Ex-Wigan reporter’s book charts battle to save his late dad’s classic car

Maggie, A Lifelong MG Love Affair, chronicles author Tom McCooey’s restoration story, in every sense of the word, as he races against time to resurrect his parents’ wedding car after a 36-year hibernation.

And it has proved a therapeutic process for the Billinge-born 37-year-old who admits to taking the death of his father Will from heart failure at the age of just 58 a decade ago very badly.

To celebrate the book’s launch, both the writer and the car will be at The North West Museum of Road Transport in St Helens, on Sunday November 3.

The event starts at 10am and copies of the book will be available to buy.

Told through the view from the passenger and driver’s seats of the cars throughout Tom’s life, this love affair with the road – and Maggie – has not always been smooth.

Tom, a former Wigan Observer and Wigan Today sports reporter, said: “It made no sense to take the project on from a practical point of view, it was too far gone.

“But I was desperate to honour my dad, and this is a story of restoration in more than one sense, as it is about relationships and finding perspective from those around you.

“I started writing about the MG as a way of processing losing my dad, never intending to have a book, but we ended up with a lasting tribute.”

Special educational needs specialist teacher Will had long been a car enthusiast and the MG was his pride and joy, but it developed a relatively minor fault around the time that Tom was born and it was put away in a garage with the intention of “getting round to the repairs sometime.”

But parental duties took precedence for so long that Will never did return to the vehicle and there it sat in the family garage.

Tom says that while he had always liked cars he had no knowledge of how to repair or restore them.

He said: “But the car became symbolic of my dad and I began tinkering and learning, thinking that I can’t make anything worse so long as I didn’t break anything. ”If I really got stuck I would consult friends. (Former Wigan Observer chief photographer) Gary Brunskill has been particularly helping, especially now it’s restored and needs maintaining.

“My passion for cars grew as the work continued. It’s sad that my dad hasn’t been around to see that. It stings that I have not been able to share that passion with him.”

Now a senior lecturer in journalism at Liverpool John Moores University, Tom has previously penned two books on his beloved Wigan Warriors, and turned his attention to motoring journalism shortly after inheriting his dad’s MG.

And he hopes that his opening up about his emotions and other experiences will be of health benefit to others.

Tom said: “I had wondered how far I should go in expressing my feelings but the publisher just said I should write it as if no-one else were there, so quite a lot has come out.

“Challenging your emotions as a man is more in vogue – I hope permanently – and deemed more socially acceptable these days. Perhaps some men struggling with bereavement or other issues can find something useful from this, maybe it will help them to speak rather than bottle things up. You do learn to live with those issues.”

As far as the 68-year-old car is concerned, Tom gets out in it as much as possible.

“You don’t go to all that trouble to restore it then stow it away again. I use any excuse to give it a run-out.

“There were some tough points during the restoration when I did consider selling it but I talked my way out of it and there’s no way I would do that now.

“It’s part of me, my dad and my family and it turned out to be the ‘vehicle’ for the story’s plot.”

David Simister, the editor of Classic Car Weekly, said: “Tom’s resurrection of an MG that’s been in his family for generations is a story that should inspire all budding classic car nuts.

“His enthusiasm for Maggie shines through the many highs and lows of this huge undertaking, which he writes about with a deft honesty that chronicles the many challenges of a first-time restorer.

“It’s a delight to see this wonderful piece of ‘50s history firmly back on the road, where it belongs.”

The book will be available via Scratching Shed Publications from October 31.

Scratching Shed co-director Phil Caplan said: “This is more than just a memoir, or a story of restoration of a classic car, something that has become more popular since the advent of programmes like Bangers and Cash.

“Combining the two elements, it’s about the diversions of life that get in the way of and delay passion projects, a son paying homage to his father.

“It’s about relationships, dealing with grief and finding perspective and true value, not of the monetary kind.

“It will appeal to those who love MGs as much as readers who can relate to a project that saw each small victory uncover another seemingly insurmountable problem.”