More than an old car #23: MG YA

This MG YA calls up images of the 1950s as seen in various black-and-white films from that era. Just by looking at it, you may get the feeling of a rich British gentleman calling the shots as he patrols around his estate. It continues to exude its classiness even until today.

The MG Y-Type was thought of back in 1939, but due to the war, production had to be put on hold until 1947. No effort was spared in designing the interior--the seats were all leather and the trim was wooden such as the door window frames. The headlights were also separately mounted even when most cars were integrating the headlights with the front frame. It also had a front 'suicide door', where the door hinge was fitted at the back instead of towards the front. The name came about due to the higher risk of injury when people got in or out of the car. The YA was powered by a 1250cc XPAG 4-cylinder engine, allowing it to reach a top speed of 115km/h with an acceleration of 33.5 seconds. It was 4.09m long and weighed 1034kg.

Production ended in 1953 with 2 generations of Y-Types produced, of which only 6,131 were YAs like the one in the picture. Based on my knowledge, there are probably around 5 examples here. This specimen could have been present here before Singapore became independent, and the owner could have gotten it registered later on. It is quite surprising that it is still running on normal plates given how old the car is, so the owner must be really passionate about his ride. You should be able to spot it easily--its unique shape gives it away!