When the British Invasion hit our shores, it brought with it more than just shaggy hair and groovy music. It brought with it the British Roadster. Alright that’s not completely true, they had already been on our shores for a number of years before the Beatles showed up, but the Invasion pushed the likes of the MGB, Mini, and Spitfire into the spotlight. These small, but fun cars gained considerable followings during the Invasion and went on to become classics. Of all the British cars to make it big here, few are as iconic as the MGB. With a production run that spanned nearly 20 years, it’s no wonder they are still plentiful. Richard in Palm Springs sent us a link to this stash of British cars he came across here on craigslist. The vast majority are MGBs, but there are also a few Triumphs, Jensen Healeys and even a couple of Volvos thrown into the mix.
Finding this many cars in one place isn’t all that unusual, but finding this many British sports cars that apparently all run is a whole different story. It’s hard enough to find one of these cars in running condition, but to find 32 in one location is unheard of. We have our doubts about the seller’s claim, but anything is possible. They do provide information on each of the cars, but you have to interpret their listing and abbreviations. They are clear about the issues that some of these have though. We would love to hear the story of how these all these cars ended up in the owner’s possession. Perhaps the seller was just a British car Fanatic or maybe they worked as a British car mechanic? Whatever the reason, one thing is clear, they loved MGBs! Then again, what isn’t there to love about these pint sized drop tops? They might not be as fast or attractive as earlier British Roadsters, but they are fun and cheap. MG’s timing for bringing these to the States couldn’t have been better. They had been on the market just long enough for used ones to fall into the hands of young people, who were looking for something that made a statement without breaking the bank. Even today, the MGB is the perfect classic for those on a budget. With half a million produced, parts are still easy to find and there are even many companies manufacturing new parts.
The MGB makes up the vast majority of this stash and they have several from each generation. We count a total of 16 MGBs, not including the 6 MGB GTs and the MG Midget. That makes for a total of 23 running MGs! Besides these cars the seller also has three Triumph Spitfires, a Triumph TR7, and three Jensen Healeys. And we can’t forget about the two Swedes, a Volvo P1800s and a P1800ES. None of these cars are particularly rare, but we would still enjoy having any of them, especially any of the pre rubber bumper cars! Since their listing is a bit confusing, we have put together a revised list and reordered it by make and model. We also organized the details they provided for each car by listing the color followed by the VIN, seller comments, and then the asking price.
- 1964 MGB – Red – GHN3L27075 – w.w. with a 5 main bearing motor and all sync trans – $3000
- 1964 MGB – Green – GHN3L34554 – w.w. – $2700
- 1966 MGB – Primer GHN3L75050 – motor knock good parts car – $1000
- 1967 MGB – Red – GHN3L97765 – w.w. o.d. w/front clipp – $3500
- 1968 MGB – Brown – GHN4U144343G – w.w. – $2200
- 1970 MGB – Mustard – GHN5U208496G – $2500
- 1971 MGB – Blue – GHN5UB238234G – $2200
- 1973 MGB – Red – GHN5UB325170G – $2900
- 1974 MGB – Orange – GHN5UE355621G – $1800
- 1975 MGB – Red – GHN5UG388916G – $2800
- 1975 MGB – Brown – GHN5UG384700G – $1700
- 1976 MGB – Black -GHNUUG405624G – $2500
- 1977 MGB – Primer – GHN5UH 439178G – was Tahiti Blue – $3000
- 1978 MGB – Maroon – GHN5UL484837G rebuilt motor with good top & seats – $3500
- 1979 MGB LE – Red – GHN5UL492410G – was black – $3100
- 1979 MGB LE – Black – GHN5UL492918G – $3600
- 1967 MGB GT – Maroon – GHD3L121839 w.w. no rust – $2100
- 1968 MGB GT – Maroon – GHD4U149551G w.w. weber – $3000
- 1971 MGB GT – White – GHD5UB247061G – $2100
- 1971 MGB GT – Tan – GHD5UB247100G – $2500
- 1974.5 MGB GT – Aqua – GHD5UE362322 – o.d. with body damage – $2900
- 1974.5 MGB GT – White – GHD5UE366318 – motor knock – $1600
- 1970 MG Midget – Red – GAN5U87817G – lots of new parts – $2500
- 1974 Jensen Healey – Yellow – 18355 – $2200
- 1973 Jensen Healey – White – 12987 – $2500
- 1974 Jensen Healey – Plum – 19843 – with extra windshield – $3100
- 1964 Triumph Spitfire – White – FC44224 – $1700
- 1965 Triumph Spitfire – White – FC57231 – w.w. lot of new parts
- 1970 Triumph Spitfire – Primer – FDU77648L – $1500
- 1980 Triumph TR7 convertible – White – TPZDJBAT205625 – Buick V6/5-speed/hardtop – $4500
- 1965 Volvo P1800S – Silver – 12344 O.D. and extra parts – $3500
- 1972 Volvo P1800ES – Green – 6077 o.d. – $3700
Hopefully this list is a bit easier to decipher! If you have any questions about any of the abbreviations, feel free to ask. If anyone is near Lake Elsinore, California and would be willing to go take a look, we would love to see more photos. So if you could have any of the cars from this stash, which would you like to have?
Its Thursday already??
Has anyone actually gone up and talked to this guy? I wonder what the story really is. I’ve been seeing this ad for about 3 years now. They must be in really bad shape or he must really be hard to deal with.
I’ve been fond of B’s TR’s and Volvos for years. I only have one B and about 30 Volvos which I’m certain makes me far less of an eccentric. One question: One photo shows a TR6 and yet the roster doesn’t list it. What about the TR6?
I was thinking the same thing…what about the TR6! It doesn’t look all that bad.
The white one is clearly a TR 6.
yes what about the TR6. if you lived close it would be worth a visit. if anyone does visit please update us. thanks. something for everyone who loves british sports cars and more. does not seem like to many to me! great find
My friend Scotty passes his place every day. He has stopped once and talked with the guy but we have tried several times to go up an have a look…you need to make an appointment and that’s appears to be quite difficult. We have lived here for 30 years and many of these cars have been around for at least that long. Perhaps not all belonging to the same guy but certainly the biggest private collection of old MG’s I’ve ever seen. It appears as if he wants to start culling the collection. He told Scotty that most of the “good ones” have been sold. Caveat emptor.
This is Reed’s Mountain British, 32391 Ortega Hwy, Lake Elsinore, CA. I’m sure I have seen this place on Google Maps before. He does repairs and also is listed as an ‘auto wrecker’.
I could be wrong, but I am guessing that he has accumulated these cheap over the years and probably won’t budge on the prices, which are probably higher than what you can find in So Cal if you are looking to buy a decent running MGB / TR / P1800 that you can drive now without having do a restoration. A lot of sportscars were sold there, and it ain’t the rust belt.
‘Save the frenzy for the British groups’- FZ.
As Jim S. mentioned, this ad has been going on…….and on. The fact the ad has been around for years tells me everything I need to know about the seller……………
When you count the cars that don’t run, there are 100 to 150 left. They are stashed across at least three different local sites. A bit pricey for what you get, but you generally have your pick of year and model, most are a bit scruffy. He knows exactly what he has, and he is the sort of old school person you don’t meet much any more. He prefers to work with buyers, not shoppers, and I found him great to work with, because I called him to buy a car, not to just look around. The area is getting built up with new houses, and the city is apparently getting on his case about the cars.
i be happier if they were all midgets/sprites. i know where there was a collection of them but they are gone now. i wonder if anyone has started a collection/hoard of miatas yet.
If I lived close, I would be interested in the 64 and 65 Spitfires. But I live on the other side of the country and getting them here would make them overpriced. But I’d still like to see some pictures of them.
I think one problem is that you can usually find a Little British Car for cheap, from someone who wants it to go. The seller is not in a particular hurry, so he doesn’t negotiate much. He had quite a few Midgets and Sprites, but they seemed to be selling at a faster rate than the others (I bought a Midget). While I was there, he sold six of them to be shipped to Australia.
The ones to have are the P1800s, the Jensen Healeys, and the TR6, TR6s are already pretty high priced, I think the Volvos and Jensen will be climbing in the future. I used to see a lot of MGAs and Porsche 914s for cheap prices, and now if you see one for sale it goes quick. I did get lucky recently with a TR8 for $1500!
Left Coast, thank goodness. But I’d love an early round tail Spittie, LOL!
Jim S……….they are not called midgets and longer…………we now refer to them a little cars
that’s “any” longer……….”as” little
Sorry lads………been putting in to many hours at work……….my brain is fried
were you sending that to Jim S or jim s? we are 2 different people. very funny and i will try to remember.
man i live 5 min from elsinore and ride around on my scooter all the time up n down sts and have never seen any of these
He’s up on the Ortega. Kinda past that biker bar if you’re heading west I believe.
This stash is located on top of the mountain above Lake Elsinore, Ca in the El Cariso Village on the 74 Ortega Hiway . The cars are not visible from the road due to the stockade fence. I drive past the location every day on my commute to work in Irvine. I stopped last week and took some pictures over the fence of a large group of British cars. Many more are deeper in the property so they are hard to see due to the dense tree coverage, I also have the phone number. Contact me if you are interested.
I want that 66 knocking motor B. I would drive it to Georgia. On the way it would blow, kaboom. Then when I call Neusser towing to come get me in Texas I would put my Aluminum V8 5spd in it w/all the bells & whistles. You only live once, enjoy it.