MG P-type

The MG P-type is a sports car that was produced by MG from 1934 to 1936. This 2-door sports car used an updated version of the Wolseley Motors-designed and made overhead camshaft, crossflow engine, used in the 1928 Morris Minor and previously fitted in the J-type Midget of 1932 to 1934, driving the rear wheels through a four-speed non-synchromesh gearbox. The chassis was a strengthened and slightly longer version of that used in the J-type with suspension by half-elliptic springs all round with rigid front and rear axles. Steering was initially by a Marles Weller and later a Bishop Cam system. The two-seat car had a wheelbase of 87 inches (2210 mm) and a track of 42 in (1,100 mm). Most cars were open two-seaters, but streamlined Airline coupé bodies were also made. The P-type was also available as a four-seater, a car that suffered from a lack of power and poor rear ground clearance. Whereas J, K and L-type MGs differentiated between versions with the use of numbers, with 1 indicating a four-seater (i.e., J1) and 2 a two-seater (i.e., J2), this was not the case with the P-type (or its six-cylinder sister, the N-type Magnette), and there is no clue to the type in the name.

MG P-type
PA open two-seater, 1934
Overview
ManufacturerMG
Production1934–1936
Body and chassis
ClassSports car
Body style2-door roadster
Airline coupé
Powertrain
Engine847 cc (51.7 cu in) I4
939 cc (57.3 cu in) I4
Dimensions
Wheelbase87.25 in (2,216 mm)[1]
Length131 in (3,327 mm)[1]
Width52.5 in (1,334 mm)[1]
Chronology
PredecessorJ-type Midget
SuccessorTA

MG PA

The first PA used an 847 cc (51.7 cu in) engine similar to the J-Type's, now with a 3-bearing crankshaft, improved camshaft, and twin OM-model SU carburettors. It produced 36 bhp (27 kW) at 5,500 rpm, allowing a top speed of approximately 74 mph (119 km/h), and a 0–50 mph (80 km/h) time of 20 seconds.[2] In 1935, a two-seater roadster cost £222.[3] 1,973 PAs were made, 27 of which were eventually converted to PBs.[4]

  • PA Airline coupé
  • Sliding head

MG PB
1936 MG PB

The PB produced from 1935 had a bigger 939 cc (57.3 cu in) engine made by enlarging the bore from 57 to 60 mm and this increased the output to 43 bhp (32 kW). Externally the versions are very similar, the main difference being the radiator grille, where the PA has a honeycomb and the PB has vertical slats. The other obvious difference is in the design and material of the standard dashboard.

526 examples of the PB were produced.[3]

In 1936 a supercharged MG PB driven by Andrew Hutchinson won the Limerick Grand Prix.

References
  • MG Sportscars. Malcolm Green. CLB International. 1997 ISBN 1-85833-606-6
  • A-Z of Cars of the 1930s. Michael Sedgwick and Mark Gillies. Bay View Books. 1989. ISBN 1-870979-38-9
  1. Culshaw; Horrobin (1974). Complete Catalogue of British Cars. London: Macmillan. ISBN 0-333-16689-2.
  2. Hough, Richard (1961). A History of the World's Sports Cars. p. 127.
  3. Sedgwick, M. (1989). A-Z of Cars of the 1930s. Devon, UK: Bay View Books. ISBN 1-870979-38-9.
  4. Aspden, Richard (1983). The Classic MG. p. 94. ISBN 0861241096.
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