Current Owner: Tim Shellshear, New South Wales

MMM No: 2466

Information:  The information on this page has been extracted from diligent research recorded by Tim Shellshear and published in an article in the Pre-war Newsletter July 2018.  You can read the article in full here.

Built at Abingdon on the 26th April 1932 with engine No 1512 AF.

Factory build sheets held by the M.G. Car Club at Abingdon show the car was delivered on the 30th April 1932 in chassis form to Jarvis and Sons Ltd of Wimbledon, a company that was both a selling agent and a body builder.  It is unclear whether they fitted a body or sold it as it was because there is evidence of it being registered in Victoria circa 1933 and at that time most cars were imported into Australia sans bodywork due to tariffs designed to protect our bodybuilding industry.

History:

The register sheet from Jarvis and Sons records that the car was purchased by Mr J Elvet Jenkins of 18 Bellevue Street Barnes SW13 on the 7th May 1932 and was completed on the 12th May 1932. No other English records have been found.

Victorian registration records list the following numbers; 101 267 approx 1933-1937, 252 279 1937-1941, CX 358 1941-1944, GZ 283 1944-1950, RV 232 1950-1955, GLA 806 1955-1962.

Using the registration numbers as reference Tim found an ad for the car in AMS in 1948, the seller was Mr Lewin and after phoning 63 Lewins in Victoria he eventually found Mr Noel Lewin in Queensland.   Noel said the car was a 2-seater painted black with red trim and he had competed in various motorsport events including Rob Roy Hillclimb.  He bought it through an ad in The Argus in 1947 and Tim was able to find the ad and confirm the seller was Miss Lorna Darke.

In 1949 the car was severely damaged in a garage fire however Noel repaired and returned it to the road in 1950 and was issued a new registration number RV 232, the car ran as a bare chassis with a single aluminium aircraft seat and no guards.  Noel eventually sold the car in 1951 and it disappeared again until advertised for sale by someone in Newport (Vic) in 1962.  It was bought by Bill Lockington so he could transfer the registration (GLA 806) onto his M.G. NE (NA0516), F1254 was sold off in parts.

In the late ’60s Bill Atherton rescued two M.G. chassis from a garage due for demolition and one was F1254, later traded to a friend.  In 1979 it was acquired by Peter Thomas who collected additional parts with the intention of building a car however he sold the parts to David Price and it was David that created the car we see today.

The engine is from an NB (1194A 164N) imported by Pip Bucknell, kept as a spare by Bill Lockington and acquired along with the supercharger prepared by Derry George for the NE when John Barraclough drove it in blown form.

The body is supplied by Peter Thomas via John Cummins and came off PB 0749 when owned by Geoff McGrath, the front guards are from PA 0595 now owned by Graham Jackson, the blower cowl came from the NE and an L-type grille shell adds the finishing touch.

The car was completed in 1983 and was used enthusiastically by D.P. for many events including Historic Winton.

Sold to Tim Shellshear in 2006 and taken to NSW.  T.S. is President of the VSCC in NSW and continues to use the car as intended.

• Listing ID: 1872
• Magna: F Type
• Location: --New South Wales
• Chassis Number: 1254
• Year of Production: 1932
• Previous Owners: Mr J Elvet Jenkins, Barnes UK 1932
  Miss Lorna Darke, Currum Vic 1947.
  Noel Lewin, Beaumaris Vic 1947-1951
  Unknown seller Newport Vic 1962
  Bill Lockington, Vic 1962
  Bill Atherton Vic 1960s.
  Peter Thomas Vic 1979.
  David Price Vic 1979-2006.
• Current Owner: Tim Shellshear
• Original Engine Number: 1512 AF
• Current Engine Number: 1194A 164N
• Date Acquired: 1/6/2006
• Current Reg: MGF 32N (NSW)