MG Century & MGA The Revolutionary MG 2 Book Set

Celebrate and explore 100 years of MG cars with this impressive volume featuring expert commentary, historical images, period ads, and contemporary photography.

For many car enthusiasts, MG is synonymous with “sports car.” It is often credited with igniting a passion for European cars in postwar America at a time when roads were otherwise filled with the lumbering output of Detroit. In MG’s native England, the company’s cars filled roles from family transport to competition driving.

MG, as we think of it today, began in the 1920s, but its roots go back even further with a young William Morris. Initially working in the booming bicycle trade, he eventually branched into motorcycle and car repair with the fledgling Morris Garage (hence, MG) in 1907. By the mid 1920s, the successful Morris Garages was in a position to begin manufacture of its own cars under the MG name.

MG grew significantly in the years before World War II, building and racing its classic Midgets and Magnettes. World War II provided challenging times for the company as it did for the UK and much of the world. In the postwar period, a focus on sales outside England, and particularly in the United States, both defined MG’s product line and ensured its success. Legendary cars followed, including MG TC, TD, and TF followed by thoroughly modern MGA, MGB, MGB GT, and Midget. Magnettes and the 1100 offered options for those wanting sedans and more practical cars.

MG ownership moved through a number of UK companies in the postwar period as well as ownership by BMW and today’s SAIC, a Chinese-based company through which it operates as MG Motor. Highlights along the way included the MGB GT V8, MG Metro Group B rally car, and MGF. Based on its latest state-of-the-art EV platform, MG will soon launch an all-new roadster coming full circle over its century in business.

Authored by marque expert David Knowles, The MG Century: 100 Years of Safety Fast! is a fitting celebration of one of the automotive world’s oldest and most beloved brands—and a must-have for every car enthusiast.

The MGA truly marked a revolution in MG sports car design. It broke with time-honoured tradition that had serviced the majority of MG sports cars for well over thirty years. The MGA truly marked a revolution in MG sports car design, with its appearance quite unlike any previous production car from the celebrated British marque. Entering production in the summer of 1955, it broke with the time-honoured tradition of narrow-gutted, flat-sides, upright styling, with the distinctive large grille, exposed headlamps, separate wings and sharply cut-off tail that had serviced the majority of MG sports cars for well over thirty years. Many die-hard MG enthusiasts of the time were understandably outraged, but the decision to break with tradition proved to be a good one: over 100,000 cars were produced over the model's seven-year lifetime. A comprehensive look at the MGA and how it marked a revolution in MG sports car design. Details the circumstances leading up to the decision to make such a fundamental design change. David Knowles has been researching and writing about British cars for over twenty-five years.