MGA (car)

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MG
MGA 1600 Coupé (1959-1960)
MGA 1600 Coupé (1959-1960)
A.
Production period: 1955-1962
Class : Sports car
Body versions : Coupé , roadster
Engines:
Petrol engines : 1.5–1.6 liters
(50–79 kW)
Length: 3962 mm
Width: 1473 mm
Height: 1270 mm
Wheelbase : 2388 mm
Empty weight : 902 kg
Previous model MG TF
successor MGB
MGA 1500 Roadster (1955–1959)

The MGA is a sports car that the MG division of the BMC produced from 1955 to 1962.

General

The MGA replaced the TF 1500 and represented a complete break with the shape of its predecessor. The car was officially presented at the 1955 IAA in Frankfurt . The successor model was the MGB in July 1962 . By then, BMC had sold 101,081 MGAs, most of them for export; only 5,869 remained in the UK. This is the highest export rate (94.2%) of any UK car. The MGA was mainly produced as a roadster, but also as a coupé. With all engine variants, a total of 9,887 coupés were created which, in addition to the coupé roof, differed from the roadsters through modified doors with crank windows and external door openers. The rear window was divided into three parts.

Construction dates back to 1952 when MG in-house designer Syd Enever designed a streamlined body for George Philips' TD for Le Mans . The problem with this car was the high seating position of the driver, which was due to the characteristics of the TD chassis. A new chassis was constructed with longitudinal members that were further apart and a vehicle floor that was attached under the frame members instead of on them. A prototype was built and presented to BMC's director, Leonard Lord . Lord, however, rejected the series production of this car because he had just signed a contract with Donald Healey two weeks earlier to manufacture the Austin Healey cars. However, falling sales for the traditional MG vehicles caused a change of heart, and so the design, originally called "Series UA", came back into consideration. Since it was very different from the previous MG models, it was called "MGA", i. That is, the car was considered the first car in a new series, as it represented a contemporary advertisement. Instead of the old XPAG engine, there was also one from the new BMC-B series, which enabled a flatter bonnet.

The MGA was - like its predecessor - a construction with a separate frame and had the same motor of the BMC-B series as the MG Magnette , the power of which was passed on to the rear wheels via a manual four-speed gearbox. At the front, the car had independent suspension on wishbones and coil springs and at the rear a rigid axle suspended from semi-elliptical leaf springs. The rack and pinion steering was not power assisted. The MGA had either steel disc wheels or wire spoke wheels.

Models

1500

The four-cylinder in-line engine had a displacement of 1489 cm³ and developed initially 68 bhp (50 kW), later 72 bhp (53 kW). All four wheels were fitted with hydraulically operated drum brakes, make Lockheed . In addition to the roadster, there was also a coupé version, a total of 58,750 MGAs were produced.

An early open car was tested by British magazine The Motor in 1955 and reached a top speed of 157 km / h and an acceleration of 0-100 km / h in 16.0 seconds. The test consumption was 10.6 l / 100 km.

Twin cam

1958 came the Twin Cam , a high-performance model with two overhead camshafts (dohc) and increased compression of initially 9.9: 1, later 8.3: 1. The so tuned BMC-B-series engine developed 108 bhp (79 kW ) with the high compression and 100 bhp (74 kW) with the low compression. The car had Dunlop disc brakes on all four wheels and steel disc wheels from the same manufacturer as they were used on the racing Jaguars. The Twin Cam did not come with wire-spoke wheels.

The spirited machine was known throughout its production time for the frequent warranty failures and the sales figures were modest. Strangely enough, the reason was only found after the production of this engine model ended, and many restored Twin Cam are more reliable today than they ever did in their time. In 1960 after only 2,111 units were produced, the Twin Cam was discontinued. The best way to distinguish these cars from their sister models with a bumper motor is by their disc wheels with central locking.

An open MGA Twin Cam was tested by the British magazine The Motor in 1958 and reached a top speed of 181 km / h and an acceleration of 0-100 km / h in 9.1 seconds. The test consumption was 10.2 l / 100 km. The test car cost £ 1283 including taxes of £ 428.

1600 and 1600 De Luxe

In May 1959, the standard versions also received a revised engine with a displacement of 1588 cm³ and an output of 78 bhp (57 kW). The cars had disc brakes at the front, the drums remained at the rear. In less than three years, 31,501 vehicles of this model were built. From the outside, the car looks very similar to the 1500; The differences are: orange or white (depending on the country version) indicator lights at the front, combined with white position lights, separate brake / taillights and indicator lights at the rear, and stickers with the inscription "1600" on the trunk lid and the sides of the vehicle.

A number of "1600 De Luxe" models were created with leftover parts of the no longer built Twin Cam, e.g. B. the special wheels with central locking and the disc brakes at the front and rear. Existing chassis were also used. This resulted in 70 roadsters and 12 coupés.

An open 1600 was tested by The Motor magazine in 1959. It reached a top speed of 154 km / h and an acceleration of 0-100 km / h in 13.3 seconds. The test consumption was 9.5 l / 100 km. The test car cost £ 940 including the tax of £ 277.

Mark II and Mark II De Luxe

In 1961 the MGA Mark II appeared with the engine enlarged to 1622 cm³ (bore 76.2 mm instead of 75.4 mm). It also had a longer rear axle (4: 1), which enabled more relaxed driving at higher speeds. The optical changes were limited to a grille insert and the rear lights of the Morris Mini , which were installed horizontally below the trunk lid. 8,198 Mark II roadsters and 521 Mark II coupés were built.

As with the 1600, there were also De-Luxe versions of the Mark II. 290 roadsters and 23 coupés were built.

Racing history

The body of the MGA is largely based on that which the factory had made in 1951 especially for the MG TD of private driver George Philips for the 24-hour race at Le Mans. A new chassis was added later so that the driver could sit lower. This chassis was given an even more aerodynamic body, which resulted in the prototype EX 175.

The later MG prototype EX182 , which competed in Le Mans in 1955, largely corresponded to the production model of the MGA. Three MGA prototypes were entered for this race. Two of them were able to finish the race, in 12th and 17th place, which proves the value of the new construction. The third car had a serious accident in which the driver Dick Jacobs was seriously injured.

The MGA has raced frequently in the US since it was introduced there in 1955, and it has been fairly successful. In the competitions of the Sports Car Club of America , the MGA has won numerous regional and national championships. It was also frequently used in classic car races. Kent Prather has been the most successful MGA driver to date with 6 wins in the US-wide SCCA competitions in 1986, 1990, 1995, 2002, 2003 and 2005, although his MGA was often the oldest registered vehicle among several hundred competitors.

Appearances in film and television

gallery

  • MGA 1600 Roadster (1959-1960)

  • MGA Twin Cam Roadster (1961)

  • MGA 1600 Mark II Roadster (1961)

  • MGA coupe

Web links

Commons : MG A  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

swell

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Robson, Graham: AZ of British Cars 1945-1980 , Herridge, Devon 2006, ISBN 0-9541063-9-3 .
  2. ^ The MG Series MGA Two-seater. In: The Motor , September 28, 1955.
  3. ↑ The MGA Twin Cam Two-seater , The Motor, July 16, 1958
  4. ^ Robson, Graham: AZ of British Cars 1945-1980 , Herridge, Devon (2006), ISBN 0-9541063-9-3
  5. ↑ The MGA 1600 Two-seater , The Motor, September 2, 1959
  6. ^ Robson, Graham: AZ of British Cars 1945-1980 , Herridge, Devon (2006), ISBN 0-9541063-9-3
  7. ↑ site of Kent Prather (English)