FAB WHEELS DIGEST (F.W.D.): Arnolt MG by Bertone (1953-55)

Stanley H. Arnolt was an American enthusiast, industrialist and businessman who had a Chicago-based MG, Riley, and Morris distributorship. In 1952 he was captivated by an MG TD bodied by Bertone. A fortuitous meeting with Bertone at the Turin Auto Show in 1952 resulted in four collaborative efforts between Arnolt and Bertone. The first was the Arnolt-MG, a four-seater Bertone-bodied car based on the MG TD chassis and XPAG 54 hp engine. The doors, hood, and engine lid were made of aluminum, and the body was welded to the chassis rather than being bolted. The cars were generally fitted with the standard 1250cc engines, though a small number of cars were fitted with the 1500cc MG TF engine.

The Arnolt MG was designed by Giovanni Bertone, his son Nuccio, and Giovanni Michelotti. A production of 200 cars was planned. These Arnolt sponsored models cost about a third more than a standard MG TD. Unfortunately MG phased out the TD chassis and engines in favor of the new TF before the 200 models were made. 103 have been documented as built between 1953 and 1954 (67 coupes and 36 convertibles). Some of the Arnolt-MG cars have a grill with vertical bars while others have a mesh-type grill. (rmauctions.com, wikipedia, coachbuild.com, stevemckelvie.wordpress.com & hymanltd.com)