Find Lots

• Auction House:
  Mossgreen
• Sale Name:
  Collectors’ Cars, Motorcycles & Automobilia
• Sale Date:
  30 Apr 2017 ~ 2.30pm
• Lot #:
  20
• Lot Description:
  1936 MG TA MIDGET
  Chassis no: TA0778Engine no: MPJG 3453. This vehicle will be sold unregistered.
• Notes:
  Chief Engineer Cecil Kimber, under instruction by Lord Nuffield of MG Car Company, was asked to design a practical sports car that had to look like an MG and handle like an MG with the mandate being “Safety Fast”. Launched in 1936 as a successor to the PB Midget, the TA Midget was an altogether larger and roomier car. Longer in the wheelbase at 94”, the simple chassis followed established Midget practice with semi-elliptic springs all round, although the use of hydraulic dampers at the front and the adoption of Lockheed hydraulic brakes were new departures from its predecessor. Cecil Kimber had fathered a new breed of Midget - a sturdy all-rounder which appealed to a far wider public because it looked like a racer but did not demand the degree of attention as much as the earlier cars. The new two-seater broke with tradition by employing an overhead-valve engine instead of the previous overhead-camshaft type. The TA was introduced after Nuffield’s takeover of MG and used the 10hp 1,292cc four-cylinder Wolseley engine, itself derived from that of the Morris Ten. The TA with its adoption of a pushrod engine and synchromesh gearbox was faster than the PB, having a top speed of 80mph with the front windscreen folded flat. The TA was such a roaring success that it went virtually unchanged through a 3,003-unit production run until the TB was introduced in May 1939. All the TAs were fundamentally the same, the only notable exception being the competition cars, the Tickford drophead coupe and the solo Airline fixed-head coupe by Carbodies, of Coventry. This MG ‘TA0778’ is delightfully presented in green livery with a tan interior. TA chassis numbers started in June 1936 with TA 0253 thus this is likely produced later that year as it has the narrow wings and a wider petrol tank. It is fitted with a soft top and accompanying full wet weather side curtains. The current owner purchased this car some six years ago, from Rod Hiley in Brisbane, another MG enthusiast who had previously owned the important MG K3 Magnette (K.3016). Prior to that, the car was acquired in a dismantled state by Gary Kleinschmidt and his brother who resurrected and restored it. This honest example for auction of an MG TA Midget offers an enthusiast the opportunity to acquire a useable and presentable pre-war sporting car with a simply iconic British pedigree.
• Estimate:
  A$27,000 - 33,000
• Realised Price:
  *****
  

  Can't see the realised price? Upgrade your subscription now!

• Category:
  Automobiles & Accessories

This Sale has been held and this item is no longer available. Details are provided for information purposes only.