1969 MG C GT

This remarkable 'C' has been owned by the vendor for a staggering 47 years – we have a handwritten bill of sale from 1977 in the history file, as well as the classified listing from an issue of Motorsport magazine from that same year, which is where the vendor saw the car advertised. An MG Car Club and IAM member, he appears to have proudly maintained this MG with the same dedication and enthusiasm as its first owner, although we suspect he’s the seventh keeper – according to the change of owners listed on the old-style logbook. A V5C is also included in the car’s extensive history folder.

The car’s been intermittently on the road, having seen significant restoration work at least twice during its 55-year existence. The last round of bodywork apparently coincided with the millennium, the vendor telling us the following: “It was taken back to a bare shell and rebuilt then repainted (in its original Tartan Red) in 1999. All the wiring, plumbing, fuel and brake pipes were replaced at the same time, and the head was also skimmed and converted to run unleaded fuel.”

Despite being an older restoration, the car appears to have been kept very well and only driven a few hundred miles a year (according to the online MoT history at least, which incidentally shows first time passes every year going back to 2007) – the last recorded MoT expired in 2019. It’s impressive that this car still looks so fresh, even though it likely last saw the inside of a paint booth 25 years ago.

The paint looks generally in excellent order with a good deal of shine and a uniform finish. The only mild damage we spotted was a scratch in the driver’s door shut and some mild accompanying scuffs along the rear three-quarter panel. The chrome looks good too, with just a few scratches and the start of corrosion (spots and cracks) on the rear bumper.

The car’s wire wheels still look extremely presentable, the vendor mentioning that they didn’t have any bent spokes and didn’t need refurbishment when the rest of the car was restored. The wires are shod in Roadstone tyres at the rear and Continentals up front. We couldn’t see any date stamps, but an invoice in the history suggests that at least one pair was replaced in 2018. The panel fit on the bonnet seems a little off on the offside, but that could very well have been how they came. The rear three-quarter windows seem to work well, with all the glass around the car still presenting clear and clean. The rubber seals also look excellent throughout.

The cabin in this MG looks just as good as the exterior. The steering wheel, the original to the car, and dashboard condition appear excellent, and the seats have a lovely, aged patina, with mild cracking. We spotted some spare washers and bolts in the ashtray (which itself shows some light surface corrosion). Trim on the driver’s side of the transmission tunnel (footwell) is peeling away a little, and there’s a small rip around the mounting screw at the base of the driver’s door card, but otherwise all the trim seems to have remained remarkably well preserved.

The very neat headlining exhibits just one tiny rip with the sun visors also looking great – the driver’s side, however, does have a light stain. The rear carpet is also a little dirty with some light stains to the nearside rear c-pillar trim, but as for complaints, that seems to be all she wrote. We spied what looks like the original tool roll in the boot and, while back there, were also impressed by the condition of the trim plus the metal under the carpet. 

Since it’s seen such limited use lately, we’ve little reason to believe that this MG’s mechanical condition has significantly changed since its last clean MoT pass five years ago. The engine bay looks very tidy and original with only a few parts showing some paint peel and surface corrosion. Generally, the engine bay looks thoroughly tidy and dry. 

There’s an alternator and negative earth warning sticker on the radiator cowling, which is one of the aforementioned parts showing surface corrosion. There’s a little rust under the top hose as well, suggesting it might have been leaking at some point. The under-bonnet soundproofing remains hanging where it should, and it seems to be in great order.

The underneath of the car seems solid and sound with just the exhaust obviously showing its age. Beyond the expected surface rust here and there, there’s evidence of a slight oil weep from the differential. The two boxes slung underneath the rear seats, holding the twin 6V batteries, look good and strong.

There are far too many invoices accompanying this car to get through them all here, so we’ll leave you to browse them at your leisure. The following are merely abridged highlights, showing consistent care from the same independent garage for decades…

• 2018; tyres and tubes replaced, plus service and MoT, (£376.56 Frank Hulton, Bolton).
• 2014; brake callipers and hoses replaced (£400.09 Frank Hulton, Bolton).
• 2014; batteries and terminal connectors replaced (£316.99 Frank Hulton, Bolton).
• 2013 engine and gearbox out for new clutch and slave cylinder (£801.56 Frank Hulton).
• 1999; full rebuild, back to bare shell, rusty bodywork replaced all round (lower bodywork and doors).
• 1998; lots of seals and parts replaced (screens, doors, locks, catches etc. and weather strips, seat belts etc. £725.01 plus £116.76 – plus about ten other similar invoices – (Barry Stafford MG parts via Frank Hulton).
• 1990; plenty of body parts listed (sills inner and outer £276.71 from Naylor Bros. part of Moss Europe).
• Old logbook shows the car registered 14 May 1969, 
• Decades of invoices for servicing and upkeep, plus old tax discs and MoTs etc.

It’s rare enough these days to come across a car that’s had the same keeper for nearly 50 years, never mind one that’s been restored and maintained by the same garage for almost all that time. 

The vendor is only letting this fine MG C go to its next keeper as he’s in his late 70s and health reasons mean he’s unable to enjoy driving the car as much as he’d like. 

With an enviable about of paperwork, apparently excellent bodywork, interior and mechanical condition and a genuine reason for sale, this iconic sixties MG likely won’t hang around for long. We estimate that it will sell for £10,000-£14,000.

Viewing is strongly encouraged, and this lot is located with the vendor in Bolton, Lancashire. Viewings are strictly by appointment. To make a booking, please use the Contact Seller button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, and read our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.