... a car he can only describe as being and
MG and looking like an austin america.
The Austin America was a follow-on to the MG 1100.
He
says the 2 cars share the same drivetrain and interior.
I doubt they truly share either, but I'm speaking as a former MG 1100
driver who has no real experience with Minis (although I did see a
"little old lady driving one in Clearwater, FL earlier this month!).
They might share a drivetrain, in the sense that both use derivatives
of the same engine (the Mini included, I believe, an 849cc engine,
while the MG 1100 used the 1049cc version of the Spridget engine). I
doubt they share the interior; e.g., the MG 1100 has a dashboard.
The MG 1100 is enough larger than a Mini - roughly the size of a VW
Rabbit or Honda Civic (early model year) to be a "real" car, in which
one can take as many as three adult friends (as well as oneself) for a
drive. If MG had begun importing them a few years later, perhaps
during one of the oil embargos of the early 70s, they might have been
more of a success.
Naaahhh...
- Ralph
|