Vehicle Description
Vehicle to be offered for Auction sale WITHOUT RESERVE and SOLD to the highest bidder January 19th - 22nd, 2017 at Russo and Steele's 17th Annual Scottsdale Arizona Auction at the Salt River Fields at Talking Stick. Please contact us for more information.
Following decades of remarkable success on both the racetrack and sales floor with its quick and nimble four-cylinder sports cars, Britain's MG began experimenting with six-cylinder power in 1964. The "large engined MGB" project, internally coded ADO52, culminated in the 1967 release of the MGB-based MGC. Neatly bridging the gap in parent company BMC's product line created by the cancellation of the Austin-Healey 3000, the MGC was available in Roadster and GT Coupe forms and looked much like the MGB, aside from a pronounced hood bulge and 15-inch wheels. To accommodate the larger engine, however, the MGC front suspension exchanged the coil-type springs of the four-cylinder MGB in favor of torsion bars and wishbones, similar to Jaguar's XKE.
With 150 horsepower and plenty of low-end torque on tap from its lusty 2,912 cc six-cylinder powerplant, the MGC was the most powerful car MG produced during the era. Contemporary road tests revealed that while it was just one second quicker than its predecessor in the zero-to-60 mph sprint, the MGC offered more relaxed high-speed cruising and a much higher top speed exceeding 120 mph. Available gearboxes included a choice of a newly-designed, fully-synchronized four-speed manual unit and a floor-shifted three-speed automatic. Additionally, the MGC GT offered a slight performance edge over its Roadster sibling thanks to better aerodynamics. Production of the MGC would only last three years from 1967 to 1969 however, with only some 8,999 examples ultimately built including 4,457 of the GT fastback coupes. Only some 2,500 examples were imported to the United States during the model's brief production run, with top-notch surviving examples rarely seen today.
The 1968 MGC GT offered here is a handsome, rust-free example with virtually flawless paint that clearly benefits from a complete cosmetic restoration performed during 2015. Very few miles have been traveled since an older mechanical restoration of this MG was completed by a master mechanic. A very attractive and unusual find today, this MGC GT is also a very usable classic sports car with great looks, plenty of power, and enthusiastic support. As such, it stands as an outstanding example of one of Britain's greatest sporting marques.
