How it all startet
- Details
Launch of the Magnette October 1953
The Beginning:
Gerald Palmer was much influenced by the Italian stylist of the 40's. Mostly by the Lancia "Aerlux", an Lancia Apprilia fitted with a four-door saloon body by Touring. This car had the chrome strips 
around the wheel arches (front & rear) as they were to be seen on the ZA as "hockey sticks".
Also Palmer's first sketch of the Magnette from 1949 (!) features this trim. Front and rear hockey sticks as well as a trim around the headlamps. But only the front trim made it into production. (I recall Mr. Palmer saying that only the ZA with this trim was "his Magnette". He didn't like the BMC-styled ZB and Varitone.)
This sketch ended in the first mock-up model in full scale made primarily of wood with Wolseley-style seats and Y-type steering wheel:
This model really looks like the later production Magnette. The fog-lamps and front quarter lights still are missing.
Press Release Cars:
The original press release photogaphs were of two prototypes:
The rearaxle has to be changed
A testdrive with one of the prototypes nearly ended up in a crash and caused a change of the rearaxle. This seems to be the reason why Magnettes were not available before February 1954. Read the fullstory, why the rear axle had to be changed shortly before the launch date.
Building of the first chassis' starts:
19.09.1953
Today building of the first Magnette with chassis no. 501 starts in Abingdon. This will be one of the Earls Court Motor Show models.
The bodies are built by Pressed Steel at Cowley then brought "across the road" to Morris Motors for painting. The painted bodies were transported to Abingdon for trim and final assembly (with a lot of components from the Nuffield Group).
26.09.1953
Today chassis 502 to 504 were laid down.
The body consists of a series of sub-assemblies which are built up as separate units and are joined together in an assembly jig.
The Front Extension Assembly consists of two front extension members arc-welded to the front suspension crass-member. ... The front cross-member is welded across the front of the two front extension members, and two reinforcement plates are welded to the rear of the members to complete the front extension assembly.
The Main Floor Assembly
The propeller shaft tunnel is welded to the floor cross member, to the heel-board, and the rear floorboards. The cross-member centre bracket, gear lever tower cover, and front seat support brackets are also attached.
The Luggage Boot And Spare Wheel Fllor Assembly
This is built up from a series of pressed steel components which are welded together in a jig.
Underframe Assembly
When the three assemblies described above have been completed, they are placed in a jig and are welded to the side-members. The underframe assembly is completed by the addition of the seat pan, he toe-board extensions, the floor cross-member closing plates, the inner rear wheel arches, the side-member closing assemblies and the tonneau side closing panels.
Assembly Of Body
The underframe assebly, side-panel assemblies and roof assembly are brought together in a jig and welded. In addition, the back-light reinforcement panel, the B and C post closing plates, the boot stiffeners, the rear parcel tray, the windshield rails, the demister ducts, the lower rear body panel and the cradle of the battery are welded on.
A bolted-up assembly consisting of the radiator grille support, The two front wing valances and the front valance stay, is bolted to the front of the body. The dash ventilator parts and the fuel tank filler lid assembly are fitted , and to complete the body structure the doors, trunk lid, bonnet assembly and front wings are attaches and adjusted.
(taken from "MONO Construction M.G. Magnette", Publication of the M.G. Cars Company, AKD574)
16.10.1953
Only 5 days before the doors open for the Earls Court Motor Show Chassis 501 - 504 come off the body and trim lines. Three men had been working for one week to put it all together (When production had increased there were appr. 15 women and 30 men working on the production line.)
# 501 - (Z 8) green body with biscuit interior and a radio fitted
# 502 - (Z 10) grey with grey interior, LHD export model coded Z10 and sent to Nuffield House at Picadelly with Vienna as its ultimate destination.
# 503 - (Z 7) grey with grey interior, the other Earls Court Motor Show car
# 504 - (Z 11) maroon with biscuit interior and with fitted radio went to University Motors, London, where xxx press launch party was
held in the presence of Thornley, Palmer and other luminaries. This picture taken from Palmer's Autobiography (see details at bottom of page) which is titled "...Here am I speaking at the London launch of the Magnette". So I assume the car in front is #504.
On the same day the british magazine "Autocar" releases the first report (headlined"Aristocrats") of the new Magnette featuring one of the prototypes (chassis 500, UFC 764) which still has a rear axle with torque arm, which is described in detail.
You can download and read this as a pdf here...
21.10.1953 - 31.10.1953
The Magnette is shown to the public at the Earls Court Motor Show.
The poster to invite you to the show, still shows the Magnette without fog lamps. The reason may be that one of the prototypes was model for the designer of the poster (although the first running prototype even lacked over-riders).
At the gate you were offered to buy this catalogue: 
One of the new sensations is the M.G. Magnette as described on page 213 and 214 of this catalogue.
Well so we hurry to the Ground Floor, Stand 153, where beside a M.G. TF the two new ZA Magnettes are shown. One of them is chassis # 501, the green ZA with biscuit interior. As we can see the doors have been removed for better access to the interior. This car has fog-lamps!
31.10.1953
Chassis 505 to 507 were laid down today, but only the first (Z9), painted black with a biscuit interior, was completed before the end of the year. This was used as a demonstrator and , as with all cars up to 507, returned to the factory, presumably for minor attention to the trim, before being finally despatched in 1954.
506 (Z12) was finished in green and biscuit but not completed until 1954.
507 , in black with maroon interior, provided the fifth colour variation in the first seven cars off the line.
13.11.1953
Today # 507 is initially outshopped and goes to "Garage EC/Works", where it will be given regsitration number JJB 839. (It returned to Abingdon and left the factory after a final checkover as late as 30.07.54 !)
1954 onwards
January/February 1954
Well after all the trouble during autumn 1953 caused by a wrong-designed axle (see navigation for "Pre-production rear axle problem"), production slowly began in January 1954.
Chassis 537 was the first car in 1954. It later became known as "Bumble"when in the hands of Judy Andreason competing in the Classic Saloon car series of races during the '70s. Originally painted black, then painted in the "Cream Cracker" colours of brown and cream.
Beside starting with new chassis the factory had to finish the 28 chassis that were started in '53 but not finished and even the eight finished cars came back into the factory to change the back axle!
Some of the earliest export models with their despatch dates and destinations are:
|
07.01.54 |
517 | Canada (Toronto Motor Show?) |
| 07.01.54 | 523 | " |
| 07.01.54 | 524 | Brussels Motor Show /Belgium |
| 07.01.54 | 525 | " |
| 25.01.54 | 526 | Amsterdam Motor Show/Netherlands |
| 530 | " | |
| 531 | " | |
| 15.01.54 | 519 | New York/USA |
| 15.01.54 | 522 | " |
| 10.02.54 | 528 | Copenhagen Motor Show /Denmark |
| 22.02.54 | 544 | Geneva Motor Show |
| 546 | " | |
| 551 | " | |
| 552 | " |
Except of the four last cars for Geneva, all cars were left hand drive. I don't know why the Geneva cars were rhd, as they also drive on the right side.
Cars no. 528 and 531 and 537 can be seen on the gallery. 528 is undergoing a restoration now, after beeing rescued from a scrapyard many years ago and 531 was scrapped in 1980.
537 is shown is race trim. The original doors without quarterlight had been removed and stored save. It is believed that this car is now in Japan.
Proper production starts mid-February at chassis no. 584.
Read here how the Magnette was presented in Australia at the Sysbney Motor Show 1954
--------------------------
For more information on the Magnette's history I strongly recommend the following books:
MG Saloon Cars by Anders Ditlev Clausager and
The Autobiography of Gerald Palmer
See our books-page
Above information have been taken from these books as well as reports of the former Register Historian Warren Marsh earlier published in "36,000" and "Magnettics", the former Register magazines.