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MG K3 Magnette - The giant killer

Name: MG K3 1934
Brand: MG

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Created on October 20, 2024

Text:

Daniel Reinhard, Martin Sigrist

Photos:

Neil Fraser / Courtesy of RM Sotheby's

Bonhams

Archiv AE

Heritage Motor Centre

Neil Fraser / Courtesy of RM Sotheby's

Bonhams

Archiv AE

Heritage Motor Centre

MG K3 Magnette (1934) - chassis number K3016, back in Europe since 1999 after more than 60 years in Austrailen

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MG K3 Magnette (1934) - 3.80 meters long, wheelbase 2.39 meters

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MG K3 Magnette (1934) - The exhaust is shyly hidden under the rear end

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MG K3 Magnette (1934) - driven by Eddie Hall and his wife at the 1934 Mille Miglia

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MG K3 Magnette (1934) - even sports cars 20 years younger didn't have a soft top

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MG K3 Magnette (1934) - Three eyes see more than one: the single fog lamp is historically correct

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MG K3 Magnette (1934) - Fog lights, barred to protect against stone chips

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MG K3 Magnette (1934) - wire wheels with wing nut and hub from Rudge-Whitworth

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MG K3 Magnette (1934) - The spare wheel at the rear is not much use without a jack

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MG K3 Magnette (1934) - The car number "JB 3181" is original from 1934, the indicators a concession to modernity

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MG K3 Magnette (1934) - canvas top with at least a well-intentioned attempt at a rear window

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MG K3 Magnette (1934) - additional small "Brooklands screens" behind the large windshield

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MG K3 Magnette (1934) - radiator grille with enameled MG octagon

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MG K3 Magnette (1934) - Own small "radiator grille" for the blower

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MG K3 Magnette (1934) - Maintenance opening in the front panel for checking the damper oil in the SU carburetor

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MG K3 Magnette (1934) - gas tank quick-release fastener as a solid, filigree sculpture

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MG K3 Magnette (1934) - radiator cap with sweeping overflow

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MG K3 Magnette (1934) - tiny position light on the front fender

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MG K3 Magnette (1934) - Friction shock absorbers: front single, rear double

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MG K3 Magnette (1934) - Foldable windshield that can be locked in an astonishing number of intermediate positions

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MG K3 Magnette (1934) - Padded elbow rests for a touch of comfort, grab handle for the passenger

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MG K3 Magnette (1934) - Richly equipped dashboard

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MG K3 Magnette (1934) - Simple three-spoke steering wheel without spring spokes

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MG K3 Magnette (1934) - Remote thermometer for water (top) and oil

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MG K3 Magnette (1934) - rev counter up to 8000, red zone from 5500 rpm. The six-cylinder engine actually revs up to 7500

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MG K3 Magnette (1934) - Two élmanometers at once. Concealed by the steering wheel rim: the boost pressure indicator

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MG K3 Magnette (1934) - Rear-view mirror on the upper edge of the dashboard

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MG K3 Magnette (1934) - level indicators for oil (pints, left) and gasoline (gallons, right)

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MG K3 Magnette (1934) - rotary instead of pull knob for the choke

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MG K3 Magnette (1934) - toggle switch phalanx with meaning abbreviations stamped in sheet metal

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MG K3 Magnette (1934) - thinly upholstered bucket seats

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MG K3 Magnette (1934) - The selector lever of the four-speed gearbox, next to the manual ignition control

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MG K3 Magnette (1934) - A lot helps a lot: loading tube with a large number of hose clamps

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MG K3 Magnette (1934) - six-cylinder engine with a displacement of just 1086 cc, but with 118 bhp at 6500 rpm

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MG K3 Magnette (1934) - technology exposed: Fuel line, float chamber, carburetor, tea strainer air filter and blower

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MG K3 Magnette (1934) - Water pump with MG Octagon

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MG K3 Magnette (1934) - Modern: Oil filter with a change interval of 10,000 miles

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MG K3 Magnette (1934) - Much more interesting than the NGK spark plug connectors: the engine number V40009P

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MG K3 Magnette (1934) - Fuel pump from SU behind the co-driver

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MG K3 Magnette (1934) - Oil tank between dashboard and engine bulkhead

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MG K3 Magnette (1934) - Even the six screws of the valve cover carry the octagon

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MG K3 Magnette (1934) - Combined drive for king shaft and ignition distributor

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MG K3 Magnette (1934) - full metal: fuse boxes made of sheet brass

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MG K3 Magnette (1934) - large brake drums with barred hood for cooling air

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MG K3 Magnette (1934) - type plate on the engine bulkhead

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MG K3 Magnette (1934) - top speed: 110 miles or 177 kilometers per hour

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MG K3 Magnette (1933) - with supercharger and six cylinders

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MG Magnette K3 Supercharged Sports-Racing Two-Seater (1933) - as Lot 140 at the Bonhams Goodwood Revival Auction 2024

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Summary

Competing against the displacement monsters from Italy and Germany with just 1.1 liters? That could only go wrong. But on the 1000 miles from Rome to Brescia and back, the little MGs prove that refinement is on a par with sheer power. One of the three factory cars from 1934 has survived in remarkably original condition, despite having traveled halfway around the world several times. This article recounts its history and the success story of the MG K3 Magnette in general.

This article contains the following chapters

Unsuitable on snow
A thousand miles and 90 seconds
Failure rate: two thirds
Once down under and back
Plenty of original substance

Estimated reading time: 11min

Preview (beginning of the article)

Brescia, April 8, 1933 - On this day, the seventh Mille Miglia starts, the thousand-mile race from Brescia to Rome and back again. The Italians have always held a firm grip on the race since it was first held in 1927 - with one exception in 1931, when Rudolf Caracciola and Wilhelm Sebastian crossed the finish line as winners. A white SSKL in the middle of a whole swathe of red cars. On that spring morning in 1933, however, it was the three small green British racing cars that stood out like colorful dogs among all the red competitors. Only a handful of other makes in the field of 85 starters wear other colors. However, those present were intoxicated by the sound of the small English six-cylinder engines, whose half-dozen pistons only had to share a displacement of 1087cc, but thanks to their Rootes blower produced an impressive 120 hp at an incredible 6500 rpm.

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