Minneapolis Street Sighting and Business feature: MGB limo by Quality Coaches

Now this is an oddity; usually when one dreams up the idea of an MGB, a limo is not what comes to mind at first. Probably never to be honest. That is, unless you're not Quality Coaches.
Home to more than half of my blog entries over the past few years, Quality Coaches is a little shop nestled just off of Nicollet Ave on 38th Street. In a seemingly unassuming building with a dirt lot lie the most amazing collection of foreign cars the Twin Cities has ever seen, British or otherwise. Unlike most "repair shops" operated by a family or team trying to earn a quick buck by misdiagnosing your car, the guys and gals at QC know firsthand what a business is all about; friendly, fun service done by honest car guys. When they're not restoring customers' cars, these folks are playing with their own toys.
Drivers and projects owned by the employees range from 1955 TR3s to Escort Cosworths, all the way up to Lamborghini Jalpas and Ferrari F355s; these guys know their stuff. One of the employees has an Isuzu Rodeo that most definitely is not stock.
I've seen some pretty awesome classics on my visits over there, but this oddity takes the cake. As the license plate says, this limo is made up of "2 MGBS", and sits on on a stretch-welded Nissan chassis, and is powered by a Nissan pickup 2.0, with Toyota transfer cases. As with the chassis, the stock MGB tranny wouldn't do, so a Volvo 122 donated its 4 speed tranny as well as brakes. Inside, the funster has Toyota seats mated to the "original" MGB pieces. Looks pretty good, and I bet it's quite comfy, too. Outside, it sports a paint color called "Ice Blue". I've gotta say, this color looks downright fantastic. Would I change anything about this little limo, (or would that be big MGB?) Probably not. Although I usually like these cars as either full-on track toys or nicely modified cruisers/weekend racers, seeing an offbeat one every now and then is a nice treat. And as far as "offbeat", I'm pretty sure this example is by far the most offbeat MGB I've seen, and quite frankly I love it.