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Whats so special about MG?


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#1 Megatron

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Posted 18 October 2001 - 20:38

At Le Mans this year there was a lot of hype around the nice and neat 675 Lola MG and how they were "returning" to international motor racing. I admit that I am in the dark as far as their history, can anyone tell me what they have accomplished in their history and who exactly owns them?

I get the feeling that MG Lola will be competing for an overall win next year.

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#2 Vitesse2

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Posted 18 October 2001 - 23:21

For the history of MG, see the MG Car Club:

http://www.mgcars.org.uk/

and for details on the company:

http://www.mg-cars.com/

#3 Gary Davies

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Posted 19 October 2001 - 05:48

The question is: "What's so special about MG?" Vitesse2 provided a wholly sensible, and correct, response.

My analysis is not so sensible but, I submit, is also correct.

It is that for many ageing TNFers, it was in and adjacent to an MG that we discovered many new and exciting things this life has to reveal to us.;) :cool: :) :drunk: :yawn: :smoking: :blush:

Vanwall.

#4 Vitesse2

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Posted 19 October 2001 - 10:09

:lol: :lol:

Unfortunately, I could never afford or justify the expense of an MG - if he'd asked about Ford Escorts the answer would have been different ....:) :blush:

#5 BRG

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Posted 19 October 2001 - 12:46

MG is one of the charismatic names from history, both as a road and race-car maker. It sits with others like Bentley, Maserati, Bugatti, Mercedes etc (felel free to add your own choice) that were important in the 30s and 50s. For many older people, not just in UK, but elsewhere, the name of MG is synonomous with sportscar. For MG to suddenly come back to vigourous life, after many years of neglect of the marque, was a big deal. Their Le Mans effort was also surprisingly successful, far beyond thier own expectations. Since then, they have entered the British Touring Car Championship, securing a (admittedly lucky) win on only their third event - whereas Peugeot have been trying to win for years with no luck!

There is also perhaps some national pride involved at least within UK, in that MG-Rover (having escaped form the dead hand of BMW) are now the only British owned volume manufacturer.

#6 dbw

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Posted 19 October 2001 - 19:44

am i totally off or didn't phil hill have something to do with an mg streamliner????..i get confused a lot these days....:stoned:

#7 Cociani

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Posted 19 October 2001 - 22:25

I believe it was Stirling Moss who set that particular land speed record in the streamliner M.G. My understanding was that in the 20's and 30's M.G. (Morris Garages), specialized in winning the index of performance or handicapped classes in endurance racing. They did so by entering small displacement cars in mager events like LeMans. There is a legends of Mototsport special on the history of M.G. which has been broadcast several times on Speedvision in North America.

#8 Mike Argetsinger

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Posted 20 October 2001 - 05:05

Both Stirling Moss and Phil Hill were involved - along with David Ash and Tommy Wisdom. This was in August 1957 at the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah. MG was out to better the records they had set in 1939 in Germany with a streamlined MG Magnette - Major A.T. Goldie-Gardner driving. There were two cars for the '57 attempts - the EX-181 and the EX-179. Hill's role was to shake down the EX-181 prior to Moss' arrival to go for the record in Class F in a 91 C.I. supercharged 4-cylinder streamliner. Moss achieved the record. The Class G EX-179 had a 58 c.i. Morris Minor based engine. Phil Hill also drove this car and with Ash and Wisdom set a multitude of records. A big success for MG.

I must echo some of the earlier comments regarding the importance of MG in racing history. Its significance to American road racing in the post war era is almost as important as its meaning to British enthusiasts. In this regard it is the MG-TC that has the most resonance. It was a TC that my father - Cameron Argetsinger - raced in the first ever sports car Grand Prix at Watkins Glen in 1948 - as he was the originator and organizer of that race it can be reasonably said that the MG-TC played a major role in the rebirth of American road racing.

By the way, there is a beautiful example of the MG-TC currently on display at the Research Center in Watkins Glen. It is on loan from Brumos Porsche. Although this particular car does not have a racing history it was present at that first Watkins Glen race in 1948. Bob Snodgrass - who heads Brumos - rode with his father, who had just taken delivery of the car, from their home in Elmira, NY to see the race! On October 2 of this year - coincidentally the 53rd anniverary of that 1948 race - Motorsport magazine came to Watkins Glen with a reporter and a couple of photographers to do a feature on the original 6.6 mile road circuit. My father took the TC out of the library - it fired right up! - donned the very helmet he wore in '48 - and put in some fast laps for the benefit of the journalists.

#9 fines

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Posted 20 October 2001 - 09:23

International Land Speed Records by MG:

Class E (1,500 to 2,000 cc):

1959-10-03, Bonneville - 1km (flying start): Phil Hill (MG EX 181), 8.7755" (254.91 mph)
1959-10-03, Bonneville - 1mile (flying start): Phil Hill (MG EX 181), 14.1415" (254.57 mph)

Class F (1,100 to 1,500 cc):

1958-08-23, Bonneville - 1km (flying start): Stirling Moss (MG EX 181), 9.1065" (245.64 mph)
1958-08-23, Bonneville - 1mile (flying start): Stirling Moss (MG EX 181), 14.687" (245.11 mph)
1956-08-15/16, Bonneville - 100km (standing start): Miles & others (MG EX 181), 24'34.08" (151.75 mph)
1956-08-15/16, Bonneville - 100miles (standing start): Miles & others (MG EX 181), 39'11.06" (153.12 mph)
1956-08-15/16, Bonneville - 500km (standing start): Miles & others (MG EX 181), 2:10'22.98" (142.97 mph)
1956-08-15/16, Bonneville - 500miles (standing start): Miles & others (MG EX 181), 3:32'30.24" (141.17 mph)
1956-08-15/16, Bonneville - 1000km (standing start): Miles & others (MG EX 181), 4:23'11.15" (141.66 mph)
1956-08-15/16, Bonneville - 1000miles (standing start): Miles & others (MG EX 181), 7:04'09.29" (141.46 mph)
1956-08-15/16, Bonneville - 1 hour (standing start): Miles & others (MG), 153.38 miles
1956-08-15/16, Bonneville - 6 hours (standing start): Miles & others (MG), 853.68 miles (142.28 mph)
1956-08-15/16, Bonneville - 12 hours (standing start): Miles & others (MG), 1700.52 miles (141.71 mph)
1956-08-15/16, Bonneville - 24 hours (standing start): Miles & others (MG), 2448.00 miles (102.00 mph)

Class G (750 to 1,100 cc):

1939-05-31, Dessau - 1km (flying start): "Goldie" Gardner (MG), 10.99" (203.5 mph)
1939-05-31, Dessau - 1mile (flying start): "Goldie" Gardner (MG), 17.72" (203.2 mph)

Class H (500 to 750 cc):

1946-10-30, Oostende - 1 mile (flying start): Gardner & others (MG), 22.62" (159.2 mph)