K  2001    lost & found

Intrigued by this photo on the left of this MG racing at the Zandvoort Sportwagen Races of 1949 and 1950 I decided to find out more about it. It was not difficult to locate the Programmes of the actual races and to find out that race number 9 and 11 was an 1100cc MG magnette entered in Class A by Jaap Zwart from Wormerveer.

Combining this description with what you see in the picture quickly concludes that the type of MG must be a K 2 type.

As all MG's imported officially into Holland are very well documented by the old books of the former importer Molenaar it should not seem to difficult to find out more about the MG of the photo. It turned out to be much more difficult.

The only ever in Holland imported K2 (chassis number K 2002) is still in existance and also early photos of this MG are known.

Carefull study of the photos of K 2002 and comparing them with the Zandvoort MG shows some significant differences. The hinge of the bonnet side panel is much lower and not in line with the scuttle seam on the Zandvoort car. Also is the shape of the body directly behind the doors much rounder on the Zandvoort car then on the photos of K 2002.

K 2001 racing at Zandvoort

Period photo of K 2002, where you can see the differences in the body compared to the photo of K 2001,    with a different positioned bonnethinge, different scuttle seam and squarer shaped rear quarter panel.

So which car was Jaap Zwart racing ?

Jaap's son could not really remember where his father had bought the K2 nor could he remember where it had gone to. I did also speak to a brother of Jaap Zwart who was still alive in 1990 and he could very well remember taking the MG out for test drives. It was red, quite noisy and it had twin exhaust pipes.

The twin tail pipes were still fitted in the 1960's (photo left)

The big answer came from Bryan Sayers when he advertised an MG VA for sale in 1999. On enquiring about the VA he also mentioned that he owned a K2. A never understood detail of his K2 was the etching in the windscreen "NV HARDGLAS ZOETERMEER" .  This makes it very likely that the windscreen of this MG had been changed while being in Holland.

Further talk revealed that te bonnet hinge and shape of the MG's body was the same as Jaap Zwart's K2. The missing car had been re-located !

Bryan had already searched the history of K 2001 intensively but there was a gap around the war years which could now be filled in by me.

April 1959 new owner Thomas Brooker who had just fitted cyclewings.

October1960 new owner David Dunn's sun behind the wheel

February 1961 new owner Richard Wright

Bryan was delighted that this K2, which is now intensively raced by him, already had some earlier circuit experience on top of its competition in the 1934 Scottish Rally.

When Bryan bought the MG in 1988 the car was registered as RPK 637 and he had an interesting struggle to re unite it with its original registration MG 2191.

On contacting the MG Car Club office to enquire about the car's history he found out that "his" chassis number K 2001 belonged to "another K 2001" known as the Jensen K type.

 The Jensen K type

With the help of the DVLC who investigated both K 2001's it was finally concluded on 3-11-2000 that Bryan Sayers MG is the genuine example. This is supported by a metallurgist's report on the car's (accident damaged) chassisnumber that it has not been tampered with and the original MG Garuanteeplate which was still fitted to the body of the MG. The Jensen K type was lacking a stamped chassisnumber and carried replika garuanteeplate.

The DVLC re issued MG 2191 to go back onto Bryan's K 2001 and the Jensen K is "has been advised with a new (chassis) number".

The problem around the Jensen K was most likely created in the mid sixties when the body of ex K 3025 was mated with a "new" spare chassis. As the original K 2001 had not been heard of for some time it was regarded as lost so safe to use its chassis number.

     K 2001 still going strong !