Classic UK Cars – The History of the MGB
MG Cars got its name from Morris Garages, a dealer of Morris cars in Oxford which began producing its own customised versions to the designs of Cecil Kimber who had joined the company as its Sales Manager in 1921 and was promoted to General Manager in 1922. Kimber remained as General Manager until 1941 when he fell out with lord Nuffield over procuring wartime work. Kimber died in 1945 in a freak railway accident.
There is some debate over when MG started. The company itself stated it to be 1924, although the first cars bore both Morris and MG badges and a reference to MG with the octagon badge appears in an Oxford newspaper from November 1923. Others dispute this and believe that MG only properly began trading in 1925.
The first cars which were rebodied Morris models using coachwork from Carbodies of Coventry and were built in premises in Alfred Lane, Oxford but demand soon caused a move to larger premises in Bainton Road in September 1925 sharing space with the Morris radiator works. Continuing expansion meant another move in 1927 to a separate factory in Edmund Road, Cowley, Oxford, near the main Morris factory and for the first time it was possible to include a production line. In 1928 the company had become large enough to warrant an identity separate from the original Morris Garages and the M.G. Car Company Limited was established in March of that year and in October for the first time a stand was taken at the London Motor Show. Space again soon ran out and a search for a permanent home led to the lease of part an old leather factory in Abingdon, Oxfordshire in 1929, gradually taking over more space until production ended there in 1980.
Lots of people loved and still love the MGB sports cars. They were reasonably quick in their day and easy to work on making them comparatively cheap to keep on the road compared to more exotic machinery.
The MGB is still run as daily transport by enthusiasts the world over. The Lotus Elan may have been faster, but its fragility marred its performance. First introduced in 1962 the MGB continued to use many parts from its predecessor the MGA. The big change was the dropping of a separate chassis in favour of a monocoque construction.
The faithful old ‘B’ Series engine continued on, now in 1796cc guise, and was shortly updated from a three-bearing crankshaft to a five bearing increasing the robustness of the engine. It also means that those early three-bearing crank models command a premium in the collectors market, but as an everyday drive the later cars are a better bet.
With the capacity increase the power rose from 86 bhp in the MGA to 95 bhp in the MGB, and while more power can be extracted from it many opt to bolt in the ubiquitous Rover V8 and get the performance increase without any reliability problem.
The roadster was joined by a GT coupe in 1965 and in 1967 a MK ll model gained the benefit of an all-synchromesh gearbox, or an option of an automatic transmission.
In 1974 the car gained, much to most people’s disgust, large rubber bumpers to meet US safety laws. The earlier ‘chrome bumper’ cars are the more popular cars with most buyers. Which does mean you can pick up the odd bargain on the later cars if the looks don’t offend you too much. There was a potential second problem with the ‘rubber bumper’ models which was that in order to get the bumpers to the right height to comply with the US legislation the cars suspension was raised which did nothing for the handling. It can be more tail happy than earlier ‘chrome bumper’ models. Now if your looking for a fun, cheap sports car that you can opposite lock your way down the back roads in that may not actually be a disadvantage at all.
The MGB was eventually dropped in 1980.
MGB Technical Specs
For the number buffs
Engine
Type: In-line four-cylinder
Construction: Cast-iron block and head
Valve gear: Two valves per cylinder, OHV
Bore and stroke: 3.16 in x 3.5 in
Capacity: 1796cc
Compression ratio: 8.8:1
Induction system: Twin SU carburetors
Maximum power: 95 bhp at 5,500 rpm
Maximum torque: 110 lb-ft at 3,500 rpm
Top speed: 105 mph
0-60 mph: 12.5 sec
Transmission
Four-speed manual (overdrive optional)
Dimensions
Length: 153.2 in
Width: 59.9 in
Height: 49.4 in
Wheelbase: 91 in
Weight: 2,080 lbs
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