British Motor Corporation does not build many cars like the MG R-type: a single seat with 746 , built from 1935 when streamlining and independent suspension were arriving together.
Where it came from
The MG R-type is a motor car that was produced by MG in 1935. It was designed for competition use and was a development of the Q-type. The car used a tuned short-stroke (73 mm) version of the bevel-gear driven overhead camshaft engine from the 1928 Morris Minor and Wolseley 10. This had already been highly tuned for use in the Q-type and was further modified, especially in the input area, to improve reliability. It was fitted with a Zoller supercharger and produced 110 bhp (82 kW) at 7200 rpm. The gearbox was a four-speed preselector type unit. At the rear the differential in its aluminium casing was fastened to the chassis and drove the wheels through short shafts with sliding splines and universal joints.
The revolutionary Y-shaped steel chassis had a backbone that divided around the engine and gearbox, and was very light. The suspension was independent all round, making a first for MG and possibly the British motor industry, and used wishbones and longitudinal torsion bars allowing a large amount of wheel travel to allow for the poor surfaces on many of the contemporary racing circuits, especially Brooklands. Lever arm hydraulic shock absorbers were used. The brakes were cable-operated using 12-inch (305 mm) drums and the wheels were wire spoked and secured by a centre lock nut. The aluminium single-seat body had the appearance of a miniature Grand Prix racer, and was designed to be easily removable. The car was offered to the public at £750 and the initial ten were sold to pre-selected customers. A further batch was planned but never happened. A car changed hands at auc
Under the skin
Under the skin sits 746 . Kerb weight is 1400 pounds. The layout matters: a front engine drives the rear wheels, the classic proportion — long bonnet, cabin set back — that most people picture when they picture a sports saloon or a grand tourer. These are manufacturer figures carried by Wikipedia and Wikidata, not road-test measurements.
In context
Where it sits in British Motor Corporation's history is not in doubt: the MG Q-type came before it; it was built at Abingdon-on-Thames, Berkshire, England. On a showroom list of its day it stood against the Bugatti Type 57, the Chevrolet Suburban, the Volkswagen Beetle. Nearby in the British Motor Corporation catalogue sit the Austin 10 and the Austin 12.
The money
MotorJury scores cars on the United States complaint and recall record, and the MG R-type has none: too old, too rare, or never sold there. Its value today is a collector's question, decided by provenance and condition rather than by a class average.