Those folks that often complain about the prices of project cars need to check out this 1958 MGA for sale here on eBay. Bidding right now is all the way up to a massive $1,136! Plan on making your trip to Chicago after winning the auction — just don’t plan on fixing it there and driving it back!
The MGA was BMC’s long-delayed replacement for the T-Series cars. The prototype, EX176 actually raced at LeMans in 1952, but the production cars didn’t see showrooms until late 1955. You can read a detailed history of them here at the MG Car Club website. This 1958 model has been stored for 40 years, and other than the seller telling us there’s a lot of rust, we don’t know much more (thus the low bidding, I’m sure).
You may wonder why the doors haven’t rusted like the fenders right next to them. That’s because they, along with the hood and trunk lid, are aluminum skinned (over steel frames). The side curtains look intact and the car looks relatively complete from what I can see.
Unfortunately, as you can see from this picture, complete doesn’t always mean intact. That is some nasty rust. Most of the interior panels on an MGA can be patched, but it’s probably not something you can have done professionally and have it make fiscal sense. That being said, a car like this can be extremely rewarding for a home restorer to tackle.
As you can see, the engine is intact as well, although I think I’d want to replace the drier hose used as a fresh air intake for the heater. It would be good to know if the B-series turns over, but with a project like this you can probably expect it not to. Along with the dents and rust, I’m sure there are plenty of mechanical items too. Maybe some of you would put the body on another chassis, or replace the mechanical bits with Miata parts (because the answer is always Miata, right)? Not me, but I’d like to know if you think this car has a future as anything other than a parts donor — let us know below!
Lesson No.1 in the series “How Not To Store A Car”
OK. That’s pretty rough.
But my most pressing question is what is that sitting on the luggage rack?
6cyl head or intake manifold? Looks really weird.
Items on the luggage rack look like a cross between a VW Beetle exhaust and heater box/channels of some type… I wonder if they are automotive or something else entirely?
greg v.
Jim S…looks like VW exhaust systems
ahhhhhhh. I see it now! Thanks!
I haven’t dug around under a VW in 30+ years and it just didn’t compute.
OF COURSE it looked weird. It’s VW! ;-)
Miata “bits”? How about just a Miata? You really got to love these to take this on. I like driving more then puttering, so for me, get a Miata and enjoy the fall colors.
Whatever is crawling out of the passenger seat over the trunk is trying to get away from this car. He/she/it is sending a message…
The snow tires should be enough to make you want to run from this one. It may have been stored 40 years, but spent the 1st 20 in the Chicago salt bath. Remember, at one time, this was just someones year round beater. Lots of good parts, but with all the British roadsters surfacing lately, you’d be nuts to try and restore this.
Some maybe good parts. Bring a snow shovel and a broom and collect them all.
geez the guy doesn’t have enough common sense to move the junk off the trunk? People are strange.
Someone really butchered the dashboard to either A) refit the original gauges or B) set in new ones. Shameful. This one has already claimed more at auction than I would have pulled out of my wallet. Currently $1535 and rising. Every panel appears to be injured and the doors are hanging. Okay, Windy City Brit lovers…who is taking this car home with them?
40 years stored and not much car…..
Maybe someday, it could look like this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RE8Bk6dhxWY