The Iconic Sale at Silverstone Festival 23rd - 25th August 2024

The Iconic Sale at Silverstone Festival 2024 Competition Cars 14 RAC Rally of Great Britain, 1964 Lavant Cup, Goodwood Revival, 2022 Whilst any MG B roadster possesses a wonderful charm and analogue driving experience that few others of the period could match, this is certainly no ordinary MG B Roadster. First registered on 13 August 1964 following the hard work and determination of Den Green and Knobby Hall of the MG ‘Comps shop’ this works-competition example features an experimental four-cylinder BMC B-Series block, with a fully- balanced, three-bearing crankshaft, AHT 100H cylinder head which has been gas-flowed and fitted with big valves, twin 2” SU carburettors with filter king setup in conjunction with two SU fuel pumps, and a three-synchro, helical close-ratio transmission with competition overdrive, which sends power rearwards to an MG B Banjo 3.9:1 ratio axle, fitted with a limited-slip differential. Of course, the suspension also had to be fit for purpose and a set of uprated and lowered coil springs were fitted, with competition lever-arm shock absorbers, a 0.75” anti-roll bar, rear competition leaf springs, re-manufactured Armstrong ‘Adjustaride’ rear lever-arms and uprated bushings throughout. Electrics for this Works-raced MG B are run off a single 12-volt battery with a heavy-duty dynamo, and the wiring loom for the car was hand-made during the restoration, supplying power to all the standard systems, along with numerous auxiliary gauges, cabin lights, and five Lucas driving lamps adorning the front end. Fresh from its build, BRX 854B competed in the August 1964 Spa-Sofia-Liège rally, under the guise of ‘Works Entry No.81’ with Davis Hiam and Julian Vernaeve at the wheel. Unfortunately, the car was retired with ‘mechanical difficulties’ during the race. BRX was once again entered into competition by the MG Works team on the 1965 RAC rally, but was once again forced to retire, this time with head gasket failure. It was then transferred into private ownership during 1965, competing on four further occasions in the Tulip Rally, the Acropolis Rally, the Geneva Rally and finally on the Castol Danube Rally in September 1965, where it posted an impressive result of third in its class, and 13th overall, with Ken Tubman and George Stefanoff crewing the car. Following its competition days, BRX 854B then made use of its long-range fuel tank for touring Europe whilst in private hands, but unfortunately broke down during one particular journey to Scotland, which forced the car off the road, eventually ending up being stored in a garage for 32 years. Having languished unseen and unheard of for numerous years, the car was found/known of by the late Barry Sidery Smith. BRX was then sympathetically restored to an exacting, period-correct standard by MG B enthusiast, Mark Tipping, during 2007.