RE: Pic of the Week: An MGB with a difference

[Kolbenkopp]

soad said:

Look good, don't they?

Edited by soad on Friday 16th December 14:46

Yep they do indeed. Interesting how many comments they get. When did steel wheels stop looking good?
Latest decent ones I can think of: 15" VAG, eg for Corrado.

[ShampooEfficient]

I think the Duratec engine is a corker - but for some reason I prefer cars to have engine transplants from within the same family. I'd much rather a Duratec in a Mk2 Escort than a Vauxhall XE, for example.

[Major Fallout]

I am sure they are Dunlop alloy wheels, normally found on D-Types.

[chimaeras]

The one at the Classic car show had a few extras and was priced at 62k ! There are loads of options and wheels are one of them.

[briSk]

very cool but i have to join the boringly obvious crowd and say that you'd need your head looking at if you actually spent that much money on one. but it takes all sorts and i am glad some people will!

did anyone see the orangey red lowered marina at CMS? i have been thinking about one of those with some sort of improved rear suspension - westfield alike with freeland diff?? - and a rover tomcat. with ITBs.

and that's sort of why i do like this mgb and why i don't. i like the blueish collarness of it. but for 50 bags you could get any number of well regarded 'project' builders to knock up your own unique car.

i'd love to know how much something like boss cerbera's v8 granny cost to build or marquis rex's M e21 beamer...

or again... just think what lotus elan you could have built for this much? spyder chassis, top spec duratec, immaculate bodywork... (kerrist you could probaby get the body done it CF for this much mullah!).

so. cool. but daft. if they take PX i should have thought there'll be a queue of e-types as the trendies try and go for this year's 50th anniversary car...

[Adam-MGTF]

edo said:

Thats an hour of my life gone! Depressing amount of rust for a 7 year old car.

What did you think? It's a bit long winded but apart from the engine mounts by Woodsport it's all my own work (with a little help from friends) and im only 24 and doing it in my garage at home so I'm pretty chuffed so far!

The rust isn't as bad as i make out really... the subframes are pretty bad and lousy with surface rust... but i bought the car form the scottish coast where it's been all it's life. Mostly what i was suprised about was how much worse it seemed to be than my 2003 TF i had previously (or some 15 year old Fs i've worked on!) I guess by 2004 MG couldn't afford many layers of paint!

sparkster8 said:

It won't let me open the thread at work - will have a look over the weekend. Annoying as that sounds very interesting

werid i can open it at work... never mind grab a cuppah and have a mooch at home... loads of pics to have a nose over and it's got some serious momentum now, I'm on the home stretch!

ShampooEfficient said:

I think the Duratec engine is a corker - but for some reason I prefer cars to have engine transplants from within the same family. I'd much rather a Duratec in a Mk2 Escort than a Vauxhall XE, for example.

I can agree with that to a point.. the problem is MG stopped engine development in the 90s... sure they re-hashed the K series around 2002 for the TF and Z cars range but all that did was add a few bhp to a bit of an astmatic engine (youd need forged internals, L/W fly, 285h Piper cams, Some aggressive head work and maybe even a 1.9 bore on a 1.8 Rover K series to see the same power that Duratec is kicking out) and the T series as has been mentioned is a OLD design.. cast iorn block, very thirsty and unreliable (it leaks like a trooper even if it is pretty meaty on the power front)

so with a VAG product or Ford or Vauxhall or whatever you have options from the same "family" with MG if you want a good engine then you better start looking elsewhere sadly

thats why when i decided i thought the TF chassis could take +200 bhp about 3 years ago i decided on a Duratec or K20a and focused in on the K20 right away

briSk said:

did anyone see the orangey red lowered marina at CMS? i have been thinking about one of those with some sort of improved rear suspension - westfield alike with freeland diff?? - and a rover tomcat. with ITBs.

Tomcat... thats the T series engine agian and is Turbo, so (if you went to the expense of ITBs) you'd be wasteing your time really i think... the ZR kids get 300+ bhp out of the T series and i've never even herd ITB'd discussed

if you want ITBs it's K series all the way, on a VVC with a 8k red line

[briSk]

i am such a mong. i meant meant a normal t series. i am sure you're right about the K (hell hang the expense.. crate N..!). maybe a T on carbs.

ttfn

[321lightspeed]

I read this a bit quick as MG Lego....

[MG CHRIS]

50k for an mgb who is going to pay that. I own a mgb gt if i was going to go down the route of modernising the mechanics i wouldn't fit a mx5 lump in it. Would be k-series with a supercharger or turbocharger, you can get upgraded suspensions and brakes you could do a conversion easily for under 10k i would have more enjoyment out of building the car myself then spending 50k for one i rather get a ferrari.

[handbraketurn]

Mr_B said:

Call this Pistonheads ?? MGB with a Jag V12 http://www.mgexperience.net/phorum/read.php?41,154...

Yeh, cause 70/30 weight distribution has always been the key to great handling ;-)

[dandarez]

mgtony said:

I saw that one at the NEC in November, looks a decent little car. I prefer it looking like this, which were the first magazine pictures of it. I originally thought they were all going to be this colour scheme.

What... black? Boring. Much prefer the new green shade... hang on, have I seen that colour before?

Perhaps they caught sight of this car testing at Snetterton in August and thought, 'hmm, nice colour'?

[RichB]

Farmer said:

Arkwright 2 said:

I was hoping from the title it was going to be a modern v8 monster with a widetrack body. They are too narrow to handle really nice.

I think you are mistaking handling for grip. no reason why it won't handle brilliantly .Low Weight, Low centre of gravity, relatively narrow tyres.

Exactly

[RichB]

Major Fallout said:

I am sure they are Dunlop alloy wheels, normally found on D-Types.

Don't look the same to me...

[Major Fallout]

RichB said:

Major Fallout said:

I am sure they are Dunlop alloy wheels, normally found on D-Types.

Don't look the same to me...

Really?


They even say Dunlop on them.

[em177]

threespires said:

I'd love to try one with the supercharger kit built by Cosworth.

As far as im aware they've had nothing but problems with the Mk3 kit.

[threespires]

em177 said:

As far as im aware they've had nothing but problems with the Mk3 kit.

I believe the Mk 3.5 has addressed these problems.

[Whiters]

More details that go some way to justifying the cost, here - http://www.frontlinedevelopments.com/content/le50.... - Looks like they're pitching as a mini Aston. Going to fetish levels with things like this which I love:

"Smiths were commissioned to resurrected the drawings of the original 1962 gauges and re-create them to match the new engine and running gear. The original glint of orange at 5,000 rpm is now clear all the way to 7,800 before warning to change gear with the speedometer now climbing all the way to 170 mph."

This I would have in a heartbeat if it wasn't so darn expensive.

That said, it would be great if after the initial 50 production specials, they offered the conversion for a lot less, doing away with the Wilton carpets and Connolly hide etc. I'd love to knock around in a dog-eared version; that would be a great sleeper.

To me, almost everything about the original MGB was poor other than the styling, packaging and detailing which I've always thought were pretty spot on. I've long looked at them at on the road and in classic shows and just thought what a shame it is that they're underwhelming to drive.

[will261058]

It really doesnt bother me that purists wont like this, they still have their "pure" cars to enjoy. This looks good and should go pretty well too!

[mph]

Why bother ?

I don't understand all the hype.

Modfied MGB's have been around for decades and fitting a Mazda MX5 engine is hardly ground breaking.

An MGB GT V8 with a few of the same tweaks and some engine mods does everything better for a fraction of the price and it's still an original car.

[Liquid Knight]

My old MGB had a 200SX engine and running gear with a Hoyle (-esque home made version) IRS and a coilover converted front cross member.




Great fun and cost less than £1,500 all in.