1971 MGB GT with O/D, New MOT **NO RESERVE** £1 start!

To make things a little interesting. GPB 74J is to be sold with a genuine NO RESERVE and will start at just £1. So please take a look at the images (which are current having been taken just 48 hours before this sale started) and if you like what you see. read on and bid at a level you are happy with. knowing that you are in with an excellent chance of owning this lovely MGB GT that is on the open market for the first time since 1972!

I make no apologies for the length of the description that follows. as I have found from selling a number of classic cars on ebay that the genuine and serious buyers out there appreciate an honest and in depth view. especially if perhaps they are based overseas. However. I would also strongly recommend and urge you to come and view the car if you can. to make sure you are 100% satisfied for yourself. This is a 10 day auction that is spread over two weekends giving you plenty of opportunity to view and inspect the car prior to the auctions end.

About Me

I have been around classic cars for over 30 years. restoring and racing them. I enjoy and specialise in British classic cars of the 60's & 70's in the main. Through my contacts I love unearthing good. well restored or highly original unmolested examples and then take great satisfaction passing them on to other enthusiasts. I have. I believe. built up over the years a good reputation for dealing with people in an honest and straightforward manner and I only ever deal in classic cars that I would be delighted to own for myself. For your further peace of mind. at the end of this description is a testimonial about my service and just some of the genuine feedback I have received from other satisfied buyers.

History 

The MGB. the epitome of the classic British sports car. has attracted a huge following throughout the world because of its down-to-earth blend of clean looks. good performance. practicality and decent road manners. True to MG tradition. it captured the hearts of enthusiasts from the start. in 1962. with its good-natured. charming and forgiving character. It went on to become the all-time best-selling British sports car and today. with classic status assured. the MGB remains as popular as ever today.        

GPB 74J (GPB from now on) was first registered on the 22nd June 1971 and was supplied new by the renowned main dealers. Coombs & Sons Ltd of Guilford to a Mrs E M Crookshank Of Godalming Surrey. Rather nicely the spare keys are still on their original. period Coombs & Sons key fob. The history file contains the original MG Passport to Service booklet which is correctly stamped during Mrs Crookshanks short ownership. Also in the file is the original Shell Service Report folder which contains the original Pre Delivery Inspection sheet and the first service sheet showing 780 miles covered by the 30th July 1971.

Only 6 months later in February 1972 Mrs Suzette Donati purchased GPB as a replacement for her Triumph Spitfire. GPB has remarkably. remained part of her family to this day. A fascinating part of GPB's history is a very detailed journey log Mrs Donati kept. It starts with her previous Triumph Spitfire and dates 14th February 1968 covering every journey made in the Spitfire until the 26th January 1972. It then starts a new chapter titled ‘MGB GT Feb 19th 1972' and the first entry is on 23rd February 1972 with the mileage at 3. 00. From here. every single journey Mrs Donati made in GBP is logged with date. mileage and notes plus service points. Mrs Donati's last log entry was on 25th February 1985 with the mileage at just 22. 71. This was around the death of her husband and it was at this point she passed GPB on to her daughter Merry. During Mrs's Donati's ‘custodianship' she had GPB fully serviced by her local main dealers and this is documented through a 2nd Passport to Service booklet that is fully dated and stamped every year from 1972 to1985.

Merry and her husband Nigel are classic car enthusiasts and looking through the file it is clear they were not afraid to invest in GPB. The history file contains literally dozens of invoices from 1985 to this present period that I totalled up to over £13. 00. A lot of this investment was for routine maintenance but it would appear that by the mid 1990's GPB. despite the low ownership and care. had suffered on our British roads and the bodywork needed attention. Some photos in the history file show that quite a few of the outer panels were replaced at this time and a bill of £2. 00 covers this work. From 1985 every consecutive MOT has been kept which shows the mileage displayed of 86. 46 is genuine and correct. In 2008 GPB was SORN and put into one of Merry and Nigel's barns in dry storage. The history file also contains a letter of authenticity from Merry and Nigel confirming GPB's lovely provenance. More recently GPB has been re-commissioned for the road and is now ready to be used and enjoyed by the next. new owner since 1972!

Monocoque/Bodywork/Paintwork

GPB looks pretty and sits well. Structurally GPB is very strong. with in the main. original floors that have no unsightly patchwork to them. The underside is all straight. neat and tidy and looks like it was undersealed from new. During the aforementioned panel work it appears that wax-oil has been used afterwards to help preserve the panels. Overall the lines of GPB are pretty good. but perhaps the passenger door line could be better. All the door shuts and apertures are very clean.  

It's been around 15 years from what I can tell since the panel work was completed on GPB and in some places it is starting to show. Don't get me wrong GPB is a really strong. solid. well preserved example but cosmetically there is a little room for improvement. The pictures do show GPB in its best light and are perhaps a little flattering to the detailed finish of the paint. Overall it's very good. with a lovely shine and deep lustre to it and the pictures do give a true representation of the cars kerb presence. However. I would say that on some of panels there are imperfections and in one or two places some slight bubbling (this is minor cosmetic and not structural at all). There is also the odd dink here and there. For instance on the passenger side rear wing just above the chrome finisher the paint has dried out a little and cracked. this has been hand touched in. It's not corrosion but just the paint failing a little there. There is nothing individually too unsightly but perhaps in time you may wish to improve on the cosmetic side of things. I may be being over critical here. but I would rather make the point. that whilst the bodywork and paintwork are more than presentable. they are not perfect.

Interior/Chromework 

The interior is lovely. It's original in the main and has mellowed really nicely over time. It does have signs of use and wear but on the whole it is all in really nice order. The instruments are clean and all are working as they should although I think the sender unit on the fuel tank may be faulty because the fuel gauge is going up to full every time. so that needs a little investigating. Apart from that everything in the cockpit seems to be working fine. The seats are original. The driver's seat has had two patches applied to cover up a couple of splits but apart from that the seats are fine. The rear bench seat has seat belts fitted so children can travel legally and safely. Interestingly the original rubber floor mats are still fitted. Under the spare wheel cover it is all clean and tidy which houses the spare wheel and its correct jack. wheel brace and stowage bag. Overall the chrome shows well. The bumpers are a little pitted and have the odd mark on them but the rest is all in very good order.

Mechanics 

Whilst it is great to have a good looking classic car. at the end of the day it is the overall driving experience that makes it fun and enjoyable to own as well. This is where the mechanics and the suspension come in to play. I am pleased to say that GBP ticks every box in these areas. From my experience with classic cars and in particular to race preparation. I believe I can engineer a car pretty well and I hope the pictures of the engine bay help demonstrate this. The recent re-commissioning process was made relatively easy by the fact that GBP has always had plenty of money lavished upon it in the past to keep it on the road.  As a precaution the anti-freeze has been re-placed as well all the hoses and clips. On the electrical side new leads. cap. plugs. points. condenser and rotor arm have been fitted. Also two new. correct specification 6 volt batteries have been fitted. The carburettors have been partially stripped. cleaned. rebuilt. balanced and set up properly. The engine starts first time. runs extremely sweetly with good oil pressure at 70 to 80psi from cold and still maintains over 60psi when hot whilst being driven. The engine is very smooth with a nice throttle response which produces plenty of good power. The engine feels nice and tight and does not smoke at all. The water temperature stays constant and at normal. The gearbox works as it should and selects all the gears nicely with no ‘snicking' at all. There is over-drive on 3rd and 4th gear which is working fine. although I would say it is a bit slow to come in but I believe this will improve with more use of GBP. The suspension is working as it should. there are no knocks or rattles and it all feels good.

Driving experience 

Apart from its good looks. perhaps another one of the nice aspects of GBP is its driving characteristics. As mentioned before the engine is eager to start and once warmed up. ready to go with a nice burble emitting from the exhaust. The clutch is light and selecting first is nice and easy. As you depress the accelerator the power comes in smoothly and progressively. The steering is light and responsive. Driving GBP is not only a pleasure but great fun too. The handling is lovely with a real ‘planted' feel to it. so giving you plenty of confidence to push through the corners. The brakes when required are strong and pull you up in a nice straight line. All in all. GBP is a great example that with a sensible program of preventative maintenance should provide you with many years of fun classic car ownership.

History File 

As previously mentioned GBP has a massive history file. so much so that not all of it is in the photo of the paperwork! Along with all the aforementioned original documentation GBP comes with a current red V5. will have a new 12 month MOT and it is tax exempt.

Please read these simple conditions of sale before bidding – Thank you and good luck if you decide to bid.  

Conditions of Sale

As you can see I have a 100% history on ebay and I am a firm believer in doing business in an honest and straightforward manner. I have tried to give a truly reflective and in depth description but you must decide if this is the car for you. you are most welcome to view the car by arrangement. if you bid without viewing that's fine by me because I have done that in the past myself but you must also honour the deal and go through with it regardless on that basis. Please. if you are bidding from overseas take into account exchange rates. transport costs and any import tax you may be liable to pay before bidding.  

The car will only be sold via ebay and I will let it run to the very end. so it will NOT be sold early at any price. I believe this gives everyone who has shown an interest in the car a clear and fair opportunity to bid and hopefully win the car. I have NOT advertised it elsewhere. If it helps I am able to deliver the car for a sensible fee. I have access to a trailer or GBP could be driven to you. I am happy to deal with overseas bidders and able to assist in transportation as long as cleared funds are in place. Any questions please feel free to ask via ebay.

If you have 10 or less feedback ratings would you please make contact via ebay to advise me of your intentions before bidding. I would like the winning bidder to at least contact me within 24 hours of the finish date to discuss payment and collection details. Cleared funds will be required before the vehicle is delivered or released. no Paypal payment due to their high charges. Payment and collection within seven days of the auction end. If you cannot meet this timescale please contact me before bidding.

Testimonials 

For a bit of further peace of mind please see below an email I received from another happy customer on receiving his car in Australia. which he bought ‘blind' and I helped with the shipping. followed by some genuine feedback comments from other satisfied classic car buyers via ebay.

Hi Cameron. /span>

This morning i had my first look at the 504 Coupe. and i am extremely happy. and i could not be more thrilled about your honesty and integrity in describing the car.  

The 504 is basically exacltly how you described it which is a credit to yourself. As you described. one or two small blemishes in the paint but on the whole a very very clean and immaculate car.

i'm still coming to grips with how unused the interior looks its just fantastic. im thrilled to bits over the car. very very happy.   Once primed with fuel she started first piston up and ran like a swiss watch.

I wont be able to take delivery of the car for another few days because the quarantine inspection is not happening until tuesday morning.

so all in all cameron a very good result. thanks for all your assitance and help and most importantly allowing me the oppurtunity to purchase the car from england. im very very happy with the car. also i sincerely hope that you have now received the outstanding amount. please if you could confirm for me whether or not you have received it yet. it should have been there days ago now.  

Many Regards

Leon. /span>

Genuine feedback comments from other ebay buyers:

 “Nice car. good deal. thanks for the Tea and sandwich at marketplace”

“Just as detailed. great communication. very happy with purchase. ” 

“car as discribed very pleased seller very nice to deal with thanks A************”

“genuine & caring etrader: safe & secure” 

“Absolutely first class item and transaction in all respects and in every detail. ”

“Honest. friendly seller. Wonderful car just as described! 5*** A+++thanks x” 

“Honest and reliable description. Seller with integrity. ”

“Smooth transaction. car as described if not better. would def deal with again. ” 

“Excellent to deal with Many many thanks for your help with a smooth transaction”

“Excellent gentleman 2 deal with speedy service excellent communication 10/10” 

“A great buying experience from start to finish first rate”

“Professional. polite and positive. Excellent communicator. Pleasure to know. ” 

“Superb service Great communication Beautiful car As described Highly recommend”

“A first class example of this classic car. A pleasure doing business” 

“A thoroughly professional transaction from a seller who can be trusted. ”

“Car as described. payment & collection arranged very conveniently. Good ebayer”” 

“great car”

Also published at eBay.co.uk

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