Jeff & Colleen Stobbe
Another in-depth look at Rough Riders, by Joe Marcotte
Back in the Sixties, when MGs were daily drivers it wasn’t all that unusual to see radiator slats on a TC
or a TD painted in a checkered flag motif. But, with one notable exception, I haven’t seen any MGs with
this scheme in a long time. The exception is TC 6990, the car of Jeff and Colleen Stobbe. However, this
green midget is the tip of the iceberg that distinguishes a quiet couple of impressively wide-ranging,
interests. As you’ll see, neither fit the Walter Mitty paradigm; both have well-defined passions and have
been successful in integrating them into a fascinating 40+ years of married life. So, let me present the
Stobbes.
Joe: Jeff, let’s start out with a brief overview of your childhood and adolescent days and the
circumstances that led to your hooking up with Colleen.
Jeff. I was born in Madison, Wisconsin and we moved to California when I was 5 years old.
My dad worked for the State of California so, although we moved around, we always lived in a
county seat; for instance we lived in Hanford, then Napa and then we moved to Crescent City. In
1954-55 while we were Crescent City I developed a medical problem that the local hospital
couldn’t handle, so my mom and I had to take an 8 hour bus ride to UC Medical Center in San
Francisco on a regular basis. My reward was that while in SF I got to go to the model yacht club
and watch the boats sailing on Spreckels Lake. My family has always had a soft spot for boats;
my mom had grown up at Cedar Lake, in Wisconsin, and we’d go back there in the summers.
We moved to San Jose while I was in high school and I joined the San Jose Sailing Club. We
raced El Toro sail boats at Vasona Lake in San Jose and also around the Bay Area. At about this
time my best friend’s father, who was a retired army officer, had brought a bug eye Austin
Healey Sprite home with him when the family moved back to the USA from Britain. That was
my introduction to sports cars. My friend and I would take that car everywhere!
My folks wouldn’t let me buy a car
until after high school. My first car was
a TD, which I used to rally in. But, I
only kept it for a couple of years
because I saw an ad for a reasonablypriced TC which was for sale in
Oakland. It turned out to be in pieces,
but the body and chassis had been
restored to primer, the engine and
running gear needed work, and it didn’t
have an electrical system. I spent a year
painting it, putting in the electrics and
my friend, who had taken a class in
engine rebuilding, handled that for me.
I got it on the road in late 1966/early 1967 and immediately drove it to Seattle with my friend,
who was taking a class at the University of Washington. We had a great time up there touring
and rallying all summer. Returning home I had an extra spare tire, which was original and I
arrived back in San Jose with no spare and four bald tires. I guess that tires that have sat for years
just don’t wear. Back home my friend with the Sprite and I started participating in autocrosses
and rallies. The first time I entered an autocross with my car I failed the safety check because I
didn’t have seatbelts. My friend undid his from the Sprite and I borrowed them, fastening them
in with wood screws so that I could join in the fun.
At about that time I was driving somewhere in San Jose when I saw another TC going the
opposite way. Bill Traill and Jack Nadeau were in it. We got acquainted, they told me about the
Abingdon Rough Riders and so I joined. I remember going to some early Conclaves, both at
King’s Canyon and San Simeon. Shortly after this Jack and I were sitting in a lecture hall at San
Jose State discussing how the steering system Pittman Arm worked. A guy behind us asked if
we had TCs. It turned out that he had one too, with a Volvo engine in it.
I majored in Art at San Jose State and always felt that it never hurt to be driving a car that’s been
displayed in the Museum of Modern Art! During this time I founded the San Jose State Sailing
Club. Some of the faculty of the Industrial Arts department sponsored us and we had 3-4 boats
which we’d race at various venues around the Bay Area. During a club-sponsored ski trip I met
Colleen and we were married 9 months later. We honeymooned at Yosemite, starting out in the
TC but thinking better of it and switching to Colleen’s VW.
Joe: Jeff, what was it about the MG TC that persuaded you that you couldn’t live without
owning one? What did you have to resolve before you made the purchase? (cost? practicality?)
Jeff: I loved the TC just for the way it looked; practicality played no role in its consideration!
Obviously, the car didn’t have a lot to offer in the way of performance, especially when
compared to the new Mustangs and Camaros at that time!
Joe: I’ve always thought of the MG TA, TB and TC as pieces of art worthy of being hung on a
wall; i.e. the coolest-looking car that I’ve ever seen on the road. But if you asked me just what it
is about it that’s so neat, I probably wouldn’t be able to give you a well-reasoned out, rational
opinion that I could defend. As aesthetics and design are at the foundation of who you are can
you, a professional artist, provide an overview of what it is about those little cars that make them
so appealing that they’ve captivated every owner?
Jeff: I think that the TC is the best proportioned of that type of roadster, with the sweeping
fenders, low slung doors, almost vertical slab tank, etc. I think that its design is step above the N
Type, P Type, Riley, Morgan, S Type Jaguar, etc. The TD is an updated version, of the genre.
The handling in the newer model is better but, design-wise the TC is far superior.
Joe: Further, from a professional artist’s perspective, what do you feel are the high and low
points of these cars?
Jeff: I think that the high point is the overall proportion, it’s almost perfect. The low point
probably is the top; the TC doesn’t look particularly good with the top up. The paint scheme
used on Al Moss’ car enhanced the lines and I think that another design scheme that might be
used to the car’s benefit is the tapering along the hood and elliptical paint scheme used on some
of the French cars. e.g.
Joe: For a lot of ARR members it appears that there are two motivations for having a T- Series
car, it’s fun to drive and it presents a never-ending opportunity to tinker around with. Is this the
case with you?
Jeff: Yes, I like to tinker and it’s an easy car to work on. When I first owned it I had put a
Judson supercharger on it and a straight exhaust for a little more power while autocrossing. I’ve
done everything to the car myself, even the upholstery.
But for about 30 years I didn’t have the car. We sold it just before our first son was born which
funded buying a house in Capitola, which I converted into a store and rented out. It was the
practical thing to do. We bought the TC back from the same lady in Felton who I had sold it to
after her husband died, about 6 years ago. When I got the car back it was in kind of rough shape
but recently, now with a VW steering system, Alfin drums, and a five speed transmission it’s a
better, safer car than ever.
During the time when we didn’t have the TC, I had a couple of other cars. I owned a bug eye
Sprite for about 1 ½ years. Then I restored a Rambler, taking four cars to make one really nice
one. Then I bought a ‘74 MGB, the last chrome bumper model. Then I got the itch to build a V8
B so I bought two MGBs, a ’64 and a ’72 parts car. The ’64 was in pretty rough shape, but I
restored it and dropped a small Buick engine into it; but, then the TC came up for sale and so the
MGB had to go. Although I had put two years into making the MGB a really a great car, I very
reluctantly had to sell it in order to get the TC back.
Joe: Both of your lives are unique in that you have each been able make a successful living by
indulging the passions that you developed early in life and studied at university. Can you each
briefly expound on your careers.
Jeff: Well, I’ve always leaned more toward boats. I started a boat building company in Santa
Cruz and we built several racing boats, for the University of California and other customers. But
I gave it up because I wasn’t able to make money from it and proceeded to build a boat for us, a
28’ sail boat that weighed 15,000 lbs. We sailed it around here and eventually up to Seattle and
the San Juan Straits, where we sold it to an Alaska Pipeline worker. We came home and I needed
to start building a house.
I also started to build a 32’ boat in the garage. We sailed the new boat down to San Diego and
sold it. It’s now in Marina Del Rey. Then I built a “little” 22’ power boat which we towed back
east and cruised from Connecticut to Florida (2008). We trailered the boat back home and our
next trip with it was back up to the San Juan straits. We entered the boat in the Classic Boat
Show in Victoria, British Columbia, where we took the top place in our class, and at the Wooden
Boat Show in Port Townsend, Washington.
I’ve also built a few other boats, some sail and some power. My motivation for building the
power boats was to showcase my antique engine collection. One of these is called Lady of the
Lake. It’s up at Lake Tahoe now. It’s powered by a beautiful little Turner British engine with
much brass trim.
Our next trip with the 22’ power boat was through the Great Lakes, St. Lawrence Seaway,
Hudson River and Erie Canal (2010). During this trip we met a gentleman who fell in love with
the boat and bought it. We trailered it to Maine for him and then came home.
Joe: Ok, that’s Jeff’s story. Colleen, did you find fulfillment in teaching?
Colleen: Yes, I totally and absolutely was fulfilled in teaching! When I first received my
credential there were more teachers than jobs so it took a while, but when I did land a job I
stayed at the same school for 20 years teaching Kindergarten through 3rd grades. I began
teaching bilingually (English-Spanish) in the early 70s and found it very rewarding.
Between1990-92, I was on loan to UC Santa Cruz and the Santa Cruz New Teacher Project to
supervise student teachers, teach methods classes and mentor first and second year teachers. I
returned to the classroom even more enriched and enthused. I taught in the classroom for another
three years. I then went back to mentoring beginning teachers through the Santa Cruz New
Teacher Project and I happily retired after 34 very satisfying years in education. I continue to
do consulting related to supporting beginning teachers.
Joe: Now, tell us about sailing and TCs in your life?
Colleen: I grew up in the central valley of California in the country in a house built by my dad.
I knew nothing about sailing until I met Jeff and had only a little exposure to sports cars through
my brother and his Triumph TR3 and my girlfriend’s Spitfire. I met Jeff through my roommate
in college at San Jose State. She wanted to join the sailing club and asked me to join with her.
She never went to an event, but I did and ended up with a husband and a new formed interest in
sailing and sports cars!
Joe: Jeff, I’m getting the impression that your passions are boats and cars. Is art just a means
to an end for you?
Jeff: I’ve been interested in art all of my life and art is much more than a means to an end to me.
A couple of times a week I spend time seriously drawing and enjoy it very much. After getting
my degree in art, when I first started out I was lucky enough to have a pretty major exhibition
and I’m planning to do more of that sort of activity in the future. Jeff’s website is
http://www.jeffstobbe.com.
Joe: Do you accept commissions?
Jeff: No, I just pretty much paint what appeals to me, often the human figure, and show my
work at local art exhibits. Occasionally I’ll make the rounds of the galleries in San Francisco, but
I haven’t exhibited my work in any of them yet.
Joe: The Stobbes are a couple of many pursuits, one of which is touring with the ARR.
However, other interests include model sail boats. Jeff, can you give us some background of this
nautical hobby?
Jeff: I joined the San Francisco Model Yacht Club (www.sfmyc.org.) in 1972, although I’d
been going up to watch people sailing the model boats for some time before that. The club was
formed in 1898 and its focus is on traditional designs, which appeal to me, much like old cars do.
So the model boats that I’ve built and sail in the club have all been conventional, time-honored
designs. I’ve built all of my model and large-sized boats. But I’d like to note that a model boat
doesn’t serve very well as a prototype for a full-sized boat, because the dimensional and
proportional considerations don’t scale down well. When I build a large boat I work from a
published plan, but with lots of alterations. Any of the designers probably wouldn’t recognize
my boats as coming from their designs!
Joe: Colleen, from what’s come out of this interview so far, it would appear that Jeff is a highmaintenance kind of a guy!
Colleen: No! He’s not a high-maintenance guy at all. He’s very easy going, but no grass grows
under those feet. He’s always got multiple projects going on at any one time.
Joe: Are there other interests of yours that haven’t been mentioned?
As far as my own interests, I had a horse when I was growing up and love them still though I
haven’t ridden for a long time. Jeff doesn’t care for horses, but that’s a story for another time. I
do a lot of needlework and enjoy it very much. I’m in a walking group, do yoga, and about three
years ago I took up rock climbing. I adore it! Jeff continues to be the magnet that pulls me into
new things. We now golf together, race model yachts together, and fly fish together. Jeff started
fly fishing when he was growing up in Crescent City. All these things are really fun. Hooray for
retirement!
Joe: How long have you lived in Capitola? Tell us about your home, designed and built by
whom? When?
Jeff: We’ve lived in Capitola since the early seventies. As for our house, we’ve both always
liked the Craftsman style, both for artistic and philosophical reasons and have designed our
house in that style. An architect friend drew up the plans for us and I built it between 1980-85.
It was hard because our lot is so narrow and zoning considerations were complicated by the
Coastal Commission, but the finished product is very personal for us and reflects some of my
grandfather’s ideas and designs. He was also a painter and an artist.
Jeff and Colleen, thank you for your time and thoughts. The risk that I see as coming from this talk is that
you’ve opened the gates for a deluge of questions about boats, teaching, cars, home and boat building
and climbing that won’t easily be satisfied!