MG Customer Restorations

Australia

Jeff Wicks - MGA

Hi Greg. Trust you are well. After 34 years of ownership, the last 32 years in storage, the MGA Deluxe is finally back on the road.

Thanks again to you and your team at Kilmartins for your contribution to make the result possible.

ATB
Jeff

Finished car photos

Hi Greg. Further to your request for photos, it has taken way longer than planned. Here is some background on the car and I’ll aim to forward some panel shop photos as well.

Regards
Jeff

1960 MGA 1600 Deluxe 171 BXW

The MGA Twin Cam was developed as a competition version of the MGA but the factory struggled to resolve engine issues at the time. A total of 2,111 Twin Cams were produced before the model was discontinued in 1960.

The factory then used the remaining Twin Cam chasses as the basis of a model rather clumsily called the “MGA 1600 with optional road speed tyres and four wheel disc brakes all round”, presumably to avoid any homologation issues for a limited production model in competition use.

Over time these cars became known as MGA Deluxe. A common misconception is that all Deluxes were Mk IIs. Of the total production of 395 Deluxes, 82 were Mark I 1600 Deluxes.

The model was, and is, ideal for competition with the four wheel Dunlop disc brakes and centre-lock wheels of the Twin Cam. The early cars also used Twin Cam body components such as removable wheel arch panels.

The model enjoyed a successful competition history with two factory rally cars, including the very successful 151 ABL and five Sebring cars. Two raced in 1961, including #44 the class winner, and three raced in 1962. All these factory competition cars have survived.

There are only seven known Deluxes in Australia: two each in Victoria, Western Australia and New South Wales, and one in Queensland.

This car came off the production line in 1960 and was sold by University Motors of Piccadilly, London in 1961. During the next 19 years it passed through the hands of seven owners, mostly in the south of England. The car was purchased near Southampton in September 1980, fitted with an MGB 3 BRG engine but with the original engine as a spare. The car was tired but made roadworthy and driven for the next 15 months or so in the UK.

The car returned to Australia in late 1981 and was placed in storage, where it remained when Jeff moved to Hong Kong in 1986. A restoration by remote control was attempted in the early 1990s but never completed.

Following Jeff’s return to Australia in 2012, the car underwent a full nut and bolt rebuild, with JH Classics looking after the chassis and bodywork and Dan Casey undertaking the re-assembly. The car survives because of the ready availability of replacement parts, the willingness of MGCC members to share their knowledge and the expertise, experience and commitment of Dan Casey in bringing it all together.

Restoration photo gallery

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