Filed Under: News
Light-hearted look at MG.
Back in the early days the sight of a T Series MG would stir the adrenalin of any youth with a passion for car’s.
Not that the MG was particularly fast, by today’s standards; but it had sporty lines, you could feel the win d blowing through your hair, imaginary of course.
The MG T’s had a niche place in the market, the usual owner was not some yobo, well not unless daddy had more money an sense
No, it was your well heeled business man, who at the week-end would roll out the MG, for a spin or club meeting; naturally one had to keep up appearances, a flat cap was essential as were the leather gloves, most popular coat was a check type cloth with leather patches in the elbow, cream trouser’s and brown brogues, and the addition of a moustache to complete the ensemble.
It was a very difficult for a newcomer to even get into MG set, well not as difficult as the square and compass chaps, nearly though.
It was definitely “old Chap” as a term of greeting, well known city names would be banded about as though they were old buddies, the use of initials indicated firm friendship, and special names like twinkie, basbaby, were signs of a very close friendship.
The end of the T series, was really the end of an era, yes the new “A” and then the “B” were great successes for the company, though it did not do to well on the “C”.
If asked one of the downfalls of the elitist part of owning an MG was when the “Magnette” was introduced, using the same body as the Wolseley 4/44, it allowed the masses to boast they had an MG, it got even worse when the next version arrived , the Farina body, you might just as well stuck the MG badge on a milk float.
We of course had the frog eye sprite and the MG midget, I know they were not quite identical, but they lowered the tone, not proper MG’s you know.
The writing was on the wall apart from our beloved MG the british car industry was gradually dwindling to Japan and the far east.
It then got even more dire, out came MG badged Montego’s, there was quite a bit of sporting hype, but the Montego was like the Last chance saloon.
At the time one was never quite sure which company name was the manufacturer, not that it mattered the build quality was the same, dodgy.
The spiritual home of MG was known worldwide, Abingdon, it was like a shrine to MG enthusiast’s, people would come from near and far to gaze upon the factory.
So like almost everything else the company, that went through so many name changes over the year’s did that was bad for the industry and Britain, was to flatten the factory in Abingdon, well all except the gates.
To add insult to injury the site was sold to Macdonalds, Thames Valley Police took another part and one of the MG clubs another part.
The management had no sense of corporate pride, the council must have been in cahoot’s with them to allow it to happen, Abingdon, gone no more will a new MG roll through the gate’s.
Not sure if it is fortunately or unfortunately that is not the end of the story, a new MG was introduced the “F” series mid engine two seater, well it would be.
The blurb I read, said it was made without any funds being provided for the development, our friends at Longbridge had the construction of this wonder car in their hands.
I would not knock the worker’s at Longbridge, but that plant had probably turned out more crap car’s than any other manufacturer in the history of the automobile, one could not expect the new born to be any different.
No one as disappointed when it did not really come up to expectations and failed to revive the companies fortunes, but they did battle on and the car was given a facelift, it made very little difference to the sales volumes.
There is one for sale in Clonmel at Strangs Garage, just past Bulmer’s, actually it looks great, for the notebook he also has an Austin 1100 Estate, though I think they were 1300. The paint job is in that tacky Leyland Yellow, however it is almost pristine, there is also a mouth watering red Ferrari, which I was sorely tempted but seeing it took me nearly ten minutes to get in to it and about the same to get out I decided not to go for it.
I made no attempt to sit in the “F”, that may have been the optimal word.
The “F” is a rare car, one might say that about many of the later model coming from Longbridge and it is not because of the desirability factor.
But, of course there is the good new’s, a brand new MG the MG6GT, the first MG to be built in Birmingham for 16 year’s, now there is an interesting prob lem Rover MG was sold to Nanjing Motor Co in China, who apparently purchased the tooling and spares etc, but there is another Chinese Company, Shanghi Automobiles who seem to own the name, and it is SAIC who are going build, well are building the MG6GT.
It could be the car is being shipped in CKD form from China to Birmingham and we are assembling it, reading the news they intend great sporting
Ted Lay tedlay27@gmail.com
Welcome back Ted
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