1961 MG MGA 1600 RESTORATION

Part 1: A Small Project Goes Big

This 1961 MG MGA 1600 originally came in for us to sell, and was a very nice, but older restoration. We never imagined that the buyer would decide to do a customization with the car, wanting it to look like a race car. What started off as a quick job turned into a full cosmetic restoration. We performed a color change to a custom color mix chosen by the client. We removed and smoothed out all of the bumpers, hand making a cut-down windshield like would have been used for racing, making a custom alloy dash board, and a making a full color change to the upholstery. The car was very beautiful to start with, but now that it’s finished...it’s amazing!

Part 2: Taking Care of Business

We smoothed over the front bumper and Austin-Healey Sprite bumpers were installed on the rear to give it a great racing look. Ken’s Body Shop did an excellent job on the paint and body as usual, and we were very pleased with the color our customer chose. It is a non-original color, but this is a non-original car, so we feel it fits very well.

We made the cut-down windshield and custom alloy dashboard. Once all that was done, the car was on its way to the upholstery shop for all new custom upholstery. At this point, the car was starting to look very cool and we couldn’t wait to get it back on the road!

Part 3: The Finished Product

The restoration came out fantastic and we’re very pleased with the results. Ken’s Body Shop did a great job on the paint and body like always. The custom color works really well with the speedster look the customer was going for. We made a custom windshield for this car that is styled after a period accessory that was available for MGAs. We also made a custom allow dashboard using water jet technology that also works very well with the look and feel of the car. This car turns heads wherever it goes and our client could not be happier with the finished product.