Authors: Rob Forster
David Hackett
Mike PlumsteadThe pages, titled "MG - The Classic Marque", started life in 1994 as two individual pages until the original writers, Rob Forster and Dave Hackett found each others pages. It was then that they decided that it would be best to combine the pages to provide a better source of information. At the time Rob was reading General Engineering at the University of Aberdeen and David was studying at De Montfort University and the pages were split over the two university web servers. As the pages grew it became harder to host the pages due to space restrictions as well as the fact that the pages needed to be updated almost everyday and readers queries needed to be answered. The site continued to grow and its future was uncertain until Mike Plumstead appeared and offered to help. Mike had found the pages being a very keen MG enthusiast owning a 1972 MGB, and wanted to help us. The benefits of consolidating the site were enormous and so it was, Mike joined the production/maintenance team as Webmaster and more.
Mike is undoubtedly a valued member of the team - did he know what he was letting himself in for? The hours he has spent upon the pages are endless, writing the programs for the bulletin boards and completely maintaining the pages over the University summer vacations of 1995. In 1995 there was nothing available 'off-the-shelf' so all software was designed bespoke for the site. This has all been done in his spare time and he deserves more than the credit that he gets. Without Mike the pages would not have become as successful as they have providing MG Enthusiasts over the world with what they want most - a dedicated independent MG Web Site.
Unfortunately the pages lost Dave, as a maintainer, when he no longer had access to the Internet but he played one of the biggest parts by getting the site started in the first place. At the beginning of the 1995 academic year the pages were updated in their presentation by Rob Forster, who was feeling that the site needed a new look. With this change came many more as more information was added. From then on the site has grown with many people writing to say how pleased they are to see an MG Site on the Internet. Over the years the site has been mentioned in MG and motoring magazines world-wide in someway or another. Rob Forster moved through University at Southampton and on to full employment at which point he too stopped contributing.
1997 to 2020 saw usage of the site rise from 80,000 page impressions a week to over a million. The number of visitors had also steadily increased, as have the number of registered members; 80,000 by the end of 2020.
Over the years we have worked tirelessly to create what is the biggest and best MG portal on the web. They have used their technical skills to provide design, programming and hosting solutions for many clubs and specialiasts. The following is not an exhaustive list: MG Owners' Club, MG Car Club, MG Octagon Car Club, Midget and Sprite Club, North American MG Council, NAMGAR, AMGBA, NAMGBR, AMGCR, Brown and Gammons and LBCarCo. We even picked up some awards along the way!
At the end of the day, this site is nothing without its readers and contributors. All ideas that you, the reader, may have will be taken into consideration. In order to give feedback please use the email icon found at the bottom of each page, or just by emailing mgcars@mg-cars.org.uk.
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