MG Century - by David Knowles (Hardcover)

About the Book

"MG Century, authored by marque expert David Knowles, offers a complete and richly illustrated history covering the evolution of this storied British car company"--

Book Synopsis

Celebrate and explore 100 years of MG cars with this impressive volume featuring expert commentary, historical images, period ads, and contemporary photography.

For many car enthusiasts, MG is synonymous with "sports car." It is often credited with igniting a passion for European cars in postwar America at a time when roads were otherwise filled with the lumbering output of Detroit. In MG's native England, the company's cars filled roles from family transport to competition driving.

MG, as we think of it today, began in the 1920s, but its roots go back even further with a young William Morris. Initially working in the booming bicycle trade, he eventually branched into motorcycle and car repair with the fledgling Morris Garage (hence, MG) in 1907. By the mid 1920s, the successful Morris Garages was in a position to begin manufacture of its own cars under the MG name.

MG grew significantly in the years before World War II, building and racing its classic Midgets and Magnettes. World War II provided challenging times for the company as it did for the UK and much of the world. In the postwar period, a focus on sales outside England, and particularly in the United States, both defined MG's product line and ensured its success. Legendary cars followed, including MG TC, TD, and TF followed by thoroughly modern MGA, MGB, MGB GT, and Midget. Magnettes and the 1100 offered options for those wanting sedans and more practical cars.

MG ownership moved through a number of UK companies in the postwar period as well as ownership by BMW and today's SAIC, a Chinese-based company through which it operates as MG Motor. Highlights along the way included the MGB GT V8, MG Metro Group B rally car, and MGF. Based on its latest state-of-the-art EV platform, MG will soon launch an all-new roadster coming full circle over its century in business.

Authored by marque expert David Knowles, The MG Century: 100 Years of Safety Fast! is a fitting celebration of one of the automotive world's oldest and most beloved brands--and a must-have for every car enthusiast.

Review Quotes

"A handsome coffee-table book with hundreds of period and contemporary photographs, MG Century is nonetheless text rich and the better for it. With zest and justifiable enthusiasm, Knowles performs an admirable job of cramming vast amounts of information between his book's covers, yet somehow conveying so much more than a mere recitation of cubic displacements, race finishes, and top speeds."

--Jamie Kitman, Car and Driver

"It is no exaggeration to say the book is impressive in reining in a subject that spans many years, many people, many models, and many corporate permutations...All the more pleasing to note that the publisher is American powerhouse Motorbooks. Not least, for the buyer that means a book with high production values and easy on the wallet. Check, and check."

--Speedreaders

"...a fitting celebration of one of the automotive world's oldest and most beloved brands--and a must-have for every car enthusiast."

--V8 Register - MG Car Club

About the Author

David Knowles has become synonymous with MG history. He has a particular interest in the postwar story, when the marque exploded onto the world stage, becoming the preeminent sports car marque in North America, leading to the memorable advertising slogan: "MG. The Sports Car America Loved First." By profession David is a Chartered Civil Engineer, but he has been writing about MG and Triumph sports cars (among other brands) for over thirty years. Always turning up fresh information for his fellow enthusiasts, his previous works have covered every period of MG history and every model either sold or, in some cases, only developed in prototype form. David's thorough research has expanded into the parallel field of postwar Triumph sports cars, including seminal works on the Triumph TR6 and the Triumph TR7 and TR8. Previous volumes of his MG works have been selected as "book of the month" by leading UK classic car magazines including Classic Cars and Classic & Sportscar. He is a Consultant Editor for MG Enthusiast Magazine and has contributed extensively to other internationally recognised MG publications.

Previous books include:

• MG V8 Twenty-one Years on from Introduction to RV8 - Windrow & Greene - 1994
• MG 1945-1964 Photo Archive - Iconografix - 1996
• MG 1965-1980 Photo Archive - Iconografix - 1996
• MG The Untold Story - Motorbooks - 1997
• MGB: Including MGC and MGB GT V8 - Motorbooks - 2000
• MGB, MGC and MGB GT V8: a Celebration of Britain's Best-loved Sports Car - Haynes - 2004
• MGF - Haynes - 2000
• MG X-Power SV - Crowood - 2005
• Triumph TR7 - The Untold Story - Crowood - 2008
• MGF and TF: The Complete Story - Crowood - 2010
• MGB, MGC & MGB GT V8 - la grande sportive britannique - ETAI - 2012
• MG V8 - Crowood - 2013
• MGB, MGC & MGB GT. O Esportivo Mais Elegante do Mundo - Volume 8 (Em Portuguese do Brasil) - ETAI - 2014
• Triumph TR6: The Complete Story - Crowood - 2016
• MGA: The Revolutionary MG - Crowood Autoclassics - 2019
• MGB - The superlative MG: Including MGC and MGB V8 - Crowood Autoclassics - 2021

David is presently working on a biography of Syd Enever, MG's famous Chief Engineer.