Morris Garage

History

The creation date of the mark makes debate. The company with decided that it would be 1924 although the first vehicles raised the two badges Morris and MG and that a reference to MG with the octagonal logo appears in a newspaper of Oxford as of November 1923. Others contradict that and affirm that MG began its sales in 1925.

The first cars which were customized Morris models using of the body of the company Carbodies with Coventry were assembled in a workshop of the Alfred lane to Oxford, but the request with quickly imposed, as of September 1925, a removal in a larger place on the road of Bainton, a workshop divided with the radiator activity of Morris. A constant expansion of the company imposed a removal in 1927 in a factory separated on the road from Edmund on Cowley in the suburbs from Oxford, close to the principal Morris factory; there for the first time it was possible to install a production line. In 1928 the company had become enough important to justify the creation of a company distinct from the Morris Garages of the beginning. M.G. Because Company Limited was thus created in March of this year and in October, for the first time, a stand was rented at the time of the Auto show of London (London Motor Show). Once again the place quickly missed and seeks it of a permanent site resulted in 1929 in renting part of an old leather factory with Abingdon, then to extend progressively until the stop from the production in 1980.

The company, which was at the beginning the property of William Morris, was sold to Morris Motors (pertaining to Nuffield Organization) in 1935. This change of owner had important consequences for the company in particular for its branch automobile sport. In 1952, MG was repurchased by the group British Motor Corporation then later, in 1968, by British Leyland. With BMC, several models MG were nothing more than rebadgés models of other marks, except notable for the small sporting vehicles.

Among several measurements of economy, the factory of Abingdon was closed; that belonged to the drastic plan of reorganization of group BL after the financial problems of the Seventies. Although a great number of factories were closed, no closing created such a tumult among the workmen, the dealers, the clubs and the consumers, that this one. Years later, Sir Michael Edwardes expressed regrets on its decision of the time. The MG models following built by Austin Rover Group one often be of the rebadgés models of Austin, and were built in the factory of Longbridge. Since 2003, the old site of Abingdon is occupied by McDonalds and the Thames Valley Police, only remainder the administrative building. The room of MG Because Club is located just at side.

After the group Austin Rover had become the group Rover, MG was successively bought by British Aerospace then BMW. BMW then resold MG with the group MG Rover based with Longbridge. The practice consisting in selling a single roadster and beside the rebadgés models (Rover) continued. The bankruptcy of the group was marked in 2005. The production was stopped on April 7th, 2005.

Future of the mark MG

In 2006, Project Kimber directed by David James entered in talks with Nanjing to buy the mark MG to produce sport scars based on the Roadster Smart drawn by DaimlerChrysler. No agreement was found and it was announced that Roadster Smart would carry the mark AC.

Nanjing should start again the production of the ranges MG TF and ZT during the year 2007, but ZR and ZS will not be produced due to copyright.

July 11th, 2006, Nanjing announced that the production of half-compartments TF would continue. A new factory would be built with Ardmore in Oklahoma to produce the second generation of the TF which should account for 60% of the sales of TF in the world. A new research center would be also opened with the the United States on the campus of the University of Oklahoma. The factory of Longbridge will also continue to produce TF, and a third factory would be built in China. If one believes Nanjing of it, of MG would be on the market with the the United States in summer 2008.

At the end of 2008 it is envisaged the launching of at least two new vehicles which would replace the MG ZR and MG ZS. Nanjing did not announce where these new vehicles would be produced.

Models

The oldest model, the 14/28 of 1924, was based on a frame of Morris Oxford equipped with a new more sporting carossery and a new mechanics. This type of assembly continued through the following models which were adaptations of the new productions of Morris. The first car which one can really describe as “new MG” as such, and not of modified Morris, was the 18/80 of 1928, with its specific frame, and the first appearance of the famous vertical grid of radiator MG. A car of more reduced size was launched in 1929, the Type M, was equipped with a frame of Morris Minor; it was the first of long series of Midgets. MG was essential very early among the great names of the international automobile races. Dice the pre-war period, and following the second world war, MG produced a line of cars, known like Midgets “series T”, which - after war were exported in the whole world, with a real business success. Those included the MG TC, TD, and TF, all downward direct of the MG TB of the Thirties, and profiting from various improvements, compared to their elder.

MG gave up the old line of the trucks Y and other prewar models, and launched MGA in 1955. MGB was launched in 1962 to satisfy the request for a more modern and more comfortable sporting car. In 1965, followed a half-compartment closed (FHC: Fixed Head Cut): MGB WP. The MGB was produced until 1980, with continual improvements primarily due to the increasingly severe American standards pollution safety. Between 1967 and 1969 only, one new model was launched, called MGC. The MGC was based on a frame of MGB, but with an engine six cylinders larger and, unfortunately, heavier and more difficult to handle. In parallel, MG also started to produce the MG Midget as from 1961. Midget was an alternative slightly Re-stylée of the second generation of the Austin-Healey Sprite. As for the MGB, the versions of Midget were frequently modified, until the closing of the factory of Abingdon in 1980 and the construction of the last models of the range. The escutcheon MG was also applied to various trucks of the group BMC, among which BMC ADO16, also available under the mark Riley, but with a more marked sporting side under name MG.

The mark continued to live after 1980 since British Leyland (become later the Group Austin Rover), the owner of then, continued to place the escutcheon MG on several trucks, of which the Metro, Maestro and Montego. In New Zealand, the escutcheon MG even appeared at the end of the Eighties on a Montego station-wagon, called MG 2.0 If Coach. There be also a short appearance in competition of a version Subway animated by an engine six cylinders.

At the end of the Eighties, when the Group Austin Rover was famous Rover Group, it started again a model 2 places, the MG RV8. Then, in 1995, the any news MGF was introduced (improved later and renamed TF, in reference to old and celebrates model MG).

After the scission between Rover and BMW in 1999, the name MG appeared on more sporting versions of the current Rover trucks, station-wagon Rover 75 and even of a van.

The MG Rover Group bought Qvale, which had governed the development of the De Tomaso Bigua. This car, renamed Qvale Mangusta and immediately accepted for the sale in the United States, constituted the base of the MG XPower SV, sporting “an extreme” animated by a V8 engine. It was presented in 2002 and was put on sale as from 2004.

MG in competition

Since its beginnings, MG was present in competition. With beginning of the year 30, a series of cars built especially for the race, like the C-Type of 1931 and the Q-Type of 1934, were built and sold with impassioned which profited from an important assistance on behalf of the mark. That ended in 1935 when MG amalgamated officially with Morris Motors.

Speed records

However a series of experimental cars were then built and made it possible in particular to the Captain George Eyston to beat several world speed records. In spite of the prohibition of the speed races, the attempts at speed records continued. In 1939 Goldie Gardner thus exceeded the bar of 200 mph (321 km/h) at the wheel of the EX135 having an engine of 1100 cm ³.

Following the second world war.

Return to the races

The decision was made to turn over in automobile races and thus MGA were engaged with the Mans in 1955 (race which was unfortunately marked by a terrible tragedy). The best car finished 12th with the classification.

MG Sport & Racing

In 2001, under the impulse of the new owners who wished to make reappear the sporting spirit of MG, the mark was committed in various competitions, and in particular with the 24:00 of Mans with the MG X-Power EX251. The team gained in race of endurance neither in 2001 nor in 2002 and left officially the competition in 2003. The car however continued to run under a private TEAM and even gained Mans in its category in 2006.

Trucks were as for them committed in BTCC (British Touring Because Championship), with the MG X-Power ZS, with the championships world and British of Rally, and with the championship independent MG of British Rally (MG X-Power ZR). In 2004 the firm even decided to engage with popular championship DTM (German Touring Because Championship) by proposing a MG ZT with the V8 engine very strongly improved. However the bankruptcy in April 2005 of MG Rover made that one never saw this car running.

In BTCC the mark was first of all officially committed of 2001 to 2003 pennies the banner MG Sport & Racing. Then and to today MG ZS continues to run under the colors of a TEAM of foreground WSR (become TEAM RAC) and already gained a series of victories.

List models

Sport scar

1929-1932 MG Mr.-Type Midget
1930-1931 MG 18/100 “Tigress”
1931-1932 MG C-Type Midget
1931-1932 MG D-Type Midget
1931-1932 MG F-Type Magna
1932-1934 MG J-Type Midget
1932-1934 MG K-Type Magnette
1933-1934 MG L-Type Magna
1934-1936 MG N-Type Magnette
1934-1936 MG P-Type Midget
1936-1939 MG MT Midget
1939-1940 MG TB Midget
1945-1950 MG TC Midget
1950-1953 MG TD Midget
1953-1955 MG TF Midget
1955-1962 MGA
1961-1979 MG Midget
1962-1980 MGB
1968-1970 MGC
1973-1976 MGB WP V8
1992-1995 MG RV8
1995-2005 MG F
2002-2005 MG TF

Subcompact because

1982-1990 MG Subway

Compact because (small trucks)

1933-1934 MG kN
1962-1968 MG 1100
1967-1973 MG 1300

average Berline

1924-1927 MG 14/28
1927-1929 MG 14/40
1928-1933 MG 18/80
1937-1939 MG GOES
1947-1953 MG There-Type
1953-1956 MG Magnette ZA
1956-1958 MG Magnette ZB
1959-1961 MG Magnette Mk. III
1961-1968 MG Magnette Mk. IV
1983-1991 MG Maestro
1985-1991 MG Montego
2001-2005 MG ZR
2001-2005 MG ZS

Truck

1936-1939 MG SA
1938-1939 MG WA
2001-2005 MG ZT

Supercar

2002-2005 MG XPower SV

Racing car racing

1934 MG Q-Type
1935 MG R-Type

Concept because

1985 MG E-XE

See too

internal Bonds

MG Rover
Austin
Car manufacturer

external Bonds

Forums:

FORUM MG: The largest French-speaking forum specialized on the mark with the octagone.
http://www.rovermg-france.com: French-speaking forum of the Rover marks, MG, Austin and Mini

French sites perso:

MG Contact: site of French-speaking MGistes: Current events, articles and forum on MG Old and Modern.
http://www.mgpassion.info: site of the “MGFistes and MGTFistes” French-speaking people
MGExpert: Participative site on MG: news, wiki, photograph, forum, cat, tutoriel, exit, etc
http://www.geomatique-liege.be/MGJP/Pages/Page_Accueil_MG.htm: site on the MG B and the mark MG

Others:

http://www.mgcars.co.uk: MG official site
http://www.mg-rover.com: official site of the group MG Rover
http://www.mgcars.org.uk: site federating the various clubs of MG amateurs

Random links: