Robert VanSyckle
Owner of a 1947 RHD MG-TC

Van had dreamed of owning a TC ever since reading Don Stanford's "The Red Car," about a high school boy who bought a wrecked, red MG-TC. "Ambition: To own an MG-TC" was listed under Bob's name in his 1964 high school yearbook.

In 1993, he finally found the car he had been seeking for almost 30 years. Mechanic John Flannery unveiled it in his shop, and told Van he was taking ownership of the car after rebuilding the engine and transmission for a customer who did not pay him, then disappeared.

John put a price of $17,000 on it, which was too steep for Bob. But by next spring, knowing how much he wanted it, John dropped the price to $14,000, and the TC had a new owner.

It ran perfectly, but needed new brakes and lines and lots of other little things, having sat idle so long. By early June 1994, Van had the car of his dreams, and it still has the original paint, chrome and interior. Top speed is about 75 mph, but as Van notes, "in a TC that seems like over 100 mph."

Van "the Music Man" is a professional disc jockey, and provides music all day for the club's British Motorcar Gathering in June.

The Keystone Region MG Club, Inc., is incorporated under the laws of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is a non-profit organization run solely by volunteers to promote interest in and help foster the preservation of MGs and other British motor cars.

© 2006 Keystone Region MG Club, Inc., all rights reserved