Rich

I first had my taste of an MG when my dad bought an MGC GT. I was only about 7 years old and had to lay on a beanbag on the folded down rear seat

My first MG was a black MG Maestro 1600, in the late 80's. There were no Fs then! I loved the car, and ended up owning a 'few' other Maestros, Montegos and Metros, all MGs of course.

I became a committee member of the MG Car Club's FWD Register, then broke away and formed the MG 'M' Group. Later, I worked for the MG Owners' Club in Swavesey for a short while, helping out with the production of 'Enjoying MG'. I had become involved with the local MG Owners' Club  region and was their newsletter editor for 13 years.

I joined the MGF Register when I got 'Ollie' in 2003. In 2006 I was asked to join the committee. I also worked on the first MGFest as one of the organising team. I then became a regional representative. Shortly after, the Southmids Sportsters was born, which started off with an affiliation to the MGF Register and the following year to the MG Owners' Club. I have since left the MGF Register committee to concentrate on the needs of SmS.

I bought 'Ollie' in February 2003 from a Northampton car sales forecourt, a little shabby but mechanically sound. It's a 1997 car (originally a 'P' registration) and had five previous owners. Since purchasing the car in 2003, I've covered over 40,000 miles.

I was tempted by the 'dark side' when people kept telling me it sounded like a sewing machine. I wanted it to sound like a sports car, and the performance gains were a bonus. I was quite happy with that.

When attending the Silverstone International in 2003, I soon realised that Tahiti Blue was a common colour so that's when the stripes went on. I wanted the car to look individual.

There are quite a few modifications (ask me about them if you're interested) and it has been through the dreaded HGF, but it has now passed the 100,000 miles mark and is running perfectly. Thanks to Kate and I having our Rovers for day-to-day travel, 'Ollie' is now driven purely for pleasure.

Owning an MG is not just owning a nice car. It's joining a family!