Our splendid front cover and centre spread is a 1934 J4 Replica, proudly owned by Dave Jarvis. To examine a brief history of the J4, we first have to take an overview o the J Types in general, so closely were they linked. Originally they made their debut in August of 1932, surprisingly prior to the Motor Show but apparently Kimber was too impatient to wait until October. The J1 was offered with a 4-seater open or closed body, the J2 as an open 2-seater sports version, with the J3 and J4 as racing models. However the latter two did not go into production until the following year. As historian Rivers Fletcher recounts in his book ‘MG Past & Present’ about the J2 – “Only one other sports car has ever achieved such immediate praise and acclaim: that was the Jaguar XK120, sixteen years later in 1948 ….. Until the J2 MG only the most expensive and exclusive sports racing cars had the distinctive look of a pure thoroughbred, and carried the specification to go with it. The J2 at only £199.10s was almost unbelievable.”

Announced all together, it was hoped that the J Types would present a complete range and have something to offer everyone. Indeed the J1 found 379 purchasers but the J2 was an overwhelming success at 2061 produced. They replaced the now outdating M, C and D Types yet still deriving their ancestry from the C and D chassis but the engine and gearbox was quite different. The engine now sported an eight port cross-flow cylinder hear that increased output but retained a two main bearing crankshaft. The old three speed gearbox formerly of D and M history now gave way to a new four speed gearbox with remote control gear lever derived from the C Type Montlhery Midget.

Aimed more at the competitive element, the J3 and J4 followed some nine months after the original unveiling of the first Js. The J3 was essentially a supercharged J2 but had a 750 cc engine similar to the earlier C Type, using the same bore and stroke as the race prepared MGs but without a counterbalanced crankshaft. The bodywork was almost identical to the J2 and although suitable for road use many were owned by rally and trailing enthusiasts. Considering only 22 were made, they frequently found their way into the results sheets. The J4 was strictly a racing car. Produced in order to replace the C Type, the car that was extremely quick but the limitations of its braking system (only 8″ drums) caused its premature end, the J4 was designed to go even quicker but obviously needed specially designed brakes in order to control it. Financial budgets precluded anything being designed specifically for it , so the 6 cylinder L Type 12″ drum brake system was used. The result was therefore a car of decidedly mixed parentage – J2 chassis, L Type brakes and reverting to using the C Type gearbox, the result was a car not for the fainthearted. The 750cc engine was almost too powerful for this lightweight little car, with several runs of 100 mph plus being recorded at Brooklands. Apart from being renown as a tiger of an MG, the price of £495 must have been a limiting factor for many and in fact only nine J4s were ever factory produced. Subtle differences denote this MG from the J2, notably the lack of doors which was common racing practise in order to stiffen the body for a more rigid frame, the seats were two individuals rather than the bench type and the instrument panel differed by being more complex. In essence, the car was born to race.

As already mentioned, our pictured car is J4 Replica, built upon a J2 chassis identical to the original factory built handful of nine. The car was the brainchild of Peter Seiger-Thomas, who purchased a complete J2 with a view to converting it into the “ultimate supercharged MG”. This he did and the resultant J4 was the splendid vehicle as featured. Coincidentally the donor J2 belonged to Tony Pond’s (of MG 6R4 rally fame) mother, so the competitive element was already in its parentage! Current owner Dave Jarvis, a keen collector and genuine enthusiast since 1972 “when I met up with this chap Roche” and was involved in the foundations of the Club and also started our Racing Championship in 1980 for us, has owned the car for the past couple of years. Apparently Seiger-Thomas desired a Frazer Nash and so hence the J4 Replica moved on. Dave is delighted to own this quickest of MGs, although he has rarely seen it for the past 12 months as he kindly lent it to the Club for display in our Showroom. Next year he has plans to maybe do a little hillclimbing and various runs in the car which means many will have the delight of seeing one of these rare MGs in action.