My first car was a red 1959 MGA purchased by me in 1967 with silver-painted wire wheels.. You evaluated your rebuilt 1958 MGA. A BEAUTFUL car .A couple of things....1958 MGAs did NOT have front disc brakes NOR did they have 1800 cc engines. The engine in your car was a 1500 cc engine. Horrible to start on a cold morning. Plywood floors, a horn in the middle of the dashboard, and two six volt batteries were what MGAs had. The MGA turned me into a mechanic because I could not afford to take it to foreign car mechanics. I ended up doing engine rebuilds and had two friends with MGAs. The Lucas electronics in MGAs were the ABSOLUTE worst. Having said all of that, I regret selling it when I went to Vietnam. It IS A classic.
My mum was a family doctor in Birmingham. She had two. First a turquoise blue roadster, with which she tried motor racing. Just the once, but she was presented with the most promising newcomer trophy. Then she had a red coupe, which was a bit more practical for winter weather. They were fun, back in the fifties.
Hi Daniel My first car was an MGTD . My dad and I did a similar restoration (in 1970) to you and your car. After owning the TD for a few years , I sold it and the new owner smashed it horribly soon after he bought it. Many Many regrets all my life for selling the car (i am now a grey haired old bloke). Never sell your A , or you will forever feel that you betrayed your first true love. Your A is a pathway leading back to your youth. When you drive it in years to come you will be 21 years old again. I have a 69 MGB and a 69 E Type and am seriously looking for a nice TD to add to the collection. I have owned MGAs and they are as you describe them ----- You are the King of the Road ! Safety Fast. Craig Sydney Australia
your MGA video is great! you have understood the roadster and what is all about to drive the car. I'm 63 and i love, that young guys like you love the cars of my youth. beautyful scenes and so enthusiastic descripton, great job. Since i was a kid in the sixties, i dreamed of this outstanding gorgeous roadster... in the age of 57 my dream came true, i purchased my 1956 little red rooster and i will keep it as long as i can. My second dreamcar i purchased last year, the Morgan Plus eight. The 3rd in my little collection is a Caterham "Lotus" Super 7, which i purchased new, 30 years ago... I love them all.
Loved this video! I had an MGB with red wire wheels btw.....didn't have to go fast to feel like you were driving fast. Was it cool ?.....once I came to a stop light right next to a brand new candy-apple red corvette, his wheels and tires were probably worth more than my entire car. Two very attractive gals standing on the corner looked over his car, completely ignoring it, and while looking at me said, " Wow, what a cute car !" After 15 years, I ended up giving it to a car enthusiast friend of mine....your comment, " ...sometimes it feels like a car that was built on Christmas Eve by people who wanted to go home." is very true.....hilarious...and very true. I just couldn't take it anymore, watching people having fun in cheap Miatas, while my car was for one reason or another immobile. Note: I now have a convertible Jag XK 150 series...very cool.......but not in the way my MGB was. Thanks for the video!
Absolutely loved this video! Excellent job and capturing the magic these cars represented. I bought a my 1959 MGA in 1970 from a guy I worked with at a 500 watt AM radio station. I was a Junior in high school. I was in another world. Loved the car and it made feel very, very cool!
I rescued my "A" from southern California about 4 months ago. It hadn't run in 23 years. It was rust free but had horrible paint upholstery and chrome. The engine compartment looked like it had been stored under water. 4 months later, with new brakes, gas tank, master cylinder, distributor, fuel pump, rebuilt windshield wiper motor, heater, and carburetors, it runs like a dream. For now, I'm just driving it and loving it.😊
You just said everything I've wanted to say my entire life about this car. A lovely unrestored MGA has been my family's daily driver since 1959 and the love of my life since I can remember, and believe me, this video made my year. You just won a new subscriber and a fan for life!
@@limit55 thank you guys for this, really, what you're doing is awesome! PS I forgot to say your MGA looks (and sounds) really great, an awesome restoration and a lovely story for sure
Nice car and a great restoration but it's a bit of a hybrid. A 1500 with an 1800 (MGB?) engine, MGA 1600 tail lights and disk brakes, fancy timber dashboard and obviously non-standard pearl paintwork and chrome wire wheels. MGAs didn't have ash trays either. Having said that, all of the modifications are very worthwhile and the work is an absolute credit to you.
My dad bought his MGA MKII new in 1962 and it had an ashtray just like in the video. Dealer installed option maybe? And why not upgrade to the B motor? And that beautiful paint job! I think that's advancing the breed.
I had 3 MGAs back in the day (2 x 1600s and a Twin Cam) and they could have ash trays like that. I don't smoke so never used one but I imagine it was bloody useless with the roof down!
@@kge420 It looks like an MGB one to me. The difficulty is that things like this can vary depending on the country. I can say without a shadow of doubt that ash trays were never fitted to MGAs in Australia. I have no idea of what applied in the USA.
Loved your video! I had a 1600 Mk 2 many years ago. I was at university and broke, so had to sell it in 1971. Never forget that fabulous motor car...I have an F Type R Jag now, also a marvellous sports car..and I’m no spring chicken, 74 years old...🇬🇧
Great video. Bought my 1959 MGA 1500 in 1965, in college. I used to drive it into snowbanks it was great fun, snow cascading over you. It's like you were surfing though you had to watch out for fireplugs. The one wise thing I did was never sell it and I still have it and I love it and we did some restoration work like new wooden floor and it is still as much fun to drive today as it was nearly 50 years ago.. Of course today I don't do the snowbanks and don't like to drive in in the rain cause I don't want it to get wet ,but I still do. Congratulations on the video , it captures a lot of the magic of the car.
What a beautifully elegant car! The MGA actually finished 5th in the 1.5 litre class at le Mans. And after 230 laps (nudging 120 mph on the Mulsanne straight) had done remarkably well to finish 12th overall against pure racing cars with engines of more than twice that capacity.
Did you know Dick Jacobs smashed his Twin Cam at Le Mans and was reported dead ? When he rang his wife from the hospital to say he'd had a crash but was OK he caused all sorts of trouble.
I’ve owned British cars since 1979. I had a almost new 79’ B. Was my everyday driver. In high school I drove a 69’ Spitfire. I’ve owned my 59’ A 1600 since 94. The only British car that catches my eye equally would be a Healey 100. Young man you have talent, that was a well produced video! Cheers!
Had a '57 MGA in the 1960's. A beater. The same week I got it, a very nice young woman approached me to check out my ''cute'' car. The next day, were were on our way to Quebec City (from Albany NY). We spent about a month tooling around Canada in the MGA. Magical little car. And I give it full credit for launching that wonderful adventure.
Learned how to drive in my father’s 1957 MGA Coupe. He had that car for 13 years, replacing it with an Alfa Spyder. The day after he sold it (for $600), he tried to buy it back. No such luck. This car led to my own ownership of four different MGBs. Two GTs and two convertibles, the last of which was a 75 that I dropped a Rover V8 into.
My first car was a 58 MGA coupe. Would not start when below 32F or 0C at all not even rolling down a steep driveway into a 600foot downsloap street. I replaced the gizmo pull stater swith with a Ford solinoid and a crome push button MOPAR part from 52 I bought at a Sears and it would start no matter the weather. My second car was a 65 MGB roadster I had for 3 years though it spent half the time in garage waiting for parts. Still, I wish I still had both.
What he said. I had a 1959 right hand drive - yes, in L.A. What a train wreck and, yes to this day my heart beat! (I am now old enough to have a Porsche Carrera 911 S) I still miss that MGA. Thanks for the vid and the memories.
Great video Daniel, but then again I might be biased ;-) Interesting comment below about the combination of great looks and agility when compared with an E Type. I completely agree. Yes the E Type is a pure delight to own and to feel the pure power when you put your foot to the floor, especially when moving from 50mph upwards; it pulls like a train. However the A is more like a racing cycle where momentum is everything. Keep it buzzing along, using the gears and she will give you the time of your life. My drives in my A are worry free and applauded wherever she goes. The E Type leaves me sweating over holding onto my licence and unfortunately brings out more envy than love from passers by. Your video has absolutely captured the essence of ownership and as for the neggy comments about "new age" restorers.... sadly that envy manifests in mysterious ways. I too envy your ownership, cos I wish I could have as long with my A as you will..... At almost 60, I feel like 18 when driving the A. So maybe I too should learn to feel more like Elvis.... A Little More Satisfaction than an E..... ;-) and who needs gauges when you can feel whats happening and be young enough to remember when you last filled her up.... ;-) .... Live and let live people. Keep it coming Daniel and team.
Paul, too kind! And too right about the way the A drives, all about momentum and keeping it rolling. Lots of fun. Teaches you how to drive. And the A will be around for as long as I am, there’s no doubt about that. Thank you very much for the support and positive mojo, it is much appreciated. :-)
Paul, ich wollte hier einen Kommentar hinterlassen, aber das kann ich mir wirklich sparen, denn: Ich kann jedes Deiner Worte unterschreiben ! Beste Grüße Phillipp MGA 1959
@@phillippphillipp243 Paul, I wanted to leave a comment here, but I really can skip that because: I can subscribe to your every word! Best regards Phillip MGA 1959
I really like the gunmetal blue, that looks great. An MG A was my first car. My father and I bought a 1959, that was a hulk. We spent the next year completely rebuilding it. When it was time to paint the car, my mom said to paint it anything except green, she then spent hours picking a color, a creamy beige. The body shop owner was a friend of the family, so he showed me how to prep the car for painting. In the shop the owner had just painted a car British racing green. At the last minute dad, told the guy to paint it Britsh racing green. My mother was LIVID.
I liked your comment that when you are at the wheel of a historic car "you see things that other people can`t" because you are transported to another time when the world was different but your car is just the same. That feeling of association with the past is even more intense within the cocoon of a closed car because you are looking at the present from the vantage point of the past...the nearest you can get to a time machine.
My brother had a MGA. What I llloved best was the shifting. Your toes just tapped the clutch and just a flick of the wrist you shifted the gear! It was just toe and wrist. No serious leg or arm movement. It was a WOW.
What a well done video, I am in the final stages of finishing my MGA as a tribute race car that participated in the Tour De France back in the early 60s,
he's right! back in the early 70's when i was a twenty something and had just finished the restoration of my MGA, i was stopped at a light and a female passerby called out to me, "you look like a movie star!".i'll never forget it. ...true story. BTW, that's the LAST time anything even CLOSE to that happened to me. :(
I have owned 2 MGA's ! My first that I fell in love with was in 1968 when I was stationed in Naples, Italy with the U.S.Navy! I bought a 1959 Bright Orange MGA and had it for about 2 years until transfer back Stateside! I intentions were to bring it back with me, but the Italian Government had different ideas. It was correctly licensed in Italy but when I attempted to ship it I ran into paperwork problems. I had no paperwork to show that it was imported legally to Italy even though it was licensed there. After a 3 months run around with the Government, I was forced to sell it before I left. Due to that I was unable to get a great price as I left. The car was in great shape and had only minor maintenance problems and was easy to work on. Funniest maintenance issue was while heading back from Rome to Naples very late at night! The fan belt broke and alternator would not be able to get me back. I had no spare belt, but I did have some Grey 3M Duct tape. I took the belt and taped it back together to get the right length and the taped it twice length wise to give it strength. It was great for the additional 50 miles to get me home. It was the only sports car I owned out of a few different one that I could be driving about 30 mile Per hour and through use of emergency brake and steering turn and head 180 degrees in other direction in seconds. A great handling car and definitely fun to drive.
My brother owned an old 1962 MGA 1600 Mk II. I learned to drive in it and used to drive it to high school while he was away for work. He never knew. It was a fun car alright. The problem it has was at some stage it had a broken axle and had a LHS axle fitted on the RHS as the correct one could not be found. This resulted in the RHS wheel knock off undoing a couple of times the wheel over taking you. Glad it never caused and accident.
Wow. Beautiful car - and the video is pretty damn good too. I have a relatable story. My single parent Mom bought me a 1958 MGA when I was 14 for $800. For reference, that was 44 years ago. By the standards of today it was in better than decent shape. I tore into the disassembly of it, with restoration as the grand plan, with ferocity. I still have a visceral reaction to the smell of Liquid Wrench. Working alone, I deconstructed that fine automobile down to what was literally a rolling chassis. No poetic finish to this story. As I had no money to further the project, it sat in the garage, and eventually out in the yard, for a couple of years. I ultimately sold it to a European (I'm American) car salvage yard for...$800. But there is a lesson or moral to this story. Those were some of the best days of my life. The knowledge I gained, both mechanically and physically, serve me well to this day. My fascination with pistons and carburetors and gauges and body panels and...all of it, resulted in a pretty decent understanding of the workings of the automobile. And to some extent, myself. Sorry if too serious. I think I just miss that damn car.
I owned 2 MGAs. My name was at the top of the MGA Register in the US. Loren Michael's wife bought him one for his 35th birthday & hired me to check it over & test drive it before she bought it.
Well I'll be damned! The very charming, intelligent and very knowledgeable gentleman who presented his MGA on Jay Leno's Garage has busted out on his own - well done! I guess I'm a little late to the the game but none the worse (I first became aware of him through Jay Leno). This guy has a very bright future ahead of him. Keep 'em coming!
Well done. Thank you for sharing. Fabulous car. I love my MGB, so I understand. You really helped put the experience of driving into words. Thanks again!
Can't really complain about non-functional instruments when you restored the car. You are right that the 1800 cc donk is a great improvement. Same for the later front disc brakes. Thanks for posting!
It’s a beautiful machine. I love British sports cars. I had a 74 Spitfire I bought in Scotland. I drove it all over the UK and across the US when I was in the Navy.
An outstandingly good video. Professional quality. Bought back memories from decades past of a 1500MGA I went everywhere in. To my mind these were the last of the great MG's
In this case and similar cars, that's what it's all about - no gadgets, no smartphones, no music. You are alone with the works of art that go along with it.
I love how your car turned out . The gun metal paint makes her look a Healey very sophisticated. I've got a red 59 MGA called Rebecca after my mom I put a Vitesse Mazda 5 speed gearbox in it hitched to an 1800 motor it gives her the long legs she needs for highway cruising. 60 spoke chrome wires and disk front breaks she's just beautiful.
I had a 1958 MGA 1500 coupe in the late 60's until a girlfriend wrote it off. One of my great regrets is that I couldn't afford to fix the wreck and had to watch it being towed away. It was the perfect sports car and was excellent at going round corners on country lanes in the dry. In the wet it could be all over the road and the big drum brakes would become worse than useless. The two 6 volt batteries would often give trouble and rust was always a problem. This was in the UK, so less of a problem in Southern California! All credit for the excellent restoration (especially shoehorning in a larger engine)
Sorry to hear that Mike, but certainly a good car to drive! We appreciate the good feedback. Please give us a Subscribe for more MGA and old car content in the future! Safety fast!
Beautiful car. Well produced video. The MG-A has wooden floor boards. Rear leaf springs. A triumph of style over substance. Who needs a sound system with that engine ? Drive on twisty back roads. Stay off freeways. Bliss.
My father had a 1957 MGA. I can still remember riding in it as a 6 year old kid. Right up until he blew the engine by over revving it, after which he had a twin cam replacement installed, right up until we were hit head on by a 1953 Chevy on a snow covered road in CT. Thus ended my father's sports car career.
I rebuilt and enjoyed my MGA in the early 1960s. We drove it from Chicago out to the Rockies, Yellowstone, Pike's Peak, the Badlands and back home without any problems. I sold it and bought a Corvette and after the thrill of 0-60 sprints wore off I was very disappointed because the Corvette handled like the Queen Mary. If I wasn't 80 years old and live in Germany I would try to get another MGA.
It's such a beautiful car , how the industry managed to do it for such a competitive price is amazing . We've just bought a house in a south Cotswold village and walking round the place a guy in a black MGA drove past us . I thought , this is the perfect car in the perfect setting. No more needs to be said.
Great video. On point with the description of owning and driving an MGA. i have a 1960 myself and have had several chevelles , Camaros early impalas over the years but My little MGA is one of my favorite cars. my car is a frame off restored that my father did about 10 years ago.
Nice car, nice film! Cinematography and editing are top notch. Thanks for a pleasant trip back to a time when "pretty" and "light" were important attributes in a car.
Excellent review and congratulations on your rebuild. I recall seeing you on Jay Leno’s garage. You have excellent writing skills and bring a flair to your work. You remind me of a writer for Road and Track called Peter Egan.
Nice video. As a former owner of a TRiumph Spitfire in the 70’s and TR6 more recently I concur with your comments and observations. Wonderfully fun and involving roadsters…a love-hate relationship (mostly love).
"62 Black with red MKII was my first car in 1970. Bias belted tires meant I could drift that car through any curve. Plywood floorboards that were rotting, a Smiths heater, and side curtains did not make for a comfortable winter car in Colorado. And for gawds sake whose idea were the 2 -6v batteries with cap terminals behind the seats that corroded at the drop of a hat, leaving you dead and stranded at the worst times? Followed this with a '63 E Coupe. Pure sex that body, and more HP than sense.
Sorry but I would have to see that to believe. You might get up to between 110 to 115 unless it was full race prepped and then it would not be on the street. I bought my MGA in 1967, still have it, the deluxe was built with left over parts when they stopped building the twin cam. Those parts included suspension, brakes, wheels and a few other parts, not the twin cam engine or other performance parts.
@@warrenp2022 It was all in the gearing! You never drove mine! I had to sell it to pay back my mom the $400 I borrowed from her to buy my 1956 Lotus Model 11 Lemans Sports Races which I still have. The last time I saw the MGA it was sitting in the forest behind Tom Ring's parent's house. I blew up the motor outrunning a cop who caught up to me 2 blocks out of his jurisdiction! I put the Motor from my 1959 1500 in it & sold it to Tom. Someone STOLE the chassis of the 59' from behind my house!
BTW, You are arguing with a Person who worked for Carl Haas Lola, the Budweiser Racing Team, Newman Haas Racing, & Chaparral Racing, & I am currently a Design Improvement Engineer for Lola Cars Ltd. London. Right now we sponsor the Eugene Haas Formula One & Aston Martin Formula One Teams.
Get those gauges fixed; They'll add to the fun. I used to drive my '57 with the tonneau cover unzipped down the middle, leaving the passenger side covered. Talk about a cocoon! When one drives it like you do in the video, all faults disappear. Nice job on the restoration and on the video.
so beautiful. I always remember my 62 A hunkered down so nicely the faster I went. Back in the day (1964+) the speed limits were much faster! Alas, Seattle was a hard weather place to own one as a daily driver. ⛈😎
Good memories. A 1960 MGA 1500 was my first car at age 16. Cost all of $500 in 1967, I was, shall we say, very hard on it. And I became familiar with jokes like "Lucas - prince of darkness". But it was an awful lot of fun.
Very nice video ! Brings back memories my stepfather still has my grandpa’s 1959 MGA and fortunate lately it’s up in Michigan in 1 trillion pieces… in 1977 the motor is seized up because of a timing chain tensioner wedged into the chain.. it never rain again.. Beautiful card my grandfather but in 1959 brand new … I had an MGB I drove out here from Maryland in from Maryland to Los Angeles took me three days… that MGB had a brand new engine with 50 miles on it never had a problem made it to Newport Beach.. I have rebuilt a few of these engines gardeners dipped around with a lot of the SU carburetors.. I want to make a suggestion to you put a carburetor on there with an accelerator pump and you’ll see a huge difference ! By the way you have a great voice a great sense of humor take out the music in your video you’re a great narrator ! I rather hear your voice and that damn music ! Thanks for making these videos…
Very nice video, I too had a 58' MGA - red with beige interior, but since moved on to the 64 Mercedes 230 SL Pagoda, but sometimes I miss the rugged simplicity and pureness of the MGA :-)
Love the Hidden Valley and Mulholland shots! I always shoot my car photos there. I have experience with two MGAs: one a 1500 and one a Twin Cam. Beautiful to look at, fun to drive, very unreliable and a real pain to work on. Which you will spend more time doing than driving an MGA. Still, lovely.
So glad you are pumped about your car. My 1st was a 57 Morris Oxford and I will never ever go near Anglais again. Lucas prince of darkness ran the show, the clutch went and cost the same as the car to replace and the timing chain and the intake manifold failed. So I bought a '55 Chevy, 2 door for $91.00 CDN (garage repo.)......................say no more. Bowtie forever.
Love MG cars. All of them. I've own 4. 1969 1972 1979 >2 of those. All of those MGBs gave me mile after mile of trouble free travel. Over 230,000 miles on each. I would buy more but they went out in 1980. What a pisser. No way in hell would I buy a Chinese version. Really did like the 69 B. So much fun.
I came across this piece of yours by chance and I must admit your first part of the film seemed to poke fun at the car in a negative light, comparing it to then and now etc. My hackles rose! But I saw the 'light' in your second half of the film. I've owned many MGs, but one of the better ones I drove was an MGA with the the later 1.8 litre engine (from the MGB, as yours) with uprated head and a Webber carb, plus Overdrive (again from the MGB), it made for a lovely car. Hell these days I'd be happy with a standard car, jus to drive the MG and see the smiles it gives everyone in this increasingly complicated world.
I was very disappointed in the lack of accuracy of the history of MG models- stating that the prewar “P” was the model prior to the MGA- ignoring the “T” series which was produced postwar until the MGA was introduced.
Love your car!
Very well put together video!
My first car was a red 1959 MGA purchased by me in 1967 with silver-painted wire wheels.. You evaluated your rebuilt 1958 MGA. A BEAUTFUL car .A couple of things....1958 MGAs did NOT have front disc brakes NOR did they have 1800 cc engines. The engine in your car was a 1500 cc engine. Horrible to start on a cold morning. Plywood floors, a horn in the middle of the dashboard, and two six volt batteries were what MGAs had. The MGA turned me into a mechanic because I could not afford to take it to foreign car mechanics. I ended up doing engine rebuilds and had two friends with MGAs. The Lucas electronics in MGAs were the ABSOLUTE worst. Having said all of that, I regret selling it when I went to Vietnam. It IS A classic.
The THING about the MGA is - how absolutely drop dead gorgeous it is. Especially in white / ivory like the one that used to live up the road from me..
might have been my Ivory 62 🥹
@@kidchellin Do you miss it?
The correct name is Old English White. Over a period of years I drove two 1959 OEW MGAs!
@@safetyfast1 I had one in Old English White, too. Travelled all over Europe in it, across the Alps, down to Florence, etc, etc Wonderful times.
I WANT IT BACK ! 371 SNO, where are you ?
My mum was a family doctor in Birmingham. She had two. First a turquoise blue roadster, with which she tried motor racing. Just the once, but she was presented with the most promising newcomer trophy. Then she had a red coupe, which was a bit more practical for winter weather. They were fun, back in the fifties.
Hi Daniel
My first car was an MGTD . My dad and I did a similar restoration (in 1970) to you and your car.
After owning the TD for a few years , I sold it and the new owner smashed it horribly soon after he bought it. Many Many regrets all my life for selling the car (i am now a grey haired old bloke).
Never sell your A , or you will forever feel that you betrayed your first true love. Your A is a pathway leading back to your youth. When you drive it in years to come you will be 21 years old again.
I have a 69 MGB and a 69 E Type and am seriously looking for a nice TD to add to the collection.
I have owned MGAs and they are as you describe them ----- You are the King of the Road !
Safety Fast.
Craig
Sydney Australia
Had a '61 MGA. Got drafted to military. No place to store it so I sold it. Yes. Regret it to this day.
@@tonymaiettasr.7340 Hi Tony
Best wishes and Safety Fast to you.
craig
your MGA video is great! you have understood the roadster and what is all about to drive the car. I'm 63 and i love, that young guys like you love the cars of my youth. beautyful scenes and so enthusiastic descripton, great job.
Since i was a kid in the sixties, i dreamed of this outstanding gorgeous roadster... in the age of 57 my dream came true, i purchased my 1956 little red rooster and i will keep it as long as i can. My second dreamcar i purchased last year, the Morgan Plus eight. The 3rd in my little collection is a Caterham "Lotus" Super 7, which i purchased new, 30 years ago... I love them all.
Thank you for the kind words and drive on! 👍🏼👍🏼
A hidden gem in this corner of TH-cam. Lovely video.
Loved this video! I had an MGB with red wire wheels btw.....didn't have to go fast to feel like you were driving fast. Was it cool ?.....once I came to a stop light right next to a brand new candy-apple red corvette, his wheels and tires were probably worth more than my entire car. Two very attractive gals standing on the corner looked over his car, completely ignoring it, and while looking at me said, " Wow, what a cute car !"
After 15 years, I ended up giving it to a car enthusiast friend of mine....your comment, " ...sometimes it feels like a car that was built on Christmas Eve by people who wanted to go home." is very true.....hilarious...and very true. I just couldn't take it anymore, watching people having fun in cheap Miatas, while my car was for one reason or another immobile. Note: I now have a convertible Jag XK 150 series...very cool.......but not in the way my MGB was.
Thanks for the video!
Absolutely loved this video! Excellent job and capturing the magic these cars represented. I bought a my 1959 MGA in 1970 from a guy I worked with at a 500 watt AM radio station. I was a Junior in high school. I was in another world. Loved the car and it made feel very, very cool!
I rescued my "A" from southern California about 4 months ago. It hadn't run in 23 years. It was rust free but had horrible paint upholstery and chrome. The engine compartment looked like it had been stored under water. 4 months later, with new brakes, gas tank, master cylinder, distributor, fuel pump, rebuilt windshield wiper motor, heater, and carburetors, it runs like a dream. For now, I'm just driving it and loving it.😊
Enjoy! Thanks for watching!
Great video, Daniel. Thanks for help keeping the love of our gorgeous MGAs alive!
You just said everything I've wanted to say my entire life about this car. A lovely unrestored MGA has been my family's daily driver since 1959 and the love of my life since I can remember, and believe me, this video made my year. You just won a new subscriber and a fan for life!
From one Daniel to another, thank you! We appreciate it. I bet your unrestored MGA has some great charm to it…
@@limit55 thank you guys for this, really, what you're doing is awesome!
PS I forgot to say your MGA looks (and sounds) really great, an awesome restoration and a lovely story for sure
I’m jealous. Such a great colour.
Fabulous video, hilarious and informative! Great job and beautiful restoration!!
Nice car and a great restoration but it's a bit of a hybrid. A 1500 with an 1800 (MGB?) engine, MGA 1600 tail lights and disk brakes, fancy timber dashboard and obviously non-standard pearl paintwork and chrome wire wheels. MGAs didn't have ash trays either. Having said that, all of the modifications are very worthwhile and the work is an absolute credit to you.
My dad bought his MGA MKII new in 1962 and it had an ashtray just like in the video. Dealer installed option maybe? And why not upgrade to the B motor? And that beautiful paint job! I think that's advancing the breed.
I had 3 MGAs back in the day (2 x 1600s and a Twin Cam) and they could have ash trays like that. I don't smoke so never used one but I imagine it was bloody useless with the roof down!
I think the ashtray looks like an Amco accessory.
@@kge420 It looks like an MGB one to me. The difficulty is that things like this can vary depending on the country. I can say without a shadow of doubt that ash trays were never fitted to MGAs in Australia. I have no idea of what applied in the USA.
Loved your video! I had a 1600 Mk 2 many years ago. I was at university and broke, so had to sell it in 1971. Never forget that fabulous motor car...I have an F Type R Jag now, also a marvellous sports car..and I’m no spring chicken, 74 years old...🇬🇧
Thanks for the excellent review. I've just picked up my 2nd MGA, a 1962 MkII Deluxe. I'm very excited about it!
This guy has got a bit of fun whimsical style Mmmmm BRAVO!
Great video. Bought my 1959 MGA 1500 in 1965, in college. I used to drive it into snowbanks it was great fun, snow cascading over you. It's like you were surfing though you had to watch out for fireplugs. The one wise thing I did was never sell it and I still have it and I love it and we did some restoration work like new wooden floor and it is still as much fun to drive today as it was nearly 50 years ago.. Of course today I don't do the snowbanks and don't like to drive in in the rain cause I don't want it to get wet ,but I still do.
Congratulations on the video , it captures a lot of the magic of the car.
Years ago, I had a metallic blue '59 MGA droptop with a Buick V6 in it. Big fun, indeed.
The production value of this video is out of this world. It really belongs as a mini documentary on TV.
Yada yada.
What a beautifully elegant car!
The MGA actually finished 5th in the 1.5 litre class at le Mans.
And after 230 laps (nudging 120 mph on the Mulsanne straight) had done remarkably well to finish 12th overall against pure racing cars with engines of more than twice that capacity.
Yeah, not sure why he thought finishing 12th was so bad.
Did you know Dick Jacobs smashed his Twin Cam at Le Mans and was reported dead ? When he rang his wife from the hospital to say he'd had a crash but was OK he caused all sorts of trouble.
I’ve owned British cars since 1979. I had a almost new 79’ B. Was my everyday driver. In high school I drove a 69’ Spitfire. I’ve owned my 59’ A 1600 since 94. The only British car that catches my eye equally would be a Healey 100. Young man you have talent, that was a well produced video! Cheers!
Had a '57 MGA in the 1960's. A beater. The same week I got it, a very nice young woman approached me to check out my ''cute'' car. The next day, were were on our way to Quebec City (from Albany NY). We spent about a month tooling around Canada in the MGA. Magical little car. And I give it full credit for launching that wonderful adventure.
What it’s all about :)
Learned how to drive in my father’s 1957 MGA Coupe. He had that car for 13 years, replacing it with an Alfa Spyder. The day after he sold it (for $600), he tried to buy it back. No such luck.
This car led to my own ownership of four different MGBs. Two GTs and two convertibles, the last of which was a 75 that I dropped a Rover V8 into.
My first car was a 58 MGA coupe. Would not start when below 32F or 0C at all not even rolling down a steep driveway into a 600foot downsloap street. I replaced the gizmo pull stater swith with a Ford solinoid and a crome push button MOPAR part from 52 I bought at a Sears and it would start no matter the weather. My second car was a 65 MGB roadster I had for 3 years though it spent half the time in garage waiting for parts. Still, I wish I still had both.
What he said. I had a 1959 right hand drive - yes, in L.A. What a train wreck and, yes to this day my heart beat! (I am now old enough to have a Porsche Carrera 911 S) I still miss that MGA. Thanks for the vid and the memories.
Great video Daniel, but then again I might be biased ;-) Interesting comment below about the combination of great looks and agility when compared with an E Type. I completely agree. Yes the E Type is a pure delight to own and to feel the pure power when you put your foot to the floor, especially when moving from 50mph upwards; it pulls like a train. However the A is more like a racing cycle where momentum is everything. Keep it buzzing along, using the gears and she will give you the time of your life. My drives in my A are worry free and applauded wherever she goes. The E Type leaves me sweating over holding onto my licence and unfortunately brings out more envy than love from passers by. Your video has absolutely captured the essence of ownership and as for the neggy comments about "new age" restorers.... sadly that envy manifests in mysterious ways. I too envy your ownership, cos I wish I could have as long with my A as you will..... At almost 60, I feel like 18 when driving the A. So maybe I too should learn to feel more like Elvis.... A Little More Satisfaction than an E..... ;-) and who needs gauges when you can feel whats happening and be young enough to remember when you last filled her up.... ;-) .... Live and let live people. Keep it coming Daniel and team.
Paul, too kind! And too right about the way the A drives, all about momentum and keeping it rolling. Lots of fun. Teaches you how to drive. And the A will be around for as long as I am, there’s no doubt about that. Thank you very much for the support and positive mojo, it is much appreciated. :-)
Paul, ich wollte hier einen Kommentar hinterlassen, aber das kann ich mir wirklich sparen, denn:
Ich kann jedes Deiner Worte unterschreiben !
Beste Grüße
Phillipp
MGA 1959
@@phillippphillipp243 Paul, I wanted to leave a comment here, but I really can skip that because:
I can subscribe to your every word!
Best regards
Phillip
MGA 1959
I really like the gunmetal blue, that looks great. An MG A was my first car. My father and I bought a 1959, that was a hulk. We spent the next year completely rebuilding it. When it was time to paint the car, my mom said to paint it anything except green, she then spent hours picking a color, a creamy beige. The body shop owner was a friend of the family, so he showed me how to prep the car for painting. In the shop the owner had just painted a car British racing green. At the last minute dad, told the guy to paint it Britsh racing green. My mother was LIVID.
I liked your comment that when you are at the wheel of a historic car "you see things that other people can`t" because you are transported to another time when the world was different but your car is just the same. That feeling of association with the past is even more intense within the cocoon of a closed car because you are looking at the present from the vantage point of the past...the nearest you can get to a time machine.
My brother had a MGA. What I llloved best was the shifting. Your toes just tapped the clutch and just a flick of the wrist you shifted the gear! It was just toe and wrist. No serious leg or arm movement. It was a WOW.
What a well done video, I am in the final stages of finishing my MGA as a tribute race car that participated in the Tour De France back in the early 60s,
he's right!
back in the early 70's when i was a twenty something and had just finished the restoration of my MGA, i was stopped at a light and a female passerby called out to me, "you look like a movie star!".i'll never forget it. ...true story.
BTW, that's the LAST time anything even CLOSE to that happened to me. :(
That’s what I’m talking about! :-) thanks for the comment and make sure to subscribe for more 👍👍
I have owned 2 MGA's ! My first that I fell in love with was in 1968 when I was stationed in Naples, Italy with the U.S.Navy! I bought a 1959 Bright Orange MGA and had it for about 2 years until transfer back Stateside! I intentions were to bring it back with me, but the Italian Government had different ideas. It was correctly licensed in Italy but when I attempted to ship it I ran into paperwork problems. I had no paperwork to show that it was imported legally to Italy even though it was licensed there. After a 3 months run around with the Government, I was forced to sell it before I left. Due to that I was unable to get a great price as I left. The car was in great shape and had only minor maintenance problems and was easy to work on. Funniest maintenance issue was while heading back from Rome to Naples very late at night! The fan belt broke and alternator would not be able to get me back. I had no spare belt, but I did have some Grey 3M Duct tape. I took the belt and taped it back together to get the right length and the taped it twice length wise to give it strength. It was great for the additional 50 miles to get me home. It was the only sports car I owned out of a few different one that I could be driving about 30 mile Per hour and through use of emergency brake and steering turn and head 180 degrees in other direction in seconds. A great handling car and definitely fun to drive.
Enjoyed the video! I have a 62 MK2 and understand the sentiment
My brother owned an old 1962 MGA 1600 Mk II. I learned to drive in it and used to drive it to high school while he was away for work. He never knew.
It was a fun car alright. The problem it has was at some stage it had a broken axle and had a LHS axle fitted on the RHS as the correct one could not be found. This resulted in the RHS wheel knock off undoing a couple of times the wheel over taking you. Glad it never caused and accident.
Amazing! Maybe I should try an MGA
Very Nice MGA! Outstanding video and presentation.
Wow. Beautiful car - and the video is pretty damn good too. I have a relatable story.
My single parent Mom bought me a 1958 MGA when I was 14 for $800. For reference, that was 44 years ago. By the standards of today it was in better than decent shape. I tore into the disassembly of it, with restoration as the grand plan, with ferocity. I still have a visceral reaction to the smell of Liquid Wrench. Working alone, I deconstructed that fine automobile down to what was literally a rolling chassis. No poetic finish to this story. As I had no money to further the project, it sat in the garage, and eventually out in the yard, for a couple of years. I ultimately sold it to a European (I'm American) car salvage yard for...$800.
But there is a lesson or moral to this story. Those were some of the best days of my life. The knowledge I gained, both mechanically and physically, serve me well to this day. My fascination with pistons and carburetors and gauges and body panels and...all of it, resulted in a pretty decent understanding of the workings of the automobile. And to some extent, myself.
Sorry if too serious. I think I just miss that damn car.
I owned 2 MGAs. My name was at the top of the MGA Register in the US. Loren Michael's wife bought him one for his 35th birthday & hired me to check it over & test drive it before she bought it.
Nice, from rustbucket to racer!
Well I'll be damned! The very charming, intelligent and very knowledgeable gentleman who presented his MGA on Jay Leno's Garage has busted out on his own - well done! I guess I'm a little late to the the game but none the worse (I first became aware of him through Jay Leno). This guy has a very bright future ahead of him. Keep 'em coming!
It is still full of bull though.
Well done. Thank you for sharing. Fabulous car. I love my MGB, so I understand. You really helped put the experience of driving into words. Thanks again!
Chapeau on the restoration, it's a Cinderella's godmother's miracle!
My first car, back in 1964 was an MGA also. I loved it!
Can't really complain about non-functional instruments when you restored the car. You are right that the 1800 cc donk is a great improvement. Same for the later front disc brakes. Thanks for posting!
It’s a beautiful machine. I love British sports cars. I had a 74 Spitfire I bought in Scotland. I drove it all over the UK and across the US when I was in the Navy.
An outstandingly good video. Professional quality. Bought back memories from decades past of a 1500MGA I went everywhere in. To my mind these were the last of the great MG's
That's a gorgeous roadster dude, and so well restored. Very nice. Great touch with the record player 🤣
In this case and similar cars, that's what it's all about - no gadgets, no smartphones, no music. You are alone with the works of art that go along with it.
Love this episode, great mix of history and witty analogies. And the record player bit... perfect!!
Thank you for the video, I enjoyed it and it brought back memories.
Glad you enjoyed it!
I love how your car turned out . The gun metal paint makes her look a Healey very sophisticated. I've got a red 59 MGA called Rebecca after my mom I put a Vitesse Mazda 5 speed gearbox in it hitched to an 1800 motor it gives her the long legs she needs for highway cruising. 60 spoke chrome wires and disk front breaks she's just beautiful.
On
I had a 56 MGA, and it was the most fun to drive car I have ever driven !!
Looks like a first class restoration! Excellent choice of color as well!
Cracking vid matey - sensational production values.
You continue to do your Mum proud.
Leno should be chuffed as well. Cudos.
I had a 1958 MGA 1500 coupe in the late 60's until a girlfriend wrote it off. One of my great regrets is that I couldn't afford to fix the wreck and had to watch it being towed away. It was the perfect sports car and was excellent at going round corners on country lanes in the dry. In the wet it could be all over the road and the big drum brakes would become worse than useless. The two 6 volt batteries would often give trouble and rust was always a problem. This was in the UK, so less of a problem in Southern California! All credit for the excellent restoration (especially shoehorning in a larger engine)
Sorry to hear that Mike, but certainly a good car to drive! We appreciate the good feedback. Please give us a Subscribe for more MGA and old car content in the future! Safety fast!
Really enjoyed this great work!
Job well done - both video and resto - agree with pretty much everything from my OEW 1600 Mk1
Beautiful car. Well produced video.
The MG-A has wooden floor boards.
Rear leaf springs.
A triumph of style over substance.
Who needs a sound system with that engine ?
Drive on twisty back roads.
Stay off freeways.
Bliss.
My father had a 1957 MGA. I can still remember riding in it as a 6 year old kid. Right up until he blew the engine by over revving it, after which he had a twin cam replacement installed, right up until we were hit head on by a 1953 Chevy on a snow covered road in CT. Thus ended my father's sports car career.
My aunt Margie had 1960 blue MGA, my cousin Susie had a 1960 light blue MGA.
I rebuilt and enjoyed my MGA in the early 1960s. We drove it from Chicago out to the Rockies, Yellowstone, Pike's Peak, the Badlands and back home without any problems. I sold it and bought a Corvette and after the thrill of 0-60 sprints wore off I was very disappointed because the Corvette handled like the Queen Mary. If I wasn't 80 years old and live in Germany I would try to get another MGA.
It's such a beautiful car , how the industry managed to do it for such a competitive price is amazing .
We've just bought a house in a south Cotswold village and walking round the place a guy in a black MGA drove past us .
I thought , this is the perfect car in the perfect setting.
No more needs to be said.
Spot on
Great video production quality. Great car. Keep up the good work!
That was a good video and that’s rare on TH-cam. Thanks for saying what the car is and not just what it isn’t. 🚗
Great video. On point with the description of owning and driving an MGA. i have a 1960 myself and have had several chevelles , Camaros early impalas over the years but My little MGA is one of my favorite cars. my car is a frame off restored that my father did about 10 years ago.
The red barracuda jacket …😎 Nice touch
Nice car, nice film! Cinematography and editing are top notch. Thanks for a pleasant trip back to a time when "pretty" and "light" were important attributes in a car.
Excellent review and congratulations on your rebuild. I recall seeing you on Jay Leno’s garage. You have excellent writing skills and bring a flair to your work. You remind me of a writer for Road and Track called Peter Egan.
High compliment indeed!
the music comes from the right foot eh
Nice video. As a former owner of a TRiumph Spitfire in the 70’s and TR6 more recently I concur with your comments and observations. Wonderfully fun and involving roadsters…a love-hate relationship (mostly love).
Saw you on Jays garage, had to watch and I'm glad. Well done.
I wanna see hammond do a restoration on one of these in his shop. That would be a good treat.
"62 Black with red MKII was my first car in 1970. Bias belted tires meant I could drift that car through any curve. Plywood floorboards that were rotting, a Smiths heater, and side curtains did not make for a comfortable winter car in Colorado.
And for gawds sake whose idea were the 2 -6v batteries with cap terminals behind the seats that corroded at the drop of a hat, leaving you dead and stranded at the worst times?
Followed this with a '63 E Coupe. Pure sex that body, and more HP than sense.
The 1960 1600 Deluxe topped out at 145mph & when properly tuned was a real screamer!
Sorry but I would have to see that to believe. You might get up to between 110 to 115 unless it was full race prepped and then it would not be on the street. I bought my MGA in 1967, still have it, the deluxe was built with left over parts when they stopped building the twin cam. Those parts included suspension, brakes, wheels and a few other parts, not the twin cam engine or other performance parts.
@@warrenp2022 It was all in the gearing! You never drove mine! I had to sell it to pay back my mom the $400 I borrowed from her to buy my 1956 Lotus Model 11 Lemans Sports Races which I still have. The last time I saw the MGA it was sitting in the forest behind Tom Ring's parent's house. I blew up the motor outrunning a cop who caught up to me 2 blocks out of his jurisdiction! I put the Motor from my 1959 1500 in it & sold it to Tom. Someone STOLE the chassis of the 59' from behind my house!
BTW, You are arguing with a Person who worked for Carl Haas Lola, the Budweiser Racing Team, Newman Haas Racing, & Chaparral Racing, & I am currently a Design Improvement Engineer for Lola Cars Ltd. London. Right now we sponsor the Eugene Haas Formula One & Aston Martin Formula One Teams.
Get those gauges fixed; They'll add to the fun. I used to drive my '57 with the tonneau cover unzipped down the middle, leaving the passenger side covered. Talk about a cocoon! When one drives it like you do in the video, all faults disappear. Nice job on the restoration and on the video.
That restoration is nicely done!
so beautiful. I always remember my 62 A hunkered down so nicely the faster I went. Back in the day (1964+) the speed limits were much faster! Alas, Seattle was a hard weather place to own one as a daily driver. ⛈😎
I have happily been in Miatas since 2006.
Had a 59. Lots of work but fun as all hell to drive.
Good memories. A 1960 MGA 1500 was my first car at age 16. Cost all of $500 in 1967, I was, shall we say, very hard on it. And I became familiar with jokes like "Lucas - prince of darkness". But it was an awful lot of fun.
Back when I was driving MGs I named my dog Lucas E. Lectric. He liked to go out in the middle of the night.
Awesome! I saw you on Leno’s Garage. These are the nicest MG.
Thank you! They are tons of fun to drive…. Fun to look at too…. Make sure to subscribe and tell your friends! 😁😁
Very nice video ! Brings back memories my stepfather still has my grandpa’s 1959 MGA and fortunate lately it’s up in Michigan in 1 trillion pieces… in 1977 the motor is seized up because of a timing chain tensioner wedged into the chain.. it never rain again.. Beautiful card my grandfather but in 1959 brand new … I had an MGB I drove out here from Maryland in from Maryland to Los Angeles took me three days… that MGB had a brand new engine with 50 miles on it never had a problem made it to Newport Beach.. I have rebuilt a few of these engines gardeners dipped around with a lot of the SU carburetors.. I want to make a suggestion to you put a carburetor on there with an accelerator pump and you’ll see a huge difference ! By the way you have a great voice a great sense of humor take out the music in your video you’re a great narrator ! I rather hear your voice and that damn music ! Thanks for making these videos…
Very nice video, I too had a 58' MGA - red with beige interior, but since moved on to the 64 Mercedes 230 SL Pagoda, but sometimes I miss the rugged simplicity and pureness of the MGA :-)
I feel the same way about my MGB ... glad he also wears a cap like that. It fits. And makes me feel a little better about wearing mine.
Love the Hidden Valley and Mulholland shots! I always shoot my car photos there. I have experience with two MGAs: one a 1500 and one a Twin Cam. Beautiful to look at, fun to drive, very unreliable and a real pain to work on. Which you will spend more time doing than driving an MGA. Still, lovely.
So glad you are pumped about your car. My 1st was a 57 Morris Oxford and I will never ever go near Anglais again. Lucas prince of darkness ran the show, the clutch went and cost the same as the car to replace and the timing chain and the intake manifold failed. So I bought a '55 Chevy, 2 door for $91.00 CDN (garage repo.)......................say no more. Bowtie forever.
I had a TR3 and a TR4. Fun cars but I always secretly wanted an MGA. A beautiful machine.
I had a 61 A... Because I couldn't get a Austin Healey 3000.
Same here. I had a '63 TR3B and it was great, but I really would have preferred an MGA , but they were just out of my budget.
I had two A’s, a 1500 and a 1600. How did you keep yours running the entire length of the video? Or was this seriously time edited?
Dude, I absolutely love your restored MGA, I saw it on Jay Leno‘s garage and just hopped over to your channel. Cheers from Boston Massachusetts🍻
Miss my '61 1600 terribly. I still dream of that car!
Great video - thanks for the new one! Oh, that car isn’t just pretty…it’s gorgeous! 🔥🔥
Love MG cars. All of them. I've own 4. 1969 1972 1979 >2 of those. All of those MGBs gave me mile after mile of trouble free travel. Over 230,000 miles on each. I would buy more but they went out in 1980. What a pisser. No way in hell would I buy a Chinese version. Really did like the 69 B. So much fun.
I love the record player!!! LMAO
I came across this piece of yours by chance and I must admit your first part of the film seemed to poke fun at the car in a negative light, comparing it to then and now etc. My hackles rose!
But I saw the 'light' in your second half of the film. I've owned many MGs, but one of the better ones I drove was an MGA with the the later 1.8 litre engine (from the MGB, as yours) with uprated head and a Webber carb, plus Overdrive (again from the MGB), it made for a lovely car. Hell these days I'd be happy with a standard car, jus to drive the MG and see the smiles it gives everyone in this increasingly complicated world.
Love the car and your review of it, very pro and well done.
I was very disappointed in the lack of accuracy of the history of MG models- stating that the prewar “P” was the model prior to the MGA- ignoring the “T” series which was produced postwar until the MGA was introduced.
I always liked the MGA, it was always well suited for Southern California, and that's why so many of them were sold there.
I love my MGB but part of me wishes I'd gotten an A. One of the most beautiful cars I've ever seen.
On a 1959 MGA is how I learned to drive a manual transmission. Thanks to Geoff Trun, wherever you are?