1977 MGB V8. May 06

The B itself had a life span of 18 years, from 1962 to 1980.
Performance was never outstanding and over the years this deficiency became more and more obvious. Something needed to be done. We assume that the people at BMC/British Leyland weren't stupid (although historians now seem to cast doubt on that) but what they were, by all accounts, is either bloody minded or incompetent when it came to the MG brand. (Sorry about the bloody word, but if it's OK for a Government ad campaign, then damn it, it's good enough for our readers, too!).
Anyway, seeking a replacement for the aging Austin Healey 3000 they decided to take the motor from the Austin 3-litre limousine and drop it into the B to make the MGC. Another glorious failure, although whether it was quite as bad as the motoring scribes of the time dictated, we rather doubt. They didn't like the lugubrious motor, especially its weight and that it was so far forward (to accommodate the bulky auto transmission required for the US market).
Now we've driven one of these recently and we reckon it's a pretty nice car (for its time) but the die was cast and within 2 years of its release in 1967, the MGC had gone. Cynics will tell you that it was stepping on toes too close to the TR5/6 and Stag but that's motoring politics best left for another day. So by 1970 the B was back on its own with its humble 1800cc/4-cylinder engine.
A British tuning firm run by Ken Costello realised that the answer to the B's woes lay not in a heavy straight-6 but a lightweight V8 (the Buick aluminium engine that eventually became famous as the powerhouse of the Range Rover among others). Luckily for him he was able to source them, quite readily, from the Continent.
He modified the bulkhead, engine bay sidewalls, exhaust and steering column and in it went. Well, there was more to it than that, but conversionists tend to run the " just drop her in" line when describing the job.
The price tag on the conversion added about 50% to the cost of a new MBG so it wasn't cheap, but what it did do was gain glowing reports from all that drove it. The motoring scribes were happy at last.
Almost inevitably BL saw this as a potential winner as a factory model and set about making their own version. They chose to fit the V8 to the hardtop MGB GT only as they feared, quite rightly, that an MGB V8 would pull too many sales from the open-top Triumphs.
The MGB GT V8 sold well, even though the engine was the low grunt version out of the Rangie and demand exceeded supply through '73-'74 so it was with some surprise that it was killed off in 1976. The official reason given was that BL needed all the available V8s to go into the new Rover SD1 saloon. Conspiracy theorists will tell you it was to save the Triumph sportscar brand from extinction. A former MG boss said "I don't know why they canned it - whether they wanted the engines for other purposes or whether some stinker was jealous of it."
Where all this leads to, of course, is back to where it started - aftermarket conversions of MGBs, especially when the time came for an engine rebuild or replacement.
Interestingly the legacy of the MGB GT V8 means that the conversion of later model B's really is quite simple. But knowing what you are doing counts for plenty and the professional conversion undertaken on the model tested here is as good as you will find anywhere. It was done by a UK specialist firm and since then much time and money has been spent keeping the car in top condition. Most recently a full back-to-the-metal respray by P & S Autos of Sandgate has given the car a superb blood red paint job (oops there's the b……word again).
Inside there is a lovely walnut dash and the rather ordinary standard B seats have been replaced with full leather buckets. Other than these modifications the car appears a fairly standard B. There are side and bonnet vents but these are nicely done and the "look-alike Minilite" wheels work well with the car's appearance.
It's when driving the car that it definitely becomes a non-B experience. First off, there are 5 speeds in the gearbox. Unlike Costello who kept the standard B gearbox, this conversion has included the 5-speeder from the SD1 as well as its engine. The two work together beautifully. There is V8 power whenever and wherever you want it. From standstill in 1st or pulling out to overtake in 4th or 5th - real "push-in-the-back" shove. We guess that 0-100kph comes up in around 6.5 seconds but it's the grunt of the motor in the 2500 - 3500 rpm range that really impresses.
Over rough roads the ride is harsher than a modern sports car but that's all part of the fun of these cars. The steering is heavyish at very low speeds but feels fine once on the move and the brakes seem well up to the job.
The closest car we have driven to this lately is a Cobra V8 replica. The MG feels more "together" as a car, the Cobra more of a brute. If you are in the market for a V8 engined 2 seater, this could be the one for you.
Trevor West

WHAT, WHERE, WHEN & HOW MUCH
Model:MGB
Year:1977
Dealer:Classic Car Garage
4 Austin Street
Newstead, QLD, 4006
Ph: (07) 3252 4045

Price:$26,990
0-100 kph:Under 7 seconds
Best point:V8 sparkle
Worst point:Shame the factory never did it.
Recommendation:Great bang for your buck
Trivia:0 -100 kph performance figures? Your standard MGB needs 12 seconds, a good MGC about 10 seconds. No wonder they loved these sub-7 second beasties!