1981 MGB Convertible, 183km, Carefully Preserved and Stored Time Capsule, NEW

1981 MGB

VIN: GVLDJ2B6519076

Engine #: 18V892AEK3535

Colour: Brooklands Green

Production Date Sept. 1980

With only 183km, this is very likely the lowest mileage and best preserved MGB extant.

History

MG had been making sports cars since the 1920’s and had campaigned successfully in the UK and Europe in roadraces and hill climbs. They are generally credited with starting the Sports CarMovementin North America with their MGTC, which many serviceman brought back after WWII. The MG name issynonymous with light fun sports cars.

In Calgary, Canada, a retiring Castrol engineer, hearing about the demise of the MG car company, wanted to secure one of the last MGB’s and preserve it. He purchased a new 1981 MGB from Cooke Motors (MG, Triumph, Jaguar and Rover dealers) located on Centre St. N. in Calgary. His MGB was produced in September 1980 in the Abingdon on Thames factory and was delivered to him in Calgary June 1981. October 1980 was the final production month for the MGB and the MGB car company in Abingdon, though the name was resurrected several times since, and is now owned by the Chinese. One piece of correspondence from the original owner to "BL Europe and Overseas" indicates that "The last MG 'B' Convertible to be produced was No. 523002, so in otherwords a further 3,926were produced after yours (#519076)." MG made about 400,000 MG 'B's in total from the early 1960's to 1980, making itone of the most successful sports cars ever built.

The first Owner bought a few accessories like an alloy valve cover, trunk carpet kit, and front grill bar, collected various magazine and newspaper articles about MG, preservation techniques, photos etc. and made well-organized binder which is supplied with the car. He put 183km on it in the first few years taking it to car shows, which is evidenced by the plaques on the dash. Records of the first years of ownership were detailed even for an engineer – he included the dates in which he polished the car!

In 1985, and with great care, he ‘pickled’ the car: Fuel was drained, cylinders were misted with oil spray, the car was placed on jacks (with wooden blocks preserving the underside finish), the jack stands greased to prevent mice from getting into the car, exhaust plugged, and then the car was covered with a car cover and thick blankets.

And there it sat until 2010 when it was purchased by another Calgarian who picked the car up in his trailer, took it to a car show in Radium Hot Springs, BC, and then put the car away and it didn’t move for another 7 years, until we bought it.

About The Car

We can comfortably use the term, “Impossible to Fault”, as it is extremely unlikely that another in this condition exists. The only item worth mentioning is the the boot lid fit is a little bit off, and the LHS front corner (of the lid) stands slightly proud of the rest of the rear bodywork, likely by somebody trying to close the boot without lifting the lid and releasing the catch properly, bringing the hinge slightly out of alignment. The panel is perfectly straight though. Other than that the car shows as it did in the Cooke Motors Showroom in June 1981. There is really not much else to say about it – it is a brand new car.

We have not touched the car other than to maneuver it for photographs. We have made no attempt to start it. We haven’t even washed it. The dust on it is the dust it has accumulated from 35 years. We did put some air in the tires, but most of the air remains original air... How many 35 year old cars can you say that about!

An example of the absolute originality:The factory delivered the cars with a thin clear film piece surrounding the exterior door lock, so the dealer wouldn’t scratch the paint if their aim with the key was off - and the film is still there. This piece of film will come off if the car if it is washed a few times...

It will obviously need to be mechanically recommissioned if somebody wishes to drive it a long distance. The fuel tank will need to be rinsed and filled with clean gas, the other fluids changed, the hoses and belts carefully inspected, and it would be wise to go through the braking system, and change the tires. Don’t forget to take the plug out of the exhaust!

Surprisingly, the belts, hoses and tires look serviceable. While I wouldn't plan any cross-country trips without replacing the aforementioned, travelling short distances to car shows seems realistic.

We can provide further non-invasive testing of mechanical components using a borescope or fluid analysis as part of a sales contract, to give the assurance that the components have been well preserved. Certainly there is no evidence of degradation of the engine oil, moisture contamination etc. The vehicle was very carefully preserved by a Lubrication Engineer for long term storage. Externally there is no evidence of even the slightest dusting of surface corrosion as evidenced by the detailed photos and videos that can be accessed by cutting and pasting the links below.

As it sits, it can be viewed as the ultimate reference for MGB restoration.

The car comes with the complete set of Books, warranty cards, Personalized Service Card etc. and a large file containing vehicle records, notes,the original brochure, magazine articles,correspondence, coffee table coasters(!), etc.

We’ve made 3 long, and somewhat boring videos, and uploaded 100+ photos to a Flickr account.

You Tube Videos

https://youtu.be/juphiu1UaUk

https://youtu.be/4oIzYdwsGvk

https://youtu.be/PktziQE3sDQ

Flickr Album

https://flic.kr/s/aHskZxEAun

The car is tucked away in our basement showroom in Calgary.

FAQ:

Who are we?: Porsche Centre Calgary is a franchised Porsche Dealer serving Southern Alberta Canada. We happen to like old cars of all types, and a small but fun portion of our business is dealing with collector cars. You can contact Lawrence Romanosky (who buys most of the cars and writes the adsthrough eBay or phone at 403-607-8625.)

Taxes and fees:There are no dealer fees. Canadian residents need to pay 5% GST. You don’t pay Canadian Taxes if the vehicle is shipped out of the country.

Payment: Wire transfer is easiest, within 7 days of the auction close is the expectation.

Shipping to the US: We can handle the logistics shipping to US addresses. The cost is usually between $2,500 and $3,500. There will be brokerage fees and duty on the car which are approx. $500 + 3% of the value of the car. Budget $5,000 for most US addresses to have the car delivered to your door via enclosed truck transport. You can send us the payment for the car plus $5,000 and we will take care of the rest and you can expect to receive the car between 3 and 6 weeks from the time of payment.

Shipping to Europe: We can handle this too. Generally the car would travel by container, and the cost would be about $5,000 to any of the major ports in Europe.

What if I want to have a running/driving car delivered to me? We can do that and charge you for the additional work we do, depending on what you want us to do. You would need to pay for the car first though.

Warranty: Um, no.