MG MGB and MGB GT Tech Talk
The 75 RBGT shown on this cover is what I want my 74.5 RBGT to look like.
The color is Pageant Blue. The link to a larger pic doesn't seem to work but you can get the general idea. If you have the magazine, the pics are beautiful. Mine is currently a sad Damask Red with peeling clear coat. I'm done with red cars.
<http://www.classicmgmagazine.com/>
Wray...that's not Pageant Blue.....its Tahiti Blue...here's Pageant Blue:
Tahiti Blue isn't quite so bright....Pageant Blue is akin to the old Ford Grabber Blue
The article in the mag described it as Pageant Blue. The name isn't important, except in a semantic sense. That's the color I want. Nice, eh?
Kim, shrink will go today.
I had a Tahiti blue B once and it looked just like yours Tony. It came with the original bill of sale.
Hey, in many ways I like the Takiti Blue better...I've a friend here in town with a Tahiti rubber bumper & a Tahiti chrome bumper & they're beautiful!!
what I especially like about that GT is the fake Jubilee side stripes...they always make a GT look cleaner
Well, I can't be right. The paint chips on the front don't look like the B I had. Must have been Pagent blue. It was about 12 years ago. Memory is fading fast!!!!!!
Tony, I also had a Tahiti Blue B, and it looked like the one in your pic.
Vermillion Red versus Blaze Red
Tahiti Blue versus Pageant Blue
...Pageant Blue was offered from 1978 til 1980......
...Tahiti Blue was offered from 1975 til 1977.....
...Teal Blue was offered from 1971 til 1974-1/2.....
...just because a car was called a 1977 or a 1979 or whatever year by the dealer in the US who originally sold it doesn't mean its a 1977 or a 1979 or whatever! &, just because it was originally titled as a 1977 or a 1979 or whatever doesn't mean it is! US dealers titled cars as that year's model in the year in which they sold them new-irrespective of when they were actually built!....lots of dealers had cars sitting on their lots over a year change & those cars suddenly became the next year's model....even more cars sat at the distributor's docks & when shipped to dealers became the latest model...there are documented cars that are as much as 2 years off in their year model due to these practices....so, the only way to know what year a car is is to go by the VIN.
....&, one thing BL did was judiciously adhere to their paint chips...in fact, in 1970 they switched all paint codes from the old BMC codes to newer BLVC codes--& with that code change came all new colors (even BRG changed a bit)....another example of the change in codes was that from 1970 until 1979 black wasn't put on any MG except as a special order.
....so, the only way to know what color a car originally was is to send the VIN to British Heritage & get a certificate...&, one might be surprised to learn what they really have! A titled 1979 Tahiti Blue car suddenly becomes a 1977 Tahiti Blue car - or one learns that a dealer claimed the latest color on an older car because that's what the sales literature said it should be if it was that latest model year - 1977 Tahiti Blue car sold & titled as a 1978 Pageant Blue car!)....&, if a car's been repainted: Forget it! Most people don't search out the correct color because most body shops don't have paint chips...they just pick one that's close! Or chose one they like which is perfectly okay to do....
...oh, I've stayed out of the 'Special/Anniversary' post elsewhere on the BBS; but, here goes:.....that's another can of worms that was opened by US dealers trying to jazz up those cars that were sitting on their lot for long periods of time (for example: most Brown rubber bumper cars were stripped up to make them appealing)! All 1975 cars had a special dash placque that called them 'Anniversary" models but the only REAL 1975 'Anniversary' cars were the 751 or so 'Jubille' cars...&, as for the '1967 GT Specials': yes there were "1000 or so" cars to which US dealers could add their own little kit of doo-dads provided by the factory....no VINs were associated, dealers ordered the kits directly from the distributor & just picked which GT they wanted to put the kit on based on the sucker in the showroom! It was another marketing ploy for US dealers in 1967 when the newly added GT didn't make is initial sales projections (yes, the world got the GT in 1965, but we only got it in 1967)
.....oh, everywhere I said 'US' substitute 'NA' for North America as I believe Canadain dealers followed the same practices!
...heck, in 1979 dealers even gave free hardtops with every MGB sold! I know, I've got one...&, its a wire wheeled car; but, the other side of the story: I told the dealer I wanted a wire wheeled, red car with overdrive & luggage rack..we picked out my car from the line of cars on the lot - Vermillion Red with overdrive (no radio installed)....he then took it back to his garage where they swapped the suspension off another car on the lot, added the luggage rack, installed the radio I picked from his demo carousel, painted the Black hardtop Vermillion Red, & added factory silver lower body stripes!...but, my ORIGINAL bill of sale & window paperwork says: 1979 Vermillion Red w/factory stripes, overdrive, luggage rack, wire wheels, Panasonic AM/FM/cassette radio, hardtop.....so, what's real?
Don't make no never mind what the color is called, I like it. I think it goes great with the RB/GT body style.
The mag says that this is a special Silver Jubilee GT for 1977 and that the stripes, etc. were put on in Abingdon. Makes sense, it's a UK RHD.
It's an interesting story about the history of that car.
Then again, it's moot, sinced I'm hooked on the color. It looks almost like a Carolina Blue.
Donations gladly accepted towards paint and body work.
Wray...it is a pretty car & I also like the color on it....makes a GT look low and long! &, yep, Tahiti Blue looks like Carolina Blue...Pageant looks like Ford Grabber Blue....it'll be a beautiful car!
....however, it is not a Jubilee car!!! THERE WERE ONLY 751 JUBILEE GT's BUILT!!![/b] & all were British Racing Green with Gold stripes....&, all were 1975's!...one of those 751 was destroyed in a movie leaving 750 Jubilee GT's in the UK...plus: there was 1 BRG Jubilee Midget raffled off amongst factory workers & kept in the UK, 1 Brooklands Green Jubilee MGB roadster raffled off in the US & 1 MGBGT V8 Jubilee that went to a school....but, all Jubilee's were GREEN 1975's!!!
..another look-alike being touted as an original because people don't know!...oh, you can tell its not a Jubilee...it doesn't have the specal Jubilee V8-style wheels painted Gold...its got Rostyles!
I'll take your word for it. The Jubilee thing ain't an issue. The two-page foldout in the mag is a killer.
According to the article, this was a car commissioned as a raffle car for charitable give-away purposes and is a one-off car. The Jubilee was the 1977 Silver Jubilee (25 years) of the Queen's accession to the throne. The article also mentions the 750 Golden Jubilee of the MG Marque cars that were produced in 1975 and the stripe design was used on the 77, done in silver. Supposedly, the car now has all of 3700 miles on it. Special permission from the Queen's Silver Jubilee Appeal, whatever that is, was obtained and nifty decals were added. All this stuff was done in Abingdon.
I'll bring the mag. Our resident historian should have this info. I think it looks much better than the 75.
If true, it joins the select "Rarest of the Rare" club. Like a 56 Varitone.
Soon. Maybe in a couple of weeks. Before it gets too hot. I need parts. If I'm going to have a blue GT I have to get at least a hood and maybe a door. Plus, my Magnette parts. Gotta get working on that car.
Now, that's another story altogether....yes, in 1977 they made 1 MGBGT that was the "Queen's jubilee" to celebrate something in her reign...however, it was painted Silver - not Blue!
Sorry Tony, it was Blue (you'd think Silver because of the Silver anniversary) but it was blue
Oooops, wait...I'm off a bit...the last MGBGT to come off the assembly line was Pewter Grey (silver)....the Queen's one-off MGBGT Jubilee car was Tahiti Blue!!
....hey, Wray...we can duplicate the Jubilee stripes & logo...I've a pretty good photo of the logo that a good shop could replicate!
How is this magazine? I've never read one. Worth subscribing to?
I enjoy it. Not as fat or action packed as British Car but ok. The photography is superb. Comes out quarterly. Just got the latest issue today.
I remember those!! My mom caught me once!! Man was I in trouble!! :o)
It is fun, isn't it Wray!! I mean when you catch the 'Big Guy' screwing up!! :o)
Well, save enough money to repaint it when you see the Pageant Blue isn't the color you like!...That car in the photo is Tahiti Blue...I don't care what the magazine says!!
Hahaha!! I love it!! Keep it up Tony!! I like Pagent Blue!!
Wray...here are the codes...have your paint guy mix up a sample of each to make sure of which you really like:
Tahiti Blue - DITZLER #15096
Pageant Blue - DITZLER #15231
...&, the Tahiti Blue color on the 1977 was a 1-year only color (i.e., a little different than the Tahiti Blue on previous years)...I've given you the 1977 1-year only code
