At 62 years old, Jim finally set out to do something he’d always dreamed of—restore a classic car.
During Michigan’s 2020 lockdown, his friend Dale sold him a 1970 MG Midget for a steal. It wasn’t perfect, but that was never the goal. Jim wanted a car he could drive, not polish. With a bit of grit, a few friends, and plenty of trial and error, he got the little Midget running again, named it Kimbo, and hit the road.
Jim met Matt and Jon from MARS through a random Facebook Marketplace meet-up. Jon saw Jim’s car sitting in the garage and ended up talking to him about MGs for the next three hours in the driveway. This is where Jim first learned about MARS and was instantly invited to get involved.
Now, Jim’s one of the most active members—always showing up with a grin, a story, and a ready-to-drive attitude. From his longest drive yet in Kimbo for the MARS Rally (and driving the rally), to trips to Mad Dogs and Englishman, and even stepping in last-minute as a co-driver on RHR1k, Jim has consistently shown up and contributed, perfectly complementing the MARS spirit: keep it simple, keep it running, and drive more.
The TTAC Creators Series tells stories and amplifies creators from all corners of the car world, including culture, dealerships, collections, modified builds and more.A transcript, summarized by AI and edited by a human staffer, is below.Ed. note — this story was originally published months ago and we’ve brought it back to the fore for those who have missed it.[Image: YouTube/Michigan Automotive Relic Society]Become a TTAC insider. Get the latest news, features, TTAC takes, and everything else that gets to the truth about cars first by subscribing to our newsletter.
Transcript: Everybody likes this car. It gets a lot of smiles, and I get a lot of smiles driving it. So many people come up and tell me their grandma or brother used to have one, and how much fun they had. I always tell them the same thing: it’s a fun car, not a fast car. A lot of people ask how fast it goes or how much horsepower it has, but that’s not what it’s about. It’s a British touring car, built for curvy roads and just enjoying the drive.I keep most of my memories of this car in a book. A friend of mine, Dale, who I’ve known for 40 years, brought it up from Sarasota, Florida in 1979 and put it in a garage. Apparently it came up here in a U-Haul with fiv …
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Author: Michigan Automotive Relic Society | TTAC Creator
