Archeologists baffled after uncovering iconic piece of car history buried beneath pre-historic ritual site in Britain
ARCHAEOLOGISTS were left baffled after uncovering a vintage car buried beneath a pre-historic ritual site on Salisbury Plain, Wiltshire.
The old motor, which was found in a former World War 2 artillery position, appears to be the remains of a 1932 MG J2.
The area of Salisbury Plain is famous for its archaeology and rich ancient history, which includes Stonehenge, one of England‘s best known landmarks.
More so, large areas have been used by the British Army for decades – which included training troops ahead of the Allied invasion of mainland Europe during WW2.
However, the discovery of a classic and rare motor has left experts scratching their heads.
Damien Campbell-Bell, from Wessex Archaeology, said: “This find was a real surprise.
“This particular MG J2 is pretty rare; it was one of only 2,083 of the model ever made.
“When it was new in 1932, it had a top speed of 65mph and would have cost £199.
“In the 1930s, the average annual salary was £200 and a three-bedroom house cost around £350, so the car’s owner was clearly very wealthy.”
The MG J2 was indeed a popular vehicle in the 1930s, and was produced by the British brand from 1932 until 1934.
Featuring two seats and a 847 cc engine, the motor was considered the height of automotive technology at the time of its release, with a rear-mounted slab type petrol tank with a large fast-fill petrol cap, along with a fold flat windscreen and optional aero screens.
According to How Rare Is My Car, only a single J2 model exists on the road today with a valid MOT.
The mystery of the car’s former owner and how it came to be buried deepens when Damien revealed excavators were able to uncover its serial number.
He said: “We only know of one owner of the car with the serial number J2192 – a Mr J H Howard of Retford, from July 1934 – though it is likely that it had other owners
“We can tell from the tyre pattern that the car was probably in use until the early 1960s, at which point it seems to have been buried here.
“Many cars were patched up during the 1950s to keep them running, and this MG J2 is no different.”
He also revealed that an engine was discovered alongside the car – but doesn’t match those built by MG at the time.
He added: “The engine next to the car is not from an MG – it was fitted by welding extra brackets to the chassis – and there is also evidence of lots of common bodged repairs.
“We think that the car had been dismantled, presumably for repair by a local soldier, but was then seemingly abandoned.
“Exactly why this happened we cannot be sure, but the introduction of the MOT test in 1960 was the end for many cars that had been kept going in this way.
“It may be that the introduction of the MOT also sentenced this MG J2 to the grave.
Today, MG J2 models are exceedingly hard to come by but a handful are currently available to buy – including on the Cars & Classic auction website with models ranging from £18,000 to £55,000.
Martin Brown, the Principal Archaeologist at WYG, whose team created a 3D model of the car to show how it was found on the site, believes the find reveals what life could’ve been like for soldiers training at army camps.
He said: “The MG is a particularly exciting find in that it shows the unrecorded side to life on an army camp, including the unofficial ‘pool cars’ available to troops, as well as the slightly dodgy method of disposal by dumping it in a disused weapons pit.
“As a buried artefact, it almost conforms to the urban myths of buried tanks, aircraft, and equipment one hears about on Salisbury Plain.”
This comes as an urban explorer who’s journeyed 40,000 miles across the UK to visit multiple car and plane graveyards opens up on her best, strangest and most awful discoveries.