1932 MG J2

This MG was first registered on the 1st of February 1933 after its manufacture the year previous. It was sold to a Mr P Lodge with the registration ‘MG 2242’, the current reg is an authentic MG registration believe to have been originally assigned to a scrapped PA. Now painted in a Damask Red (colour code 41036), the MG was originally grey before its restoration curtesy of a previous owner in 1977 (there are photographs and correspondence with the restorer to accompany evidence of the process). During that restoration process the engine was built using a ‘Colin Tieche’ block and a ‘Gordon Allen’ three bearing crank as the two bearing ones were prone to snapping. Various other fixes and upgrades were completed which are documented in the copy accompanying the car, including a new fuel pump and electric ignition.

The MG is a bit of a star too having been photographed for many books, magazines, brochures and other memorabilia, even been driven and snapped with actors and authority figures associated with the MG brand. The car features on the MG owners club website as the textbook example of the model under their subpage with information on the J2 Midget. The car also comes with a raft of accessories including a chrome luggage rack, interior dust cover, side screens and half and full tonneau covers. It even has a box of spare parts like spare aero screens, gear box oil level inspection key, tool, starting handle, spare ignitions keys and stone guards.

Interestingly, the car was originally sourced for the current owner by ‘David Watson’ a car broker who found Fangio’s original GP Maserati as well as a GP Auto Union for Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason after Russian forces captured a team of Auto Union race cars after taking Riga in the war. This little car then has everything you could possibly need then to continue the superb level of ownership this car has been granted over its near 90 years on the road, a very comprehensive package for sale that surely adds more than just financial value to this wonderful motor vehicle.

The exterior condition of the MG appears to be in wonderful shape, it certainly doesn’t look like a 90-year-old car. The paintwork is still in great condition for its 44 years of age, there is a small chip of paint that has been filled in on the rear driver’s wheel cover which is hard to spot unless you’re looking out for it. The addition of the brown bonnet belt and the copper breather pipes around the petrol tank are a superb additional touch to this colour and are so well befitting of the MG’s shape. The chrome work still shines brightly with little to no corrosion or pitting. The tyres and wheels are also in fantastic shape from what we can see, there is little to no damage to be found on all 5. In fact there is very little to no excessive wear and tear or corrosion on any part of the body from what we can see, it seems that whoever completed that restoration in 1977 really knew what they were doing, aided by enthusiastic and caring owners since then.

The charismatic body styling is simple but elegant with wonderful craftsmanship lost to mechanised large scale manufacturing processes today, every curve, bend, rivet and pressed vent would have been produced by hand with the help of basic tools. It really fits the design of the MG giving it its intriguing and eye-catching frame, you can almost transport yourself back to the 30’s when seeing it, especially with that period style luggage trunk on the extended rear rack.

Everything is reported working on the car, whilst there’s not a huge amount of electronic assistance or reliance from the MG, there are mechanical systems underneath (which we’ll go into in the next sections).

The hood is in good condition and folds smoothly, no rips, tears or discolouration with it fixing onto the front screen for the occasion you’re brave enough to take it out in the pouring rain. When the windscreen is not attached to the car, the small wind deflectors take over and covering of the interior is the job of the tonneau covers which are also in good condition, the same as the hood and come with the car in the box of spares.

Being a small two-seater, there is not a huge amount of interior to go over in the MG, however what is there is in wonderful condition. The matching red carpets contrasted with the black leather upholstery is a timeless colour combo that works perfectly for this nonagenarian. The separate seat bases and combined backrest would have more than likely to save costs back in period but as a design to look back on now, it’s fantastically simple and makes a lot of sense.

The doors are tiny suicide opening ones that are trimmed with a black leather door card and an MG logo embossed inside the door compartment. They form part of the wrap around style interior along with the aluminium dashboard. The dashboard then is another example of the simple but effective styling applied to this car, the dials are symmetrically placed on the ‘double bump’ shaped dash. The thing that you notice first however is the relatively large four multi-spoke steering wheel finished with black plastic outer. The wheel is a real centre piece not only because of its size but because of its style, in good condition with little to no wear and tear. The other thing you’ll notice is the beautiful, exposed mechanisms for the gear selector box running down the centre of the floor, all in the same bare aluminium.

Heading underside of the MG and its reassuring to find no nasty patches or corrosion or dents, only a good condition well looked after, simplistic layout. The components underneath all look to be in good shape without excessive wear and tear, the only thing we could notice was that maybe one of the rubber bushings for the rear engine mount might need changing soon, but honestly if that’s all there is to worry about under here that’s a very good sign.

In the engine bay then and it’s another fantastic display of the engineering at the time, the mix of colours in here from the silver of the carburettors and rocker cover to the red engine block and the copper piping, it’s almost an art installation and perfectly reflects the exterior condition. The electronic ignition is clear to see mounted on the bulkhead and all associated piping and wiring looks to be in good condition too. There are no signs of fluid leaks from what we can see and the throttle mechanisms are something to behold. There are a few plates with information in the bay, with the car’s identification numbers mounted on the bulkhead.

The MG comes with a huge amount of history and documentation from its time on the road, there are huge stacks of MOT forms, old tax discs, a large pile of additional literature about the MG’s history, enjoying your car and magazines focusing on the brand. There are spare parts catalogues, manuals, service books, even some original documents from the 1930’s when it was built. There are old photographs and even a little description of its history, not to mention a mammoth stack of servicing and maintenance work invoices.

Some of the most significant and recent invoices are detailed below.

- Burlen Ltd – 17/11/20 – Electronic pump

- Black canvas hood – 11/10/85

- Sports and vintage motors – 07/01/80 – cylinder liners, standard pistons

- 14/02/78 – new crankshaft

This is a great looking little car and considering its 90 years old, the previous owners should feel a great sense of accomplishment for shepard-ing this car into the modern day in such good shape. We’re sure this car will continue to be cherished as its sure to bring a whole lot to the table in terms of driving and ownership experience, if you’re an MG or even just a classic car enthusiast, we think this is a fantastic little investment with plenty of ‘bang for your buck’.

Our estimate for this car is £25,000 - £35,000.

Viewing is always encouraged, and this particular car is located with us at The Market HQ near Abingdon; we are open weekdays 9am-5pm, to arrange an appointment please use the Contact Seller button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.