THE year 1955 was certainly a milestone for that great British car maker MG.
It was a time when the older style MG drove straight into the history books to be replaced by the amazing MGA which was so good looking it still looks the part by today's standards.
When the MGA arrived it rocked the marque's fans who had been so used to the 1930s' style designs.
The last of the traditional MGs, the TF had made a passable effort to make the old ideas soldier on, but the time had come for a drastic rethink - especially as Triumph was going great guns with its 'modern' TR2.
The MGA's streamlined body was just what the market wanted.
Also packed into the memorabilia cupboard was the old MG engine, replaced by the B-series power unit that had made its debut in the Magnette saloon.
A hint of the future was given as early as 1951 when a re-bodied TD Midget took part in the Le-Mans 24 hour endurance race, so the MGA was not exactly unexpected.
But there were still some links with the past because the chassis was a development of the TD Midget's underworks with more widely spaced side rails to allow for a lower seating position.
This placed the driver and passenger in a better position for sports motoring and lowered the centre of gravity, improving the car's cornering capabilities.
Also clinging to yesteryear were wooden floorboards, many of which rotted away and were replaced on modern survivors by marine ply - except by the perfectionists who had to have new boards made.
A pleasant ride, good roadholding and a top speed of nearly 100mph hyped up the old Abingdon magic and the fans, who had got over their earlier culture shock, loved it.
A coupe with wind-up windows was added and the sales raced far ahead of anything MG had done before.
The car had bolt on steel disc wheels as standard, but centre-locking wire wheels were available as an optional extra
In 1958 a high performance version was added to the range. This was the MGA Twin-Cam, which was essentially aimed at competition use rather than everyday road use.
It provided a power output of around 110bhp which was sufficient to propel it to a maximum speed approaching 115mph. This engine demanded high maintenance and careful handling.
Then came MGA 1600 with disc brakes on the front wheels and by 1959 Abingdon was hard at work producing nothing but sports cars, since the ZB Magnette had been dropped from the range.
The MGA Twin Cam - the highly strung thoroughbred - was dropped from the range in 1960.
A year later the MGA 1600 MkII could easily exceed 100mph. But in 1962, after 101,470 cars were built, the road ended for the MGA and the great MGB was wheeled in.
The B was a more pugnacious looking car and was not as elegant as the A which still had many fans.
Running an MGA is interesting and it certainly has its quirks. For instance, twin six-volt batteries are situated behind the seats and must not be overfilled or escaping acid will cause corrosion and the batteries will literally fall through the floor. The single SU fuel pump can stop without notice but a light tap to the body will often free stuck contact points.
But a little British eccentricity never went amiss in making a classic and this is what the MGA is.