Description
MGB Roadster / Convertible UK RHD / 1963 / Mk 1 / Fully Restored & Exceptional Condition! £19, 750
We are proud to offer this superbly restored & freshly repainted to show standard, very early Mk 1 MGB roadster in the most desirable colour combination of Iris Blue. Which incidentally has been its colour since it rolled out of the Abingdon factory. All complemented by a navy period correct leather interior, with stunning painted wire wheels. This is a very early 4 speed example, now set up for fast road use & is the quickest, most reliable MK1 we have ever offered, without exception & is not to be missed at the price asked. The advert hopefully will explain all!
A British Motor Industry Heritage Trust factory record certificate accompanies this stunning example – confirming the VIN and Engine number, body number and build date of 22-27 March 1963 (MGB Production began in the Autumn of 1962), a factory dispatch date of 26th April 1963, with a first registration date of 2nd May 1963. MK1 MGB production was 137, 733 units of which 21, 835 were GTs. The engine is a four-cylinder, 1, 798cc producing 95bhp. Early MGBs such as this have a three-bearing engine with a four-speed non overdrive, manual gearbox & are getting a rare sight, especially in this cherished condition.
A complete and extensive bare shell, nut & bolt restoration was undertaken by a specialist located in Hayward’s Heath, Sussex for the then owner Mr Bennett. The works were undertaken in November 1990 & used the original shell & the original engine. Hence this is a matching numbers example. All the work is itemised & invoiced with all parts & labour costs noted on the invoices, which read like war & peace. It’s fair to say, even in the 90’s Mr Bennett had deep pockets as they total £9, 772. An awful lot of money now, let alone in the 90’s. There is also a photographic record of process, which track the restoration & you will be able to understand the quality. Rather than list the works which take up 9 detailed pages from the specialist, just think – Original body & motor, but new car!
The vehicle had covered circa 80, 000 miles at this point and in the subsequent 29 years it has covered a further 36, 203 giving a total mileage of 116, 673.
This is where the story starts however and since then the vehicle has been correctly stored, and as the very detailed and extensive history portfolio shows, maintained to an incredibly high degree by experts on a no expense spared basis.
Further in October 2008, a documented and invoiced full Gearbox rebuild was carried out totalling £1, 068. 79.
The last major mechanical overhaul took place in October 2013 and included an engine out re-fresh, full engine full strip down, engine flush, new gaskets, carbs rebuild, along with new rad, water pump, core plug set, all hoses, new clutch, belts, filters & oils, along with new engine mounts etc. A complete new sports competition exhaust system along with manifold was fitted to aid performance and a complete front and rear suspension rebuild & upgrade for fast road use. This covered replacement & upgrade of wishbones, roll bars, mounts, links, bushes, shock absorbers, springs track rod ends, boots including every nut & bolt. Make no mistake this car handles better than any MGB we have ever driven. The brakes were also fully rebuilt & upgraded as required with pads, discs, seals etc. The extensive parts list and invoice is on file with a cool total of £4, 933.
The history file reads on like war & peace showing regular, diligent servicing & improvements conducted by specialists on what appears a no expense spared bases. The invoice trail on file is quite spectacular.
In the current owner’s custodianship, whom resided down in beautiful Cornwall, whom only sold the car to us due to a growing family & hence lack of use. He replaced the sports steering wheel with an original item he tracked down along with gear shifter in July 2020. Conducted a regime of fully detailed services carried out in May 2019, July 2020 & July 2021. These are all detailed & invoiced in the history file & cover along with what one would expect on a full service, front and rear brake hoses, changed, axel & gear box fluids changed, underside bolts checked & tightened. Brake fluid change, points, condenser, and rotor arm, wiring repairs to the alternator and number plate & much more.
He also purchased a new premium tonneau cover & indoor car cover, both of which come with the vehicle.
Since being in our possession, we have been meticulous with our further preparation by undertaking the following works to our usual high standards. Undertaken a full external repaint using PPG paint (code 12235-3199) Iris blue, with a full finishing programme using 3M & Swissvax products to show standards. Indeed 40 hours went into the preparation prior to priming alone. Our chromer Roy, has rechromed the front & rear bumpers along with the overriders, number plate light mounts, spinners & headlamp bezels. He also polished the front grille, associated chrome work & associated badges. We also fitted complete new side trims & fixings. Our highly experienced detailer, undertook a deep forensic clean of the interior & 4 piece boot carpet set. He also spent 8 hours in the engine bay fully cleaning & detailing it. We also paid our Auto Electrican £750 for an electrical upgrade & to remedy a handful of minor electrical items. We painted the engine block, lightly touched up the black wax on the underside of the most impressive body. We also fitted a new Tudor water bottle & holder. Fitted a full decal set, small chrome door trims & sundries. Fitted a driver’s side clip on mirror. We gave this vehicle a full service including oil filer & change with premium Castrol oil & refilled the fuel tank with £40 of premium unleaded. We flushed out the rad & refilled with fresh water to antifreeze along with fitting a new rad cap. We fitted a new starter motor from the MG Hive which was £228 Inc VAT & delivery alone. We fitted a new leather MG key ring. Purchased a new Thor mallet for those beautiful chrome spinners. Conducted a full check over & test. We also supplied a fresh MOT, naturally with no advisories. So as you can imagine this stunning example wants for nothing!
The amazing & weighty history file that also comes with the vehicle holds, the current & many past UK V5C certificates tracking the 9 previous owner’s tenure ship. DVLA private plate certificate & associated paperwork. British Motor Industry Heritage Certificate, which notes this stunning vehicle as a UK home market RHD example finished in Iris Blue with the current Chassis & Engine number, built between 22nd & 27th March 1963. Past DVLA Tax paperwork & although MOT exempt, the car has been MOT’d on a regular basis & indeed shows 23 certificates dating back to 1991 post restoration. There are four bills of sale documents dating back to 1989 & an original 1990 MG Insurance service valuation. There is a recent full HPI check showing the vehicle as clear, past tax disk, owner’s manual, relevant newspaper articles, the copious invoices noted in this advert along with the photos showing the 1990 epic restoration. Make no mistake, this is one of the best history files we have seen.
MG Iris Blue paintwork with a high quality blue leather interior piped in light blue. With matching black OE carpet set including the boot & a black soft top which is lovely & tight & in great condition. Premium black tonnue cover to complete this splendid & rare package.
Detailed engine bay, for show purposes.
Fresh MOT with No advisories.
ULEZ exempt, MOT exempt & Historic (Free) Road Tax. They don’t come any cheaper to own than that!
12 Volt conversion & recent battery, holding full charge.
The vehicle has excellent painted wire wheels with rechrome spinners, shod in excellent matching premium tyres, with an excellent painted spare wire wheel. It also comes with a jack & new Thor rawhide wooden mallet for those perfect chrome spinners. There is also the continental touring kit in the boot, with his & her high Vis jackets, warning triangle, tools, first aid kit etc.
The vehicle is on the button and ready for fast road use or those European tours. It is by far the best driving MGB we have had the pleasure in offering & pulls like a train & sits happily at 70mph for hours.
It certainly is an honest, genuine cherished example & looks resplendent. Even my wife & daughter who see many beautiful classics coming |& going stated that they both loved the car & colour & could I keep it. Praise indeed.
It has excellent panel fit, structure & undercarriage. There may be cheaper examples out there, but they won’t be in this league - This one is not to be missed!
This stunning car is ready to show or just use on a daily basis. The car is on the button & ready to go, if it doesn’t get the asking price, I will keep this car in my own collection…
You could actually use this example for everyday use, transportation to the Revival, or as a contender at classic car shows & be proud of it in any circumstance.
As we are a Mercedes Pagoda and R107 specialist we are always happy to part exchange one of these type of cars or indeed any classic car of excellent quality, so please don’t miss this most fastidious example of the iconic MGB Roadster. This vehicle is exceptional value, try & find another as original & tax exempt Please remember you get what you pay for. Our cars are handpicked by a marquee expert & we turn down 8 or 9 out of every 10 cars offered. The cars we sell, are we believe the best of their type & are here to be viewed & driven in the UK. This takes the gamble out of buying a car direct from Europe sight unseen. Our stock comes fully de-registered from the country of origin with the ACI fee paid, UK MOTd, test driven, serviced & detailed. Don’t confuse them with other cars on the internet which have had dubious restorations & are offered with a low asking price. We have had 2 clients bring such cars to us recently bought direct from Italy & both were severe MOT failures with a list of faults ranging from no reverse gear to an undercarriage that requires total replacement. You have been warned! There is always a reason why a car is being sold cheaply! Again you get what you pay for
More photos available upon request, PX always considered.
Can be viewed at any reasonable time by prior appointment.
We will always buy back cars we have previously sold.
Delivery by road, or packed and shipped, or air freight all possible by arrangement at excellent rates, car is ready to drive away today or be delivered to your door.
We are always keen to purchase Mercedes Benz Pagodas (W113) or late 300SL (R107) models, so please give us a call for a friendly chat if you are considering selling, we would love to hear from you. We also hold many parts in stock for the above models & have our own restoration facilities, where we restore these glorious old Mercedes to Stuttgart factory standards.
Please contact us in the first instance via the yellow 'Message The Seller' tab.
