Ruby is a 1951 MG TD, and is an original right-hand-drive car; the vast majority were LHD and destined for the North American market.
I acquired her in 2018 from a dealer at Bicester Heritage Centre and within a few days decided to give her a shakedown run to the Classic Motor Hub at Bibury, a round trip of some 80 odd miles!
I was accompanied by my very good friend and all-round engineer, Alan East-Jones, and all began well as we set off in the company of some exotic cars — Aston Martin, Porsche, Ferrari etc — and sometime after leaving Moreton-in-Marsh Ruby (as christened by my grandchildren) decided she had had enough!
We lost traction going up one of the lovely Cotswolds hills accompanied by the distinctive aroma of burning friction material!! We limped along to Bibury at a not very graceful pace, and once we were parked up Ruby coughed out a great dollop of engine oil onto the lovely clean concrete!!
The return journey was less exciting; all having cooled down, we took it easy and had a “rest stop” in Moreton-in-Marsh at a local hostelry to ensure things stayed cool.
A new clutch later and all has gone well since; day trips to various local events throughout the year, including New Year’s Day run to Stony Stratford and several visits to my family in Derbyshire, proved to me how pleasant this car was to drive.
We had a minor hiccup on the way to one of these local events, when Ruby first shed her carburettor float needle valve resulting in a jet of neat fuel being ejected out of the side of the engine bay!! This was quickly sorted and we joined the rest of the gang and were enjoying a picnic when a stranger enquired as to whether or not fuel should be leaking from the main fuel feed pipe!
Good old metal fatigue had fractured the pipe just above a coupling! A quick “stick your finger over this please” followed by the donation of some rubber fuel pipe cut from Ivor Hallam’s Land Rover saved the day! (Thanks again Ivor.)
Since her early mishaps Ruby has behaved so much better and we have covered several hundred miles with little hassle.
I have made a few cosmetic improvements and recently had a fast road engine and five speed box fitted to make long distance cruising less stressful for both engine and owner; the rebuilt engine is still being run in but the prospects look extremely promising.
I have currently removed the windscreen assembly which is being totally rebuilt as it was a bit weary and tatty and, as I also discovered, a mix of MG TC and MG TD parts!
All in all, a great car to own and drive; I am looking forward to the next chapter in the saga of an MG called Ruby.