・Restored and sympathetically upgraded in 2016

・V8 neatly fitted without altering bonnet lines

・New hood, black leather seats and walnut dash

The replacement for the aging MGA, work started at Abingdon on the MGB in 1958, with the car using a unitary construction in favour of the traditional body and chassis combination of the predecessor. With over 100,000 models sold, the MGA was a tough act to follow.

Penned by MG’s Chief Engineer, Albert ‘Syd’ Enever, the first B was released to an eager crowd at the 1962 London Motor Show. It was unveiled in roadster form first and it wasn’t until 1965 that the Pininfarina-designed GT joined the range. The MGB proved an instant hit and went on to sell over half a million cars – more than the combined total sales of every other MG they sold - it was retired in 1980.

Today, thanks to its enduringly pretty styling and the wide availability of inexpensive spares, the MGB is one of the most popular roadsters on the classic car scene.

Originally ordered by a US dealer, this MGB was built in August 1977 and then shipped to America in October 1977. The British Motor Industry Heritage Trust certificate indicates that it was Carmine Red with a black interior, a black hood and equipped with Rostyle wheels and a tonneau cover. At that time it would have been left-hand-drive and fitted with the bulbous black rubber bumpers.

It then travelled back across the pond and was registered in the UK in 1986, gaining the correct age-related number plate.

In 2016 it was treated to an extensive restoration by KB Autos, who are run by an MG enthusiast who likes to restore the cars rather than drive them. Once completed he then restores another. The MGB was taken back to bare metal and resprayed in a bright red Ford colour, with the build photos detailing that the work was carried out to a high standard.

The restoration was extensive and involved removing the four-cylinder engine and fitting a Rover V8 of 3,528cc that was supplied by MG V8 specialist Clive Wheatley. To cope with this additional power, the brakes, suspension and rear axle were all upgraded.  

The work was completed in May 2016, with the current owner acquiring the car in October 2016. A long-standing MG enthusiast and a MG Car Club member for over 53 years, he also owns another MGB, an RV8 and an MG TC. Suffice to say he knows his MGs and knew exactly what he was looking for when it came to buying this example.

The car is used on dry sunny days and has graced many a classic car show field, including the local village show that the owner is involved in organising. The car is kept in a sizable dry garage with the owner’s other pampered MGs.

Recent work carried out on the car included the fitment of a Revotec electronic fan system for enhanced cooling and replacing the gear-linkage bushes.

As well as previous MoTs and V5C log books, the owner has built photos documenting the car’s 2016 rebuild and extensive lists and receipts of the parts used. With the original four-cylinder engine the mileage was around 67,700miles, with the speedo having been replaced as part of the restoration. Since the restoration the car has completed 2,421miles.

A receipt from KB Autos dated April 2016 states that the car was stripped down to a bare shell and repainted, with all major mechanical parts such as the gearbox and rear axle being refurbished and refitted, together with an interior retrim that included new leather seats and a new hood.

As you’d expect from the receipts, the interior is in good order. The red-piped leather front seats have been pleasingly worn in over five years of gentle use so that they don’t look uninviting. They’re as comfortable as they look and the wood-rimmed three-spoke steering wheel is a tactile delight. Burr walnut compliments the dashboard, glovebox and centre console, with the English-made Smiths gauges indicating oil pressure, revs (upgraded to a V8-specific model), fuel level, speed and coolant temperature.

The centre console houses a matching clock and the speedo controls. Pleasingly there’s no radio to detract from the V8 burble and the understated black vinyl door cards are unsullied with speakers.

The carpets show minor evidence of use, while the switchgear has the patina of time spent in the sun, but overall the interior condition is just as you’d want it to be.

A polished alloy gear knob selects the gears, with a central red-piped black leather armrest covering a central storage bin. The lockable glove box is the perfect place for your string-back driving gloves.

The whole interior has slight signs of patina that add to its appeal – it doesn’t look appealing factory fresh and overly glossy. It looks right and feels right – it’s like settling into your favourite armchair at a gentlemen's club.

It’s clear that the gleaming red paintwork has been resprayed to a good standard and the seams where the front wings meet the scuttle have been neatly finished. The paintwork is in good order, with only minor chips evident on the door edges (easily touched in). The only noticeable blemish is the cracked section on the upper edge of the offside rear wing that would benefit from a paint correction.

As part of the 2016 restoration work the original US-spec rubber bumpers were removed and an earlier chromed grille fitted together with chromed front and rear bumpers with overriders. A subtle chromed V8 badge has been added to the grille, while the rest of the car's brightwork and the polished alloy windscreen surround appears to be the original items refurbished to a good standard. Only the front wipers orientation hint at the car originally being a left-hand drive model.

Pleasingly, no ugly bulges or vents spoil the sleek lines of the bonnet – clever use of components has ensured that the V8 fits neatly under the original hood for the ultimate sleeper look. While the exhaust note hints at the performance available, it exits via a neat single exhaust pipe rather than having any garish side pipes or vulgar twin tailpipes.

The shut lines are good for an MGB and probably better than when it originally left the factory, while the 15-inch Minilite-style wheels with locking wheel nuts set off the red paintwork and chrome to a tee. These should have a matching set of Yokohama A.drive tyres in 185/65 R15 size. These are dated 2014, and are uncracked with lots of tread left.

As well as the new hood fitted during the restoration, there’s also an original hood cover and a tonneau cover to cover the interior when the hood is down. These are great for winter top-down motoring as they keep all the heater’s heat inside the cabin.

Under the bonnet reveals evidence of the restoration work – with a neatly painted engine bay and fresh copper brake pipes and componentry indicating how thorough the overhaul was.

The V8 sits neatly in the engine bay and rather than sporting SU carbs, has been fitted with a Weber four-barrel carb, mounted on an Offenhauser inlet manifold with a low-level pancake style chromed air filter housing. This allows the original MG bonnet to neatly sit flush over it. Additional sound-deadening material has been fitted to the underside of the bonnet.

The engine itself was thoroughly rebuilt with the bores honed and new piston rings added, together with polishing the crank. Fresh bearings were fitted, together with new valve springs, rocker shaft, arms and oil pump gears. The timing chain was renewed and the cylinder heads rebuilt. To keep the engine bay neat and improve the engine’s breathing, stainless steel block-hugging exhaust manifolds were fitted, linked to a discrete silencer system. It’s vocal, but not excessively so.

An upgraded high-torque starter motor ensures easy starting, while the addition of an upgraded high-flow radiator and a Revotec electric fan keeps things cool. To keep all that V8 torque at bay, a side engine stabiliser is fitted, while a remote oil filter makes service work simple. A clear cleanable fuel filter mounted in the rear of the engine bay allows you to see the condition of the fuel at a glance and will be easy to remove for cleaning. Neat red rocker covers and yellow plug leads hint at the beast that lies within this gentleman’s express.

As well as the five-speed gearbox and rear axle rebuild to cope with the V8 grunt, the front suspension has been upgraded from the original damper boxes to use Bilstein telescopic front dampers and a suitably upgraded set of coil springs. Polyurethane bushes add extra precision and stability to the front end, together with an anti-roll bar.

A servo-assisted remote master cylinder links to upgraded front brakes which now feature V8 calipers and drilled and grooved front brake discs. 

The underside of the car has been well undersealed and the lack of obvious work to the underside hint to the car's American origins in a dry state. The rear end has been lowered fractionally with lowering blocks on the rear leaf springs, while the fuel tank was replaced as part of the restoration work. At the same time, the electric fuel pump was relocated to the boot floor to keep it away from road debris and moisture to increase its durability.

The floor reinforcement beams all look to be in good order and the underside is a clear testament to the quality of the restoration work and the current owners care.

The current MG loving owner clearly knew what he was looking at when he bought this car and has clearly cherished it. The bright red paintwork looks factory fresh and offsets the Minilite wheels and gleaming brightwork perfectly.

The sumptuous leather interior and wood-rimmed steering wheel put you in a great mood, while the feelgood factor is further enhanced as you peer at the classic Smiths gauges in the walnut dash and gaze over the sleek long bonnet. As you settle into the well-padded comfortable seats, everything is good in the world.

But it’s when you turn the key that you can’t help but grin, as rather than being greeted with the clatter of a rather agricultural four-pot, there’s a fantastic burble from that 3.5-litre Rover V8. Select a gear, build up the revs and the burble becomes more urgent in tone hinting at the performance available. With lots of lazy torque on offer, it’s up to you if you want to simply waft around with minimal gear changes or extend the revs and test out the tauter handling of the Bilstein dampers. 

It truly is a wolf in sheep’s clothing without the proliferation of V8 badging, bonnet bulges and so on. It's the type of vehicle that will surprise bystanders or passengers as you pull away or other drivers as you easily pass them on the motorway.

With only minor tinkering jobs to do to make it perfect, this gentleman’s express has all the right parts fitted to it, looks fantastic and won’t cost you the earth to run. V8 fun wrapped up in one of the prettiest roadster bodies ever made. All it needs is a new owner to enjoy driving it to that timbered country pub and parking near the village green…