West Van driver loves her little red MGB - Driving
Jennifer Orum loves to drive her beautifully restored flame red 1970 MGB sports car. A chance meeting in 2001 with another sailing enthusiast in a ferry lineup led Jennifer to become reacquainted with the sporty British roadster that she loved in her youth but could never afford. The now-retired co-ordinator of student financial services at the British Columbia Institute of Technology admitted to having a “mid-life crisis” in the ad she posted in Vancouver-area British car repair shops when looking for a suitable MGB. She was very specific in what she was looking for: “Wanted, 1968 to 1974 MGB with overdrive. She knew the pre-1968 models did not have transmissions with synchromesh on all four gears and could not be downshifted easily into first. MGBs built from mid-1974 through the 1980 model year are known as “rubber bumper Bs” with black bumpers required to meet U. S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration standards. She wanted a classic MGB with delicate chrome bumpers, wire wheels and the overdrive that’s an advantage for long distance cruising. She thought she had found the right car in Victoria and contacted local MGB expert Mike Owen to look it over. A week later, one of his customers told him it was time to sell the 1970 MGB that Mike had completely restored for him six years before. Source: driving.ca
