The MGB is the biggest
selling MG ever built. Arguably, it is the best.
Having said that, the MGB owes much to, and arguably would not have
been possible without, the MGA (not only because of its position
in the alphabet).
The MGA was a dramatic change in direction for the MG marque. Many
traditionalists were shocked when the MGA was released. With its sweeping
bonnet and low driving position the square shape of the T series was clearly a
thing of the past. The MGA was the first truly modern MG, both in design
and style and soon had an enthusiastic following, particularly in the United
States.
By the time the MGA went out of production in July 1962, it was the
best selling sports car of its time (a total of 101,081 were produced).
However, as great as it was, the MGA had reached its "sell by date
well before 1962 when production ceased. The problem was that the
development of its successor kept being delayed.
The B had a relatively long gestation period. It was
originally conceived as a closed car, which was eventually to appear in
the form of the GT in 1965. John
Thornley, one of the B's creators, was inspired by the Aston Martin
DB2/4.
Although originally conceived as a closed car, it soon developed into a roadster. The Italian stylist,
Frua was commissioned to style the new car in 1957. However, the result
was proof that the Italians do not always succeed when it comes to design.
It looked heavy, bulky and rather ugly.
Around this time Syd
Enever, MG's chief engineer, decided to do away with the chassis, opting for
a monocoque construction. This means that the body of the car itself
provides the rigidity needed to stop the car from twisting and bending,
resulting in a lighter car (although the B cannot be described as a light
car, it is lighter than it would be if it had a chassis).
One of the reasons for the B's appeal is that it incorporated motoring
comforts not previously seen in MG sports cars. These "luxuries"
included wind up windows and a glove compartment!
A V4 two litre engine was initially proposed. However, high
development costs saw it replaced by a production engine that had powered
the ZA Magnette since 1953 and the MGA 1600 since 1959. Some
excitement was added by increasing the capacity of the engine to 1798cc.
The MGB was modified on hundreds of occasions during its
production. Most of the modifications were minor and some were limited to
specific markets (particularly the United States).
There were 3 "types" of B's:
There are many ways to break down the production years into meaningful
periods of development. For example, the MGB's development can be divided
into four major phases:
The Mark I was never an official designation.
The Mark II was the only official mark.
The main features which distinquish a Mark II from a Mark I
include:
Not an official designation. Often referred to as the British
Leyland years.
Some of the main features during this period included:
Again, not an official designation.
The bumpers were not, in fact, made of rubber. Rather they were
constructed from polyurethane with steel inside.
The MGB was in production from 1962 until 1980 (when it was designed
the expected production life was approximately 5 years!). During those 18
years 386,961 roadsters and 125,282 GTs were produced - a total of 512,243
cars.
The MGB in
Australia
For almost a hundred years the Australian government has
protected the domestic car industry by applying some form of duty or
tariff on imports. As early on 1907, there was duty on bodywork.
Consequently, many cars exported to Australia before the Second World War
arrived without bodies - the body work being done locally.
The MGB was delivered to Australia in "Completely Knocked
Down" form to be assembled by BMC Australia at a plant in Zetland,
New South Wales. MGB production commenced in Australia on 4 April 1963 and
ceased on 6 November 1972. One reason why local production ceased is that
legislation that came into effect in 1972 required that cars have 85%
local content in order to avoid duty, and the MGB had less than 50% local
content.
When they arrived in Australia, the cars were not painted and had no
trim or hoods. Until 1969 the heater was an optional extra. However, many
other items that were optional extras in other markets were included as standard
in Australia.
Local content is reported to have been as high as 45% in some years and
included locally produced hoods, trim, glass, tyres and seats. The seats
were supposed to be an improvement on the English seats but were made of
vinyl instead of leather.
Sales of MGB roadsters (GTs were imported in complete form and are not
included in these figures as they are not included as local production) in
Australia from 1963 to 1972 were as follows:
*These figures come from more than one source and may not be exact.
They also exclude private imports.
As one of the greatest cars ever produced, the
MGB could arguably have remained in production indefinitely. The fact that
it didn't can be blamed on a large number of factors. The most significant
reasons for the demise of the MGB include:
Sadly, the last two MGBs were completed on 22 October 1980.
The best book for a clear and concise history of the
MGB and an extensive list of modifications during production is
"Original MGB" by Anders Ditlev Clausager (published by Bay View
Books, 1994).
Highly recommended is "MGB The Illustrated History" by
Jonathan Wood and Lionel Burrell (published by Haynes, published in 1988
and 1993).
Other recommended books are:
MGB Restoration Manual by Lindsay Porter (published by Haynes,
1992)
MG by McComb (published by Osprey, 1978)
The MGA, MGB and MGC, a Collector's Guide, by Graham Robson (published
by Motor Racing Publications, 1978)
Year
Number*
1963
444
1964
802
1965
915
1966
1084
1967
1228
1968
1026
1969
1089
1970
1053
1971
883
1972
566
Total
9,090