1961 MG MGA 1600 MKI

When the MGA arrived in 1955, it had shed the pre-war appearance of the company's sports cars and embraced a new styling scheme with modern streamlined coachwork. The old XPAG engine was replaced with a more modern B Series engine that had made its debut in the recently announced Magnette saloon. The 'A' was officially launched at the Frankfurt Motor Show in 1955, and 101,081 examples were built through the end of production in July of 1962. Just 5,869 examples were sold to the home market, with the remained being exported.

The elegant, ponton styling of the MGA was inspired by the design created by MG designer Syd Enever for George Philips' TD LeMans car. Gone were the fenders and running board of the predecessor, replaced by a fully enclosed, enveloping body with round headlights built into the fenders. A road-going version of the Phillips car had been proposed to BMC in 1952 as a replacement for the TD Midget but was rejected because of the corporation's plan to build the Austin-Healey 100. MG had even built a full prototype of the MGA by using TD running gear, a re-designed chassis, a 1250 XPAG engine, and MGA bodywork.

Prior to the official launch of the MG A, three aluminum-bodied prototypes were entered in the 24 Hours of Le Mans and finished fifth and sixth in their class (12th and 17th overall). The third car crashed and its driver, Dick Jacobs, was seriously injured. When the MG A was officially introduced a short time later, the public was already aware of its racing pedigree, ensuring immediate approval by fans of the marque and the motoring public.

The chassis was equally advanced and modern, allowing for a lower seating position, reducing the center of graving, and offering greater performance. Instead of being attached at the top of the frame sections, the floor was connected to the bottom and the side members were placed farther apart. It used body-on-frame construction, a rack and pinion steering, an independent suspension with coil springs and wishbones at the front, and a rigid axle with semi-elliptic springs at the rear. Wire-spoked or steel-disc road wheels were available and concealed the Lockheed hydraulic drum brakes at all four corners. The BMC B-Series engine allowed for a lower bonnet line and displaced 1,489cc. It used twin H4 type SU carburetors that initially produced 68 horsepower, soon increasing to 72 hp. Performance was impressive, nearly reaching a top speed of 100 mph (97.8 mph) and could accelerate from zero-to-sixty mph in 16 seconds.

Production of the MGA 1500 lasted from 1955 through 1959. The MGA Twin Cam was built from 1958 through 1960 and used a dual overhead camshaft, aluminum cylinder head version of the B-Series engine with compression increased to 9.9:1 (an 8.3:1 ratio was later adopted) and output reaching 108 hp. The lower compression setting delivered 8 less horsepower but was much less prone to detonation or burnt oil problems. 'Twin-Cam' logos were placed near the vent aside the bonnet and Dunlop peg drive knock-off steel wheels concealed the Dunlop disc brakes. Around 2,111 examples of the Twin-Cam version were built and the low sales figure is attributed to the problematic engine, and although this was later rectified, buyers were reluctant to part with their money and take the chance.

A larger displacement, 1,588cc version arrived in May of 1959 offering 80 (79.5) horsepower. These MGA versions were known as the 1600 and 31,501 units were built between 1959 and 1960. They had disc brakes at the front and drums at the rear. The top speed was 96.1 mph and 0-60 mph was done in 13.3 seconds. The '1600' badge on the boot and cowl were among the few distinguishable features, as styling updates were minimal apart from the white or amber (market dependent) front turn indicators with white parking lamps. In the back were separate stop/tail and turn lamps.

The MGA 1600 De Luxe version had four-wheel disc brakes and Dunlop steel wheels of the TwinCam.

The 1600 Mark II was the final iteration of the MGA, produced from 1960 through 1962, with 8,198 roadsters and 521 coupes built during that time. The engine bore increased from 75.4mm to 76.2 mm resulting in a displacement increase of 1622cc, and the combustion chambers were re-engineered, and the cylinder head was modified with larger valves. Horsepower rose to 90 bhp and complemented a new, higher rear axle ratio of 4:1, tuned for high-speed driving. Again, styling updates were minimal, limited to Morris Mini tail lamps positioned horizontally below the deck lid, and a front inset grille.

The MGA had brought MG into the modern era and over 100,000 examples were produced over a seven-year period. Its successors, the MGB, MGC and MGB GT V8 - would enjoy even more success, with over half-a-million examples built during their 1962 to 1980 lifespan. These figures greatly surpass the 9,602 of the MGA's predecessor, the MG TF. Although MG aficionados were saddened by the loss of the prewar look of the company's sports car, the modern, streamlined styling was immediately accepted by fans of the marque and the motoring public.

by Daniel Vaughan | Dec 2021