CAR OF 1962 THE MGB

The MGB has been a staple of the classic car world for so many decades that it’s sometimes easy to overlook its impact on its debut on 20 September. To replace the MGA, a sports car that was renowned for the beauty of its coachwork, was a vast challenge but the B was also an aesthetic triumph, with its understated lines. It was also the first monocoque-bodied sports car to hail from Abingdon and although it was a smaller car than the A, the cabin was more spacious.

Certain die-hards saw the MGB’s wind-up windows and exterior door handle as further evidence of declining standards but many other motorists welcomed these decadent fittings. The price was a most reasonable £834 6s 3d (plus £14 16s 1d for a heater and £1 4s 2d for an ashtray) and the chaps at

Autocar found the new MG to be ‘a much superior car to its predecessor’ – high praise indeed.

RIGHT 1962 MGA replacement was truly revolutionary – it even had door handles.