1975 MGB GT V8, Factory Original Car,

A genuine 40k miles from new 1975 MGB GT Factory V8 finished in Flamenco Red

BODY STRUCTURE & PAINT:

Finished in Flamenco red paint. structurally the car is very impressive being absolutely solid in all the usual MGB rot spots as can be expected of a car which has only covered 40k miles from new. All of the body panels are the original ones as fitted at the Abingdon factory in 1975 and crucially. are in great condition. This car is rock solid underneath with all important rock solid original sills. castle rails and rear springs hangers all being in excellent unrestored order.  The floor pans are all in excellent condition and the trumpet sections bulkhead and wings are all good solid condition.
This car has NEVER been welded. It has NO patch panels and absolutely does not require any now. The seams on top of the wings are also in excellent condition. This car is a very long way from the usual rusty rolling wreck that often comes up for sale and the pictures below should tell their own story.

Overall. the paintwork is bright and shiny and polishes up well and looks absolutely stunning. The paint on this car is 38 years old. As such there are some marks and scratches here and there that a camera cannot pick up. However. given that the car hasn't seen a winter since 1977 it has survived remarkably well. However. for the sake of honesty it's worth pointing out that there are some imperfections. At some point the car unfortunately picked up a large scratch in the driver's side door and there is some light micro blistering on the top of the n/s front wing along with a few stone chips to the bonnet. There is also a very shallow dent in the top of the driver's side front wing that the camera cannot pick up but you can see and feel it if you look very closely. I'm probably doing the car down a little unfairly really. but I'd rather just be completely honest and open about it. I have attempted to show these faults in close up photographs further down. but please remember that this is a totally unrestored car. It's no exaggeration to say that there are cars out there that are 6 months old with far worse paint than this very rare V8 and I feel the photo's give a fair representation of the cars overall condition.  

In some of the images you can see that I have removed the seats to take pictures of the floor pans. I have also included shots of the boot floor – again the original panel. With a little colour sanding the finish of the boot floor could easily be as flat and shiny as the outer panels. You can also see that the original factory spot welded points for the sills are all correct.

HISTORY:

 The car was dispatched from the Abingdon Plant on the 15th of May 1975 to Samuel Hammond & Co (Daybrook) LTD in Daybrook. Arnold. Nottinghamshire where it sat in the showroom for several months – not all together uncommon at the time with the fuel crisis in full swing. The car was then purchased and registered by it's first owner on the 1st of January by a Mr Clarke. Mr Clarke the used the MG as his main car clocking up some 22k miles in the first years of it's life. The MG was then traded in for a new car.
The car was then purchased by it's second and long standing owner from a used car dealer in Southend on Sea by a Mr Oldknow.
This is where the story gets interesting - Mr Oldknow worked overseas for the vast majority of the year only returning home for a 1 or 2 months of the year. When he was in the UK the MG was treated as a 2nd car. spending the majority of the time wrapped up in the garage. Consequentially. the car received very little use – just totting up a further 14. 00 miles over the next 3 decades. Mr Oldknow was very meticulous and kept a record of all work that was done to the car – we have a folder with all paperwork relating to the car and there is page after page after page for work. servicing and old MOT's etc…
During his ownership of the car. the car was a regular participant in parade laps at MG car club meetings – it's probably driven around just about every circuit that the car club has held meetings at over the years – all be it at a sedate 45mph behind the pace car! Unfortunately. in 2009 Mr Oldknow died and the car passed to his Widow. 18 months later. the MG was sold along with Mrs Oldknows trusty white MG Metro Turbo to a car dealer in Bristol. This is where I purchased the V8.

When I bought the car in April 2011. it had a mere 36. 00 miles on the clock – I immediately added another 150 miles just to bring it home. The car was faultless having been serviced and checked over prior to my purchase.
My other half happened to be using a Chrome bumper V8 as a daily driver at the time and we immediately went away on holiday in both cars which was nice. It must have been an impressive sight to see two very rare MG's roaring down the M1 in convoy!

Over the next two years we have added a touch over 4000 miles to the car using it to go away on holiday. to car shows and for fun. We continued to maintain the car to the same high standards and improving things where necessary. A Clive Wheatley engine steady bar was added to prevent the usual exhaust manifold to steering shaft contact and much money was spent on renewing systems that had become to be a little tired such as the suspension. I also took the opportunity to upgrade the car from twin SU's to a 4 barrel Edelbrock carb and inlet manifold. The original carbs and inlet now reside on a pals MGB V8 race car. Although. I do have an original style carb and inlet system from a previous V8 which could be made available to the new buyer by separate negotiation if they wished to return this particular aspect back to standard. The cars cooling system has been overhauled – a new set of hoses and new coolant ensures the car continues to stay cool even in the heaviest of traffic. Last September. just before the car was due to be laid up for winter the original type exhaust with the pinched silencers failed so the car was treated to a full stainless system. The cast iron manifolds were retained to there won't be the usual issue that occurs with the block hugger manifolds of the system dropping down periodically.

That brings us up to today. Aside from owning a lovely rubber bumper V8. I've had a long standing ambition to own a Triumph TR6. After 2 years and many happy memories. reluctantly and with a lot of uncertainty as to whether it's the right thing to do. I've decided to offer the car for sale to a new enthusiast.  

INTERIOR & TRIM:

The interior is in very nice tidy condition. The front seats are trimmed in the original black cloth with correct original rubber sill covers and mats. giving a lovely period vintage feel. This MGB is a lovely car to sit in and drive. Everything works as it should do. Even the original style steering wheel is present. There is a period Philips radio cassette player which is functional. not that you'll ever need it with the powerful V8 burbling away behind you.  
One of my maintenance projects was to re-stuff the driver's seat as the foam had started to crumble. I resisted the temptation to upgrade the covers to leather as the seat was and is remarkably rip and tear free with just a small amount of damage to the bolster. Combine this with the scalding you get from leather on a hot day I think that was the right decision. As you can see from the photo's the covers aren't “saggy” like a lot of MG's with original covers.

 

ENGINE & DRIVETRAIN:

the proven 3. 5 litre Rover V8 engine coupled to the original 4 speed manual gearbox. this MGB V8 is a real joy to drive on the open road.
It has never overheated. even in heavy traffic and the engine makes excellent oil pressure both from cold and when warm and idling. The gearbox works effectively and changes up and down smoothly. The clutch is smooth and progressive and with only 40. 00 miles use has plenty of life left in it. The car also benefits from a fully functioning overdrive on top gear. There are no untoward clunks. knocks. bangs. rattles or noises and the car drives exactly as it should. The steering is very precise and not at all heavy at low speeds like some MGB's can be.

The engine has been upgraded with a period 70's spark rite duel ignition module. There is a triple pole switch on the unit allowing you to choose between running on conventional points type ignition. electronic ignition and the third position is an isolator to prevent the car from being started.
Additionally. the car has been upgraded with a Webber 500 4 barrel carb and Edelbrock performer inlet manifold allowing for excellent fuel economy when running around on the first pair of jets and brutal acceleration when the 2nd pair are activated at full throttle.
The car has been treated to a full diagnostic setup and rolling road tune at Peter Burgess engineering in Alfreton by the man himself. In terms of specialist knowledge and setup this is the best money can buy in terms of MG expertise.
The dyno session recorded that car produced 217ftlbs of torque and 167bhp at the engine. This equates to 137. 8bhp and 198ftlbs of torque at the wheels with transmission losses; - highly impressive for an engine that has never been apart since it was built 38 years ago. There are also two dyno print outs amongst the history file showing Peter's work and to illustrate that the engine is in excellent health.   
Lastly. the car also benefits from a brand new stainless steel exhaust system supplied by Brown and Gammons.

ELECTRICS:

Everything works correctly – not that there's an awful lot to go wrong on these cars. Even the heater works well – very unusual for a V8! The car benefits from the addition of a very desirable period Philips radio cassette player with matching amplifier and twin speakers mounted in the doors.  
The car has an excellent battery and has been upgraded with a pair of Clive Wheatley quick release battery clamps. These are a revelation! There is none of the usual contorting in the back seat with a spanner and the traditional 2 day stiff neck that follows when you want to isolate the car electrically – simply remove the cover. flip up the top of the terminal connectors and lift off. Easy.

BRAKES AND SUSPENSION:

The suspension is very tight and responsive. having been re-bushed at the front with blue polybushes within the last 12 months. I used blue poly bushes as they have an almost identical shore rating to rubber yet last much longer. I also took the opportunity to renew the front springs as they were getting a little tired in addition to renewing the wishbone mounts. arms and spring pans. All dampers are leak free and work correctly. All importantly the car stops very well. benefiting from servo assistance and braided hoses throughout. The king pins are in great condition and are regularly greased as you can tell by just how light the steering feels in comparison to the usual neglected examples. The brake and clutch master cylinders are the original metal type and these have been NLA for some considerable time. Far nicer than the tacky looking plastic reservoir type! The car go's stops and handles exactly as it should. The only concession to originality is the suspension department is the fitment of a ¾” antiroll bar to improve turn in. The original ½” unit along with the original A arms and spring pans will be included with the sale of the car.

WHEELS:

Wheels are the original 14” Dunlop composite alloy / steel wheels with excellent tyres all round. The original chrome rims are in very good order with no kerbing damage. There are a couple of tiny marks as can be expected but they are in far superior condition than you will typically see on a factory V8. The Avon tyres have plenty of tread left on them and are in excellent condition. There is also an original spare wheel present which is in similarly excellent condition. I was once offered on two separate occasions £850 and £1000 just for the wheels alone by other V8 owners as during my ownership I elected to use alternative period alloy wheels in order to protect the very rare originals only refitting the original wheels when attending shows.

BRIGHTWORK & EXTERIOR TRIM:

The chrome work and stainless trim is all in good. original condition. Being the original units. this means they actually follow the contours of the body and fit properly!
Currently. the stainless trim that fits around the rear window is completely unobtainable. Pleasantly. the rear trim on this car is in mint condition. The quarter lights open and close as they should and the chrome grille beneath the front screen has been replaced and a mesh filter fitted to prevent debris accumulating. The bumpers are in fantastic condition and the inner armatures are free from corrosion.

PAPERWORK:

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The car is MOT'd until April 2014 and taxed until the end of September 2013. The car has the correct new style white MOT certificate. and I see no reason why the car shouldn't fly through it's next MOT without any problem at all just as it did a few days ago. There were no advisories issued with the current certificate.

The car comes with a large folder full of historic and more recent paperwork
and invoices for work on the car as mentioned previously. The current red type registration certificate (V5c) is present along with the older style log books. The car is registered correctly in my name and at my address and there are many other period documents including all historic MOT's. the original handbook. various historic insurance valuations. correspondence between myself and the previous owners widow. bills. invoices and several dyno print outs.

SUMMARY:

This is a much regretted sale. It was a childhood ambition to own a rubber bumper V8 that hadn't had the lines spoiled with a sunroof. Having built a V8 conversion and owned several chrome bumper V8's the purchase of this particular example represented the realisation of an ambition I've personally harboured for 20 years. The car has proven to be virtually faultless during our ownership. The only thing that has failed was a 38 year old starter relay so I can forgive it this small transgression!
We have been away on holiday in it. toured the UK and been to countless shows over the last two years. At one point when our two regular cars let us down. it was pressed into service for 3 weeks as our only car and didn't skip a beat.

With just 147 examples made to this specification of a production run of just 2591 examples this is a very rare opportunity to acquire a genuine. low mileage Abingdon built V8 that hasn't been patched and butchered like the majority seem to have suffered. We have covered some 4000 miles in the car having toured all over the south of England and north wales and it hasn't skipped a beat. It's the most reliable MG We've ever owned and I wouldn't think twice about driving to Scotland or the south of France in it tomorrow.
To Summarise. this MGB GT V8 is a very honest. useable. well-loved example of the marque which has been maintained to a very high standard irrespective of cost. With only 2591 V8's produced by the factory they were very rare cars when they were new.   This particular example needs nothing more than using and enjoying over the coming summer months.

THE AUCTION & SALE:

The car is being sold with a 99p starting price and so represents an opportunity to grab a very honest and genuine car at a bargain price.
Naturally any seriously interested parties will want to come and view the car prior to bidding and we would highly encourage that. Please remember this is a 38 year old car - there will naturally be dings marks and imperfections that a camera won't pick up. Whilst the car is in very good condition. it is not perfect. We believe we have provided a fair and honest description. but naturally any seriously interested parties will want to view the car and make up their own minds.

Payment will be cash upon collection. The car will not be released without receipt of cleared funds - no exceptions.
The car must be collected within 7 days of the auction ending. unless prior arrangements are made before the close of the auction.
International bidders are welcome provided you contact us first.
The car is not advertised elsewhere - it will go to the highest bidder.  

Please feel free to contact us on 01773 831 759 if you have any further questions. or. to arrange a viewing.

Also published at eBay.co.uk

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