1958 MG A Mk 1

This MGA is an Abingdon built home market fixed head coupe hailing from 1958. Its chassis number prefix of HMA23 neatly lays out its provenance for us. The HMA designates it as an MGA with the earlier 1500cc engine, originally finished in black paintwork. The 23 confirms it as a home market model with cellulose paint (a big deal in 1958!). Being a fixed head coupe this MGA is from the significantly rarer branch of the family. Only 6,272 1500cc fixed heads were built compared to around 58,000 convertibles.

Despite being a UK home market car, this example would find its way to Malawi and South Africa during the late 1960’s. The owner that exported the car to accompany her on her travels was reported to have owned and used the car right up to the point when she returned it to the land of its manufacture in around 2014. That long-term, clearly enthusiast owner kept a very detailed log of the car’s usage down to the mile travelled and the pint of oil used across several years in the 1970s. These diligently kept records make for fascinating reading.

The car left that long term owner’s stewardship in around 2019. At that stage current owner Darren and a friend set about a full restoration to encompass mechanicals, body, paintwork and interior. The results of that diligent and knowledgeable restoration can be seen here today in the form of one of the best presented MGAs we have seen for a very long time.

Compared to its T-series predecessors, the MGA looked like it was from a completely era when it came to aesthetics. And it was. The T-series cars were heavily based on a 1930’s design with a long, tall and narrow bonnet and pronounced “bicycle-style” wings. The MGA by comparison was all of a piece with a significantly more modern low and sleek “three-box” configuration.

The elegant simplicity of that modernist aesthetic is striking with our car’s charming Old English White livery helping to emphasise its admirable purity. Owner, Darren, reports that the MGA underwent a bodily restoration in 2019 with the paintwork dating from around that time. That helps explain the excellent overall condition of both paintwork and bodywork. Every curvaceous panel seems to exude a bright shine, and the panel gaps appear tight and symmetrical – always a challenge for a 65-year-old sports car.

The bubble style cabin is generously glazed for a car of this period, and we note that a new windscreen was fitted in current ownership. The remainder of the cabin glass appears to be in fine condition with no fogging or delamination noticed. Likewise, the light lenses front and back which all appear clear and undamaged. The MGA brightwork looks exceptionally………bright with bumpers, window surround, radiator grill and door handles all gleaming impressively.

The 15-inch Dunlop style steel wheels are silver metallic painted and centred with deeply chromed and domed hubcaps. A matching set of quality Vredestein period style tyres are fitted in a 155 SR 15 configuration. These are date stamped from 2025 and appear hardly used.

Like the exterior, the cosy cabin of the MGA has been treated to a recent restoration with the deep red colourway contrasting strikingly with the exterior paintwork. The results are excellent with no element of the innate period charm of the MGA having been lost in translation. This is probably as close to a new MGA cabin as you are likely to find in 2026.

The upholstery is courtesy of a soft and supple looking deep red leather. The seats are upholstered into horizontal box pleats complemented by a central armrest mounted to the transmission tunnel. The door cards are finished in a matching hue and feature a padded and pleated centre section together with deeply chrome fixtures and fittings. The carpets are newly fitted and in a complementary deep red hue and edge bound in leather for added longevity and a touch of additional luxury. The seats fold forward to allow access to a carpeted luggage shelf.

The dashboard fascia is trimmed in tightly fitted black vinyl, delivering another enjoyable deep contrast effect. Four white on black British Jaeger instruments give the driver a snapshot of the car’s operating parameters. The larger pair of speedometer and tachometer sit behind the delightful four spoke “banjo” style steering wheel. The junior pair of gauges straddle the speaker mesh and monitor fuel level, oil pressure and water temperature.

The boot is shallow but surprisingly commodious and houses the spare wheel, tyre and associated tools. This area is finished in more deep red carpeting including a fitted carpet spare wheel cover. The whole interior’s condition is faultless and our consignment team report that everything they tried worked as it should.

This MGA features the twin SU H4 carburettor, B-series engine in a 1489cc capacity. In original factory trim this unit was good for around 70bhp, lending this light conveyance a top speed of close to 100mph. On reading the accompanying logbooks from the 1970’s it suggests that the MGA benefitted from either a significant rebuild or a replacement engine. The 1974 logbook notes a period of running in during May of that year with the odometer reading returning to zero from a previous reading of around 85,500. The previous book notes a catastrophic engine failure in Durban in May 1972.

Today, our start-up video reveals the car to start quickly, pick up well and idle evenly if a little fast. Our consignment team also note quite a hard brake pedal which is perhaps to be expected from a recently restored 1950’s car without servo assistance.

Lifting the long, narrow bonnet of this example reveals an impeccably well-presented and original looking engine bay. The pillar-box red finished engine block and cam-cover looks a treat against the Old English White inner panels and the matt black of the radiator. The polished alloy SU carburettor bowls add some bling as do the accompanying chromed air filter housings. It all works together to deliver a definite car show prize winner in the making. It seems feasible that the underside of this MGA is actually better than new. Where the crisp white of the bodywork terminates, a clean black takes over. This is comprised of smooth mat black underseal as well as a thicker, textured substrate in high vulnerability areas like the wheel arches. Very hard to fault.

Like the rest of this storied MGA, the history archive is well above the norm in terms of both quality and quantity. With over 150 images in our history section, there is much to study and peruse here. The current V5 Registration Document is present confirming this car’s status as an Historic Vehicle. As such the MGA is MoT exempt and zero rated for road tax in the United Kingdom.

The remainder of the archive can broadly be delineated in two broad groups. There are the invoices and logbooks from the South African years (roughly featuring ephemera from around the late 1960’s to the mid-1980s) and the more recent restoration years covering mainly parts purchases from around 2019 to date. The earlier logbooks make for a fascinating real-world driving record for this car including miles per gallon calculations and the ever-increasing oil consumption prior to the “big bang” in Durban in 1972. They are well worth a read!

The MGA certainly deserved its “first of line” strapline, marking a significant departure from pre-war origin cars and taking the crucial North American market by storm. It helped move the market perception of MG, too, from a dowdy but worthy heritage marque to a modern, volume producer of cutting-edge sports cars. As such the MGA is a true watershed model and rightly beloved by aficionados of the octagon.

This MGA 1500 is one of those rare “once in a blue moon” examples. It brings with it a fascinating backstory which seems to describe a true, long-term love story between owner and vehicle. Few cars of this age will provide you with such a detailed insight into the daily joys and challenges of British sports car ownership. Build on that solid foundation a truly superb recent renovation and you have an MGA which is surely as good as (or, perhaps, better) than it would have been when it was pushed out of Abington by hand in 1958. What a stunner. What a fleeting ownership opportunity not to be missed.

We are happy to offer this car for auction with an estimate in the range of £18,000 - £23,000.

Viewing is strongly encouraged, and this lot is located at THE MARKET HQ in South Oxfordshire. Viewings are STRICTLY BY APPOINTMENT and we are open weekdays (apart from Bank Holidays) between 10am - 12pm or 2pm - 4pm. To make a booking, please use the ‘Enquire About This Vehicle’ button on the listing. Feel free to ask any questions, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.