As far as British sports cars go, the MGB GT might be the most practical of choices. With a Pininfarina-styled roof and hatchback practicality, there’s nothing that says you can’t daily drive your new find once you get it sorted. Given that it’s sat in a garage for the last 32 years, however, the new owner will certainly need to do plenty of that.
The seller has done the popular thing by leaving all 32 years of dust on the car in preparation for the sale, but at least this picture gives us a nice view of that attractive roofline. I once read that the GT’s roof was designed to evoke the “C-pillar” of an MG TC’s soft top, but that might be hearsay. Whatever the case, this GT is painted a nice pale yellow color with 1969-appropriate black stripes just aft of the quarter windows. In case you didn’t know what make and model you are admiring, the emblem practically screams it at you.
Under the hood of the GT was the same 1.8 liter B-Series four cylinder that powered the roadster. The seller has included limited information about the car in the advertisement aside from the fact that it is “very good condition.” It will need a fuel system cleaning, so assume that it’s not currently running very well, if at all. There is a vague comment that the engine needs “Marvel,” so it could even be frozen. It might be worth messaging the seller to verify.
It also might be wise to pay for a professional detailing, especially if you have mold allergies as I do. The interior pictures are a bit unclear, but from what I can see, it should clean up reasonably well. The mileage is listed as 37,690. Considering the car’s long slumber, it’s possible that it isn’t 137,690, but there are no guarantees.
On the plus side, the seller says that this is a rust-free car. I assume that this picture is intended to show how solid the GT’s sills are, but unless you inspect the car in person, you’re taking the owner’s word for it. Buying sight unseen is always a gamble.
This car is currently for sale on eBay with a high bid of $1975 (but it hasn’t yet met reserve), and buying a car sight unseen is truly what eBay is all about. I’ve bought two cars using their website and I was happy with both because I didn’t spend that much; therefore, my expectations were limited. That’s probably going to be the case for a buyer here. As long as you know what you’re probably getting into, this could be a fun little project. Let us know if you’re the one to take it on!
Looks good, but I’d definitely want to see it in person before bidding.
Heh. That picture seems to show me just how much bondo is in those sills.
Hope someone gets this thing going again. GLWTS
That’s what it looks like to me too Russ. Also the color, it doesn’t look right, Primrose I believe is lighter but it’s hard to tell with the dirt and lighting.
I was going to say those sills look a little lumpy.
I acquired a 69 BGT last summer, same color, same basic condition. I paid $1500 and it had a Moto-lita period wood steering wheel that alone was worth $300. The no-rust factor was my main concern. Everything else on these MG’s can basically be taken apart, cleaned and put back together without doing a ground up restore if you are looking to build a driver. From an investment standpoint, these cars don’t bring back your investment going ‘ground up’. Of course if that is your labor of love, go for it! The BGT’s still get more ‘smiles per mile’ because of their styling and they are a more ‘everyday’ useable car than a standard B. 50 years ago, I drove a 67 BGT as my daily. The one practical thing I do with my BGT’s is eliminate that stupid rear pad that they try to call a seat! It has no usage and if you have the skills, you can extend the platform from the rear tire cover and make a solid cargo area. It doesn’t take much to make it nice. I know the purists won’t like it, but I will take practicality over originality anytime as I prefer to build a driver and not a garage pet……I will have mine done…painted, new interior, drivable with 15″ wires for under $5K. This one is my kind of project.
A Series engines were in Midget/Sprite/Mini cars. MGA and MGB cars used the larger B series engines.
Oops! I’ve written about Midgets recently and had the wrong engine on the brain. I’ve updated the text.