It’s many years since I have sat in a B and the restrictions of the Bermuda hardtop do not make life any easier. I pull on the door handle (no push-button or anti-burst locks here until April 1965), fold my body and squeeze through the aperture into the seat of Mick Tillott’s black, June-built, 1964 model; one of 26,542 made that year. For some reason I found this more difficult than the Morgan Plus 4 I recently drove; that had narrower doors and the hood was up, an awful admission, but my excuse was heavy rain and thunderstorms. Perhaps I have just got used to the extra inches afforded to me in my C GT?
After a few more attempts, honed by the need to stop for photographs, it becomes second nature and I take the time to look around the interior. The carpets and leather seats are replacements but the well-preserved dashboard and door cards combine to provide a period feel to this car. I realise that this aftermarket hardtop may not be to everyone’s taste but it makes the interior a very pleasant place to be. Compared to a Roadster with the hood up, the interior felt more spacious, brighter, with slightly more headroom and better all-round vision.
Unexpectedly, the slight tint of the panoramic Perspex roof panels deepens the colours of our surroundings when compared with looking through the clear windscreen. The downside, of course, is that, with windows up, it can get extremely hot. This early version, sold by Classic Motor Crafts Limited in the early 1960s for about £50, does not have the benefit of the rear ventilator fitted to the later versions. For longer trips, in the summer, Mick relegates it to the garage and relies on the soft top.
Denne historien er fra January 2020-utgaven av MG Enthusiast.
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Denne historien er fra January 2020-utgaven av MG Enthusiast.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Sparking memories
MGE reader Peter Morrey recalls his very first MG, his family’s experiences of the then-new MGA and advice from a chap with a bit of MG insider knowledge.
Dear Sir...
Paul Moran’s beautifully restored 1933 Midget J2 comes with some interesting documentation which illustrates just how the privileged new car owners of the 1930s dealt with the absence of a warranty.
CHEQUERED FLAG
THE ROADS LESS TRAVELLED... AND WHY THEY ARE WORTH SEEKING OUT
Pick of the bunch
Keith Preston felt he needed a classic car in his life but, with no previous knowledge of the subject, he set about finding the one most suitable and then spent 17 years refining his much-loved MGC GT.
Our friends' ELECTRIC
With MG’s ZS EV starting to hit the UK roads, we put one to the test to experience the reality of living with an electric MG.
MGA REGISTER'S 50TH ANNIVERSARY REUNION
MGA REGISTER’S 50TH ANNIVERSARY REUNION
BOOMERANG B
Mick Tillott sold this early B in 1975 to make way for a new company Cortina. He knew even then that it was the wrong thing to have done and, years later, he was able to make up for it.
1964 Jacques Coune MGB Berlinette model
Even among classic car enthusiasts the name of Belgian coachbuilder Jacques Coune is not nearly as well known as Ghia, Bertone or Pininfarina.
More Than Magna
Mike Taylor samples an extremely rare, high-performance MG L2 Magna and talks to its owner and restorer, Dave Naylor.
Earning My Stripes
MGE reader Mark Rouse, from Australia’s Fraser Coast, promised his wife that he would not need a second MG. Then he found a cheap project MGB for sale with gold-finished wheels and unusual go-faster stripes...