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MG Magnette ZB

MG Magnette ZB

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MG Magnette ZBMG Magnette ZBMG Magnette ZBMG Magnette ZBMG Magnette ZB
MG Magnette ZBMG Magnette ZBMG Magnette ZBMG Magnette ZBMG Magnette ZB
MG Magnette ZBMG Magnette ZBMG Magnette ZBMG Magnette ZBMG Magnette ZB
MG Magnette ZBMG Magnette ZBMG Magnette ZBMG Magnette ZBMG Magnette ZB
MG Magnette ZBMG Magnette ZBMG Magnette ZBMG Magnette ZBMG Magnette ZB
MG Magnette ZBMG Magnette ZBMG Magnette ZBMG Magnette ZBMG Magnette ZB
MG Magnette ZBMG Magnette ZBMG Magnette ZB
Lot number 79
Hammer value £16,500
Description MG Magnette ZB
Registration TSR 637
Year 1958
Colour Two tone grey
Engine size 1,489 cc
Chassis No. KABJ13/34686
Engine No. 15GC-U-H 16783
Documents V5C; 15 old MOTs; handbook; usage log

The first monocoque car to bear the MG badge, the Magnette was designed by the great Gerald Palmer (of Jowett Javelin and Riley Pathfinder fame) and featured swooping Italian inspired styling.

Launched in 1953 at the London Motor Show with deliveries starting in March 1954, the ZA was powered by the new four cylinder 1,489 cc B-Series engine with twin SU carburettors delivering 60bhp (the very similar Wolseley 4/44 making do with the old 1,250cc MG TF engine). Driving the rear wheels through a four-speed manual gearbox with synchromesh on the top three ratios, performance was brisk for its day with a top speed of 82mph and 25mpg economy.

Suspension was independent at the front using coil springs and had a live axle with half elliptic leaf springs at the rear. The steering was by rack and pinion. Hydraulically operated Lockheed 10-inch drum brakes were fitted to front and rear wheels. Lavishly trimmed in the best MG tradition, the car had leather upholstery while the dashboard and door cappings were in polished wood. The heater was standard but the radio still an optional extra.

The ZB came out in 1956, now with bigger 1.5-in carbs, a higher compression ratio and a revised manifold which boosted power to 64bhp and increased the top speed to 86mph. It was replaced by the more angular Pinin Farina-designed Magnette MkIII at the end of 1958 after 18,524 ZBs had been sold.

This magnificent ZB has been in one family ownership from new and has covered less than 16,100 miles in its 57 years to date. The vendor’s grandfather bought the car new from Duthie & Son Ltd of Montrose, Scotland, in August 1958 for the sum of £840 plus purchase tax (this sum not including the optional radio, an expensive luxury that grandpa declined, as any true Scotsman would). He kept it until his death in 1966 when ownership transferred to his son, an RAF fighter pilot, at which point it had only covered 4,460 miles. As meticulous as you would expect of a pilot, he kept a log of every journey undertaken in the car over the next 22 years, mainly local outings around the Montrose area when he was home on leave.

The vendor inherited the car in 1995 when it had 11,349 miles under its wheels and he has continued to use it very sparingly, a run of 14 old MOTs showing the gradual accumulation of mileage to today’s total of 16,036. Always kept garaged, the car remains in outstandingly original condition throughout, the fitment of a stainless steel exhaust being about the only departure from standard. The red leather seats have been protected from new by fitted covers and remain in superb condition, as do the carpets and the woodwork.

Recently fitted with five new tyres (and still retaining the original, unused spare tyre), the car comes with its original owner’s handbook, the original fire extinguisher in the boot and even retains the original quarter-light sticker with the running in instructions. An absolute gem in every department, this wonderful Fifties time capsule is easily a match for the Magnette currently on display at the Gaydon Motor Museum and would be the jewel of any collection.

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