Sunday, the first of February 1953. Somewhere not far from El Paso, the members of the Southwest Sports Car club tested the capabilities of the new narrow-wheeled MGs that seem like quaint classics today. With only a little more than 50HP to work with, my uncle managed to turn the quarter mile in 23.9 seconds.
He was presented with a dash plate for this accomplishment, suitable for being screwed into the MG’s wooden dashboard.
My uncle owned several MGs and Jaguars during the 1950s and ’60, and I like to think that my love of fun cars owes a genetic link to him. He passed away several years ago, but the plate and the moment in time it commemorates lives on.
The text on the plate reads:
Southwest Sports Car Club
This MG
was electrically timed at
23.9 seconds for the 1/4mi
standing start
2-1-53
A very different time, but I believe that the fun, support, and fellowship found in the modern car club is not any different from what it must have been back then.
