The driving events of the MG Clubs of Chicago just closed another busy month: two Autocrosses, the combined Aussie presentation, MG 2016 in Louisville, KY, and the Highland Games. There may be some reports by the organizers or participants in this issue. Looking forward to July, things are calming down a little bit. We’ll have the Miata Autocross III, Garage Tour to Ray’s Morris and MG Picnic and the 40/50 Tour. I wrote already about these in my June column and you’ll find the event details this newsletter.

The month of July sometimes has many non-MG related activities on our household calendars; school vacation, trips, and family picnics and parties, and outdoor concerts. So it may be OK to have only these three events. On the other hand, if you would like to see more driving events, please consider to organize something next year. The Lands’ End Rally

and the Secrets of Jo Daviess County Tour come to mind, but other ideas are just as welcome.


August is going to be quite busy again with another Miata Autocross, Tally Ho Rally, Westmont Crusin’ Night, Lucas Rally, and the VMGCC President’s Picnic. I will also be calling on a few members to help with the Peds in the Weeds picnic on August 7. That is the annual picnic for pediatric cancer patients and families of the Advocate Children’s Hospital in Park Ridge. A fantastic and rewarding opportunity to share our love of old cars with a very special group of young people.


Please let me know if you have any ideas, suggestions, or concerns. I look forward to hearing from you at 847 342 9804 or reinoutvogt@gmail.com

"The more you drive, the more you smile".

-- Reinout Vogt

The Library Muse

This month’s article has at best a tenuous connection to MGs, but here goes. Perhaps you have heard the background music in the current Range Rover TV ads but couldn’t place where you might have heard it before. It was written by Henry Mancini for the 1962 movie Hatari! starring John Wayne. Land Rovers were the main vehicles in the movie. Of course back then they were tough working machines made for driving thru the savannas of Africa, not suburban moms driving the kids to soccer. As you know, MGs and Rovers were made by the same corporation for a time.

Those of us who went to Detroit Auto Show this year on the annual Amtrak trip saw the new Ford GT, a very limited production car designed to go back to LeMans to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of Ford’s 1-2-3 victory over Ferrari, which had dominated the race in previous years. How did they do? 1-3-4 in the GTE class, beating out Ferrari, Aston, Porsche, and Corvette. The good folks in Detroit can still put out some good iron when they put their minds to it.

The 200 MPH Steamroller
Book Two: The Italian Job
B. S. Levy, 2015, 542 pages, hard bound

As the title states, this is the second book in the current Burt Levy series. The setting is 1962-3. The early stages of The Mustang, Lotus-Ford, Cobras, and Ford GT40s. Harry Fairway (Henry Ford II) is attempting to purchase an Italian car company (Ferrari) to get into international racing. But the Deuce is played like a fiddle by Il Commendatore. Ford comes back in 1966 and Carrol Shelby and Ford soundly kick Ferrari’s behind.

We all know the story. But Levy’s somewhat fictionalized accounting is great reading. He doesn’t pull any punches in regards to the Fairway family, especially with the nickname he gives Harry. Or his wife and daughter. I don’t think that Ford will be giving him any free Lincolns to drive. If you have read any of Burt Levy’s stories (if not, you should) you know that they are long, going off on more tangents that a high school math class, but that’s what makes them good. One can really get the color and feel of the time. I would suggest reading Book One: The Red Reign before starting this one. It is reviewed in the July 2015 Driveline.

-- ~~ Bill Mennell