MG A Mk II
Classic Car Catalogue
MG 1962
| MGA | - discontinued |
| Magnette | |
| Midget | |
| 1100 | |
| MGB | - new model in July |
MG 1100 launched in the autumn 1961, shortly after Morris version, with twin carb 1098cc engine giving 55 bhp and 85 mph top speed. Also has remote gear shift and imitation wood faced dash, with strip speedo.MG MGB Series GHN3 Roadster was announced in July as replacement for the popular MGA. This new sports car is entirely different from its predecessor and features a two-door body with a high rear wing line, a large flat boot and a wide, shallow rectangular radiator grille. Powered by a modified B-Series 1798-cc engine developing 95 bhp at 5400 rpm has a top speed of around 105 mph. Wire wheels and overdrive optional.
MG Midget 1100 gained a larger engine and front disc brakes.
MG A Mk II
MG A
VIRTUALLY identical with the Austin-Healey Sprite, the modern Midget makes the most of the go horse-power developed by the A-Series B.M.C. engine in twin-carburettor form. It does nought-to-sixty through the gears in just over 18 seconds, 50 to 70 m.p.h. in top in 20-ish, cruises at over 70, will reach 90 m.p.h. under really favourable conditions. Externally distinguishable from the Sprite by the perpendicular slats of its radiator grille and slender plated flashes along the body sides, the Midget is clean and straightforward in its styling and provides good engine accessibility. The car's compact dimensions (13 ft. long by 4 ft. 10 in. wide) do not result in a cramped cockpit, a six-foot driver being able to tuck himself away in comfort; the passenger's seat isn't adjustable but the driver's is. An adequately large boot is supplemented by further stowage space behind the seats and pockets in both doors. Many extras are available, including a hard top, white-wall tyres and a laminated windscreen. Price: £650.0.2 incl. PT.
MG Midget Mk II
The 1100 came in the autumn. 16,080 of the first series were made.
BETTER engine "filling", resulting from the use of two carburettors instead of one, gives the Magnette six more horse-power than the equivalent Wolseley model, and five more than the Austin Cambridge. The Riley 4/72, also dual-carburettored, equals this M.G.'s output at 68 b.h.p. Like the rest of the Farina-styled B.M.C. saloons using the 1622 c.c. B-Series engine, the Magnette is unchanged this time. In its 1962/63 form, the car benefits from last autumn's modifications to spring rates and the addition of a stabiliser bar to the rear suspension. The Magnette was one of the first cars to take advantage of the introduction of Borg-Warner's Model 35 automatic transmission (it's an optional extra), which was specially designed and developed for machines of its engine size and torque characteristics. Two-pedal control isn't bought at a heavy cost in m.p.g. because the Borg Warner device is relatively light and keeps friction losses to a minimum. Price: £997.17.8 incl. PT.
Magnette Mk IV
IT wasn't to be expected that any one make would retain a monopoly in the new design concept that the Morris 1100 introduced in August, and now an M.G. on closely similar lines joins the B.M.C, family circle. In all essentials - front wheel drive, east-west engine, Hydrolastic suspension, curved side windows and so forth-these two cars are identical. M.G. owners, however, have always demanded "that little extra" in performance, and the Abingdon factory's interpretation of the z 1100 theme won't disappoint them. Use of twin carburettors and a higher compression ratio (8.9 to 1 instead of 8 ½) gives the car a 7 b.h.p. advantage over its Morris counterpart, and a corresponding edge in torque. Cooling systems are sealed for life and have a permanent anti-freeze dose injected at the factory. Also, there are only four chassis greasing points. When the engine oil becomes due for a change, a warning light on the facia glows continuously. The M.G.'s seats are trimmed in vinyl-coated fabric-a de luxe leather-cloth that effectively simulates the look and feel of leather. Real hide is an optional extra, so are B.M.C. seat belts, radio, Weathermaster tyres, heating and demisting equipment, etc. Prices: 2-door de luxe: £798.10.3 incl. PT., 4-door de luxe: £812.5.3 incl. PT.
A NEW chapter in the Abingdon factory's history opens with the launching of MGB - replacement for the evergreen MGA. Entirely new in appearance, it features a combined chassis/body structure and an uprated version of the B-Series B.M.C. engine with a capacity of no less than 1798 c.c. This enlargement, the third that has been made since the MGA's "fifteen-hundred" days, is affected by increasing the bore to 80.26 mm., the stroke remaining unchanged at 88.9 mm. Eye-catching points on the MG-B are its wrap-round bumpers, wide doors, ample legroom, clean and unfussy styling, and aluminium alloy windscreen frame. The same material is also used for the bonnet lid. Over-boring adds only 4 b.h.p. to power output but torque goes up by a higher percentage. Suspension remains conventional - coil-spring i.f.s. in conjunction with semi-elliptics at the back. This car is almost 100 lb. lighter than its predecessor. Its track is slightly increased and wheelbase reduced by three inches. There are occasional rear seats. Price: £949.15.3 incl. PT.
MG B at Earls Court.
Races:
| Event: | Entered: | Raced: | Finished: | Best results: | ||||
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4 | 2 | 0 | Midget | Noble / Astle | acc | |