Our “B” And Me by Dave Cohen
Our MGB (affectionately known to us as “B”) was born on July 25, 1967 and was one of the last MK I models produced in Abingdon before the MK II was introduced sometime around Oct/Nov of the same year. We adopted (bought) B from his original parents (owners) in the summer of 1973 when he was 6 years old. At that time, we paid the princely sum of $850 to bring him home.
One of the principle reasons for adopting B when we did was that during the mid-seventies there was a severe gas shortage in the US and smaller cars that got better mileage became very popular. With fuel scarce and prices soaring–and my having to drive a pretty fair distance back and forth to work, B was the perfect answer to fill our needs. And besides, he was really fun to drive—especially because the traffic in and around the greater Los Angeles area was just a fraction of what it is today. B quickly became our main mode of transportation with our young daughter sitting behind the seats in the carpeted area on top of the battery compartment cover. I really don’t think we could get away with that today.
(Pictured left, B sporting his period correct personalized California “Retro” License
Plate)
Anyway, as the years and miles rolled along and the traffic congestion kept increasing dramatically, B became more difficult to enjoy as a daily driving partner. The freeway and street slowdowns really started taking its toll on both of us. Since B is a Mk I and not synchromesh in 1st gear, this type of stop and go movement started causing him a number of physical ailments, not to mention that since we were barley moving on the road, he would tend to develop a very high fever (run hot) when the weather warmed up. This, along with other medical issues, such as; his muscle transfer prowess (clutch), heart issues (fuel pump), electrolyte distribution (water pump), and metabolism functions (dynamo) made it necessary for us to regularly visit his Doctors Office (Repair Shop). Also, the sauna like steam room effect that built up inside his interior (when the top was up) all collectively began to put a strain on both of our comfort levels and “buddy” “buddy” feelings towards one another.
Things however did eventually settle down between us once his commuting days came to an end and he became an occasional driving partner for some weekday errands or weekend runs so he could stretch his legs (wheels). But through it all, I can honestly say that there has never been a time that we seriously considered putting him up for adoption.
As you may have guessed by now, B has been permanently knitted into the fabric of our family and after living with us for more than 47 years I can safely say that he is not going anywhere, anytime soon, without us along for the ride.
(Pictured left, Except for the gear shift knob, we have tried to keep B’s interior as
close to original as possible)
B and me at his 50th Birthday Celebration in July 2017
