Coys Auction
Ascot Racecourse,
Berkshire SL5 7JX
Saturday 2 October 2010 at 3pm
Designed in-house at MG with final styling by Farina, the new MG MGB was launched at the 1962 Earls Court Motor Show. Its appeal was instant, offering a huge increase in interior space while having overall dimensions less than those of the MGA. Engine capacity was enlarged from 1,622cc to 1,798cc, with fuelling via twin SU carburettors. It developed a respectable 94bhp at 5,400rpm and 1071b ft at 3,500rpm which, allied to a four speed gearbox, allowed the handsome new MG to achieve 0-60mph in 11.4 seconds and a top speed of 105mph.
Universally acclaimed, the MGB was to become a symbol of the swinging Sixties. And as with all MGs, it was soon very active in competition. After an inauspicious two car entry at Sebring in 1963, an Abingdon works car won its class and finished 12th overall at Le Mans in the same year, courtesy of Paddy Hopkirk and Alan Hutcheson. The first major change came in September 1964 - a