1935 MG PA

Ruby may be 72 years old, but she looks like a new-born.

 Ruby is the 1935 MG PA of Don and Sandy Bonar, and after eight years of painstaking restoration, she is better than new.

 MG stands for Morris Garages, and Cecil Kimber created the first model in 1924. Slightly less than 2,000 PAs were built between 1934 and 1936. About 130 still exist.

 With low-cut doors, highly arched fenders and 19-inch wire wheels, the tiny PA looks dainty. It has a small-bore, long-stroke 847cc four-cylinder engine with an overhead cam and dual carburetors. It produces 36 horsepower. “You could drop the piston into your coffee cup with room to spare,” Bonar said.

 In 1934 and 1935, MG entered three cars, all with women drivers, in the 24 Hours of LeMans. The “Dancing Daughters” finished 17^th in 1934 and 24^th, 25^th and 26^th in 1935.

 When Bonar, of Prairie Village, located this MG in La Jolla, Calif., it was more a collection of pieces than a car. The engine was in a box, the gauges were in a shopping bag and the body was a rusty hulk. The restoration was a retirement project.

 Bonar learned automotive skills as he went. He made new metal for the doors, learned how to fill imperfections with lead and used his leg as a dolly as he hammered dents out of the fenders.

 Bonar said he owes “a debt too big to ever repay,” to people from all over the world for their help and assistance with his restoration. The engine was rebuilt by Bob Rich of Colorado Springs, Colo. Hot Rod Express in Blue Springs did the paint.

 Peter Down, of England, provided invaluable aid. Bonar met Down and his wife on a visit to an MG show near the factory in Abingdon, England. When Bonar was not sure about parts or where they went, he would photograph them and e-mail the picture to Down and a couple of other people.

 Down was such an important part of the restoration that he visited Prairie Village for a week on a trip to America. Bonar said he and Sandy were prepared to show Down and his wife all over Kansas City, but Down brought a set of coveralls and instead of seeing the local sights, he wanted to help work on the car. “That may be the longest service call ever,” Bonar said with a chuckle.