1. MG Y Saloon.
The first three photographs on this page feature the same MG Y-Type saloon (YA or YB), a compact saloon of the immediate post-war era in Britain. Frustratingly the registration number isn't fully visible in any of these pictures, other than a glimpse of "YX" which suggests a London registration.
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The MG YA was launched in 1947, a small four-door six-light saloon, powered by the 1250cc XPAG engine shared with the sporting TB (although only with a single carburetter in the YA's case). The plan had been to introduce the car at the Motor Show in 1939, but events on the other side of the Channel put paid to that plan, and it would be eight years later that the car finally went on sale to the public.
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The first photograph shows a group of people sat on the grass, in front of the family MG. Just visible to the right is an example of the larger MG ZA Magnette, which was in fact the Y-Type's replacement in the MG range for 1953.
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Photo #2 in this set again shows the family with the MG, but from a slightly different angle. The people in these photos are all quite well wrapped up, suggesting that it wasn't perhaps the warmest of day to be sat outside.
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The YA - or Y Saloon as it was officially referred to by MG sales people - was introduced in 1947, and continued in production for several years. It was joined in 1948 by the open YT, or Tourer. This model featured the moderately more powerful engine lifted from the TC, and could accomodate four people looking to enjoy wind-in-the-hair motoring. However it didn't sell particularly well, and was quietly dropped in 1950.
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In 1952, the Y Saloon underwent a number of revisions - under the skin mainly - and became the YB. Visual differences between the old and new car were minimal, although the YB did herald a switch to 16" rather than 15" diameter road wheels. The suspension was improved, and a new, hypoid, rear axle was installed. Brakes too were beefed up during the update to YB specification, and the car survived for another year or so, before being replaced by the modern ZA Magnette.
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Is the car in these photographs a YA or a YB? Determining the size of the wheels fitted to the car shown is all-but impossible. Some YAs have plain hubcaps, others have the MG logo in the centre - just visible in one of these photographs at the o/s/r of the car. Photographs I've seen of YBs tend to show cars fitted with bumper overriders, which makes me suspect that this car is an MG YA. Far more YAs than YBs were built too, again pointing to this being the earlier of the two versions.
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The final photo in this set shows the family either on a picnic, or on a camping trip, with the car. A large tent is visible in the background, as is a Mk2 Austin Ruby over to the RHS of shot. The MG is over on the left, with a Ford E493A Prefect (reg. LXF 577) most prominent of the lot.
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2. Side view of a different MG.
This next photo, sadly a little fuzzy, shows a gent stood alongside his trusty MG saloon, the car's sunroof partially open. In the background, two upright saloons from Dagenham.
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Return to Page 11 in the classic car photo gallery.
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Anyone owning, driving or restoring a Y Type may find the MG YA and MG YB pages within the parts classifieds section to be of interest. There's also an interesting old photo of the production line at MG's factory in Abingdon on this page.
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