The MP and the MG: check out David Shearer’s 1957 MGA

11 July, 2015

I know I’ve said it many times before, and, at the risk of sounding like a broken record, I’ll say it again. The passionate people we regularly meet every month not only love classic cars as much as we do, they also live just as varied and interesting lives as their cars.

If we needed further confirmation of that observation, we couldn’t have asked for a better example than the one provided by the owner of this MGA.

To be perfectly honest, I’ve not met too many politicians. So when the opportunity arose to sit down with Labour Party MP, David Shearer, and talk about the trusty old MGA that he’s owned for many years, we thought it might make for interesting reading.

When we arrived at David’s home, I quickly realized he’s a very busy man, but after spending most of the day visiting primary schools in his Mt Albert electorate, he was able squeeze in some time with us. 

I was very tempted to ask all those types of questions most of us would love to ask any politician when given the opportunity — such as his take on the current state of the economy, education, law and order, employment, welfare, and so on. However, our major interest is classic cars, so we focused primarily on David’s MGA. 

An interesting life

As we wheeled out David’s classic British roadster, the first thought that came to mind was along the lines of; how does a high-ranking member of any major political party find the time for such an all-consuming hobby as owning a classic car, whilst also spending the bulk of his time in Wellington questioning the sitting government, and holding it accountable to the public of New Zealand.

However, as we started up our conversation it soon became apparent that David is familiar with the vagaries of a busy private and public life — indeed, the more we talked, the more we discovered. To say David Shearer has led an interesting life thus far is indeed an understatement. He spent many years working in such places as Iraq, Somalia, Kosovo, and Afghanistan for the United Nations and other organisations, helping people caught up in war and conflict – often under extreme pressure and life-threatening situations. David was named New Zealander of the Year by the New Zealand Herald in 1993 for his work in Somalia, and made a Member of the British Empire (MBE) in the Queen’s 1993 New Year Honours List. In 1994, Save the Children awarded David its International Award for Gallantry for his service in areas of conflict.

David has also harboured a passion for old cars for as long as he can remember. During his younger, teenage years, when he was working in a petrol station pumping gas, he still recalls a red MG TF that appeared every now and then on the station forecourt. It was a car that he really took a liking to, and his admiration of the style, shape and presence of this wonderful machine made David go out in search of magazine articles specifically about MG TFs, and meant he could often be found drawing them whilst at school. MG TFs were few and far between, and David knew they would be expensive, but also knew that one day he would own an MG. 

Some years later, a friend bought an MGA, and David really loved the curvaceous lines and shape of the car. He found himself searching through the local newspapers, checking them out to see if any were for sale. Naturally, the odd MGA did appear, but they were always outside David’s budget, so he decided to look for an MG Midget as his first car. Unfortunately, his father talked him out of buying a Midget, as he felt that a two-seater was too impractical. As a result of this fatherly advice, in his early 20s David ended up buying a Morris Minor van instead. He readily admits the Morrie was rather more practical as an everyday vehicle than a small, British sports car.

Labour of love

Fast forward to 1993, and while he was looking through the newspaper, David discovered a reasonably priced MGA located in Te Puke, which was advertised as being in good running order. He wasted no time in driving down from Auckland to view the car and, after giving it a quick once over, he made the owner an offer. The cars owner wouldn’t accept it, as it was lower than the asking price, so, initially, David walked away. However, he really liked the car, and knew he had to own the MGA. With his mind made up, he returned to the owner’s house and agreed to pay the full asking price. 

David clearly remembers driving the MGA back to Auckland with the top down, feeling like a million dollars. His intention was to slowly refurbish the car until he returned it to its former glory, but as he loved driving the car so much, he ended up using the MG almost every day. 

Each year he would spend a few dollars on it to maintain it sufficiently to keep it on the road and, when he was working for Phil Goff at Parliament in the early 2000s, the MGA became a common sight in the Beehive car park. 

David reckons the sound of the MG’s rorty 1500cc four-cylinder engine reverberating off the concrete walls and ceilings of the car park was indeed memorable.

Although David enjoys getting under the bonnet and doing whatever he can to keep the MG running, he also employs the expertise of an MG specialist to keep an eye on it. Although the car is in reasonable mechanical condition, the body is now at a stage where it needs attention. This basically means it will need a complete body-off restoration. Why doesn’t he just sell it? The answer is simple: because he’s become so attached to the MG, and he doesn’t want to part with it. 

Sure, like all British sports cars, it’s let him down a few times and stranded him on more than one occasion. But such incidents are generally regarded as being character-building by most classic car enthusiasts. Overall, the MGA has proved to very reliable over the years. Although, on one rather embarrassing occasion David remembers the electric fuel pump was up to its old tricks, and needed the odd tap with a spanner to keep it ticking over. On that particular day, a very nice lady waved whilst David was driving along with the top down, and he responded with a wave back as he passed her by. A few kilometres down the road the fuel pump decided to pack up, requiring some of David’s more persuasive techniques with the spanner just as the young lady drove past. It was one of those moments he’s never forgotten. 

When his schedule has permitted, David has been able to attend the odd MG event over the years, and really enjoyed the company of the other MG owners. Sadly, his current work commitments mean he doesn’t get nearly enough time to appreciate the MGA as much as he’d like. 

One day, David says he will restore the car to its former glory. This MGA has become part of the family, and his on-going commitment to the curvaceous British sports car continues to be, for want of a better term, a Labour of love. 

Photos: Mark Curran

 1957 MGA 

Engine 

  • Model: Inline, four-cylinder/OHV Capacity 
  • Capacity: 1489cc
  • Bore x stroke: 73x89mm
  • Valves: OHV
  • Max power: 51kW at 5500rpm 
  • Max torque: 105Nm at 3500rpm 
  • Comp ratio: 8.3:1 
  • Fuel system: Twin SU carburettors 
  • Transmission: Four-speed manual

Support

  • Struts: (F) independent by coils/wishbones and lever arm dampers (R) semi-elliptic leaf springs, lever arm dampers
  • Steering: Rack and pinion
  • Brakes: Drum/drum 

Dimensions:

  • O/all length: 3962mm 
  • Width: 1473mm 
  • Height: 1270mm 
  • Wheelbase: 2387mm
  • Kerb weight: 927kg 

Performance

  • 0–100k/ph: 16 seconds
  • Standing ¼ mile: 20.4 seconds
  • Max speed: 157kph

Grand Routier — in the french tradition

Sitting in Paddy and Patsy Williams’ Dunedin garage is a stunning example of one of these rare French grand routier sedans. It is a 1949 four-door Lago-Record Factory Berline sedan, to give its full name. Daughter Cath let us know how proud she was of her dad, who had been tinkering away in his garage on this car for so many years.
Without exaggeration, it has been a mammoth task. I first saw this Talbot-Lago in mid 2019. The long-nosed, sweeping, curved four-door saloon, clothed in its misty green metallic paint, was quite breathtaking. There’s more than a little English influence in it, too, harking back to company owner Tony Lago’s involvement in the Clement-Talbot-Darracq era. The long front wings and bonnet, usually multi-louvred, highlighted with artful touches of chrome bling, are typical of the era, but these were indeed luxury length. Interiors provided leather-clad, armchair-style seating and ample legroom, with touches of wood and surprising details such as dainty childproof interior locks — a far cry from today’s lozenge boxes.
Paddy, a retired civil and structural engineer, knows his way around a lathe. He has a well-equipped garage-workshop to assist in any machining tasks along with his other passion for restoring classic motorcycles.

The Great River Road

A few years ago my family, knowing my fondness for driving, gave me the book Unforgettable Road Trips: Thirty-Six Drives of a Lifetime by Martin Derrick. Most of the road trips listed take less than a day in places like Scotland, Monaco, and Australia, plus one in New Zealand. Most of these places were too far to go just for a short drive but four of them would take several days. My interest was piqued, and those four drives were added to the bucket list. To date, I have done three of them: ‘Route 66’ (USA 21 days), ‘State Highway 6’ (NZ 10 days) and ‘The Great River Road’ (USA 22 days). You can drive all of them in less time, but you could also fly over them. We wanted a decent immersion in their charms.
The great river referred to is the Mississippi. While the name conjures the deep south, the river actually starts at the bottom of the great lakes, before emptying into the Gulf of Mexico about 3800km later. The great road is more of a concept than a specific strip of tarmac, as you can drive down either side of the river on various routes. Regardless of which side you drive, time should be kept aside for detours to places such as Nashville, which is famous for something or other.