Solid Gold Estate Find: 1957 MG MGA
Recently pulled from long-term storage, this 1957 MGA is in desperate need of a new caretaker to give it the love and attention it deserves. This dusty little MGA is part of an estate sale, it is clear this car was very well cared for at some point in its life. This car has the potential to be a fun project to get roadworthy and take for a trip down the Pacific Coast Highway. Find it here on eBay in Redwood City, California with bidding at $7,300 with reserve not met.
I am usually not a fan of gold cars, but it looks nice on this one. According to the ad the car is believed to be originally green but repainted to the gold we see here. The car is said to have been enthusiast owned since 1963, the ad does not say when the car was last driven but the California black plates only expired last year. The seller states the paint should clean up well and the car shows no sign of rust.
With a good cleaning, the interior should look great, the seats are in good shape and should clean up very well. Interestingly, this car is equipped with a radio. I don’t recall seeing many of these cars equipped with a radio in the dash, especially early cars like this one. The ad does not say whether it is working or not.
The dash plaque with a former owners name and club affiliation show that someone was very proud of this car. The ad states the top has holes and will need to be replaced but a tonneau cover is included. The car is not running, the engine turns free but there is no spark. Due to the storage, we can probably assume the fuel and ignition system will both need some work.
Hopefully, after some mechanical refreshing the 1500 will fire up. The brake system will also need some attention as at least one drum brake is stuck. Depending on the reserve, this could be a good deal for someone looking for a project that won’t require a full restoration. Get it running/driving safely, clean up and enjoy!
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Comments
Plan on redoing all the hydraulics on this one. I’ve worked on my fair share of MGAs that were parked, long-term and have always had to rebuild the brake and clutch actuation systems.
This one looks like a nice example.
and the fuel system, cooling system, assorted electrical gremlins that will never ever truly go away . . .
Most of the electrical problems turn out to be bad grounds or poor connections.
I would be a player at $5000.00 because of the gremlins mentioned above and any other snakes in the car.
I’d be a bastard and put the body on a new, updated frame. Disc brakes, modern drivetrain, new wiring, updated head unit w/hiding speakers, back to green w/ a tan interior.
Then just drive it. A lot
I was going to predict 10,000 for the reserve! I was pretty close to the sold price of 11,700.00 is what it sold for!