Classic car, classic ads?

MG had a history of producing classic advertisements for its cars. "Safety Fast!" became a slogan synonymous with the brand.

According to the various fundi on the MG forums, the origin of the slogan was George Tuck, who was the publicity manager for the MG Car Co Ltd in the 1930s. The story goes that Ted Colegrove, the original Sales Manager of the company at Abingdon was driving behind one of the new buses in Oxford. The bus had a big red triangle on the back and words "Safety First!" painted through it, to indicate that they were fitted with four wheel brakes which was a novelty then. Ted thought that if the "ir" was replaced by an "a" it would make a jolly good slogan for the MG, so he went back to Abingdon and, with George, sold this idea to Cecil Kimber, one of the founding fathers of MG. From then onwards it was the only slogan for MG! It was still being used into the 1960s. For example, it appeared on a 1962 MG Midget advert - "Safety Fast motoring is the safest of all".

Now my interest is more at the other end of the decade.  The MG Midget was still trading on its sporting heritage in the sales brochures for the Mark III model.  "Sport the real thing" became the slogan for both Midgets and MGBs. I've been hunting around on eBay for bits of memorabilia and picked up a framed original, fittingly featuring a glacier white Midget similar to ABW.

1970 MG Midget sales brochure

The time around 1970 is widely recognised as the nadir of MG advertising, although it has a certain period charm. For a while "Your mother wouldn't like it" was the banner on many ads - though it was never clear whether this referred to the car or the driver!

Of course, the driver was inevitably a man, even though a reasonable proportion of owners were women.  Some of the copy must have seemed quite dodgy at the time; it seems downright sexist now!  An example was the "You can do it in an MG" slogan... very Carry On!

My favourite period advert tried to address the question of the manliness of the MG Midget; it carries the slogan: "85% of Midget owners are men". In marketing terms you might describe this advert as "suggestive".  It features a scantily-clad young  lady fondling the handbrake!  The copy is even better, reminding you that "lots of girls will be relaxing in our new, thick contoured rake adjusting seats."

MG Midget advert, 1970 

Mrs C was horrified when I purchased this one on eBay; "Not in this house" or something similar! Some of the other copy on this advert is open to challenge too: "Magnificent high speed cruising."  Whatever you might say about the MG Midget, it is not a high speed cruiser.

How different these adverts are to those that were used just 10 years earlier to advertise the Austin Healey Sprite.

Austin Healey Sprite brochure, 1958

 Ahhh!  Halcyon days!

Oselli 1293 Fast Road Stage 2 Engine

In an earlier article (Oselli and the MG Midget A-Series Engine) I discussed the history of Oselli and its links with the MG Midget.  Since taking delivery of ABW, I've been able to do a lot more investigating into the tuning that had been carried out on the car.

ABW was tuned by Oselli in 1998. The engine was removed , reconditioned and rebuilt to 1293 Fast Road Stage 2 unleaded specification. But what does this mean?

The 1293 Fast Road Spec claims to gives 95 horsepower, but retaining good manners for town driving. Fuel consumption remains good at cruising speeds and there is lots of low speed torque (see previous article on towing with MG Midgets!). Oscelli strengthened the bottom end considerably to provide a reliable unit able to rev up to 7500 rpm and able to last over time.

Power curves from Oselli brochure, 1998

The work done by Oscelli:

• engine stripped out
• parts checked, tolerances measured, and prepared for machining
• engine rebuilt, clearances checked, cam timing set up
• engine bored out to 1293cc
• crank, flywheel, clutch, pistons and conrods all balanced
• tufftride treatment to crank, journals repolished, alignment checked
• heavy duty bottom end main and thrust bearings fitted
• flywheel lightened
• cylinder head modified to large valve OE62 Rally Spec
• A600 camshaft fitted, cam follows set
• high capacity oil pump
• miscellaneous new seals and gaskets
• performance distributor

According to the May 1990 catalogue, the specification of the Oselli A600 camshaft is: 37/71/71/37, 288° duration inlet/exhaust, 0.360" valve lift with std 1.25 rockers, 0.016" tappet clearance, 107° inlet valve full open for timing setting (data from Richard Wale, 2009). It was a slight de-tune on the 1293 'Rally' specification (for which the Kent 286 camshaft was standard).

Close-up of ABW's "Oselli tuned" engine

Some months later Oscelli tuned the SU HS2 carburettors, fitting ‘AF’ needles – the standard specification being ‘AN’. The new needles offer better performance with the K&N filters, tuned exhaust, modified head, and fast camshaft fitted to ABW.

ABW's engine bay

Standard Midget engines are quoted at 65 bhp. I'd be amazed if ABW is giving anything like 95 bhp – but she seems eager!

ABW gets a grilling

With old cars there is always a question as to how original one should keep the specification.  Purists would say you should try to keep the car as close to the factory spec as possible.  In the case of ABW that means Rostyle wheels, vinyl seats, navy trim and an MG steering wheel; rather than the alloys, leather, black interior, and 13 inch steering wheel.

Personally, I rather like the upgrades, particularly when they are period-style accessories.  The thing that attracted me to ABW was all the upgrades, small and large, that have been lavished on her without losing the period essence – which is after all why we buy classic cars.  I've already fitted a Smiths cigarette lighter that I had knocking about the garage.

Now the grille was causing me some concern.  I discovered, on close post-purchase examination, that the fitted part was close to disintegration.  This was the standard Mk III black “egg g box” item fitted from 1969 to 1974 when the rubber bumper Midget was introduced.  The grille is an alloy mesh, painted black, with a stainless steel trim and an octagonal black and red MG badge fitted centrally.  

Standard Mk III MG Midget (GAN5) grille

The options were to go with the standard black or perhaps fit the slightly plainer, polished alloy version from the Austin Healey Sprite, fitted from 1961 (Sprite Mk II) to 1969 (Sprite Mk IV).  This is similar to the MG grille, but without a centre badge and the stainless steel detailing.  

Standard chromed “egg box” grille fitted to an MG Midget

An even more radical idea was to fit the vertical slat grille from the earlier Mk I and Mk II MG Midget.  This is of a rather complicated construction, with a black and red MG shield-like badge towards the top centre of the grille. 

 Mk II MG grille

Cost inevitably becomes a factor, with standard grilles costing around £150 or more and second-hand examples often bashed and bruised and little better than the one being replaced.  A final option was to look to something sportier.  For a while Ashley Hinton has been manufacturing stainless steel components for Midgets and Sprites.  A snazzy grille caught my eye – retailing at a very reasonable £75 including badge at the Midget 50 show.  The quality was excellent. (Ashley Hinton website: http://www.mgcars.org.uk/ah/)

Fitting was simple; a straight replacement and a fitting kit was included.  The new grille fitted snuggly inside the existing aluminium surround finishers that are riveted to the body work.  However, to my eye the finished job looked a little too plain; perhaps too much like a racing car or special.  The solution was to take the stainless trim off the original defunct grille and mount it to the new item.  Finding some suitable fixings was a challenge, but eventually it all came together.

 New Ashley Hinton grille fitted, with additional stainless trim

I’m rather pleased with the final arrangement.  No doubt the purists will shake their heads!

Alternator aggravation

So a couple of days into owning ABW and already the gremlins are starting to attack!

Engine cutting out on deceleration when hot (probably fuel vaporisation in the carbs), a soaked floor under the driver’s seat in heavy rain (small rip in roof), a disintegrating grille and an annoying misfire (yet to be diagnosed).

The latest problem is the alternator.  Originally ABW would have had a dynamo, but at some stage (fairly recently, judging by the cleanliness of the components) she has had an alternator conversion.  Whilst trying to discover the cause of the misfire, I noticed the alternator was loose, only to discover cracks fore and aft in the mountings.

A quick bodge with some penny washers to keep things going, whilst I sort out a new alternator and bracket. This seems like an unusual place for the failure of a fairly new component, so I must investigate any root cause.

Old cars, don't you love 'em!

JNK becomes ABW

In an earlier article (MG mystery: the missing three years) I mentioned the mystery of the missing three years. Why was JNK registered with an “N” plate (May 1975), but the chassis number and specification indicating a much earlier construction?

The answer came from British Motor Industry Heritage Trust.  The Trust provided me with a certified copy of the original factory records.  This showed that the vehicle was built between 12 Jun and 28 Aug 1972 and it was despatched from the works on 4 Sep 1972.  JNK was a right hand drive car, built for the home market.  But the twist, and the reason for the changed registration plate, was that she was destined for Thompson Reid Ltd, a motor dealer in Belfast, Northern Ireland.

Originally she would have been issued with a Northern Ireland registration and, as was custom at the time, on return to the mainland several years later was reissued with a number plate corresponding to the date of that change.  Similar often happened to cars register in the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man.  Today, the practice has changed, with DVLC issuing plates that correspond to the year of manufacture of the car when a vehicle is returned back to Great Britain.

Not quite a romantic as being used as a factory test car for a number of years, or even an origin in one of the far flung parts of the Commonwealth, but the mystery is solved.

As a final twist, causing some hiccups with receiving the car, DVLC have now issued JNK with a new “L” plate registration.  From henceforth she is now ABW!  This is much more fitting; ABW indicates an Abingdon registration.

Midget 50

A jamboree for MG Midget enthusiasts took place at Burghley House, near Stamford, on 12 June to celebrate 50 years of these amazing little cars. The programme included guest speakers, car gymkhana, the obligatory concours d'elegance contest, but the real stars were the hundreds of Midgets and Sprites that turned up, despite the driving rain!

ABW proudly took her place amongst a gaggle of the little cars. Paying on the gate she received a souvenir plate with No.898; with better weather I'm sure over a thousand Spridgets would have turned out.

An enormous range of cars were at the event, but a few in particular caught my eye.  Here is a very early example of the original MG Midget from around 1930:

Plenty of sporting versions of the Midget were on display.  Here is an original works Midget:

And a couple of examples of cars more highly developed in recent years:

There was a good selection of "special body" Spridgets, including many Austin Healey Sebring Sprite replicas.  The Sebring Sprite was an alloy-bodied streamlined works car raced at the Sebring Race Circuit in Florida, USA, in the early 1960s.  Here is an example that is very faithful to the original:

So, an interesting day for enthusiasts, despite the terrible weather. It was a good chance to talk to fellow owners, have a look at various "improvements" and period-style accessories.  I was able to give ABW a good shake down soon after purchase. clocking up another 150 miles. A few items were purchased, including a new grille. And yours truly left with a smile on his face.

Oselli and the MG Midget A-Series Engine

Oselli started in 1962 as Oxford Engine Services (OES), specialising in the tuning and enhancing the performance of MG and other BMC products. The Mini engine was the main product, with work done on porting and gas flow of cylinder heads, fitting larger valves, and increasing engine capacity. Gradually the firm branched out into performance enhancements for other BMC, Triumph and Austin Healey engines.

The moniker Oselli was coined to give the firm a go-fast Italian sounding name. The business now catered for a  stable of marques that included Ford and Vauxhall engines. Success with tuned Mini Coopers and Ford Escort Mexicos kept Oselli at the forefront of motor sport during the 1970s, but times became more difficult during the late-1980s and 1990s. Oselli cut back and focussed on classic and sports car sales, whilst retaining its engineering know-how.

Today Oselli continues to sell classic and sports cars from Witney, near Oxford, carries out vehicle service and restoration work, and maintains its engineering facility.

Oselli has earned a reputation for its tuned A Series engines for use in the Mini, MG Midget, Austin Healey Sprite, and Morris Minor. “Stage Two” modifications to the 1275cc unit are most popular, with capacity increased to 1293cc or 1380cc, with noticeable increases in performance and torque. Rotating parts are lightened and balanced, flywheels and clutches; oil pumps are modified for high pressure, high output specification. The ultimate road use specification is the 1400cc fast road “Stage Three” engine, balanced with clutch and lightened flywheel. “Stage Four” is for completion use… but that's another story!

“JNK” has a 1293cc Oselli Stage Two engine, resplendent with an Oselli polished alloy rocker cover! The full specification isn’t clear yet, but I’ll report back on the detailed equipment (camshaft etc) soon, together with a more detailed review of performance.

Visit the Oselli website at: http://www.oselli.com/