MGB's and a Fiat in Boothbay Harbor [Maine]

[coldplugs]

Yesterday, saw 2 rubber bumper MGB's in Boothbay Harbor. Also saw a great looking Fiat 124 convertible. I didn't get close to it but it appeared to be in great shape.

 

[aeronca65t]

It's funny...we had dinner guests last night.
One of the couples has a summer house in that area of Maine.
As the husband was leaving, he noticed my MGB and said he knew a guy with an MGA in the Boothbay area.

 

[HealeyRick]

That 124 Spyder couldn't have been an original Maine car unless it was garaged all winter! I had a new one in 1972 that I miss dearly. Drove it for 7 years and 135,000 miles year 'round in Massachusetts until rust eventually got to be too much to keep up with. I bet Maine salt would've eaten it up in less than 3 years. I used to travel to the Glen for F1 every year with my friends who owned an MGB, Porsche 914 and a Triumph TR6 and we'd swap cars during the trip. I always thought I had the best of the bunch. It was pretty modern by the standards of the time with 4 wheel discs, 5 spd transmission and a revvy 1608 twin cam motor. The bonus was the convertible top that you could raise and lower with one hand while sitting in the driver's seat. Of course I may be prejudiced in that I met and married my wife while driving that car.

 

[coldplugs]

Rick, rust was my first thought when I saw it. I thought that just being near the ocean was risky for that car.

Nial - The Boothbay area is a minor hotbed of sporty car activity. They have an interesting car museum there, too. For years it had a Lotus Eleven that supposedly ran in the '56 Mille Miglia and a nice SS-100 (SS-90) Jag. (They may still be there). The building is surrounded by 2-foot gauge railroad track where they run some of the the old Maine 2 foot RR equipment behind a German steam engine.

 

[aeronca65t]

That museum sounds like a cool place! We'll be in Ogunquit this summer (while towing back from a vintage race at NHMS) but won't have the time to head north.
Interesting how many places used to be hotbeds of sports car activity. I live near Lake Mohawk, NJ which used to have its own sports car track and club......you'd never know it now.

I had a FIAT 124 sedan in the early 70s. Nice little 3-box design. I always thought the 124 Spider was a great looking car. My brother had one. The only thing I didn't like about it and the sedan was the worm-and-roller steering.

 

[HealeyRick]

Interesting how many places used to be hotbeds of sports car activity. I live near Lake Mohawk, NJ which used to have its own sports car track and club......you'd never know it now.

I previously posted this in the Healey forum. It never ceases to amaze me that some of the great legends of sports car racing were driving around an airport course so close to home:

In 1955 and 1956, the SCCA set up a road course at the Beverly, MA airport, about 10 miles from my house:

Phil Hill won the inaugural race in 1955 in a Ferrari Monza:

and Carrol Shelby, wearing his trademark chicken farmer overalls and a pink shirt, and driving a 4.4 liter Ferrari 121 LM Scaglietti Spyder won in 1956

The entrants in the '56 race included THREE Austin-Healey 100Ss, driven by Alan Miller, David Symes, and Traver McKenna, with the best Healey finish at 18th.

If I ever get the time machine working, that's one race I would love to see.