Lot 027: MG A Roadster

Not only does the MGA Roadster have one of the most shapely silhouettes of any car ever produced, it also has an incomparably rigid structure that is utterly devoid of the scuttle-shake that plagues so many other soft-tops. This is thanks to a triangulated bulkhead design that is not found on any other production sportscar. Throw in its beautifully direct, vice-free rack and pinion steering, and it's no wonder that the MGA has acquired such a devoted fan club over the years.Built in February 1956, this original UK RHD car was purchased by its previous owner as an abandoned restoration project in 1991. It was then treated to a photographed nut-and-bolt restoration that took four years to complete. Every body panel was removed and repaired as necessary before being resprayed and Waxoyled, with great care taken to get all the panel gaps just right on reassembly. The chassis was thoroughly checked for the slightest corrosion and was plated where the front body securing bolts mount. The battery carriers were replaced and the chassis was then shot-blasted and painted black and the box sections treated with Waxoyl. Since it was returned to the road in 1995 the car's interior has been expensively retrimmed. New carpets and underfelt have been fitted and the seats completely stripped and rebuilt with new bases, foams, backboards and black leather covers, piped in white.In June 2002 the car was tested in Classic & Sportscar magazine (a copy of which is in the history folder) and was declared "a delight to drive with a light, taut feel, sharp steering and rifle-bolt gearchange  just as a sportscar should be." The "ace chassis", "near perfect interior" and "particularly sharp brakes" were also singled out for praise. The car has covered very few miles since this report.In the current ownership for the last five years, the car has always been garaged, carefully maintained and used in dry weather only. Still in superb condition today it comes with a huge history file, Heritage Certificate, original Middlesex number plate and is MOTd until May 2008.