1974 1/2 MGB-GT

All manner of MGB automobiles produced from September of 1962 through model year 1974 inclusive came equipped with some variation of traditional chrome plated bumpers, whereas commencing with model year 1975 and continuing on through July 1980 when MG production at Abingdon ceased altogether, MGB vehicles were fitted with rubberized five mile per hour impact bumpers in conjunction with a newly raised overall ride height in order to comply with evolving Federal safety mandates. Furthermore, increasingly stringent U.S. emissions standards begot a changeover as of the 1975 model year from what had previously been a standard of twin SU carburetors to a single Zenith Stromberg unit paired with a catalytic converter that had the net effect of dramatically reducing power output. Also, the elegant Pininfarinia designed MGB-GT body style that had debuted in October of 1965 was withdrawn from the U.S. market coincident to model year 1975. All of these events conspired to make the 1974 1/2 model MGB-GT having rubber bumpers and twin SU carburetors seen here a notable oddity in the States given that such examples were only made available during a three month time window in late 1974.

With respect to this somewhat unusual although not necessarily inherently valuable vehicle, while I certainly enjoyed my tenure of ownership from 1985 through 1990, it nevertheless does represent something of a "missed opportunity" for me as well given that I had siphoned off the few thousand dollars used for its purchase from funds I otherwise used to invest in Microsoft prior to their March 1986 IPO (...and my ROI in dollar terms was substantially better with Bill).