The last MG left the Abingdon factory in 1980 and the withdrawal of the classic marque from the North American market was a blow from which many motoring enthusiasts would never recover. Despite the demise of the MGB and Midget, the staff at the newly reorganized Austin Rover group spent much of the decade attempting…
Shortly after the introduction of the MGB, work began apace on a potential replacement – little did the crew at Abingdon realize that it would soldier on through the end of the next decade – and it was decided that the rear suspension of the next car should have a more modern design (a decision…
If you have owned a British car and most of you that visit this page have owned several, then the term MOWOG has likely been a part of your life for years. What does it mean, however, and how did the word find its way onto countless cars from Austin, Morris, Wolseley, MG and Healey?…
Don’t feel bad if you’ve never heard of the Atlas-Allied Swallow. Don’t be concerned if the car looks a little familiar – it should – it’s a doppelgänger for one of the most iconic shapes ever designed. But what you are looking at isn’t the same car that has been in the New York Museum…
Produced from 1953 to 1958, the MG Magnette ZA and ZB made its debut at the 1953 London Motor Show at Earls Court. Designed by Jerry Palmer – who had earlier designed the Jowett Jupiter – the MG saloon marked the first appearance of the near legendary B-Series four-cylinder engine and was the first monocoque…
Let’s talk about period British sports car advertisements. Going through some images recently I came across these period advertisements for some of our favorite British sports cars. Taking a moment to look at them and admire the images, I was struck by something unusual. Namely, I was taken aback at how small the individuals depicted…
From the debut of the MGB in 1962, Abingdon had worked to develop an attractive – and marketable – coupe from the roadster that could be sold alongside the open car and entice new customers into the fold for whom the standard car was impractical. Most of the primitive design studies suffered greatly in comparison…
The fact that the high-performance MGB GT V8 shared the same appearance as its more pedestrian siblings was deemed harmful to its position in the marketplace especially as it was difficult to distinguish the more potent car in various advertising efforts. As always with most British manufacturers, cost was an issue but it was deemed…
Most enthusiasts, no matter their mettle, appreciate a good hardtop and the MGB Bermuda Hardtop is no exception. When our British sports cars were sold new there was an entire industry built around developing and marketing accessories for their customization. As expected, products for the MGB were profligate and several companies were formed to take…
When Adrian Mitu was an architecture student in Bucharest, Romania, he would often spend his idle moments lost in thought contemplating vintage and classic cars. After graduation in 2013, he decided to forego his chosen discipline and enter the world of automotive design. A fan of former BMW designer Chris Bangle – the creator of…
