MGA Register Notable Journey Award 2025
The 2025 “Notable Journey Award” goes to an intrepid group of MGA Owners based mainly in Australia who completed a 4800-mile tour of Europe in May and June 2025. The Tour included the Celtic Classic MGA Spring Tour in Ireland and then MGA Day at Fawley Hill. This epic “Grand Tour” was undertaken to celebrate the 70th Anniversary of the MGA and demonstrates what a magnificently practical car the MGA is, despite its “maturity”.
The Tour was organised by Ian and Pam Prior and what follows is their report on the event.
What could be better than celebrating the 70th anniversary of the MGA’s introduction than shipping our Australian MGAs to the UK and touring Europe with a group of like-minded mates?
A group of Melbourne based MGA owners some of whom had previously shipped their cars in 2005 (the 50th) and in 2015 (the 60th) gave the idea the thumbs up, so initial planning got underway in 2022. As word circulated more owners expressed their interest in joining the Tour including those from wider afield in Australia and internationally.
After input from the group a tour was devised which would incorporate the events that the MGA Register had planned both in Ireland and the UK and undertake a Stuart Mumby devised Pyrenees adventure within our tour.
Juggling the timing was critical to ensure we could dovetail ferry timetables, complete our intended routes and still arrive in time for the special MGA events.
Sometimes the best laid plans don’t quite materialise as unfortunately we couldn’t find an underwriter willing to insure non-UK registered MGAs.
We regrettably abandoned shipping the cars and adopted plan ‘B’, ie purchasing eight modern MG TFs on a buy-back arrangement.
Others in the team either already had MGAs in the UK or purchased MGAs sight unseen in the UK. In all 36 people participated in the tour with a maximum of 29 on any of the stages.
In MGAs, we had from Australia, Jensine and Colin Hough, Megan Perrett and Wayne Kerwan, Kerri and David Haliday, Ann and John Dawson. From the UK, Irene and Ian Wilson and Katherine and Graham Hurst, from the US, Jill and Glen Moore and from Bali, Doug Wallace with his daughter Morag.
In MG TFs from Australia, we had Pam and Ian Prior, Eiko and Mike Ellsmore, Sue and Paul Vermont, Lynne and Brian Miller, Ann and Rob Stamp, Ann Howlett and Mark Wellard, David Thiessen, Ray Mullins and Andrew Buick. Completing the team were Australians Brenda and Chris Guy, Kerri and Tony Volders and Anita and Gary Lock in hire cars, which were occasionally MG SUVs.
The Tour involved multiple stages
A shake-down and familiarisation tour in Lincolnshire to check out the MG TFs before catching the ferry to Bilbao in Spain. Highlights included staying at the Petwood Hotel in Woodhall Spa, the billet used by the Dambuster Squadron during WW2 and a visit to the Royal Flight aircraft museum.
A scenic drive to Barcelona via the back roads and Montserrat for sightseeing and then to the French Mediterranean coast. The roads and scenery were super and, thank goodness, Gaudi’s cathedral (the Sagrada Familia) is nearly finished! Staying in converted palaces and convent hotels was a special treat.
Stuart’s well planned 6-day Pyrenees adventure zig zagging between France and Spain, dropping into Andorra on the way. What a drive up and over the 7 highest passes dodging bike riders both pedal and motor powered.
Transit to Bilbao via Gernika in Catalonia and then a ferry to Rosslare in The Republic of Ireland.
Two weeks in Ireland journeying to Dublin and then across to the West Coast via the Ring of Kerry and Dingle Peninsula etc. Then to Derry/Londonderry in Northern Ireland via the ruggedly beautiful wild Atlantic coast for the MGA Celebratory Weekend.
Attending the Scenic Tours Celtic Weekend organised specifically for the MGA Register including a Gala Dinner, Giants Causeway Tour and visit to the Titanic Museum and Slipway were highlights. A special treat was driving around the Dundrod circuit, scene of the Twin Cam’s baptism of fire in the 1955 TT.
Ferry to the Isle of Man and touring the island including exploring the TT circuit still with braking markers and padding to poles and stone walls from the recent event. I’m not sure if the padding would be of much use at the speeds obtained.
Ferry to Liverpool and drive down to Faringdon for another MGA Weekend, including a Tour of Oxford’s historic MG sites conducted by Peter Cook and Howard Quayle and an MGA day at Fawley Hill with a visit to Lord Nuffield’s Home on the way. Thanks to the MGA Register Committee for their work in organising the Register events.
Visit to Prescott Hillclimb as guests of the Bugatti Club. Melbourne’s Rob Roy Hillclimb is the sister venue to Prescott and a biannual team challenge is conducted alternately at each venue. The Bugatti Club were very generous with their time providing lunch, a walk up the track with pointers on the correct lines followed by a low speed drive up the hill.
A six-day Welsh Tour organised by Brenda and Chris Guy. Another fantastic drive through the back roads and it didn’t rain once, which I’m told is very unusual.
The Tour culminated with a visit to Gaydon and the 70th anniversary of the BMC Competition Department where many “Works” cars were present including 2 Sebring MGAs and 151 ABL the 1962 Rally car.
It wouldn’t be an MGA Tour if there weren’t a few mishaps and comical occurrences. The guilty will remain nameless. By late September only one speeding fine had found its way to the offending driver but several parking fines. Lots of bits fell off the MGAs, fortunately mostly recovered and only one head gasket failure. Minor niggles with the TFs but considering the punishing schedule the cars were remarkably reliable.
Navigation could be a challenge, Tom-Tom, Google Maps and even resorting to good old paper maps got us through. However, I’m told some tunnels were negotiated multiple times and there were plenty of oopsies.
Culturally we immersed ourselves in the atmosphere of the rural villages, tasted the local produce and wines and often succumbed to the indigenous craft, art and woollen products on offer. What a great time!
Exhausting but great fun (and home in time for the Australian Winter!).
The runner up for the 2025 award was Dick Owens and his son Robin who completed the Autumn Sun Run Rally in France and the Pyrenees in August. Full details of that “Notable Journey” can be found in the January 2026 Newsletter.
Not to be outdone, and to further demonstrate the the long-distance capabilities of MGAs, Joe Walsh and Howard Quayle attended the 2025 European Event of The Year in Italy each covering over 2,500 miles in their cars.
