The MGB was fitted with carpet from the outset, though the floor covering arrangement was originally a combination of carpet and PVC-coated rubber mats rather than the wall-to-wall carpeting found on later cars. The actual floor panels were covered in rubber mats, in two sections per side, with the sills also rubber-covered. A shaped one-piece carpet covered the transmission tunnel, with cut-outs for the radio loudspeaker console and the gear lever. The heelboard was covered by a single piece of carpet, and another piece fitted to the rear shelf.
The GT had additional carpet pieces covering the boot floorboard and the small pockets formed on either side of the boot behind the rear wheelarches.
Carpet Material & Colour Changes
The carpet material changed during production. Early cars used Firth’s loop-pile, which was changed to the same manufacturer’s cut-pile from the 1972 model year. Carpet colour always matched the main interior trim, so it could be black, red, or blue on early cars, with the palette expanding and changing through the production run.
The rubber mats had a ‘heelmat’ pattern in both footwells, with the heelmats always black regardless of trim colour. Full carpeting, covering the floor panels and sills as well as the tunnel, heelboard, and rear shelf, was not introduced until the 1977 model year, when it was standardised across all cars. The 1975 Jubilee GT had received full carpeting before this as part of its special specification. On RHD cars from 1977 onwards, carpets were always black.
On LHD cars with coloured trim, the front compartment carpet was black, but the heelboard and rear shelf carpet matched the seat colour.
Carpet Sets
Carpet sets are available for both the Roadster and GT, tailored to the body and floor profile of each. The primary distinction is between 3-synchro cars to 1967 and 4-synchro cars from 1968 onwards, as the transmission tunnel was enlarged with the introduction of the 4-synchro gearbox in late 1967 and the carpet profile differs accordingly. Premium carpet sets feature moulded and pre-shaped transmission tunnel sections, soundproofing, and hard-backed footwell toeboards. Standard sets use original-quality material in a range of colours.
Boot carpet sets are available in moulded, deluxe, and standard formats for both Roadster and GT. Soundproofing is recommended before carpet installation for best results, carpets laid directly to bare steel will not provide optimal comfort or longevity.
The original factory insulation was minimal by modern standards, and fitting acoustic material beneath the carpet makes a noticeable difference to road and transmission noise on a car used regularly.