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Tonight, The Little British Sportscar That could! It’s …
The MG MGB 1962-1980
✪ The MGB is a 2-door soft-top sportscar produced first by the British Motor Corporation (BMC) and later by the Austin-Morris division of British Leyland as a replacement for the MGA. It had a lifespan of 18 years with several offshoots from the original car, all with higher displacements and more horsepower.
Mark I 1962-1967
Development started in 1958 with a prototype code-named MG EX205, on a modern unibody frame rather than traditional body-on-frame construction as used on its predecessor and rival Triumph‘s TR series. Its lightweight design reduced manufacturing costs and added to the strength of the chassis, some believing it was over-engineered. It was three inches shorter than the MGA, but considerably roomier and more comfortable. The MGB was also one of the first cars to feature controlled crumple zones designed to protect driver and passenger. The brakes and suspension were not new, but rather developments and refinements of the old MGA units, and the B-Series engine was also a refinement of the one used in the MGA and traces its origin back to 1947. Hand-cranked windows were the standard of the day and were a welcome change from some earlier British roadsters’ vinyl flaps for windows. The driver’s compartment was comfortable and offered plenty of legroom, something that cannot be said of all British sportscars. Leather seats graced the interior and exterior door pull handles with flush-fitting locks added to the newness and upscale feel. A parcel shelf behind the seats offered limited storage in the cabin. The new car debuted at the Earl’s Court Motor Show in September of 1962.
At just over 11 seconds to reach 60 MPH, the MGB was no speed-demon. However, it was adequate for what it was, a fun little roadster that could be easily tossed around. The three-bearing, 1,798 cc B-Series engine lurking under the aluminum hood produced 95 HP and 110 ft. lb. of torque, not great but not bad for its weight. The engine displacement also accounted for the car’s official long name, the MG MGB 1800. Twin 38mm SU carburetors provided fuel to the engine. The engine was given positive crankcase breathing in 1964, and the engine prefix was changed to 18GA. When it was further upgraded to a five-bearing crankshaft the same year, the prefix was changed to 18GB and an oil cooler was added to the list of standard features. The door handles were also changed to a push-button type and the locks were strengthened. The original ten-gallon fuel tank was upped to twelve gallons and was bolted directly to the floor of the trunk rather than having support straps like on the MGA and previous MGBs.
US spec MGBs from 1975 onward used a single 44mm Stromberg carburetor mounted on a combination intake/exhaust manifold. This dropped power even further and the adjacent catalytic converter installed to meet emissions requirements tended to crack the intake/exhaust manifold from the heat.
From 1962 to 1967, a four-speed manual transmission with a non-synchromesh first gear that was based on the earlier MGA gearbox was used, with optional overdrive. The overdrive unit was electrically engaged by a toggle switch on the dashboard and was available in third or fourth gear until 1977, when it became a fourth gear only unit and the switch was moved to the top of the gearshift knob. This option was fitted to less than 20% of all MGBs.
Mark II 1968-1980
In 1968, enough changes were made to designate the car as “Mark II,” and the transmission was replaced with a four-speed fully synchromesh unit based on the one installed in the new MGC. It had a different type of overdrive system and was designed to handle the 150 HP of the MGC and thus was over-engineered for the underpowered MGB. The new transmission required a new floorpan with a flat-topped transmission tunnel. A Borg-Warner 35 automatic gearbox was offered as an option except in the US, oddly enough, but there were few takers. Emission standards were introduced in the US in 1968, and the little engine was further choked out to 88 HP. That number would continue to fall until the end of the car’s run as compression ratios dropped from 9:1 to 8:1 in 1972, with California-spec cars only producing 70 HP at the end.
Early MGBs used the “banjo” differential carried over from the MGA, but this was changed to a stronger Salisbury tube-type rear axle based on the MGC in 1967. Braking was handled by 11-inch solid discs up front with a 2-piston system developed by Lockheed and conventional drum brakes in the rear. The braking system was single-circuit until the 1968 Mark II when a dual-circuit for front and rear was installed to comply with new US regulations. These were manual brakes; power assisted braking would not come standard to the MGB until 1975.
These early MGBs had very simple electrical systems, with toggle switches on the dash for functions like lights, ventilation fan and wipers as well as the ignition switch. The stalk on the steering wheel was only for the turn signals. Two six-volt batteries wired in series provided 12-volt electrical power, positive ground like all British cars. The batteries were placed behind the seats, difficult to access but the placement within the wheelbase improved weight distribution and thereby improved handling by minimizing unsprung weight. The batteries were charged by a Lucas dynamo. Lucas electrics were fitted to the MGB, as they were in most British Leyland cars, and were notoriously unreliable. Later MGBs had considerable electrical system changes like a single 12-volt battery in a negative-ground configuration, rocker switches instead of toggles, an alternator in place of the dynamo, more warning lights and buzzers and most common functions moved to steering column stalks.
1968 also saw the introduction of a plastic and foam rubber covered “safety dashboard” that was dubbed the “Abingdon Pillow” for the US market. Other markets continued with the old steel dashboard. The following year reclining seats were offered, and three windshield wipers were introduced in the US models in order to clean the percentage of the glass required by US regulations. The windshield wipers were also two-speed. High seat backs with headrests and side marker lamps were other concessions to US safety regulations. New radial tires and a heater were standard equipment.
In 1969 another replacement for the MGB was developed with a mid-engine configuration and Ferrari-like styling. That car never made it into production and was cancelled a year later in favor of the more conventional Triumph Bullet concept that eventually became the TR7.
Exterior changes came in 1970, with a recessed grill in black aluminum replacing the old polished grill and a split rear bumper with the license plate in between on US models. The old single-piece full-length chrome bumper would return in 1971 and would last four years. The merger of BMC and Leyland in 1969 resulted in a “Leylandized” MGB for 1970, sometimes referred to as “Mark III.” Cost-cutting measures meant that the aluminum hood was gone, replaced by steel, the leather seats were gone, replaced by “Ambla” (vinyl) ones, painted steel wheels replaced chrome ones, but chrome wheels remained an option. Leyland badging also appeared on the front fenders.
1972 saw the addition of fresh air vents in the dash and a console with a hinged armrest fitted into the transmission tunnel. 1973’s changes included a new “18v” engine with more horsepower, painted black instead of the traditional MG red, a black radiator grill with a chrome surround and an MG shield badge, a brake booster servo and the deletion of the automatic transmission.
The chrome bumper over-riders would be replaced in 1974 with over-sized rubber ones nicknamed “Sabrinas” after British actress Sabrina, just as the torpedo-shaped chrome bumper protrusions on 1950s US cars were nicknamed “Dagmars.” New US headlight height regulations meant that ride height was increased by 1 ½ inches to comply. Strangely the anti-roll bar was omitted despite the substantial additional front and rear unsprung weight of the new bumpers.
For 1975 only the standard front anti-roll bar that had been removed the previous year was made optional as a cost-saving measure, but a rear anti-roll bar was made standard in 1977 and greatly improved handling, but ever-increasing US emissions regulations strangled horsepower. 1977 also saw the last substantial changes to the MGB; a new carburetor, a new radiator that was mounted further forward and an overflow tank, a new electric fan, mounted in front of the radiator, replaced the old one driven off the engine, a modified steering rack, and heavy-duty anti-roll bars and anti-sway bars front and rear. In the interior, there were new door panels with radio speakers, a two-speed heater fan, warning lights for the handbrake and seat belts, a new dash and instrument layout, sunvisors, a new zip-out rear window in the convertible top and new two-tone nylon seats in either orange/brown or silver/grey depending on the color of the car.
1979 saw the introduction of a black limited edition roadster for the US market, 500 of which were slated to be made. However, the model proved so popular that MG made 6,682 of them.
In 1980, British Leyland decided to end production of the MGB, which it felt was stealing sales from their new small sportscar the Triumph TR7. This wasn’t really true, the TR7 was simply an inferior car compared to the MGB. Even after the demise of the MGB, TR7 sales failed to pick up and it was discontinued a year later. Throughout the 1980s, the MG marque was used to badge-engineer sports versions of the Austin Metro, Austin Maestro and Austin Montego, none of which showed up on US shores, leaving no US market small sportscars from British Leyland after the demise of the Triumph Spitfire in 1980.
MGB GT 1965-1980
A fixed-roof GT version of the MGB was released for sale in 1965, the body originating from MG‘s Abington design office but the greenhouse and sporty hatchback were designed by the Italian firm Pininfarina. This was the genesis of the sport hatchback segment and father of the likes of the 1980s VW Golf GT, Honda CRX and Peugeot 205 as well as grandfather to the entire modern “hot hatch” segment. The GT retained the style and shape of a coupe while offering the utility of a station wagon, and offered a 2+2 design with a right-angled rear bench seat and far more luggage and cargo room than the roadster. Aside from different suspension springs and anti-roll bars to cope with the added weight of the roof and a different windshield the overall car was identical to the roadster, but the design of the roof and hatchback resulted in a very pleasing shape. In 1967, as stock of the old “banjo” type of rear axles started to dwindle, a new rear axle known as the Salisbury Tube-Type was fitted to the car. In 2019, Road & Track magazine named it one of the “16 of Pininfarina’s Most Beautiful Designs That Aren’t Ferraris.” Acceleration was slower due to the added weight, of course, but top speed improved by 5 MPH over the roadster due to the better aerodynamics of the roof.
A special Jubilee edition of the GT was produced for the 50th anniversary of MG in 1975. These were painted in a pre-war British Racing Green with gold body stripes and other gold trim, and had tinted windows and the alloy wheels from the V8 model, painted gold and black. Tinted glass, black outside mirrors and an engraved dash plaque rounded out the package. 751 Jubilees were built, and one was destroyed in an advertising stunt gone wrong. Half the Jubilees that were built were still left and road-worthy as of 2021.
The MGB Berlinette, produced in 1964 by Belgian coachbuilder Jacques Coune used a more raised windshield to accommodate their fastback design that looked like a cross between a Jaguar E-Type, an Aston-Martin DB5 and a 1970s Toyota Celica.
MGC 1967-1969
The MGC was a version of the MGB that used a 2.9 liter straight-six engine rather than the MGB‘s inline four, intended as a replacement for the Austin Healey 3000 Mk. III. However, when Donald Healey was shown the car, he was so unimpressed that he refused to have his name associated with it. The car was available in Roadster and fastback GT versions, like the MGB. The initial engine choice was to be an Australian-designed six-cylinder version of the BMC B-Series four, but MG decided to go with the new Morris Engines C-Series that was new from the ground up and also to be used for the new Austin 3-liter four-door sedan. Twin SU carbs fed the engine, which produced a healthy 145 HP. Due to the increased power of the six, the MGC reached 60 MPH in ten seconds, not a blazing time but still faster than its four-cylinder cousin. It also topped out at 120 MPH, a speed that the MGB simply wasn’t capable of. Internally the body needed considerable revisions around the engine bay and floorpan to accommodate the longer, heavier engine, but externally it was identical to the MGB save for hood bulges to clear the re-located radiator and placement of the twin carbs. The 15-inch wheels had different brakes than the MGB. A lower-geared rack and pinion steering unit and a special torsion bar suspension with telescopic dampers also differentiated it from the original. An overdrive manual transmission or a three-speed automatic were available as options.
The 209 lb. heavier engine, nearly double the weight of the MGB mill, and new suspension changed the handling dynamics completely and the automotive press gave it mixed reviews. The lithe coil spring front suspension of the MGB had to be ripped out and replaced with a torsion bar system with the torsion bars extending longitudinally to anchor points in the floorpan under the seats to distribute the suspension forces to the center of the car. The front suspension was also provided with an anti-roll bar of increased thickness. This was done in part because of the increase in the height of the car’s center of gravity caused by the new engine, and to compensate for the additional weight.
The effect of this however was to increase the load on the front outside tire when cornering, increasing the car’s propensity to understeer. This then needed to be compensated for by the tires, which for the early model MGC were only 165R-15 Dunlop SP41 radials and as such not really up to the job they were being asked to do. The SP41 was Dunlop’s first effort at a performance radial tire and was subsequently vastly improved on. These were subsequently upgraded in 1969 to 165HR-15 radials. Reviewers stated that the engine was reluctant to rev and that the car had pronounced understeer, not at all like the neutral and lively handling of the four cylinder MGB. Even after revealing that the test car’s tire pressure was set the same as the MGB‘s and not to what was recommended for the new, larger tires and setting the pressures correctly for subsequent tests, the handling issues persisted and the car was retired from production in less than two years. The failings of the MGC were not terminal, but the bad press the car was given certainly sounded the death knell for it. When the car was launched, British Leyland stated that instead of replacing the Austin-Healey 3000 Mk. III, that car would be sold as a parallel model priced at only 24 British pounds more than the MGC. Britain’s Crown Prince Charles took delivery of a new MGC in 1967, which he passed down to his son Prince William 30 years later.
MGB GT V8 1973-1976
The MGB GT V8 was conceived by Kent, England-based racer and private entrepreneur, Ken Costello. He saw the opportunity for the MGB engine bay to accommodate a bigger engine. After all, it was designed to accommodate a V4 engine that never got to production. The 3.5 liter Rover V8, originally the aluminum Buick/Oldsmobile/Pontiac 215 V8, was a natural for the MGB. Not only was the engine bay ideally suited for the engine, but the all-aluminum V8 weighed virtually the same as the B series engine, so the handling was not upset in the same way that occurred with the MGC. It was powerful and efficient, so the stunning performance was not at the cost of huge fuel bills. British Leyland took notice, and soon engineered their own version and began offering the MGB GT V8 in 1973. Producing 137 HP, it could reach 60 MPH in a respectable 7.7 seconds and top out at 125 MPH while weighing 44 lbs. less than the MGB‘s four-cylinder. Unlike the MGC, the MGB GT V8 didn’t require significant chassis or suspension changes that compromised handling. Some criticized the MGB GT V8 for looking too similar to its four-cylinder stablemate, but any resemblance to the four evaporates when you turn the key and it comes to life with that deep V8 burble. Both chrome and rubber-bumpered versions were produced, but MG never developed a left-hand drive version for export to the rest of the world. The Oil Crisis following the October 1973 war in the Middle East proved to be the death knell for V8 engines for a while, even those with gas mileage nearing that of a four-cylinder. Had the MGB GT V8 been launched back in 1967 instead of the MGC, then MG could have had themselves another world-beater. As it was, the V8 engine and the excellent performance couldn’t counterbalance the limitations of an old design and poor planning, and it resulted in a car that was frustratingly out of step with the times by 1973. In the end, just 2,591 V8s were sold when production ended in 1976.
MG RV8 1992-1995
After the launch and success of the Mazda MX-5 Miata in 1989, British Motor Heritage, then owned by the British Rover Group, placed the MGB bodyshell back into production to serve the MGB restoration market. The Miata‘s success gave Rover Group the confidence that the market for 2-seat roadsters had returned, and they created an updated MGB model in 1991 using the original doors and trunk lid, rear leaf springs and drum brakes (even though discs had been the standard for years) and an updated 3.9 liter version of the aluminum Rover V8. Higher-end traditional British appointments like Connolly leather and burled elm woodwork in the interior elevated the car’s appearance and status. The new V8 produced 190 HP and propelled the new car to 60 MPH in 5.9 seconds, a much more respectable time. However, the old-school leaf springs and rear drum brakes meant that the car was not popular with road testers from the automotive media, and its high price tag put it in direct competition with specialist manufacturers like TVR that offered disc brakes on all four wheels, more up-to-date suspension technology and an overall better driving experience than the MG RV8. No left-hand drive models were produced, and most of the limited production went to Japan, 1,579 of the 1,983 models produced. 330 cars were initially sold in the UK, but possibly 700 of the ones exported to Japan were eventually re-imported back to the UK and Australia.
Racing MGBs
Specially-tuned MGBs, some with aluminum body panels, were successful on international road competition circuits like the 1965 Monte Carlo Rally, where an MGB took a victory in the Grand Touring category. MGBs also won their categories at the Guards 1000 race at Brands Hatch in 1965 and the 84-hour Marathon de la Route at the Nürburgring in 1966, the 1966 Targa Florio and the 1966 and 1967 Spa 1000.
In its day the MGB was the UK’s best-selling sportscar, with 386,961 roadsters and 125,282 GTs built. Today the car has a loyal following around the world, and owners lovingly drive, maintain and show their beloved MGBs. For many people it remains the quintessential British roadster alongside the Triumph Spitfire. Ask any car enthusiast to name a British roadster and one of those two cars will certainly come up first. ✪
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