What Price Perfection? Building a Better MGB

More than fifty years have passed since the iconic MGB debuted at the London Motor Show at Earl’s Court in 1962. During the years since it became the best selling sports car in the world – later surpassed by the Mazda Miata – and evolved into one of the most cherished (and accessible) classics in the hobby. Perfectly restored MGBs exist in the marketplace and while not entirely common they are plentiful enough that anyone wishing to recreate the experience of driving a new MGB can do so at an affordable price (compared to almost every one of its peers among 60s sports cars).

For the folks at Frontline Developments in the United Kingdom, the goal wasn’t to provide the experience of new MGB ownership but to provide an entirely new experience for the MGB owner: to construct an entirely modern vehicle inside the same iconic bodyshell to offer an entirely better brand of B. The Frontline MGB Abingdon Edition may not be the best MGB ever produced but it might be the perfect car for the owner that wants to combine classic memories with modern performance without having to compromise anything in the process.

This ultimate MGB does not come cheaply with a price of £79,895 (approximately USD $112,000) but the results almost entirely justify the price. Except for the identification plate and some badging the parts are entirely new with a bespoke Heritage body hand fitted and much improved by hundreds of hours of finishing work and a hand constructed hood. The panels are sound proofed, rust protected and strengthened to provide a sound basis for the rest of the car. The heart of the new B comes from the creator of its putative successor, Mazda, with a 2.5-litre fuel injected twin-cam 4-cylinder engine producing 304bhp and 242 ft/lbs of torque. Performance is at a level that the gang from Abingdon could only dream of with a top speed of 162 mph and 0-60mph in less than 3.8 seconds while getting better than 35 mpg on the highway.

The interior appointments are more Aston-Martin than Abingdon, with electric windows, central locking, electronic power steering and air-conditioning. The instruments have electronic innards with classic faces and the whole car feels like it was built by a modern car company with perfect shutlines, consistent gaps and impeccable driving dynamics. The 6-speed transmission offers a broad array of ratios and the clutch feels like it was lifted from a modern BMW rather than a 50-year old British roadster. The suspension is completely new and handles as well as most small sports coupes and much better than the old MGB ever did.

The most impressive thing about the car is that handling is so much improved over the original (a good thing given the increased performance) with the new geometry and shock absorbers resulting in limited body roll, better dampening and sharper steering. The engine is tractable and uses the available torque to good advantage, but the 7600 rpm redline is a long way off as the engine is perfectly comfortable in the 3000-5000 rpm range.

Expensive? Of course. A better car? Undoubtedly. Is it worth it? That depends on how much money you have and what you’d pay to have the most perfectly modern MGB ever constructed. Without a doubt it’s a much better B, but I think I’ll stick with the original. If I won the lottery, however, my thought might change.

By Johnny Oversteer

Images provided by Frontline Developments. Driving Impressions from the British Motoring Journal.