The MGA is a true classic car icon. Small, simple, cheap and sporty – it was constructed as a daily. But the car´s design also proofed in racing. Three EX 182, MG´s experimental racers, attended the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1955 (yes, the disastrous one). They finished 12th and 17th overall. Although Dick Jacob´s car crashed and burned down completely, this was a respectable result. Especially considering the strong competition from Porsche. So with a success on the Circuit de la Sarthe, the template for the A was set.
However, the stock version of the car always lacked the final finesse of more performance-orientated cars – like the Big Healey or Jag´s XK series. The Twin Cam was no winner either. So no wonder that owners like Kai Kachel enhanced the MGA-platform with serious upgrades.
Kai´s street-legal Speedster features a 5-bearing, 1840cc, high-compression, cross-flowed engine with dual Webers, a Ford 5-speed transmission, custom brakes, bigger 15” wheels on sticky Avon rubber and a massive reduction in weight.
So with all those changes, can it cope with a Healey or XK? Probably not. But the driving experience is from another world – being nimble, completely foreseeable and anything but sluggish. And then, there´s the sound from the DIY-sidepipe… Considering value for money, that´s a true victory for Morris Garages.
