MG billed itself as “the sports car that America loved first.” Back in the Mad Men era, it was one of the few taglines that wasn’t complete BS. That’s because back in the ’40s, American servicemen brought back spindly, underpowered, right-hand drive T-Series MGs from England, and MG in turn shipped its TC model to the States in significant numbers. That’s what lit the sports car fuse in this country.
Popular as it was, the TC was a prewar design. Its two immediate successors—the TD and TF—certainly looked more 1930s than 1950s. Even MG’s first envelope-body sports car—the MGA—wasn’t all that more advanced than the T-Series under its sleek skin. It wasn’t until the MGB of 1962 that MG really produced its first modern sports car. The B went on to become MG’s most popular model, and is probably the first thing most of us think of when we hear “classic British sports car.” MGBs are fun, affordable and easy to own for the average enthusiast. As with any classic, though, there are plenty of nuances and things to look out for when shopping for one.
The History
The B was a near clean-sheet design for MG, with a unibody and front disc brakes. Its 95-horsepower, 1800-cc OHV four-cylinder with two SU carburetors was similar to the MGA’s powerplant, albeit about 200cc larger. Early cars used a three main-bearing crank, but a more robust five-main design arrived in late 1964. Although the car was more modern-looking than anything MG had previously offered, its top was as antediluvian as anything from the 1930s. The so-called “pack-away hood” requires the driver to remove the top frame from a bag in the trunk, assemble it, and drape the top over the frame and attach it by an uncountable number of snaps. Even correctly assembled, it isn’t water-tight. The folding top designs offered in later Bs weren’t much better in terms of water-tightness. The initial MK I four-speed gearbox also has a whiny, unsynchronized first gear. Overdrive was and continues to be a very desirable option. The tell for cars so equipped is a straight gearshift lever versus a bent one.
Despite some quirks, the Mk I (1962-67) MGB was an immediate and giant hit in the U.S., by far the company’s largest market. Early cars are particularly lovely with their pull-out door handles, optional wire wheels, wide whitewall tires and gorgeous black wrinkle-finish dash with chrome-ringed Smiths gauges and toggle switches. All cars came with leather seat faces with nicely contrasting piping (any MK I with full vinyl seats is incorrect).
In the early days of the B, the workforce at MG’s Abingdon, Oxfordshire plant was generally happy and skilled, and it certainly showed in the quality of the cars. Paint finish and panel gaps were generally quite good. With the exception of radiators that weren’t up to the task of cooling cars in hotter parts of the U.S., and Lucas generators and alternators that were inadequate and built to last a lunchtime, the MGB was generally robust and reliable, although the two six-volt batteries (wired in series to give 12 volts in positive ground) confounded Americans. In 1966, MG added a fastback hardtop body style with tiny rear jump seat called the MGB GT, its attractive roofline courtesy of the Italian designers at Pininfarina. Cloth, sliding sunroofs by Britax, Weathershields or Webasto, while common, were generally dealer-added items.
By 1968, changes were coming to the MGB. On the plus side, the MK II version of the car finally got an all-synchromesh gearbox (courtesy of the six-cylinder MGC). Most changes, however, weren’t positive. The U.S.-bound cars got a new padded dash design known derisively as the “Abingdon Pillow.” It was essentially a heavily padded vinyl overlay glued to the original steel dash. There was no glovebox, and the whole thing was less than graceful. Rocker switches also replaced toggle switches, and the gauge design and layout were altered as well.
Emission controls also began their relentless attack on the B’s horsepower, which was never all that plentiful to begin with. An air-injection pump was added for 1968, costing the B about 5 horsepower. British Leyland also bought MG’s parent company in 1968, and it wouldn’t be long until their cost cutters made their way to Abingdon’s bread-and-butter sports car. The 1969 MGB was be the last with leather seat surfaces. Grilles became plastic. The elegant plated metal badging was gone, too. At least the car got a glovebox again, along with a more elegant dash design with face-level vents for 1972. Post-1969, Rostyle, styled steel wheels became more common than attractive but fussy and anachronistic wire wheels.
The changes didn’t end there, and they marked a rather sad decline for a car that remained in production far longer than anyone had imagined or planned for. Early 1974 model year cars got massive rubber rams on chrome bumper bars, but this wouldn’t be enough to meet upcoming U.S. regulations. So-called 1974 ½ MGBs debuted a rather curious-looking rubber bumper design that incorporated a vestigial version of the MGB grille. And although they met the 5-mph impact standards, they didn’t meet the separate mandatory height requirement. For this, British Leyland raised the car’s suspension, which impacted the car’s previously pleasant handling. As U.S. emission requirements got more stringent, the two SU carbs gave way to a single Zenith-Stromberg, slashing horsepower to about 65 hp. The pretty MGB GT went away after the 1974 model year although it soldiered on in the U.K. until the end of the line in 1980, and was for a brief period of time, offered with the aluminum Rover V-8 (Americans never got the V-8-powered B, but swapping in a Rover V-8 is a popular and relatively easy swap). Rubber bumper B GTs are exceedingly rare in the U.S., as they were sold here for only one half of a model year.
British Leyland toyed with the idea of replacing the MGB with a bizzare-looking version of the Triumph TR7, but ultimately the company decided to ride out the MGB for as long as possible, and that turned out to be 1980. Black MGBs had been rare, and that color was chosen for the “Limited Edition” that marked the end of the line for the beloved but long-in-the-tooth sports car. Five-spoke alloy wheels similar to those found on the Triumph Stag were also part of the Limited Edition package. By 1980, the B had been around for an astonishing 18 years. Although it was underpowered, and slow even for the Malaise Era, the MGB was missed almost immediately. With no immediate successor, it marked the end of MG in North America. Today, it’s almost viewed as the Model T of British sports cars—a lovely way to enjoy a top-down, very analog motoring experience inexpensively, and with phenomenal parts support to boot.
Model Year Changes
1962: Intro year, production briefly overlaps with the MGA.
1963: Overdrive and a removable hardtop arrive as options.
1964: Positive crankcase ventilation added.
1965: Five-main-bearing engine replaces three-main design, and the engine gains an oil cooler. Mid-year, fuel capacity increases from 10 to 12 gallons, and the tank is more securely fastened to body shell with bolts rather than metal straps. Push-button door handles replace the pull-type handles.
1966: Fastback GT coupe added.
1967: Wire wheels lose their winged spinners.
1968: All-synchro gearbox introduced, along with a panoply of safety and emission related equipment including dual-circuit brakes, padded dash, energy-absorbing steering column, “safety” rocker switches, hazard flashers, and emission air-pump. Electrics are also revised with an alternator replacing a generator, and ground is changed from positive to negative. Shoulder belts become standard, temperature and oil pressure gauges are separated into two squarish gauges in between tach and speedo, and the horn and overdrive are relocated to stalks.
1969: A new, one-year-only seat design with headrests now reclines and is leather-faced for one more year, although the contrasting piping is gone. U.S. cars get odd side reflectors, and three windshield wipers.
1970: Black recessed grille, vinyl seats, new drilled-spoke steering wheel design, split rear bumper, larger tail lamp lenses (with amber quadrant), and British Leyland badging introduced. Side lights replace reflectors. Aluminum bonnet is replaced by a steel one.
1971: Solid rear bumper returns, new folding top design.
1972: New, more attractive dash design with the first glovebox since 1967, and the first ever face-level vents, inertia reel belts and center arm rest.
1973: New black centered honeycomb grille design, slotted spoke steering wheel and door panel arm rests added. Emission system gets a charcoal evaporative canister. Door mirrors are now standard and wiper arms and blades are now black.
1974: Seatbelt buzzer added and radial tires become standard. GT is no longer available in California. Large rubber bumper overriders show up mid-year, definitive rubber bumper design introduced over the summer before changeover to 1975 model year. GT is later discontinued in North America.
1975: Single Zenith-Stromberg carburetor, power-assisted brakes now standard. Overdrive becomes standard, too.
1976: Catalytic converter becomes standard in all 50 states. MG badge becomes silver and black.
1977: Dual electric radiator fans, larger diameter front sway bar, and rear bar added. Overdrive switch now in gearshift knob. Electric clock added, along with new top with a zip-out rear window, new four-spoke steering wheel design.
1978: A second charcoal canister is added to the emission system, and tonneau cover is standard.
1979: Radio speakers now mounted in door panels. Run of 6682 North American Limited Editions starts.
1980: 17 character VIN and 80 mph speedometer. Final cars produced in October of 1980.
What to Look for
MGBs are relatively simple and robust cars. Nearly every part is available at prices that aren’t terribly dear. Mechanically, there are few items that are beyond economical repair, and the aftermarket has numerous solutions for cooling and electrical system failings. The body structure, however, is a different story. MGs are as rust-prone as anything of their era, and because of the car’s unibody construction, serious rust can compromise the structural integrity of the car. Floorboard rust, while it does occur, doesn’t seem to be as common as it is in something like a Porsche 356, but rust in the rockers and sills is common. The bubbling that you see in the outer rockers is usually just the tip of the iceberg—MGBs rust from the inside out.
Bad sill rust can be downright scary. The carpet-covered sills (the part that you step over to get into the car) provide much of the longitudinal integrity of the car. Serious rust here is very bad news. Rear wheel arches are also very susceptible to rust as are the tops of the front fenders near the beading that separates them from the cowl. Although every bit of sheet metal is available, repairing a rusty B costs just as much as it does to do a Porsche, and in the end you’ll have a car worth a fraction of a 356 or early 911. It’s much better to buy a scruffy MGB with no rust than it is to buy a visually nice and mechanically sorted one with rot lurking underneath.
On an otherwise sound car, a tatty interior is nothing to fret about. For around $1000, you can get an entire MGB interior for an early car with leather seats, including carpets, side panels, and door cards. Later vinyl interiors are considerably cheaper, and installation is very DIY-friendly.
Mechanically dodgy MGBs will be fairly obvious—smoke (white for a head gasket, blue for bad rings), low oil pressure and funny rattling or knocking noises are obviously bad signs. A whiny first-gear, especially on non-synchromesh cars, is normal. Soft and spongy brakes and clutch usually indicate a leaky master or slave cylinder. Parts aren’t difficult to find. Instructions and guides for most basic jobs and fixes are all over the Internet, and wrenching on an MGB is a good introduction to the idiosyncrasies of classic cars.
MG sold over half a million Bs, and the U.S. was the model’s largest market, so finding a car for sale is easy. Condition will range from decrepit parts car to concours queen, but given the MGB’s eternal affordability, many examples out there are in less than stellar condition. As noted above, that’s not necessarily cause for concern unless there is expensive structural rust to be addressed.
What to Pay
Other than some movement in recent years, MGB prices have historically been rather steady, and rather low. The earliest, purest roadsters are worth the most, with condition #2 (“excellent”) values currently sitting at $27,000, but driver-quality examples in #3 (“good”) condition can be had for nearly half that. Mk II cars are worth a few grand less, and GTs are worth a bit less than their roadster cousins across the board.
The 1970-74 chrome bumper cars are currently worth in the low-$20,000 range in #2 condition, with #3 condition cars coming in at under $10,000. Rubber bumper MGBs will sell for prices in the mid-teens in #2 condition, and a little over six grand in #3 condition. A Limited Edition carries a premium of a grand or two. Rubber bumper cars can also be retrofitted with the more attractive chrome fairly easily, and lowering the ride height back to ’60s sportiness is also a reasonably straightforward job.
Attractive, fun and charming, a solid MGB makes for a rewarding ownership experience, whether it’s your first classic or your fortieth.
Report by Rob Sass
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