The Lancaster Insurance Classic Motor Show will offer a rare chance to see the car once owned by the father of MGB himself, Don Hayter, when the event takes place at Birmingham’s NEC on November 8-10.
Established die-cast model manufacturers Corgi are partnering with the car’s current owner, long standing MG enthusiast Edward Vandyk, to display the iconic Brookland Green roadster alongside its 1:43 scale model recreation, released as part of the Corgi Vanguards range earlier this year.
The MGB being celebrated is a significant part of MG history. It boasts one of a handful of original development shells used to approve the minor body modifications needed by Pressed Steel to accommodate the O-Series engine – a project that was shelved just before the Abingdon MG factory shut its gates for the last time. When the factory closed, Don bought one of the development shells and installed a V8 engine and gearbox in the development dept, creating the only Abingdon-assembled V8 roadster in existence in the process.
That’s rather fitting of course, for Don was instrumental in the design of the MGB in the first place. He was closely involved with its styling and development after joining the MG design office in February 1956 following a similar role at Aston Martin, and later became chief engineer. In the 1970s, he was able to keep the MGB one step ahead of the ever-changing safety legislation, as well as making a profit for BL at a time when many other divisions didn’t.
Now under the ownership of Edward Vandyk, the MGB was immortalised as a 1:43 scale model earlier this year. The two will be displayed together at the NEC in November.
The MGB will be repainted in time for the event, where it will be also be displayed alongside the entirety of the current Vanguards range. These span half a century of motoring in Britain, with each presented in a plastic display case and supplied complete with an individually numbered certificate of authenticity.
Tickets for the Lancaster Insurance Classic Motor Show, with Discovery, can be purchased via www.necclassicmotorshow.com.
