MGA Information

[Stang]

Hi folks,

I wonder if anyone can help me find out information for my dad about his MGA he is currently restoring.

Is there any type of register he can contact. The car was first registered in 1955 in this country and then shipped to South Africa. The information he requires is what number was it first registered on and what build number it might have been. Car is now on OTS 911R (which is a cracker of a number anyway) but he would like to know what the first reg was registered on and if he can get that number back.

Needle in a haystack but I thought I would ask, as I have not clue where to look.

Regards
Avril

[wildoliver]

You sure about that number plate?

[Stang]

wildoliver said:

You sure about that number plate?

Aaahh now that does not sound good..... Number is correct. Do you have bad news for me?

[MG Mark]

Hi Avril,

I seem to remember you posting some months ago about the same car - something to do with a steering wheel as a present? It's not necessarily bad news on the registration number - it depends on when the car was brought back into UK - around the late 70s, it was not unknown for re-imported cars to be given new (then) registration plates even though they were actually old cars. Your best bet is to start with:

British Motor Heritage - http://www.mgcars.org.uk/namgar/bmiht/bmiht.htm - they have the factory build sheet records and will confirm the full build spec such as body number engine number, colour, trim, where it went etc (insofar as it was recorded at the time) against the chassis number.

Once you have the build details, then try the MG Car Club at http://www.mgcc.co.uk/ and then the MGA Register within the Car Club http://www.mgcc.co.uk/registers-topmenu-36/mga-reg... to both register the car and find out if anyone knows anything more about that particular car.

Happy hunting,

MG Mark

[MG Mark]

Oh and try http://www.mgcc.co.za/ which is the South Africa Centre of the MG Car Club with all the details of the car that you have, it may well be, or have been, known to them.

MG Mark

[Stang]

Hi Mark,

Yep that's me. I still have not bought his steering wheel. But it's on the list. A lot to look into. Many thanks. Looks like I have my work cut out for me.


Many thanks

Avril

[wildoliver]

My only thinking is the reg (assuming it is a UK reg) makes the car look like a 78, obviously an A can't be a 78, so whether or not it is a mix up with DVLA or not (have seen an 02 plate Porsche 964 with this issue before) where they have given the car a plate for date of registration as opposed to date of manufacture I don't know.

Of course they could be SA plates and maybe that is a SA number that just follows the UK design?

[MG Mark]

wildoliver said:

Of course they could be SA plates and maybe that is a SA number that just follows the UK design?

Now that is a good thought - a quick look on Google brings up this - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_South_African... - a brief scan of which shows that it might be a South African plate, although the OTS prefix doesn't eaxactly fit the pretty comprehensive criteria on the list, and the plates were supposed to be white letters on black. That said, it could still be a possibility, as later plates were black on white, and the MGCC in SA might be able to help.

The possibility of it being a UK plate is a real one though, as around that time the likes of kit cars, releases from the UK military, and re-imports to UK were being registered with a new plate, as the Q plate was not introduced until 1983, and the "age related" plate until 1990. As South Africa drives on the left like us, cars built for export there, or taken abroad by those working there when new were often brought back by expats returning. So, it could have started life there, been imported to UK by someone coming back to UK around the R suffix time of 76-77.

Stang said:

Hi Mark,

Yep that's me. I still have not bought his steering wheel. But it's on the list. A lot to look into. Many thanks. Looks like I have my work cut out for me.
Many thanks

Avril

No worries - good to see you posting again! Detective work on the history of a car is always interesting. Can you post a couple more shots of it in its original state from the rear and the other side, the interior and the engine bay, and I'll see if I can work anything else out for you.

From the picture above, it looks like a fairly standard 1500 or 1600 (1487cc or 1588cc engine) but definitely not an original factory colour, and it has an odd light or something between the headlight and side/indicator light on the nearside. The chassis and/or engine number contain a wealth of information to work a lot of information out, and there's a lot about what the letters and numbers mean and where else on the chassis the numbers are stamped, even if the chassis plate is missing from the engine bay, at these links

http://www.mgcars.org.uk/mgarh/carinfo/id.htm
http://www.mgaguru.com/mgtech/buying/buy101.htm

Not sure what you mean when you say that the car was first registered in 1955 in UK, as the coupe was not produced until 1956 - can you add any detail to that initial statement at all? This link http://www.mgcars.org.uk/MGA/mgaprod.html gives the production figures by mark and year, which means that you probably have a very early coupe, which may even have been built up on an earlier chassis by the factory if it was indeed registered in 1955 - who knows, you may even have an original demo car or the like!

You should be able to work out a fair amount from all that lot alone. By that way, looking at the stat eof then sills and lower wings, tell your dad not to even think of lifting thebody off the chassis until the sills and inner wings have been replaced otherwise a massive fold in the roof will occur!

Happy hunting and keep asking - let us know what you find,

MG Mark