Rare pre-war roadster with shaft-driven overhead-cam six-cylinder engine
One of only 176 Two-Seat Roadsters built
Original body and original engine
Only two owners since 1985
By the time MG introduced the NA Magnette in 1934, the marque had already become rather adept at turning modest ingredients into remarkably serious sports cars. The NA followed the same recipe, albeit with a technical delicacy beneath its long bonnet that set it distinctly apart from MG’s simpler models.
At its heart was a straight-six displacing just 1,271 cc. Its overhead camshaft was driven by a vertical shaft and bevel gears – an elaborate arrangement one might have expected to find in considerably more exotic machinery. Its 56 bhp at 5,500 rpm may sound modest today, but back then it was installed in a light car and delivered by an engine that did not merely tolerate revs but positively thrived on them. Then there was the unmistakable sound of a small six-cylinder engine. “Autocar” recorded a top speed of no less than 129 km/h. In the mid-1930s, that was anything but slow.
The motoring press was impressed as well. In June 1934, “The Motor” devoted a substantial article to the NA after one car had covered 6,000 miles in just three months – quite something for a lightweight sports car that was also capable of around 80 mph.
The Magnette never became a mass-produced motor car, however. Between 1934 and 1936, just 738 NAs were built, fewer than 300 of them open roadsters. And because British motoring history would only be half as entertaining without a certain degree of eccentricity, MG did not begin its chassis numbering at one. The first NA carried number 251 – the telephone number of the Abingdon works at the time.
That is precisely where much of the NA Magnette’s appeal lies today. It is small and light like a traditional MG, yet possesses a technically sophisticated six-cylinder engine whose construction, appetite for revs and distinctive sound give it a character entirely its own. A small MG with a remarkable amount of engineering beneath the bonnet.
This NA was registered on 8 May 1934 for a British lady under registration number BPF 851. On 17 July 1973, it arrived in Bern, Switzerland, in refurbished condition, where the previous owner acquired it on 5 December 1984. A substantial 39,500 Swiss francs changed hands for this little jewel.
Over the following years, the Roadster underwent extensive mechanical work. First came a new speedometer calibrated in kilometres and an overhaul of the braking system in 1985. In 1988, with around 1,000 kilometres showing, the engine was comprehensively rebuilt. Later, the clutch was renewed, the dynamo and carburettors overhauled, and much more besides. On 26 August 1993, the car took part in the legendary Klausen Memorial hill climb. For the occasion, the wheels and front shock absorbers were also renewed. Invoices totalling around 75,000 Swiss francs document the considerable work and investment lavished upon the car. In 1999, the Roadster was laid up for health reasons.
In the summer of 2018, the consignor discovered the rakish little MG sitting under a cover in its owner’s garage. It was not until April 2019 that he was able to acquire it, with around 4,200 kilometres showing on the odometer. Following a mechanical inspection and an oil service, it passed its German technical inspection and was registered.
Particularly remarkable is the amount of original substance it retains. According to the Triple-M Register, the car still possesses its original body, identifiable by its stampings. Its original engine, no. 545/34 NA, also remains in the car.
The MG has been driven regularly, although increasingly less so of late, simply because the garage at home is full. It never fails to fascinate, even when pottering along at a relaxed 80 km/h rather than the 80 mph of which it should be capable. You can feel it: it wants to go faster. There is something rather special about charging through the countryside in a sports car now more than 90 years old.
With its shaft-driven overhead-cam six-cylinder engine, original body and original engine, NA 0292 presents as a remarkably authentic representative of MG’s sporting pre-war era – rare, technically fascinating and exceptionally well documented.