1937 MG SA Tourer

On occasion, the MG marque supplied a bare chassis to outside coachbuilders such as Salmons or Charlesworth to receive a custom body. Charlesworth, known for their work on Alvis and Rolls-Royces, was commissioned to create open bodies for 90 SA chassis.

This 1937 Charlesworth Tourer is the only known example known to exist. It is believed that just 18 examples were originally built in 1937. This car was first registered in England and by 1943, it had joined the Pacific Auto Rentals collection in California, a company that rented unusual automobiles to Hollywood studios for use in films. The car remained in the collection for 4 decades and was used in many feature films. It was in Alfred Hitchcock's Rebecca starring Lawrence Olivier and Joan Fontaine. It also appeared in The Invisible Man with John Carradine, iCluny Brown with Charles Boyer and Peter Lawford, Love Letters with Joseph Cotton and Woman in Green with British Sherlock Holmes duo Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce.

Years later, the car was in the care of Alton Walker, the first Chairman of the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance. It was purchased in the late 1980s by a CCCA member and Pebble Beach judge. Between 1990 and 1994, the car was given a body-off, bare frame, nut-and-bolt restoration.

In 1994, the car was put on display at the Pebble Beach Concours where it was awarded First in Class. It later won a First in Class at Meadow Brook, a first prize at the Gathering of the Faithful and CCA Senior Premier badge. It has won an AACA Grand National First and the President's Cup. The car returned to Pebble Beach in 2004 where it participated in the Tour d'Elegance.

In 2011, the car was offered for sale at the Gooding & Company auction in Scottsdale, Arizona. It was estimated to sell for $175,000 - $225,000. As bidding came to a close, the car had been sold for the sum of $209,000, inclusive of buyer's premium.

By Daniel Vaughan | Feb 2011