05/11/2026
She’s Been Driving the Same 1937 MG for Over 60 Years and It Still Turns Heads in Hollywood
For more than half a century, artist and designer Jean Clyde Mason has enjoyed driving a remarkable classic car: a beautiful MG SA. For her, the car is not just a stylish vintage automobile; it is a cherished companion that has been part of a long and memorable life.
Jean and her late husband Spencer always shared a passion for cars. Shortly after they married in 1955, they even appeared on the popular game show You Bet Your Life, where the legendary comedian Groucho Marx asked the questions. The couple won some prize money and used it to buy their very first car, a quirky three-wheeled Morgan.
Soon afterward, they purchased a used Jaguar, but while Jean admired its appearance, she often joked that owning it was like being in love with a beautiful, but unreliable.
Everything changed around 1960 when the couple watched the classic film Rebecca, starring Laurence Olivier. In one scene, a striking British car appeared on screen: a 1937 MG SA. Both Jean and Spencer immediately fell in love with its elegant design.
Not long after, Spencer spotted an advertisement for the same model being sold in England. At the time, the British pound was weak, making the purchase surprisingly affordable. He bought the car and arranged for it to be shipped across the Atlantic.
When the vehicle arrived by boat, Spencer picked it up at the harbor and drove it home. He called Jean downstairs and told her to come see her new car. She was astonished. As someone trained in design, having graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles, Jean immediately saw the car as a masterpiece of style. With large whitewall tires added by her husband, it became, in her eyes, one of the most glamorous automobiles she had ever seen.
The MG ran beautifully, and Jean soon began driving it regularly from her home in the Hollywoodland neighborhood of Los Angeles, near the famous Hollywood sign, to her job downtown as an advertising artist. Because she and Spencer were used to British cars, the right-hand steering wheel never bothered her.
The car also fit perfectly into the character of the neighborhood. Many of the homes in Hollywoodland were built before World War II, giving the area a classic atmosphere that matched the MG’s vintage charm.
Decades later, Jean still lives in the same house, and she still drives the same car. On Sundays, she enjoys taking it up the hill near her home to admire the view of Los Angeles. Often, she continues on to Tam O’Shanter, a stylish English-themed restaurant founded in 1922, where she is allowed to park the car prominently in front so visitors can admire it.
Looking back on her life, Jean describes it as magical, and the elegant MG has been one of the most beautiful parts of that journey.
