Interesting "Y"s

Rallying and Racing Ys

Racing Y/Ts in Ontario, Canada.

A collection of still frames made by Rupert Lloyd Thomas from films that came from Neil Bryson.

The #1 green car of Ross Rogers — pictured at Rattlesnake Point Hill Climb, 7 May 1950.	Another shot of the #1 green car of Ross Rogers — pictured at Rattlesnake Point Hill Climb, 7 May 1950.	The #26 red car, of O. R. Earle raced at the Edenvale Circuit, 3 September 1950.
Another shot of the #26 red car, of O. R. Earle, raced at the Edenvale Circuit, 3 September 1950.	1000 Islands Rally, 11-12 October 1952, Canada. Picture is at Railway Street, Kingston, Ontario. The driver of the M.G. Y/T in the background is unknonw. Photograph is courtesy of Roderick J. Thurgood, who was the correspondent of the UK publication Autosport.	This is #21 at Rattlesnake Point Hill Climb, 6 June 1953. Driver is likely Bill MacDuff, who later became Chief Scrutineer at the hill (1962). Photograph is courtesy of Roderick J. Thurgood, who was the correspondent of the UK publication Autosport.

Y 5114

Y 5114 - a racing special.

Y 7171 - the Golden Rivet

Former owner, Frank Vautier, recounts the fun he had owning Y 7171.

YB 1148 Len Shaw's MG YB

An up close and personal look at a unique car.

YB 0291

A Rallying MG YB

Another Y we currently know nothing about - but it looks a whole lot of fun ... from Holland.

The YB participating in the following rally's: Tulpen rally 1997, Marathon classic 1998, Coppa Classic 2004 and more. The driver Lisa also drove the Scheveningen - Luxemburg - Scheveningen (SLS) in 2005 and München - Salzburg - Munchen the Bavaria Rally 2005 and is going to drive the Sardinian classic 2005 with the YB.

On the chassis bulkhead there is a plate which says Manufactured by Nuffield metal products LTD Birmingham England number.522 and in the right bottom side it has a number: Z12488. On the engine itself it has a different engine number than on the manufacturing plate located on the the heater enclosure which is BP15GB2724 (as fitted to MG ZB Magnette). The original number is XPAG/SC2/17156. As we are driving so many rally's with the YB and it is Lisa's favourite car we use a lot of spare parts. Now we have a broken drive shaft from the SLS rally and are also looking for another diff because the 5.125 is to short for the prepped up engine. it makes 6000 RPM. I hope I gave you some good info on the YB and more will follow.

Special Bodied Ys

Y 0836

For details of Phil Stafford's racing conversion of Y 0836, click here.

Y 6737

The MG Y four door tourer - for more details of this wonderful special bodied convertion, click here.

YB 1022

For more pictures of this YB Coupe click here.

YB 1390

For more pictures of this YB Coupe click here.

Y 4699

For more pictures of this "Deuce" Coupe Y-Type click here.

Y 3570

For more pictures of this boat tailed Y Type click here.

Peter Lee's Y Chassis Special

More info on the Peter Lee Y-chassis based Special here.

Y 3222

More info - click here

Y 5112

Y 5112 owned by Martin Evans has been converted into a special bodied car rather than send it to the crusher. More details here. His car also featured in MG Enthusiast magazine, February 2009 and is reprinted here.

Y 1805

Y 1805 is the Y originally owned by Al Moss, then sold to the late Skip Kelsey, and now owned by Marvin Soroken Al did a total 'nut and bolt' restoration of the Y, then fitted an MGA rear axle, wire wheels, and a Shorrock supercharger. He also fitted radial tyres with MG TD wire wheels and modified the rear wheel arch making it significantly deeper.

Shorrocks supercharger.

Note the deeper rear wheel arch.

"In the 1940s, Roger Barlow, then co-owner of International Motors, purchased a complete Y-Type chassis and had the [MG] factory ship it direct to Castagna in Italy. (Carrozzeria Castagna was one of the leading Italian coachbuilders of the era). Roger had designed a beautiful drophead coupe body for the Y-chassis, which he had fitted with chrome Borrani wheels.

"When the car arrived Los Angeles, Roger brought it to my Venice Boulevard shop and together we put the finishing touches to the car and at the same time I installed a Shorrock supercharger.  As strikingly beautiful it was, it proved to be a slug performance-wise due to its weight.

"The following two pictures which I took of this rare and beautiful M.G. may be the only ones of it in existence today."

Extract and photographs by kind permission from Al Moss and his book Moss's MG Memories - see Book Review for more details.

A full atricle on this car was published in Autoweek magazine, 6 March 1989 and is reproduced in the Reprinted Articles page.

Y 6051

Another Y pick up - this time in The Netherlands.

Y 2008

A four-door Y pick-up, or 'UTE' from Australia.  It began life as Y 2008!

MG YT inspired
MG TD Inskip Special

Often the point of much derision and criticism in it's day, it is interesting to see that at least one contemporary special car manufacturer took the inspired design of the YT seriously enough to produce an MG TD four seat variant to emulate the YT! More details here.

Zagato bodied special MG Y Type

In 1948, Roger Barlow (President of International Motors, Los Angeles, USA) planned to sell MG Y Types with special Italian built and designed bodies. Following a visit to Abingdon, he visited various Italian coach builders and decided to offer a variety of body styles (see Reprinted Article here). He was hoping for a top speed of over 100mph with a selling price of $4,250 to $6,500 - twice the then selling for a standard Y. His plan was for seventy cars being commissioned with several modification to be made prior to shipment of the base car being shipped from Abingdon. These included a longer, and lower set steering wheel column. A higher ratio final drive was to be optional, and the engine was to be tuned up to TC (latterly YT) specifications, even possibilities of supercharging. All instruments were to be factory supplied too. A modified radiator was also required to clear the lower frontal line of the car (see below).

John Thornley and M Mazzuchelli (MG Dealer in Lugano) discussing details of the Zagato bodied Y Type engine bay.

John Thornley with Heinz Keller (Swiss importer) and Marcel Fleury.

Front view of the MG Y Zagato

Despite the detailed plans, only one car ever is known to have been built, and this was by body builders Zagato who fashioned this special "panoramic" body (left in main picture) and showed it off next to a standard Y Type.

Much use was made of curved plexi-glass, above the doors and side windows and top of the windscreen, but the windscreen was a two-piece flat design. As a result the car a large, airy feeling and would have been well suited to the pre air conditioned market for cars in California.

It would be amazing if this car has survived and to rediscover it.

Meanwhile, Hans Belles (Belgium) has created this fabulous 1:43 scale model of this enegmatic car! See below!

1:43 scale model made by Hans Belles from the above photos

YB 1551

The last Y chassis ever

YB 1551 - the last Y chassis ever made was converted into a special race bodied car for Dick Jacobs.

Y 1366 Reinbolt and Christé

Special Bodied Y

Y 1366 chassis given special body work by Swiss coachbuilder, Reinbolt and Christé.

Y 1373 Beutler

Special Bodied Y

Y 1373 chassis given special body work by Swiss coachbuilder, Beutler.

Ramseier-Worblaufen
Special Bodied Ys

Three YA chassis given special body work by Swiss coachbuilder, Ramseier-Worblaufen.

YB 0317

Y Type Pick Up

More details about this 'interesting' Y conversion from the current owners, Andrew and Arlene Coulson - a YB pick up.

Y Hot Rods

Two MG Y Type Hot Rods -  from Brazil, and from the UK.

YT 2430

This is my YT as I received it in 1999.  Note the headlights flared into the fenders and the modified bonnet.  I kept these in case it will give me a clue as to who did it and the cars past history.  But I am restoring the car back to factory original.  Anybody out there have a picture of this car from the early 1960s or 1950s.  Does anyone out there have any knowledge as to the origins of these modifications?  If so, I'd  like to hear from you please.  Wayne Mussleman, North America Representative.

YT 4608

Current owner, Phil Stafford, Victoria, Australia

MG Y Type race car.

Current owner, Sandy Henderson, Somerset UK.

Unique Features in production Ys

Swiss turn signals

Although not a "Production Feature" as such, all Y Types imported into Switzerland in the late 1940s and 50s (and all other cars at the time too) had to be fitted with "Turn signal arrows" like these ones fitted to Y/T 2354 belonging to Alexandre Odier. These were fitted by the importer who at the time was J.H.Keller. Gradually, as what are now considered standard turn signal lights being fitted to cars, this requirement of Swiss law was quietly allowed to pass into antiquity.

Y/T WITH TD-STYLE DASHBOARD

In 2011, David Pelham, then U.K. representative for the International M.G. “Y” Type Register, received some information from Canada about a Y/T/EX(U) that was equipped with a TD-Style dashboard. At the time he considered this as almost certainly a “one-off”, owner-modified, car, and was not able to find out more information on it. However, in 2013 he did receive more information, also from Canada, of what he considered to be a different Y/T with a similar modification. He decided that if there were two of these, then there might have been more, and decided to research this in greater detail. It was suggested by a contact in Canada that this modification might have been done by the Factory, at the request of the Canadian distributor Jamieson Cooke, (also reported as Cooke Toledo Motors, and probably a later name for the same Company), in Ontario, and there could have been up to six cars modified in this way. However, at this stage, there is no proof that it was a definitely a Factory modification and it could have been done in Canada by the distributor. Very regrettably, David Pelham died before he could achieve any further results. However, we are no able to confirm that these are indeed two different car - see below!

In February 2020, after contact had been established with someone who knew of these cars, it was still not certain that there were two of these cars still in existence. It was also reported that there were, originally, only four, and not six. So far, to date (15 April 15, 2023) we know for definite of two of the possible six cars namely Y/T/EX(U)/ 2820 and Y/T/EX(U) 3177.

The modification is to the dashboard, and consists of both the R.P.M. Gauge and the Speedometer Gauge being positioned on the left (driver’s) side of the standard central metal instrument panel, with the Speedometer inboard. Standard Y/T instruments were used. On the right-hand side of the dashboard is a glove-locker. Another point of interest is that the overall shape of the wooden dashboard is quite different between the two known surviving cars.

Y/T/EX(U) 2820's dashboard

Y/T/EX(U) 3177's dashboard

On the left is Y/T/EX(U) 2820. That of the car on the right is Y/T/EX(U) 3177. With these two cars being 357 cars apart on the production line, it would tend to support the theory that the modification was made locally in Canada by the distributor and not the factory. Note that the dashboard of Y/T/EX(U) 2820 is a new one under assembly – it has not been confirmed that it is as per the original for this car.

Queensland, Australia Parking Light

While this is not a OEM "production" feature as such, this is a period feature that was added locally in Queensland, Australia to vehicles by dealers. Bruce Anderson has sent in these pictures one pushed in, and says "The top one shows the switch pushed in, which I understand is off, and the lower one with it pulled out. I have been told that it was a requirement so that if a policeman thought that the parked vehicle was not visible enough for safety after dusk he could turn on the outside park lights."

YT 3960

YT 3960 was originally a CKD - Completely Knock Down car made for export and final assembly in Cork, Ireland. Glass was not part of the CKD kit but supplied locally to provide "local content". In the case of CKD cars exported to Ireland this was provided by LANCEGAYE and featured a Shamrock superceeded by their name and TOUGHENED below it. Additionally, CKD cars were not fitted with B281 (for saloons) or B282 (for YT) plates. Also, interesting to note is that there is no evidence of a welded plate bearing the first five numbers of the body number that was welded to the top of the scuttle as is normal in cars produced completely on the Abingdon produciton line.

Y 6488

A unique one piece veneered dash board back board fitted to Y 6488 by University Motors to house the tuner console for a radio. The valve amplifier would have been separately mounted under the bonnet. Picture courtesy of the current owner - Simon Gwynn.

Y 2081

Although not a Production feature, Y2081 has period fittings for rear wheel covers, or "spats". Sadly the spats do not appear to have been located with the recent discovery of the car, but the securing lugs and the "keyway" for the securing tabs are still on the car.

Y 2081 also has an anti-roll bar fitted!

Y 5784

Y 5784's full car number is Y/EXLK/5784 and it was built as an original factory Left Hand Drive Export model.  Y 5784 is also fitted (from the factory) with a Kilometers per hour speedometer, see the enlargement of the photograph on the left.

Y 7009

Y 7009 is owned by George Campbell. This car has a number of interesting features on it that are unique to this car.

1. A brake servo is fitted to the right hand side of the battery box and the fuel pump has been moved to accommodate it. (see Servo picture - left Column).

2. An adjustable air intake for the heater.

Photographs by Peter Sharp.

Radio Antenna adjusting knob

Although this was an "After market" dealer fit and not a production feature, nonetheless it is an interesting feature.  Some Ys, notably University Motors Limited supplied vehicles, would have been sold with an optional radio fitted.  This roof mounted knob is for folding down the antenna so that the car can clear the doors on low garages, and is fitted to Peter Sharp's Y Type.

Dash switches

Bill Roberson sent in this picture of his special dash switch panel as fitted to Y 0960. Believed to have been fitted from new, the two extra switches control an additional fog / spot lamp on the front of the car, and the other the blower for the heater.

Y 0363

Steve Randle's unique YA featuring factory fitted anti-roll bar.

Ys and Celebrities

YB 1041

Film star and actress Phyliss Clavert previously owned YB 1014. Here is a letter she sent to Mr. Tulley, a previous owner of the car, in 1984 who then passed this along to Mr. Danny Tuffin when he sold the car onto Danny. It is reproduced here by kind permission of Mrs. Tuffin.

Phyllis Hannah Murray-Hill (née Bickle; 18 February 1915 – 8 October 2002), known professionally as Phyllis Calvert	Dear Mr Tulley I was fascinated to hear that my old MG is still going strong. It was the first car I ver owned and I loved it. I had it just after the war and only managed to buy it by having my photo taken with it for publicity. I moved house a few month's ago and have been searrching in	my archives for the photo but no luck so far. I am keeping your letter and will send you the photo as soon as I find it. Good Luck with the rallies. Yours sincerely Phyllis Calvert
Phyllis Calvert had given the ignition and door keys a feminine touch!	A period pen knife, not from Phyllis Carvert but probably handed out as a sales promotion gift bears the carvings MG Morris on one side.	The other side of the period pen knife, bears the carvings Riley Wolseley on the other side.

YB 1274

Here’s a pic of my Y with a “celebrity”. This is Mike Brewer of the popular “Wheeler Dealer” UK TV series. He kicked my tyres at the 2017 Birmingham NEC Classic Car Show. Regards Alan Chick.

Y 0252

An original publicity photograph.  On the rear it has "Photo No. 1027 supplied by A Goodchild, 42 Fleet Street, EC4. DBL 601 was the licence plate on Y 0252. The lady in the photograph may be the famous Britsh Actress Phyliss Calvert.

Kindly supplied by Malcolm Eades. This picture is also shown in the Collectibles page.

Y 0252

This photograph of the famous British film star Phyliss Calvert is available for purchase (without the watermark) from http://www.topfoto.co.uk/imageflows2/?s=SP004961. DBL 601 was the licence plate on Y 0252. This picture is also shown in the Collectibles page.

Y 0252

On the back of this photograph is a note as follows:

STAR'S SELECTION

May 8th 1947 PAR 5293-1(-M)

STAR'S SELECTION

Famous British film star PHYLISS CALVERT tries out a new recruit from a famous stable - the new 1 1/4 litre 10.97 h.p. M.G., on show in London for the first time to-day (Thursday). An important feature in this high-class British car is the introduction of independent front wheel suspension. Miss CALVERT, who has been working on her new film "Rescue" at Shepherds Bush, is off to America again by "Queen Elizabeth" on June 4th for film-making in Hollywood. DBL 601 was the licence plate on Y 0252.

May 8th 1947 PAR 5293-1(-M)

This photograph was also used in the Reprinted Article believed to be from'Light Car' magazine May 1947! This picture is also shown in the Collectibles page.

Sidney Joseph Perelman's YT 3174

Formerly owned by Sidney Joesph Perelman - scrip writer to the Marx brothers. For more details, click here.

Gene Tierney's Y

Famous film star, Gene Tierney, (19 November 1920 - 6 November 1991) at one stage owned a Y!  Here is a picture of her with her Y Type.

Gene's acting career spanned from 1940 to 1961 as she stared in many films such as Laura 1946, Night and the City 1950, Way of a Goucho 1952, Plymouth Adventure and Never Let Me Go 1953, Personal Affair 1954, The Egyptian and The Left Hand of God, 1955 to name but a few.During her life, she was linked with many famous people including Howard Hughes, Aly Kahn and John F Kennedy.

The second picture was shown in The Autocar, November 25, 1949 - I wonder where UMG 20 is now?

YB 0976

Charlie Dimmock taking a look at 1953 MG, with its owner, Lindsay Gates, at Wellow Fete.

Charlie opens record-breaking Fete

TV gardener and presenter Charlie Dimmock opened Wellow Fete on Sunday. Charlie, who grew up in Wellow, had her mother Sue Dimmock at her side. During the fete Charlie was more interested in vintage cars than horticultural matters - paying particular attention to a 51-year-old MG owned by Lindsay Gates.
The fete raised in the region of £1,800 and the cash will go to the Wellow and District branch of the Royal British Legion.

Chairman of the Wellow Fete committee, Frank Moody, said: "It's probably a record amount of money raised and I am very pleased."

Attractions at the traditional English village fete included a juggler, a vintage car display, a Tae Kwan Do display team from Romsey and music from Shaftesbury Town Band.

Romsey Advertiser 23 July 2004

YA Restorations

Y 0900

Current owner, Chanaka Jinasena, Sri Lanka.

A real barn find - follow this ground up restoration.

A V8 Y Special

This car is definitely NOT for the purists!  It has been fitted with a Rover V8 3.5 litre engine!

Rear shock absorber

conversion to gas struts

Gilles Bachand has modified his rear suspension to fit gas struts.

YT Restorations

YT 3208

Current owner, Richard Prior, Perth Western Australia..

This car has been fitted with an MGB engine, overdrive gearbox and running gear.

YT 3477

Current owner, Geoff Meller, New South Wales, Australia.

Follow the rebuild of his YT here.

YT 3706

Current owner, Robert Ades, Victoria, Australia.

In case there was any interest in the technical improvements I've been quietly making, I thought I'd send these as a separate e-mail, including a picture.  I hope this is of interest.

YT 4265

Current owner, David Ardill, Ballina, New South Wales, Australia.

There are two articles available from David, A Sporting Heritage, and YT 4265, a Restoration.

The article on the restoration of YT 4265 is also available as a PDF.

YB Restorations

YB 0251

YB 0251 - the first production YB ever, resurfaces!

YB 0805

Nico Dreesen's pictorial history of the restoration of YB 0805 in English.

YB 1170

YB 1170 - The "little gem" now owned by the MG Car Club.

YB 1550

YB 1550 - The last full-bodied MG YB ever. (The last YB - YB 1551 - was a chassis only and was given by John Thornley to Dick Jacobs who built a racing special body on it.)