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Prime Times Weekly publication of the Mail Tribune , Medford, Oregon A MANIA for the MG Medford's Harve Holley can't get enough of the sporty cars Photos by Steve Johnson He leans on his pride and joy, a 1934 MG PA. The car, a fully restored, royal blue four-seater, is a legend among MG buffs, and "totally exhilarating" To drive, Holley says. Harve Holley's 1954 MG TF, bought when he was 24, was his first MG. He has six of the cars. By JOHN DARLING H arve Holley grew up poor. "I didn't even have toys," he said. All that was to change. At 19, he set his sights on making it big financially in the California supermarket business. And he found the perfect toys -- MG sports cars. "It was love at first sight," he said after his first encounter with the boxy, low-slung British vehicle. At 24, he bought his first one, a red '54 MG TF. Now 54 and retired in the West Medford hills for the last decade, Holley enjoys his six MGs, all restored and driveable, most of them prize-winners and one of them -- a fully restored, royal blue 1934 MG PA four-seater -- a legend among MG buffs. "It's in Bristol condition (the British word for "cherry"). Everything works and it's totally exhilarating to drive. It's much more than a toy. It's a love, a passion," he said. The '34 "Tourer" has a checkered past that only adds to its already considerable mystique. In 1939, an American military officer, aware of German plans to invade Britain, had fallen in love with the car and feared for its fate. He snatched it out from under its owner, crated it on blocks and shipped it home to Texas. "The officer never enjoyed it. He felt too guilty to even take it out of the crate and drive it. He wanted to make amends and return the car, but learned the owner and his heirs had all been killed in the war. He asked the British government if they would take it back and they said no, as there were no claims on it. When he died in 1971, the car was sold to a Louisiana collector who spent eight years restoring it," Holley bought it from that collector. The '34, like all vintage MGs, was built like a watch, yet with the strength to suffer the primitive dirt roads of pre-war Britain, Holley said. It sports adjustable shocks (with a dial gauge behind the front wheels); a centralized lube system, with fluids flowing through copper tubes; 12-volt electric system, very unusual for the time; "trafficators" (early turn signals, they are plastic sticks that flip up to alert pedestrians); and even a primitive cruise control. Each one was handmade to the specs of the buyer, Holley said. Only 498 MG PAs were made and 49 survive, he said. Of these, seven are in North America and only two, including Holley's, are restored. Among Holley's other MGs are a blue 1938 MG TA and a yellow 1948 MG TC. In financially strapped postwar Britain, MG (which stands for Morris Garage) used many surplus military parts, including, on Holley's '48, brakes from a Spitfire and ammo boxes for the battery box. As an antique MG buff, Holley lives in a global, Internet-connected tribe whose members e-mail each other daily, searching for and trading parts to help restore their cars. "I love to contribute parts to the cause if I have them -- anything to keep them running," he said. A member of the British Car Club of Southern Oregon, Holley often takes his MGs to the road for charity rallies, dinner runs, scavenger hunts and shows, joining scores of other British car buffs. "Southern Oregon is full of old car fanatics," said British Car Club President Bill Clarke, who drives a yellow '61 Austin-Healy. "Old British cars are expensive and not the most reliable car, but they're beautiful and something few people have." MG lovers also stage shows and tours all over the English-speaking world. Holley's '34 placed second in 739 entries at Portland's All British Field Meet recently, followed by first place of 129 entries at the "Gathering of the Faithful," an all-MG event at Whistler Resort in British Columbia. "It was akin to walking on air," Holley said, "enjoying the camaraderie of so many diehard British vintage automobile enthusiasts, hearing countless stories of dedicated efforts to honor bygone memories of driving on unpaved roads with the wind, rain and darkness challenging every driver's ability and skill to the maximum." Part of the thrill of MG driving, Holley noted, is being so low to the ground with right-hand drive. "You can't see the white line and it's a bit of a challenge to avoid all the mailboxes," he said. Prime Times front page Mail Tribune front page Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA