Further Confessions of a British Import Car Dealer

In our last issue, we gave you an insider’s view into the world of dealers who sold British sports cars when they were new. Our anonymous contributor now continues his tale!

So you STILL think it’s original, eh? Surely a swap of an interior is not going to count, is it? Well, how about swapping a set of wheels? Disc to wire, or vice versa? To “Get that car sold and delivered” no matter what, as we told you in our last issue, was of paramount importance, and all kinds of swaps were accomplished—even wheels!

Now, to change a disc wheel car to wire wheels, many things need to happen. On an MGA, for instance, not only are the wheels changed, but in order to move that car out in the fastest way possible, the complete rear axle assembly and the front suspension—everything from the shocks to the lower A-frames on both sides—were changed in short order. Whoops—another two completely original cars now with the wrong axle numbers!

These are not fairy stories I relate to you here; these are absolute facts, because I was there! However, not only did the distributor make changes to satisfy his dealer’s demands, but the dealer also made changes to satisfy his customer’s demands, and many of the changes and modifications were NOT undertaken in secret. Most of the time, they were done at the urging of an impatient and demanding customer who may have been waiting a long time for their British car to arrive, only to find it was not equipped to the specification ordered.

So, “Forget it!” says the customer, “I wanted wire wheels.” “No problem,” says the dealer with a smile, “for you, because you have waited a long time, we’ll change your wheels with that car on the showroom floor, and we’ll have it done by closing rime.” “Great!” says the customer, “We have a deal.”

From the 1950s through the early 1970s, most people buying European cars were not enthusiasts, at least not like we are today. They were enthusiastic about owning a nice sports car, but never gave a thought to the fact that someday it might be a collector’s item. It was mainly just fun transport, and when they purchased a car, they wanted it NOW! The dealer, meanwhile, wanted to get the car sold and delivered NOW! To accomplish this, a great deal of swapping, changing, and even repairing was done at very short notice.

To get a new part in exchange for a new part off your new car was acceptable, and was almost always agreed upon by both buyer and seller. However, there were many other parts and assemblies that were changed within the warranty period of your “original car” that only the dealer knew about. This was not, I stress, cheating. It was all part of the warranty policy, and some of the changes and repairs were done in a very speedy (flat rate) fashion.

Now believe me, not all dealers were unethical. Most were very honest and did good work, but sometimes necessity was the mother of invention, and when you had to innovate because of the lack of a specific part, strange one-off parts sometimes appeared on, in, and around the whole mechanical spectrum of the car. Some of the makeshift items were pure genius; others, a continuing nightmare!

So, are you still sure your car is original? Ready to bet on it? Don’t! And I’ll tell you why in our next issue.