Our views on the MGC

Up to few years ago the C was regarded as a dog and prices were lower than for the MGB even though Cs are so much rarer. The press coverage at its launch being so bad, its reputation was effectively soiled. Nowadays Cs fetch slightly higher prices than Bs. Specialized magazines having at last written some kind remarks about the car in recent years.

The C has always been known as a dogged understeerer, the extra weight up front supposedly disturbing the weight balance. In my opinion, the C’s handling is rather fun. You can’t just steer it round bends as if it were a modern hatchback, which will in effect give you understeer ( although not as much as period magazines would have you believe). If you do want to drive a C fast you have to wring it’s neck off by throwing it into the bends to unbalance the car, it then settles into a neutral to tail happy balance which can be nicely tailored by your right foot. Of course it can get a bit tiring, but you don't buy a C to be a sissy, do you ? In my opinion, the real problem is that the steering gets heavier with more lock. Using lower profile tires (the correct tires are rather difficult to find nowadays anyway) with higher pressures does lighten up the steering considerably though. You can also make the car handle better by adding suspension kits which are readily available through specialists, but doing that takes away some of the car’s original character. One should also note that GTs handle better than roadsters because of the extra weight at the rear.

The big problem with the C is its engine. The C doesn’t really seem faster than a B at lower speeds because the engine doesn’t actually have that much torque at low revs and has a sluggish response. Over 60 mph, these cars really do fly, though and I suspect them to have a higher top speed than B V8s. The motor is very smooth, but it does need a fatter torque curve. The easiest way to achieve this would be to improve the engine’s breathing.

So is the C a good car ? I hear you ask. It’s smooth and powerful engine and good straight line stability make it a good touring car. It’s hairy chested handling (By that I mean that you have to handle it and not just steer it) also makes it a fun car. You just can’t be in between, you have to drive it slowly and relaxed or have to drive balls out fast to get satisfaction. It isn’t a great car by any means, the smooth but sluggish engine certainly sees to that, but it has plenty of character, something the B sometimes seems to lack (although you wouldn’t say that when comparing it to modern cars). Visually, I find the C to be the nicest of the breed, with it’s two bonnet bulges and 15 inch wheels which give it a more aggressive look than either B or B GT V8.