1967 - MGC GTS « SEBRING », CHÂSSIS GCD 00014L

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1967 - MGC GTS « SEBRING », CHÂSSIS GCD 00014L
Châssis : Monocoque structure Bodywork : Aluminum Weight : 950 kg Dimensions : 3900 mm / 1520 mm Engine : 6-cylinder in line 3.0l Gearbox : 4 speed Brakes : Calipers, discs AV/AR 15’’ Rims : Alloy Suspensions : Independent front suspension, rear axle with semi-elliptic springs independent front suspension, rear axle with semi-elliptic springs Targa Florio 1970. John Chatham in action with the right car. THE SWAN SONG This MGC GTS “lightweight” remains as the most powerful MG seen in competition. Unfortunately, its promising career will be interrupted before the end of the year by the board of British Leyland who decides to close the competition department of the brand in 1969... Mini, MG, Triumph, Austin Healey... During the sixties, these English brands are all the rage and often enter competitions to affirm their sporting vocation. In November 1966, the “competition” committee of the British Motor Corporation gives the green light to develop a new racing car intended for endurance events and rallies, to replace the Mini. It is based on the new MGC which will be presented in October 1967 at the London Motor Show. This new coupe is none other than an MGB equipped with the engine of the future Austin 3-liter sedan: a rather heavy and bulky inline 6-cylinder. Coded EX241, this project translates into the construction of six MGC GTS in the workshops of the BMC competition department in Abingdon. The ambition, clearly stated internally, to make this car capable of winning rallies leads the team to prepare “lightweight” cars. These MGC GTSs are built on the basis of a standard steel floor, onto which aluminum body panels are assembled using a combination of epoxy glue and rivets. Only two cars will be completely assembled in Abingdon. They will each receive a nickname derived from their license plate: “Mable” (MBL 546E) and “Romeo” (RMO 699F). The first named car made its debut at the 1968 Sebring 12 Hours in the hands of Paddy Hopkirk and Andrew Hedges, who won the prototype class and finished a promising 10th place overall, the best result ever obtained by an MG in this race! The second MGC GTS is then built. Both cars were entered in the 1968 Road Marathon, an 84-hour event held on the Nürburgring. While “Romeo” quickly retired due to overheating, “Mable” put on an impressive performance, putting enormous pressure on the leading Porsche. Unfortunately, a brake problem caused him to lose ground. The Fall/Hedges/Vernaeve team plunged to sixth place. Does this promising performance encourage BMC to continue its efforts? Not at all: in 1968, the British car industry was undergoing a complete restructuring. Leyland Motor Corp and British Motor Corporation merged to form British Leyland. The MGC GTS program is stopped However, at the request of the American importers, the two cars built were sent to the 1969 12 Hours of Sebring. It was then decided that the cars would not return and would be sold on the spot. This time, “Romeo” finished a disappointing 15th overall with Hopkirk/Hedges, while “Mable” was only 34th with a local crew. In the aftermath, BMC’s racing department was closed and the four unfinished MGC GTSs, along with their spare parts, were sold to the driver-preparer John Chatham. At his base in Bristol, he assembled three cars. The first one to be finished is registered on January 21, 1970 (chassis number GCD 00014L, registration number VHY 5H). After running a short race at Castle Combs as a debugging exercise, Chatham entered it in the 1970 Targa Florio, but the rough course put the MG’s brakes to the test. Chatham went off the road on the last lap, hit some straw bales, then a Fiat 500 and then some other cars parked next to it... Afterwards, this MGC GTS will compete in several club races and will change owners several times. Today, it needs to be refreshed and reassembled, its engine having been revised.
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