MG SA
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The MG SA or MG 2-litre is a sporting saloon that was produced by MG from 1936 to 1939. Launched as the 2-litre, it only later became known as the SA, the car had been originally planned as an advanced performance saloon to rival the likes of
SS Cars SS Cars was a British manufacturer of sports saloon cars from 1934 until wartime 1940, and from March 1935 of a limited number of open 2-seater sports cars. From September 1935, their new models displayed a new name: SS Jaguar. By then, its bus ...
(later to be known as Jaguar) and even
Bentley Bentley Motors Limited is a British designer, manufacturer and marketer of Luxury vehicle, luxury cars and Sport utility vehicle, SUVs. Headquartered in Crewe, England, the company was founded by W. O. Bentley (1888–1971) in 1919 in Crickle ...
with all
independent suspension Independent suspension is any automobile suspension system that allows each wheel on the same axle to move vertically (i.e. reacting to a bump on the road) independently of the others. This is contrasted with a beam axle or deDion axle system in ...
and was given the factory code of EX150 and designated the S-type. A prototype was made but with the amalgamation of MG with
Morris Motors Morris Motors Limited was a British privately owned motor vehicle manufacturing company formed in 1919 to take over the assets of William Morris, 1st Viscount Nuffield, William Morris's WRM Motors Limited and continue production of the same ve ...
in 1935, development stopped. The Cowley drawing office picked up the project again but a much more conservative car appeared with conventional live rear and beam front axles. The car used a tuned version of the six-cylinder Morris QPHG engine which it shared with the Wolseley Super Six but enlarged to . The capacity was increased again to in 1937 bringing it into line with the Wolseley 18. This was a tall engine and to allow the bonnet line to be as low as possible the twin SU carburettors had their dashpots mounted horizontally. Drive was to the live rear axle via a four-speed manual gearbox with
synchromesh A manual transmission (MT), also known as manual gearbox, standard transmission (in Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States), or stick shift (in the United States), is a multi-speed motor vehicle transmission system where gear changes ...
on the top two ratios (on all but a few early models). Wire wheels were fitted and the
drum brake A drum brake is a brake that uses friction caused by a set of Brake shoe, shoes or Brake pad, pads that press outward against a rotating bowl-shaped part called a brake drum. The term ''drum brake'' usually means a brake in which shoes press o ...
s were hydraulically operated using a Lockheed system. A built in Jackall jacking system was fitted to the chassis. The saloon body, the only option available at the time of the car's launch, was made in-house by Morris and was a spacious four door with traditional MG grille flanked by two large chrome plated headlights. The spare wheel was carried on the boot lid. Inside there were individual seats in front and a
bench seat A bench seat is a full width continuous pad forming the front seat of automobiles. The second row of seating in most sedans is usually a bench. The third row of most SUVs and minivans, which may be forward-facing or rear-facing, is also a benc ...
at the rear, all with leather covering. Much use was made of walnut for the dashboard and other trim items. A Philco radio was offered as an optional extra for 18 
Guineas The guinea (; commonly abbreviated gn., or gns. in plural) was a coin, minted in Great Britain between 1663 and 1814, that contained approximately one-quarter of an ounce of gold. The name came from the Guinea region in West Africa, from where m ...
(GBP18.90).


Wider range of body styles

From April 1936, a
Tickford Tickford is an automobile engineering and testing business in Newport Pagnell, Buckinghamshire, known for tuning and such products as the 140 mph Tickford Turbo Capri. Under the name Salmons & Sons and their Tickford products the firm ha ...
drophead coupé by Salmons joined the range priced at GBP398, the saloon was GBP375, and in July, coachbuilders Charlesworth offered a four-door tourer at GBP375. The tourer originally had straight topped doors but these were replaced with front ones with cutaway tops from 1938 and at the same time the spare wheel moved to the front wing. Of the 2739 cars made, 350 were exported with Germany proving the best market. At the 1938
London Motor show London is the capital and largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Western Europe, with a population of 14.9 million. London stands on the River Thame ...
, alongside an SA there was a new 2.6-litre car, the WA. This was probably designed to be a replacement but both cars ran in parallel until the outbreak of war in 1939 caused production of both to cease. Neither was re-introduced in 1945.


Gallery

1938 MG SA - fvr2.jpg, Standard
4-door sports saloon 1938 MG SA 1936 - rear.jpg, MG SA Charlesworth 1936 vr.JPG, Charlesworth
4-door tourer 1936 1938 MG SA Tickford Drop Head Coupe.jpg, Tickford
drop-head coupé 1938
1938 MG SA - detail2.jpg 1938 MG SA - detail4.jpg 1938 MG SA - detail3.jpg 1938 MG SA - seatsR.jpg


Culture

In the Alfred Hitchcock movie "
Rebecca Rebecca () appears in the Hebrew Bible as the wife of Isaac and the mother of Jacob and Esau. According to biblical tradition, Rebecca's father was Bethuel the Aramean from Paddan Aram, also called Aram-Naharaim. Rebecca's brother was Laban (Bi ...
" (1940) a 1937 MG SA Tourer Charlesworth is driven by "Maxim" de Winter (
Laurence Olivier Laurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier ( ; 22 May 1907 – 11 July 1989) was an English actor and director. He and his contemporaries Ralph Richardson and John Gielgud made up a trio of male actors who dominated the British stage of the m ...
), in South of France/Monte Carlo, on his first arrival with (the Second) Mrs. de Winter (
Joan Fontaine Joan de Beauvoir de Havilland (October 22, 1917 – December 15, 2013), known professionally as Joan Fontaine, was an English-American actress best known for her roles in Hollywood films during the Golden Age of Hollywood. Fontaine appeared in ...
) to Manderley (the de Winter estate), and on his ride from the coroner's inquest to London and Manderley.


References

* Abingdon's Jaguar Beater. Jonathan Wood. The Automobile. November 2006. ISSN 0955-1328 * MG Sportscars. Malcolm Green. CLB International. 1997 {{ISBN, 1-85833-606-6 SA Cars introduced in 1936 Sedans Coupés Rear-wheel-drive vehicles