Here we are proud to offer K3016 generally considered to be the most correct example of the model, in our view the best British sports racing car of its size of the period and one of the greatest sports racing cars of all time.

With its lusty six cylinder in-line, single over-head cam engine and Marshall supercharger, as standard it developed a potent 120bhp at 6, 500rpm; driving through the four speed Wilson pre-select gearbox allowing ultra quick changes; with a rugged channel section chassis giving responsive handling.
The K3 Magnette, undoubtedly the greatest MG ever produced, delivered the racing successes that founder Cecil Kimber had pursued from the outset, attaining racing victories throughout the globe. Frequently keeping up with and indeed beating much bigger cars by Alfa Romeo, Bugatti and Lagonda etc.

It had long been the cherished idea of Earl Howe to contest the Mille Miglia with a British team, and he proposed to MG that if they would build a team of three racing Magnettes, he would fund the transport and entry of the team. Two prototype chassis were assembled in haste, the first ran in the 1933 Monte Carlo rally, setting a new class record at the Mont des Mules hillclimb, whilst the second was despatched to Italy for testing on the Mille Miglia course.

From the results of these prototypes, three improved K3 Magnettes were built, arriving in Brescia with a formidable line-up of drivers - Howe and Hamilton, Birkin and Rubin, and Eyston and Lurani. The last pairing won their class at an average of 56. 9mph, Birkin having set the pace initially to break up the opposition and Howe/ Hamilton coming in second, ahead of the formidable Maserati competition. The MG team had put up the best team performance, amazingly given the hurried pre-race preparations, and were awarded the Gran Premio Brescia - the first time for a foreign car.

The Mille Miglia success meant further supercharged K3 Magnettes were built. Two were entered for Le Mans in 1934, the Baumer/ Ford car running a staggering 2nd overall at the halfway point, headed only by an 8C Alfa Romeo and making its class competition of Aston Martin Ulsters and Rileys look pedestrian in comparison. Only to be taken out by a backmarker, leaving the sister unblown car to finish 4th overall. Whitney Straight took his privately owned K3 to Pescara for the Coppa Acerbo, where he defeated the Maseratis on their home ground, whilst nearly every celebrated driver of the period aspired to race a K3. The greatest win of all may be credited to Tazio Nuvolari, in a memorable drive in the Ulster TT the Italian maestro would prove victorious.

One of the first customers for the new blown MG was Yorkshireman E. R. 'Eddie' Hall, a wealthy businessman, who had first raced at Brooklands in 1923 and would go onto have a glittering racing career over many years, in cars such as Bentley, Ferrari and of course MG. A very accomplished driver, he secured a second place at the Brooklands debut for the K3, in the JCC International Trophy, and later that year won the famous Brooklands 500 miles at a commendable average of 106. 53mph. His proven ability in a Magnette was recognised by Earl Howe when selecting his team for the MG return to the Mille Miglia in 1934.

MG again fielded three specially prepared Works cars, chassis 3015, this car 3016 and 3017, consecutively registered with Works 'JB' registrations. These cars incorporated several detailed changes made in light of the 1933 entry- low mounted exhaust (the high mounted exhaust had deafened the co-drivers in 1933!), re-routed fuel lines protected by armoured wiring conduit and a special extra fog-light- uniquely '3016' retains all of these features. Under the jurisdiction of Earl Howe, the team consisted of himself and mechanic Thomas, Lurani and Penn Hughes, and Hall and his wife Joan in '3016'. Sadly the 1933 win was not repeated, Howe crashed, and Lurani was the only finisher of the team - a loose cylinder head core-plug injected water into the engine oil of '3016', forcing retirement at the half-way mark, when the car was well placed.

After the Mille Miglia, the '3016' was sold through main dealers University Motors in May of 1934 to G. W. J. H Wright, as shown on the original invoice and receipt for the purchase on file. Wright was clearly well connected with the MG factory having been leant the prototype K3 to run in the 1933 Monte Carlo Rally where he famously set a class record at the Mont des Mules hillclimb. However Wright appears to have only used the car on the road before selling it on to Australian, Lyster Jackson, in 1935. Having shipped it to Australia Jackson changed the colour of the car from green to the current red and initially used it in minor competition with success, recording a win and fastest time of the day in the 1936 Victoria S. C. C. Hill climb, and another fastest time in the New South Wales Waterfall Hillclimb that year. The K3 also ran at the Australian Grand Prix in 1937 and 1938, this is believed to be Jackson's last appearance in K3016, he retired with engine failure.

Victorian State Registration Records held today by the MG Car Club of Australia, confirm that in 1940 Jackson changed the cylinder block in the car to an un-numbered replacement. Since Victoria registered cars by engine number, when an un-numbered block was fitted the Victorian Police would stamp the block with their own numbering system, in this case the block was stamped V40009P, this number is clearly visible on the block fitted to the car today.

The majority of the car's racing success came when it passed to Otto Stone of the Day & Stone garage in 1947, after a very brief period of ownership by Bernie Hunt.

Over the following 26 years Stone continued to actively compete with the K3, always meticulously maintaining it, during which time it gained a reputation for reliability in the hands of this renowned engineer. This ownership is well-documented and perhaps best summed up by Ian Fraser, writing in Supercar Classics in 1988 'Mr Stone drove an MG; an MG like no other.... a sportscar like no other. It was fast, very fast, with an exhaust note so pure and clean that you could have bathed a baby in it.' At weekends it was run in as many motor sport events as possible: road races, sprints, hillclimbs. It was always driven to and from the event and frequently led a double life within the programme. Stone often driving the car to an event, swapping it onto its Methanol fuel carburettor needle (which he carried as a tie pin!) filling the tank with methanol racing fuel, winning the racing car class, before swapping back the needles re-filling with petrol and driving back home.'

Stone continually improved the MG's performance. He was responsible for rebuilding the engine and fitting a Laystall crankshaft, which allowed an attainable 117mph top speed; the mechanical brakes were also replaced with hydraulics during this period, and the block was replaced with an L-type unit, though Stone always strived to keep the car as original as possible. He sold the car to Phil Vickery in 1974, who in turn passed it onto leading Australian MG collector Rod Hiley in 1977. 'K3016' remained with Hiley until purchased at auction in London by MG K3 guru Peter Green in 1999.

At this point Green already owned the ex-Straight/ Seaman K3011, but as he recounted later to the current owner, once he saw how exceptionally original K3016 was, he decided to buy it.
It is believed the two-seater 'slab tank' body has never been off the car, nor suffered any accident damage- and retains all original body panels, horns, radiator surround, headlamps, instruments, Marshall supercharger. Other correct features of the K3 are the original large-finned sump, full chassis oiling system, the oil reserve tank, and factory hood frame, the covering of which may even be original.
Peter Green owned the car until 2003 when the current owner contacted him to ask if there were any good original K3's available. At this point the car passed into the hands of the current owner whose intention it was to race the car. Over a period of time, in order to facilitate this, work was done on the car by marque specialist James Gunn.

As purchased '3016' still had the L Type block fitted by Stone, but it came with the Lyster Jackson 1940 replacement- with Victorian Police stamping.

Keen to get the car as original as possible, the current owner had this block repaired, the engine was rebuilt around this, with a new crankshaft, camshaft and con-rods and re-fitted to the car; the spare L Type block remains with the car. The original gearbox had also been removed during Green's ownership and this was re-instated. To aid getting in and out of the car Green had also replaced the original transmission tunnel; the original tunnel comes with the car and could easily be re-fitted. The car is currently only fitted with single Hartford dampers at the rear, originally they had twin; the car comes with the second set which could also easily be re-fitted.

During his tenure the current owner has raced the car at various MG Car Club events and at the Goodwood Revivals in 2006 and 2012. He has used the car for rallies both home and abroad and displayed the car at various events. In his words "being the custodian of what is one of the ultimate MG's and all-time sports cars has been an absolute pleasure".

Generally acknowledged as the most correct and original of this rarefied breed '3016'- has frequently been used as a reference for other K3 rebuilds over the last twenty years. K3 MGs of real quality are rarely offered on the open market and the opportunity to own one of the calibre of '3016' may be a once in a lifetime opportunity for the discerning collector.