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The MGA was a complete departure from the MG sports cars of before. It is this fact that gave it its name. MG had gone through the alphabet and decided that starting over at A would signify that its new car was a thouroughly modern machine. Although Syd Enever and his design team had worked on the MGA prototype since 1951, it was never given any thought until sales of the TD began to sag. By 1954, however, BMC management finally gave the MGA the full go- ahead and slated production to begin in 1955. The introduction of this car was a full-blown event, as sales began the day after the 24 hours of Lemans race in June. The three cars entered in the race did well, earning 5th and 6th place. The remaining car crashed. Overall, the race was a success, as the car's race-bred heritage and high-speed reliability could be utilized in advertisements. The first MGA model introduced was the 1500 roadster. This car was powered by the new 1489 cc B-series engine, the basic design of which would stay with MG until the ultimate demise of the MGB. In 1956, the 1500 coupe joined the roadster as the first MG sportscar to have roll-up windows. In 1958, the MGA Twin-Cam was announced, featuring disc-brakes all-around and MG's first twin-cam engine, which produced a frenzied 108 hp (compared to 72hp at that time for the normal 1500). In mid-1959, the 1500 was replaced by the 1600, which had a more powerful 1588cc engine and standard front disc brakes. The final model, produced for only one year, 1961, was the 1600 Mark II, which had a slightly larger engine (1622 cc). The MGA was a very successful model for MG, selling a total of 101,081 1500's, 1600's, 1600 Mk2's, Twin-Cams, and Coupes. No other sports car from any manufacturer had sold over 100,000 cars before.

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