Lot details Registration No: 638 JBB Chassis No: YD12194 Mot Expiry: Oct 2019
- *Fitted with 1.8-litre MGB engine and overdrive gearbox in early 2000s
- Original twin cam unit no longer with the car
- Older good quality restoration, RHD example registered 5/11/59
- Chariot Red with Black leather, De Luxe competition seats
- Maintained by Brown & Gammons, new hood 2013, MoT to October 2019
Keen to extract more power from the 1500cc B-Series engine and to create a competition model, BMC began evolving a DOHC version of the unit in 1954. Development was slow and it was not until 1958 that the Twin-Cam MGA came to market. Chain-driven camshafts nestling atop a cross-flow alloy cylinder head augured well, and the 1588cc, 108bhp newcomer was capable of 0-60mph in 9 seconds with a top speed of 115mph. However, the tardiness of its introduction, early engine maladies and fierce competition from rivals saw manufacture curtailed after just two years; by which time only 2,111 examples had been produced, 1,801 of which were Roadsters.
YD1/2194 left the factory in June 1959 being registered that November. *Originally fitted with engine number RJ8682, the twin-cam unit was removed around 2000 and a replacement Gold Seal 1800cc MGB unit with unleaded head mated to an overdrive MGB gearbox fitted. Finished in Chariot Red as originally, it features competition De Luxe seats and rides on wire wheels. During the vendor's nine-year ownership, the car has been maintained by Brown & Gammons and used regularly on tours and rallies throughout the UK. When purchased, it was driven from Bodmin to Baldock non-stop by the previous owner, a fitting testament to its reliability. A stainless-steel exhaust was fitted in 2010 and Brown & Gammons replaced the hood and carpets in 2013. Recent attention to the brakes means the car stops well. The vendor advises that, as an older (1984) but good quality restoration, the car remains "good" although there are areas of paintwork that could benefit from improvement. A small tear in one of the black leather seats where the hood folds away is also noted. He further advises the car passes its MoT with Brown & Gammons each year with any jobs that need doing being attended to. The current MoT expires in October and when not in use it is stored in a garage beneath a fitted cover. A desirable MGA that would warrant re-installation of a twin-cam unit.
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