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One of the most unique vehicles we have owned is this rare car. MG Y-Types were made from 1947 through 1953 after a ten year delay caused by World War II. The last of the pre-war style cars for MG, they marked the passing of an era. Only 243 Y-Types are known to exist today, and of those only 61 are the later ‘YB’ models. This particular car was the fourth from last car built. It is the youngest surviving pre-war style MG Saloon car in the world.

Photos from delivery day


Hidden Valley, California


Miscellaneous photos


When we bought this car in mid-2003 it had only 76,000 original miles on the clock. The car was unrestored, still retaining it’s factory paint, interior and engine. In fact, there was nearly nothing on the car that wasn’t completely original! The green paint on the side was not an official M.G. offering, and after a bit of research it was determined that this was added at, or shortly after the time of purchase.

Manufactured on July 23, 1953, this MG YB was first sold in England. Much of it’s early history is unknown but it is believed to have had only one owner before 1979. Sometime during that year a gentleman from Canada passed through England on his way to the Middle-East while on vacation. He spotted the car for sale and having owned an M.G. years before he decided to buy it on the spot.

He toured England in the car for two weeks before shipping it back to Canada. There the YB was placed in storage where it sat unused for over twenty years. His collection was passed on to his son who now had more cars than he could handle, so this one was sold to a pair of lucky buyers… us!

While we owned this car, we preserved it as an original survivor, but also made it a point to drive on a regular basis as it was meant to be. There are only a handful of Y-Types in the USA and even fewer of the YB model. As you can imagine they really turn a lot of heads! For those of you who are not familiar with these cars, here is a list of features you may or may not expect to find on a car of this type…

  • Crank-open windshield
  • Suicide doors (front only)
  • Sliding sunroof
  • Remote rear window shade (string and pulley system)
  • Interior dome light
  • Jackall system (the car jacks itself off the ground!)
  • Trafficators (lighted turn signal arms that pop out from the side of the car)
  • Adjustable steering column

Eventually a lack of space forced the sale of the YB, so we very reluctantly let it go to a new owner who pledged to continue the preservation of this very original car.