MG EX182
The MG EX182 was a racing version of the MGA from 1955.
Development history
The MG EX182 was specially developed for use in the Le Mans 24-hour race in 1955 . The people in charge at MG wanted to use the media attention for the new MGA sports car by participating in this 24-hour race . Five vehicles were built, three of which were registered in Le Mans. The MG EX182 had aluminum bodies that were outwardly identical to the road versions. The cars had no convertible top and the passenger seat was covered when racing. The 1.5-liter 4-cylinder in- line engine from the street version served as the drive .
Racing history of the works cars
The works cars were only used at two motorsport events; at the Le Mans 24-hour race and at the 1955 RAC Tourist Trophy . Three EX182s were registered in Le Mans, driven by the teams Ken Miles / Johnny Lockett , Ted Lund / Hans Waeffler and Dick Jacobs / Joe Flynn .
The race at Le Mans was overshadowed by Pierre Levegh's fatal accident , in which the French racing driver and 83 spectators were killed. This disaster completely lost the fact that Dick Jacobs also had a serious accident in the EX182. The rescue and safety measures at the Levegh accident site in front of the pits were inadequate and chaotic. The first laps after the accident, the vehicles in the race drove past the scene of the accident at almost undiminished speed; also Jacobs in the MG. The Briton said later that he was so irritated by the fire and smoke that he completely lost concentration. The consequence of this lack of concentration was an accident in the White House Corner (today's Porsche corners). After a mistake in driving the machine gun overturned and remained burning with the wheels up on an earth wall. Jacobs suffered serious lung injuries and broken legs. His life was in danger for a few days, but returned to the racetracks after more than a year of recovery.
The two remaining EX182s crossed the finish line without any major problems. Miles and Lockett finished the race in 12th place overall; Lund and Waeffler finished seventeenth. Antretenden against the same racing class (sports cars between 1.1 and 1.5 liters displacement) plant - Porsche 550/4 RS Spyder in 1500 , however, the MG had no chance.
Changed driver pairings were used in the RAC Tourist Trophy. Johnny Lockett enters the race with Ron Flockhart ; Ted Lund with Dickie Stoop . The third car was driven by Jack Fairman and Peter Wilson . While Fairman and Wilson finished the race in 20th place in the overall standings, the other two X182s dropped out due to defects.
literature
- Christian Moity, Jean-Marc Teissèdre, Alain Bienvenu: 24 heures du Mans, 1923–1992. Éditions d'Art, Besançon 1992, ISBN 2-909-413-06-3 .
Web links
- Information about the EX182
- The EX182 at Racing Sports Cars
- Raymond Tourol in the Internet Movie Database (English)
