The odometer on this 1974 MG MGB Roadster in Glenwood Springs, Colorado, reads 21,604 miles, but it might have turned over once. The low mileage could actually be believable because the car looks pretty darned good for its age. Bidding is at a very reasonable $3,500, but the reserve hasn’t been met.
There was a time when MGs like this one were ubiquitous on American roads, and dirt cheap to buy as used cars. Those days are mostly gone, but MGBs were made in such numbers that they are still among the bargain classics—particularly late model rubber-bumper examples like this one. The first rubber bumpers actually appeared the year this car was made, and when so-equipped the cars are known as 1974 ½ models. The bumpers are not actually rubber, but polyurethane plastic.
Nobody much likes the big black growths at the front and rear of the car, and they mar both the looks and the value. Part of the new safety requirements, as seen on this car, are a revised suspension with a one-inch higher ride height. The vendor tells us that the 1.8-liter car has manual transmission, a clean title, wire wheels and knockoffs (with the hammer supplied), a clean title, and “a few minor body dings.”
It’s a “solid driving and running car. Engine strong with a nice exhaust note. No rebuild history on motor or transmission. Not baked in original California sun—garaged last 12 to 15 years. Suspension tight. Rack-and-pinion steering precise.” The previous owner notes a repaint in the original maroon, the new top, a rewired heater box, aftermarket fuel pump, new brake hoses and a full bleed.
The paint is shiny, the engine bay clean (with a Weber carb replacing the original twin SUs or single Zenith-Stromberg) and the interior mostly tidy, though the driver’s seat has a gaffer’s tape “repair.” The chrome is all there and polished to a fare-thee-well. It doesn’t appear to need much. The top (finicky on these) looks like a late addition. The trunk fit appears a bit off.
If you’re going to buy a rubber-bumper MGB, these earlier ones had some issues. The heavier bumpers caused a big sacrifice in the handling. In 1977 there were some suspension geometry fixes, but emissions regulations caused a big hit to horsepower from which the MGB (which went out of production in 1980) never overcame.
1974 ½ brought a Laycock Type LH overdrive unit, a rectangular-shaped access cover, a square clutch fork boot, and a blue label on the OD solenoid cover.
A good condition 1974 MGB Roadster is listed at $10,073 on Classic.com. One the same color as this car brought $30,000 recently, but it had the chrome bumpers. It is possible to retrofit a rubber car with chrome bumpers, but it’s not an easy job, requiring modifications to the extended frame rails and the front fenders (for turn signals), and installing new mounting brackets from a specialized kit. Moss Motors will supply the necessary parts for $1,340.
Oh, the temptation is great with this one, and right in my area too. Dang, you know, a retired person with a few bucks is like a mule with a spinning wheel. No one knows how he got it and dang if he knows how to use it( RIP Phil Hartman) I’ve been following these, and prices have dropped dramatically, as shown. Several red flags for me, I’d need a garage to tinker, because tinker you shall, wires, meh, no O/D, big downer, Weber, meh, rubber baby buggy bumpers, I suppose I could live with but a really nice car regardless. Mileage unknown, Lucas speedometers not the best, seems pretty clean for 120K, and the trunk got bent because the trunk stay didn’t release, ask me how I know. I see the air pump is froze( no belt), those didn’t last long, might be an issue with emissions if your area has that and no oil cooler? You can’t go wrong with an MGB!
First, I prefer the black bumpers, on both the MGs and Triumphs. They make the car look far more modern!
As for this one, I have a feeling this is a high mileage example. There is obvious wear in the door panels and chrome, and the repaint may be covering up more than faded paint.
And frankly, I prefer later models without the chrome strips.
Depends on what their reserve is as to whether this will be a good deal or not. But I’ve seen numerous samples in much nicer shape going for not a lot more.