ABINGDON, England - The very last MGB Roadster made by the MG Car Company back in 1980 made a dramatic return to its former home town on Thursday, where it was prepared for a very special museum exhibition.

The car, which now belongs to the Heritage Motor Centre in Gaydon, has been loaned to the Abingdon County Hall Museum as they celebrate the icon’s connection to their town.

Managing director of British Motor Heritage John Yea said: "2012 is the 50th anniversary of this perennially popular sports car, so it is fitting that a representative example should be displayed in the town where more than 500 000 were built.”

MUSEUM MARVEL

Getting it into the museum, constructed in the 17th century, was definitely the bigger challenge since the physical limitations of the building required some imagination in getting the MGB inside.

The car was stripped to its shell and fitted into a special cradle before it was delivered – sideways through and arched window on the building’s upper floor – by a 30-ton scissor lift.

It will now be rebuilt, inside the museum, by British Motor Heritage in time for its public display.