Every week, we get a new question regarding the numbering system of these cars. It’s confusing. For example, the body panel stamping factory assigned a BAE number, which didn’t match the chassis number, or the engine number!
It helps to understand that each Bugeye was handled by several different factories all over England before it drove to the yard for shipment to the USA. The base chassis was stamped and welded at John Thompson Motor Pressings, and then the car was shipped to Pressed Steel, where the body panels were made and welded onto the tub.
From there it was on to the Morris factory for paint, and then one more leg of the journey brought the painted tubs to the Abingdon MG factory where the cars were assembled. Engines also were made off site, and they would ship-in from the Morris engine factory. So you had multiple players, and multiple numbers from multiple sources, and no unified numbering system.
In the video below, we dig into these various numbers to help you make sense of how all 50,000 or so Frogeyes came to life. And if you would like a heritage/birth certificate for your car, click here!