Related Posts ==> Other MG Reviews
It was a long distance purchase which required transporting the LE from Melbourne via road freight. The transport worked out very well and I came to discover that people buy, sell and ship cars all over Australia, its common practice.
Cool Factor:
The MGB GT LE UK edition was a good purchase, if only for the "James Bond" factor that unexpectedly accompanied it. It seems the car has some resemblance to the silver Aston Martin DB5 that triggers memories of Sean Connery in Goldfinger. A comment I received recently was "You must be James Bond!" So this LE model has lots of cool factor going on...thanks to Carrozzeria Pininfarina for the ‘fast back’ styling.
Cosmetic Condition:
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| Triumph Stagg Wheels |
What appears to be the original Pewter Metallic duco and LE tape stripes is in excellent condition. There is no rust. External trim, including the bumpers and factory fitted spoiler also found on the American “Limited Edition” models is in very good condition, and very little pitting to the bright work.
The cast alloy rims fitted to all of the LE cars produced, except for the background colour of the hubcap, are the same rims fitted on the American “Limited Edition’ cars and believed to have been sourced from British Leyland’s store of rims for the Triumph Stag. They are in very good condition, which according to receipts that came with the car were refurbished a few years ago - and they look it too.
Driving:
Many years have passed since driving an old school car like the MGB which, by the way, is a very different experience to driving a modern car. In the 60's and 70's it was normal to drive a car with no air-conditioning, no power steering, no power assisted anti-lock braking systems with drum brakes at the rear, distributor and points with condenser that needed replacing or adjustment at 3 month intervals, carburetors that need tuning, in the case of the MGB twin SU’s that also needed to be balanced, wiring systems with inherent limitations, old suspension, no key less entry etc.We're talking "old school" driving here - you have to use the choke to start it and let it warm up, you have to actually steer it through corners, you have to use some muscle to maneuver it in and out of car parking bays, you have to give the brake pedal that extra bit of pressure, use your gears to slow down, you have to use the quarter windows to get airflow to the interior, you have to use your key and walk around the car to unlock doors and hatches, and don't expect explosive performance from a standing start with the factory 90 Hp (67 Kw in modern speak). But, it is still a great driving experience.
What these cars are made for is a gentle drive around town or over country roads. Being close to the road gives the feeling of speed without necessarily going fast and handles the bends with ease whilst feeling very secure doing so. It has a button on top of the gear knob to electronically switch into over drive without operating the clutch or changing gears. There is plenty of leg room too. I am relatively tall (185 cm or 6ft) and don't have the seat all the way back. Getting into the car is certainly not as easy as my big SUV, but it is not too difficult. It has a 15 inch steering wheel which does make contact with my thigh.
One of the surprising things I found driving this car is the lowish internal noise levels whilst driving. Even with the windows down my wife and I can have a conversation quite easily whilst driving. I expected the internal noise level to be louder. I was also surprised at the effortless way it cruises down the freeway with the overdrive switched on. It is a cool and enjoyable driving experience.
Interior Space:
The interior space is surprising. The MGB GT looks very narrow, more so than I remembered from the 70's, yet I am also surprised at how much internal space there actually is. With two adults in the car it still feels very comfortable and I don't feel cramped or claustrophobic. In the case of the GT, the fast back styling provides quite a lot of space in the rear hatch area which I think adds to the sense of spaciousness.
Leg room is very good and the foot pedals are spaced well enough to operate comfortably even with my larger dress style work shoes. However, wearing a pair of large safety boots might present a challenge. Seat adjustment is adequate, both forward/back and tilting the back rest.
The original steering wheel is 15in and there is no adjustment for the steering column.
The dash board area is old school and cool - (right to left): Temperature gauge; Tachometer; Fuel gauge; Speedometer; Oil Pressure gauge; Hi-beam indicator light; Charge indicator light and Dash
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| Left to right: Oil Pressure; Speedo; Fuel; Tacho; Temp, with choke lever below the Oil Pressure |
light brightness control. In my normal driving position my right hand blocks the view of the temperature gauge so to check that I need to lean forward a little. The passenger side has a glove box that is reasonable in size for a small car and works well. Under the glove box is the bonnet release leaver, a leaver to open/close the air vent and a small compartment in the foot well area that would easily hold a street directory plus more.
The middle console - (top to bottom): Air vents;
The rear seat is not functional for passengers to today’s standards and does not have seat belts. This area would be very suitable for storing hand bags and similar sized items. A medium sized dog would fit there quite easily. My brother has researched fitting an air conditioner in his GT and was advised this area could house the internal condenser unit with some creativity. So this area is quite functional.
The rear hatch area is very nice. Not large but quite adequate to transport shopping, picnic supplies or even a swag and associated
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| Hatch storage is a reasonable size and ample space for a regular shopping trip |
Seat Belts - being a 1980 model car, the LE had factory fitted inertia style seat belts with the fixed latch anchored at the base of the tunnel. In my case both of those seat belt units have been replaced. One of those, the driver's side, was replaced recently by me.
Related Posts ==> Seat Belt Replacement
Given the size of the car I find the internal space surprisingly adequate for normal daily use.
Performance:
A standard MGB is by no means a performance car. A lot of the technology is old, even beyond the age of the car, with the B series engine having its origins in 1947 with a few different versions - 1200cc, 1500cc and 1600cc used in the MGA’s, and the MGB’s 1800 cc engine. My wife's car is a standard 2016 Toyota Corolla 1800 cc engine which is a zip machine - it just zips everywhere, and very quickly. No comparison with a stock standard MGB.Some people carry out various engine performance upgrades. Fitting a supercharger is a popular option which does increase the performance quite a lot. My understanding of a supercharged MGB is the added torque makes low speed driving in traffic and the suburbs very friendly with fewer gear changes, and highway driving is much more spirited and fun.
This LE came with the original twin SU carburettors, aftermarket extractors were fitted on the car when I got it, with standard size exhaust and muffler.
Gear Box:
The MGB is a 4-speed manual. This LE has full synchromesh and overdrive gearbox. The overdrive switch located at the top of the gear knob was of the type used on earlier Triumph cars for some years. The LE overdrive operates in 3rd and 4th, standard on all RHD cars from 1976, on North American cars from 1977 it operated only on top gear.
Operating the clutch in my LE is very smooth - a lot smoother than I can recall in any other manual cars I have driven.
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| Laycock L.H Style Overdrive |
The overdrive, a Laycock LH type, works very well and drops the revs by approximately 4000 rpm which makes a big difference on the highway and even around back streets. It makes for a more comfortable ride.
Braking:
Brakes on the MGB GT LE are period standard - disk brakes at front (no brake boosting system), drum brakes at rear and hand brake leaver that operates in the normal way with a button release. Prior to purchasing the LE I read a review on old car braking systems. The conclusion was that in many cases the issue many drivers are concerned about is often the "feel" of the brakes compared to a modern car. Once you get used to that feel the brakes are adequate for a standard MGB. Keeping that in mind when I had some test drives I very much agree with the concept of "feel" - you might just need to give the pedal a bit more of a squeeze and that's where the feel comes in. However, the brakes work fine. I notice the difference more when I jump back into my modern SUV where at first I tend to stab at the brakes. I also recall from my driving experiences of the 70's that I quickly got in the habit of using the gears to assist with slowing down - truth be told as a 17/18 year old in the 70's my driving style was a bit more radical than it is now.
Upkeep:
Keep in mind that a 40 or more year old car is a classic car and they do need care, time, money and periodic repairs as they arise. Many old classic cars are club cars and don't clock up a lot of miles so the upkeep is reasonable provided it is done on a regular basis. I was also a little surprised at the low cost of insurance on my LE so make sure you have appropriate insurance.Potential Upgrades:
more details on this topic but here is a brief list of ideas:
- Electronic Ignition
- Brake booster upgrade
- Disk brakes rear
- Gear box upgrade to 5 speed
- Super charger for that little extra performance
- Air conditioning
- Suspension upgrades
- Bumper/valance upgrades
- Extractors and sports exhaust
- 14in steering wheel
- 15in wheels and lower profile tyres
- Wiring looms
- Electric window
- Central locking
- Engine cooling system
- And much more
That's a Wrap:
So that's a wrap up on a brief review of owning an MGB GT LE. This particular car is in very nice original cosmetic and mechanical condition. It drives very well and, for a car from this era, it drives better than expected. It also gets attention when I’m out and about in it.
The one thing the GT LE has over all the other MGB's - it has that unique James Bond factor, courtesy of the Pewter Metallic silver, resembling the Aston Martin DB5 in Goldfinger - "You must be James Bond!"
So there it is – shaken, not stirred.
Happy trails.
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