MG SA Works Hack: Ex-Monte Carlo or surplus car?

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It may not be immediately obvious today, but this photograph is believed to be entirely genuine. What we are looking at is an MG SA — the luxurious pre-war sports saloon originally developed as a rival to the cars built by William Lyons — converted into a pick-up.

Surely an unofficial conversion, then? In fact, no. As the lettering on the door suggests, the car was actually converted by — and used as a service vehicle for — the MG Car Company Ltd itself. Just look at the filler neck protruding from that elongated rear end. It is also said not to have been unique, with two examples believed to have been built and used. The wartime paint scheme and blacked-out headlamp make it fairly safe to assume this photograph was taken during the war.

The picture was recently published by Classic MG Magazine, and one of its readers suggested that this may have been the very SA crashed by the Wisdom family on the Monte Carlo Rally in an earlier life. We could find no evidence to support that claim, however. Another suggestion was that “the cars were modified as service vehicles because they were surplus (unsold), and the general feeling was: ‘we might as well get a bit of useful life out of ’em!’”

Whatever the truth may be, we rather like it.

Words: Jeroen Booij
Picture: Classic MG Magazine

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