The MG SA or MG 2-litre is a sporting saloon that was produced by
MG from 1936 to 1939. Launched as the 2-litre, it only later became known as the SA, the car had been originally planned as an advanced performance saloon to rival the likes of
SS Cars (later to be known as Jaguar) and even
Bentley
Bentley Motors Limited is a British designer, manufacturer and marketer of luxury cars and SUVs. Headquartered in Crewe, England, the company was founded as Bentley Motors Limited by W. O. Bentley (1888–1971) in 1919 in Cricklewood, North ...
with all
independent suspension
Independent suspension is any automobile suspension system that allows each wheel on the same axle to move vertically (i.e. reacting to a bump on the road) independently of the others. This is contrasted with a beam axle or deDion axle system in w ...
and was given the factory code of EX150 and designated the S-type. A prototype was made but with the amalgamation of MG with
Morris Motors
Morris Motors Limited was a British privately owned motor vehicle manufacturing company formed in 1919 to take over the assets of William Morris's WRM Motors Limited and continue production of the same vehicles. By 1926 its production represent ...
in 1935, development stopped. The Cowley drawing office picked up the project again but a much more conservative car appeared with conventional live rear and beam front axles.
The car used a tuned version of the six-cylinder Morris QPHG engine which it shared with the
Wolseley Super Six but enlarged to . The capacity was increased again to in 1937 bringing it into line with the Wolseley 18. This was a tall engine and to allow the bonnet line to be as low as possible the twin
SU carburettors had their dashpots mounted horizontally. Drive was to the live rear axle via a four-speed
manual
Manual may refer to:
Instructions
* User guide
* Owner's manual
* Instruction manual (gaming)
* Online help
Other uses
* Manual (music), a keyboard, as for an organ
* Manual (band)
* Manual transmission
* Manual, a bicycle technique similar to ...
gearbox with
synchromesh
A manual transmission (MT), also known as manual gearbox, standard transmission (in Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States), or stick shift (in the United States), is a multi-speed motor vehicle transmission system, where gear changes ...
on the top two ratios (on all but a few early models).
Wire wheels
Wire wheels, wire-spoked wheels, tension-spoked wheels, or "suspension" wheels are wheels whose rims connect to their hubs by wire spokes. Although these wires are generally stiffer than a typical wire rope, they function mechanically the same ...
were fitted and the
drum brake
A drum brake is a brake that uses friction caused by a set of shoes or pads that press outward against a rotating cylinder-shaped part called a brake drum.
The term ''drum brake'' usually means a brake in which shoes press on the inner surfac ...
s were hydraulically operated using a
Lockheed system. A built in
Jackall jacking system was fitted to the chassis.
The saloon body, the only option available at the time of the car's launch, was made in-house by Morris and was a spacious four door with traditional MG grille flanked by two large
chrome plated headlights. The spare wheel was carried on the boot lid. Inside there were individual seats in front and a
bench seat
A bench seat is a full width continuous pad forming the front seat of automobiles. The second row of seating in most sedans is usually a bench. The third row of most SUVs and minivans, which may be forward-facing or rear-facing, is also a bench ...
at the rear, all with leather covering. Much use was made of walnut for the dashboard and other trim items. A Philco radio was offered as an optional extra for 18
Guineas
The guinea (; commonly abbreviated gn., or gns. in plural) was a coin, minted in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, Great Britain between 1663 and 1814, that contained approximately one-quarter of an ounce of gold. The name came from t ...
(GBP18.90).
Wider range of body styles
From April 1936, a
Tickford
Tickford is an automobile engineering and testing business in Newport Pagnell, Buckinghamshire, known for tuning and such products as the 140 mph Tickford Turbo Capri.
Under the name Salmons & Sons and their Tickford products the firm has ...
drophead coupé by
Salmons joined the range priced at GBP398, the saloon was GBP375, and in July, coachbuilders
Charlesworth offered a four-door tourer at GBP375. The tourer originally had straight topped doors but these were replaced with front ones with cutaway tops from 1938 and at the same time the spare wheel moved to the front wing.
Of the 2739 cars made, 350 were exported with Germany proving the best market. At the 1938
London Motor show
London Motor Show, formerly the London Motorfair, is a motor show in England. It was held biannually at Earls Court Exhibition Centre, from 1977 to 1999. When the event won the support of the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders and P&O ...
, alongside an SA there was a new 2.6-litre car, the
WA. This was probably designed to be a replacement but both cars ran in parallel until the outbreak of war in 1939 caused production of both to cease. Neither was re-introduced in 1945.
Gallery
1938 MG SA - fvr2.jpg, Standard
4-door sports saloon 1938
MG SA 1936 - rear.jpg,
MG SA Charlesworth 1936 vr.JPG, Charlesworth
4-door tourer 1936
1938 MG SA Tickford Drop Head Coupe.jpg, Tickford
drop-head coupé 1938
1938 MG SA - detail2.jpg
1938 MG SA - detail4.jpg
1938 MG SA - detail3.jpg
1938 MG SA - seatsR.jpg
Culture
In the Alfred Hitchcock movie "
Rebecca
Rebecca, ; Syriac: , ) from the Hebrew (lit., 'connection'), from Semitic root , 'to tie, couple or join', 'to secure', or 'to snare') () appears in the Hebrew Bible as the wife of Isaac and the mother of Jacob and Esau. According to biblical ...
" (1940) a 1937 MG SA Tourer Charlesworth
is driven by "Maxim" de Winter (
Laurence Olivier
Laurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier (; 22 May 1907 – 11 July 1989) was an English actor and director who, along with his contemporaries Ralph Richardson and John Gielgud, was one of a trio of male actors who dominated the Theatre of the U ...
), in South of France/Monte Carlo, on his first arrival with (the Second) Mrs. de Winter (
Joan Fontaine
Joan de Beauvoir de Havilland (October 22, 1917 – December 15, 2013), known professionally as Joan Fontaine, was a British-American actress who is best known for her starring roles in Hollywood films during the "Golden Age". Fontaine appeared ...
) to Manderley (the de Winter estate), and on his ride from the coroner's inquest to London and Manderley.
References
* Abingdon's Jaguar Beater. Jonathan Wood. The Automobile. November 2006. ISSN 0955-1328
* MG Sportscars. Malcolm Green. CLB International. 1997 {{ISBN, 1-85833-606-6
SA
Cars introduced in 1936
Sedans
Coupés
Rear-wheel-drive vehicles