RE: One-of-five MG RV8 GT for sale

[F1GTRUeno]

WPA said:

Awful in every way, easy to see why they only made 5

Find all 5 and send them to the crusher please. Terrible.

[asci.white]

I get to see a fully restored rv8 in tesco on a regular bases. Every time I see the owner he is so fantastic to talk to and is happy to talk cars until his wife comes out and tuts at us lol.

Also has the leather gloves and cap when he's out and about which just always makes me smile.

Top bloke and top car.

[Nomme de Plum]

I believe there were a few original MGBs that had V8 engines by Costello. IMO they were much better looking with the original chrome bumper.

[Black S2K]

Really interesting to see as a design exercise; I rather like the RV8, but the body restyle really seems to clash with the Pininfarina roofline on the GT.

The original GT V8 was very pretty, before they destroyed the design by making the poor thing into a crossover/Streetwise.

This seems to be the worst of both worlds.

[nismo48]

My old work mate from the early 80's had a V8 MG with the chrome bumpers and I think it was citron green?
That I reckon did look great, especially with the alloy wheels fitted from new.
This car to be fair doesn't work for me and seems to sit a bit unbalanced in my opinion.

[mgtony]

^^ There's a V8 in that colour currently for sale:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/296399095720?itmmeta=01...

[P-Jay]

Doofus said:

Article said:

Having done the decent thing and put the V8 into a B to make the GT, MG never made a GT Roadster

The MGB GT was launched in 1965 with a 1.8.

The V8 version was launched in 1973, and was called the MGB GT V8

Thanks for posting that, I was sure 'GT' meant coupe, not V8.

As for this... it's a strong no for me, it's a dog's dinner, and maybe a warning to resto modders today. The 60s bits are retro and I think we like that, it's the 90s bits we don't like.

[DickyC]

Aston Martin had a dabble with the B when they were considering the purchase of MG. They built a prototype with the O Series engine and some cosmetic changes but couldn't, in the end, raise the £30M required to buy the company. IIRC it was the volume of sales AML were interested in.

[WPA]

Nomme de Plum said:

I believe there were a few original MGBs that had V8 engines by Costello. IMO they were much better looking with the original chrome bumper.

Ken Costello made around 230 MGB V8 conversions between 1970 and 1975 of which only 35 were roadsters, MG saw how popular the conversion was and then launched its own GT V8 in 1973.

Easy to spot a Costello car as it has a bonnet bulge as it ran standard inlet manifolds.



Factory built MGB V8 no bonnet bulge, available as both chrome and rubber bumpers

[tr7v8]

God that is truly awful. Colour makes it look even worse. I'll have my RV8 engine in another TR7 thanks. Designed for it from scratch & decent handling & interior.

[Nomme de Plum]

WPA said:

Nomme de Plum said:

I believe there were a few original MGBs that had V8 engines by Costello. IMO they were much better looking with the original chrome bumper.

Ken Costello made around 230 MGB V8 conversions between 1970 and 1975 of which only 35 were roadsters, MG saw how popular the conversion was and then launched its own GT V8 in 1973.

Easy to spot a Costello car as it has a bonnet bulge as it ran standard inlet manifolds.



Factory built MGB V8 no bonnet bulge, available as both chrome and rubber bumpers

Thank you.

To my eyes those conversions were much superior to the later home grown version. I appreciate regulation (USA?) determined the chunky bumpers found on many cars at that time.

[Jermy Claxon]

Why that warranted a PH news article, I don't know, but I suspect clickbait has something to do with it.

What an absolute disaster of a car.

[valiant]

Doofus said:

That's an MGB with a bodykit. It's not an RV8 with a roof.

Agree. And it looks awful in that colour.

[LooneyTunes]

Turbobanana said:

As a former B GT owner I want to like it. But I can't, and I think it's a combination of the colour and the rear ride height. My old B, as most of the chrome bumper or "Sebring-style" cars did, sat low at the back and looked excellent. This looks like it's permanently facing downhill.

Agree completely. Standard or Sebring, with a mildly tuned engine for me please.

One of the cars I really miss, and will probably buy another at some point.

[GTRene]

I rather like a MGB GT Sebring look, of course with a V8

[LooneyTunes]

Very nice ^^^.

[Trebor1970]

dontlookdown said:

Yup. Someone has got their Bs, GTs and V8s mixed up, and lost a decade or so somewhere too for good measure.

This thing has been beaten black and blue with the ugly stuck. Not for me thanks.

Unfortunately another Pistonheads word-soup advertorial full of errors..

[Mr Tidy]

WPA said:

Ken Costello made around 230 MGB V8 conversions between 1970 and 1975 of which only 35 were roadsters, MG saw how popular the conversion was and then launched its own GT V8 in 1973.

Easy to spot a Costello car as it has a bonnet bulge as it ran standard inlet manifolds.



Factory built MGB V8 no bonnet bulge, available as both chrome and rubber bumpers

I suppose it did no harm to try, but that RV8 GT just looks a bit of a mess.

I'd much rather have a chrome bumper one, preferably the Costello version with more than 4 litres of V8!

[Water Fairy]

Something about that shape that is just wrong, can't quite put my finger on it.

I'll stick with my RV8 car for now

430943035_3683485325231271_2202824279735720264_n by James Fawcett, on Flickr

433508658_1343757706286614_1725770824430823927_n by James Fawcett, on Flickr

[Arsecati]

How ironic, that this 90's 'update', has actually aged it more than an original from the 70's!

Awful looking thing: I've been on PH now ten years, and this will be the very first time I say: 'it looks like it crashed through the front of Halfords!'