MG: the marque that put the sports car in the driveway

By British Classic Cars Last reviewed June 7, 2026

MG is the marque that put a real sports car within reach of ordinary drivers, in Britain and, above all, abroad. For half a century it built light, affordable, characterful two-seaters at Abingdon in Oxfordshire, and exported most of them, doing more than any other maker to create the worldwide market for the British sports car. The cars it left behind, the MGB above all, are among the most accessible and best-supported classics you can own today.

This is a guide to the classic MGs worth knowing: where the marque came from, the models that defined it, what happened to it, and why a good one is still one of the friendliest ways into classic ownership.

A row of classic MG sports cars, led by a red MGB GT, at a seaside MG gathering — Classic MGs gathered at the seaside. From the pretty MGA to the half-million-selling MGB, MG built some of the most loved affordable sports cars Britain ever made.Photo by Andrew Bone / CC BY 2.0

From Morris Garages to Abingdon

The initials stand for Morris Garages, the Oxford sales-and-service business owned by William Morris, the future Lord Nuffield. MG began as a sideline there in the early 1920s, building sportier-bodied versions of ordinary Morris cars under the eye of the sales manager, Cecil Kimber, who is rightly remembered as the father of the marque. The famous octagon badge was registered in 1924, and the M.G. Car Company became a limited company in 1930.

By the end of the 1920s MG had settled at Abingdon, a few miles south of Oxford, which became its home for the rest of its sporting life. From there came the pre-war and immediately post-war T-series cars, the TC, TD and TF, that first sold the British sports car to America. The marque’s motto from 1929, “Safety Fast”, captured the idea exactly: cars that were quick but friendly, fast but usable.

The ownership changed around it. MG passed into Morris Motors and the Nuffield Organization in 1935, into the British Motor Corporation when Austin and Morris merged in 1952, and into British Leyland in 1968. The constant through all of it was Abingdon, and a line of sports cars that stayed true to the original idea.

A green MG TC, an upright pre-war-shaped sports car, parked by a brick house — An MG TC, one of the pre-war-shaped T-series cars that first sold the British sports car to America and built MG's name before the modern era began.

The cars worth knowing

The modern MG sports car began with the MGA of 1955, a clean, aerodynamic roadster (and pretty fixed-head coupe) that swept away the upright, pre-war look of the T-series and sold over a hundred thousand, the vast majority exported to the United States.

Its successor was the car that defines the marque. The MGB of 1962 was a modern monocoque roadster, simple, robust and affordable, that sold more than half a million and was for years the best-selling sports car in the world. From 1965 the MGB GT added a handsome Pininfarina-styled fastback roof and a hatchback, a practical 2+2 that is one of the most underrated classics there is. Briefly, from 1973, the MGB GT also came as a V8, with the light Rover aluminium engine.

Below the MGB sat the MG Midget, the cheapest way into the marque, a tiny, nimble roadster built alongside its near-identical twin the Austin-Healey Sprite. Above it, for two years only, sat the six-cylinder MGC, an MGB with a 3.0-litre straight-six, conceived as a replacement for the big Austin-Healey 3000 and now a sought-after, long-legged grand tourer.

For the practical side of ownership, see our guide to MG parts, specialists and restoration.

An orange MG MGB roadster, side view outside a pub — The MGB, the car that defines the marque: a modern, affordable roadster that sold more than half a million.

What happened to MG

MG’s classic chapter ended in 1980, when British Leyland closed Abingdon and stopped building the MGB. It was a bitter moment for enthusiasts: the oldest sports-car works in the country, shut as part of a wider rationalisation.

The name did not die, but it changed character. Through the 1980s “MG” became a sporting badge on Austin-Rover saloons and hatchbacks, the MG Metro, Maestro and Montego. In 1992 came the limited-run RV8, a modern reworking of the MGB, and in 1995 the mid-engined MGF, the first all-new MG sports car in a generation and a genuine success, later updated as the MG TF. When the MG Rover Group collapsed in 2005, the assets passed to the Chinese group SAIC, which owns and builds MG cars today. The modern MG is a continuous name on a different company, with no engineering link to the cars in this guide.

A British Racing Green MG RV8 being driven on a tree-lined road — An MG RV8 of the 1990s, a modern reworking of the MGB, part of the long revival of the MG name after the Abingdon factory closed in 1980.

Why they are collected now

Classic MGs are among the most rewarding cars to own precisely because they are accessible. A sound MGB or Midget costs a fraction of most classics, the BMC mechanicals are simple enough to maintain at home, and the parts supply is exceptional: you can buy almost every panel new, and even complete galvanised bodyshells. Every model has an active owners’ club, and the cars qualify as historic vehicles like any other forty-year-old classic, with the tax and MOT exemption that brings.

They also tell the British motoring story in miniature: the dealership that became a marque, the export drive to America that earned the dollars the country needed, the slow absorption into British Leyland, and a closure that still stings. The cars span the heart of the classic era, the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s. MG’s great rival in all of it was Triumph, and the two marques between them defined the affordable British sports car. For the practical side of running one, much of owning and running a classic car applies directly.

A red MG MGA fixed-head coupe, front three-quarter view — The MGA, the prettiest of the affordable classic MGs. Simple, well supported and characterful, the classic MGs are among the most rewarding cars to own.

More photos

A silver MG MGB GT fastback coupe on a driveway — The MGB GT, the handsome Pininfarina-styled fastback version of the MGB.

A dark red MG Midget on a cobbled square — The MG Midget, the smallest and cheapest classic MG, built alongside the Austin-Healey Sprite.

A red MG MGC roadster, front three-quarter view — The MGC, the six-cylinder MGB, now a sought-after grand tourer.Photo by Andrew Bone / CC BY 2.0

A purple MG MGF, the mid-engined 1990s sports car, front three-quarter view — The mid-engined MGF of 1995, the first all-new MG sports car in a generation and a genuine success.Photo by grassrootsgroundswell / CC BY 2.0

An MG TF, a running-board T-type roadster — An MG TF, last of the running-board T-types, the line that built MG's name in America before the MGA modernised it.

Explore this topic

MGB1962-1980
The MG MGB was the modern monocoque roadster that sold more than half a million and became, for years, the best-selling sports car in the world. A guide to the 1.8-litre B-series, the three-bearing and five-bearing engines, the all-important chrome-bumper versus rubber-bumper divide, what to look for when buying, and what they are worth.
MGB GT1965-1980
The MG MGB GT added a handsome Pininfarina-styled fastback roof and a practical hatchback to the MGB, making a refined 2+2 that is one of the most underrated classics there is, and the rare MGB GT V8 gave it real pace. A guide to how the GT differs from the roadster, the V8, what to look for when buying, and what they are worth.
Midget1961-1979
The MG Midget was the tiny, nimble, affordable roadster built alongside its near-identical twin the Austin-Healey Sprite, and the cheapest way into classic MG ownership. A guide to the marks and engines, the curious 1500 that used a Triumph engine, the chrome and rubber bumper cars, what to look for when buying, and what they are worth.
MGA1955-1962
The MG MGA was the sleek, aerodynamic sports car that swept away MG's upright pre-war look, sold over a hundred thousand almost entirely for export, and remains the prettiest of the affordable classic MGs. A guide to the 1500, 1600 and 1600 MkII pushrod cars, the rare and troubled Twin Cam, what to look for when buying, and what they are worth.
MGC1967-1969
The MG MGC was the MGB given a 3.0-litre straight-six, conceived as a replacement for the big Austin-Healey 3000 and damned in period for nose-heavy handling. A guide to the redesigned six-cylinder engine, the truth about the handling reputation, the roadster and GT, what to look for when buying, and why a sorted MGC is now a sought-after grand tourer.

Frequently asked questions

What happened to MG?

MG grew out of Morris Garages, an Oxford dealership, in the 1920s, and built sports cars at Abingdon in Oxfordshire for over fifty years. It passed from the Nuffield Organization into BMC in 1952 and then British Leyland in 1968. The Abingdon factory closed in 1980 with the end of the MGB, after which the MG name was used on sporting versions of Austin-Rover saloons and hatchbacks, then revived for the RV8 and the mid-engined MGF. After the MG Rover Group collapsed in 2005, the marque was bought by Chinese carmaker SAIC, which owns it today. The badge is continuous; the company behind it is not.

What is the most famous classic MG?

The MGB is the one most people picture: the affordable open two-seater (and the practical MGB GT fastback) that sold more than half a million and became, for a time, the best-selling sports car in the world. The MG Midget is the smallest and cheapest way in, the MGA is the prettiest of the classic MGs, and the six-cylinder MGC is the rare, torquey grand tourer of the range. Between them they cover most of what people mean by a classic MG.

Are classic MGs a good first classic car?

They are among the best. The MGB and the Midget in particular are simple, robust, cheap to buy and run, and supported by the best parts supply of almost any classic, including complete new bodyshells. Most of the range uses straightforward BMC mechanicals that are easy to work on at home, and every model has an active owners' club. A sound MGB or Midget is one of the friendliest and most affordable routes into classic British sports-car ownership.

Is the modern MG the same as the classic MG?

No. They share a name, an octagon badge and a British origin, but they are different companies. The classic MG sports cars were built at Abingdon until 1980 by what became British Leyland. Today's MG is owned by the Chinese group SAIC, which acquired the rights after the MG Rover Group failed in 2005, and builds modern cars that have no engineering connection to the classics. The name carried on; the firm that made the MGB did not.