The Bowsing Ken

MGs and Other British Iron

“Kings of Commerce” by T.C. Bridges and H. Hessell Tiltman

This volume was published back in 1928, and chronicled the lives of several industrial leaders of the United Kingdom who were making the names back in the early 20th Century. One of those profiled was William R Morris, who at the time was beginning to hit his stride as an automotive manufacturer, with both his Morris line of cars, as well as - under the leadership of Cecil Kimber - the MG. Also during this time, Morris was well under way with his program of buying up other car companies - Wolseley, for example. These companies, while usually keeping their historic names, were all brought into the Morris portfolio. Additionally, Morris was apt to buy out the principle component suppliers to his company.
Although Cecil Kimber is rightfully known as the father of MG, without William Morris the MG Car Company would have never been.

For the short, but interesting article, please click HERE.

The Complete Book Of Classic MG Cars
by
Ross Alkureishi

(2020, Motorbooks)

This is a nice big book, full of great modern color photos of the subject MG cars, along with a healthy portion of vintage images, old factory photos, and period advertisements. The author sought out and aptly photographed many of the old cars, posing them in beautiful, present-day settings. All in all, an entertaining visual tour of the cars we love.
If you are a long-term dyed-in-the-wool MG aficionado the text is a story that is well known, while still presenting it in an entertaining form. If you are new to the MG tribe, this book is a fine introduction to the history and heritage to our beloved MGs. Throughout the book, the author pulls out an presents a number of esoteric facts and episodes - people, events, one-off cars, races - that enrich the basic story. For the numbers guru, with the conclusion of each individual section, there is a compilation of each car’s dimensions and performance stats, along with the total production runs.
Whether you are a rabid MG enthusiast, or a novice to the marque, and all in between, make yourself a cuppa, or better yet, pour yourself a nice pint of your best bitter, then take this book to the couch and settle in for good read. You will enjoy it.