1962-80 MGB

The affordable 1962-80 British MGB sports car was the first new sports car for hundreds of thousands of Americans and likely was owned by at least half a million because it had second, third and even fourth owners. A good number of MGBs are still around, mostly in restored condition.

 

The MGB was the last MG sports car sold in this country. It was simple, rugged and fun to drive. As with all MGs, the “B” required minimal maintenance and could withstand considerable abuse.

 

The four-cylinder MG “T-series” introduced most Americans to sports cars. The impossibly rakish 1945-49 MG TC, which only came with the steering wheel on the right side for European driving, was the very definition of “sports car” and drew much attention here. Except for GIs, who brought TCs from Europe after serving in World War II, few Americans had seen anything like an MG.

 

The TC was followed by the similar, but more comfortable and much higher-volume, 1950-53 TD. The TD put MG on the map in America because it was sold by a good national dealer network and had a more modern suspension and conventional (for America) left-hand steering.

 

The TD was followed by the 1954-55 TF. Like the TC and TD, the TF had classic 1930s British sports car styling, with a long hood, rakish cutaway doors with side curtains instead of roll-up windows, sweeping front fenders, running boards, fold-down windshield and a spare tire atop a small outside gasoline tank at the rear.

 

The T-Series MGs weren’t very fast, at least compared to the crop of American cars with modern new V-8s in the early 1950s. But MGs weren’t bought for sheer speed. Instead, the light, low-slung car’s quick steering, sharp handling that made U.S. cars look clumsy and fun-loving personality compensated for its relative lack of power. And there were no high-speed interstate highways.

 

A good number of MGs with engines modified for higher horsepower were raced. And American sports car racing greats, such as Carroll Shelby and Phil Hill, who was America’s first world Grand Prix champion driver, got started in TCs. Celebrities who raced, such as actor James Dean, began competing in a TD.

 

The T-Series was replaced by the even more rugged, virtually all-new 1956 MGA. Long overdue, the “A” was the first MG with modern styling, although it still had a small four-cylinder engine.

 

The MGA was a big step forward for the British automaker, although many MG fans were shocked by its streamlined “envelope” body. The popular MGA roadster (convertible) version retained side curtains, although a lower-volume coupe model soon debuted after the roadster. It had roll-up windows and outside door handles that the MGA roadster lacked.

 

As with its predecessors, the MGA was America’s favorite entry level sports car. So the MG name was well known here by 1962, when the MGB arrived.

 

The MGB was even more modern than the MGA. Its major improved technical feature was more rigid monocoque construction, which replaced the MG’s old-style body-on-frame construction. The MGB retained the MGA’s B-Series four-cylinder engine from British Motor Corp. (BMC), but the engine size was increased from 1.6 to 1.8 liters for more punch.

 

For the first time, the MG four-speed manual transmission could be supplemented with an optional electric overdrive unit for more relaxed highway cruising in America.

 

The MGA could touch 100 mph, as could the  95-horsepower MGB, which was faster off the line. The MGB used the same suspension and brakes as the MGA. But it had a roomier cockpit and more luggage space despite a wheelbase some 3 inches shorter, at 91 inches, than the MGA’s.

 

The “B” looked boxier than the curvaceous “A,” but had smooth, slightly Italianate styling. It had a wide, shallow version of the traditional MG grille, headlights deftly put in fender “scoops” and nifty vertical taillights.

 

MG purists were shocked that the MGB roadster got roll-up windows and outside door handles, which were needed for the MGA coupe because it had a fixed roof.

 

The MGB was fairly quick and could keep up with the Triumph TR4, which was another popular British entry level sports car. The MGB had a good ride and was fun to drive, with its sharp steering and adroit handling that always had been strong MG features. It was easy to drive quickly, especially on winding roads. And it felt fast even when you were going slow.

 

The MGB price was right, at around $2,500 when introduced. Sales started at the end of 1962, and more than 23,000 MGBs were made in calendar 1963, with a large number shipped to America. That record number was broken the following year, when 26,542 were produced.

 

Running changes kept the MGB competitive with similar-size sports cars in its market. For instance, the engine was beefed up with a five-main-bearing crankshaft at the end of 1964.

 

A prettty $3,095 MGB GT hatchback coupe arrived for 1965, with a small rear bench seat for two children. Based on the roadster, the GT was partially styled by Italy’s Pininfarina exotic car outfit and could be used daily by a small family.

 

In 1967, the MGB “Mark II” got an all-synchromesh four-speed manual gearbox for easier shifting. The car also was offered that year with a three-speed automatic transmission, which was out of place because shifting gears was part of the fun of driving a sports car such as the MG. The automatic was quietly dropped in 1973, after only about 5,000 installations.

 

It was unfortunate for MG when BMC merged with Leyland Motors to form the fumbling British Leyland Corp. in 1968 because British Leyland placed more emphasis on the Triumph—a prime MG competitor.



The MGB thus had to face the 1970s with only small changes, despite tough new U.S. safety and emission regulations. British Leyland used cheap, unimaginative ways to meet the regulations. The MGB thus steadily lost horsepower and became less attractive.

For example, the 1975 MGB’s horsepower rating fell to only 62. And the car’s appearance and handling were adversely affected when it got ungainly energy-absorbing black rubber bumpers and was raised 1.5 inches to meet U.S. headlight height rules. A protruding black “bra” ruined the original tidy front end.

 

The MGB GT coupe was dropped after 1974, but the roadster soldiered on until its production ended in October, 1980, when the historic MG factory in Abingdon, England, was closed in one of British Leyland’s attempts to trim costs and stay in business

 

At the end, some 387,675 four-cylinder MGB roadsters and 125,597 GT coupes were built. It’s estimated that at least half of the 513,272 four-cylinder MGBs came to this country.

 

The MGB was briefly sold here as the “MGC” with a heavy six-cylinder engine in the late 1960s, but it was costlier and had ponderous handling. Unpopular, it soon was withdrawn. Much better was the fast, good-handling MGB-GT V-8. It was offered in the early 1970s with a potent aluminum engine, but this desirable low-volume model never was officially imported to America.

 

But never mind. We still have the desirable 1960s MGB four-cylinder roadsters, besides the nifty four-cylinder GT coupes. They’re all still a kick to drive.