50 YEARS AGO
The Beginning:
Gerald Palmer was much influenced by the
Italian stylist of the 40's. Mostly by the Lancia "Aerlux", an
Lancia Apprilia fitted with a four-door saloon body by Touring.
This car had the chrome strips around the wheel arches (front & rear) as
they were to be seen on the ZA as "hockey sticks".
Also
Palmer's first sketch of the Magnette from 1949 (!) features this trim. Front
and rear hockey sticks as well as a trim around the headlamps. But only the
front trim made it into production. (I recall Mr. Palmer saying that only the ZA
with this trim was "his Magnette". He didn't like the BMC-styled ZB
and Varitone.)
This sketch ended in the first mock-up
model in full scale made primarily of wood with Wolseley-style seats and Y-type
steering wheel:
This model really looks like the later production Magnette. The fog-lamps and
front quarter lights still are missing.
Press Release Cars:
The original press release
photogaphs were of two prototypes:
 |
Chassis KAK/EX215 probably was the first running prototype registered as UFC476. This car lacked the front overriders, as well as the fog lamps and front quarter lights. The wheels were painted in body colour instead of aluminium. |
 |
The other car was KAE/EX216, later renumbered KAE13/500 * with registration number UFC 764, already looking like production cars with overriders and fog lamps. |
* As many of you will know it had been the factory's policy for many years to give the number 251 to the first chassis but the initial ZA chassis commenced on 19.09.53 was given number 501. However, I must make clear that subsequently six further cars were built which were given chassis nos. 500-495 in that order. These cars were constructed for experimental purposes.
The rearaxle has to be changed
A testdrive with one of the prototypes nearly ended up in a crash
and caused a change of the rearaxle. This seems to be the reason why
Magnettes were not available before February 1954. Read
the details why the rear axle had to be changed shortly before the
launch date.
Building of the first chassis'
starts:
19.09.1953
Today building of the first
Magnette with chassis no. 501 starts in Abingdon. This will be one of the Earls
Court Motor Show models.
The bodies are built by Pressed Steel at Cowley then brought "across the
road" to Morris Motors for painting. The painted bodies were transported to
Abingdon for trim and final assembly (with a lot of components from the Nuffield
Group).
26.09.1953
Today chassis 502 to 504 were laid down.
The body consists of a series of sub-assemblies which are built up as separate
units and are joined together in an assembly jig.
The Front Extension Assembly consists of two front extension members
arc-welded to the front suspension crass-member. ... The front cross-member is
welded across the front of the two front extension members, and two
reinforcement plates are welded to the rear of the members to complete the front
extension assembly.
The Main Floor Assembly
The propeller shaft tunnel is welded to the floor cross member, to the
heel-board, and the rear floorboards. The cross-member centre bracket, gear
lever tower cover, and front seat support brackets are also attached.
The Luggage Boot And Spare Wheel Fllor Assembly
This is built up from a series of pressed steel components which are welded
together in a jig.
Underframe Assembly
When the three assemblies described above have been completed, they are
placed in a jig and are welded to the side-members. The underframe assembly is
completed by the addition of the seat pan, he toe-board extensions, the floor
cross-member closing plates, the inner rear wheel arches, the side-member
closing assemblies and the tonneau side closing panels.
Assembly Of Body
The underframe assebly, side-panel assemblies and roof assembly are brought
together in a jig and welded. In addition, the back-light reinforcement panel,
the B and C post closing plates, the boot stiffeners, the rear parcel tray, the
windshield rails, the demister ducts, the lower rear body panel and the cradle
of the battery are welded on.
A bolted-up assembly consisting of the radiator grille support, The two front
wing valances and the front valance stay, is bolted to the front of the body.
The dash ventilator parts and the fuel tank filler lid assembly are fitted , and
to complete the body structure the doors, trunk lid, bonnet assembly and front
wings are attaches and adjusted.
(taken from "MONO Construction M.G. Magnette", Publication of the M.G.
Cars Company, AKD574)
16.10.1953
Only 5 days before the doors open for the Earls Court
Motor Show Chassis 501 - 504 come off the body and trim lines. Three men
had been working for one week to put it all together (When production had
increased there were appr. 15 women and 30 men working on the production
line.)
| 501 | (Z 8)
green body with biscuit interior and a radio fitted |
| 502 | (Z 10)
grey with grey interior, LHD export model coded Z10 and sent to Nuffield
House at Picadelly with Vienna as its ultimate destination. |
| 503 | (Z 7)
grey with grey interior, the other Earls Court Motor Show car |
| 504 |  (Z 11)
maroon with biscuit interior and with fitted radio went to University
Motors, London, where press launch party was held in the presence of
Thornley, Palmer and other luminaries. This picture taken from Palmer's
Autobiography (see details at bottom of page) which is titled
"...Here am I speaking at the London launch of the Magnette". So
I assume the car in front is #504. |
| Also
today the british magazine "Autocar" releases. It contains the
first report on the new Magnette featuring one of the prototypes (chassis
500, UFC 764) which still has a rear axle with torque arm, which is
described. Read the article... |
|
21.10.1953 - 31.10.1953
The Magnette is shown to the public at the Earls Court Motor Show. More...
31.10.1953
| Chassis 505 to 507 were laid down today, but only the first
(Z9), painted black with a biscuit interior, was completed before the end
of the year. This was used as a demonstrator and , as with all cars up to
507, returned to the factory, presumably for minor attention to the trim,
before being finally despatched in 1954. 506 (Z12) was finished in green and biscuit but not completed until 1954. 507 , in black with maroon interior, provided the fifth colour variation in the first seven cars off the line. |
13.11.1953
 |
Today # 507 is initially outshopped and goes to "Garage EC/Works", where it will be given regsitration number JJB 839. (It returned to Abingdon and left the factory after a final checkover as late as 30.07.54 !) |
For more information on the Magnette's history I strongly recommend the
following books:
MG Saloon Cars by Anders Ditlev Clausager and
The Autobiography of Gerald Palmer
Read more information about these books.
Above information have been taken from these books as well as from reports of
the Register's Historian Warren Marsh earlier published in 36,000 and
Magnettics, the old Register magazines.
