Abingdon's One and a Half VA

Jonathan Wood recalls the VA, the smallest of the three saloons made by MG towards the end of the '30s. While the quintessential MG of the early 1930s was the distinctive and memorable open two sealer Midget, the second half of the decade was the era of Abingdon's saloons. The commodious, stylistically impressive two-litre SA set the trend. But the 1937 season saw the arrival of a related l.litre model, now more familiarly known as the VA.

To chart its origins, it is necessary to retrace our steps to the months prior to 1st July, 1935, when MG, until then the personal property of Lord Nuffield, were sold to Morris Motors. One of the consequences of the change in ownership was that Abingdon lost their design autonomy. But although the MG saloon line of the post 1935 era is forever associated with this loss of independence, there is compelling evidence to suggest that its seeds were sown prior to the Cowley takeover. This shift in marketing emphasis should be seen in the context of a serious collapse in demand for MG sports cars in 1935. Despite the company's many successes on the race track, sales slumped by nearly half, from 2050 cars sold in 1934 to 1231 in the following year. This, combined with a bewildering assortment of six-cylinder models, some of which sold in penny numbers, was to contribute to a record loss of £28,156 for the firm in the first eight months of 1935. This is equivalent to about £1m in present day terms. With P-type Midget sales down by about half, MG were experiencing a significant challenge from other makes. This made itself felt not only in the open sports category, where Singer's Le Mans was gaining sales, but above all in the more practical sports saloon field, where Riley and, even more so, the new SS marquee were proving increasingly popular.

Cecil Kimber, MG's creator and stylistic driving force, had his defense ready. He responded to the threat by reverting to a strategy he had adopted before the firm's move to Abingdon in 1929, but which had been blown off course by the Depression of 1930/31. Back in 1928 he had sought to move the business upmarket and into potentially higher profits with the introduction of the 2~litre 18/80, prices of which began at £480. Perversely, though, MG's salvation had in fact been due to the timely arrival of the Morris Minor based 847cc M-type Midget open two seater. Selling for only £175, this allowed the firm to ride out the worst of the financial storm. In conceiving the 18/80, Kimber had embraced the concept of a small Bentley. Significantly, this six-cylinder MG had open four seater bodywork, whereas the overwhelming majority of chassis in those days, some 70pe cent of the total, were fitted with saloon coach-work. The Depression had of course, claimed the Bentley marques. But, on being acquired by Rolls-Royce, it was re-born for the 1934 season as the 20/25-based 3.6litre 'Silent Sports car'. And while the appeal of the open Bentley was maintained, most customers favored closed coachwork from the likes of Park Ward, Thrupp and Maberly or Barker. With 1177 examples completed, it was the fastest selling Bentley of the interwar years. The lesson was not wasted on Kimber. But by broadening MG's appeal to cater for the family man, rather than continuing to concentrate on the more limited sports car market, he was merely reverting to his pre-1929 strategy.

The Abingdon drawing office was headed by the talented graduate engineer, Hubert Charles, whom Cecil Kimber had recruited from Morris Motors in 1925. At Morris he had been employed, in his own words, as 'a trouble-shooter' in the production department. Initially his MG work was undertaken on a spare time basis, but in 1930 Charles became, in effect, chief engineer, even though his title was chief draughtsman. It was probably early in 1935 that he and his team began work, under the code name EX 150, on a projected 3Y21itre MG saloon. Its generous proportions led to the resulting experimental car acquiring the nickname Queen Mary, in recognition of Cunard's newly launched flag- ship. Unlike its predecessors, this big MG had its own chassis. Abingdon had offered saloons in the past, but their proportions were restricted by the use of sports car frames. The projected model featured all independent suspension in the spirit, though not the detail, of Charles's ingenious and exquisite R-type monoposto Midget. Bearing in mind its Bentley inspiration, EX 150 was, significantly (though no doubt experimentally), powered by a side valve 3485cc Morris 25 engine. But when it came to the coachwork, rather than styling it himself Kimber uncharacteristically turned to an external source. He commissioned the design of a commodious four door 'special MG sports saloon' from Mulliners Ltd, of Birmingham, a coachbuilder not usually associated with the marquee. Their works manager and designer, James Wignail, came up with three colour sketches. One, dated 27th June, 1935, found favor with MG.

Unfortunately EX 150 came too late to save the Abingdon drawing office. In 1933 MG's parent, Morris Motors, had acquired a new managing director. The dynamic and dangerous Leonard Lord was no admirer of Kimber and his works. As well as implementing a far reaching modernisation plan at Cowley, Lord set about rationalising the whole of the Morris empire, with its disparate engineering philosophies emanating from MG and from Wolseley at Ward End, both of which challenged the Cowley line. But Lord's 1935 diktat meant that from then on both makes, like Morris, would place a greater reliance on the corporate Coventry based Engines and Bodies Branches. This meant dispensing with Wolseley's and MG's related over-head camshaft engines, which were not only more expensive to manufacture than their pushrod equivalents but were also disliked by the motor trade, who saw them as excessively complicated. MG's works manager, Cec Cousins, may have had his tongue only partially lodged in his cheek when he once claimed, as Wilson McComb related, that'no ohc MG ran properly after its first decoke'. But there was some substance to his observation.

Sadly, Lord's changes also spelt the end of the MG racing car. H N Charles and his depleted team, domiciled at Cowley from the early summer of 1935, began work on EX 158, a simplified version of Queen Mary retaining its predecessor's Mulliner styling. The resulting model emerged at the 1935 Motor Show as the MG Two-Litre saloon, known today by its SA series designation. Often finished in striking two tone livery, it was, to quote the late Michael Sedgwick, 'one of the most elegant bodies to be made in series in the 1930s.' And by addressing many of the shortcomings of the previous MG lines, it had little mechanically in common with them. Instead, it incorporated Morris and Wolseley components extensively. But the chassis, with its partly boxed side members and tubular cross members, still reflected previous MG practice. Gone, though, were the beloved sliding spring trunnions, replaced by suspension chassis plates echoing those of the earlier 18/80. A further departure was the rear chassis members, which were no longer under slung. A note of individuality was struck with the use of front brake torque reaction cables, as fitted to the K3. Suspension was by all round semi elliptic springs. Lockheed hydraulic brakes, the first on an MG, reflected further Cowley input. Under the bonnet was a 2288cc six-cylinder engine, effectively a pushrod overhead valve version of the existing Morris 18 side valve unit, and destined to be extended to the Wolseley 18/80 Series II.

MG were far from being the only British motor manufacturers to offer a competitively priced sports saloon at Olympia. William Lyons, like Kimber a stylist of formidable talent, had been producing such cars since 1931. He was launching his new 2.litre overhead valve SS Jaguar, which at £385 cost £10 more than the new MG saloon. The spacious, comfortable SA was designed to return MG to the black. This it certainly helped to do. The company made a profit of £25,436 in 1937, a record surplus for the business during the interwar years. However, the first examples did not reach the public until March, 1936, no less than seven months after its launch. By that time its engine had been enlarged to 2322cc. In addition too the factory saloon, open to versions were available. Charlesworth were responsible for a four seater touring version and Salmons contributed a top of range Tickford drop head coupe SA production continued until September, 1939, by which time a total of 2739 cars had been made.

Once its design had been completed, Kimber wasted little time in beginning work on a smaller, l.5 litre saloon, the VA. Stylistically and mechanically inspired by the SA, it was, said the company, a replacement for the 1.3litre NA Magnette saloon. Abingdon were again entering SS territory; as events were to turn out, Lyons's '1.5', actually 1.71itres from 1938, was to outsell MG's new car by two to one. Kimber was to give the public a rare insight into the VA's styling when he presented a lecture to the Design and Industry Association. It was entitled The Trend of Aesthetic Design in Motor Cars. In the course of his talk, he revealed that the first body drawings had been completed in September, 1935. Mulliners' catalytic role was not accorded the courtesy of a mention! 'No less than four sample bodies were built before the design was finalised', he said. He recognised that because the 1.51itre's 9ft wheelbase was 15in shorter than the SA's, 'it is not possible to have the sweeping lines that one might have otherwise employed.' It should also be noted, Kimber said, that 'the radiator is not pushed forward, the bonnet louvres are not accentuated by over'ornamentation... the sweep of tire boot follows the sweep of the roof, whilst a very faint flare is given to the rear end of the body and wings. The bottom edge of the window frame, in actual fact, picks up the shoulder line of the radiator in front, and then falling away to merge in with the rear wing. The top end of the windscreen is swept, and even the top and bottom edges of the boot locker are slightly curved.'

Although the VA's styling did, in essence, follow that of the SA, it differed in two significant respects. Unlike the big saloon, its front windows were not fitted with quarter lights, though these continued to be fitted to the rear windows. And whereas the SA's spare wheel was mounted on the boot lid, that of the l.litre MG was positioned on the left hand side of the bonnet. Until 1939 it was possible for the owner to specify an additional spare on the offside. Refinements were otherwise in line with those of the SA. The new l.litre retained the memorable, distinctive and comprehensive gold hued, back lit instruments which included a revcounter and a fuel gauge doubling as an oil level indicator. The interior was well appointed, though the SA's memorable artificial silk cushions, provided for the comfort of the rear passengers, and its inlaid door fillets, were not repeated. The VA's steering wheel boss, unlike that of the SA, was enhanced by an octagonal Bakelite moldings crowned with the MG motif, which was also liberally sprinkled over the door furniture. The handles were recessed a nice feature. Panels were enhanced by a fashionable sunburst design, and there was plenty of woodwork in evidence. Then there were echoes of MG's racing past. Knock-off 19in wire spoked wheels were fitted, the petrol filler was of the quick release variety and there was the usual octagonal radiator cap. And as on the Two-Litre, a comprehensively equipped fitted tool kit occupied the boot lid, except on the tourer, where it was located under the bonnet. The suspension and brakes followed SA precedent, though the latter were of 10in, rather than 12in diameter. Luvax hydraulic shock absorbers were specified. The rears could be manually adjusted from a dashboard control.

Under the bonnet was the TPBG type overhead valve engine, by courtesy of Morris's Engines Branch. This 1548cc four, with internal dimensions of 69.5 by 102ram, was, in effect, two thirds of the SA unit. It was later extended to the Series I1 Wolseley 12/48 and the Morris 12, although in the MG it was fitted with twin SU carburetors and developed 54bhp at 4500 rpm. For taxation purposes this 1.5litre car was a '12'. There was the traditional Morris cork faced wet clutch; the four speed gearbox had synchromesh on third and top gears, subsequently extended to second. It was operated by a stubby remote control lever working in a visible gate.

Announced at the 1936 Motor Show, the l.litre MG was to be available, like the SA, in three body styles. On the stand was a cream saloon, featuring concealed door hinges which did not appear on the production models. This sold for £325, while the red two door tourer with matching interior was £280. Coachwork in both instances was by the corporate Bodies Branch. The top of range Tickford drop-head coupe, the 'folding head Foursome', at £335, had to wait until later in 1937. An example graced the MG stand at that year's Show. Other optional fittings included built-in hydraulic Jackall jacks -standard on the SA and extended to the VA in 1939 -- a radio and Ace wheel discs. The number of experimental VAs built in 1936 is open to question. Either three or eight were made. But it still took Abingdon some three months to get the model into production. They started leaving the factory in February, 1937.

Cecil Kimber had a particular liking for the VA. His estranged wife, Rende, also ran one, ARX 710, for a time. In March, 1937, he took a pre-production car on a Continental trip with his friend Russel Chiesman and 'Scribe' of The Autocar (E J Appleby). During a run on a newly opened Autobahn, they averaged nearly 70mph and 'once or twice we were over 80mph', which was only about 5mph less than the top speed of the SA. DJO 117 returned, overall, 23mpg. The Motor subsequently subjected a VA to a full road test. Their figures are not strictly comparable, for their test car was a tourer, weighing 22.1cwt, or two hundredweight less than the saloon. First of all it attained a speed of 76.27mph and then, with the windscreen folded flat, no less than 81.82mph. A 0-50rnph figure of ]5.8sec was recorded, showing that the VA was rather more accelerative than the rival SS Jaguar, which took 17sec to reach the same speed. The saloon does not seem to have been made available for road testing. But in 1940 The Autocar's H S Linfield recalled: 'my best permitted by road and traffic conditions was a near-70.' Could it be that these open VAs benefited from a touch of that special MG tuning magic?

At least a few VA tourers were prepared for police use. They where enhanced by the fitting of a speedometer of guaranteed accuracy, a radio and a pull-out shelf below the glove compartment for officers to note down the registration numbers of errant motorists. Under the bonnet was a special 1707cc (73 by 1/12ram) engine, rated at 14hp, which was also fitted to some TA trials cars. As already mentioned, the drop head coupe was the final variant of the VA to enter production. When a representative of MG's own magazine, The Sports Car, visited Salmons Newport Pagnell factory, he found that part of the premises, adorned with MG's octagon badge, was 'devoted entirely to MG 2.litre and 1.5litre models.' Chassis, complete with wings but bearing only a sketchy body, were driven the 45 or so miles from Abingdon to the Buckinghamshire town, 'a place that is somewhat off the map.' Construction of a body took a little under two weeks to carry out. When it was completed, the hood could be put in one of three positions, from fully erected, via a half way coupe de ville, to completely open. When closed, the wind-up windows contributed to the snugness of the interior. The doors were unique to the model. They were of a completely different design from the tourers cut down ones, being more substantial and requiring the support of three rather just two hinges. Other changes were few, but in mid-1938 the Tickford body was widened by two to three inches, with the result that the boot lid was enlarged. The VA was not subjected to the number of mechanical modifications that plagued the SA, even if four different types of fascia were introduced during the model's three year production life. But early in 1938, after about 1200 cars had been completed, the cork lined wet clutch was replaced with a proprietary Borg and Beck unit. A counterbalanced crankshaft was introduced at about the same time. And towards the end of production, on 20th July, 1939, shell bearings took the place of the original white metal ones.

Production had built up gradually, with 915 cars built in 1936/37. This helped MG to sell a record total of 2845 vehicles. VA output peaked in 1938 when 1045 examples were built, then demand declined in 1939 and only 447 left Abingdon. The last car was completed in September, at which point the decks were cleared for war work. This makes a total of 2407 VAs built. An alternative breakdown of body types gives 1238 saloons manufactured, with 564 tourers and 591 drop head coupes delivered. Two chassis were bodied by other coachbuilders, making a grand total of 2395 and 14 cars adrift. MG would temporarily abandon the 13litre sector. The big saloon line, in the shape of the SA's 2.6 litre successor, the WA, did not survive the war, while the 10bp 1.2litre Y-type, intended for the 1940 season, was delayed until 1947. It was not until the arrival for 1955 of the Z series Magnette that 1.5 litre saloons once again featured in Abingdon's increasingly popular model line.