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1957
MG Magnette Varitone - A MAGNETIC ATTRACTION
Words: Col Gardner Photos: Col Gardner and
Malcolm Robertson
Mention 'MG' and most people automatically think
of red or, perhaps, dark green sports cars, wind
in the hair, and wire wheels.
There was however, another side to this great
marque. MG has always produced saloons in
parallel with its sports car models, with the
intention
that the family man should be able to continue
to drive MGs even when it seemed his sports car
days were over.
Some
sources even say that the first vehicle to bear
the famous MG Octagon was a small two-door
saloon, the Salonette, in 1925. Regardless of
when and where the Octagon first appeared,
there's no doubt that MG saloons hold their own
special place in the history of the famous
marque. Through the late 1920s and 1930s, MG
saloon coachwork was available on many models
and these remain highly desirable cars,
especially on the 18/80, some of the smaller
sports cars, and the larger VA, SA and WA
models.
A talented designer
Gerald Palmer, a young engineer recruited by the
Nuffield group in the late 1930s, carried out
some of the development work on the Y type MG
saloon as one of his first projects. Palmer left
Nuffield in 1942 to take up a position with the
Jowett company, where he designed the Jowett
Javelin, one of the most innovative cars
produced in the UK in the immediate post war
years. He rejoined the Nuffield group in 1949,
and one of his first briefs on his return was to
develop new four-passenger cars to be sold under
the MG and Wolseley nameplates. It quickly
became clear to Palmer that for economic
reasons, he would have to use a common body
shell and mechanicals for these two models. By
clever design, he was able to make each model
appear significantly different to its sibling,
although the penalty was that the MG Magnette
and Wolseley 4/44, as they became known, shared
very few outer body panels.
The impending merger of Nuffield and Austin to
form the British Motor Corporation muddied the
choice of power units for the new cars. After
the merger, the Morris/MG/Wolseley 1250cc engine
was to be discontinued and replaced with a new
1500cc Austin 'B' type motor developed from the
Austin A40 1200cc motor. As it turned out, the
'B' series motor was not yet available when the
Wolseley 4/44 was released in 1952, and, at
first, it used the 1250cc MG motor with a single
carburettor.
The Wolseley was aimed at a different market to
the Magnette, and its interior trim and fittings
were given a more 'upmarket' touch, in contrast
to the more sporting aspects of the MG. The MG
used a floor gearshift and handbrake with
instruments fitted in a semi-octagonal housing
in front of the driver. In contrast, the
Wolseley's gearshift was column mounted, the
handbrake placed under the dashboard, and the
instruments located at the centre of the dash.
Both cars used a rack and pinion steering
system, which was a little unusual for the time.
Tramping on
Given the sporting aspirations of the Magnette,
Palmer initially designed the rear suspension
with a torque arm attached to the differential
and running forward to the propeller shaft
tunnel. He also specified rubber pads instead of
U-bolts on the rear leaf springs and attached
the front of the leaf springs to the body via
rubber bushes. Three prototypes were built and
subjected to testing. One of the drivers
reported that when forced to brake heavily from
about 75mph, the car axle tramped its way to a
standstill and was almost uncontrollable. In his
book 'Auto Architect', Gerald Palmer recalled
the events that followed. 'I would not believe
this until I had taken a car out and found that
I could reproduce the bouncing and
oscillation... every time I stamped on the brake
pedal. ... I could not affect a cure whilst
retaining the torque arm and it had to be
deleted. The axle had to be attached to the
springs with rigid U-bolts as on the Wolseley'.
Positive press
By the time that the Magnette, given the type
name ZA, was released in 1953, BMC's now
legendary 'B' series 1500cc motor was available
and the Magnette became the first car to use it.
Press response on its release was very positive,
although there were grumblings from die-hard MG
enthusiasts about the use of the name
'Magnette', which had first appeared on a
revered model in the 1930s. The 'new' Magnette
quickly gained a reputation as a sporting saloon
and sold very well, reputedly at a rate 10 times
faster than its predecessor, the YB saloon.
In 1956, BMC took the opportunity to update the
Magnette to the ZB, with a few minor mechanical
and styling changes. BMC also introduced a new,
more expensive model known as the 'Varitone'
with a much larger rear wrap-around rear window
and two-tone paintwork. By 1958, badge
engineering was in full swing at BMC and the
next Magnette model, the Mk III, used the same
Farina-styled body seen on Austin, Morris,
Wolseley and Riley versions of BMC's 1 1/2 litre
cars. The Magnette lost almost all of its
identity and although the Farina-bodied Magnette
continued on for a further 10 years, it's not
generally regarded as one of the highlights of
MG saloon models.
Passion and lust
Our featured Magnette is the result of a
thorough restoration by Malcolm Robertson,
committed MG enthusiast and fellow writer for
ACC. MGs have been a passion for Malcolm since
childhood. "Although my first car was a Morris
Minor low-light convertible that I used to get
to and from uni, I was already lusting after an
MG and I had brochures and all the information
on the MGB," he recalls. "Financially, however,
a new MG was out of the question. But when the
time came to upgrade from the Minor, I began
looking at classic MGs that were considerably
less expensive than a new MGB, and with the
(reluctant) help of my father, I was able to
purchase an MG TF. It was my daily driver for
uni and became my commuting car for work. I
drove the TF for 23 years before the realities
of life set in and it had to be traded in on
school fees! Once you become involved with the
marque you soon discover that there are other
MGs, and that there is a deep and rich heritage
going all the way back to the 1920s.
"When I began work as a young graduate I seemed
to be quite well off, without a wife, children
and mortgage, and all that follows. So I had a
succession of MGs. It started with the TF and
then, when I was working in Western Australia
for a time, I acquired a TA and then a J2. I'd
left the TF behind in Canberra and I returned
with the two extra cars. Then I spied a pre-war
MG SA coupe that I still own. It was and is a
fabulous car and it took me three years to get
the owner to sell it to me. But by the end of
the 1970s, children had arrived, along with
mortgages, and the 1980s bought high interest
rates and more expenses for the children, so I
sold off some of the cars but I kept the SA."
Aunt Alison helps out
With retirement arriving along with the new
century, Malcolm decided that he would like to
have another classic car to run around in. After
a brief dalliance with a Jaguar XJ6 - "too
expensive to run on a pension" - a confluence of
events led him to the Magnette. "I received an
inheritance from Alison, a favourite aunt, and
at about that time, an MG enthusiast in Sydney
was selling off his collection of MGs. This
Magnette was under a tarpaulin in a shed and
lined up with other MGs. It was just old and
worn out rather than derelict, and I decided
that this was the car for me. It was a rare
Varitone Magnette, of which perhaps 60 came to
Australia. In my personal view, it's the most
handsome of all the Magnettes, with its larger
back window that makes the rear end look much
lighter than the model with a smaller, squarer
window. It also used the waistline of the car as
the dividing line for attractive two-tone
paintwork." Part of the appeal of the Magnette
for Malcolm lay in its use of the BMC 'B' series
motor. The factory-fitted version was of 1489cc
capacity, but it can easily be replaced with a
1798cc MGB motor, with the added bonus that a
five-speed gearbox conversion can readily be
attached to the MGB engine.
Getting started
Having brought the car from Sydney to Canberra,
it wasn't long before Malcolm despatched it back
again, this time to MG specialists, Nepean
Classic Cars, for the conversion to the larger
MGB motor and five-speed 'box. "It also needed
some rust repairs," Malcolm says. "While I'm not
averse to welding, I thought that the sills
might be better handled professionally.
“Once it was home again, I began doing other
things. The seats went off to be reupholstered,
although I managed the remainder of the trim
myself. I purchased a new roof lining from the
UK and installed it. The interior panels are in
the original leatherette and most were in quite
good condition. The torn one I restored with new
material from UK, and the rest were just given a
freshen up. By far the biggest job inside was
refurbishing the timber on the dashboard and on
the doors.
"There were the inevitable minor rust repairs to
deal with and I did my own paintwork in two-pack
paint, although I must say that I wasn't all
that keen on using it at home. It requires good
clean conditions and effective breathing
protection. One of two pack's advantages is that
it gives a good finish straight off the gun and
makes it easier to do the inaccessible parts
that otherwise would have to be buffed up if
sprayed in acrylic."
Colour Correct
When acquired, the Magnette had been resprayed
with a metallic light grey over dark grey. Some
research showed that the original colours were
Birch Grey over Twilight Grey and Malcolm
decided to go with these colours in the
restoration. "There were two reasons," he
explains. "One was that my fellow enthusiasts
persuaded me that it was 'the right thing to
do', and secondly, the car's paint colours are
encoded into its body number, so the paintwork
still matches its identifying codes."
Malcolm completed the restoration last October
and named the Magnette Alison in her honour. "Of
course, with a new restoration, there are bound
to be a few problems and there were for the
first month or so," he says. "But after that,
it's been whizzing around very nicely. I'm
impressed with the way that it goes and handles.
With the MGB motor and the Toyota T2 five-speed
gearbox it has good acceleration and the 'box is
fantastic compared with the original four speed
with no synchro on first. There are a couple of
issues that I'll follow up in the future. One is
the brakes, which are adequate but not powerful
or sharp. They are unassisted and require a fair
bit of pedal pressure. I'm thinking about a
power booster. The other is that there is some
body roll on corners. I've already bought a
front sway bar from K-Mac, although I haven't
fitted it yet, but other owners tell me that it
makes a big difference."
Acknowledgements
For those who would like to find out in detail
about all the 'nuts and bolts' of a Magnette
restoration, Malcolm has written a more complete
description that is available on
www.magnette.org. He is also keen to thank the
many people who assisted him in this restoration
and has prepared his own short 'thank you'. He
wrote:
'No restoration could be accomplished solely by
the owner/restorer. In the case of Alison, I
have a special thank you to everyone who has
contributed to the restoration: the specialist
suppliers of hard to get parts such as Lou
Shorten in Norwich, UK and Bruce Smith in
Sydney; the people who physically laid hands on
the car such as Don Cabban and his team at
Nepean Classic Cars in Sydney who repaired the
rust in the sills and provided the engine and
five-speed gearbox, and Mike Stearn and Martin
Griffiths in Canberra who helped with
diagnostics and welding. Also the Magnette
owners in Melbourne, Canberra, and Sydney, Loz
Scott, Ron Jillard and Marty Cutler, who delved
into their hoards of bits and pieces to provide
even harder to get parts; and of course, the
many helpful comments from owners around the
world on the MG Enthusiasts web Bulletin Board
for Magnettes. Without all their help the
journey would have been considerably longer and
far less pleasurable.'
Specifications- MG Magnette ZB
Engine. Original: (See text). Four cylinder,
overhead valve. Capacity 1489cc. Maximum power
64bhp @ 5400rpm. Maximum torque 83 ft/lb @
3000rpm. Twin SU carburettors.
Transmission. Original: (see text). Four speed
gearbox with synchromesh on second, third and
fourth gears.
Brakes. Drum brakes on all four wheels
Suspension. Front: coil and wishbone. Rear: leaf
springs.
Steering. Rack and pinion.
Construction. Unitary.
Dimensions. Length: 14ft 1in. Width: 5ft 1in.
Height: 4ft 10in. Weight: 2465lb
Maximum speed: 80mph. 0-60mph: 22.6 seconds. |
