MGA FHC – A Car That Sparks Memories
by Hub Sales Specialist James Wheeler
Some cars need one to be a motoring encyclopedia to appreciate, whilst others are a little more mainstream and spark fabulous memories of fathers, grandfathers and others ‘back in the day’. One such car is the 1959 MGA FHC currently offered for sale at The Hub. James Wheeler tells us more about it and why it sparks certain fond memories for him.
I was delighted to join the Sales Team at The Classic Motor Hub in January 2020, and upon my arrival was immediately drawn to a few cars in the large showroom, which is an original metal blister hanger from when the site was known as RAF Bibury during WWII.
It is probably no surprise to you that that I was excited to see the beautiful blue 1969 Ferrari 365 GTC, or the 1934 Frazer Nash TT Replica, or even the 1963 Aston Martin DB5 Convertible, just three of nearly fifty vintage and classic cars and motorcycles for sale at The Hub’s site in the Cotswolds. But as delightful as these cars were to view, I was more taken by a few less expensive vehicles for sale.
A wonderful surprise was to see for sale in the showroom the 1963 Alfa Romeo Giulia Spider racing car that I used to own. I enjoyed this exciting car on the road in England, France, Italy and Germany, and competed at a few circuits and hill climbs in England, Italy and Germany for a few years before selling it to the current owner in 2012. I have so many special memories of journeys and races around Europe in this car which all came flooding back to me when I sat in it again for the first time in eight years.
Of particular interest was a red 1959 MGA Fixed Head Coupe for sale in the hanger. My father had a white 1958 1500 version in about 1961, and he was clearly very smitten with it, as I have several black and white photographs of him and the car from this period. Due to the influence of my father’s car, for many years I have had an interest in the coupe version of the MGA but had only sat in one example before, a lovely grey one at an H&H Classics auction at Donington Park a few years ago. I had never driven one before though, so I was excited to be able to experience the red MGA FHC at The Hub and take it down the road briefly to test prior to a client coming to view it. I found it great fun; very light and delicate, and producing all the right noises and feeding all the right information through the large steering wheel and thinly padded but comfortable leather trimmed seat. Sadly I am twice the age my father was when he had his MGA at the age of 22, but it was easy to imagine how much fun he would have had during the year or so he had the use of it.
I have spent the last few years tracking down the cars my father and his family owned with a surprising and rewarding amount of success, and was delighted to track down his old MGA RBL 376 to a man in Herefordshire. From the various photographs I found of the car on the internet, I was pleased to see it is still in white and appears to be in very good condition.
I find it is often possible to quickly get the measure of a car and decide whether it is a good one or not, and the MGA FHC for sale at The Hub feels great. Cars restored to better-than-new condition are lovely, but the worry about damaging and dirtying them is ever present. This little red sports car is in excellent condition, but being an older restoration everything has mellowed beautifully, resulting in a car with character and one you can be very proud to show somewhere, but also not afraid of getting some stone chips on the curvy nose. If you are looking for an MGA then this charming example should certainly be on your list of ones to inspect, and we would be delighted to welcome you to our showroom nestled in the beautiful Cotswolds and show the car to you.
THE ELEGANT 1959 MGA 1500 FHC SEEN ABOVE IS CURRENTLY FOR SALE AT THE CLASSIC MOTOR HUB AND READY FOR A SUMMER OF POST-LOCKDOWN MOTORING
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