Big Six

The Z3 and the MGC have both received their fair share of ill-informed criticism over the years but now represent an intriguing old school versus new school classic choice.

- Chris Stacey

It’s been an enduring automotive formula in Britain and Germany: take a top-selling open two-seater with modest four-cylinder power then squeeze a big six upfront. Austin Healey, Triumph and Mercedes all profited this way. For two short years in the late Sixties, MG got in on the act with their reworked MGB, logically if unimaginatively designated the ‘MGC’. Zoom forward to the Nineties and BMW’s Z3 continued the theme.

Both have much to offer today’s classic car owners, but which would we choose to take home?

MGC

Everyone recognizes the octagon badge and everyone loves an MG; unless perhaps it’s an MGC. But let’s set aside past prejudice against the shortest-lived and rarest of Abingdon’s products. It’s time to take a fresh look at the MGC.

From the moment the MGB was launched in 1962, it was clear a higher performance version was needed. Good though the 1.8-liter four-cylinder MGB was, the commendably stiff monocoque shell could handle more power and the big engine bay had ample space for more cylinders. Austin Healey and Triumph easily outgunned the MGB by offering larger engines in their two-seaters; MG needed to follow suit.

Various potentially suitable powerplants were available at BMC, from the somewhat agricultural 2.6-liter four of the Austin Healey 100/4 to the silky smooth 3.5-litre Rover V8, which later made an appearance under the bonnet of the MGB GT V8. For the MGC, the C-series engine was further developed from its origins in the Austin Healeys and Westminster. It was given seven main bearings, twin SU carburetors, improved manifolds, and power output was 145bhp, delivered through a strengthened all-synchromesh four-speed gearbox with optional overdrive.