CKD = KAH 5 + KAH 6 = 1519

Completely Knocked Down (CKD) kit cars were an option taken up by Ireland (Eire), Holland (Netherlands) and South Africa (Suid Afrika) for the MG Magnette Z type in the 1954 to 1958 period. CKD assembled cars were all standard Z type bodies; Ireland commenced first, putting together ZA type Magnettes until 1956. 1956 being the year CKD kits were updated to ZB specification and now delivered for assembly in Ireland, Holland and South Africa over the years 1956/1957/1958. Strange as it may seem information on MG Magnette types ZA or ZB with chassis identification numbers prefixed with KAH are difficult to uncover, but thanks to both Colin Heald {Magnette enthusiast of New Zealand} and George Dehlen {MGA enthusiast of South Africa} we have made progress with the following pictures and information.
 

Picture No1. One of the 750 South African Assembly plates. {This belongs to KAH5/27524 and happily still resides in South Africa with owner Errol Battison}
 

Emphasizing the lack of information only five of the 1519 CKD assembled Magnettes are known to me, and that includes the one registered Gallery. Hopefully more CKD assembled cars have survived but for now four of the five known, by chassis number, are confirmed survivors:

If we work on the basis that 2.7% of the CKD cars have survived, then it is likely 41 {of the 1519 CKDs} could still be out there. Where are the other 37 CKDs - any volunteers?

With George Dehlen’s help there seems to be more clarity in the data of CKD assembled Magnettes by country (the book ‘MG Saloon Cars’ is our  main source of CKD assemblies, although it is at the mercy of compiled company records). Consequently assemblies of ZA & ZB cars for Eire are now better defined in table 2.

Picture No2. Chassis plate of Errol Battison’s ZB Magnette; Produced as MGM 496 {assume 496th of 750} in the Durban Assembly plant.
 

Picture No. 3. South African Assembly Plate. Firewall mounted
and located above the battery compartment.

Incomplete Tables
Tables: 3, 4 and 5; attempt to put into focus data that are missing but may still exist?
Missing for Eire and South Africa are annual numbers of ZB CKD kits assembled, plus for the years 1955, 1956, 1957 and 1958/9 almost no real information exists for allocated chassis numbers either individually and/or in a range. Also the Netherlands suffers from a lack of data for chassis numbers or allocation of chassis numbers.
 

TABLE No 3. - ZA CKD Assembly. {Eire Only}.

TABLE No. 4 - ZB CKD Assembly for Eire, South Africa and Netherlands

The Importer for the Netherlands was the Company "Molenaar". Their books show 24 Magnettes from March to November 1957 with the prefix KAH6 (=CKD LHD) and in 1958 only 3.
They were always made in groups of 6 cars (see table above)
The colours and interior were:

TABLE No. 5 – Sth Africa Sales {CKD & Imported} MG Sedan’s in 1955/1957-1963

IN SUMMARY
On the premise 1519 CKDs represent total production and within that total 750 {ZB} CKDs were assembled in South Africa: tables 2 to 4 are intended to show the world sources of CKD assembled MG Magnette Z types, while specific to South Africa Table 5 is a period snapshot (1955 to 1963) of all MG sedans sold in South Africa as a combined mix of local assembly CKD kit cars and imports – See note 2. Finding any additional CKD {kit cars} using the Chassis prefix KAH must surely add extra insight. For instance South African assembled Z type Magnettes all seem to have an Assemblers Plaque, Picture no.1, and sequential unique number { assuming unique in a number range of 750}; the question is did the Eire and Netherlands assemblies have this very
SUMMARY (continued)
useful labeling? Further, table 4 basically separates the 1009 ZB right hand drive CKD kits (KAH 5 = part of chassis code) from the 174 ZB left hand drive CKD (KAH 6 = part of chassis code) assemblies; with lots of unknowns in most columns.
Finally can anyone shed light on: Assembly site, Assembly lines, Assembly processes and Assembly tools and jigs? In picture and or written word – something must have survived from this period, as references or articles. These seem rare cars indeed!

Point of Contention
Local South African records show 750 ZBs were assembled at the Motor Assemblies Limited plant in Durban between 1957 and 1959. The contentious point is the National Association of Automotive Manufacturers of South Africa (NAAMSA) has records that show 850 (ZBs) were sold, but unfortunately the NAAMSA did not record the chassis numbers. Without more information I have assumed (to be clarified) the extra 100 ZBs are in fact fully built up imports and allow me to attribute a specific allocation of ZBs to Eire as provided in Table 2. This seems reasonable and only more information will sort this out.

References and Sources and Definitions
George Dehlen {MGA enthusiast of South Africa}. Invaluable South African information and images.

Colin Heald {Magnette enthusiast of New Zealand}. Invaluable images

Henk Kroese, Magnette Registar in the Netherlands. Provided information of Molenaar.

MG Saloon cars – Book by A D Clausager. Critical resource.

Note 1 (From page 128, MG Saloon cars – by A D Clausager)
Note 2 George Dehlen extracted the sales data for the period 1955 to 1963 from the archives of the National Association of Automotive Manufacturers of South Africa
(NAAMSA)

CKD is an abbreviation for a Completely Knocked Down kit car.

KAH is part of the factory identity code and chassis number for a CKD MG Sedan
KAH 5 or KAH 6; where 5 = CKD Right Hand Drive and 6 = CKD Left Hand Drive

Article assembled by Loz {Laurence} Scott

May 2006

Post Script
Extract from MG Saloon cars – Book by A D Clausager
In 1954 {only year exports by country are preserved} the first exports of MG Magnettes were a mix of CKD kits and fully build up Abingdon assembled ZAs totaling 1538 shipped. Of note is 84 CKDs went to Eire commencing with chassis number 1412.
 

All photos, graphics and text belong to the Magnette Register.They  may not be used without permission!