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I never see an old LBC

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jlaird

jlaird

Great Pumpkin
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and I have been watching when I am out and about. There even was a dealer in the area till the mid 80's.

Only two seen here were a MG GT on a dealers lot for some outlandish price and a 64 MG off in the weeds of a repair shop, was not even a good parts car.

Is very disapointing to me although I do see new/newish Minis from time to time. But you know thats not really a car, thats a small van, hehe. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cryin.gif

Jack
 
Jack, it's amazing, this town of 26k, stuck out in the middle of nowhere has 10 B's and one midget in it. Before I bought my B, I never saw one of them. Then BAM, they're all over the place. It just blew my mind. Just the other day I heard of one more coming into town, a yaller one. Maybe if you don't look so hard you'll start seeing them. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/hammer.gif
 
yeah... I hear ya jlaird. I kept my eyes pealed for LBCs while I was in Shalimar/Ft Walton during Christmas, but didn't see a single one. Actually, I was a bit in awe at the overall lack of European imports on the roads period. I've gotten use to seeing more Euro imports on the roads in the area that I live in now (including the "rare") that it was a bit of a culture shock when I went out there for the holidays. Out here, I see more BMWs, Mercs, and Jaguars than I can shake a stick at just on my morning drives, and see "new" Lambos, Ferraris, and Maserattis on a weekly basis.

I did see an old Fiat sitting outside an old repair shop though (in Mary Ester)...
 
Last time I was in FWB, I saw an MGB with a hardtop in rush hour traffic just west of Niceville. Looked to be a daily driver...certainly not a garage queen!
 
Even here they're not so common now- I see the odd Midget and Spitfire from time to time, and an MGB now and again but apart from a guy at work that brings his '67 E-type coupe in once a month or so I don't see many older LBCs, though I did see an AC Greyhound in the next neighborhood over, probably returning to its den....

I feel a little obliged to take mine out as a consequence... once I can. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif
 
Here, I've seen (on the road):
My MGB - daily
a teal colored Spitfire - almost daily - we wave when we pass each other.
a AH 3000 blue and silver - once
a AH 3000 red - once
a AH Sprite red - once
(off the road - in a garage or driveway)
a primrose CB MGB
a red TR-6 - I pass it on the way to work every day - it look new!
a blue AH Sprite
a white TR-4
Lots of jaguars (but no E-types)
a 80's Rolls Royce
a RB MG Midget BRG, at a yard sale and she wanted to sell it
thats about it in the past year.
 
My area is crawling with LBCs. When I was working at a vintage dealer, I got to see/ work on a lot of 'em. But they creep out from everywhere during local events, especially on the Vintage weekend at Watkins Glen.
I spot 'em on the road all the time in the summer. Mainly "B"s and "6"s. but there's a lot more.
Off the top of my head I can think of
4 Midgets
7 MGBs
4 TR3s
4 TR6s
3 MGAs
1 MGTD
1 AH 100-4
1 E-Type
2 Jag saloons
2 XK 120s
a few Minis, a Lotus,some Alfas, a Datsun 2000, and 3 Superformance Cobras.
These are the ones I occasionally spot on the streets... and know most of the owners
There's a ton more in garages and back yards around here too.
 
In the summer I live on Mt Lemmon along with (guessing) about 100 other residents. Turns out I am not the only TR3 up here -- I'm not even the only Red TR3 up here.

Some area seem to be hot-spots for LBCs -- but if you're not one of them find a local club and at least a couple times a month you can see them fore & aft.
 
there use to be a yello RB B that worked in the same area as me (within a block or two) and another RB B that worked within a mile of my office... I haven't seen either of them since last summer though... actually, I haven't seen any classic LBCs on my way to work since the beginning of fall. I see a couple in my area out and about on weekends...

I think the number of classic LBCs I see on the ride into work will continue to diminish due to the current emissions requirements, and the ones I use to see daily will either be sent to the car killers or they'll be reduced to weekend drivers....
 
I'm with Jack here...I have yet to see another LBC on the road where I live. The only ones I've seen have been parts cars/abandoned projects sitting out rusting. There's a couple of guys near my house that have MGs and Triumphs, but I have yet to see either one.
 
I don't see many of any of them this time of year (except a friend who drives his XKE to work every day) but in the suburban borough with a poplulation of 4300, just west of Harrisburg where I live, I am aware of

7 MGB's (a '65 is for sale...he thinks)
3 midgets
2 MGTD's
4 TR7's
1 TR4A
1 TR3 (owned by the guy who has 2 of the TR7's)
2 TR6's (one a 74 owned since new by my mechanic)
1 AH Bugeye Sprite
2 AH 3000's
1 RR Silver Shadow

When the old man across the street died a few years ago, his estate included 17 RR and Jaguars from the late 30's to the early 60's...he never sold a car he had bought. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smirk.gif

Bruce /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cheers.gif
 
Well, they are rare on the streets as daily drivers now, but I kinda hold the opinion that the ones which have "survived" have filtered into the hands of folks the likes of us for the most part. Willing to resurrect 'em and keep them from the "jaws". I don't intend to change my ways: I'll drive 'em as daily cars as long as I'm able, but the larger portion of owners are likely those who'd take them out as recreational cars. Personally, I think it's "All Good." Still enough of them to be an affordable enjoyment.
 
I drive mine at least once a week when the temp is > 60. ( 20 K in my town). Got to wave at 1 person all of last year ( BRG MGB).

Must have logged several hundred miles during, drive your Brit car week....Zilch. Not a single sighting.

Started waving to this guy who drives a Devin-C.
 
I guess I am in one of those Hot Spots(surprisingly) I have 4 LBC's(2 MGB, 1 MGA, 1 TR6) on my small residential street(maybe 35 homes)....Not to many out in the winter but a guy in my neighborhood drives his BGT all year round so I see that alot, I even spotted an Etype coupe cruisin around in December.....In the summer theres LBC's all over...Theres no emmission testing here for cars 20+(yet!) so we're free to drive em`.
 
There are a few in my area, but generally it's just the usual gang of suspects. Every so often a stranger shows up. Last summer there were a couple of new big Healeys that I hadn't seen before, and a very nice '63 Spitfire that I saw twice. There are a handful of people that will drive theirs out to the track to spectate occasionally.
The things are getting scarcer and scarcer on the roads.
Jeff
 
There is a real absence of LBCs up here in the winter, (I wonder why! ;-) ) but from April through late Fall they come out of the woodwork, along with just about everything else imaginable. Neat cars in general are pretty plentiful. I was leaving Blowing Rock late last Fall and passed one of those new MB SLRs coming into town. They really do look like a Batmobile! The vintage english stuff is everywhere during the season, old Bentleys, Rollers, old Jag sports cars and sedans, odd ball cars on tour from long ways away going to the other end of the earth, nearly everything. The BMW muckamucks came through late last Fall on their way to the factory in SC and they all stayed over at Chetola. I happened to be eating in the resturant there that night and they had dozens of cars sitting outside in the rain. Several 507s and more than a few one off cars from the forties and fifties. All very neat if you fancy BMWdom. The people who live in the gated communities and have their own personal helicopter pads also have stashes of neat cars that are hardly ever driven. Morgans, early XKs and that sort of thing besides their standard half million dollar big cars. Some of the neat stuff is on two wheels though. The roadway down in front of my house is 19 miles of twists and turns so it attracts every imaginable motorcycle. The neatest one I have see yet though was an inline four Henderson with what sounded like a gear drive to the cam. It had this great humming/thrashing/clanking sound. It was almost as stiring as a Dino motor. I am beginning to think that the southeast is a real goldmine for LBCs though. The rust issue is almost managable and there was just enough wealth spread around here back when these cars were current to have supported a strong dealer network and many of the cars are still with us. Jack
 
[ QUOTE ]
The BMW muckamucks came through late last Fall on their way to the factory in SC and they all stayed over at Chetola. I happend to be eating in the resturant there that night and they had dozens of cars sitting outside in the rain. Several 507s and more than a few one off cars from the forties and fifties. All very neat if you fancy BMWdom.

[/ QUOTE ]

Or if you like anything made in that era (prewar to the 50/60's) I do!

Also, I agree that the southeast is a goldmine of good metal (don't tell everyone else who thinks Ariazona cars are the ones to restore though!) We would like to keep our southeastern cars - I have my eyes on several. And not everyone can afford to replace the rotted interiors and floorboards that we get here. Nothing like living in a semi-humid HOT environment that doesn't put salt on the roads!
 
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