1971 MG BGT 1.8 from North America
Summary:
A performance car without PERFORMANCE part, I bought this car on looks only
Faults:
A reliable little car to my suprise. During the 2 years I owned this car I virtually had nothing go wrong with the car, although I had to do, valve adjustments, tune ups and Carburetor adjustments from time to time. The engine was professionally rebuilt before I purchased it and extremely healthy. I also replaced the trim. And the gauges were finicky obviously needed rebuilding. The heater control turn knobs were a joke.
General Comments:
Although this car was in very good mechanical shape it never had the performance of a real sports car even from the era it came from. It was a big let down in that regard. The handling was good in tight driving situations. The rear end could get jarred easily going over bumps at high speed cornering. Overall a decent handling car without enough power to get you into too much trouble.
The engine in this car was in excellent condition and properly tuned for max performance. Even so I was not too impressed with that engine. Doggy and not that high revving. Similar performance to a 122 Volvo I once had. I did like the way the car shifted through the gears. I have driven other MG's (1622cc and up) and they are all pretty close to the same in performance and without overdrive they run into the 4000 rpm + cruising range, which gets old quick. Let's face it Mg's were not about high performance.
The styling of the car was what caught my eye. Like a mini Aston, if you will. Back Seats? Ha. For your groceries only.
If I were to have another affordable British sports car I would probably get a Triumph of some sort. They seem more serious of a performance car with more horsepower. Although I've heard those later swing axles were a nightmare.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No
Review Date: 17th July, 2007
7th Dec 2006, 14:28
Please don't post a comment after owning the car for only 10 days. This presents the information inaccurately... after you get some experience with the vehicle, then write your review so we can have a better-grounded opinion to read.