Tazio’s TT — 1934 MG NE Magnette

We push Pete Thelander’s 1934 MG NE Magnette out into the sunlight. Its red paintwork gleams and dazzles. The car is bright red because it was built for none other than Tazio Nuvolari— who some would say was the greatest race driver of all time— to drive in the Ulster Tourist Trophy race in Northern Ireland that year.

It is a long, rugged masculine looking machine. Its iconic radiator and MG octagon badge are the same as those of later MG offerings, but it is a bigger and meaner looking machine than the cute sports cars that we usually identify with the marque. In fact, this NE racer’s looks are downright intimidating, and its appearance is not deceiving.