MG Sports Car Books - History and Models

The Complete Book of Classic MG Cars

First produced in Oxford, England, in 1924, MG cars proved instantly appealing, with a cheeky spirit that would win the hearts of millions around the globe, not least of all in the United States. This was due in no small part to the fact that the price was as attractive as the styling and the performance. Inexpensive and fun became quintessential MG traits.

In this installment of Motorbooks' Complete Book series, author Ross Alkureishi offers a chronological model-by-model marque history. Narratives discuss design, production, and technology, while specification tables highlight key technical and performance data. Hundreds of photos illustrate the vehicles and even include detail shots of engine bays and interiors.

Originally formed as a side business, MG became one of the world's most recognized car brands. From prewar saloons to fast and affordable two-seat sports cars in the pre- and postwar periods, MG has exuded fun, thanks to models like the Midgets and Magnettes, the traditionally styled T-Types, and the vehicles that would become the marque's most recognizable: the MGA, MGB, and MGC.

MG would undergo several ownership changes throughout the years, and Alkureishi expertly shows how different ownership groups affected MG cars, good or bad. Along the way, the company competed on racetracks around the world, and Alkureishi describes the most successful of these exploits in complementary sidebars.

The MG Story 1923-1980

The first MGs were a small number of cars sold with special bodywork by Morris Garages, but by the 1930s the MG had come to be recognised as the archetypical sporting car. The rapid development of the marque, and the cars' domination in their class of competition entry lists, is down to the energy, enthusiasm and skills of a small number of key personalities.
Here, as well as in-depth studies of all models produced, there are biographies of those most involved with MG development, record breaking and motor sport.
This book sets out to recount, in the form of a series of articles, the story of the marque from 1923 until the Abingdon factory closed in 1980. At that time this small market town housed what was probably the world's largest producer of sports cars.

Many of the competition efforts by both factory-supported entries and private owners are covered in detail and help show why MGs became so well known. To illustrate the text there are both black-and-white archive photographs from the author's collection and a great many modern colour pictures of restored cars. Period advertising material has also been included.
The wide range of topics covered gives the reader a real insight into the evolution of the company and its cars, and into the unique character of MGs that is the reason why they remain so popular.

MG (1929-1939) - Brooklands Portfolio

Brooklands Portfolio book about the MG models from the years 1929-1939. Describes the MG 18/80, M, C, P (various models), J (various models), F, L, K tourer and racer, N, SVW and T-Types.

• The 89 articles, taken from contemporary British and American car magazines, provide much information about history, model changes and technology.
• Also driving impressions, tests, comparison tests, technical specifications, etc.

▶  More information on the Brooklands Portfolio books

MG Saloons & Coupes 1925-1980 Photo Archive

MG's are usually thought of as open two seaters; yet from the beginning in 1925, Cecil Kimber sought to provide cars that captured the essence of the M.G.'s sports cars for all segments of the motoring public. To that end he produced sedans and coupes that combined brisk performance with outstanding handling.
In the mid-1930s the SA, VA, and WA were presented to the public not only as sports cars but also as elegant modes of transportation, and that's when Cecil coined the ''Grace, Space, and Pace'' slogan much before Jaguar used it.

Beginning with ''Old Number One'', factory publicity photos, drawings, great advertisements and other contemporary photos feature these cars.

MG

Britain's most popular sporting marque, MG is one of only a handful of British motoring names to have survived into the twenty-first century. From the quintessential open two-seater MG Midget, through the booming post-war years and the emergence of MG as a provider of sports cars for the world, Jonathan Wood provides an in-depth analysis of the rise and fall of a motoring legend.

Examining the various models in detail, the author covers the financial and corporate traumas which afflicted the company, its brief resurgence in 1995 with the release of the MGF, and the final sad chapter which saw a British icon sold off to foreign investors. This is an informative and at times touching glimpse into the history of one of the world's most recognisable sports cars.

MG's Abingdon Factory

A pictorial study of men and women drawn from all parts of the country to this little known rural town to take part in the building of a motor car. These workers were a mixture of skilled people from the depressed areas of England and Wales together with the few MG car workers who made the journey with the MG from Oxford to Abingdon with its largely farming community.

This mixture coalesced to become a workforce that built a legend - The MG. With 160 photos of factory life both car building and during the war effort this is a fascinating story.

Features:
- Includes many photos taken by employees and kept in private collections
- Reveals the many facets of everyday factory life
- Illustrates the willingness of the employees to adapt to change
- The little known work carried out during the war
- Illustrates the way that the factory governed the mens' working and leisure lives
- Captions reveal an intimate knowledge of the pictures' subjects
- An important record of MG history
- Reveals MGs initiative in designing testing facilties to conform to EU & USA regulations
- Tells stories of the generations of families working together in the factory
- Will prove to many people that Abingdon could have still been in the forefront of sport car manufacture.

MG, Made in Abingdon : Echoes from the shopfloor

MG was a home-grown concept that became an international success, bringing the small market town of Abingdon onto the global map. This book recounts the inside story of the famous factory, recognising that the most important aspect of MG's success was its team - the tea-boys and girls, the shop floor workers, the engineers and racers, the apprentices and management.

From memories of the production line to recollections of racing incidents, the untold story of MG from the men and women who worked in the Abingdon factory is revealed for the first time in a book that is both nostalgic and historically important.

Mr MG - A Biography of John William Yates Thornley OBE (1909-1994)

A biography of MG director John William Yates Thornley, written by his son Peter J. H. Thornley.

Kim: A Biography of M.G. Founder Cecil Kimber

NEW

M.G., the world's most-loved make of sports car, was created in the 1920s by Cecil Kimber - invariably known as Kim. Rising above disability, with his energy, enthusiasm and vision Kimber became a leading figure in the British motor industry.
Initially placing sporty bodies on Morris chassis, within a few years he had built M.G. into the leading European manufacturer of sports cars, with an impressive record of competition successes.

He survived industrial upheaval only to fall victim to the venomous internal politics of M.G.'s parent company. Sacked from his high-profile job, he was preparing to bounce back when he lost his life in a needless accident.
Respected businessman, wayward husband, fallible parent - Cecil Kimber was a man of surprising contrasts. Here for the first time is the colourful story of the man behind those famous initials.

MG - Tous les modèles depuis 1924

Dès le début de leur production à Oxford en 1924, les MG se révèlent attrayantes. Leur style effronté allait séduire des millions de clients dans le monde. MG, tous les modèles depuis 1924 offre une rétrospective complète des différentes MG, berlines et voitures de sport, toutes élégantes, abordables et surtout amusantes.

Vous découvrirez dans cet ouvrage les différents modèles de la marque par ordre chronologique, mais également des tableaux de caractéristiques et de performances. Les prouesses sportives mondiales de la marque MG sont aussi mises en avant. Des premières berlines d'avant-guerre, les 14/28 et 14/40, à la RV8, en passant par les deux-places rapides, les Midget et les Magnette, les Type T et les iconiques MGA, MGB et MGC, aucune n'est oubliée.

"MG, tous les modèles depuis 1924" est un ouvrage de référence sur l'une des marques automobiles les plus originales et anciennes au monde. Il donne pour chaque modèle son histoire, son design, sa production, la technologie, les caractéristiques techniques et les performances sportives.

MG, les sportives so british

Cet ouvrage encyclopédique présente, modèle par modèle, les voitures construites par MG depuis ses origines y compris des créations fameuses comme la série T, la MGA, MGB, MGF et la Midget. Plusieurs pages sont également consacrées aux voitures MG produites en Chine depuis 2007. L'historique des modèles est complété par des centaines de photos, des descriptions et des données techniques.

MG, sport cars par excellence

Pilier des marques anglaises de sports cars, MG a connu une histoire particulièrement mouvementée. Plusieurs fois enterrée, elle revient perpétuellement sur le devant de la scène, au gré des divers propriétaires de la marque...
Près de 90 ans d'histoire se sont ainsi écoulés, laissant à chaque décennie son lot de modèles mythiques. Cet ouvrage se propose de découvrir toute la phase d'après guerre, lorsque MG sera intégrée à la British Motor Corporation, pour livrer ses voitures parmi les plus emblématiques : MG TD, TF, A, B, Midget, sans oublier les berlines ou encore toute la période Rover, récente, mais très riche.

Cette rétrospective de la marque MG se destine avant tout aux néophytes qui souhaiteraient entrer dans l'univers de l'Octogone, le fameux emblème de Morris Garage. Un texte didactique et clair, qui permet de s'y retrouver dans les nombreuses orientations subies par MG, agrémenté d'un grand nombre de photos, toutes originales et inédites.