1969 MG B review from North America

Wire wheels flew off while driving twice (worn splines). Very, very dangerous, and to this day whenever I see a British car with wire wheels I make a point of passing it.

Fuel pump quits regularly.

Frequent starting and tune issues with dual carburetor version.

Constant headaches of one sort or another.

Antique lever-type shocks work surprisingly well.

The MGB has a near perfect 50/50 weight distribution and solid "monocoque" body so handles, corners, and rides very well, even with the antique lever shocks. (Better than my Alfa Romeo Spider Veloce.)

The interiors tend to be spartan and there were tons made for many, many years so I never had qualms about mixing and matching and coming up with an interior that pleased me (dash from the 1975 car in the 1969 car, later seats, better carpet, etc.).

The seats are much more comfortable than those in my Alfa Romeo Spider Veloce (1989) and hold up much longer, whereas the Alfa's seat foam in the seat bottom just disappears to nothing (though the back foam holds up much better).

The MGB, to this day, has a soft spot in my heart even though it's been in storage for over 14 years now.

It was fun in college, and the camaraderie of the MG enthusiasts is like none other I've experienced (with Triumph TR8 and Alfa Romeo Spider Veloce) before or since.

The problem with the MG is it breaks and breaks and breaks and just refuses to stay fixed.

The upside is it's very inexpensive to fix, and it's very fun to drive when it works.

It's also VERY comfortable, like driving sitting in a bathtub.

It's very easy to get parts and to replace parts with later parts (for instance my 1969 car had an erector set, bulbous frame for the top, but it was easily replaced with a later one from the 1970s that simply folded down. The top rail that goes at the top of the windshield had to be kept from the 1969 car to fit right, but bolted right to the new frame from the 1970s. Ditto dashboards, seats, etc. If you liked the later versions better they all fit.

I have never heard of anyone with an MG who didn't have regular problems with the car and frequent breakdowns, especially electrical problems, but that was somehow part of the charm, and "character building," and, again, it was always inexpensive to fix.

Even when they knew the fuel pumps were rotten, MG just kept on using them, and the manual even says if the fuel pump quits have a friend remove the battery cover behind the seats and gently tap the fuel pump with a spanner (wrench) until you can reach a petrol station. Man oh man just FIX IT already.

Have you seen the bumper sticker that says "The parts falling off of this car are of the highest British quality and workmanship"? It's meant to be funny, but in fact it's funny because it's based in truth.

It's junk, but I love it, it's got personality, and when it works it's fun, and so it's stored in a barn rather than selling it, and perhaps one day I'll fix it, but I doubt it.