Vintage MG a labour of love for 4 brothers
Red rocket from 1947 is a fixture at Ladysmith events
FOR Jay Thulsie, owning a vintage vehicle has been a backstage pass to some exclusive organisations and restricted events.
In the late 1970s, Thulsie was allowed access to functions otherwise reserved for white South Africans. He later became one of the first blacks to be admitted to a KwaZulu-Natal MG lovers’ car club.
“Many of the events I have been to in the past are events that as an Indian I would not have been able to get into. MGs are like a licence into restricted places,” said the 64-year-old Thulsie.
His love for classic automobiles flourished as a child when he and his three brothers would help their father repair the family car at their home in Ladysmith.
“We came from a disadvantaged background and when there was a problem with the car, my father would have to fix it on his own. I would end up helping him and the passion for classic cars grew from there.”
Thulsie, an architect, bought his first MG — a rundown vehicle in desperate need of repair — in 1970.
With the aid of his brothers, Thulsie was able to restore the 1954 MGA to its former glory.
Seven years later, Thulsie would swap his fully operational MGA for the pieces of a 1947 MG TC found in a barn in Ixopo.
He said his love for restoring old-school machines was greater than his need for a working vehicle at the time.
“These cars grow on you. When you look at the engineering, you can see the excellence, the quality.
“When you do a rebuild, you understand the dedication it takes to handmake something like this.”
Once again, with the assistance of his brothers Rajen, Mukesh and Rajesh, Thulsie restored the red open-top. He has kept it running.
The brothers put the car together, installing each nut and bolt themselves in their spare time and importing the bits and pieces they could not make.
The vehicle’s fold-down hood was found at a London trimming company and other pieces, such as the electric aspects and rubber trim, were found elsewhere in the UK.
The beige leather upholstery and trimming were fashioned locally, in Ladysmith.
Since getting its second wind — the car has been running since 1981 — the MG has been a regular at airshows, school functions and weddings across Ladysmith.
“We try as much as possible to share the car.
“I think a lot of people don’t really know much about these cars and it really deserves to be shown.”
Thulsie has difficulty putting a figure to the cost of the car.
“After about three months, I stopped the nonsense of keeping track of the money it took to renovate the car,” he said jokingly.
“This vehicle was a labour of love between brothers. To see how it attracts smiles, waves and whistles is really fantastic.”