• Full body restoration

 • Impressive mechanical and electrical overhaul

 • Overdrive 

 • Chrome bumper conversion

Launched back in 1962, the MGB is a direct route to classic car ownership, with a proven record to appeal to all demographics and ages. Because of this, the MGB, particularly well kept and restored examples, have become a safe purchase thanks to its exemplary parts network, reasonable running costs and impressive motorsports potential. 

With 18 years of production, it's no secret that the early cars are the ones to have but the last examples do have the benefits of servo-assisted braking, a smarter facia and reclining seats, an anti-roll bar and if properly prepared and restored, offer the same package for a few pennies less.

By the time this Portsmouth registered 1978 Roadster left the Abingdon factory, the iconic 2-seater had been firmly established as a best seller and regarded as the last of a breed of British open-top sports cars that offered a carefree and genuinely fun driving experience. With those attributes intact, this car has also seen a full body restoration, to complement the extensive mechanical, electrical and visual improvements that have also been carried out. 

 • A good body of past invoices

 • MOT to May 2023

 • Restoration photographs

The present owner has a great eye for good robust MGB’s and purchased this one from its previous owner, a Chelmsford-based classic car collector. It appears to have had several long-term female owners in the past, with MOT records indicating that the car has been routinely used but not driven much more than 1000 miles per year, strongly implying that it has been used as a garaged leisure vehicle for at least 30 years. 

Naturally, for a pampered car, it has an impressive array of invoices, with mechanical and maintenance work from the Wessex MG Centre and the MGB Hive. The car received a body restoration in 1994 but more importantly has been recently subjected to a full-body restoration and finished in a colour close to the original hue. The high level of finish is complemented by a new mohair hood, a set of Yokohama tyres with Minator alloys and the welcome retro-fitment of the chrome bumpers. 

The owner has also stated that many mechanical aspects of the car have been subject to a series of useful upgrades, which goes some way toward making it an effortless proposition for those who may not want to tinker with the car. Some of those highlights include a new loom, electronic ignition, kevlar electric cooling fan and a battery isolation switch. It also seen a careful series of improvements to its road holding, with the suspension, steering and brake all having seen a complete overhaul. This includes a set of new front springs with new discs/pads and all-round polyurethane bushes. The fuelling system has also seen a new electronic pump. It comes with its V5 and is sold with an MOT to May 2023.

 • Well presented and tidy interior

 • CD/FM Player

The interior has been spared of any unnecessary upgrades, other than a Pioneer CD/FM player and door-mounted speakers. The dashboard is in good order, with the smallest signs of age in places but not enough to distract. The facia is intact, with no sun damage or cracks noted and all of the instrumentation appears to be in a good legible condition with decent bezels. All controls and switches are in good condition and all are said to function. 

The seats are in good shape, with a little fraying noted in places, but otherwise intact and retain a reasonable firmness. The carpets are free from age-related damage, and appear to have been well fitted. The boot is fully carpeted too, including the spare wheel cover. It comes with a set of mats and the whole of the cabin and boot is bone dry. The door cards are good with a few minor marks noted but are well attached and clean. The steering wheel and gear lever are in good condition with limited signs of wear.

 • Excellent paint and metalwork

 • 15" Minator alloys with recent tyres

 • Chrome bumpers

 • New Mohair hood

The car is structurally in excellent shape, with no stiffness noted with the opening or closing of the passenger doors - a positive sign that the sills are solid. A check under the car reveals further good news, with the chassis rails, inner wings, floor pan and boot all looking solid. The panel gaps are consistent, with an even flow and fit of panels. There’s very little to mark the exterior presentation down, with no significant signs of body blemishes other than the odd signs of age noted on the off-side scuttle. 

The bottom of the doors and areas around the rear lamps are in good shape. The red paint finish, as advised by the owner as having a colour code of 4808, is consistent throughout the car. As in keeping for a well-restored car, there is not much in terms of visual defects, with no significant chips or scratches noted. 

The chrome trim is of a high standard, the original rubber bumpers have been replaced in lieu of a pair of a pair of near perfect chrome items. The rest of the chrome trim is all well fitted and is free of damage. The headlamps and lenses are blemish-free. The glass is good throughout, with no lamination damage noted. The seals and rubbers are in good condition, with only the windscreen frame seal showing any signs of age. The mohair hood is in excellent shape, both inside and out. 

The rear screens are free of damage with no suggestions of water ingress. The roof mechanism is fault-free and raises and lowers with no drama. The car comes with a full-length tonneau cover and a separate hood cover, both of which are in very good shape. The Minator 15” alloy wheels set the car off perfectly and are in excellent shape. They have been matched up with a full set of recently fitted Yokohama tyres.

 • Fully working overdrive

 • Many electrical upgrades and new loom

 • Brakes and Suspension overhauled

Mechanically the car really shines and the owner is delighted with the way it drives, due to its evidence of maintenance, as well as some more recent attention. Thanks to its electric ignition, the engine fires up with no hesitancy, with no rumbling or chattering heard from the engine, and no warning lights noted on the dashboard. There are no reports of oil pressure issues or evidence of overheating and no exhaust smoke was observed as the engine idled. 

A closer inspection of the well-kept engine revealed no disconcerting issues, the radiator is intact with no damage and has a kevlar electric cooling fan that didn't kick in at any point. In addition, there was no evidence of fluid leaks on the day. The engine's appearance is pleasingly positive, emphasising the care and attention paid to the vehicle. The hoses, ancillaries and wiring are in excellent shape. 

On the move, the re-greased suspension and new bushes, new front springs, and a new front wishbone bar appear to have paid off in terms of the way the car handles and rides. As a result, the car has also seen a subtle reduction in its ride height and handles without wallowing. The steering is reasonably direct, the owner has pointed out that the only MOT advisory suggested a little play but it isn’t overly stiff and no knocking noises have been recorded. The rack itself has been serviced, along with the wheel bearings. 

Believed to have been sold new with the desirable overdrive option, it has been proven to be fully operational in 3rd and 4th gears, with no crunchy changes, differential noise or reports of clutch slip. The car has seen a new clutch master and slave cylinders. The raucous exhaust note is pleasingly still evident, with no signs of blowing.

The later rubber bumper cars have always lived in the shadow of the earlier cars, mainly due to the marginally increased weight and impaired visual aesthetics. 

This sympathetically restored 1978 Roadster, on the other hand, has received a high-quality full body restoration, with some visual fittings that not only manage to retain the original classic look and feel but have also received some useful and sensible mechanical upgrades that literally combine all of the best elements that the MGB Roadster has to offer.