JUNE,1936
THE 2-LITRE M.G. IN PRODUCTION
A FAST AND ROOMY SPORTS CAR WHICH IS MODERATELY PRICED AT £375.
After concentrating for many years on the smaller type of sports cars, the M.G. Company sprang a pleasant surprise just before the Olympia Show by announcing a 2-litre model with a 10 ft. 3 in. chassis, affording space for luxurious and roomy closed coachwork. Certain improvements and modifications have been introduced since then, the principal ones being the increase of engine size to 2,290 the fitting of a special closeratio gear-box with central control, and the use of knock-on Ruilge wheels. The car is thus eminently suited for sporting use and fast touring, and the openair enthusiast is now catered for by an open four-seater body by Charlesworth, which is available at the same price as the saloon, and a drop-bead coupe made by Salmons of Newport Fagnell. In this latter body the front extension rolls backs and by means of an ingenious .winding mechanism the head is then lowered without effort into a recess at the back of the body. The coupe costs 098.
The Abingdon factory has now been completely re-organised, and four assem, bly lines have been fitted into the space formerly occupied by two. Conveyors for wheels and other heavy parts speed up production, though of course the chassis and bodies still have the same individual attention as in the production of the previous models. The output at present is one car per hour, but when production is in full swing, it will rise as high as 100 cars per week.
Another interesting feature of the factory is the new cellulose spraying plant.
This is in two sections, one of which applies the priming coats and the other a wide choice of finishing colours. Each section has its own oven for drying and hardening the paint, and is capabl.e of handling each week 100 2-litre bodies and a similar number of bodies for the smaller cars. A short run we had in a 2-litre saloon left us very favourably impressed. The car showed an excellent turn of speed, reaching 70 m.p.h. with very little effort on the winding roads near Abingdon and giving an all-out speed on the open road of approximately 80 m.p.h. The spring ing was comfortable without any tendency to unsteadiness, and the engine was unnoticed even at speeds around
4,500 r.p.m. The brakes, which are hydraulically operated, proved fully in keeping with the car’s speed capabilities.
The seats are roomy and well upholstered and there is plenty of head room. With a sliding roof and ventilating windows there is no excuse for stuffiness on the warmest day. The lines are low and graceful, and a luggage trunk of outstanding size is part of the design. We can safely congratulate Mr. Ximber on his latest venture.