MG is a British marque that traditionally has produced sports cars from 1924 to 2005. MG originally stood for “Morris Garages”, a dealer of Morris cars which began producing its own customized versions. Almost all “pure” MG’s are two-seat open sports cars, but the brand has also been used to designate sportier versions of other models belonging to the same parent company.
History
There is some debate over when MG started. The company itself believes it is 1924, although the first cars bore both Morris and MG badges. Some disputing this believe that MG began trading in 1925.
From 1929 until 1980 the MG factory was in Abingdon, Oxfordshire. As part of Morris, (itself part of the Nuffield Organisation), MG was effectively absorbed into the British Motor Corporation in 1952, and latterly British Leyland in 1968. The factory was shut down as part of the ruthless programme of cutbacks necessary to turn BL around after the turbulent times of the 1970s.
MG is now part of the MG Rover Group based in Longbridge, Birmingham. This Group went into receivership in 2005; the future for English production – if not the brand – remains uncertain.
There were various pre-war models built, not all of them sports cars. MG established a name for itself in the early days of the sport of international automobile racing. Beginning before and continuing after World War II, MG produced a line of cars known as the T-Series Midgets which, post-war, were exported worldwide, achieving better-than-expected success. These included the MG TC, MG TD, and MG TF, all of which were based on the pre-war MG TB, with various degrees of updating. MG departed from its earlier line of Y-Type saloons and pre-war designs and released the MGA in 1955. The MGB was released in 1962 to satisfy demand for a more modern and comfortable sports car. In 1965 the fixed head coupé (FHC) followed: the MGB GT. With continual updates, mostly to comply with increasingly stringent American emissions and safety standards, the MGB was produced until 1980. Between 1967 and 1969 a short-lived model called the MGC was released. The MGC was based on the MGB body, but with a larger (and, unfortunately, heavier) six-cylinder engine, and somewhat worse handling. MG also began producing the MG Midget in 1961. The Midget was a re-badged and slightly restyled second-generation Austin-Healey Sprite. As with the MGB, the Midget design was frequently modified until production finally stopped in 1979.
The marque lived on after 1980 as British Leyland (later Austin Rover Group), the then-owner, placed the MG badge on a number of Austin saloons. In New Zealand, the MG badge even appeared on the late 1980s’ Austin Montego estate, called the MG 2.0 Si Wagon. There was a brief competitive history with a mid-engined, six-cylinder version of the Metro.
In the late ’80s, ARG was renamed as the Rover Group and revived the two-seater with the MG RV8, then in 1995 introduced the all-new MGF (redesigned and relaunched as the TF, reviving an old MG name).
With the demerger of Rover from BMW in 1999, the MG name appeared on sportier versions of the current Rover saloons and the Rover 75 estate.
The MG Rover Group purchased Qvale, which had developed a new De Tomaso Mangusta. This car, already approved for sale in the United States, formed the basis of the MG XPower SV, an “extreme” V8-engined sports car. It was revealed in 2002 and went on sale in 2004.
As of 2003, the site of the former Abingdon factory was host to McDonalds and the Thames Valley Police.
MG car production has been suspended since 7 April 2005, due to the receivership of the MG Rover group. It is hoped that MG production will continue, either at Longbridge or elsewhere, if a buyer for the marque is found. It has been rumoured that Rover production could also continue – possibly in China or Iran, depending on where the company’s buyer comes from.
Sports car
* 1929-1932 M-Type Midget
* 1932-1934 J1/J2/J3/J4/Midget
* 1932-1934 K1/K2/K3/KN Magnette
* 1933-1934 L1/L2 Magna
* 1934-1936 NA/NB Magnette
* 1934-1936 PA/PB Midget
* 1936-1939 MG TA Midget
* 1939-1940 MG TB Midget
* 1945-1950 MG TC Midget
* 1950-1953 MG TD Midget
* 1953-1955 MG TF Midget
* 1956-1962 MGA
* 1961-1979 Midget
* 1962-1980 MGB
* 1968-1970 MGC
* 1973-1976 MGB GT V8
* 1992-1995 MG RV8
* 1995-2005 MG F
* 2002-2005 TF
* Subcompact car
* 1982-1990 Metro
* Compact car
* 1962-1968 1100
* 1967-1973 1300
* Midsize car
* 1928-1933 MG 18/80
* 1936-1939 SA
* 1937-1939 VA
* 1938-1939 WA
* 1947-1951 YA
* 1951-1953 YB
* 1953-1956 Magnette ZA
* 1956-1958 Magnette ZB
* 1959-1961 Magnette Mk. III
* 1961-1968 Magnette Mk. IV
* 1983-1991 Maestro
* 1985-1991 Montego
* 2001-2005 MG ZR
* 2001-2005 MG ZS
* Full-size car
* 2001-2005 MG ZT
* Supercar
* 2002-2005 MG XPower SV