13 Jul 01
Some dismiss it as a Marina without a roof but, for undemanding motorists, the B is fun - and it is a convertible. The main difference between the 1962 MGB and its forebear, the MGA, was in construction: gone was the rugged and heavy separate chassis, replaced by a lighter unitary-construction shell.
The car appeared originally as an open roadster with a 95 bhp version of the B-Series 1798 cc four-cylinder engine. Suspension, steering and rear axle came straight from the BMC parts bin, but the B was a genuine 100 mph car with safe handling. Fashion dictated some minor styling tweaks in 1969 in the form of a recessed matt-black grille and trendy Rostyle wheels.
There was worse to come, however: in 1974, MG announced the black-bumper cars, with grotesque plastic bumpers and increased ride height to keep the ageing model legal in the States, where most of them went. Performance was reduced to 99 mph and the handling was ruined by its new taller stance, but the car continued to sell, as it was one of the few open cars still available. In fact the B, one of the best-selling sports cars ever, survived until 1980 - and seemed destined to be the last-ever proper MG sports car when British Leyland announced its decision to abandon the famous Abingdon factory.
