1974 MGB Roadster – 35 years owned with only 78k miles

Model History

Named after famed British renaissance man William Morris, textile owner, artist, designer and owner of Morris Garage, the MG found its roots in coach-built tourers atop a Morris Cowley chassis. In 1924, MG founder Cecil Kimber designed the 14/28 Super Sports model, the first true MG to adorn the famous octagonal logo we know today. Kimber found a niche market for modified Morris cars, making them faster and sportier, and quickly the MG would become known as the “affordable performance” car. The MG car company would produce many models over the next 100 years. Today we are especially excited about the MGB variant, a two-door 4-cylinder roadster/convertible built from 1962 – 1980 that replaced the aptly named (you guessed it) MGA.

Car History

Second Daily is proud to present this three owner, 78K mile 1974 MGB Roadster. It was purchased in Arizona in 1974 and held until 2009 by the same original owner for 35 years. It was then sold and held for another 8 years (and a couple of British car club meet awards later) until the current/third owner acquired the MGB in May 2017. The car comes with original documents including a letter written by the original owner to the second owner. Also to convey are a few extra parts, a full black soft top, convertible boot, and tonneau cover.

The original owner reportedly always had the car serviced by a Rolls Royce dealer in Scottsdale AZ…because if there is any British expert working on our British cars, we’d want it to be a Rolls Royce expert. This MGB is being sold with a clear Maryland title in the seller’s name.

Exterior

In 2015, the second owner had the car stripped to bare metal for a repaint in its original glacier white color. As the story goes, the original owner enjoyed covering the car with bumper sticker souvenirs from all the places he visited. The second owner decided to strip and repaint rather than retain the original paint. The paintwork shows very nicely with only a few minor flaws shown in the pictures. The weatherstripping was replaced at the same time. Noted however, the windscreen to body seal and windscreen seal both appear to be original and show some cracking, though neither reportedly leak. There are no indications of rust or previous rust repair, and no indications of door drooping which is great to see on these cars. According to the second owner, the body was rust free when painted/soda blasted. A black fabric soft top is fitted and shows very well.

The previous owner added the Minilite wheels along with new tires and a new spare in 2015. The original Rostyle wheels are also included in the sale. Original rubber steering bushings have been replaced with new polyurethane bushings

Interior

Inside the black interior shows very well. The prior owner replaced the original vinyl/leather seats with new cloth material, opting for comfort in warm climate settings which is a wise-decision if you’ve ever visited Texas in the summer. The seats, door cards, carpet, and dash are all in very good condition. The gauges are slightly cloudy but, otherwise, function properly. The dash has a small crack that is shown in the photos. When purchased in 2017, the seller fully detailed the interior and exterior, including a clay bar treatment and added new floor mats.

Maintenance

The clutch was reportedly replaced at 60K miles though no documentation is available. The clutch and transmission reportedly perform very well. The car has been converted to a 12 volt battery which is stored behind the seats. The second owner also added a new alternator and new style electric fuel pump in 2016. The original alternator was rebuilt and is included with the car. Original rubber steering bushings have been replaced with new polyurethane bushings. Shocks are original damper style and have been maintained. Functioning, original Smith gauges and a dealer installed ambient air temperature gauge (not operational, but left in place for nostalgia) are present. A radio blanking place is present as is an antenna. Regular oil changes have been performed using Valvoline VR-1.

Final Thoughts

During the 19 years of production of the MGB, approximately 512,112 were built, though arguably only a tiny fraction of those remain on the road in this condition. These MG’s represent a time long gone, a simpler era of open-top 3-pedal British awesomeness. That is something no modern day Miata or Boxster could ever recreate. Values of these cars have remained relatively stable over the last few years, with excellent examples topping $16000 to over $20000 in concours condition…a small price to pay for the smiles per gallons this one is sure to bring.

Bidding at Second Daily

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Disclaimer: We do our best to represent the vehicle from the information provided but this should not be implied as an inspection. Second Daily is not the owner of the vehicle and therefore we recommend as with any online vehicle purchase, as a potential buyer you should either arrange to visit it in person for a personal inspection, or hire a professional service to conduct a pre-purchase inspection. The full VIN number is available upon request, as potential buyers, you can perform your due diligence to determine if this vehicle meets your standards. Second Daily is not liable for the condition or contents of the vehicle. Please see our Terms and Conditions for more information.