MGB: Trilogy hails golden year

MGB owners will see models such as the 1965-74 GT and 1969 Roadster on show in car club celebrations. Photo / Paul Estcourt

MGB car clubs around the world are counting down to this year's Silverstone Classic in Britain: one of just three official showpiece events celebrating the 50th anniversary of the two-door, hailed as one of Britain's most cherished sportscars.

The annual motor racing festival has teamed up with Britain's MG Car Club and the MGB50 committee to establish a special trilogy of birthday parties to mark the car's golden anniversary.

The celebrations open with MGLive! in June and conclude with a static showcase gathering at Blenheim Palace in September.

In between comes the three-day Silverstone Classic, in July. MGB owners attending the three events will be presented with an exclusive commemorative rally plaque.

The MGB was unveiled at the Earls Court Motor Show in 1962.

"The 'B' is at the heart of the classic car movement in the UK," says Silverstone Classic event director Nick Wigley. "This is a fantastic era for celebrating golden milestones in the British sportscar industry. Last year the Classic honoured the 50th birthday of the Jaguar E-type."

More than 500,000 MGBs were built between 1962-80 in Abingdon, just down the road from Silverstone.

From the original Mark I roadster, through to the MGB GT and GT V8, the evergreen MGB has endeared itself as one of the most affordable sportscars.

The 'B' also enjoyed some notable racing and rallying successes during the 1960s with victories, either outright or in class, in a number of major endurance sportscar events as well as the Monte Carlo Rally.

"It's shaping up to be a tremendous year for the B," says Britain's MG Car Club general manager Julian White.

"The MG Car Club is based in Abingdon, the spiritual home of the marque, so we know first-hand how much the MGB means to people."