Classic cars forum & vehicle restoration.

[BigJohn]

What year would this car 1972 be, as it's not a production model, reshelled in 1992 with a modified engine bay, totally different mechanics from original, and retrimmed. A kit car?

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1972-MG-B-V8-ROADSTER-/142079886625?hash=item21149f0521:g:hBIAAOSw-4BXXt2x

[Ellis]

A 1972 K registered chrome bumpered MGB would look like the one in the advert. It has the correct matt black grille, bumpers and as said was reshelled in 1992 presumably with a new Heritage bodyshell.

There were no factory built MG's with a V8 engine until the first MGBGTV8 in 1973 and no V8 roadster until the MGRV8 in 1992. The factory MGBGTV8 was powered by a detuned 3.5 V8 from a (Mark One) Range Rover.

Conversions of this type were often undertaken by enthusiasts and professional engineers. Chris Goffey formerly of Top Gear converted his own MGB to V8 power. A friend of mine built a MGB V8 from a genuine 1976 MGBGTV8. I don't recall that he had to make any modifications to install the V8 engine in his new Heritage bodyshell.

The success of the conversion depends on the 3.5 V8 used. Those from Mark One Range Rovers have the low compression V8 whereas the V8 from a Rover P5b is in a higher state of tune.

The "best" was from a Rover SD1 coupled with the LT77 5 speed gearbox from a donor car and there were plenty of SD1's in dismantlers yards in the early 1990s.
The "ultimate" standard V8 would have been a fuel injected engine from a Vitesse with the twin plenum chambers..

I note the wire wheels. These were not available even as an option on "Factory" MGBGTV8s and not really advisable on V8 engined MGBs. The first V8 cars by Ken Costello often had wire wheels however.

It's not a kit car but according the advert a properly engineered conversion. Pricey though, a MGRV8 would be a better buy in my view.
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1964 Jaguar Mark 2 3.4 litre
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[BigJohn]

But which bit is 1972? If I bought a car to build a hot rod, and changed the body shell, then the running gear, what bit would retain the original reg number? It carries a reg number from a tax free MG B, and it appears none of it is older than 1992. It seems to be a bitsa clean sheet build, all be it with new parts, not a conversion.

[Ellis]

[BigJohn]

Shouldn't be, but it happens!

Sad but true, I put my question car past a couple of my friends who are MG B owners and their replies were not suitable for an open forum of this quality!