MGC

Fast Facts

• Best model: Roadster
• Worst model: Automatic
• Budget buy: GT
• OK for unleaded?: No
• Will it fit in the garage? (mm): L 3880x W 1520mm
• Spares situation: Very good
• DIY ease?: Like an MGB
• Club support: Unsurpassed
• Appreciating asset?: Very much so
• Good buy or good-bye?: An MGB for lazy touring

Big six engine is rugged but not rapid

better breathing helps a lot

Most of the detailing is same as MGB but check

Quite a Q car, the MGC looks same as B from behind but cruises better

Cabin as per MGB: this one has been nicely modernised

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Lazy and lumbering… most enthusiasts wouldn’t give the MGC the time of day when new. Now they are richly coveted – so what’s changed their view?

Unloved for too long, because of its poor handling and lazy engine, the MGC is now regarded as one of the best British GT sports cars of the 1960s you can buy and own. But, is this justifi ed? Everybody makes mistakes and, as classic cars go, the MGC is a prime example. When launched back in 1967 it was heavily slated for its cumbersome nature, general laziness and lack of sports car feel. As a result only 8999 were made. Did MG get it wrong? Well apparently BLMC, as it was then, made a cock up with the tyre pressures on the road test cars and that’s where the car gained its poor reputation and one that stuck for four decades. Did the motoring media get it wrong, because now the MGC is highly respected for all the things it was criticised for back in ’67! It’s all in the past and best left there – today the MGC is one of the most coveted of MGBs, selling for considerably more than the V8s MG and Austin-Rover turned out afterwards, yet is almost as easy to run as a normal MGB.

History

Long before the MGB was launched, MG had thoughts about making a six-pot sports car along the lines of the Big Healey. There’s much debate as to whether or not the MGC was ever intended to be a replacement for the big Austin-Healey though. The offi cial line is that it’s just a coincidence that the Austin ceased production around the time ADO 52 was launched – an explanation that’s generally accepted by the way. Although, and to MG’s engineering credit, it looks much the same car, substituting the B-Series engine for the 2912cc straight-six of the MGC meant much more than merely removing one and fi tting the other. For starters, the unit was rather taller than was ideal, so a revised bonnet was essential for clearance. The fl oorpans forward of the car’s centre also had to be redesigned, because the B’s beefy crossmember had to be swapped for a smaller, less sturdy item. As a result, the front suspension also had to be changed.

The development team settled on longitudinal torsion bars with telescopic shock absorbers, running back to a central crossmember. As the fl oorpans had to being redesigned, the opportunity was also taken to widen them, so an automatic transmission could be accommodated. At the same time, the radiator was moved forward eight inches, as well as being increased in size. Because of the extra weight over the front wheels, a less direct steering rack was fi tted, offering 3.5 turns between locks, instead of the B’s tighter 2.9. To fi nish things off dynamically, the wheels grew an inch in diameter if not width to become 15 inch items and also raise ground clearance. While the engine actually was the same in cubic capacity as the Healey unit, it wasn’t the same one. Rather this was a newly designed unit that was also fi tted to the new Austin 3-litre saloon, albeit in a softer tune. The six pot was part Australian (known as Blue Streak), part C Series that was developed by Morris with a beefi er seven bearing crankshaft. Though two inches shorter than the Austin ‘six’ it still weighed 210lb more than the hardly featherweight B-Series. The result was still 145bhp (which was slightly less than the old Healey unit!) but with a useful 170lbft of torque. The MGC was launched in both roadster and GT forms in October 1967, but it was greeted with little in the way of enthusiasm by the motoring press. The MGB with six pot sting was accused of being a major disappointment, with stodgy handling, lifeless steering and strong understeer compared to the MGB, which even in ’67 hardly ranked as the world’s best handling car. Despite a competitive price for the roadster (in 1967, £1163 with overdrive), buyers stayed away preferring instead to spend an extra £25 on the old Healey, before it was dropped. Despite some 9000 made (which dwarfs the number of MGB GT V8s sold), MG gave up with the C after just two years and the fi nal cars rolled out of Abingdon in August 1969. With large stocks of unsold cars to shift, it made more sense to admit defeat and some cars hung around in showrooms until early 1971. Changes to the car were few, the most signifi cant being the lowering of the overall gearing, along with a closer ratio gearbox to give the car more urgency, in 1968, along with reclining seats and some detail changes. London dealer University Motors bought the last batch of MGCs and sold them as specials, some with 175bhp engines thanks to Downton, that legendary BMC tuner who made the Cooper S.

Driving

This is where it all falls apart, so the bar-room pundits would have you believe still. In reality, things aren’t necessarily as bad as you might think; listen to all those self-appointed experts and you’d think the MGC still suffers from shocking understeer, remains disappointingly slow and sleepy and is generally a mediocre classic all round. The truth is somewhat different – as long as the car has been set up properly at least. Incorrect tyre pressures were the root cause of the poor handling back in 1967 and those who have been in the know for a long time have been proved right on this. Another critical factor to check is that the tyres are up to the job, as original cars featured nothing wider than spindly 165-section tyres which the MGB ran on. This car demands 185-section rubber at the very least, or in the bends the front runs out of grip too early, thanks to the extra weight of that six-cylinder lump. That said, compared with the MGB there’s an extra 210lb in the nose, which doesn’t help the dynamics at all, and it’s true that the MGC is not as agile and predictable as an MGB. The press had a lot to say about it. “Enthusiasts familiar with the masculine behaviour of the Austin-Healey 3000 may find the performance of the new car disappointing,” said Motor, adding that the clumsy heavy nature of the MGC “… rather discourages the kind of hard cornering a sports car fan is likely to indulge in”. However, it conceded that the MGC was better sprung and better balanced than an MGB, especially at higher speeds.

Even the MGC’s biggest fans have to admit that the C’s forte is its relaxed easy-going cruising attitude, where vertigo-inducing (up to 27mph/1000rpm) gearing sees the magic touring ton with the six-pot engine turning over at a less than 4000rpm. It’s not a fast car, even back in ’67 the pace was only middling. The 0-60mph time was stop-watched at ten seconds and the MG was all maxed out at 118mph – slightly slower than the old Healey. The engine’s inherent laziness and reluctance to rev wasn’t compensated by its torque below 3000rpm either, when the force of 170lbft had yet to came into play.

Values

The best thing about the MGC is that prices fall in line with its later V8 replacement – and this means strong value for money. Predictably, roadsters are worth signifi cantly more than GTs. While a project GT that’s complete can be bought for £2000 or so, an equivalent roadster is more like £3500. Similarly, a decent GT makes a worthy £5000 while a roadster is closer to £7000. Valuing the best cars is tricky; superb open-topped Cs are offi cially worth around £10.000 but really top cars have been known to sell for the thick end of £20,000 or more.

Improvements

Tuning parts for the MGC were around, although not that popular, and are coveted today – ditto the run out University Motors specials. Engine mods can see around 175bhp but it’s the suspensionthat really needs upgrading with better damping and you can convert to telescopics. Add better anti roll bars and you’re almost there. Modern, wider radials (185 section) are a must, but steering effort will be higher, so don’t go for too small a steering wheel as a result. Thankfully, a power steering kit has recently been developed, not cheap but worth considering. Gearbox ratios varied during production as did differential ratios while a limited slip diff was one of the numerous options when new (although this will increase understeer unless this is dailled out fi rst). Non-overdrive cars featured a 3.07:1 ratio, with overdrive and automatic examples having a 3.3:1 unit. However, during 1968 this was changed so autos and non-overdrive cars got the later unit, while C’s with overdrive got a lower driven 3.7:1 unit. The MGB is already quite well served with twin 1.75 SUs; it’s attention to the Weslake 12 port cylinder head’s breathing that pays dividends along with better extraction (manifold and system). Fit electronic ignition too.

Three Of A Kind

MGB V8s

Second stab at making a faster MGB, instigated by Ken Costello, just as MGC died. Factory effort and better developed, but comes in lower Range Rover tune, plus is a GT only. Car sold worse than MGC, and is therefore rarer, but prices lag. MGR of 1990s is good take of modernising the MGB and the 190bhp V8 is well quick. Amazingly, the RV8 is no dearer to buy than a V8, or even a normal MGB for that matter.

Triumph TR5/6

This rival came from in-house Triumph, around the same time, with the six-pot and 2.5-litres, plus fuel injection, for 150bhp. Much more rapid and eager than MGC but handling is as antiquated. TR6 launched soon after with squarer styling; it’s much more popular buttop TR5s now sell for serious money. PI system can be made reliable and virtually all you need to restore a TR is available.

Austin-Healey 3000

Flashback more than 50 years and the Big Healey was the MGC of its day – and the car has certainly remained better loved than the MGC. There are three versions of the 3000, all improved and refi ned as the years went on, although there’s no escaping its vintage feel which is notable over the newer MG. Big Healeys appeal to traditionalists, as continual rising values amply prove.