The Convention headquarters was located at the University of British Columbia Convention Centre. The facility, known as the Gage Towers and Apartments offered accommodations, nearby dining and a meeting site at the Fireplace Lounge.

The event got into full swing on Wednesday with the opening of registration/regalia at 8:00 a.m., followed by a silent auction at 10:00 a.m. and a "first timer" reception at 1:00 p.m. This was followed by a funkhana at 2:00 p.m., and a tech session at 5:00 p.m. given by Ron Gammons of Brown & Gammons, U.K. on preparing your MG for rallying. The evening was capped off with a West Coast salmon barbecue hosted by Joe & Marjorie Carroll at the Totem Park Ballroom. Joe Carroll was the chairman of MG'99 and I'll say it right now, Joe and all of the volunteers did a terrific job of making the participants feel welcome. They truly demonstrated what the "Marque of Friendship" is all about.

Thursday was when the event became the "Spectacular Drive of Your Life". We left the Convention Centre at 8:00 a.m. for the "Sea to Sky Run" to Whistler Mountain ski resort area. The route ran through downtown Vancouver then north along Provincial Route 99 to Whistler. Words can not describe the majestic beauty of this area of North America with the Spectacular vistas, waterfalls and snow capped mountains. I can't think of a more perfect place to drive an MG short of the back roads of Britain.

On the way to Whistler the cavalcade of MGs made a brief stop at the home of what may be Canada's largest collection of privately owned MGs. A tour of Peter Welch's MG collection had been arranged for MG'99 participants only, as Mr. Welch's collection is not open to the public. The collection contains 17 cars ranging from a 1932 J-2 Deluxe to a 1973 Euro-spec MGB-GT. There are some unique cars in his collection that are not seen that often in North America like the 1953 TD Arnolt sedan, the 1936 SA Touring car or the 1936 PB "Airline" coupe. Refreshments were served prior to continuing the drive to Whistler.

Once at the resort area an "MG only" parking area was set aside at the base of the mountain and for those that chose, a trip to the top of Whistler Mountain was available via a cable gondola. This was an exciting trip up to say the least. At the top elevation of 7,000+ feet there was a lodge building, dining area, and something this boy has never seen in July SNOW! Well the same kid in me that enjoys driving an MG had to make a snowball and throw it at the wife. In addition to all of this the view was spectacular. The best I can say is that it resembled the Alps, snow covered mountains for as far as the eye can see.

Well, you would think the trip to Whistler would be enough for one day. Not so, for the Canadian Classic MG Club had another tech session by Barry Rutherford on camshaft design and performance that evening. This was followed by an English Pub Night featuring Moreland's "Old Speckled Hen" beer in the Fireplace Lounge till midnight.

Friday was a busy day with the popular vote and concours car show schedule starting at 10:00 a.m. The show location was Spanish Banks Waterfront Park. This park, with its beach front along the Straits of Georgia which separate Vancouver Island from mainland British Columbia, offered an excellent backdrop for the 150 MGs that took part in the show. Perhaps the car that got the most attention was the 1964 Indy car, number 53 MG Liquid Suspension Special owned by Ralph Zbarsky. This MG had a top speed at Indy of 156.42 MPH and finished 19th with burnt pistons. It should be noted that the car used the same suspension as the MG 1100/1300 Sedans. Awards were given out at the car show to the winners of each class with the exception of the Best of Show and Concours, which were to be presented later at the awards banquet.

The car show was followed by another tech session back at the Fireplace Lounge, with Mike Ash covering a variety of MG related questions, then a double decker bus tour of Vancouver that ended up at the Floata Restaurant in Chinatown, site of the Awards Banquet. Upon entering the banquet room we were greeted by an MG Midget or should I say a 1930 M type Midget. Oh, don't forget the Liquid Suspension MG Racer and behind the podium was a full size original MG billboard for a 1973 MGB with a TC silhouetted in the background.

The Master of Ceremonies Grant Bunker entertained the crowd with his unique sense of humor while the gathering enjoyed drinks. Door prizes were handed out and photos from the car show were on display for pickup. I lost count of the number of courses of Chinese food that were brought to the tables. Once dinner was finished the awards presentation began, complete with a real Canadian Mounted Police officer (a.k.a. Mountie) assisting with the process and posing for photo ops with the winners. Joe Carroll thanked everyone for coming, Rick Ingram, NAMGBR's concours coordinator gave out the concours awards and explained how the winners are chosen. Nick Cox, the M.G. Car Club's North American liaison, presented a 30th Anniversary commemorative plaque to the Canadian Classic MG Club, and announced that the Houston, Texas M.G. Car Club had won the North American Nuffield Trophy for 1999 - 2000. Alan Riches, President of the Canadian Classic MG Club, presented the Speakers Awards and announced the Best of Show winner, and other awards were presented for Longest Distance, Most Club Members attending and the best Hard Luck Story. Before the banquet adjourned, D. Zimmerman announced that Tom Boscarino was the recipient of this year's NAMGBR "John Thornley MG Spirit" award. She then invited everyone present to MG'2000 next year in Cleveland, Ohio, with the reminder that "Cleveland rocks, MGs roll".

Saturday morning saw the goodbye breakfast and final farewells until next year's convention brings MG enthusiasts from across North America back together again to share in their common interest and enjoy the Marque of Friendship.

By: Richard G. Liddick
MGs of Baltimore

For more information about NAMGBR Concours Judging,
go to the Concours Page.