1961 MGA LHD 1600 MkI, 1588 cc. Registration number 201 UYU....

Hammer

£10,500

1961 MGA LHD 1600 MkI, 1588 cc. Registration number 201 UYU. Chassis Number G-HNL 95461. Engine number 16GA – U – H26669.
The MGA replaced the MG TF 1500 Midget and represented a complete styling break from MG's earlier sports cars. Announced on 26 September 1955[3] the car was officially launched at the Frankfurt Motor Show. A total of 101,081 units were sold through the end of production in July 1962, the vast majority of which were exported. Only 5869 cars were sold on the home market, the lowest percentage of any British car
The MGA design dates back to 1951, when MG designer Syd Enever created a streamlined body for George Philips' TD Le Mans car. The problem with this car was the high seating position of the driver because of the limitations of using the TD chassis. A new chassis was designed with the side members further apart and the floor attached to the bottom rather than the top of the frame sections. A prototype was built and shown to the BMC chairman Leonard Lord. He turned down the idea of producing the new car as he had just signed a deal with Donald Healey to produce Austin-Healey cars two weeks before. Falling sales of the traditional MG models caused a change of heart, and the car, initially to be called the UA-series, was brought back. As it was so different from the older MG models it was called the MGA, the "first of a new line" to quote the contemporary advertising. There was also a new engine available, therefore the car did not have the originally intended XPAG unit but was fitted with the BMC corporate B-Series type allowing a lower bonnet line. The MGA convertible had no exterior door handles, however the coupe had door handles.
It was a body-on-frame design and used the straight-4 "B series" engine from the MG Magnette saloon driving the rear wheels through a four-speed gearbox. Suspension was independent with coil springs and wishbones at the front and a rigid axle with semi-elliptic springs at the rear. Steering was by rack and pinion. The car was available with either wire-spoked or steel-disc road wheels.
In May 1959 the standard cars also received an updated engine, now at 1588 cc producing 79.5 bhp. At the front disc brakes were fitted, but drums remained in the rear. Externally the car is very similar to the 1500 with differences including: amber or white (depending on market) front indicators shared with white side lamps, separate stop/tail and indicator lamps in the rear, and 1600 badging on the boot and the cowl. 31,501 were produced in less than three years.
According to the accompanying Heritage Certificate UYU was dispatched form the factory on the 12th July 1960 as a black car with red interior and grey hood. It was exported to the USA and by 2005 was in New Mexico. In 2015 Stuart Skimming of Dumfries imported it and sold it to our vendor as a restoration project.
A serial restorer he took the body off, rebuild/replaced the running gear and brakes, including added a servo, the engine was dismantled and new rings and shells fitted to factory specs (the condition of the engine lead him to believe the 36,000 on the speedo was correct). A NOS radiator was fitted. The body required two patches to the lower rear wings where they meet the sills, apart from this the body is original with aluminium bonnet, boot and doors. It was resprayed Chariot Red with black leather seats and a new hood; a new speedo was fitted as were 72 spoke chrome wire wheels.
This was completed by October 2016 when it received its first MOT and was registered with DVLA. Today the mileage is less than 70 miles as he likes the challenge of a restoration, not the driving of older cars.
Offered for sale with the V5C, MOT’s, Heritage Certificate and the USA paperwork. This well sorted MGA now needs a custodian who will enjoy driving it.