This 1955 MG Magnette is a right-hand-drive saloon that was purchased by the seller in 2024 from Classic & Sportscar Centre in West Knapton, England. Service work conducted immediately prior to the sale involved weld-repairing the sump pan, rebuilding the front brakes, and replacing the ball-joint boots, steering-rack gaiters, trunnion bushings, rear hub seals, and distributor cap and rotor arm. The car had been previously refinished in maroon and is powered by a 1.5-liter inline-four equipped with dual SU carburetors. Additional equipment includes a four-speed manual transmission, independent front suspension, ventilated steel wheels, hubcaps, Lucas driving lamps, and fender-mounted side mirrors. The maroon leather interior features front bucket seats that were retrimmed under current ownership as well as a wood dashboard, a banjo-style steering wheel, and a Smiths heater. This Magnette ZA is now offered with a British Motor Industry Heritage Trust certificate, service records since 2022, and a clean Oregon title in the seller’s name.
The car left the factory finished in Steel Blue and was repainted in maroon subsequent to rust repairs that were performed under previous ownership in the United Kingdom. Exterior features include chrome bumpers, overrider-mounted Lucas driving lamps, fender-mounted side mirrors, external hood hinges, and a cowl vent. The driver’s door requires a firm close due to loose hinge captive nuts in the A-pillar, according to the seller. A close-up photo that shows paint bubbles on the left-rear fender can be viewed in the gallery below.
Ventilated 15″ steel wheels are finished in silver with chrome hubcaps and mounted with 165/80 Nankang Econex NA1 tires. Suspension is handled by independent control arms with coil springs over hydraulic dampers up front, while semi-elliptic leaf springs with angle-mounted tube shocks are employed out back. The vehicle is equipped with rack-and-pinion steering in addition to four-wheel drum brakes.
The cabin houses front bucket and rear bench seats trimmed in red leather with color-coordinated door panels and carpeting. Amenities include wood door caps, rope front-door pulls, a Smiths cabin heater, a pull-down rear center armrest, a dome light, and three-point front seatbelts. The clock is inoperative, as is an ungrounded cassette receiver located in the dash, and the seller tells us that the heater blower is weak on the defrost setting. The front seats were reupholstered under current ownership.
A banjo-style steering wheel with a chrome horn ring fronts a wood dashboard with a burl-veneered instrument panel and glovebox. Instrumentation consists of a Jaeger 100-mph speedometer and an ammeter along with gauges for oil pressure, fuel level, and coolant temperature. The five-digit odometer shows 67k miles, approximately 800 of which were driven by the seller.
The 1.5-liter B-series inline-four was factory rated at 60 horsepower and is equipped with dual SU H2 carburetors. A tune-up that included adjusting the tappets, changing the oil, and replacing the spark plugs along with the valve-cover gasket and bushing was completed in July 2026. In addition, the heater core was overhauled under current ownership and the alternator bearings were replaced.
Power is sent to the rear wheels through a four-speed manual transmission. Oil leaks are noted in the vicinity of both the gearbox and the differential.
The British Motor Industry Heritage Trust certificate indicates that the car was dispatched to a U.K. home-market dealer on October 24, 1955, and lists the vehicle’s chassis number and colors along with its build dates.