Can any MGB on Earth go above 55 mph?
Discussion
I think if you talk to an MGB owner you'd understand why they own one. It's like tending to flowers it's a hobby to keep them busy and feeling young. I'm not patronising them I'll be old eventually talking about the 'good old days' when cars were driven by people not computers. 
I know it's obvious but speed isn't the reason owners buy them. They are typically fifty to seventy year old men who couldn't get one when they were younger as they had kids, or sense. Many also want the feeling of reliving their youth when they go for a drive. Plenty of convertibles are both better and cheaper but they don't buy a car, they buy a feeling.
I know it's obvious but speed isn't the reason owners buy them. They are typically fifty to seventy year old men who couldn't get one when they were younger as they had kids, or sense.
Many also want the feeling of reliving their youth when they go for a drive. Plenty of convertibles are both better and cheaper but they don't buy a car, they buy a feeling. iloveboost said:
I think if you talk to an MGB owner you'd understand why they own one. It's like tending to flowers it's a hobby to keep them busy and feeling young. I'm not patronising them I'll be old eventually talking about the 'good old days' when cars were driven by people not computers.
I know it's obvious but speed isn't the reason owners buy them. They are typically fifty to seventy year old men who couldn't get one when they were younger as they had kids, or sense. Many also want the feeling of reliving their youth when they go for a drive. Plenty of convertibles are both better and cheaper but they don't buy a car, they buy a feeling.
I'm only 21 and have one (can't insure anything faster!) I know it's obvious but speed isn't the reason owners buy them. They are typically fifty to seventy year old men who couldn't get one when they were younger as they had kids, or sense.
Many also want the feeling of reliving their youth when they go for a drive. Plenty of convertibles are both better and cheaper but they don't buy a car, they buy a feeling. 
although maybe I'm getting old before my time, I have taken a fancy to werthers originals recently... 
nta16 said:
no point you having a faster car if you can't maintain your B to easily and safely travel at NSL
That's possibly a fair point, although may say more about the drivers than the actual condition of the car.I tend to drive one with a similar mindset to when I am riding a motorbike, albeit without the brisk acceleration and 12000rpm up-shifts!
having had a couple of Bs and a GT6 Breadvan72 is wrong to say a GT6 is better than a B, a GT6 is the size of a Spridget without any of the advantages
a GT6 looks great and it's nice to know and see that some people keep them on the road as long as it's not you
of course Breadvan72 is totally right about Spridgets being the dog's wotsits
a very good point was made in that most MGB (and other classics) owners don't know how poor their cars are as an example of the model mechanically and with handling and ride, sure the car is very shiny but the owners have no real idea of how good their car could and should be so they have to drive cautiously and don't often drive the car thus perpetuating the circle that keeps the car in poor condition
a GT6 looks great and it's nice to know and see that some people keep them on the road as long as it's not you
of course Breadvan72 is totally right about Spridgets being the dog's wotsits
a very good point was made in that most MGB (and other classics) owners don't know how poor their cars are as an example of the model mechanically and with handling and ride, sure the car is very shiny but the owners have no real idea of how good their car could and should be so they have to drive cautiously and don't often drive the car thus perpetuating the circle that keeps the car in poor condition
nta16 said:
I don't mind a follicle count against the average MGB driver though
No ta. I might not fit with the MGB stereotype in most ways but my OH takes great delight in telling me that my hair is retreating rather rapidly from my head...As has been said though, many owners own their cars for different reasons. Mine is an all year round car which I commute in at least once a week (when I don't have to drop two urchins off at school). It could do with a good wash at the moment as it's filthy.
nta16 said:
no point you having a faster car if you can't maintain your B to easily and safely travel at NSL
I didn't intend for it to come across in a way to make me sound like a boy racer, I'm far from it I drive to the conditions. on a dual carriageway etc I'll do 65/70 if it's safe to do so, 55;)/60 on a NSL road if safe again, point is I drive with the traffic flow on these roads, obviously on a twisty road I wouldn't do 60! But the point is my B will keep up in both situations if needs be.It's more of a hazard to drive at 55 really as 1) lorries travelling at the governed 56 will try and edge past causing massive tailbacks and 2) overtaking cars flick up stones when they pass, not nice for ones shiny paint
Dbest92 said:
...it's worth noting that they are popular and owned by a big cross section of people, if they were rubbish they wouldn't be....
I think that you may perhaps be failing to understand how markets work. The Daily Mail is popular and has a large circulation.It's also the worst newspaper in the World. Unlike the Mail, MGBs are not evil (they are the opposite of evil and quite benign and cuddly really). MGBs do not spread fear and hatred or subvert basic human decency, but the point is that selling well is not an indication of something being good. See also: Starbucks, McDonalds, Macbooks, and other triumphs of marketing (and human herd mentality) over quality.
I don't actually hate MGBs at all, but seeing them out and about makes me laugh (gently) at the culture that surrounds them.
Guess I have to accept some of the blame for the infestation of knackered old MGB's I used to hoard them back in the last century (1999) I got the strange idea that people might enjoy the MGB experience just before the EU reg's declared internal combustion engines manufactured before 1980 obsolete . 
grumpy said:
I followed one from Tintern to Chepstow, a local twisty road ideal for a "sports car" a while ago and the t
t was going that slow he was even holding up a couple of caravans.
That says nothing about MGBs in general but just that particular driver.t was going that slow he was even holding up a couple of caravans.I can't believe how many incorrect generalisations (cars and drivers) are being put forward on this thread
williredale said:
nta16 said:
I don't mind a follicle count against the average MGB driver though
No ta.
Tim used to have very wavey hair, it waved goodbye to him - boom, boom, tish, "I'm here in the Lounge all week folks"
My Riley 1.5 has a Series B engine, same as MGB's but smaller and though as tall and ungainly as a giraffe on roller skates, the car can be persuaded to go above 55 as this photo (taken on private property, officer - honest) shows. Perhaps all MGBs are driven with their handbrakes on?
Dbest92 said:
I didn't intend for it to come across in a way to make me sound like a boy racer, I'm far from it
yes I know! my point was that your car should be in such a condition that it could easily and safely do NSL speeds
Dbest92 said:
obviously on a twisty road I wouldn't do 60!
that's the point, why not do 60 on a twisty road, if you and your B are not up to it then the car needs sorting and you need more driving of the car to give you the confidenceI'm not suggesting that your B never drops below 60 on twisty roads (that's possibly for braggarts or even liars) but these are the roads where your car should be at a reasonably high level of performance IF your whole car is in good condition, well maintained and you're fully used to its capabilities, funnily enough the car can be capable of doing this without being shiny in the least
Dbest92 said:
overtaking cars flick up stones when they pass
now that is something that annoys me especially when I've given room to pass, worst I find are powerful motorbikes that totally have no need to cut back in so soon but again many of these are fair weather riders only
(Scotland I think, but might be Wales)
a lad wanted to buy my BGT for his 21st birthday when I was selling it so I let him have a test drive and he said it was much better drive than the previous one he'd tried at twice the price and I explained to him that my BGT was in good mechanical condition thorough out and that with the previous car he'd tested not all that glitters is gold
he wanted to immediately put down a deposit and buy my car but I wouldn't let him, I told him he had to look at and test drive more examples and that he'd probably get a similar car to mine but nearer to what he originally wanted at roughly the same price, my wife thought I was mad but I knew the lad would just spend loads on my car to get it nearer to what he wanted cosmetically and there be cars where the cost had already spent by the present owners
he had the decency to come back to see me to tell me that he agreed to buy a car much nearer to what he was originally after but added that it didn't quite drive as well as mine
Edited by nta16 on Tuesday 8th April 20:43
I've had a few MGBs over the years and no doubt another few more will wander along at some point. I always consider them to be one of those old cars that can still be driven every day and happily travel at decent speed. They do need regular maintenance and rustproofing though! Bs, Midgets, Spitfires are all well capable of 70mph and more.... Having said that my last Minor 1000 would sit at 80 all day...
Much against my better judgement, my wife convinced me she wanted a GT as a trip down memory lane and a summer daily driver for her. Got a real cracker, super example of an early '70's car with overdrive, a perky Osselli engine, had it properly painted and all was well.
It would certainly do well over 55mph but it was (to her) heavy on the steering, the gearbox (to her) was stiff, it misted up in the rain, the wipers were rubbish, obviously boring stuff like wind up windows and no central locking were in the short term amusing but after a bit, a real pain.
Admitted defeat and sold it to someone who would really appreciate it. These either fit in with your life or they don't.
It would certainly do well over 55mph but it was (to her) heavy on the steering, the gearbox (to her) was stiff, it misted up in the rain, the wipers were rubbish, obviously boring stuff like wind up windows and no central locking were in the short term amusing but after a bit, a real pain.
Admitted defeat and sold it to someone who would really appreciate it. These either fit in with your life or they don't.
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