AN MG RARITY
Classics Monthly|February 2020
The MkIII and MkIV Magnettes have forever lived in the shadow of their illustrious forebear, the Z-Type Magnette. Sales were never strong and scrappage rates were high, but fans are now seeking out and cherishing the few that remain.
ANDREW ROBERTS
AN MG RARITY

Some interesting cars are misunderstood for too many years, and the MG Magnette MkIII and MkIV definitely fall into this category. Had the British Motor Corporation made the wise decision to use another model name, the Octagon-badged 1½-litre 'Farina' would have stood a far greater chance of establishing a niche. Such Magnettes are now amongst the rarest post-war cars to bear the MG name, and Jon Langford, the owner of this immaculate 1964 example, regularly encounters people who are unaware that there was ever such a car. In fact, he reports that many only seem to have heard of the Austin or the Morris, and that plenty don’t know of the Riley or Wolseley variants either.

Back in the mid-1950s Leonard Lord, the then head of BMC, commissioned Battista 'Pinin' Farina to style the new generation of medium-sized and large saloons. According to Martyn Nutland’s fascinating book Brick by Brick: The Biography of the Man Who Really Made the Mini – Leonard Lord, the chairman had been mulling over European stylistic ideas for quite a while.

At the same time, the company also embarked on a programme of what became known as badge-engineering – a form of rationalization that was much derided in later years, but for which there were sound economic reasons because Austin and the Nuffield Group had merged in 1952, and Lord was faced with the potentially huge financial penalties from integrating and reforming 7000 outlets for the two historically bitter rivals in the UK alone. The solution was to use the various BMC marque names across one standard body, with minor engine and stylistic changes to differentiate between them. This was not an unknown practice in the UK – Morris and Wolseley had employed the same coachwork since the 1930s – but using five badges on the same design did mark new territory.

Denne historien er fra February 2020-utgaven av Classics Monthly.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

Denne historien er fra February 2020-utgaven av Classics Monthly.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

FLERE HISTORIER FRA CLASSICS MONTHLYSe alt
REINVENTING THE PAST
Classics Monthly

REINVENTING THE PAST

This may well be the newest car you ever see featured in Classics magazine, but we hope you'll agree that Morgan's 21st Century return to three-wheeled motoring is pretty close to being an instant classic.

time-read
10+ mins  |
February 2020
AN MG RARITY
Classics Monthly

AN MG RARITY

The MkIII and MkIV Magnettes have forever lived in the shadow of their illustrious forebear, the Z-Type Magnette. Sales were never strong and scrappage rates were high, but fans are now seeking out and cherishing the few that remain.

time-read
8 mins  |
February 2020
Out on the road again
Classics Monthly

Out on the road again

I was in a great rush as usual when I checked out the Allard P1 late one evening, only to find that the lights wouldn’t come on main beam.

time-read
4 mins  |
February 2020
A CHEEKY CHAPPY
Classics Monthly

A CHEEKY CHAPPY

The Austin A30 and later A35 are tiny by today's standards, but back in the 1950s they were everyday transport for many a family. With all the charm of a puppy they had a tendency to worm their way into owners' affections, and Ray Lewis' lovely 1957 example is no exception to this rule.

time-read
5 mins  |
February 2020
Light Fantastic
Classics Monthly

Light Fantastic

We revisit Audi’s cleverly engineered lightweight loss-leader. Just don’t mention the A-Class.

time-read
4 mins  |
Issue 254
Prized Companion
Classics Monthly

Prized Companion

Originally the second prize in a national driving competition for lady drivers, this Escort XL is now a cherished family heirloom.

time-read
7 mins  |
Issue 260
Exhausting Gentry
Classics Monthly

Exhausting Gentry

At the beginning of August I was in Denmark attending the 2017 Copenhagen Historic Grand Prix and as usual this was a brilliant event.

time-read
3 mins  |
Issue 260
Major Minor Screen Problems
Classics Monthly

Major Minor Screen Problems

The last few weeks have been taken up with fettling the Minor’s wipers, as the motor was running too hot, despite smoothing the bends in the outer and replacing the grease with EP90 oil.

time-read
3 mins  |
Issue 260
10 Things You Need To Know About... Bmc 1100/1300 (1972-1974)
Classics Monthly

10 Things You Need To Know About... Bmc 1100/1300 (1972-1974)

For a car that was Britain’s best seller for most of its 12-year production run, the BMC 1100 and 1300 are remarkably scarce with survivors being just a tiny fraction of the two million plus cars that were produced between 1962 and 1974. Built in both Cowley and Longbridge, demand for the 1100 was so great that even after Longbridge started building the Austin version in late 1963, the Cowley plant had double shifts working to build enough cars.

time-read
3 mins  |
Issue 260
Project MGF
Classics Monthly

Project MGF

Last month saw us going right through the MGF’s cooling system and since then I’m happy to report that the garage floor seems to have remained bone dry.

time-read
2 mins  |
Issue 260