Some time ago I had a note from our Virginia warehouse. They wanted to put a car in the lunch room, and would this be okay. Having over the years known more than one car enthusiast who kept a car in his living room, I wasn’t immediately opposed. Besides, the cafeteria in the building was built to hold hundreds of employees. Our warehousing operations require considerably less people, so there is room to spare.
The VA crew were insistent, so we ultimately relented. It couldn’t hurt to have a couple cars to look at. Besides, who knows, maybe somebody would want to park something really cool in the space. Some months later a photo of the lunch room arrived in my in box. I was immediately on the phone with our facility manager, Mark Wilson. “That’s not just a couple cars, it’s a museum! Get some rope around those things before some kid smears his ice cream all over the seats.”
Once permission was granted, Mark hooked up with his first requester. It just happened to be a certain Mr. Fred Skomp, owner of the 100,000th MGA. The MGA was the first sports car ever to reach a production of 100,000 units. It’s a milestone, and we are honored to be allowed to display the car. But Mark wasn’t done yet. In fact, he was just warming up.
Since moving to Virginia, we’ve had an excellent relationship with Bruce Woodson of Mercer & Woodson Auto. Bruce has access to a few nice cars. Perhaps we would be interested in displaying a couple MGA Sebring race cars which are under his care. Uh, yeah. Then another call comes in from Mark, something about a car named Cherry Blossom, and we suddenly have a gorgeous, freshly restored 1948 MG TC in the group.
To be fair, no one set out to assemble a museum, and the lack of any examples from TR, AH, Mini, etc., is purely a matter of chance, not design. We hope over time, to be afforded the opportunity to present other interesting or significant examples of little British cars. None of the owners owe us anything, so don’t be surprised if the lineup grows or shrinks, but if you’re thinking of visiting our Virginia warehouse, there’s a little something extra to look at while you’re there. Here’s how the collection looked in September.
The Moss Motors “Rotating Car Show”
The 100,000th MGA. Owned by Fred and Cindy Skomp, of Key West, FL.
1959 MGA Sebring Twin Cam Coupe, from the
Eaton Family Collection, of Vienna, VA.
Mmm, yum, it’s a “Twinkie.”
1962 MGA Sebring Coupe, owned by
Hugh & Liz Burruss of Midlothian, VA.
Cherry Blossom, a beautiful 1948 MG TC. This car is for sale.
The Moss sales staff in VA can get any interested buyers in contact with the owner.
'I Went to Buy Parts…and a Car Show Broke Out' have 4 comments
November 27, 2012 @ 11:15 am Bill Nelsen
I have a 1969 MGCGT that I would be interested in displaying in your showroom. It is in excellent condition and a somewhat limited production car. The color is not original but is beautiful just the same and does the car justice. I’m having some work done on it now and the parts will come from the Petersburg warehouse when we’re ready to order. Something to think about if you’re interested.
Regards, Bill Nelen, Midlothian, VA
November 27, 2012 @ 1:33 pm Guy Vincent
It sure would be nice if the air scoop and venting shown in the twin cam model was available aftermarket. My 1959 mga heat machine would make summer driving a lot more comfortable in this desert environment. I had a 1959 twin cam but no hood scoop or venting on that one either. Must have been a Sebring special conversion.
Best Regards, Guy
November 28, 2012 @ 3:50 pm Richard Mixture
Good Morning,
What a lovely collection of MGAs but I think you should move a little further along the alphabet. Yes I know it’s the MGB’s birthday but they have always been two cylinders short of a good thing. Now I agree with you Bill an MGC is needed. Maybe a roadster and a GT and even a GTS would be nice.
Kindest of regards
Richard Mixture
Australia
December 1, 2012 @ 6:21 pm John Bowe
A few years back there was a local resturant that had a large entry area that had a classic car in it. Every couple of months, they would change out the car. It sure was nice to wait for a table while looking over the latest car. The cars were all from the area and they were just nice drivers, nothing really exotic or worth millions. It was great to stand back and listen to some of the comments from others who were waiting…… Thanks, John Bowe