Featured on AutoHunter, the online auction platform driven by ClassicCars.com, is this modified 1961 MG MGA roadster.
British sports cars from the 1950s and 1960s were the reason for the entire sports car craze that took America by storm. These cars were fun to drive, offered good performance, terrific styling, and were affordable to purchase. One car that pretty much personifies the idea of the classic British sports car is the MGA.
Built as a replacement for the very primitive MG TF, the MGA first came about when MG designer Syd Enever created a streamlined body for driver George Philips’ MG TD Le Mans racing car. The new body did away with the MG TF’s articulated fenders and running board for a car that in many ways looked more like the streamlined Jaguar XK120 with an uninterrupted flowing body.
In addition, a new wider chassis was designed with the attachment points for the floor to the bottom of the frame instead of the top as it had with the T series MG cars. Enever had a prototype built that he showed to Leonard Lord, the chairman of BMC. Lord initially turned down the idea of producing the new car due to the fact that he had literally just signed a deal with Donald Healey to produce the new Austin-Healey.
All seemed lost but BMC, seeing sales of the T series cars dropping like a rock, decided to build the new car. MG called the car the MGA and advertised it as the, “first of a new line.” The MGA also replaced the Beverly aging T-Series XPAG engine with the new BMC B Series engine which offered more power.
The MGA would become exactly the car MG needed to be competitive in the sports car market and was widely embraced by both journalists and buyers. By the end of production in 1962, MG produced a total of 101,081 MGA cars.
This 1961 MGA listed here on AutoHunter is said to have received $38,000 in updates and upgrades that include a body-off restoration and a rebuild of the 1.6-liter inline-four, which is connected to a four-speed manual transmission. It is said to be a rust-free California car with 26,289 miles on the odometer and has been garaged and covered under the seller’s ownership. It is painted in dark red and equipped with a black soft top over a black vinyl interior. This MGA is offered with a tan tonneau cover, clip-in side windows, and a clear title.
The exterior of this MGA is said to be painted in dark red paint but may well be the factory correct Chariot Red color based on the photos provided. The photos show a car that looks to have good door gaps and nice chrome. I see no evidence of any rust or corrosion, and overall the exterior looks quite presentable.
The car is equipped with correct 15-inch wire wheels with knock-off center caps and the tires are period correct 165SR15 Michelin XZX tires.
The interior is described as being fitted with black vinyl low-back buckets with red contrasting piping, matched to the door panels, dash trim, lap belts, and carpeting. It also includes a center armrest, a dash-mounted rearview mirror, a correct MGA banjo-style steering wheel, and a spare tire inside the carpeted trunk. The only thing I might change is to have the seats recovered with the same color seat covers in the correct 1961 MGA leather, as every new MGA had leather seats from the factory.
Mechanically the car also looks, and from the description sounds to be, in great shape. The carbureted 1.6-liter inline-four has been rebuilt and is said to have last been serviced around May 2023. Power is sent to the rear wheels via a floor-shifted four-speed manual transmission.
If you are looking to buy a classic British sports car you have many different models to choose from. For me, personally, an MGA roadster offers everything that is special in a classic British roadster. they are great fun to drive with great period handling, have a nice sounding engine, and are simply stunning to look at. The MGA simply delivers on your expectations of the idea of what a British roadster is and at significantly less money to buy and maintain when compared to, say, a Jaguar XK120. With an MGA like this it is hard to go wrong.
The auction for this 1961 MG MGA roadster ends Tuesday, October 10, 2023, at 1:30 p.m. (PDT)
Visit the AutoHunter listing for more information and photo gallery
