Description
Offered for sale is a gorgeous, very original and rust-free 1960 MG MGA 1600 Roadster that’s finished in timeless Chariot Red over black seats with red piping. Evidenced by its excellent condition, this car has always been lovingly cared for here in Southern California, garaged and maintained to ensure that it never fell into dereliction. Originally sold to its first owner in Los Angeles, the car made its way to Santa Ana in the late 1970s, where it stayed until being sold in 2011 to its most recent owner in the San Fernando Valley. Since the late 1960s, the car has always been used sparingly as a weekend driver and judging from the minimal amount of mechanical and cosmetic wear, we believe the 61,641 miles showing on the odometer to be original.
As the pictures show, the car presents extremely well, but this is by no means a fully restored Concours quality show car, rather, it’s a very original California survivor that has been cosmetically freshened throughout its 54 years of trusty service. The finish is in excellent condition, deep, lustrous and marred only by minor imperfections, none of which are significant enough to appear in any of the photographs. The car’s body is entirely straight and free of rust and the car’s undercarriage is completely solid and free of corrosion or signs of rust repair. All of the chrome and glass is in great original condition and the car wears chrome knock off wire wheels wrapped in nearly new tires.
The interior is as clean as the car’s exterior, the seats having been recently reupholstered in the correct materials and the carpeting and interior panels in excellent condition. The soft top is in great shape with no tears or discoloration and it goes up and down as it should. The trunk is also in excellent original condition, clean and free of rust, corrosion or any evidence of repairs. The car also comes with a full canvas tonneau cover, as well as its spare tire and cover, a rare original jack, an MGA workshop manual and a stack of recent service receipts. The car is also fitted with a chrome luggage rack.
Mechanically the car is in great shape, its original 1600 engine starting easily, idling consistently and pulling strongly through all of the gears. The transmission shifts cleanly and the car drives and brakes straight. The dual SU carburetors function wonderfully and compression is strong and even across all cylinders. MGA 1600s are wonderful road cars, offering plenty of power, handling nimbly and offering a visceral yet comfortable ride quality. This car is no different and it’s a joy to drive, whether tooling through town, winding through back roads or bombing down the highway.
As the classic car market continues to hold value and appreciate, with the MGA 1600’s timeless design and grin-inducing performance, it’s hard to think of a better investment that can be thoroughly enjoyed, especially at a reasonable price point. If you’re in the market, this beautiful, strong running, honest and very original Southern California MGA 1600 deserves your serious consideration.
