1970 MG B Roadster

Registered on the 26th February 1970, this delightful MGB was restored in 2013 by specialist restorer Ray Parrott of Tendring in Essex. The work, which cost the owner around £17,000 including the cost of the donor vehicle, was comprehensive and included an uprated 1900cc engine, upgraded suspension and cooling systems, refurbished brakes, and a four-speed gearbox with overdrive: this is a fully sorted MGB that has been made fit for the 21st century.

This bodyshell was also stripped back to bare metal and many body panels were replaced, including the installation of an aluminium MGC bonnet. It also had its front and rear wings professionally de-seamed, and the interior upgraded.

A ‘matching numbers’ car, it has covered just over 3,000 miles since being restored, so is barely run-in. It is also being offered with a reserve price that is considerably lower than the £20,000 it sold after being restored…

The most obvious change to the standard MGB’s bodywork is the OE aluminium MGC bonnet, with its distinctive bulge. Not something you see very often it looks so good we think this MGB might be about to start a new trend…

The panel fit is very good, and the sills and jacking points all look strong. The de-seamed front and rear wings look terrific and are holding up well, even seven years after being completed; in fact, there doesn’t seem to be any sign of the dreaded tin worm anywhere.

The paintwork is holding back the years well too, and hasn’t garnered any of the usual car-park dings or ripples down the sides, a corollary of its light use since being finished.

It still looks taut and shiny, and what marks & ‘orange-peel’ there are could easily be chalked up to its developing patina and don’t in any way detract from the car’s considerable presence. The boss rates it as a solid eight-out-of-ten, which is high praise from a man not easily impressed.

The restoration added new chromed wire wheels and spinners and they are still in terrific shape. They also add a discreet flash of colour that works wonderfully with the dark blue coachwork.

Other rakish trim includes the chromed mesh radiator grille and door mirrors, the thin sliver of silver on the MGC bonnet and along the car’s flanks, the aluminium windscreen surround, and, of course, the front and rear chrome bumpers. Much of the chromework was new too, and it is all in great shape and in need of nothing other than polishing to maintain its sheen.

The dark blue folding roof is good, as well it might be given its tender age. It also seals as tightly as any of them do, which is to say that while it isn’t up to Mercedes-Benz standards – or even Mazda, come to that – it fulfills its role as emergency shelter very well – and an MGB is more about roof-down motoring than it is hiding from the elements anyway.

Speaking of emergency shelter, the MGB also comes with a very useful tonneau cover, again finished in blue and again, in good condition.

The MGB also benefits from having been fitted with a new windscreen and rubber seals, new door glass, and new door, bonnet and boot rubber seals during its restoration.

Problems are few: the paintwork is scuffed and lightly scratched around a few of the clips for the tonneau cover; there is the odd touched-in stonechip and scuff here and there; and there is a chip on the leading edge of the bonnet. If it were ours we’d be tempted to get it professionally machine-polished too to remove some of the swirls and ‘love marks’ in the paint.

The grey interior trimmed, which is piped with blue, looks absolutely terrific and echoes the exterior, with its reverse-colour scheme of dark blue coachwork and chrome trim.

The grey leather seats are in great shape, having retained their shape and support very well. They’re only very gently creased and what little wear there is is too minor to even be called patination. On the negative side, there is a small tear to the fabric near one of the chromed handles, and the driver’s seat is a little grubby. However, the latter could be resolved very quickly and a good car trimmer could mend the former at little cost.

The matching door cards are excellent as is the dark blue carpet. A complementary blue gearlever gaiter and matching blue padded door tops add to the up-market feel of the cabin, as does the refurbished dashboard.

The wood-rimmed Mota-Lita steering wheel is suitably vintage in both appearance and feel and it suits the MGB’s character much better than the more usual thick-rimmed, small-diameter sports wheel.

Cleverly, a modern Pioneer headunit has been fitted behind the glovebox, adding iPod compatibility and a much better sound quality than would be possible with the old radio. Modern speakers have been fitted underneath the dashboard above the transmission tunnel too.

The carpeted boot is clean and tidy, and the spare wire wheel is shielded from the luggage by a blue carpet cover. A new 12V battery sits on the offside of the car, and lifting the carpets shows a solid painted floor with none of the rust and corrosion that the model is prone to.

If we were to be critical then the jack is a little rusty, and while this is only cosmetic and in no way affects its safety, refurbishing it – or even buying a new one – would be a cheap and easy way of freshening up the only bit of the boot’s furniture that lets it down.

The only other job we might be tempted to do is to clean the underside of the folding hood of its rust stains.

The 1900cc engine is fully balanced and fitted with a fast road camshaft, a new Vernier timing chain, new valves, pistons and bearings, a new Lichton flywheel, plus a new clutch and an alloy rocker cover. The cylinder head features hardened valve seats, so the car can be run on unleaded petrol with no need for additives.

The engine breathes through twin SU carburettors, which have been overhauled and fitted with individual K&N pancake air filters. It exhales through a stainless-steel exhaust and is cooled via a refurbished radiator and a new water pump and hoses.

The engine is mated to a four-speed gearbox, which works well, including the overdrive, which makes for relaxing high-speed cruising.

The uprated suspension includes adjustable front Spax dampers and polybushes throughout. It also benefits from new front disc brakes and refurbished rears, as well as an overhauled steering rack.

Other work includes: new wheel bearings; new brake and clutch pipes; new stainless oil cooler pipes; a new petrol tank and high-volume fuel pump and pipework; new electrical components including a new wiring loom and front and rear light lenses; and a new 12v battery along with a battery cut-off switch inside the car.

The engine bay itself is nicely detailed with unusually neat wiring and brake pipes, both of which are usually a reliable indicator that the less visible work has been done to a similarly high standard.

We’ve driven it and found that the tuned engine made its presence felt, not only by way of a little extra performance but with an attractive rasp to the intake and a fruity burble from the twin-tailpipe exhaust. Handling is excellent, as you might expect.

The underside is solid and has been protected with a neat application of underseal. There is a little overspray here and there, so it might be worth applying a bit more underseal to hide it.

Following its restoration, the MGB was bought for £20,000 by a chap who lived on the Isle of Man. He drove it home, parked it up and didn’t drive it again before selling it to the vendor a year ago. It has now only covered around 3,000 miles since its restoration, so is barely run-in and just needs some very minor cosmetic fettling to allow it to fulfil its potential.

Mechanically, it is strong and gained its MOT certificate, which expires in March 2021, without a single advisory point.

Sadly, the car’s paperwork has been mislaid, so potential bidders should set their bids based on its current condition rather than relying on an extensive paper trail. However, the vendor has told us that he will keep looking, and will forward it if/when it is found.

And, because we know that you will be limiting your social exposure over the coming days and weeks, please feel free to give us a call and we can shoot a personal video of the car honing in on any areas you’d like us to concentrate on.

Or, even better, contact us with your mobile number and we can set up a WhatsApp video call, where you can direct us in real-time.

Few cars are as ubiquitous as the MGB Roadster – and at times like these the market likes what it knows, and no car is better known, better served, or more loved than the good old MGB.

They’re still quite cheap, too. With a guide price of £11,000 to £14,000, and an even lower reserve, it’s going to provide its lucky new owner with some serious fun this summer at a reasonable cost, especially when you consider its £20,000 screen price only a few thousand miles ago...

And remember, you can only judge how much a car really costs after you’ve sold it, and we’d be amazed if the MGB didn’t at least hold its value over the medium-term, reducing the cost-per-mile even further.

This particular car is located with us at The Market HQ near Abingdon. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.

If needed, please remember we have a network of trusted suppliers we work with regularly and can recommend: Classic & Sportscar Finance for purchase-financing, Footman James for classic car insurance Thames Valley Car Storage for storing your car and AnyVan for transporting it.

BORING, but IMPORTANT: Please note that whilst we at The Market always aim to offer the most descriptive and transparent auction listings available, we cannot claim they are perfect analyses of any of the vehicles for sale. We offer far greater opportunity for bidders to view, or arrange inspections for each vehicle thoroughly prior to bidding than traditional auctions, and we never stop encouraging bidders to take advantage of this. We do take a good look at the vehicles delivered to our premises for sale, but this only results in our unbiased personal observations, not those of a qualified inspector or other professional, or the result of a long test drive.

Additionally, please note that most of the videos on our site have been recorded using simple cameras which often result in 'average' sound quality; in particular, engines and exhausts notes can sound a little different to how they are in reality.

Please note that this is sold as seen and that, as is normal for used goods bought at auction, the Sale of Goods Act 1979 does not apply. See our FAQs for more info, and feel free to inspect any vehicle as much as you wish.