MG-Cars.net

Welcome to our resource for MG Car Information.

Recommendations

Parts

MG parts spares and accessories are available for MG T Series (TA, MG TB, MG TC, MG TD, MG TF), Magnette, MGA, Twin cam, MGB, MGBGT, MGC, MGC GT, MG Midget, Sprite and other MG models from British car spares company LBCarCo.

MG Midget and Sprite Technical - Numbers

Anorak time Numbers - as in body, not engine numbers.
I have never questioned this but my AAN10 (Austin Sprite) VIN plate number ends with a letter G on the end. The same is entered on my V5c and the Heritage Certificate. That isn't conclusive as it may be that I supplied the number to them when requesting the certificate. I don't remember if that is the case - I got it 30+ years ago.

Anyway the point is that the tables in the back of Anders Clausager's book on Sprites & midgets (!) list the numbers with no letters on the end. Mine has the correct number of digits plus this G, otherwise it could be an error for another numeral 6. Does an extra G signify anything?
GuyW

The letter G is significant. I believe it identifies which factory it was made in.
Dave O'Neill 2

Guy. I believe that the G suffix indicated cars that were built at the MG plant. Clausager notes that the G suffix was begun in 1967 with the MGB, so I assume that the Sprite/Midgets received the suffix at about the same time.

Les
Les Bengtson

Thats interesting. Mine is one of the 1971 Austin Sprites. The last 1024 Sprites built. So were all these built in Abingdon, not Cowley?
GuyW

Guy. At some point, production of the Sprite was moved to Abingdon. I had thought it was when the Midget was produced, it making little sense for BMC to run two production lines for the same basic vehicle. There are photos of the Midget/Sprite production line at the MG factory in some of the general MG books. I believe the term was "rationalized production".

Les
Les Bengtson

Guy. I got rid of all of my Austin-Healey books a number of years ago. Hence, the majority of my collection is either MG or general automotive related. In David Knowles book, "MG The Untold Story", he notes on page 109, "In 1967, for reasons of production logistics, 489 Sprites and 476 Midgets were built at the Cowley plant instead of Abingdon. .... These Cowley-built cars differ only from their Abingdon-built brethern by having an "M" suffix (for Morris) to the chassis number, in place of the normal "G" (for MG). The exercise, however, was not a great success and was never repeated."

It would seem that all of the Sprite/Midget production may have taken place at Abingdon with the exception of the few models having an "M" suffix as noted by Knowles.

Les
Les Bengtson

I'd imagine that it's the same as with MGBs
with an mgb the first G in the chassis number identifies it as an MG
The other G usually stamped at the tail end of the chassis number after a gap is in fact the factory id. where it was built -- 'G' = Abingdon
William Revit

I thought a number of frogeyes was produced in Abingdon too.
No clue where I picked up this idea?
A de Best

"New photographic print showing Austin-Healey Frogeye Sprite bodyshells on the assembly line at Pressed Steel, Swindon prior to being sent to Abingdon before paint and final assembly."


A de Best

This thread was discussed between 17/11/2024 and 22/11/2024

MG Midget and Sprite Technical index

This thread is from the archive. The Live MG Midget and Sprite Technical BBS is active now.