From Clunker to Contender

There's something a little different in the warehouse at Columbus, Ohio, distributorship EHC Inc.-three vintage Morris Garage (MG) racecars. They belong to Skip Campbell, the company's president, who revels in collecting, restoring and racing cars. "I've enjoyed it because it's a family thing," he says. "It keeps my son and I particularly close. We've worked on cars together, and we race together."

MG, based in England, started a line of sports cars in 1922. According to Campbell, it stopped producing racecars in 1980. Today, the company's octagonal logo is widely recognized as the sign of a classic racecar. Compared with modern cars, Campbell says, MGs are poorly constructed. "They're terrible, but they're a lot of fun," he says. "They're different than anything else out there. They're easy to work on....My son and I are pretty much loyal to the MG mark."

The Campbells' shared hobby began 17 years ago with a yellow 1972 MG Midget they almost didn't get their hands on. The car sat unrepaired in their neighbor's garage for five years until the family moved. The neighbor's wife insisted on getting rid of the MG-but Campbell's wife didn't want her husband to have it, either. She reminded Campbell to focus time and money on his new distributorship instead. Finally, another neighbor bought the car on the condition that Campbell, who had worked on cars in high school and college, would help him fix it.

As luck would have it, the neighbor's enthusiasm fizzled after only two years. By then, EHC had established itself as a stable distributorship. Campbell's son, who had just turned 16, also had his eye on the MG. One day while playing golf with his neighbor, Campbell bargained to buy the car for $75.

To encourage his son to gain mechanical skills and raise funds to repair the car, Campbell required him to work at an engine shop and a body shop. Together, they also raised money by rebuilding other people's cars. Eventually, the two car buffs accumulated a garageful of parts-and a reputation for being able to fix anything. People sometimes gave them vintage cars for free. "People would call me and say, 'Do you want it?'" Campbell recalls. "I'd say, 'Does it run?'"

With the profits from rebuilding cars, the Campbells rebuilt their own MGs and paid entrance fees and travel expenses necessary to race them. Soon, the entire family became fans of British cars. When Campbell's daughter turned 16, he bought her a 1970 MGB. During the summer, Campbell and his wife Beverly take a red MGB for leisurely spins through the Columbus area.

Campbell says he'd rather race than enter his cars in shows. "If you have a vintage car, get it out," he says. "It does you no good to just look at it. I'd rather make it go fast. If it breaks, you fix it. I'm not one of those purist guys." Campbell appreciates the functional beauty of cars more than their surface beauty, proudly describing himself and his son as "gearheads."

The Campbells' father-son bond is as strong as the cars they've rebuilt. From time to time, they still race each other at competitions sponsored by The Sports Car Club of America at the General Motors/Delphi plant driving grounds. The grounds are equidistant from Campbell's house in Columbus and his son's house in Dayton, Ohio. "We've been messing around with MG cars since he was 16," Campbell says. "And now he's 31 and an engineer, and we're still messing around with MG cars."

—Rita Tiefert