Mg Sports Cars

Overland garage owner puts British spin on car repair business

John Mangles is a quiet man with a friendly smile. He hardly looks like someone with a flashy nickname, but he is known by many people as the "MG Doc."

That handle came because of his mechanical expertise. His job is repairing and refurbishing British sports cars. He especially likes to work on the British MG, the compact two-seater first built in 1924.

Mangles, 60, owns the All British Car Repair shop in Overland, one of the few shops in the St. Louis area that specialize in these vehicles.

"I like British cars because of the way they handle and look," he said. "I've owned a lot of MGs. I buy them, fix them up and sell them."

His work on MG cars has drawn attention from across the country. Mangles keeps in contact from car owners in Michigan, Colorado, Tennessee and Florida.

He likes driving and working on British MGs for a variety of reasons.

"For a mechanic, they way they're designed, they're relatively simple to work on," Mangles said. "I also like driving them. They handle well, are fast and they look good. I've also found that some of the nicest people are involved with British cars."

Mangles always liked to work on cars, even at a young age. He was influenced by his brother who was a mechanic.

A graduate of South County Tech, he worked at three different auto repair shops before setting out on his own. In 1986, he started Hi-Tech Collision Repair in Overland. The sign still remains, even after he changed the shop's name. It has a picture of a British sports car on it.

"We keep it to help people find the shop," he said. "Besides, have you checked the cost of signs these days?"

In 1986, his wife wanted a red sports car, so he found and bought her a 1965 MGB. He grew to so admire the car that he went out and bought an MGA, an earlier version of the car.

"It was love at first sight from then on," he said.

In 1989, he joined the MG Club of St. Louis, a group of like-minded British car enthusiasts. Mangles kept working on American cars, but did MG repairs and refurbishments on the side.

"I would do the body work," he said. "After I joined the MG club, they saw my work and began to bring their cars to me. For engine repairs, I would send them to another mechanic. One day, he shut down his shop, so I began to do everything."

Mangles finally switched over full-time to British cars in 1998 and has never regretted the move.

The MG is a vanishing breed. The youngest car in his shop was made in 1980, the year that the company stopped exporting the vehicle to the United States. Over the years, the company changed hands several times with MG finally grinding to a stop in 1995.

auto car gallery: 2010 MG 6 Specification And Photo

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