From MGA!, July/August, 2008, Vol. 33, No. 6

Behind The Wheel

by George Merryweather

Grand Theft Autos 

It is always interesting writing these articles, discussing things in the past that haven't happened yet. I can get lost easily enough, but getting lost in time and space can be confusing. There are events to be attended and things to be done that need to be looked at through the rear view mirror.

Unfortunately, at this writing, there is a large imponderable looming in my rear view, directly ahead. My MkII, as yet still unnamed, is not complete. Mechanically, it is very close, but body panels are still in primer, and then there is always the question of licensing. I have also found out that I made a severe tactical error.

I bought the MkII in Ohio in 2006, with a clear title, but chose to only transfer the title, not the registration, at the time of purchase. Why pay for plates if I don't need them? I thought there was no sense in paying for plates on a car that won't see the road anytime soon. That was a mistake. I recently took my paperwork down to the local County Registrar's office. All seemed OK, until they realized I had a title, but no registration. Then I really screwed up! The Ohio title showed the engine number as the Chassis/VIN number. I asked if I could please get the numbers corrected.

Wrong! I was told with absolute certainty that since 1957 the VIN number and the Engine # on all vehicles, repeat, ALL vehicles, was the same. I had brought with me a copy of Original MGA, a Scarborough Faire parts catalog and a Moss Motors parts catalog, just in case any questions came up. Irrelevant! The books and catalogs are wrong. The VIN and ENGINE # on all cars are the same. After quickly realizing that there was further discussion needed here, I asked what I should do. Disregarding the option of correcting the Chassis # / Engine # mix up, the only saving grace in all of this was an inspection by a state agency.

For proper registration, I now needed to get the Chassis # inspected by a member of the State of Texas Auto Theft Task Force. So, I tried to make this easy. I took the old Chassis # plate and the new one I had properly made by Clarke Spares, plus a plethora (word of the day!) of corresponding paperwork, to the proper folks at a nearby municipality.

Well, they only take appointments for inspections, and there is currently a multi-week delay. Just to make sure I actually had my ducks in a row, I then asked about the old vs. the new chassis plates I had with me, and I believe I nearly got arrested over the phone, sitting in that little room outside of 'Auto Theft Division'. Didn't I know that since VIN plates don't come off, by definition they can't be replaced?

The officer at the other end of the phone line suggested that I do not mention to anyone that the Chassis # plate has been replaced, and maybe no one will ask. (But officer, I am sure that thin plastic film over the chassis plate has been there since it was new. That is why it is so shiny. You know, those Brits sure knew their stuff!) Ignorance is bliss! OK, so another dead end.

Fine, so I decide to stroll into our local Police Department and get this silly form signed. Yes, they have an Auto Theft unit, but have never gotten around to getting trained by the Task Force. I've got to go to the County seat and talk to those folks. Sure, the County Sheriff is aware of the laws and the rules and the Task Force. Hooray! There may be hope.

Wrong! The sheriff has decided that the Auto Theft Division is too busy to fool with things like this. 'Son, you need to talk to the State.' (It has been a long time since anybody has called me 'son'. Maybe it is because of the gray hair, or the shiny, creeping forehead condition that I suffer from.). So, now I have to take the car about two hours up the road to get it inspected. It will be in a trailer. No fenders, doors, hood or trunk, but maybe they'll feel sorry for me. Oh, and they only do inspections every other Tuesday.

The GT is only a few weeks away. Will I make it? Sorry, I need to get in the correct relative time frame. The GT was only a few weeks ago. So tell me. I really want to know. Was I there? Did I drive an MGA?

Have you marked your calendar for Hot Springs, Arkansas and GT-34? What about MG2011 in Lake Tahoe/Reno, Nevada. It is never too early!

See you there!

© NAMGAR