The Mighty B! - The Story of the MGB
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- čas přidán 19. 06. 2020
- Hello all! :D
In today's video, we turn back to the days of yore, when Britain led the way in creating drop-top roadsters that were the envy of the world. Among the greatest pinnacles of this era was the MGB, a crisp styling gem married to sensible underpinnings to create an icon, with an enduring legacy that broke through the contorted mess that British Leyland made of it in its latter years.
All video content and images in this production have been provided with permission wherever possible. While I endeavour to ensure that all accreditations properly name the original creator, some of my sources do not list them as they are usually provided by other, unrelated CZcamsrs. Therefore, if I have mistakenly put the accreditation of 'Unknown', and you are aware of the original creator, please send me a personal message at my Gmail (this is more effective than comments as I am often unable to read all of them): rorymacveigh@gmail.com
The views and opinions expressed in this video are my personal appraisal and are not the views and opinions of any of these individuals or bodies who have kindly supplied me with footage and images.
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References:
- AROnline (and their respective references)
- Wikipedia (and its respective references) - Auta a dopravní prostředky
I’ve owned my MGB SINCE 1969 and loved every minute of it. In 1972 I drove it from San Francisco to my job in Yosemite four time a week without one single mechanical problem. Best car I’ve ever owned.
I love that comment. Wow, must have been wonderful - San Fransisco to Yosemite! In an MGB C.1972.
I'm going to drive it now on Google earth.
The B is such a pretty design given its somewhat ordinary underpinnings, beautifully proportioned and crisply styled no wonder it was such a success.
@DC and if properly cared and fed can STILL be a dependable driver; my '72 BGT has carried me over 60K enjoyable mi in 11 yrs of ownership, no breakdowns
Instead of B, should have just improved the MGA's looks and performance along the lines of the gorgeous BMW 507:
czcams.com/video/sXB5Dw01_jA/video.html
The story about the 234 B replacement is eerily similar to the British motorcycle industry of the same era. "The current models are selling well so let's ignore the foreign competion and keep on churning out the same old stuff."
And we wonder why the mini had such a long run
I have a '73 B that my dad bought 30 years ago and restored. British racing green. When I cruise around so many people come up to me when stopped and say "my so and so use to have one of these cars" etc. etc. it never fails. A timeless classic and pretty fun to drive as well. PS I think the EX234 could have been a game changer especially in the US. What a pretty design.
I learned to drive a stick shift on my friend's 1973 purple B (it was his mother's car but we used to sneak it out and cruise around at night.) His dad had upgraded it with headers and a "half over" mild racing cam. Thus began my lifelong fascination and obsession with open topped, two seater roadsters (particularly British models) and led to my purchase of a brand new 1980 Triumph TR8 ( an unjustifiably and misaligned gem). I still love these cars and love learning anything and everything about them. I occasionally see an MGB or two tooling around in traffic and I still longingly stare at them and wish I was the driver. A warm sunny day, a tank full of gas, freshly washed and detailed, top down and a willingly enthusiastic companion - that's close to heaven for this old man!
I once helped a friend to replace the rubber bumpers back to the original chrome bumpers. And, what a shock that was. The rubber bumpers are so unbelievably heavy. It is totally unreal. We had to unscrew it and just drop it to the floor. There was no way to hold on to it. You really need two guys to lift the rubber. Of course we also lowered the car back to normal. Today you can hardly tell if you don't know what it looked like before.
Rubber bumpers look better... and you should have added the Buick/Rover V8 instead!
I love your videos Ruairidh! Very similar to my own. I'll add this to my recommended list on my channel.
My dad had a V8 in the early 70's. As a young ,just passed his test boy racer, I had no trouble putting it sideways on a slightly damp road. The torque it had left a lasting impression on me!
Once saw a nice imported MGBGTV8 here in Sydney, Australia! The issue of selling them in the USA wasn't that they wouldn't, but that they couldn't due to the licensing-agreement that prevented them doing so!
I worked at the Longbridge Computer Bureau (part of BMC) between 1966 and 1970 and well remember the shock and disbelief at the factory when the "Big Healey" (A-H 3000) was dropped in 1967.
Great video and history. The insight into the Board level squabbles isn't something normally covered but it is vital to understanding the history
My Uncle had a '64 MGB when I was a kid, it was the first foreign car, first roofless car and the most fun car I had ever encountered. He still has the but, it has been sitting out in the elements uncovered for nearly 20 years now and is as good as dead. I always wanted to put a strong 302/327/350 SBC into an MGB with at least a 4 speed manual and an improved rear differential. Sort of a GM powered Cobra killer.
This is fast becoming my favorite car/tech related channel.
I agree!
Great video. Thank you.
Watching the final fade-to-black showing the classic B reminds me why I love the marque so much. Simply brilliant little cars those Abingdon MGs.
Your deadpan, professional delivery of "MGB GT V-8" over and over is intimidatingly impressive. Plus, the content you've presented is fascinating to me, but that's not unusual.
Great video! In the mid 60' BMC had a program to purchase any of their cars in the US, pick it up in Great Britain, drive it around for -some- amount of time or mileage, then ship it back to the US as a -used- car at -some- savings. My dad, who loved his '59 MGA, looked into this idea seriously in '65-'66 to buy a MGB, but unforeseen family circumstances prevented it from happening. Stories of QC issues turned him off of following up later, and changing US Federal regs probably killed the program anyway. So it goes, but a great fun car all the same.
....and always keep a small hand towel in the glove box to wipe off the distributor inside and out when water from the front wheel splashed up and shorted out the electrical system every time it rained.
Just bought my Mgb at 15 years old with summer job money, and I couldn’t be more delighted to own my little piece of history! Such an incredible car
Brilliant as always! Surely, the BGT remains one of the all-time classic car designs. I think the 0-60 time was more like 14.8 seconds, btw, though that was for the heavier GT.
My first car was a 1973 MGB roadster that I bought in 1981. I haven't driven it in over 30 years, but it's still parked in the garage beside the '71 Thunderbird I later inherited from my grandfather.
I bought a 1970 MGB and loved every minute I had with her! She was so much fun!
Ruairidh, these videos that you make are excellent! I thoroughly enjoy each one.
I’m a bigger fan of the railway related videos, but the other vehicles that you choose are always something of interest! The MG B is one of my all time favourite cars. The GT is in my dream garage, I’ve wanted one since I’ve had a licence!
I may have said it before, but I’d love to see a BR Class 91 video (Intercity Electra 225), before they’re gone for good. I’d say as a celebration of retirement, but it looks like some are really going to get converted into freight loco’s!
@locomotionlotion my same childhood dream came true 10 yrs ago, no regrets, love my '72 GT to bits!
I have my ‘69 MGB in my driveway just sitting. Wonderful car.
Thank you for doing this wonderful video. I bought a new MGB in 1964 and drove it until 1983, when I parked it with intent to restore. Things did not work out, so it ended up being sold for conversion th a "street monster". I loved that old car-- Made six coast to coast trips in it,
Loved the different commentary. The original of this doc is on Classic Vehicle Channel. Keep up the good work.
Rory, if this video doesn't get you to over 100,000 subs, idk what will. This was a tremendously well done video. It was incredibly informative, and very professionally done. Nicely done, mate. Looking forward to part 2.
A great documentary and very well paced.. .
I had a 1967 MGB GT. I paid £500 for it. It was a purple colour when I got it. It was fun at the time. I also had a MK1 MX5 1600 which was a great successor to the MGB's. That was by far the best sports car I've owned. Not the most powerful but boy can you chuck those little blighters about straight out of the box! Great gearbox too.
My father owned one before my sister and I were born. It was a 1975 Baby-Poop Yellow MGB with brown interior. When we were kids, anytime he would drive us around Dallas, there was a MGB breakdown story that he just HAD to point out.
The milk jug loop from I-20 to Six Flags Arlington, “that’s where I lost my driveshaft!”
NB 35E at Loop 12, “I had my roof down one day and it caught a powerful gust of wind and ripped the whole thing off! The roof, the folding mechanism, the brackets, the whole damn thing!!!”
Downtown Dallas near Dealy Plaza, “that’s where my fuse box started to smoke and my electrical system started a fire under the dashboard!”
Kelly Blvd in Carrollton, TX, “here’s where my rear differential locked up! See that chip in the curb? That’s where the rear axle hit after I spun 195 degrees!”
White Rock lake (where he ran everyday) “here’s where my passenger floorboard gave way from rust, after I set my work briefcase on it so I could change out of my running shoes!”
They are beautiful cars, but after all the ownership horror stories that we were subjected to when we were young...
... I’ll just admire from a distance. 😳
I owned a 1969 MGB roadster. It was the worst car I ever owned. About every 6 months it would quit running and would have to be towed so that the electrical system could be serviced. The twin carburetor design was also difficult to adjust properly.
I finally traded it for a 1970 Dodge Coronet 500 convertible which I kept until gas prices started to jump in the mid 70s.
Ruairidh, I appreciate the time and effort that goes into each of your uploads. I would love to see more car or aircraft ones. Cheers
Thank you for the video and information. I love MG’s!! Had a 77 but didn’t have a garage at the time to restore it in. Mechanically it was sound. The body needed work. Wish I still had it. Would love an rv8 also.
MGB is a beloved sports car in the US. Britain invented the sports car, and MG's TC were the first to capture the American market. When MG went to Pininfarina to design the MGB-GT it was a perfect design. All those old MGs still look great today and I'm sure they're all collectible, well loved.
Outstanding video and presentation.
Another fabulous production Ruairidh!. Always had a soft spot for the 'B" So much i didnt know about this car. Thanks!!
I had a 1965, 1971 and just picked up a 1976 which i am working on. my favorite was the 1965, It was blue with white softop and hardtop. The engine was a phase3 competition engine. Intake ports were increased 45% and polished, it had 131 hp with headers and overdrive. it moved. A friend of mine who races drove it with me and we had it going 141 mph on a causeway. Insane time when you were 18 years old. The stick shift was a white cue ball, had air horns and a gorgeous wood and chrome mg steering wheel. Fun memories and i still have the mg workshop manual to build that engine again.
the more i watch these british car docs the more i realise just how terrible the management was in BL and might help explain why british cars are lost compaired to other european marks
Unions were also a massive problem in the UK.
Maybe that had something to do with lack of investment, failure of management to engage with it’s workforce and decisions like the Abingdon closure. All guaranteed to make the workforce distrust their management’s ability to make good decisions.
@@Neil-Aspinall some unions were to militant, some management was incompetent, the UK took a LONG time to get used to the fact it wasn't going to be a major manufacturer of goods for much longer as the world became more connected, probably should have spent more time developing specialist and niche products rather than trying to compete in a numbers game.
@@Neil-Aspinall It was due to the unions and that commie bas.....d Red Robbo, that closed Longbridge. I used to deliver wheels and tyres to Longbridge, but I had to join the TGWU ( Transport and General Workers Union ) just to get through the factory gates, even though I was nothing to do with BL.
@@Neil-Aspinall No , the car industry was brutal on these workers . A soul sucking monotonous high out put heavily micromanaged hell of a job and the British unions demanded better treatment . However American and German manufacture used the same model and thus were making more and cheaper units . If the other unions had been as commited to the quality of their workers on clock lives then it would not have been a problem but they were content as was. What the competitors did not have to deal with was old caste axes to grind that the British clearly did . The US vs THEM attitude by all involved complicated everything .
I had the 1978 MGB, It may have not been the best built car, it was the most fun and I will always have fond memories of it.
The most fun for mile is the Midget! I'm looking forward to that documentary.
They're fun little cars to drive and are surprisingly fast thanks to the twin SU carburettors and the race-proven 1798CC 1.8L BMC engine. I own a 66 MGB and it's never let me down thanks to how responsive it is and how quickly it shifts through the gears. Even options such as a radio and heater were somewhat surprising for a small two-seater sports car.
A fantastic, informative and interesting video, as is the rest of your work. Very enjoyable.
I'm a little weird for actually liking the later rubber bumper MGBs.
Couldn't believe that rear drum brakes were filled to the 1992 RV8!
Excellent presentation, thank you !
All I know is that I still love my '58 Morris Minor which I bought in 1966 while in high school in Illinois. I'll always have a soft spot for those classic British cars of that era.
I had a 1968 MGB, British racing green, wood interior, black leather, full spoke wheels. I was sporty, nimble, economical on gas, and couldn't stay out of the repair shop for more than a couple of months at a time. It was 10 years old when I bought it, and the minimum repair was always $300... in the late 70's! That being said, I'm looking for another one, since my first wife got awarded the other one
This is the first video of yours I’ve seen and right after watching it, I watched your videos on the 507 and Edsel. I really appreciate telling these stories in this way, definitely subscribing, thanks man
My dad had an MGB hardtop. 25 years later, the first car I bought myself was a Mazda Miata that I still own. Runs in the blood.
the japs know how to build a car
'Unsightly bonnet bulge'….. Your kidding It transformed the look of the MG giving it the purposeful look the 3 Ltr engine demanded and really setting it apart.
Excellent presentation. Thank you from Oregon, USA.
I have owned many MGs since 1964. Currently have a 1963 Tourer.
Liked and subscribed.
Thank you for your wonderful documentary, time went by very quickly.
Looking at some of the prototypes, some of them were things of beauty, but it also shows that some Italian designs aren't always the best. I do like the Pininfarina's design for the replacement MGB so much better looking than the similar looking Alfa Romeo Spider with it's smaller doors. Just goes to prove that the Management were short sighted, for example the Pininfarina design concept for the Landcrab replacement immortalised in Matchbox's 1969 Superfast model. By the way the Lotus Elan was launched at the same time as the Mazda MX5 which was inspired by the original Elan from the '60's.
Seems British Leyland ruined damn near everything they touched....I personally would love to own an early Triumph Stag with the 3.0L Triumph v8 under the hood, I think the Stag is a fantastic lookin rig....this vid was nicely done bro, I'm now a subscriber....✌🏻
Stag is bit on the large size. Now, a Dolomite Sprint would be something
Outstanding work this is, really loved it, loads of info highly recommend this, such a shame here about MG but like all BMC BL stuff they just didn't invest, or see the market correctly
Interesting vid - thanks. My comments on the MGB are - it wasnt brilliant but I would still like a nice one to drive around the Devon lanes now in the summer !
Thank you, that was delightful!
You are to be congratulated on this really excellent professional video. Well done!
Great video! I’ve got a 73 MGB roadster that is my daily driver. I love it!
I managed to get one of their ex works rally machines complete with the detachable hard top. I do regret having sold it.
I had a chance to try both a MGB and a TR6 the TR6 was faster and quicker but the amount of shakes and rattles made me decide for the MGB. I suppose if it had of been a body off restoration I would have gone for the TR6 but as it was, the MGB turned out to be a very fun car to own.
I recently drove a Miata and the ride and feel were very similar to the MGB but without all the shakes and rattles, but still pretty slow.
I wanted something faster but yet small, so I recently purchased a 2000 Porche boxster, what a great sports car......for the track. It is so stiff when I jack up the the right rear, the the front right comes off the ground as well. Where as you jack up one corner of a MGB roaster I can't open the door. The Boxster is just to stiff compared to MGB for daily driving, maybe I can get different suspension components for daily driving. I see where the the new C8 has a adjustable magnetic shocks for an extra $20,000, I guess it will be awhile before I can get one of those on the used market. Thanks for the great documentary.
Great video - well done!
6:35 Ah, yes, the beloved MGMGBGT
Thank you for the video very informative. Realistically, priceless!
Excellent!
Well done sir!
At 16:20 17:00 23:20 24:05 and 24:20, you can see photos of American MGs with three windscreen wipers. They were fitted because of even more US safety requirements.
I still have my copy of "The Complete MGB" with original grease and oil stains and held together with string! I haven't needed to open it for 40 years now, but I can still dream, Can't I?
Just aweful management.
I had the opportunity to buy an MGC-GT, 1968 I believe while in college. Only reason I didn’t think twice was it was automatic. Now I know how rare these were. Red. Beautiful looking in very good shape
I bought a 72 Triumph Spitfire and then, 'bout a year later, drove the MGB - the MGB CRUSHED the Triumph.
Some humour at 0:38 where the guys are so intrigued by the beautiful car that they don't notice the beautiful woman!
These British sports cars were legendary, but the Japanese showed how they should have been built. Probably is why the Mazda MX-5 succeeded so well.
Back in 1969-70 I was an officer on Lancashire Police HQ traffic Dept and we had a number of MGC GT's, absolutely loved driving them and never drove an MGB 1.8 litre variant until many years later. But I'd already bee spoilt with that lusty if not fast 3 ltd straight six.
The earlier design is beautiful car- some 250 California... Lancia... Fiat influences. Great looking car.
Superb, definitive Documentary !
0:14 seconds - it is not a vintage car...Grrr. 😺Edit. Sorry this comment sounds a bit rude, this is a great video - these were my immediate thoughts..
Having been around at the time (60s 70s) I can also tell you as the seventies rolled in nobody thought it was anything more than exactly what was marketed, an affordable, slightly dull and slow sports car that was certainly not as nice as the models before it. I remember my neighbour buying one whist the guy up the road bought himself a stag. I remember vividly the look of sheer envy when the Stag flew past with two women in the back. Their hair blowing in the wind that carried the noise of laughter and the burbling V8 through suburban 70s Wimbledon.
''I should have got one of those' he said.
We all thought Morris Minors were horrible and Beetles were crap too, (apart from by those who liked Herbie films).
Minis were always great. Great to drive, to own and to look at. Everyone seemed to like Spitfires and Midgets. The TR7 was a bad joke when it arrived. Universally hated.
Time does funny things.
Well done story about a really interesting car. Those original Costello V8 engine transplants must have been serious little rocket ships.
The Buick/Rover V8 also slips easily into MG Midget, Sprite, Spitfire! And weighs less than the iron 4 bangers...
I know it's an old video, but there is one minor correction I want to point out. At 13:20, you say that the enactment of emissions regulations by the EPA was outlined by the 1963 and 1965 Clean Air Act legislation. However, the EPA was not formed until 1970, and thus the acts were not created at the behest of the EPA but instead handed over to and improved upon by the EPA once it was formed. The EPA was the main driving factor for stricter emission guidelines after 1970 though, so the point comes across much the same. Great video, I look forward to binging through more in the future.
1:57 is that Stirling Moss in the cockpit? I know he drove MG's EX-181 at Bonneville for a class speed record of 246 MPH. That car was a tad quicker than the MGB.
Loved the video, first time watcher and new subscriber.
@Richard E. Miranda Jr. Well, what else do you call it? Interior? Cabin? Driving-area?
Yes, it was Stirling Moss. Interesting fact: He could read a newspaper from across the room.
We will always love the Mg b GT
great videos
Most interesting facts. Motivates me to fit an RV8 engine.
It´s my first time here... Wow I´m in love with those cars!
Mgtb 8 would have sold well in the US . People bought MG even though everyone knew that it was a dud that was slower than mollasses ( sp ) . An American 3 litre V8 powered MG would have been much well recieved .
Problem in USA was importer priced MGs up with Corvettes... they weren't 'cheap' here...
Some video BS on that V8, in 1962 that Buick come Rover 3.5L V8 had 200 HP... would have made an MG very FAST!
Also, that V8 not only fit into a B but also a Midget! I have a '75 MG Midget with Buick V8...
The great thing about the B, or, at least, the BGT, was that you could throw a bag of stuff in the back, and drive across a country in comfort - the car wasn't the fastest in the world, but for what it was, you couldn't beat it. It handled good, it had decent fuel economy, and it carried lots of stuff.
It doesn't get much better than that.
My mom told me her first car was bought for her by her father, who was a Buick executive. It was a former race car and was a supercharged MG-TC. This would have been in the 1950s some time.
3:52 Not sure but I think that picture is of the AutoRai, a carshow in Amsterdam.
The flags on the ceiling with the 3 crosses are the symbol of Amsterdam.
Once saw a nice imported MGBGTV8 here in Sydney, Australia!
The issue of selling them in the USA wasn't so much that they wouldn't, but that they couldn't due to the licensing-agreement that prevented them doing so!
Used to have a '69GT... to include spin-off hubs... was a real joyful, manly machine! (GT had better weight distribution... excellent for snakey, German back roads...)
When I was 18 (in 1970) all I really wanted was a dark green MGB GT. I thought it was the most beautiful car in the world. Perfect in every way. Alas, I ended up with a dark green VW Bug with a fake wood steering wheel.
Thanks Bum Double You for doing you're best to destroy MG Rover. One reason why nothing with a blue and White propeller badge will ever grace my front drive.
The GT was the real deal. I had six!
The MG B GT, and the Jensen Interceptor were the coolest British sports cars made.
At six years old, my MGB GT, 33000 miles on the clock, was as rotten as a pear. My daily drive is now a 1999 MGF VVC, there isn't a spot of rust on it.
I almost bought an MGB back in 1973, when I was shopping for my first car. But when I went to see it, it wouldn't start; the lady who owned it, said that sometimes that happened in damp weather. I really wanted it, but my dad told me not to buy it. The next day, we went to see a '66 Mustang GT, which DID start, and we bought it on the spot. I never again looked at British sports cars, after hearing about the Lucas electrical systems horrors. The days I had gone to look at the cars? It was raining that weekend.
Around 1980 I built a highly-modified 1310cc Cooper S powered 1973 Mini Clubman S, which had the disc-brakes, extra fuel-tank etc., installed. While Sydney's heavy downpours would notoriously stop Minis in the rain, installed in mine was a high-voltage capacitor-discharge system I assembled as an electronics kit, which keep my Mini going for another week or so before dying & needing the points replaced. At least it usually wasn't raining when that happened!
Cool.
📻🙂
I do hope that the Triumph Spitfire and GT6 get included in their own videos. I had a couoke of GT6s and they be my favourites, right after the air-cooled Porsche 911s.
26:58 The MG Maestro Turbo is my mate Phil's car. This is it as he does a walk round it on his CZcams channel czcams.com/video/o23RQ7-xYHc/video.html
Yes that's mine. Looking forward to the royalties :-)
The Datsun 240Z was meant to compete with the Jaguar XKE, not with the MGB. Check the profile, inline 6 engine, etc. I owned a Datsun 280Z and I have to admit the speed, quality and handling were outstanding. However, because the car did everything perfectly I felt it was boring. I still prefer the MGB Mk I and Mk II because of their personalities. Yes, my first sports car was a British MG with horrible quality but I wouldn't trade it those moments for anything. It's a good thing I like to do my own wrenching and at my age, I don't feel the "need for speed" like I used to.
105mph on the GT? How?! My 1970 with a 4 speed gearbox coil barely push 75mph without fear of it exploding! ;) but seriously…. Without a 5th gear, I can’t see it being possible. Cheers, to the best car this high school boy had.
Apathy, disinterest and management bungling comes through when watching this El informed and presented commentary.
No Wonder this farago of the above saw the demise of British motor industry.
Interesting to see the ‘frog-eyed’ Sprite, again.
I drove the Chinese MG in 2016 and whilst it looked terrific I can tell you it's engine and turbo combination was one of the most annoying driving experiences I have ever had.
Ha ha, what was the main complaint? Noise, harshness, drivetrain? Throttle response? Maybe the turbo was an on/off type? I know its two years, but I really am wanting to know. (No, I've nothing better to do).
@@martinda7446 The turbo strangely kicked in just as a normal person would change gear. To me it was a beta version of the vehicle.
@@Neil-Aspinall Awww, Thanks Neil. I appreciate that😺.
Whats a monteygo? ive got to get me one of them? i had a Rover Montego Si, with the Honda box, that was lovely, but this Monteygo, of which he speaks, i can`t find one? any help guys? ;)
I've seen 2 Chinese electric 'MG's recently in SE France. This is obviously what was meant by 'Britain taking back control'.........
I look forward to your take on the Sunbeam Tigers -- 260 and 289.
They were well received in the U.S. as they had the small block Ford which held few fears for them and is readily available in most component forms today. Rootes group ran out of money and their buyer Chrysler had no suitable substitute for the 289 or so we are told.
The sunbeam tiger is a fabulous car. Chrysler did not have a V8 as dimensionally compact as a 289. 283 chevy perhaps. Love to drive one of those 289s!
Buick/Rover 3.5L V8 slipped easily into any Brit sports car... even Midgets... Chrysler should have used them...
The Datsun 240-Z was NOT aimed at the MG. It was a much less expensive alternative to the Chevrolet Corvette. This was felt by Chevrolet and led to a massive restyling and revising the engine of the Corvette. Just in time for the Oil Crisis of the early 1970's.