Sloane:
With regard to MGB tops, I think there were 2 varieties. When I was in St.
Louis this May checking out possible vintage cars for purchase, I stopped in at
Hyman, Ltd., where I drove a '65 MGB. The car was about as nice as early B's
get, and drove very well (though not in the same class as a TR6, in my opinion,
especially without syncromesh in first gear). Anyway, I loved the clean look
of the fully removable top on this early car. The problem was the process
required to install the top in the event of wet weather. I remember that it
had 2 folding "cage" portions, one for each side of the car, which had to be
unfolded and then attached to the body. Then the cloth was laid over the cages
and snapped in place. It was similar to erecting a tent, and seemed like a
2-man job which would take about 5 minutes if you got really good at it. When
stowed, the top took up the part of the trunk that wasn't already occupied by
the spare tire.
I drove the '76 Tahiti blue TR6 at Wilson Motors on that same trip. Both were
handsome cars for the same price, but I could imagine actually driving the 6 a
lot more frequently than the B. I eventually purchased the 6. BTW, the B is
still on the Hyman website, at www.hymanltd.com.
Michael
'76 CF57044 U
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