A STANDARD BY WHICH OTHERS ARE MEASURED—60 YEARS AGO

“IN THIS LATTER-DAY ERA OF SPORTS CARS, getting into an MG again never fails to remind us of the Good Old Days when the MG, the TC in those days, was the first and only sports car available in America.” This, from R&T, May 1966, not long after the Datsun SPL-310 Roadster, four years before the Datsun 240Z, and decades before the Mazda RX-7 and MX-5 Miata.

“The latest MG,” R&T observed, “is the MGB GT Coupe, a closed version of the familiar MGB that has been with us since late 1962. Does the new coupe carry on the tradition?”

The Fastback Fad. R&T wrote, “… their answer to the fad is not exactly a ‘me too,’ and we’re glad for that. Instead, MG body designers and stylists have come up with a fairly original-looking shape that goes well with the basic B roadster, makes good use of what room there was to work with and provides station-wagon-like utility for the occasional kitchen door that must be carried home from the lumber yard, what with 10 sq ft of cargo area with the jump seat folded down and a tailgate that can be left open.”

A “2 + 1/2s.” R&T testers observed, “As for the jump seat itself, it could best be compared to that in the Austin-Healey: useless for adults, but as long as one doesn’t plan to carry adults back there (well, one could sort of curl up) it should do nicely for a couple of small children and the tots will enjoy the cargo floor area as well.” 

Agg! Notice this was back before seatbelts were obligatory. Though I can add anecdotally that Jeff Zwart, highly regarded automotive photographer, recalls growing up in the jump seat of his dad’s (chassis no. 35) Porsche 901, the 911’s original moniker until Peugeot claimed title to the x0y nomenclature.

 Mechanicals: Some Enhanced, Some Not. “Engine noise and vibration,” R&T recounted, “have been reduced noticeably, if not dramatically, by the 5-bearing crankshaft, rendering the 1800-cc engine one of the better in-line fours in these departments. And the rear axle, always chronically noisy with the MGB, has been quieted nicely by the substitution of a steel nosepiece for the previous aluminum one.” 

“These changes,” R&T confirmed, “combine with the added sound insulation of the coupe and its decent wind noise level to make one of the quieter-running small sports-touring cars we’ve driven; however, the smoother engine hasn’t completely eliminated the old, disturbing resonance points and one still avoids the 4000-rpm neighborhood for steady cruising—most unfortunate, as that’s 70 mph. In our opinion, the optional overdrive ($185) would be almost essential, and certainly desirable.”

A Pesky Starter Drive. “Another small, but annoying, problem,” R&T noticed, “has remained with the MGB right up through our test car: a curious jingling noise that originates in the starter Bendix drive and reminds one when 2500 rpm is reached. It’s even more curious that BMC has allowed this problem to remain so long.” 

Gib-like Rigidity. “The body structure,” R&T observed, “certainly does its job admirably—the B roadster has been one of the most rigid open cars around and the coupe improves to the point of being Gibraltar-like. Very pleasant in this department.”

A Disc/Drum Shortcoming. “If we ever thought MGs had outstanding brakes,” R&T recounted, “perhaps it was because our tests weren’t severe enough.” The magazine’s newly instituted fade test (six 0.5-g stops repeatedly from 60 mph) showed a shortcoming for the MGB GT’s front disc/rear drum combination: “They faded to the point of a 50% (roughly) increase in pedal pressure by the sixth stop… and on the last few feet of that sixth stop they were just about done. They were also quite slow to recover from this faded condition.” 

Even today, when virtually all cars have front discs, only about 65 percent fit them overall. My Honda Crosstour and Mazda Miata are included in the disc/disc class.   

Livable and Lovable. “as an everyday, livable and lovable car,” R&T recounted, “the B is hard to equal. It starts readily if not instantly down to 0ºF (heaven help you below that), runs smoothly at idle and low speeds, and has a general tractability that is legend with MGs.”

“The major controls are handy, especially the gearshift and handbrake and even those who grow weary of manually shifted cars that really need to be shifted won’t mind this job much. Heel-and-toe is possible but not especially easy.” 

To this day, I amuse myself and my Miata with this practice.

R&T’s Conclusion, 60 Years Ago: “Everything about this latest MG says Yes, the MG tradition has been upheld. It is fun, it has a pleasant personality, it’s put together and finished properly, and we think it remains one of the best values in its field. It could be more modern but it could be less, too—long live the king.”

Gee, if I could find a rust-free MGB GT Coupe with the optional overdrive…. ds

© Dennis Simanaitis, SimanaitisSays.com, 2026