MGB-GT, California survivor, two owners, never repainted, rare color

Price: - Item location: Fresno, California, United States
Description:

1971 MG MGB

I'd describe this car as daily driver quality. Not perfect, but presentable, indeed, I've entered it in local shows. It was the original owner's only car for a number of years and so has myriad little scuffs, thin spots on the paint, dings and wrinkles. Cosmetically, it's exactly as it was when I bought it from her, retaining its original "Bedouin" paint and Lucas headlamps. I see no evidence of any serious accidents, the paint matches well with no evidence of a respray.
When I bought the car the front suspension was in a parlous state so I rebuilt it completely, to stock specs, lever arm dampers and all. I also replaced the rear dampers. I found that the original cylinder head had cracked and been welded at some point and that weld failed, so I installed a brand new cylinder head. I used an earlier style head without ports for air injection as the smog pump and air injection rail had been removed (though I still have them).
Mechanically the two most serious issues are a thirst for oil, some of it goes out the tailpipe, some of it ends up on the ground. The throttle shafts are a bit sloppy, the carbs could do with rebuilding. It's still a reliable enough car to drive daily, I've used it as my main transportation for a time, taking it as far as Sonora (a roughly 225 mile round trip, with some mountain driving). There are a couple of minor issues, the heater motor doesn't respond to the switch but does run when power is jumpered to it and the horns are disinclined to blow.
On the road the car performs as it should, with no untoward handling and taut steering. The brakes pull it up straight and true, the clutch doesn't slip and gears are selected with that delightful snickety-snick action peculiar to old MG's. The cooling system is stock, so if stuck in traffic on a hot day the gauge will climb, though it's never boiled, even in 100 degree weather. There's plenty of oil pressure too.
The interior presents as well as the exterior, that is to say it shows some wear but is completely serviceable with no tears or splitting in the upholstery. The cardboard pieces that finish off the underside of the dashboard were missing when I bought the car, fiberglass replacements are readily available. The only notable corrosion that I've found is in the spare wheel compartment, it's superficial and non structural, but should be rectified.
In all it's a solid usable car, ideal for the driver who wants a car to enjoy as is or an extremely solid starting point for a complete restoration.

On Apr-16-18 at 13:00:11 PDT, seller added the following information:

This is a California survivor in a rare color, can't be many left like this