Roving Representative: Paul Johnson

From Moss Motoring 1983

We would like to take this opportunity to give you a chance to meet some of the Moss Motors’ people whom you might one day run across somewhere around the country…

Name: Paul Johnson Home State: Ohio Occupation: Moss East Coast Club Representative

I purchased my first MG, a 1948 TC, while attending college in Michigan. This was my only car, and was driven winter and summer, even though Michigan winters can be quite severe. After about 4 years I finally sold this car as a “well used sports car”. I was without an MG for a two-year period and during this time was transferred to Chicago. One day while driving my Model A Ford around Chicago, I saw a 1948 MG TC for sale in a gas station parking lot. An immediate trade was arranged! With this my only car, I met, courted and married Addie. With Addie came a Volkswagen, which was a much more practical car for Chicago winters than was the TC, so the TC was eventually sold. During our first summer without the TC we realized how much we missed the car and started looking again. It was not until after we moved to Cleveland that another MG was found, this time a 1935 PB. This car, although fun to drive, was not practical for the type of driving we liked to do, so the search went on.

I have since purchased a 1953 TD and my third 1948 TC. After the purchase of the PB, we joined the New England MG “T” Register and the Ohio chapter of this organization. I am currently Chairman of the Ohio Chapter, the largest in the “T” register, and as such am on the Board of Directors of the “T” register.

There have been many memorable experiences in the 60,000 miles that I have driven the TD, but the most memorable was the “Sea-to-Shining-Sea Trophy Dash”, organized by Jack Smolik and run from Staten Island, New York to San Diego in 1979. The response to Jack’s challenge was minimal, and at starting time there were only two cars: Jack with his co-driver Fred Jaekel in Jack’s 1953 TD and Tom Scott and I in my ’53 TD. We all left the Holiday Inn parking lot at 5:10 p.m. and Tom and I arrived 50 hours and 28 minutes later at GOF West in San Diego, a distance of 2,972 miles. (To save you the trouble of calculating, this works out to a 58.85 average! For 50’/2 hours in a TD? Crazy! Ed.) Jack and Fred arrived much later; they had trouble with a broken luggage rack and also had other mechanical difficulties!

My current affiliation with Moss Motors, as a Club Representative, began in May 1982. Since that time I have attended approximately 18 meets. Among other things I relay feedback for new products and comments about Moss products and services. I have spent time working at both Moss locations (Goleta and Montville) so I have a good knowledge of how Moss systems and procedures work. I enjoy meeting our customers and being a link in the chain of communications which helps Moss respond to what the market is asking for.