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Rallying Ys
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YB 1148
Len Shaw's MG YB
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 An up close and personal look at a unique car.. |
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A Rallying MG YB
YB 0291
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 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 Munchen-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.
Now you know better what engine it is as
when do and what the original engine is like ore
das anyone has it. 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. |
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Special Bodied Ys
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Peter Lee's Y Chassis Special
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 More
info on the Peter Lee Y-chassis based Special
here |
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Y
3222
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 More info - click
here |
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Y
5112
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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. |
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Y 1805
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 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.
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Shorrock supercharger |
Note the deeper rear wheel arch |
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"In the 1960s, 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.
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Another
Y pick up - this time in The Netherlands
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A
four-door Y pick-up, or 'UTE' from Australia. It began life as Y 2008! |
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MG YT inspired
MG TD Inskip Special
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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 seater variant to emulate the YT!
More details here. |
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Zagato bodied special
MG Y Type
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In 1948, specialist car body
builders Zagato fashioned this special "panoramic" body (left) and showed it
off next to a standard Y Type. If any one can supply us with more
information, please do so. |
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YB 1551
The last Y chassis ever
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YB 1551 - the last Y
chassis ever made was converted into a special race bodied car for Dick Jacobs. |
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Y 1373 Beutler
Special Bodied Y
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Y 1373 chassis given special
body work by Swiss coachbuilder, Beutler. |
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Ramseier
Special Bodied Ys
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Three YA chassis given special
body work by Swiss coachbuilder, Ramseier. |
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YB 0317
Y Type Pick Up
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More details about this
'interesting' Y conversion from the current owners, Andrew and
Arlene Coulson - a YB pick up. |
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Y Hot Rods
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Two MG Y Type Hot Rods -
from Brazil, and from the UK. |
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YT
2430
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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 |
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YT 4608
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Current owner, Phil
Stafford, Victoria, Australia
MG
Y Type race car |
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Y 6089
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Current owner, Sandy
Henderson, Somerset UK. |
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Unique
Features in production Ys
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Y
7009
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Y
7009 is owned by George Campbell. This car has a number of interesting features on it that are unique to this car.
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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).
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An adjustable air intake for the heater.
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Photographs by Peter Sharp |
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Radio
Antenna adjusting knob
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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. |
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Dash switches
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Bill
Roberson sent in this picture of his special dash switch panel. 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. |
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YA with anti-roll bar
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Steve
Randle's unique YA featuring factory fitted anti-roll bar. |
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Ys and
Celebrities
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Sidney Joseph Perelman's YT
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Sidney Joseph Perelman, the noted humorist and writer who wrote
many of the scripts for the Marx Brothers films, owned a 1949 MG YT Tourer
car which he purchased in Bangkok. Later he drove it to Paris and in 1978
decided that he would return to the Far East in the very same car.
Johnston Lock has been able to provide the following
additional information for us from a book called “Don’t Tread On
Me — the selected letters of S. J. Perelman" edited
by Prudence Crowther and published by Penguin,
complete with page references.
Perelman did indeed purchase the Y in Bangkok in May 1949 but took
delivery of it in England at the end of June, intending to drive it through
the Scandinavian countries [p. 97] It was put up on blocks from 1970 to
1977 at a neighbour’s in Erwinna Pennsylvania.[p330] He proposed to drive
it from Paris to Peking and was having it overhauled to prepare for the
trip. It was shipped to England in late June of 1978 [p 342] for a proposed
departure from Paris on Sept. 1st with two
companions from Britain and towing a trailer loaded with things needed along
the way. They left Paris on Sept 1st and drove
through central Europe, the Balkans, Turkey, Iran and Pakistan. En-route,
they encountered floods, heat earthquakes and rebellions. [p353] They
arrived in Islamabad on Sept. 28th [p 353]. After 25 days of
driving they arrived at Bombay having travelled
7,700 Miles. [p345]. From Bombay the car was shipped by air to Hong Kong
where it was on Nov. 9 [p346]. Here Perelman waited 6 weeks for permission
to enter the Chinese mainland. His companions left after 4 weeks and
returned to England. Perelman drove on to Peking. Here he became ill and
sent the car back to Southampton by ship. Unfortunately, there was a
trucking strike there and the car was not offloaded but went on to Hamburg
where it was offloaded and lost . But it must have been found again for the
last reference to it was that it was in Pipersville, PA. Being restored to
American standards in September of 1979. [xxvi] Perelman died in October of
that year.
Details of how Sidney came to acquire the YT, and
preparations for the Paris-Peking trip with Eric Lister, and the Sidney Beer
are also detailed in Eric Lister's book "Don't mention the Marx Bothers".
Details of both books, including ISBNs can be found on our
Book Review page along with a few more pictures
of Sidney Perelaman and the car.
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Gene Tierney's Y
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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? |
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YB 0976
Charlie Dimmock taking a look at 1953 MG, with its owner,
Lindsay Gates, at Wellow Fete.
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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 |
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YA Restorations
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Y 0900
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 Current owner, Chanaka
Jinasena, Sri Lanka.
A real barn find - follow this ground up
restoration. |
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A V8 Y Special
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Current owner, unknown -
first name Garry, Australia.
This car is definitely NOT for the purists! It has been fitted with a
Rover V8 3½ litre engine! |
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YT Restorations
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YT 3208
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Current owner, Richard Prior,
Perth Western Australia..
This car
has been fitted with an MGB
engine, OD gearbox and running gear. |
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YT 3477
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Current owner, Geoff Meller,
New South Wales, Australia.
Follow the rebuild of his YT
here. |
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YT 3706
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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.
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YT 4265
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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. |
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YB Restorations
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YB 1170
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YB
1170 - The "little gem" now owned by the MG Car Club. |
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YB 0251
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YB
0251 - the first production YB ever, resurfaces! |
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YB 0805
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Nico Dreesen's pictorial
history of the restoration of YB 0805 in English. |
