Breaking down is fun with the MG Car Club of Toronto

MG club’s first post-COVID rally marked by smiles, leaks

Elliot Alder

Jul 12, 2021 • July 12, 2021 • 3 minute read • Join the conversation

Breakdown at Sydenham Photo by Elliot Alder

After a year of solitary drives, the MG Car Club of Toronto (Facebook) held their first returning-to-normal rally event this past weekend. Originally planned for Canada Day, the drive meandered from Milton into the Hamilton Escarpment, with 32 driver-navigator teams following measured directions along some of southern Ontario’s most enjoyable roads. This wasn’t entirely laid-back, however: riddles, questions, and clues kept teams’ eyes on the scenery, with the most astute being crowned winner at the finish point.

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Ontario is still in Stage 3 of its COVID reopening, so life isn’t entirely back to normal yet. In order to limit the number of people gathered in any one place, participants were assigned to four different start points. Setting off three minutes apart, cars navigated their way to and along a common path.

MGBs in wait Photo by Elliot Alder
MGA Photo by Elliot Alder
Morning briefing Photo by Elliot Alder
MGBs in wait Photo by Elliot Alder
MGB GT Photo by Elliot Alder
MGB GT interior Photo by Elliot Alder
Ben Badenoch in the MGB with Clayton Seams on another event, the 2019 Classic Car Adventures Maple Mille Photo by Elliot Alder

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It was a fun drive, made all the sillier by cheeky bonus questions like, “The clerk at the butcher shop is 5 feet, ten inches tall and wears size 13 sneakers. What does he weigh?,” and “What word in the English language is always spelled incorrectly?” (Answers: meat, incorrectly).

“How fast are we going?” “…Yes.” [GIF] Photo by Elliot Alder

Riding with my friend (and club Secretary) Ben Badenoch in his ‘74 MGB roadster, I had resolved not to quip about British manufacturing or reliability. The speedo was bouncing illegibly and all was well as we cruised along Sydenham Road, until…

“Hmm, I don’t have any oil pressure.”

Ben blipped the throttle once to see if the gauge would respond, but nope. He cut the engine and I told him to coast in neutral, knowing that we would be able to coast down the start of an approaching incline and into a spot the Sydenham Point lookout.

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What a perfect happenstance it was, rolling silently into place at one of my favourite spots in Hamilton. We pulled into the spot, climbed out, and took a moment to enjoy the vista over the city. And then we popped the hood and started laughing. No wonder there was no oil pressure in the engine: it had been sprayed all over the outside of the engine.

Ben Badenoch assessing the source of his troubles Photo by Elliot Alder
The MGB's oily engine bay Photo by Elliot Alder
Worryingly little oil Photo by Elliot Alder

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Naturally, concerned participants saw the popped hood and pulled in, knowing full well what was up.

“Oh! You seem to have sprung a leak!,” one helpfully exclaimed.

We eventually traced the source to a failed pressure line that feeds the dash gauge itself. Friends called around and found that a nearby import dealer actually had a replacement in stock, and so another MG was dispatched to pick it up. Ben keeps a full complement of tools in the boot, so we were well and ready to take on the task.

In the meantime, Ben and I got to the precious business of chumming it up as we overlooked the greenery below. Breakdowns can be stressful, but good company can turn even such inopportunity into a time of camaraderie. We talked about projects, Hot Wheels cars, splendid people in the auto world, and heaps more. Brief visits by more passing MGs brought extra enthusiast colour to the stop, and even hikers were delighted by the cute little roadster. And in perhaps the most poetic experience of the day, I got oil on my new Hamilton memorial Lancaster Bomber shoes. How appropriately British.

An hour later, friends had returned with the replacement part. The repair was done in a matter of minutes, and Ben’s MGB was ready to hit the road. We never did make it to the end, but we weren’t bothered. Things are happening, friends are reuniting, and life is good.