Men and Motors
  • 8 months ago
In this programme we explore many of the historic MG vehicles which have been in production for over 50 years and are some of the most iconic and well-loved sports cars in motoring history. We also get up close and personal with the personalities and car enthusiasts who make up the MG world.

Don't forget to subscribe to our channel and hit the notification bell so you never miss a video!

------------------
Enjoyed this video? Don't forget to LIKE and SHARE the video and get involved with our community by leaving a COMMENT below the video!

Check out what else our channel has to offer and don't forget to SUBSCRIBE to Men & Motors for more classic car and motorbike content! Why not? It is free after all!

---- Social Media ----

Follow us on social media by clicking the link below to elevate your social media experience by connecting with us!
https://menandmotors.start.page

If you have any questions, e-mail us at talk@menandmotors.com

© Men and Motors - One Media iP

Category

🚗
Motor
Transcript
00:00 [MUSIC PLAYING]
00:03 [MUSIC PLAYING]
00:06 [MUSIC PLAYING]
00:10 [MUSIC PLAYING]
00:13 [MUSIC PLAYING]
00:17 [MUSIC PLAYING]
00:22 [MUSIC PLAYING]
00:39 [MUSIC PLAYING]
00:42 [MUSIC PLAYING]
00:46 [MUSIC PLAYING]
00:55 [MUSIC PLAYING]
01:11 [MUSIC PLAYING]
01:14 [MUSIC PLAYING]
01:27 [MUSIC PLAYING]
01:31 When it comes to British sports car manufacturing,
01:45 there's one name that cannot go unmentioned, and that's MG.
01:51 One of MG's most renowned sporting numbers,
01:54 a highly successful model on both sides of the Atlantic,
01:57 was the MG A. This is an early model from 1956,
02:04 and it's a fairly new investment.
02:07 The collector previously owned another
02:09 of MG's classic creations, an MG TD Midget,
02:13 but swapped it a year ago for this much-loved all-time
02:17 classic.
02:19 Featuring a 1,500cc engine, this superb example
02:23 usually takes to the road at least once a week
02:26 and has undergone a slight refurbishment project
02:29 to get it into tip-top shape.
02:31 The sleek MG A series first appeared in 1955.
02:39 However, it was many years before this time
02:42 that the company had made its initial impact
02:44 on the motoring scene.
02:46 Cecil Kimber, the founder of MG, developed a passion
02:53 for motor vehicles at an early age
02:55 and was destined to make his own contribution to the industry.
03:01 Racing motorbikes, becoming assistant to the chief engineer
03:05 at Sheffield Simplex, then moving on to AC cars,
03:09 Kimber went through a series of jobs
03:11 before working for William Morris.
03:16 During his time working at the Morris garages,
03:19 Kimber produced the first MG model.
03:24 Although there was very little to distinguish the Morris and MG
03:27 cars apart at first, Kimber soon developed a sporting edge
03:32 that would go on to grab global recognition.
03:35 Like most of the great British marks of the classic car-making
03:46 era, things didn't always go to plan for MG.
03:50 War, financial worries, and business disagreements
03:54 all played their part.
03:56 Nevertheless, MG produced some excellent models,
04:00 finding a particular niche in producing neat little two-seater
04:04 sports cars.
04:05 It was with the advent of the MGA
04:11 that the company stepped into a new and very modern era
04:14 of styling.
04:17 Post-war MG cars had previously looked
04:19 like restyled pre-war models.
04:22 But with the masterful designs of Sydney Eneva,
04:25 this was all about to change.
04:27 Doing away with its previous square-shaped looks,
04:34 a more curvaceous and lower sitting body was created.
04:37 Not only did these features enhance the car's
04:43 sporty appearance, but the low center of gravity
04:46 also made it very nimble and easy to handle on corners.
04:50 Even so, the old MG design methods
04:55 of using a separate chassis and detachable front door
04:59 side screens for open top models were still maintained.
05:04 In fact, the public had already been
05:06 given an indication of what MG were planning four years
05:10 before the MGA actually arrived, when George Phillips had
05:15 driven a re-bodied TD Midget in the 1951 Le Mans race.
05:22 The appearance was so different to that
05:24 of the original TD Midget, it was almost unbelievable
05:27 to imagine that it was the same car underneath.
05:30 MG proposed that a road-going version of this car
05:38 would be a suitable replacement for the fading TD Midget.
05:42 But BMC, MG's parent company at the time,
05:46 chose to concentrate on building the Austin-Healey 100 instead.
05:50 The TF Midget went on to replace the TD,
05:56 although it soon became apparent that this wasn't
05:58 enough to impress the public.
06:00 Hence, the MGA was released.
06:05 The model's new and fresh style was very well received,
06:08 and a coupe version, which became standard in 1956,
06:12 was available throughout the MGA's production.
06:17 The coupe carried off the good looks of the open top
06:20 perfectly, even mimicking its soft top profile.
06:23 The MGA's exquisite appearance was equally
06:29 matched by its performance, taking its engine
06:32 from the new BMC B-Series, with a cubic capacity of nearly 1,500
06:37 CCs, a top speed of 98 miles per hour was achievable.
06:43 However, this was soon improved upon with the advent of the MGA
06:46 Twin Cam in 1958.
06:51 With 108 brake horsepower and a 1.6 liter engine,
06:55 the new MGA variant could reach 113 miles per hour.
07:01 As the performance statistics suggest,
07:04 the Twin Cam wasn't designed to be an everyday run around,
07:08 and was essentially aimed for competition use.
07:12 Other mechanical refinements included
07:14 four-wheel disc brakes, uprated suspension,
07:18 and special center locking steel disc wheels.
07:21 In theory, the Twin Cam should have been a best seller.
07:27 However, an expensive price tag, along with a reputation
07:31 for unreliability, meant that the plan
07:34 to make 2,500 of these models was not followed through.
07:39 With the proposed production figure falling short
07:42 by almost 400, MG decided to use the leftover car
07:46 parts in an exclusive deluxe MGA Mark II model.
07:53 Only one major factor distinguished the Mark II
07:56 from the normal Twin Cam model, and that was the engine.
08:00 Today, the deluxe variant is highly sought after.
08:04 Next to come in the MGA range was the 1600.
08:10 Brakes were improved from the original model,
08:13 with discs to the front wheels, whilst drums
08:16 remained to the rear.
08:18 New front lights were also fitted,
08:20 and the windows now featured sliding perspex.
08:25 During production of the 1600, MG
08:28 was facing tough competition from its rivals, most
08:31 significantly Triumph, who were also
08:34 offering an attractive sports car package in their TR range.
08:39 The MGA 1600 was, however, a cut above the rest,
08:44 and one of the most successful members of the MGA range.
08:49 Despite its outstanding reception,
08:51 a Mark II variant was introduced in 1961.
08:57 The Mark II, with a slightly larger engine capacity
09:00 and a higher gearing, upped the maximum speed of the 1600
09:04 from 101 to a recorded 103 miles per hour.
09:10 Other changes included new horizontal tail lamps
09:14 and a redesign of the radiator grill, which
09:17 now featured inset slats.
09:19 Production of the 1600 Mark II lasted for just one year
09:27 and was the last of the MGA range.
09:30 It was a very hard act to follow,
09:32 but MG had already prepared themselves,
09:35 producing a superb car that, yet again,
09:38 went beyond the boundaries.
09:41 The replacement came in the form of the MGB,
09:44 which went on to serve an illustrious production
09:46 period for the next 20 years.
09:50 The original MG Mark was in continuous use,
09:53 barring the period of the Second World War,
09:55 for 56 years after its inception.
09:59 A blurred and mildly complicated history and origins
10:03 in its early years, there are disputes
10:05 about how the Mark was founded.
10:08 In this program, we shall get up close and personal
10:11 for a change, with owners featuring
10:13 alongside their prized vehicles and telling all.
10:17 Welcome to the world of the MG owner.
10:19 [MUSIC PLAYING]
10:23 I'm Peter Pym, the owner of this nice MG.
10:37 During the 1936 to '39 period, the MG company
10:44 came out with three models called the SVWs.
10:50 This is, in fact, an SA Charlesworth Tourer Type 3.
10:57 In those days, the police in Lancashire
11:00 were very keen to get these cars for the purpose
11:04 of stopping speeding motorists.
11:07 And in fact, were getting a discount from the MG company
11:13 as the Home Office were giving 10%
11:17 of the cost, which in full was 385 pounds, to MG.
11:25 So the Lancashire Police Force had a number of these cars.
11:28 This particular car left the MG Abingdon factory
11:32 on the 19th of November, 1937, and was
11:36 run to Charlesworth bodies in Coventry as a running chassis.
11:42 As I said, this price was 385 pounds.
11:46 And the scheme run by the Home Office at the time
11:50 was the Home Office Experimental Motor Patrol
11:53 Scheme, which was known as the Courtesy Cop Scheme.
11:58 Finally, the car was sold in 1948 for 250 pounds.
12:03 I, in fact, purchased the car from a Dutchman
12:07 who had had the car since 1978 with a view to restoring it.
12:12 He had in turn bought it from someone in Hampshire.
12:16 So when 1969 came around, the Dutchman,
12:20 who hadn't finished the job, decided enough was enough.
12:24 So I was able to go across to Holland,
12:26 negotiate a price with him, and bring it back to this country.
12:31 I got it back on the road after restoration in 1998.
12:36 And I've been going to shows ever since.
12:41 With regard to the registration number,
12:46 it now has its original number, CTE 737,
12:50 which indicates that it's a Lancashire number.
12:54 I had to get that back from the DVLA.
12:57 I had difficulty getting it back.
12:59 But fortunately, the Lancashire police
13:01 have kept their records since the 1930s
13:04 and were able to assist me.
13:05 In fact, I've made many Lancashire police force
13:08 friends since purchasing the car.
13:13 The car isn't original.
13:14 Of course, as a police car, it would have been black,
13:16 and the interior would have been blue.
13:18 But I prefer a colored car rather than a black car.
13:22 So it was my choice of color.
13:24 At the time, of course, I didn't know it was a police car.
13:27 It was only through researching the history of the car
13:29 that I found out that it was in fact a police car.
13:35 There were 90 SA Tours made.
13:40 They came in three particular styles.
13:42 This is type 3 with the cutout door, the spare wheel
13:46 on the side, and of course, no rear bumper, which
13:49 was quite common in the '30s.
13:52 The other types, 1 and 2, had the spare wheel at the back,
13:59 and the doors had a straight line running from bonnet
14:05 to the rear.
14:07 So this is a very distinctive car, of which it's
14:10 believed there were 29.
14:11 The ones that I know of are spread throughout the world,
14:18 everywhere from New Zealand to Vancouver in Canada.
14:22 SA's were originally known as the 2-liter MG.
14:26 It was later in their production that the power of the engines
14:29 were increased to 2322 cc.
14:34 And here we have an example of a restored engine.
14:39 Points of interest are the jackalled system,
14:42 which the car has for lifting either the front or the back
14:46 or all four wheels.
14:48 The oil is contained in a special container
14:51 on the bulkhead.
14:52 And on the top of the bulkhead, you've
14:54 got the four essential tools that one would need.
15:00 Obviously, there is a toolbox as well,
15:02 but they're essential features.
15:05 And there is also the nipples for oiling
15:10 the appropriate parts of the car when needed,
15:13 on when it's being maintained.
15:18 Two fuel pumps, two SU carburettors,
15:23 just about sums the car up.
15:24 And of course, it's painted in Brunswick green,
15:28 which is the correct color for the car.
15:31 I would like to tell you how it is that I've purchased an MG.
15:35 As a four-year-old child back in the 1939 era,
15:40 I was sitting on the bonnet of my father's SA Tickford Drophead
15:45 Coupe, having a photograph taken of myself and my parents.
15:51 So Tickford, especially SA, has always been
15:56 something that I longed for.
15:59 10 years ago, the best I could manage
16:02 was the baby version of the SA.
16:05 That's the VA, which is 1 and 1/2 liter.
16:10 And that was a Drophead Coupe, Tickford bodied,
16:16 as my father's car was.
16:18 But having had that for seven or eight years,
16:21 I felt I must have an SA.
16:23 And the opportunity arose through an advert
16:27 in the MG Car Club magazine, Safety Fast.
16:32 Someone was selling the car in Holland.
16:35 And of course, the very weekend I found out about it,
16:39 a trip was made to Holland by myself and my wife.
16:43 She thought I was absolutely crazy.
16:45 But needless to say, after quite a bit of haggling,
16:50 I managed to secure the purchase of the car
16:54 and brought it all back in the back of a lorry in its boxes.
17:00 The only parts of the car which were immediately reusable
17:04 was the engine and the chassis.
17:05 [MUSIC PLAYING]
17:09 [MUSIC PLAYING]
17:12 [MUSIC PLAYING]
17:16 [MUSIC PLAYING]
17:19 [MUSIC PLAYING]
17:23 [MUSIC PLAYING]
17:24 My name's Gerry Lawson.
17:25 This is my car.
17:27 It's a 1950 MG YT.
17:30 T stands for Tourer.
17:32 Previously to this, they had an MG YA and a YB,
17:35 which were the four-door saloon versions of the car.
17:39 They made 877 of these vehicles, mainly all for export.
17:44 Only four were sold into the UK.
17:46 I've only had this car four weeks.
17:48 And I bought it from Holland.
17:50 The previous owner sadly died, not in the car, I might add.
17:55 And his widow wanted to go to somebody
17:56 who would use it and enjoy it.
17:58 So I went across on the boat and fetched it.
18:00 And we've been using it and enjoying it
18:02 for the past four weeks.
18:03 It's a nice thing for us.
18:07 The car itself, as I say, is 1950.
18:10 Very rare in this country.
18:11 In fact, there are 17 known of in the UK,
18:14 of which only seven are actually on the road being driven,
18:17 almost daily, as it were.
18:20 The technical aspects of the car is
18:21 that it's the same engine and running gear and chassis
18:24 as the previously produced MG TD and TF.
18:28 The rear half of the body is basically a Morris 8E.
18:32 It was modified by the MG car group at Abingdon.
18:36 And it's one of the last traditionally shaped cars
18:38 with an upright slatted grill, separate chrome headlamps,
18:43 and the traditional sort of driving style.
18:46 It shares its engine and gearbox also
18:48 with a lot of other cars--
18:48 Wolseley, Riley.
18:50 It's what we call an XPAG engine.
18:51 And it's 1250.
18:54 It's not expensive to run.
18:56 Most parts are available for it still.
18:58 It returns 25, 28 to the gallon on the run.
19:02 And we find it very comfortable.
19:05 70 miles an hour is not realistic.
19:07 But 55, 60 miles an hour is quite comfortable with the car.
19:11 It's enjoyable to drive.
19:12 [MUSIC PLAYING]
19:16 I've always had MG cars.
19:37 I mean, I'm 42 at the moment.
19:39 And my first car was bought when I was 17.
19:42 I've got three other MGs at the moment.
19:45 We just like MGs-- the way they drive, the way they're built.
19:48 There's a tremendous following for them,
19:51 including a very active owners club and car
19:53 club with a full race series.
19:56 We intend to go across to Ireland with the MG club
19:58 very shortly.
19:59 In this, I hope.
20:00 And it's one of those things.
20:02 We've grown up with it.
20:03 We love them.
20:04 It's very good.
20:05 [MUSIC PLAYING]
20:08 The previous owner of the car had owned the car 14 or 15
20:24 years.
20:25 And eight years ago, he spent a small fortune
20:27 on it, having it restored professionally
20:30 to the tune of something like 15,000 pounds,
20:32 or the equivalent in Dutch guilders.
20:34 Every last nut and bolt was looked at and replaced.
20:38 The engine gearbox, everything was done.
20:40 He even managed to find an original set of carpet covers,
20:43 seats, et cetera, and put a lot of money
20:45 into the car, time and effort.
20:47 At the moment, there's a few minor paint blemishes.
20:50 But apart from that, she's very good mechanically.
20:52 There's no rust or rot in the bodywork.
20:54 And I intend to do the paintwork eventually,
20:57 as and when I get time and effort,
20:59 get around to doing it.
21:01 But I'll enjoy doing it.
21:03 And it'll be my achievement.
21:04 The dashboard of the car is reminiscent
21:07 to very many pre-war cars, in that it has twin hump scuttles
21:12 as the pre-war race cars would have.
21:14 We have the tachometer in front of the passenger seat
21:16 on the left-hand side there.
21:18 The main dashboard considers petrol gauge, temperature gauge,
21:23 fuel gauge.
21:24 And the main speedometer is in front of the driver, obviously.
21:27 On this car, it's in kilometers, because the car was supplied
21:30 onto the continent.
21:32 The starting button is on the right-hand side
21:34 of the center dashboard.
21:35 And it's a pull.
21:36 It's a pull-type effect.
21:39 The previous owner has put a separate temperature gauge
21:42 underneath the dashboard on this car, which is quite realistic.
21:46 The car actually features an on-board optional extra
21:49 in the form of a heater.
21:51 So the car actually has a heater to be used.
21:54 Very mechanical, made out of plywood box
21:56 with a fan in it and an element.
21:58 And it works OK.
22:00 But no great shakes.
22:01 The car itself is manufactured in 1950.
22:13 It is, of course, as much old as the design of the vehicle,
22:16 probably from pre-war days.
22:18 The first Y-types were built in 1946.
22:21 And there were prototypes before that.
22:23 This came along in 1950.
22:26 It's 1950s-type motoring.
22:28 As such, we don't go on motorways.
22:29 We try not to go on motorways and busy roads.
22:31 And we get bullied by cars, lorries, coaches,
22:34 that sort of thing.
22:35 We tend to stick to the local lanes,
22:37 have a nice little run around.
22:39 50 miles an hour is more than we really want to do.
22:41 It's just the joy of having something that's
22:43 handmade, handcrafted in the UK.
22:46 Very rare.
22:48 It's enjoyable to drive.
22:49 Of course, there's no roof, although we
22:51 have the roof in the back and the side
22:52 screens to put on if it does ever rain.
22:55 Living in South Wales, we get quite used to that, up and down
22:57 and all that.
22:59 It's just a very much enjoyable car to drive.
23:01 [MUSIC PLAYING]
23:05 [MUSIC PLAYING]
23:08 [MUSIC PLAYING]
23:19 My name's John Heagland.
23:33 This is my car.
23:34 It's a 1947 MGTC.
23:37 It's an ex-Kent Constabulary car, patrol car.
23:41 Kent police bought it brand new back in 1947.
23:46 They owned the car for three years.
23:48 It then went to a BBC conductor named Frank Cantell.
23:53 It's had three other owners since then.
23:57 I'm the fifth owner.
23:59 I've had the car seven years now.
24:03 It's been fully restored by myself and my mates.
24:06 Everything's been done, all the paintwork, engine, interior,
24:10 underneath, all been done by ourselves.
24:15 We've been to various events over the last couple of years,
24:20 MG shows and non-MG shows.
24:23 Yes, MG police vehicles, they're not that rare.
24:26 They use quite a lot of MG police vehicles over the years,
24:30 dating back from pre-war, even back to the 1930s,
24:33 the police used MGs.
24:36 And they've been using them right up to 1979, I believe.
24:43 They even used one of the later models of the MG,
24:45 the MG BGTV-8, also MGBs as well,
24:50 which they used on motorways for catching
24:54 people that were speeding.
24:57 Well, I've always loved MGs.
24:59 I've always owned MGs.
25:00 I had a modern one, MG BGTV-8 for 20 years.
25:06 But I've always really wanted an older one, like the TC.
25:11 This is why I bought the TC.
25:14 It's got a lot of character, the TC.
25:15 I think it has anyway.
25:17 And it's a pretty little car, and a lot of people like it.
25:20 They seem to like it anyway.
25:21 [MUSIC PLAYING]
25:24 [MUSIC PLAYING]
25:28 [MUSIC PLAYING]
25:31 [MUSIC PLAYING]
25:34 [MUSIC PLAYING]
25:37 [MUSIC PLAYING]
25:40 [MUSIC PLAYING]
25:44 [ENGINE ROARING]
25:47 [MUSIC PLAYING]
26:14 It's a 1933 MG K3, supplied new as a rolling chassis
26:19 to Whitney Straight.
26:21 He then had Thompson and Taylor build the body
26:23 that you see on the car now.
26:25 It's been used-- it was used originally
26:27 as a Grand Prix type car.
26:29 It was then owned and raced by Dick Seaman, who obviously
26:31 went on later to race Mercedes and others.
26:35 The car belongs to Peter Green, and he's
26:37 owned the car since 1979.
26:39 It came back from America, where it spent
26:42 quite a while of its life.
26:44 It received then a ground-up complete restoration,
26:48 and since then has been used in several events.
26:51 It currently holds 10 national speed records for its class.
26:54 It races every August in the Nürburgring in Germany.
26:59 It's raced at the Monaco Historic Race three years ago.
27:04 It's used for sprints, hill climbs, concourse.
27:08 Not quite an everyday car, but it's
27:09 used for an everyday event.
27:12 It is a lovely car to drive.
27:14 It's a lovely car to look at.
27:16 Very, very attractive car.
27:17 Sounds wonderful.
27:19 Very lucky to drive it.
27:22 Just a fantastic car.
27:24 [MUSIC PLAYING]
27:28, [MUSIC PLAYING]
27:44 [ENGINE ROARING]
27:50 [MUSIC PLAYING]
27:54 [ENGINE ROARING]
27:57 [MUSIC PLAYING]
28:00 [ENGINE ROARING]
28:03 [MUSIC PLAYING]
28:06 [ENGINE ROARING]
28:09 [MUSIC PLAYING]
28:12 [ENGINE ROARING]
28:15 [MUSIC PLAYING]
28:18 [ENGINE ROARING]
28:21 [MUSIC PLAYING]
28:24 [ENGINE ROARING]
28:27 [MUSIC PLAYING]
28:30 [ENGINE ROARING]
28:33 [MUSIC PLAYING]
28:36 This car is owned by my father, Peter Green.
28:39 He bought it from Ireland in 1994.
28:42 He then completely restored it back to its current condition
28:46 today in readiness for a reunion of all the trials cars.
28:51 We use this car a lot.
28:53 It's used for races, hill climbs, sprints, concours,
28:57 gymkhanas, driving tests.
28:59 I usually race this car and sprint it
29:02 as it's sort of more my size.
29:05 It's done very well.
29:06 It's won Car of the Year for the MG Car Club.
29:09 It's won the Speed Championship.
29:11 It's used by all the family, really.
29:13 It's a lovely little car.
29:14 [MUSIC PLAYING]
29:17 [MUSIC PLAYING]
29:20 [MUSIC PLAYING]
29:23 [MUSIC PLAYING]
29:26 [MUSIC PLAYING]
29:29 As a lady driver, I love driving these cars.
29:33 I've always been brought up with old MGs.
29:36 So from a very early age, I've been going to events
29:40 and then soon started driving myself.
29:42 And as I said, I've raced it.
29:44 They're lovely cars to drive.
29:46 They're not too fast, but they go.
29:48 Very reliable, quite difficult to drive sometimes.
29:51 You know, if you're coming on the motorway today,
29:53 the wind blows you, and you have to really hold
29:55 onto the steering wheel.
29:57 But they're lovely cars to drive.
29:58 I really, really enjoy driving them.
30:00 [MUSIC PLAYING]
30:03 [MUSIC PLAYING]
30:06 [MUSIC PLAYING]
30:09 I'm Alan Wilkins, and this is my 1275 Midget.
30:13 1973, this one is.
30:17 It's got the round wheel arches, the same as the Austin
30:20 Healey Sprite, which they made for about two years,
30:24 between '72 and '73.
30:29 It's been refurbished to a reasonably high standard.
30:34 A 1275 engine with all the aluminum bits and pieces
30:38 on there.
30:39 [MUSIC PLAYING]
30:42 It took me about 9 to 12 months to refurbish.
30:47 I got it in a state of the body shell.
30:51 Another cloned body, which we call--
30:58 I bought a shell and a donor car.
31:01 And the shell was refurbished.
31:03 And the donor car, which was a '73 Midget.
31:09 And all the bits from the donor car
31:12 was then replaced onto this one, which
31:15 made a reasonably good car.
31:20 We've been to two shows now, twice this one,
31:23 and one at Abingdon Works show.
31:26 [MUSIC PLAYING]
31:29 This car has got an oil and a temperature gauge,
31:35 which is combined.
31:36 A rev counter, which gives you the revs per minute of the car.
31:43 A speedometer, which this one reads at 99,000.
31:47 So it's getting on for some good mileage.
31:51 It's all black interior with a leather back seat,
31:54 which is the original.
31:56 So they're 30-odd-year-old.
31:58 They call these leather back seats, or ladder back seats.
32:04 And it's been carpeted out fully with the black quality carpet.
32:13 It's got a hood.
32:14 My attraction to the MG cars is I used to work in Rovers
32:24 in A building, when it was pressed steel.
32:27 And we built the body of the Midget, the Sprite, the Midget,
32:31 and also the MGB in A building.
32:34 And I've worked on these and done show bodies
32:37 for the Eurosport show.
32:39 So I've really got a good connection with the car.
32:42 And therefore, I'm bred into it from 30 years ago.
32:48 [MUSIC PLAYING]
32:51 My name is Terry.
32:56 This is my MGB Roadster.
32:58 It's a limited edition car.
33:00 It was one of the last 200 ever made.
33:03 In fact, it was made in September, I think, the 25th, 1980.
33:08 It was sold to a collector who stored the car, had it wax sold.
33:13 And he actually kept the car for 10 years without registering it.
33:16 It was then put into an auction in the Sunday Times
33:21 and had a reserve price in the auction of 20,000 pounds.
33:25 It was actually sold for 20,050 pounds in 1990
33:30 and was then first registered.
33:33 I found the car by chance and a stroke of luck, I think.
33:38 The car, when I got it, had 5,000 miles on the clock.
33:42 We had the car checked over with the Heritage Center.
33:46 And everything proved to be valid.
33:48 We've had the car one year only.
33:51 The car now has another 3,500 miles on the clock
33:55 as we've started to use it and have now completed the running in of the car.
33:59 We've just returned from a holiday in France.
34:03 We're very happy with the car.
34:04 As you can see, it's in very good condition.
34:06 And it is all original.
34:08 It has extras, such as the wire wheels, which were added by the guy
34:11 when he put it into the auction.
34:13 [MUSIC PLAYING]
34:17 [MUSIC PLAYING]
34:20 [MUSIC PLAYING]
34:23 [MUSIC PLAYING]
34:26 [MUSIC PLAYING]
34:55 [MUSIC PLAYING]
34:58 [MUSIC PLAYING]
35:01 [MUSIC PLAYING]
35:04 [MUSIC PLAYING]
35:07 [MUSIC PLAYING]
35:10 [MUSIC PLAYING]
35:13 [MUSIC PLAYING]
35:14 I bought this car in 1976.
35:20 At that time, there were quite a few of these about,
35:24 but they were all in tea chests and boxes.
35:27 For whatever reason, they all seemed to be in pieces.
35:31 This was the first one I ever saw in--
35:33 actually, that you could get in and drive down the road.
35:36 What I didn't realize at the time was that most of it wasn't MG.
35:41 It had been cobbled up from various bits and pieces out of a breaker's yard.
35:46 So I probably spent about the next 10 years collecting an engine, a gearbox,
35:51 steering, radiator, wings, and got it all together.
35:58 Finished it about early '90, '91, as you see it now.
36:06 It's deteriorated a bit in the last 10 years, but there we go.
36:11 I did discover that it had had a massive accident,
36:18 which virtually bent the car in half.
36:21 And then all the wrong bits had gone on,
36:23 because the front half of the car had obviously been written off.
36:29 I figured by looking at the age of the parts
36:32 and what would have been available in a breaker's yard
36:34 that the accident happened probably late '40s, early '50s,
36:40 and the car is Irish registered.
36:42 So it was in Northern Ireland before that.
36:45 So it probably came over just after the end of the war
36:48 when England needed cars and they didn't have any.
36:52 Probably came over here, had a big accident,
36:54 and because there weren't any cars around, it was rebuilt.
36:58 But other than that, it would definitely have been a write-off.
37:01 So it's because of Hitler that this car is still here, probably.
37:06 The car is a 1935 MG PA.
37:12 It has an 847cc four-cylinder engine, overhead camshaft,
37:18 and a vertical dynamo which drives the overhead camshaft.
37:23 It's more or less standard and is fairly original,
37:30 apart from the racing filler cap on the radiator,
37:35 which should have an octagonal one.
37:37 Otherwise it's fairly original.
37:40 My attraction to MGs is the fact that they have got a very good racing history
37:47 and they're less expensive than things like Jaguars and Bentleys.
37:53 Otherwise I'd probably be driving a vintage Bentley
37:56 at some other meeting somewhere.
37:58 [Music]
38:22 [Music]
38:29 [Music]
38:32 [Music]
38:38 [Music]
38:44 [Music]
38:50 [Music]
38:57 [Music]
39:00 [Music]
39:06 [Music]
39:11 [Music]
39:22 [Music]
39:26 [Music]
39:32 [Music]
39:37 My name is Richard Underwood.
39:42 This is my 1939 MG TA, which I acquired in 1967 when I was 18 years of age.
39:50 By the time I acquired this car, they were still in use as everyday transport,
39:56 and I used it as everyday transport when I got it on the road after purchasing it.
40:01 I bought the car from an advertisement in the Leicester Mercury newspaper for £45,
40:07 and it obviously wasn't in this condition.
40:10 The wings were off and the upholstery was in quite poor condition.
40:15 But I did the... being only 18 years of age and very anxious to drive it,
40:19 I did virtually the absolute minimum to put it back together and get it MOT tested
40:24 and get it on the road and to use it.
40:27 [Music]
40:30 After getting it on the road, I ran it as everyday transport myself for about three years
40:41 until I had aspirations for something better and faster.
40:45 And sadly then it... for some reason or other I didn't sell it,
40:49 and it got put and stored in a friend's pigsty for a number of years.
40:54 After a number of years of it being stored and me having various other cars
41:03 and gradually getting a little bit more prosperous,
41:06 I hankered back to driving it again and got it out of the pigsty
41:10 and into a proper garage this time and did a more comprehensive rebuild
41:15 and a proper respray on it.
41:18 It's been fairly comprehensively modified over the years.
41:22 The original TA engine wasn't in it when I had it,
41:25 so I acquired a later MGTC engine and gearbox, the XPAG engine,
41:31 which is tuned to stage 2 with the bigger valves and the higher compression ratio
41:37 to take advantage of the better quality fuels.
41:41 Also you'll notice that it's on the 16-inch wheels and tyres,
41:47 which was a fairly common modification in the late '60s, early '70s,
41:54 when 19-inch tyres became quite scarce.
41:58 And I've kept it on the 16-inch wheels and tyres because I like them.
42:03 I think they look more meaty and more purposeful,
42:06 not quite so spindly as the 19-inch tyres.
42:10 So as time passed into the early '70s and, as I say, I became a bit more prosperous,
42:14 it became a second car and went off on various runs with friends in it,
42:19 to Wales, frequently at Easter for our holidays.
42:23 And one weekend we went to St David's Head in Wales
42:28 and coming home via Solver, Sands near Newgale,
42:33 and hit a Morris Minor head-on going down a hill towards Newgale Beach,
42:38 which took out the corner of the axle and took the wing off and bent the chassis
42:45 and made quite a mess of it, and it had to be recovered from there back to the Midlands where I lived.
42:50 And after that it got a really serious rebuild right down to the chassis.
42:56 And I should think in the time I've owned it,
42:59 I've had every nut and bolt and screw undone at some time on it,
43:04 down to things like stripping the windscreen wiper right down to the last screw
43:08 and all the door hinges down to the last screw and spring,
43:11 and cleaning them and greasing them and putting them all back together.
43:15 So although it's not absolutely immaculate or what people would describe as a concourse car,
43:21 it's very usable and well used, and I'd like to think reliable.
43:27 In later years my employment moved me to Swansea in South Wales,
43:33 and I became involved with Swansea Historic Vehicle Register,
43:38 who in 1991 organised a trip to Cork in Southern Ireland and Kinsale.
43:44 And we went over from Swansea on the Swansea Cork Ferry.
43:48 There must have been 15 or 20 cars.
43:51 What amused us was we drove from home down to the ferry port
43:56 and then went across to Ireland on the ferry and got off and went into Cork.
44:01 And between home and the hotel in Cork we'd done between five and seven miles.
44:05 Its current use is limited to getting it out in the summer and driving it purely for pleasure,
44:11 evening drives and to various local car shows and that sort of thing.
44:17 I did sort of think I might possibly sell it because I wasn't using it very much,
44:23 and I tentatively put the word around a few friends interested in old cars,
44:28 and someone approached me and said they'd heard that it was for sale,
44:32 and it frightened me to death.
44:34 I just could not-- when it actually came to it I couldn't contemplate selling it.
44:38 So I know now that I never will ever sell it. I'll have it for the rest of my life.
44:45 [train whistle]
44:50 [music]
45:03 It's a 1935 P.A. MG, which I bought in 1948.
45:13 At that time it had got a standard P.A. body on it,
45:21 but I'd always wanted something special, and I started to build a special body.
45:30 It never got finished until about six years ago when I retired from work.
45:38 And I worked out the shape, designed the shape if you like,
45:47 and took it to a bodybuilder who manufactured the shell.
45:55 It's a lightweight shell in aluminium.
46:00 And about six years ago it was completed, and I put it on the road.
46:07 Wherever possible I've always made pieces, bits of it myself,
46:15 but where I hadn't got the facilities, then unfortunately I had to buy bits.
46:24 But in essence I've made everything that I could possibly make.
46:31 And we take it to a number of meetings.
46:37 We've been to France, we've been to Holland in previous years.
46:42 And in June this year there's an MG event in Italy, and we're going to take it to Italy.
46:55 And on the way back there's another event at a place called Lens in France.
47:04 And as we're already on the continent we thought we'd do that one as well.
47:09 A lot of racing cars, weight is, consideration of weight is paramount.
47:16 And a lot of racing cars, and you'll find there are K3s of this car, that's a six cylinder version.
47:27 The pointed tail is actually the petrol tank.
47:31 So if you can save weight this is what you do.
47:37 So you put a streamlined petrol tank on the back in essence, that's what you do.
47:45 It was very much in favour, you know, pre-war.
47:49 The engine, it's a four cylinder overhead camshaft engine of 947cc,
47:58 which is approximately 100cc larger than the standard PA engine.
48:09 We have fitted oversized carburettors and also a competition camshaft.
48:20 Ignition is by a scintilla magneto, but in essence it's a very standard PA engine.
48:31 It produces about 36 to 40bhp at 5000rpm.
48:41 And she cruises quite happily at 65mph.
48:49 I have had it up to somewhere in the region of 70, a bit over 70mph.
48:59 But I'm always conscious that this engine is 60 years old, and one has to treat it with some respect.
49:08 I'm Mark Hubbard and this is my 1973 MGB GT.
49:21 Now the MGB was followed on from the MGA and was the first car that was produced using a monocoque chassis,
49:30 as opposed to the MGA being a body that was placed upon a chassis.
49:34 Fitted with the 1800cc B-series engine, which became a very popular engine in a number of the British Leyland cars.
49:45 Now this one was originally manufactured in '73 in June,
49:51 it was dispatched to a garage in Wales where it was first registered with this original number plate.
49:57 And from there it then spent most of its life based in West Sussex.
50:03 I purchased the car from a gentleman in Hampshire about three years ago.
50:10 And since then I've specialised in actually tidying the interior of the car,
50:15 as the interior was still original but unfortunately had got a little bit on the sad side.
50:21 Originally the car was actually a Harvest Gold colour.
50:26 When I first set the task of finding myself an MGB,
50:30 I always said I'd never have a Harvest Gold because I disliked the colour.
50:34 But unfortunately when I applied for a British Motor Heritage certificate,
50:40 I found that the original colour to my shock and horror was Harvest Gold.
50:45 And this I have substantiated by finding a few traces of the paint from underneath.
50:50 The GT is slightly heavier than the Roadster, which is the most popular one and was the original design.
50:59 But despite the GT being heavier in weight,
51:04 the fastback roof style enables the car to actually travel slightly faster than that of the Roadster.
51:11 This particular car has actually been modified in a number of ways.
51:17 The handling has been modified by the addition of SPAC's rear suspension.
51:22 And the performance has been modified by Hi-Lift Cam, 3-branch exhaust manifold,
51:30 and the use of SU-type air cleaners.
51:36 This particular model is a GT which has the fastback roof arrangement.
51:41 The fastback became popular in the late 60s.
51:45 Particularly the MGB GT was referred to as the poor man's Aston Martin.
51:51 You'll also notice that this car is fitted with the chrome bumpers.
51:55 The chrome bumpers were discontinued in 1974,
51:59 when it was necessary for MG to fit the rubber bumpers and increase the ride height.
52:05 This was for the US market, where regulations required that they had to have an impact bumper
52:11 capable of withstanding a 5 mile an hour impact.
52:14 The reason why I have this particular MG is because I had an uncle who had an MG,
52:19 and I wanted my dad to have an MG, but he said it was too impractical.
52:23 Now that I have children, I also find it's impractical from the point of view of taking my kids out with me,
52:28 but do you think you have to agree that it's just a classic sports car shape?
52:33 And if you're going to buy a sports car, you've got to have a British classic.
52:38 [Music]
52:44 [Music fades]
52:46 [Music]
52:49 [Music]
52:53 [Music]
52:57 [Music]
53:00 [Music]
53:09 [Music]
53:20 [Music]
53:23 [Music]
53:35 [Music]
53:47 [Music]
53:50 [Music]
53:56 [Music]
54:02 [Music]
54:08 [Music]
54:16 [Music]
54:19 My other car is this nice MGV Roadster of 1968.
54:32 The car itself, I've had it for 17 years now, and I've rebuilt every last nut and bolt on it,
54:39 paint, all the mechanics I've done myself, all the interior, etc.
54:43 My wife and I have driven it all over Europe, Holland, Germany, France, Scotland even.
54:50 We find it ultra-reliable. It's a quick old thing as well, compared to the YT that I own also.
54:56 It's a nice car to drive, very quick, it handles well.
55:00 I'd recommend it to anybody that wants some sort of classic car.
55:03 It's not a high-price range that wants to have a bit of fun, get out there with the roof down, have a good time.
55:09 It's ideal for it.
55:10 This car itself is 1968. It's the chrome-bumpered model, which is the more preferred model.
55:16 MGV started off in 1962 with chrome bumpers, with what you call pull-out door handles and a three-bearing engine.
55:24 In '65 they progressed to a push-button door handle and a five-bearing engine with overdrive gearbox,
55:29 and a lot more niceties available to it.
55:32 This car hasn't got a fold-down hood, it's got the optional pack-away hood,
55:36 which means you take it off and put it in your boot and the car looks nice and clean.
55:40 You can get a little child or children on the back seat if you have to.
55:43 This car is a 1.95 litre, so it's 1950cc. It's been bored out.
55:49 The engine is quite a high-specification engine.
55:52 It was machined and rebuilt by Peter Burgess, who's well-known in MG race engine circles.
55:58 It's probably about 110bhp at the rear wheels, which is vastly improved on the original,
56:04 which was something like 75bhp.
56:07 I did this for my own reasons. I put a better braking system on it from the V8 equivalent car.
56:13 I've got adjustable shock absorbers on it, and as you can see, I've got alloy wheels,
56:17 which are mini-lights with decent tyres on them.
56:19 The car handles and it drives very well, it accelerates well.
56:23 In essence, I could take it on the track, I think, and be quite competitive and have a really good time with it.
56:29 This is the 1968 MG B Roadster engine. It's got a 1950 performance engine in it,
56:35 with several other pieces that I've added myself.
56:37 I've put an extra cooling fan in, which is a Kenlow variety, which is thermostat-controlled here.
56:42 I've got K&N filters, which give slightly more power, better breathing for the carburettors.
56:49 Over the other side, I've got electronic ignition also, which is much improved on the original specification,
56:54 which is points and contact breakers and condenser.
56:59 It's a modification that I'd recommend to anybody who owns one of these cars.
57:04 Between the two cars that I own, that's the 1950 MG YT four-seater car and the '68 MG B Roadster,
57:12 if I had to choose between them, I think I'd still choose this one, purely because it's a car that I've had for a long time.
57:18 I know every last bolt and bolt on it. We spent a lot of time in it, had a lot of great times in it.
57:23 The YT is still fairly new to us yet, I've only had it four weeks.
57:27 Having three little boys, that's very ideal for us to go out on weekends to shows, exhibitions, etc.,
57:33 and just to have a good time with a picnic on the back.
57:36 But I still prefer this one at heart, I think. I'd never ever sell it.
57:40 (engines roaring)
57:43 And so our all-too-brief time with MGs has to come to an end.
57:58 But memories last a long time, and despite the fact that the MG name ceased to produce any further vehicles in the 1980s,
58:06 there are enough examples from early days left to help us remember this unique series of classic MG cars.
58:14 (rock music)
58:17 (rock music)
58:20 (rock music)
58:24 (rock music)
58:28 (rock music)
58:31 (rock music)
58:34 (rock music)
58:37 (rock music)
58:40 (rock music)
58:43 (rock music)
58:46 [BLANK_AUDIO]