My MG Story by Jonathan Tessler
I am a 3rd generation native having been brought up in Los Angeles, CA, having spent my childhood living in Malibu. Growing up as a beach bum the only cars we drove were roadsters with our surfboards hanging out the back. When I was 16 years old my father brought home a 1979 MGB LE he bought from a client and was supposed to be my car to get to and from High School in Santa Monica. We’ll being the problem kid that I was my father took the car away from me 2 weeks later. I was heartbroken and told my father that someday I would have enough money of my own to buy a MGB of my own. Fast forward to 2018 and that High School dream became a reality.
In 1974 My Uncle George bought himself a MGB that he drove for as long as I could remember. I would go visit him in Nor Cal and he would let me drive it and my passion for English cars was born. At one point he decided to sell the car but he did not sell it to me but his daughter (my cousin Natalie) who could not keep it running and then sold it to her brother (my cousin Johnny) who owned it starting in college. Around 1985 I helped Johnny restore the car and he drove it until 2018 when I got it. In 2005 we did another refresh of the car. Out of the blue Johnny called me and said, ‘Hey Cuz, do you want to buy the MGB?’ I answered him without consulting my wife (you know how that usually goes) and within a few days the car was on a car carrier leaving Oregon to bring the MGB (Lizzy) to Los Angeles.
The first drive I took was 4 miles to my father’s office to show him the MGB he will never be able to sell from under me. He laughed and the first thing he said was take me for a damn ride kid.
I am hoping to do a full rotisserie restoration someday. But until that day I will drive Lizzy in honor of my Uncle George who passed away recently.
And no, the car is not for sale, my 14 year old already has told me he has dibs on it!
