1934 MG K3

British generosity, racing enthusiasm and business savvy is what it took to create the K3 Magnette.

The British sponsor was a Lord Howe, a racer of  all vehicles European, who was anxious to get behind the wheel of something English. The enthusiast was MG chief engineer Cecil Kimber, who ardently believed racing improved the breed. The businessman was Sir William Morris, owner of the MG Car Company, who thought the best publicity was someone racing his cars without the cost to him. In 1932, when Lord Howe proposed that if MG would build three racing versions of its Magnette, he would sponsor a team for the Mille Miglia. Kimber and Sir William readily agreed. Six months later, the K3's finished the famed Italian road race one-two in class, winning the team prize, a first for a non-Italian marque. The K3 Magnette was among the finest sports/racing machines of its time.  Anyone could buy one – only ₤795 directly from an MG catalog. Few competition cars were so readily available. Few more than 30 MG K3s were built, a figure dwarfed by the legion of victories the car enjoyed and its significance in motor sport history. Many historians regard the K3 Magnette as the quintessential small sports car of the between wars era. I saw one of these beautiful vehicles in Naples Florida at the esteemed Revs Institute. I and every other MG enthusiast wants one. A beautiful rendition has been engraved into a 2'X2"x3" block of crystal and will enhance any desk, clubhouse, library or workshop. This is basically an item for the Connoisseur of all things MG to splurge extravagantly and enjoy.