Category Archives: mg

Boxing Day MG Social Meeting on Abingdon Market Place


The Market Place began filling up with MGs from around 10 and  Richard and Gill Martin were there as always with their MGB. The day was mild and mostly dry. Costa and Starbucks were open serving coffee.

The newest MG was a MG Cyberster, an all-electric, two-seater sports car, with styling influenced by cars such as the MGB with futuristic elements such as the scissor doors. It has been launched on the hundredth anniversary of the MG Marque. MG’s parent company is currently SAIC Motor (Shanghai Automobile Industry Corporation).

Ian Wright helped to ensure all the cars could were positioned so that anybody who needed to leave could leave without too much trouble.

At the point I counted there were 41 cars on the Market Place but others came and went during the morning. The total could have been nearer 50.

This owner has a MG T.

Behind Ian and his dog MG is Bridget the Midget, one of the MG Midgets.

He said there was a lovely turnout with lots of variety.

MG 100 – Evolution of an Icon: A Report


The Abingdon County Hall Museum is hosting an exhibition titled “MG 100 – Evolution of an Icon,” commemorating the 100th anniversary of the MG brand. This exhibition takes visitors through MG’s history, highlighting the iconic models, record-breaking achievements, and influential figures who shaped the brand.

The exhibition begins in the sessions hall as a series of information boards, each board exploring one aspect of MG’s story. The exhibition continues upstairs in the attic area. You can learn about:

  • MG Early Days: Morris Motors and MG. MG Finds Identity. Rise of the MG Midget.
  • Lord Nuffield: The visionary owner and Managing Director of Morris Motors who played a pivotal role in MG’s development.
  • Cecil Kimber: The Managing Director who is credited with shaping MG’s unique identity.
  • MG Car Club: John Thornley founded the MG Car Club in 1930, fostering a passionate community of enthusiasts.
  • The War Years: The repurposing of the factory for wartime production of tanks.


The exhibition highlights MG’s post-war achievements with sections on:

  • The MGA: An export success, particularly popular in the USA.
  • Syd Enever: MG’s chief engineer, who played a key role in the MGA and MGB.
  • The MGB: Another iconic model that achieved great export success, especially in the American market.
  • The New Midget: A successful smaller sports car featuring a smaller engine.
  • EX Numbers: A section dedicated to ‘EX’ numbered prototypes and parts, not all of which reached production, showcasing MG’s spirit of innovation.
  • MG’s racing heritage: Racing drivers, George Eyston and Goldie Gardner
  • The End of MG Abingdon: The decision by BL to prioritize a Triumph model over the MGB, and other factors that led to closure of MG production in Abingdon.
  • MG After Abingdon: The brand’s continuation with production shifting to other locations including China.


Beyond the information boards, the exhibition offers :

  • Films: A film featuring Sterling Moss and an MG record-breaking car, and a documentary showing the process of lifting the last MGB into the museum.
  • Vehicles on Display: A showcase of MG car models in a display case allows visitors to see dozens of models together.
  • Additional Exhibits: The exhibition features various artifacts including a section of the assembly track, and design drawings by Peter Neal. He is now the club archivist who collaborated with the museum staff in making the exhibition.

For more details about the exhibition, visit the Abingdon Museum website: https://www.abingdon.gov.uk/event/exhibition-mg-100-evolution-of-an-icon. Admission FREE.

The museum is financed and overseen by Abingdon Town Council.

MGs back on Abingdon Market Place for Boxing Day Tradition


There was a good turnout for the traditional Boxing Day gathering of MGs on Abingdon Market Place this morning.

Richard and Gill Martin were there to help organise the gathering on behalf of the Abingdon Works Centre MG Car club.

It was a chance to polish the MG and give it a runout, on what was a dry day,

and meet up socially with other club members for coffee from the various cafes that were open, and exchange MG news.

Those who arrived early could also get the best bargains at the fashion chain Fat Face, whose Boxing Day sale opened at 9 am.  Fat Face have news too. They were taken over by Next in October 2023.

MG100 Celebration in Abingdon


Abingdon was the manufacturing home of MG for many years, from the 1920s until 1980. Today, the Oxfordshire MG Owners Club and the MG Car Club Abingdon Works Centre worked together to host a celebration of the marque’s 100th anniversary. The event, which took place at Abingdon Vale Cricket Ground, attracted around 250 MG cars from all over the UK.

The event was initiated by local MG enthusiast Tony Cotter, who felt that many large MG100 events were taking place elsewhere but not in Abingdon, the spiritual home of MG. Tony and wife, Richard Martin and his wife Gill worked very hard with many others to make the event possible.

The event was a great success, with a wide variety of MG cars on display, from classic models to modern classics. Special plaques were on display on many.

There were also stalls selling MG merchandise, as well as some very well-known Abingdon traders, such as Busby Bees and Devine Times Photography.

The rain did come at around 1 pm, but this didn’t dampen the spirits of the enthusiasts who remained. The Mayor of Abingdon was on hand to talk to owners and present cups to the winners of various competitions, including the car that most other car owners would have liked to own. That turned out to be the MGA above.

Money raised through entrance fees for cars etc. went to two charities, the Abingdon Foodbank and the Thames Valley Air Ambulance. (To find about more about the Foodbank visit https://abingdon.foodbank.org.uk.)

The announcer at the end of the event said, “We’ll see you all again in another 100 years.”