MG 'Old Number One'

This car was one of the vehicles on display at the Heritage Motor Centre's Roadshow at the Coys International Historic Festival meeting at Silverstone in July 1995.

Known as 'Old Number One', it's not the first MG to be built, but apparently it's the first one to be built with the purpose of competing in motor sports events. The Morris Cowley bullnose origin of the car is evident and you can read here the MG Owners' Club story of the car.

When the British Leyland Motor Corporation was set up in 1968 it was decided to find out how many old vehicles were held by the various companies which were part of the new Corporation. Nearly 100 were found and in 1975 Leyland Historic Vehicles was formed to maintain this fleet of vehicles. The British Motor Heritage Trust was formed in 1983 which then led to the Heritage Motor Centre museum at Gaydon being opened in 1993. In 2000 the trust expanded to include the whole of the British motor industry and the museum now has a collection of nearly 300 vehicles, and after a major refurbishment in 2015/16 it reopened as the British Motor Museum.