Don Hayter's MGB Story: The birth of the MGB in MG's Abingdon Design & Development Office (Those were the days...)
Don Hayter was educated at Abingdon School, Oxford, winning the Bennett Scholarship to Pembroke College. With the outbreak of WWII he decided to take an apprenticeship in aircraft design at the Pressed Steel Company, Cowley. Attending Oxford Technical College, and attaining a Higher National Certificate in Metallurgy and Engineering, he worked at various aircraft manufacturers, before moving into the car industry after the war. Working on many cars, including the MG Magnette, in 1954 he moved to Aston Martin, working on the design for the DB2/4 and the Lagonda, before moving back to MGÆs Design & Development department. Promoted to Chief Design & Development Engineer in 1973, he was responsible for the design of the MGB body, and stayed with MG until the closure of its factory in 1980. Don remains passionately enthusiastic about this iconic car, and still runs one himself today.