to the Car included…

By November 2014, the paint job was complete and the gleaming Snowberry White shining like new. In January 2015 the suspension and axles were in place, during February the engine was sitting in the engine bay and around March the wiring loom was going in. On April 2 2015 the car returned home on the back of the truck, but with its own wheels so it could be worked on in the garage.

  • The completed engine bay looking resplendent after the restoration

As Roger’s condition deteriorated, work to the car started to slow as he was no longer able to carry on with the task in hand; it looked like he would not see the finished C after all. With the effects of his illness now rapidly becoming more apparent and hopes of seeing the finished car fading, something drastic was needed. On July 2 2015 the very same flatbed lorry collected the car and returned it to the restorers, which, in truth, had seen little progress since April.

What happened next still defies belief. The wonderful team worked around the clock to do the unimaginable and attempt to get the C finished. After much hard graft and calling in many favours, 35 years after it was taken off the road for maintenance, the MGC was finally completed and driven to Willen Hospice in Milton Keynes to show Roger, just a few days before he sadly died on July 19.

His family take great comfort in the fact that Roger’s wish to see the MGC restored was met, along with the delight in his face when he saw his beloved car again. The staff at the hospice were fantastic and were so understanding. They made it possible for him to see the car by allowing his bed to be wheeled outside where the C was waiting.

The MGC was taken to show Roger outside Willen Hospice just days before he died in July 2015

Final Journey

During Easter 2016, as a final tribute to Roger, his son Jonathan and his wife Christine drove the MGC to Norfolk on its first real run out since the restoration was completed. There, along with 13 other members of his family including daughters, grandchildren, sister and sisters-in-law, we scattered Roger’s ashes on the North Norfolk Coast. It was a beautiful day as part of a lovely week’s holiday and it seemed fitting that the MGC be part of it.

In an ironic twist to the tale, on arrival in Norfolk it was noticed that the rear off-side tyre had been perilously rubbing against the wheel arch to such an extent that the car was no longer safe to drive. As the wheels were knowingly purchased by Roger at a reasonable price (he did like a deal!) as potentially non-MGC wheels, this was always going to be a risk. The result was to dash off to the helpful people at MGB Hive to buy a new set of specific MGC chrome wire wheels and then to fit some new tyres.

Roger always did like a car drama, especially around family holidays, and we can recall many other occasions where the car became an issue! Despite the car problems, the week in Norfolk was a roaring success with the C getting to see much of the fantastic coastline, but it was now time for the trip back to Buckinghamshire. Settling into the journey with the C running well and sounding superb, a full tank of fuel on board and the prospect of a pub lunch en route, we were looking forward to a pleasant trip after the car problems of the previous week.

  • The MGC Register weekend at the MGCC Mallory Park race meeting, July 2016
  • The MGC at Cley Beach in Norfolk on a family week away

However, just over an hour from home, there was yet another drama: no brakes! Somehow, and very luckily, we managed to veer the car off the A10 onto a side road where it came to a safe standstill. The sad sight of brake fluid all along the road back to the A10 was clear for all to see. After a long wait for the recovery lorry and some service station sandwiches eaten in the back of the lorry (there was now no pub lunch!) the car sadly and unceremoniously arrived home on the back of the recovery lorry.

Roger always said that classic cars need constant love and attention and this just seemed to prove him right! We must add that the problems experienced with the car were nothing to do with the restoration company, but areas of the car where Roger had been involved.

Roger’s love of cars, particularly his MGs, will be his great legacy. His son and son-in-law enjoy driving and tinkering with them. And his entire family will ensure that the MGC, MGB Roadster and the MGB GT will all be lovingly looked after.