Description
Just arrived at The Garage!
1955 Lester MG
Garage owner and wizard tuner of MG cars, Harry Lester enjoyed much success in sports car races during the late 1940’s and 1950’s. During 1949 he designed and built his own car, using a rigid tubular chassis fitted with a lightweight aluminium body powered by an MG ‘XPAG’ engine - this being the unit of choice for many club racers during that period.
This car was to prove highly successful, and a trio of amateur racers decided to form a team and commissioned Harry Lester to build a car for each of them, together with a spare.
Known as ‘The Monkey Stable’ the team enjoyed considerable success during their first year, 1952, one particular highlight being winning the team prize at the first 9 hours race at Goodwood.
Offered here is the last car build by Lester using the tubular ‘T51’ chassis layout and the only one to use MG TD running gear. It was used as a road-going sports car until the mid 1960’s, by which time it resided in Devon. Discovered in poor condition in 1975, it was rescued and rebuilt with a glass fibre body based on the aluminium original.
For the next 10 years the car was used for sprints and hill climbs, sporting widened wheels and with the engine bored to 1466cc.
The current owner acquired the car some 32 years ago with the intention of racing with the MG Car Club T Register, and, as so often happens, the intended ‘quick tidy up’ soon became a total rebuild!
During the process, the car was converted to wire wheels, the chassis underwent minor repairs and the original engine was rebuilt with larger valves an a full-race camshaft.
A new aluminium body was built to the original one-piece design, this being undertaken by Mick Clarke of Iden Green, Kent and repainted in Jaguar racing green.
The car finally made its racing debut at the MGCC Silverstone meeting in June 1998. Since then numerous events have been entered with many successes. The most recent outing was at Gurston Down in September 2019.
Included are a substantial file of bills, along with an MOT certificate valid until 4/ 3/ 26, full technical data sheet, a Dyno Dynamics Dynamometer printout, 2 albums of photos detailing the restoration are also supplied.
There is also a copy of the Book ‘Harry Lester, his cars & The Monkey Stable’
The car is also totally road legal and drives very well indeed. She raced at Goodwood Revival and Brands Hatch. She also hill climbed at Prescott (amongst many other locations).
Quick photos taken as she arrived in the rain with some historic race photos. More detailed photographs and a video will be updated shortly.
For more information and to arrange your appointment to view, please call us on the details below or the details below or email us at using the button below
All appointments by prior arrangement only.
