MG Motoring 2017 nov2017 | Page 10

MG Car Club of South Australia MGC NEWS MGC mutterings from Richard Mixture, November 2017 much quicker than the B, and it does: top speed, for ex- ample, was 118.2 m.p.h. for our hard- top two seater, com- pared with the 106.5 m.p.h. attained by the similar version of the MGB which was tested in 1964.” The release of the MGC at the Earl Court Motor Show in 1967 Talking about the positive aspects in the article it article says “Certainly the new model amply satisfies one of the prime requirements of grand touring – the abil- ity to cruise with complete effortlessness at high speeds.” “Also GT in character are some improvements to interior safety and comfort: rubber winders for the windows, neatly recessed door locks and some welcome additional fore-and- aft adjustment for the driver’s seat.” It does say that rake adjustments for the seats are “primitive and inadequate as ever, the heater has inferior controls and remains an extra, the glove com- partment is crude ...” “Despite these faults, general comfort is quite good and there are few cars that can outpace the MGC at anything near its £1,163 price tag” You’d have to fork out around £20,000 to buy one today. H ello again, it's Richard here. Did you read the English Motor maga- zine on the 4 th November, 1967? Yes that’s 50 years ago. That nice young Register Co-ordinator gave me a copy that he had received from that nice old Queenslander, you know who I mean, yes that’s right, it’s Bruce. Well, 17 days earlier on the 18 th October at the Earls Court Motor show the MGC was released to the public and all the journos were keen to test this new six cylinder MG. The Motor article was one of the best I have read. The heading says “Softly, Softly – Stable high speed cruising; smooth, quiet engine sluggish at low revs; good roadholding; clumsy steering; good brakes and economy; seats comfortable but lack support; dated finish and controls.” The MGC they tested was NJB 649F which ap- pears to be the only time this car was written about in a magazine. The en- gine was “described in detail in our Oc- tober 21 st issue, the new engine is a modified, lightened and seven-bearing version of the old Healey six:” “With 53% more power yet only 18% more weight the MGC can be expected to go “Performance and economy ... it pulls without hesitation, pinking or vibration making for pleasant driving around town – and the quiet hum of the exhaust is the predominant noise.” Yes, we all like that noise. In fact on leaving the October Register meeting that well known spelling error, TD McNobb, thought that Dean’s BV8 sounded won- derful until he heard that beautiful six cylinder throb, (err... should we call him 8