The MG Y-type was produced in England from 1947 to 1953 as a four-door saloon, with a limited-production open four-seat tourer alongside it. When production ceased, 8,336 Y-types had been built, and the model brought independent front suspension to the Nuffield organisation.
MG Y-type at a glance
| Maker | MG, Abingdon |
|---|---|
| Production | 1947–1953 |
| Bodies | four-door saloon and YT open four-seat tourer |
| Engine | 1,250 cc XPAG, 46 bhp in the saloon |
| YT engine | 54 bhp with a higher-lift camshaft and twin carburettors |
| Suspension | independent front, first in a Nuffield product |
| Chassis | separate frame under pressed-steel body |
| Jacks | Jackall hydraulic system built into the chassis |
| Price | £525 plus purchase tax in 1947 |
| Built | 8,336, including 6,133 Y saloons and 1,301 YB saloons |
| Top speed | 69.6 mph (112 km/h), The Motor, 1951 |
No free photographs of the Y-type were found, so the original picture of the record has been kept.
History of the MG Y-type
Before the war
In the years before the Second World War, MG had supplemented its Midget sports cars with three saloons of different sizes and engine capacities: the S, V and W models, with engines of 2,288, 1,548 and 2,561 cc. The next step was a saloon smaller than the VA, and for a component base the Cowley design office turned to Morris’s Ten-Four Series M saloon and the smaller Eight Series E. The prototype Y-type was built in 1939 with an intended launch at the Earls Court Motor Show the following year, but the war delayed production by eight years. The prototype carried the number EX166.
Body and chassis
Gerald Palmer was responsible for the styling: in essence he took a Morris Eight Series E four-door bodyshell in pressed steel, added a swept tail and rear wings, and gave it MG’s familiar upright grille. The Y-type kept separately mounted headlights at a time when Morris was integrating them into the front wings, and it had a separate chassis under the pressed-steel bodywork even though the industry was moving towards unitary construction.
The car had independent front suspension designed by Gerald Palmer and the MG draughtsman Jack Daniels, making it the first Nuffield product and one of the first British production cars with the layout. The separate chassis allowed the Jackall system: four hydraulically activated rams bolted to the frame, connected to a pump on the bulkhead, which could raise the front, the back or the whole car to change a wheel.
Engine and interior
The power unit was a single-carburettor version of the 1,250 cc XPAG engine used in the MG TB, which went on to power the TC and TD. The saloon developed 46 bhp at 4,800 rpm with 58.5 lb ft of torque at 2,400 rpm, while the YT tourer, with a higher-lift camshaft and twin carburettors, gave 54 bhp. Apart from the Rover Ten, which managed 2 bhp more, the Y-type had more power than other British saloons of similar size.
The interior was furnished to a high standard: leather on the facing surfaces of the seats and door pockets, Rexine on the backs and panels to match, a roller blind on the rear window as an anti-glare device, and considerable use of wood, with door windows and screens framed in burr walnut and an instrument panel in bookmatched veneer. The speedometer, clock and three-gauge cluster sat behind octagonal chrome frames, an echo of the MG badge visible later in the MG TF.
On the road
The Motor tested a Y-type in 1951 and recorded a top speed of 69.6 mph, 0–60 mph in 29.9 seconds and fuel consumption of 29.5 mpg, with the test car costing £880 including taxes. Autocar reached similar figures in 1949, noting that the car already looked outdated in style but still offered the kind of external appearance many keen motorists clung to. The UK price at launch was £525 ex works plus £146 in purchase tax.
Design and features
- Independent front suspension: the first Nuffield product to use it.
- Walnut interior: burr walnut window frames, veneer fascia and octagonal instruments.
- Jackall system: hydraulic jacks built into the chassis for wheel changes.
- XPAG engine: the 1,250 cc unit later used in the TC and TD.
MG Y-type versions
- YA saloon (1947–1951): the original four-door with 46 bhp.
- YT tourer: an open four-seater with 54 bhp, 902 built.
- YB saloon (1951–1953): the updated saloon, 1,301 built.
The Y-type supplied its chassis and front suspension to the MG T-type TD and came after the VA; more cars are in the MG collection.
Video: 217 MG Tech | The very rare MG-YT
Video by UniversityMotorsOnline on YouTube.
Sources
- MG Y-type, English Wikipedia: development, chassis, engine, interior, production
