MG enthusiasts retrace the ancient ‘Silk Route’
This summer, a group of eight classic MG owners embarked on a 25,850-km journey across 60 cities on the “Silk Route” in a fleet of historic MGBs.
The “Silk Route” is a network of trade routes which linked the regions of the ancient world in commerce. The 102-day MG road trip started in Thailand, passing into Cambodia, then China, Kyrgyzstan, Iran, Turkey and across Europe before arriving in the UK town of Abingdon — the home of the MG Owners Club.
The two-door classic car, built in England from the 1960s to the 1980s, is an icon among British sports cars. Over the two decades, it was manufactured in several variants including the original MGB, a four-cylinder, soft-top roadster, as well as the more powerful MGB GT and MGB GT V8 and the six-cylinder model, the MGC, which was available in both coupe and roadster versions.
On the “Silk Route” each car was given a nickname by its team of drivers. The eight cars on the trip were: Burgundy — A burgundy 1973 MGB GT Dash B — A white 1970 MGB Roadster Dutchess — A blue 1971 MGB GT Ginger — A “ginger” 1970 MGB GT
Goldie — A gold 1970 MGB Roadster
Shamrock — A British racing green 1969 MGB GT
Shiraz — A burgundy 1968 MGB GT
Vulcan — A deep orange 1972 MGB Roadster
With a mix of complex terrain across the route, the British classics were put to the test in unchartered territories.
One of the MGs, an MGB GT model, however, had to retire in Iran due to the challenging road surfaces. Despite the demanding conditions, the rest of the fleet pushed on.
The trip was completed in just over 100 days and the convoy was greeted by crowds of MG enthusiasts on arrival in the UK.