The MGC Is The NEARLY Perfect Sports Car... (1968 MGC Roadster Road Test)

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Combining gorgeous looks with the superb MGB chassis and powerful Austin Helaey 3000 engine, the MGC should have been the perfect sports car. Sadly, cut corners, restrictive budgets and a failed launch, combined with a reputation for understeer meant it never lived up to expectations. Modern fixes and modifications finally make the MGC the car it should have been, but is it now a classic worth owning? Jack went for a test drive!
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Chapters
0:00 The Perfect Sports Car?
0:40 Old Sports Cars Selling Well
1:45 Healey Engine In An MGB?
2:43 A Heavy, Old Engine
3:15 Failed Engine Weight Reduction
3:41 Reengineered Suspension
3:58 Still Looked Like An MGB
4:20 Strong Expectations
5:07 Failed Launch
5:32 Lackluster Handling
6:02 Modern Salvation
6:33 Engine & Performance Upgrades
7:08 Steering & Suspension Upgrades
7:38 The Perfect Sports Tourer
8:16 Improved Handling
8:31 A Perfected Failure

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27 июл 2024

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Комментарии : 103

@user-jy8mo5fi5q 5 месяцев назад

In the late 1960's I served on the Lancashire Constabulary Traffic Debt and we had two MGC GT's in each traffic group. I was only in my early 20's and had never experienced any other sports car before driving one in all its county livery and equipment and enjoyed every minute I could get hold of one. We carried so much accident kit in the car we didn't carry a spare wheel and had to shout for help via force radio if one was required.

@christopherpicot 5 месяцев назад

I’m the lucky owner of a 68 mgc that I bought back in 98. It was a California car, rust free and straight. During the time I’ve owned it I’ve rebuilt the engine, installed new interior, had it respayed twice and uprated just about everything. It runs and drives great, I’ve driven it through Germany effortlessly at 100+ mph for hours at a time with a big grin on my face. It an absolutely superb touring car to drive for someone like me 6.2 ft.

@philtucker1224 4 месяца назад

You are a very fortunate man Christopher. Thank you for caring for this wonderful classic. Live long and prosper 🖖

@rogerwilco4736 3 месяца назад

I too am the owner of a 1968 MGC roadster in snowberry white with overdrive it's the second I've owned the first one also a 68 car with o/d in mineral blue but that was 40 years ago

@rogerwatt8491 4 дня назад

I owned a '68 MGC GT after owning a '64 B and a '66 BGT and have to say I never got on with it. Maybe it was the kind of driving I did back then but the C was more of a tourer than a sports car. As a founder owner of the MG Owners' Club and a professional car photographer, I drove a lot of sports cars back then and found the C comparatively heavy, sluggish and thirsty . . . so I sold it after nine months and owned two later BGTs and an Alfa 2000GTV (lovely but couldn't deal with the rust!) before buying a BGT V8 which was everything the CGT should have been and I LOVED it. I photographed the V8 for a couple of magazines when it came out (it turned up with the V8 badges taped over) and knew then that I had to have one. I kept it for three years (before getting into Porsches) but it's still the car I most regret selling.

@user-os7jz1oc5y 5 месяцев назад

The B and the C are some of the roomiest & most comfortable sports cars made.As a six foot two male they are the only ones I can fit into- Triumphs- no way, Healeys- the same.It's a big consideration!

@KK-qu7jb 5 месяцев назад

Agree with you on that. I had an MGC roadster and I even managed to sleep in it once or twice. Fast forward 40 years and I now own an E Type FHC that I struggle just to get into, although I have to say I am not as flexible as I used to be.

@michaeltutty1540 8 дней назад

If you want a modern take on an MGB, look at a 1st generation Mazda MX-5 Miata. At 6'3", I sit in one and feel like they built it for me. Of course, there is nothing beats the MGC in either roadster or GT.

@SimonWallwork 5 месяцев назад

Had 6 or 7 Bs, but never a C. Always liked them.

@damham5689 5 месяцев назад

This is when sports cars were fun for anyone to drive. Nowadays , with the exception of the top selling sports car Miata, sports cars seem only come with massive horsepower and horrible mpg.

@SanDiegoHarry1 5 месяцев назад

I loved my '72... when it was running. I did more work, poured more money, spent more garage time on that car for the 5 years I owned it than any other car I've had.

@michaeltutty1540 8 дней назад

What a great review of a superb car. I've seen one in the metal, and fell in love with the exhaust. I really like the upgrades on this example. You mentioned, though, the lack of feel because of the power steering. There is a fix to that. Use the General Motors Saganaw variable assist power steering pump as used on the later Volvo 240 models. After driving a new car, the steering in the 240 at parking lot speeds still feels unassisted, but you get used to it. At speed the assist drops to nothing. I had the power steering belt fall off my 1990 240 Estate on what you would call a Motorway. I did not realize it until I came to pull into my driveway. Listening to you, I got the wild notion of hotrodding one of the Farina Morris. The 3 litre 6 would make the formerly 4 cylinder car wake up something lovely.

@johnmcdonough455 6 месяцев назад

A friend of mine was killed in a brand new MG B in 1967 on a winding road in Avalon Beach NSW Australia. He had been given the car as 21st birthday present by his parents . He was racing against a friend of his who had been given an Alfa Romeo Guilia. The Alfa , of course , has an independent rear suspension, and won the race. The MGB with its semi - eliptic springs and live rear axle broke away on a bend, overturned,and my friend was killed . I certainly cannot concur with the title of this posting ... the PERFECT sports car .... ! 😱😱😱

@htimsid 6 месяцев назад

Which model of Giulia was that?

@prophetsnake 6 месяцев назад

Nobody cares what you think, apparently.

@johnmcdonough455 6 месяцев назад

@@prophetsnake At least it might give an MG B owner pause for thought if they were tempted to take on an Alfa ...... didn't BMC carry the suspension over from the Morris Minor 1000 ?

@garthlundquist3623 5 месяцев назад

Don’t blame the car. MGB’s have been driven millions of miles without rolling over. They were one of the most predictable handling popular sports cars of the era.

@michaeljoiner2503 5 месяцев назад

Guilas have a rear live axle

@KK-qu7jb 5 месяцев назад

I owned a 1968 MGC roadster for about 8 years during the 1980s and early 90s as a daily driver. All the rumors about poor handling and performance were just that. Rumors. It handled just fine with the stock steering wheel and Spax adjustable gas shocks on the front, standard lever arm dampers on the back. Compared to cars on the road at the time it was a fast car. It was super reliable and I put 20,000 miles on the car and had a blast. The only downside is 15mpg fuel consumption.

@jeffhildreth9244 4 месяца назад

Torsion bar front suspension. I averaged 19 MPG over many years in my 1969 MGC GT bought in the Spring of 1970. I miss that car Currently driving a 63 MGB and looking for a B or C GT.

@davidhollenshead4892 5 месяцев назад

The best MGC was the MGC GT as it had better weight distribution, by adding the weight of the rear GT bodywork. Regardless, I have seen MGB's with wicked aluminum engines, from V6 to V8 and most were lighter than the MGC...

@HobbitHomes263 5 месяцев назад

I had a TR6 that I thoroughly enjoyed. of corse it could catch the mustangs, camaros and other straight-line cars of my youth but it cornered very nicely and didnt feel like a block of pig iron

@philtucker1224 4 месяца назад

I like the concept of the MGC a lot. I’m not a fan of the MGB but I am a big fan of the AH3000. 👍

@michaeltutty1540 5 месяцев назад

Beautiful cars indeed. I've seen one in person, and it was a fairly well worn example of the breed. What did surprise me with it was how closely the sound came to that of the standard MGB. Still, i knew what I was looking at, which surprised the owner no end.

@prophetsnake 5 месяцев назад

Basicly the same engine with two more cylinders. And both engines were well, let's call it 'inspired' by the 1929 Chevy straight six. Austin had th econtract to look after the US Military's vehicles during WW2, and engines based on that Chevy's bare bones made up a large portion of those vehicles. After the war, Austin created a new line of engines dubbed the A, B, and C. While these were not copies of the Chevy six, they were very heavily influenced by it's features as well as Austin's pre -war designs. When Austin and Morris merged in the fifties, the engine followed and the three variants found their way into some of the most iconic British cars of the period, and was still being produced up into the late 70s and beyond. So in one form or another, the Chevy six lived for half a century.

@alexandrecouture2462 6 месяцев назад

Nice little car!

@tomarmstrong1281 5 месяцев назад

I miss my MGC. It was a long time ago when I had hair, energy, and hipster trousers. It was perfect in every respect.…….except for the snappy handling of its smaller stable mate the MGB. It did better on Pirelli tyres.

@thomasreilly6362 3 месяца назад

BMC should have looked at the Daimler dart SP252.Only one example exists. An opportunity missed. It had the look of a refined MGB with Aston Martin styling and power.

@johna1160 5 месяцев назад

Never a good idea to drop a big block into an otherwise agile handling car unless you're more concerned with stop light to stop light willy wagging than going around corners without front end plowing. One of many victims of this misguided approach was the AC Cobra. I'd take an early 260/289 version over a big block any day.

@jimmyquinn9639 6 месяцев назад

Lovely car ⭐️⭐️⭐️👍👍👏👏👏👏

@davidgentz1731 5 месяцев назад

I have a 77 MGB I put a Mustang V8 in it now it's a real car oh and by the way I got rid of your four fuse fuse block put in a fuse box 16 fuses and 4 relays

@jamesgraham6122 5 месяцев назад

My first car (1964) was a sprog-eyed fright.. (Mk1 Sprite).. I had it brought up to spec with a stage 2 mod to the engine.. 337 high lift cam etc.. this allowed me to compete at events with our local car club.. I then in 1966 bought a brand new MGB hoping that I would be able to compete at a higher level.. but it just didn't handle.. too much understeer, even with some mods..basically, the B was a long-distance, comfortable tourer, I would take it down to Greece and loved it in that context but for competition work.. No. The C should have been a marked improvement and i believe could have been had they chosen the 3500cc V8 being installed into the Rover.. and added some serious suspension improvements plus a limited slip diff. That was a lost opportunity to regain some of the reputation that BMC had acquired from the rallying successes of the Healeys.

@jeffhildreth9244 4 месяца назад

Agreed, but still a fine car the way it was as new from the factory.

@kennethpole2439 5 месяцев назад

What's with the bolt ends sticking out behind the steering wheel?

@michaelarchangel1163 6 месяцев назад

I like it. I also like sausages, women and feeding the jackdaws. A pal had one of these cars. Sadly, he died of an asthma attack.

@TheRolo61 6 месяцев назад

hilarious!

@alancrisp1582 6 месяцев назад

😂😅 You should be a stand up comedian, or a used car salesman !!..

@jeffhildreth9244 4 месяца назад

@@alancrisp1582 Or a politician.

@roygardiner2229 6 месяцев назад

Once again bean-counters did not listen to engineering experts.

@ClassicsWorldUK 6 месяцев назад

If only they had...

@evo5dave 6 месяцев назад

For the love of God, take a breath!

@colrhodes377 6 месяцев назад

I own an MGB and an MGC, and i personally prefer the B. The C is so nose heavy, it can be dangerous in tight corners

@Demun1649 5 месяцев назад

Danger in a tight corner? Usually that is down to not braking in a straight line, or too high an entry speed, or just being an untrained REAL DRIVER.

@colrhodes377 5 месяцев назад

@@Demun1649 I can assure you that you won't get a driver more trained than I am, unless you include F1 😉

@Demun1649 5 месяцев назад

@@colrhodes377 So, you are a trained Blues run driver, in an ambulance, or a fire pump?

@colrhodes377 5 месяцев назад

@Demun1649 The other option. I won't say more though

@Demun1649 5 месяцев назад

@@colrhodes377 The other option would be a Nissan Micra?

@jackfenton2271 5 месяцев назад

My first sports car was an MGC GT. Everything imaginable went wrong with it.

@jeffhildreth9244 4 месяца назад

Wrong owner.

@rogerwatt8491 4 дня назад

Nothing went wrong with mine, it just wasn't a very good car in my opinion . . . and I was a professional car photographer back then as well as a founder member of the MGOC. The press got it right, saying it was more of a tourer than a sports car. I subsequently owned a BGT V8 which I loved and which was everything the C should have been.

@andrewpreston4127 6 месяцев назад

"Modern tyres... ". Uh, what, Maxxis ditchfinders ?

@Demun1649 5 месяцев назад

Explain, please. I am at a loss with the reference to ditches. Surely that applies to every American "sports cars"?

@MikeSamuelsII-ve8gp 5 месяцев назад

I fully disagree . That boat anchor 6 cylinder made the handling awful. I'd rather have an MGB-GT-V8 any day.

@philtucker1224 4 месяца назад

Did they make those?🤔

@jeffhildreth9244 4 месяца назад

@@philtucker1224 MGB GT V8. Introduced 1973 - 1976 total of 2591 produced

@konekillerking 5 месяцев назад

My argument against your premise: Lucas Change my mind.

@KK-qu7jb 5 месяцев назад

In the 1980s I drove a 1968 MGC for 8 years (20,000 fun miles). Standard ignition and it never let me down once. These days an electronic ignition is an option.

@Punisher9419 6 месяцев назад

It's a shame the V8 version of the car wasn't the standard version. The worst part about the MGB was the engine for me, it was just so underpowered and lethargic. It was lighter then the inline 4 and had a lot more power and torque.

@IVAN-bs5bq 6 месяцев назад

Like a lot of BL cars it's a total balls up , I'll stick with my Healey , perhaps if he was road testing a standard car then he would realise how poor they are !

@robertparton6705 6 месяцев назад

You really need to not drive with your hand almost permanently on the gear lever our you will damage that gearbox if you don’t mind me saying.

@philtucker1224 4 месяца назад

Sometimes it’s the only way to stop the very loud vibrations buzzing when you are recording audio..

@MrBluoct 5 месяцев назад

Miss my 69 B

@jimeditorial 5 месяцев назад

A lovely car, but I respectfully submit that the Triumph TR-8 is the perfect sports car. Everything you love about British roadsters, with effective heating and ventilation, a secure top and power steering

@ClassicsWorldUK 5 месяцев назад

A great point, Jim! We'd love to review a TR8...

@philtucker1224 4 месяца назад

Everything good technically yes, except they look so awful, - so definitely not “perfect”..

@jeffhildreth9244 4 месяца назад

@@philtucker1224 And if you have ever worked on one....engineering nightmare.

@jimeditorial 4 месяца назад

@@jeffhildreth9244 I own one and work on it frequently. I have to.....it's British

@jimeditorial 4 месяца назад

@@philtucker1224 I've driven most of them, from the Sprite to an E-Type, and my 8 is a sports car with enough trunk space to permit long distance touring, without a duffle bag strapped to a luggage rack. The TR-7 is weak, but the V 8 should have been offered from hhe beginning. Wonderful engine

@jeffhildreth9244 6 месяцев назад

The engine was NOT from another sportscar. It is not a Healey motor. Patently false information. Utter bullshit. The MGC motor was designed and built specifically for that car and no other. The knock offs were from pre 1968. The car is NOT a monocoque, wrong again. The steering wheel was the same 16 1/2 inch. 3 pounds of air in the front over spec greatly improved the handling. The MGC attracted the wrong owners, whiners who bitched because they made the wrong choice when expecting a "sports" car. .. the cars were tourers and GTs (like mine bought in 1970 when I worked at a BMC dealership)). The MGC currently sells for 30% and more than a similar MGB. Lots of information left out. Do some research before you come off as an "expert".

@htimsid 6 месяцев назад

No, this presentation is certainly neither clear nor accurate. It's muddled and sometimes quite contradictory. But the C-series engine as used in the MGC was not only built for the C; a version of the 'new' seven-bearing C-series is used in the C, the other version in the Austin 3-litre ADO61. And in what way do you consider that the B / C is not a monocoque? Also, what do you mean about 'knock-offs'?

@philtucker1224 4 месяца назад

Hi Jeff, you probably have a lot more knowledge about these cars than you realise. I’m a big fan of the 70s era British Classics, so have you considered launching your own RU-vid channel?

@jeffhildreth9244 4 месяца назад

@@htimsid The B and C are uni-body. A monocoque is an integral unit all the way around. "While unibody and monocoque construction are sometimes used interchangeably, they aren't actually the same. We define unibody as a unitized vehicle body with tubes, bulkheads, and box sections that provide most of its strength, whereas a true monocoque structure gets its strength from the entire external 'skin'." Wire wheel hub nuts, locks, spinners and a variety of others. But in the USA.. Knock offs because you knock them off with a hammer.

@jeffhildreth9244 4 месяца назад

@@philtucker1224 Having owned over 100 cars , 30 British, and having worked at a Rolls, Bentely, Jag, Aston, Austin, Jensen, Mini Cooper, Morris, Lotus, MG, De Tomaso dealership in sixties/seventies, does not qualify me as an "expert. I spent a total of 25 years in the car biz.. 11 retail and 14 working for Mazda Motors of Am and Mercedes-Benz of No Am as a field rep/district manager and a Management Training Mgr for BMW and Volvo. But, that is not an indicator of expertise. I do know a bit about running dealership service and parts departments and of customer service and a bit of mechanics There are others who know considerably more. Were I to have a youtube channel, it would not be about cars. Though some are excellent, there are too many of them. Instead, I would concentrate on furniture making and folk art of immigrants to the United States and Canada from 1850 to 1950. This would include Mennonite, Hutterite, Ukrainian, Russian, Doukhobor, Swedish, Spanish revival, Gustavian, Quebecois, and a bit of Monterey and Shaker and some British.. I would concentrate mostly on painted goods, made and used by the immigrants and nothing to do with commercial production. Though retired some time ago, I hand draw, and paint, Brit and Euro auto and motorcycle logos and badges pre 70s. Sometimes I will agree to do an American logo, pre WWII. That's as close as I want to get to the car biz. I also make racetrack posters such as the1957 Laguna Seca Raceway in Monterey/Salinas Calif. I have supplied the track shop for many years, currently making another from the early 60s period. PS Is was at the first Laguna Seca Race, which was actually The Pebble Beach Races at Laguna Seca. Our Boy Scout Troop directed traffic. Please forgive "too much story"..but you asked : )

@philtucker1224 4 месяца назад

@@jeffhildreth9244 no I really appreciate it Jeff, I started my working life in the 70s as an apprentice R&D engineer in the race and rally business here in the U.K. concentrating on combustion research and development projects under licence to quite a few well known car companies , Toyota (lean burn technology) Ford Rally Sport, Lotus, Jaguar, Volvo Marine, Rover, Honda Motorcycles, MGB (LPG gas) to name a few. Subsequently I’ve always remained interested in motorsport from a technical development aspect, but not so much the actual racing itself… Kind regards to you.

@nikjames2965 5 месяцев назад

It was ok in the early 60s, but was obsolete by 1970

@oweneather1435 5 месяцев назад

The MGC was a desperate and pallid attempt to match the raw grunt of, first, the Triumph TR 5 and, then, its facelift TR 6. The BMC 3 litre donk was heavy, uninspiring and did not hdlp weight distribution one bit. It was no contest and sales figures speak for thsmselve.

@KK-qu7jb 5 месяцев назад

I'm guessing you have never driven an MGC.

@oweneather1435 5 месяцев назад

@@KK-qu7jb I'm guessing you have not driven a TR 5 or TR 6. Superior suspension and brakes, lighter and more powerful engine, out of the box.

@jeffhildreth9244 4 месяца назад

@@oweneather1435 BS. I wanted a TR6 and then I drove them and worked on them, that cured me. Industrial nonsense.

@oweneather1435 4 месяца назад

@jeffhildreth9244 " Industrial nonsense" ? The TR 6 was so popular, about 100 000 were sold - so nonsensensical. The TR5/6 was vastly superior in toughness, handling and, especially, performance. Triumph were reknowed for using advanced technology - all independent wishbone and trailing arm suspension, disc brakes and fuel injection. MG never got close. Thousands of existing Triumph drivers would disagree with you.