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MG @ 100

MG: A Century of Open-Top Driving Joy from “Old Number One” to the Electric Cyberster

Author: auto.pub | Published on: 12.08.2025

MG marks its 100th anniversary this year. In the early 1920s, it was a small British workshop crafting sporty bodies for Morris production cars.

The 1925 “Old Number One” (FC 7900) was not technically the first MG, but it is recognised as the brand’s starting point. Built as a personal car for Cecil Kimber, its lightweight body and 1.5-litre, 40 hp engine claimed a gold medal on its debut at the Lands End Trial. At the same time, MG launched the 14/28 Super Sports — based on the Morris Oxford, with just 20–28 hp, but stylish and light, making it the brand’s first series-production model.

The 1928 MG 18/80 was the first car not based on Morris mechanicals. Its six-cylinder 2.5-litre engine produced around 60 hp and gave MG a distinct technical and visual identity. Prototypes such as the MG 8/33 Midget paved the way for the legendary M series, bringing race-bred engineering to the road.

Produced from 1929 to 1932, the M-Type Midget weighed only 585 kg, delivered 20 hp, and made sports cars accessible to a broader audience. It inspired a host of lightweight derivatives, including the C-Type, whose 746 cc supercharged engine exceeded 120 km/h, and the popular J-Type series. The MG K3 Magnette brought serious racing success with its 1.1-litre supercharged engine, 120 hp output, and a production run of just 33 units.

From 1936 to 1955, the T-series (TA, TB, TC, TD, TF) became an enduring MG symbol. The post-war MG TC, with 10,001 units built mostly for the US, ignited the American roadster boom. The TD introduced independent front suspension, while the TF featured a lower, more streamlined body.

In 1955, the MGA broke with T-series tradition, offering an aerodynamic low body, a new chassis, and a Twin Cam variant with up to 108 hp. More than 100,000 were sold — a milestone for MG at the time.

Produced from 1962 to 1980, the MGB Roadster became MG’s sales backbone. With a 1.8-litre, 95 hp engine, it was practical, easy to maintain, and widely beloved, with over 386,000 built. The MGC Roadster added a six-cylinder engine and a touch of GT-style luxury, but remained rare with just 8,999 made.

After the 1980s crisis and production halt, MG returned briefly in the 1990s with the RV8 — a modernised MGB powered by a Rover V8, aimed mainly at Japan. This was followed by the mid-engined MG F (1995) and its update, the TF (2002), the last MG roadsters before the company’s 2005 bankruptcy and brand reshuffle.

In 2024, MG debuted the Cyberster — its first fully electric roadster. While its proportions nod to the MGB, its execution is boldly futuristic: upward-opening “scissor” doors, LED “magic eye” headlights, and arrow-shaped taillights. Single- and dual-motor variants cater to both range and performance buyers, with the top model sprinting to 100 km/h in under three seconds.

Through a century of technological and economic turbulence, MG has preserved its core idea: to build roadsters that offer emotion and driving pleasure to a wide audience. “Old Number One” and the Cyberster are worlds apart in engineering, yet both embody the same promise — that driving should be an experience, not merely a way to get from A to B.