1962 MG MGB Roadster

For the 1964 12 Hours of Sebring, the British Motor Corporation (BMC) put their support behind the race team of San Francisco BMC dealer Kjell Qvale. The English Company sent three MG Bs, fitted with race prepared engines, lightweight panels and competition parts. Joe Huffaker, Qvale's competition manager, added his expertise and talents to the cars by further tuning and preparing them for the race.

This light blue car wearing race number 48 was driven by Jim Adams and Merle Brennan to an impressive fourth-in-class finish and 22nd overall in its racing debut at the 12 Hours of Sebring event. After Sebring, the car was sold to William Schmidt of California, who continued to add to its racing resume by competing in the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) Production Class. To comply with the SCCA rules, the lightweight aluminum body parts were removed and so were the Weber carburetors. All of the parts were retained by Schmidt and subsequently passed along to later owners.

In 1968, the car was sold to William R. Smith of California who used it in SCCA events. It was sold in 1974 to Mac Townsend of California who did not race the car during his 10 years of ownership. In 2002, the owner at the time began a restoration, bringing it back to its 1964 Sebring configuration. The original lightweight hood, front fenders, deck lid and door panels were fitted. Its mechanical components were also brought back to original configuration. Upon completion, the car was shown at the HMSA Sebring Reunion at Laguna Seca in 2004 and also appeared in Classic Motorsports, Vintage Race Car Journal and Sports Car International magazines.

In 2009, this MG B Lightweight Competition car was offered for sale at the Gooding & Company auction held in Scottsdale, Arizona. It was expected to sell for $100,000 - $150,000. Sadly, bidding failed to satisfy the cars reserve and the lot was left unsold.

By Daniel Vaughan | Feb 2020