Your Mother Wouldn’t Like It

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The Frontline Developments LE50 Plus

If there’s one thing I’ve learnt while at Kimber House it’s that no two days are ever alike. One moment you’re sat at your desk; the next you’re in the passenger seat of a sports car thundering through the Oxfordshire countryside! The engine crescendos as the rev counter climbs higher and higher.

As the gears change I’m thrust back into my seat as the world hurtles towards me. Of course the Frontline Developments MGB LE50Plus is no ordinary sports car. Stationary, it is a beauty to behold, in motion it’s an experience never to forget.

Written by Colin Grant

Frontline Developments are based near Abingdon, and have been producing the LE50 for a couple of years now. Earlier this year they introduced the LE50Plus as an alternative to the standard car.  It comes with a limited slip diff as standard together with upgrades to engine, suspension and brakes. We had been seeking the chance to meet an owner of the new LE50Plus to ask their views on the car. As luck would have it Frontline had recently sold a car locally and the owner had given us permission to contact him with the view to carrying out an interview.

Richard Harrington arrived at Kimber House in his LE50Plus with his son Paddy, who is as much a petrolhead as his father. After inspecting the car and carrying out a photo-shoot, we sat down and put a list of questions to Richard, whose answers we show below.

What started your interest in MG?
I never was a real MG enthusiast; in fact I originally bought a 1966 MkIII Austin Healey Sprite from Gibson’s Sports Cars in Christchurch, when I was 17 years old. That was in 1971. It had 26,000 miles on the clock and when I sold it, several years later, it had covered 100,000 miles. I never experienced any major problems with that car and it was still running well when I sold it. I had the car when I first met my wife-to-be, who lived in Abingdon. She thought I was a rich guy owning a sports car, although the truth was the opposite. I then bought a 1972 1275 Midget with round wheel arches in 1975, which was a great car, having the more powerful engine. Then I moved to Abingdon, got married and worked locally. I remember buying a dining room suite and bringing it home in the Midget which you wouldn’t get away with today. We then started a family and the Midget had to be sold as I needed something more practical.

About 18 months ago my wife, Sharon, was out shopping when she saw an MG Midget. She came home and asked me, “Do you remember your MG Midget?” “Why?” was my reply. “Because I actually saw one today, shall we get another one?” Assuming there were very few left in existence I thought the chances of getting one were slim, but I decided to look into it and found out about Mike Authors, who specialises in Midgets and Sprites. He was selling a 1967 Midget on behalf of a friend who lived in Scotland. It hadn’t had any major restoration work but was in a lovely usable condition, so I bought it and still use it regularly today.

What attracted you to the LE50 and why did you purchase the car as opposed to similarly priced cars on the market?
I read the Daily Telegraph, and one Saturday there was a double page spread on the Frontline LE50. It mentioned Don Hayter and because we used to live next door to him it prompted me to read the whole article. I had, on finishing the article, decided that this was the car for me. I contacted Frontline Developments who are based only a few miles from my home. I spoke to Ed Braclick and asked him if he had sold all the cars as there were only 50 being made. He said he hadn’t so I arranged to go along to have a test drive. (Paddy pointed out that his Dad said to him, “I have contacted Frontline and arranged to go and see the LE50, would you like to come along, but don’t tell your Mother as she wouldn’t like it!!”)

I had in fact driven an MGB before. A colleague I worked with some years before was an American who purchased an American spec car and allowed me to drive it. It made a lasting impression as you can imagine, being only 17 years old at the time. So when I drove the LE50 I was expecting a similar experience but it was nothing liked I remembered; the LE50 was simply awesome. I test drove it fairly steadily, being impressed by its handling and stability on the road. But when I got back to Frontline, Ed asked me if I had red lined it to which I replied, “No”. “Take it out again and run it to the rev limiter in second and see how she goes”, well it was just amazing and I was completely won over.

I never considered another car after this as I knew nothing else would compare. Friends used to say to me why not go for a Porsche Cayman, and tried to sell me the idea of why I should buy one, but I just switched off as I knew the car I wanted was the LE50. It took Frontline a year to produce the car and after a period of over 40 years I am now back into the MG scene again. When I purchased my first MG Midget back in 1972 it was just an everyday car, unlike now when they are considered classics. What I like about my Midget ownership is that you can buy just about everything you need to maintain the car.

Why did you choose the LE 50Plus over the standard car?
My car was being built when the Plus model was announced. Ed contacted me and told me about the new Plus model and the improvements being made in power output, suspension etc. Fortunately my car was early into its build and so they could produce it as a Plus model if I wished. By the end of the phone call Ed had won me over and I committed myself to the Plus model. I felt that after the money I was already spending it wasn’t a great deal more for the extra performance.

I love gimmicks, and the Plus model has a shift indicator light on the dash to notify me when to change gear. It was going to be a red light but I felt this would signify danger and asked Tim Fenna of Frontline to make it an amber light instead, which he agreed to do. I also chose the stitching colour for the seats, and advised on the way the trim material was fitted in the tailgate area. It was small things like this that got me involved in its build and made the whole experience so enjoyable.

I chose some of the other extras including heated seats which my wife loves. The original bucket seats I particularly liked, but my wife didn’t. So I contacted Tim and asked him what he could do. They were at the time developing some alternative seats with headrests based on the MX5’s, so I arranged to have these fitted. Originally I asked for the headrests to be removed, but later we changed our minds and got Tim to refit them.

What are your opinions on driving the car?
The handling is just like driving on rails, it’s superb, second to none. I have owned high performance cars including Alfas and BMWs but they don’t compare to the LE50 Plus. I still don’t feel I have driven it to its limit, which is just amazing. Driving through long sweeping bends is great with incredible feedback through the steering, overall a perfectly balanced car. But when you think that technically it’s a 1960s car, still with a live axle, it’s amazing what Frontline have achieved. I feel more in control of the LE50 than I did in my BMW. If the back end comes out a little it’s so easy to correct it, and you feel in total control; I never felt that way with a high performance BMW.

Are you going to use the car for track days?
I definitely think Paddy and I will give track days a try, particularly as the MG Car Club have a branch that caters for this.

Does your wife drive the car?
My wife will drive the car and it is insured for her, but she hasn’t driven it so far. She is a good driver so I have no worries. Paddy will also drive the car when he reaches 25 next year.

Will you keep the car as an appreciating asset or sell it in a few years’ time and move on to another brand of car?
The LE50 is never going to leave my ownership until I pass on. It will then be passed on to Paddy, who I am sure will cherish it as I do.

What is your opinion of Frontline’s initial sale/aftersales support?
The service I have received from Frontline has been exceptional. Where else could you buy a car and have influence over certain areas of its construction? The one or two minor issues I have had have been dealt with quickly and efficiently. Tim and Ed are a pleasure to deal with and nothing is too much trouble.

The car comes complete with a full 12 month return to base guarantee. I am lucky as I live just a few miles away from Frontline, but if needed they offer a collection and delivery service, which will also cater for owners living further away. You can also have your car serviced at a local Mazda garage, or a Performance Car Specialist if that turns out to be more practical. Cost of a full service by Frontline is £250 which is around the same price as for an MX5.

In conclusion I feel I have acquired the car of my dreams, something quite unique as I have put personal touches to the car that no one else will have. It performs perfectly, is a delight to drive and is cheap to run; what else could you ask for!

It wasn’t long before my ride in the Frontline LE50Plus came to an end, and we pulled back into the car park at Kimber House, I realised I had just experienced something very special. I thanked Richard Harrington for taking me out in his car and returned back to my desk… George Woodward

(I would like to thank Richard Harrington and his son Paddy for taking the time to participate in this interview.)