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MG MG Y Type - The Perfect M.G.

Not many people know that…

Back in the real old days, when M.G. was being run by one Cecil Kimber, it came to pass that the directors decided to raise the level of the market they were to aim for. M.G. would not stop making little two-seater sports cars for young men and good fun, they would also branch out and up-market and build sports saloons. The bigger the car the bigger the profit as a big car does not really have many more components than a small one, but the price can be hiked up a lot more. It all began when a grumpy chap named Leonard took over as a works manager. He stopped all the little multitude of differing specialist sports cars, curtailed the racing department and insisted upon M.G. using in-house corporate components. We all know this lead to the TA using Morris Ten/4 parts. But also some pretty big saloons arrived, mostly based upon the larger Wolseley saloons with Morris engines. The VA, SA and eventually the WA loomed large as life in the showrooms. M.G. were trying to take on successful firms like the new upstart SS Jaguar crowd. It was obvious to anyone then following M.Gs new saloons that all was not well, as modification after modification followed even more modifications. Clutches running in oil became dry, six cylinder engines grew bigger and bigger, and then to top it all production ground to a halt because the world went mad and the next six years were hell. However, just before the arrival of the TB Midget, M.G. had been busy on a smaller sports saloon, the M.G. Ten. It too was going through lots of development, starting off with a leaf sprung solid front axle but then gaining independent front suspension with rack and pinion steering. Again it was WW2 that stopped the car arriving at the 1939 London Motor Show for all to see and admire.

Seven years later, after some form of peace had arrived and the car manufacturers were trying to get into production again, the little M.G. Ten was resurrected. It was now to be called the M.G. One and a Quarter Litre sports saloon, Series ‘Y’. The labour government of the day had scrapped the horse-power tax so using a ‘ten HP’ name was now meaningless. In true British fashion the car was actually 10.9hp anyway. The ‘Y’ went into production as a development car for the next four years. M.G. were ironing out the faults in preparation for the final perfect sports saloon. They tried cutting the roof off the ‘Y’ and calling it the ‘YT’, but this only proved that a roof and a heater was a necessity in out inclement climate. The ‘YT’ did how ever become the first ever M.G. to be made in a LHD version, some months before the TD.

Finally, after two big six cylinder saloons, a medium four cylinder, all with cart sprung axles, then further development of the initial ‘Y’ (later to become the ‘YA’) the perfect car arrived. The M.G. ‘YB’ was here. It was fleet of foot with its small wheels, handled beautifully with its anti-roll bar and lowered roll centre at the front, ifs and rack and pinion steering, it had better brakes and modern electrics.

By now you will have begun to suspect my story is a bit tongue in cheek. Obviously I own a YB. But now here is your chance to comment;-

Which is the better model? The YA, YT or YB?
Neil Cairns

Hi Neil

We had a website based poll on this as recently as February - April 2008 if you recall.

The results were published on the April 1, 2008 news update and were:
1 April 2008
If you took part in our poll as to which was your favourite Y Types, thank you. The final results at the close of the poll were Y 43.59% (17 votes), YT 30.77% (12 votes), and YB 25.64% (10 votes). We will run another one sometime in the future. If you have any thoughts for what we should poll, email the webmaster here.

Paul
Paul Barrow

No Paul, you miss the point. One does not want bland percentages. I am after the heart of the subject. The reasons why people love/hate a particular model. For instance they may hate the Y because their husband/girlfriend/boyfriend/etc is always in the garage working on one; or they love the Y because one ran their mother-in-law over; or if they polish their YB it will go 0.0019mph faster than their mates YA;what their phsycologist thinks of their unreasonable love/hate relationship with a lump of metal;I used about 100 words in my original question, let us hope replies will be similar or longer.
Neil Cairns

Let's begin with a statement: I walk this earth since 1965 and even before that I visited MGCC-meeting in my mothers' womb. My most precious MG-memorabilia are in my birth book: several cards, notes and congratulations on MG-factory stationary from the likes of John Thornley and Wilson McComb. So even if I'm a "bloody foreigner" I like to think that my opinion is more equal than others (remember the tongue in cheek!).

If I could only have two MG's it would (seriously) be a slab tank K3 and a YA. No need to elaborate on the K3, but my love for the YA began when I was six and saw the gold (Goultier?) YA racing at Silverstone. I was convinced it won the race and swore that day Í'd own one.

Why the YA and not the better YB? I view the YB as a TF; a nice car but in it's time rather outdated. They should have been the Z-Magnette and MGA.
The YA wasn't modern in it's day but it's mainly pre-war design can be forgiven with the meagre post-war period in mind.

Besides that I think the YA looks better with it's 16" wheels.

So, Neil; case closed?
Willem vd Veer

Neil,
I was stopped ( in my YB ) in a country lane on Saturday by a Policeman attending a minor accident.
He came to the drivers door and said "this is Superior Motoring Sir". I could only agree and was wondering whether he meant the Y as a type or the YB as a model?
Ted
T Gardner

Ted,

They always say coppers know best (tongue in cheek)so YB's have it officially top superior car.

Richard
R E Knight

The ultimate stats - 6144 Y(A)s, 1301 YBs though Richard, Ted and Neil.

If the YB was such a better car then surely they wouldnt have discontinued it after such a "short" production run would they??? :-)

Paul

Paul Barrow

Dear Willem the only irksome quality you have is that you are in the Euro zone and consequently grown more wealthy than us Brits!
Neil, When in 1960 I purchased my YA for a princely sum of £245 the current going price for a YB was at least £100 more, so it was clear that the punters could discern the differance, although on the face of it neither car could outpace the other until that is I increased the compression ratio [about 8-10 mph faster]. The YA had a bad reputation for snapping half shafts but the sort of owner then was more inclined to thrash the old girl. After this inconvenience occured to me I took great care to keep all 4 wheels on the road or at least to lift the clutch if a corner was over cooked. My cavalier attitude to the car I am afraid persisted until long after I should have known better. Who in their right mind would have towed a 4 birth caravan and family three times over the Alpes and once even madder the road [if you can call it that with its 100s of hair pin bends] from Cuneo in Italy to Nice by way of Sospel. But I can say without fear of contradiction cars dont come tougher than the MG Y type, Imagine the engine almost flat out in first and second gears for over an hour, its ability to pull away up from hair pin bends where the gradient was almost 45degrees on the inside of the bend, this was the stuff of legends. Fellow Y type owners you are privilaged to be the custodians of the finest motor car ever built.
B Mellem

Great stories there from a very long time owner - well done Brian - good stuff.

I drive my YA still in much the same pedal to the metal (toe board at least) way. The look on people's faces as I overtake them in their LHD cars with my RHD Y(A)at 65+mph is a killer!

Paul
Paul Barrow

Brian,

Please don't think I actually HAVE a K3 or more than two MG's!!! Dream on!

Perhaps I should have written: IF I had unlimited funds but could only have two MG's it would (seriously) be a slab tank K3 and a YA.

Now my funds are strictly limited by SHMOI because of my two dear children (now aged 11 and 15) that want food, clothing, education, do sports, play music, have multiple bicycles etc., etc.. So realistically in 15 years time I'll be able to afford a TC.

Now I'm very glad and fortunate to "make do" with an MGB and YA.
Willem vd Veer

Neil (et al)

Declaration: I own a 1948 Y(T)EXR 1951 Y(A), and 1 1952 YB (pick up!) - all on the road and all owned for several years.

The YA is the most reliable of the three - which of course is because she has had the most work done, been owned for the longest and has been used the hardest, so I know just about every nut, bolt, wire, pipe intimately! She also has a stel crank and a high profile cam for extra fun!

The YT is definitely the head turner with the public and has a load of history/uniqueness which goes with the extra speed, fantastic visibility (with hood down) and lousy visibility (with hood up!)

The YB is unique, is always finding new ways to challenge me mechanically and has excellent laod carrying capacity.

If Arlene issued the final ultimatum - which one AND I MEAN ONE are you going to keep - I would settle on the YA. We have toured many parts of Europe, 12 single malt distilleries, 14 Scottish Islands and several weddings with her and she is the only one of the lfeet who behaves differently when on a Rally!

So before the men in white come for me, I suspect the answer will be your ideal car has the heart and naive innocence of your first one - but mixed with the racy performance of your most breath taking model!

Insanely yours

Andrew




Andrew Coulson

I reckon Andrew's comments and his knowledge of all three types holds the answer. My views relate purely to YA's and now very recently to a YT. I would say that my interest in Y's goes back a very long way to the 1950's. When I finally purchased a YA in 1972 I was unaware that there was a later model and didn't even know that there was a YT.

I have always had an afinity for MG's though and have always loved the TA-TC range. So my prefered combination would be a TC and a YT and I am about there, though the TA is more like a TC with in an XPAW engine but with improved steering with a VW steering box and 5 gear box.

Driving the YT is a so different experience from my recollections of the YA's that I have owned and is a complete contrast to the TA. I had forgotten just how good the suspension is on a Y, compared with the cart springs on the T! The steering and brakes between the T and the Y are comparable (though a standard T steering box would in no way be as crisp as a Y). The strange thing was the lack of a 5th gear - it means that the engine is revving far lower. YT 3,750 revs 55 mph. TA 3,000 revs 55 mph.
I drove both cars over the last 24 hours - the YT yesterday and the TA today each for about 15 miles. Great fun but bloody cold.

So to go back to Neil's original question - The Perfect MG - from my experience it would be a TC (though fitted with a VW steering box) and a YT. I have noted that at many MG meetings there is often a greater interest in the Y range because of their scarcity for one and also because interested punters seem to have known someone who owned one. I do think that all the Y's look far more aesthetically pleasing when fitted with wires (as was the case with all pre-war MG's, whether sports or saloon models.

I'll keep you informed about the YT as I get more miles under my belt.

Sincerely

Jerry
J P BIRKBECK

By Jerry'S definition I seem to have the perfect combination, A 1949 TC with a Datsun steering box and a 1949 YTEXU now fitted with a Hi Gear 5 speed. Both have been rebuilt by me to as close to original condition as possible, but they are both drivers and not concours show cars.
Like Jerry I wanted a TC from about 1948. I had a friend at university with one and got to drive it on occaison. It was then 7-8 years old and pretty rough. Steering was dreadful. I had never seen a YT until one came up for sale in 1956. Took it for a test drive, showed it to my father, took him for a spin in it, and talked him in to springing for the cost. I used the car through 4 years at university and my yougest brother for another 4 years. By then it had over 200,000 miles and I don't remember it ever letting us down.

Bought the TC in 2000 to fullfil a long held dream. It was an original car with 56,000 miles but had been garaged for 24 years. In fact it was an expensive basket case. The woodwork had perished, not easy or cheap to redo. Thank goodness the YT does not have much.

Now that they are both done here is the difference. The TC drives well, sreers well with the datsun box, its gearbox is a delight, but with its cart springs you feel every bump on the road. It is also now, at 75 years, difficult to get in and out of and virtually impossible with the top up. In truth it is the perfect car for a 20 year old from the 30's 40' or 50's.

The YT however is easy to get in and out of. It is in fact quite comfortable. I drove it yesterday in a rainstorm, top up, sidecurtains on, heater on and it was fine.And with the 5 speed box it is much quieter and I can do 60 MPH at about 3400 RPM

The end result is that the YT gets used 10 times more than the TC. But I like both. If I can last another 10 years I can get driven around in the TC by a grandchild. Terry




Terry O'Brien

I think you have got the perfect combo Terry.
I have to say that at 63 I do find the TA more awkward to get into, even so I still find it a great fun car though.

I hopefully will have a greater appreciation of the YT when I replace the rorty exhaust with a more fetching stainless steel system.

Just need to purchase a new set of 525x16 tyresto replace the whitewall set that currently adorn the car. Any interest anyone?

I shall have to see how usage goes throughout the year with the TA and YT. One of the problems is that the cars are located about 5 miles apart, though it does mean that if I need to do some work on one then I can drive the other across to my friemds garage and then bring the other one back. We will see.

Like your YT Terry, which I have just looked at on the Parade site!

Sincerely

Jerry
J P BIRKBECK

This thread was discussed between 24/01/2010 and 28/01/2010

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