A very well restored and prepared car....
I went over the body with a small kitchen magnet, stuck everywhere. No indication of plastic filler anywhere. Nice panel fit, beautiful BRG paint, clearly completely taken apart when done as all of the seals, gaskets, piping, etc have been replaced.
Underneath, chassis and wood floors all look to be excellent, same with the battery boxes, cross braces, didn't see any rot, rust, damage, or repairs underneath. Excellent battery boxes. And the word 'spotless' comes to mind.
Only a few hundred miles on a rebuilt 1798cc MGB engine, 165 psi compression in every cylinder, no smoke, 65 psi oil pressure, rebuilt SU carbs, tubular headers, new cloth wiring harness, burled wood dash, stereo/CD hidden under and behind dash, new radiator, oil cooler, 3" wide racing belts, wood steering wheel, back up fuel pump, shrouded electric radiator cooling fan, a quick, excellent driving beautiful MGA.
A note about this particular engine, in my opinion, the best engine you could fit to an MGA. See, one distinguishing characteristic between an A and a B engine is that all of the A engines have a tach drive running off the back of the block. B's don't, hence, requiring an electric tach. BUT for that narrow period of MG design, 1963 to mid 1965 MGB engines DO have the tach drive. Making them visually identical to an A engine. And, going one step further, IF you think the MG police patrol will wake you up in the middle of the night, drag you outside, and make you beg forgiveness to the local MG car club for being an 'engine deviate,' don't worry. A quick grind with a die grinder and the 1800 casting mark can be ground down to a '1500.' Easy.
Anyway, WHO cares? With the current engine, rated at 95hp, this MGA has performance similar to the famous (but woefully unreliable and now terribly expensive MGA twin cam). What a different 25hp and extra torque makes. Smooth, powerful, flexible, and looks identical. A nice combination.
Now, for the extreme 'purist' who might think an oil and filter changed renders a car no longer 'original' (which one prospective customer confided in me while discussing a restored MG TC), we just finished a completely rebuilt MGA 1500 engine. Which we would be more than happy to install. Bored to near 1600cc, thoroughly rebuilt, can even make a deal with the car and the extra engine. Just in case you feel this prized MGA will skyrocket in price but be unsaleable with the wrong engine. Why not have both?
Oh, and a note about 'matching numbers.' FYI, MGA 1500cc chassis plates are stamped with the VIN and where there is a space for 'engine number,' they read 'see engine.' WOW, the company didn't care, why should you?
Moving on,, most of the electricals new, everything works, very good top and side curtains, new canvas tonneau, side curtain bag, seats redone in leather, dash beautifully finished in burl wood (don't like it? It can be removed). New wood steering wheel (don't like it? We have plenty of original wheels in stock, easy trade), has wire wheels with new radials and tubes, new chrome knock offs, most of the rest of the chrome appears to be new, beautifully detailed engine bay, new radiator and oil cooler, alloy rocker cover, insulation under the bonnet, painted rust free trunk, spare wheel, tire, knock off hammer, and jack, painted under and behind the dash (in what appears to be a thorough, body off restoration), new stereo/CD carefully hidden under the dash, all in all, one fantastic MGA. And just about the perfect classic British sports car.....precise steering, excellent handling, great brakes (new master cylinder, redone brakes, even Aeroquip flex lines attached to the master cylinder....a beautiful touch). The list continues............
As nice an MGA as is on the market, ready for show, 'round town, country roads, and even long road journeys. Easy to service, inherently reliable, cheap and wide parts availability, and BEAUTIFUL lines.
What a special combination.
