Editing BMC B-series engine (section)

==Engine numbering==
There were two series of engine numbers used; BMC changed the system at the end of 1956.<ref name=number>MG Car Club. Engine Codes (webpage) Accessed on 1 January 2016 from http://www.mg-cars.org.uk/news/news498.html</ref>

===Numbering system, 1936 to 1956===
As an example numbers were of the style "BP15GB" followed by the engines serial number, where:

*BP = '''B''' series engine with '''P''' for pushrod (Overhead Valve)
*15 = capacity
*G = MG (for full list of codes see reference below)
*B = This final letter denotes the engine version.

===Numbering system, 1957 to 1970===
As an example numbers were of the style "15GB-U-H" plus a serial number, where:

*15 = capacity
*G = MG (other letters were: A = Austin, B = Industrial, H = Miscellaneous, J = Commercial, M = Morris, R = Riley, V = Vanden Plas and W = Wolseley )
*B = B series engine
*U = Central gear change (other letters were: A = Automatic, M = Manumatic clutch, N = Column change, O = Overdrive, P = Police, DA = Close ratio gearbox. Note letter A is in a smaller font size).
*H = High compression (alternatively L = Low compression)

===Numbering system, 1970 onwards ===
Beginning in the early 1970s the numbering system was simplified to "18 V" plus a serial number, where 18 represents the capacity and V = vertical, ''i.e.'' longitudinal (in-line, not vee-arranged) engine with [[rear-wheel drive]], and H = Horizontal, ''i.e.'' transverse engine with [[front-wheel drive]].<ref name=number />

There was sometimes a country indicator after the first part of the code, ''e.g.'' "18V-Z" was used for some [[United States]] (except [[California]]) [[MG MGB]] engines.