MG-Cars.net

Welcome to our resource for MG Car Information.

Recommendations

Parts

MG parts spares and accessories are available for MG T Series (TA, MG TB, MG TC, MG TD, MG TF), Magnette, MGA, Twin cam, MGB, MGBGT, MGC, MGC GT, MG Midget, Sprite and other MG models from British car spares company LBCarCo.

MG MGA - From our Habana, Cuba correspondent

From our (clandestine) Habana, Cuba correspondent -


Nigel Atkins

and at jaunty angle with more usual vehicles -


Nigel Atkins

finally, rear view and buildings -


Nigel Atkins

Is that a Mk. II grill on an earlier MGA? Are those Twincam wheels. Beautiful car. Jud
J. K. Chapin

Obviously no copies of 'Original MGA' in Cuba. The owner needs to turn the bumper overriders through 180.

Steve
Steve Gyles

Not TC wheels, as they seem to be some sort of modern alloy, possibly off a Lada 😄

However, the badge on the boot appears to say ‘Twin Cam’.
Dave O'Neill 2

Possibly this owner has the overriders correct and the book and/or factory were opposite(?).

Wheels look more modern - but hey this American English car is in Cuba, and who knows what's under the bonnet, could be a TR3 engine.
Nigel Atkins

It is well known that three MGA vehicles were sent to Cuba from factory production. One was a Twin Cam and it can be assumed that the one shown in this thread was an original.
This was mentioned on Barney's website.

http://mgaguru.com/mgtech/ckd/ckd103cu.htm

It was also mentioned in the book "The MGA' by John Price Williams.

Mick
M F Anderson

That’s a really interesting few pages on Barneys site. I wonder what ever happened to him and his MGA
Graham V

Graham

Barney is, I believe, still on his endless travels around the USA. He contributes mainly to the MG Experience website. His last contribution was 45 hours ago: https://www.mgexp.com/member/barneymg.1743/

Steve
Steve Gyles

Steve
Sorry I wasn’t clear. I know that Barney has gone mobile.
I meant I wonder what happened to Demis from Cuba and his MGA.

Graham
Graham V

Well what is well known is only so to those that know it, or can remember it and I'm neither (or neither pronounced differently).

I wouldn't assume anything, is this the original twin cam vehicle and is it also Demis's car.

Even Barney might make mistakes or believe something that isn't correct with the best of intentions.

All interesting facts and stories though.

Nigel Atkins

I think that is more than an assumption that the car in the photo is the original and only mga twin cam in Cuba.
The factory records show that only one MGA Twin Cam was delivered to Cuba. It was dispatched from the factory on 24th December 1958.
It was shipped unassembled (CKD), to be assembled in Cuba. The chassis number is YDH6/1015.
Imports/exports were stopped soon after it's arrival due to the formation of the Castro Government.
Demis's car is a pushrod MGA.

Mick
M F Anderson

There are 2 A's registered at the "A lo Cubano" car club in Cuba, a 56' and a 58'; no TC listed but that doesn't mean that its not still running around the Island. See link for photos (you'll need to scroll down a bit):

https://www.alocubano.org/index.php/en/cuba-classic-cars-owners

Nick Kopernik

It's not yet more than a very good probable assumption so far but it doesn't really matter (unless you're a scientist or lawyer).

Note the exhaust on the red (not? TC) and the purple car with "wearing rims of the time".

I think it's fantastic the cars are there and in the condition they're in but I'm uncertain of how many concours points they'd lose.
Nigel Atkins

Nigel and Nick,

Do either of you have a contact in Cuba?
I would like to find out if we can obtain the chassis (VIN) number from the plate on the car as fitted to alll MGA's.
We run a Worldwide Register of Twin Cams and have a website with over 400 members all of whom own or did own an MGA Twin Cam.

Mick
M F Anderson

Hi Mick,
not as such. The photos were from a former contributor with a passing interest, i.e. they were passing by and saw the car and thought it might be of interest here. I've no idea of the probability of this happening but I could ask that if they see the car again with its owner if they could take a hi-res photo of the car (VIN) number plate.

Have you tried contacting Demis or that car club, the car identification plates of any of the three cars might help to confirm or eliminate some of the information you have.

I don't know what it means but Demis put in one of his emails to Barney "... but in the engine is written 1500. The number of the chassis is 38856."

Nigel Atkins

Our man on the ground, in the field, at the location, has said he'll do his best if the car is about again, obviously no promises.

In the way of an interlude how about this. -


Nigel Atkins

Looks like an MGA3000
Steve Gyles

Looks like a shot from an art-house movie, I can hear the jazz sax now.

Just realised it reminds my at the front of the Rover gas turbine, Cuba version perhaps.
Nigel Atkins

No contacts there, but I'll reach out to the car clubs on the island and see what it may bring; stay tuned.
Nick Kopernik

Fresh in from our correspondent -

"MGA not there today will keep checking.

Sadly the big healey is now a big lada. It seems a history of a combination of scarce parts, petrol costs and shortages due to embargo effects caused a number of cars to be transplanted with either modern or deisel engines. This got a small lada engine. Lol. The owner bought it like this and nobody knows where the healey engine went for certain. But he thought it might be in a 50s era yank now.

Hark the herald angel though lol.

There are also a surprising number of mk2 consuls and zephyr six's here too."

And 'ere's the 'erald -




Nigel Atkins

MGA still not seen but what about this Ford -


Nigel Atkins

And which MG(?) might this be?



Nigel Atkins

Y type with different wheels
Art Pearse

Thanks.
Nigel Atkins

I've sent a few e-mails, but no replies as of this date. If I do get a response, I will update this thread, but I'm not optimistic at this point.
Nick Kopernik

From our correspondent -

"I found the MGA owner. His name is Yoel.

He is a manager in one of the central 5 star hotels. He uses the car as daily transport. He’s very much a car nut. He’s also currently restoring a mid 50’s Studebaker, with a bloody great V8 engine in it – the original. Nice looking car too.

He bought the MGA a few years ago in a sorry state, and NOT cheap either. He had welding done, and other stuff. He has a Brit friend who visits regularly, weekly in fact, so he has loads of info about the car. But his friend is not an MG/classic car owner himself, just a source for information when he needs it.

Unfortunately, the original TC engine was already missing, but I understand he does have one, but it needs work, and from what I understand it’s not easy to fix in Cuba. – Although I think it shouldn’t be that hard, money excluded. Anyway, for now it has a modern engine, I think he said, Peugeot engine, 2 ltrs I think. So it should go well anyway.

Again sadly, the VIN plate/chassis number is missing. I understand this gave him grief when registering it with the Cuban motor dept. You can imagine that it’s probably worse there than here with our DVLA.

So there it is.

I’ll email him the link to the MGBBS, so he may well appear. He was chuffed to know that there is so much interest, and I told him his car is now a little famous and discussed on the mgbbs."
Nigel Atkins

More from our correspondent -

"Here are a few more of the MGA.

And guess what, I saw a 2nd one when I was on a Bus, But unfortunately I couldn’t get a shot of it. However, it looked in spanking condition. Bright Orange and Black bonnet. It was parked when I saw it first, and then next being driven, both in the RICH section of Havana, where the diplomats and government officials live.

Yoel thinks there are a few more at least in Cuba. They must have been imported from the USA."



Nigel Atkins

Yoel's MGA -



Nigel Atkins

Yoel's MGA more -



Nigel Atkins

Yoel's MGA, another -



Nigel Atkins

Yoel's MGA, windscreen -



Nigel Atkins

Yoel's MGA, wheel -



Nigel Atkins

I wonder where that steering column came from. I seem to recall that my '56 Ford* had the key/ignition switch on the left side of the steering column. Took quite a bit to get used to it.

Jud

* I think it was my '56 Ford but that was back in '62-'64 so memory is not reliable.
J. K. Chapin

Nigel,

Do I understand you correctly? Do you have an email address for Yoel?
If so could you please post it here of if preferred, for privacy reasons, send it to me directly?
I can invite him to join our worldwide group of Twin Cam owners.
All the information he would ever need is available.
We can usually determine lost VIN numbers from markings on the chassis.

Mick
M F Anderson

Hi Mick,
no sorry I've not been to Cuba. What I could do, if our correspondent still has Yoel's address, is pass on your offer and your email address via our correspondent so that Yoel can 'opt-in' if he wants.

I'll let you know the results as soon as I know.

Cheers.
Nigel Atkins

Mick,
from our Cuba correspondent -

- "Hi Nigel

Yep Ive just read the request for Yoel's email address.

I'll copy the request to Yoel and include Mick Anderson's email address.

I've emailed Yoel a couple of times and not had a reply yet.

I've also already given Yoel the link to the mga bbs and to join as a member.

Hopefully he'll reply--- soon.

If he replies to me I'll let you know.

Cheers

[he who can not named]" -

- Cheers, Nigel
Nigel Atkins

I've been informed that Yoel is trying, so far unsuccessfully to post here -

"I had a reply from Yoel.

He says he is unable to join the mga BBS because he is in Cuba. I checked and there is no Cuba option. I suggested he just choose any country, but I don’t know if this would work. Does anyone know?

I know you can access it from Cuba, because I was on it as a guest, and clearly he has accessed it in an attempt to join, but actually joining from Cuba maybe a maybe a different matter. Any advice I can pass on to him?"
Nigel Atkins

Nigel-don't know if this helps but when i've had problems i click on feedback on the opening page of this forum and send a message direct to Mike Plumstead and he fixes it
William Revit

Cheers Willy, not sure where the Feedback bit/symbol is but I have suggested using mgcars@mg-cars.org.uk as I no longer have Mike's email address.
Nigel Atkins

Nigel

You have mail
Dave O'Neill 2

Dave,
thanks.

I either had a different address to that or more likely as usual I remembered wrong and though it included his name.

I will pass that on.
Nigel Atkins

Hi gang,

Been maybe a couple of months since I have been able to access this BBS. No problem of the web site, just that I do most of my email access from various McDonald's restaurants in the USA, and they have been blocking access to the British web site for a while now (like a couple of years maybe). Got onto a different WiFi connection in a Pilot gas station tonight.

Good to see another MGA in Cuba.

For the records, Demis has been in Miami, Florida for some time now (legal immigrant), but his MGA is still in Cuba, supposedly sold to a "friend" (who still owes him money for it). I do have Demis's Phone number, not sure if it works these days or not.
barneymg

Interesting to see a 5-stud hub on an MGA, I have never seen that before. I wonder where the hub and wheel came from from?

Colyn
Colyn Firth

This thread was discussed between 25/08/2019 and 15/10/2019

MG MGA index

This thread is from the archive. The Live MG MGA BBS is active now.