MG MGA
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The MGA was a sports car produced by MG division of the British Motor Corporation from 1955 to 1962.
The MGA replaced the older T series cars and reprsented a complete styling break from the older vehicles. The car was officially launched at the Frankfurt Motor Show of 1955. It was replaced by the MGB when production ceased in July 1962. Through that time, BMC sold 101,081 units, the vast majority of which were exported with only 5869 cars sold on the home market, the highest export percentage of any British car.
The design dates back to 1952 when MG designer Syd Enever created a streamlined body for George Philips' TD Le Mans car. The problem with this car was the high seating position of the driver because of the limitations of using the TD chassis. A new chassis was designed with the side members further apart and the floor attached to the bottom rather than the top of the frame sections. A prototype was built and shown to the BMC chairman Leonard Lord. Lord turned down the idea of producing the new car as he had just signed a deal with Donald Healey to produce Austin-Healey cars. Falling sales of the traditional MG models caused a change of mind and the car, initially to be called the UA-series, was brought back. As it was so different from the older MG models it was called the MGA, the "first of a new line" to quote the contemporary advertising. There was also a new engine available so the car did not have the originally intended XPAG unit but was fitted with the BMC corporate B-Series type allowing a lower bonnet line.
It was a body-on-frame design and used the straight-4 "B series" engine from the MG Magnette saloon driving the rear wheels through a 4 speed gearbox. Suspension was independent with coil springs and wishbones at the front and a rigid axle with semi-elliptic springs at the rear. Steering was by rack and pinion and was not power assisted. The car was available with either wire spoked or steel disc road wheels.
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[edit] 1500
| MG A 1500 | |
| Production: | 1955-1959 58,750 made |
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| Engine: | 1489 cc B-Series Straight-4 |
The 1489 cc engine produced 68 hp (51 kW) at first, but was soon uprated to 72 hp (54 kW). Lockheed hydraulic drum brakes were used on all wheels. A coupé version was also produced, bringing the total production of standard MGAs to 58,750.
[edit] Twin-Cam
| MG A Twin Cam | |
| Production: | 1958-1960 2111 made |
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| Engine: | 1588 cc B-Series Straight-4 double overhead cam |
A high-performance Twin-Cam model was added for 1958. It used a high compression (9.9:1 later 8.3:1) DOHC aluminium cylinder head version of the B-Series engine producing 108 hp (82 kW). Four wheel disc brakes by Dunlop were also fitted. The temperamental engine was notorious, however, and sales were poor. The Twin-Cam was dropped in 1960 after 2,111 had been produced. The car can best be distinguished from the pushrod models by its centre lock steel road wheels. Wire spoked wheels were never fitted to the Twin Cam.
[edit] 1600 and 1600 De-Luxe
| MG A 1600 | |
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| Production: | 1959-1960 31,501 made |
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| Engine: | 1588 cc B-Series Straight-4 |
In 1959 the standard cars also received an updated engine, now at 1588 cc producing 78 bhp. Front discs were fitted, but drums remained in the rear. 31,501 were produced in less than three years. Externally the car is very similar to the 1500 with differences including: Amber front turn indicators shared with white parking lamps, separate stop/tail and turn lamps in the rear, and 1600 badging on the boot and the cowl.
A number of 1600 De Luxe versions were produced with leftover special wheels and four wheel disc brakes of the departed Twin-Cam. Seventy of them were roadsters and 12 coupés.
[edit] Mark II and Mark II De-Luxe
| MG A 1600 Mark II | |
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| Production: | 1960-1962 8719 made |
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| Engine: | 1622 cc B-Series Straight-4 |
The engine size was increased again to 1622 cc by increasing the bore from 75.4 mm to 76.2 mm for the 1961 Mark II MGA. An inset grille was the most obvious visual change. 8198 Mark II roadsters and 521 coupés were built.
As with the 1600 De Luxe, there were also some Mark II De Luxe versions with 290 roadster and 23 coupés made.
[edit] Competition History
The MGA's bodywork was based largely on that of a one-off MG TD specially built by the MG factory at the request of racing privateer George Phillips for the 1951 24 Hours of Le Mans. Later, a new chassis was designed so as to seat the driver lower in the car with even cleaner bodywork resulting in the EX 175 prototype.
The later MG prototype EX 182 was very close to the final production MGA and was the car actually raced at Le Mans in 1955. Three MGA prototypes were entered at Le Mans in 1955. Two of the cars finished the race placing twelfth and seventeenth overall, proving the worth of the new car. The third car crashed with serious injuries to the driver, Dick Jacobs.
The MGA has been raced extensively in the U.S. since its 1955 introduction and with considerble success. In Sports Car Club of America compitition the MGA has won numerous regional and national championships. It has also been a favorite choice of those competing in vintage racing. The MGA continues to win races even at the highest levels. Kent Prather has been the most successful American MGA driver to date with G Production wins at the SCCA national championships in 1986, 1990, 1995, 2002, 2003, and 2005. This despite the fact that his MGA was often the oldest vehicle competing among several hundred race cars at the SCCA Runoffs®.
[edit] References
- Anders Ditlev Clausager (1993). Original MGA. Bay View Books. ISBN 1-870976-31-1.
- John Heilig (1996). MG Sports Cars. Motorbooks. ISBN 0-7603-0112-3.
- MGA Home Page. MG Enthusiasts. Retrieved on March 21, 2005.
- MGA Register Holland. Twin-Cam register. Retrieved on January 8, 2006.
[edit] External links
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