The MGB hid a 1947 engine inside a thoroughly modern body
When MG unveiled the MGB in September 1962, its body was built as a single stressed shell rather than bolted to a separate chassis, a modern approach its Triumph rivals had not adopted. Underneath, though, the brakes and suspension evolved from the 1955 MGA, and the engine traced back to 1947.
Work began by 1958 under the Abingdon codename EX205. The unitary construction cut costs and added strength, and the car was lower, wider and roomier than the MGA despite being shorter. It was also among the earliest cars designed with controlled crumple zones, meant to protect occupants hitting a solid barrier at 30 mph. Wind-up windows came as standard.
The 1,798 cc B-Series engine gave 95 horsepower, enough for 0 to 60 mph in just over 11 seconds, and gained a five-bearing crankshaft in 1964. Early cars were charmingly simple: dashboard toggle switches for most controls and two 6-volt batteries tucked behind the seats, awkward to reach but good for balance. Front disc brakes were unassisted until 1975, and testers complained about how hard you had to press the pedal. A 1968 gearbox borrowed from the six-cylinder MGC was built for far more power than the ordinary engine could make.
Regulation reshaped the car over time. American rules brought a padded dashboard nicknamed the Abingdon pillow, a third windscreen wiper, and eventually the heavy rubber bumpers and raised ride height of 1975. Emissions equipment steadily choked output, and some Californian cars were down to about 70 horsepower by the late 1970s. A 1975 Jubilee edition in racing green with gold stripes marked the company's fiftieth anniversary; 751 were built, and one was destroyed in a botched advertising stunt.
Including the MGC and V8 versions, 523,836 were sold before production ended in 1980. Rover revived the shape in the 1990s as the RV8, though fewer than 5 percent of its parts fit the original. Cheap, plentiful parts and simple mechanics keep the MGB popular with collectors.
Source: MG MGB
