1962 MGA 1600 Mark II Coupé

• Ultimate version of the MGA
• Restored by marque specialists Naylor Brothers 1977-1985
• Part of the Bishop Collection since October 2019
• Requires re-commissioning

After the disappointments of the Twin Cam model, engine enlargement was seen as the way forward for the MGA. The result was a capacity increase from 1,489cc to 1,588cc that raised maximum power to 79.5bhp and boosted torque by 17 percent. Acceleration was improved and the MGA in '1600' form was now a true 100mph-plus car. To cope with the extra performance, front disc brakes were adopted and the suspension up-rated. The more-refined coupé version, with wind-up windows and lockable doors, continued as before while the roadster now came with sliding side windows. Introduced in 1961 and built for little more than a year, the face-lifted 1600 Mark II came with a revised and enlarged (to 1,622cc) B-Series engine, and performance further improved courtesy of an extra 13bhp and raised overall gearing
This MGA coupé's Heritage Certificate confirms the car was originally finished in Old English White with red interior, and that it was dispatched from the factory on 17th January 1962. The original registration mark is noted as '15 TJ', while the original old-style buff logbook and original BMC Passport to Service confirm the car was registered to a Mr John Ingham in June 1963. Copy correspondence in the file states that the car was sold in May 1964 for £695 to a Mr Bell of Lancashire, who part-exchanged his Ford Consul Saloon (£295 allowance).
While in Mr Bell's ownership the MGA was restored by MG specialists Naylor Brothers of West Yorkshire, as evidenced by bills on file for the period 1977-1985. There are also bills present from 1999-2019 issued by various specialists and parts suppliers together with some old MoTs and several photographs of the car.
In 2008 the MGA was shipped to the USA, and there is a copy title on file issued in 2009 in Arizona, which records the owner as a Mrs A Bell. Sold and shipped back to the UK in 2015, the car appears to have belonged to a Mr Blyth of Driffield, East Yorkshire. Acquired for the Bishop Collection in 2020, this rare and desirable example of the MGA in its ultimate form will require recommissioning before returning to the road and thus is sold strictly as viewed.