MG Celebrates Its 90th Anniversary At Beaulieu

Filed under: Classic News |
832118_Beaulieu MG1Britain’s favourite classic sports car name reaches its 90th anniversary this year and to celebrate the occasion MG will be the featured marque at Simply Classics & Sports Car being held at the National Motor Museum, Beaulieu, on Sunday 24 August. MGs of all ages will be on show from early VAs and TAs to the ever popular MGB and Midget as well as modern classics such as the MGF and MG TF plus the current MG3 and MG6 models, with displays from regional MG clubs and individual owners plus trade stands. During the afternoon there will be a parade of selected notable MGs and a poll to find visitors’ favourite MG – the winner will receive a special Beaulieu Trophy. Advance booking for the event guarantees MG clubs their own dedicated area with space for cars and a gazebo or event shelter, while individual MG owners can reserve their place in the special MG Paddock. Gates open from 9.30am on the day. Entry for MGs and their owners, which can be paid in advance or on the day, is £10 per adult, £5 child – which is less than half the normal admission price. In addition to Simply Classics & Sports Car, entry also gives access to the National Motor Museum, World of Top Gear, displaying vehicles used in the popular BBC television show, On Screen Cars with vehicles from TV and film, 13th century Beaulieu Abbey and Palace House and its gardens. MG Clubs and MG owners can book their place in advance by email to: events@beaulieu.co.uk or tel: 01590 614614 MG History The MG Car Company was founded in 1924 and got its name from Morris Garages, a dealer of Morris cars in Oxford which began producing its own customised versions to the designs of Cecil Kimber, who had joined the Morris company as its sales manager in 1921. The first cars, which were re-bodied Morris models, used coachwork from Carbodies of Coventry and were built in premises in Alfred Lane, Oxford. On 01 May 1924 the Octagon was registered as an MG trademark. Demand soon caused a move to larger premises before continuing expansion meant another move in 1927 to a separate factory in Cowley, Oxford, near the main Morris factory and, for the first time, it was possible to include a production line. In 1928 the company had become large enough to warrant an identity separate from the original Morris Garages and the M.G. Car Company Limited was established in March of that year. Space again soon ran out and a search for a permanent home led to the lease of part an old leather factory in Abingdon, Oxfordshire in 1929 - production remained there until 1980. MG was absorbed with Morris into The British Motor Corporation Limited, created in 1952 to merge Morris Motors Limited and The Austin Motor Company Limited. In December 1966 BMC changed its name to British Motor Holdings and then joined with Leyland Motor Corporation in 1968 to form British Leyland Motor Corporation (BLMC). Following partial nationalisation in 1975, BLMC became British Leyland (later just BL). Amidst a mix of economic, internal and external politics, the Abingdon factory was shut down on 24 October 1980. Two years later the marque was revived and the Austin Rover Group built high performance versions of their saloon and hatchback models. After BL became the Rover Group in 1986, ownership of the MG marque passed to British Aerospace in 1988 and then in 1994 to BMW. In 1995, the MG F became the first all-new MG since the MGB. BMW sold the business in 2000 and the MG marque passed to the privately owned MG Rover Group based in Longbridge. The Group went into receivership in 2005 and car production was suspended on 07 April 2005. On 22 July 2005, the Nanjing Automobile Group (NAC), China’s oldest car maker purchased the rights to the MG brand and the assets of the MG Rover Group for £53 million creating a new company MG Motor. In December 2007 NAC merges with The SAIC Motor Corporation, China’s largest car maker.  In 2011 it launched a new model, the MG 6 in GT (hatchback) and Magnette (saloon) and last year added the MG3 hatchback. SAIC is currently the eighth largest car maker in the world and rated 103rd in the Fortune 500. In 2013, SAIC recorded global sales of over 5.1 million units.Tags:, ,