MG/Abingdon Armoured Car Data Sought

[Bill Kreiner]

I'm seeking data on an armoured car supposedly built by MG at Abingdon during the war. I looked in vain through various Vanderveen books for a specific mentioning of it, though I suspect it might be one of the ones stated as manufactured by a variety of manufacturers, if it ever existed. I've only seen a passing reference to it in a book that has nothing to do with the subject.

Is there such a thing? If so how many were made, and when? Any data would be appreciated.

Thank you much.

[Richard Coutts-Smith]

They did do the conversions for the Centaur dozer as you probably are aware, and there are a few references made to Armoured Cars in short historical essays.. I wonder if there was a little confusion and tank mods grew into making armoured cars?
Curious to find out myself.
Rich.

[Bill Kreiner]

I just ordered a book on MG's wartime activities, put together by the historian of the club. Actually it's a publication done years ago with no known author, but the club historian made it available again with some additional data. I'm eager to get it. The historian mentioned briefly to me (since I contacted him directly) that there was indeed an armoured car built.

As soon as I get the book I'll post details and scans.

[Alan McGuinness]

A mock-up of a rakish-looking armoured car based on a sports car chassis appears in "MG 1911 to 1978" by Peter Filby. I've don't recall reading any suggestion that it went into production...

...and flicking through an old copy of a booklet "War Time Activities of the MG Car Company Llimited" I don't see any mention of it.

[Bill Kreiner]

Alan, are you serious? That's the very book that I ordered! Argh! It's basically a reprint of the original, and the MG Club's historian told me I'd find "everything needed" in it. Humbug!

Thanks for the data!

By the way, Alan, is there any mentioning of the winding down of car production in that booklet? One thing I already know is that it didn't stop with a bang in September 1939, despite all the claims that Kimber cleared the floors immediately to make way for war production. War orders didn't come in right away, and many of the SA, VA, WA, and TB cars bear 1940 registrations. Plus, on the Abingdon production sheet, 1,002 cars are listed as having been produced from August 1939 through July 1944 (period not broken down further). I suspect assembly continued till 1940 at least.

[Alan McGuinness]

There's this passage, which simply echoes the Kimber line:

"At the outbreak of war it was obvious that motor car manufacture would have to cease, and the Government would need the factory capacity for essential war work. Having this clearly in mind, we commenced to clear the factory. This was rather a sad job because it had been planned and built to suit our particular productive needs and it seemed that in pulling out the major plant we were destroying any possibilities of making MG cars, and goodness only knew when we should be able to start up again, but "needs must when the devil (Hitler) drives" and we set about the job."

There's no precise data of when car production ceased, unless the MG Car Club have added to the text.

Don't be disheartened too much - it's an enjoyable little read, and much better than the myriad of accounts of wartime activities churned out by major companies after the war.

[Bill Kreiner]

Hi, Alan:

I got my copy already, and you're right -- it is an interesting booklet. The Club has added some data. There is no mentioning of an armored car built by MG, but there are figures of all the things Abingdon did produce, assemble, repair, convert, or modify. I'm at work at the moment, and my copy is not here, but there were a paltry 46 armored-car units repaired by Abingdon. This is not mentioned in the yearly chapters; only in the table. It also does not specify whose vehicles were being repaired.

When reading the text, it becomes obvious that the disassembly and removal of car-related items was not complete until sometime during 1940. Since my production sheet shows 1,002 car units built between 8/'39 and 7/'44, and since Anders Clausager's book mentions production continued beyond the official cut-off, possibly to 1940 (with cars with higher chassis numbers than the official registers show, being found), and since a great many S-V-W-TB MG cars bear 1940 registration dates, it seems reasonable to conclude car assembly (using parts in stock) did not cease till 1940. The few registered in 1941 and 1942 can be explained by dealers holding unsold stock, as was the case for many manufacturers.