In 1953, a partnership was formed between an industrialist named Stanley Harold "Wacky" Arnolt and various car manufacturers around the world. The end goal was for Wacky to be able to develop a number of unique looking vehicles and market them as being American. One such partnership was with MG and even though the actual partnership did not last as long as Wacky had hoped, these cars are still talked about today because of the unique look that they featured.
Around this time, an increasing number of Americans were purchasing European sports cars. This was made possible by the world slowly forming a global economy after the Second World War. The problem with many of these imported vehicles, however, was that they only had room for two people, which went against the American ideal of taking your family with you everywhere. Because of this, Wacky had himself a golden opportunity to get involved in the production of cars, since he could develop sports cars that could accommodate an entire family.
Since Wacky was already a pretty wealthy individual, he had the money to begin working on this project immediately. The problem, however, is that he would need to form partnerships with companies like MG in order to produce these vehicles. Wacky was a very smart man who had a degree in mechanical engineering, so he knew exactly what he would need in order to produce these cars and he went ahead and started the process immediately. The money that Wacky had was a direct result of the war, as he was able to secure some contracts with the military to produce lifeboats for their ships. Basically, he had a lot of money to put into these vehicles and he wanted to make sure that everything was done right.
When Wacky first was an MG produced automobile, he immediately wanted to purchase one himself, as well as become a distributor of these vehicles. He was eventually able to become a distributor and he even began selling his own accessories in order to make a little bit of extra money from the situation. In 1952, Wacky attended an auto show in Turin, Italy and this was a major turning point in the production of these cars. While in Turin, Wacky saw two MG vehicles and he immediately ordered 200 of them to sell in the United States. This impressed G Nuccio Bertone, who owned MG, to the point where the two men were able to form a partnership. This partnership was about more than cars, as something entirely different was created. These new cars featured British mechanical specifications, an Italian body, and was all driven by Wacky's money and business sense.
These cars ended up having a long hood, a short tail, and a lower than average body, with wire based wheels. The cars turned out looking great and they were an immediate hit with coupe lovers because of the extra room. Many people loves that these vehicles could hold four people, which is the exact reason that Wacky developed these cars in the first place and was the reason why Wacky believed that they would eventually become very popular in the United States.
These vehicles were marketed as a more luxurious type of sports car, as they had wind-up windows and a top of the line heater. They also had special features like a tachometer and speedometer that were not always found in vehicles during this era. The cost of these cars varied, although the most expensive version was about $3100. That was not a lot of money in those days for a luxury car, especially one that had the Italian body design that has become so popular.
Even though 200 of these cars were ordered, MG stopped supplying the parts after only 100 were built. This makes these vehicles rare collector's items that are worth a lot of money. This definitely could have been an idea that changed the way American cars are built, but MG wanted to focus on its own production and, therefore, could no longer be of service to Wacky. These vehicles are truly unique specimens and if you ever have the chance to see one, make sure that you check it out.
