1972 MG B GT

No photographs of the recommissioning have been provided with the file, invoices are present

Really well presented in Glacier White with a Navy Blue interior and fitted with Overdrive

Put into dry storage (at 6 months old and 14,000 miles) where it remained for the next 28 years

Returned to the road in 2000 and professionally recommissioned (Photographs and invoices)

Only 4,429 miles in the last 18 years. Total mileage now 18,347

Rare to find such a smart. chrome-bumpered, GT at No reserve

Considering that the MGB was originally inspired by the Aston Martin DB2/4, it took the factory a rather long time to develop a fixed-roof version of the B. Indeed, from 1963 to 1965, BMC's Competitions Department was obliged to fit the MGB roadster with an accessory hardtop in order to race in GT classes. It seemed that MG was missing an obvious opportunity but it was not for lack of trying. The Abingdon design office had started work on an MGB coupe, designated EX227, months before the roadster even went into production, but none of their efforts had borne fruit. Engineer Roy Brocklehurst said the primary obstacle was the determination to retain the roadster's windscreen, presumably for cost reasons. Because the B's windscreen was so low, it proved very difficult to design a good-looking roof that would still provide adequate headroom. The tacked-on roof of the previous MGA coupe was no solution; it looked like an afterthought and chief body engineer Jim O'Neill, among others, had never liked it. MG chief engineer Syd Enever explored various design concepts for a fixed-head MGB, but none was satisfactory and the project dragged on for almost two years. Apparently growing impatient, BMC chairman George Harriman commissioned Italy's Pininfarina to build a prototype - much to the dismay of Enever, who saw it as a vote of no confidence. In the Autumn of 1963, Abingdon shipped a grey MGB roadster to Turin and Pininfarina duly returned the car the following Spring, now painted metallic green and sporting an attractive hatchback roof. This new design finally sliced the Gordian knot that had stymied MG's designers. By raising the windscreen about 4 inches with a commensurately larger 'greenhouse', the Pininfarina car combined reasonable headroom, superior aerodynamics, and finely balanced proportions.

Those finely balanced proportions are clearly displayed in this lovely Glacier White example. Dating from early 1972, the MG is accompanied by the original dealer "Quotation" (dated 20/12/1971) which shows that the car was ordered with Overdrive, Brake Servo, Wire Wheels fitted with Radial Tires, Head Restraints, a Heated Rear Window, and was Undersealed.

Purchased by an engineer for his wife, she managed to cover 13,918 miles in the first six months, so the decision was taken, for whatever reason, to put the MG into dry storage where it was to remain for the next 28 years. The car was cherished and looked after during this period, as can be seen by its current condition, until in 2000 it was decided to return it to the road. The recommissioning process was entrusted to a local race engineering business and they have professionally maintained the MG over the last 18 years during which period it has covered a further 4,429 miles. The total indicated mileage is now 18,347 and this is supported by a large history file containing lots of MoTs, insurance and maintenance paperwork, and invoices and photographs of the recommissioning.

This is a lovely example of a chrome bumper BGT in sparkling Glacier White with an interesting history, very low mileage, and offered at 'No Reserve'. Come and have a look.