The Classic MG Club
Founded in 1963, The Classic MG Club has actively participated in MG and British car shows within Florida and many other states. We are the oldest MG club in Florida and respected worldwide, and take pride in offering knowledge and assistance to other local MG owners. Feel free to browse the site or even join us at one of our monthly meetings.
The Beginning
Three young MG friends - Will Bowden, John Camichos, and Blair Engle - met in 1962 to discuss starting a club for MGs in Orlando. They held the first meeting in 1963 with about twenty enthusiasts as the Classic MG Club. The first event was a couple of months later: a Hare & Hounds rallye followed by a picnic and swimming. A year later the club held its first Classic MG Club Concours. The club hosted the first Southern Gathering of the Faithful (GOF) MG convention in 1967. GOF-South was the second GOF in the nation, preceded only by the New England MG-T Register GOF.
Growth
The club’s popularity spread throughout Florida and nationwide. By the 1970s, our club helped launch the Classic MG Club South in Miami, the Suncoast Classic MG Club in Tampa, and the MG Classics of Jacksonville. One newsletter served all four clubs. The Tampa club (Suncoast Classic MG Club) and Jacksonville club (MG Classics of Jacksonville) are still strong, active independent MG clubs.
Club founders celebrated classic T-series MGs. The original bylaws stated that only MGs powered by Morris engines were welcome. Newer MGs powered by the Austin B engine series blocks, like MGAs and MGBs, were not considered “Classic.” However, since 1985, we embrace all British MGs. They are all “Classic” now!
The club’s popularity spread throughout Florida and beyond. By the 1970s, our club helped launch the Classic MG Club South in Miami, the Suncoast Classic MG Club in Tampa, and the MG Classics of Jacksonville. One newsletter served all four clubs. As the satellite clubs grew, they published their own newsletters and were able to cut ties with the Classic MG Club. The Tampa club (Suncoast Classic MG Club) and Jacksonville club (MG Classics of Jacksonville) are still strong, active MG clubs.
Success
Today, the Classic MG Club has over two hundred dedicated members statewide and beyond. The club is free to join and has no dues. We are even more active than our founders could have foreseen. We have monthly drives and social events (weather permitting), and one or two overnight drives each year on Florida back roads to a quaint hotel, usually in a small historic town. We meet monthly. Members are experts on all MG marques and freely share their knowledge in tech sessions, how-to exchanges, and hands-on help. Our free monthly digital newsletter keeps members informed about our activities, MG history, tech tips, and more. It was recognized as the best MG club newsletter in the nation by the New England MG 'T' Register.
The annual GOF-South, the most important and respected MG event in the Southeast, is hosted in alternate years by the Classic MG Club and by MG Classics of Jacksonville.
For over 60 years, our members are the most important part of the club.
“Welcome Home” to the Classic MG Club