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MG MGA - Tracing car history

I'm trying to assemble an ownership history of my car. Any ideas on where to go for information? My BMIHT certificate provides no information beyond build date (late January 1962), and the car wasn't already registered with NAMGAR when I joined in 1985. I realize this will be a difficult task. On the off chance anyone here might know something, the car number is GHNL2/106350.
Mark Lambert

Mark

G is MG
H is engine size between 1400 and 1999cc
N is Open 2-seater
L is Left hand drive
2 is 1600 Mk2

The first Mk2 was chassis number 100352. Chassis number 106026 was January 1962. The last MGA produced was 109070 in May 1962, so you have one of the latter models produced.

Steve
Steve Gyles

Mark, my car's number is GHNL2/106426. That's only 75 cars from yours. It was bought new from a dealer in Beaverton Oregon, and has been owned by a family member every since. I don't know if you can get any history from the Dept. of Motor Vehicles or not. My guess is that they don't keep past records. If you can find out where it was originally sold, and if they are still in business, you might start there. Good Luck.
Ed Bell

Mark

Your car is listed on Koen Struijk's MGA Register Holland - you might want to email Koen at struijk@mgcars.org.uk and see if he has any additional info. He will be more than happy to help if he can.

http://www.mgcars.org.uk/mgarh

GHNL2 106350 38171 16GCUH 6501 USA

Rick
Rick Brown

I just realized you have had the car for quite a while so you were probably the one who registered the car on Koen's site. duh!!

RIck
Rick Brown

I don't know about California, but my DMV has records back as far as a car was first registered here. I've had histories traced on a couple of cars, but not my MGA. I used a licensed title service for those. They make regular trips to the state capitol.

I bought my MGA in 1969. A couple of years ago the guy I bought it from had his name in the local paper. Unfortunately it was in his wife's obit. They were living about 700 miles from here. I got in touch with him courtesy of the internet and an e-mail address look-up. Unfortunately he said the warranty on the car had expired.
Chuck Asbury

If your state issued titles for vehicles--then there is a chance that the paper records might still exist for your car. Back in the early sixties, quite a few states did not issue anything more than a registration. Cars cross state lines frequently--although since you are in CA, the possibility is strong that the car has spent it's entire existence within the boundaries. Don't expect to get the information for free--searching through old boxes of paper is a dirty and time consuming job--if the records exist at all. Step one is to contact the DMV in Sacramento to verify that records still exist for the past forty plus years. Then, you have to determine what the proceedure is to access these records. Don't expect them to be computerized that far back. When I registered my car here in Fl--it had a '74 title. The records were not in the DMV computerized files and a new title had to be issued. (as an aside--the local DMV office first thought it was an out of state car, because of the old and unusual title certificate). I know that it would be nice to know your car's history--but these cars passed through a lot of hands--especially after the B made it's debut. They were just considered another older and obsolete car, and frequently were traded, resold, and sold again--many slumbered for years in semi-retirement in the unclaimed car compounds of auto repair shops, when repair bills were too high to justify reclaiming--based on the value of the car. If registrations were not kept current--they were dropped from the system. I wish you good luck in your quest--but the obstacles and dead ends may discourage all but the most determined investigator.
R. L Carleen

This thread was discussed between 30/05/2005 and 31/05/2005

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