Description
Manufactured between 21st-24th November 1969 in Abingdon, this British Racing Green MGB GT was despatched to University Motors, London on 13th January 1970 and registered by them on 19th February 1970.
From February 1970 to August 1998 the car had 7 owners for which no history exists.
The vehicle was then purchased by it’s former owner, as a project car, in October 2000, from Stourbridge after spending it’s earlier years in Cornwall.
The car was restored over several years, gaining it’s first post restoration MOT in 2006 with no advisories. All parts bills & invoices for work carried out have been kept, both for the restoration and to date, including a photographic record of the structural repairs to the bodywork carried out by Roger Mossop of Chichester.
Upon return from the body shop, the front suspension, brakes, and steering were removed, cleaned/ shot blasted/ painted and rebuilt using upgraded poly bushes, drilled/ grooved discs, new callipers & pads, new coil springs, upgraded Armstrong dampers, a new steering rack, and a Moss 3/ 4 ins adjustable anti-roll bar. A new fuel tank and copper brake and fuel lines were fitted, together with a new electronic fuel pump.
The original engine was rebuilt & used for several years, but was later replaced by a fast road Oselli engine with Lumenition Performance spec. electronic ignition breathing through twin 1 3/ 4in SU’s & a Moss Trophy SS exhaust system. The carburettors were subsequently replaced by a pair of 1 1/ 2 ins SU’s as these appear to suit the engine tune better. The larger SU’s & manifold are included in the many spares which come as part of the sale. The Moss exhaust was also replaced with a standard system as it was simply too noisy for road use & my neighbours!!
The gearbox/ overdrive were rebuilt by Klassic Transmissions and the back axle was a reconditioned unit supplied by MGOC Spares. New leaf springs with poly bushes were fitted together with Spax adjustable rear shock absorbers. The Spax’s have subsequently been replaced with the standard lever arms, but the Spax’x are part of the spares package.
The suspension/ steering/ brakes were later improved by fitting a Brown & Gammons castor angle reduction kit, an uprated 1. 9:1 brake servo, & the rear axle is now located using a FrontLine Developments Panhard rod.
The interior was retrimmed with all new panels/ carpets, recovered door cappings, and a pair of retrimmed black leather front seats. The rear seat remains as original in vinyl, but it is never used & I don’t fit the base as this provides more luggage space! A new Moto Lita leather steering wheel is fitted together with a refurbished dashboard - again the old dash is part of the spares package.
The car was used extensively on MSA, MG Car Club and HRCR road events only. It was fitted with a Brantz trip meter and other essential items for safety and navigation purposes. These have all been removed and replaced with standard equipment. A battery cut off is located behind the passenger seat, and a fuel cut off switch is situated under the dashboard.
The car was featured in September 2010 edition of MG Enthusiast Magazine, together with several others, at a VIP day held at the new FrontLine Development’s premises near Abingdon. It was also photographed at the 30th anniversary event of the HRCR alongside a Mini, and this photograph was used in the Mini Owners Club magazine.
The car is a very usable & sorted classic, has covered only 12000 miles since it’s restoration and is in extremely nice condition, albeit not a concours MG. The car comes with a Heritage certificate, many spares, and all documentation from the rebuild to date. The car is MOT’d until March 2022 & a look at it’s MOT record on the government website indicates how well this classic has been maintained since it’s restoration.
