A New Magnette Driver!

My teenage daughter came home from college for the weekend and said. "Dad, I want to learn how to drive stickshift". She's been driving for several years now, but always in one of the cars with an automatic transmission, despite the many opportunities to do otherwise in various little British cars lying around the garage.
I picked the Magnette to start her in, reasoning that its shifter is pretty straightforward and visibility is excellent (vs. the A or the TR6 with soft tops up). So off we went around the neighborhood and came back some twenty minutes later - without her once stalling it out! Must be good genes (I knew she had it in her after growing up around MG's and TR's her whole life). Of course, the downside is that I can no longer count on the Magnette being down in the garage when I go to take it out for a spin . . .
I'm guessing she'll be the only one of her friends (heck, of her generation) who can say she learned to drive a stick in an MG Magnette. Cool.

wow. pretty cool. i'm inspired. my daughter is just 3, but someday...

The first vehicle my daughter Karen drove at age 14 was a 1943 Willy's Jeep, and she was a natural.
She has driven automatics since but, as soon as I get a decent gearbox in the TR7 I will be taking her out for a refresher. The Magnette will come later...the TR is expendable!

Cheers,
Rich

I must admit to sneaking my now 19 year old son out to get his first lessons in the Magnette when he was 14 (who knew that with a stock 1500 and a 4.4 it would actually chirp the tires before it shook to a stop???!). It was really a thrill for him until he discovered my B-GT. Louder and faster, the GT is now his as a HS graduation present. He is starting to understand that "how you go fast" is somewhat more entertaining than "how fast you go" and is already starting to build his war chest of "MG roadtrip" tales! Even though he whines a bit about "the slow poke old man's car" Magnette, that is still his ride of choice with his goombahs on the Sundy Morning run to British Pantry for pasties!

It never hurts to grin about it...

Steve H.

Now that is cool. I'd come over and watch but her dog would bite me.

BTW, HB!

I learned to drive stick on my dad's Coupe. It went pretty well. I tried teaching my girlfriend on my Coupe- not so well. Not having a first gear synchro can be intimidating. I know that as soon as I started driving my dad's car I started looking for an MG of my own.

I just hope I can get my wife to share a bit of the driving out to Colorado this summer! Our 2-year-old daughter loves to "drive" it.