1954' MG 1100

The Arnolt-MG is a rare combination of elegant Italian bodywork and a production ideology originating in Chicago by the hand of industrialist Stanley H. Arnolt. Designed and designed by hand by Bertone, the Arnolt-MG were launched in two configurations: coupé and cabrio, both with very small rear seats that (almost) make this a 4-seater model. This being an incredibly special model, only 36 units were produced, and this is one of 13 currently known worldwide.

To understand the genesis of this model, one has to look at the Italian automobile industry of the early 1950s, where significant change was underway. In the past, with American luxury cars, it was common for a buyer to express their individual tastes and needs by ordering a full chassis from the manufacturer of their choice and a custom bodywork from another independent manufacturer. In Italy, for example, it was normal for Lancia, Fiat, Ferrari, Alfa Romeo, Maserati and other car manufacturers to supply chassis to designers and manufacturers such as Touring, Bertone, Ghia, Zagato and Vignale. These design studios would then design a distinctive “body on chassis” with the style and details “on demand”: 2 or 4 seats, open or closed, short body or lots of legroom, modern aerodynamics or more traditional shape, sharp tail fins or smooth curves, etc etc. These cars, handcrafted and generally unique in their appearance and construction (and therefore quite expensive), were elegant studies in contemporary car design, and the daily lives of Italian manufacturers available to work to order.

But with the steel shortage in post-war Italy in the early 1950s, manufacturing had evolved: the separate chassis and body were eliminated, replaced by a more economical single-body construction. Here, the body, doors and roof formed the critical structure of the vehicle, with a rather flat undercarriage to which the suspension and axles were attached. Consequently, this shift from handcrafted production to more industrial production signaled the end of the custom bodybuilder genre and saw the few models produced so far into rare jewelry and collectibles.

This unit has undergone a complete restoration which is documented in a file available for consultation with the model.