1935 MG PA Airline Coupe

The MG PA was a replacement for the successful J2 Midget and followed the general lines of its predecessor. It gained a more robust version of the MG's inline-four including a cross-flow cylinder head, better lubrication, and a three-bearing crankshaft. Chassis alterations were made including a longer wheelbase, strengthened transmission, and 12-inch diameter brakes (an increased from the prior 8-inch units). They were built in two- and four-seater variants. In total, around 2000 examples of the PA were produced between 1934 and 1935 when the model was replaced by the short-lived PB.

The current owner acquired this MG PA Airline Coupe in January of 2003 from Arkansas. The Arkansan owner had bought the car from the United Kingdom a number of years prior as a project in pieces. When the car was purchased in 2003, not much of the restoration work had been completed. The MG's body had been stripped and repainted with the current color. The current owner finished the restoration work. The work was completed in November of 2004, after which it won a number of Best of Show and First in Class awards at many local car shows, MG Club meets, and British Car events throughout the Midwest and Southeast.

Just 51 Airline Coupes were built and only 28 were PAs. It is believed that about a dozen PA Airlines currently survive. This car has an 847cc single overhead cam four-cylinder engine fitted with twin SU carburetors. The 36 horsepower engine is married to a four-speed manual transmission and has four-wheel drum brakes.

By Daniel Vaughan | Apr 2016