A Two-Wheeled Piece of MG History

Most MG enthusiasts know of the pre-war MG factory hack nicknamed the "Auld Speckled 'Un" that was used for various runaround duties at the Abingdon works. MG had several vehicles that they used over the years to perform errands and other duties, some famous, others not so much. 

While trolling the Internet, I found a charming story about an ex-MG works motorized bicycle that was bought at auction during the liquidation of the of the historic factory. The bike is a 1953 Raleigh Cyclemaster Roundsman and was powered by a 32cc single cylinder engine. The bike does not have a registration number on it so it was likely not taken off the factory grounds. I love the signwritten plate with the MG and Riley information.

Since most manufactured vehicles were exported after the second world war to earn badly needed foreign exchange, Britain had to turn to smaller two and three wheeled motorized delivery vehicles to keep the economic wheels turning at home. A motorized bicycle was a step up from a push bike (that's a regular bicycle to you, cowboy) and it was very miserly with rationed fuel, to boot. 

This photo was part of a blog entry at the oldbike.eu blog.