The MGB was the most successful British sports car of all time, selling more than half a million examples over a production life of eighteen years. It has always represented fun driving at realistic prices, and remains well within reach of the average motorist today. The complete story of the B is set firmly in the context of the MG company’s eventful history, and there are new insights into the personalities and politics behind the development of Britain’s most popular sports car. Contains numerous specially-commissioned photographs, technical analyses, driving impressions and practical information on buying and owning a MGB.
About the Author:
Brian Laban has been writing about cars, the motor industry and motor sport for more than forty years, for magazines, newspapers, broadcast and online content. He has written around forty books, edited several magazines and worked with many car manufacturers and race teams. He is a member of the Guild of Motoring Writers, and member (and former chairman) of the Fleet Street Group of Motoring Writers.
MG is renowned as one of the world’s most famous sports marques. This book relates its complete story, starting with the 1923 two-seater, and MG’s early triumph, the Midget, with its racing success. The Magnas and Magnettes followed, leading into the post-war TC Midget, and the successful MGA and the MGB. Though MG fell victim to corporate politics in the late 60s, it made a comeback with the MGF in the early 90s.
The MGA, based on Goldie Gardner’s pre-war record breaker. was an instant success from its introduction in 1955. More than 100.000 were sold before it was replaced by the MGB in 1962. To date more than half a million MGBs have been made and the car has become a classic in it’s own lifetime, although now, tragically it’s under sentence of death in a British Leyland re-organisation. Faster cars such as the MGC and MGBV8 should have ousted the MGB, but both failed and today they are cult cars such is their rarity.
The MGs were conceived by two of the most brilliant minds in British Motor manufacturing, John Thornley and Syd Enever. The interesting stories behind all these cars are covered in great detail in this book. Production and competition histories and a great deal of practical information on owning and running the cars are also included. In company with other books in this series, the picture research has been done painstakingly to provide a superb collection of both colour and black and white photographs.
Not only is this book the definitive work because Wilson McComb was on the inside at MG for a decade, it is doubly so because the author knew exactly how a complex story such as this should be researched and told. Osprey are proud to have employed the talents of a comparable expert.. From Cecil Kimber and the Bullnose MGs of the 1920s, to the thirties Midgets, the Magnettes, the TCs, the MGA, MGB, even the Metro and Maestro, every twist in the tale was followed by Wilson McComb, with an intimate knowledge not only of machinery but also of men, those who created the marque, some who abused it. There are not many more interesting automotive stories than that of the Octagon to be told, and MG will be one of the few British marques to make it into the 21st century.