Whilst checking my copy of the original MG Spares List for the ‘K’ type I was quite astonished to see that the price of a type 75 ENV gearbox (minus the operating pedal !) was £80.6.0.an enormous sum for that period, I think.
The price of a complete engine is not listed but the cost would be quoted ‘on application’
In a thread some months back, John Emmett calculated that one pound in the early/mid 1930s was equivalent to about £60 today. So about £5K in today's money for the box.
I thought I saw in a period MG ad for the N type that if it was ordered as an option it was 25 pounds... unfortunately I can't put my had on the ad....
That's life isn't it. Not long ago, in the summer, I brought a new crankshaft and con rods and one con rod cost moe than the car did originally!!
But on the other hand my state pension is a lot more now than I was earning when I was married in 1972, and paying a mortgage at about 12% interest and all the household expenses.
The original (1934) spare parts list for the N-type lists a standard gearbox at £21. These were mass produced and didn't incorporate any difficult engineering or assembly issues. In this context, the more complex and specialised preselector box at £80 doesn't seem unreasonable. The preselector price of £25 as an option seems a pretty good deal but this would have been instead of the standard box. Probably a good mark-up on high-end 'extras' - exactly what dealers do today.
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Posted - 24/11/2017 : 01:04:45
