CLASSIC SCENES

Words: Paul Guinness Image: Getty

Alittle later than many of the Classic Scenes we publish is this shot of Lord Street, Liverpool, taken on January 6, 1988 – one of those wet inevitable FX4 taxi, ahead of which is a Renault Trafic – the front-wheel drive panel van that launched in 1980 and was eventually also sold in the and rather depressing winter days (judging by the umbrellas and raincoats) that most of us loathe. Still, the vehicles add plenty of extra interest.

In the far distance we can just about make out a Volvo 300-series, the only private car in shot. The other vehicles are all commercial, including the UK as the Vauxhall Arena. In front of that is a Leyland Atlantean double-decker bus (almost certainly with East Lancs bodywork), while parked outside BHS on the other side of the road is an A-reg Bedford CF – last taxed in 1992, according to the DVLA. CCB

Jon Burgess Contributor

Familiarity breeds contempt – but in the case of the MGB GT, the backlash is unwarranted. Handily sized, well-proportioned and eminently practical, your next ’B GT can be anything from a high-days and holidays historic to a hardcharging track machine. From its release in 1965, it was all things to all people – and would never leave them caught out struggling to raise a hood in the pouring rain.

Blessed with a strong survival rate and an affordable marketplace, the ’B GT remains one of the most sensible and wellcatered-for classics you can buy. A long legacy means that spares are cheap, and cars are easily upgraded if that’s what’s required.

MODEL OVERVIEW

MG’s latter-day chief engineer, Don Hayter, was well aware of the importance of a 2+2 coupe following his work at Aston Martin. Final design tweaks by Pininfarina eventually got the ’B GT over the line with an innovative rear hatch combining rakish looks with family-friendly practicality. Upon launch in 1965, the ’B GT incorporated a stronger, five-bearing iteration of BMC’s venerable B-Series engine; upped to 1.8-litres for the ’B roadster released three years earlier, failures at the Sebring 24 Hours saw BMC strengthen the crankshaft.

Updates to the GT ran concurrently with the roadsters, with a standard-fit heater added for the Mk2 cars (196771), which gained a stronger, all synchromesh gearbox and creeping safety updates that gradually added weight. A facelift in 1970 brought bold new colours and a Mustang-style inset black grille; the latter was so controversial, it was undone in 1973 when the original style returned, albeit with a black honeycomb grille inside the chrome surround.

Bigger changes came in 1974 when all MGBs received the polyurethane-clad impact bumpers and raised suspension to comply with Federal safety regulations. More weight and higher, softer springs did little for the MGB GT’s performance or handling, but the latter was mostly restored in 1977 when revised springs and standardfit anti-roll bars at both ends were introduced, along with a modernised dashboard. Production of both the GT and the roadster ended in the autumn of 1980, with over 125,000 GTs made in total.

TECH SPEC

MGB GT

PRODUCED FROM: 1965-1980 ENGINE: 1798cc, 4-cyl POWER: 95bhp TOP SPEED: 105mph 0-60MPH: 12.9 secs ECONOMY: 25-28mpg BUY ONE FOR: £5000-£10,000

PARTS AVAILABILITY

The MGB GT is one of the easiest classics to maintain, with a staggeringly good parts catalogue available from key suppliers –Moss Europe, the MGB Hive, Brown & Gammons, to name but a few. Club support is also second to none; the MG Owners’ Club even has its own workshops to help keep members’ cars on the road.

Crucial tooling was also kept by the British Motor Industry Heritage Trust, meaning any bodyshell built from 1967 onwards can be made new; at present, unibodies for all ’Bs are on backorder.

Controversially, we’d plump for a Mk2 (with the inset grille) as a good compromise between aesthetics and affordability. It’s still got chrome bumpers, most of the looks and all of the go of an earlier car; and it incorporates the mechanical and electrical upgrades of the late 1960s without being from the era when build quality really began to become erratic. The market doesn’t value them as highly as an early car, and you can still customise as little or as much as you like. If price really is your top priority, however, we wouldn’t dismiss the rubber-bumper era either.

That’s in the worst-case scenario, however; buying small body parts is rather easier. While engines and gearboxes are no longer remanufactured, secondhand cores are available through specialists and can be rebuilt to any spec from standard to ‘fast road’ .

LOOKING AFTER IT

European classics tend to need two sets of toolkits, but not the MGB GT, which was conceived, designed and built in the age of AF Imperial. A decent socket and spanner set will see you right.

Running an MGB means keeping a close eye on the coolant temperature and oil pressure gauges; for the latter, 10psi at idle when the engine is fully warmed, and at least 50psi at 3000rpm is desirable.

Like the roadsters, sill condition is key to a long-lived ’B GT. Cars used in all weathers eventually bubble up where the wings meet the sill if left to their own devices; regular inspection of this area, the floors and rear leaf spring hangers will save tears (and expense) in the end. Keep an eye on windscreen seals, too – these can cause havoc if they start letting water onto the floorpan. Until recently, these were unavailable, but Doncaster-based Mech Spec has begun making them again.

The 1.8-litre B-Series is hardy enough to take a fair bit of neglect, but don’t push your luck. Stick to 3000-mile service intervals and you’ll be fine; given the MGB GT’s origins, a full service kit (comprising 20W/50 engine oil, a fan belt, carburettor damping oil, ignition components, gaskets, filters and spark plugs) can be bought for under £60 with an MG Owners’ Club membership deal.

Gearboxes and optional overdrives don’t give too much hassle, either. Most ’B GTs – unless you’ve bought an immaculately preserved Mk1 –will have a later, all synchromesh gearbox that came in from October 1967 with the launch of the Mk2 cars (mechanically, many examples are ‘Trigger’s Brooms’). Cones can begin to give way between second and third and can be run down if a previous owner accidentally selected reverse instead of second (they’re tightly spaced with no lockout).

OWNING & DRIVING

Like its roadster counterpart, the MGB GT is something of a blank canvas, offering solid driving dynamics with reasonable performance. Disc brakes and all synchromesh gearboxes allow newcomers to easily adapt to the driving experience; once stopping distances are lengthened and you familiarise yourself with the relative weight of the steering compared to a modern car, a ’B

Alex Singleton’s subtly tweaked MGB GT, a survivor that’s now a serious touring machine.

GT is a friendly companion.

They’re easy to drive, too. The B-Series engine’s torque peaks early in the rev range, and visibility between the long bonnet and stubby rear tail is good. You’re tightly packed in, however, and accommodation for people in the back is cramped. The GT really is a 2+2.

Better then, that you think of the GT as a two-seater with a big boot. Considered that way, the GT’s main asset is its practicality; small it may be, but a hatchback tailgate and a folding rear seat make for a surprisingly capacious vehicle.

Owner Alex Singleton made the most of his 1969 ’B GT (his third after two rubber-bumper GTs) having packed enough for a honeymoon tour of Scotland. It was the acid test for a car he’d owned since 2014: unlike some, who buy mechanically strong rolling restoration projects with poor bodywork, Alex’s car was the other way around. Its previous owner had revived the shell to a high standard but hadn’t got round to the engine, which went the distance in Scotland but has since been replaced with a stronger 1850cc unit.

Alex’s main concern was making sure the car was reliable and visible. To that end, his ’B GT has an electronic distributor and ignition, and was completely rewired over time to make the most of new LED lighting regulations that apply to pre-1985 classics. “Yes, it’s a bit of a cheat but you end up with a car you can rely on, ” says Alex, who strongly recommends an electrical overhaul for any ’B GT purchased for the long term. Early in his ownership, a broken ignition wire saw his car grind to a halt on the North Circular: “Wiring is par for the course” , he admits. “Much of the wiring in cars this age has done four or five decades uninterrupted and won’t be as good as it once was. ”

Alex’s car needed little work for a respray apart from a small spot of remedial welding: “The sills are a complex load-bearing structure, for example, and fixing bodywork gets expensive. That’s why I bought the car with the best bodywork I could afford. ”

Other tweaks to Alex’s GT include the centre console from a post-1972 car and a set of widerprofile MGC wheels shod with Toyo tyres: “The improvement to long-distance ride and handling has been considerable, limited only by the space in the rear arches, ” he comments.

The sky really is the limit with the ’B GT. Given a long enough timeline and budget, Alex is considering fuel injection (while staying away from E10 petrol) and further tweaks to his new engine.

CCB