RE: MGB GT V8: You Know You Want To

RE: MGB GT V8: You Know You Want To

Thursday 30th October 2014

MG BGT V8: You Know You Want To

Just the ticket for making a statement at your next track day



There is one line in the advert for this MG BGT that should sell it. There's much to be excited by, including a modified V8 and a whole host of mechanical upgrades, but this should do it: 'The car is set up for track days or simply for fast road use. Not for the feint [sic] of heart, but tremendous fun for committed drivers.'

Oh yes. Now we're talking
Oh yes. Now we're talking
You want to have a go, don't you? You are the committed driver, you are not faint of heart and the B GT will be your steed for all manner of automotive adventures. A B-road blast, a European jaunt, a classic rally; there are so many situations where the little MG could work.

The spec features upgrades that 'committed drivers' love to see. The Rover V8 has a new Edelbrock carb and manifold plus a fast road cam and induction tweaks to yield 200hp. With a Clive Whiteley stainless steel exhaust we're promise a 'wonderful deep V8 sound'. There's a fairly long list of other modifications that leave you wanting more detail still. A new Rover five-speed gearbox with uprated clutch, new discs and fast road pads, adjustable suspension with Spax dampers and four-point belts in some very retro buckets.

Advert says its 'tremendous fun'. We won't argue
Advert says its 'tremendous fun'. We won't argue
This particular B GT has some interesting history too. A German car owned by a property developer and modified 'without regards to expense', it has been to the Nurburgring a few times. No great surprises there. But then look who has driven it: Hans Stuck and Walter Rohrl. There are signatures on the bonnet and everything. Which is quite cool.

And how much for this slice of German optimised British muscle? £22,000, or comfortably the most expensive 'B' in the PH classifieds. There's another coupe with fewer miles and a rare spec for £19K as a point of reference. But there's evidently a lot of time and money invested in this MG, plus the Rohrl/Stuck link. The steering wheel is even on the correct side too, just in case the German plates put you off. But perhaps more than anything, the MG looks enormous fun. And if you're spending £20K on an old car to use occasionally, surely that must be number one priority?


MG BGT V8
Price:
£22,000
Why you should: Track prepped V8 MGB. Driven by Walter Rohrl
Why you shouldn't: We're struggling here. Really

See the original advert here.

Author
Discussion

Gorbyrev

Original Poster:

1,160 posts

153 months

Thursday 30th October 2014
quotequote all
Oh yes please!

kambites

67,460 posts

220 months

Thursday 30th October 2014
quotequote all
I'm not entirely sure about the bonnet modifications. hehe

anonymous-user

53 months

Thursday 30th October 2014
quotequote all
Lovely!

motco

15,918 posts

245 months

Thursday 30th October 2014
quotequote all
kambites said:
I'm not entirely sure about the bonnet modifications. hehe
I am entirely sure - it looks like an amateur effort.

badgerracing

114 posts

228 months

Thursday 30th October 2014
quotequote all
I've had a V8 roadster for a decade and love it.
A breathed-on engine, short ratio gearbox, sub 900kg weight and 185 tyres means its a bit of a handful, but predictable handling keeps it out of the hedge. Rears spin up on the throttle in 3rd in the dry and 4th in the wet. Noisy, roof leaks, drinks petrol and gets lighter on a daily basis as bits rust away.
Can't recommend it enough.


tadaah

214 posts

210 months

Thursday 30th October 2014
quotequote all
Rubber bumpers - yuk (and the lumps of iron behind 'em)

Chrome please

vixen1700

22,665 posts

269 months

Thursday 30th October 2014
quotequote all
Loved my ex's old GT V8, drove it to Berlin in the early 1990s.

Missed that car when we split up. frown

pSyCoSiS

3,581 posts

204 months

Thursday 30th October 2014
quotequote all
This seems like some epic fun in one small package!

Turbobanana

6,159 posts

200 months

Thursday 30th October 2014
quotequote all
I don't know that painting the rubber bumpers does anything for it at all.

unpc

2,831 posts

212 months

Thursday 30th October 2014
quotequote all
Now this is proper MGB V8 except for the over stuffed seats and blingy wheels. [pic] http://www.britishv8.org/MG/DanMasters/DanMasters-... [/pic]

Build thread here http://www.britishv8.org/MG/DanMasters.htm

Monty Python

4,812 posts

196 months

Thursday 30th October 2014
quotequote all
It's "faint", not "feint" :-)

eldar

21,614 posts

195 months

Thursday 30th October 2014
quotequote all
Monty Python said:
It's "faint", not "feint" :-)
feint of heart sounds rather vampirishsmile

jhonn

1,552 posts

148 months

Thursday 30th October 2014
quotequote all
A lovely looking car with a no-doubt cracking engine – however I just can’t see past the fact that it’s fitted with rear leaf springs.
So… not for me.

kambites

67,460 posts

220 months

Thursday 30th October 2014
quotequote all
jhonn said:
A lovely looking car with a no-doubt cracking engine – however I just can’t see past the fact that it’s fitted with rear leaf springs.
So… not for me.
You can buy IRS kits for them if it bothers you that much. I'm not convinced there's much point though, whatever you do to an MGB it's never going to be a shining example of exquisite wheel control. That's hardly the point, they're fun precisely because they're crude and, in objective terms, a bit rubbish.

jhonn

1,552 posts

148 months

Thursday 30th October 2014
quotequote all
I accept what you say, part of the charm and fun is the very fact that it is rudimentary and a bit flawed – lots of fun and feedback sensation at a speed lower than you would have to be going in an S2000 for example.
However – I don’t like leaf springs on a road car (barely acceptable on a Series Landrover!) – that technology is just too outdated for me.

kambites

67,460 posts

220 months

Thursday 30th October 2014
quotequote all
Each to their own I suppose. Personally, I've never subscribed to the idea that technology must be bad simply because it's old. I'd take an MGB V8 over the vast majority of modern sports cars simply because I find them more fun to drive. If only the damned things didn't rust so much.

Edited by kambites on Thursday 30th October 15:58

rtz62

3,340 posts

154 months

Thursday 30th October 2014
quotequote all
Am I the only person that think it looks like like a mildly surprised leaping frog?
The ride height is surely way too much for the 'ring. Unless it's going in a circus ring of course....
Another German interpretation of quintessential British-ness, that is way off the Mark. Or marque.....

canucklehead

416 posts

145 months

Thursday 30th October 2014
quotequote all
it will all be good fun until the rear suspension collapses.

daytona365

1,773 posts

163 months

Thursday 30th October 2014
quotequote all
Now this is proper MGB V8 except for the over stuffed seats and blingy wheels. [pic] http://www.britishv8.org/MG/DanMasters/DanMasters-... [/pic]

Build thread here http://www.britishv8.org/MG/DanMasters.htm
That must be the best MGB in existence. Absolutely epic. Imo anyway.

budgie smuggler

5,359 posts

158 months

Thursday 30th October 2014
quotequote all
jhonn said:
A lovely looking car with a no-doubt cracking engine – however I just can’t see past the fact that it’s fitted with rear leaf springs.
So… not for me.
What's the problem with leaf springs?