Wifes cars - '71 'BGT and '79 B rdstr.

[tomgalloway1]

Other people like the GT,but having taken care of it for 30 years or so my feelings are mixed. I looks and runs OK and the chrome is good - having hogged up half of the garage since the '80's, but what to do with it. She will not sell -

The damn roadster has wire wheels and also looks OK but I let it overheat and the head gasket popped so it sits in the driveway under a tarp. We paid to much for it, than invested in SU carbs and a big exhaust to replace the junk that came on it . Does a
anybody ( other than my wife) like these cars anymore.

[targa911S]

I sold my 74 chrome bumper car about a year ago to buy my 914. The guys over on the the MG experience forum like to think their cars will go up in value and discuss it a lot. It was a fun project that I didn't have to do everything from underneath the car. But in the end it was a "city car" and with the 4 speed it was wound pretty tight at 65 MPH. I got $6K for mine.

[widgeon13]

I had a 71 in Germany when stationed there. Fun car but I always wanted a Porsche so sold the "B" before I came home. It had electric O/D that worked pretty slick. Cruised along the Autobahn at 100+ but was always being passed by MB, Porsches and Audis. Teal blue with hard top and wire wheels. Picked it up in London and drove to Bristol to visit friends. Headed back and crossed the channel at Calais on hovercraft. Couldn't wait to get where I was driving on the RIGHT side of the road.

[JackDidley]

In the early 70s I sort of wanted a B GT Or a C GT but never came across the right car at the right time. Got into drag racing and soon forgot about little cars with little motors. Now done with racing I keep looking at them again. A local guy keeps advertising a 66 Sprite for a low price and I am tempted. I have no idea what I'd do with it other than spend money on it. Thats the thing that stops me now. If a B GT came along I doubt that I could resist. Why I only like useless cars, I dont understand.

[DanielDudley]

Sitting under a tarp is a terrible way to go. It's not hard to set up an MG to be a fun driver though. Pass it on to someone who cares about it. Those people are out there.

[recycled sixtie]

Originally Posted by tomgalloway1

Other people like the GT,but having taken care of it for 30 years or so my feelings are mixed. I looks and runs OK and the chrome is good - having hogged up half of the garage since the '80's, but what to do with it. She will not sell -

The damn roadster has wire wheels and also looks OK but I let it overheat and the head gasket popped so it sits in the driveway under a tarp. We paid to much for it, than invested in SU carbs and a big exhaust to replace the junk that came on it . Does a
anybody ( other than my wife) like these cars anymore.

Back in the 1970's I used to own one. To me it was not that spectacular and nowadays the Miata does everything the MGB did and then some. And is cheaper to run.

I am sure some people like these cars. I see the occasional one for sale. Everything sells for a price and I am sure if you are persistent and motivated it will sell.

[unclebilly]

I never understood these cars or the people who own them.

They aren't fast, they are poorly built, and unreliable.

I grew up on Vancouver Island and there were lots of them there.

Maybe I just couldn't grow a grey handlebar moustache which seemed like a requirement for ownership... I was into Z Cars and Corvettes when I was younger, then I got a Porsche which does everything a MG does except WAY better in every way.

[slow&rusty]

Originally Posted by unclebilly

I never understood these cars or the people who own them.

They aren't fast, they are poorly built, and unreliable.

I grew up on Vancouver Island and there were lots of them there.

Maybe I just couldn't grow a grey handlebar moustache which seemed like a requirement for ownership... I was into Z Cars and Corvettes when I was younger, then I got a Porsche which does everything a MG does except WAY better in every way.

Agreed!

[MFAFF]

Originally Posted by unclebilly

I never understood these cars or the people who own them.

They aren't fast, they are poorly built, and unreliable.

I grew up on Vancouver Island and there were lots of them there.

Maybe I just couldn't grow a grey handlebar moustache which seemed like a requirement for ownership... I was into Z Cars and Corvettes when I was younger, then I got a Porsche which does everything a MG does except WAY better in every way.

So sad, yet great for those of us who do like them...
Sure they do not drive particularly well compared to a 911....nor are they fast, yet driving a Roadster down an winding English country road on a summer's day and they make sense.... they are fun and fit perfectly, in their own way.

I'm lucky I guess.... my 911 shares garage space with a '67 BRG Roadster on wire wheels (my mom's car) and my ex had a beautiful '66 Grampain grey GT with a red leather interior and steelies along with a full length webasto sunroof. Both MGBs are great cars for here. A summers' evening here will see my folks (in their 80s tottling around in the MG whilst I go with my teenage son in the 911....and when we can get our paws on the MG we're happy to drive it.

The 911 cannot even being to approach the 'friendliness' of the MG and its appeal here 'at home' everyone has a word to say about them, more often positive than not whilst the 911 attracts a very different reaction.

I do struggle to see how a well maintained MG is not reliable... its so simple and solutions are inexpensive. Sure they need more regular maintenance yet for years my ex drove hers through central London traffic to get to work without a single instance of it letting her down.

Agreed that a NA Miata does everything as well and for less, with much less panache...

[pwd72s]

Originally Posted by MFAFF

So sad, yet great for those of us who do like them...
Sure they do not drive particularly well compared to a 911....nor are they fast, yet driving a Roadster down an winding English country road on a summer's day and they make sense.... they are fun and fit perfectly, in their own way.

I'm lucky I guess.... my 911 shares garage space with a '67 BRG Roadster on wire wheels (my mom's car) and my ex had a beautiful '66 Grampain grey GT with a red leather interior and steelies along with a full length webasto sunroof. Both MGBs are great cars for here. A summers' evening here will see my folks (in their 80s tottling around in the MG whilst I go with my teenage son in the 911....and when we can get our paws on the MG we're happy to drive it.

The 911 cannot even being to approach the 'friendliness' of the MG and its appeal here 'at home' everyone has a word to say about them, more often positive than not whilst the 911 attracts a very different reaction.

I do struggle to see how a well maintained MG is not reliable... its so simple and solutions are inexpensive. Sure they need more regular maintenance yet for years my ex drove hers through central London traffic to get to work without a single instance of it letting her down.

Agreed that a NA Miata does everything as well and for less, with much less panache...

Well said...cars can mean much more to people than mere performance, MG's have character and tradition. After all, it was G.I.'s bring MG's home from WWII that began the sports car thing here.

Some of the fondest memories of my late teen years are tied to Brit roadsters. My deceased best buddy David had a 1960 Bugeye Sprite...a genius "entry level" design by Donald Healy. He then moved on to a '62 MGA, the last year of the A.

Yep..many fond memories of both...

[recycled sixtie]

Originally Posted by MFAFF

So sad, yet great for those of us who do like them...
Sure they do not drive particularly well compared to a 911....nor are they fast, yet driving a Roadster down an winding English country road on a summer's day and they make sense.... they are fun and fit perfectly, in their own way.

I'm lucky I guess.... my 911 shares garage space with a '67 BRG Roadster on wire wheels (my mom's car) and my ex had a beautiful '66 Grampain grey GT with a red leather interior and steelies along with a full length webasto sunroof. Both MGBs are great cars for here. A summers' evening here will see my folks (in their 80s tottling around in the MG whilst I go with my teenage son in the 911....and when we can get our paws on the MG we're happy to drive it.

The 911 cannot even being to approach the 'friendliness' of the MG and its appeal here 'at home' everyone has a word to say about them, more often positive than not whilst the 911 attracts a very different reaction.

I do struggle to see how a well maintained MG is not reliable... its so simple and solutions are inexpensive. Sure they need more regular maintenance yet for years my ex drove hers through central London traffic to get to work without a single instance of it letting her down.

Agreed that a NA Miata does everything as well and for less, with much less panache...

A great response thanks for that. As a displaced Brit living in Canada I would agree that the 60's British sports cars were most at home in the UK. Your weather is more moderate and roads and hiways are suited for the smaller engines.

If you lived in Canada or the northern USA it is much harder to keep an old British car running. Add to that the diminishing skills available to fix them. I agree it is a delight to see old British sports cars in good condition nowadays anywhere....

[Don Ro]

I always wanted an MGB/GT in BRG...loved the looks of those.
.

[targa911S]

don't get me wrong my MGB was a great little car in it's own way. Easy to maintain, parts were available and pretty cheap. REALLY cheap compared to Porsche parts! And it had charm, English charm, English car smell even. Slow charm. Fun on the back roads in Amish country here. More fun than my 911 or my 914? No way in hell.

[Robert Adams]

Do a conversion......
Mantell Motorsport - 302 V8 Install Kit

I've seen a couple around our area and they look pretty darn cool, even sounds cool and can be driven like you stole it. Even leaves rubber when you do...when was the last time that occurred with an MG of any type.

[Don Ro]

Originally Posted by targa911S

More fun than my 911 or my 914? No way in hell.

Jeeze, brother...easy, easy...minimally, take it on its own terms.

[harvardma]

This is my 1970 GT. I have had it for 20 years and it is a great car and very reliable. It is not very fast but it drives nicely and is fun in a different way than my 911.

[Ferraripete]

My first car was a gorgeous 74 b. It was my pride and joy. We put a header on it. Put some huffaker front springs and put stp in tge shocks. Put an ansa snd some phoenix stahlflex 3011' s on it and away I went

[WPOZZZ]

Originally Posted by harvardma

This is my 1970 GT. I have had it for 20 years and it is a great car and very reliable. It is not very fast but it drives nicely and is fun in a different way than my 911.

My brother had a 71B in that color. I used to sit in the back parcel area. lol

[Nickshu]

I LOVE the BGT. If I were to restore another car that would very likely be my next one. Maybe a CGT if I could find one. Dad just finished restoring a '72 TR6, fun car. Amazing with Victoria British and Moss Motors how plentiful and cheap the parts are for all the Leyland cars. You could literally almost build a car from scratch with those catalogs, no donor car needed. :-)

[Nick Triesch]

I have owned a 62 MGA, 71 MGB GT and a 77 MGB. I loved these cars really for the way they looked. And top down driving was fun. But..... They all overheated and in typical British fashion the engine heat transferred to the driver through the firewall. Hot as Heck! Also they were slow. Really slow. Tiny sub 100 HP motors. Electric stuff like switches always failed.. Always!! They looked really good in my driveway because that is where they lived most of the time. Horrible little cars. I remember on my 77 MGB a small crack formed near the top of the door. I asked a bunch of MG folks about it and they said "OH yes, that is the famous MGB stress crack that comes from driving and vibration" !!!!!! I'm not kidding. Then there is the transmission, Even on very new MG cars the stick shift would pop out of gear. Sometimes slam out of gear!!! Had to check the oil in the carbs, shocks. Electric fuel pumps would get dirt in then so you would carry a small raw hide mallet to tap the fuel pump when the car would not start. Horrible, nasty, terrible beautiful little cars. I finally could not take it any more, sold the British cars and found a nice 1963 356B. I drove that car for 10 years, tuned it up myself and only had to replace the clutch in all those years. Amazing cars. Everything I said is true and you guys who have owned these cars know it.