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MG TD TF 1500 - The names of our cars
| It's interesting to see some of the names we give to our cars. My TF is Figaro, from "The Barber of Seville" The TC, Respighi, an Italian composer The MGB, Marietta, from the opera "Die Tote Stadt" My everyday Triton utility is Mussorgsky, the Russian composer. All after something/one from the classics. (My yacht is "Marietta's Song). Don TF 4887 'Figaro' |
| D J Walker |
| I've only got one MG, her name is Midge. I'll have to get a little more creative when I pick up an A. ..... |
| MAndrus |
| Ours is Emma, for "Emma Gee" or for Emma Peale, played by Diana Rigg in the old "Avengers" TV series. Al & Pat 54 TF Emma |
| A W Parker |
| My 51 TD is Lily Christine IV, named in honor of Lily Christine III, a "small battered red sports car" run by Oxford Professor Gervase Fen in Edmund Crispin's detective novel series. The car also sported a "steatopygic nude" chrome figure on the bonnet, I keep thinking I'll add one to the radiator cap. At important intervals in the books the car would break down (say, during a chase after the bad guy) and Fen would normally get out and open the bonnet and hit something inside with a hammer. |
| Geoffrey M Baker |
| "The Green Hornet"...just because it seemed appropriate... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=35dgguUOAtc Call the MGB "The Beater" because that's what it is. |
| MG LaVerne |
| Many years ago (at least 40) some PO painted on the name "The Vamp". Think I will leave it there. But, if I were to pick a new name today it would have to be "Mo Money". For obvious reasons.  |
| Daniel Nordstrom |
| Our MG TD is "Reginald". The '49 Triumph is "Monty" Our '67 Morris Traveler is "Maurice" The '67 Sunbeam is "The Bun Seam" The '90 Miata is "The Pocket Rocket" and the '08 Mini Cabriolet is "The Pram". |
| Kevin McLemore |
| Fun thread you've started, Don, By comparison to yours my cars' names are decidedly prosaic: My first car was a Pale Primrose Yellow '67 B in college. One girl in our group of friends said "It looks like a little duckie!" - so Duckie it was named. Almost 35 years later I bought a '79 B. It's vermilion. Searching for a fitting name I finally decided to forget about color and focus on lineage - this one is DuckieToo. Some months later I got my '52 TD, in Ivory which is a lot like Pale Primrose Yellow. It was easier to name, it is DuckieTee. BobbyG |
| Bobby Galvez |
The Biblical Lazarus. One of our daughters went to the garage to see Dad's. She saw the attached. Came home, looked at me, and said, "you killed it." About three years later Lazarus rose from the dead. And,has been quite lively for the past 20 years. Bud
 |
| Bud Krueger |
| My TD is Mobius If you're familiar with the Mobius strip you know it takes twice as long to traverse the surface as expected. With Mobius every project takes (at least) twice as long as expected. Mort |
| Mort 50 TD |
| I have owned my T for 49 years this fall. Until I joined this group I had never given it a name. So I got to thinking, several years ago. It should be woman. Its got all those curves. I settled on Elvira. Elvira, as you will remember from late night TV. Is mistress of the dark. I can only hope that in a battle between the Prince of Darkness and the Mistress of the Dark, the Mistress will Trump the Prince. (Pun intended). I went looking for a Mascot. I wanted a female figure with a cape. I came across a 3/4 replica of a 1928/1929 Graham. I think it suits her.  |
| Jim B in NJ |
| "Mr. Meeker" is the name of my '54 TF. "Meeker" was my father's nickname when he was a kid growing up in rural eastern Tennessee. I added the "Mr." because I like the sound of Mr. Meeker" better than just "Meeker". |
| John Brickell |
| JimB, where did you find that replica for Elvira? I've been looking for a goddess chrome hood ornament and can't find exactly the right one... I like the look off the one you have... |
| Geoffrey M Baker |
| My 52 TD is simply named "Tommy" for the man who restored the car 20 years ago and loved the car until the day he died from cancer. When I bought the car from his widow she was crying as the car held so many fond memories so it seemed only right to name the car after him. So when I go for a ride so does Tommy, if in spirit only. |
| Tim Debes |
| Mine is Imogene after a popular 1950's actress. My sisters named her. They thought it was cuter to say Imogene rather than MG. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imogene_Coca |
| Christopher Couper |
| TD is named "Charlie" after the name of the previous owner: Chas L The PB Airline Coupe is "Elizabeth" the queen of the MG stable. The PA is "Smudge" the little black spot. |
| LD Palmer |
| Inspired by the headlamps (and a cold beer I guess...) I've named her 'Booby'. Later on it seemed only logical to add the diving nude on the cap ;-) Jasper  |
| JL Nederhoed TD3966 |
| My 53 is "Harriet" named after my fiance who owned it and willed it to me after she died of cancer 43 years ago. Jim |
| James Neel |
| Jasper, if you can tell me where you found that diving nude .... :) I want one! |
| Geoffrey M Baker |
| The MGA is Georgina after a British girl I dated in College. The E-Type is Austin (Shaguar is, well, kinda crude and overdone by now). The MINI was Basil Exposition, also from the Austin Powers movies. The TD has yet to be christened, we'll wait 'till it is reborn. Right now I'm thinking Colonel after my father (USAF retired) who has contributed a lot of labor to it. It was also his suggestion to restore a TD back when I was in HS when we were stationed in England. The idea stuck with me for almost 40 years. The MG midget vintage racer is The Gnat. It was named after the Folland Gnat, the world's smallest production fighter jet and a former favorite of the Red Arrows. It was a Folland Gnat that crashed recently at a car show in Britain hosted by Chris Evans. The Midget sports Red Arrows livery (pic below).  |
| David Littlefield |
| Hey Jeff: You sure jumped from one damsel hood ornament to another fast. :-) |
| Christopher Couper |
| Sherlok. |
| TRM Maine |
| Geoffrey M Baker: I kept searching "Mascot" on eBay until I found one I both liked and could afford. This is is a 1/2 scale repro and the price was good. It comes on a crystal base. Looking at how to get it off the base I gave up. The base was inscribed with something like 1928 to 1930 Graham. I filled it in with body filler and painted the base black. I made a stud with a flange and epoxied it to the base. My cap already had a hole in it from a PO's attempt to add a pressure cap. I opened it up a bit and added a special nut with an "O" ring. Attached is my Invoice. I see on on eBay just now, from a seller of used stuff, at over $150. The seller must think its real. Jim B.  |
| Jim B in NJ |
| The TD is "Eddie" (or Edgar) The Suzuki Vitara is "Suzie" The (new) Mini does not have a name yet Rgds Mike |
| Mike Fritsch |
| Mine are 'The TF' and "The Midget'. Creative, no? David |
| David Provan |
| I must be the only person here who thinks giving cars people names is silly. ;) Mine are "the TC", "the BGT", "the MGA", etc, etc... |
| Steve Simmons |
| I'm not responsible for naming cars and I use it seldom. Within my family my daughter and wife gave them names - e.g. MG TD -> Arthur MB 170 S -> Alfred MB W169 -> Jackie MB W220 -> Jack Cars of daughter and son in law: Chrysler Windsor de luxe -> Justus MB C126 -> ??? Porsche 993 -> Ernie BMW E92 -> Beaker ... |
| W. Mueller |
| That's weird Chris, your TD is named Imogene and the TD in our household is owned by my wife ... Imogene. Attached a pic of my friend Rob Woodfull's TD name. Matthew.  |
| M Magilton |
| Geoffrey, Search for Desmo Diving Nude. Ebay-ie lists them. Price now is almost GBP 50 plus shipment. I am wih Jim, I did pay GBP 29 plus shipment 2 years ago, so prices are rising. To be able to return to original I also bought a spare radiator cap and drilled a hole in it. The diving nude is chrome plated brass and good quality. Jasper |
| JL Nederhoed TD3966 |
| I'm in the same camp as you Steve! Dave H |
| Dave Hill |
| Thanks, JL, I had found a range of very very pricey ones I liked known as "Speed Nymph"... up to $600 and mostly on antique consignment websites. I just want a cheap Chinese knockoff :) Irish will do too! |
| Geoffrey M Baker |
| Matthew: I can license Imogene for your exclusive use down under :-) |
| Christopher Couper |
| Jasper, is it legal to have such element on the car? I know that the Mercedes Star is spring loaded and I believe also the Jaguar will not fit longer such a gimmick. Cheers, Guenter |
| GK Guenter |
| He!!, probably none of our cars are "legal." No emission controls, no seatbelts (unless you installed them), no anti-whiplash head restraints, no ABS or dual brake systems, no 5 mph bumpers, tail lights too low - headlights too high, and on and on and ... Car laws are not made for 60-year old cars. Bug'm. Jud |
| J. K. Chapin |
| GK, we're grandfathered. Yes, a 2016 MG would probably need a retractable hood ornament by law, but you'd have to really p*#$# off the DOT before anyone would ever ticket you for adding anything to your car, except maybe driving with a sunshade in place :) Hood ornaments were common on most cars of the period, so I can't imagine anyone successfully prosecuting you for adding one. As Jud points out, not much of our cars would be legally admissible today - the lighting, bumpers, brakes, restraints, electrics and convertible systems would all fail. But that's the nice thing about grandfather regulations - so long as you don't mind driving a (by today's standards) woefully unsafe car ... there's nothing anybody will ever do to stop you. I ordered a Desmo diver and will add it to the radiator cap in due course! |
| Geoffrey M Baker |
| Our MGB is "ONSLOW" for the character in "Keeping Up Appearances" Cheers Gary 79mgb |
| gary hansen |
| Guenther, I think Jud and Geoffrey nailed it! Jasper |
| JL Nederhoed TD3966 |
| We have named our 1955 TF1500 "Tiffany". |
| H. C. Griess |
| My MG TF is Clancy as in 'Fancy Clancy' Dave |
| D Moore |
| Our cars wouldn't be legal if they were built today, but there is nothing illegal about them as they are, at least in the USA. You aren't required to install bumpers, seat belts, mirrors, etc if the car didn't come with them! There are differences between the various state regulations but for the most part they are the same. And the best part is that no police officer will ever know what is original or not on such an old car, so they pretty much leave us alone. I toured 25,000 miles in my '49 before an officer finally noticed the license plate was British and 65 years out of date. He still didn't ticket me. :) |
| Steve Simmons |
| A word on the radiator ornaments. I don't think a check with your insurance company is order here, but if you do happen to remove someone's liver with a radiator ornament that could be used as an enhanced interrogation device.... Just say'in. |
| MAndrus |
| Those ornaments could have you refused a passing mark on a Massachusetts Annual Safety Inspection. They would be the equivalent of a jagged piece of fender. Were they original equipment they would be allowed. Bud |
| Bud Krueger |
| Many of them were dealer accessories, so I'll bet you could argue that fact. And no one would be able to prove that a particular ornament wasn't sold at the dealership your car came from. ;) |
| Steve Simmons |
| Exactly, Steve. I'd love to see a case like that reach court... firstly, no cop/official/judge who doesn't own a 1951 TD would have the faintest idea what is or is not original for the car, secondly as Steve says, dealers put on all kind of ornaments (hey, all those badges, badge bars, fog lamps and Motometers were not factory original and therefore might technically fail you on a safety inspection... you'd best remove them quickly right?) so who is to say what is or is not acceptable on a 1951 car? After all, I could install a new hood ornament and claim it was a replacement for a (now lost) hood ornament that was on the car when purchased at the dealer. Prove me wrong... and all I would need in my defense would be a picture- ANY picture - from the 1950's of any TD with a hood ornament or a Motometer on it... case closed! |
| Geoffrey M Baker |
| My 51 TD is named Sir Scotty since the original owner was from Scotland and he took the car to Scotland twice. I had a 52 TD that I sold about 8 years ago and his name was Morris after Morris Garage. My Austin Healey 100 M is names Sir John after my father. My 2003 Mini is Lil Coop Previous MGA roadster Gordon and MGA Coupe Iris. |
| David Honness |
| My 51 TD is named Faith for faithful she has brought me home twice on broken cranks. And from the last Gof West with compression of 85, 0, 75, 35. Wouldn't idle but ran fine 60-65 mph. Did it in one day from Rohnart Park to Los Angeles. The 51 Y is named Matilda. |
| R Taras |
| I don't name my cars, nothing personal with those who do, I just never got that personal with a man made chunk of iron,wood and rubber. If I picked a name for the TF, it would probably be PITA, named after beating on it for over 5+ years and draining my bank account more than once. The 72 MGB I just sold was a beautiful car and a true pleasure to drive, this reminds of driving one of my tractors, especially the old ones. Oh, it's pretty, but beyond that is questionable. 1955 car with 1920s technology. Sorry but honesty is my biggest draw back, most people don't want to hear it. LOL. PJ |
| Paul161 |
| Lol PJ, I've always thought it interesting that my 51TD is based on 30's technology; goes to show what a waste war really is, if you think about it... |
| Geoffrey M Baker |
| what a waste war really is Truer words have never been spoken! PJ |
| Paul161 |
| We named our '50 TD MaGgie Mae for obvious reasons. When we bought the B we decided to name her Ms BB. Both because she was B but also after the wife of the man that sold her to me. She died of cancer and they went everywhere in that car. Poor guy couldn't go and put gas in it with bringing himself to tears. |
| Keith Yarbrough(TD 1275) |
| Never been one to name cars, but I thought I'd give it a try. So I named mine "The MG" Sometimes, "The TD" :-) |
| L Karpman |
| Butch: I think your car is just ahead of its time. Lots of modern cars now can take cylinders off line for cruising. :-) |
| Christopher Couper |
| Being a practical person and a fan of ancient Rome I've decided to name my car Pecuniae Fovea. Tim TD12524 |
| TW Burchfield |
| My car is "Bessie" named after my late mother-in-law to spite her. She once said that she hated red cars. |
| Bob McLeod TD 5618 |
| I have named my 1952 MG TD. "Mama Rosa". My son visited Italy last year and while in Turin he bought for me a racing cap in the store with that name. |
| ST Reale |
| For those who have not Googled it yet, Pecuniae Fovea = Money Pit. Love it! Matthew. |
| M Magilton |
| Gratias valde Matthew. Tim |
| TW Burchfield |
This thread was discussed between 08/08/2015 and 18/08/2015
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