1933 MG J2 Midget
Supercharged racer from a 44 year long ownership

Registration No: JF 5278
Chassis No: J3589
MOT: Exempt

• Fitted with a highly developed supercharged racing engine
• Subject to a complete body overhaul in the 1990s
• Well known for its racing history at VSCC and MG Car Club events
• Supplied with a comprehensive photographic history file documenting the vendor's 44-year ownership

Derived from the M-Type, the J-Type was produced from 1932 to 1934 with the majority being to J2 two-seater specification of which just 2,083 examples were built. Representing outstanding value at under £200, the Midget's 847cc, overhead-camshaft, Wolseley-derived engine was coupled to a four-speed gearbox and housed in a simple D-Type chassis frame with half-elliptic springing all round and solid front and rear axles and braking by cable-operated 8-inch drums. Its race-bred pedigree and classic sporting appearance made the J2 extremely popular in period, before the J-Type model range was superseded by the PA, and they remain highly sought after by collectors today.

First registered as ‘JF 5278’ on the 3^rd November 1933, chassis J3589 was supplied by Browitt & Co of Leicester and painted in Oxford Blue over Cambridge Blue. The first owner, who purchased the car the day after registration, was an A Keats of Uppingham Road, Leicester who is understood to have kept the little J2 for just two years. The history is unknown after his ownership until just post-World War II, when the car had become resident in Bath in 1946. By the early 1960’s, a period when there was a boom in interest of pre-war sports cars - thanks to the activity of enthusiast led clubs such as the VSCC, the MG found several new homes around the Banbury area before moving to Croxley Green, Hertfordshire. It is believed that during the 1960s, the little MG was fitted with a host of non-correct parts including a Ford 1172cc Sidevalve engine, and when the vendor found the car for sale in 1981 with a local garage this was still in situ although the agreed price included getting the car running! For the next fourty four years, the MG stayed with the vendor, with the first of the list of jobs including the fitment of a rebuilt overhead cam engine of the correct type in 1983, and throughout the decade further cosmetic improvements were made whilst the car was used primarily for local club outings.

It was during the 1990s that the vendor opted to gain more power from the little J2, so a Centric-type supercharger was sourced, overhauled and fitted by Bob Jones during this period. It was also during this time that it was opted to completely overhaul the body, with a new ash frame and aluminium skin. Works were completed in 1996, and the car was immediately taken to Silverstone for five laps, which would be the beginning of a long and successful racing career for the car. Later, it would be entered into various circuit meetings with the VSCC and MG Car Club as far away as Montlhéry and the Nurburgring. A full recorded history of its various outings, plus invoices (from specialists such as Bayton Jones) for the extensive maintenance history and continuous development of the car are included in the history file which is approximately 12 inches thick.

Now offered for sale due to the seller’s advancing years, ‘JF 5278’ is described by the vendor as being in ‘excellent’ condition mechanically, and with ‘very good’ bodywork thanks to the older restoration. The paintwork may require some improvement depending on taste, however it has aged well and is certainly evocative of a true racing machine.

PLEASE NOTE: The catalogue description describes the supercharger fitted as a Shorrock 750 which is incorrect. The supercharger fitted is a Centric type which is eligible for VSCC use.

For more information, please contact:
Lucas Gomersall
lucas.gomersall@handh.co.uk
07484 082430