Dunno Kerry, but in 1973 a few MGBs were fitted with the Rover 3.5 litre (3500cc) 102kw aluminum V8 engine.
Supposedly these things could reach 200km/hr, but I'd still prefer the Fairlane! Cheers
-- Edited by yobarr on Friday 21st of April 2023 07:04:07 PM
KJB said
07:22 PM Apr 21, 2023
yobarr wrote:
KJB wrote:
What is the "story"....??
Dunno Kerry, but in 1973 a few MGBs were fitted with the Rover 3.5 litre (3500cc) 102kw aluminum V8 engine.
Supposedly these things could reach 200km/hr, but I'd still prefer the Fairlane! Cheers
Before the MGB V8 - (there were 2 versions) there was also the early '60's Sunbeam Tiger (small traditional British sports car similar to MG's) which was a Sunbeam Alpine - factory fitted with a small V8 (Ford based) motor. Maxwell Smart drove one in the TV Series "Get Smart".......
-- Edited by yobarr on Friday 21st of April 2023 07:04:07 PM
-- Edited by KJB on Friday 21st of April 2023 07:37:21 PM
Gundog said
07:57 PM Apr 21, 2023
MGB GT always wanted to buy one in the 70's couldn't afford one.
Possum3 said
08:32 AM Apr 22, 2023
Gundog wrote:
MGB GT always wanted to buy one in the 70's couldn't afford one.
I think I may still have the copy of Australian Sports Car World with a photo of the new MG-B - The banner headline was "A sparkling 115 MPH".
I also wanted one, but as a young Father it just wasn't practical.
Craig1 said
10:04 AM Apr 22, 2023
We used to fit 5 20 year olds in the MGB in Melbourne in 1970. Not the one in pic.
There is almost no spare room under bonnet with the V8 either.
DMaxer said
10:19 AM Apr 22, 2023
I had two MGBs. The first was a 1968 model, a Mark11 which I then traded in on an MGB L in 1972. The latter was the fifth last one to come off the production line as they ceased production in 1972 with the last ones being sold in December of that year. They retailed for about $3600 new. A friend of mine had more money and he bought a Falcon GT new that retailed for about $5500.
Around that time people were putting Holden engines in Austin Healey Sprites and they flew. There was also an MGC that was fully imported with a six cylinder engine. I think the pick of all the sports cars in that time was the Morgan Plus 8. It had a Rover 3.5 V8 and a wooden chassis and went like the clappers. Another one that they would race was the MG Midget. It had the 1275 cc engine of the Cooper S compared to the 1800cc of the B but could also get along. The MGB was not all that quick but they would cruise along at about 65-70 mph with the overdrive on 3rd and 4th gears. A flick of the switch on the dash and it either dropped or increased by 500 rpm.
Great days.
-- Edited by DMaxer on Saturday 22nd of April 2023 10:20:26 AM
KJB said
11:04 AM Apr 22, 2023
Possum3 wrote:
Gundog wrote:
MGB GT always wanted to buy one in the 70's couldn't afford one.
I think I may still have the copy of Australian Sports Car World with a photo of the new MG-B - The banner headline was "A sparkling 115 MPH".
I also wanted one, but as a young Father it just wasn't practical.
I suffered with both of the above problems when I wanted a Holden Torana XU-1 in 1972 .....but I still bought one...!!!! (no regrets either)
Possum3 said
01:20 PM Apr 22, 2023
Who remembers the Nipon clone of the MGB?
The Datsun Fairlady was an almost perfect copy of the B to look at - some said it would outperform the MG original - without badges you could only tell them apart by the rearview mirror location.
KJB said
01:31 PM Apr 22, 2023
Possum3 wrote:
Who remembers the Nipon clone of the MGB?
The Datsun Fairlady was an almost perfect copy of the B to look at - some said it would outperform the MG original - without badges you could only tell them apart by the rearview mirror location.
This was my 1969 Datsun 2000 Sports (Fairlady ) which I restored in early 1990's. With the standard 150HP this version was a fair bit quicker than an MG B. Australia was the only Market outside Japan to receive this version - with twin , dual throat, side draught carburettors. Beautiful induction sound under acceleration!
The MBG GT's later models were available with the Rover V8, which was a Buick 215 all Aluminuim small block remanufactured by Rover.
https://youtu.be/Zi_lANCiwAc
KJB said
03:33 PM Apr 22, 2023
Gundog wrote:
The MBG GT's later models were available with the Rover V8, which was a Buick 215 all Aluminuim small block remanufactured by Rover.
https://youtu.be/Zi_lANCiwAc
Then in late'80's early '90's the MG B was "reincarnated" (about 15 years after initial production ceased) as the MG RV 8. Rover V8 power etc.- but they were not a good "seller"...many ended up in Japan ....
peter67 said
10:51 AM Apr 23, 2023
Bloody rust buckets, rather have the datto any day of the week.
RickJ said
01:25 PM Apr 23, 2023
This topic has brought back memories for me.
Years ago we lived close to a Nissan dealer and in my walk of a night I would quite often stop and gaze longingly through the showroom window at an MG built on a Nissan chassis and engine.
With three kids and a mortgage this car was out of the question. Probably lucky I was a committed family man.
The car I used to gaze at was the same colour and trim as the above link.. From memory it was in the mid 1980s
-- Edited by RickJ on Sunday 23rd of April 2023 01:29:09 PM
KJB said
01:43 PM Apr 23, 2023
RickJ wrote:
This topic has brought back memories for me.
Years ago we lived close to a Nissan dealer and in my walk of a night I would quite often stop and gaze longingly through the showroom window at an MG built on a Nissan chassis and engine.
With three kids and a mortgage this car was out of the question. Probably lucky I was a committed family man.
Built in Ararat, Victoria at the Gason factory. Gason have built many items over the years including tractor cabins, cultivators and wood heaters. Still an important employer in the Region. KB
The car I used to gaze at was the same colour and trim as the above link.. From memory it was in the mid 1980s
-- Edited by RickJ on Sunday 23rd of April 2023 01:29:09 PM
watsea said
03:08 PM Apr 23, 2023
A young car-mad bloke who grew up in my street now has a car related business.
A one stage he has a convertible Nissan 300Z. A few years ago, I asked him if he still had that car. He said that he still had the car but he had put a 4L Nissan V8 into it. At that stage, he was still working on it. He was driving a V8 Holden Ute.
This month, I saw him. He told me that he has sold the Nissan. Now, he has a Porsche 911 and also, most recently, he has obtained a Chevy Silverado V8 petrol ute as a work vehicle.
watsea said
05:10 PM Apr 24, 2023
watsea wrote:
A young car-mad bloke who grew up in my street now has a car related business. A one stage he has a convertible Nissan 300Z. A few years ago, I asked him if he still had that car. He said that he still had the car but he had put a 4L Nissan V8 into it. At that stage, he was still working on it. He was driving a V8 Holden Ute.
This month, I saw him. He told me that he has sold the Nissan. Now, he has a Porsche 911 and also, most recently, he has obtained a Chevy Silverado V8 petrol ute as a work vehicle.
Edit:
Chevy's motor is a 6.2L V8. It needs 16-17L/100km normally but 35-38L/100km when it gets busy
RickJ said
06:41 PM Apr 24, 2023
KJB wrote:
RickJ wrote:
This topic has brought back memories for me.
Years ago we lived close to a Nissan dealer and in my walk of a night I would quite often stop and gaze longingly through the showroom window at an MG built on a Nissan chassis and engine.
With three kids and a mortgage this car was out of the question. Probably lucky I was a committed family man.
Built in Ararat, Victoria at the Gason factory. Gason have built many items over the years including tractor cabins, cultivators and wood heaters. Still an important employer in the Region. KB
The car I used to gaze at was the same colour and trim as the above link.. From memory it was in the mid 1980s
-- Edited by RickJ on Sunday 23rd of April 2023 01:29:09 PM
Thanks KB,
In this day and age it is good to see how resourceful we actually were in Australia.
My thoughts are that it is a shame that we appear to be losing our entity as innovators.
Dunno Kerry, but in 1973 a few MGBs were fitted with the Rover 3.5 litre (3500cc) 102kw aluminum V8 engine.
Supposedly these things could reach 200km/hr, but I'd still prefer the Fairlane! Cheers
-- Edited by yobarr on Friday 21st of April 2023 07:04:07 PM
-- Edited by KJB on Friday 21st of April 2023 07:37:21 PM
MGB GT always wanted to buy one in the 70's couldn't afford one.
I think I may still have the copy of Australian Sports Car World with a photo of the new MG-B - The banner headline was "A sparkling 115 MPH".
I also wanted one, but as a young Father it just wasn't practical.
There is almost no spare room under bonnet with the V8 either.
I had two MGBs. The first was a 1968 model, a Mark11 which I then traded in on an MGB L in 1972. The latter was the fifth last one to come off the production line as they ceased production in 1972 with the last ones being sold in December of that year. They retailed for about $3600 new. A friend of mine had more money and he bought a Falcon GT new that retailed for about $5500.
Around that time people were putting Holden engines in Austin Healey Sprites and they flew. There was also an MGC that was fully imported with a six cylinder engine. I think the pick of all the sports cars in that time was the Morgan Plus 8. It had a Rover 3.5 V8 and a wooden chassis and went like the clappers. Another one that they would race was the MG Midget. It had the 1275 cc engine of the Cooper S compared to the 1800cc of the B but could also get along. The MGB was not all that quick but they would cruise along at about 65-70 mph with the overdrive on 3rd and 4th gears. A flick of the switch on the dash and it either dropped or increased by 500 rpm.
Great days.
-- Edited by DMaxer on Saturday 22nd of April 2023 10:20:26 AM
I suffered with both of the above problems when I wanted a Holden Torana XU-1 in 1972 .....but I still bought one...!!!! (no regrets either)
The Datsun Fairlady was an almost perfect copy of the B to look at - some said it would outperform the MG original - without badges you could only tell them apart by the rearview mirror location.
The MBG GT's later models were available with the Rover V8, which was a Buick 215 all Aluminuim small block remanufactured by Rover.
https://youtu.be/Zi_lANCiwAc
Then in late'80's early '90's the MG B was "reincarnated" (about 15 years after initial production ceased) as the MG RV 8. Rover V8 power etc.- but they were not a good "seller"...many ended up in Japan ....
This topic has brought back memories for me.
Years ago we lived close to a Nissan dealer and in my walk of a night I would quite often stop and gaze longingly through the showroom window at an MG built on a Nissan chassis and engine.
With three kids and a mortgage this car was out of the question. Probably lucky I was a committed family man.
Here is one
https://www.bgsclassiccars.com.au/product-page/1991-td2000-australian-built
https://www.bgsclassiccars.com.au/product-page/1991-td2000-australian-built
The car I used to gaze at was the same colour and trim as the above link.. From memory it was in the mid 1980s
-- Edited by RickJ on Sunday 23rd of April 2023 01:29:09 PM
A one stage he has a convertible Nissan 300Z. A few years ago, I asked him if he still had that car. He said that he still had the car but he had put a 4L Nissan V8 into it. At that stage, he was still working on it. He was driving a V8 Holden Ute.
This month, I saw him. He told me that he has sold the Nissan. Now, he has a Porsche 911 and also, most recently, he has obtained a Chevy Silverado V8 petrol ute as a work vehicle.
Edit:
Chevy's motor is a 6.2L V8. It needs 16-17L/100km normally but 35-38L/100km when it gets busy
Thanks KB,
In this day and age it is good to see how resourceful we actually were in Australia.
My thoughts are that it is a shame that we appear to be losing our entity as innovators.
Sad really.