Classic Car Mart Magazine Vol.20 No.7 MGB: The Price Gap Back Issue

I may not have been driving a
particularly classic example of
Coventry’s most famous marque
for Chris Evans’ Classic Car Day
(I was piloting our X300 XJ6) but I
did spend at least part of the working day
behind the wheel of the TR7 featured in
this issue and a very informative session it
was too. I’ve tried so many TR7 V8s over
the years that it’s easy to forget just how
enjoyable the standard car is.
A few days later courtesy of Cherished
Classics I found myself behind the wheel of
an superbly original Hillman Imp Californian,
the fastback styled model. Much like the
TR7, it was a fascinating illustration of
how popular opinion can sway one’s own
perception. The Imp’s taken more than its
fair share of criticism over the years but a
well set-up original example like this shows
just what fun they could be.
Both TR7 and Imp are perfect examples
of how you don’t have to be wealthy
to enjoy messing about with old cars,
something which this month’s MGB price
comparison illustrates perfectly: yes, you
can spend up to £30k on an MGB but you
can also spend less than a tenth of that
sum and still enjoy the world of classic
cars behind the wheel of a rubber bumpered
GT. Which in turn explains
why we picked the enduring B as
one of our ideal starter classics.
As a trip to my local Jaguar dealer
for a simple air conditioning drive
belt proved this week, the parts
availability for classics like the
MGB is better than even some
brand new cars.
On the subject of Jaguar, this
month’s buying guide delves into
the subject of buying a car which
may be priced alongside some of
our starter classics but is definitely not one
for the novice: the ’80s XJ40 saloons. Once
again popular myth and rumour suggests
they’re pretty much the worst old car you
could ever invest in but talk to owners and
specialists and they’ll tell you that a good
one with proper maintenance behind it
will be a great buy for really very little and
generally a very enjoyable classic cruiser.