MG MGB Works

BRX 854B is one of only two Works MGB Roadsters built by the BMC Competitions Department in 1964. It was assembled by Den Green and Knobby Hall at Abingdon and first registered on 13 August 1964. MG historian John Baggott believes it to be the last genuine works MGB still in existence.

Its competition record includes the 1964 Spa-Sofia-Liège as Works Entry No. 81 and the RAC Rally as No. 177. Under a private owner in 1965 it finished third in class and 13th overall on the Danube Rally. It then spent 32 years in garaging before a restoration overseen by Barry Sidery-Smith. It ran at the 2008 Le Mans Classic and, more recently, the Goodwood Lavant Trophy.

The car keeps its original experimental engine, stamped EX235-2, a tuned B-series with a Special Tuning 770 camshaft and a gas-flowed head. The body is steel monocoque with aluminium wings, door skins, bonnet and boot lid. It is currently set up as a circuit racer with a full cage, a four-speed gearbox without overdrive and a 3.9:1 differential. The original engine and gearbox components are crated, so it can be converted back to rally specification. The history file includes the BMIHT letter, Baggott's dossier and the original Team Instructions Manual. It has MSA papers, and the HTP is out of date.