MEET THE OWNER – JOHN LANGFORD AND HIS TWO MG MAGNETTE FARINAS

To own one MG Magnette ‘Farina’ would be a sufficient distinction for many a classic car enthusiast – but not John Langford. We recently featured his white 1964 example, which is stunning in appearance and one of the rarest post-war cars to wear the famous Octagon badge. The original Mk. III version debuted in 1959, followed by the facelifted Mk. IV two years later, with production ending in 1968. Compared with its Austin, Morris, Riley and Wolseley stablemates, the MG seemed the most exclusive of BMC’s ‘1 ½-litre’ family, despite their extensive advertising. There were also attempts at product placement, including the hilariously dire 1963 B-film Shadow of Fear. Note how the villains’ Mk. IV suddenly gains a Jaguar E-Type dashboard in mid-chase:

The MG-badged ‘Farina’ may have been a slow seller, but today it has a devoted following from owners who appreciate its charm and air of dignity. John came by his second Mk. IV, a 1967 model, earlier this year, and he recalls:

I had known the gentleman for about six years through the Cambridge-Oxford Owners’ Club and bought items off him. When I first saw the green Magnette, I asked him for the first refusal if he ever decided to sell it. Last August, I went to see him to purchase some more spares, and I again asked about buying the MG. He said he hadn’t used it for the last two years and now was getting near the time to sell, but he needed more time. There followed a few more phone calls and negotiations, but his wife told me he had sadly passed away when I called in December. I was quite upset as he was such a lovely guy who had owned the car for 48 years and attended many shows gaining wins along the way. She asked me to give her some time and get her head together, and in mid-March, the phone call came that I was waiting for – ‘Do you still want to buy ‘Maggie’?’. I said, ‘yes please’ and went and picked it up the following weekend.

The Magnette’s brakes had seized at that time, but John managed to get it rolling and aboard a lorry. “Once home, I connected the battery and Maggie returned to life. I have done some light recommissioning and a good polish. This week, I took her for an MOT which she passed with flying colours”. He also regards the Connaught Green paintwork as “very stylish”, and in other respects “the two MGs are much the same. The only difference is that the white one is a total nut and bolt restoration. The green one is original apart from a waist down respray many years ago - and many people like that originality”.

John plans to take the green Magnette together with his white MG ‘Ava’ to events in order to “show off their beauty”. Naturally, they both mesmerised visitors to Brooklands during a recent outing for, as one advertisement put it – “Of course it’s superior. Nice to be able to say it’s yours”.

With Thanks To – John Langford