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LE Interior

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Here's a reply from one of my contacts:
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Yes Rick, some L.E. cars did have black carpets in the front and beige carpet on the rear shelf. Legend has it that they ran out of black for the rear and substituted the beige to get the cars out. We have several registrants who have this combination which I don’t think is offered by any of the specialists/ However, I can find no definitive reference to this factor in any one of the thousand MGB books I have! We’ll ask Don Hayter at Gatlinbirg if the can shed any light on this unusual feature......Ken,




Ken..

I think I remember that the carpeting on *some* NA Spec LE's were a mix of black and tan.

Can you verify that, and do you have a reference other than Clausager (who states that the carpeting was black).

Thanks.

rick
 
My LE and blue 78 have tan seats and panels with tan/beige carpeting in the back and black in the front.....fortunatly the carpet is in pretty good nick.
 
I remember looking at a brand new '80 LE at the dealer and noting that the interior was black and tan as described here. I had a 69 and my brother had a 68, both with black interiors, and thought that it was strange. The salesmas asked the "boss" if they could get an all black interior and was told no. I passed on the deal...just one of my stupid car moves I lived to regret later in life.

Bruce /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cheers.gif
 
Now this is what a good thread is all about - everybody learning something new about our cars, civily! Plus, we're having fun on it!
 
Hmmm, what can I dream up next that I can post.
 
The age old question...when doing a restoration..do you restore it the way that specific car was built..or the way the factory planned it to be.

Chances are no one would know YOUR LE had a mix of color carpet.

Also my wife bought an LE new and had the dealer change the carpet and seats to all black...what do you do with that..what is correct? LOL

I personally do not think value would be lost changing the color interior of a B, say, to all black.

I don't know if there is a source to doublecheck vins compared to the color combo the factory installed. So it could be moot.

For a conversation starter..if you are redoing a LE...change the carpet to 2 colors and say thats the way it came!

Great topic..but I don't think there is a definite concrete answer

Stuff like this happens even today..we ordered an audi TT 225. It comes standard with a power top. The power top is OPTIONAL on the lower 180 TT. But they ran out of power tops..and our ordered 225 TT came in with a MANUAL top.

Paul
 
[ QUOTE ]
and our ordered 225 TT came in with a MANUAL top.

[/ QUOTE ]

& you returned it?
 
[ QUOTE ]
The age old question...when doing a restoration..do you restore it the way that specific car was built..or the way the factory planned it to be.


[/ QUOTE ]

Neither. As Frank said, I do it "My Way". If that coincides with what the factory intended or built, great. If not, well, it's my car /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif.

Example: my 73 B originally came with side marker lights under the chrome strip on the front fenders. I think they're ugly, so I welded plates in from behind to remove them.
 
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
and our ordered 225 TT came in with a MANUAL top.

[/ QUOTE ]

& you returned it?

[/ QUOTE ]

Yes..after 6 months..the dealer let us have the car overnite with a dealer plate.. It was borderline MG hard to raise and lower the top. Hard to do from inside OR outside the car!

It killed us to return it..but we did...ordered another one..but didn't want to wait 6 months..ordered it from another dealer..they jerked us around for 2 months..so we cancelled THAT TT too..Got it in 3 days from the 3rd dealer.

Ended up being the biggest POS ever made. Awesome car to drive..but that thing is in the shop more than the MG!!! The dealer wanted $4300 to change the clutch! The clutch was fine..it was the slave cyl!

here is a pic of the car the day we got the MG:
2roadsters.jpg



Some pics of the TT: 2001 Audi TT pictures

I was thinking of having seat covers made like these for the MG sometime (maybe in black instead of tan). These are baseball glove leather with baseball stiching. Wicked nice actually:
Mills_TT7.jpg


Paul
 
What year is your yellow MGB?
 
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
The age old question...when doing a restoration..do you restore it the way that specific car was built..or the way the factory planned it to be.


[/ QUOTE ]

Neither. As Frank said, I do it "My Way". If that coincides with what the factory intended or built, great. If not, well, it's my car /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif.

Example: my 73 B originally came with side marker lights under the chrome strip on the front fenders. I think they're ugly, so I welded plates in from behind to remove them.

[/ QUOTE ]

I meant if you were going for a 100 point car. Not that one would exist.. but what is more correct to get 100 points..how that unit was built...or how it was supposed to be built?

I remember I almost lost points on my Buick because the air intake vent was wire mesh, instead of plastic..but the Framingham plant used the wire mesh on their cars when they ran out of grills, but plastic grills were spec'ed for the car. The metal mesh was incorrect by specifications, but correct because it came out of the factory that way. The mesh looked like crap..but it was original to MY car.

My B is the poster child for modifications..so I would never own a trailer queen or 100 point car.

Paul
 
[ QUOTE ]
What year is your yellow MGB?

[/ QUOTE ]

1980. I am on the MGB Experience board a lot (like constanly) so you might remember me from there. I poke in here from time to time to cause trouble

Paul
 
Ah, yep...now I remember the car...beautiful...we discussed the front valance color already, didn't we?
 
[ QUOTE ]
Nope - Black or Beige interior

car #492071 (Mar '79) - 523000 (Aug '80)...6.682 cars

[/ QUOTE ]

Were there any cars that seem like LE's produced in between these numbers but were not really LE's?
 
Vincent

An rare known fact is that an LEFI was produced, two cars were made. The FI was yes you guessed it Fuel Injected. The later was was redesignated to LEFID, and it added four wheel discs. Both were destroyed shortly there after because they were to expensive to place into production and they didn't want to deter from LE sales.

Okay, how many of ya's believed me? sorry if ya did just kidding, but wouldn't it be nice.

Guess I better get outside and get to work.
 
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