A superb and rare
photo of the 1959 MG
EX 181.This image was
taken shortly after Phil Hill
(standing behind this magnificent land speed record car on the photo!) set a
new record speed of 254.91mph (410.24 km/h) on the Bonneville salt flats in Utah, USA; making the EX181 the fastest ever MG! This is a record which still
stands today!
In 1959 the M.G. EX
181 was powered by a 1506cc Supercharged MGA Twin cam 300hp / 221kW engine.
M.G. has an astounding history in international speed records, which
culminated with the M.G. EX181! The MG
EX 181 (1957-1959) was a car especially built for land speed record
attempts in its engine size class. It had a 300 hp supercharged version of the
MGA Twin Cam engine. The car, nicknamed the "Roaring Raindrop" by its
designer Syd Enever, had an
extraordinarily original design based on an aircraft drop-tank. As a 1500cc
class car the EX181, driven by none other than Stirling Moss, achieved 245.64 mph in 1957, 50 mph faster than he had ever driven in his life.
Later the car, driven by Phil Hill, reached 254.91mph on the Utah Bonneville
salt flats, making the EX181 the fastest ever MG - a record which still stands
today. SEE PHOTO! In 1957 the
EX181 was powered by a 1489cc Supercharged MGA Twin cam 290hp / 213kW engine.
Two years later, in 1959 it was powered by a 1506cc Supercharged MGA Twin cam
300hp / 221kW. This was the fastest ever MG. M.G. has an astounding history in
international speed records, which culminated with the MG EX181.
The famous British
MG sports car factory was
founded in 1924. Production of predominantly two-seater sports cars was
concentrated at a factory in Abingdon, some 10 miles (16 km) south of Oxford. MG got its name from "Morris Garages", a dealer of Morris cars in Oxford which began producing its own customized
versions to the designs of Cecil Kimber who had joined the company as its Sales
Manager in 1921 and was promoted to General Manager in 1922. The earliest
model, the 1924 MG 14/28 consisted of a new sporting body on a Morris Oxford
chassis. This car model continued through several versions following the updates
to the Morris. The first car which can be described as a new MG, rather than a
modified Morris was the 18/80 of 1928 which had a purpose designed chassis and
the first appearance of the traditional vertical MG grille. A smaller car was
launched in 1929 with the first of a long line of Midgets starting with the
M-Type based on a 1928 Morris Minor chassis. MG established a name for itself
in the early days of the sport of international automobile racing. Beginning
before and continuing after World War II, MG produced a line of cars known as
the T-Series Midgets which, post-war, were exported worldwide, achieving better
than expected success. These included the MG TC, MG TD, and MG TF, all of which
were based on the pre-war MG TB, with various degrees of updating. MG departed
from its earlier line of Y-Type saloons and pre-war designs and released the
MGA in 1955. The MGB was released in 1962 to satisfy demand for a more modern
and comfortable sports car. In 1965 the fixed head coupé (FHC) followed: the
MGB GT. With continual updates, mostly to comply with increasingly stringent United States emissions and safety standards, the MGB
was produced until 1980. Between 1967 and 1969 a short-lived model called the MGC was
released. The MGC was based on the MGB body, but with a larger (and,
unfortunately, heavier) six-cylinder engine, and somewhat worse handling. MG
also began producing the MG Midget in 1961. The Midget was a re-badged and
slightly restyled second-generation Austin-Healey Sprite. To the dismay of many
enthusiasts, the 1974 MGB was the last model made with chrome bumpers due to
new United States safety regulations; the 1974½ bore thick
black rubber bumpers that some claimed ruined the marque MGB. As with the MGB,
the Midget design was frequently modified until the Abingdon factory closed in
October 1980 and the last of the range was made. The badge was also applied to
versions of BMC saloons including the BMC ADO16, which was also available as a
Riley, but with the MG pitched as slightly more "sporty". The marque
lived on after 1980 as British Leyland (later Austin Rover Group), the
then-owner, continued to place the MG badge on a number of Austin saloons including the Metro, Maestro, and
Montego. In New Zealand, the MG badge even appeared on the late
1980s Montego estate, called the MG 2.0 Si Wagon. There was a brief competitive
history with a mid-engined, six-cylinder version of the Metro. The MG Metro
finished production in 1990 on the launch of a Rover-only model. The MG Maestro
and MG Montego remained on sale until 1991, when production of these models was
pruned back in order for Rover to concentrate on the more viable 200 Series and
400 Series. The Rover Group revived the two-seater with the MG RV8 in 1992. The
all-new MGF went on sale in 1995, becoming the first mass-produced
"real" MG sports car since the MGB ceased production in 1980. In May 2000, BMW sold off the Rover group
after a six-year ownership and its new owners were the Phoenix Consortium. The
Land Rover and Mini marques were not included in the deal, and the new-look
group included just the MG and Rover models. The MG range was expanded in the
summer of 2001 with the introduction of three Rover-based sports models. The MG
ZR was based on the Rover 25, the MG ZS on the Rover 45, and the MG ZT/ZT-T on
the Rover 75.The MG Rover Group purchased Qvale, which had taken over
development of the De Tomaso Bigua. This car, renamed the Qvale Mangusta and
already approved for sale in the U.S., formed the basis of the MG XPower SV, an
"extreme" V8-engined sports car. It was revealed in 2002 and went on
sale in 2004. From its earliest days MGs have been used in competition and from the early 1930s a series of dedicated
racing cars such as the 1931 C-Type and 1934 Q-type were made and sold to
enthusiasts who received considerable company assistance. This stopped in 1935
when MG was formally merged with Morris Motors and the Competition Department
closed down. A series of experimental cars had also been made allowing Captain
George Eyston to take several world speed records. In spite of the formal
racing ban, speed record attempts continued with Goldie Gardner exceeding 200 mph (320 km/h) in the 1100 cc EX135 in 1939. After
World War II record braking attempts restarted with 500 cc and 750 cc
records being taken in the late 1940s. A decision was also taken to return to
racing and a team of MGAs was entered in the tragedy-laden 1955 Le Mans 24 hour
race, the best car achieving 12th place. Prior to the use of the Toyota Tundra
in the Craftsman Truck Series, MG was reported as the last foreign brand to be
used in NASCAR. It was driven in 1963 by Smokey Cook. In 2001 MG re-launched
their motor sport campaign to cover the 24 Hours of Le Mans (MG-Lola EX257), British Touring Car
Championship (BTCC) (MG ZS), British and World Rally Championships and MG
Independent British Rally Championship (MG ZR). The Le Mans team failed to win the endurance race in
2001 and 2002 and quit in 2003. MG Sport+Racing raced in the British Touring
Car Championships with the MG ZS between 2001-2003 as a factory team. In 2004
WSR raced the MG ZS as a privateer team and still race in the series today with
many wins to date. After three years without a major sponsor, WSR teamed up
with RAC in 2006 and the team was called Team RAC. The MG British Rally
Challenge still runs today despite the liquidation in 2005. In 2004 plans to race in the Deutsche
Tourenwagen Masters (DTM) with a heavily modified V8 powered ZT supertouring
car were cancelled due to MG Rover's liquidation in April 2005. In 2007, a surprise announcement was made that a
Super 2000 (S2000) rally car has been prepared in conjunction with rally
experts MSD, who used to manage the Hyundai works World Rally team. This is the
first sporting step the reformed company has made. Testing has been carried out
on the MG ZR based car & it is expected to enter competition in 2008.
This is a very
nice and very rare photo that reflects a wonderful era of M.G. ‘s automotive
history in a wonderful way. This is your rare chance to own this
photo, therefore it is printed in a nice large format of ca. 8" x 12"
(ca. 20 x 30 cm). It makes it perfectly suitable for framing.
Shipping costs will only be $ 7.00 regardless of how many photos you
buy. For 5 or more photos, shipping is free!
(Note: A. Herl, Inc. does not appear on
photo, for ebay purposes only)
No copyright
expressed or implied. Sold as collectable item only. We are clearing out our
archives that we have gathered from various sources.
All items always sent well
protected in PVC clear files and board backed
envelopes.
We have
photographs that came from professional collections and/or were bought from the
original photographer or press studio! They are all of professional and
excellent quality.
After many decades
of professionally collecting photographs and posters we are clearing out our
archives. They make the perfect gift and are perfectly suited for framing. They
will look gorgeous unframed and will be a true asset nicely framed with a
border. They are a gorgeous and great asset in every home, workshop, workplace,
restaurant, bar or club!
First come -
first served. And you can always contact us for your requests. Please ask any
questions before the auction ends.