Dad and Cars part one

Joel here.

Much was said at Dad's funeral about his BMW's, but nothing was said about the BMC's. BMC was an acronym for British Motor Company, which started as merger of the Austin and Morris automobile companies and ended up as British Leyland and included such famous (or infamous) marques as Jaguar, Triumph, MG, Rover, Austin, Morris, Mini,and Austin-Healy.

I think that all six of us kids, except maybe Jennifer, had an English car at some time or another. Jim had a baby blue Morris Minor convertible. Jeff had Triumphs, the Herald, the Spitfire, and the TR6's. I had the orange Austin America and Jody and Jana had another Spitfire. Let's just say it was a character-building experience, one that I wouldn't trade for anything now.

Anyway long before the Bosch fuel-injected, Motronic ignition, automatic climate controlled, leather interior w/sunroof BMW's, there were Morris Minors with SU carbruetors, little or no heat,and worst of all, Lucas electrical systems. The Morris Minor was called by some the first modern car when it went into production shortly after WWII. In typical English fashion it had changed very little when prodcution ended in 1970. The most powerful Morris Minor engine produced around 65 hp. Dad's last BMW's would have had over 300 hp. The Morris did have a folding rear seat. It was semi-automatic and if Jody and I weren't careful it would sometime fold us up too.

For some reason Dad loved those Morris Minors. Whenever I saw one I'd make sure to tell him about it. I saw one for sale in Lexington while we were there last summer after Dad's knee surgery. I told him about it and of course it started a round of car stories that kept Tracey and Elise entertained. Looking back I guess it was our last face-to-face conversation before the cancer.

I used to kid Dad that the BMW's were his reward from God for all the sacrifices that he made while driving the Morris Minors and his other "little foreign cars". It may well have been. The cars also give us a metaphor for life with God. Just as Dad had to go through his BMC's before he got to the BMW's we all have to go through the trials and tribulations of life here on earth before we can reach our rewards in heaven.

Wonder how Elise would look in an MGB?