Description
Considered by many enthusiasts to be the pinnacle of pre-war MG Midgets, the beautifully minimalist J-Type was launched in 1932 and remained in production for just two years.
Four versions were offered, the four-seater J1, the two-seater sports J2, and the J3 and J4 racers. The J2 was by far the most popular, accounting for 2, 083 of the 2, 463 J-Types produced in total before production ended in 1934.
Developed from the C-Type MG or ‘Montlhery Midget’ as it was better known, the J2 used a traditional chassis layout with semi-elliptic springs all round, Hartford friction shock absorbers, rigid front and rear axles and cable-operated drum brakes at each corner. Its 847cc engine had a simple two-bearing crank, while the cross-flow head was fed by two SU carburettors. Developing around 36bhp at 5, 500rpm with a top speed of 70mph, a sensible set of gear ratios in its crash box meant an enthusiastic driver could make the most of the modest power aided by its excellent handling, relatively light weight, low centre of gravity and precise steering.
The earliest cars had cycle-type front wings (as here) but these were replaced with more streamlined swept wings on later models. Other rakish design features included a rear-mounted slab fuel tank, cutaway doors, fold flat windshield and octagonal dash instruments. The car cost £199 at launch (twice the price of a contemporary Morris Minor) and proved very successful in competition both on the track and on the ever-popular trials scene.
First registered in Derbyshire in June 1933, this gorgeous J2 has been in the last ownership since 1982. It comes with a large history file extending back some 60 years or more showing that it was fully restored over a 15-year period. This included the fitment of a new steel-panelled body and frame, bare metal repaint, totally retrimmed interior and new tyres all round, a full engine rebuild with a new counterbalanced steel crankshaft, (which would be capable of running a supercharger) new pistons and modern oil seals etc, total chassis suspension overhaul, all the work being fully documented in numerous invoices and photos on file.
Since the restoration was completed the car has only covered a handful of ‘shakedown’ miles and will require a period of careful running-in before the performance is exploited to the full. Along with the many invoices on file, there is also a wealth of technical information about the Midget range and several old buff logbooks detailing all the previous owners of RB 8632 since 1952.
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