1977 MG B GT

A one-owner vehicle from new, this MGB has lived with its only doting lady custodian for an astonishing 44 years. In that time, it has covered a mere 27,441 miles. Though it was the subject of an older restoration in the early 1990s the car appears to remain in very fine order. Its desirable Tahiti Blue paintwork still looks extremely fresh, with just 10k miles covered since it was reapplied. The extensive history documents plenty of regular services and routine maintenance, despite its puny annual mileage.

As you’d expect of a car with such low miles on its odometer the seat fabric, pedal rubbers and general switchgear and cabin appointments remain looking near factory fresh. The dash presents crack-free and both its top and the fabric in the cabin seem to have escaped bleaching. It’s therefore highly likely that this MGB GT has spent the majority of its four decades since construction, covered up in a safe dry garage.

Arguably painted in one of the best shades, this MG’s Tahiti Blue finish remains excellent. There appears to be very little corrosion to worry about, which is hardly a surprise having browsed the extensive photo proof of restoration in the car’s history. That work was undertaken three decades ago now so there’s a little refreshing work needed. A small section of the nearside front and an equally tiny bit of the closing section of the offside rear sill are both beginning to deteriorate. We’re not talking holes here just surface corrosion that’s beginning to take hold. An afternoon’s work should see it back to show field fresh.

The paint on all the panels appears to be excellent. Equally, the condition of the chromework, glass and badges remain highly presentable. The wheels appear as good as new, with just the offside front missing a centre cap. Front tyres are an old pair of Uniroyal Rallyes that are showing cracking in the sidewalls and though have plenty of tread, could do with being replaced. The rears are a more up-to-date pair of Marshalls. Those much-maligned rubber bumpers still appear fresh.

Deckchair-like fabric clothes the seats front and rear and appears to have survived exceptionally well. The black pile carpets are all in place and look like they’ve seen very little footfall. That’s the theme with the cabin in general, just a few light areas of wear are present. There’s a small gash to the fabric on the nearside C post trim (likely from unloading something large) and the glue to the top of the A-pillar trims has lost some of its adhesion. Other than that, the interior of this MG appears to be very good.

Lifting the spare wheel and its trim – in the boot area – doesn’t reveal any nasties with arrow-straight frame rails and nothing but some very light surface corrosion greeting our gaze. The headlining remains rip- and stain-free and from our brief test drive we noted that all the gauges and switches appear to be doing what they’re supposed to. The only other minor point, barely worth mentioning, is that the vanity mirror in the passenger sun visor has come unstuck from the fabric.

Rust proofing has clearly gone a very long way to protecting this MGB from the elements. There’s an invoice from new that shows its only owner very wisely opted for the £50 extra Cadulac corrosion preventative treatment. Though that’s no doubt been topped up since, it’s saved the majority of the steel underneath. Inner arches, floors and sills are all still coated in a good thick layer of protection (likely from its ’90s refresh). Lower wishbones (front), as well as several other suspension components, appear to have been powder-coated or painted. Shiny castellated nuts (with fresh split-pins) and new-looking jubilee clips can be seen fixed throughout, reconfirming the extensive running-gear overhaul listed in the car’s history. The only slight cause for concern we could detect under here was a weep from the rubber bellow covering the offside steering arm on the rack. 

This car’s only owner (to date) appears to have been a fastidious one, with the original book pack not only present and immaculate, but also backed up with the original purchase invoice for £4021.83 from November 1977. We even know that a 1972 Lancia Fulvia 1300 was accepted in part-exchange. The early ownership (first three stamps) in said history show that the car was entrusted to the supplying Mann & Egerton of Norwich dealer, before passing into a mix of local garage and specialist care since.

The largest bill (unsurprisingly) comes from MG specialist Cox & Perry from August 1991 for the car’s one and only restoration. This lists new inner and outer sills, front wings and half rear wings. There is also an indication of work to the castle sections, wing reinforcement boxes, doors and jacking points. In addition to the £4115.50 spent to rectify the rust, there’s another itemised bill for £536.44 of mechanical work. This saw the running gear refreshed at the same time as the body and included shackle bushes, bump stops, spring pads, trunnion and wishbone bushes, among several other peripheral fixtures, nuts and gaiters.

More up-to-date, there’s a bill for £1248.80 paid to Ray/Stuart Carver in 2007 for remedial work once again to the rear wheel arches. This time they were fully replaced and repainted. Mostly annual services are evident from a mix of hand-written and printed invoices throughout the ’90s and ’00s though it appears this came to an end when the owner evidently stopped driving in 2012. Incidentally the last time this car was MoT’d.

It might have been restored thirty-years ago but it’s quite clear that it was done right the first time. This BGT has covered so few miles since then, you could really still consider it to be ‘fresh’ from restoration. The 10k miles covered since 1991 have clearly been gentle ones as the car presents very well indeed. Despite not seeing an MoT-tester for nine years, it also feels fresh from behind the wheel with throttle response, steering and braking all sharper than many other examples we’ve driven. If you’re after a show car then this really isn’t a bad place to start. So much of it remains in remarkably good, original condition. It’ll be back on the road easily and with very little further work, it could be a winner.  Our estimate for this car is £6000 - £9000.

Viewing is always encouraged and this car is located with the seller in Sutton in Ashfield, Nottinghamshire and to arrange an appointment please use the ‘Contact Seller’ button at the top of the listing to make an appointment. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’