Picture Of Mg Classic Cars

During these days of feverish record breaking, the factory was producing straight racing and sports cars. The K-3 Magnette was one of the finest, winning race after race, some under the capable guidance of the famed Tazio Nuvolari. But in 1935 the staid MG management participated in an exploit that would have delighted a Broadway press agent. They entered a team of three PA production sports cars in the Le Mans 24 Hour Endurance Race, and for publicity value decided to recruit an all-female team of drivers! So it fell to. doughty George Eyston, who lived in a man's world of engines and high speed, to select and captain the entourage. He picked six girls, all experienced drivers, and immediately fell prey to the journalists. The newspapers called them "Eyston's Dancing Daughters." The phrase persists today as a memory of the 1935 Le Mans, but what should also be remembered is that the girls won their class and brought all three cars in at the end without a scratch!



Suddenly in 1935 Lord Nuffield announced that the MG Car Company would terminate the racing program! He pointed out that high speed had served its purpose. Enough advanced ideas had been developed that could be incorporated in the production cars for years to come. Besides, there was no competition. MG had sewn up the 750 cc. class. But before the axe fell EX 135 had been built. It was run by private owners for several years and finally passed into the hands of Major Goldie Gardner who, shortly before World War II, managed to set a speed record of 206 mph.


During MG's non-racing period a series of models marched along, the J, the Q, the R, and the famous T series. A new designer, Sydney Enever, experimented with the beautiful streamlined scale models that culminated in the MGA. Engine size progressed steadily until 1600 cc. was reached, a size that provided enough acceleration for the production models to cope with the newer postwar cars. EX179, built for a private owner, George Phillips, set a new series of records on the Bonneville Salt Flats with George Eyston and Ken Miles as drivers. This success gave the factory the impetus to design and produce the sleek, aerodynamic MGA. Under the label EX 182 three cars triumphed at Le Mans in 1955, and MG finally abandoned the old square design.