History of the MGB

[@chipperkeithmgb]

I bought one new from the factory 50 years ago still have it

[@ClassicMGB]

That's a great story - let us know if you fancy including your car in our Viewers Cars series coming soon - kzbin.info/www/bejne/mKqngZuJeMmji6s

[@russcooke5671]

Nice. What is the condition of it.

[@jackfenton2271]

Mine was a 1969 MGC GT. I sure wish I had it still.

[@ClassicMGB]

Thanks for your comment.

[@garthlundquist3623]

The MGB was an attractive sports car that could of been a World beater. Sadly incompetent management ensured that development and quality control were hobbled from the beginning. The 3 main bearing engine was failure prone from the get go. The non syncro first gear transmission stayed in production way too long. Factory rust proofing wasn’t even a consideration. Lucas electric’s guaranteed unreliability. Looming Federal safety regulations were met by other manufacturers with better designs. BMC relied on cheap stop gap measures that made a marginal car even worse. Compare a 1971 Datsun 240 Z to the MGB. Remember that Nissan got started building cars purchasing the rights to build the British Leyland A series motor in the 1950’s. Nissan advanced the design and performance while BMC just milked the life out of an obsolete design. The MGB taught many owners how to become mechanics, myself included. That was fun for a while, but many of us tired of the constant maintenance and short service life of critical components. Show me an MGB engine that has gone 100,000 miles without major mechanical work.

[@ClassicMGB]

Thanks for your comment - a lot of that is true, but perfection isn't necessarily the only attributes that are attractive about a car. So many people love their MGBs despite its shortcomings...

[@sulevisydanmaa9981]

MGB = THE PRECURSOR OF KGB ! ! !

[@ClassicMGB]

Thanks for your comment... although I don't really understand it :-)

[@mrcdad]

Ralph Nader killed the MGB

[@ClassicMGB]

Thanks for your comment - Yes I think you're right. Take a look at our video of the MG Centenary - it includes a piece about the MG SSV1 - an MGB GT that showcased various safety features driven by Ralph Nader. kzbin.info/www/bejne/rYbYgpd_brhpgcU

[@KP-zi6jx]

Jesus Christ at all the intro screens and cheesy music. Just get on with the story for God's sake...no wonder it's nearly an hour. #bailed.

[@ClassicMGB]

Thanks for your comment. Sorry you feel that way, but feel free to skip the intro and music if you like :-)

[@kleverich]

I still find it hard to believe my father once owned a cool car.

[@ClassicMGB]

Thanks for your comment - my kids think the same (ish!)

[@davemacdonald7228]

I had owned 2 MGB models in my earlier years and loved them both!! I wish I could own one today. It is truly sad that a great affordable little roadster was discontinued.

[@ClassicMGB]

Absolutely - it's such a shame that the MGB wasn't developed and BL chose the TR7 instead. There are still plenty of MGBs around though!

[@raypurchase801]

The MGB is among the very best classic cars. Spares are cheap and readily available. Keep yours bog-standard or modified. The Frontline recreation has performance verging on the lesser supercars. My own car is a '69 Alfa Romeo 1750 GTV, more prestigious than the MGB but lots more trouble to care for.

[@ClassicMGB]

Many thanks for your comment - I couldn't agree more - the MGB is the perfect classic car... although I bet your Alfa is great to drive!

[@donreidy5422]

Hey K P, what’s your hurry. If MG is to slow for you, get a Porsche.😜

[@ClassicMGB]

Thanks for your comment - You can get really quick MGBs though. I recently rode in an MGB with 350HP - take a look at our MG Centenary video to see it - kzbin.info/www/bejne/rYbYgpd_brhpgcU

[@demej00]

I had 77 rubber bumper - well used and well loved. I rebuilt it myself and so miss it.

[@ClassicMGB]

Many thanks for your comment - I've heard from a lot of people that say the same...

[@clivewhalley4008]

A great car that was ruined by regulations in America, the rubber bumbers were awful and the road height and steering were crap.

[@ClassicMGB]

Thanks for your comment - I agree US regulations sis kill the car off, but I reckon the "rubber" bumper cars have come of age and look OK - They handle better if they;re lowered to the chrome bumper ride height too! The non-US performance was OK too as none of the smog pumps etc were fitted.

[@Glenn-bi1od]

I wonder where the beautiful brunette in the add is today.... and where is she walking to?

[@ClassicMGB]

Thanks for your comment - no idea - it was an old ad :-)

[@I-Libertine]

(I want to know who did that "reborn" song at the end...!!)

[@ClassicMGB]

Sorry - I don't know - Shazam doesn't either!

[@rumi9005]

Personally, I never really liked the MGB/GT. To me, the car has to be a soft top.

[@ClassicMGB]

Thanks for your comment - I love both the roadster and the GT!

[@colinrosengrave2191]

Could you put a small turbo or blower on one of these engines.

[@ClassicMGB]

Thanks for your comment. I have heard of people supercharging their MGBs. Here's a couple of links to investigate:- www.mginfo.co.uk/upgrades4mgs/Engines/supercharging_the_b_series.html www.moss-europe.co.uk/supercharger-kits-mgb.html

[@truthboomertruthbomber5125]

I had a 67 roadster for a few months in 1974. With 20/20 hindsight it’s easy to see many ways that BL could have easily created more modern drivetrains for the B. How about an inline 5 expansion of the existing 4 ? With what Audi did with their 5 cylinder engines as an example it’s easy now to look back and wonder what might have been. 5 speed trans of course. Later, how about a 5 cyl version of the ohc TR7 engine ?

[@ClassicMGB]

Thanks for your comment - take a look at our video "10 facts about the MGB" There's one in there about the V4 and V6 engines destined for the MGB - sadly never came about... kzbin.info/www/bejne/a4bCm2yNgLdjia8

[@67daltonknox]

The Morris Oxford convertible, with engine and handling to match.

[@ClassicMGB]

Thanks for your comment - I guess the MGB isn't for everyone :-)

[@stewartw.9151]

But in fact the B was much more than the sum of it's pedestrian parts.

[@746laurie]

Owned a '77 BGT 4 cylinder from 2003 to 2004 when I sold it to a fellow member of the MG Car Club. About a month before I sold it I had bought a '75 BGT V8 so briefly owned two Bs! Sold the V8 in 2009 as I was planning to emigrate to Romania and it wouldn't have been suitable for the roads as they were in 2010.

[@ClassicMGB]

Thanks for your comment - nice story... are you in Romania now? Not sure if MGBs were ever exported there - probably not?

[@746laurie]

@@ClassicMGB Yes, still here with no intention of returning to Broken Britain! A friend who owns a few classic cars such as a Mercedes 180D, a Fiat 1500 (?), a VW Beetle and his most recent purchase a Jaguar 3.4 MK2 did say to me that he would like an MGB Roadster which he would probably have to find in Germany or Belgium.

[@ClassicMGB]

@@746laurie Best of luck finding an MGB :-)

[@andrewwolf4430]

I had a 67 B in the late 80’s. I really enjoyed the car. Even though I had to rebuild the engine and transmission it was a much more reliable car than my 69 124 fiat spyder

[@ClassicMGB]

Yes - a well-maintained MGB can be perfectly reliable :-)

[@jamescameron314]

I had one of the very first MGBs in 1963. I bought a Bermuda hard top and it looked like an aeroplane! My second car was also an red MGB and I kept the Bermuda hard top which was simply gorgeous, with its windows in its roof and concave rear window. Wonderful. Ten years later, I bought an MGBGT new and it was awful---I wrote to Lord Stokes, who was the then boss of BMC and to cut a long story short, he had the engine changed and blueprinted, , the whole car soundproofed and it became a fabulous creature!! I sometimes wish I had kept it. I have a Jaguar F Type V8 though which is some consolation, but the MGB was more sheer fun !

[@ClassicMGB]

Thanks for your comment. The F-type is a lovely car, especially the V8!

[@3ducs]

@@ClassicMGB I recently bought a 2016 F-Type 3.0 coupe, manual transmission, very nice car, very complex. I had a 1967 MG-B, pretty nice car but not on the same level as the Alfa Romeos I had from the same era. My ownership of the Alfas and the MG was in the late '60s to the '70s.

[@robertstevenson57]

My first sports car was a 1964 MGB. I have owned three MGBs, one TR6 and two NA Mazda Miatas. The Miata carrys on the thrill of a well handling, responsive sports car. Looking for a 2000 NB Miata at present. These two seat roadsters get into your blood

[@ClassicMGB]

Thanks for your comment and I absolutely agree! How about getting an MGB with a Miata engine and gearbox? :-)

[@rogerwinter849]

My Father have MG s too. At First MG A,then MG Y,MG TD,MG TC,and before in the 70 ies a MG B from 1963 in Iris Blue. And i have now an MG B too from 1966 in Red from my Father. 👍🏻👌🏻😀Hello from Switzerland🇨🇭👋🏻👋🏻😀

[@ClassicMGB]

Thanks for your comment - glad that MGBs are alive and well in Switzerland! :-)

[@johnwelch6490]

550 metal panels and 5500 welds. My 1973 was Kodak yellow with navy blue interior. Bought in 1999 with 19K miles for $4K.

[@ClassicMGB]

Thanks for your interest! Out of interest, where did you get those figures?

[@wickiezulu]

Ideally the MGB should have got IRS as planned, 2-litre B as well as the light Blue Streak Sixes and limited-run Twin-Cams (had issues in the MGA been fixed). Felt something very close to the O-Series could not only have been introduced in the late-1960s instead of the late-1970s, but also spawned a lighter Six in place of the heavy Six used in the MGC. The smaller EX234 could have replaced both the Midget and 4-cylinder MGBs, leaving only the question of how best to replace the larger Six-cylinder (and other) MGB/MGCs to take on the Nissan Z-Cars and others.

[@ClassicMGB]

Thanks for your insightful comment - there were plans for a new V4 2 litre engine that was destined for the MGB, but the project was scrapped - its in our 10 facts about the MGB video coming soon! There's also one on the development of IRS for the MGB :-)

[@wickiezulu]

Looking forward to it. Recall reading MG looked at the Lancia inspired V4, yet some did not like the unique soundtrack it made perceiving it as rough. Additionally it was a rather heavy bulky and costly design that could not be mounted transversely, being a personal project of Lord. Another option that heard MG were looking at was a 2-litre C-Series Four that was rejected by management, although with the 1.8-litre capable of being pushed to 2-litres they needn’t have overcomplicated things with the benefit of hindsight.

[@tvsg2717]

I love my RV8😀

[@ClassicMGB]

Thanks for your comment - we're hoping to do a special on the RV8 soon...

[@Queenmgb]

I just recently bought my Mgb, which also happens to be my first and only car, couldn’t be more delighted to own this piece of history !

[@ClassicMGB]

Thanks for your comment - and excellent new - You'll find lots of info online on your "new" car. Well worth joinging the MG Owners Club and BG Car Club as well. :-)

[@stewartw.9151]

My first car in 1964, courtesy of the Bank of Dad, was a 1962 MGB roadster in red. It was about two years old and in great condition...except for the fact that it had the original B engine with the 3-mail bearing crankshaft which soon failed and started knocking the bearings out under my heavy accelerator-foot! This was quickly replaced by a green roadster with the later 5-bearing crankshaft . This was great and gave wonderful service, even hammered it through France to Spain and back - no speed restrictions to speak off back then! - and many speedy trips in the UK! Added larger twin SU carbs and other internal engine mods plus an Abarth exhaust system which boosted power and torque nicely. Also raced it a bit on circuits in the north of England - good fun that! It was a simple design, unsophisticated by today;s standards, but hell,it worked!

[@ClassicMGB]

Thanks for your comment - and lovely anecdotes about your MGBs!

[@Idahoguy10157]

Lucas auto Electric. The prince of darkness. Inventor of the short circuit

[@ClassicMGB]

Thanks for your comment - sadly often true 😀

[@barryrudge1576]

Excellent and very interesting viewing.

[@ClassicMGB]

Many thanks for your comment :-)

[@roygardiner2229]

Splendid! That was so interesting.

[@ClassicMGB]

Thank you so much for your comment and we're glad you enjoyed it! Watch out for lots more MGB related stuff coming up :-)

[@TC-um2ti]

I still dream of my 1965 MGB Soft top. Funnest best car I ever owned!

[@ClassicMGB]

Thanks for your comment - Absolutely agree - although I prefer by GT in the UK!

[@mentonish]

Thanks for all those happy memories, my first car was a mg midget, not fast but a lot of fun. This was replaced by a mg BGT. Unfortunately this was a Friday afternoon delivery from Abingdon with lots of problems. This was my last MG

[@ClassicMGB]

Thanks for your comment - what a shame that a bad one put you off MG though! There are good ones about, although they're all getting old so do require a bit of "fettling" :-)

[@steveporritt1550]

Just too many ad breaks, shame, as otherwise it was interesting!

[@ClassicMGB]

Thanks for your comment. I don’t have much control over the advert breaks as they’re mainly controlled by KZbin.

[@psychotropicalresearch5653]

Pro: lasts forever; Con: what a pity

[@ClassicMGB]

Thanks for your comment - and for watching until the end :-)

[@terrygreen2243]

no!

[@ClassicMGB]

Thanks for your comment - although I don't understand it!

[@w.rustylane5650]

When I was in the USMC just back from Vietnam in 1972, I went home on leave and bought a new, red MGB. I wish I still had that car. But after British Leyland bought Morris Garage MG's went to shit. I must have went through 10 different sets of valves but it was always covered under the warranty. Poor engine performance plagued the MG for years. Don't know why they had such a bad rep for burnt valves. My cousin had a Triumph Spitfire and I wished I had gotten one of those instead. Much more reliable. Cheers from eastern TN

[@ClassicMGB]

Thanks for your comment - I can't see any way that I'll ever sell mine!

[@RusteeUte]

Thanks for the footage, it was thoroughly enjoyable 😊. I've recently started revival work on a GT '68 model that has been shedded and unused for 40 years. It's an overdrive model so should be a good cruiser. In Australia here.

[@ClassicMGB]

Thanks for your comment - I love hearing from viewers all over the world. We're about to launch a new Viewers cars feature where, as the name suggests, viewers can send in photos, videos and some information, and we'll put together a regular video on a selection.. Make sure you take loads of photos of your restoration! All the best

[@MGB-learning]

Great video!

[@ClassicMGB]

Many thanks - and thanks for subscribing! We've got some great stuff coming up!

[@davidravenscroft9235]

Rot Boxes

[@ClassicMGB]

Thanks for your comment. I do think that a lot of cars from the period suffered from the dreaded tin worm but managing it is worth it IMHO 😀

[@davidravenscroft9235]

My TR7 was a lovely car over 9 years but I had to replace every panel including the doors. A great shame. My best mate owned a body shop and the REME workshops did the mechanics!!!!!!!!

[@davidravenscroft9235]

In my old old I'd love to own an MGB GT.....the days of having disposable income are long gone so that's put paid to that!!!!!!!

[@davidravenscroft9235]

I found it rather amusing one time as my TR7 was having a head gasket job at the regimental REME workshops, it was parked next to a Chieftain Tank with similar problems!!!!!!!

[@fishypictures]

My Father had two MG roadsters in the garage , one complete and one parts car… being a kid of the sixties and playing with the new Hot Wheels I didn’t really understand these cars although I played with them. I’m certain he wanted to get one running and keep it but my mom was a cancer to his creative plans and ideas and he traded the cars away to stop the constant bitching. She wanted to put money and energy into her Victorian houses. The car had great lines and I remember the wire wheels with knock offs.

[@ClassicMGB]

Thanks for your comment - I am blessed with a VERY tolerant wife!

[@markp8277]

Brake system was made by girling just terrible for our salty winters ,aluminum parts corroded in no time !

[@ClassicMGB]

Thanks for your comment - you're right, corrosion protection wasn't good on the MGB although a lot of cars of the period suffered similarly!

[@colindunbar3879]

Yes, I had one, a rubber nose. Loved it, but I had other pressing matters, and we parted company.

[@ClassicMGB]

Thanks for your comment - You could always get another one :-)

[@brucegibbins3792]

This guy's accent is too difficult to make any sense of whatever he is saying. Too bad because I was interested in the story behind the car of my youth.

[@ClassicMGB]

Thanks for your comment - it is an old film so the quality isn't great - you could try using the KZbin automatic subtitling feature which might help...

[@brucegibbins3792]

@@ClassicMGB I'll try that, thank you for the suggestion.

[@FlyntPowell]

I bought a used 1969 MGB for 1200 dollars in 1982. Knock off Wire rims,original complete tool kit and jack. British Racing Green. Replaced the SU carbs with Weber side draft carbs and aftermarket header and Ansa exhaust system. Put a new top and a new set of Kleaber tires. Drove it for 4 years and bought a new Honda Prelude. I drove the MG frequently from my home in Nashville,Georgia to Florida and to Jekyll Island Georgia and to Atlanta, Georgia several times. Finally sold it in 1986. Wish I had not done that. Missed it ever since.

[@rshap4082]

I had a '68 MGB from 1973-79. Lots of fun. great gas mileage.

[@ClassicMGB]

Thanks for your comment - it’s amazing the feelings people still have for their MGB years after they sell them😀

[@ducttapetech9885]

Old joke about MGB Lucas electrical problems: Why do the English drink warm beer? Because they have Lucas refrigerators!

[@ClassicMGB]

Ha ha ha - sadly often true :-)

[@ducttapetech9885]

@@ClassicMGB Furthermore, Lucas switches have 3 positions... on, off, and flicker.

[@victorboucher675]

Jolly Good!

[@ClassicMGB]

Thanks Victor!

[@donwest5387]

as long as you weren't looking for performance😆

[@ClassicMGB]

Thanks for your comment - Yes - the MGB was never the fastest sports car...

[@NYCS19339]

It's sad that the BL people had so little understanding of the US buyer. They must have thought we wanted something like the TR7 but completely missed the point. We could get something like that from so many other companies. I really believe that the O series with fuel injection would have been exactly what this market wanted. Triumph made a similar mistake with the TR4 here. The TR3 and TR3B were just again something that we couldn't get from anyone else. If fuel injection could have come earlier, it would have been even better. I understand the reasons why it wasn't done, but I cant help but think that Bosch could have designed a great system for the B series engine.

[@ClassicMGB]

Thanks for your comment. The O-series would have been a good replacement I think and there were plans for a new V4 2 litre engine that was destined for the MGB, but the project was scrapped - its in our 10 facts about the MGB video coming soon! I guess the powers that managed BL at the time felt that Triumph was the brand going forwards. Such a shame - with a little investment in a more modern fuel-injected engine to ensure good emission control, the US spec car could have been a huge success - just look at the MGBs with modern engine replacements...

[@tdub5776]

The biggest mistake they could have made was even caring about what the US buyer wanted. The US is responsible for a lot of good companies going wrong due to their demands and wants.

[@scottwheeler2494]

@@tdub5776 I think the US buyer was often misrepresented by the various idiots running the companies and the governments of the countries involved. No one wanted the cars after the government jammed the bumpers and emission equipment onto them. Combine that with the greed of the insurance and oil company’s they were dreadful cars - all of them, British, US, Italian or others. Only the Japanese had anything close and I think the just had some superior engineering. They crushed everyone but even they had some real gaps at the end of the day. Sorry to say, pretty much all of the cars sucked. Blaming the US buyer is not really valid in my humble opinion - I know damn sure that the cars were not my choice which why I didn’t buy a new car until the 90’s. There were some cars in the 70 and 80’s but not in my price range and I was a pretty average buyer at the time. If somewhat a car nut.

[@NYCS19339]

@@scottwheeler2494 For what it's worth, looking through the BL dealer allocation sheets from the 70s and dealership inventory sheets for Evansville Sportscars in Indiana, the story is interesting and not exactly what BL believed at the time. He would take all of the MGB and Midgets allocated to him and typically some Spitfires. He would take every TR6 allocated and the take only the required number of TR7s. He kept taking TR6s even when they had stopped production and just had inventory to clear. He also sold Datsun and Fiat, but oddly enough Datsun didn't really take off right away. He moved a good clip of Fiat X1/9 and spyders are well during that time. I'm guessing that the mid engine Fiat made it hard to sell the TR7 since it handled well, had the removable roof, and handled well. I like you weren't a fan of 70s and 80s cars. We mostly bought second hand Mercedes-Benz cars during the Era with a lone Opel bought new in 1970 that just wouldn't wear out.

[@tolik5929]

I had a '76 MGB ...... fun to drive , but complete junk . You couldn't keep it running , no matter what you did . Seems everything British Leyland touched , turned to crap . Much like our General Motors

[@ClassicMGB]

Thanks for your comment - yes, BL did go through a very bad period of reliability. It is easier when they're not a daily driver though!

[@johnwren3976]

No, YOU could not keep it running. I've never had an MG (TF 1500, MGAs, MGBs & Midgets) that I couldn't get to be reliable daily drivers and run spectacularly. I'm 73 and have just decommissioned a 1974 1/2. Still in love with driving them.

[@johnwren3976]

"recommissioned"

[@tolik5929]

@@johnwren3976 The fact that they dont make them anymore speaks for itelf . No need to get BUTTHURT

[@tolik5929]

@@johnwren3976 I had FIAT's more reliable .

[@mhandy61]

still have my 67 mgbgt special.

[@ClassicMGB]

Thanks for your comment -let us know if you'd like us to show your car in our Viewers Cars feature - kzbin.info/www/bejne/mKqngZuJeMmji6s

[@mhandy61]

@@ClassicMGB my little car is in need of a lot of tlc. had so much fun with that car.

[@TheTheeggmann]

i have a 73 Midget.

[@ClassicMGB]

Thanks for your comment - the midget is a lovely car too :-)