Description
The George Phillips Le Mans Special Recreation.
Painstakingly reproduced following three years research, this incredible tribute to the legendary Le Mans Special is now for sale.
The George Phillips Le Mans story is the stuff of MG legend. Not satisfied with the performance of his 1947 standard 'road' MG TC, George (Spud) Phillips, a well known professional motorsport photographer and co founder of Autosport Magazine, decided he wanted to go racing.
Having stripped and discarded the original bodywork and carefully rebuilt the engine, Phillips initially fitted a second hand lightweight Lester body. The car was immediately transformed into a fast race car. Having competed competitively at Dundrod, Isle of Mann and a few other sprints and hillclimbs, Phillips set his focus on getting an entry for the 1949 Le Mans 24 Hours.
Almost unbelievably his application for entry was accepted. He then received a thick book from the ACO containing all the rules and regulations for the car. Written in French! Having called in some favours, Phillip was lucky enough to persuade a local French teacher to translate the whole book into English.
Phillips was then lucky to be introduced to North London 'tin basher' Ted Goodwin. Phillips made a couple of sketches of how he envisioned a new 'Special Le Mans' body could be created. Working through the winter of 1948/ 9, the two chaps created the bespoke aluminium body, which you see painstakingly recreated on this car.
The car went on to compete at Le Mans in 1949 (disqualified due to Phillips' co driver Curly Dryden giving his mechanic a lift back to the pits during the race) and 1950 when the car gloriously completed the 24 hours coming 2nd in class and 13th overall. A stunning achievement for a private entry with almost no team support and no budget!
Phillips exploits at Le Mans brought him to the close attention of the MG factory. General manager Syd Enever offered support to Phillips for the following years Le Mans entry.
The only platform available at the time was the MG TD. Phillips and Enever, came up with a further streamlined body which was fitted on a fairly standard TD chassis. This was very much and unofficial MG works entry and the car had to be hidden within the Abingdon factory when senior managers from the Nuffield group visited the 'racing' department.
The car itself unofficially designated EX176 went on to form the basis of the famous MGA model, which brought MG into the modern era and went on to be the most successful car Abingdon had produced to date.
Phillips himself went on to drive a few more times as a works MG driver and retired from motorsport completely by the mid 1950s.
This car is a tribute to the Le Mans Special developed by Phillips. Built on an original 1947 chassis (as per the original), the bodywork was carefully recreated by well known vintage MG body work expert Steve Gilbert, taking almost three years to construct working from black and white photos.
The engine, gearbox, diff and steering was rebuilt to race spec by world renowned expert George Edney (XPAG Engineering).
The car is effectively 'like new' and has done minimal 'shake down' mileage. Full UK V5 supplied with the car. The original 'donor' car for this recreation already has its own 'provenance' as a successful and well known race car within to the MGCC T Register Race Series, which was raced since the mid 1980's until around 2017.
The car has been built to gain potential entries to the worlds most prestigious classic car races, such as Le Mans Classic and Goodwood Revival (subject to application and acceptance). Indeed to the Phillips car, raced at the first ever Goodwood meeting in 1948,
The original George Phillips car was rolled down a hill in a nasty accident on the 1960s, was witten off and cut up, However, this car a is a unique recreation and tribute to the original car, George Phillips himself and one of the great MG Le Mans stories. It is unlikely that there will be another one!
Serious enquiries only please.
