| From its announcement in September 1962 it was obvious that the MGB was going to be a big success. The extremely attractive styling, masterminded at Abingdon by MG's chief body draughtsman Don Hayter, was bang up to date and covered MG's first monocoque structure which was, if anything, stronger than it needed to be. You did not get scuttle shake in a MGB! It was produced for over eighteen years and in that time 513,272 were made, making it the best selling sports car in the world for many years. The 1800cc 'B-Series' pushrod engine produced only 95bhp, giving a 0-60 time of 12.2 seconds, so it was not the fastest vehicle in the world but it had a great competition career nevertheless. It was a joy to own as it was beautifully balanced to drive, reliable, comfortable, economical, pretty and above all, fun. Today, its very popularity means that it is one of the easiest classic cars in the world to look after, as every component can still be bought new, including the bodyshell. |
