Picture this.
A young man in the late 19th Century, standing on the brink of a changing world, with a failing family business and a heart full of dreams. With a growing interest in the auto industry, he buys a 1906 Rex model, and immediately takes it apart to study it and successfully reassembles it too. By the age of 18, he had started repairing motorized bicycles and motorcycles.
But soon after, he is struck by a car during a motorcycle ride. One of his legs is shattered, nearly amputated and even after multiple surgeries, shorter than the other.
The only positive side was the insurance award that could change his life. But his father’s business is failing, and his family expects him to invest into it to keep it afloat. The choice is tough, but for this young man, the payment for his injury was solely his. In 1914, he leaves his father’s business and tried his own luck out in the real world.
This is Cecil Kimber, the guy who put MG Motor on the road to success.
Unable to ride a motorcycle without risking his life, Kimber became a motorcar racing enthusiast, buying a 10 hp Singer in 1913. After leaving his family business, he went on to work for Sheffield-Simplex, then AC Cars, then a component supplier. Ultimately, in 1921, he ended up as a Sales Manager at Morris Garages, a private company founded in 1909 by William Richard Morris. Primarily a dealership, they also specialized in customizing cars to order. By 1923, Kimber became the General Manager.
1924 is where the magic begins. Having outgrown his sales desk job, Kimber headed to the garage and started tinkering around. The end product he was left with was his own tuned version of the Morris Car, calling it the Old Number One. And so, the MG Marque was born and the MG Car Company was formally established four years later to give it a separate identity to Morris Garages.
In March, 1925, Kimber won the 300 mile “London-to-Land’s End Reliability Trial” while driving that same Old Number One. It was the manufacturer’s first major racing win and established them as a sports car manufacturer, gaining quick recognition among the masses.
Lets fast forward a bit.
In 1929, the MG released the first ‘Midget’, the MG M-Type, and by 1932, it was the world’s best selling sports car.
In 1931, the MG EX120, nicknamed The Magic Midget, sets a land speed record by becoming the first 750cc car to exceed 100mph, logging a top speed of 103.13mph.
In 1933, MG broke their first record when the MG K3 Magnette emerged triumphant at the Mille Miglia, one of the toughest races in the world, and was the first non-Italian marque to take the 1100 cc class win thanks to Captain George Eyston and Johnny Lurani.
By the time the Second World War ended, Kimber had long left the company, dying in an accident in 1945.
But the MG legacy did not end there. After the war, the company launched the MG TC, complete with latest features and gadgets. Selling nearly 2,000 units, it fueled the American craze for British sports cars.
MG M-Type
MG EX120
MG K3 Magnette
MG TC
Following a merger with Austin Motor, MG became a part of British Motor Corporation (BMC) in 1952.
Then came the MG ZB Magnette. By 1956, it was everyone’s favorite car, with its solid performance and superior features.
1957 brought the MG EX181, which set a world record for reaching a speed of 109.81 m/s which they broke again in 1959, touching a speed of 113.95 m/s at Bonneville Salt Flats.
MG decided to take things up a notch and launched the MGA in 1959, an upgrade of the heart-throbbingly popular MGA 1500. With a 1588 cc engine, it gave the MGA an extra 6 bhp that made people feel like they were flying.
Continuing with this legacy, they launched the MGB and MGC, with the former being the most affordable sportscar and extremely popular, especially with over half a million MGB built.
Notably, the MGA featured in “Blue Hawaii” alongside Elvis Presley in 1961 who decided to buy it and kept it at his residence in Memphis Tennessee. Prince Charles, too, bought the MGC when he went to university in 1962.
MG ZB Magnette
MG EX181
MGA
MGB
MGC
With the BMC undergoing multiple mergers, MG was reduced to nothing more than a marque used by the corporation. By 1972, the name “M.G. Car Company Limited” ceased to be used.
Now the British Leyland Motor Corporation (BLMC), the corporation shut down the M.G. Car Company factory in Abingdon in 1980. Many assumed that this would be the end of the MG era. But contrary to popular belief, MG emerged stronger and launched the compact MG Metro in 1982.
The world was changing, and design was changing too. The Metro gave way to a superior five-door hatchback with exceptional performance and handling, the MG Maestro. It further gave way to MG Maestro Turbo in 1983. however, these were ultimately just sportier versions of Austin Rover’s Metro, Maestro and Montego ranges.
The MG marque was only actually revived in 1992, with the MG RV8, followed by the MG F in 1995.
The MG marque changed hands far too many times, going from BL to the Rover Group, to the British Aerospace, to BMW then to the MG Rover Group by 2000.
MG Metro
MG Maestro
MG Maestro Turbo
MG RV8
The 2000s gave way to a new beginning, and the company launched the MG TF, an upgrade of the MG F. Following this was the launch of MG ZR, MG ZS, and MG ZT. MG was on a roll but these were still Rover based models.
In 2005, the MG marque was purchased by Nanjing Automobile Group, along with other assets of the MG Rover Group. In 2007, Nanjing was acquired by another Chinese manufacturer, SAIC Motor, and finally rebranded MG as MG Motor (as we know it now).
The first all-new MG model in 16 years, the MG6, was officially launched in June 2011.
MG TF
MG ZR
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MG ZS (2001)
MG ZT
MG6
Since then, MG cars have been designed and developed by SAIC Motor. Popular MG models currently sold include the MG ZS EV, MG Hector, MG Gloster, MG Aster, MG Comet EV, MG M9, and the MG Cyberster.
Other MG models include the MG3, MG 5 EV, MG HS, and MG Marvel R.
In 2019, SAIC Motor established manufacturing operations in India in Gujarat, and MG Motor India began sales. Currently, MG Motor India offers the MG ZS EV, MG Windsor EV, MG Comet EV, MG M9 and MG Cyberster in their electric segment.
Presently, MG Motor is a global brand with a focus on electric vehicles and SUVs, while also maintaining its heritage of sports cars.
