MG J2

This is a photograph I took in June 1987 at a 'Vintage & Historic Vehicle Display & Run' organised by Saddleworth Museum. It was taken at the King George V Playing Fields in Uppermill.

The car is a 1931 MG J2 and the programme of the event says this about the car:

1931 MG, 1275cc, 6 cyl, JW 3166. Rare model MG. Restored by owner and wife from box of bits.

The names of the owner and his wife aren't given, but I have found a reference to the car in the MG bulletin of 20 September 2009 bulletin of the Triple-M Register (which is part of the MG Car Club) and in 2009 the car was owned by Steve Clarke.

Wikipedia says this about the J2:

'The J2, a road-going two-seater, was the commonest car in the range. Early models had cycle wings, which were replaced in 1933 by the full-length type typical of all sports MGs until the 1950s TF. The top speed of a standard car was 65 mph (105 km/h), but a specially prepared one tested by The Autocar magazine reached 82 mph (132 km/h). The car cost £199.

The most serious of the J2's technical failings is that has only a two-bearing crankshaft, which can break if over-revved. The overhead camshaft is driven by a vertical shaft through bevel gears, which also forms the armature of the dynamo. Thus any oil leak from the cambox seal goes into the dynamo brushgear, presenting a fire hazard.

Rather than hydraulic brakes the car has Bowden cables to each drum. Although requiring no more pedal force than any other non-power-assisted drum brake if they are well maintained, the drums themselves are small, and even in period it was a common modification to replace them with larger drums from later models.'