Description
Description
This is a very well-presented 1971 MG MGB Roadster, first registered on 30 June 1971. Originally supplied for the US market, it is a left-hand-drive car and has been registered in the Netherlands since November 1992. The odometer currently reads 45, 237 miles.
Finished in British Racing Green with cognac leather, chrome wire wheels and chrome bumpers, it has the quintessential appearance of an early MGB. It also benefits from several useful upgrades, including overdrive, electric power steering and brake assistance.
The car presents very well, but should be described honestly as a carefully maintained and improved 55-year-old classic rather than a freshly restored concours car. The paint has a deep gloss and is very attractive, with minor imperfections and signs of use appropriate to its age. The exact date and extent of earlier repainting or restoration are not known.
There are no currently known corrosion issues requiring repair. The underside has been inspected during an independent valuation and more recently by MG specialist MG CAP. The wheel-arch seams were treated and preserved in 2023 as preventative maintenance.
Considerable attention has also been paid to the exterior. Various components were professionally re-chromed in 2015, supported by an invoice, while trim, mirrors, rubbers and other finishing parts have been renewed over the years.
The previous front bumper had started to show some yellowing as the chrome became thin. This was noted during the 2025 valuation and has since been addressed: in 2026 a new chrome front bumper and badge bar were fitted.
The chrome wire wheels present very well and the tyres were renewed in 2022. A chrome luggage rack is fitted at the rear.
Inside, the cognac leather upholstery remains in very good condition. A wood-rimmed Moto-Lita steering wheel and radio are fitted. A new mohair soft top and tonneau cover were fitted in 2023 and the hood remains in near-new condition. The car also comes with a spare wheel, MG tool bag with tools and an indoor car cover.
Mechanically, the MGB uses the familiar 1, 798cc B-Series four-cylinder engine, coupled to a four-speed manual gearbox with overdrive. I make no claim that the engine is the original matching-numbers unit, as this has not been verified.
The documentation does, however, show considerable mechanical investment.
In 2017, the engine and gearbox were removed during major mechanical work. The gearbox was attended to and the worn overdrive was replaced by a reconditioned overdrive unit.
At the same time the clutch plate, pressure plate and associated components were renewed. The rear axle was reconditioned/ replaced on an exchange basis and a new propshaft, alternator, oil cooler, engine and gearbox mountings, seals and other components were fitted.
The history file also records damage to the engine bay in 2017 and the subsequent repairs. This work is documented in the accompanying invoices and is available for inspection.
The cooling system has received significant attention. In addition to the replacement oil cooler, a new radiator was fitted in 2020. The braking system has also been maintained, including documented replacement of rear brake cylinders, a brake hose and handbrake cables.
Electric power steering was professionally installed in 2015. Together with the brake servo and overdrive, this makes the car considerably easier and more enjoyable to use without changing its fundamental MGB character.
Electrical improvements include a relay set fitted in 2023 and further attention to the lighting and wiring in 2025.
Maintenance has continued up to the present. On 17 June 2026, the car received its latest service and inspection from MG CAP in Austerlitz, a specialist in classic MGs. This included a new battery, fresh engine oil, new oil filter and fluid checks.
A substantial history file accompanies the car, containing invoices documenting maintenance, repairs and improvements over many years. An independent 2025 valuation report is also included.
There are no known major mechanical or structural jobs currently requiring attention. The car has recently been serviced and is ready to use and enjoy.
It should nevertheless be viewed realistically as a classic car rather than a new one. Someone seeking absolute concours condition could continue improving minor cosmetic details. The paint is very attractive but is not represented as flawless or as a recently completed bare-metal restoration, and the complete early restoration history is not known.
What the documentation does show is that many of the expensive areas of an MGB — including the overdrive, rear axle, clutch, propshaft, cooling system, brakes and electrics — have already received considerable attention.
The result is a very attractive, well-documented and highly usable chrome-bumper MGB Roadster, ready for its next owner to enjoy.
Why you’ll love this car
I bought this MGB because, for me, it represents exactly what a classic British sports car should be.
The combination was what initially attracted me to the car: British Racing Green paintwork, cognac leather, chrome wire wheels, chrome bumpers and a wood-rimmed Moto-Lita steering wheel. With the roof down, it has that quintessential early MGB appearance that is difficult to improve upon.
But what really convinced me was that this particular car offers more than just good looks.
I wanted a classic that I could actually enjoy driving, rather than one that was beautiful but demanding to use. This MGB has some very worthwhile improvements that make a real difference: overdrive, electric power steering and a brake servo. Around town it is light and easy to manoeuvre, while on country roads it still feels like a proper analogue British roadster. Engage the overdrive on a longer journey and it becomes surprisingly relaxed.
That combination is probably what I like most about the car. It hasn’t been turned into a modern car. You still have the sound of the 1. 8-litre B-Series engine, the mechanical four-speed gearbox, the low seating position and the view down that long bonnet. But some of the inconveniences that can make an old sports car tiring to own have been taken away.
There is also something reassuring about its history. When I bought the car, I wasn’t simply buying a freshly polished MGB with an unknown past. It came with a substantial file showing how previous owners had continued to invest in it over many years.
Important mechanical components have already received serious attention, including the reconditioned overdrive and rear axle, clutch, propshaft, cooling system, brakes and electrical system. At the same time, the car has been cosmetically improved with professional chrome work, renewed trim and rubbers, a mohair hood and tonneau cover.
During my ownership I have continued in the same way. The car has recently been serviced by MG specialist MG CAP, including a new battery, oil and filter. I also had a new chrome front bumper and badge bar fitted, as the old bumper was one of the few cosmetic details that I felt let the rest of the car down.
I have only driven approximately 695 miles since buying it in June 2025. That is ultimately also why I have decided to sell it: I simply don’t use the car enough to justify keeping it.
What makes this MGB special to me isn’t that it is the rarest MGB ever built. It isn’t. What is much harder to find is this particular combination of appearance, specification, documented investment and usability.
It is a left-hand-drive chrome-bumper Roadster in British Racing Green, with cognac leather, chrome wire wheels, Moto-Lita steering wheel, mohair hood and luggage rack. It has the overdrive you want for touring, plus discreet power steering and brake assistance. And behind all of that is a substantial history file showing that owners before me cared about what was happening underneath the beautiful exterior as well.
For me, the best moment is still the simplest one: roof down, overdrive disengaged, a quiet country road and that little 1. 8-litre engine working through the gears.
That is exactly what I bought an MGB for.
