Yes, a '57 Chevy could take the abuse. The MG was a more refined vehicle. I'm not a gearhead, but after having to drive 4X4s for years I started collecting a few vehicles that I couldn't afford and a few I didn't even want when I was young. I can only drive them for 6 months of the year at best, but I enjoy that time.
In 1953 the MG was still a pre-war 1930s designed car. It had wooden frame members for example. Top speed was 77, so running for an hour at 65 was a strain.
When we got the car I was 16 and my father was 38 so it was somewhat a second youth toy for him to have around. But it was my car and I ran it hard until the engine was finished.
It was said that the British sports cars during the 50s had a destination in the states, with the guys that had some of their youth taken by the war. My father fought and was wounded on Okinawa (near the end of the war) and was discharged before his 20th birthday.
It was an attention getter, in an era of American V8 hot rods and the like. I was on the wild and reckless side, so the lack of power and speed may have kept me alive. We did drive the curves in the hills all out, and a friend rolled his Sprite and broke his neck.