MGB GTV8 AN OWNERS VIEW I never set out to own an MGBGT V8 despite the favourable press reports of 1973.

Auto ar road tested the ar and o!pared it with the a o!plished "atsun #$%& and the fa!ous ' T(pe )a*uar. It was thou*ht to be e+pensive, but the fabulous perfor!an e was re o*nised. The ar was also the lo*i al develop!ent of the fa!ous MGB and GT !odels, whi h started life in 19-#, with the GT o!in* in 19-.. )ust to o!pli ate !atters MG produ ed the MG/ in 19-7, but this was onsidered, with its 3.%0litre en*ine to be under powered and the wei*ht of the en*ine ruined the handlin*. At least that1s what the 2ournalists wrote then. Toda( the MG/ o!!ands a pre!iu! over the GTV8. 3ow opinions han*e. The 1973 MGBGT V8 was onsidered to be !u h better than the MG/, despite the none availabilit( of a roadster !odel. The li*htwei*ht 4over based 3..0litre en*ine !eant 1#. !ph and % to -% in 2ust over 8 se onds. 5adl(, the ars introdu tion oin ided with The Middle 'ast oil risis whi h substantiall( in reased the ost of fuel oil, and onl( #.91 of these !isunderstood oupes were produ ed. In 197$ a de ision was ta6en to fit all MGBs with the 75 spe ifi ation .!ph i!pa t bu!pers, whi h did not *o down well with enthusiasts and the MGB be a!e a bit of a 2o6e. Mana*e!ent indifferen e and in o!peten e followed as a result of British 8e(land1s bi**er proble!s, and no su essor to the MGB was developed and with inevitabilit( the MG fa tor( losed in 198%. If ever a ar a!e about as a result of !uddled produ t plannin* b( British 8e(land, it was the MGBGT V8, with owners dissatisfied with the perfor!an e of the MGB, 9en /ostellow be*an onvertin* ars b( utilisin* the e+ Bui 6 li*ht allo( V8 en*ine whi h was the hosen power plant for the :.B 4over saloon. 8e(land !ana*e!ent still s!artin* fro! the MG/ fias o did not li6e a privateer i!provin* its own produ t, parti ularl( as MGB sales were still stron*, de ided to order a ar fro! /ostello in 1971 to assess the feasibilit( of produ in* its own version. The V8 en*ine wei*hed 318 Ibs, $%1bs less than the all iron MGB en*ine and ould be !ade to fit the its en*ine ba( with !inor alterations. ;hereas the 4over saloons and the /ostello ars sited the arburettors in a penthouse arran*e!ent over the !iddle of the en*ine, the MG en*ineers sited the! at the rear of the en*ine usin* a plenu! ha!ber to input the fuel whi h avoided unsi*htl( bonnet hu!ps. ;ith a !assive 7.< in rease in tor=ue, there was no =uestion of the in rease in perfor!an e, but a shoestrin* bud*et did onstrain Abin*don1s en*ineers. The V8 did have to loo6 li6e and be alled an MGB, so han*es were li!ited to s=uee>in* in the all0 allo( unit, with the runnin* *ear otherwise lar*el( untou hed. That !eant lever ar! da!pers front and rear. Also out of date were the Bs live a+le and art sprin*s, albeit beefed up to prevent a+le tra!p. To li!it fuel onsu!ption the V8 was *iven the MG/1s tall 3.%7 differential ratio and the bra6es were up rated with bi**er front allipers and rear dru!s. The onl( other te hni al han*e was a swit h to o!posite steel?allo(0 entre road wheels, spe iall( developed b( "unlop to ope with the in reased tor=ue .The( were shod with wider 17.!! t(res as opposed to 1-.!! with an 34 ratin* instead of 54. Trans!ittin* the power was a standard MGB $ speed bo+ with overdrive on third and top. Aside fro! the wheels, the onl( lue to the GT1s identit(, were a bla 6 hone( o!b *rille and dis reet bad*es on the *rille, nearside win* and tail*ate.

The ars !e hani al spe ifi ation is as follows@

/onstru tion@ steel !ono o=ue 'n*ine@ all0allo( ohv 3.#8 V8, twin arbs. Ma+ power 137 bhp A .%%% rp! Ma+ tor=ue 193 Ibs ft A #9%% rp! Trans!ission four speed !anual?overdrive on third and fourth *ears?later ars fourth onl(, rear drive. 5uspension@ front@ oils, wishbones, anti0roll bar. 4ear live a+le, leaf sprin*s, lever ar! da!pers front and rear. 5teerin* unassisted ra 6 and pinion. Bra6es, 1% ins dis s front, dru!s rear with servo. 8en*th 1#ft 1%, width .ft and hei*ht $ft # in. ;heelbase 7ft.7in. ;ei*ht #$#7 Ib %0-%!ph 8.- sees. Top speed 1#.!ph Mp* #3.$. :ri e new B##93

5tartin* the MGV8 is an involvin* e+perien e =uite unli6e startin* a !odern vehi le. A s!all turn of the i*nition to produ e so!e en*ine lubri ation is followed b( a pull of the ho6e and then a further turn of the i*nition auses the !e hani al fuel pu!p to announ e itself with pronoun ed ti 6in* noises, and after pressin* the throttle pedal, the i*nition an be full( turned until the en*ine bursts into life to produ e the *lorious sound of a V8 en*ine. As the en*ine has a ver( li*ht fl( wheel and a sports e+haust s(ste!, it is possible to blip the throttle and *et an i!!ediate and fine aural e+perien e without upsettin* those around the ar. The tor=ue that a o!panies the V8 ru!ble is utterl( be*uilin*. ;hereas the $ (linder en*ine has to be wor6ed to *ive its best, the V8 lets it all out the !o!ent the !o!ent the lut h is dropped. It is probabl( best to respe t the *earbo+ and han*e the *ears re*ularl( rather than rel( on the en*ines tor=ue. This is no hardship as the *earbo+ has an e+ ellent set of lose ratios in a pre ise *ate and whi h are ver( !e hani al in operation. 3an* on to the *ears and the V8 en*ine noise evolves into a !ena in* snarl, althou*h there is little point to han*in* on be(ond $%%% rp!. ;ith 2ust #$#71bs to !ove about, !a6in* it .%%1bs li*hter than the 4over :-, the MG delivers plent( of thrills. The la 6 of pounds up front also !eans that the V8 retains the MGB1s natural balan e, althou*h the added oo!ph and sli*htl( wider rubber !eans that it does not feel =uite as risp, althou*h thin*s do start to *et e+ itin* if (ou pile into a orner. The beefier rear sprin*s !a6e the ride overl( harsh, so the tail an be =uite s6ittish o!pared with the standard MGB GT. The e+tra tor=ue pla(s a part to as does the anti=uated Ar!stron* lever 0 ar! da!pers, whi h stru**le when the ba 6 end starts to os illate as (ou power throu*h sharper bends. ;ind noise at speed is another area that was e+posed b( the added perfor!an e, whi h was =uite out of 6eepin* for a ar ostin* over B#%%% in 1973. ;hilst the swit h*ear and instru!ents were riti ised then, there is so!ethin* attra tive about the 5!iths instru!ents and 5teerin* wheel and *earshift. The steerin* effort and lut h pedal are a throw ba 6 to another era and would not be tolerated toda(. To turn the ar around involves !u h ph(si al effort and the pri!itive suspension re=uires a lot of on entration espe iall( on uneven surfa es. 3owever o!pared with so alled !odern sports ars, the e+tra on entration is well worth the effort and it is rewarded with a !ost en2o(able drivin* e+perien e. There are plent( of

en2o(able !e hani al noises as well as an involvin* drivin* e+perien e. I never set out to own an MGBGT V8. Cne si!pl( a!e alon*. As an owner of a low !ilea*e 1973 bla 6 tulip $ (linder MGB GT, I was well satisfied with MG !otorin*. M( previous ar had been a tartan red 1971 MGBGT. I spotted the V8 in Gordon 4a!sa(1s :or he dealership in )es!ond, Dew astle and after testin* this teal blue two owner !odel was *reatl( i!pressed with the perfor!an e, handlin* and tor=ue. The vehi le was first re*istered on 3rd C tober 1973 and I pur hased it on the #%th of April 197-. 5u h was the de!and for hi*h =ualit( MGB GTs, that I was able to sell !( ar to 7niversit( Motors in 8ondon for the sa!e pri e that I had paid the Dew astle dealer. The V8 at B19%% was !ore e+pensive and has turned out to be e+pensive in !ore wa(s than the initial pur hase pri e. "urin* the earlier (ears of ownership the ar was used for da( to da( transport and 79 and /ontinental holida(s. Cn fast auto routes and autobahns the ar with overdrive ratios on third and fourth *ears, ould 6eep up with fast !ovin* Mer edes and BM;s, often returnin* up to 3%!p* on 3 star fuel, and on e the bra6es were war!ed up, the ar was safe at speed. The ar has now overed 7.%%% !iles, and has spent !ost of its life in a heated *ara*e with li!ited usea*e. ;hen (ou own a ar for nearl( 3$ (ears (ou learn a lot !ore than fa ts relatin* to perfor!an e and handlin*. Most of that infor!ation falls into the ate*or( of the *ood news. The other side is the ost of ownership, if (ou want to 6eep the ar in *ood wor6in* order. ;hat (ou never 6now is how the previous owners drove the ar, and !( i!pression is that in 6eepin* with the ars perfor!an e, it had been driven with enthusias!, *iven the nu!ber and si>e of the repair bills. An e+a!ination or the servi e and !aintenan e re ords show that the 197%1s osts related to routine !aintenan e, the 198%1s refle ted !a2or bod(, en*ine and runnin* *ear repairs and the 199%1s !ore repairs and bod( !aintenan e and so!e 6e( suspension i!prove!ents. 3owever, before onde!nin* the ar1s hi*h ost of ownership, the rise in !ar6et value fro! B#,%%% to sa( B9,%%% should also be onsidered. But then a*ain (ou need to fa tor in the i!pa t of inflation. As a lon* ter! owner, the ar1s !a2or wea6nesses would appear to be the *earbo+, differential? rown wheel and pinion ?differential arrier, bod(wor6, "unlop wheels, oolin* s(ste! and a!shaft. A nu!ber of the 2obs, li6e repla in* a starter !otor, involve re!oval of the en*ine. The 198%1s osts alone a!ount to ir a B$,.%% arried out b( lo al spe ialists. Cne of the bi**est worries was the repla e!ent of the "ifferential /arrier in 198$ when a repla e!ent part was unavailable. I was able to sour e fro! British 8e(land an MGB diff. arrier as su h an ite! never e+isted for the V8. MG had si!pl( used an MGB diff. and !a hined !etal awa( to !a6e roo! for the lar*er differential. /an (ou believe su h an en*ineerin* solution, when (ou have a 7.< in rease in tor=ue. Do wonder the ar1s future reliabilit( suffered. But these solutions were a refle tion of a failin* /o!pan( and fail it didE I was supplied with en*ineerin* drawin*s and an MGB diff. arrier and had to sour e an en*ineerin* wor6shop e=uipped with nu!eri all( ontrolled !a hiner(. The first atte!pt did not wor6 as not enou*h !etal had been re!oved and the se ond atte!pt produ ed a fit between differential and arrier. The wor6 shop so used was part of a sto 6 !ar6et listed :i and the wor6 was arried out at ost of B1% and helped to a hallen*e the s6ills of the ni*ht shiftE 3ow lu 6( an (ou be. A spi*ot bearin* was repla ed in 1989 at a part ost of B3.##, but the re!oval of the en*ine and *earbo+ and overhall of the lut h (linder added a further B19#E

In 1988 a botto! half en*ine was repla ed to*ether with a new lut h, e+haust s(ste! and head *as6ets at a ost of B1,%#8. In 199. a further B1,%%% was spent on the repla e!ent of the a!shaft and valve *ear, as well as repla e!ent parts for the twin arburettors. Maintenan e of the bod( wor6 is rather li6e the paintin* of the Forth Brid*e. It never ends. M( re ords indi ate around B.%%% has been spent over 3$ (ears or as I li6e to thin6 B1.% per (ear. As lassi ar owners 6now onl( too well, the onl( wa( su h ars sta( on the road is b( sheer dedi ation and pi 6in* the ri*ht people to arr( out the repair wor6, unless li6e !e (ou have the ne essar( di( s6ills. M( MGB has had its underside re*ularl( spra(ed with used en*ine oil and the ar1s win*s have had wheel ar h prote tion fitted to prevent in*ress of road dirt and water. It was last painted on a 1%%< basis and under sealed in #%%#. I !entioned earlier about the oolin* s(ste! and pi 6in* the ri*ht people for !aintenan e, well 2ust when I thou*ht all was *oin* well one sunn( and ver( hot 5unda( in #%%-, whilst en route to MG Dorthu!bria at "ilston, Dorthu!berland, the te!perature *au*e !oved into the red >one and after replenish!ent of water at the ar show, and !u h e!barrass!ent, the ar was despat hed to 5ports /ars 7nli!ited in )es!ond, Dew astle, where new head *as6ets were repla ed and the (linder heads leaned, new radiator and batteries repla ed. Gordon 4ussell, the proprietor, tra ed the fault to in orre tl( fitted fans. A 7$ de*ree ther!ostat was fitted with ut out swit h and a new alternator belt was fitted and the ar has run ver( well ever sin e. 5ports /ars 7nli!ited have !ade the ar both reliable and en2o(able to use. I alwa(s tell people that !( ar is a 5tandard Fa tor( ar and it is apart fro! the suspension. In 1991 I read in the !a*a>ine 'n2o(in* MG a review of the 4on 3op6inson suspension and handlin* 6it. 3op6inson believed with a suspension s(ste! desi*ned 3% (ears earlier, the road holdin* of a standard MGB was no !at h for !odern da( sportin* ars, where the suspension s(ste!s have been desi*ned to ta6e advanta*e of advan e!ents in t(re te hnolo*(. "ra!ati i!prove!ents had alread( been a hieved when he introdu ed the MGB handlin* 6it, o!prisin* spe ial front and rear anti roll bars. 3e felt that there was still roo! for refine!ent in the area of da!pin* and suspension ontrol. B( usin* /o!puter aided "esi*n te hnolo*(, it was possible to re desi*n and i!prove the front suspension *eo!etr(. The !ain advanta*e would be that the an*le of the front wheels throu*hout the ran*e of suspension travel would 6eep the t(res in full onta t with road under all ornerin* onditions. This to*ether with *ood =ualit( teles opi sho 6 absorbers, in pla e of outdated lever ar!0t(pe, would transfor! the handlin*. The sho 6 absorbers hosen were the latest di*ressive t(pe fro! Bilstein. These sho 6 absorbers and the alternative suspension *eo!etr( enable the full benefits of low profile t(res to be realised. I too6 the opportunit( to fit 18.?7%?34 Good(ear 'a*le t(res in pla e of the standard 17.?8%?34s, whi h have also i!proved road holdin*. B( repla in* the front sho 6 absorber asse!bl( with a spe iall( fabri ated turret !ountin* and re!ovin* the bu!pstops, the full si>e teles opi sho 6 absorber an be installed in line with the 6in* pins and front sprin*s, doin* awa( with torsional for es asso iated with side !ountin* and thereb( *ivin* i!proved response. The rear suspension also has a teles opi Bilstein onversion with bu!p and rebound settin*s spe ifi all( for the MGB. A thi 6er anti roll bar is fitted at the front and a rear is fitted whi h was not present on the ori*inal ar. 4evised oil sprin*s are fitted to the front suspension. 4evised leaf sprin*s are fitted to the rear, The reasons for fittin* the suspension and handlin* 6it is to avoid oversteer into slow, ti*ht orners and oversteer out of the! and to avoid oversteer on fast orners. ;hen drivin* lose to the li!it or in an e!er*en (, these proble!s an !a6e the ar unstable, parti ularl( in the wet. B( obtainin* suitable sprin* stiffness and !at hin* the da!pers to the sprin*s, the( then ontrol the !ove!ent of the sprin*s, rather than vi e0 versa. The 4on 3op6inson 6it allows the front and the rear of the ar to

tal6 to ea h other and this restri ts the ars roll and slows down the rate at whi h the roll entre rises with the anti roll bars rea tin* =ui 6l( at ea h end. Thus the ar is not onl( !ade safer, i!provin* t(re wear, but transfor!s the ars handlin* to a de*ree never before a hieved without !a6in* the ride hard. "espite the osts of runnin* a ar whi h has had its share of reliabilit( proble!s, the B.%% invest!ent in handlin* and suspension allows the ar1s perfor!an e potential to be !ore full( realised. The MGB GTV8 is now rarer than !an( of its hi*h perfor!an e rivals that ost .0- ti!es as !u h when new. As a lassi ar invest!ent it represents *reat value for !one(, and !a( be it is 2ust be*innin* to *et the re o*nition it deserves. 5:C4T5 /A45 7D8IMIT'" )'5MCD" D';/A5T8'. T'8. %191#81$%3-. MG C;D'45 /87B /AMB4I"G' T'8. %1919.$#3%9#8 4CD 3C:9ID5CD "'4BG T'8. %133#7.-%.B4C;D AD" GAMMCD5 T'8, %1$-#$9%%$9 8AD/A5T'4 ID574AD/'5 5.T. IV'5 /AMB5 T'8C1$8%$8$8%IAD 8AGBC74D MA4/3 #%1%.