MGB Roadster

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Undoubtedly one of the best-loved British cars ever made, the venerable MGB has been winning fans all over the globe for more than 50 years. Introduced in 1962, production lasted for 18 years during which time no fewer than 523,000 left the factory.

First produced in roadster form, a coupe followed in 1965. They were both strong sellers right from the start, offering sporting looks, decent handling and respectable performance from the 95bhp, 110lb/ft four-cylinder engine. In 1965 the model gained a stronger five main bearing engine (up from three) and, in ’67, synchromesh on all four gears when ratios were also improved.

Probably the easiest classic car to own thanks to the abundant supply of new parts and the model’s inherent reliability, they can also be tuned to become most effective in ‘track and field’ events, this stunning looking example having been specifically built up to compete in road rallies.

LYL 919K was originally purchased in June 1972 by a Mr Wright, a BOAC pilot who used the car regularly until subjecting it to a major restoration in the late ‘80s. This included new inner and outer sills and all new exterior panels. Mr Wright sadly died during the process and once the car was completed, his widow put it in the garage and covered it with a dust sheet. By then, the recorded mileage was just 55,000 miles.

Although bodily excellent, the trim and mechanical condition were only average when discovered by the vendor’s late husband, who purchased the car and immediately set about a complete restoration. Stripped to the bare shell (bar the windscreen), he rebuilt the car from the ground up using new or reconditioned parts. The bills for parts alone exceed £11,000, ignoring the countless hours that have gone into its meticulous restoration.

The idea was to build the car to basic MG Works specification. In bumper-less form, it has authentic front and rear glassfibre valences and a white ‘works spec’ hardtop. An FIA-approved rear roll cage with a diagonal bar was fitted and the body shell was seam welded in critical points to increase stiffness.

The engine was fully rebuilt, the block being bored to +060” which increased the capacity to 1,860cc. The head was sent to Peter Burgess to be gas-flowed and fitted with unleaded valve seats and a Maniflow LCB exhaust manifold. A fast road cam was also fitted along with a lightened flywheel and the whole unit fully balanced.

New 1 ½” SUs were added with K&N filters and a powerful lightweight starter and high output alternator were also incorporated. The end result is a very responsive engine which pulls well throughout the rev range.

The reconditioned gearbox uses standard ratios, the drive being taken through a Quaife LSD. The suspension has been also been given the fast road treatment, with parabolic rear springs and telescopic shock absorbers looking after matters at the rear, while uprated front shocks, negative camber wishbones, uprated anti-roll bar and polybushes balance the car nicely. The car sits on Toyo 185/65/15 tyres on Minilite-style alloy wheels.

The new wiring loom has been modified with numerous relays and fuses which take care of the additional electrical demands from the Kenlowe fan, air horns, extra lights etc, and the car now has a single 12-volt battery in place of the original twin 6-volt system. The slightly modified dashboard incorporates additional instruments and a Brantz International 2-trip meter.

All fuel and brake lines were replaced and run inside the car, made from either stainless or copper as appropriate. The front discs are uprated Brembo items with upgraded MGB V8 pads.

On the inside, the seats are trimmed in leather with standard three-point inertia belts, although the eyebolts are in place for a set of four-point harnesses. The passenger gets a handy footrest and there is a fire extinguisher just in case.

The quality of preparation that has gone into this ‘fast road spec’ Roadster has to been seen to be fully appreciated. On the button (literally) and MOTd until July 2016, this must be one of the best prepared MGs that Brightwells have had the pleasure to offer and has the potential to be yours for less than the cost of the parts used in its rebuild!