Overtaking mirrors are a distinct mirror category from the standard door and wing mirrors, designed to give the driver a clearer rearward view for overtaking and lane-changing manoeuvres than the small period factory mirrors provide. Two principal types are stocked, the quarterlight clamp-on overtaking mirror that fits the swivelling front quarterlight on coupé and saloon applications without drilling, and the long-stem wing-mounted overtaking mirror that defines the visual character of 1960s British sports cars.
For cars in regular road use, particularly on motorways or for active overtaking, an overtaking mirror provides a larger reflective surface, a closer line of sight to the driver's eye than a wing-mounted mirror, and on the clamp-on type no drilling at all, so the modification is fully reversible and does not affect originality of the bodywork.
Quarterlight Clamp-On Overtaking Mirrors
The quarterlight overtaking mirror is designed to clamp to the chrome frame of the swivelling front quarterlight with no drilling necessary, increasing driver visibility for overtaking without any permanent change to the bodywork, fitted to coupé applications where the quarterlight is present. Roadster applications do not have quarterlights, the sidescreens replacing the coupé's window arrangement on early cars and the doors carrying a single fixed-frame window on later cars, so this style is applicable specifically to the coupé and similar window arrangements. The mirror is manufactured from polished stainless steel for long-term corrosion resistance and a finish matching the chrome and stainless brightwork on the rest of the car, the clamp being a single specification across the head size options. Two round mirror head sizes are typically available alongside the standard quarterlight clamp, a 75mm round head providing a discreet appearance that does not significantly interrupt the line of the window and matches the size of period round wing mirrors for a consistent visual scale across the car, and a 105mm round head giving a substantially wider field of view at a glance for safer overtaking, more visually prominent but offering significantly better rearward coverage at competitive or motorway driving speeds.
Convex glass options give a wider field of view than flat glass at the cost of mild image distortion, with flat glass giving a true image for accurate distance judgement, and the mirror adjusts in both axes to allow precise positioning for the driver's eye line. The quarterlight handle changed during MGB production from a curved to a straight type around 1969, but the overtaking mirror clamp fits both quarterlight frame profiles.
Long-Stem Wing-Mounted Overtaking Mirrors
The long-stem overtaking mirror is the period-sporting wing-mounted alternative, defining the visual character of 1960s sports cars, mounted on a long chromed stem extending forward from the front wing with the mirror sitting in the driver's line of sight through the gap between the bonnet and the wing edge. The long stem-mounted mirror extending forward from the wing is visible to anyone viewing the car from the side, signalling the car's sporting credentials with a clarity that few other accessories can match, the visual signature being unmistakably linked to the 1950s and 1960s sporting era when Aston Martins, Austin-Healeys, and Jaguar XKs all carried overtaking mirrors as standard or popular optional equipment. The mirror housing is typically oval or round at the end of a stem of 200 to 300 millimetres, with convex mirror glass for a wider field of view, the chromed-brass finish being the period-correct option for the most authentic appearance and polished stainless steel offering the modern alternative with better long-term durability, particularly valuable for cars used regularly through UK weather.
Why an Overtaking Mirror
The factory-period wing mirrors fitted to the cars in the range give limited rearward visibility by modern standards, with small reflective surfaces and narrow fields of view, and on roadster applications with the hood raised the rear visibility through the small rear window is limited, so an overtaking mirror provides a clearer view of following traffic and a more practical mirror for active driving. The mounting position is important for both visibility and visual character, with the mirror positioned so the driver can see it through the gap between bonnet and wing edge on the wing-mounted type or at the appropriate angle from the quarterlight on the clamp-on type. The clamp-on type is fully reversible and leaves no permanent marks on the bodywork, making it a practical addition for regular use that can be removed for concours events, while the wing-mounted type completes the sporting character of cars built to a period-correct visual specification. The technical team is available to advise on the right mirror specification for a specific car.