The MGB is one of the most common classic 1960s British sports car. Even folks who are not into cars probably recognize an MGB if one passes by on the street. Every 2nd week in August, the Quad City British Auto Club puts on a car show, and MGBs are very well represented. But they are all the open-top version. The MGB GT is a horse of a different color.
The story of MG in North America has been told many times before, but in a nutshell, returning GIs were very smitten with the little sports cars they had seen in Europe, and many brought MGs home with them. Although the TC and subsequent TD and TF models were very antiquated by the late 1940s, they provided a driving experience that no domestic car could match. Once MGs began to be imported, sales went through the roof and most MGs built went to the United States.
By the early 1950s even the MG fans had to admit that the TF was past its sell-by date. While it was still a fun to drive car, it was time for something new. In 1955, the MGA replaced the TF. It was thoroughly modernized, with an attractive envelope-type body finally replacing the cycle fenders and other 1930s styling cues.
The MGA owed its much lower hoodline to the 1489 cc B-Block inline four with 68 horsepower that first appeared in the TF-1500. A 1955 MGA went from zero to 60 in 16 seconds and had a top speed of 97.8 mph. While that doesn’t sound like sports car material by today’s standards, in its time it was quite a sprightly little roadster. Other features included independent front suspension, rack-and-pinion steering and four-wheel hydraulic drum brakes. Over 100,000 were sold during its eight year run, but by the early 1960s it was clear another replacement was due.
In 1962, the MGB was unveiled. It now had an all new monocoque chassis and was styled by Don Hayter, MG’s in-house stylist. He did have a little help from Pininfarina though, as that firm had been consulting with BMC on such models as the Austin 1100 and 1800. MGBs were powered by an enlarged version of the B-Block engine, a 1.8L inline four that now produced 95 hp @ 5400 rpm and 110 lb ft of torque. In late 1965 the MGB GT coupe was introduced.
The GT was an early adopter of the three-door hatchback genre, with a large rear panel that opened to a much more generous cargo area than the MGB roadster. An occasional rear seat was really only suitable for children, but folded flat for even more luggage space. The coupe roofline was designed by Pininfarina and required a taller windshield.
The GT received the same updates as the roadster through the years. In 1967 the Mark II MGB was unveiled. New features included a four-speed manual with synchromesh on first gear, an optional Borg-Warner automatic (in an MG?), and an alternator finally replaced the dynamo, which was an early type of DC generator. US-bound Mark IIs lost their painted metal instrument panel and received a plastic foam-backed version for added safety.
MGB GTs were naturally heavier than their drop-top brethren, but although they were slower to accelerate they actually had a higher top speed due to improved aerodynamics. In 1970, MGs lost their chrome grille and gained a matte black version with chrome trim. The now-ubiquitous Rostyle wheels (seen below) replaced the steel disc wheels, but genuine wire wheels were still available as an option.
An interesting variant of the GT coupe was the MGC. Intended to replace the big Austin-Healey, it utilized a substantially re-worked version of the A-H 3000’s 2912 cc inline six. As installed in the MGC, the six produced 145 hp @ 5250 rpm, had a zero to 60 time of ten seconds and a top speed of 120 mph. It was also available as a roadster.
The MGB’s engine bay required numerous modifications for the engine to fit, and a blister had to be added to the hood for the carburetor and radiator to clear. The MGC also had a unique torsion bar front suspension for the same reason. Due to the engine being over 200 pounds heavier than the MGB’s standard inline four, weight distribution and handling were somewhat compromised. It was cancelled in 1969 after only 9,002 roadsters and coupes were built.
A more satisfying variant was the MGB V8. Introduced for 1973, it had the light aluminum Rover/Buick V8 as used in the Rover P5B and Range Rover. While it only had 137 hp, it had gobs of torque for a car of its size, 193 lb ft. Zero to 60 came in only eight seconds and it had a top speed of 125 mph. Sadly, it was never exported to the US and production ended in 1976 after only 2,591 were built.
As for the standard GT coupe, it was built alongside the roadster all the way to the end of production in 1980. The roadster was available to the end in the US, but British Leyland stopped importing the GT after the 1974 model year. After all was said and done, the roadster was much more popular, to the tune of 399,070 drop tops and 125,282 GTs. The fun of an open sports car and the correspondingly lower price vs. the GT were probably the biggest factors.
I found this GT on Monday as my brother and I were driving into Clinton for lunch. As I was crossing the bridge from Illinois to Iowa, Andy noticed a green MG sitting at a repair shop. We found the right street and checked it out – it looked pretty nice, but first things first. After lunch, we went back and I took these pictures. I am pretty sure it is a ’72, as the color, light turquoise, appears to be a 1972-only color. Other than an interior that needed to be reassembled, it looked ready to roll.
I have attended the British car show in Davenport nearly every year since 1996, and I don’t recall ever seeing one of these, so this could be the first one I’ve ever seen in person. Standing next to it, it reminded me of a Volvo 1800ES or Reliant Scimitar GTE, though its primary competition when new was probably the Triumph GT6. I like MGBs, but if I ever had to get an MG, I’d get one of these. Sporty and versatile – a great combination!
My first car after graduating from university was a ’69 MGB GT. I learned the hard way that it wasn’t designed for Canadian winters! The person who thought that placing the 2 six volt batteries under the rear seat should have been left to survive on an ice floe.
I enjoyed that piece. I have admired MGB coupes for a long time but have never owned one
Having owned an MGB I can say that I would rather have daily root canals than maintain them. Finally semi reliable when I junked the carbs, had a manifold made and put a single carb off a 1600vw on it.
Now driving it is a different deal. Fun. Just fun. This article could almost drive me into the arms of a…….miata. Sort of going Yamaha instead of BSA/ Triumph 650. You get all the looks but have actual dependability.
I know if there was any justice you should get an electrical engineering diploma of some sort if you try to maintain your own.
I had a 64 B roadster in college, and being an EE student was a help. Tinworm was the worst problem (I worked for a subsidiary of Inland Steel one summer, so I made use of the employee discount for new floorboard stock), but the electrics were, er, charming. The headlight switch that failed to protect the fuse was the prize. (There were two fuses in the B, and the 60 TR3A used the same setup.)
Fun car to drive, though I’d never own one now. Too many other things to do.
My boss in the mid-70s had a GT. Quite fun.
Example of classic British engineering- note the interior shot of the door. The MGB-GT has a taller windshield than the roadster, so- the side windows are taller. To get them to go all the way into the door, the bottom stops on all the GTs were pounded out of the way. The stops were there for the roadster windows; the doors were the same.
Disappearing comments on this one.
I always wanted to move up to the B. A GT would have been a dream come true.
My Midget wasn’t much to look at but it was unusually reliable so I guess I’m not quite ready for those daily root canals yet like wstarvingteacher!
Tom, your statement, “Even folks who are not into cars probably recognize an MGB if one passes by on the street” unfortunately, no longer holds true… at least for guys under the age of 30… All my sons are into Japanese tuner cars or BIG trucks, and when an old MG goes by, they universally say, “What is that?”
In fact, I rarely see ANY MG on the street these days, unless it is a classic cruise or a car show… most of the old Brit Iron is kept hidden in garages and not driven, which is too bad.
I saw this at a car show in this area a couple of years ago. This fellow had a ’72 or ’73 MGB roadster, and a gaggle of teenagers walked up and asked, in all seriousness, if it was a Miata. He winced…
Heaps of these cars left here simple easy to fix fun to drive and unlike the roadster you dont get wet in the rain Id quite happily get a MGB GT as a hobby car.
The B GT actually predated the Triumph GT6 by more than a year, the Scimitar GTE by more than three, and the Volvo 1800ES by more than five; it’s possible it influenced the GTE, though, which in turn probably influenced the Volvo.
The MGB GT makes an interesting comparison with the GT6. The B GT was about $200 more, and the 1.8-liter B-series was about as powerful as the 2.0-liter six in the Triumph. The MGB GT was better balanced than the MGB roadster, so it was generally considered the better handling of the two; in contrast, the GT6 was nose heavy and had swing axles, which could make it a handful. (The GT6+/GT6 Mark II had a new IRS layout, which helped.) On the other hand, I don’t know how many MG fans would seriously have considered a Triumph, and vice versa…
One of my year 7 teachers (in 1985) had a GT. It always stood out in the parking lot, as did her other car – an ’82 Fairlane (being in NZ this was the Australian-built model). Owning an MGB and a Fairlane was an effective way for one person to cover both ends of car design – from small&sporty to large&luxurious! I’ve always like MGBs, and am probably one of the few who really likes the look of the later rubber-bumper ones too. I recall reading in the 80s that the MG MGB GT V8 possessed the longest car name made up entirely of individual letters/numbers…!
Just noticed the bumper hitch. Geesh. Who would do that?
I never quite understood how I became something of a motorhead. My Dad was a forester, but I could identify every car on the road by age 5 – model and year. My parents had oddball cars: old red Volvo 744 followed by a 3 cylinder Saab wagon (Mom was of Swedish descent); followed by a 1st year Vega wagon, and Dad commuted by bus. I wanted him to buy a ‘Vette…
Many years later I found out that maybe we weren’t so different. When they bought the Saab, what they really wanted was an MGB GT but just couldn’t fit both of us kids in it…
My Dad had a ’68 MGB-GT. He bought it gently used in wither ’69 or 70 and it was a darker blue with black interior. I remember it and riding in it when about 5 with my dog, Sasha, a then middle aged short haired female red Dachshund. She loved to ride in the car and had since we got her in 1966 at a 2 year old adult.
This is a photo of my Dad next to that car in 1969, shortly after getting it when we’d moved back to Puget Sound after a couple of years way, and yes, the Dachshund is in the photo.
Any chance that Aqua GT could be for sale? My own Aqua ’72 GT has 433,000 miles and needs a complete bare shell restoration. That car could work for me while I’m restoring mine!
@ ciddyguy… I actually own a 1968 GT now and I have two dachshunds… 🙂
I have recently started to search for my first car from high school in Evansville Indiana. It was a 72 turquoise green BGT. Wondering if you bought this one or if you can pinpoint where you saw it?
It was in Clinton, Iowa, but the pictures were taken over two years ago. I haven’t seen it since.
Thanks much Tom. I can’t help but think this is the one. Not to be too fatalistic but literally, I just started looking around for my old car and googled images as the very first step in my search and there it was. As you could imagine, there were not too many turquoise MGBGTs running around. Looks like from the pictures it had just had some body work done. Will focus my search in Clinton, Iowa! Best, Rob
I bought this car in Orlando last year. I only noticed that it’s mine because of the trailer hitch and missing chrome hood front cover. I never imagined I would find it on the Internet and from Iowa
Hey Kevin. Would love to talk to you about this car. Please call me 317 691 6322. Thanks Rob
Hey Kevin. Would love to talk to you about this car. Has a very special meaning to me. I believe this was my first car from high school that my father and I resored. Please call me 317 691 6322. Thanks Rob robertquirey@gmail.com
I drove a 1974 MGB/GT for 7 years. Loved every second until my winter in Kansas City when temps dropped to 20 below. You had to put aluminum foil over the radiator to heat enough hot water for the heater. The coolant never heated enough traveling through the engine block! I ran 90% mixture of antifreeze. You had to heat your door key to thaw the lock… Still, it started every time and when warmed up ran like a champ. I get teary-eyed everytime I see one.