Can any MGB on Earth go above 55 mph?
Discussion
nta16 said:
ore room perhaps but not for the seated driver and passenger
20 years ago I had a Spridget as a daily, since then I've had other small classics and modern cars as dailies, so I'm used to small cabins, 7/8 years ago I had a Mk3 GT6 with the extra height windscreen and it made me feel a little cramped driving it despite being used to small cabins, for the last 6 years I've had a Midget as a daily and last year I had a passenger ride in a very well presented and very good mechanically GT6 Mk3 (with the extra height windscreen) and I felt even after 6 years with a Midget that the GT6 felt very small
(note: I'm less than 5'5" (1.65m) short - this was my Mk3 GT6)
I'm not sure even a Mk2 or Mk3 GT6 handles better than an MGB
but I have to agree the looks of the GT6 are lovely - that's why I made the mistake of buying one!
I think you must be claustrophobic or something like that. I'm 6'1 and a bit and honestly never felt it was cramped. Cozy for sure, but not cramped. I take your point on the cabin heat - it can get a bit toasty but more often than not that's due to a poorly sealed transmission tunnel.20 years ago I had a Spridget as a daily, since then I've had other small classics and modern cars as dailies, so I'm used to small cabins, 7/8 years ago I had a Mk3 GT6 with the extra height windscreen and it made me feel a little cramped driving it despite being used to small cabins, for the last 6 years I've had a Midget as a daily and last year I had a passenger ride in a very well presented and very good mechanically GT6 Mk3 (with the extra height windscreen) and I felt even after 6 years with a Midget that the GT6 felt very small
(note: I'm less than 5'5" (1.65m) short - this was my Mk3 GT6)
I'm not sure even a Mk2 or Mk3 GT6 handles better than an MGB
but I have to agree the looks of the GT6 are lovely - that's why I made the mistake of buying one!
I really want another one. In fact I'm off to carandclassic, or the other one, just for a look.
rolymo said:
MGB to tweak or not to tweak ?
Breadvan 72 correctly stated that most of the discussion involved cars that were tweaked/restored ,which may well be true but lets face it , who wants to raise a storm over a car that ceased being available in 1980 unless something has happened to make it noticeable/desirable. The problem that I encountered on arrival in the USA in 1992 was that the MGB had been out of the showrooms for 12years ,allowing for annual mileage of 10 thou meant the majority were in excess of 100 K miles on the odometer.
Consequently there was a surplus of really knackered /battered old cars about {American teenagers are notoriously heavy handed with first cars} but the cars would not die [drive it till it dies] but they didn’t.
Having been handed down to the impoverished student status, owners would come into my workshop and enquire :- “Please, Sir, how much will it cost to weld-up the corroded exhaust and do you have a sec/hand shocker that I can fit myself ?
There was no prospect of me living the American Dream or participating in any high end extremes if I was destined to resuscitate junk-yard dogs for the rest of my days, therefore a solution had to be found.
One of my lifetime passions has been “Hot-rods” so by adopting these principles, taking an old nail and recycling it into something that was desirable to customers of all shapes & sizes may well pave the way to a better future and create a strong business presence in an otherwise stagnant British Car Market.
Consequently work commenced on the MGB GT Sebring Rover V8 to end all others, This car was a no expense spared , throw every conceivable modification at it and then some ! The result :- A BIG Trophy at the annual auto show.
You have to remember that the American market had not had the privilege of exposure to any of the MG V8 machines (none officially type-approved and it was illegal to import one) but they were crying out for them, we just could not make them fast enough to meet demand
Sorry rolymo, but in my eyes that needs burning - it's just hideous. Mind you, so are most yank cars so I bet it sold well Breadvan 72 correctly stated that most of the discussion involved cars that were tweaked/restored ,which may well be true but lets face it , who wants to raise a storm over a car that ceased being available in 1980 unless something has happened to make it noticeable/desirable. The problem that I encountered on arrival in the USA in 1992 was that the MGB had been out of the showrooms for 12years ,allowing for annual mileage of 10 thou meant the majority were in excess of 100 K miles on the odometer.
Consequently there was a surplus of really knackered /battered old cars about {American teenagers are notoriously heavy handed with first cars} but the cars would not die [drive it till it dies] but they didn’t.
Having been handed down to the impoverished student status, owners would come into my workshop and enquire :- “Please, Sir, how much will it cost to weld-up the corroded exhaust and do you have a sec/hand shocker that I can fit myself ?
There was no prospect of me living the American Dream or participating in any high end extremes if I was destined to resuscitate junk-yard dogs for the rest of my days, therefore a solution had to be found.
One of my lifetime passions has been “Hot-rods” so by adopting these principles, taking an old nail and recycling it into something that was desirable to customers of all shapes & sizes may well pave the way to a better future and create a strong business presence in an otherwise stagnant British Car Market.
Consequently work commenced on the MGB GT Sebring Rover V8 to end all others, This car was a no expense spared , throw every conceivable modification at it and then some ! The result :- A BIG Trophy at the annual auto show.
You have to remember that the American market had not had the privilege of exposure to any of the MG V8 machines (none officially type-approved and it was illegal to import one) but they were crying out for them, we just could not make them fast enough to meet demand
rolymo said:
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 . 
Seeing this photo makes me wonder what will happen to all the MGBs, and other "affordable" 60s-70s classics, once the baby boomers start kicking the bucket in droves. They're not "investments" and they're not the best drivers, so who will want them?Of course they might want to hand over their "family heirlooms" to the kids, but they're mortgaged up to the hilt and will probably have to work until they're 103 before they get a pension, so I can't see them having the time to look after Dad's old banger.
Yertis said:
I think you must be claustrophobic or something like that. I'm 6'1 and a bit and honestly never felt it was cramped. Cozy for sure, but not cramped.
by that logic as I don't feel cramped in the Midget it must seem a bigger cabin ! to me at leastyou ever had any back problems . . .
Why is a sports car being small a bad thing? A good sports car should be like a (Supermarine) Spitfire - something that you don't so much get into as strap on (fnar) and wear. I loved my Lotus Europa because once in it you felt like you were part of the car. If you want room, get a big GT or a saloon!
I know, as I have sat in both (but sadly flown neither), but it was a metaphorical figure.
The BF 109 was a pilot killer, and the cramped cockpit was one of its many defects. The myth of German military design mastery (and the inability of the Nazis to run a total war economy) is exemplified by the 109 - a machine that was obsolete by 1941 but which carried on as a mainstay of the Luftwaffe until 1945. A Mark XXIV Spitfire, by contrast, represents the culmination of a sequence of continuous development (and an economy mobilised and directed for total war), and is miles different to a Mark I Spitfire.
The BF 109 was a pilot killer, and the cramped cockpit was one of its many defects. The myth of German military design mastery (and the inability of the Nazis to run a total war economy) is exemplified by the 109 - a machine that was obsolete by 1941 but which carried on as a mainstay of the Luftwaffe until 1945. A Mark XXIV Spitfire, by contrast, represents the culmination of a sequence of continuous development (and an economy mobilised and directed for total war), and is miles different to a Mark I Spitfire.
Edited by anonymous-user on Wednesday 9th April 11:56
This months issue of Practical Performance Car has a guy trying to build a 1000bhp MGB. Ok, it's little more than a space frame with a rusty MGB body ( or whats left of it ) plonked on top, but it does look kinda cool.
http://www.ppcmag.co.uk/index.php
http://www.ppcmag.co.uk/index.php
Reply to Sr Moreno,
I can probably shed a little light on the situation regarding the fate of Granpape’s cherished family heirloom the immaculately restored MGB under a sheet in the garage that comes out once a year to visit the annual British car show ,socialize and check how many of his mates are still in circulation.
Florida is a typical territory for this to happen as people spend a lifetime amassing a fortune and retire to the sunshine state to enjoy their golden years which invariable are much longer than average and quite active, particularly where the “pride and joy car “is concerned. Many seniors find the time to lavish attention/money on their hobby resulting in some very fine examples being preserved.
The first generation usually have done very well for themselves and are driving Astons, Cadillac or Shelby derivatives and have little interest to in perpetuating Grandpa’s legacy.
Often the MG’s presence generates family friction which results in them visiting me with a request to dispose of the situation and sell it on before the kids injure themselves fighting over the car. (when I grow up to be a race car driver ?).
At this point the generation gap raises it’s ugly head . I will attempt to explain this phenomenon :-
There was an immaculate blue ,white soft-top MGB Roadster in the showroom, extremely low mileage , Chrome wheels and Top quality sound system, surely every ones desire. Well, ! No.! One of my regulars was mooching about [they treat my shop like a museum] when he spied the roadster and said what an ideal present that would make for his daughters school graduation party.
Later the guy turned up with said daughter in tow, she had been told to expect a present but not what it was going to be.
On her entry there was an obvious glitch, a silence, a sort of air of “ PHAT”, sorry can’t explain !
It transpires that she desperately wanted something called a RAV [miniature cross between a 4by4 and a beach buggy] apparently ALL the kids have them [remember this was Florida and the beach is just down the road.
The story goes, she said “I cannot be seen in that antique set of wheels ,it will make me the laughing stock of the whole school, I don’t deserve that degree of humiliation or have to overcome my friends taunting. The tears flowed generously and she got her RAV
I can probably shed a little light on the situation regarding the fate of Granpape’s cherished family heirloom the immaculately restored MGB under a sheet in the garage that comes out once a year to visit the annual British car show ,socialize and check how many of his mates are still in circulation.
Florida is a typical territory for this to happen as people spend a lifetime amassing a fortune and retire to the sunshine state to enjoy their golden years which invariable are much longer than average and quite active, particularly where the “pride and joy car “is concerned. Many seniors find the time to lavish attention/money on their hobby resulting in some very fine examples being preserved.
The first generation usually have done very well for themselves and are driving Astons, Cadillac or Shelby derivatives and have little interest to in perpetuating Grandpa’s legacy.
Often the MG’s presence generates family friction which results in them visiting me with a request to dispose of the situation and sell it on before the kids injure themselves fighting over the car. (when I grow up to be a race car driver ?).
At this point the generation gap raises it’s ugly head . I will attempt to explain this phenomenon :-
There was an immaculate blue ,white soft-top MGB Roadster in the showroom, extremely low mileage , Chrome wheels and Top quality sound system, surely every ones desire. Well, ! No.! One of my regulars was mooching about [they treat my shop like a museum] when he spied the roadster and said what an ideal present that would make for his daughters school graduation party.
Later the guy turned up with said daughter in tow, she had been told to expect a present but not what it was going to be.
On her entry there was an obvious glitch, a silence, a sort of air of “ PHAT”, sorry can’t explain !
It transpires that she desperately wanted something called a RAV [miniature cross between a 4by4 and a beach buggy] apparently ALL the kids have them [remember this was Florida and the beach is just down the road.
The story goes, she said “I cannot be seen in that antique set of wheels ,it will make me the laughing stock of the whole school, I don’t deserve that degree of humiliation or have to overcome my friends taunting. The tears flowed generously and she got her RAV
SrMoreno said:
Seeing this photo makes me wonder what will happen to all the MGBs, and other "affordable" 60s-70s classics, once the baby boomers start kicking the bucket in droves....Of course they might want to hand over their "family heirlooms" to the kids, but they're mortgaged up to the hilt and will probably have to work until they're 103 before they get a pension, so I can't see them having the time to look after Dad's old banger.
This could become our situation.Brother-in-law might like the idea of having the MGBGT, but hasn't the first idea about anything mechanical and wouldn't want to spend time on it anyway.
We (ok, I...) would like to have it. I really like driving it and really enjoy tinkering and working on cars/bikes, although there might well be quite a lot of time commitment involved in looking after it, depending what what state it is in by then.
Of course, rust might have killed it well before then, as keeping on top of it seems to be like "painting the Forth Bridge".
ps. It might not be an old Lotus or TVR, but I suspect that it is easier and cheaper to keep.
Edited by MC Bodge on Wednesday 9th April 22:29
Breadvan72 said:
Midgets are all fab, and it is well known that an after market seatbelt rig or sporty steering wheel add at least 5 BHP to any car.
And there was I thinking it was the paint job and after-market exhaust that worked the magic 
There was an MGBGT in Gulf colours sans bumpers etc. being photographed today at Indianapolis. I swear the car was doing 60 on its own.MC Bodge said:
rolymo said:
This is another seniors special project car ,restored to the "umph" degree, concorse winner ,immaculate to the last nut and bolt but where will it go when
it's owner calls time out ?
To my British eyes, those cars you have posted are a little... well... over-done.it's owner calls time out ?
LordBretSinclair said:
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
Back in the 1960s when it was legal to do so, I cruised my 1962 pull-handle, three main bearing MGB well into three figures indicated with the hood down for long periods on the then still relatively new M1. I had series of them, both tourers and GTs selling the last one in 1983 when needing more space as my sons came along. All MGBs are a nice experience to drive without being a fire cracker. The latest of mine being a white 1978 MGB GT which whilst being better equipped than the early pull-handle jobbie, including overdrive giving six speed gearbox, smoother five-main bearing engine it was not as fast and the early one. Either acceleration or top speed. This was my first B... was I ever that young ..
Taught my then GF latterly my wife to drive in this one :~
.... Passed first time too. Even today, she still drives and MG. A ZS. Doesn't hang around either. Not all pensioners do ..
Had one or more MGs about the place ever since.In the early 1980s, I foolishly had a new Spitfire as my company car. Harsh ride and always a relief to get back into the B. A much nicer drive from all aspects.Thisd one... one of the very last off the production line.
My T-Reg GT :~
With modern day traffic conditions, sizes and densities, my point to point journey times in any well maintained MGB would be very little different to yours no matter what you drive. Some of my point to point journey times in the 1960s driving MGBs can never be repeated legally now. Such is progress.
The painted rubber bumpers are actually not what you think. They are purpose built replica mouldings in fibre- glass. which retain their shape far better in the intensive heat of summer, contour to the fenders (wings) far better and are much easier to repair in the event of a scrape. They also remove a great deal of excessive weight from the front&rear of the vehicle, improving handling,performance and mpg, 
rolymo said:
The painted rubber bumpers are actually not what you think. They are purpose built replica mouldings in fibre- glass. which retain their shape far better in the intensive heat of summer, contour to the fenders (wings) far better and are much easier to repair in the event of a scrape. They also remove a great deal of excessive weight from the front&rear of the vehicle, improving handling,performance and mpg, [url]
|http://thumbsnap.com/tprQQvsV[/url]
"Concorse" in the States must be totally different to concours in the UK where originality is as important as cleanliness. |http://thumbsnap.com/tprQQvsV[/url]Those Bs with fibreglass bumpers etc would never win a concours class in the UK. A "condition" class maybe.
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