Classic cars forum & vehicle restoration.

[Ellis]

[]

The archetypal British Sports Car?

I am old enough to remember (albeit vaguely) the introduction of the MGB in 1962 and a bank manager who lived locally but worked away bought one of the first MGBGT's in late 1965.
I remember him bringing the car for my father and I to see. Sitting in it my first impression was of it being cramped.

A business friend of my father's had an MGCGT, a white one which he bought in 1972. It was a 1969 G registered example and I remember him saying that the handling was woeful and in his opinion, dangerous. He didn't keep it long and replaced it with a a twelve month old Capri 3000E.

Several friends owned MGB Roadsters but it was not until 1983 that I drove one for the first time. The car was a Flamenco Red 1978 "S" registered rubber bumpered Roadster and was owned by the son of a local hotelier
I quite liked it although that one had less than 7000 miles on it's odometer and was still a brand new car really.

A friend bought a 1976 MGBGTV8 in March 1985 and I drove that several times. I was impressed by it's power but not by it's loose rear end.

Compared with a TR5/6 I thought it drove better and the steering lighter and roadholding superior despite having (in the MGB) less power. The steering on the 1970 TR6 I once drove was appallingly heavy and you knew that you were driving an older generation car with a separate chassis.

I never owned a MGB or any of the variants nor did I really want to.


What is your opinion of the MBG and does it deserve the title of the typical 1960's/1970's Sports Car. It certainly has enough following to merit an enviable spare parts resource and many owners clubs.

[/]

The MBG RV8 is the only one that would tempt me. One of our local doctors has a Japanese re-import and I note that there is a similar re-imported car for sale only 30 miles away at £12995.
It's been for sale for quite a while.............
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Starting Handle Expert

1964 Jaguar Mark 2 3.4 litre
1962 Land Rover Series 2a 88"
2002 BMW M3 E46 Cabriolet

[goneps]

When I was an apprentice an older colleague who'd recently completed his apprenticeship bought a new black MGB of the type in your picture, and I've always thought what a handsome, classic design it was.

Although I've never had anything to do with the breed myself, I do recall the motoring press of the time making detrimental comparisons with the Lotus Cortina, which in their view combined better handling and performance with the advantage of four seats for the family man.

Richard

[Keith D]

The MGB was a fun sports car, but what made it any better (or different) than a TR, or a Healey or an XK? Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and obviously opinions vary about it's looks. A very big plus was the fact that BMC spares were easy to get and cheap. Most of the running gear came from bread and butter sedans.

I would not consider the MGB to be the Archetypal British sports car; that honour would have to go to the 1920's Bentleys. The cars and the people who drove them at the time!

Morgan is surely more of an iconic name in British Sports cars than MGB?

I have always understood a sports car to be an open car with a removable hood. Therefore I would not consider cars like hot Cortina's nor Jag mk 2's to be sports cars; they are sports sedans (or saloons if you prefer!) However, that is just my opinion!

Keith

[Rick]

I can't think of many "classic" cars that are easier to run than an MGB, which is a big plus for anyone wanting an old car, either a Roadster or fixed-head GT.

The rubber-bumper cars do nothing for me at all, nor does the later RV8, pick of the bunch for me would be the oft-derided MGC GT, or the early-70s V8.

Perhaps it's their ubiquity which means I just can't get that excited about MGBs, despite them being tidy-looking cars in chrome-bumper form. I much prefer the look of the TR4/5, although they're getting pricey now.

RJ
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[peppiB]

I owned an MGBGT in the early 70's (only car I have ever been nicked for speeding in - view from rear window was pathetic and I didn't see the kind policeman on his motorcycle tucked in behind) Difficult, even for a young man to get in and out of, cramped, back end all over the place on ice and snow but good fun. Very easy to maintain and prone to rust. Someone once came into my office to tell me the car had so much cataloy it meowed when anyone passed.

It was a 1969 car, SVY 329H. The floor fell out in 1976. I traded it for a Marina coupe

[norustplease]

Rust is the thing as with all cars of this vintage. Even quite tidy looking examples can rust unseen and you need to investigate carefully before buying. Excellent spares support though and a major article on owning or restoring in the Classic car press, virtually every other month.(or seems like it)
Nice exhaust note and quite passable performance, once tried to bump start one however and was amazed at the weight of the thing.

Wouldn't mind one, but am now too stiff and inflexible to get in and out easily.
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1953 Citroen Traction
1964 Volvo PV544
1957 Austin A55 Mk 1
Boring Tucson SUV

[Ashley]

I agree with Rick, MGBs are good cars, very reliable and cheap to maintain. They aren't fast, but the handling, if everything is in good order, is very good, albeit with heavy steering. There are single leaf rear springs available for them to improve the ride and better seats too although the standard ones are fine.

They're very common, but still lovely and characterful and fun. The ugly rubber bumper jobs are a better drive but....

I've had a roadster and a couple of MGB GTs and an MGC GT that was okay, not as nice to drive and hardly any faster.

The TRs were rubish quality way back, the seats used to split, the door trims split and everything rattled, but they were faster and comfortable. Also the engine is rougher. Now people build them to a much higher standard and, as Rick says, they're lovely looking.

[badhuis]

Great cars! The styling is very good, especially the GT which I think is one of the best looking 2 door fixed heads ever.

I have owned a 1967 BGT, the good year with leather, old dash big lovely steering wheel, proper emblems and painted wire wheels. Not sure why I sold it (around 2000), I would buy it back again now.

Never have been tempted to have an open topped MGB. I have driven quite a few over the years, they never give the raw / sporty feeling a TR4 has.

The main thing about MGB's is that they are just too common for me, and not fast / sporty enough.
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a car stops being fun when it becomes an investment

[ukdave2002]

Personally I think the GT looked better than the roadster, whilst it's fixed head predecessor the MGA coupe did look like a roadster with a roof plonked on, the MGB GT had really nice lines, a 72 model with chrome numbers , webasto roof and a honeycombed grill was a nice car....shame I sold a solid car with good mechanical bits of the same spec for £37

Dave

[MikeEdwards]

I think I agree with one of Rick's points here - most of my antipathy towards the car is simply because there are so many around. Most of this view is from when I started going to classic car shows many years ago, and there was a big showing of MGB (and Midget for that matter) to the extent that what seemed to be half of the show was made up of them. I have noticed that being balanced out recently though.

I am jealous of the spares availability, but I was told by one ex-owner that he'd sent back at least 50% of the stuff he'd bought because it didn't fit or was just not up to scratch one way or another.

[emmerson]

I bought a 1969 MGB in April 1976 for £250. Remember '76? I took the hood off in Salisbury when I bought it and didn't put it back on again until I sold in in November the same year! (and made £100 profit!)
Fantastic summer in a great little fun car.
Not sure if I'd want one now though: the intervening 38 years seem to have eroded my enthusiasm!

[ukdave2002]

[Ray White]

The direct competition for the MGB GT was the Triumph GT6.

The MG was more spacious and almost as quick (if that's the right word) but it lacks the character of the Triumph. My Mk 3 was better in the handling department than the earlier cars - in fact the Mk 1 was downright dangerous in the wet - so an MGB would win hands down against one of them.
Tin worm is the enemy of both cars although I would give the build quality to the MG. The trouble is that although in theory the MG should be a better car, the GT6 is just much more fun to drive and looks like a baby E type.
Both cars are easy to maintain although I prefer the Triumph's engine access.

I have recently been in my neighbours MGC and I thought it would go much quicker than it did and although I like the idea of a big engine in a B perhaps it's not such a great idea.

[lowdrag]

[Old Wrench]

The early MGB with three bearing crankshaft was a problem.

Basically, BMC used the standard "B" Series Engine, stretched to 1798 c.c.

Post early 1965 cars were marginally better.

I tuned a number: the Abingdon front shock absorber valves (a standard BMC Comps part) much improved the handling.

Breathing on the engine (rally cam, gas flowed head, competition exhaust manifold, lightened and balanced flywheel, crank and rods. Stretching the B Series engine made it very lumpy and unbalanced), made significant difference: as did upgrading rear brake shoes and front brake pads.

The influence of the demands of the US market meant de-tuning the standard engine and adding serious amounts of weight. Turned a reasonable car into a dog!

Personally, I much preferred the Triumph TR5 and the early non-US Spec TR6 was even better: provided it had the electrically switched overdrive.

(I guess I retained a very soft spot for Triumphs since my first, a TR2: which was on early Michelin Xs and taught me how to drive sideways! At speed!)

Having owned both MGA 1600 MK II and MGA MK I 1500 (and even for a short while, an MGA Twin Cam!) I felt the MGB was a retrograde step away from the true ethos of the sports car.
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