MG's terrific Twin Cam

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MGs have always been well-favoured as the archetypal sports cars of their respective eras, but maintaining the company’s reputation did not always come easy. The TF had become desperately antiquated in 1953, when the Triumph TR2 and Austin-Healey 100 arrived with sleek, modern bodywork. MG understood its problem, but a plethora of contrivances arising from the 1952 merger of Austin and the Nuffield Organisation set different departments at odds with one another and hindered progress.

When the MGA took over in 1955 and it was just what MG needed, but the success story could have been even greater still if only the Twin Cam had fulfilled expectations.

For enthusiastic hobbyist drivers, the Twin Cam seemed ideal when it hit the market in July, 1958. The dohc B-Series engine, enlarged to 1588cc and fitted with beefy twin SUs, propelled the A to 114mph – a good 10mph more than one could squeeze out of a Triumph TR3 or Austin-Healey 100-6. Sadly, potential greatness was dashed by reliability issues. The 9.9 to one compression ratio made the engine highly volatile, the necessary precision maintenance was too much for many driveway tinkerers and its oil consumption was positively gluttonous.

As soon as these flaws were realised, the market dried up and the Twin Cam was prematurely dropped in 1960. It was a great shame because when it worked, it was a real flyer. Delwyn Mallett samples the pleasures of a well-loved example in the March 2019 issue of The Automobile, on sale now.

(Words Zack Stiling, photographs Stefan Marjoram)

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