Offered for sale is an absolutely gorgeous, all numbers matching, comprehensively and exceptionally well restored, award winning 1959 MGA Twin Cam Roadster. It is without hyperbole that we can say that this true factory example – one of only 1,801 produced – is undoubtedly one of the very finest, most correct Twin Cam Roadsters in existence. Restored in the U.K. over a three-year period by former owner Francis “Ron” Neal and marque expert Peter Wood, the car has won Junior, Senior, Grand National and Senior Grand National AACA (Antique Automobile Club of America) awards, as well as the AACA Selwyn F. Edge Award for outstanding restoration of the year of a foreign made automobile entered into a national event.

We could provide you a history lesson on the MGA Twin Cam, but if you’re a serious buyer for this car we’d guess that you’re well aware of its genesis, rarity and mechanical upgrades over the standard pushrod engine cars. If that’s not the case, please feel free to let us know and we can send you any and all information that we have available. Also worth noting, while there are 24 pictures here, we have a number of additional pictures that can provided upon request.

Little is known of the car’s early history, however it had been sitting in dry storage for many years before Mr. Neal came upon it, acquiring it from a gentleman in Raleigh, North Carolina in July of 1985. A naval officer at the time, Mr. Neal purchased the car as a project that, while entirely complete, rust-free and original would require a comprehensive restoration: the perfect hobby for days off wherever he was stationed. By the autumn of 1986, that was to be in the U.K. and he arranged for the Twin Cam to be shipped to Holy Loch, Scotland aboard a U.S. Navy TAK, the kind of ship that carries ballistic missiles for the Navy’s submarines. An amusing situation to picture, we lament the fact that no photographs were taken during the loading or unloading at the port.

Upon receiving the car in Holy Loch, Mr. Neal had it to lorried to Twyford, Bucks, the location of Peter Wood’s shop. A longtime MG enthusiast, restorer and marque expert, Mr. Neal had found him through the MG club when he’d received his assignment in England. After some discussion of Mr. Neal’s somewhat uncommon request, it was determined that Mr. Wood would handle all of the mechanical aspects of the restoration, as well as provide supervision of the disassembly and reassembly work that Mr. Neal wanted to do himself. Over the next three years, Mr. Neal would rise early every Saturday morning, making the three hour drive to Twyford, arriving by 8:00am so that he and Mr. Wood could put in a full day’s work. By the summer of 1989 the car was nearing completion and the body and panels were all sent out to a well-regarded shop in Oxford for a complete factory correct finish in the car’s original Old English White. The interior was entirely re-trimmed in all correct materials, including the black leather Competition Deluxe seats, accented with white piping. A correct top was also fitted and new side curtains were ordered.

With the original, numbers matching mechanicals fully rebuilt and sorted and dozens of correct OEM part replacements, the car was finally up and running in November of 1989, coinciding nicely with Mr. Neal’s return to the States. The car was delivered to the Ipswitch terminal for shipment to Mr. Neal’s home town of Charleston, South Carolina. Over the years of working towards a common goal, the two men had developed a close friendship and Mr. Neal fondly recalls those weekends in Twyford as some of the happiest of his life, something intangible that translates directly into the quality level of the car’s restoration. This was truly a labor a love and the amount of care taken and attention to detail paid is evident in every nook and cranny.

Their labors would be rewarded when, in late 1991 and 1992 Mr. Neal decided to begin entering the car into a variety of shows and concours events. Both a fan and judge favorite, the car collected a bevy of awards and honors, the most significant of course being the AACA Senior Grand National and Grand National First Prize Awards and the S. F. Edge Award. Until he parted with the car in 1998, it was a trailer queen, used only sparingly and provided the ample care one would expect of a prideful owner. He sold the car Michael Grosso, a nearby acquaintance and collector who Mr. Neal knew would share his respect for the car and provide it a good home. Mr. Gross did just that, maintaining the same level of care and hardly using it throughout his 16 years of subsequent ownership. In fact, since the completion of the car’s restoration, fewer than 200 miles have been put on the car.

We acquired the car from Mr. Grosso in a trade for another incredibly honest and desirable British classic. Upon its arrival at our facility, the best way I can think to describe the car’s current condition is as follows: Picture yourself taking delivery of a gleaming new MGA directly off the showroom floor in 1959, enjoying the hell out of it for a few weeks and about 200 miles, then putting it in your moisture free garage for 20 years and having it detailed and maintained every so often. Despite the years that have rolled by, the car would present as virtually new, and that is the case with this exceptional Twin Cam.

As one would imagine following years of hardly any use, the car needed to be mechanically “woken up” and a Twin Cam is no simple machine. We turned to Roy Miller of East West Motors here in Santa Barbara. Semi-retired with more than 40 years of experience working on British marques of the era, Mr. Miller is also a Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance preservation class judge and the chief judge at the Palos Verdes Concour. Needless to say, he’s been entirely through the car and gives it his full blessing, both mechanically and in terms of its restoration quality. His work has revived this nimble little roadster and it’s an absolute joy to drive with crisp shifting, tight handling, and even and ample stopping force from its Dunlop brakes. The car pulls strongly through each of its gears, offering a spirited, visceral and entirely grin-inducing experience from behind the wheel.

Mr. Miller, Mr. Grosso and Mr. Neal have all agreed to make themselves available to serious buyers with any specific questions. Mr. Neal also owned another Twin Cam, a Mineral Blue 1959 Model that’s currently for sale at F40 Motorsports in Connecticut. While he certainly enjoyed owning that car as well, he described this example as being infinitely better restored and correct. Both RM Auctions and Gooding and Co. have expressed interest in including the car in their Pebble Beach week sales in August, but we’ve decided to offer it here through July 1^st.

We want this car to go to great home and would be happy to further discuss it and answer any questions, so please feel free to email us or call us at 805-202-4557.

We’ve always had an appreciation for classic European cars and over the years have created an eclectic personal collection. We only buy cars that we’d personally be interested in owning and generally only sell them to make room for other acquisitions. That time has come for this MG (if the price is right, of course – this isn’t a fire sale). We try to give accurate descriptions of the cars we’re selling, but we’re enthusiasts, not experts, and we encourage and are happy to help facilitate personal or professional inspections. But please do so before bidding, as the alternative harms our ability to make sales to other interested parties who have done their proper due diligence before bidding.

For U.S. buyers a 10% non-refundable deposit is required within 3 days of the auction’s end, the balance to be paid within 7 days of the auction’s end. Foreign buyers must pay in full within 7 business days of the auction’s end. Buyer is responsible for shipping, however we’d be more that happy to help with recommendations and arrangements. The car is listed locally and we reserve the right to end the auction at any time should it sell prior to auction’s end. Thanks for your interest.