[Zmagnette] Another kind of Magnette...

Fri Mar 28 22:22:06 MDT 2014

Ah so... if this is the same car that has been in the Simeone Museum for several years, it is BLT 703, AKA K3027, a 1934 MG K-3 Magnette. In 1934 it was entered in The  B.A.R.C. Brooklands handicaps with C.E.C. Martin at the helm where it finished unplaced. Then it competed in the International Trophy driven by R.H. Eccles where it finished 17th. In May '34, this car competed in the Mannin Beg (again with R.H. Ecles) where it finished 5th, June saw the British Empire Trophy where it retired. the glory came in June at the fabled 24 Heurs du LeMans, where this car finished 4th driven by R.H. Eccles, E.H. Frazier and C.E.C. Martin. K3027 rounded out the year with a 3rd in the B.A.R.C. August meeting, 7th in the B.R.D.C. 500 mile race and 6th in the Nuffield Trophy run at Donnington.  BLT 703 did well for itself in 1935, competing in 4 international events fitted with a single seat body. The car disappeared during 1936, returned again in '37 for Donnington, the Cork GP, Ulster Trophy races and the Whetherby Speed Trials where it was consistently in the top 5 finishers with a 1st in Cork. The car was run in some local minor hill climbs after the war and had a couple of very notable seasons in '47 & '48 before submerging into obscurity again.

This K-3 ended up in 1953 with a chap by the name of R.N. Frostwick, who crashed it. The next "surfacing" was in 1968 when it sold to Bill Loven in Canada. In roughly 1980, it was seen in a restoration shop in Chicago. It was during this time that (it is believed) the chassis was once again re-united with its' proper engine, pre-selector gear box and a "correct"  '34 "boat-tail" K-3 body - and its' original registration number. Dr. Simeone bought the car in the late 1990s and repaired/refreshed/re-assembled it back to fighting trim. Interestingly, though the car was once again roadworthy in Dr. Simeone's keeping, and, was taken for the occasional track romp in some vintage and exhibition events, notice and notification did not filter back to the MG Car Club and the Triple M Register until late in 2010 and early 2011. 

When I was in Philadelphia in 2011, I had the extreme good fortune to notice the nose of this car poking out from behind some rather exquisite big blower Bentleys in the back of the museum's shop. Needless to say, I nearly wet myself when I noticed what was under that wonderful radiator cap! I spent well over an hour talking with the mechanic and Dr. Simeone about this car and its' history. This K-3 is absolutely amazing in its' originality - especially given the history of this pure race car - many days of being ridden hard and put away wet. Everything is there - from the Marshall supercharger to that unbelievably sweet 6, to the original body that was even reunited wearing its' original coat of paint. Like almost all of the cars in Dr. Simeone's museum, this car is refurbished and refreshed - but not restored. It is oily and dirty and a bit grungy around the corners, but, when that lusty supercharged 6 is warm and at 5000 RPM, the smell of Castrol R and the sound of the Brooklands fish tail exhaust is totally unlike any other symphony - absolutely makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand at attention! I had the enormous good fortune to show up as the car was being prepped for an outing in some vintage competition (I forget now - Lime Rock?) - I had a very exciting and animated telephone conversation with one Peter Green of the Triple M register whilst in Philly after visiting the museum talking about this car and its' history!

This is one of the 33 K-3s (including prototypes) built. Pushing 150+ BHP from just under 1100 ccs displacement, these cars are stable and sturdy  - and capable of touching 130 mph on todays roads... this is one of the 4 models of MG (M, C, J being the others) that catapulted this small firm in Abingdon to world prominence in the heyday... this car was the slayer of giants and the scourge of the Maseratis/Alfas and Mercedes of the day... AND: Less than 20 weeks from concept sketch to finished and tested race car! They don't build 'em like they used to...

If ever you are in Philadelphia near the airport... you absolutely OWE it to yourself to visit the Simeone Museum! The cars are exquisite; it is quite possibly the only place on the planet where a real MG K-3 Magnette would even remotely be considered "ordinary".

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X43rQ32scvM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XEhup4mRy3o

Steve H.

On Mar 28, 2014, at 7:16 PM, Allen Bachelder <bachldrs at comcast.net> wrote:

> I have been corrected: this is the K2 Le Mans car.  The smoke comes mostly from the supercharger.
> 
> Allen
> 
> On Mar 28, 2014, at 6:03 PM, Allen Bachelder wrote:
> 
>> Just a few seconds of incredible sight and sound at the Simeone Museum back when I visited in June of 2008.  I had forgotten I had this. ' Believe this Magnette would be called a K3.
>> 
>> FWIW,
>> Allen
>> ****************************************************************
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