1973 MG B Roadster

With just five previous keepers, this lovely example has been in the care of its current owner for the past ten years, during which time she has always kept it garaged. Interestingly, the vendor bought the car from her cousin, who owned it for a decade or so too, only passing it on because he emigrated to France and found that he just wasn’t using it out there as much as he thought he would.

The MGB had been the subject of a full restoration back in 1990/91 prior to entering the family. The work was commissioned by Dr. Champion, who had owned it since February 1987. Paul A. Scriven, the Gloucester MG Centre, carried out the work, which was comprehensively recorded at the time. A selection of these photographs can be seen here and the entire album will be included with the vehicle.

A summary of the bodywork that was carried out by the Gloucester MG Centre is presented in the documents section but, in summary, it had new inner wing sections, sills, floor pans, front wings, doors, front valance, boot floor, bonnet, front and rear bumpers, and lower rear wing repair panels, all of which were given two coats of Hammerite to their internal surfaces before being fitted, at which point a lot of time was spent getting the panel alignment spot-on. They were then resprayed and fully Waxoyled.

The whole of the bodywork was obviously carried out to a very high standard as it’s holding up incredibly well, especially when you consider that the car has been in continual use, albeit only lightly, over the intervening three decades. The doors, for example, seem free of rust and corrosion and still close and latch perfectly. The other panel gaps are even and consistent, the flanks are free of ripples, obviously a few chips etc, but the paintwork retains a glossy sheen.

The boot is solid and very well presented and contains a steel spare wheel. The engine bay is clean and tidy, the chassis rails are rust-free but a weekend’s-worth of detailing would be a good investment as it would then be in the same condition as the rest of the vehicle.

The chromework is very reasonable too, as is the folding hood, which remains watertight. A full tonneau is also supplied with the car, giving the new owner the perfect halfway house between full-on café racer and traditional roadster. 

The Minilite replica alloy wheels look fabulous  and are shod with good tyres, although the former could do with a good clean.

Downsides are the top of the rear wings are starting to go; we think it’ll need some attention in the medium-term but the vehicle could certainly be used for years without concern if garaged. More seriously, the rear of the sills on both sides have started to go and this will need some localized repairs in the near future if bigger problems are to be avoided. The rest of the underside is in very good order indeed and the remaining problems are limited to the odd stone chip and minor dink. Use the Contact Seller button and organise a viewing before the auction ends to check yourself.

The black fabric seats are in excellent condition, being supportive and free from rips, tears and other damage.

The rest of the interior is neat and tidy, being purposeful and functional rather than pretty and over-restored. We think this is something of a positive as you’ll be free to enjoy the car as MG intended without fear of getting it a bit crumpled and grubby. (It also keeps the price down and frees you to refurbish the interior to your own taste if you can’t live with its gentle patination.)

A modern headunit has been fitted, along with door-mounted Pioneer speakers and an aftermarket Mountney steering wheel. A toolkit lives in the boot, but, to be honest, it’s a bit crusty and we’d be tempted to source a new one from one of the many MG specialists who would be happy to send you a period-correct replacement in exchange for not-a-lot of money 

The owner tells us that there are only two faults that she is aware of. The first is the petrol gauge, which shows as half-full when the tank is really empty. The second is that the indicators don’t always self-cancel. That these are the extent of the car’s mechanical problems speaks volumes…

The restoration in 1990/91 also saw the MGB’s mechanical components being carefully removed and refurbished or replaced as necessary prior to being reinstalled. The engine had already had a recent rebuild so was largely untouched but almost everything else was cleaned and fettled; again, a full list is attached for your consideration in the documents section of the gallery.

The car has been more recently maintained by Abingdon Car Restorations, the owner’s local MG specialist. As a result, the car is in very good mechanical condition, starting on the button no matter what. In fact, the owner told us that it started first time even after being laid up over the whole of this last winter. A lead-free cylinder head conversion has been carried out in addition to the usual service and maintenance work over the years.

Only ever used during the summer months, she also tells us that it also runs very well indeed and has no faults that she knows of other than the ones we’ve mentioned in the previous section.

There were actually too many old invoices for us to photograph and display here, which is why some of them are presented as a bundle! Not many MGBs have had this level of care for this long!

The old, expired MOT certificates, which run from 1994, appear to confirm the car’s low mileage of under 68,000 miles. The online MOT history shows nothing of any concern.

Please visit the documents section of the gallery of this listing where you will find the huge number of old invoices and other paperwork that demonstrate this car’s impressively comprehensive service history.

This is an honest, well-cared for example of the archetypical MGB Roadster, albeit one that’s being offered in one of the more unusual and attractive colours from the MGB palette. It has wanted for nothing during its pampered life, and has been looked after by the owner’s local MG specialist for the past decade. Even though the restoration was a few years back, we have seen cars 5 years post-‘restoration’ in much poorer condition than this, there is still much joy to be had from this MGB yet.

Only being sold as she just isn’t using as much as she would like, the owner is very well aware that her car will need a small amount of remedial work in the future, and so has set the reserve at a very, very reasonable level. How reasonable? Well, it’s way below the £6-8,000 we expect it to fetch.

Viewing is always encouraged, and this car can be seen 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: Thames Valley Car Storage for storing your car, AnyVan for transporting it, and Footman James for classic car insurance.