The startlingly pretty 1955 MGA represented the dawn of a new era for MG. Not only were the lines even lither than the Le Mans prototypes on which it drew, but the chassis, engine and gearbox also owed nothing to the past. With a new 4-cylinder overhead-valve engine, the MG A Roadster was magazine road-tested at 98 MPH, and with its rigid, deep, box-section chassis rails braced by six tubular cross-members, rack-and-pinion steering and independent front suspension, it also handled and pointed. Then MG elevated it to another level with the famed MG A Twin Cam festooned with performance upgrades including, most famously, a twin-overhead-cam alloy cylinder head with hemispherical combustion chambers and a punchier compression ratio. The result boosted power output from 72 HP to an impressive 108 HP, which translated into a top speed comfortably in excess of 110 MPH with a sub 10-second 0-60 MPH time. Still, there was more to it than that. This 1959 MG A Roadster, which has been the recipient of a ground-up nut-and-bolt restoration, has the high-performance alloy twin-cam cylinder head along with associated Twin Cam features, including factory-correct Dunlop 4-wheel disc brakes (in place of all-around drums), the factory-correct, competition-oriented Dunlop drilled steel-disc wheels with quick-release knock-off spinners, and Twin Cam badges—two on the scuttle vents and a further one on the trunk lid. It’s very well presented in Old English White with a red interior and fascia and black carpets, and it’s pleasing to see it’s equipped with the correct plastic-rimmed MG A four-spoke sprung steering wheel, which is often replaced by incorrect wood-rimmed items. A popular factory option, particularly among rally-oriented drivers, was the twin fog lamps, as fitted here. From 1958 to 1960, just 2,111 MG A Twin Cams were produced, of which 1,801 were roadsters. For many years the MG A was a fixture of the U.S. racing scene, winning races and championships in Sports Car Club of America series. Today, in vintage racing, it remains equally popular. The Twin Cam, though, offers potential of a higher order, for with an engine of less than half the size of Jaguar’s XK120, the MG A Twin Cam was only a little shy of it in outright pace and acceleration.
