98 MGEAUGUST 2019 http://www.mgenthusiast.comANDREW ROBERTS reflects on a month in the world of MG
Both the Mini and the MGB retain
their enormous popularity and
just where the classic motoring
scene would be without them is
impossible to contemplate. They are
a fundamental part of its bedrock.
Having deservedly congratulated
the Issigonis marvel, let’s leave the
Mini and concentrate on the MGB.
For more years than I would willingly
admit to, MGBs were part of my life;
thousands of miles covered without
letting me down. Ever. Sadly, that’s
not something I can say about their
successors: the MGFs, the TFs and
MG3, or even the BMW MINI Cooper.
So, yes, Abingdon’s venerable old
warhorse has a rightly-deserved first
place in my motoring affections. A
very old friend upon whom you can
absolutely rely: that totally sums up
the MGB to my mind. I am reminded of
a neighbour’s 1971 Roadster that has
just sailed through its MoT and is ready
to resume its role as a daily driver.
Of course the MGB has its
detractors, claiming that it’s not a
mould-breaker like the Mini, but there
is its strength. Never a mere fashion
statement, the MGB has always been a
very good and honest design, strongly
built, untemperamental to drive,
genuinely long-legged and with looks
that remain timelessly attractive.
Proven in competition, with Le
Mans, Sebring and Monte Carlo
Rally pedigree and countless
successes down the years, the MGB
has always delivered whatever was
asked of it. In its three-door GT
guise, the MGB created a unique
market niche that was followedup by the industry and remains
one which is still relevant today.
Looking ahead, it would seem
that the MGB still has a place even
in today’s troubled motoring world.
Countless cars now run on unleaded
fuel and, if your pocket is deep enough,
you can even go electric. Even basket-
case examples can be re-shelled,
thanks to British Motor Heritage,
while gearbox changes, ironically
courtesy of Mazda, can overcome
the problems of aged overdrives.
The MG RV8 and the Frontline MGBs
both provide ultimate driving and
ownership experiences of which Syd
Enever would surely approve. The fact
that the original Abingdon design still
remains relevant in the 21st century
is eloquent testimony to it being
right from the very beginning.RIGHT FIRST TIME: MGB RULES ON ROAD AND TRACK
We are, rightly, celebrating the 60th anniversary of the immortal Mini this year
but, just three years behind it, came the birth of the iconic MGB in 1962; two
cars that defined the motoring scene and continue to do so now.
ABOVE: 1965 Le Mans finisher MGB, latterly in the hands of its longtime custodian the late Barry Sidery-Smith, doing what it does
best: successfully holding off a rival Porsche 911 on a racing circuit. Proven in competition, the MGB still looks stylish too!