MG J-Type

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MG J1, J2, J3 and J4
Production period: 1932-1934
Class : Sports car
Body versions : Touring cars , roadsters
Previous model: MG C-Type , MG D-Type
Successor: MG PA Midget, MG PB Midget

The MG J-Type was built by MG from September 1932 to March 1934. The 2-door sports car was powered by an engine with an overhead camshaft (ohc), as it was essentially used in the Morris Minor and Wolseley Ten and from 1929 to 1932 in the MG M-Type , here in a revised version with a cross-flow cylinder head . The engine power was transmitted to the rear wheels via an unsynchronized four-speed gearbox. The chassis came from the MG D-Type and had rigid axles attached to semi-elliptical leaf springs at the front and rear and fitted with Hartford friction shock absorbers. The car had a wheelbase of 2184 mm and a track width of 1,087 mm. Most of the designs were open two-seaters, but there was also a closed salonette version of the J1 and some chassis went to independent bodybuilders . The open car can be distinguished from the M-Type in that they have deeply cut doors.

Executions

J1 Midget (1932-1933)

J1 midget

Image does not exist
Production period: 1932-1933
Body versions : Touring cars , roadsters
Engines: Otto engine :
0.85 liters (26.5 kW)
Length: 3251 mm
Width: 1295 mm
Height:
Wheelbase : 2184 mm
Empty weight : 455 kg

The J1 was the four-seater of the quartet. The engine had a displacement of 847 cm³, was already used in the C-Type and delivered 36 bhp (26.5 kW) at 5500 rpm with SU twin carburetors. The car cost £ 220 as an open roadster and £ 225 as a salonette. A total of 380 examples were built.

J2 Midget (1932-1934)

J2 Midget
MG Midget J2 (1933)

MG Midget J2 (1933)
Production period: 1932-1934
Body versions : Roadster
Engines: Otto engine :
0.85 liters (26.5 kW)
Length: 3251 mm
Width: 1308 mm
Height:
Wheelbase : 2184 mm
Empty weight : 492 kg

The J2 was the best-selling version of the series, a two-seater for road traffic. Early vehicles had narrow, permanently mounted wheel fenders, but in 1933 they received the long fenders typical of all MG up to the TF of the 1950s. The maximum speed of a production model was 104 km / h, a copy specially prepared for the magazine The Autocar reached 131 km / h. The cars cost £ 199 Sh 10 and 2083 pieces were built. For a surcharge of £ 12 Sh 12, the buyer received the following accessories: temperature gauge, electric clock, leather straps for the bonnet and protective grille for the headlights.

As with all J-Type models, the engine showed in practice inadequacies when driving incorrectly and lacking maintenance: If the engine is over-revved, the crankshaft, which has only two bearings, can break quickly. Vehicle fires could also easily occur: The overhead camshaft is driven by a vertical shaft with bevel gears (so-called vertical shaft ). The alternator is also located on this shaft. If the camshaft housing leaks, the leakage oil can ignite on the collector of the alternator.

The J-Type did not yet have hydraulic brakes, but mechanical brakes operated by a cable. These require regular maintenance and, if necessary, readjustment in order to function reliably and evenly. The low braking power of the comparatively small brake drums caused many drivers to convert the vehicles to larger drums from other MG models during the construction period of this model.

The transmission is not synchronized according to the construction and requires double coupling and, if necessary, intermediate gas to prevent gear noise and high wear.

J3 Supercharged (1932-1933)

J3 supercharged
Cockpit of a MG Midget J3 (1932)

Cockpit of a MG Midget J3 (1932)
Production period: 1932-1933
Body versions : Roadster
Engines: Otto engine :
0.75 liters
Length: 3353 mm
Width: 1295 mm
Height:
Wheelbase : 2184 mm
Empty weight :

The J3 was a racing sports car whose displacement was only 746 cm³ by reducing the stroke from 83 mm to 73 mm and which was equipped with a Powerplus compressor. Due to the smaller displacement, the car could start in the 750 cm³ class. It had the larger brakes of the L-Type Magna . 22 vehicles were created from this version.

J4 Supercharged (1933)

J4 supercharged
MG Midget J4 (1933)

MG Midget J4 (1933)
Production period: 1933
Body versions : Roadster
Engines: Otto engine :
0.75 liters (53 kW)
Length: 3353 mm
Width: 1295 mm
Height:
Wheelbase : 2184 mm
Empty weight : 657 kg

The J4 was a pure racing car with a lighter body and the engine of the J3, which, however, achieved an output of 72 bhp (53 kW) at 6000 rpm due to higher boost pressure. Only nine vehicles of this version were built.

Web links

Commons : MG J-Type  - collection of images, videos and audio files

swell

  • Green, Malcolm: MG Sportscars , CLB International. (1997), ISBN 1-85833-606-6
  • Sedgwick, Michael & Gillies, Mark: AZ of Cars of the 1930s , Bay View Books. (1989), ISBN 1-870979-38-9
  • Culshaw, David & Horrobin, Peter: The Complet Catalog of British Cars 1895-1975 , Veloce Publishing plc., Dorchester (1997), ISBN 1-874105-93-6