MG C-type

The roots of the C-type lie in EX120, a special M-Type prepared for racing driver George Eyston to break the 750 cc 24-hour record at the Autodrome de Montlhéry in France. When Eyston succeeded, MG distilled the competition recipe into a limited production run sold as the C-type from 1931 to 1932. A natural evolutionary step, it sat chronologically between the MG M-type Midget and the later MG Q-type.

Compact and feather-light, the C-type measured just 3 327 mm overall and only 1 327 mm across the body. At 732 kg it was lighter than most rivals, permitting the small-capacity engine to punch above its class. No doors, cycle-type wings and minimal coachwork defined the purposeful look aimed squarely at amateur racers and club events.

Built solely for speed, the C-type carried the engineering lessons of EX120 to weekend racers who prized reliability under duress. Though production ended after little more than a year, it cemented MG’s reputation for affordable, race-ready machinery and directly influenced the specification of MG’s next sporting derivative, the Q-type.