An icon of British motoring the MGB entered production in 1962 and ran until the 1980s in its original form, the name was revived in 1992 for three years but it wouldn’t live up to the original MGB. 

The MGB was originally designed as a 2-seater, soft-top, four-cylinder sports car but the hard-top option was introduced in 1965. The MGB would end up selling roughly half a million units. The MGB is now one of the most recognisable classic cars on the roads of the UK today.

The roadster was never officially offered with the iconic Rover V8 but throughout the past 50 years, incredible mechanical minds have found a way to shoehorn the huge lump into the front of the car. This car was converted in 2003 and has since been producing a rapturous noise out of its singular exhaust.

Leaving the Longbridge factory in the October of 1970 this perfect British sports car would go to its first excited owner. It is hard to document this car’s definitive past, but through a few MOTs that are present can say that this car was around the Uxbridge area in the early 2000s before it went into its restoration period in 2003. 

There are only a few pictures that show the restoration period that was undertaken in ’03, but from these, we can see that it was done professionally with the car placed on a rotisserie allowing the underside to receive some proper work. During this process, the car also went through a full-body bare metal re-spray which still to this day looks amazing set against the wire wheels and black canvas hood. 

The list of work that was undertaken during this time is as huge, but the main part of the restoration was the Rover V8 with a 4-barrel Holley carb and a rebuilt Rover SD1 5-speed gearbox. 

With these parts fitted it transformed this MGB Roadster into the car it always should have been with a soundtrack to match the grunt it would now produce. More modern additions include power steering and a new starter motor.

This MGB was re-built to be the best that it could, and thanks to the care that was taken throughout the re-build process it now sits resplendent drawing gazes from everyone who passes by. It is now ready for the next owner to write her next chapter with some exotic road trips around the world.

There is a fair amount of paperwork that will come with this car, from a modern V5 to MOT certificates from the late 90s. It is not just legal paperwork that has been kept within this car's file, there are also a lot of invoices for parts and works that have been completed throughout its modern life. 

With the earliest invoice from 2008 to the tune of £28.20 to replace the rear shock absorbers, it then goes through a service and a new started motor in the March of the same year. Importantly in 2010, the car is fitted with power steering, with the addition of this subtle upgrade it makes this car a lot easier to live with on a day-to-day basis. 

We then skip forwards into 2011 where all 16 of the valve rockers get replaced along with the gaskets a few small, assorted jobs are then carried out but in 2013 there is a big invoice. 

In July of 2013 it goes in for some bodywork, the rear wings and arches are looked at to remove any rust and ‘spray as necessary’. After the £3,800 bill is paid the car is almost as good as new, the mileage recorded on this invoice was 59,000 today it sits just north of 64,000. With so few miles completed since this repair, it is probably the main reason why it still looks so good. 

From 2013 there are once again a few invoices for parts here and there but amongst these invoices are three for a certain Steve Mckie Sportscars, one of the UK's leading MG specialists you can imagine that the work done here is to the highest standard. In 2014 it goes in for some work to one of the windows, in 2018 it goes in for some more rust repairs to one of the arches and in 2021 it goes in for a major service that included some new rear brake shoes and some tuning to rectify some engine faults. 

Before this car sells it will go back to Steve so that they can fit a new starter motor, the one that is currently on the car has sadly packed up and needs to be replaced. But a prospective buyer should rest easy in the knowledge that this is being repaired by one of the best MG mechanics in the country and will be perfect when they pick it up.

When you look at any MGB the interior is iconic with a beautiful wooden dash, Moto-Lita wooden steering wheel, and twin leather seats it is just the perfect combination of class and usability.

The interior of this MGB Roadster in is great condition, the current owner mentioned that when he acquired the car the interior was a miss-match of many conflicting colours as a result, they have refurbished it so that the door cards and seats compliment the deep red carpet perfectly. With this job complete the seats are now presented in great condition, as are the door cards.

An MGB aficionado may recognise that the wooden trim is not how it left the factory, this is because one of the previous owners has replaced it for this beautifully finished walnut, and combined with the cream leather it pops out and adds a class to the interior.

With this being the roadster version it is fitted with a retractable canvas roof. From the interior, the condition of the roof is great, with no watermarks present. There is, however, a small hole in one of the rear window panels. Once you have folded this roof neatly behind the seats you can fit the tonneau cover, the one supplied with this car is in great condition showing little signs of use.

The great thing with this tonneau is that it will cover the entire cabin when not in use, meaning you can park it up with the roof down and not worry about damage to the interior.

One area of the interior that the current owner will look at before it is sold is an issue with the passenger door, like many old cars you currently need to give it a good slam in the right way to ensure that it latches and stays closed.

A few modern features on the interior include electric windows and the power steering motor that is packaged neatly under the steering column.
Overall, the interior is in great condition, the new owner will be picking up a car that is sorted and ready to take out on a long drive down some English country lanes this summer. It is a perfect car should you want to look stylish without showing off too much.

The MGB has become a fixture within classic motoring, which could be down to the way it looks. Stunning from every angle the MGB roadster has the added benefit of also looking elegant with the roof down. Most importantly this is a chrome bumper car and is, therefore, more desirable than its rubber bumper counterpart.

One of the best, but most subtle exterior features are the two V8 badges, one on the front grille and one on the rear. They hint towards the infamous Rover V8 that lurks beneath the sculptured bonnet, these badges are a great addition that adds to the allure of this particular MGB Roadster.

Over the years this roadster has received quite a bit of love to keep her up to this standard. It all started in 2003 with a full restoration, this included extensive paint and bodywork, with a few pictures to reference the work completed. Once this work was completed it was put back on the road to enjoy many more happy miles. 

When it returned for some more bodywork not so long ago it was put back to exceptional quality and sent back on its way. Since the most recent bodywork, it has not completed many miles on the road which is probably why there is a lack of stone chips or marks to the body. 
To make the exterior of this roadster exceptional once again it will need a small repair to the nearside rear wheel arch as it starting to show some bubbling to the paintwork. 

One area that a new owner will not have to worry about is the underside, the current owner spent hours of his own time underneath waxoyling the entire underside. This process was completed properly with areas of the underside, including the wheel arches, being taken back to bare metal before the application in later 2021.

All of the chrome work on the exterior of this MGB is all present and correct, even the intricate wire wheels are in great condition, there are only minor age-related marks but a bit of autosol and an afternoon would bring these areas back to life.
Overall, the exterior is in great condition. Once the rear wheel arch has had the rust removed you are well on your way to a show-winning car.

This roadster would have left the Longbridge factory in 1970 fitted with the 1800cc engine and simple 4-speed manual gearbox with overdrive. In 2003 one of the previous owners decided that it needed a small upgrade. After some shoehorning they were able to fit the much-loved Rover V8 that has powered so many great cars, this was then mated to a rebuilt SD1 gearbox.

To help accommodate this extra grunt a few major parts were uprated. These included a new V8 back axle, uprated front suspension, new roll bar, stainless steel exhaust, uprated power brakes, and the addition of power steering. With all of these upgrades taking place it now drives beautifully and is designed to take the power of the V8 over the standard 1800cc.

If you sit down and take a look through the paperwork that has been provided with the car you can see that it has been regularly serviced and looked after properly with parts being replaced when necessary.

On the day that the photoshoot occurred, the starter motor had decided to stick to its BMC roots and go on strike. The current owner has booked it in with Steve McKie for a new starter motor and this will be fitted by the time this car is sold. We are, however, assured that the car does run, drive and stop as it should.

The MGB is probably the perfect entry-level classic sports car and with this one being fitted with a big V8 it is perfect for any car lover. With the interior, exterior and mechanical elements being presented in such great condition this is one you cannot afford to miss.

With summer just around the corner, this will be the perfect addition to your garage. Whether you have the hood up or down it is an elegant example of a perfect English sports car. It will be a key to unlocking some amazing experiences and memories in the not-to-distant future. This will be a classic that becomes part of your family.