Vehicle Description
When the MGA arrived in 1955, it must have come as quite a shock to
MG aficionados who had become used to the pre-war look of the
company's sports cars. The MGA was a complete departure in styling
for MG. Its beautiful streamlined body was right up to the minute
in terms of appearance and it was powered by a new engine as MG had
decided that the old XPAG unit had had its day. The MGA was powered
by the much more modern B-series engine that had made its debut in
the recently announced Magnette Saloon.� MG enthusiasts had been
given a hint of what was to come as early as 1951 when George
Phillips drove a re-bodied TD Midget in the Le-Mans 24 hour
endurance race. The car had been built for him by MG following his
successes with his own TC, which had been fitted with a lightweight
two-seat race car style body. So different was the appearance of
his new TD racer, that it must have been difficult to believe that
it was actually a venerable TD Midget underneath!� It was a
road-going version of the Phillips car which had been proposed to
BMC in 1952 as a replacement for the TD Midget, but had been turned
down because of the corporation's decision to build the
Austin-Healey 100. MG had gone as far as building a full prototype
of the MGA by using TD running gear, the 1250 XPAG engine, a
re-designed chassis, and the MGA bodywork. When it eventually
became clear that the TF Midget was a bit of a lame duck and would
have to be replaced, the new MG sports car was finally given the
chance it deserved. The delay in production had one advantage in
that it allowed MG to refine the design and install the much newer
1489cc four cylinder B-series engine and its transmission from the
Magnette Saloon. First registered in July 1960 this lovely MGA
Coup� was refurbished just 200 miles ago at a cost in excess of
�6,500. Offered in Old English White with contrasting red it is in
excellent order and, despite being off the road for four years,
�recent works include a replacement unleaded cylinder head, fuel
tank and lines, new brakes, five new tyres and new carpets. The
vendor explains that, prior to his ownership, �the car had been
laid up between 1976 and 1995 and in 2007 was subject to a
restoration including a full bare metal re-spray.� The extensive
history file includes the Heritage Certificate and other documents
which lead us to believe the current odometer reading is correct.
Supplied with a V5C registration document which shows the vendor is
just the fourth owner, this is a rare opportunity to purchase such
an example. For sale by auction on Saturday 23 September 2017 with
Historics at Brooklands, Brooklands Motor Racing Circuit,
Weybridge, Surrey, Call 01753 639170
