Books

Details

Most books of the marque M.G. only have a small chapter of MAGNETTES if at all. But there is a handful of books, that every MAGNETTE owner should have in his bookshelf:

	MG SALOON CARS by Anders Ditlev Clausager ISBN 1 901432 06 8 NLA / Price was £ 24.95. This is THE book about Magnettes. The author's name should be known by everybody as should his "Original"-series books. 24 pages with b/w and coloured pictures plus 4 pages index of colours, technical data and production figures. The chapters describe very detailed the way to the Magnettes birth and the following evolution. Worth every penny! The other pages cover the early saloons, the SVW range, Y-Type, Farina Magnettes up to the MG 1100 & 1300.
	Brooklands Road Test -Limited Edition- Y-TYPE & MAGNETTE ZA/ZB ISBN 1 85520-347-2 NLA / Price was £ 19.95 This books contains 39 reprinted contemporary road tests from Autocar, Motor, Motor Sport, and others. 19 of these are on Magnettes including the very first ZA report from October 16, 1953. All pictures b/w with low quality.
	Rallying in an M.G. by Len Shaw ISBN 09519423 4 4 NLA / Price was £ 19.95 Len Shaw was works rally driver in Abingdon on Y-Type, and later ZA Magnette. He competed successfully in such major events as the R.A.C. Rally, the Tulip Rally and the Monte Carlo Rally. This book contains a lot of temporary pictures, all b/w. on 95 pages. About 20 pages cover his career on the Magnette.
	MG Odyssey by Ken Mc Kimmie ISBN 0646 03455 3 Price AUS $ 20.00 This book is written like a novel and you can't stop reading. It tells the true story of an Aussie MG enthusiast, who travelled with his Magnette from Perth to Brisbane across Australia. Not that thing? Well he didn't use roads: he went on 4-wheel -tracks. Well worth reading and very amusing. If you have ever been to Australia you will feel the desert heat and smell the red dust!!
	Auto Architect-The Autobiography of Gerald Palmer published by Magna Press ISBN 0 9519423 6 0 95 Pages NLA / Price was £ 19.95 Gerald Palmer was always destined to be involved with the motor industry as, whilst still at school, he designed and built a rakish, boat-tailed body for the family‘s redundant Model T Ford. Gerald served his apprenticeship at Scammell under the eye of the brilliant designer O.D. North, and built a Sports car of innovative design as a private venture. Before the war he was put in charge of M.G. design at Cowley, where he worked on what was later to become the Y-type saloon. Moving to Jowett, he was responsible for the technically-advanced Javelin, a successful car that had been intended from the outset to suit world markets. Returning to Nuffield he was first given responsibility for designing future M.G., Riley, and Wolseley rnodels, and then appointed as Technical Director of Morris Motors Limited and a Chief Engineer of the British Motor Corporation. Following this he worked for General Motors at the Luton Vauxhall plant, entailing many visits to the American and German factories. Gerald, being primarily a sports car enthusiast, has owned and restored both a T44 Bugatti and the technically-advanced Mercedes that won the 1924 Targa Florio race.
	Magnette - A Cyprus Odyssey by Elmos Konis ISBN 978-9963-620-74-6 288 pages published 2010 Price 17 €, for sale at Armida Publications This novel is based on a real story what makes it so interesting: A strange bet, with a Magnette at stake, results in an unlikely job for a college professor. Once a week, for an hour or so, he is obliged to drive an old man around. They talk about the situation of Cypus now and then, the old Greece history and so on. But what's behind this old man?
	MG MAGNETTE ZA & ZB by Colin Pitt published by Unique Motor Books ISBN 1 84155 177 5 Price was £ 9.95 This book contains 20 reprinted articles from period reviews and adverts from Light Car, Autocar, Motor Sport, Practical Classics. It has some inevitable overlap with the Brooklands book but not sufficient to stop you from buying both books. At £ 9.95 this is an interesting addition to the Magnette Owner's bookshelf. All pictures are in b/w and are of varying quality, but mostly quite acceptable given the price. A good buy and a good read.
	Postwar MG & Morgan by John Blakemore and Henry Rasmussesn (the Survivors Series) Copyright 1979 ISBN 0-918506-04-2 NLA This book has a Chapter with many photos on MG Magnette. Can be found in used bookstores or on internet auctions.
	The original Service parts list With detailed drawings and part numbers. Very helpful at restorations. Used examples can be found on trade stands at events, the Magnette suppliers or intrenet auctions. Prices are around £ 30.00. depending on condition
	The original workshop manual An absolute must for today's Magnette owners. Contains general data and instructions for maintenance and overhaul of your Magnette. Used examples can be found on trade stands at events, the Magnette suppliers or intrenet auctions. Prices are around £ 30.00. depending on condition.
	Mono-construction M.G. MAGNETTE (Series "ZA") AKD 5741956 This book has a nice chapter of the body build-up details. Otherwise most chapters are covered in the workshop manual.
	Operation Manual
	Series A and MAGNETTE Tuning and Maintanance 1957 135 pages Philip Smith, the well-known Automobile and Mechanical Engineer with a long attachmant to M.G.s, has written this entirely new book as a fitting accompaniment to the very successful new M.G.A. The book embraces also the ZA Magnette Saloon and is a complete tuning manual. It provides all the necessary instruction and data for high performance tuning as well as the maintanance of standard tune and overhauling.
	Autobooks 831 Do-it-yourself Workshop manual covering the Magnette ZA/ZB amoungst some others (Riley, Austtin Cambridge, Morris Oxford) "Comprehensive ste-by-step instructions and illustrations are given on all dismantling, overhauling and assembling operations."
	Seven Year Twitch by Marcus Chambers First published in 1962, 216 pages Marcus Chambers was for seven years Competition Manager to the BMC and during this period he was responsible for the prepration of the cars and the training of what might be described as the most consistently successful rally team which this country has produced both of drivers and mechanics. The MG MAGNETTE was one of the cars the teams had to use. They were not very successful for several reasons... (webmaster)
	The story so far by Pat Moss Standard Book Number 7183 0440 3, first published in 1967, 216 pages The name Pat Moss has become a legend ranging far beyond either of the realms of the sports in which her prowess has made her a world figure. She turned to driving and has since performed feats never equalled by any other woman - or any other British - driver. Not only do we get her first hand story of exciting highlights in her career - such as her triumph in the Liege Rally, the toughest in Europe and never before won by a woman or British driver or a British car - but from the book as a whole we get an intimate self-portrait of one of the greatest Sportswoman of our time. Pat Moss was rallying in a MAGNETTE sometimes and also had a private MG MGANETTE (webmaster)
	An MG experience by Dick Jacobs ISBN 0851840132 Published 1976 192 pages, 82 b/w photos In this book Dick Jacobs recalls how it all started from the first event which was an "impromptu hill clinb" with an MG TC in 1947. He remembers his first special, his involvement with the MG factory and the invaluable help he got from John Thornley. After his bad crash in the 1955 Le Mans he decided to give up active racing and turn his hand to managing a team. As a team manager he was involved in successfully racing MG cars from 1956 to 1964. Amoung Y-types MGA Twin Cams and Midgets, the Jacobs team raced MAGNETTES. (The works MAGNETTEs JRX251 and 21JPU -webmaster-)
	MG : Sports cars par excellence ISBN 2726896502 Released in January 2013 French book about MG. 12 pages cover Alain Bothorels lovely green ZA in Paris on the Place de la Concorde.
	This book is concerned about the potential loss of detail related to Nuffield/BMC's [Car Manufacturer] sedans in general and specifically the MG ZA & ZB type Magnette sedan of the 1953 to 1958 period. Capture of detail is typically from an Australian perspective encompassing : History, Marketing, Anniversaries, and four restorations at the personal level; While supported with details to aid originality and restoration/repair. Lastly this publication is on high quality paper and held in a metal spine designed, to allow the book, to lay flat on a coffee table for easy reference. For more information ask Loz Scott at ls46cott at Gmail.com
	In 1994 the Z Magnette Register published a 52-page yearbook covering several chapters of MAGNETTE ownership, i.e. history, tech tips and conversions. Some of the content may be out of date, but it still is interesting to read. You can right now download this for free as pdf-file. (Click on image left)

Nav view search

Navigation

Search

MG Car Club Magnette Register

Books

Most books of the marque M.G. only have a small chapter of MAGNETTES if at all. But there is a handful of books, that every MAGNETTE owner should have in his bookshelf: