The MGA's interior carpet was a relatively simple but considered specification, Crossley's Karvel cut to fit the floor, gearbox and propeller shaft tunnels and the heelboard behind the seats, with felt underlay laid only under the front floor and tunnel sections. With over sixty years of road use, replacement of the carpet set is one of the most common interior projects an MGA owner undertakes. This category covers complete carpet sets and the supporting items needed for full replacement: footwell mats, boot carpet and spare wheel covers, soundproofing, adhesives, carpet fixings and the trim tools used during fitting.
Original MGA Carpet Specification
The original carpet was Crossley's Karvel, a hard-wearing cut-pile carpet, normally black on roadsters, with the possible exception of very early 1500 models which may have been supplied with carpet toned to match the interior trim colour. The carpeted areas covered the floor pan, gearbox tunnel, propeller shaft tunnel and the heelboard behind the seats. The hood stowage compartment floor, the battery access hatch on the roadster, the rear wheel arches and the rear bulkhead were left uncarpeted. The carpet was not edge-bound except at the rear edges of the front and intermediate tunnel carpets, and around the gearbox dipstick cover flap.
Felt underlay was used only under the front floor and tunnel carpets, the rear sections were laid directly. Reproduction sets vary in how closely they follow this original specification.
Roadster vs Coupé Differences
The coupé carpet set differs from the roadster in one easily overlooked respect: the battery access hatch on the coupé is carpeted, whereas on the roadster the hatch is left uncovered. This is one of the small details that helps verify whether a coupé interior is original. Coupé carpet sets also extend further to take in the rear quarter areas of the cabin, so specifying roadster or coupé fitment is essential when ordering.
Carpet Sets and Footwell Mats
Reproduction MGA carpet sets are supplied as complete kits cut to the original pattern, front floor, transmission and propeller shaft tunnels, heelboard and (on coupé sets) the rear quarter and battery hatch panels. Full sets are the most efficient way to renew the interior carpet, and individual pieces are available where only part of a set requires replacement. Footwell mats sit on top of the carpet in the driver and passenger footwells, protecting the underlying carpet from shoe and boot wear. Rubber and carpet-faced mats are both offered, embossed with the MG logo.
Boot Carpet and Spare Wheel Covers
On roadsters, the spare wheel sits on the boot floor and protrudes through an aperture in the rear bulkhead into the tonneau area, covered by a permanently attached Hardura cover finished in felt internally and grey plastic externally. On 1500 coupés, the spare wheel similarly protruded through a perforated rear bulkhead into the tonneau. With the introduction of the 1600 coupé (and later Twin Cam coupés), the spare wheel was relocated fully into the boot, a solid rear bulkhead was introduced and a loose cover was used in place of the permanently attached type. Reproduction boot carpets and spare wheel covers reflect these layout differences, so confirming the car's variant before ordering is important.
Soundproofing and Underlay
The original MGA used felt underlay only under the front floor and tunnel carpets, soundproofing was minimal by modern standards, and the open-cockpit roadster was always a noisy car at speed. Modern soundproofing materials offer a substantial improvement without compromising originality, particularly self-adhesive bituminous panels for the floor pan and inner wheel arches, and felt or composite underlay for under the carpet. These are most easily installed during a carpet renewal with no visible alteration to the finished interior.
Adhesives, Fixings and Trim Tools
Carpet adhesive, contact spray adhesive and the small fixings, turn-buckles, snap fasteners, screws, used to secure the carpet at its edges are all supplied separately. Trim removal tools (plastic wedges and lever sets) allow existing carpet, sill trims and door cappings to be removed without damaging surrounding paintwork or chrome. These supporting items are best ordered alongside the carpet set itself.
Ordering Considerations
Three points should be confirmed before ordering. First, whether the car is a roadster or a coupé, since the sets differ around the rear quarters and battery hatch. Second, the desired colour, black for most cars, or a colour matched to the interior trim where authenticity to a specific original specification is being maintained. Third, whether soundproofing is to be incorporated at the same time, since this is most easily done with the carpet out and the floor pan exposed.
Tackling the carpet renewal as a single project produces a better finish than working piecemeal.