Description

1957 MGA 1500 Coupe

Recently imported from sunny South Africa; very sound; lovely paintwork; electronic ignition

It’s not often that a closed coupe version of a sportscar actually looks better than its open counterpart, however it's a trick that the MGA Coupe pulls off in spades.
Derived from MG designer Syd Enever’s streamlined 1952 Le Mans car, the beautifully sleek and understated body was the equal of anything the Italians had to offer and made Jaguar’s XK120 (to which it bore a passing resemblance) look lardy by comparison. Mechanically identical to the open models, Coupe features included wind-up door windows, external door handles, locks and extra brightwork.
The 1,498cc engine initially produced 68bhp but was quickly upgraded to 72bhp, a road test by ‘The Motor’ recording a top speed of 97.8mph with a 0-60 time of 16 seconds and a fuel consumption of 26.7mpg. In production from 1955 to 1962 in 1500, 1600, MkII and Twin-Cam forms, the MGA proved as successful on the racetrack as it was on the road with 101,081 sold, all but 5,869 for the export market.
This lovely 1500 Coupe is one of those export models, the Heritage Certificate confirming that it was built in October 1957 before heading off to sunny South Africa where it was to remain for the next 62 years. Originally finished in Old English White with red trim, it has clearly been restored at some point in the not-too-distant past - repainted in British Racing Green and trimmed in black.

Returning to the UK in September 2019, it has had just one owner since and we are told that it has recently been fitted with electronic ignition, new spark plugs and leads and a new distributor cap. As you can see in the photos, the car is very clean and tidy all round with a nice paint finish and good 60psi oil pressure.

We are advised that the driver’s door catch/handle will need attention as it can be tricky to open/close properly and that the gearstick is loose – it selects all the gears fine but if you pull it upwards it comes off in your hand so there is clearly a circlip missing or something. These should be fairly easy problems to sort and have been factored in to the guide price [the last MGA 1500 Coupe we sold made £23,500 in 2019].

For more information contact James on 07970 309907 or email james.dennison@brightwells.com