Текст 49

MGB

What other car can claim to have introduced so many people to sports car motoring than the MGB (рис. 28)? Count­less thousands of enthusiasts across the generations have enjoyed the pleasures of MG motoring, not only in Britain but in Europe - and especially in the United States.

The MGB is without doubt the most famous in a long line of sports cars made by MG. It was the most durable, lasting some 18 years in production, and the most popular, with not far short of half a million cars built. The MGB did more to establish the British sports car as an institution than any other car before or since. In its heyday, it was one of the best sports cars around but, alas, in later life it became a jaded shadow of its former self.

MG began in 1922 as a contraction of Morris Ga­rages, reflecting its origins as part of the Morris group. After the war, MGs were highly successful among traditionally minded sporting drivers and became well-known in America (especially the TC, TD and ТЕ).

The MGB grew out of MG's celebrated MGA, the most successful sports car made up to that time, with 100, 000 units sold. By the early 1960s, the MGA was looking decidedly old-fashioned. The new MGB would of­fer the same combination of speed, handling and good value, but would have modern styling and far more creature comforts.

An early decision was made to adopt unitary con­struction, as opposed to the separate chassis of the MGA. At that time, the idea was quite novel for sports cars. MG's Chief Engineer, Sydney Enever, began work on ‘Project EX205’ in 1959. All-independent sus­pension would perhaps have been the best system for the new car but Enever fell back on familiar territory by retaining the MGA's well-proven system of independ­ent front suspension by coil springs and wishbones, with a live rear axle and semi-elliptical leaf springs.

The evergreen B-series engine (used in the MGA since 1955) was bored out for the MGB to 1798cc. The net effect of the expansion was a healthy in crease in power of some 8 bhp to 94 bhp. Although this was less than the double overhead-cam engine used by the fast­est MGAs, it was felt that the B-series represented a safer and more reliable choice than the troublesome twin-cam.

The MGB was launched in October 1962 at the Lon­don Motor Show and the response from press and public alike was extremely favourable. Here was a car which looked modern and felt modern but was built on solid MG virtues. As Autocar said: «It is a forward step, in that the car is faster, and yet more docile and com­fortable».

Рис. 28

For its day, the MGB was a strong performer. The top speed was around 105 mph and 0-60 mph was accom­plished in 11.4 seconds. The B-series engine's best feature was it wide-based torque band although it was never a particularly free-revving unit.

Out on the open road, the MG enthusiast felt at home; here was a car with solid roadholding and enter­taining handling on the limit. The ride had improved by leaps and bounds over the rather harsh MGA. Indeed, there was some criticism from the press that MGB suf­fered from too much body roll and that the suspension was too soft for a sports car.

Compared to the model it replaced, the MGB was a paragon of comfort - it was easier to get into, had wider and more accommodating seats, winding windows, a modern dash and a leak-free hood. Options like the hard top and Laycock overdrive made it even more easy to live with. It cost just L950 and quickly became a sales success in Britain and the United States.

The MGB was immediately launched in a competi­tion career. Its first outing, at the 1963 Sebring 12-Hour Race, did not go well, with both cars suffering main bearing damage. At the 1963 Le Mans, Paddy Hopkirk and Alan Hutcheson drove an MGB home to win 12^th place overall, scoring a class victory at the same time. At the same event one year later, the partner­ship of Hopkirk and Hedges finished 19^th overall. In the 19965 Le Mans, the MGB scored its best placing -11^th overall and second in class.

Back with the road car programme, the closed coupe version (the MGB GT) arrived in 1965. It was an attractive car, styled with help from Pininfarina, and its elegant fastback incorporated an opening hatch. The extra bodywork carried a small weight penalty, but this was offset by the GT's shape which was more aerodynamic, allowing a slightly higher top speed of 106 mph.

The GT was described by MG as a «poor man's As­ton Martin». It certainly looked the parti and it was much more practical than the roadster. There was a modest rear seat which could fit two small children, although luggage space was still limited. The GT imme­diately accounted for one third of all MGB sales.

The Mark II MGB arrived in 1967, with an all-synchromesh gearbox or the first chance to opt for automatic transmission. No external changes were made until 1969, when a matt black grille replaced chrome and the traditional wire wheels were replaced by Rostyle steel wheels.

There were also two attempts to fit larger en­gines into the MGB shell. The first was the MGC of 1967-69, an ill-fated attempt to pack the MGB with more punch. Into the engine bay went a 145 bhp Austin 3.0-litre straight-six engine. Despite its extra per­formance, the engine's extra weight made it unhappy in handling terms and under 10, 000 were made in total.

The MGB certainly could handle more power, as was proven in 1973 when a 137 bhp Rover 3.5-litre V8 was shoehorned into the engine bay to create the MGB GT V8. The top speed rose to 125 mph and 0-60 mph came up in 8.6 seconds. Moreover, the alloy engine did not weigh much more than the B-series unit. The suspension did not need to be altered and handling remained as good as ever.

By the end of the 1960s, MG was part of an un­wieldy industrial conglomeration of competing marques known as the British Leyland Motor Corporation. Slowly but surely, the MG name was strangled.

The most unfortunate changes were needed to bring the ^‘В’ in line with American safety and emis­sions laws. In 1975, all MGBs suffered the ghastly fate of having black polyurethane bumpers fitted and their ride height raised by 1¹/2 in (to meet US headlamp height regulations). The body weight went up and the power output went down. This was controver­sial, to say the least, because performance and han­dling obviously suffered badly as a result.

The MGB limped on until 1980, with the final run, a batch of Limited Edition roadsters and GTs, emerging in 1981.

Today, the MGB undoubtedly has the strongest following of any classic car. More MGBs are on the road than almost any other sports car and there are dozens of owners' clubs world-wide catering for tens of thousands of owners, who have remained loyal to the original embodiment of affordable sports car motoring.

A whole industry has grown up to restore and service existing cars and supply spares. Well known В specialist, Heritage, even began making replica bodyshells in the 1980s. This formed the basis of MG's re­vived and much modified В of 1992, called the RV8.