Image credit: Bonhams. © conceptcarz.com (Reproduction Or reuse prohibited).
The Oldenburg Family Automobile Collection, which features more than 30 prominent models of automobiles, would be born out of the family's involvement in prominent breeding of horsepower, just of the more natural nature. Comprised of Italian, American and British marques, the collection boasts of Ferraris and Shelby Coupes. However, the collection also boasts of an especially rare breed of British 'Morris Garages'. And this, perhaps the car with the least amount of distinction or notoriety within the group, would have to be considered one of the most inestimable and exclusive.
Following the First World War, in which the airplane would come to play a role in wartime activities, a new world of science would begin to come to the fore. Time after time, the airplane would be tested and proven as a tactical wartime instrument. Therefore, investment in aircraft, particularly the science involved, would greatly increase.
One particular science that governs the whole of aviation is the science of aerodynamics. And as nations, companies and individuals came to better understand the science involved the applications came to be much more widespread, precisely because aerodynamics reaches well beyond the realm of aviation.
Any object that passes through a fluid, of which air is included, is affected by aerodynamics. Therefore, the automotive industry would begin to take a vested interest in the science and the effects soon came to be seen in car design.
Initially, coachbuilders designed grand coachworks for automobiles that would place much more emphasis on comfort and luxury than on creating the most aerodynamically-efficient automobile. However, when it was realized that sweeping, contoured lines were not only aesthetically pleasing, but also, aerodynamic, a whole new form of automotive artistry was created. All of a sudden, coachbuilders went from creating luxurious and audaciously-appointed boxes to creating wonderfully flowing pieces of automotive artwork.
One of those coachbuilders to embrace the influence of aerodynamics into his designs would be H.W. Allingham. Allingham had started out working with Chalmer and Hoyer and Hoyal. However, after a decade of working with these companies Allingham would strike out on his own creating his own independent design company.
Then, in the mid-1930s, Allingham would be one of a very few contracted by MG to create a coupe body for their Magnette chassis. Creating his own rendition of what would become known as the Magnette Airline Coupe, Allingham's design would be widely argued to be, perhaps, the most beautiful of all the Airline Coupes fitted on a MG body.
Boasting of 'cathedral' style lighting panels on a sliding sunroof and a spare tire that blended beautifully and neatly into the swept back bodywork, Allingham's Airline Coupe design would be as inspiring and elegant as it would be simple.
Completed with tastefully flowing fenders and a lower profile achieved by dropping the body over the outside of the chassis, the MG Magnette Airline Coupe seemed to seamlessly blend art with speed.
In total, Allingham, which would contract the building of the actual bodies out to such companies as Carbodies and Whittingham & Mitchel, would design just a mere 51 Airline Coupe bodies. The vast majority of these to be built would be placed on MG PA and PB series chassis. Only 7 would end up on MG's NA/NB chassis that had the six-cylinder engine. In its own right, the Allingham Airline Coupes would be a remarkably select company. However, the NB Magnette Airline Coupe, boasting of the six-cylinder engine variant, would be such a rarified collection that the MG would have to be remembered amongst some of the most exceptional automobiles ever created.
Over the years, the clique would become more and more extraordinary as just three of the original MG NA/NB Magnette Airline Coupes would retain their original Airline bodies. One such example to be amongst the remaining three is chassis NA/0848.
At the Bonhams auction in Scottsdale, Arizona in 2013 the Oldenburg Family Collection would be one of the features. And one of the highlights of the collection would be a 1936 NB Magnette Airline Coupe.
Though its early history may yet be something of a mystery, NA/0848 would come to be owned by the MG enthusiast and collector Gene Ponder in 2000. While reports indicated the car was still in good condition at the time of Ponder coming to own it, he would immediately set about having the car restored to exact condition.
The work, which would include the difficult task of tracking down original Borrani wire wheels, would be exacting just as Mr. Ponder desired. One of the changes Mr. Ponder would introduce to the car would be the change in the car's finish. He would determine to change the two-tone paint scheme from two-tone green to a preferred red and black.
When the car was completed, Mr. Ponder had the Airline Coupe of his dreams. Mr. Oldenburg would also come to be enamored by the Airline Coupe, and, when it became available at the Ponder dispersal auction a couple of years ago, Mr. Oldenburg would snap the car up for his own.
Mr. Oldenburg had his long coveted Airline Coupe, and one of the most collectable MGs available. To further enjoy the experience of owning the car, Mr. Oldenburg would have hydraulic brakes added to the car to improve the car's stopping ability. Otherwise, the car remains highly original, displaying many of the touches Allingham incorporated into his Airline Coupes.
Sporting a 4-speed transmission, its 1.3-liter OHV inline six-cylinder engine and an antiquity of especially rarified station in MG tradition, its future owner will be the proud owner of an automotive treasure deserving of a place of great significance in any collection.
Estimates prior to the auction had the MG NB Magnette Airline Coupe selling for between $200,000 and $300,000.
Sources:
'Lot 358: 1936 MG NB Magnette Airline Coupe', (http://www.bonhams.com/auctions/20582/lot/358/). Bonhams 1793. http://www.bonhams.com/auctions/20582/lot/358/. Retrieved 8 January 2013.
'1935 MG NB News, Pictures and Information', (http://www.conceptcarz.com/z18624/MG-NB.aspx). Conceptcarz.com: From Concept to Production. http://www.conceptcarz.com/z18624/MG-NB.aspx. Retrieved 8 January 2013.
'Bonhams to Offer the Renowned Oldenburg Family Collection of Classic Automobiles', (http://www.finecars.cc/en/editorial/article/news/bonhams-to-offer-the-renowned-oldenburg-family-collection-of-classic-automobiles/index.html). Anamera: My Premium Portal. http://www.finecars.cc/en/editorial/article/news/bonhams-to-offer-the-renowned-oldenburg-family-collection-of-classic-automobiles/index.html. Retrieved 8 January 2013.
Wikipedia contributors, 'MG Cars', Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 3 January 2013, 11:07 UTC, http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=MG_Cars&oldid=531069733 accessed 8 January 2013By Jeremy McMullen
Following the First World War, in which the airplane would come to play a role in wartime activities, a new world of science would begin to come to the fore. Time after time, the airplane would be tested and proven as a tactical wartime instrument. Therefore, investment in aircraft, particularly the science involved, would greatly increase.
One particular science that governs the whole of aviation is the science of aerodynamics. And as nations, companies and individuals came to better understand the science involved the applications came to be much more widespread, precisely because aerodynamics reaches well beyond the realm of aviation.
Any object that passes through a fluid, of which air is included, is affected by aerodynamics. Therefore, the automotive industry would begin to take a vested interest in the science and the effects soon came to be seen in car design.
Initially, coachbuilders designed grand coachworks for automobiles that would place much more emphasis on comfort and luxury than on creating the most aerodynamically-efficient automobile. However, when it was realized that sweeping, contoured lines were not only aesthetically pleasing, but also, aerodynamic, a whole new form of automotive artistry was created. All of a sudden, coachbuilders went from creating luxurious and audaciously-appointed boxes to creating wonderfully flowing pieces of automotive artwork.
One of those coachbuilders to embrace the influence of aerodynamics into his designs would be H.W. Allingham. Allingham had started out working with Chalmer and Hoyer and Hoyal. However, after a decade of working with these companies Allingham would strike out on his own creating his own independent design company.
Then, in the mid-1930s, Allingham would be one of a very few contracted by MG to create a coupe body for their Magnette chassis. Creating his own rendition of what would become known as the Magnette Airline Coupe, Allingham's design would be widely argued to be, perhaps, the most beautiful of all the Airline Coupes fitted on a MG body.
Boasting of 'cathedral' style lighting panels on a sliding sunroof and a spare tire that blended beautifully and neatly into the swept back bodywork, Allingham's Airline Coupe design would be as inspiring and elegant as it would be simple.
Completed with tastefully flowing fenders and a lower profile achieved by dropping the body over the outside of the chassis, the MG Magnette Airline Coupe seemed to seamlessly blend art with speed.
In total, Allingham, which would contract the building of the actual bodies out to such companies as Carbodies and Whittingham & Mitchel, would design just a mere 51 Airline Coupe bodies. The vast majority of these to be built would be placed on MG PA and PB series chassis. Only 7 would end up on MG's NA/NB chassis that had the six-cylinder engine. In its own right, the Allingham Airline Coupes would be a remarkably select company. However, the NB Magnette Airline Coupe, boasting of the six-cylinder engine variant, would be such a rarified collection that the MG would have to be remembered amongst some of the most exceptional automobiles ever created.
Over the years, the clique would become more and more extraordinary as just three of the original MG NA/NB Magnette Airline Coupes would retain their original Airline bodies. One such example to be amongst the remaining three is chassis NA/0848.
At the Bonhams auction in Scottsdale, Arizona in 2013 the Oldenburg Family Collection would be one of the features. And one of the highlights of the collection would be a 1936 NB Magnette Airline Coupe.
Though its early history may yet be something of a mystery, NA/0848 would come to be owned by the MG enthusiast and collector Gene Ponder in 2000. While reports indicated the car was still in good condition at the time of Ponder coming to own it, he would immediately set about having the car restored to exact condition.
The work, which would include the difficult task of tracking down original Borrani wire wheels, would be exacting just as Mr. Ponder desired. One of the changes Mr. Ponder would introduce to the car would be the change in the car's finish. He would determine to change the two-tone paint scheme from two-tone green to a preferred red and black.
When the car was completed, Mr. Ponder had the Airline Coupe of his dreams. Mr. Oldenburg would also come to be enamored by the Airline Coupe, and, when it became available at the Ponder dispersal auction a couple of years ago, Mr. Oldenburg would snap the car up for his own.
Mr. Oldenburg had his long coveted Airline Coupe, and one of the most collectable MGs available. To further enjoy the experience of owning the car, Mr. Oldenburg would have hydraulic brakes added to the car to improve the car's stopping ability. Otherwise, the car remains highly original, displaying many of the touches Allingham incorporated into his Airline Coupes.
Sporting a 4-speed transmission, its 1.3-liter OHV inline six-cylinder engine and an antiquity of especially rarified station in MG tradition, its future owner will be the proud owner of an automotive treasure deserving of a place of great significance in any collection.
Estimates prior to the auction had the MG NB Magnette Airline Coupe selling for between $200,000 and $300,000.
Sources:
'Lot 358: 1936 MG NB Magnette Airline Coupe', (http://www.bonhams.com/auctions/20582/lot/358/). Bonhams 1793. http://www.bonhams.com/auctions/20582/lot/358/. Retrieved 8 January 2013.
'1935 MG NB News, Pictures and Information', (http://www.conceptcarz.com/z18624/MG-NB.aspx). Conceptcarz.com: From Concept to Production. http://www.conceptcarz.com/z18624/MG-NB.aspx. Retrieved 8 January 2013.
'Bonhams to Offer the Renowned Oldenburg Family Collection of Classic Automobiles', (http://www.finecars.cc/en/editorial/article/news/bonhams-to-offer-the-renowned-oldenburg-family-collection-of-classic-automobiles/index.html). Anamera: My Premium Portal. http://www.finecars.cc/en/editorial/article/news/bonhams-to-offer-the-renowned-oldenburg-family-collection-of-classic-automobiles/index.html. Retrieved 8 January 2013.
Wikipedia contributors, 'MG Cars', Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 3 January 2013, 11:07 UTC, http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=MG_Cars&oldid=531069733 accessed 8 January 2013By Jeremy McMullen
2010 RM Auctions - Automobiles of London
Pre-Auction Estimates :
£145,000-£175,000
Sale Price :
USD $230,456 (£ 145,600.00)
1936 MG NB Auction Sales
Recent Sales of the MG NB
(Data based on Model Year 1936 sales)
1936 MG NB Magnette Two-Seater Chassis#: NA0858 Sold for USD$78,400 2023 RM Sothebys : Arizona | |
1936 MG NB Magnette Two-Seater Chassis#: NA0957 Sold for USD$71,500 2022 RM Sothebys : Gene Ponder Collection | |
1936 MG NB Chassis#: NA/ 0947 Sold for USD$71,500 2022 RM Sothebys : Gene Ponder Collection | |
1936 MG NB Magnette Two-Seater Chassis#: NA0858 Sold for USD$56,000 2022 RM Sothebys : Monterey | |
1936 MG NB Magnette Sold for USD$35,863 2016 Anglia Auction - 27th August | |
1936 MG NB Magnette Sold for USD$35,863 2016 Anglia Auction - 27th August | |
1936 MG NB MAGNETTE TOURER Chassis#: NA/0933 Sold for USD$88,000 2016 Bonhams : Quail Lodge | |
1936 MG NB Magnette Airline Coupe Chassis#: NA/0848 Sold for USD$186,500 2013 Bonhams - The Scottsdale Auction | |
1936 MG NB 2-Seater Chassis#: NA 0957 Sold for USD$60,591 2011 Silverstone : The Walter Hayes Sale | |
1936 MG NB Magnette Airline Coupé Chassis#: NA0848 Sold for USD$230,456 2010 RM Auctions - Automobiles of London |
MG NBs That Failed To Sell At Auction
1936 MG NB's that have appeared at auction but did not sell.
Vehicle | Chassis | Event | High Bid | Est. Low | Est. High |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1936 MG NB Magnette | NA 0950 | 2015 Historics at Brookland | $45,000 | $55,000 | |
1936 MG NB | NA/0878 | 2012 Bonhams Quail Lodge Sale | $100,000 | $140,000 |
Vehicles With Comparable Market Values
Similar sales to the $91,467 range.
1966 Jaguar E-Type Series 1 4.2-Litre Coupé Chassis#:1E 21232 Sold for $90,611 2024 Bonhams : Goodwood Revival | |
1964 Austin Mini Cooper 1071 S Sports Saloon Chassis#:CA2S7-487629 Sold for $90,611 2024 Bonhams : Goodwood Revival | |
1949 Studebaker M5 'Grateful Dead' Pickup Chassis#:AZ375000 Sold for $91,200 2024 Worldwide Auctioneers : Auburn Auction | |
1956 Chevrolet Corvette Roadster Chassis#:E56S002003 Sold for $91,840 2024 Worldwide Auctioneers : Auburn Auction | |
2007 Porsche 911 997 Twin-Turbo 'Switzer' Coupe Chassis#:WPOAD29907S785608 Sold for $91,840 2024 Worldwide Auctioneers : Auburn Auction | |
1968 Chevrolet Camaro Chassis#:2ftzf07372ca31795 Sold for $91,300 2024 Mecum : Harrisburg | |
1984 Lamborghini Jalpa Coupe Chassis#:za9j00000ela12127 Sold for $91,300 2024 Mecum : Harrisburg | |
1964 Chevrolet Malibu SS Chassis#:45837a125964 Sold for $90,750 2024 Mecum : Harrisburg | |
1964 Chevrolet Corvette Coupe Chassis#:40837s111908 Sold for $91,300 2024 Mecum : Indy | |
1965 Chevrolet Corvette Coupe Chassis#:194375s122043 Sold for $91,300 2024 Mecum : Indy | |
2022 Chevrolet COPO Camaro Chassis#:2022copo036 Sold for $90,750 2024 Mecum : Indy | |
1969 Chevrolet Chevelle SS Chassis#:136379z353365 Sold for $91,300 2024 Mecum : Indy | |
1967 Mercedes-Benz 250SL Convertible Chassis#:11304310000248 Sold for $90,750 2024 Mecum : Indy | |
1987 Buick Grand National Chassis#:1g4gj1171hp462899 Sold for $90,750 2024 Mecum : Indy | |
1962 Bentley S2 Continental Drophead Coupé by Park Ward Chassis#:BC95LCZ Sold for $91,671 2024 RM Sothebys : Monaco | |
2010 FERRARI CALIFORNIA CONVERTIBLE Chassis#:ZFF65LHA5A0172313 Sold for $91,300 2024 Barrett-Jackson : Palm Beach | |
2021 Ford F150 Shelby Super Snake Pickup Chassis#:1ftfw1e59mke57631 Sold for $91,300 2024 Mecum : Houston | |
1972 Chevrolet C10 Cheyenne Pickup Chassis#:cce142z157070 Sold for $91,300 2024 Mecum : Houston | |
1959 Chevrolet Impala Hardtop Chassis#:f59a157724 Sold for $90,750 2024 Mecum : Glendale | |
1960 Chevrolet Impala Convertible Chassis#:01867j269212 Sold for $91,300 2024 Mecum : Glendale |
1936 MG NB
• Additional valuation insight and sales data• History
• Specifications
• Image gallery
• Other MG NB model years