Hi Bob:
Sorry, but I think you'll find that there were sports cars long before the
MG was ever considered and very many of them before WWI. Many of the giant
road racers of the period between 1900 and 1909 generated what were then
known as sporting cars. Names like Itala, Napier, Benz, Isotta-Fraschini,
DeDietrich, Daimler, Metallurgique, Austro-Daimler, and many others were
used in hill climbs and trials as well as inter-city races During the
teens many sporting LBCs were developed including the famous Prince Henry
Vauxhall, ancestor of the Vauxhall 30/98 which was one of the great veteran
sports cars. Rolls produced a number of truly sporting vehicles at the same
time and let's not forget one that's still in business - Morgan. The first
three-wheeler was produced before 1913.
There were many others - Invicta, Bentley, Bugatti, Alfa Romeo, Lancia,
Alvis, Riley - all of which were decidedly sporting mounts. The post-war
era saw the introduction of the cycle car - many of which had sporting
pretensions. By the time of the MG, sporting vehicles were commonplace.
Mercedes produced many decidedly sporting cars from it's inception well
before WWI.
In America the famous sports cars of the post-war era included the Stutz
Bearcat and the Mercer Raceabout. Other sporting vehicles came from
Biddle, Kissel, Ford, Buick etc. Nearly every manufacturer had a vehicle
which could be called a sports car.
No one invented the sports car. It always was. And thank God.
John McEwen
>Which car company invented the "Sports-Car"? I always
>assumed Cecil Kimber started it all with Old Number One.
>
>Bob Donahue (Still stuck in the '50s)
>EMAIL - BOBMGT@AOL.COM
>52 MGTD - under DIY restoration NEMGTR #11470
>71 MGB - AMGBA #96-12029, NAMGBR #7-3336
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