1964 MGB “Coune” Berlinetta

This car, Lot 149, sold for $133,175 (€120,750), including buyer’s premium, at Bonhams Cars’ Knokke-Heist, BEL, auction, on October 6, 2024.

The appearance of this MGB berlinetta from Jacques Coune’s carrosserie is a reminder that automotive history includes an scores of wallflowers we rarely meet. Coune was born in Brussels, Belgium — a country on the fringes of Europe’s mid-20th-century automotive boom. In his twenties, he opened an auto-parts business, Central Pièces Auto, with a sideline assembling Panhards for the Belgian market on behalf of an importer. Later, he established import agencies representing Abarth and Iso. His business grew into a repair shop servicing the likes of Jaguar, Ferrari and Aston Martin.

Coune was also involved in racing. He was instrumental in the 1955 formation of Écurie Nationale Belge — the amalgamation of several Belgian racing organizations. He raced at least once for Écurie Francorchamps, driving a Ferrari 166MM and placing 8th in the Grand Prix for production cars at Spa-Francorchamps in 1956.

Meanwhile, over at British Motor Corporation (BMC), that selfsame MGB was on the drawing board, already surrounded in controversy: Should the convertible be accompanied by a coupe? Customers had demanded weather protection while the MGA was on the market, and BMC complied. But the MGA’s roof made it more claustrophobic than the roadster, and ventilation was poor. Lovely as it was, it was not what consumers had in mind, and only 9,922 were sold from 1956 to ’62 — accounting for less than 10% of all MGA production. Nearly constantly underfinanced relative to its undertakings, BMC’s scales tipped in favor of the open car, and the MGB was introduced in 1962.

A talent discovered

As the MGB was taking shape, Coune remained involved with his race team, which decided to field Emeryson-Maserati cars built by engineer Paul Emery in a run at the Formula 1 World Championship. None were fast, and subsequent attempts to redeem the effort proved futile. In 1962, a new attempt was made to resurrect the race car, this time with bodywork designed by Coune. The car debuted at the 1962 Belgian Grand Prix and barely qualified, then wound up as a DNF. Its next outing was no better, and the idea was scrapped.

But all was not lost. This experience launched Coune’s customization efforts. Further encouragement lay in the proliferation of coachbuilt British cars — the Harrington Alpine, Michelotti’s Triumph Italia, and even Belgian Franz Pardon’s TR2 Coupé Francorchamps. Coune opened Carrosserie Jacques Coune in 1962 just as the MGB arrived on the scene, and immediately took to altering a host of cars. These were displayed at the Belgian Motor Show over the ensuing three years.

Coune’s first effort was an estate version of the Peugeot 404. But shortly after that car exited the Carrosserie, Peugeot launched its own wagon at a far cheaper price. Four Volvo 122 convertibles were produced — well-conceived cars, but also very expensive. And so it went, with Coune sputtering out a few cars here and there, until he added a roof to the MGB convertible. This creation rated as a relative success: Coune built 56 MGB berlinettas. The first six were all steel; the rest employed fiberglass body additions. Other than an Abarth exhaust, the MGB berlinetta received no performance upgrades, though the interior was dolled-up with full leather upholstery and a wood-rimmed steering wheel. The windshield is larger than the convertible’s, with both front and rear glass from the Renault 8. Estimates peg the number of surviving Coune MGBs anywhere between 10 and 14.

In 1964, Coune presented his berlinetta to Alec Issigonis, angling for a royalty contract. But the car was too expensive to produce: The entire rear of an MGB convertible except for the floor pan and wheelarches was cut away to carve space for rear seats. Worse, Issigonis deemed the design too “Italian” — an irony since the MGB GT was eventually penned by Pininfarina.

Rare car, record sale

Chassis GHN3L23830 is one of Coune’s initial six all-steel versions. Several upgrades are apparent in the engine bay, including an aluminum cross-flow head, with twin Webers added to the factory B-series 1,798-cc 4-cylinder engine. Other modifications include an oversized radiator with an electric fan, a tidy aluminum catch tank and a brake booster. The original engine and gearbox accompany the car, as well as a British Motor Industry Heritage Trust Certificate and documentation verifying our subject car’s restoration and ownership.

The crinkle-painted metal dash and toggle switches are hallmarks of any early MGB. The gearshift knob suggests that this transmission is a 5-speed manual, while the original would have been a 4-speed, with no first-gear synchro. Slight wrinkling in the rear upholstery around the wheelarches does not detract from the attractive presentation.

The car left the factory in British Racing Green with round taillights specified by Coune. Borrani wire wheels complement the car’s overall demeanor. Minor wear throughout is commensurate with light use during the 15 years since its last restoration.

With so few Coune-bodied MGBs extant, comparable sales are understandably scarce. Two examples appear for sale online: one in England that’s been renovated into a race car with an asking price of $85k, as well as a recently restored example in France, offered at $120k. Meanwhile, the highest sale for an MGB of any type in SCM’s Platinum Auction Database is a 1962 factory lightweight MGB that finished fourth in its class at Sebring, selling at $105k way back in 2004 (SCM# 34816). Given this landscape, the result achieved at Bonhams Cars’ Belgian auction was in the seller’s favor, benchmarking what might be a new record price at auction for any MGB variant. ♦