1974 MG B Roadster

Living mainly in the north of England, this smart-looking chrome bumper MG seems to have had diligent, caring owners most, if not all of its life. Presently living on the Yorkshire-Cumbria border, the roadster has been doing what it was built for; driving the country lanes in the summer months. The present keeper has been very much a hands-on owner, making sure fluids are checked and changed and brakes fettled.

The car had a comprehensive (photo-documented) rebuild in 2008, including new paint and seat covering, and remains in good condition. It’s covered about 40k miles since then. The engine remains tight and responsive and the car is a great example of this stalwart classic British drive.

With some 12 years since the MG was restored, this ‘B’ still carries itself well. The paint finish remains consistent across the car, with a slightly more muted ‘vintage’ gloss. Wheel arches are clean and appear very sound, paint good, while seams between panels and edges appear healthy. There are a few very tiny inconsistencies to the finish – around headlight mounts for instance – and one small bubble on the boot lid. Still the overall finish is very pleasing.

Panel fit too is largely good; the bonnet fits snugly, though the boot lid, like so many MGBs, sits a little proud of its line on near side. The passenger doors sits tight, but sometimes the driver’s door can take some coaxing.

The roadster’s bright metal and chrome remains an attractive feature on the car (there was still quite a lot of it on Seventies MGs). The bumpers retain a good shine – no pitting – and are securely mounted and straight with no dents. Their rubber overriders are firmly mounted and scrape free. The grill looks good (its somewhat pitted central strut notwithstanding), and the headlight surrounds retain a good shine with no discolouration. The chrome coachlines are intact and straight, and line up well across the panels. The window surrounds and their seals are in largely very good shape (a tiny bit of rust in the quarterlight mechanisms), and the suitcase carrier on the boot lid is in very fine shape; both the rack itself and the bolts securing it. The badges underneath are good too.

The roof when raised, retains a good healthy colour (black) and shows to tears or warn patches, nor any signs of mould.

When you choose to fold the aforementioned roof (it folds down easily), you won’t be embarrassed by the state of the cabin; the roadster’s cockpit gives a good account of itself.

The seats stand out as a great feature – recovered as they were in the restoration. They show a gentle patina (a scuff to the driver’s seat bolster and some small blemishes to the head rests), but retain a healthy shape and structure.

Steering wheel and gear stick are also in fine condition, the former retaining good padding around its rim and a good colour with stitching intact. The wooden gearstick top retains its lacquer without cracks or scratches and the gaiter shows no real wear. Behind it, the hifi is a Sharpe aftermarket item.

The black vinyl/plastics that surround the cabin, both across the dash, and on the door cards are in good shape. They are largely scuff and scratch free and retain a deep black hue. In the carse of the door cards, there seem to be no signs of warping and, and the chrome decorative strips are straight and bright.

The recently replaced black carpets in both the cabin and boot are clean and in good shape, retaining a good pile and colour. There seems to be no sign of water ingress in the front foot wells and the door hinge areas are sound. The inside of the hood looks fine and its frame in largely good condition. The inside of the clips show surface rust and there are a few chips to the hood mechanism, but the whole thing operates smoothly.

The underside of the body tub appears to be in sound condition, showing no significant breaches to the undersealing, though undoubtedly showing the weathering of the miles travelled. The undersides of the doors appear very healthy and the sills are straight.

Suspension components –including wishbones and the elliptical rear springs show quite a coating of surface rust, but the components still appear quite serviceable. (Gaiters look good). The front crossmember/ engine support also shows surface rust, though appears very robust. The engine sump looks a bit oily. The exhaust looks to be in sound condition and firmly mounted.

The eight-spoke Minator (Minilite style) alloy wheels are in good condition and their Firestone tyres have a lot of life left in them.

Looking in the engine bay, things look pretty healthy. The paint remains largely intact with good seams to the wings along the upper edges. Bolts are rust free and the pressings of the underside of the bonnet likewise clean and corrosion free.

The engine and its ancillaries look to be in good health. The K&N air filters appear clean and there appear to be no leaks or corrosion from the carburettors. Fuel lines look sound.

The radiator looks very sound and the bulkhead/frame at the front of the engine bay is solid. The wiring looks untidy in places but seems to be doing its job in a satisfactory manner.

The MG comes with quite a thick history file, which contains service and parts invoices dating back into the Nineties. There are some quite comprehensive parts bills dating from the mid Nineties, which show quite a detailed refettling took place at that time as well as the rebuild of 2008. There is also the pictorial record of the ’08 restoration, plus invoices from around this period. The seat recovering invoice is present and the MG also had a new steering rack in 2014.

Some of the later service invoices are not present as the owner (an experienced classic car owner) did the work himself.

The car also comes with 11 months to run on its current MOT.

This late chrome bumper MG has a lot to offer to its next owner. For a start, the chrome bumper cars sit just a little lower than the later versions, and perhaps handle a little better. This car is certainly ready to be driven – without the next keeper worrying that it will diminish in value. Over the winter, the owner could further titivate the car (MGs enjoy a vast support and parts network) or simply keep it and enjoy it as it is. And we think the dark red sets off the chrome nicely too.

A basically very solid, well-running car in nice condition, we think this the ’74 MGB will sell for somewhere between £8,000 - £12,000, with the reserve set even lower.

Viewing is always encouraged and this particular car is situated near Kendal in Cumbria; to arrange an appointment, please use the Contact Seller button at the top of the listing. Feel free to to ask any questions or make observations on the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.

This vehicle is not with us at The Market’s HQ, which means we have had to rely on the owner’s description of it, in conjunction with the photographs you see here, to compile the listing.

With this in mind, we would encourage potential bidders to contact the owner themselves and arrange to view the car in person, or to arrange a dedicated video call in which they can view the car virtually and ask questions.