1939 MG VA

Sold for $66,000 at 2012 RM Auctions at Amelia Island, Fla.
MG produced the VA, originally marketed as the MG 1.5 Litre, from 1937 through 1939. In total, there were 2,407 examples produced and they were the smallest of the three sports saloons produced in the late 1930s. Powering the car was a tuned version of the push rod, overhead valve four-cylinder Morris TPBG type engine that was also found in the Wolseley 12/48 and Morris 12. The MG version was given twin SU carburetors and produced 54 horsepower at 4500 RPM. It came equipped with a four-speed manual gearbox with synchromesh on the top three ratios (some of the earlier cars had synchromesh on the top two speeds). The VA rode on nineteen-inch wire wheels and was kept in the driver's control through 10-inch drum brakes that were hydraulically operated using a Lockheed system. The suspension was by half elliptic springs with a live rear axle and a beam front axle setup.

Morris was responsible for the four-door saloon body and had the traditional MG grille with two large chromium-plated headlights. The other two body styles were a four-seat tourer and the Tickford folding head foursome (also known as drophead coupe).

This Drophead Coupe with coachwork by Tickford has been under its same ownership for 26 years. It was the subject of a comprehensive restoration in the early 2000s.

By Daniel Vaughan | Nov 2011