1933 MG L1 Magna Roadster

This four-seat MG tourer was sold new by the Smith Auto Co. Ltd. of Croydon, Surrey, to H.K. Kelman of Bromley, Kent. It was given registration AKL 287 on December 5th of 1933. The subsequent history is not known; by 1963 the car was modified into the style of an L2 sports roadster. At the time, then-owner Bob Rushton believed that the conversion had been done by a previous owner, a Mr. Brown. In the late 1990s, the car was owned by David Ridler, who would sell it out of the United Kingdom to a private museum collection location in Japan. A few years ago, it was imported to the United States and was acquired by the current caretaker in early 2016.

After arriving at the new owner's home in New York, it received some sorting in preparation for further road use. All throttle and chock linkages were adjusted and synched, the carburetors were rebuilt, and the standard muffler was replaced with straight pipes.

The car is currently finished in British Racing Green and has a matching dark green interior and wire wheels. Cycle-type fenders are fitted in place of the standard L2 full-length swept style. The damascened instrument panel is equipped with Jaeger speedometer and gauges. It has a 5.28:1 final drive ratio, a bit taller than the standard 5.375:1 unit. There is a black canvas roof for inclement weather, and a hidden tool kit.

By Daniel Vaughan | Nov 2017