1933 MG J2 Supercharged Sports Roadster

Chassis no. J2 2969

Footnotes

"There is every reason to suppose that the new MG Midget will be a great success. The latest car ... is a direct and logical development from experience gained by the firm in competition work of all kinds, yet its appeal is not based solely on performance, tremendous though that is for the engine size and the price of the complete car. Comfort has been studied so carefully that it is remarkably pleasant car to ride in..." – Autocar on the J2 Midget, 5th August 1932.

General Manager of Oxford-based Morris Garages, Cecil Kimber brought sports car motoring within the financial reach of the man in the street with a succession of affordable MGs. These were, naturally enough, based on existing Morris models, arguably the most famous and certainly the most influential being the Midget, which first appeared at the 1928 London Motor Show. The first – 'M' type - Midget was based on modified Morris Minor running gear and used the latter's 847cc single-overhead-camshaft four-cylinder engine, though it was its delightful two-seater body that set the little MG apart from its humbler progenitor. Manufactured by Carbodies of Coventry, it was narrow, light in weight and adorned with a most attractive boat tail.

Derived from the 'M' type and introduced for the 1933 model year, the two-seater J2 established the classic MG look which would characterise the Abingdon marque's sports cars into the 1950s. With its deeply cutaway doors, fold-flat windscreen and fixed cycle-type mudguards, it revealed its race-bred pedigree in every line and set the British sports car fashion for many years. This new Midget was given the factory designation 'J2' and it was announced simultaneously that a new supercharged J3 super-sports model and a racing J4 would quickly follow. The Midget's 847cc, overhead-camshaft, Wolseley-derived engine was coupled to a four-speed gearbox and housed in a simple chassis frame featuring half-elliptic springing all round and cable-operated 8"-diameter brakes. Thus equipped, the lightweight J2 possessed exemplary handling and steering by the standards of the day and was good for 65mph. Today the model is one of the most sought after of pre-war MG sports cars.

One of only 2,083 J2 Midgets produced, chassis number 'J2 2969' was exported from the UK to the Netherlands in 1968 and during the 1990s belonged to the Automusa Collection in Bergeijk (NL). The previous owner bought the MG as a project in 1999 and completely restored it as a hobby project together with an engineer friend of his. The car incorporates a new ash body frame, made by a craftsman in the Netherlands who supplies timber frames for all classic MG models, while the interior has been completely re-trimmed in beautiful green leather, matching the British Racing Green paintwork. The impressive dashboard has been augmented with extra instruments: a clock, oil and water temperature gauges, and a boost gauge for the supercharger, plus a fuel pump to atomise petrol in the inlet manifold for smooth starting.

This MG J2 Compressor has additional and desirable Brooklands aero screens; stone-guards for the headlights; and quick-release filler caps for the radiator and fuel tank, all emphasising the model's competition pedigree. Other noteworthy features include original Lucas taillights and numberplate light; direction indicators built into the original lighting; and the original and completely intact central lubrication system with grease nipples on the firewall. Weather equipment (side windows and hood) is with the car and in original condition. The engine has been overhauled with a Phoenix crankshaft and con-rods and is fed by a Volumex supercharger, so this car's performance should exceed comfortably that of the smaller-engined (746cc) blown J3 model. Its restoration only completed in 2018, this lovely MG J2 is offered with Netherlands registration papers.