1963 MG B Roadster

You are looking at a thoroughly well-prepared and restored early MGB with the notorious pull-handles. The vendor bought the car in November 2020 at which point, it was a half-way house as the previous owner had modelled it as a bit of a cafe-racer with few creature comforts. Our vendor took the very wise decision to engineer in some road manners and comfort. The inclusion of a carpet and centre console alone made this MGB a hundred times more civil. Once some of the frippery had been removed and creature comforts returned, you are left with a rather lovely early MGB ready for anything its new owner would like to throw at it. We are rather smitten with this car, it has a little bit of a hard edge that just adds to the 'Great British Sports Car' vibe.

The number plate is included in the sale. 

This early MGB Roadster (1963) has been finished in one of the all-time greatest British sports car colour schemes; Old-English White with a contrasting black top. Seen on everything from Minis to A40 Farinas; it’s a hugely evocative combo. In this instance said top has been bonded in place, so don’t try to lift it off! It is attached with some kind of rubber/sealant so removal would not be tricky.

The cafe-racer image might have been the intention, but this is no stripped-bare torture chamber on the road – far from it in fact. There are the aforementioned refinements of carpets and consoles, but there’s also door trims and a lined hard-top roof. The subtle racing theme continues with what is an exterior bonnet release, neatly fitted in the front wing. Though it’s the genuine 14-inch Minilite alloy wheels (with a bill for £701.64 to prove it), that really scream competition. They’re wrapped in matching Nankang NK All Season tyres too (including a new spare), handy for the current climate.

Subject to a thorough and well-executed restoration in 2017, this MGB Roadster still appears to be in very fine order. Though there are a few very minor battle scars. There’s some minor damage to the nearside door bottom (touched up) and a slightly more noticeable sickle-shaped scratch (again touched up) to the offside rear wing (just behind the door). The sill to door bottom (same side) has some slight 'dentage' and there’s a fine crack in the paint just emerging from the middle of the offside rear stop lamp. On the whole however, this roadster remains a looker, very good and relatively 'box-fresh'. The front edge of the bonnet is not quite aligned with the front wing, but it's nothing serious or out of the ordinary for one of these. We are being picky, you see a smart MGB in the Gallery, it is a smart 'B in the flesh too. 

First to strike you, as you enter the cabin, is the handsome wooden Mota-Lita steering wheel. It’s deliberately designed to remain looking period, but is in fact, thicker and grippier (if that’s a word) than its period inspiration. We’d be surprised if those red bucket seats didn’t grab your attention next. Their handsome, stitched and pleated high backs and base look both inviting and supportive at the same time. They appear like new, as do the majority of the cabin appointments.

Trawling through the history of this car shows the majority of it is actually made up of new items. Most came from well-known MG specialist Moss Europe. In fact, there’s an enormous £2673.69 bill from 2017 for all-new bolts, washers, latches, switches, seals, blanking plates and many other minor ancillaries. But it’s not all replacement OEM stuff in here. In case you’d forgotten the racing inspiration for this rebuild, there’s a neatly fitted red master battery cut-off switch in the centre of the dash to remind you.

Please note that although this 'B would probably have had a black dash from the factory, there were some early vehicles fitted with painted dashboard. And we agree with the vendor that the well-executed painted-dash here works really well with the other interior finishes to make an extremely attractive interior. 

Lifting the carpets and inspecting the floors reveals a very solid-looking base to this car, which is confirmed with a quick scoot underneath. It appears that a couple of very well executed repair panels have been ‘let in’ to the floors in the footwell area, but you need to look closely to spot them. The leaf springs, wishbones, hangers and brackets for all of the mechanical components look to have been reconditioned and either painted or powder-coated. The result is an undercarriage that appears very smart indeed and clearly fresh from restoration. The whole underneath of the shell, including its wheel arches, have been given a protective coating, then topped up in body colour.

Under the bonnet it’s a similar story. Everything that could be replaced with a new component appears to have been. The wiring, coolant and fuel pipework all appear new, along with a shiny alloy radiator and an alternator conversion. Even the engine itself (described as ‘fast road’ spec) is a nearly new item. There’s a bill from the MGOC spares department for £2365 from April 2017. Also, according to a handy sticker fitted to its housing, the thermostat is a low-temperature 104-degree version. There are trumpet-style intakes for the gleaming twin-SU HS6 carburettors with metallic mesh filters that make a wonderful ‘bark’. Especially pleasing when the gasses they inhale escape through the free-flowing stainless-steel exhaust. This car has intent!

As the above-mentioned paperwork suggests, the lion’s share of the restoration work on this MGB was done in 2017. The history folder shows plenty of bills from the period from several specialists including Moss Europe, MGB Hive, MGOC and Flying Pig Classics. The latter of these was trusted with preparation, painting and assembling the final car. A hefty bill for £7100 shows the level of time and effort put into the paintwork and final assembly.

The V5 shows just four keepers in the car’s 58-year history but as for older documents, it’s limited to a few MoT certificates from the late 1970s and early 1980s and a corresponding tax disc. There’s a period photograph of the car upon which this evocation was based at a race meeting in the 1960s, though that’s about it. However, the invoices – in addition to an extensive, hand-written breakdown of the recent restoration costs – will surely take precedence.

Race cars often seem like an ideal driver’s machine but the reality is that they’re usually a pain to use. They’re tuned and geared to only work flat-out on the track, so everywhere else they usually feel stroppy and uncooperative. They’re loud, uncomfortable and impractical. This one however, perfectly blends some racing aesthetic and function with a fully useable and fun road car. That’s the perfect mix in our book and as soon as the sun comes out, it would be a sin not to let this MGB loose.

Remember it is also a very early MGB, generally the most collectable and valuable. It’s covered fewer than 500 miles since that full restoration and still looks and sounds superb. It’s fun to drive and yet won’t tax you much to use regularly – in both effort and paying the government. So just enjoy it for what it is, a well-restored MGB, well set up and on-point, that’s not so perfect  or original that you’d fear to use it. Alternatively, if you did want to take it racing, it’s halfway there already. Not much extra time, money or effort would be needed to make it competitive.  As a result, we estimate this car to fetch somewhere between £13,500 - £16,000.

Inspection is always encouraged (within Govt. guidelines of course), and this particular car is located with us at The Market HQ near 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’.