1936 MG PB Brooklands
Some cars became classics because there were so few. MGs became classics even though there were so many. The world’s best known sports car, MGs were already an institution by the 1930s, founder Cecil Kimber having set an industry example of niche marketing followed for the rest of the 20th century and beyond. Rarely expensive or fast, MGs exemplified the sports two-seater in its purest form. An open MG became an aspiration of the young at heart throughout the world; the brand bolstered by a sporting reputation that transcended outright victories. MGs were class winners, as in the 1933 Mille Miglia, or won epic events on handicap like the 1934 TT when the great Tazio Nuvolari drove the splendid K3. MG’s survival in the rough and tumble of the motor industry was testament to a status forged when the charismatic Midget of 1929 lit a spark of enthusiasm throughout an era of MG classics never really extinguished. Absorbed into conglomorates and out again, MG’s industrial history was at best diverse. Its survival for the best part of a century was a testament to the affection it earned among keen skilled drivers who believed in Safety Fast.
It is with great pleasure that we are able to offer this 1936 MG PB MG PB Brooklands race car with extensive history from 1936 to present day.
This fantastic 1936 MG PB is a wonderful example of the MG PB Brooklands concept taken to the extreme. Its fabulous bodywork is hand made in aluminum, taking many styling cues from the works Q-Type racing cars. The body, which was built in Argentina during the car’s time there, has been left in bare alloy for maximum effect, a period touch that would have been used to save weight (consider the weight of a gallon of paint!), allowing one to fully appreciate the craftsmanship through the visible welds, tool marks and exposed rivets. The traditional MG radiator grille sweeps into a louvered bonnet and to the scuttle which is faired to accommodate the steering wheel. The cockpit then flows into a tapered tail, de rigueur for the day. 19-inch wheels are correct for the car, and finished in an attractive shade of dark red that complements the interior and provides some color against the bare polished body. Cycle wings are held in place with simple steel brackets, and the rear section of the tail is hinged for access to the battery and fuel cell. The body is adorned with myriad period details including correct P-type headlamps, twin quick-release fuel fillers, a single side-mount spare with leather straps, leather bonnet hold-down straps, a correct-style faired-in rear view mirror, Brooklands Aeroscreen, mesh radiator stone guard, and a fabulous period-correct styled supercharger fairing with the MG octagon logo proudly presented.
The camshaft, driven by two sets of bevel gears via a vertically mounted dynamo armature shaft, operated two lines of valves, with stem tips inclined inwards, through light rockers. In its ultimate stage of development, blown at 28psi, the willing little Midget motor gave 113 bhp at 7200 rpm in the 750 cc Q-Type – 145 bhp per litre. Later, with a privately fitted twin-cam head, the same engine was bench tested to give nearly 160 bhp. The three-bearing PB Brooklands units were the only pre-war engines marketed with a guarantee to cover the use of a supercharger, provided no more than 6 lb boost was used. And after years of “automotive development”, the output of a standard PB was equal to that of the then new MG PB Brooklands.
“55 mph seems only a gentle amble on the Midget in spite of the engine turning over at 4000 rpm, but when a call comes for full speed ahead there is plenty in hand and the little car gets up to 60 and even 65 quite readily on short stretches of road. Where winding roads are encountered, of course, full use of the gearbox is needed for maximum performance, and the conveniently placed gear lever and light clutch give one every encouragement. The engine spins up promptly when changing down, a valuable feature when trying to maintain momentum on a trials hill.”
Representing the final development of the classic overhead cam, MG PB Brooklands embodies all the very best of the breed and is truly Safety Fast!
