The Story of the MG Sports Car

By F Wilson McComb Published 1972

This, the first comprehensive history of the MG, is the product of twelve years research and ten years' service with the company that manufactured the world's most popular sports car. The author's story is presented with an authenticity and a wealth of detail derived from intimate knowledge of his subject. It is a story with much irreverent, often outspoken, comment that includes hitherto unpublished reminiscences of prominent MG personalities.

Classic Racers - 'New Zealand's Grand Prix Greats'

By Eoin Young Published 2003

The 1950s and 1960s were glamorous years for New Zealand motor sport. Stirling Moss, Jack Brabham, Graham Hill and other greats visited regularly to compete in the NZ Grand prix, and our own drivers were making it big on the world stage - Bruce McLaren, Denny Hulme, Chris Amon and Howden Ganley, all competed in Formula One. In Classic Racers, Eion Young brings this bygone era to life with profiles of eleven top Kiwi drivers, not only McLaren and his colleagues but also Roycroft, Jensen and Tom Clark amongst others. Entertaining and informative, Classic Racers has something for everyone interested in the history of New Zealand Motor Sport.

Cars and Kiwis - 'The Golden Age of Motoring'

By John McCrystal Published 2008

Austin Somerset, Morris Minor, Standard Vanguard, Ford Prefect, Vauxhall Wyvern, Jowett Javelin, Hillman Super Minx ...names redolent of the heyday of British car manufacturing, and for a great many of us representative of the cars we grew up with. From dated-looking Forty-niner Fords and Chevy Fleetlines, to the 'otherwordly' Forward Look Chryslers; from the chastened lines of mid-60s Ramblers, Larks and Fairlanes, to the last of the genuinely stylish American cars: Mustangs, Camaros and Firebirds - these are the cars of movies and television, of magazines and novels, of hopes and dreams. A combined and updated edition of John's previous books Yank Tanks and The Cars We Loved, this book features the British and American classics adored by all New Zealanders. It features profiles of 30 different cars on 128 pages illustrated with colour photos

Racing Jaguar in New Zealand

By Brian Watson Published 2009 Signed by the Author.

Racing Jaguar New Zealand follows the history of Jaguar designed and engined cars from the early pioneering days of racing on paddocks and back streets through to modern speedways. Each chapter explores a different Jaguar car including detailed descriptions of the engine specifications and design and the histories of individual cars and car drivers. An extensive record of racing results and colourful stories have been used to illustrate the fortunes of the characters who built, restored and successfully raced these innovative and powerful cars.

Sports Cars on Road and Track

By Ray Hutton Published 1973

Sports Cars tells the story of high performance cars built for use on road and track - cars which have an irresistible appeal to motoring enthusiasts for the qualities which give them their sporting characteristics or which have contested the great endurance races. The book recalls the origins of sporting cars - in the days before the term 'sports car' was coined - and the rapid evolution iof sports cars between the two world ward, a golden age when classic sports car races such as the Le Mans 24-hour race was first run.

Rallying with BP

Published 1965

This book is an introduction to the sport of rallying, an appetiser for those who, however remotely, may be thinking of joining a car club. There are chapters of different rallies, drivers, competition departments and of course, a chapter on BP history highlight this contemporary account of rallying in the 1960's. Most of the articles describe Cortina GT cars, but the accounts of the rallies apply to anyone interested in background knowledge of the events in which the Lotus Cortinas also participated.

MGB MGC & V8 Gold Portfolio 1962 - 1980

Compiled by RM Clarke

This book is a semi-technical examination of all the MGB/C models including the V8s. For each model there is a general section describing, with photographs, the general layout and operating characteristics of the cars. This is followed by specifications, including body & engine maintenance, body measurements, fuel consumption, climbing rates, braking statistics etc.

Automobile Quarterly

Automobile Quarterly was a hardbound, advertising-free periodical publication that started in Spring 1962 with the sub-title "The Connoisseur's Magazine of Motoring Today, Yesterday, and Tomorrow" or in the words of the founder-"a cross between The New Yorker and Encyclopaedia Britannica in the world of auto mania".

The founder and first editor was L. Scott Bailey (September 4, 1924 to June 26, 2012), working from offices in New York City. In 1963, an "office of publication" was opened in Kutztown, Pennsylvania, which operated first as Automobile Quarterly, Inc.

Bailey retired to live in the English Cotswolds and CBS Magazines purchased Automobile Quarterly in 1986 selling the magazine to Kutztown Publishing in 1988. In October 2000, Kutztown Publishing was sold to a newly formed company, Automobile Heritage Publishing & Communications, LLC, and relocated to New Albany, Indiana.

The publication has been well known for quality writing and photography about automobiles, personalities and related subjects.

So far, vol. 52 (1) has been the last issue. Although the AQ website is still online, there are severe doubts regarding further publications.

The club library has 24 of these books ranging from Vol. 14 No.4 through to Vol. 20 No. 3 (with a number of gaps). The books contain some very beautiful, high quality photographs of a huge variety of classic, vintage and veteran cars, well worth a look.

The Book of the MGA, MGB and Magnette

By Staton Abbey published in 1968

This is a practical handbook for the enthusiastic MG owner. It covers a very comprehensive range of major and minor repairs and maintenance for the three basic models. The format comprises three headings:

Information: The reasons for doing the work and an outline of the basic theory, when this will help in maintenance, fault tracing or adjustment.

Operation: The bare bones of the job, briefly described in step-by-step form, without confusing details.

Explanation: Supplementary notes on how to do the work, including practical tips for the beginner, pitfalls to avoid and whether any special tools will be needed.

Altogether an extremely useful little book.

Special Tuning for Your MGB

Published by Leyland ST 1976

The MGB as delivered from the Factory in its standard form is tuned to give performance consistent with complete reliability, and in compliance with various territorial regulations. There is, however, a demand from enthusiasts all over the world for information on methods for improving the performance for competitive and road purposes, and it is to meet this demand that this booklet has been prepared.

The New MG Guide

By John Christie & Karl Ludvigsen Published 1970

In this book the authors, both former editors of Sports Illustrated, have set down not only the joy of MG ownership, but a comprehensive history, showing how it all began. While a major portion of the book is devoted to maintaining and improving the more popular variants - from the TC through TD, TF, TF1500, and MGB. This is a very easy to read little book, written in a fairly casual and often humorous style and very enjoyable in spite of its age.

How to Power Tune MGB 4-Cylinder Engines for Road and Track

By Peter Burgess Published 1996

All you could want to know, and all the expert tips, about getting the maximum performance from the MGB's four-cylinder B-series engine for road or track. A book packed with understandable and down to earth advice based on the author's years of hands-on experience. Build a powerful and reliable engine the first time - without wasting money on incompatible components or modifications that don't work. Burgess covers the BMC/British Leyland B-series engine (except the early 3-bearing crankshaft unit) as fitted to the MGB and MGB GT. Provides advice on MGB/MGB GT suspension, brakes and dyno tuning.

Tuning and Maintenance of MG Cars

By Philip H Smith Published 1978

The book deals with the overhead-camshaft engine cars 1929-1936 and T-series push-rod engine cars 1936-1954 and is an essential "bible" for owners of those cars, its contents as relevant and accurate today as in 1952. Some of the current MG racers have wrung further power out of the remarkable push-rod XPAG and XPEG engines and developed means of enlarging their capacities, but Smith's basic premises survive.

Smith deals thoroughly with the theory and practice of maintenance, repair and performance tuning. Additionally, the hard covers enclose a wealth of information on chassis, suspension systems, gearboxes, electrical systems and many other mechanical components.

Nobody who owns one of the relevant Abingdon models should be without this.

MGB Owners Workshop Manual

By John Fowler Published 1981

With this manual, you can do it yourself…from simple maintenance to basic repairs. The book is based on a complete teardown of the vehicle. It shows the best ways to do a job which makes it quicker, easier and cheaper for you. The book has clear instructions and hundreds of photographs that show each step. Whether you're a beginner or a pro, you can save money with this manual. It has:

--Step-by-step procedures
--Easy-to-follow photos
--Complete troubleshooting section
--Valuable short cuts
--Color spark plug diagnosis

--Routine Maintenance
--Tune-up procedures
--Engine repair
--Cooling and heating
--Air Conditioning
--Fuel and exhaust
--Emissions control
--Ignition
--Brakes
--Suspension and steering
--Electrical systems
--Wiring diagrams

--Routine Maintenance
--Tune-up procedures
--Engine repair
--Cooling and heating
--Air Conditioning
--Fuel and exhaust
--Emissions control
--Ignition
--Brakes
--Suspension and steering
--Electrical systems
--Wiring diagrams

MGB Ringbound Workshop Manual

By British Leyland Service Division Published 1972

This manual has been prepared to provide service operators with the necessary information for correct maintenance and repair; it also serves as a ready-reference book for service supervision and covers items of procedure for guidance of both the fully qualified and the less-experienced mechanic. The pages are illustrated are numbered consecutively within each section, and the section title and letter are shown at the top of each page. Sections include, Introduction, General Data, Engine Tuning Data, Engine, Ignition System, Cooling System, Fuel System, Clutch, Gearbox, Overdrive, Gearbox (All synchromesh), Overdrive (Type L.H.), Automatic Gearbox, Propeller Shaft, Rear Axle and Rear Suspension (Three-quarter-floating type), Real Axle and Rear Suspension (Semi-floating type).

MG History CD

This is a very detailed video taken from a TV documentary. It contains a large number of historical film clips of races and other events. Some clips are not that great and there are some adverts sprinkled throughout, otherwise a very interesting CD

MG National Rally 2012 CD

Stills and video clips from the 2012 National Rally, Masterton. Also includes some pics from British Car Day.

MG History CD

This CD thoroughly profiles the MG, examining its design, technology, history and manufacturing achievements. Some really great clips, especially of early races. Models featured range from the very first cars through to the newer 'F' models.

MG 50th Annual Easter Rally CD

New Plymouth 2011. Coverage mainly of the Motorkhana and speed event.

MGB 50th Anniversary Rally CD

Based at the Pukeora Estate winery in Waipukarou. The video has excellent coverage of the road trips and the social functions.

Targa Rotorua 2013 CD

Professionally filmed coverage of the 2013 Targa.,Very well done!

MGs Across America

London based specialist film company, British Car Films, have just launched a two part documentry video production 'MGs Across America'. The videos celebrate 50 years of MGs in America and together are about 100 minutes long. Filmed over a two year period, coast to coast, the videos provide a unique visual record of MGs in the USA.

Part 1: History and Racing.

Part 1 focuses on MG History and MG Racing. It includes a large amount of very rare archive footage, not before relaesed on video. Footage includes the first ever Grand Prixs from Watkins Glen in 1948 & 1949, both of which predominantly featured MG TCs. There is also newsreel footage of the MG Land Speed Record attempts at the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah from the the 1950s. There are also some exclusive interviews with some of the early MG racing drivers. The video follows the Marques racing success throughout the 60s and 70s, featuring MGBs and Midgets.

Part 2: Shows, Passion and Glorious Cars

The Americans have a graet passion for the MG marque, and this video focuses on this passion. Apart from the many cars that are kept in original condition, there are many highly modified MGs, including an 'electric MGB' and a 'stretched' MGB, which has to be seen to be believed!. Other highlights include a tour around the private MG Museum of Gerry Gougens, which includes some of the rarest MGs in the world. If your into collecting models,then you have to see the collection of Michael Sarvas, who has his basement overflowing 2000+ examples of MG models. In 1996 the biggest gathering of MGs in the USA was held at INDY, this event is well covered in the video. There is also some rare glimpses of the MGF on the American Highway, shot while the car underwent evaluation in the US!

MG Sportscar of the Year VCR

This VCR contains four short films:

Ladies First (1956): A fascinating look at how Nancy Mitchell in an MGA became only the second Englishwoman to win a coveted Coup des Alpes. 20 mins

MG Does it again (1957): The story of the successful record-breaking attempt by Stirling Moss in EX181, on the Bonneville Salt Flats. He broke five international class F records with an average two-way speed of 245.64mph.

Sportscar of the Year (1958): The launch film of the MGA Twin-Cam, tracing its development from the EX182 prototype at the 1955 LeMans (HMF1027), through to final testing at MIRA

Magic Carpet (1962): Intended primarily for the US market, this launch film shows a young couple test-driving their new LHD MG1100, on a visit to the UK. The film includes a visit to Goodwood where Graham Hill happens to be on hand for a test drive.