1972 MG MGB GT

This August 1972 GT is an apparently little used, very low mileage (21,000 showing) and extremely original example of the more desirable pre-‘75 steel-bumpered GT, factory fitted with overdrive, a cigar lighter, servo assisted brakes, inertia reel seatbelts, heated rear window and the iconic Rubery Owen RoStyle wheels that had become standard fitment in 1969, along with reclining seats.

Although there is no specific paperwork to confirm it, the car is showing an odometer mileage of 21,600 which the current owner Simon Foster (boss of restoration specialists Fostering Classics) believes to be correct. You can read more about the car’s fascinating provenance in the History Highlights section below.

Since Simon got the car in Spring this year it’s gone through a program of professional repair work to correct some lower front wing and sill corrosion and to bring it up from its ‘solid’ condition to the bright, alert and overall stunning state it’s in now.

Before launching into the work Simon contacted the MG Owners Club to tell them (a) that he had what appeared to be a totally original and extremely low mileage GT, and (b) to get their opinion on how far he should go with the restoration. Their advice was to keep it to a minimum as cars like this come up so rarely. Their value for it, in restored condition, was £18,000.

Once the work began and the fasteners and brackets started to be undone for what was clearly the first time, Simon became increasingly convinced that he really had stumbled on a ‘Holy Grail’ unrestored GT. We’re sure that the next owner will be the talk of any MG gathering.

You could pick one of seven shades of red for your MGB, but most would agree that Blaze Orange is an archetypal hue for this car, and that’s what we’ve got here. The paintwork has been machine polished and looks, well, see for yourself. After his works and repaint to the areas he restored, Simon believes that much of the rest could well be the original paint. The brightwork is equally spiffy.

Simon is keen to emphasise that this is not a concours car: there are blemishes and a few scratches on the bonnet and roof that the MOP didn’t fix. He tells us that as far as he can see only the wings have had some corrective work in the past. The MG octagon and italicised ‘BGT’ badging is correct for the year.

A few minor trim items have been replaced by Simon, such as one of the window winders. The seat cloth inserts were also replaced as the white stitching had started to unpick, but the door cards and what appear to be the original carpets are all in smashing condition. 

There’s a working period 1980s ICE radio-cassette unit connected to a couple of speakers resting in the back of the car, with thankfully no holes having been cut for them. The electric aerial works too, as does everything else in the cabin. Simon reports that the switch operation is ‘like new’.

Generally speaking the car was very solid when Simon got it earlier this year and in his view its underlying condition is a testament to the high standard of a light refresh he believes was carried out in 2003. A failure on the part of previous owners to keep the rear mudflaps clear of mud had resulted in some degradation but as you can see from the gallery pics it's all been sorted out now.

The main rear arches were described as ‘great’ by Simon when he got the car, with ‘fantastic’ sills. Most of the corrosion that was affecting the underside fell into the ‘superficial’ category. The lower front wing was the worst bit of the car, again the victim of uncleared mud, but this section has been replaced. There’s a picture of this in the Gallery. Peeling paint on the underside of the boot floor has been put right.

The Rostyles were lightly corroded but have responded well to Simon’s polishing and repainting. Tyres don’t lend themselves to restoration so the next owner will probably want to replace the cracked and perishing Michelins. The engine has had a full service and tune-up and sits in a very clean bay. The overdrive on 3rd and 4th gears is in full working order. The oil leak from under the engine has been fixed and the rusty brake pipes replaced.

The first Grimsby-based owner of the car mainly stored the car before selling it on to the second owner. He used it on the road a little more, but only in relative terms: by 1992, 20 years after its build date, it had still only done 9870 miles.

In 2003 it was bought by Nigel Jagger, multi-millionaire owner of fine wine storage firm Octavian Vaults and chairman of Past Perfect Records. He came by it via Jersey-based classic car restorers Le Riche who had sourced the car as a low mileage unrestored example before doing some light cosmetic work on it.

In 2007 the car passed into the hands of the titled owner of a country estate, where it was nicknamed Little Queenie after the Chuck Berry song of the same name. In March 2019 it was bought by the current owner Simon Foster who as noted earlier runs Fostering Classics. The car has had a thorough going-over by him since April to produce the car you see before you now.

Although, as also noted earlier, there is no documentary proof to back up the mileage, Simon does tell us that he contacted Le Riche who confirmed that the MG had been sourced from a reliable collector, that the low mileage was genuine and that it had never been restored. Even Simon had initially assumed that it was more likely to be 121,000 than 21,000, but having worked on it and driven it he is now convinced that it really is 21,000. The absence of the usual stack of receipts is in Simon’s opinion simply down to that low mileage and to the fact that the car hasn't had anything done to it apart from cosmetic and service work.

There is a British Motor Industry Heritage Trust certified copy of the car’s factory record to confirm its original specification, along with some old MOT certificates. The last MOT expired in May 2018, but of course there is no legal requirement for a new one on cars of this age.

There are a useful couple of videos on the GT on the Fostering Classics YouTube channel (in amongst many for a Jaguar Mk2 that Simon is restoring) at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCINVqov-odbtFDy3cscaS9Q/videos 

It’s interesting how some cars mature. The writer of this piece is old enough to remember when the B GT first came out. As a callow youth who was more impressed by the twin-cam offerings of Lotus and Ford he didn’t think much of the GT at the time, but the passing years have cast this classically-styled coupé in an attractive new light.

Those who go in for B GT restoration projects will always face the usual problem of finding solid examples that need less than a ton of money spending on them. Otherwise they run the risk of being caught out, because non-V8 GT prices still haven’t taken off.

However, we can see that situation changing. Think of the GT as a Pininfarina coupé rather than a closed-roof version of a steady old British ragtop and maybe you’ll come to a similar conclusion. The fact that the GT was the last vehicle to be built on the old Abingdon line can’t hurt long-term values either.

The next owner of this seemingly very low mileage and extremely solid GT should be well placed for a good few years yet of stylish, pleasurable and relaxing motoring, with only minimal preventative maintenance needed to keep it up to the mark. For sure, a car that has never been apart and put back together a couple of times will always be more robust, rattle-free and, hopefully, reliable and dependable. We estimate this car will sell for £9,500 – £12,000.

We always encourage viewings. This MG is located at the owner’s Fostering Classics premises near Evesham in Worcestershire. Just click the ‘Contact Seller’ button at the top of the listing to arrange an appointment. Ahead of that, or at any time during the process, you’re more than welcome to ask any questions or jot down observations in the comments section below. You won’t be shocked to hear that our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’ section will answer general questions that are frequently asked about how The Market works.

Also please note that we have a network of trusted suppliers with whom we work regularly and successfully: 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.

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.