Admire the enhanced classic MGA 1600 redesigned by Thai Cong

On July 30, interior designer Thai Cong posted a video on his personal YouTube channel showcasing the handover of a restored MGA 1600 car that had been in existence for over 6 decades.

The German-Vietnamese interior designer revealed that the team in charge of “revamping” his MGA 1600 initially estimated the restoration process to take only 1.5 months. However, it ended up taking almost 3 months to complete.

Following the renovation, the MGA 1600 now possesses a unique appearance while still upholding its core classic values. The traditional white exterior of the car has been replaced with Bentley’s Extreme Silver Metallic paint. The outstanding feature of the Extreme Silver Metallic paint is that the color slightly changes and glistens with a captivating metallic sheen depending on the viewing angle and light intensity. The team behind the renovation disclosed that in order to achieve the most brilliant shine on the vintage MGA 1600, the craftsmen meticulously prepared the entire surface and applied 3 layers of paint, including anti-rust primer, base coat, and top coat.

Thai Cong also made the decision to remove several original details of the car, such as the trim strips on the front and rear bumpers. To fill the gap after removing the trim strips, the rear of the car now features two large symmetric stainless steel panels.

Furthermore, the original chrome lines on this MGA 1600 have been replaced with curved chrome strips that align with the car’s design. This particular detail required 2 weeks of meticulous work.

Being an interior designer, Thai Cong pays meticulous attention to the details inside the car cabin. Therefore, he requested a complete reupholstering of the interior using premium brown coffee-colored leather. Additionally, the car is equipped with an integrated armrest that supports wireless charging. The MGA 1600 also features an 8-speaker Burmester audio system, which is a high-end audio system commonly found in luxury cars from Mercedes and Porsche. Moreover, the vintage car is fitted with a retro-style entertainment screen, a storage compartment, and an electric power-assisted steering wheel.

Under the hood, the car still retains its original engine block, manufactured in the 1960s, but it has been repainted and repaired with damaged parts. The vintage car is powered by a 4-cylinder in-line engine with a displacement of 1,622cc, producing 90 horsepower. It can reach a maximum speed of about 169 km/h and has the ability to accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in 12.8 seconds.

According to the information shared by the responsible party, great effort was put into sourcing “genuine disassembled car parts” in order to keep the MGA 1600 as original as possible. This proved to be a challenging task for a car born in 1958.

Thai Son (Tuoitrethudo)

Photos: Quach Thai Cong, MR Xuan Hoan