Vehicle Description
Show, Show Show! MG Y Series at its Best!Mention MG in the late
1940s and you're sure to hear about how the returning servicemen
sparked the sports car craze in America with the MG TC. You might
not, however, hear about the MG YA and YT sedans that came over
with the sporting TC. The first of these Y-Types to be produced
were the YA sedans. These were four-door saloons with styling that,
like many automobiles in the immediate postwar years, hadn't really
been updated since the 1930s. All four doors were hinged at the
B-pillar, resulting in suicide doors in the front. The engine was a
slightly detuned version of the same 1250 cc inline pushrod
four-cylinder unit used in the TC. In the YA this engine was given
a single SU carburetor and rated at 45 hp. The transmission was a
floor shift four-speed manual with a non-synchronized first gear.
The YA[edit] MG YA MG YA Overview Production 1947-1951 Body and
chassis Body style 4 door saloon Powertrain Engine 1250 cc XPAG
4-cylinder, single SU carburettor Development and launch[edit] In
the years immediately before the Second World War, MG had sought to
supplement its popular range of 'Midget' sports cars with three
saloons of various sizes and engine capacities. These were the "S",
"V" and "W" models. The MG factory at Abingdon on Thames had grown
by developing what were in essence Morris based products and they
were always to be closely associated with what was to become the
Nuffield Organisation (Morris, Wolseley and later Riley). The "WA"
had an engine displacement of 2,561 cc, the "SA" 2,288 cc and the
smallest of the group, the "VA", had an engine of 1,548 cc. The
next development to the range was to include one more saloon, of
smaller engine capacity than the "VA", and for a component base the
Cowley design office turned to Morris's Ten-Four Series M saloon,
which was introduced during 1938, and the smaller Eight Series E
which was launched at the Earls Court Motor show the same year. The
prototype "Y" Type was constructed in 1939 with an intended launch
at the Earls Court Motor show, the following year. However, as a
result of the hostilities the public had to wait a further eight
years before production commenced. All prototypes originating from
the MG Factory at Abingdon were allocated numbers prefixed by the
letters EX; this practice continued until the mid-fifties. Although
the prototype of the MG "Y" Type was primarily a Morris concept
from Cowley, much of the 'fleshing out' was completed at Abingdon.
As a result it was allocated the prototype number EX.166. When the
car was launched the MG Sales Literature stated "A brilliant new
Member of the famous MG breed. This new One and a Quarter Litre car
perpetuates the outstanding characteristics of its successful
predecessors - virile acceleration, remarkable 'road manner,'
instant response to controls, and superb braking. A 'lively' car,
the new One and a Quarter Litre provides higher standards of
performance." The UK price of the car was £525.0.0 ex works plus
purchase tax of £146.11.8d. Body and chassis[edit] Gerald Palmer
was responsible for body styling and, in essence he took a Morris
Eight Series E four-door bodyshell in pressed steel, added a swept
tail and rear wings, and also a front-end MG identity in the shape
of their well-known upright grille. The MG 1 1/4 Litre Saloon would
retain the traditional feature of separately mounted headlights at
a time when Morris was integrating headlamps into the front wing
and it was also to have a separate chassis under this pressed-steel
bodywork, even though the trend in the industry was towards
'unitary construction'. The car featured an independent front
suspension layout designed by Gerald Palmer and Jack Daniels (an MG
draughtsman). Independent front suspension was very much the latest
technology at the time and the "Y" Type became the first Nuffield
product and one of the first British production cars with this
feature. The separate chassis facilitated t
