Mike,
A thoughtful analysis. I think the issue is that the last MGs did not have
the characteristics that most MG owners love in their cars. As such, they
are a disappointment to those who have to remember "Safety Fast", when
driving their cars, rather than have all that safety built in and not have
to think at all. In trying to define a sports car, Tom McCahil said that one
characteristic was that you had to think and plan ahead in a sports car. By
1980 BL had pretty much taken that away from MG drivers.
Jack
> ----------
> From: Mike Lishego[SMTP:mlishego@asheboro.com]
> Sent: Tuesday, January 04, 2000 7:00 PM
> To: mowog77 bootknocker; Feldman, Jack (Jack)
> Cc: mgs@autox.team.net
> Subject: Re: MGB LE A Collectable?
>
> I think we need to look at collectible cars not on their performance
> merits, but on their uniqueness.
>
> First of all, other than the '67 BGT specials, this was the only
> 'special' MGB that ever made it to the states. Second, this was the
> last year of an amazing car and an amazing car company. That alone
> makes other cars minor collector's items.
>
> Not only that, let's think about the MGB's in their late iterations.
> There are plenty of people that want a chrome bumpered car so badly
> that they'd take the saw to their car to make it like the earlier
> versions. Secondly, in the name of performance these cars are
> stripped of their admittedly crummy carbs and emissions equipment so
> they can keep up with the earlier 'Bs. Most of these cars never see
> their original parts again.
>
> And like another similar argument I made a few years ago, these cars
> are like the '63 split-window Corvette Stingrays. In the years
> following '63, the Vettes were made with a one-piece rear window,
> which eliminated the unique split-window feature. To make their
> Vettes look newer, some owners took a hacksaw to the rear window and
> put in the one-piece glass. Now, an original '63 without a botched
> window will fetch thousands more than one that had been hacked.
> Don't believe me? Go to a Vette show and ask...(and yes, I just
> compared a rubber bumpered MGB with a '60's Vette.)
>
> Personally, the 80 LE is a wise collector car. They can be had
> fairly cheap, and there are some all-original cars still running
> around. Admittedly, they aren't a real performer. If we were
> making a list of good performance cars from the late '70s and early
> '80s, I doubt any LBC's would find their way onto the list. I would
> gladly trade my '74 chrome car for an original '80 LE; not because I
> like the rubber bumpers, but simply because there is more of a 'gee
> whiz' collectors factor in the car. (And I would drive it with the
> Z-S carb too.)
>
> I guarantee that someday soon the LE's will rise in value - but only
> the all-original ones. There's something special about the last
> year that a car company was in business.
>
> But that's just my opinion...
>
> Mike Lishego
> http://www.mgb.bc.ca/virtualgarage/
> 1991 Mazda Miata
> 1986 Plymouth Turismo T1
> 1984 Mazda RX-7 GSL-SE
> 1974 MGB
>
>
> >What kind of expert....bullshit expert?
> >Those are the worst MGs I have ever driven!
> >--
>
>
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