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MG MGA - Nice discovery

This afternoon, was telling a friend that I was searching for a MGBGT. He told me about a MG that one of his friend had in his garage for a long time. I asked him what kind of MG it was but he didn't know. He took the phone and called his friend and told him i was looking for a Mg. His friend told him i could come and look at the car right now.
So i went there. In fact, the garage was at about half a mile from where i was. Got there and all i saw was a lot of boxes and bags of empty beverage cans stacked all around (he is the owner of a small grocery)!
Under all this i finally saw that a wooden structure had been built and under it i began to distinguish what was a yellow 1961 MGA. What a find! The thing is is that i pass in front of this store about twice a day and i have never realized that such a "treasure" was there.

Talking with the owner, i learned that he is the original owner of the car. He bought it new in 61 and drove it until 1970 when the growing of the family forced him to get a car of a more decent size. The car was then parked in the garage which became a wharehouse for his grocery. The car is original from one end to the other save for the paint which has been changed from the original brown/beige to the actual yellow. Mileage is 36,000 original miles.

Could not take photos due to all those boxes, but will call him back sometimes to get the car cleaned up! And who knows what could happen! By the way, could someone tell me what kind of price would be decent for this car?
Was so excited, had to tell someone about this nice discovery!

Denis Lemieux

Denis, your experience is one we all dream of but rarely see for ourselves. I'm not sure what sort of a price would/should be suggested as a lot depends upon what you finally find under the boxes and the dirt after the clean up. What is interesting is that you say the car was originally a brown/beige color. Likely that was Alamo Beige, an original factory color. Very few of these survived in this color after they were imported to North America due to the fact that the color was not popular and dealers could not sell them. As a result most were repainted a different color by the dealers in an attempt to help sell them. This would seem to be an exciting opportunity to get a special car with some unique history. Good luck !!
Michael Hosier

My 1600 was originally alamo beige and was resprayed yellow. I found this out in the restoration. I was told that many dealers resprayed these alamo beige cars to get them to sell. This might be the case in your find. Makes a good story anyway for such a low mileage car.
David Holmes

Denis; Please contact me off line.
Sandy Sanders
esane@msn.com
Sandy Sanders

Lucky Boy, I always dream of an MGA and the one you found out is the best one but the twin cam : 1961 was the 1600MK2 launch year: nicest engine, disc front brakes...! Good luck.
Renou

Dennis:
Tough to answer the value question without more info regarding its condition. Does the engine turn over? Is the body rusted out from being in storage for so long, etc. You will need to sink a fair amount of money into a car that has been in prolonged storage - rebuild hydraulics, rebuild suspension, replace rubber bits, etc. Sounds like a great find though.

Regards,
M.D.
'57 Coupe
M. D.

Denis,
If you want to give me the address of the garage I would be happy to pass by and take a look at the car for you.You know I want to be really helpfull (HEE HEE) and I will make sure I get there before you arrive so that I can do a good job of looking it over for you and talking to the owner (on your behalf of course...YAH). So let me know the addy and I will drop by ,toute suite OK. HHHEEE. lol
Gordon Harrison

Everybody: thanks for the nice comments.
From what i saw the car seems to be in excellent shape. The top is up and looks new to the eye and to the touch. This way the interior was protected and looks good too.I didn't see a single rust bubble o the parts visible. The tires which are on steel wheels are still filled with air. The engine has been filled with diesel fuel to prevent it from rusting. I didn't get the chance to see the underhood nor the bottom to evaluate suspension, framing etc... I understand that after 35+ years in storage, this call for a total restoration even if it looks ok! Sa i said yesterday, I'll try to get some picts soon.
My question is not so much to know the exact value but to get an idea of the amount some knowledgeable people of the MGA would be willing to shell to get such a car.
If it is too heavy for my means... who knows.
Gordon: thank you very much for your attention and kindness in trying so hard to help me. The address of the garage is: ooops! sorry got a phone call... meilleure chance la prochaine fois vieux. :-)))

Denis


Denis Lemieux

Denis,
Depending on the condition of the car you could expect the following

Useless to poor app$500.00 -$2000.00....poor to reasonable driver app. $2000.00 - $5000.00.....
very good driver to above average app. $5000.00- $10,000.00....above average to excellent app $10,000.00 - $15,000.00...anything better, speak to yor bank manager. Do not forget that the price will also be determined by the knowledge of the seller. If he knows what he has, then watch out. Other factors that are important regarding the price are: the engine (twin cam ??? ) / the Mga model (deluxe / MK 1 or MK 11 etc. If you are not sure contact, THE MONTREAL MG CAR CLUB (I am a member) and we can try and help you. Also if it is in great condition and you buy it, do not be to hasty and start "restoring" it. Some cars in origional condition have more value that a restored one . be carefull. Good luck. Gord "The Coupe"
Gordon Harrison

This thread was discussed on 01/03/2006

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