November 2017
MGC with new wheels in front of MWS
McThrob?). “With the throttle floored at,
say 1,500 r.p.m., the car takes some
time to build up speed until the engine
reaches 3,000 r.p.m. when it begins to
pull firmly and continues to do so with
silky smoothness right up to 5,600 r.p.m.
limit, at which it sounds quite un-
strained.”
“As might be expected from a capacity
increase of over a litre (compared to the
MGB) the fuel consumption has gone
up, but the difference is small. The over-
all consumption was 19.3 m.p.g. com-
pared to the 21.3 m.p.g. of the ordinary
MGB and the 20.9 m.p.g. of the GT ver-
sion.”
“Servicing and
accessibility
The rather heavy bonnet
is released by a pull knob
awkwardly located on the
passenger’s side. The
big six-cylinder engine fits
neatly into the MG com-
partment and all the most
important service points
such as the oil filler cap,
radiator filler cap, dip-
stick, carburettors, brake
and clutch reservoirs,
coil, distributor and oil-
filter are easy to get at.
Servicing is needed every
3,000 miles and the requirements are
similar to those of the MGB.”
Well it’s the most positive contemporary
report I’ve ever read. The journo did rec-
ognise the fact that he was testing a
grand tourer rather than a sports car like
the MGB. Either that or he had been
looked after rather well by BMC.
Remember ladies and gentlemen keep
‘em tuned,
Rich
“Handling and brakes
With 210 lb. more weight and an
increase in front roll stiffness, pundits
have been predicting tremendous under-
steer for the new MGC. But in fact the
weight distribution is very little changed
compared to the MGB, although the car
is 3½ cwt. heavier overall. Other factors
which work against an increase in un-
dersteer include an increase in power
and the fact that the front tyres are run
at 4 p.s.i. above the rears.”
Motor Road tests MGC
9