Photography by Mark J. McCourt
As he reported last Friday, Hemmings Sports & Exotic Car magazine editor Dave LaChance and I took to the road this past Monday morning to begin a two-day, 550-mile reliability tour of New England that culminated with leaving our project MGB at its rightful home: the Good News Garage office in Burlington, Vermont. With the blessing of the GNG, Dave had conceived of a road trip that would take this fully restored British tourer to visit every New England state before the final hand-off.
If you’re new to Hemmings, you can catch up on our long history with this special car, which was given a new life through many generous donations of parts, time and talent. After the last installment in HS&EC, the one thing that stood between the car and the highway was a state safety inspection- and not surprisingly, the MGB passed with flying colors.
Dave shouldered the MG’s driving duties—I followed in a HMN company vehicle to make sure we’d have a way to get home from Burlington—and I think it’s safe to say that our Triumph Spitfire-driving editor enjoyed his concentrated taste of Abingdon motoring magic a great deal.
Our route took us through Massachusetts and down into Connecticut; we traveled east into Rhode Island, and re-entered Massachusetts in perfect time to tackle Boston’s evening rush hour traffic with the top down! After overnighting in the charming seaside town of Rockport, we cut through New Hampshire to enter Maine, before turning west again to head back through New Hampshire and re-enter Vermont. The good people of the Good News Garage were thrilled to see the MGB drive into their workshop around 6:30 Tuesday evening.
Thanks to the excellent parts used in the rebuild and the careful workmanship of our dedicated volunteers, Dave could happily report that the car never skipped a beat, running flawlessly in everything from stop-and-go city traffic to the open highway.
The Good News Garage staff told us that the car would soon go into winter storage, and, come spring, will be the star of some promotional activities. As promised, we will keep you informed of the Good News Garage’s plans for the MGB in the upcoming year, and you’ll be able to read all about this happy homecoming in an upcoming issue of Hemmings Sports & Exotic Car.