It’s not every day that an MG (as opposed to a classic Ferrari or Aston Martin), stops you in your tracks and really forces you to pay attention, but our MGC GT, rebuilt meticulously by the talented team at Clayton Classics of Coventry does just that….

Completed in 2014 as a showcase of what this relatively new business could achieve with their restorations, this MG was awarded some 1,600 hours of labour, over £20,000 worth of parts, and nearly two-years of painstaking skilled craftsmanship to produce what must surely be the ultimate best-of-breed C GT.

Plainly, the body was fully bare metal restored on a corrosion free shell, & painted in a deep gloss Black which really looks the business.  The engine is a fully rebuilt MG Motorsport powerplant with highly-tuned carburettors and a rebuilt 4-Spd gearbox with overdrive, all of which performs beautifully giving a good turn of power and a sweet exhaust note from the stainless steel pipes.

The interior is equally impressive being trimmed in matching black leather with correct stitch pattern for the period, the aim here which has been achieved was to recreate a brand-new 1969 car, with little or no outward deviation from original specification. That being said, some discreetly mounted creature comforts exist on this car, including power-steering, but the controls to operate this are hidden away from sight.

To replicate this car today we could easily imagine costs in excess of £50,000, or, you could buy this car with some considerable saving and take comfort in the fact that all the post-restoration snagging is completed, meaning you can enjoy a turn-key, almost concours and head-turning classic car which really does rival some of the best brands in the business with its quality…

Auction house, Historics at Brooklands recently offered and sold a superbly restored Triumph TR6 with a guide of £28,000 – £35,000, though it eventually sold for more than £57,000, evidencing the appetite for cars when they’re 9.9/10….(nothing’s perfect!).  Actually, for us, although that TR6 was an eyeful, it had to our mind deviated too far from the original specification, and for that reason we consider our MGC not just high quality and more than worthy of our price, but also, importantly, we believe it is a more accurate likeness to what this car would have been in 1969 too, and that means something.

Restoration in brief:

• Fully rebuilt MG Motorsport Fast Road Spec. engine fitted with newly refurbished carburettors, links and manifolds
• ‘Fast’ steering rack fully rebuilt
• Power steering
• Original 4-speed gearbox (with overdrive) fully overhauled
• Complete new braking system
• New stainless-steel exhaust system
• Rear axle fully rebuilt
• Spax adjustable shock absorbers
• Uprated radiator
• Electric fan
• New glass, rubber seals and bushes, starter motor, alternator, wiring loom and electrical components throughout
• New leather seats and interior trim including carpets, door cards, headlining and dashboard
• Chrome work replaced or re-chromed to the highest standards
• Concours paintwork
• Now sitting on chrome wire wheels