1956 MG MGA 1500

A reluctant sale, being made only to free up funds to repair and maintain his other classic cars, this is an ex-Californian MGA. Reimported back into the UK in 1993 by a Mr Nigel Best, a teacher and talented home MG restorer, he professionally and expensively restored it extremely well between 1993 and 1995.

The work was carried out to a standard that would have baffled and delighted the MG shop floor workers who initially assembled it; a good restoration leaves the car in a far better condition than would have been possible with period materials and tools, and this was done to a very high standard indeed. As a measure of the quality, the parts bills, along with a few oddments of labour, came to nearly £10,000. Still unconvinced? How about the fact that Mr Best even fitted a small pad to stop the accelerator cable chaffing the rocker cover? It was prize-winning at the finish.

As with so many home restorers, the fun for him was clearly in the doing rather than the driving, and the completed MGA was sold almost immediately to the current owner and vendor, who has owned and driven it for the past 24 years.

Regularly used and cherished during that time, it has covered a little over 24,000 careful miles, so is still in fabulous condition; as a classic car buff, he understands that while the upkeep might be a little more involved than running a new car on a low-cost PCP, the rewards are commensurate with the investment, and he’s prepared to spend whatever he must in order to ensure that his cars are fighting fit and ready to be enjoyed at the drop of a hat.

He uses it well too, having been photographed by Devon and Cornwall Constabulary at 90 mph when he was “seeing what it’ll do.” His more usual cruising pace is 60-65mph, at which point he says that it is “itching to go faster.”

Fitted with a couple of modern upgrades to make it even more usable in modern traffic conditions, it is on-the-button and ready to drive. Always carefully dry stored, it has been kept in dehumidified conditions for the past few years and subject to aircraft-spec engine dehydration and protection with corrosion-inhibiting oils.

The Orient Red coachwork is in great condition, being free of rust, dents and serious damage. The panel alignment is way better than it ever was when it was new and the paintwork, resprayed during its last restoration in the 1990s, is still in great shape; sure, there is the odd minor scratch, scuff and small ding- and there are a few paint cracks in the panel around the bonnet, along with faint witness marks from a previously fitted boot lid luggage rack - but it’s as smart and good-looking as you’d want your daily driver to be. The sills might need a quick blow over with a rattle can to bring them back to their full glory but if it were ours we’d leave it at that; its patina is delightful and to pimp it further would destroy a valuable part of its history.

The folding black hood is in good condition being free of rips, tears and other damage. It’s about as wind and water-tight as that of any MGB, with help of the sliding side-screens, which is to say that while it isn’t up to Mazda MX-5 standards, it’s effective enough to keep most of the water and wind out…

The tonneau cover is in similarly good condition, allowing the driver to enjoy semi-al fresco motoring in even the foulest conditions.

The steel wheels, complete with their original chrome centre hubcaps, are in great condition and far easier to live with than the wire wheels everyone thinks they want. The tyres, all of which match including the spare, are another small indicator of a caring and mechanically sympathetic owner. We’ll never tire of telling you that matching tyres are an infallible guide that the car has been owned by One Of Us.

Further proof of the car’s inherent quality comes via little touches like the rubber weathersealing strips, which are in good condition rather than crumbling and cracked. Chromework that still glistens and shines. And doors that latch easily and securely.

The underside is clean and free of structural rust. There is a sprinkling of light surface rust towards the rear, but there is nothing to worry about and wire-brushing it off and giving it a coat of rust-inhibiting underseal would be an easy and satisfying – if messy – job. The front is rust-free thanks to a light misting of oil. Again, we wouldn’t worry about this at all as they almost all leak a little.

Enthusiasts will have noticed that the MGA has the later taillights from a 1600cc car for improved visibility and safety. Swapping them back would be very straightforward as the bodywork remains unmodified.

Quintessentially British in design, the low-back seats are in fine fettle, being completely free of damage and serious wear; the worst that can be said of them is that they are lightly patinated and gently creased, which is exactly how we like our classic car interiors. Obviously comfortable too, as the owner reports spending up to eight hours at a time sitting in them during his intercontinental dashes.

We like our interiors straightforward too, and the red-painted steel dashboard is as simple and elegant as any we’ve seen. The driver’s view is, of course, dominated by that huge, four-spoke steering wheel; tall drivers may struggle to squeeze behind it but everyone else will be far more comfortable than they imagine in this quasi-vintage cockpit.

The interior of the hood shows the sort of patina that comes with long and faithful service, which is to say that it is slightly weather-stained but straight and it should be good for another decade at least. The hood frame itself is in good shape and all there, folding neatly and cleanly when required, and holding the roof taut when unfurled.

Upgrades are subtle and easily reversible: a hidden head unit feeds a 100W amplifier and plays through a pair of decent Blaupunkt speakers that have been fitted in the footwells, it is all driven through modern smartphone wire or Bluetooth. It is loud enough that the vendor had those next to him on the M4 joining in a sing-song on the car's 120 mile journey to us for auction!

The car also features a hidden fuel pump cut-off switch, plus a state-of-the-art Tracker security system, the details of which will be passed on to the car’s new owner.

Work yet to do is minimal and really only extends to popping a new set of seat belts on as the existing ones are a bit grubby. It is all really quite delightful, and we’d encourage any potential bidders to pop along and take a closer look at the car while we pop the kettle on.

The sweet-running 1500cc engine was fully reconditioned during the car’s restoration. The work was comprehensive and included a rebored cylinder block, new main, big-end, and crankshaft bearings, a reprofiled camshaft and followers plus a rocker shaft, bushes and exhaust valves, new pistons, new water and oil pumps, a new timing chain and tensioner, plus new bolts and gaskets where needed. It cost about £2,000, which was a fair chunk of money back then.

Having since only covered around 24,000 miles, it has been regularly serviced since then. This usually meant giving it a full 12,000-mile service every six months, although that has been stretched recently due to a decline in its use. As you can imagine, it is running like a sewing machine, starting on the button and pulling well throughout the full rev range. Interestingly, the owner bought an electronic ignition module but has never got round to fitting it because it runs so well without it!

His mileage has included runs over the Alps, and down to the South of France, plus West London commuting – and the MGA has an impressive reliability record that has been helped, in part, by the installation of an oil cooler, electric fan, Grohe jets in the carbs, electric windscreen washer pump, and an MGB rear differential.

The work on the cooling system appears to have been especially effective as the owner reports running it through heavy London traffic with an ambient temperature of 33-degree heat. He also tells us that it uses only a drop of oil every six months, thanks to a pretty oil-tight engine.

Recent servicing work has been supplemented by a running refurbishment. This work includes repairs to the clutch, suspension, braking, fuel, electrical and cooling systems. (Please see invoices for full details.) The synchromesh on 2nd gear is a bit weak, necessitating a pause when changing down from 3rd. This is a common fault, so common in fact that it is usually described as an idiosyncrasy rather than a problem…

The engine bay itself is in great condition, being neat and tidy although pedants will note that the underbonnet soundproofing is missing; replacing this would be an easy (and cheap) half-day job, as would painting the radiator, whose paint is flaking away.

Other concerns are limited to the need for a new core plug. Typically, one popped out shortly before it was entrusted to us, this being the only time the MGA had broken down in 24 years bar a snapped accelerator cable and blocked fuel supply hose…

Typical of the fastidiousness of the owner, he states that it's probably time to re-torque the head down again and adjust the tappets . Neither job is hard and both would be well within the competence of a half-decent home mechanic. It's all so much more re-assuring than a shiny car that's done 500 miles in 20 years!

The online MOT history shows nothing of concern whatsoever – the little MGA has hardly  garnered a single advisory point - and confirms the car’s low mileage.

The MOT certificate has expired, and while it is exempt by virtue of its age, we would strongly encourage the new owner to have the car re-MOT’d at the earliest. The cost of an MOT is a small investment when offset against the purchase and upkeep of any classic car, and it gives an independent, third-party assessment of the car’s condition, which not only provides reassurance to the owner (and any subsequent purchasers) but might also be invaluable in the event of a bump when negotiating with the police and any interested insurance companies…

The car comes with a huge number of expired MOT certificates plus a thick sheaf of invoices and bills to confirm the work that has been done to it from the early nineties onwards, along with a set of charming period photographs of it being used shortly after the work had been completed.

Please visit the documents section of the gallery of this listing where you will find photos of this and other paperwork to support our claim that this car has been restored and maintained to the very highest standard.

Despite their ubiquitous presence, the market prizes good MGAs very highly, and their price has been steadily rising over the past few years as people start to understand how undervalued these lovely little cars are. Ideal for either light competition, continental touring, gentle Sunday runs or even future concours shows, this MGA would make an ideal entry car for the discerning enthusiast who is looking for a multi-role sportscar.

Whilst this example is not concours, we do think it is one of the best out there at the moment and have fallen in love with it. Given the current MGA market, we expect it will sell for between £19-24,000, which is very good value given its condition and provenance and sheer everyday usability. MGAs are one of the nicer semi-vintage British sportscars and serve as the ideal entrée to the lifestyle that ownership of cars like this bestows.

Viewing is always encouraged, and this car can be seen here at The Market HQ in Abingdon; 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’.

If needed, please remember we have a network of trusted suppliers we work with regularly and can recommend: Classic & Sportscar Finance for purchase-financing, Thames Valley Car Storage for storing your car, AnyVan for transporting it, and Footman James for classic car insurance.

BORING, but IMPORTANT: Please note that whilst we at The Market always aim to offer the most descriptive and transparent auction listings available, we cannot claim they are perfect analyses of any of the vehicles for sale. We offer far greater opportunity for bidders to view, or arrange inspections for each vehicle thoroughly prior to bidding than traditional auctions, and we never stop encouraging bidders to take advantage of this. We do take a good look at the vehicles delivered to our premises for sale, but this only results in our unbiased personal observations, not those of a qualified inspector or other professional, or the result of a long test drive.

Additionally, please note that most of the videos on our site have been recorded using simple cameras which often result in 'average' sound quality; in particular, engines and exhausts notes can sound a little different to how they are in reality.