60 Years of the MGB
The MGA had been a major success story for BMC, transforming MG’s sporting image after a decade of post-war T-series models. Inevitably though, it would need replacing at some point, a task on which work started as early as 1956/57, with BMC determined not to let the MGA fall into the trap of outstaying its welcome. The end result was the MGB of 1962, a model that will be the subject of many 60th anniversary celebrations throughout this summer.
MG’s chief engineer, Syd Enever, was the man responsible for overseeing development of the MGB. He was tasked with achieving the right balance between the driver appeal of a proper sports car and the level of comfort and convenience that buyers of the ’60s would expect. That meant doing away with sliding windows and making the interior more user-friendly and slightly more cosseting, whilst ensuring it was still a very entertaining steer.
Not surprisingly, the MGB was to employ an exceptionally strong monocoque bodyshell rather than its predecessor’s separate-chassis set-up. However, the front suspension and rack and pinion steering would be carried over from the MGA, with the whole assembly being mounted on a detachable crossmember, while at the rear the traditional arrangement of a live axle and leaf springs was decided upon. Meanwhile, the springing rates would be much softer than the MGA’s in order to achieve the comfort levels that MG’s engineers were looking for.
While the overall styling of the MGB was the responsibility of Enever, he was ably assisted by MG’s Don Hayter and Italian stylist Pininfarina, the end result being a simple, uncluttered look that endeared the MGB to many potential buyers. Mechanically, however, things could have been
