A SHORT guide to each model can be found on it's specific Register page.

ONE of the most famous British marques ever, MGs origins of MG date back to the very early days of motoring.

Cecil Kimber joined Morris Garages in 1921 (William Morris had set up the Oxford-based business in 1913,and started building the first Morris Oxford),and during the early 1920s Kimber experimented with various special bodies based on Morris chassis.

In due course he modified an Oxford to become the MG Super Sports (MG standing for Morris Garages). This proved to be so successful strategy, that the MG Car Company was duly set up in 1928.

The transformation of a standard Morris into a sports by relatively mild uprating of the engine and suspension, plus the installation of rakish bodywork, was to set the pattern for MGs during the next eight decades. Notable early MG's included Kimber's 14/40hp (the less powerful standard Oxford from which it was derived was designated 14/28hp),the Morris Minor-based M type Midget, and the 18/80.

Major successes in motorsport raised the profile of the MG company in the pre-War era, and Midgets evolved through J,PA and PB series models, then moved on to the TA and short-lived TB variants, before hostilities temporarily put a halt to production. Other significant MG's of the 1930s included the K series Magnette (1933), the 1.3-litre F type Magna (derived from the Wolseley Hornet, and sold in open and closed forms),the 1.5-litre VA, and the large, elegant two-litre SA, plus the 2.6-litre WA.

As Britain recovered from the ravages of war, the MG company started to produce a revised version of the TB (designated TC),also the attractive YA, then YB saloons (with bodywork based on that of the Morris/Wolseley Eight saloons). Further variations on the T series included the TD, then the final, TF, version.
However, by the mid-1950s buyers were looking or more modern designs and were rewarded for their patience by the handsome and competent MGA, powered by BMC's B-Series engine.

The ZA and ZB Magnette saloons of the 1950s were also powered by twin carburettor versions of this engine, and were loved by enthusiasts for their spirited performance and sporty handling. There followed the Mark III and Mark IV Magnettes of the late 1950s/early 1960s; these were effectively upmarket, twin carburettor versions of BMC's mid-range Farina-styled saloons, and offered extra performance and refinement, compared with the less powerful mainstream Austin and Morris versions although they weren't a patch on the original ZA Magnette in terms of dynamics and character. The rot was setting in.

Buyers in the market for an inexpensive open sports car were catered for with the new Midget (which arrived in 1961,and which had evolved from the Mark I Austin-Healey ˜Frogeye Sprite). The MGB made its debut in 1962,and was hailed as a worthy successor to the much-loved MGA and interesting variations on the theme included the six-cylinder MGC and the MGB GT V8. However the MG company was continually MG neglected and under funded by now and increasing emissions and safety legislation in the vital United States market during the 1970s saw the now archaic Midget and MGB become a joke and discontinued by the end of the decade.

BMC’s 1100/1300 saloon ranges were best sellers in the 1960s/70s,and the more powerful MG versions fairly proved popular with family motorists seeking a bit more power and prestige. Badge-engineered MG's also appeared during the 1980s,including the Metro, Maestro and Montego to less success. The arrival of the long awaited MGF (1995 on) was too little, too late. Turmoil within Rover almost turned to tragedy as soon BMW extricated itself from the business it took over in 1994,and the future looked very bleak indeed for the famous Midlands carmaker.

In 2000 MG Rover was acquired, shaken up and revived by the Phoenix Consortium who was not afraid of experimenting with some bold ideas in the quest to revive the good old days of MG and Rover. Sadly it was a false dawn and the company went out of business in 2005 only to be recently revived by China's oldest car maker Nanjing, who has recently started reproduction of the MGF sports car.