# MG MGA
The **MG MGA** is a sports car produced by the MG Car Company at Abingdon, England, from 1955 to 1962, with a 1500 cc BMC B-series engine, an all-enveloping body that broke with MG's traditional upright styling, and total production of more than 100,000 cars, more than 95,000 of them exported.[1](https://www.mgcc.co.uk/mga-register/mga-history/mga-development/) • [2](https://www.mg.co.uk/mg-centenary) It was a radical departure from the T-series MGs it replaced and became one of the great dollar-earners of the British post-war export drive.[3](https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/mg/mga/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Production run | Summer 1955 to 1962 at Abingdon; over 100,000 built, more than 95,000 exported from the UK[2](https://www.mg.co.uk/mg-centenary) • [4](https://www.crowood.com/book/mga/) |
| Engines | 1489 cc B-series (68 then 72 bhp), 1588 cc (80 bhp) from 1959, 1622 cc (93 bhp) Mk II from 1961; Twin Cam 106–108 bhp, depending on source[5](https://mgownersclub.online/mg-guides/mga/mga-1500) • [6](https://www.aronline.co.uk/cars/mg-cars/mga/ex175-development-story/) |
| Performance (1500) | 0–60 mph in about 15 seconds, maximum speed 98–100 mph, almost 30 mpg in late-1955 road tests[5](https://mgownersclub.online/mg-guides/mga/mga-1500) • [6](https://www.aronline.co.uk/cars/mg-cars/mga/ex175-development-story/) |
| Price | £595 on introduction in 1955[5](https://mgownersclub.online/mg-guides/mga/mga-1500) |
| Export share | Of 101,476 made, only around 5,869 were sold on the home market; the rest went abroad, overwhelmingly to the United States[3](https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/mg/mga/) |
| Braking evolution | Drums all round on the 1500; Lockheed front discs on the 1600 and Mk II; four-wheel Dunlop discs on the Twin Cam and De Luxe[7](https://www.carcollectorinternational.com/research/buyers-guides/mg/mga) |
| Successor | The monocoque MGB roadster arrived in 1962, MG's first car without a separate chassis[2](https://www.mg.co.uk/mg-centenary) |
## Development and design
The MGA's origins lie in racing. In 1951 MG chief designer Syd Enever built a streamlined one-off body on an MG TD for George Phillips's Le Mans entry, factory reference EX176.[1](https://www.mgcc.co.uk/mga-register/mga-history/mga-development/) This line of aerodynamic development, pursued through several prototype stages, culminated in the EX182 factory racers competing at [Le Mans](https://www.edgepedia.org/le-mans) in 1955.[3](https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/mg/mga/)
The road-car project, numbered EX175, was designed as the replacement for the MG TF, aimed squarely at the North American market. Two prototype chassis were built, one registered HMO 6 and developed into a road-test vehicle.[1](https://www.mgcc.co.uk/mga-register/mga-history/mga-development/) An earlier prototype on the narrow TD frame had placed the driver too high; Enever's EX175 solved this with a new and wider frame in which driver and passenger sat between the side-members and the propshaft, allowing the low, flowing body line.[6](https://www.aronline.co.uk/cars/mg-cars/mga/ex175-development-story/)
During 1952, internal politics at the [British Motor Corporation](https://www.edgepedia.org/british-motor-corporation) led to the initial rejection of EX175 in favor of the [Austin-Healey](https://www.edgepedia.org/austin-healey) 100/4. By 1953, however, falling TF sales gave the go-ahead to build the car, which was to be called the MGA.[1](https://www.mgcc.co.uk/mga-register/mga-history/mga-development/)
**Styling and construction.** Entering production in the summer of 1955, the MGA broke with the time-honored tradition of narrow-gutted, flat-sided, upright MG styling with its large grille, exposed headlamps, separate wings and sharply cut-off tail.[4](https://www.crowood.com/book/mga/) The all-enveloping body initially met resistance from purists, but the car proved an instant success.[8](https://mga.mgcc.info/history) Mechanically it stayed conventional, using a sturdy steel frame that was separate from the bolt-on bodywork instead of the monocoque design later adopted for the MGB, an arrangement that lets the frame and body be taken apart during restoration.[3](https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/mg/mga/)
## Variants and specifications
**MGA 1500 (1955–1959).** The first MGA used the new BMC B-series engine of 1489 cc (73.025 × 88.9 mm bore and stroke), producing 68 bhp in early cars and 72 bhp at 5500 rpm in later ones, with 77 lb ft of torque at 3500 rpm. Lockheed 10-inch drum brakes served all four wheels, the wheelbase was 7 ft 10 in, and the maximum speed was 98 mph.[5](https://mgownersclub.online/mg-guides/mga/mga-1500)
**MGA Twin Cam (1958–1960).** AROnline gives the Twin Cam's engine output as 108 bhp and its maximum speed as 115 mph. It carried Dunlop disc brakes front and rear and peg-drive center-lock wheels of the kind used on the Jaguar D-type.[6](https://www.aronline.co.uk/cars/mg-cars/mga/ex175-development-story/) MG's own centenary history gives the figure as 106 bhp.[2](https://www.mg.co.uk/mg-centenary)
**MGA 1600 (1959–1960).** In May 1959 the B-series grew to 1588 cc with Lockheed front disc brakes replacing drums, drums remaining at the rear; output was about 80 bhp.[6](https://www.aronline.co.uk/cars/mg-cars/mga/ex175-development-story/) • [9](https://www.hagerty.com/media/buying-and-selling/your-handy-1955-62-mg-mga-buyers-guide/)
**MGA 1600 Mk II (1961–1962).** In April 1961 capacity rose to 1622 cc. This was not a bored-out existing block but an entirely new engine, with a big-valve head, new block, pistons, connecting rods, crankshaft and flywheel, plus a ribbed gearbox casing. Power rose from 80 to 93 bhp, an increase largely concealed by a simultaneous final-drive change from 4.3 to 4.1:1. The Mk II is distinguished by a recessed grille and horizontal rear lights mounted on the body.[6](https://www.aronline.co.uk/cars/mg-cars/mga/ex175-development-story/)
**Bodies.** Throughout, the steel body sat on a separate ladder chassis, as a roadster with removable side curtains and a detachable hood, or as a Fixed-Head Coupé with fixed roof and wind-up windows.[7](https://www.carcollectorinternational.com/research/buyers-guides/mg/mga)
## By the numbers
The MGA Register's production table gives the following totals:[10](https://www.mgcc.co.uk/mga-register/mga-facts-and-figures/production-numbers-by-model-type/)
- **1500 (1955–1959):** 52,478 units, of which 43,663 were left-hand drive for North America.
- **1600 roadster (1959–1961):** 28,730 units (23,668 LHD); 1600 coupés: 2,771.
- **1600 Mk II:** 8,198 roadsters (5,254 in 1961 and 2,944 in 1962; 6,286 LHD) and 521 coupés (416 in 1961, 105 in 1962).
- **Twin Cam (1958–1960):** 1,788 units (493 in 1958, 1,256 in 1959, 39 in 1960), a figure disputed by other sources.
North America dominated sales: of the 12,938 1600 roadsters built in 1959, 11,378 went to North America, and in 1960 the figure was 12,253 of 15,478.[10](https://www.mgcc.co.uk/mga-register/mga-facts-and-figures/production-numbers-by-model-type/) Some figures differ between sources: the MG Owners' Club gives 58,750 for 1500 production against the register's 52,478, and the Victoria register gives 2,111 Twin Cams against the register's 1,788.[5](https://mgownersclub.online/mg-guides/mga/mga-1500) • [8](https://mga.mgcc.info/history)
In late-1955 road tests the 68 bhp MGA recorded 0–60 mph in about 15 seconds, a maximum of 100 mph and an average of almost 30 mpg, against the TF's 19 seconds, 80 mph and 25 mpg.[6](https://www.aronline.co.uk/cars/mg-cars/mga/ex175-development-story/)
## Racing and competition
The 1951 Le Mans special established the design direction, and four EX182 prototypes were prepared for Le Mans 1955. Three took part in that race; one crashed and the others finished 12th and 17th overall.[1](https://www.mgcc.co.uk/mga-register/mga-history/mga-development/) The Twin Cam carried the sporting specification into the showroom, with its 50 percent power advantage, four-wheel Dunlop discs and center-lock peg-drive wheels.[6](https://www.aronline.co.uk/cars/mg-cars/mga/ex175-development-story/)
## Market reception and legacy
American servicemen had brought MG T-Types home after World War II, making the USA MG's most important export market by the time the MGA arrived in 1955.[2](https://www.mg.co.uk/mg-centenary) Of the 101,476 MGAs made, only around 5,869 were sold on the home market; the rest went abroad, overwhelmingly to the United States, making the car one of the great dollar-earners of the British post-war export drive.[3](https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/mg/mga/)
**The Twin Cam's troubles.** The Twin Cam was released without proper development and soon acquired a reputation for unreliability; it was withdrawn from sale after only 2,111 examples had been built by the Victoria register's count.[8](https://mga.mgcc.info/history) It suffered a barrage of failures, especially overseas, and was discontinued after two years. Later it was found that most of the troubles could have been avoided with lower-compression pistons; the engine required meticulous servicing and 100-octane fuel.[6](https://www.aronline.co.uk/cars/mg-cars/mga/ex175-development-story/) A number of Twin Cam chassis remained unspent, and these were given pushrod engines and badged MGA De Luxe.[8](https://mga.mgcc.info/history) The 1600 DeLuxe of 1961–1962 offered the Twin Cam's Dunlop wheels, four-wheel discs and vinyl-topped dash with the ordinary 1600's B-series engine; 313 were built, approximately 290 roadsters and 23 coupés.[9](https://www.hagerty.com/media/buying-and-selling/your-handy-1955-62-mg-mga-buyers-guide/) • [7](https://www.carcollectorinternational.com/research/buyers-guides/mg/mga)
**Competition and replacement.** By 1959 competitors such as Triumph had introduced disc braking and held a weight advantage over the MGA, which helped bring about the 1600 version with increased power and disc brakes, making 100 mph both possible and safe.[5](https://mgownersclub.online/mg-guides/mga/mga-1500) The MGA gave way in 1962 to the MGB roadster, arguably the first modern MG and the first from the marque to use monocoque construction rather than a separate chassis.[2](https://www.mg.co.uk/mg-centenary) Mk II production in the final 1962 year totalled 2,944 roadsters and 105 coupés, bringing the overall tally to more than 100,000 MGAs sold.[9](https://www.hagerty.com/media/buying-and-selling/your-handy-1955-62-mg-mga-buyers-guide/)
## Collecting today
Current UK market values run from around £6,000 for a project roadster to about £18,000 for a good car and up to £35,000 for the best, with the coupé a little less. Prices for the Twin Cam occupy a higher bracket, with the best examples exceeding £40,000, and the scarce De Luxe versions likewise fetch extra money.[3](https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/mg/mga/) In the United States, Hagerty's median quoted value for all MGAs was $22,200 at its May 1, 2021 price guide update, up 10 percent over five years; the median #2 (excellent-condition) value was up 14 percent over ten years but down 4 percent since 2008, values having dipped after the last recession without fully recovering.[9](https://www.hagerty.com/media/buying-and-selling/your-handy-1955-62-mg-mga-buyers-guide/)
Spare parts for the pushrod models are readily available at fair prices, since most body panels and mechanical components are made again; components specific to the Twin Cam are harder to find and cost more, though a robust network of specialists exists.[3](https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/mg/mga/)
## References
1. [MGA Development, MGA Register (MG Car Club)](https://www.mgcc.co.uk/mga-register/mga-history/mga-development/)
2. [100 Years Young: The History of MG, MG Motor UK](https://www.mg.co.uk/mg-centenary)
3. [MG MGA (1955–1962), British Classic Cars](https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/mg/mga/)
4. [MGA, The Crowood Press (David Knowles)](https://www.crowood.com/book/mga/)
5. [MGA 1500, The MG Owners' Club](https://mgownersclub.online/mg-guides/mga/mga-1500)
6. [The Cars: MGA (EX175) development story, AROnline](https://www.aronline.co.uk/cars/mg-cars/mga/ex175-development-story/)
7. [MG MGA, Car Collector International](https://www.carcollectorinternational.com/research/buyers-guides/mg/mga)
8. [History, MGA Register of Victoria](https://mga.mgcc.info/history)
9. [Your handy 1955–62 MG MGA buyer's guide, Hagerty Media](https://www.hagerty.com/media/buying-and-selling/your-handy-1955-62-mg-mga-buyers-guide/)
10. [Production Numbers by Model Type, MGA Register](https://www.mgcc.co.uk/mga-register/mga-facts-and-figures/production-numbers-by-model-type/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Technology and the built world › Transport and spaceflight › Road transport › Automobiles › British automobile models › Sports and performance models*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license