Classic & Sports Car - December 2015 UK

December 2015 Classic&SportsCar 117

an Englishcar was first acrossthe finishingline,”
said Howeto the press.And that was just the
beginningfor K3003,Nuvolarilatertaking
it to victoryin the UlsterTT.
The car’sidentitywas mysteriouslysplit in the
’30s when it wassold to Germanywith areplace-
ment frame – also stamped K3003 – having been
rebuiltaftera crashenrouteto ShelsleyWalsh.
The saga wasn’t discovereduntilthe early’50s,
whenMikeEllman-Browneacquireda bodiless
K3projectandhad forensicspecialistsanalysethe
chassisnumbers.The restorationof the genuine
K3003provedto be beyondEllman-Browneand
eventually, in the early’70s,he sold the MG to
PhilipBayne-Powellwho did an impressivejob.
The car wenton to becomea popularsightat
MGOCand VSCCmeetingsand Bayne-Powell
reuniteda 78-year-oldEystonwithit for an
emotionaldrivearoundBrandsHatchin 1975.
In 1986,K3003was sold to AustralianMG
enthusiastPeterBriggs,who competedexten-
sivelyin racesand ralliesDownUnder. In
preparationfor the 80th-anniversarycelebration
of the car’s historicMilleMigliaperformance,

K3003was totallyrebuiltby JohnHuntingin

2012 – the crisplittle‘six’ goingon to rasp

aroundthe famousrouteto the delightof the

localsduringthe 2013retrospective.

Whatis arguablythe mostfamousMG of all

finallyreturnedto the UK this year to attendthe

Concoursof Elegancein Edinburgh.Beforeit

was shippedbackedto Australia,we hatchedthe

idea with Briggsand historianGraemeCocksof

takingit to PennHouseas a tributeto Howe.

To seetheimmaculatesuperchargedK3parked

outsidethe 18th-centuryred-brickmanorwhere

its legendaryItaliansortiewas plannedwas a

specialmoment.FrederickCurzon,the seventh

EarlHowe,evenallowedus to carryout the

hugeGrandPrix of BresciaTrophythat his great

unclehad cartedbackfromthe MilleMiglia.

There’s a goodchancethatthe K3s were

testedon Howe’s privatedriveway, and K3003is

perfectlysuitedto the narrowand challenging

mile-longcoursefromthe maingateto the

house.The mindbogglesat the impressivecars

and braveaces whomusthaveroaredup this

narrowstripof tarmacbut, as I climbin behind

the broadfour-spokewheeland dropinto the

hip-huggingbucketseat,my mindis conjuring

the famousItalianrace and that epic 18-hourtest.

Authenticallyrestoredrightdownto the Jaeger

clockthatLuranifittedto the dashand the

distinctiveMarchalfoglightsthat Briggstracked

downin Holland,number39 is a fine testament

to the teamthat developedit in just 20 weeks.

“Don’t be afraidto use the revs,”encourages

BriggsbeforeI tear off downthe shaded,damp

driveway. Aftera few runs,I’m totallysmitten

withthis 1087ccmarvel.TheENV75 pre-

selectorgearboxis a joy to workvia the stubby

lever, allowingyou to keepbothhandson the

wheelthroughcornersbeforedippingthe pedal

to engagethe next ratioand lettingthat sweet

blown ‘six ’ eage rly poweraway. From3000rpm,

the enginereallysings,accompaniedby a

gorgeouslycrispexhaustcrackleas it delivers

its addictivemid-rangepunch.

The’box makesthe K3 an easy car to drive

and, with the sure-footedhandlingof the sturdy

chassis,it’s superbfun to blastalongHowe’s

hometest track.The steeringlacksprecision,

but the neutralbalanceand revvymotorcontin-

uallyinspire.The brakesare strong,and only the

roughersectionscausethe MG to skip about.

Sittinglow insidethe cockpit,the superblybuilt

K3 feelsmoremodernthanits age – the close

proximityof treesis all that limitsmy speedin

this wonderfulthoroughbred.

Considerthat Howehad alreadyownedthe

greatestpre-warsportsand racingcars, and you

cometo realisehowspecialthe K3 was to

engagehis interest.Nuvolari,Eyston,Birkin

and RichardSeamanwerealso fans,whichsays

it all aboutthis marvellousmachine.

‘FROM3000RPM,THE

ENGINEREALLYSINGS

ASITDELIVERSITS

ADDICTIVEPUNCH’

Clockwise:dramatic

outsideexhaustproduces

incrediblesoundtrack;

neatpre-selectorlever

andbrake adjuster;twin

quick-releasefuelfillers