1960 MG A Twin Cam Roadster

The MGA was announced on 26th September 1955 and officially launched at the Frankfurt Motor Show that year, replacing the visually aged MG TF, signifying a complete styling change-up from MG’s earlier sports car iterations. The TF could’ve been mistaken for a pre-war car to the untrained eye and the MGA was a welcome breath of fresh air. Over 100,000 units were built with production ending in 1962, with the vast majority of cars being exported, with just 5,869 home market cars. Clad in a sleek, aerodynamic body, benefiting from independent suspension and rack and pinion steering, the MGA proved an instant hit, selling 13,000 units in its first full year of production.

Immensely popular though it was, the 'A' faced stiff competition from the larger-engined Triumph TR3 and Austin Healey 100/6. Coaxing more power from the standard MGA engine was becoming increasingly difficult, so development was concentrated on a twin-overhead-camshaft cylinder head for the B-Series block. Conceived at Cowley by BMC engineer Gerald Palmer and introduced in 1958, the new 1,588cc engine did not disappoint. It featured a special light alloy cross-flow cylinder head with hemispherical combustion chambers and carried twin overhead camshafts with valve operation via Coventry Climax-style inverted bucket tappets, producing an impressive 108bhp at 6,700rpm. Considerably faster than the standard MGA, the Twin Cam could comfortably exceed 110mph, and to cope with the increased performance Dunlop disc brakes were fitted all round and Dunlop centre-lock wheels were a distinctive addition. The only other visual identifier was the script 'Twin Cam' near the vent aside the bonnet. A high price and an unjustified reputation for unreliability discouraged sales and the model was dropped after just two years. Production totalled 2,111 cars, a mere 360 of which were sold on the home market, and today the Twin-Cam is rightfully one of the most sought-after of post-war MG sports cars.

This example is a 1959 MGA Twin Cam which was originally sold as a Complete Knock Down (CKD) car to South Africa, as confirmed by the Heritage Certificate, but always a right-hand drive car, not a conversion that is so commonly seen. It was one of the last eleven cars produced, it thus has a 1600 body and the last and best version of the folding hood. Finished in Chariot Red with red trim, and specified with disc wheels, windscreen washer, twin horns, oil cooler and two fog lamps. It left South Africa in the mid-2000s and spent some time in Austria and Germany before returning to the UK around 2013.

Without doubt, the most notable section in the car's history file is the engine rebuild by Peter Wood of Westwood Portway. The invoices and updates of the 9 month project are all handwritten and hugely detailed, reading like a fascinating novel. With Westwood being regarded as the guru of the MG Twin-Cam engine, perfection was as close to guaranteed as one could imagine, and with a cost exceeding £18,000 one would hope so! The engine rebuild was required as our vendor discovered a slight rattle from the engine soon after its purchase, and wanted the car to be perfect, so away it went for its mechanical freshen-up. Alongside the substantial bills are a series of photos documenting the engine rebuild throughout its time at Westwood, showing the level of attention paid to ensure it was just right. Additionally, there is some German paperwork and photos of its time there, a UK V5C, the car's Heritage Certificate, and a few old MOTs. There is also an invoice (£808) for a full wet flat and machine polish and chrome wax by SJD Classic Restorations in 2018 to get the MG looking its best before going into the Collection.

As with all of the cars within The Twin Sparks Collection, this car is a spectacular example of a Twin-Cam Roadster that fires up instantly with that pleasing raspy engine note and performs impeccably. It is essentially two cars in one as below 3,500rpm  you have a docile town car and above that and all the way to red line, the car comes ‘on cam’ and is a wildly elevated experience. Very sensibly guided for what is an immaculate example of a very late MGA Twin-Cam Roadster.