1950 Lester MG Special

During the late 1940s in a war-torn Europe, Harry Lester operated a small garage business in Knebworth, Hertfordshire, England. He also raced a modified MG PB Midget that was constructed prior to World War II. Like many others during this era, he saw an opportunity to build competitive racing machines. He turned his sights on the 1500cc sportscar class. He began by modifying a 1250cc MG TC engine as well as adapting other MG components to his racer. The result was a small, lightweight car that was powered by a 1467cc engine and cost less than most of the other machines being fielded.

In 1950, Harry became associated with an amateur, wealthy driver named Jim Mayers. Soon, a team had been formed called the Monkey Stable, consisting of three drivers. Pat Griffith and Gerry Ruddock were the other two drivers. The team had much success in British events with their cars providing many podium finishes for the drivers. At the Goodwood race, the Lester machines proved their true potential by dominating the nine-hour race to finish in the top three places. Mayer was happy with the Lester cars performance and asked Harry to create three more cars for long-distance competition. Harry felt he could not complete the request in time, so the job was given to Kieft.

For the following season of competition, the Monkey Stable found themselves in the back of the pack for many of the races. For the next season, 1954, the Monkey Stable team fielded no cars. Mayer had sold his Kieft cars and commissioned Lester to build four cars for the 1955 season. By the time Mayer got the cars, they were already outdated in comparison to the rest of the competition. Marques such as Lotus and Cooper had much success with their aerodynamic, nimble, and lightweight cars. Tragedy struck later in the season at the Tourist Trophy Race in Dundrod when Mayer was killed in a multi-car crash. After this, the Monkey Stable team dissolved. Harry went back to running his garage. In 1982, at the age of 82, he passed away.

By Daniel Vaughan | Jan 2015

This MG Special/Lester MG is constructed on a T51 type chassis designed by Harry Lester and is fitted with its original fully enclosed 'Paton' alloy body similar in look to the 1953 two-liter Maserati. The body was produced in the early 1950s by Paton Coachworks of Latimer Road, London, England. The car came fitted with a rare experimental XPAG engine similar to the ones used in the record-breaking EX179 MG. Experimental engines were released by the MG factory to select constructors and wealthy amateurs at that time. Other features include 10-inch front drum brakes, rack and pinion steering, a four-speed MG TC transmission, and a modified TC differential.

The race history of the car prior to being taken to Canada in 1969 by Peter Berent is unknown. Peter raced the car in the United States and Canada for many years. The car has been actively raced with much success since the mid-1990s.