1970 MG B Roadster

An older restoration, albeit one that took more than 550 hours to complete, this MGB Roadster is exactly the sort of car with which to ease yourself into classic car ownership. Tidy enough to show at your local car club’s summer event, it’s not a trailer queen that you’ll be too scared to drive for fear of ruining the concours finish.

It’s solid too, and runs like a dream. It is, in fact, the very definition of a fuss- and care-free two-seater convertible that you should be able to run for years and still get your money back when the time comes for you to change your toy.

Professionally built onto a British Motor Heritage bodyshell a couple of decades ago, the MGB is still tight and taut, which goes to prove that paying a little bit extra to get the job done properly in the first place is never a bad idea.

In this case, getting it professionally done means that the bare bodyshell received one coat of Hammerite and one coat of Shutz underseal to the underside, and one coat of primer and then two top coats of Tartan Red paint to the upper body before being finished in a low-bake oven. Even the work to the engine bay and boot is recorded in the wonderfully detailed record of restoration that comes with the car.

The rebuild was completed many years ago and the MGB is showing signs of some localized repairs to its Tartan Red coachwork over the years since, but they’ve been done properly - bar a small amount of overspray on the underside - and in no way detract from the way it presents. We have spotted two minor bubbles on each rear wing top seam, but there are no further issues on the front wings, or scuttle, or anywhere else for that matter.

Importantly, the alloy bonnet, which is more fragile than a steel one and so prone to being damaged if it is being closed by someone who doesn’t know what they’re doing, is straight and free of dents.

The folding roof works as it should (well, it works as well as any MGB hood does…), which means it’s reasonably waterproof but one corner is peeling up a little. It doesn’t affect the way it works and the guys next door to us at Frontline Developments commented “they all do that”.

The chromework is in good, but not immaculate, condition. There is a boot-mounted luggage rack, which extends the usefulness of this lovely little MGB. The wire wheels are straight and true, too. They’re shod with matching Goodyear tyres, which speaks volumes about the time and money the last owner lavished on the car.

If it were ours, we’d probably spend a day applying a thin coat of underseal to cover up the overspray. Other than that, we’d polish it again and leave it exactly as it is, just enjoying driving it long and hard without having to worry.

The black interior was restored and replaced back in the late eighties, so while it is still in very good condition, it’s now getting on a touch if you look very closely.

This manifests itself as some wear, discoloration and warping in parts of the dashboard timberwork, a patinated Mota-Lita wooden steering wheel, and the odd scratch in the plastic trim.

But, that’s about the extent of the problems: the seats are in good condition and don’t have any rips or tears; the carpets look great; and the door trims, complete with wooden veneer cappings, are in fine condition. Really, it just looks like a car that’s been used, but cared for and look after. And isn’t that exactly how our cars should look? We believe the car has only run around 13,000 miles since the rebuild.

There isn’t really a lot to say here. There’s little evidence of recent expenditure on the oily bits, but then the oily bits aren’t that oily and it’s running and driving very well anyway. Looking at the condition, we would believe it must have seen some care and maintenance along the way.

If you remain unconvinced, why not pop along to The Market’s HQ in Abingdon and take a look for yourself? If nothing else, we do make a decent cup of tea…

The online MOT history shows nothing of concern whatsoever and confirms the car’s low mileage. The car comes with a number of expired MOT certificates plus a sheaf of older invoices and bills in a nicely presented folder, along with a detailed breakdown of the work that was carried out on it back in 1988.

The car is currently MOT'd until May of this year.

There’s a photo album with some period photographs of the car both before, during and after the work was carried out too, which is a charming touch and a nice addition to the car’s impressive provenance.

There are a few more recent invoices too, but it would probably be a good idea to come and look at the car before bidding so you know exactly what you’re bidding on because the more recent paperwork is nowhere near as detailed as the historical stuff.

Please visit the documents section of the gallery of this listing where you will find photos of this and other paperwork to support our claim that this car was restored to the very highest standard.

As an older restoration with little in the way of modern history, we know that anyone considering this car is taking a bit of a risk. However, having crawled over every inch of it, and taken it for a long test-drive, we aren’t convinced that it is too much of a risk. Sure, it’s an older restoration but it seems well done done and the car looks to have been well looked after since then.

But, bearing all this in mind, our guide price for the car is a very reasonable £8,000 - £10,000, which we think is very reasonable for a car of this quality, yet still acknowledges the fact that it isn’t in the first flush of (post-restoration) youth.

Remember; with interest rates as low as they are, a decent MGB is as good as money in the bank and cars like this one might even show you a bit of a profit in the long-term…

Viewing is always encouraged, and this car can be seen here at The Market HQ in Abingdon; to arrange an appointment please use the ‘Contact Seller’ button at the top of the listing. 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, Thames Valley Car Storage for storing your car, AnyVan for transporting it, and Footman James for classic car insurance.