My Texas Trip with Bobby
Part Two – Gene Ponder’s Shop
Gene Ponder had shown us his incredible collection of cars and car memorabilia which was almost too much to take in with such a short amount of time. Now we hopped into his golf cart and headed to the shop. I wanted to take pictures of the grounds – fountains and water gardens everywhere – and of the shop’s outside. But I didn’t as I was hanging on for dear life with both hands, rear end in the wind, and toes curling to grab something. It was a wild ride and in no way afforded any picture taking.
The door opened and WOW! I’m not sure what I was looking at, but it sure was a beauty. Picture taking means you miss some of the conversation. It was a replica of some one off MGA Twin Cam built with some Mercedes 300SL influences. Mastercraft Body- works had built another car from scratch and it was gorgeous. But wait, what is that hiding under cover behind this gem? A Jaguar C Type was uncovered. Another gorgeous car.
Mr Ponder started showing us his work benches. Take a look at all the spray guns hanging overhead. He has many e-bay items he collects from all over the world relating to MGs and other sports cars. One neat trick was a MGT series radiator shroud made into a display case. There were several “Midge” radiator caps from early MGs. Another rare item I had never seen before.
MGT series radiator shrouds and several chrome bits covered one work area. Really beautifully redone. Lights galore, MG nose pieces and various bits filled the benches. As we turned the corner, there were several original superchargers laid out on a bench. Parts bins held many more. Rare Judsons for early MGs. Engines & transmis- sions are also stored here. Through doors in the back is a paint booth. Maybe one of the largest collection of early MG steering wheels reside here too. There were many hanging on the walls.
As you can see in the pictures, the shop is full of collectibles and memorabilia, just like the other building. This really was a fun filled and very interesting visit. But time flies when you’re having fun and soon my rear was hanging out of the cart again and we would be saying our goodbyes to Mr Ponder. I thank him very much for showing us around and especially for remembering Bobby from 20 years ago.
Road Trip? He says our club is welcome to come. If we get at least 15 folks to make the trip, he will show us around again.