Lot 731: 1982 MGB Roadster

One of the most successful sports cars Britain has ever produced, the MGB was a right-first-time design that changed little over the years. By the summer of 1980 however, the entire British Leyland conglomerate was in serious trouble. MGB sales had slowed and the Abingdon workforce had been on a three-day week for some time. Nevertheless, stocks of unsold cars continued to accumulate almost as fast as MG’s financial losses, leaving BL’s bosses with no option but closure. A consortium, headed by Aston Martin’s Alan Curtis, was formed with the intention of continuing MGB production. When the bid collapsed, MG’s plant at Abingdon, its home since 1929, was put up for sale in July 1980, though clearance of the stock of unsold cars would continue into 1981 and beyond. By the time of its sad demise, the MGB had enjoyed an eighteen-year production life and worldwide sales totalling in excess of 500,000 cars. First registered in 1982, this MGB Roadster has to be one of the last sold new in the UK. The car has covered a genuine 13,463 miles from new and comes with expired MoTs dating back to February 1985 (at 8,313 miles) confirming circa 5,000 miles only in the past 22 years. Finished in blue with grey cloth interior (the latter equipped with radio/cassette) and black hood, the car comes complete with alternative hardtop and is offered with owner’s manual and Swansea V5/V5C registration documents.