Say hello to ‘Ruby’
John sold one classic and quickly bought a new one
As some of you may have seen in the September 2018 issue of Practical
Classics I recently sold my Sunbeam Rapier. I’d owned it for almost eight years, but it had to go to make way for my ‘retirement project’, which many will have guessed is an MG Magnette.
I’d been looking for the right car for over five years and I’d been offered several over that time, but none really ticked the right boxes. A chance posting on a Facebook page I run, MG Magnette Enthusiasts, caught my eye. When a member of the group, Alun Evans posted a picture of his Magnette ZB and mentioned he had a ZA, ‘Ruby’, as well that he was thinking of selling. Well I was on to him like a shot and after several emails had passed between us, including loads of pictures, a deal was struck!
Yes, I’d done it again – bought a car without viewing. But after talking to Alun on the phone he seemed a genuine enthusiast. He also has an MGB GT V8 Costello, so I took the risk and transferred the money. I must say that Sandra wasn’t too impressed! I was now the proud owner of a 1955 MG Magnette ZA. The first time I saw it in the flesh was actually when it arrived on the back of a truck all the way from near Bristol. Thankfully I wasn’t disappointed!
Alun had owned the car for 19 years after his wife, Jill, bought it for his 50th birthday. A lot of work has been carried out on ‘Ruby’ recently, including new tyres, new wiring loom and carpets, but she does need some mechanical recommissioning work, nothing major, and also some repairs on the door bottoms. I aim to get it up and running as soon as possible and enjoy it, tackling the bodywork later.
Hopefully I’ll keep you updated with my progress on ‘Ruby’ in more of my Sagas.
Still beaming
I still have my trusty Sunbeam Alpine roadster, but it let me down on the way home from a show recently when a metal brake pipe fractured and I lost all the brake fluid. Therefore I had no foot brake! A brand-new pipe was made up and fitted, the brakes bled and everything is fine again. I don’t know why the pipe fractured as it was made of Kunifer and wasn’t subject to any vibration, but it was fitted over 30 years ago when I restored the car, so maybe I inadvertently overtightened the union? Just shows you how tough it is to be sure.