The basics
Today, over 45 years after its introduction, the MGB is one of the world's most recognizable sportscars. A clean-lined head-turner and one-time competitive racer, the MGB embodies the pure essence of sportscar.
From 1962 to 1980, MGBs were hand-made in England for hands-on owners (the Driver's Handbook reminds the owner to check the valve rocker clearances every 6,000 miles and adjust if necessary. You won't find that in your minivan's owner's manual!). The hands-on nature of MGBs remains and while MGB maintenance is relatively simple and enjoyable for the backyard mechanic, owners today must be willing to either do the work themselves or pay someone to do it. As of 2008, all MGBs are now between 28 and 46 years old. Any machine that old needs attention to stay in safe operating condition.
Finding the perfect MGB
If you live in the US or Canada or are looking for a North American specification MGB ("NA Spec MGB") to import to your country, you are in luck. The vast majority of MGBs ever made were exported to the US and Canada and a large number of those are still on the road or can be made roadworthy again at a reasonable expense.
Rust is always a consideration with any antique car. The climate and road conditions in many parts of North America have been less destructive to MGBs than the conditions in many other countries.
While MGBs can be quite rare in many parts of the world today, there may be a thousand or more MGBs for sale on any one day throughout the US and Canada. NA Spec MGB's Current Listings database (http://www.naspecmgb.com) compiles then thoroughly analyzes and categorizes most of the available online listings of for-sale MGBs in North America. With its extensive, detailed search and sorting capabilities, Current Listings is the most powerful tool you can use to find the perfect MGB.
Whether or not you use Current Listings, you will probably use the Internet to do your initial searching for and MGB. Excellent sources for finding MGBs include http://www.craigslist.org, http://www.kijiji.com (US) or http://www.kijiji.ca (Canada), and http://www.motors.ebay.com/. Try searches for, simply, MGB or MGB-GT. On eBay, select "Cars & Trucks" from the Search drop-down menu if you aren't searching for MGB parts and accessories.
MGB fuel mileage
We have seen many claims of "great mileage" or even "38 miles per gallon" in MGB for-sale listings. Those claims tend to be exaggerations that in some cases border on being deliberately misleading and factually wrong.
FACT: A properly maintained and tuned MGB of any year with any stock carburettor or even the popular non-stock Weber carburettor will commonly get between 20 and 25 miles per U.S. liquid gallon of gasoline. In a very informal survey on the MG Experience website, we found that serious MGB enthusiasts usually cannot average more than 30 mpg with a well-tuned engine and good driving habits. Any mileage claims that are much above 30 mpg are either quite extraordinary, honest mistakes, or downright deception. While 20-25 miles per gallon is perfectly acceptable for a vintage automobile, we know of no one who would consider that "great mileage" by today's standards.
But MGBs are not large cars, why don't they get better fuel mileage? Because they were not designed to get better mileage. Consider something as simple as the dipstick. The dipstick on a 1973 MGB we checked weighs 4.2 ounces. The dipstick on a modern minivan we checked weighs 1.1 ounce. Extrapolate the ratio of those weights out to every other innocuous part that every car has and you will see that fuel mileage was a much lower priority to the designers of the MGB than it is to designers of modern cars. The lesson here is: Don't buy an MGB for its "great" fuel mileage.
How are North American Spec MGBs different from those made for England and Europe?
While most MGB body panel and mechanical details were identical for all markets, there are a number of subtle and not-so-subtle differences between North American Specification MGBs and MGBs made for the home market and western Europe. Some of these differences became more apparent in the later years of MGB production as the United States federal government instituted additional emissions and safety requirements.
In 1967, the front turn signal lenses on NA Spec MGBs changed from a split amber/clear lens to an all-amber lens. In 1968, US laws necessitated the fitting of three windshield (screen) wipers to roadsters to clear a required percentage of the windshield with each sweep. MGB-GTs never required this change; MGB-GT windshields are "taller" than roadster windshields, so two longer wipers can sweep the necessary percentage. Starting with the 1970 model year, NA Spec MGBs were fitted with sidemarker lamps - amber on the front wings and red on the rear wings. NA Spec MGBs were never fitted with the rear fog guard lamps that were required by law in the UK starting in 1980.
NA Spec MGBs sometimes differ from MGBs made for other markets in details of fascia (dashboard) design, seat cover patterns and materials, safety belt arrangements, license plate (number plate) light placement, and a number of other small details. None of these differences should pose any problem or inconvenience for the overseas buyer wishing to import an MGB from North America.
MGB-GTs were discontinued in North America after the "1974 1/2" (or "1974.5") model year (the first "rubber bumper" cars). Because only 1,247 1974.5 NA Spec MGB-GTs were made, any rubber bumper MGB-GT is quite an unusual site in North America.
In North America, the 1974.5 model year brought the rubber bumper, raised the ride height an inch or so, and ushered-in a series of stringent emissions requirements that increasingly dampened engine performance through the end of production. Generally speaking, NA Spec emissions equipment can be easily removed or modified (as allowed by local laws) to meet the requirements of a buyer's home market. 1975 and later NA Spec MGBs were fitted with a single Zenith Stromberg carburettor to meet U.S. emissions and fuel mileage standards. Because the intake and exhaust manifolds were redesigned to fit the Zenith Stromberg carburettor, owners wishing to retrofit twin SU carburettors (or the popular non-stock Weber carburettor) must also retrofit the earlier intake and exhaust manifolds.
Interestingly, options that were "standard" or "optional" in one market were sometimes different - or even unavailable - in other markets. Wire wheels became standard, and are therefore far more common, on later North American MGBs than on later MGBs in other markets. Additionally, sometimes the same option name referred to entirely different things in different markets. The North American "Limited Edition" MGBs of 1979 and 1980 are quite different than the home market's "Limited Edition" cars of 1980 (the last 1,000 ever made). North American Limited Edition MGBs were black with silver stripes, Triumph Stag-style wheels and front spoilers. There were at least 6,682 North American Limited Edition MGBs made; not a very "limited" edition! The home market Limited Edition MGBs were produced in Bronze Metallic or Pewter Metallic paint with stripes, Stag-style wheels and front spoilers. Some of the home market Limited Edition roadsters (but not the GTs) were fitted with wire wheels.
Inspecting an MGB Current Listings can help you find the perfect MGB. But then it's up to you to inspect it and make sure it really is as perfect as the listing makes it sound and look. There are a number of excellent resources available to help you inspect an MGB you are thinking of buying (or assess the condition of one you have). Two popular books about MGBs which include sections on inspecting and buying are Original MGB by Anders Ditlev Clausager and Linday Porter's MGB: Guide to Purchase & D.I.Y. Restoration. There are hundreds of online sources of information as well. One particularly well organized, authoritative and useful one is Skye Poier's "The MG Experience". In regards to inspecting an MGB, their MGB Used Car Checklist is invaluable.
Insuring your "new" MGB
The insurance company you use for your other, "modern" cars will probably value your MGB at a few hundred dollars. They are simply looking at the purchase price from however-many decades ago and depreciating its value up to the present date. If your MGB is worth more than a few hundred dollars and you want to insure it against damage, you may be able to get an "agreed value" policy from your regular insurer. Otherwise you can use one of the many companies that specializes in insuring classic cars. Insurance differs from region to region and country to country, so to find an insurer that offers what you are looking for, we recommend that you search the web and also ask other MGB owners and mechanics in your area.
Finding parts for your MGB
There is no limit to MGB parts availability. True, some particular parts are no longer manufactured, but NOS (New Old Stock) or serviceable used parts can be readily found. For used parts, check with MGB owners and mechanics in your area. The Internet auction site eBay has a large number of used MGB parts up for auction every day. The craigslist and kijiji sites also carry MGB parts listings.
For new parts, we have used and can recommend all of the following US companies. They all offer online catalogs and secure online ordering and most ship outside the US. Many can send you print catalogs as well. If you live outside the US, you should be able to find reputable MGB parts suppliers in your country with a quick search on the web.
Joining an MGB club
For camaraderie and support from fellow MGB enthusiasts, there is nothing better than joining a local MGB club. There are a surprisingly large number of clubs dedicated to MGs and MGBs. Search the web for a club near you or see the following sites for more information.
MGB resources on the web
Skye Poier's The MG Experience is just one of an enormous number of excellent MGB resources on the web. If you have a specific question or interest, a search of the web will usually turn up a number of helpful matches.
One thing to keep in mind when searching on the web is that a variety of different terminology is used for vehicles in general, not least MGBs. Besides the obvious British English/US English differences ("bonnet"/"hood", "wing"/"fender", "spanner"/"wrench", etc.), a particular mechanical part may be called different things by different people. One example is the charcoal-filled fuel vapor cannister fitted to 1970 and later MGBs. Some sources call it a charcoal cannister, an absorption cannister, a vapor cannister, a carbon cannister, a canister (with one "n"), etc. All are correct. Try to use as few search terms as you can to get the results you need. If you search for fuel vapor cannister MGB, you will miss many of the good matches that come up if you simply search for cannister mgb.
Special thanks to Toby Briggs of Flying Circus English Cars in Durham, NC, USA
His professional comments and opinions were very helpful in compiling this guide.
