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MGB-GT Jack Farrington's Personal MGB

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tony barnhill

tony barnhill

Great Pumpkin - R.I.P
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Lee McKee & I spent a couple of hours with Beverly, Jack's widow, today; and, while she plans on keeping his XKE & XJS convertible, she wants to sell his '78 MGB.

This was Jack's personal MGB & he completely restored it to show condition a few years ago (the only thing I don't like - & I told him - was he painted the engine compartment black; he said he was building it to drive not to show, & that he never planned on selling it!)....the car is red with a near perfect body (there might be a parking lot ding somewhere), has black leather interior with red piping, chrome wires, stayfast top & tonneau, luggage rack, & was mechanically redone - completely! Oh, I don't believe it has OD.

This is one of Jack's restorations that he did for himself & used to show potential customers the quality of his work. On nice days he drove it, on bad days it was either in the garage at one of his homes or in the shop.

Its a drive anywhere/anyday car that needs nothing except use....I told Beverly I'd try to get the word out to guys who could appreciate it before she goes the ebay route...the car can be bought between $10,000 & $12,000 & I know for a fact Jack has more than that in it! If anyone is serious about it, I can put them in touch with Beverly.
 
Geez. /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/frown.gif
 
I can attest to the fact that his car looked absolutly wonderful! I like the REAL leather seats and cloth top. VERY nice. I hope she gets more than $12,000 for it because it is worth it!
 
That's what I'm concerned over, Lee. The car was John's. There will be "things" it'll get dinged for. Black engine bay, for instance. BUT(!) that car is as good an example of an MGB as exists. John made sure of it. THAT is what is worth more than a $12K "fire sale" price.

These 40+ year old design cars are now largely in the hands of folk who've run them, fixed them, improved them for the entire time. John is one of those very folk. HIS car could be reliably counted on (to paraphrase Tony): to drive anywhere/anyday and needs nothing except use! In other words, a car to last more than one lifetime... It deserves a home with someone who knows that.

This is a very frustrating circumstance. I'd have NO compunction about jumping into that B and heading to Los Angeles. And no doubt I'd arrive with scant 'adventure'. Not because MGB's are reliable, not because I'd be able to rectify any problem. Rather because John put it together to DO that.

...sorry for the rambling diatribe. I'm kinda missing Jack and what he represents. Craftsmanship, or more precisely workmanship. A standard too much lacking in this ever-increasingly disposable world.

*sigh* just feelin' old.
 
Yep, on Friday afternoons Jack would whistle at his dog, load her into the passenger seat, flip the top down & drive the 40 or 50 miles to his lake house & return on Monday morning - I've been to his lake house & don't remember many tools there (& no spare MGB parts!)....every now & then you'd see the 2 of them - Jack & his dog - zipping around town going to check on one of his restorations at the body shop or upholstery shop or I'd look up & Wren would come running into the GarageMahal!

(Oh, Wren, Jack's dog, was real happy to see me today & to run around in the shop - she was sitting on command, shaking paws & rubbing against me just like the old days when she stayed with Jack in the shop all day long & looked forward to her 'visitors'.)
 
Okay... now I'm finding it hard to type... as a serendip I just got a call from a friend of 35+ years...inviting me over to Sebring to just lump about and enjoy the place. He's a PCA driving instructor, fellow former USAF photog, a dear friend. I think this thing over Jack, his cars, his life and proclivities has made up my mind to just GO.

Poor Wren's just lookin' for "dad" and some kind of normalcy.
 
Go for it, Jack...you never know - I'm glad Jack & I sat down for a couple of hours right before Thanksgiving to just "shoot the breeze", because - when I got back form Korea right before Christmas - he was gone!
 
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