1968 MG MGC GT

Our ‘C’ has been owned since 2007 by the vendor, Graham, who lives close to The Market’s headquarters in Oxfordshire. Before that, he resided in West Wales, which made a terrific playground for the MG. He bought the car from the widow of the previous owner; this gentleman had restored the car’s interior trim. Some time earlier, apparently from the mid 1980s to the early 1990s, the car underwent a good deal of structural and mechanical work that amounted to a full restoration.

The car is now nicely mellowed but still extremely smart. Graham says that through 13 years of ownership, which has included three trips to Ireland and well over 10,000 miles of motoring, it’s never let him down beyond the odd puncture. There are no rust worries and only some dabs of touch-up to the trailing edge of the front valance.

Graham has found that he’s used the car less since moving from West Wales, finding the heavier traffic of Oxfordshire makes for less enjoyable trips. Having passed the age of 70 (“well past,” he says) it no longer seems so easy to spring in and out of a little MG. It’s not getting used enough, so Graham is being pragmatic and offering it for sale.

The ‘Bedouin’ paint still looks good – even, reflective, no patches of sinking or dullness and no nasty bubbles in the usual spots. Indeed, with your MG trouble-spotting list, you can tick off any concerns about wheel arches, door bottoms, wing-top seams and bonnet edges. Given that the paint is many years old, these are all signs of an impressive restoration.

You’ll probably find the odd stone chip if you look hard, and a small ding in the grill, but only what you’d expect from fifteen years of summer weekend use, and a safe berth in a garage. The tailgate was Graham replaced that three years ago and the paint match is good.

The brightwork looks really nice too. Bumpers, over-riders, trim strips and bezels all escape rusting or serious pitting. The car wears four good Firestone tyres, which at 65 profile fill the arches a little less than the original size, but probably offer more stability through fast corners. The glass is all smart, clean and intact.

Starting at the back we have a nice dry boot floor under the carpet, showing only a tiny bit of rust staining but nothing to concern us. The spare wheel (wire spokes) is wearing an older Firestone with lots of tread. There’s a jack in a bag next to it, complete with a couple of mallets for the knock-offs. The boot carpet is a little faded.

The seats are trimmed in a cheerful ox-blood leather with white piping and red carpets to match. It’s all smart but not stiff-fresh and new, having had 15 or so years to settle down. There’s a missing trim piece from the inside of the driver’s A-pillar but the only other sign of age that you’d want to sort out is a slight sag at the back of the headlining.

Under the footwell carpets you’ll find insulation and sound deadening, but no signs of moisture or rot. There are inertia reel belts for the front seats, but as with all MG GTs, the rear seat bench is better for perching a picnic box than carrying fellow humans. The dashboard and the chunky little wheel look very good indeed. There is a period-correct radio, though non-functioning.

Again, all is as solid as can be from a structural point of view. There’s a good deal of underseal over most of it, but it’s done its job and the floors and jacking points all look as strong as they were when the restoration was finished.

Both the differential and the sump gasket look slightly oil-damp, but if so, it’s a slow weep rather than a drip. British Standard for 1968, in other words. Likewise, a trace of evaporated coolant suggests the bottom radiator hose could do with being tweaked up tighter. There is a stainless steel exhaust system. The engine bay is an honest working exhibit rather than anything concours, but crucially the bulkhead and inner wings beneath the oily bits are sound. There’s a thermostat control knob for the electric cooling fan.

On the road, the car still feels tight and goes very nicely, with all the controls suggesting a well-maintained example. The overdrive works well. You do, though, need a deliberately firm smack to get the gearlever across into reverse and sometimes their can be a slight axle tramp going backwards.

The car seems to have been with one owner throughout much of the 1980s and 90s, with a significant phase of work starting with structural repairs and paintwork in 1986 and followed by mechanical work in subsequent years, including an engine rebuild by the MGB Hive in 1990. There are lots of bills to study, reflecting a good deal of investment by this long-term owner. It’s a terrific record with documents going back to 1979.

From more recent times, we have bills from Graham’s service record in Wales and in Oxfordshire, in both cases by MG specialists. They detail MoT and service work and occasionally a replacement of such ancillaries as the alternator or water pump, plus the bill to replace the tailgate.

There’s a Heritage Certificate confirming the car’s origins in Cheltenham, and signed by Anders Clausager – then BL Heritage’s archivist and later a highly successful motoring author and historian. MoT test certificates dating back to 1988 support the car’s modest mileage, now showing a total of 78,990. There is also an MGC Workshop Manual.

We’re entirely sold on the concept of the MGC. Much more interesting, unusual and potent than a ‘B’, and therefore with rather more value. And that’s clearly been the way this one has been regarded since the first phase of extensive restoration work in the mid 1980s. Can you imagine anyone spending four-figure sums restoring a BGT back then?

The significance of this is that it’s been treated like a proper classic – pampered, really – for a long, long time. Far longer than any example of its four-cylinder siblings you’re likely to come across. Today, it presents as a very smart example, free of bugs but with scope for improvement. A fastidious owner could get busy in the engine bay and turn it into a rosette magnet when car shows are once again a part of normal life. We estimate the car will sell for £14,000 and £17,000, but as always, the reserve is set lower.

Viewing is always encouraged, and this particular car is located with us 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.

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.

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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.