Although it might seem familiar at first glance, this is one of the most rare British sports cars ever to hit American shores. This 1969 MGC convertible is one of only 1,757 produced in Abingdon that year. Located in San Francisco and listed here on eBay, it has attracted only a single bid thus far. At the time of writing, the price rests at $10,000, with only one day left before the auction ends.

If you were to look up “British sports car” in the dictionary, the picture right next to it would be the MGB. With just under four hundred thousand produced between 1962 and 1980, it was the most popular roadster ever produced before the advent of the MX-5. But setting aside the exceptional handling and the attractive price tag, there was the engine. While the 1,798 cc inline-4 was, at 95 brake horses, competitive with other offerings in its class in the mid-60s, by the second half of the decade other manufacturers had begun to adopt six-cylinder powerplants.

On the other hand, BMC had recently hit one out of the park with the MG Midget, a badge-engineered version of the second-generation Austin-Healey Sprite. With management looking to cut costs while meeting evolving US safety regulations, the MG platform was proposed as the basis for the replacement for the Austin-Healey 3000. Since no heir to the Big Healey could ever sport a four-banger, the hood was granted a bulge, and then another, and the MGC was born; a car so incredible that Donald Healey flatly refused to be associated with it. Which ultimately meant that the Austin-Healeys would continue to be sold alongside the new model.

The inline-six chosen for the MGC was a 2.9L unit also used in the Austin 3-Litre saloon. Producing a little under 150 hp at 5,250 rpm, it propelled the new car from zero to sixty in ten seconds flat and gave it a top speed of 120 mph. Larger brakes, an upgraded suspension, and alterations to the steering completed the package and the MGC was released to… very bad reviews, since the additional weight up front drastically altered the balance of the car. BMC claimed that the press cars’ tires were to blame, but the damage was done. The last MGC would roll out of the Abingdon factory in 1969, less than two years after the model’s launch.

This example is represented as a well-maintained driver, with no known accidents and an odometer resting at 57,000 miles. The underside of the car looks very clean and the seller plans to address the only rust visible in the pictures. Presented with no reserve, and with a seller apparently willing to facilitate shipping, it’s possible that this rare machine may go for a bargain price– though where it might go is anyone’s guess.