Exploring Portugal’s best-kept secrets by MGA

By Charlie Calderwood

| 19 Nov 2025

Classic & Sports Car – MGA road trip: Portugal’s best-kept secrets

It’s not that hard a sell, road-tripping in northern Portugal.

It’s not like going to the pub and telling your mates you’re doing a driving holiday of Bulgaria – which, while beautiful and under-explored, does take a bit of explaining as a holiday destination.

The point that my guides – Valeska and Matthias Haux, the founders of Vintage Tours – are making, after 20 years of living in the region, is that it deserves to be up there with Scotland’s North Coast 500, Switzerland’s Alpine passes and Italy’s Tuscan hills as one of Europe’s seminal driving destinations.

‘Our’ MGA parked next to Ponte de Lima’s eponymous Roman bridge

That’s a bold claim, and one that needs to be tested.

A classic Porsche 911 might spring to mind as an appropriate tool for the job, or perhaps a fizzing Alfa Romeo Spider.

But even my German hosts, themselves owners of a Fiat Dino Spider, say no: what you really need to explore this part of the country is an MGA.

If you picture Abingdon’s swoopy, late-’50s roadster in your head, it’s probably parked in front of a quaint English pub, set to the gentle soundtrack of distant leather on willow. It’s about as Portuguese as Bovril.

The MGA outside Mosteiro de Santa Maria de Refóios do Lima

Of any country outside the Anglosphere, however, MG’s second home might just be Portugal.

A reliable 15% of the Portuguese car market went to British marques during the late 1950s and early 1960s, fostered by a centuries-old trading relationship (largely based on wine) and shared ties in the European Free Trade Association.

Combine that with a kind climate and a motoring culture that has tended towards keeping things going rather than buying new, and it figures that MGs make up a considerable proportion of Portugal’s classic fleet, especially among post-war sports models.

The MGA’s simple interior is bright with colour

That, alongside the car’s inherent talents, is why Vintage Tours chose to buy five of these British roadsters for classic hire in Portugal’s Douro Valley.

MGAs have a connection to the country beyond contemporary sports cars from other countries – or even other British marques – and Valeska and Matthias reckon that the now 70-year-old MG is the perfect car in which to explore a destination that deserves to be higher up Europe’s must-drive list.

Certainly, it’s a strong start at Ponte de Lima, Portugal’s oldest chartered town, celebrating its 900th anniversary in 2025.

‘Our’ Iris Blue MG awaits, pinging in the sunshine, just in front of the ancient Roman bridge that gives the town its name.

Exploring Ponte de Lima’s baroque mansions in this MGA

Valeska and Matthias are keen to show off the local area, so I follow Matthias in his Chariot Red MGA out of the town, past grand mansion houses and rustic terraces.

It’s my first go in an MGA but, having spent a lot of time in both T-types and MGBs, there’s nothing unfamiliar here.

Though externally it may look closer to a B than its separate-winged predecessor, it’s actually an MG TD I’m reminded of as I first get to grips with the controls.

The MGA’s steering rack is right out of that car (and the YA saloon), and it has exactly the same direct, high-geared feel, accompanied by a similar weight and absence of isolation from bumps in the road.

The MGA 1600 stops outside the 900-year-old Romanesque Mosteiro de Bravães, one of few such churches in Portugal

In few cars does the steering wheel feel so directly attached to the front wheels, for better and worse.

Still, it would be unfair to say the MGA was a new body on the old TF chassis.

There were changes, most notably that the outriggers now followed the edges of the body, so the driver sat inside the chassis rather than on top of it – what the Americans were then calling a ‘peripheral’ frame.

A lot was carried over, however, the MGA being developed in an extremely tight timeframe following the British Motoring Corporation’s far-too-familiar tradition of putting off redevelopment for years, before rushing a car to market.

The MGA’s B-series ‘four’ gives lusty torque

The suspension was identical to its predecessor’s, the independent, coil-sprung front end having been first created for the YA in 1938 by Alec Issigonis.

The gearshift takes you back to those earlier cars, too, a tightly snicking, chromed lever typical of 1950s British cars.

There’s a knack here, because the pattern is close and you’ve got to be careful to move just the tiniest bit left to find second when making a downchange – too far and you hit reverse, to much baulking.

Otherwise, it’s easy enough to shift through, and it isn’t a struggle to keep up with Matthias’ red car even after clearing the town limits into the surrounding, grapevine-laden hills.

Touring the old streets of Ponte de Lima, Portugal, in this MGA

As if Ponte de Lima itself didn’t make it obvious enough, this is an old part of Portugal.

It was this relatively small section of the modern country that broke away from the Kingdom of León in the 1100s, creating a separate Portuguese identity, and that history is all around as you drive through its scenic hills.

Just outside of nearby Ponte de Barca, you will stumble upon Mosteiro de Bravães, a Romanesque building dating from those founding days of the country, while almost every house on the side of the road appears to have its own medieval grain silo, a hórreo, stationed in the garden.

The MGA feels at home in northern Portugal’s quaint villages

After a quick exploration of the area, I’m back in Ponte de Lima before tomorrow’s proper road trip.

It’s the first of many excellent dinners of Portugal’s speciality: some kind of local meat served with fries, shared among the entire table.

It’s good, simple eating here. (I particularly recommend the rabbit.)

Matthias and Valeska’s main attack in their quest of persuasion is a drive up to, and indeed slightly over, the Spanish border, descending back into the Lima valley via Portugal’s sole national park, the Peneda-Gerês.

Vintage Tours’ route takes in a variety of great driving roads

The IC28 that takes us towards Spain follows the Lima up into the mountains, villages becoming more scarce the further you go.

I’m thankful for this MGA 1600’s extra torque over its 1500 predecessor – that, combined with the short gearing, means it doesn’t struggle up inclines.

The low door line makes this a car that feels far faster than it is, too.

Quickly, you get into the habit of clenching the top of the door with your elbow as you take a corner with verve, compensating for the roll, while the characteristically parping B-series exhaust note bounces off the nearby cliffs.

Lindoso’s artificial lake on the Spanish border features some extraordinary bridges

Just before reaching the Spanish border, we pass Castelo de Lindoso overlooking the huge artificial lake formed by the Alto Lindoso dam, which in turn creates some spectacular bridges.

It’s at this point I hear a metal twang and, as I look back from the car, spot a piece of metal tumbling behind me.

Assuming that something’s fallen off, I pull over and inspect the part now on the road – it’s a hydraulic line, but there’s nothing leaking from the MG and everything is working fine.

With Matthias having noticed we’ve dropped back, he stops and confirms that the mystery component is a different colour of metal than that used on the hydraulic lines of the MG, but we briefly swap cars while he checks over ‘my’ A.

‘Tourists may swarm to Lisbon, Porto and the Algarve, but this part of Portugal is a real oasis for great driving’

All of the Vintage Tours cars are MGA 1600s, but there’s considerably less stuffing in the chairs of the example that Matthias has been driving, making entry far easier.

It feels a bit peppier, too, fitted with a sports exhaust and a high-compression cylinder head, but the pedalbox is somehow tighter and the brakes are not as keen.

Like all post-war British sports cars, no two are exactly the same.

There’s just 19km of Spain to drive through to get to the next border crossing, slightly further south – because of the way the mountains are shaped, it’s the most direct route to the Peneda-Gerês from the very north of Portugal.

Hairpins and long straights characterise the route near the Spanish border

The road, now almost deserted of traffic, continues to climb through Spain to the Portela del Hombre border crossing that also marks the start of the national park.

The old border checkpoint buildings haven’t been demolished here, just boarded up and unused for 30 years, becoming relics of pre-Schengen Europe.

The forest is instantly much more dense past the border post, and the road begins a long, shallow descent through a new valley that combines long straights with switchback hairpins.

Ruins and waterfalls line the road whenever there’s a break in the vibrant, green, moss-covered trees; quite thoughtfully, there are plenty of stopping and viewing points, too.

The MGA 1600 feels faster than it really is

From the border to the main tourist town of the national park on the N308-1 is just 13km, but it takes more than 20 minutes to do that drive without stopping, such is the twistiness of the route.

Were it not for the fact that there are other brilliant roads to explore in the national park, I would have happily turned around and done it all over again.

Valeska and Matthias know the best routes, and lead me on to a well-surfaced and deserted road that climbs into the mountains toward Miradouro Voltas de São Bento.

Orange trees are common in this region of northern Portugal

It’s at this point that I’m starting to understand why the MGA is so well suited to touring here: a faster, peakier car would be frustrated by some of these roads.

They’re narrow and the space between corners is often so short that there’s not enough time to fully wind up the engine.

You need something that majors on low-speed drivability, and here the MGA’s slightly prosaic, Austin Cambridge-sourced drivetrain comes into its own.

The MGA 1600 makes 80bhp at 5600rpm

The climb is long enough to be challenging without being tiresome, before the scenery changes and a mountain-top plateau opens up.

An hour ago, the valley had looked like a primordial forest from Jurassic Park, now it’s closer to the set of a Spaghetti Western.

A flock of goats at least 200 strong walks right across the road at that moment, shepherded only by a dog.

It appears to be just them, us and the two MGs for miles around.

Valeska and Matthias (right) of Vintage Tours are learned navigators

It’s a winding descent back to reality from here, the roads still enjoyable but gradually becoming less dramatic – though points of human interest such as the Pousada Mosteiro Amares, a sensationally pretty hotel that reportedly serves some of the best wine and food in the area, return to the roadside.

With that, we’ve got to head back to Ponte de Lima, a route that takes in small towns and villages, some that are exceptionally pretty.

It’s the Peneda-Gerês that I’m stuck thinking about for the drive back and indeed for days after.

The main road to and through it is spectacular, almost worth the trip in itself, but what really has me wanting to turn around and head back is a quick look at Google Maps, and seeing just how many small ribbons of Tarmac take off into the mountains around the national park.

This MGA 1600 has a blanking plate in place of the radio

I sampled just one, and it was one of the finest roads I’ve ever driven – for its driver appeal, scenery and surface quality – and I saw just two other cars on it in an hour.

The clear drawback, perhaps the only one, of attempting a road trip in this part of Portugal from a British perspective is, of course, the distance. The Swiss Alps are closer, and so is Scotland.

Valeska and Matthias are keen to help, by providing their cars, which, though the full tours come with their own costs, makes for a genuinely fun solution for those who don’t want to drive all the way down, don’t have their own classic car, or perhaps simply want to try something different.

Self-drive classic-car hire firms are rare on the Continent, especially ones that encourage long, multi-day tours.

The MGA passes the dramatic Miradouro Voltas de São Bento rock formation

But the real takeaway of this trip has to be an appreciation for this often-overlooked part of Europe.

Tourists may swarm to Lisbon, Porto and the Algarve, but it’s places such as Ponte de Lima and the Peneda-Gerês that petrolheads should put on their radar – however they can experience these roads.

This part of Portugal – and indeed sections of Spain just over the border – is a real oasis for great driving.

The distance from Europe’s major automotive tourist hubs is no doubt part of what helps keep that the case.

Cerca de Baixo is yet another picturesque village on the route

As a single route, the best bits don’t last as long as the highlights of Scotland’s NC500, but if you’re willing to explore an area rather than just go from A to B, it has real breadth.

The scenery is beautiful and diverse, and the food’s good, too.

Get a car that suits it, such as an MGA, and it’s certainly one for the bucket list. I know I’ll be coming back.

Images: Max Edleston

Thanks to: Vintage Tours, whose tours of the region start from €2650 (or €2350 in your own classic). Call 0049 170 5746502 or see vintage-tours.com

MGA at 70

The MGA took the best bits of the TD and TF and wrapped them in a new, swoopy body

Although borrowing a fair amount from its TD and TF predecessors underneath, the new 1955 MGA was marketed as a fresh start for Abingdon’s sports cars, finally throwing off the pre-war, separate-winged appearance of the T series.

It proved to be a crucial bridge between the TF and the runaway success of the MGB, achieving strong sales of its own, especially in key foreign markets in the ‘Export or Die’ climate of the 1950s: 101,081 cars were sold in a seven-year run, with just 5% of those remaining in the UK.

The MGA helped to power the Abingdon-based marque into a new era

1955-’59 MGA

Like the MG Magnette saloon, the MGA ditched the old XPAG/XPEG engines for a 1489cc version of BMC’s then-new all-iron, ohv four-cylinder B-series producing 68bhp.

With drum brakes all around, both Coupé and roadster variants were offered, with 58,750 produced in four years.

The MGA Twin Cam increased performance, but it wasn’t without its problems

1958-’60 MGA Twin Cam

Any complaints about output were solved by 1958’s Twin Cam, which, with an alloy, dohc cylinder head and a slight boost in capacity to 1588cc, took power to 108bhp.

Four-wheel Dunlop disc brakes were fitted, too, but the engine was unreliable and created constant warranty claims.

Later versions with lowered compression were better, but the model was pulled after just two years on sale and 2111 built.

The MGA 1600 got more power and torque than its 1500 predecessor

1959-’61 MGA 1600

A more reliable power increase was achieved by using the larger, 1588cc bottom end with the iron, ohv cylinder head, providing 80bhp.

Also fitted with front disc brakes, the refreshed model suited the MG market far better and 31,501 were built in less than three years.

Featuring styling identical to the earlier cars, bar slightly different lighting units and a 1600 badge, they are considered the cognoscenti’s choice by many.

A De Luxe model was also offered, using up leftover racing-style wheels and four-wheel disc brakes from the Twin Cam.

1961-’62 MGA 1600 MkII

Wearing a grille with its bars set back and perpendicular to the road, which some enthusiasts unkindly label ‘pre-crashed’, as well as tail-lights from a Mini, the MkII isn’t considered the best-looking MGA, but it is perhaps the driver’s pick.

Power increased again to 90bhp through a reworked cylinder head and an increase in bore that took capacity to 1622cc, while a longer axle ratio calmed the MGA’s previously frantic cruising manners.

A De Luxe model was also produced, and 8719 MkIIs of all kinds were made before the MGB replaced the model.

Factfile

MGA 1600

Sold/number built 1958-’60/31,501
Construction steel chassis, steel and aluminium panels
Engine all-iron, ohv 1588cc ‘four’, twin SU carburettors
Max power 80bhp @ 5600rpm
Max torque 87lb ft @ 3800rpm
Transmission four-speed manual, RWD
Suspension: front independent, by wishbones, coil springs rear live axle, semi-elliptic leaf springs; lever-arm dampers f/r
Steering rack and pinion
Brakes discs front, drums rear
Length 13ft (3962mm)
Width 4ft 10in (1473mm)
Height 4ft 2in (1270mm)
Wheelbase 7ft 10in (2388mm)
Weight 2044lb (927kg)
0-60mph 13.3 secs
Top speed 96mph
Mpg 30
Price new £940
Price now £20-40,000*