1968 MGB Roadster £12,995
This nicely refreshed, well-finished MG is ready for a new owner to stretch its legs, notes
There are a couple of little cosmetic jobs to do on this MGB, but we suspect it just needs some more sympathetic driving to get the best out of its recently rebuilt engine. Otherwise, it’s well worth a closer look.
This four-owner owner car fires up happily and settles to a regular idle once it’s warmed up, with no tappet noises or signs of misbehaviour. On the move the oil gauge gives a fairly consistent 50psi readout and the B-series is generally well behaved, although it does seem a little more hesitant than it should be over 2500rpm – the unit was rebuilt 1000 miles before our test drive and hasn’t seen much running since, so check this out carefully and give it a chance to warm up fully if you are taking this on a test drive. The steering is nicely weighted and has no sign of play or sloppiness, and while the ride is fairly firm there aren’t any worrying bangs or shudders over bumps and potholes.
The Tartan Red paintwork is in good condition, with an even finish, but there are a couple of cosmetic blemishes, including a scratch of about an inch or so near the hood assembly on the nearside, a small area of bubbling paintwork where the roof assembly meets the bodywork and a small stone chip on the leading edge of the bonnet. However, other areas where you’d check – including the sills, waistline and where the A-pillars meet the bodywork – aren’t corroded. The tyres are a mixture of different brands but are legal and devoid of any cracks or bulges, and the 14-inch wire wheels have been looked after.
The interior has been well looked-after, with the leather on both seats being free from any rips, marks or discolouration and the carpets having an even finish and being free of damp. It’s a good sign that the roof, which has a small tape repair on the driver’s side but is otherwise in good condition, isn’t letting in water.
All the dials and switches work correctly and the dashboard is in good order. Both the driver and passenger windows have small vertical scratches on them. A previous owner has fitted a three-spoke Moto-lita steering wheel, more recent seatbelts, and a battery cut-off switch behind the driver’s seat.
With the engine having been rebuilt so recently it’s no surprise that everything under this MGB’S bonnet looks clean and trouble-free, with no signs of oil seeping out from the rocker cover gasket. The recently replaced radiator appears to be in good condition and there’s a general grimefree appearance to the cylinder block, which is in the correct shade of red that it would’ve left Abingdon with 52 years ago.
Aside from a handful of older maintenance bills, the history file only has a series of MOT certificates from the early 2000s onwards, with mileage suggesting that the current 5320-mile odometer reading is an ‘around the clock’ figure.