Any love for MG's?

Of course!!... back in 1968 my brother's MG exposed me to open air motoring and the sports car world. The British invasion of MG's were at the forefront of european sports cars coming to America in the '50s and '60s. Great cars!
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My first ride in a British roadster was a B. I was about 16 and hooked. Had a Spitfire, which I loved, until it caught fire in the garage a couple of years back. Went for scrap after that - nothing left but the burnt out hulk of a shell. Great car to drive, though!

I'd love to have an MGA sometime, but I also still love the wire wheel, chrome bumper B's.

gp

 

i had a 77 mgb in college.....and i still have it.

one of the biggest pos i ever owned.
i knew i could get most anywhere - i just didnt know if i could get back...
but its cute.

and now after 40 years, the vast majority of the million that they made, have slid off into rust heaven, so the remaining ones are gaining in value - which is simply amazing, coz they still suck !!
the only good thing to be said about them is that they are simple. no computers. no bling.

but as the old lucas electrics workers moto goes 'a hard days work, and home before dark !'

 

Getting ready to finish the engine rebuild on my MG and finally get it back on the road/track!
1935 MG P-type Lester Special.
Go-kart like handling.
Lightweight.
~70hp free-revving 939cc overhead cam race engine.
LOUD but at least the exhaust doubles as the heater for the passenger....
Our "cheap" British sports car is a '65 Sprite.
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Of all the cars I have owned or will ever own, my 1973 MGB is my all around favorite. It is such pure driving fun without a hint of pretense. Moreover, there is nothing that I can't repair or replace inmy garage with just a few standard wrenches. My buddy Jay (B-26) and I rebuilt my car from a trainwreck to her current state in a few months. With the exception of the steering wheel, dash pad, and seat frames, and a few odds and ends everything else was made in my buddy's shed

Here is a thread on the restoration:

http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/mid-atlantic-region-usa-pa-de-md-dc-va-sponsored-competizione/443341-how-i-spent-my-winter-mgb-resto-hell.html


I don't have any pictures of the completed car...I'm too busy driving her We took a ton of weight out of her by removing the top, windows, emissions, heater, and so on. She handles like a dream despite her little tubed tires and you can feel like an absolute hooligan without breaking the speed limit.

I can say without hesitation that I will own this car forever. I fall in love with her every time I see her.
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My first sports car was a 73 MGB which I bought used. It was cheap because it was purple (yes, a dark blue that was purple). The paint oxidized to fast in Arizona sun I had to Blue Coral it every couple of months. THAT is a job! The cleaning rag always looked purple from the paint coming off.

I enjoyed the car but it broke down ALL THE TIME. It was a good learning experience because I learned a lot about fixing cars. I rebuilt the SU carbs, tuned it, replaced 3 fuel pumps, replaced the 2 6 volt batteries in the compartment behind the seats (OMG what a knuckle buster), rebuilt the brakes, replaced the top, replaced the water pump, the heater, thermostat, radiator and hoses, and the tach and speedometer along with their cables.

All this in 2 years!

I remember one time I was at a stoplight next to a VW bug. I tried to race him. I lost. That was pretty depressing.

The last straw was when I broke the spokes on one wire wheel. After I replaced it with the spare in the trunk I traded the car for a 73 Alfa Spider and never owned another British car since.

But it was fun to own and drive and I thought rather attractive, even in Purple paint.

 

Mine!

Matt
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1st sports car that I drove was a brand new MGA.My father leased it for a weekend so I could get sports cars out of my system. Didn't work.

 

Yes, I adore them. I currently have the pinnacle MGB for me... A 1980 Limited Edition. I ALWAYS wanted one in my youth. I had a 1968, a 1970, and 1973, then another '73 and then a 1980 rubber bump that I got as a repo at my local bank (without an engine). I loved them all. I autocrossed them, took them on dates, replaced parts (and engines) & hot-rodded them. Sure they were somewhat unreliable but heck! I did not care. I was the man while all my pals drove Oldsmobiles & the like.

Anyhow I finally got out of them in 1985/1986 when I got a new Grand National. But I still wanted the MGB-LTD years later. And what do you know... I got one from a acquaintance that had it sitting in the garage for over 20 years.

No its not fast. Its not worth a whole lot, and its not perfect but I still adore it. Its the true essence of sportscar. I proudly have it next to my Ferrari, XKE, Benz Pagoda SL, and bunch of Porsches. Rock on little Limited.
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A buddy of mine had an MG Midget back when we were in school at New Mexico Tech.

I distinctly remember a day we planned to take a road trip up to Albuquerque from Socorro (about 75 miles.) We hopped into his car, he turned the key, and I watched the spark/flame trail work its way from somewhere near the floorboard, up the steering column, and to the ignition switch.

After all the smoke was released, we were both fairly sure that we would not see Albuquerque that day.

Frankly, that was the ONLY time the car REALLY let us down, because every other time we could fix it with paper clips & duct tape. No - seriously, used a paper clip to fix something in the throttle linkage once, and duct tape to hold a belt together another time.

Still? SUPER fun car when running properly!

 

a buddy of mine had a 1966 MGB back in the day and it was a blast we had lots of fun although from what I recall spent a lot of time pushing it. But it was one of the first manual transmission cars I drove (that and an old VWbug) I really liked it ..and keep thinking of getting an early one .. heck of a lot of fun for not much cost..

 

Larryh, have I got a car for you! 1964 (reg as 65) MGB Mark 1, dark met green/tan. Everything, I mean everything, is new or rebuilt. My price (the cost of resto) $23,500. Title in my name, located in SoCal. Need to make room for another car.

 

I learned how to work on cars because of all the MG's and Triumphs I owned. Not sure I have the patience to own anymore of them.

 

For my fellow sacred octagon owners: this was on BAT today- "The Fastest Car in the World 1957." Land speed record set by MG at Bonneville driven by Sterling Moss. Contains link to interesting YouTube video of the event. Enjoy!

BaT Video Inspiration: The Fastest Car In The World 1957 | Bring a Trailer

 

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friend of mine just bought an early 1946 TC. Very cool car.
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My TD undergoing a light freshening.

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The English Motoring Club of Mississippi stopped by the garage on their way through town today. Set a new state record for running, operable British cars in a single driveway.

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you made a pact with the devil.....nobody owns british cars for 40 years without trouble. not even the queen !

 

Ha! Luv that.

 

Lol I agree, one of mine died every time I turned the headlights on. Had to make I made it home before dark!

 

When the lights went out on my TR3 my wife kicked the underside of the dash and they went on again. Lucas.

 

FWIW,

Aside from electrical issues, which can easily be remedied with the installation of a modern electrical system, the MGB is probably about as robust as a vehicle from that era can be.

The engine is a simple as the tractor it is based on and the transmission will probably outlive us all. All you have to do is follow the grease fitting regiment and change the fluids on time and an MGB will probably run forever.

IMHO, these vehicles earned a reputation for unreliability based on their electrical system that, while absurdly simple, was poorly executed. We installed a modern electrical system in mine and took the time to solder every connection. In the three years and thousands of miles since, she has been unfailingly reliable...and I beat the absolute crap out of her.