MG Car Club of South Australia
MGC NEWS
MGC conversations with Richard Mixture , September 2018
MG T-Types not MGCs
H ello , it ’ s Richard here again . One of the things that I find interesting is that some MGC owners also own a T- Type and many others have owned one in the past . I noticed that that young fella from across the pond as the Brits say , John Nikas , has written a book titled ‘ The MG T-Series , The Sports Cars the World Loved First ’. I asked Mrs Mixture to ask the local librarian if they had a copy but they did not , then that young wiper-snapper over the fence said he ’ ll have a look on the net and fish one out of the pond or something like that . Then he asked me for $ 38.26 . I think he said he ordered it from Brazil and fished it out of a river of stuff . It ’ s a bit beyond me . What happened to letters and catalogues ?
Well this little 95 pager was delivered in the post about eight weeks later . It was a pre-order I was told so it took a while . US author , John Nikas , appears to be a thorough Octagonapile with his knowledge of MGs . And , interestingly , this book is a perspective from a land that received exported MGs rather than one from mother England ; it ’ s seen through , not rose coloured , but stars and stripe coloured glasses .
The book ’ s seven chapters make wonderful reading starting with “ The Foundation of the Sacred Octagon ” describing a young Oxfordian , Bill Morris , who started his “ apprenticeship at a local bicycle shop as a fifteen year old in 1893 for the meagre wage of 5 shillings a week . An incredibly driven individual despite his youth , he went into business for himself not long afterward , performing repair and service work from a small
8 garden shed behind the family home in Cowley ,”
“ As motorcycles gained in popularity ... he began to provide them with support and service , eventually fabricating his own powered cycle in 1901 .”
Of course his attention became focused on a “ new and exciting form of transportation ”, the automobile . “ With financial assistance from the Earl of Macclesfield , Morris completed his first automobile using components sourced from third parties in 1912 .” Development of the Morris Oxford and Morris Cowley throughout the 1920s is explained , leading to the support from his young Morris Garages sales manager , Cecil Kimber ( you know who he is don ’ t you ?).
The early photographs in this chapter were provided from that well known US , MG aficionado Richard Knudson , and include one of the Morris Motor Cycle Garage and another of the Oxford Garage with a row of automobiles out front .
Chapter 2 discusses “ The Triple M Era ” with some wonderful photos from David Knowles and Graham Robson . 24 pages are illustrated with colour photos of M-Types , L-Types , J-Types , P-Types and N-Types . The last sub-section headed “ Change in the Wind ” describes the sale of MG to Morris Motors which “ fell under the supervision of the irascible Leonard Lord ”. By this stage we are almost half way through the book !
The next chapter portrays the book ’ s title “ Birth of the T-Series ” and explains the successes all the way to the end of the book . The size and shape of the TA