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January 2010The World’s first digital & interactive on-line MG magazine

MGC Graduate ofUniversity Motors

W hen the British Motor Corporation launched the MGC in 1967 it was to confusion and criticism that has

stigmatised the much-maligned motor to this day. Initial press reports questioned the car’s performance and handling while internal company restructuring and wrangling failed to make the most of the fastest production car made by MG to date.

Looking to build upon the success of the MGB with the addition of a powerful engine the all-monocoque body was evidently capable of handling, MG bosses were keen to exploit the engineering options available and provide a new flagship MG sports car which could revive a demise that had seen MG production drop to its lowest level in five years. The result was a car which offered the kudos of a three-litre model but which suffered because it did not look significantly different from the MGB.

Work had already taken place on a new power plant which would increase the performance of the MGB to provide a new model also intended to replace the group’s ageing Austin-Healey. Longbridge engineers had toyed with a six-cylinder Australian-designed 1800cc unit before turning their attentions to redeveloping the older, more agricultural, Austin three-litre. The new 2912cc MG-designed engine which eventually appeared proved something of a compromise with the adoption of

seven bearings aiding refinement being accommodated in a crankshaft that appeared too short. Added to this was the fact that the cylinder head design was unsatisfactory while the engine also suffered from poor manifolding. And, to compound matters further, the unit weighed in some 70lbs heavier than expected resulting in a hurried redesign of the whole suspension system.

To accommodate the MGC engine’s bulk this required removing the MGB’s cross-member. Even then the unit stood too tall with the result that new aluminium bonnets were pressed with a distinctive bonnet bulge to house the more forward seated radiator and a pretty ‘teardrop’ to clear the carburettors. Other changes meant modifying the inner front wings and replacing the tried and tested MGB

HE AIN’T HEAVY

suspension to cope with the 349lbs heavier car. At the front the coil-spring layout was replaced by torsion bars with anti-roll bar and telescopic dampers while the rear, semi-elliptic leaf springs, were controlled by lever-type dampers.

Mechanical alterations included enlarging the single dry plate clutch to nine inches mated to an all synchromesh four-speed gearbox with overdrive available as an optional extra. For the first time automatic transmission could also be specified when ordering the car. The auto-box should have perfectly complimented the lazy three-litre unit, especially with its manual override, but only around ten per cent of MGCs made were specified with this option – most of them destined for overseas markets. Bonnet bulges aside, the other most noticeable feature to differentiate the MGC from its smaller engined MGB brethren was that the car sat higher on 15-inch wheels with dished steel rims as standard and wire wheels available as optional extras. Larger wheels meant increased diameter disc brakes at the front and drums at the rear aided by servo giving much improved braking to cope with the additional power. Again on the inside there

were very few changes to the MkII MGB that was introduced alongside it. The only real visible exception being the large, identical steering wheel which now came with the rim covered in leather.

And therein lay part of the BMC problem – slight distinctions aside, the MGC looked for all the part an MGB. Launched at the 1967 Motor Show, the MGC roadster cost £1,102 with the GT weighing in at £1,249 – a premium of around £200 over the four-cylinder MGB. Small change by today’s standards but significant when expressed as a 20 per cent increase. With little to differentiate the models visually much was anticipated from the increase in power – the MGC’s quoted 145bhp at 5250rpm offering almost half as much again as the MGB’s 95bhp at 5400rpm. But if eager Sixties road testers were expecting the MGC to deliver this in a macho manner then they would have been disappointed. For, despite the massive increase in outright power, the MGC offered little in the way of improved performance until the additional cylinders and appropriate gearing allowed the car to stretch its legs at high cruising speeds.

The benchmark 0-60mph times we take for granted today were not de rigour at the time of the MGC’s launch but early road tests noted that, due to the increased weight, the four cylinder MGB felt the quicker and more sporting car

from standstill to around 60mph. Indeed ‘Autosport’ commented ‘...the MGC actually feels less lively and responsive. This is because the weight is greater, top gear is considerably higher, and the engine is not outstanding for its low speed punch. At 40 or 50mph in top the new model does not pick up as quickly as its smaller sister, and although the engine is outstandingly flexible, it is necessary to use the gear lever to achieve a lively performance, which then leaves nothing to be desired.’

The MGC’s performance was further compounded by its handling – the car

displaying a propensity to understeer again due to the additional weight of the engine bearing over the front wheels. Matters were made worse by the fact that tyres on some cars on a press test day were under inflated. As any MGC owner knows tyre pressure should have a 6lbs bias front to rear and following this principal delivers handling characteristics which will be more familiar to today’s drivers than those brought up on rear-wheel-drive forty years earlier.

A lukewarm press reception; high purchase price; and similarity to the MGB all contributed to slow sales which were further compounded as BMC failed to capitalise on the publicity when the heir to the throne, a young Prince of Wales, took delivery of a roadster as his first car. One would have thought the MG name, an unburstable six-cylinder engine with higher gearing and an auto option, together with royal patronage would have been manna from heaven for BMC’s Stateside marketing men. Almost twice as many roadsters produced made it overseas as were licensed in these shores, while GTs ran virtually neck and neck. Deliveries to the USA almost outstripped the home market by a quarter with a total of 4,256 MGCs making it across the Atlantic compared to 3,437 being produced for the home market. Why it didn’t prove more popular to our American cousins is hard to define, although the Japanese manufacturers were already beginning to make inroads with the iconic Datsun 240Z which appeared more modern and forward looking than an MGB with a power hike.

MGC production ran for just two years with a one example under 9,000 being

made at Abingdon. That manufacture was curtailed at a time when exports to the USA were up 40 per cent on the previous year would appear strange timing although it was perhaps no coincidence that the MGC was axed a little over a year following the BMC take-over by Leyland who also owned MG’s rival marque Triumph. One suspects that the MGC was not perceived by the new masters as sufficient a flagship model to offset economies of scale and low volume sales and the ill-conceived and misunderstood ‘C was pulled. Shame really as the car was just beginning to come into its own thanks to a short-lived competition career which showed the MGC had great potential, especially for long distance endurance racing. Six lightweight MGC bodies were made in aluminium for the Competitions Department. Featuring flared wheel arches and front and rear

“The car

was just

beginning to

come into its

own thanks to

a short-lived

competition

career which

showed the

MGC had great

potential

valances the GTs looked every bit the muscle car racer of the late Sixties. After disappointment on the difficult baptism at the 1967 Targa Florio where the MGC was not best suited to the twisting Sicilian mountain circuit, the GTs fared much better at the more appropriate Sebring 12 Hours race in 1968 where the cars won their class and finished third behind two Porsches in the prototype category. Whether the MGC could have gone onto greater things will never be known for later that year the Competitions Department was culled by Sir Donald Stokes who had assumed overall control following the take-over.

With the MGC undoubtedly capable of offering more than it was delivering the way was open for the skilful engine tuners of the day to develop the car further. A burgeoning number of after-market specialists had grown up around the success of both the MGB and the Mini but there was only one firm which had BMC approval and contributed more to the cars’ development than selling bolt-on go-faster goodies. Downton Engineering were located in Wiltshire and run by Daniel and Bunty Richmond. Their initial success with modifying a Mini Cooper in 1961 led to Daniel Richmond being appointed a BMC technical consultant which resulted in the Wiltshire firm designing revised cylinder heads for the Competition Department

Minis and collaborating on the legendary Cooper S.

When the MGB was introduced in 1962 it was largely overlooked by Downton Engineering no doubt as they were so busy on Mini modifications but the launch of the MGC, along with the car’s inherent problems, made it ripe for receiving Richmond’s expert attention. Stage One tuning kits, manufactured by Downton Engineering and supplied to MG, were only available through the Abingdon works who also honoured the full warranty. Comprising a modified cylinder head which altered the compression ratio from 9:1 to 9.5:1; a modified manifold; and carefully constructed twin-pipe exhaust was said to totally transform the performance characteristics of the MGC.

Greater low-speed flexibility, faster acceleration in a smoother and quieter car which also saw an improvement in fuel consumption helped make the MGC the car it cried out to be. Further changes taking the ‘C to Stage Two tune consisted of a triple carburettor on a modified inlet manifold along with the twin exhaust system. Inlet valves were enlarged and the cam re-profiled. The full Stage Three conversion saw larger exhaust valves and further re-profiling of the camshaft. This work required customers to visit the Downton Engineering workshops near

Salisbury where they were often said to have been greeted with disdain. The Richmonds – who never married – had a reputation for conducting as much of their business from the local village pub as their workshop, and by the time of the Leyland take-over when Daniel Richmond was relieved of his consultancy, he was already beginning to spend more time at his Devon cottage fishing.

Downton Engineering continued however thanks to the highly skilled workforce Richmond had assembled and with the highest reputation for Mini modifications these formed the company’s bred and butter interspersed with a smattering of MGs.

As MGC production drew to a close London distributors University Motors, who had enjoyed a long-standing association with MG and its Abingdon factory from the 1930s, acquired the remaining stock of some 141 unsold cars, mostly GTs, at a discount. Their intention was to have the cars converted by Downton at their London workshop in Elvaston Mews close to the University Motors premises. The cars would then be customised to become known as University Motors Specials featuring

unique badging and easily identifiable by the distinctive black paint that would be applied to the bonnet bulge and ‘teardrop.’ Further alterations included much use of period accessories such as Cosmic alloy wheels while several cars received body modifications which included amending the front wings to take rectangular headlamps.

It is at this point that information becomes sketchy as University Motors did not retain individual records of the cars they produced and it cannot be said with any degree of accuracy just how many ‘UVM Specials’ received the Downton treatment. Certainly the earlier cars are likely to have undergone a Stage One conversion together with University Motors’ cosmetic changes and the Stage Two and Stage Three triple carburettor set up is often associated with the rare concours UVM Specials seen at shows today. However, as sales of the remaining cars slowed, much of the University Motors’ stock purely received the

paint and badge treatment and, following the demise of the dealership in the mid-1980s, it will never be known just how many genuine Downton-prepared MGC UMS cars survive to this day.

A similar situation existed at Downton Engineering where, although individual modifications were recorded at the time, these were lost or destroyed after the firm closed down following Bunty Richmond’s suicide in 1975, a year after the premature death of Daniel Richmond. For anyone looking for a genuine Downton or University Motors MGC the problem is further complicated by the ease in which a replica car could be prepared by an unscrupulous restorer. Certainly anyone in the market for a Downton car should satisfy themselves that – so far as possible – what they are looking at is the genuine article.

Tell-tale signs for Downton cars include an all-important number stamped on the cylinder head. In a sequence of three numbers: the first relates to the invoice number; the second to how many ‘thou’ had been skimmed off the head; and the third being the volumetric capacity of each

cylinder. The manifolds have also been replaced and prospective buyers should also check for a double tailpipe exhaust. Other Downton conversions may also feature adjustable dampers.

University Motors conversions may or may not feature Downton modifications but would be likely to include the cosmetic changes of the ‘UMS’ badge on the bonnet and front wings, as well as the aforesaid black bonnet bulges and a two-tone paint treatment on GTs with the roof line, tailgate and often rear valance in corresponding black. Special road wheels were also a feature as was often a smaller steering wheel and fitted radio with distinctive roof mounted aerial. Under the bonnet chrome rocker and air filter covers replaced the originals.

The car featured here is something of a period time warp. For, having been built in March 1969, it is said to have completed just 400 miles in the past 26 years. The MGC GT came to light after reputable dealer John Brown obtained the car from the private collection of a retired Norfolk farmer and land owner

who had begun breaking up the 130 cars he had acquired over the years. Finished in Primrose Yellow with Black trim and the options of wire wheels and a heater, the car was first assigned the following July as a management car within the Austin Morris division of the ‘merged’ Leyland group. It is unclear how many owners the car had subsequently until the Norfolk farmer added it to his collection in the late Seventies, nor is it evident how much of the period conversion work was done originally although most appears to have been undertaken once the car reached East Anglia.

Wherever the work was completed it was to a high standard with the result that – over a quarter of a century on – the car still looks resplendent in the two-tone colour scheme of the period although, it must be said, the Primrose Yellow paintwork looks a shade darker possibly the result of a repaint before identical colour matches became available. Nevertheless, the subtle colour is perfectly offset by the black ‘Everflex’ covered roof and tailgate, the car being further enhanced by the

“The cars would be customised to

become known as University

Motors Specials featuring unique badging

and distinctive black paint applied to the

bonnet bulge and teardrop

fitting of an original Webasto sunroof and complimented by the black inserts in the chrome side rubbing strips. The body has been flared slightly over the wheel arches to accommodate original and attractive Boranni 15-inch alloy rim wheels which are shod with Michelin 185/70 VR-rated 15-inch tyres. Rear fog lamps have also been fitted.

Most changes appear to have been undertaken on the inside where an individually tailored centre console has been fitted over the top of the original transmission tunnel. Covered in neat black leatherette it features a padded centre amrest which extends the length of the rear passenger compartment. Forward of the gearlever there is a neat scoop to form an oddments tray, while tidy sculpturing allows the driver’s hand access to the handbrake. Door armrests are extended and covered in a charcoal coloured cloth which extends over the dash roll top and is used as replacement headlining no doubt following the fitting of the Webasto sliding roof.

The dashboard has been modified with heater controls being replaced with the addition of a clock and ammeter with new, sliding heater controls being positioned in a neat centre console with twin air ducts. In the rear tailgate the ‘boot’ floor has been re-carpeted and rubbing strips added which also extend to the rear of the folding rear seat backrest. Vendor John Brown says the car is an original Downton Stage One conversion and, although the acid

test would be to check for the appropriate numbers on the cylinder head, the MGC GT did feature a number of amendments associated with the conversions including the double tailpipe exhaust, a modified stamped manifold and numbered adjustable dampers. In addition both the rocker cover and air filters are chrome covered.

Although it wasn’t possible to take the car on the road, manoeuvring for photography showed it to have more raucous note than standard MGCs and John Brown tells me it drives delightfully, being more responsive yet smoother than previous MGCs he had known. Considering the quality, originality of the period conversion and accessories and rarity value of Downton MGCs, the price of £10,995 to include full re-commissioning would not appear off the mark for what is an unusual model. For, without doubt, both the Downton and University Motors MGCs helped lift the car above the obscurity it received when launched. And, while Downton’s expertise added to the performance and refinement of the three-litre, University Motors’ unique cosmetic treatment captured the spirit of the new decade of the Seventies when prospective purchasers were looking for something a little more from performance cars. Anyone acquiring an original Downton MGC today can enjoy driving not only a piece of MG’s colourful history but also the car the MGC should, perhaps, always have been.

“Downton added to

the performance and refinement while University Motors’ captured the spirit of the new decade