MG-Cars.net

Welcome to our resource for MG Car Information.

Recommendations

Parts

MG parts spares and accessories are available for MG T Series (TA, MG TB, MG TC, MG TD, MG TF), Magnette, MGA, Twin cam, MGB, MGBGT, MGC, MGC GT, MG Midget, Sprite and other MG models from British car spares company LBCarCo.

MG MGA - Mille Miglia

Here is a link to a photo of an MGA that ran in the 2008 Mille Miglia rallye.

http://www.supercars.net/Pics?viewPic=y&source=gal&uID=119513&gID=1841&pgID=9&pID=769341&first=true

I couldnt upload the image, it is too large.

The whole page is at

http://www.supercars.net/gallery/119513/1841/9.html

Does anyone know who ran the car or anything about the car?

Notice the bonnet latch extending through the grille? Has anyone added this feature? Is it as simple as adding some wire and a pull ring? (mine is covered for the winter and not here not with me right now)

Thanks and Happy New Year!

Ted
Ted Persons

Hi Ted, This was just on TV here last night (BBC2)- but not as the star of the programme - that honour went to a 1948 Maserati entered by James Martin - a celebrity TV chef. The MGA was mentioned several times and was entered and driven by a father and son team from USA- only problem they had was with the distributor. I'm afraid that I didn't take much note of their names - and I didn't record the programme - which i should have. I will log onto the BBC website to watch a rerun and see if I can find out their names - cheers Cam
Cam Cunningham

Hi I think it's the car just restored by Bob West , I believe a genuine Le Mans Team car



Gordon
g c pugh

Gordon is right. I saw it (along with Barry Gannon from Australia) being restored by Bob a year ago. Lots of interesting original parts in the car.

Steve
Steve Gyles

Spot on Gordon! It is the Le Mans car rebuilt by Bob West.
Photo of me in Bobs workshop, below, taken by Steve Gyles, when we drove across the country in November last year.
That was a real buzz for an Aussie and a highlight of our trip to UK. Top down in the rain, flat out on the motorway and the wonderful sound of an MGA in full flight.
Barry


BM Gannon

Hi Again, I've just done a rerun of the programme (on ffwd) on the BBC website. They are father and son John and Jeremy Savage - but it didn't say where in USA they were from - cheers Cam
Cam Cunningham

Watching the programme last night I took note of the reg - LBL 301 - one of the Le Mans originals. I think there had been some controversy over the authenticity of this particular car, but it seems to have been cleared up.

On a different note, I didn't think James Martin came out of the programme looking too great - though admittedly he wasn't helped by the valve problem that knocked his Maserati out of the Mille Miglia after just over 100 miles.

That sort of thing also messes up the plans for a rounded documentary (no triumphant conclusion - a big problem for TV!).

However, it did come across that he just spent his way through the whole thing - the best part of a million pounds to get the Maserati bought, restored and ready for the race. Yet there was no sense at any point in the programme that he had any real affinity with the car - which contrasted completely with the owners of all the other British cars featured: they all loved their machines.

A disappointing programme all in all ... but saved by the appearance of a fine MGA ( which I assume cost a lot less than Mr. Martin's Maserati!)

Richard.
Richard Ross

Richard, ( which I assume cost a lot less than Mr. Martin's Maserati!)
I'm not so sure about that! Bob was talking of lots of money. I will be careful and not mention figures, but it is not cheap to build a car like that and to such a high standard.

Barry
BM Gannon

Fair enough Barry,

Perhaps I'm just betraying my car preferences ...

What are the top prices that have been paid for historic MGAs in the past?

Richard.
Richard Ross

Richard

I dont have any precise figures but I have an inkling that Bob's SRX210 (he does not own it anymore) was £200,000 plus.

Steve
Steve Gyles

A couple of photos attached of original parts in the original MGA car that I took when I was with Barry and Bob.

Steve


Steve Gyles

It looks like an immaculate restoration. £200,000 is a lot of cash - but I suppose not for a car of such a history. However, it is still less than a third of the cost of Mr. Martin's Maserati!
Richard Ross

I find this a bit confusing because I remember when this first came up a while back when the car was thought to be a copy of a Le Mans car with possibly a few authentic parts,

If the claim is that it is EX182/38 then it would be an all alloy bodied car which this wasn't and neither does it have an engine that matches the records for the Le Mans car.

It is also stated that EX182/38 was written off at Dundrod and dissapeared forever.

So how is this car now being accepted as being original?

I've also always been curious about the experimental cylinder heads that were supplied for the EX182 cars by Harry Weslake, which had inlet ports on both sides of the heads, do any of these still excist?



Kevin Jackson
Kevin Jackson

Kevin

You could do well to have a chat with Bob West. He too was dubious about the car's origins. However, as I understand it, as the restoration progressed he became more happy about the claims to authenticity.

Steve
Steve Gyles

As I recall our visit to Bob West last year (2007 with Steve Gyles) Bob went up to Canada prior to the Savage family buying it, to try and establish authenticity. He seemed confident that it was as close as possible to the original, given the passage of time and its hectic history. Lots of pieces had been replaced, but that would be the natural order of things considering its age and usage.
I believe they have a gem and a valuable part of MGA heritage. Conserve the Marque!
Barry
BM Gannon

I don't want to get too involved in this and was only curious to know why the opinions had changed so much since Jeremy Savage first brought the car to the attention of the forum.

I can accept that an original engine may not be in place but it is the original main structure of the car that is of prime importance, are we being told that this is a full ally bodied car as I understood that was not the case?

Kevin.
Kevin Jackson

Hi

Im wondering if anyone can help me, i saw this programe tonight and im looking for info on the car LBL 301 as it was involved with my father's racing team Fitzwilliam Racing Team, I am his youngest daughter. I have original pictures/photo's of some of his car's including LBL 303 but im missing pictures of LBL 301, can anyone help me.

Regards
A.Fitzwilliam
A Fitzwilliam

AF

Others may have the address of the owner. However, as a starting point you could contact Bob West who is well versed in the car's history and did the recent restoration. Bob runs a business in Pontefract restoring MGAs and has a good knowledge of MGA racing. I'm sure he will be delighted to hear from you. You can contact him at work Tuesdays to Saturdays on 01977 703828. His email is srx210@aol.com , but be advised he is not all that good on computers!

Steve
Steve Gyles

Steve, Thank you so much, I really do appreciate the info and will ring this week.

Im hunting all the history of my dad's car's and have so many pictures of different car's/makes/models, so its really nice to trace info on another and by pure accident, as my husband turned on the programe by pure chance.

Im the youngest of Fitz's children and im finding out all I can, so I can show my kids who are teenagers, as much as I can about their grandfather, so all help is apprecaited.

Amanda.
A Fitzwilliam

Find some information and more recent photos here.
http://mgaguru.com/mgtech/variants/vt104a_ex182-38.htm
Barney Gaylord

Amanda, I am happy to pass on photos of the restoration if you are interested. (see one in my post above). A small contribution but may be helpful. Contact me via email. barrygannon@aapt.net.au
Regards, Barry
BM Gannon

Thank you all so much, I really do appreciate all of this and will def get in touch over the next few days and thank you for the links

Amanda
A Fitzwilliam

Amanda

Bob West just phoned me. He is very, very, very keen to speak with you and is looking forward to your call.

Everyone: Bob says that he made a very brief appearance in the TV film. For those who have it recorded see if you can spot him.

Steve
Steve Gyles

Steve

Thank you, I will be ringing him tomorrow and im looking forward to speaking to him as well.

Amanda
A Fitzwilliam

I would like to say thanks again, I spoke today to Bob West and we had a lovely chat.

Tho this isnt a picture of LBL301 it is a original picture of LBL303, which I have quickly taken a rather bad *sorry* picture of, from my collection of photo's, I dont have a scanner so this was the next best thing.

Once again thak you for your help, I now have another piece of the jigsaw to the history of my father, tho still have many more car's and info to track.

Regards Amanda





A Fitzwilliam

Does anyone know whether the colour used for this MGA is an original MGA colour? I'm restoring a 1958 Coupe, but I bought it already partly restored and painted with grey primer. The log book records the original colour as green.

Regards
David Jacobs
D Jacobs

David

It was one of the colours used on that car back in its racing days. I will need to ask Bob when it was used. I believe the owners had a long discussion with Bob on this point. The picture I posted on this thread back on 30 December shows some of the original green on the oil cooler.

Steve
Steve Gyles

It is the Ex Gerry Gogun car from Vermont. Think they paid 100K for the car in 2005. It has a steel body, not all Aluminum. I believe as real as you will get givin the history of these cars, like the factory Jaguar's which got taken appart and spread around. If you check the MGA Guru site, Barney's, he has pictures of the car being picked up from Jerry's wife,and some car show pictures. I met Bob West at Lime Rock Park a few years ago. Very nice guy. Few know as much as him regarding these cars.
ASH Andrew

Also check Robert Vitrikas excellent book. It documents LBL 301 as being destroyed-the Jacobs crash. Later built up for the Fitzwilliams well known race team.
ASH Andrew

I have just watched the BBC2 'Italian Job' Mille Miglia film for the first time. I had it recorded. Fascinating. I think I spotted Bob West during the first night stop-over. He was standing at the front end of LBL 301, bonnet open - a bit of distributor work was required I believe.

Happy to copy the programme on to DVD for anyone; just cover the postage.

My old memory box got whirring. I believe The Savages and Bob West decided to equip and paint the car in its original Mille Miglia trim.

For my own part, I am chuffed with my own sports windscreen which is identical to LBl 301's in its Mille Miglia trim, including the increased rake of the screen. The reduced drag is very noticable, lively old lady now at 50.

Steve
Steve Gyles

Re LBL301. When I went on the MGCC 2005 trip to Le Mans to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the MGA I had the opportunity to buy a small 12 page book about the 1955 story. There are some interesting pictures in it that some of you may not have seen, including LBL 301 in its BRG livery, small windscreen and racing number 40. I was also able to get the autographs of the writer, plus the 3 technicians who assembled the cars (Jim Cox, Cliff Bray and Gerald Wiffen). I have put a PDF file on my website for your interest.

http://www.mgaroadster.co.uk/MGAs%20at%20Le%20Mans%201955.pdf

If that link does not work try this one and scroll down to the 7th publication; click on "read the book": http://www.mgaroadster.co.uk/mg_publications.htm

Steve
Steve Gyles

Does anyone have a current email address for Brian Moylan who authored that booklet in 2005? I would like to contact him, but his email address from 2005 brianmoylan@waitrose.com bounced. Also www.mgabingdon.org doesn't work. Apparently he is still active in MGCC Abingdon Works Centre
Barney Gaylord

Steve,

Not wishing to spoil your efforts, but have you got permission to put a copy of the book on your website. If you have, you should say so and discourage people from further copying it. If not you could be in breach of copyright.

Sorry to be a possible killjoy.
Malcolm Asquith

Barney,

try to reach Brian through his publisher www.veloce.co.uk
he wrote some nice MG and BMC related books.
Possibly the Abingdon centre will help, their Safety Fast! scribe is Simon Pedrazzi whose email is sfscribe@mgabingdon.org.uk

hope this helps

Siggi
Siggi

Malcolm

You are right of course. However, I have had a most frustrating time, getting absolutely no response from the MGCC whenever I have enquired if they are going to publish some of their magazine articles on their website; if not could I put abstracts on my site. I guess I will have to keep trying. In the meantime I have removed the link.

It's a shame that the club cannot be more proactive and print some of this good information for the benefit of us enthusiasts. Their website has been up and going for 6 months or more; The only articles are in a preview of last November's Safety Fast; They have about 4 technical articles in the technical section; and a Forum area that has about 6 MGA posts. Time for a letter to the magazine me thinks.

Off now into the garage. My unsolved MC leak has come back. Dismantle time again.

Steve
Steve Gyles

Hi Barney this seems to be his email

socialsecretary@mgabingdon.org.uk


Gordon
g c pugh

Having read all of the help included on this thread I wondered if any of you could help. I am trying to get a photo of MBL867 showing Nancy Mitchell filling up some washer bottles with Lucozade. Can anyone help at all? In addition any underbonnet photo's of the MM 1956 cars would be fantastic?
Kind regards
Bruce
B Chapman

Bruce

I have seen that photo somewhere. I will do a search. I believe she had 2 windscreen washer bottles on the bulkhead between the seats, each filled with soft drinks.

Steve
Steve Gyles

Thank you Steve. I know I have seen it somewhere but can't seem to find it anywhere on the net or in any of the reference books I've got.
Kind regards
Bruce
B Chapman

Bruce

I have not managed to find the picture yet. I remember seeing it, maybe on this forum, about a year ago when Gordon Pugh was trying to source original windscreen water bottle bits. Maybe someone reading this post will remember and point us in the right direction.

As an aside, I have been speaking with Bob West this morning. the dizzy problem suffered by LBL 301 on this tear's Mille Miglia was caused by a trapped wire in the dizzy. It wore through and caused a misfire during the first stage to Ferrara. Bob sorted it out overnight. (yes, it was him on the programme, leaning over the bonnet, beer in hand). The company that had overhauled the dizzy did an excellent job including reprofiling but screwed up slightly on the reassembly, trapping the earth wire.

If you need pictures of the engine compartment it might be worth your while speaking with Bob. The photos I took during the rebuild show the shelf area only. The engine had not been installed when I saw the car. I can post what I have if you like.

Steve
Steve Gyles

HI Steve I had a look at the archieves but can't see anything, glad you got your car running well again



gordon
g c pugh

Gordon

I found article. It was about MGA racing colours, not your bottle! My memory sort of had it right.

http://www2.mgcars.org.uk/cgi-bin/gen5?runprog=mgbbs&access=&mode=archiveth&subject=6&subjectar=6&thread=200605121859279172

I will search the relevant magazine for any further information.

By the way Gordon, re the Tudor bottle bracket colour, you were trying to match, I sent you a very expensive flake of paint off mine. Now you are selling up do I get it back?!

Steve
Steve Gyles

Hi Steve , not likely that is all of an MGA I have left lol much safer with me


Gordon
g c pugh

Thank you Steve. Very useful I will try and get a copy of the magazine. I have the bracket colour as blue but may well be wrong. Do you know if this was the case?
Kind regards
Bruce
B Chapman

Bruce

It is blue. As I recall, Gordon has the colour exactly. He did quite a bit of research. I am sure he will respond when he reads this post.

Steve
Steve Gyles

Hi Steve and Bruce this photo was supplied by Peter Steyn when I was researching info




gordon


g c pugh

Gordon

Is the elastic band original or a reproduction?

Perhaps you could send Bruce the flake of paint I sent you!

Steve
Steve Gyles

Hi Steve I guess the elastic band is probably a repro. I don't have any photos of an original one although you could check on Barney's site, if I can find the chip Bruce would be welcome to have it, although the pic is of a brand new, never used item


Gordon


g c pugh

Thank you Steve and Gordon very much for your help. The photo is very useful. I don't think the bottles I have are that shape at all and the bracket holds both bottles rather than single ones. I shall have to check.
Also do we know if it was simply a tube attached or was it something more technical that they sucked the lucozade through?
kind regards
bruce
B Chapman

What a nice example that MGA was. I saw that TV programme too and was a little disappointed with the way the Chef came across..... a bit too ...if you get my drift.

That MGA stole the show for me which is saying alot because there were a lot of the "super" suoercars there which first appeared when I was a young boy back in the 1950s. I saw my first MGA around 1955/6 when I was about 13.... it was iris blue IIRC ~ I still have a vivid mental picture of that first MGA sighting all those years ago. I vowed I would get one 'when I grew up' but never did ~ some ten years or so later I did get an Iris Blue MG, but it was an MGB, my second, the first a tartan red pull handle jobbie.

Back to the TV programme, yes, I even preferred that gorgeous MGA in that colour to my all time favourite car from the 1950s which at least one took part in the event... I refer to the silver Gull Wing Mercedes~Benz 300SL ~ the only German car I ever fancied getting ... back then the same price as a decent semi detached house so I started saving my sixpences ... still saving ...:lol:

...

MGJohn

This thread was discussed between 29/12/2008 and 19/01/2009

MG MGA index

This thread is from the archive. The Live MG MGA BBS is active now.