MGBs are just fun cars to drive. You sit down low in them stirring around a wooden shift knob for the manual transmission while you sport around back country roads listening to that little pushrod 1800 sing. Just like all cars, this one was one of the last before emissions regulations in the mid-70s started taking their toll. Come on down and check out this British classic. Bright and cheery in Yellow with chrome bumpers and a... black top, this is a car you don't see much on the roads anymore. The hood slopes down smoothly to an MG badge in the center of a chrome grill surround. (MG stands for Morris Garages, the original company name before becoming a division of British Leyland in '68). The chrome bumpers and grill went away and became rubber to meet impact regulations by 1975. A chrome strip runs down the beltline of the car front to rear and while the car has a very substantial trunk for a little car, the rack on the back means you can carry really big stuff if you want to (as long as it's not too heavy). The 5-lug steel wheels are a significant improvement over the center spin wire basket wheels, even though they looked cool, because the steel wheels are lighter and don't require any spoke maintenance. Open the door and settle in to the bucket seat. Most people are surprised at the amount of leg room, even for tall drivers. You sit down low wrapped in between a door that suddenly seems tall and a console that sits high so that your arm naturally rests comfortably on it and the shifter falls easily to hand. A leather wrapped steering wheel is broken in perfectly like a comfortable leather jacket and feels good in your hands. The dash behind it is a simple vinyl wrapped panel with a speedo and tach flanked by fuel, temperature and oil pressure gauges. There is an honest to goodness choke lever to be pulled for starting it up from cold, and several rocker and rotary switches to control the lights and ventilation system. The emergency brake lever is on the passenger side of the console and there is a nice little package shelf behind the seats. Under the hood you will find an 1800cc, 4-cylinder, pushrod engine. They have been building these engines forever and they make good low-end power which is great for sporting around town or burning up the back roads. It is easy to work on and reliable, which was a big selling point for these cars. The stock dual carburetor setup has been alleviated by replacing those with a single Weber carburetor. The stock exhaust manifold flows well, and are almost like a cast-iron headers sending the gases down to a single muffler and dual chrome exhaust tips that sound nice while revving the engine up. Power is sent back through a the 4-speed manual gearbox to a solid rear axle mounted on leaf springs. Rack and pinion steering with control arms and coil springs make for precise handling and front disc brakes provide great braking for this little car. 165R14 tires look quaint but have a surprising amount of grip, and besides, the ability to throw the car around a little bit is fun! A classic British sports car with a pop top, chrome bumpers and a 4-speed. What are you waiting for? Come on down and check this fun little car out.
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