This year MMGG joins other MG and British car clubs to celebrate the anniversary of the birthday of MG Car Company founding father. As the first general manger of the MG Car Company he led the transformation from a Morris dealership, first to The Morris Garages Ltd., and later to the M.G. Car Company. Cecil Kimber was born on April 12, 1888 and to celebrate this we invite you to the first Cecil Kimber Birthday drive on Saturday April 17.
From the MG Car Club Facebook page:
Happy Birthday to the Father of MG, Cecil Kimber, who was born on this day in 1888. Kimber was born in London, and in his youth was a keen motorcyclist until an accident saw him move from two wheels to four.
He became Managing Director of MG in 1930, a year after the firm moved to Abingdon. Kimber was instrumental in making MG the force it would become, with a global reputation for engaging and affordable sports cars. His untimely death in 1945 is still regarded as a tragedy amongst fans of the marque.
Kimber's attitude of what made MG special is best summed up with one of his famous quotes: "The secret and charm of an MG is the way they handle. Whether you're dawdling along enjoying the spring sunshine or shaking out a reef and making the knots along an empty arterial road..."
Some details are still being worked on, but this is the early plan we know already. This should be about a 2 hr 19 min drive (106 miles)
We’ll meet at 10am at the Lookout Trail Scenic Outlook, Oak Park Heights, MN 55082 about .8 miles South of the Oasis Cafe, 806 Main St S, Stillwater, MN. This scenic outlook is facing the now not so new Stillwater bridge. Expect a 10:15 am Drivers Meeting for a 10:30ish start. From there we will go this way and that way. Starting mostly South towards to Hudson so we can wave at the Britfest location, then on to Red Wing where we will be crossing back into Minnesota. Please continue to follow all CDC COVID precaution guidelines when out of your car.
Expect to stop at a park or somewhere, (hopefully) with a restroom, for a stretch, or fuel near Redwing. If you have not brought a sack lunch now might be a good time to pick up something. Then on to our final push to the cake!
Finish at the Glewwe's Castle Brewery, Prior Lake, Minnesota. As this is a root beer brewery they do not have food. Enjoy sitting outside to eat a snack or lunch that you may have bought or brought, washed down with various samples of excellent root beer, also for sale. Or with with some other refreshments, not for sale, to sample with a free will offering.
And best of all…we’ll have a Cecil Kimber birthday cake for dessert.
For anyone interested in Cecil Kimber's life, there is an excellent biography on his life titled: "The Kimber Centenary Book". It was published on April 12, 1988 by The New England MG "T" Register, Ltd. Edited by Richard L. Knudson with an Introduction by Frank E. Churchill. Jean Kimber Cook (Cecil's daughter) is one of the many major MG icon contributors.
