I very much enjoy these videos. Sorry to point out an error. The comparison of the 0-60 time for the Triumph TR-4 is definitely incorrectly stated as 16 seconds, and the top speed is a bit off as well. Generally accepted 0-60 time for the TR-4 is 10.5-ish seconds, and top speed is a little over 100, around 105 or so. Also, for the Austin Healey 3000, it should be noted that performance improved over its life span (unlike the 4-cylinder MGB), with the final Mark III being a bit under 10 seconds 0-60, and top speed rising to just over 120 MPH. With that said, I have owned both an MGB-GT and a TR-4 in the past, and I enjoyed both very much. The MG was a superior tourer in GT form, since a surprising amount of stuff could be carried in the hatch area. It rode and handled well, but care had to be taken in wet conditions if you were hustling along, since it could get into oversteer in a sudden way. The TR-4 always felt quicker and brawnier, with massive low-RPM torque. Great for hilly conditions.
@@American-Motors-Corporation Yes, very slow indeed! On the other hand, it's a versatile and enduringly pretty design which also spawned the V8 version and the quirky CGT, both classics. I'd like one with a Daimler V8 from a Dart SP250.
I fell in love with the MGBGT as a kid. I grew up in the 70's and that car really did turn heads. It lost its looks when the plastic bumper was fitted to later models, but I still had those puppy eyes when ever I saw one. I'm in my 50's now, and I am a proud owner of an MG3. I know it's manufactured in China and assembled in the UK, but it's the history behind the badge is what I love about owning a superb historic carmaker that is MG.
There is a further chapter to the Mighty B. There is a company producing brand new cars called the RBW Roadster. It uses a brand new BMH Shell with all round independent suspension and an All Electric Drivetrain. However as they are hand built bespoke cars, Value for money has now gone out the window. They have recently launched the RBW GT.
All engines ever used in the B have one enigma about them. How did they manage to get so little horse power from these engines. Seriously, a 1.8 liter engine needs to be able to produce at very least 110 hp, the Japanese would easily get 180 from it. Same goes for the six and the V8. The magic is actually the pig iron inside these engines. Lighten up the internals and there you have it. Revs better, more power and more refinement.
Has anyone here ever removed one of those big rubber bumpers. I have, and these bumper weigh a bloody ton. I have never ever seen a car part that was this size but so heavy. Background: we down modified a B from rubber dingy to chrome bumpers and got it back down to ground level, instead of third floor. It turned out really nice.
The rubber bumpers really ruined the looks of the MGB, luckily this can be undone as these bumpers can be fairly easy replaced with original style chrome bumpers. Also the raised ride height and reduced power can be undone with some effort. Then having the later Rover 3.9 L as fitted in the MGR would be the ultimate thing, but surely after market brake and suspension upgrades would be advised with that much power under the hood. Like the Mazda MX-5 there are a ton of aftermarket possibilities for this car.
Did the abingdon model railway exhibition this year- three layouts interpretations in various gauges, obviously the station is closed now but what if Edwards kept the marque alive... just a thought froma railway modeller, excellent video as always!
The MGB did well enough to become a much sought after classic today. What does that say? It says thay despite all of the crap that comes out of car journalists lack of brains people will always have their own sweet and magic connection to a marque or product. It was a little beaut and weren't the Japanese nice people to pay tribute to it in such a manner unlike these hard idiotic reviewers who think that they know it all here in England. Leyland (sigh) the more you study Leyland the more you realise how crap it was though potentially it could of been excellent. Good video but causes lots of regret inside. 👍🧐
I've always thought if Leyland, as in specifically Leyland motors pre 1968, would have survived if left alone. I wonder if BMC was done for and would have benefited from a restructure by itself
Shame the update didn't fix the grossly incorrect statement about TR4 performance and overstatement of MGB acceleration. The main advantage of the B over the TR was not having a separate chassis with very limited rear axle movement.
When the sun goes red giant and scorches everything on the earth there will be an MGB owner trying to save his Commodore Amiga. Ford Prefect will probably be urging the owner.
The EX/234 was an opportunity missed unfortunately. The production of British volume cars is one of compromises and infighting within the group, it’s one that has the majority of us shaking our heads in frustration and disgust. Nowadays the MG marque has become a Chinese mess. A car company that once broke speed and reliability records, now just a badge on a box. 😊
Cancel a project because the old model is still selling. Good, (not really) that means there would never ever be such a thing as an automobile, because the horse still walks just fine.
In hindsight the MGB should have received IRS and 2-litre B-Series in place of the 1.8 or a properly-developed lower-volume 1.6-2-litre B-Series Twin-Cam at minimum. They should have also developed a larger Spridget replacement, one loosely akin to the increased dimensions and wheelbase of the Innocenti Spider & C Coupe to fill the gap left by the MGA to use both 1.1-1.3-litre A-Series and 1.6-litre B-Series engines (effectively a EX234 precursor), the larger more powerful engines in the B preventing any prospect of the smaller model outrunning it as would have been the case with the 1.8-litre B-Series.
Also the implication of IRS along with B-Series SOHC and DOHC would have allowed the motorsport successes of the MGB after 1967 to echo the Fiat 124 Sport Spider including the Fiat Abarth 124 Rally.
In fair-weather climates I think they fared better. However, having worked on several of them in the American Midwest I can definitely report that they did not stand up to weather/cold/severe conditions and were quickly reduced to piles of basically un-serviceable rust... they just melted away.
I used to have an Alfa Spider (105 platform). Then a friend bought an MGB roadster. We swapped cars one time and i was very surprised to learn how good the seating position of the MGB was. I'm 6ft2 and i always considered the Alfa having flawed interior design. Poor pedal placement, poor legroom, poor shifter placement. The ergonomics of the Alfa just weren't accomodating to tall people. The MGB is much better. The MGB engine however was a letdown if not a disgrace IMO. The twin cam 2litre Alfa engine delivered 130hp which was pretty close to class leading back then. The 1.8L pushrod engine could never match that. BL could have easily solved it by installing the 16V Triumph Dolomite engine in the MGB. (Imagine a 16V 130hp MGB! Would have been an instant succes) Suspention? Both were not realy state of the art because both had a live rear axel.
Everything big here, including government, has always been badly managed by people who are unqualified for the job! Ergo, they all fail miserably, and get gongs for their services; peerages, knighthoods, CBE's etc, all at the taxpayers expense as usual :(
The more you look into the history of british car manufacturering the more you see how the bafflingly poor management of it was the largest problem.
Absolutely baffling isn't it. Seems like stubbornness, arrogance and unwillingness to understand the market
Add unions and government interference and you have the recipe which destroyed most of British industry.
@@jonnyc429 I'd also add to the list an ultimately self-destructive desire to blame the workforce for the industry's ills.
@@cooperised Never has a more correct sentence ever been written
It was also the “that’ll do” engineering and “you don’t pay us enough to care” assembly workers that doomed things.
I very much enjoy these videos. Sorry to point out an error. The comparison of the 0-60 time for the Triumph TR-4 is definitely incorrectly stated as 16 seconds, and the top speed is a bit off as well. Generally accepted 0-60 time for the TR-4 is 10.5-ish seconds, and top speed is a little over 100, around 105 or so. Also, for the Austin Healey 3000, it should be noted that performance improved over its life span (unlike the 4-cylinder MGB), with the final Mark III being a bit under 10 seconds 0-60, and top speed rising to just over 120 MPH. With that said, I have owned both an MGB-GT and a TR-4 in the past, and I enjoyed both very much. The MG was a superior tourer in GT form, since a surprising amount of stuff could be carried in the hatch area. It rode and handled well, but care had to be taken in wet conditions if you were hustling along, since it could get into oversteer in a sudden way. The TR-4 always felt quicker and brawnier, with massive low-RPM torque. Great for hilly conditions.
Furthermore, the 0-60 of the B was not 11 seconds, it was more like 14.8.
@@mikeuk4130 it was the speed of captain slow!
@@American-Motors-Corporation Yes, very slow indeed! On the other hand, it's a versatile and enduringly pretty design which also spawned the V8 version and the quirky CGT, both classics. I'd like one with a Daimler V8 from a Dart SP250.
I fell in love with the MGBGT as a kid. I grew up in the 70's and that car really did turn heads. It lost its looks when the plastic bumper was fitted to later models, but I still had those puppy eyes when ever I saw one. I'm in my 50's now, and I am a proud owner of an MG3. I know it's manufactured in China and assembled in the UK, but it's the history behind the badge is what I love about owning a superb historic carmaker that is MG.
There is a further chapter to the Mighty B.
There is a company producing brand new cars called the RBW Roadster. It uses a brand new BMH Shell with all round independent suspension and an All Electric Drivetrain.
However as they are hand built bespoke cars, Value for money has now gone out the window.
They have recently launched the RBW GT.
I always liked the MG badge. A truly timeless design.
Love the video of the V8 showing a Vauxhall Redtop - ignoring that, great video as always!
The Sprite Mk.1 just might be the cutest car ever designed.
All engines ever used in the B have one enigma about them. How did they manage to get so little horse power from these engines. Seriously, a 1.8 liter engine needs to be able to produce at very least 110 hp, the Japanese would easily get 180 from it. Same goes for the six and the V8. The magic is actually the pig iron inside these engines. Lighten up the internals and there you have it. Revs better, more power and more refinement.
Has anyone here ever removed one of those big rubber bumpers. I have, and these bumper weigh a bloody ton. I have never ever seen a car part that was this size but so heavy. Background: we down modified a B from rubber dingy to chrome bumpers and got it back down to ground level, instead of third floor. It turned out really nice.
Wonderful car, great story, brilliant video. I wonder what the possibilities for an Aston Martin MG would be - imagine the badge.
Next up:Stuart Littles roadster 😅😅 a mouse powered toy MG.
Hopefully in the future MG,Rover and Mini will all return to British ownership and start making fun little cars again.
An excellent piece of work!
Another superb video, thank you.
The rubber bumpers really ruined the looks of the MGB, luckily this can be undone as these bumpers can be fairly easy replaced with original style chrome bumpers.
Also the raised ride height and reduced power can be undone with some effort.
Then having the later Rover 3.9 L as fitted in the MGR would be the ultimate thing, but surely after market brake and suspension upgrades would be advised with that much power under the hood.
Like the Mazda MX-5 there are a ton of aftermarket possibilities for this car.
Handled like a plank and held the road just as well.
Say it altogether now:
"EMM-GEE-BEE !!!!"
Well, I’m sure that at least these old MGBs wouldn’t vibrate and sound squeaky after just 3 years of use like the current MG5s
It just occurred to me that the best looking cars Britain has ever designed were all those they never built. Ironic, if it were not so tragic.
Pretty good Lord Stokes, all round 😶
Did the abingdon model railway exhibition this year- three layouts interpretations in various gauges, obviously the station is closed now but what if Edwards kept the marque alive... just a thought froma railway modeller, excellent video as always!
Thanks again as always, and regards.
thanks..enjoyed
The MGB did well enough to become a much sought after classic today. What does that say? It says thay despite all of the crap that comes out of car journalists lack of brains people will always have their own sweet and magic connection to a marque or product. It was a little beaut and weren't the Japanese nice people to pay tribute to it in such a manner unlike these hard idiotic reviewers who think that they know it all here in England. Leyland (sigh) the more you study Leyland the more you realise how crap it was though potentially it could of been excellent. Good video but causes lots of regret inside. 👍🧐
I've always thought if Leyland, as in specifically Leyland motors pre 1968, would have survived if left alone.
I wonder if BMC was done for and would have benefited from a restructure by itself
Shame the update didn't fix the grossly incorrect statement about TR4 performance and overstatement of MGB acceleration. The main advantage of the B over the TR was not having a separate chassis with very limited rear axle movement.
It will be interesting to see if the new incarnation of MG produce a smaller sportscar than the cyberster that is just coming to the UK
I always liked the MGR V8. The limited and old fashioned dynamics would only add to the appeal for me
When the sun goes red giant and scorches everything on the earth there will be an MGB owner trying to save his Commodore Amiga.
Ford Prefect will probably be urging the owner.
Don't forget your towel!😄
In the latter part of the video seeing that MGB next to the Chinese crap with the MG badge on them made my blood boil!!
nice
The EX/234 was an opportunity missed unfortunately.
The production of British volume cars is one of compromises and infighting within the group, it’s one that has the majority of us shaking our heads in frustration and disgust.
Nowadays the MG marque has become a Chinese mess. A car company that once broke speed and reliability records, now just a badge on a box.
😊
Cancel a project because the old model is still selling. Good, (not really) that means there would never ever be such a thing as an automobile, because the horse still walks just fine.
In hindsight the MGB should have received IRS and 2-litre B-Series in place of the 1.8 or a properly-developed lower-volume 1.6-2-litre B-Series Twin-Cam at minimum. They should have also developed a larger Spridget replacement, one loosely akin to the increased dimensions and wheelbase of the Innocenti Spider & C Coupe to fill the gap left by the MGA to use both 1.1-1.3-litre A-Series and 1.6-litre B-Series engines (effectively a EX234 precursor), the larger more powerful engines in the B preventing any prospect of the smaller model outrunning it as would have been the case with the 1.8-litre B-Series.
Also the implication of IRS along with B-Series SOHC and DOHC would have allowed the motorsport successes of the MGB after 1967 to echo the Fiat 124 Sport Spider including the Fiat Abarth 124 Rally.
Also "rework" the video about the Lotus Elan M100 which many owners find appalling with many errors all over.
Always wondered why the V8 wasnt an MGD
The TR-7 was "Ill fated" ? I saw more than a few of those things when I was a kid. (70s)
In fair-weather climates I think they fared better. However, having worked on several of them in the American Midwest I can definitely report that they did not stand up to weather/cold/severe conditions and were quickly reduced to piles of basically un-serviceable rust... they just melted away.
I used to have an Alfa Spider (105 platform).
Then a friend bought an MGB roadster. We swapped cars one time and i was very surprised to learn how good the seating position of the MGB was. I'm 6ft2 and i always considered the Alfa having flawed interior design. Poor pedal placement, poor legroom, poor shifter placement. The ergonomics of the Alfa just weren't accomodating to tall people. The MGB is much better. The MGB engine however was a letdown if not a disgrace IMO. The twin cam 2litre Alfa engine delivered 130hp which was pretty close to class leading back then. The 1.8L pushrod engine could never match that.
BL could have easily solved it by installing the 16V Triumph Dolomite engine in the MGB. (Imagine a 16V 130hp MGB! Would have been an instant succes)
Suspention? Both were not realy state of the art because both had a live rear axel.
“Mon-tee-go” not “Mon-tay-go”. 😊
That's a bit pedantic. But as a pedant myself I completely agree
Can you mske a video going over the history of the PRR K4 Class please.
Not one picture of a genuine factory MGB GT V8. 🤷🏻♂️
And of course m.minor lcv vans were abingdon products- EV moggy van anyone?
Everything big here, including government, has always been badly managed by people who are unqualified for the job! Ergo, they all fail miserably, and get gongs for their services;
peerages, knighthoods, CBE's etc, all at the taxpayers expense as usual :(
Never first😮