1960 MGA MK 1 1600

“I have owned the car for around two years,” states vendor, Nick. “It had been so well restored to its original specification that my idea, when I bought it, was to use it as a model and reference while restoring my MGA Twin Cam. 

“Once I had completed that car I had the idea of installing a 2.5-litre Daimler V8 into the 1600 for something just a little bit different. If any future owner has the same idea then I have the perfect donor engine available!”

Alas, with life getting in the way, his Twin Cam project stalled and Nick’s 1600 has only been driven circa 300 miles in 2 years. “Unfortunately, prior to my ownership, most of the restoration invoices were lost – although a very small selection is still present in the vehicle’s history file. However, the car speaks for itself. It is a lovely example in fully restored and excellent condition with a new interior, new chrome, a shiny engine bay and new Minilite wheels and tyres. 

“It is time the 1600 was sold. The general condition is Condition 1. It is a matching numbers car that drives like new, and someone really needs to be given the opportunity to enjoy it”.

The MGA remains perhaps the prettiest model constructed by MG. Its lines are simply glorious, and this pretty Coupe is no exception. 

For us, it’s at its purest with steel wheels fitted. These are included, but vendor Nick has handily invested (at a cost of £1500, alone) in the set of Minilite replica alloy wheels, and fresh, never-seen-the-road Kleber tyres, that it currently sports. 

This means that if the next owner wishes to put the MGA to some serious competition use then the steels can be kept for ‘Sunday best’, with the Minilites doing the heavy lifting.

So, to the bodywork… Well, whoever restored this vehicle did it to a very high standard. MGA bodies aren’t easy to get right, but this car has excellent panel fit and finish. 

The original Tyrolite Green has been replaced by another period colour, Island Green. It’s still lovely and fresh, and almost completely unmarked, with just one small scratch on the rear wing blotting its visual copybook. 

The driver’s door is a little stiff so will require a touch of fettling. The chrome is new, apart from one small piece on the passenger window, and all window seals including on the front and rear screens have been replaced. 

The original optional extra luggage rack is fitted – handy for road trips – and a rear spot lamp is fitted to the rear bumper in place of an offside overrider. 

Stunning.

The MGA’s cabin is a truly glorious space. 

It has restored to a very high standard using Tan leather hides, fresh upholstery and beige wool carpets and headlining. Up front, new gauges sit within the body-coloured metal dashboard with a magnificent three-spoke wood steering wheel completing the picture. 

The net result is a wonderfully light interior ambience. 

Flip the driver’s seat forward and you will find a discreetly situation, key-operated electrical cut-off. 

The carpet in the driver’s footwell has a small gold inlay section, which hints at what’s to be found in the boot… pop it, and it’s an ‘aaaaaaaaah’ moment. It’s like a scene from Monty Python’s Holy Grail. 

You won’t be popping the boot at a classic car show; instead, it’ll be the boot propped open because this is surely the ultimate in storage solution talking points! 

Just like the rest of this MGA’s interior, it’s superlative.

“The car starts first time with full oil pressure and the new radiator keeps the engine cool,” says Nick. The proof is of course in the Abingdon pudding… pop to 3mins 00secs on our Video Review to confirm the above; it fires to life easily and settles into a smooth tickover. A throttle blip sees the full stainless steel exhaust system elicit a suitably pleasant note.   

“I have replaced some braking components and the carburettors with new ones, as the existing carbs were old and very tired. It’s a bit dusty in the engine bay due to my lack of use, but it’s clearly evident that the car has been restored very recently. The underside is as good as the top, with everything new or replaced”. 

Again, a quick visit to the Mechanical section of our Photo Gallery below will confirm that to be the case. 

It is pretty much immaculate underneath. 

Two things that should be noted, the speedo is currently not operating, and as the car has not been used for some time the brakes appear to be sticky,but they should free up with a bit of use.

As Nick stated in our Vehicle History section above, the previous owner misplaced the restoration documents. However, included in the car’s history file is a British Motor Industry Heritage Trust certificate (issues on 15 July, 2015). This indicates the following:

• Make & Model: MGA 1600 Mark 1 Coupe
• Car/Chassis Number: G-HD/91987
• Engine Number: Not Recorded
• Body Number: Not Recorded
• Specification: RHD, Home Market
• Date of Build: 26-27 May 1960
• Date of Despatch: 30 May 1960
• Destination (Dealer): Not Recorded
• Other Numbers (where recorded): -
• Details of Factory Fitted Equipment: Disc wheels, Twin Horns, One Wing Mirror, Anti-roll bar, Luggage rack, Battery cover

The MGA’s V5c document is present, as is a recent online vehicle history check that shows no outstanding issues with regards theft, finance, write-offs, etc. 

There are some restoration/parts invoices included, totalling circa £4500, but it’s apparent from the condition of the MGA that the total spent would have been well in excess of that.

Please visit the documents section of the gallery of this listing where you will find photos to support our claim that this car comes with a British Motor Industry Heritage Certificate and has been restored to a very high standard with some, although not all, of the restoration/parts invoices present. 

It’s clear that this magnificent MGA has had a lot of time, money and effort invested at some point in order to get it into its current lovely, post-restoration condition. 

It comes in a fetching period-perfect colour scheme with vendor Nick indicating that it is also mechanically on the button. He himself, has not had the pleasure of driving it very far in recent times, so is now releasing it back into the wild so that another lucky person can put it to work.

Whether that is as a show car or cherished classic vehicle that pops along to the local country pub on a Sunday, or even as a hardcore competition steed, is up to them. Whichever it is to be, it’s a nice decision to have.

We think that this magnificent Brit will sell for somewhere between £17,000 and £23,000, which even as I type this has me thinking… “ow, much?”. Someone is going to get a lovely, restored MGA Coupe to enjoy at a fraction of the cost that it would take to do so. 

Bargain. 

Viewing is strongly encouraged, and this lot is located at Bonhams|Cars Online HQ. Viewings are strictly by appointment.  To make a booking, please use the Contact Seller button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, and read our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.