MGA & Z-Magnette Specials
  The cars above are the originals, but on these pages I will try to collect as many special MGA’s and Z-Magnettes as possible. And by special or unusual I mean anything that is not a normal MG anymore. It may have been hotrodded, customized, chopped, sectioned, channeled or plain vandalized. I don’t care, you decide. But I do need your input. If you have anything, or know of an MGA or Z-Magnette that will fit this page, please
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me Laatst aangepast (vrijdag, 06 mei 2011 15:55) |
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Inspired by Caroll Shelby of Cobra fame, Bob Samyn decided way back in 1965 decided to build his own version of Shelby's creation. Of course he chose an MGA and fitted it with a Corvette V8. Read his full story at 
In 2009 I spotted this MGA racer at the Techno Classica in Essen. It's a 1956 MGa that was made into a racer in the 1970s in the USA..It was exported in parts to Germany in 1990 and the restoration was finished in 2000. Very nice headrest, but I wonder about the seating position.
Compare this one with the MGA below. Is it the same? This one was purchased new by a Mr Harold Webb - Director of MG dealership, 'Webb Motors' and first registered on 24 April 1962. The MGA was modified when new by fitting coupe doors in order to give the advantage of wind up windows and exterior door handles thus improving the creature comforts and bringing the car more in line with contemporary offerings from other manufacturers.
This MGA started life as a 1600 Mark II Roadster, but its owner preferred wind-up windows instead of the usual side screens. So the doors from an MGA Coupe were fitted with specially made quarter lights. Until recently (2005) this MGA was owned by a rental company called “Rambling Roadsters”, but I suspect they went out of business. Does anyone know what has happened to his special MGA?
This 1960 MGA GT has a fixed head coachwork in hand-laid GRP by Monza and is believed to have been the prototype for a limited edition run that was never signed off for production. Chassis and running gear are pure MGA as is the power unit, a 1600 Mk1 engine of 1588cc capacity. It's specifications include a gas-flowed, polished and ported cylinder head, competition rocker gear, camshaft, Maniflow exhaust, Weber 45 DCOE carburetor and FIA-type long-distance fuel tank in aluminum. Driver safety is taken care of by a full FIA-type roll-over cage complete with door-bars and a 5-point harness.
Andrew De Bernes has spent the past few years trying to create the best Magnette in the World. You may judge for yourself, but in my opinion he succeeded. It's powered by a Rover 3.9 ltr V8, but I just love those little details like Aston Martin type vents in the fenders and the drilled doors to add lightness! More photos of the finished car at the 
Frank Cornell sends this photograph that was taken in the paddock area at Thompson Raceway, Connecticut USA in August 1962. I don’t know who made this exiting Coupe, but the owner must have taken a long hard look a the Ferrari Superamerica! Who can tell more about this fast looking coupe? Does it still exist?
Richard Hawkins, who runs a restoration workshop in Hong Kong, send this picture of an MGA that received frontal damage many years ago. It was rebuilt by local artisans who either did not know where to get the original style grill, bumper, etc, or chose to work it up rather than spend cash on it. Nevertheless it’s quite attractive.
Also from Malcolm Buckler comes this mystery picture that shows an MGA disguised as a Porsche. Or is it a Porsche wanting to be an MGA? I have no idea what it is. Who can tell? Does it still exist?
Malcolm Buckler wrote to tell us of his late father, Derek Buckler, who designed and built a range of Buckler sports specials, about 300-400 between 1947 and about 1962. These had tubular space-frame chassis. In the late 1950s, a small number of Buckler cars were produced using the MGA as a donor.
The engine is MGA and is supercharged by a Peco unit, but this is not in use at the moment. The brakes and wheels are MGA twin cam and the handbrake is hydraulic.
Vaugh Cooper from the UK has just purchased this MGA pedal car in need of a restoration. It was made by Tri-ang in Australia, but there doesn't seem to be a source for spare parts. Who can help?
If you’ve never heard of LaDarwi, don’t be ashamed, although the maker of this fiberglass body has many 
Officially this is an MGB from Down-Under, but I think it looks so much like an MGA that it deserves a place in this gallery of specials.
Roger Ainsworth was inspired to build his own version of an "MGA special" after seeing a very impressive display of specials at Silverstone. He had some ideas about what he liked about 1950's sport cars and began to put them into a body shell design which would go onto an MGA chassis. The running gear and engine are MGB. There is a special petrol tank, LeMans replica seats, aluminium interior, Twin Cam replica wheels, special Perspex windscreen and side exit exhaust. Roger's other car is a replica of MGA EX182, the LeMans works entry for 1955. That one has been featured in “Enjoying MG” in 1993. Roger hasn’t raced his "MGA specials", but his next project will be a Six Speed Twin Cam for the track.
Built in 1990, this MGA was intended to be the first of a series of lightweight carbon fibre composite bodied cars using modern twin-cam drive train and mechanical upgrades throughout. While it received a lot of attention, no more were made. The body moulds were taken from a coupe body. Moulds and body were made by Composite Engineering in Concord MA, using glass, Kevlar, and carbon fibre pre-pregs. The chassis comes from a 1960 MGA. The rear axle and brakes are from an MGB. The engine is a 1600cc Toyota MR2 Twin-Cam; transmission a Corolla five-speed.
Dragracing is the favorite hobby from Bob English. His other hobby is the MGA, so what better way than to combine those two. He built this car during the winter of 2005 and installed a 406cid Small Block Chevy V8 in a chassis that, although heavily modified, still basically looks stock. The MGA was raced during the 2006 season and is currently being painted. More info about this MGA can be found 
Steve Bowen’s 1959 MGA is beautiful to look at, and drives nicely thanks to the Mazda MX5 1600cc Twin Cam engine. It was built in 1993 with the idea that it could be used every day of the year. More info about this MGA can be found 
If your reply is "Reliability and speed" it’s obvious that a restoration to original is not what you want. At least that was what Jeb Blanchard from Collierville Tennessee thought when he brought his 1961 MGA to Custom Magic to have some work done. The project started with a Chevy 4.3L Vortec V-6 engine but In the end, the only components on the car not modified are the heater and the front brakes. More info about this MGA can be found 
This MGA 1960 Roadster was found on a farm without engine or transmission. It needed a complete restoration so why not give it some real British Power. The donor engine came from a 1994 Jaguar XJS V12. I never thought an engine like that would fit.
Recently I was given this picture of an Magnette with front damage. It looks like it is a very early ZA, as I can't see the vent windows. According to the sign with number 85, it had its accident on the Rally Monte Carlo. Was the picture then taken in 1955? But who were the drivers? Do you know? Please
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Many years ago Vince from Melbourne, Australia started building a V8 Magnette. Then he abandoned the project and left it at his mother’s garage for the past fifteen years. But recently the interest in his project returned and now the Magnette sits in his driveway, almost finished and driveable. Its main specifications are a SD1 Rover V8 with twin SD Stromberg carburettors; a Triumph Dolomite gearbox with Leycock overdrive on 3rd and 4th and a narrowed Ford Capri V6 3.32:1 differential. For braking the Magnette uses MGB solid discs at the front and Ford V6 Capri drums at the rear. The body is lowered two inches and there are some more modifications but I especially like the 
Another V8 Magnette, this time one from New Zealand. Ray Green is trying to fit a Rover V8 into his 1956 ZA Magnette. You can follow his 
Another pedal car that looks very much like an MGA. It’s made from fibreglass and unlike most pedal cars this one has curves and shapes, which doesn't make it look like a box. This pedal car has sure been played with; it’s missing some parts and the front grill will need replacing. When new it could have had working lights, as on the inside of the car is what looks like a battery holder and the front lights look as though there should be a globe inside. I’m not sure who made it; could it be Tri-ang?
O.K., I'll admit it's not really a special, but I think the license plate is special enough to include it here. In Florida congresspersons get one special congressional license plate for their car. In this case 
It's a 1500 Coupé body mounted on a shortened Ford Ranger Pickup truck frame. Probably it was used for Monster Racing. Happily this one survived the crusher and this body will now help resurrect a very rusty Twin Cam.
At first sight this MGA looks like a drag racer, but it’s far from that. In fact it’s a little Commando 8 tractor powered by a twin cylinder 18hp Briggs & Stratton engine. This tractor was offered for sale on 
This is a picture I found in the book “The MG Companion” written by Kenneth Ullyett in 1960. It shows the conversion that was offered by V.W. Derrington of Kingston. It consisted of a special cross-flow cylinder head, inlet manifold and exhaust manifold. When fitted, this conversion gave the Magnette a much better performance. More info can be found on the website of the 
Another photo found in an old issue of Safety Fast! this one dating from February 1990. The photo itself dates from 1957 and shows the woman police officers from Lancashire standing next to their new MGA patrol cars. Note the driving lights on the wings.
This MGA was also in use by the Lancashire police. Note the non-standard sidelamps.
But the Lancashire police weren’t the only ones to use MGA’s. On the web I found this picture of Police Constable 875 Graham Crockett of the Glamorganshire Constabulary, standing by the side of an MGA sports car in 1962.
The Northhumberland Policeforce used these ZA Magnettes in 1956. They were painted black and maroon.
This one I found in an old issue of Safety Fast! dating from January 1982. It was an 1600 MkII coupe, owned by a Londoner. It was maintained at 
Because of its 1956 Studebaker Hawk grill this MGA is known as the “Hawk”. Originally a roadster, it was fitted with a fibreglass hardtop. Further it had a Marshall blower and a lot of period competition parts. The roll bar was barbershop striped in red and white. The air scoop is a later addition. The car was built and raced by Bob Lester, who owned the Foreign Car Hospital in Chicago. Bob was also a professional jazz guitarist and editor of a car magazine called wheel spin (The original MG Car club of Chicago). After Bob Lester died in 1966, the car was kept garaged and unused and untouched for around 40 years, so the mileage of 28000 is believed to be original. The car now resides in England.
This hand-built special is in fact larger than it looks on the photo. Compare it with the chair in the background. I saw it at the Interclassics and Topmobiel classic car show in Maastricht in 2006, but unfortunately I don't know who the owner/builder is.
This model was advertised on eBay in September 2005 as an MGA. And yes, I didn't know what to make of it either until I looked more closely and saw the 
Randy Brown sends this report of his 1958 MGA with a Mazda Rotary power, a 1982 RX7 12 A engine that delivers about 200 HP. It rests on stock MGA motor mounts, has a Delorto carburetor, handmade header, a RX7 4 speed transmission, MGB front suspension and disc brakes, a custom driveshaft with RX7 front u-joint and Datsun 280Z rear u-joint and yoke. The only permanent changes to the car are at the rear transmission mount where the tower was cut out and a stock RX7 trans mount used. The floorboard on the drivers side was narrowed to clear the starter. The only outward appearance is the grill badge to hint at the beast within. According to Randy the MGA is very fast feels more like a motorcycle than a car.
In an old issue of “1001 Custom & Rod Ideas” I found this picture of “von Dutch” giving an MGA the Dutch treatment. No, of course I don’t mean the 
A 1962 MGA 1600 Mk II with very period looking fender skirts and a Parish Hardtop was sold in 2003 by 
MG ZA Magnette Coupé with coachwork by “Hackit and Weld” (I wonder where that company comes from???)
A ZB Magnette converted to a Convertible
Another Magnette Convertible, this time a ZB
Very much an Art Deco work of art
Wow! Believe it or not, but this a real work of art! This MGA was owned by 
Although this picture is not really an MG, this fibreglass body was also available on an MGA chassis. It was made in the 1960's by Fiberfab in California. The early examples of this body were called the Banshee and after Fiberfab sold the name to GM the car became the Caribee.
Another beautiful body by Fiberfab in California. Barney Gaylord (the 
This very standard MGA was used in 1964 in a study on how to improve on aerodynamic problems other than drag reduction. The results were published in a paper by J.J. Cornish III, head of department, Aerophysics Lab of Mississippi State University. One of their conclusions was that the air outlets on the hood are located in a position at which air pressure outside the hood is greater than inside and results in air flowing in rather than out
An MGA dragster from Denver, Colorado. It was built by Guzman and Ward in 1966 but started life as a ’58 MGA. It has a big Chevy block with a 6-71 GMC blower on top.
A '59 Twin Cam with a 121 cubic inch, dual overhead cam Ferrari engine headed for the Bonneville Saltflats, made by Bob Sutton from Redondo Beach, California in 1966. The car ran in G/Modified Sports and held the record both at Bonneville and El Mirage, The record, secured in 1964 at Bonneville, clocked the 2000 pound speedster at 140.14 miles
When in 1960 D.N. Stephenson graduated from London’s Central School of Arts and Crafts Industrial Design, he demonstrated his abilities by designing a new body for the MGA Twin Cam. It was manufactured by Panelcraft Ltd.
The roof has been chopped down and the rear door welded up. Quarterlights do not fit any more so have been done away with. The scuttle shape is unmistakable and the way it joins the top of the wing there. The headlights have just been fitted to the extensions of the front wings. The waist rail holes are still visible and the drivers’ door handle is still in the same place.
You can still see the MGA chassis and engine of this sixties Hot Rod
A fiberglass body made by J.E. Byers Fiberglass Co. from California. The Byers MG was built in the mid 1990's. The body is a Byers CR90, which was intended for a shorter (88-90") and narrower chassis than an MGA (perhaps a Corvette?) The body turned up at an autojumble held at Lime Rock Park racetrack during the fall VSCCA race weekend. The body had never been used and cost two hundred dollars. The body was cut in half lengthwise and about six inches of fiberglass were taken out. Then the two halves were glued back together and fitted on a donor MGA chassis.
Frank Graham is (among another 
This Devin was sold by 
An MGA still under construction by 
More information on this car, anyone?
It was -or still is- owned by Paul Samuel
Owned by Richard Harvey
An MGA with battery power, made by the late Bob Wing. Read the full 
This one was made by a team of the 
A 1955 ZA-Magnette owned by Ronald Faulkner in Germany. Already early in its life was this Magnette fitted with a (I think) Perkins Diesel. See the full story on the 
This 1960 MGA was made by 
The 
A 1962 MGA custom built with a Chevy 350 Small Block V8 and automatic transmission. The engine is completely chromed and detailed. The exterior is finished in Candy Apple Red Paint with a Tan Leather interior
.
The N.H. Buchanan Motor Co. Pty. Ltd from Australia made at least two fibreglass bodies using an MGA-engine and one on an MGA-chassis
Spotted by Tom from Florida at the Turkey Rod Run, Daytona Beach 2004. Presumably it has a Ford V6 engine. For a full story on this car click 
Among many other modifications this car has a Chevelle chassis, a 327 engine and a VW windshield. Not much MGA left, though.
The short-lived Shamrock was made in Ireland in 1960.
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