Did coachbuilders limit themselves to exotic nameplates like Ferrari, Rolls-Royce or Jaguar? Nope, and we have a coachbuilt MGB to prove it.
Jacques Coune, co-founder of the Écurie Nationale Belge F1 team and Écurie Francorchamps driver, created his own coachbuilding firm in 1962. Coune wanted to create body styles that were not offered by various manufacturers.
And that’s just what he did.
A full year before MG even offered its MGB GT, Coune debuted his Berlinetta at the Brussels Motor Show in January 1964.
Coune built 56 examples of his MGB Berlinetta in total, but only six were all steel.
This Berlinetta stands as one of those six, and received a body restoration by Carrozzeria GranTurismo in 2006 and another full restoration in 2009, where Classic Car Service Restorations fitted the car with an upgraded engine with a crossflow cylinder head (Click here to get your own). The original engine and Belgian registration document are included with purchase.
A meeting took place in 1964 between Coune and Alec Issigonis to discuss the prospects of series production of the car at Abingdon (with royalties paid to the Belgian) and shortly thereafter a vehicle was pulled off the production line and sent to Brussels for conversion. When the car had returned, it was driven by BMC Chairman George Harriman, Syd Enever, Issigonis and even Leonard Lord from Austin to evaluate the car for production in England. Unfortunately, the MGB Coune Berlinette was both heavy and expensive (it cost double as much as a standard MGB) but it was very attractive and had caught the eye of BMC management.
The project was abandoned in favor of the MGB GT prototype designed by Pininfarina in Italy that retained more of the essential character of the MGB (and was no doubt cheaper to produce). Notwithstanding the actions of MG, Coune continued to produce his car for the European market with 56 units manufactured in total.
In 1966, Coune debuted at the Turin Motor Show another MGB based creation with a Targa-style top but it was poorly received and was never manufactured in quantity. Along with the Coune Volvo Amazon Cabrio, the MGB Coune Berlinette established the enviable reputation that these bespoke Belgian jewels enjoy today.
This example sold through Bonhams Auction House for just over $147,000 in 2024. It gives us all a new appreciation for the B in our garages, and what it could become should you commission a coach builder to transform it.
https://cars.bonhams.com/auction/29935/lot/149/1964-mg-b-coune-berlinetta-chassis-no-g-hn3-l23830/
