MG

A

The MGA marked a complete break from MG's pre-war past, replacing the upright, separate-fendered MG TF Midget with a sleek, aerodynamic body that looked thoroughly modern when it was officially launched at the Frankfurt Motor Show on 26 September 1955. The shape had its roots in a streamlined special that George Phillips raced at Le Mans in 1951, and production was finally green-lit once parent company BMC freed up the necessary engineering. Built at Abingdon, the MGA used a sturdy box-section chassis and the corporate B-Series engine, beginning life as a 1,489cc "1500" producing around 68 horsepower, mated to either a roadster or a pretty fixed-head coupe body. In 1958 MG introduced the exotic MGA Twin Cam, fitted with a 108-horsepower double-overhead-camshaft version of the engine and four-wheel disc brakes, though its appetite for high-octane fuel and careful tuning meant just 2,111 were built before production ceased in 1960. The mainstream cars grew to 1,588cc with the MGA 1600 and then 1,622cc with the 1600 Mk II, the latter recognisable by its recessed grille. By the time production ended in July 1962, a total of 101,081 examples of the MGA had been built, the vast majority exported to the United States. Affordable, pretty and rewarding to drive, the MGA remains one of the most popular entry points into classic British sports car ownership, with the rare Twin Cam now the most prized variant of all.