MG P-Type PA Airline Coupe by Carbodies
Car producer :  |
MG |
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Model: |
P-Type PA Airline Coupe by Carbodies |
Year: |
1934-1935 |
Type: |
Coupe |
The MG P-type is a sports car that was produced by MG from 1934 to 1936. This 2-door sports car used an updated version of the overhead camshaft, crossflow engine, used in the 1928 Morris Minor and Wolseley 10 and previously fitted in the J-type Midget of 1932 to 1934, driving the rear wheels through a four-speed non-synchromesh gearbox. The chassis was a strengthened and slightly longer version of that used in the J-type with suspension by half-elliptic springs all round with rigid front and rear axles. Steering was initially by a Marles Weller and later a Bishop Cam system. The two-seat car had a wheelbase of 87 inches (2210 mm) and a track of 42 inches (1067 mm). Although most P-Types were fitted with open two- or four-seater bodywork, a few cars were clothed in extremely pretty two-seat coupe coachwork, and were named Airline Coupes. Of the 51 Airline Coupes built on MG chassis between 1934 and 1936, just 14 were PB models. A few were also built on the later T-Type models. Most of the bodies were built by the coachbuilders Carbodies, with a few built by Whittingham & Mitchell. The combination of a seasoned ash body frame, together with a number of aluminium panels, was surprisingly light and imbued the Airline P-Type with a respectable power-weight ratio for a closed car, especially in PB form. The P-type was also available as a four-seater, a car that suffered from a lack of power and poor rear ground clearance. Whereas J, K and L-type MGs differentiated between versions with the use of numbers, with 1 indicating a four-seater (i.e., J1) and 2 a two-seater (i.e., J2), this was not the case with the P-type (or its six-cylinder sister, the N-type Magnette), and there is no clue to the type in the name.
replacement for the successful J2 Midget, the PA followed the general lines of its predecessor but was equipped with a more robust version of MG's inline four, benefiting from a cross-flow cylinder head, stronger, three-bearing crankshaft and better lubrication. Chassis alterations, many resulting from competition experience, included a longer wheelbase, strengthened transmission and 12"-diameter (up from 8") brakes. Top speed was in the region of 75mph. Built in two- and four-seater variants, the PA in the latter form was the last Midget to offer sportscar motoring for the family. Some 2,000 PAs were produced between 1934 and 1935 when the model was superseded by the relatively short-lived PB.
The first version, the PA used an 847 cc engine similar to the one on the J-Type, but now with a 3-bearing crankshaft, larger camshaft and twin SU carburettors. It produced 36hp (27 kW) at 5,500 rpm. In 1935, a PA open two-seater cost £222.