The Arnolt-MG

A somewhat obscure (then and now) early-1950s multi-national sporting car was the Arnolt-MG.   Information on "Wacky" Arnolt and his Chicago-based car company is here.  According to the link (as of November 2023):

"The Arnolt MG was designed by Giovanni Bertone, his son Nuccio, and Giovanni Michelotti.  Of a planned production of 200 cars, 103 have been documented as built between 1953 and 1954 (67 coupés and 36 convertibles)....  In 1954, MG informed Arnolt that it could no longer supply chassis and engines due to demand for its own complete cars (as well as the replacement of the TD by the TF), so Arnolt began looking for a larger-engined car."  That became the better-known and flashier Arnolt-Bristol that I wrote about here.

Arnolt-MG styling abaft of the front end was typical of classic 1953 vintage Italian coachbuilder design practice.  Frontal design has a slightly old-fashioned look due to the high, somewhat horizontal hoodline capped by a close variation of the MG grille.

In sum, the design is pleasant, yet not memorable (unlike the Arnold-Bristol's).

Gallery

1955 Arnolt-MG Coupe - Hyman Ltd photo
One of the later Arnolt-MGs, having been first registered in 1955. Note the traditional-looking frontal design.

1955 Arnolt-MG Coupe - Bonhams Auctions photos
The grille features a mesh pattern, unlike the vertical strips found on stock MG TDs.

1952 MG TD - car-for-sale photo
This is the configuration Bertone had to work from.

The driver's position seems about the same.  The hood is longer, as is front and (especially) rear overhang.  The fenderline is slightly below the beltline and has a small up-kick to define the rear fender zone.

From this viewpoint, Arnolt-MG styling is much like many other Italian coachbuilt coupes of the day.

1953 Arnolt-MG Cabriolet - RM Sotheby's Auctions photo
Now for some views of the convertible version.

1954 Arnolt-MG Cabriolet - Mecum Auctions photo

1953 Arnolt-MG Cabriolet - via RM Sotheby's

Arnolt-Bristol by Bertone

Stanley H. Arnolt (for some reason known as "Wacky") had enough spare money that he created an automobile company that had several hundred cars built during the 1950s.  Nearly all had British based mechanical parts and bodies crafted by Bertone, an Italian coachbuilding firm.  Arnolt's first such effort was based on the MG TD sports car and the next made use of the Bristol. The Wikipedia entry on Arnolt deals with the history of his automobile efforts.

Both cars were nicely styled, but I think the Arnolt-Bristol (built 1953-1959) was the more exciting of the two. One source describing it and presenting some nice photos is here. Another account dealing with the Arnolt-Bristol can be linked here.

Below are some good photos of an Arnolt-Bristol that I found on this site.

Gallery

Here is an introductory view.  Note that this car has no bumpers.  (Some had tiny bumpers that made them street-legal, but offered no serious collision protection.)

Here is how the car is seen from normal eye-level.  One of the sources linked above mentions that the hood and cowl were high due to the dimensions of the engine and its placement on the chassis.  It went on to state that Bertone helped camouflage the bulge by raising the fenders higher than they otherwise needed to be.  The result, in my fairly humble opinion, was a distinctive design that oozes sex, speed and a certain amount of power.  I loved it the first time I saw a photo of it.

A side view.  From this position the car's height and ground clearance are obvious.  It still looks good, but not so sensational.

Seen from towards the rear, the upwards body bulge and high fenders come into play again.  Not quite as nice as the front views above, but in the early 1950s stylists tended to pay less attention to a car's tail.