Tag Archives: Cecil

Buried And Covered In Concrete – MG 14/40 MK IV Sports

Towards 1927 production of MG’s moved to a new factory in Edmund Road, Oxford and production of the MG 14/40 MK IV commenced, with MG Car Company becoming a legal entity in 1928.

14/40’s were built around bare Morris Oxford chassis, unlike earlier MG’s that were built from completed frames that were striped and rebuilt to MG specifications, as the MG 14/28 had been but were now given MG chassis numbers, MG badges and motors, optimistically, estimated to produce 40hp.

MG publicity at the 1928, London, Motor Show mentions Land Speed Record Breaker Malcolm Campbell as an owner of a 14/40, a model which was struggling to sell at the time in part due to the age of the Oxford chassis and side valve motor underpinning the car.

MG founder Cecil Kimber went to great lengths to differentiate his cars from their Morris inheritance before fitting MG bodies, his alleged obsession with octagons is said to have been frequently overdone.

This Mk IV Sports is one of 135 such vehicles built in 1928 and the only survivor in the UK of a total of just four that are known to exist.

The winner of Best Vintage Car award at the Bristol Classic Car Show, where it is seen in these photo’s, has no history prior to 1999 when it was found beneath a ripped up concrete base of a shed in Gloucestershire.

The disassembled car was found carefully preserved beneath a further layer of gravel complete with it’s guarantee plate and original number plates apparently ready for it’s ground up restoration.

Thanks for joining me in this ‘Buried And Covered In Concrete’ edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres’ I hope you will join me again tomorrow when I’ll be going Dutch with a Daf. Don’t forget to come back now !

Imshi Chassis – MG 14/28

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The history of the foundation of MG cars as a manufacturer is closely linked to the development of a vehicle, by Cecil Kimber of Morris dealer Morris Garages in 1923, based on a 14/28 Morris Oxford chassis purchased directly from the Morris Factory. In 1927 Morris Garages started registering their cars for the road with the local council as MG’s advertising one such car as being based on the ‘Imshi chassis’. Imshi, Arabic for ‘get a move on’, refers to a news paper journalists six month expedition through Europe and North Africa in a 14/28 Morris Oxford.

MG badges did not appear on the cars with MG bodies and modifications to Morris chassis and motors until 1928 and the blue radiator badge on the 1927 14/28 seen here bears the ‘Morris Oxford’ name. The car, seen here at the Bristol Classic Car Show, belonging to an Early MG Society member, is one of just 10 of the later 290 flat radiator 14/28’s built, the original 14/28 maintained the bull nose radiator from the original 14/28 Morris Oxford chassis.

This car was found in 1989 and the current owner acquired it in 1996 and since proceeded with a restoration to bring the 65 mph car, which cost £350 new, to it’s current condition.

Thanks for joining me on this ‘Imshi Chassis’ edition of ‘Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres, I hope you will join me again tomorrow when I’ll be featuring a Panhard. Don’t forget to come back now !

Irish Grand Prix Winner – 8/33 MG Midget

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Cecil Kimber’s Morris Garages blossomed into the car manufacturer when it began producing sports versions of the 4 seat Morris Oxford in 1924. After building around 1100 such vehicles by 1929 the MG Car Company found a new market niche for small engined two seat performance sports cars.

The first such car was the M-Type similar to Alex Peacops 1930/31 example seen at Prescott above which was marketed as the 8/33 M.G. Midget which was based on the Morris Minor chassis featuring lowered suspension with a wheel base of 78″ / 1980 mm and track of 42″ / 1067 mm.

The power for the Midget was provided by a 20 hp overhead cam 4 cylinder motor derived from the Morris Minor and Wolseley 10 cars. In 1930 the Midget design, like all those featured today, was upgraded with the Morris rod braking system replaced with a cable operated system and the 20 hp motor being replaced by a 27 hp version. Roger Glister is seen at Prescott driving his 1931 Midget above.

Competition success with Midgets in 1930 included a Gold Star on the Lands Ends Trial, class victories in the Double 12 (hour) race at Brooklands, and Irish Grand Prix, success which were unashamedly used in subsequent advertising campaigns for the MG Midget.

In standard form, like the 1932 #19 above driven by David Rushton at Loton Park, the Midget was capable of 65 mph and 40 mpg. The popularity of the Midget significantly boosted MG production numbers, by 1932, when production ceased, 3,235 Midgets had been produced which included coupé, supercharged and a one off service van variant.

Thanks for joining me on this M-Type edition of ‘Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres’, I hope you will join me again for a look at “The Car You Always Promised Yourself”. Don’t forget to come back now !

Gettin' A Li'l Psycho On Tyres

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Tag Archives: Cecil

Buried And Covered In Concrete – MG 14/40 MK IV Sports

Imshi Chassis – MG 14/28

Irish Grand Prix Winner – 8/33 MG Midget