Maggie – A Lifelong MG Love Affair
By Tom McCooey
Maggie has been an almost constant presence in Tom McCooey’s life.
An old MG Magnette, she was not much to look at and desperately in need of some love and attention. But to young Tom, sitting in the driver’s seat, smelling the brittle leather and gripping the huge steering wheel, what was sitting in his parents’ garage was more than just his dad’s old car.
He had never seen Maggie move or heard the engine roar into life, but the fact his dad, Will, wouldn’t let go added to the magic and mystique. Aged 14, Tom embarked on bringing the characterful car back to life with Will, but life threw diversions in front of Maggie’s journey back to the road. Tom’s new priorities – including Bon Jovi - ensured the car stayed put and Will’s dream on hold.
Told through the view from the passenger and driver’s seats of the cars throughout Tom’s life, this love affair with the road - and Maggie - has not always been smooth, as each small victory uncovered another seemingly insurmountable problem.
But with understanding, supportive and capable people around them, from family, mechanics and friends willing to push an old car up a hill, will the pieces of Tom and Maggie’s journeys gradually come together in a tribute Will would have been proud of?
For Tom, it was never about what the car was, or might be, worth but preserving something central to his family’s history, and a 36-year perseverance to finally see the job through.
This is a story of restoration in its widest sense. Not just of a classic car but a son paying homage to his father; it’s about relationships, dealing with grief and finding perspective and true value.
