Your classic: MGB roadster

| 1 May 2025

I bought my 1974 MGB roadster in September 1983, so have recently celebrated 40 years of ownership.

I had a Midget for a couple of years previously, and thought the ‘B’ was simply the next step on a ladder that I would continue to climb.

I’d planned to keep it for a similar length of time before moving up to something like a Triumph TR5 or a Sunbeam Tiger, both of which were affordable then. But that never happened, and this much-loved car became part of my life.

This much-loved MGB relaxes in good company at a local show

It is strange to think that the B was only a nine-year-old car when I bought it, one year younger then than my current ‘modern’.

It was simply my daily driver, including visiting my then-girlfriend (now wife) in London, where neither the uncompromising traffic nor street-parking a soft-top seemed to faze me.

While at home in Berkshire, though, I was careful to always keep it garaged, and that has paid dividends. A couple of panels needed replacing early on, but generally it’s in fine fettle for a car that’s now in its 50s.

At the Allens’ wedding in 1990, the MGB was joined by a hired MG SA – the B was also captured in cake form for the big day

My first trip abroad with the MG was with my brother-in-law and great friend, Graham, when we drove to Le Mans in 1984 with the local branch of the MG Owners’ Club: the fabulous welcome we received from the French as our convoy approached the circuit was unforgettable.

Within a few years, the classic car phenomenon had taken off and the B’s value started to rise, so I bought a daily hack and the MG became a second car for fun driving only and special journeys out – not least for our wedding in 1990, when my best man was allowed the very rare privilege of driving it.

Exhibiting at local shows soon followed, and I always drove the B to work in good weather.

I have been feeling a little less precious about it in more recent years, and we now enjoy longer holidays in the car, including two tours of Scotland (on one it rained so much the dashboard swelled up), two of France and one of southern Ireland, with more planned.

The MGB on a comfort break at Glengarriff during a tour of Ireland in 2010

Generally, the MG has been very reliable – with the odd exception – and only really let me down with a persistent issue, early on, when batteries kept going flat.

It was eventually traced to the boot’s interior light staying on unseen because the switch wasn’t being compressed sufficiently.

The engine showed a few signs of wear when the car was about 15 year sold, so I replaced it with a reconditioned unit, but it turned out to be a mistake.

I’ll choose my words carefully because it was supplied by an MG specialist, but I’m not convinced it was of good quality. Perhaps I was unlucky and got the ‘Friday afternoon’ one, but within a few years it started to lose oil.

This was traced to the valve guides so I replaced the head, taking the opportunity to not only go unleaded, but also upgrade to a Stage II unit, adding a free-flow exhaust and pancake air filters.

The MGB enjoys the French sunshine in 2009

Around that time I started on a few further improvements.

Over the years, these have included adding a rear anti-roll bar and an uprated front one, telescopic dampers, polypropylene bushes, semi-drilled discs with BV8 pads and 175-section tyres.

All of these made the driving sublime, but on a trip to the 2015 Spa Six Hours it became clear that all was not well with the engine once again.

Bob and his wife, Dee (left), have many more adventures planned for their adored classic MGB

Back home in Surrey, the opinion of my local MG specialist was that the engine was “just knackered” (his exact words), so I replaced it again, this time with an Ivor Searle 1860cc Stage II unit, along with 123ignition.

After some initial overheating (solved with an uprated radiator) and having the ignition remapped, the MG is now absolutely transformed.

It is the best it has ever been and enormous fun to drive, which is the very essence of a true sports car. I love driving it and my wife loves being driven in it – so no, I have absolutely no intention of replacing it with anything else.

Want to star in our ‘Your classic’ section of the magazine and online? Get in touch