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

[Oddball RS]

Sharknose said:

Mark Smith said:

I think the car looks stunning. With modern power and gearbox it will be a lovely thing to own and drive. I wonder what it will sound like?

Not anywhere near as good as this I wager:

http://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C237359

http://depo.cms-dev-site.com/page202.asp

£20K less to boot.

An MGB with Mazda mechanicals and modern suspension will probably be much easier to drive but I'd rather have the character of a big six on webers and a freeflow exhaust any day, regardless of the fuel consumption! Perhaps one with an E46 M3 straight six would work for me, but not an MX-5 engine.

Your right it would sound fantastic, and yes it is MUCH cheaper but lets face it it wouldn't see which way the Frontline / Costello car went, think of the HUGE weight difference! Oh and the ropey front suspension.

[9mm]

If anyone really likes the idea of doing it then send me a message. I have a 1967 (tax exempt ) shell I want to shift. All new Heritage panels and every bit of welding done to it. It now needs a repaint or touching in various little scabs caused from it being laid up for a decade or so but you won't find a more solid base for a project. Doors front and rear, sills, floors even the tailgate was new and it has never been on the road since all that work was done.

Edited by 9mm on Friday 16th December 16:24

[rotarymazda]

AngryPartsBloke said:

Ive always liked the idea of taking a classic and putting a modern engine in it. Mgb / hillman avenger with a S2000 or other screaming high reving engine would be awesome.

WGT Auto developments put the RX8 rotary engine in my '94 MX5. Tiny/lightweight motor that revs to 9200rpm and 200rwhp when tuned with a custom intake/exhaust.

[J4CKO]

Love it, always liked the B GT, also find it amusing that the MX5, the Japanese interpretation of the old school British Sportscar is now donating its engine to power a re-imagined B GT.

I love the steels, I think sportscars just look right on them, strictly businesslike, not fussy, simple honest and shows you are about the driving and not rubbing Autosol on spokes and standing in fields talking about cars with the other beards.

As for more power and a V8 of 425 bhp, it's British Sportscar, not a Muscle car, the most common variety back in the day was a simple car with a four cylinder engine, they were never all about huge numbers, its about having a decent amount of power and making best use of it, as it is it still have double the power of the original and 70 bhp more than the MGB GT V8, should imagine its plenty for some spirited driving in a tonne or so of car.

Looks like they have taken the good bits, i.e. the looks and then done away with the crap bits like the wobbly chassis, wheezy engine and iffy reliability (not that they were that bad) and improved it, like it a lot !

[Adam-MGTF]

Of you all fancy a "MG sports car" with an engine (and handling) to live up to the name. You might want to check my project thread out:

http://forums.mg-rover.org/showthread.php?t=412984

It's a 2004 MG-TF and I've transplanted out the rover tea kettle that gave 135 bhp and plonked in a 2.0 k20a2 Honda Civic Type R engine which should be closer to 230 bhp

It's a good read I only haven't posted the project thread on piston heads as MGs are often looked down on a bit :lol:

It'll be running within about 4 weeks if everything goes well (and it should I've planned everything pretty well)

[BigTom85]

J4CKO said:

Love it, always liked the B GT, also find it amusing that the MX5, the Japanese interpretation of the old school British Sportscar is now donating its engine to power a re-imagined B GT.

I love the steels, I think sportscars just look right on them, strictly businesslike, not fussy, simple honest and shows you are about the driving and not rubbing Autosol on spokes and standing in fields talking about cars with the other beards.

As for more power and a V8 of 425 bhp, it's British Sportscar, not a Muscle car, the most common variety back in the day was a simple car with a four cylinder engine, they were never all about huge numbers, its about having a decent amount of power and making best use of it, as it is it still have double the power of the original and 70 bhp more than the MGB GT V8, should imagine its plenty for some spirited driving in a tonne or so of car.

Looks like they have taken the good bits, i.e. the looks and then done away with the crap bits like the wobbly chassis, wheezy engine and iffy reliability (not that they were that bad) and improved it, like it a lot !

I absolutely agree with everything you say.

[iain1970]

I vaguely remember a Times motoring journo building an MGB with the Rover 800 2-litre in it (when that engine was relatively new). At the time, I thought it was a good idea to keep old cars soldiering on. Or did I dream that?

[Adam-MGTF]

iain1970 said:

I vaguely remember a Times motoring journo building an MGB with the Rover 800 2-litre in it (when that engine was relatively new). At the time, I thought it was a good idea to keep old cars soldiering on. Or did I dream that?

Do you mean the T-Series turbo engine? I've seen that done and lots of k series engines (200bhp with VvC and iTBs sounds cracking)

I would love a N/A stright six on throttle bodied in a B... Maybe a TVR engine or something BMW.. You dont need anymore than 250 bhp really or it would loose it's sports car credentials and try and be a mucel car but induction roar and a spitting, grolwing 6 cylinder would suit the looks IMO

AdamLoewy said:

I love little coupes and that could be a lot of fun. Think I would have gone for s2000 vtec screamer though.

Ive seen pictures of an MG-A with a F20C s2000 motor in it... Looked like a normal yet concourse standard A on the outside but had a light weight 250bhp engine under the bonnet! Mental!

[edo]

Adam-MGTF said:

Of you all fancy a "MG sports car" with an engine (and handling) to live up to the name. You might want to check my project thread out:

http://forums.mg-rover.org/showthread.php?t=412984

It's a 2004 MG-TF and I've transplanted out the rover tea kettle that gave 135 bhp and plonked in a 2.0 k20a2 Honda Civic Type R engine which should be closer to 230 bhp

It's a good read I only haven't posted the project thread on piston heads as MGs are often looked down on a bit :lol:

It'll be running within about 4 weeks if everything goes well (and it should I've planned everything pretty well)

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

[sparkster8]

edo said:

Adam-MGTF said:

Of you all fancy a "MG sports car" with an engine (and handling) to live up to the name. You might want to check my project thread out:

http://forums.mg-rover.org/showthread.php?t=412984

It's a 2004 MG-TF and I've transplanted out the rover tea kettle that gave 135 bhp and plonked in a 2.0 k20a2 Honda Civic Type R engine which should be closer to 230 bhp

It's a good read I only haven't posted the project thread on piston heads as MGs are often looked down on a bit :lol:

It'll be running within about 4 weeks if everything goes well (and it should I've planned everything pretty well)

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

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

[Arkwright 2]

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.

[Farmer]

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. Narrow cars are great on the road , My narrow chassis 7 makes every road feel like a race track without needing to cross the white line, it gives you so much more room to play. Taken to the extreme my old 500 can almost straight line a reasonably open roundabout (you need to to keep up momentum) consequently it feels like a go kart (admittedly a severely underpowered one) and puts a big grin on your face at sensible road speeds.

It's been said already on this thread but I have NEVER desired an MGB due to their well noted dynamic shortcomings but this looks spot on, just like a mildly modded Alfa 105 Bertone coupe . Love the "Dunlop" wheels (probably alloys even though they look steel) love the colour . love the concept. wince a bit at the price . but a bit of enterprise and skill could take all the gubbins from an mx5 and into an MGB shell for a lot less wedge and 90% of the joy. Sorry MG purists but there won't be that many here...... I'll get me coat.

[KM666]

HA! Brilliant, not so long ago I floated the idea of somebody building a run of MX5 based MGB Replicas/modernisations and now its come true! Sort of like when as a child I drew a picture of a large espace sized vehicle which bears a startling resemblance to the Honda Odyssy released some years later.

Ooooh i'm like nostradamus me!

(If you also had this idea, Shhhhhhhhhh, let me have my moment of imagined and entirely fictional futuristic foresight)

Edited by KM666 on Friday 16th December 17:15

[dave stew]

I've always liked a retro car with modern internals. Back in the day (early 90s) a few of the RS boys fitted YB Cosworth turbo engines into their MK2 Escorts. Then there's the GM 'red top' XE conversion for an Opel Manta.

The only real downside to all this is the dreaded rust. Old cars are real rustbuckets, however much you dress them up with rose tinted glasses...

[davepoth]

iain1970 said:

I vaguely remember a Times motoring journo building an MGB with the Rover 800 2-litre in it (when that engine was relatively new). At the time, I thought it was a good idea to keep old cars soldiering on. Or did I dream that?

That'd be the T series, which is based on the M series, which is based on the O series, which was based on the B series originally found in the MGB. So it bolts up to the original engine mounts and gearbox.

[mgb40v8]

this MGB GT is closer to 60k, and wire wheels are the devils work when you re trying to put proper power through them and proper retardation and cornering forces

[thewheelman]

£60k for an MX5 powered MG!? No thanks, i'd hold out & see if i could find a used Weissman, if you want old school looks with modern performance, it would have to be a Weissman for me.

[threespires]

I'm surprised to see people's negative comments on the choice of Mazda MZR aka Ford Duratec engine.
This engine is now being used in a number low volume road cars and racing cars I believe and is reported to be extremely well built and strong.
If it's good enough as the basis for the most powerful Caterham, then it would be good enough for me.
I'd love to try one with the supercharger kit built by Cosworth.

[theironduke]

edo said:

Like that. Even the wheels look right.

Cant help but think a nice straight 6 or V8 might have been better, but I guess the Mx5 engine is light.

When my Dad and i did the bare metal rebuilt of our B (roadster) the only choice was a V8...sounds epic, I daresay it sounds sweeter, though not as lairy, than my TVR!

[Merle]

There is a company in San Diego called Monster Miata that has been around for 15 years or so. They put mostly Ford engines in MX-5s, both pushrod and overhead cam, but I have also seen Corvette mills in a few. From mild to wild, as they say. Done quite a few.
Now that I think about it, this is common practice in Southern California: reliable American engines with gorgeous British bodies. My first car in 1963 was a frog eye Sprite and quite a few of my contemporaries were slipping small block V-8s into them-evil handling! Better were Austin Healeys with Chevy V-8s. I used to race one a few years ago getting on the freeway in my BMW M Roadster as we went to work, but he usually beat me.
The most popular conversion here in the 70s and 80s was the XKE with a 289 0r 302 Ford and a little later the Jag XJ with a Chevy 350. You can buy bolt in kits for both conversions and make a very neat job. A friend of mine had a Vanden Plas XJ with a 650hp turbo Chevy 350. Adequate horsepower for the vicious traffic in San Diego.

Edited by Merle on Friday 16th December 18:46