Zagato is a coachbuilding company founded by Ugo Zagato in 1919. The design center of the company is located in Terrazzano, a village near Rho, Lombardy , Italy .
64-549: Ugo Zagato was an Italian automotive designer and builder. He was born in Gavello , near Rovigo (June 25, 1890). He began his coach building career in 1919 when he left "Officine Aeronautiche Pomilio" to set up his own business in Milan . He intended to transfer various construction techniques from aeronautics to the automotive sector. Cars of the time were often bulky and heavy; Ugo Zagato envisioned them as lightweight structures with
128-634: A Fiat 8V GT Zagato. The steady higher demand for special bodies required a passage from a handcraft to an industrially based organization. Elio Zagato found a larger location at 30 Via Arese in Terrazzano (northwest of Milan), very close to Arese where Alfa Romeo as well would soon choose to establish its new plants. In 1960 Ugo Zagato was awarded the Compasso d'Oro for the design of the Abarth Zagato 1000 [ it ] . In this period
192-484: A coachbuilder Atelier tied to the assembly of sports cars) into a Total Design Studio now working in the extended area of transportation design. The company styled and built not only prototypes and show cars on behalf of car manufacturers but also railways and industrial vehicles. In 1991 and 1993, the Design Zagato division introduced two Ferrari V-Max models based on the 348 (348 Zagato Elaborazione) and
256-548: A frame in sheet aluminum similar to an aircraft fuselage. During the 1920s, Zagato focused on designing racing cars . At the beginning of the decade, he was asked by Alfa Romeo to dress some of its G1, RL and RM models. In 1925, Vittorio Jano , Alfa Romeo's Chief Engineer, asked him to create a body for the Alfa 6C 1500 , the Alfa Romeo P2 's heir. Zagato, using his Aeronautics culture, succeeded in designing and creating
320-461: A further special order. At that time, Zagato started a new project for a different four-seater, mid-engine concept which became the Cadillac N.A.R.T. This would be a luxurious, sophisticated, high-performance four-seater. The front-wheel-drive powertrain of a Cadillac Eldorado was relocated to create a mid-engine layout. Zagato was asked to build the prototype from the drawings and a clay model that
384-566: A merger of Morris Motors Limited and The Austin Motor Company Limited . Long-time service manager John Thornley took over as general manager, guiding the company through its best years until his retirement in 1969. Under BMC, several MG models were no more than badge-engineered versions of other marques, with the main exception being the small MG sports cars. BMC merged with Jaguar Cars in September 1966, and that December,
448-562: A mix of economic, internal and external politics, the Abingdon factory was shut down on 24 October 1980 as part of the drastic programme of cutbacks necessary to turn BL around after the turbulent times of the 1970s. The last car built there was the MGB, and after the closure of the Abingdon plant, the MG marque was temporarily abandoned, and BL decided that there would be no immediate direct successor to
512-625: A move to larger premises in Bainton Road in September 1925, sharing space with the Morris radiator works. Continuing expansion meant another move in 1927 to a separate factory in Edmund Road, Cowley , Oxford, near the main Morris factory, and for the first time, it was possible to include a production line. In 1928, the company had become large enough to warrant an identity separate from the original Morris Garages, and The M.G. Car Company
576-775: A movement started in 2015 with the Mostro; in 2022, it released a barchetta version of the Mostro, limited to 5 units, and in 2024, announced the AGTZ Twin Tail , based on the Alpine A110 , limited to 19 units. Gavello Gavello is a comune (municipality) in the Province of Rovigo in the Italian region Veneto , located about 60 kilometres (37 mi) southwest of Venice and about 12 kilometres (7 mi) southeast of Rovigo . As of 31 December 2004, it had
640-518: A population of 1,616 and an area of 24.4 square kilometres (9.4 sq mi). The municipality of Gavello contains the frazioni (subdivisions, mainly villages and hamlets) Chiavica Pignatta, Magnolina, and Veneziano. Gavello borders the following municipalities: Adria , Ceregnano , Crespino , Villanova Marchesana . This article on a location in Veneto is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . MG Cars MG
704-586: A range of sports cars based on the discontinued Smart Roadster design by DaimlerChrysler . No agreement was reached, which resulted in the AC Cars marque being adopted for the new model, instead. The project appeared dormant by 2009, and was not pursued. On 22 July 2005, Chinese manufacturer Nanjing Automobile Group purchased the rights to the MG marque along with other assets of the MG Rover Group, forming NAC MG UK Limited. In 2007, Nanjing Automobile
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#1732781060371768-554: A sleek and light body for the car, which scored second place overall at the 1927 Mille Miglia and won the 1928 edition. The 6C 1500 technical qualities were also improved on with the Alfa Romeo 6C 1750 , which was introduced in 1927. It was bodied in several versions (Turismo, Sport, Gran Turismo, Super Sport, or Gran Sport) and achieved overall victories in the 1929 Mille Miglia (Campari-Ramponi) and 1930 ( Tazio Nuvolari , Achille Varzi , Giuseppe Campari, and Pietro Ghersi filled
832-679: Is a British automotive marque founded by Cecil Kimber in the 1920s, and M.G. Car Company Limited was the British sports car manufacturer existing between 1930 and 1972 that made the marque well known. Since 2007, the marque is controlled by Chinese state-owned automaker SAIC Motor . MG cars had their roots in a 1920s sales promotion sideline of Morris Garages , a retail sales and service centre in Oxford belonging to William Morris . The business's manager, Cecil Kimber , modified standard production Morris Oxfords and added MG Super Sports to
896-507: The Cyberster electric vehicle, which went on sale in 2024. 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 that can be described as a new MG, rather than a modified Morris was the MG 18/80 of 1928, which had a purpose-designed chassis and
960-851: The Fiat and the Chrysler groups, the TZ3 Stradale became the first American Alfa Romeo. After the Fiat 500 Coupé Zagato and AC 378 GTZ , Zagato consolidated its special relationship with Aston Martin by designing the Centennial V-Max models (as a tribute to AML's 100 years), the Vanquish Family , and, for the "Cento" years from Zagato foundation, the Pair and the Twins collections. Also Porsche liaison has been revamped with
1024-607: The Isotta Fraschini works, on behalf of which he constructed trucks, military vehicles, and a futuristic Monterosa . He returned to Milan at the end of the war and re-established his company at Via Giorgini 16, close to the Alfa Romeo historic home at Portello . He looked for more spacious and more comfortable car greenhouses, which were eventually crystallized in a new type-form characterized by airiness and visibility thanks to large, glazed areas made of plexiglass,
1088-652: The MG TC , MG TD , and MG TF , all of which were based on the pre-war MG TB , and updated with each successive model. 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,
1152-651: The Qvale Mangusta and already approved for sale in the United States, 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
1216-822: The Rover Group in 1986, ownership of the MG marque passed to British Aerospace in 1988 and then in 1994 to BMW . The MG name was revived for a second time in 1992 with the launch of the MG RV8 , followed by the mid-engined MG F in 1995, which proved to be more successful than the short-lived RV8. BMW sold the business in 2000 and the MG marque passed to the MG Rover Group based in Longbridge, Birmingham . The practice of selling unique MG sports cars alongside badge-engineered models (by now Rovers) continued. The Group went into receivership in 2005 and car production
1280-778: The Testarossa (FZ93). In 1992, as a tribute to the Lancia Delta Integrale victories, the Hyena concept was created and a small series of 25 cars was built. Zagato built the Raptor and the Lamborghini Canto concept, both powered by a Lamborghini V12 at the request of Mike Kimberley, Lamborghini's CEO. Voted "Best Concept" at the 1996 Geneva Motor Show , the Raptor was produced in less than 4 months, thanks to
1344-556: The Zagato Zele two-seater. In 1971, a new Ferrari Zagato, called 3Z, came to life thanks to an idea of Luigi Chinetti who financed the decidedly angular spider. In the same year, it was introduced at the Turin Motor Show and signaled the definitive departure from SZ, TZ, and Lancia Flaminia and Appia's curvy volumes to embrace the squared volumes of Lancia Fulvia Sport and Alfa Romeo Junior Z . Chinetti himself made
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#17327810603711408-512: The 1930s, Zagato-bodied models started to compete and dominate in different classes and categories. Thirty-six Zagato-bodied cars were at the start of the 1938 Mille Miglia, which was one third of the participants. At the outbreak of the Second World War , Ugo Zagato left Milan and fled to Lake Maggiore . On 13 August 1943, an RAF bombing raid destroyed his coachworks on Corso Sempione road. He found new premises at Saronno alongside
1472-570: 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 lines of the car. In 1973, the MGB GT V8 was launched with the ex- Buick Rover V8 engine and was built until 1976. As with the MGB, the Midget design was frequently modified until the Abingdon factory closed in October 1980 and
1536-565: The 2014 Manufacturer's Championship to break Honda's four-year reign. After just three years of competition, the MG6 GT sealed the title by 95 points at the season finale at Brands Hatch. Drivers Plato and Tordoff racked up seven wins and 20 podiums in the 30-race calendar. Plato finished the Driver's Championship in second place, behind Colin Turkington, while Tordoff finished seventh. In 2014,
1600-552: The Fiat Chicane, the rear-engine Sprint 6, Zeta 6, Alfetta, Lancia Thema Station Wagon, and the Alfa Romeo 33 Tempo Libero, also available in a 4x4 hybrid version. At the same time, the growing demand for exclusive spiders and coupes led Zagato to produce limited, numbered editions. The Aston Martin Vantage (50 units) and Volante Zagato (33 units) were the highest expression of this economic and commercial climate. Furthermore,
1664-606: The Flavia Sport and Super Sport, and the Fulvia Sport and Sport Spider. In addition to these, some were realized for special customers who are the owners of Bristol , Fiat , Ford , Lamborghini , Honda , Osca , Rover and Volvo vehicles. In response to the Oil Crisis and in contrast to the irrational and anti-functionalist trends of the era, Zagato also proposed the production of electric cars such as
1728-534: The Longbridge plant. The company cites "improving production scale efficiencies" as the reason of the plant closure. Since then, MG vehicles had been imported from China into the UK. Since the purchase of the marque, SAIC has designated MG as its main one internationally. The marque has been the largest single-marque car exporter from China since 2019. In 2023, 88 percent of its sales was from outside China. Aside from selling cars designed by parent company SAIC Motor for
1792-459: The MG marque, MG Motor also markets rebadged vehicles from SAIC such as Roewe and Maxus , and from corporate sibling SAIC-GM-Wuling . The most popular MG Motor product in international markets is the MG ZS subcompact SUV, with a cumulative sales of 999,612 units as of December 2023 . It is one of the most exported cars from China. In 2023, MG Motor introduced its first new roadster ,
1856-641: The MG version of the Metro was discontinued in 1990 and the versions of the Maestro and Montego were axed in 1991. The Rover Group revived the two-seater with the MG RV8 in 1992. The all-new MG F went on sale in 1995, becoming the first mass-produced "real" MG sports car since the MGB ceased production in 1980. Following the May 2000 purchase of the MG and Rover marques by the Phoenix Consortium and
1920-468: The MGB or Midget. Between 1982 and 1991, the MG marque used to badge-engineer sportier versions of Austin Rover 's Metro , Maestro , and Montego ranges. The MG marque was not revived in its own right until 1992, with the MG RV8 – an updated MGB Roadster with a Rover V8 engine, which was previewed at the 1992 Birmingham Motor Show, with low-volume production commencing in 1993. After BL became
1984-505: 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 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,
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2048-653: The Milanese coachbuilder bodied the Maserati Spyder and Maserati Karif . Additionally, the Alfa Romeo SZ (1989) and roadster named RZ (1991) were assembled here for Alfa Romeo. Both cars were born by the first application of the CAD process to automobiles. The SZ was an experimental coupé that revisited Alfa Romeo's sporting image; it was a rear-wheel drive coupé, a symbol of sporting pedigree. It harks back to
2112-594: The UK for 16 years, the MG6 , was launched on 26 June 2011. William Morris 's Morris Garages in Longwall Street , Oxford, was the Oxford agent for his Morris cars. Cecil Kimber joined the dealership as its sales manager in 1921 and was promoted to general manager in 1922. Kimber began promoting sales by producing his own special versions of Morris cars. Debate remains as to when MG car production started, although
2176-613: The World Rally championship. Wales Rally GB. 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 January 2012, MG Motor announced that it would enter the 2012 British Touring Car Championship through
2240-464: The brand's business in making custom-built models, which are almost exclusively coupés with two doors and two seats. The Alfa Romeo TZ3 Corsa, a race model with a carbon fiber mono-shell chassis, tubular frame, and lightweight aluminum body, and the TZ3 Stradale, a street-legal model based on the Viper ACR chassis with a carbon fiber body, were notable developments. Due to the joint venture between
2304-564: 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 and 2003 as a factory team. In 2004 WSR raced the MG ZS as a privateer team. After three years without a major sponsor, WSR teamed up with RAC in 2006 and the team was called Team RAC. In 2007 an MG ZR driven by BRC Stars Champion Luke Pinder won class N1 on Britain's round of
2368-566: The family of Zagato Carreras, as well as Lamborghini , Maserati , and BMW connection with the 575, the Mostro , and the BMW Twins collections. Since 2017, Zagato has been a partner in the resurrection of the Italian luxury sport brand Iso Rivolta . In 2019, Zagato marked 100 years since its founding. Since the 2020s, Zagato has deepened its commitment to its own car production,
2432-633: 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 greater success than expected. These included
2496-536: The first cars, rebodied Morris models that used coachwork from Carbodies of Coventry and known as "Kimber Specials", bore both Morris and MG badges. Reference to MG with the octagon badge appears in an Oxford newspaper from November 1923, and the MG Octagon was registered as a trademark by Morris Garages on 1 May 1924. Morris Garages assembled its cars in premises in Alfred Lane, Oxford. Demand soon caused
2560-1027: The first four places). In 1929, Enzo Ferrari , who had started his career at Alfa Romeo, founded Scuderia Ferrari as the official team for Alpha Romeo racing cars. Ugo Zagato was his exclusive partner in the thirties. In those years, Ansaldo , Bugatti , Diatto , Fiat , Isotta Fraschini , Lancia , Maserati , OM, and Rolls-Royce were clients of Zagato. Zagato continued to build a variety of aerodynamic cars during these decades, adopting inclined windscreens, more aerodynamic headlights, and convex bootlids. He also favored perforated disc wheels that improved brake cooling. All Alfa Romeo 8Cs received coachwork from Zagato. In January 1932, Zagato-bodied cars also began to be built by Carrozzeria Brianza. Bianchi , Fiat , Isotta Fraschini , Lancia , Maserati , and OM all experimented with lightweight and aerodynamic Zagato bodies, especially for race cars. The list of victories includes eight Mille Miglia , four Targa Florio , four Le Mans , and four Spa Francorchamps OA victories. In
2624-624: The former Leyland organisation, which included MG's historical close rival Triumph . Triumph was grouped into BL's Specialist Division, alongside Rover and Jaguar , while MG was retained with the other former BMC marques in the Austin-Morris Division, which otherwise made mass-production family cars. While new Triumph models such as the TR7 and the Dolomite were launched during the 1970s, no new MG models were introduced apart from
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2688-409: The forming of the new MG Rover Group , the MG range was expanded in the summer of 2001 with the introduction of three sports models based on the contemporary range of Rover cars. 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
2752-417: The last of the range was made. The badge was also applied to versions of BMC saloons including the BMC ADO16 , (as the MG 1100, 1275 and 1300) which was also available as a Riley , but with the MG pitched as slightly more "sporty". The marque lived on after 1980 under BL , being used on a number of Austin saloons including the Metro , Maestro , and Montego . In New Zealand, the MG badge even appeared on
2816-420: The late 1940s. A decision was also taken to return to racing and a team of MGAs was entered in the tragedy-laden 1955 24 Hours of Le Mans race, the best car achieving 12th place. The British Motor Corporation (BMC) competition department was also based at the Abingdon plant, producing many winning rally and race cars, until the Abingdon factory closed and MGB production ceased in the autumn of 1980. Prior to
2880-503: 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 Rover cut production of these models to concentrate on the more modern 200 Series and 400 Series . High performance Rover Metro, 200 and 400 GTi models had gone on sale in late 1989 and throughout 1990 as
2944-414: The limited-production V8 version of the MGB . While the MG operations was profitable these profits were entirely offset by the huge losses accrued by the rest of the Austin-Morris division and any funding to the Division within BL was allocated to urgently required mass market models, leaving MG with limited resources to develop and maintain its existing model range, which became increasingly outdated. Amidst
3008-406: The mission of Zagato was to design special bodies to be assembled in series and fitted with mechanical parts and interiors supplied by major constructors. Under the partnership with Alfa Romeo, the Giulia SZ, the TZ, TZ2, 2600 SZ, the 1750 4R and the Junior Zagato were born. In partnership with Lancia, Zagato continued the “Sport” series with the Lancia Appia Sport, the Flaminia Sport and Super Sport,
3072-444: The new company was named British Motor Holdings (BMH). BMH merged with the Leyland Motor Corporation in 1968 to form British Leyland Motor Corporation (BLMC). By this point, MG was nothing more than a marque used by BLMC, and from about 1972, the name "M.G. Car Company Limited" ceased to be used. The marque name originated from the initials of Morris Garages, William Morris's private retail sales and service company. The marque
3136-410: The new material that replaced the traditional heavy glass. This "Panoramic" body, as it was called, would mark the rebirth of his coachwork: Alfa Romeo, Fiat , Lancia , Maserati , and MG were "dressed" with this innovative body. In 1949, he built a Panoramic body for the Ferrari 166 Mille Miglia , belonging to Antonio Stagnoli; this was the first Ferrari coupé for a client ever. The Panoramic concept
3200-426: The newly established MG KX Momentum Racing team. In its debut season the team ran two MG6s driven by Jason Plato and Andy Neate . Jason ended the season in third place, with the car yet to find its foot in wet conditions. The team returned in 2013 with Sam Tordoff driving, who performed well in his debut year having joined through the KX Academy scheme. Plato once again came third, with Tordoff sixth. MG won
3264-455: The philosophy of the extreme coupés that distinguishes the historic Alfa - Zagato relationship: the 1900 SSZ 1954, the Giulietta SZ 1960, the Alfa Romeo Giulia TZ and Alfa Romeo Giulia TZ2 and the 2600 SZ 1965, the Junior Z , and the Alfa Romeo Zeta 6. Zagato faced the need to keep up with the new demands of an evolving market: besides organizing, from 1993, a one-make race series for Alfa Romeo SZ and RZ , it turned (was no longer just
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#17327810603713328-465: The plate at the nose of the car. A separate M.G. Car Company Limited was incorporated in July 1930. It remained Morris's personal property until 1 July 1935, when he sold it to his holding company, Morris Motors Limited . MG underwent many changes in ownership over the years. Morris's Nuffield Organization merged with Austin to create the British Motor Corporation Limited (BMC) in 1952. Its activities were renamed MG Division of BMC in 1967, and so it
3392-526: The use of integrated technology applied to the CAD/CAM/CAE system that allowed the intermediate styling buck phase to be eliminated. In 1998, Zagato was commissioned by Fiat to design and produce three V-Max prototypes with low fuel consumption (3 liters/100 kilometers). The Fiat Ecobasic , developed in collaboration with Centro Stile Fiat, was judged to be the best research V-Max concept. Special projects created for Aston Martin , Bentley , Ferrari , Maserati , Spyker , Diatto , and Alfa Romeo consolidate
3456-460: The use of the Toyota Tundra silhouette in the Craftsman Truck Series , MG was reported as the last foreign marque 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
3520-410: The world of automotive competition: the category comprised cars with sports coachwork and a production chassis or bodyshell. AC , Alfa Romeo , Abarth , Aston Martin , Bristol , Ferrari , Fiat , Fraser Nash , Maserati , Jaguar , Osca , Porsche , and Renault wore Zagato GT bodies. In 1955, Elio Zagato scored a victory in the International Gran Turismo Championship at the Avus circuit , driving
3584-516: Was a component of the 1968 merger that created British Leyland Motor Corporation (BLMC). The MG marque continued to be used by the successors of BLMC: British Leyland , the Rover Group and, by the start of 2000, the MG Rover Group , which entered receivership in 2005. The MG marque along with other assets of MG Rover were purchased by Nanjing Automobile Group (which merged into SAIC Motor in 2007). Production of MG vehicles restarted in 2007 in China under Chinese ownership . The first new MG model in
3648-448: Was acquired by another Chinese manufacturer SAIC Motor , and NAC MG UK Limited was renamed MG Motor UK Limited in 2009. Since then, the MG marque has been controlled by SAIC as a division within the company's passenger vehicle branch. The first all-new MG model for 16 years, the MG6 , was officially launched in June 2011, and was assembled in China and in UK at the Longbridge plant . In September 2016, MG Motor ended car production at
3712-496: Was an invention of Vieri Rapi, chief Zagato stylist at that time. In 1947, as a gift for his graduation from Bocconi University of Milan, Elio Zagato , Ugo's first-born son, received an open-top sports car based on a Fiat 500 B chassis. This car represented the beginning of his career as a driver, earning 83 podium spots from 160 races. The birth of the Gran Turismo category, conceived in 1949 by Count Giovanni Lurani , journalist Giovanni Canestrini, and Elio himself revolutionized
3776-428: Was conceived in GM's studios. A Fiat, based on 132, and named Aster, was bodied as prototype as well as a Volvo GTZ . The Zagato facility in Terrazzano saw also the assembly of Lancia Beta Sport Spider that established Lancia's name in America and Australia and the Bristol 412 Targa , whose design was very similar to the Lancia's one. During the early 1980s, Zagato introduced several Alfa Romeo concept cars, including
3840-481: 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 the Second World War record-breaking attempts restarted with 500 cc and 750 cc records being taken in
3904-500: Was in continuous use, except for the duration of the Second World War , from its inception in 1924 until 2005, and then from 2007 under Chinese ownership. In the beginning, the marque was used predominantly for two-seater sports cars made at the M.G Car Company factory in Abingdon , some 10 miles (16 km) south of Oxford . Following partial nationalisation in 1975, BLMC became British Leyland (later just BL). British Leyland's management and engineering staff were predominantly from
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#17327810603713968-473: Was summarily dismissed. Kimber was tragically killed in the February 1945 King's Cross railway accident . William Morris owned MG personally, and in a re-arrangement of his various personal holdings, he sold MG in 1935 to Morris Motors (itself the leading member of his Morris Organisation, later called the Nuffield Organization ). The M.G. Car Company Limited was absorbed along with Morris into The British Motor Corporation Limited (BMC), created in 1952 as
4032-421: Was suspended on 7 April 2005. As of 2003, the site of the former Abingdon factory was host to McDonald's and the Thames Valley Police with only the former office block still standing. The headquarters of the MG Car Club (established 1930) is situated next door. In 2006, it was reported that an initiative called Project Kimber , led by David James, had entered talks with Nanjing to buy the MG marque to produce
4096-452: Was used from March of that year. In October, for the first time, a stand was taken at the London Motor Show . Space soon ran out again, and a search for a permanent home led to the lease of part an old leather factory in Abingdon, Oxfordshire , in 1929. A limited liability company named M.G. Car Company was incorporated on 21 July 1930. Kimber stayed with the company until 1941, when he fell out with Morris over procuring wartime work and
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