http://www.mgenthusiast.com MGE AUGUST 2019^29
NO, YOU DON’T UNDERSTAND,” ARNOLT
PROTESTED, WHEN PRESENTED WITH THE TERMS.
“I WANT TO BUY 200 OF THESE CARS.
skills that were on ready display
for much of his professional life.
An inveterate showman, with a
sharp eye for publicity, Wacky first
achieved a measure of fame when he
crossed Lake Michigan in a 13-foot
skiff in 1938. It was powered by a
small engine that he had recently
purchased the right to produce.
Wacky made a fortune during the
Second World War when the United
States Navy decided to use that
power plant in a number of coastal
patrol craft, allowing him to indulge
in motorsports once peace returned.
Eager to exploit America’s love for
British cars, Wacky soon established
a dealership in Chicago for MG,
Morris and Riley, which soon became
part of the largest foreign car chain
in the Midwest. Always looking for
new business opportunities, Wacky’s
future changed when he arrived at the
Turin Auto Show in 1952. Captivated
by the sight of two special-bodied
MG TDs, built on second-hand
chassis, at the Bertone stand, Arnolt
approached Giuseppe ‘Nuccio’
Bertone to enquire about the vehicles
on display, anxious to learn more.
Having suffered a significant
downturn in business following the
war, Bertone had started to fabricate
bespoke coachwork for a number
of standard models, hoping to sell
them at a price that could keep his
small firm in business. Attired in an
ensemble that was straight out of the
Old West, complete with a cowboy hat,
boots and matching suit, Arnolt looked
the part of an eccentric businessman
but Bertone likely didn’t care much
when presented with the opportunity
to sell both of the show cars.
“No, you don’t understand,” Arnolt
protested, when presented with the
terms. “I want to buy 200 of these
cars.” It did not take long for the
pair to hammer out a deal, which
would see rolling chassis sent from
England to Italy for mating with the
custom bodies, which were then
dispatched to the United States for
final trimming. Looking far more
modern than the traditional TD
on which it was based, the Arnolt-
MGs were fitted with handsome
enclosed or open coachwork, which
had been designed as a cooperative
effort between Bertone, Franco
Scaglioni and Giovanni Michelotti,
who would later become famous for
his work with BMW and Triumph.
Although the heavier bodywork
exacted a severe performance penalty,
the increased comfort and refinement
more than offset the loss, resulting
in an attractive grand touring car
with reliable British running gear and
handsome Italian styling. Despite
respectable consumer demand, the
Arnolt-MG had a relatively short
lifespan, brought to an early demise
after Abingdon determined that the
hassle of shipping rolling chassis
to Italy was not worth the effort
given the small quantities involved.
After it had been introduced to the
American public at the 1953 New
York Auto Show, Arnolt managed
to build 103 examples, 67 with
enclosed bodies and the remainder
as convertibles, before turning his
attention to the more fashionable
and faster Arnolt-Bristol sports car.
Given those numbers, about 10%
of the entire production run was
arrayed before me in Greenwich,
spanning the gamut from Wacky’sown Coupé that had covered fewer
than 2,500 miles since it was built,
the example displayed at the New
York Auto Show, a recently restored
convertible and a pair of remarkably
original cars that have been lovingly
tended to by their owners. Even
with such automotive luminaries in
attendance, my favourite has to be
the black Coupé owned by David and
Nicole West that had been driven
down 600 miles from Toronto, Canada,
on its own wheels, a feat that the car
accomplishes with some regularity.
In fact, after speaking with several
of the owners, many of whom have
very large collections, most of these
Arnolt-MGs see far more regular
service than most classic cars. Partly
due to their practicality, offering
comfortable accommodation and
plenty of luggage room, but their
attractiveness certainly plays a role,
looking like nothing else on the
road, particularly at the affordable
end of the coachbuilt marketplace.
It is a small part of the MG story
but an important one nonetheless.
I was thrilled to cross paths with
so many fine examples. Here’s to
finding more in the future. JNDavid and Nicole West’s
Coupé which they praise
for comfort and reliability.This was
Wacky’s car.