MG Car Club
The Mighty V8
By Colin Grant
The MGBGT V8 came about due to an entrepreneur, called Ken Costello, seeing an opportunity to place a bigger engine into an MGB. The ‘B’ was originally designed to have a V4, hence the enlarged engine bay, but that never materialised, instead relying on the evergreen ‘B’ Series engine.
Costello chose the Rover (Buick/Oldsmobile) V8, which after development fitted in perfectly. This was something that British Leyland had considered, but then dismissed on the grounds that it would not be possible unless costly re-engineering of the body shell was carried out. But after hearing about the Costello V8, Leyland boss Donald Stokes, asked to view the car.
After seeing it he was very impressed and Costello even allowed BL engineers to study the conversion. Stokes decided that MG should produce a production version, but in GT trim only. This was launched in mid-1973, being developed on a very tight budget which made the end result all the more gratifying for the MG staff involved.
The all-alloy V8 was a natural for the MGB, being a similar weight to that of the cast iron B series engine, and therefore not affecting the excellent handling characteristics of the car. Therefore the V8 was to become the perfect partner, combining handling, comfort, and power to match. The only downsides were the high fuel bills and the fact that it looked so similar to the standard MGBGT but cost much more.
The fuel crisis, that followed the Middle East war, brought an end to many big-engined cars and MG followed suit in 1976 by dropping the V8 from their line-up, after only 2,591 had been made.
What happened to Ken Costello? Well, he was upset that Leyland produced their own version of the car without giving him any credit for his idea or paying him a penny for his development work. In fact, Costello was never even consulted in the development of the MG version of the car. This caused a fall-out between him and Leyland, who instructed their dealers not to supply engines without an old unit exchange, effectively stopping Costello from acquiring engines.
Undeterred, he sourced engines from Europe to continue production, which eventually dried up, and so eventually he sold the company he had founded in the late 70s. Ken went on to develop advanced five-speed gearboxes and even created his own type of fuel injection system for the Rover V8 engine. Sadly he passed away at the age of 88 in July 2015.
Having had a 1974 Damask Red MGBGTV8 for four years back in the nineties, it was a pleasant surprise to be offered the chance to rekindle my relationship with the model after an offer by MGCC Director, Dave Saunders, to try his car.
This is a pre-production rubber bumper car, one of six, and was the second rubber bumper car produced. The original paint colour was Harvest Gold but later painted Black Tulip by a previous owner. It was originally invoiced to the BL publicity department and had a British Leyland Birmingham registration number, then used for publicity photo shoots, and as a Press demonstrator. Later it was issued with a Worcestershire registration number and despatched to a main dealer for sale. Dave purchased the car in September 1983.
Hopping into the car I found everything came back to me. Pulling the choke and turning the key brought the car to life with that familiar burble from the exhaust. Blipping the throttle gave you the sense that there was a beast waiting to be unleashed from under the bonnet. Backing it out of the Club’s garage reminded me it took a firm grip of the gear stick when finding reverse.
Out on the open road and with a grin on my face, I took to the old factory test route that was used for the V8s back in the 1970s. These used to be quiet country roads with their unspoilt, picturesque villages, complete with country pubs and quaint churches. But today they are rat runs to avoid using the A34 that has become more like a large car park than a major route between Winchester and Birmingham. But I was pleased to find on the day I drove the V8 it was fairly quiet, which gave me the feeling of what it was like to be a factory tester in those far-off days.
Dave’s car is really well sorted and felt like a new car. It still retains many of the original items that many people changed over the years. Aftermarket parts are fitted though, such as the exhaust manifold and steel exhaust system, together with a Moto-Lite steering wheel, although Dave has retained the original items. I well remember reading at the time that bored policemen, in their police-equipped GTs, would push their fingers into the round holes of the original steering wheel and get them stuck!! These were later change to elongated holes to stop this.
The power delivery is just awesome and the torque from the V8 engine is just amazing, so much so that you could almost pull away in top!! Overtaking is just a breeze; no changing down as I would have done in my standard ‘B’ – just push the accelerator down and away you go.
The standard seats have been re-covered in leather, and are plush and comfortable, and I would feel happy going on a long journey in them. The ride and handling is typical MGB, doing everything well but giving you the driving experience we miss so much in modern cars. Brakes are adequate, but even with a servo fitted still need a firm push, but they did pull up evenly with no pulling to one side.
Once back at the Club I took time to look round the car and am still impressed by the Dunlop composite wheels shod with wider 175 tyres, the discreet V8 badging and, inside, the impressive load area for a sports car, where with the rear seat down you have more than adequate space for the weekly shop or boxes of bric-a-brac when attending your local boot sale. The front passenger compartment has leg room that caters for the tallest of people. All the controls are laid out for easy access and this car is fitted with inertia reel seat belts and an optional Britax sun roof.
A really enjoyable experience, although I find it hard to believe that my V8 was worth around £5,000 back then, when a similar car today will fetch between £20 to £35k dependant on condition and history. How times have changed.
General Information
MGBGTV8 Registration number DNP 229N
Chassis No: GD2D1-2102G
Engine: 48601832
Capacity: 3,528cc
Power Output: 137bhp at 5000rpm
Original Colour: Harvest Gold/Black interior
Commissioned: 9th August 1974
Mounted: 16th August 1974
Car invoiced to BL Publicity, Longbridge, Public Relations for Publicity and Press Demonstrator.
