Lot details Registration No: 704 YUA Chassis No: GHNL/76202 Mot Expiry: April 2011
Though they were quite different to drive, the origins of the MG TF of 1953 lay in the TA of 1936. MG desperately needed a break with tradition. To quote the company's own advertising, the MG A was the 'first of a new line'. Launched at the Frankfurt motor show of 1955, it owed its modern streamlined design to the body Syd Enever created for George Philips' 1951 Le Mans car. The newcomer featured a chassis penned by Roy Brocklehurst and was powered by the 1489cc straight four BMC B Series engine, as used in the MG Magnette Saloon. Suspension was independent with coil springs at the front and featured a live axle hung on semi-elliptic leaf springs at the rear. Braking was by Lockheed drums all round. Steering was by rack and pinion and the car was available with either steel disc or wire wheels. A high-performance version with twin-cam engine came into being during 1958 and in May of 1959 the engine of the standard model was treated to an increase in capacity from 1489cc to 1588cc. Some 31,501 examples of the so called 1600 and 1600 De-Luxe were made in 1959/1960. An open example tested by Motor magazine in 1959 returned a top speed of 96.1mph and a 0-60mph time of 13.3 seconds. MG As were both raced and rallied with success in period and many are still campaigned in historic events today. The A was a considerable success for MG, with a total of 101,081 examples being manufactured between 1955 and 1962, at which time the model was replaced by the ubiquitous B.
The MkI Roadster on offer began life as a 1959 North American export model that was originally finished in red with red trim and a beige hood. More recently, it was brought back to the UK, converted from LHD to RHD and repainted in Dove Grey and retrimmed in black leather. It was granted its UK registration '704 YUA' in May of this year. The vendor describes the coachwork, paintwork, engine, gearbox and interior trim as "good". Apparently while the speedometer is still working, the odometer is not currently functioning. The car is MOT'd into April 2011.
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