RE: Driven: Frontline Developments MG LE50

RE: Driven: Frontline Developments MG LE50

Author
Discussion

JaseB

858 posts

262 months

Thursday 22nd December 2011
quotequote all
And that's entirely fair enough, we all know there are lower budget routes to getting your 4 wheeled kicks, knocking the cost of this one just seems to go round and round the blockyes

urquattro

755 posts

187 months

Thursday 22nd December 2011
quotequote all
Church of Noise said:
urquattro said:


This is a coincedence, just bought this one this week, wire wheels already fitted, also have a spare 4.2 e type engine and getrag five speed box - they are looking longingly for a home, severe axle tramp here i come. !! p.s. need to get rid of BL 1978 rust first but someone has to think about it.
p.p.s. You dont need to go to the hyped up E Types from e.......le, just make a good job of sorting out an original 4.2, they yield over 300bhp easily and reliably.
How are you going to restore the body? (I've got a GT that is getting close to what you show and I've been thinking about getting it back in shape)

Body panels are easily available and its not a major issue, I also think using an Alfa twincam is possible, lovely little engine and with an adapter could be using the 4 sp.od. box already in place.

On subject: I like a lot of things about this LE50, but the engine just doesn't tick the box for me, I'd rather have a V8 or (the sacrilege) an Alfa twin cam or something along those lines...

dingocooke

670 posts

221 months

Thursday 22nd December 2011
quotequote all
Gosh £50k and they cant even get the trim and panels to line up on the press car???? Picky? yes, but at £50k you would expect it to be outstanding
A Marmite car without a doubt, but its in a funny market; you can buy a heritage reshelled original resto which won't depreciate, and for half the price!
Ok it wont have modern powerplant and acoutrements, but you can buy an excellent used 911 with the change when you want sophisticated speed...

300bhp/ton

41,030 posts

191 months

Thursday 22nd December 2011
quotequote all
urquattro said:
just make a good job of sorting out an original 4.2, they yield over 300bhp easily and reliably.
Not sure it's a real 300hp though.... not easily anyhow. The productions ones never made 265hp in today's SAE Net/DIN/PS world of rating systems.

Think about it, Jag replaced the XK with the AJ6, it made 223hp, then 225hp and 240hp in AJ16 form. If the XK truly made 265hp why on Earth would Jag have spent time and money developing new engines?

vrtrooper

213 posts

223 months

Friday 23rd December 2011
quotequote all
I like this, but £50,000? No thank you.

MadDog1962

891 posts

163 months

Saturday 24th December 2011
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vrtrooper said:
I like this, but £50,000? No thank you.
I have to say that I completely agree. My thoughts is that it's a pity British Leyland never made them like this in the first place.

What a great street sleeper though.

Jackonicko

7 posts

160 months

Sunday 25th December 2011
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If I had the cash, spare, I'd do it. If only as a bit of nostalgia.

I'd never go back to a boggo MGB GT (I loved my two at the time), but a rust-free, fast, civilised GT? Yes please!

But I'd want the crackle finish dash.

Marquis Rex

7,377 posts

240 months

Monday 26th December 2011
quotequote all
I'm not a patriot and some of the blinkered pro-British Jingoists on here really annoy me however...
a Mazda engine in the MGB is the wrong engine.
In the same way that the Relaint SS1 and SST should never have had a 1.8 Turbo Nissan Silvia engine. It's obvious that alot of the folks that these cars appeal to are Pro-British and patriotic- that's part of the MGs appeal.
I recognise it's easier to use an off the shelf engine that comes as a package but nevertheless my comments still stand.
I'm not sure what engine I would choose. I'd probably still rather choose a Ford engine- like an aluminium Zetec SE, even though they're technically funded by the Americans alot of them are made in the UK.
May be when Jaguar start to release their down sized boosted four cylinder engines (you KNOW it will happen!) - one of those engines could be used!
I'm not even an avid MGB fan but I can really see the appeal of a car like this.

XitUp

7,690 posts

205 months

Monday 26th December 2011
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You'd use a much less powerful engine just because it's possibly made in the UK? Seems a bit daft to me.

Marquis Rex

7,377 posts

240 months

Monday 26th December 2011
quotequote all
XitUp said:
You'd use a much less powerful engine just because it's possibly made in the UK? Seems a bit daft to me.
It may seem daft to you , but in business you'd be well advised to look at your target market.
If I was doing one of my own I would put a Honda S2000 engine into it, but again, that wouldn't be wise IMO for a business venture such as this. Do you understand that concept?

XitUp

7,690 posts

205 months

Monday 26th December 2011
quotequote all
I do.

Didn't they stop making the Zetec-SE a while ago? Was is made in the UK, I'm not too sure on that one?

Marquis Rex

7,377 posts

240 months

Monday 26th December 2011
quotequote all
XitUp said:
I do.

Didn't they stop making the Zetec-SE a while ago? Was is made in the UK, I'm not too sure on that one?
I'm not sure I've been out of the UK circuit for a while, I know the bigger 1.8 Zetec (belt driven cast iron block) was made in Bridgend.

For some reason Fords are 'perceived' as being British in the UK, a miracle of the Ford marketing machine, no doubt.

XitUp

7,690 posts

205 months

Monday 26th December 2011
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Not by MG fan boys as much. So I don't think your idea of a 'british' engine would work.

Marquis Rex

7,377 posts

240 months

Monday 26th December 2011
quotequote all
XitUp said:
Not by MG fan boys as much. So I don't think your idea of a 'british' engine would work.
Hence wait for the Jag engine to be launched.
May be funded by Tata but at least the engineering and R and D was done in the UK

XitUp

7,690 posts

205 months

Monday 26th December 2011
quotequote all
Have Jag proposed such and engine? If not then I don't think waiting around for it to happen will help Frontline's sales figures too much.

davepoth

29,395 posts

200 months

Tuesday 27th December 2011
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Hate to rain on the parade, but the MX-5 engine is sold by Ford as the Duratec. So if you really wanted a Ford engine, you can change the rocker cover.

Marquis Rex

7,377 posts

240 months

Tuesday 27th December 2011
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XitUp said:
Have Jag proposed such and engine? If not then I don't think waiting around for it to happen will help Frontline's sales figures too much.
http://green.autoblog.com/2011/09/20/jaguar-land-rover-to-construct-484-million-4-cylinder-engine-fa/

They're even planning on using leccy motors so you and Mr Gear and blow your load together

XitUp

7,690 posts

205 months

Tuesday 27th December 2011
quotequote all
So no mention of when they would start making actual engines.

Just admit you were wrong on this one.

Marquis Rex

7,377 posts

240 months

Tuesday 27th December 2011
quotequote all
XitUp said:
So no mention of when they would start making actual engines.

Just admit you were wrong on this one.
How was I wrong? The premise of what I said was right, and it was my opinion. Certainly better than the drivel you talk in other threads about V6s being better than V8.
Those who can't teach. Those who talk drivel are teachers assistants, obviously

XitUp

7,690 posts

205 months

Tuesday 27th December 2011
quotequote all
When did I say that V6s are better than V8s you moron? Some are, some aren't.

Your idea was to make the car easier to sell by fitting an engine that isn't in production any more or one that hasn't even had the factory to make it in built. Well done genius.