===== MESMERIZED BY THE MG MAGIC COLLECTOR'S LOVE FOR SPORTS CAR REMAINS STRONG =====
 
Orlando Sentinel; Orlando, Fla.; Sep 27, 1990; Richard Truett Of The Sentinel Staff; 

Abstract: Not only has he restored to meticulous perfection the 
red 1934 MG PA, but he also has done the same to a two-tone 
green 1932 MG J2. [Jerry Keuper]'s current project, now that 
he's retired, is a rare six- cylinder MG police car from the 
1930s. Keuper has two other old MGs in his collection, a 1959 
MGA, which he doesn't use often and calls "too modern," and a 
1952 MG TD, which he bought new in 1953. The TD, copied the 
world over by kit-car makers, is perhaps the most famous and 
best loved MG of all, though the later MGB sold more than half a 
million copies.

Full Text: 
(Copyright 1990 by The Orlando Sentinel) 

See related story on G4.

We are cruising down Oak Street in third gear in a red 1934 MG 
PA. The black canvas top is down - of course.

Sitting behind the steering wheel, which is on the right side of 
the car, I am trying to absorb all the wonderful mechanical 
noises and watch the reactions of motorists when they see this 
classic sports car breeze by.

Fingers point.

Heads turn.

Smiles appear.

The car's owner, Jerry Keuper, asks, "Are you married?" I raise 
my voice above the high pitched whine of the gearbox - which is 
resting next to my left foot - and say, "Not yet."

"You need to get an MG. That'll get the girls," 
Keuper says, smiling.

Maybe I do need an MG, for there is no telling how many hearts 
have been wheeled away over the years in MGs.

Forget for a minute about Miatas and Reattas, Capris and other 
convertibles. MG is the sports car America loved first.

While a new generation may be finding about the magic of sports 
cars courtesy of Mazda, GM and Ford, those who lost their hearts 
to MGs still nurture a strong affection for the famous British 
marque.

It's easy to see why. Three of the cars in Keuper's collection, 
extremely rare pre-World War II MGs - are beautiful in their 
simplicity, innovative in their engineering, stylish in 
appearance, and best of all, a real blast to drive. Going on 40 
years now, Keuper, founder of the Florida Institute of 
Technology, has had an ongoing love affair with the marque.

Not only has he restored to meticulous perfection the red 1934 
MG PA, but he also has done the same to a two-tone green 1932 MG 
J2. Keuper's current project, now that he's retired, is a rare 
six- cylinder MG police car from the 1930s. Keuper has two other 
old MGs in his collection, a 1959 MGA, which he doesn't use 
often and calls "too modern," and a 1952 MG TD, which he bought 
new in 1953. The TD, copied the world over by kit-car makers, is 
perhaps the most famous and best loved MG of all, though the 
later MGB sold more than half a million copies.

You think British cars are unreliable? Not when they are taken 
care of properly, Keuper says. Except for a new black paint job 
20 years ago, the TD has never been apart. "I commuted in my MG 
every day until I flipped it over a wall," he says.

Each of Keuper's cars has its own special garage on his 
beachfront property. His house resembles an old English mansion, 
and in the basement Keuper has erected his own private MG 
museum. Rare factory- issued posters, trophies, company 
histories, an MG postage stamp from an African country, old 
faded pictures, an MG logo stamped in chocolate, MG soap on a 
rope and even a few pieces of the now- defunct factory in 
Abingdon, England, are among the hundreds of MG artifacts in his 
collection.

No new MG sports cars have been made since the MGB was phased 
out in September 1980. All MG sports cars were built at 
Abingdon, and they came about largely due to the efforts of 
Cecil Kimber, the manager of a car dealership in Oxford, 
England, called Morris Garages.

Though people who drive Miatas and other sports cars may not 
readily recall what old MGs look like, they do owe something to 
Kimber. He's the one who made the idea of making an affordable 
sports car for the masses a reality. The key to keeping costs 
down, Kimber discovered, was to use tried and true mechanical 
components from regular production cars - a formula used to this 
day.

Starting in 1922, Kimber, looking for ways to make money, took 
the solid but boring cars of Morris Motors and began fitting 
them with sporty bodies, competition suspensions and highly 
tuned versions of regular production engines. Because Kimber 
thought the name Morris Garages was too long for his sports 
cars, he shortened it into the initials MG.

MGs were priced a few hundred dollars more than Morris cars and 
were bought by people with average incomes. Keuper paid $950 for 
his new MG in 1953. Many early MGs were raced with great success 
on weekends and driven to and from work on weekdays. And that's 
how the MG legend was born, says Keuper, who is known around the 
world as a knowledgeable MG historian.

After the World War II, the sports car boom in America was 
triggered by servicemen who brought MGs and others sports cars 
back from England. Sadly, Kimber never lived to see MG take the 
world by storm. He was killed in a London train accident in 
February 1945.

Asked what makes MGs special and different from other sports 
cars, Keuper says it's the styling born out of their racing 
ancestry.

"Their racing history makes them look fast. You can't miss that 
MG sound. They sound fast. The handling is superb. You can race 
around corners like a bat out of hell," he says.

But for Keuper, his interest in MGs trails off with the MGA of 
1955. "As they got more modern, they just became cars," he said.

       Over the years, Keuper has made numerous trips to England 
       shopping for parts to complete restoration work on his 
       1932 and 1934 MGs. He says parts are nearly impossible to 
       find in North America. Each car took Keuper five years to 
       restore, and they look like they should be sitting in a 
       museum. There are about 200 or so pre-war MGs in North 
       America, Keuper says. About 300,000 post-war MGs still 
       are being driven daily.

  Dave Brownell, editor of Hemmings Motor News, the bible of the
    old car industry, says old MGs do have a unique and timeless
  appeal. "They have a pretty pure design and nippy performance.
 With their double-humped dashboards, they look like an old-time
  car. Down deep in everybody's heart, people just love MGs," he
                                                           says.

 For Keuper, it matters little that MG sports cars are no longer
   made. As far as he's concerned, MG has left an indelible mark
     on automotive history. "These MGs were made for the average
       guy," Keuper says. "They weren't made for rich people who
 already had Rolls Royces, Bentleys, Morgans and other expensive
   cars. That's where MG made its mark, getting a sports car out
                                     there for the average guy."

   [Illustration] PHOTO: Keuper has his own private MG museum in
his basement. It contains rare factory-issued posters, trophies,
      company histories and even a few pieces of the now-defunct
    factory in Abingdon, England. DENNIS WALL/SENTINEL PHOTO 3c:
Keuper's old English-style home in Melbourne is an ideal setting
  for his collection of MGs, which includes this 1934 PA Midget.
 Other cars in his collection include a 1932 MG J2, a 1952 TD, a
 1959 MGA and, under restoration, a rare 6-cylinder MG L1 police
                                       car. DENNIS WALL/SENTINEL