Pre-War I've caught the pre-war bug

[MadRiver]

Howdy gang! Well, it's finally happened. I've developed a serious hankering for a pre-war MG. I'd love a J-series, but unless I find one in pieces and a very accommodating seller, I don't think that's going to happen. I think a TA would be the best place for me to start. If anyone happens to have a lead on a solid TA, I'd love to hear about it.

Best,

B.

 

[BabaKahawa]

I'll keep an eye open out here... good luck.

 

[tony barnhill]

TA's are almost as rare as J's - & expensive!

 

[drooartz]

Good luck with your hunt. Pre-war MGs are quite beautiful cars.

 

[MikeP]

Good luck with the search, if you're not worried over shipping and customs don't forget to check the british vendors. I got lucky with my TA, it was apart but only about 15 miles from my home when I bought it.

 

[MadRiver]

Thanks gents! I appreciate it.

B.

 

[aeronca65t]

Let me just suggest one of those incredibly cool pre-war Austin 7 racers as well.

Lots of different types (especially in the UK). Many can be street driven (at least as well as a J2 or TA) and are well accepted in the vintage and car show world too.

Prices are pretty reasonable.

Info Link

https://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C05635/?pt=pf

Some samples:

https://img.prewarcar.com/show-prewarcar.php?src=Austin_1929_ID457kmfTp_400.jpg

 

[tony barnhill]

What, about $30,000 for the blue one? Plus shipping.

 

[MadRiver]

The beating that the dollar's taking against the pound isn't helping matters much!

 

[Sebring222]

Bill-
I'd like to suggest that you take a close look at the M Type Midgets produced until mid-1932. Most of the cars are fabric bodied with the last 200 being all metal-bodied. They were produced in significant numbers and have the overhead cam engine that was later developed via the C Type and the AB cylinder head into the J2. They're good looking, fun to drive, and are not impossibly expensive to buy or restore. I have owned J2's for about 25 years and can say that pre-war MG's are certainly my favorite. The overhead cam cars are sensational.

Jim D.

 

[rick_ingram]

You may want to join the MMM Register.

https://www.triple-mregister.org/links.asp

 

[Steve_S]

Does it have to be pre-war? TCs are superior cars to TAs and are nearly identical in appearance and driving feel. They're also much easier to find. TAs are out there and for sale, but tend to cost a bit more for some reason. The rest of the pre-war cars will start at about TA prices and go up from there.

 

[aeronca65t]

What, about $30,000 for the blue one? Plus shipping.

No Tony.

The converted price for that car is a bit less than $20,000.
And that car is one of the most famous Austin 7 racers in the UK, so it would be a bit more valuable than most.

There are some very nice A7 racers available in the $10000 to $15000 range.
Most are built up more recently and have less racing provenance than the blue car.
But they are built from real Austin 7 components (this allows them to get a racing logbook in the various UK clubs).

Steve's suggestion of a TC as (I guess) "almost" pre-war is also a good one.
They are a lovely car with vitually all the appeal of the pre-war cars.
But a nice one certainly isn't cheap these days.

 

[aeronca65t]

I was just looking through some snaps I took and found a nice pre-war MG P (I think, "PB") that I saw last year at BritFest here in NJ..

I'm still a bit more drawn to the A7 racers, but these things are keen!

 

[GeeBee1]

I caretook had a PB for a while, it was a very interesting experience.

Also try prewarcar.com

If I did it again, it would probably not be an MMM, but a TC.

Pat

 

[Sebring222]

This is a "one-off" special. The body was custom made and is not an original MG design. The engine is not pre-war, appears to me to be an XPAG. The pedals are not MG. The wire wheels are not MG, they are some sort of bolt on wheel with fake knock-offs. The transmission is not pre-war, it also appears to be T series, possibly TC. This is an amalgam of parts made up to look like someone's idea of a pre-war MG.

Jim D

 

[bgbassplyr]

This is a "one-off" special. The body was custom made and is not an original MG design. The engine is not pre-war, appears to me to be an XPAG. The pedals are not MG. The wire wheels are not MG, they are some sort of bolt on wheel with fake knock-offs. The transmission is not pre-war, it also appears to be T series, possibly TC. This is an amalgam of parts made up to look like someone's idea of a pre-war MG.

Jim D

Glad you stated this. I was going crazy looking at all the things 'wrong' that I saw in the photos.

Still a beautiful car, though.

 

[aeronca65t]

Yeah, I won't pretend I know that much about this car other than the fact that I think it looks neat.

Here is the sign that was placed in front of it with owner's name and other info:

 

[Rileyguy]

Restoring or maintaining a pre-war car is quite a challenge. I'm restoring a '33 Riley Lynx. Quite a challenge getting spares and the uk postege and customs are quite high. The nuts and bolts are mostly British standard fine (try finding that in the hardware store). The engines have poured bearings making the rebuild difficult. On most pre-war cars the gearbox lacks syncromesh making driving quite challenging. And even though my car was considered "sporting" in the 30's, I find drives more like a tractor than a Miata. The body is aluminium over an ash frame which is far more challenging than a standard steel body. I still love my car but had I known what I was getting in to I probably would have gone for a MG TC.

 

[GeeBee1]

Well put Riley Guy and welcome to the forum.

I remember paying $100 for a dizzy cap.

Pat