BaT Auction: 33-Years-Owned 1959 MG MGA 1500 Roadster

This 1959 MGA roadster was acquired by the seller as a disassembled project out of Mississippi in 1987 and subsequently refurbished in Tennessee before being relocated to Washington. It is finished in red over black and is powered by a 1,489cc inline-four paired with a four-speed manual transmission. Equipment includes knock-off wire wheels, a heater, and chrome bumpers with overriders. This MGA is now offered with a soft top, side curtains, workshop manuals, and a bonded Washington title in the seller’s name.

This roadster was refinished in red in 1987 and again after hail damage sustained during shipment from Tennessee to Washington. Equipment includes a chrome windshield surround, a single exhaust outlet, hood-mounted air vents, and a black soft top with sliding side curtains. Paint chips around the door edges are visible.

Silver-painted 15″ wire wheels wear two-eared knock-off spinners and are mounted with 165/80 Federal tires that the seller states were mounted in 2014. The MGA features independent front suspension and a live rear axle with drum brakes at all four corners. Work completed by the seller is said to have included brass-sleeving the hydraulic cylinders.

The interior features low-back bucket seats trimmed in black vinyl as well as a matching black dash cap, carpets, and door panels. The body-color dashboard includes a heater, radio blanking plate, a map light, and a dash-mounted rear-view mirror.

The four-spoke banjo-style steering wheel frames Jaeger instrumentation including a 120-mph speedometer, a tachometer with a 6k-rpm redline, and a combination coolant temperature and oil pressure gauge. The five-digit odometer shows 81k miles, approximately 9k of which were added during the seller’s 33-year ownership. Total mileage is unknown.

The 1,489cc inline-four features dual SU carburetors. The seller replaced the wiring harness during his ownership, and the carburetors were reportedly recently overhauled.

Power is sent to the rear wheels through a four-speed manual gearbox. Additional underside photos are viewable in the gallery below.

A hardcover workshop manual and Haynes workshop manual are included in the sale.

Comments