The MGC is one of the most controversial of the post-war MG’s.
At its launch, the car was very badly received by the press and subsequently sold in
rather small numbers, but is today fervently defended by enthusiastic owners. The design
of the MGC began in 1964. To understand some of the failings of the car, one must
understand that this was a time of major cost cutting at BMC. The basic plan was to
produce a more powerful MGB and at the same time make a badge engineered version to
replace the ageing big Healey. Different power-plants were considered, but BMC (and not
the staff at MG) decided that it would be the new 7 bearing engine that was being
engineered for the Austin 3 litre. This ‘new’ 2912 cc inline six was in fact a
development of the old C-series unit that was used in the Austin Healey 3000, it was also
supposed to be shorter and lighter than the old motor. But when the team at MG received
the new engine it was only 20 lb. lighter and 1.75 inches shorter than the C-series. Most
of the MGC’s handling problems probably stem from this extra weight up front. Because
of the bulk of the power-plant, the front half of the MGBs bodyshell had to be redesigned
and the front suspension was changed from a coil spring and lever-arm damper system to a
longitudinal torsion bar and telescopic damper one. Even when all this was accomplished,
the bonnet had to be given two bulges, one to clear the radiator and the smaller one to
clear the front carburetor. In fact, apart from the 15 inch wheels (the B used 14 inch
wheels), these two bulges are the only visual differences compared to the B. On the plus
side, they do give the car a more aggressive stance. Both front and rear brakes were
different to the B’s. The MGC also used a lower geared steering rack with 3.5 turns
lock to lock compared to the 2.9 turns for an MGB. The gearbox was basically the same
although in a different casing as was the optional automatic transmission.
Near the end of the development phase, Donald Healey, who
was never very enthusiastic of the idea that the big Healey’s replacement would be a
badge engineered MG, finally decided not to associate his name with the MGC.
After a rather uninspired launch, the press gave the car a
very bad reception, saying that the car was too soft, that the engine was rather smooth
but didn’t feel very powerful and that the car understeered heavily. As mentioned
earlier, this bad reception translated into very slow sales of the car.
There were some modifications for the 1969 model year, when
the car received lower gearing to counter the claim that the cars didn’t have good
acceleration and reclining seats.
Production of the ‘C ended in September 1969 with a
total production figure of 9002 cars of which 4544 were roadsters and 4458 were GTs.
