Description

Chief photographer of “Autosport Magazine” magazine, George (Spud) Phillips decided he wanted to go racing and purchased a MG TC in 1947, Not satisfied with the performance he tuned the engine to over 100 horsepower and duly finished 2nd in class at the Brighton Speed Trials. Thus encouraged, in the winter of 1947, he had fitted a lightweight Aluminium Lester body, saving around 400lbs weight.In the 1948 BRDC Manx Cup race at Douglas, Isle of Man he then placed 4th overall, before another 4th in the Ulster Trophy at Dundrod and 4th yet again in the Paris 12-Hours at Monthlery. He then won his class in the inaugural Goodwood Meeting that September, before securing an entry for the Le Mans 24-Hour race, he received a thick book from the ACO containing all the rules and regulations for the car, Written in French! Having called in some favours, George was lucky enough to persuade a local French teacher to translate the whole book into English. George was then lucky to be introduced to North London panel specialist Ted Goodwin. Working through the winter of 1948/9, the two chaps created a bespoke lightweight Le Mans-regulation body for the MG in 20-gauge aluminium, supported by a lightweight frame. Squadron-Leader Ronald Maura 'Curly' Dryden co-drove with Phillips at Le Mans, where practice confirmed fuel consumption of around 22mpg, so the little car's special 16-gallon tank would permit comfortable four-hour driver stints. George recalled in particular how "Tyre wear was non-existent, so I could see us completing the race on one set of tyres, provided, of course, we didn't get any punctures”. The car went on to compete at Le Mans in 1949 (sadly disqualified due to Phillips' co-driver Curly Dryden giving his mechanic a lift back to the pits during the race) and 1950 when the car gloriously completed the 24 hours, not missing a beat and completing 1,760 miles at an average speed of 73 mph, having used "no water, 1 pint of oil, got around 24 miles to the gallon, and were still on the original tyres. Finishing 2nd in the class to a special works Racing Jowett Jupiter - A stunning achievement for a private entry with almost no team support and no budget ! The George Phillips' MG TC Special continued competing in a number of events, before entering into the French Grand Prix at Comminges. Phillips exploits at Le Mans brought him to the close attention of the MG factory. General manager Syd Enever offered support to Phillips for the following years Le Mans entry. The only platform available at the time was the MG TD. Phillips and Enever, came up with a streamlined body which was fitted on a fairly standard TD chassis. This was very much and unofficial MG works entry and the car had to be hidden within the Abingdon factory when senior managers from the Nuffield group visited the 'racing' department. The car itself unofficially designated EX176 went on to form the basis of the famous MGA model, This car proved less successful than the original ‘George Phillips Le Mans Special’. Sadly the original ‘George Phillips Le Mans Special’ was destroyed in an accident however this incredibly detailed replica was painstakingly reproduced following three years of research working from Black and White photos from the George Phillips family private photo collection to pay tribute to the original car, George Phillips himself and one of the great MG Le Mans stories. The original car went through several changes in appearance while it was raced and developed, including ‘Le Mans scruntineers’ ever-changing demands – This example was built with a mixture of 1949 and 1950 features and currently carries the 1950 Le Mans race number ‘39’. ASV 285 was built on an original 1947 MG TC chassis (Chassis TC3940 having its own 'provenance' as a successful, class winning race car within to the MGCC T Register Race Series), Using all period-correct components, the Lightweight aluminium bodywork was carefully recreated by well known vintage MG expert Steve Gilbert, The mechanicals were rebuilt to race specification by world renowned expert George Edney (XPAG Engineering) to include Race specification engine built to be raced in endurance racing at Le Mans etc (Billet steel crank, Corelli type rods and specially made pistons, Fast road George Edney cam, Head ported and polished), Everything about the engine was built to be strong, fast and be driven hard if raced, Special sump baffling, Special oil pick up, Lightweight flywheel, Racing clutch, Gearbox built for racing at Le Mans, Stronger mounting brackets etc. 8/37 diff giving a final drive ratio of 4.33333/1 built to withstand racing at Le Mans, Restored Smiths/Jaeger 120 mph speedo with trip reset plus Tachometer (Chronometric Instrument Services), Battery cut off switch, Le Mans fuel filler cap, 19” wire wheels. Complete with provenance file including an April 2025 ‘Classic MG Magazine’ article featuring ASV 285 and its build. This impeccable recreation of the MG TC ‘George Phillips Le Mans Special’ race car is in “As new” condition in every respect having done minimal 'shake down' miles and is eligible for the world’s most prestigious classic car races, such as Le Mans Classic and Goodwood Revival.