MG Car Club and Zircotec help former Abingdon workers to join the MGB 50th Anniversary celebrations
Abingdon-based Zircotec and MG Car Club fund classic coach travel to ensure former local factory workers can participate in the iconic sports car party!
OXFORD – Abingdon-based automotive coatings company Zircotec has joined forces with the MG Car Club (MGCC) to ensure former MG factory workers can enjoy the 50th anniversary celebrations of the MGB. Zircotec and the MGCC are sponsoring return classic coach travel from Abingdon for former MG employees helping them attend the MGB50 event which takes place at Blenheim Palace on Sunday 23 September.
The MGB50 event will see MG enthusiasts from all corners of the globe converge on Oxfordshire to celebrate 50 years of the MGB. As well as comprehensive displays of all MGB variants, an array of attractions including balloon rides, trade and craft stalls, a concours event and a competition for ‘rocker box’ gravity racers will mean there will be something for enthusiasts of all ages.
Formed in 1930, the MG Car Club has been at the forefront of the worldwide MG movement for over 80 years. Based in Abingdon, the MGCC has always enjoyed an excellent relationship with the owners of the MG marque. Indeed, many former MG Abingdon workers are still members of the MG Car Club and regularly visit the Club’s Kimber House headquarters.
“The MG Car Club is based in Abingdon, the spiritual home of the marque so we know first-hand how much the MGB means to people. At its peak, the MG factory employed 1,400 and there is still huge affection for the brand in the town,” said MG Car Club General Manager Julian White. “For us, it was an easy decision to help ex-MG factory workers get involved with this special anniversary. It promises to be a truly memorable day and we want the people of Abingdon to come and celebrate one of the world’s favourite sports cars.”
With its’ factory also located on the former MG works, Zircotec enjoys strong ties with the MGCC. Zircotec’s heat resistant coatings and heatshield products are relied upon by many MG owners to manage underbonnet temperatures, helping to improve the reliability, performance and safety of both classic and modern MGs.
“The Abingdon MG workers created cars that continue to delight owners and enthusiasts to this day,” added Terry Graham, Zircotec’s managing director. “We were delighted to fund the trip and to also exhibit at the event. We look forward to meeting a great number of enthusiasts and reassuring them that another corner of the former works is very much car and MG focussed. It seems appropriate that products from our Abingdon factory are now being used to help protect the very cars that were once built here on the Abingdon site.”
Over 500,000 MGBs were built at the Abingdon works before its closure in 1980 and the site was developed to include the industrial estate where Zircotec now produces a range of plasma-sprayed coatings for motorsport, performance and classic road cars.
Nick Bailey, Propel Technology, Bloxham Mill, Barford Road, Bloxham, Banbury, Oxfordshire, UK, OX15 4FF. 44 (0)1295 724130 / 44 (0) 7813 956664
Peter Whyman, Zircotec, 22 Nuffield Way, Abingdon, Oxon, OX14 1RL
44 1235 54 60 50
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