1970 MG B GT 4.2 V8

Bruce bought this car in 2009 as a standard 1.8-litre MGB GT and smoked around in it, as such, for a while. ‘The previous owner lived in Abingdon and had restored the bodywork, but it had subsequently sat around for a while so it required re-commissioning with new hoses and other bits.’

The specialist that looked after his Defender 90, and had actually found the MGB GT for him, had a tuned 4.2-litre V8 sitting on a pallet, and over the next two years each time Bruce came in they would have a cheeky discussion about shoehorning it into the ‘B GT.

‘Eventually he wore me down,’ he explains. ‘And I said, “let’s do it”.’ He commissioned Dundee-based, carburetted saloon racing car specialist Mike Stewart Performance Engineering for the build. ‘He adores this kind of stuff and the whole process took a year.’

Bruce wanted the car to remain standard in appearance, so comprehensive research was undertaken before they decided how to proceed. ‘A lot of welding was required,’ says Bruce. ‘An RV8 front axle was used to allow the 4.2-litre V8 to sit lower and avoid the necessity for a bonnet bulge. Mike re-did the engine bay to allow the exhaust pipes to exit through the wheel arches, and avoid clutter.’

It wasn’t just a case of hugely increasing grunt, as Mike Stewart also paid close attention to the handling. As well as the V8, Rover SD1 5-speed gearbox, RV8 front axle and new 3.1 differential, the ‘B GT also gained a comprehensively revised suspension set-up.

It was dyno tested at 210bhp@5500rpm and 266lbs ft of torque. We’ll leave the owner to describe the result. ‘It’s a thrill to drive, you get out trembling’ he says. ‘It has very long legs and (on private roads) it’ll do 120mph no problem – probably more, if you have the courage.’

‘The handling is also awesome; it’ll drift round corners, and is a pleasure on wee roads. You do have to be aware of all that power at the back end, and treat it accordingly.’

If it’s that good then why’s Bruce now selling? ‘I’ve got the Defender, an MGA and an Armstrong Siddeley saloon car, and I also have a wife, so something has to give! I hope the next owner enjoys it. For someone who knows how to drive an old motor car, it’s an absolute joy.’

Generally it’s a decent exterior story, panel gaps are good and the odd stone chip here and there aside it’s a fairly smart looking ‘B. Bruce says, ‘there’s no rust, but the red paint has gone a little bit faded.’ After a polish here at The Market it came up a bit, but if we’re honest it does remain a touch flat.

The front valance is chipped quite badly and at the least, this will need taken back to bare metal and re-sprayed. The good news is that, as with the rest of the car, it looks to be solid.

At the rear the nearside bumper overrider looks to have taken a low speed bump and it’s pushed the panel in slightly – nothing horrendous, but again something that may require attention.

The chrome work can best be described as aged, with quite a bit of pitting on all bumpers and window surrounds. However, it’s in fitting with the rest of the exterior appearance.

Where it stacks up particularly well is in terms of stance. Just look at our pictures to see how well this car sits, and then watch the video to see how good it looks under acceleration.

With all that power available you’ll be glad that it sits on fresh looking Yokohama 195/60 R15 rubber with plenty of tread all round, while each Minilite alloy wheel is unmarked.

The car also comes complete with its interesting and appropriate "9 MGX" registration number.

‘The interior lets it down a little bit,’ says Bruce. ‘It’s more or less original and a bit tired. It would have been the next thing I did if I was keeping the car, along with a re-spray. It doesn’t need either, but it would make it look the business.’

That said it remains perfectly serviceable. Just as with the exterior paintwork it doesn’t require changing from a functionality point of view, but the next owner can make the decision on this too. However, as with all good sleepers, perhaps it remains better under the radar in its current form.

The steering boss is chipped, the chrome dial rims pitted and the centre column aged in appearance – and that’s the general feel inside. The light blue carpets have lost their colour and are a bit grubby, but the colour combination, when combined with the light wood veneer, works nicely.

The floors were stone chipped in 2017 and that covering remains fresh. There’s a touch of surface rust on the leaf springs, but other than that it appears to be nice and solid on the underside.

In the engine bay the Edelbrock carburettor, with its large pancake chrome air filter housing, dominates proceedings. Look past this though and you can see the efforts made to re-engineer this car, and keep it looking professional. The exhaust manifolds exit neatly through nicely fabricated openings in the wheel arches, while up front sits effective twin-cooling fans to aid the V8’s running and idling temperatures.

Sensibly, there is an electrical cut-off switch located behind the passenger seat.

At this point we must ask any interested parties to view our video below, or even better get down to our HQ for a test drive. The noise that the 4278cc V8 produces is simply superlative. Aiding and abetting that is a squat rear end, high-nosed stance under full throttle and delicate handling.

Owner Bruce says, ‘it is a driver’s car. It’s not for someone that wants to ponce around in an MGB GT that just looks good.’ After driving it, we’re inclined to agree!

The included V5 document shows a total of 8 former owners. Also present are a handful of MOT certificates and various assorted invoices for work carried out over the years.

There are some from 2012 when the car was converted, including for the purchase of the Minilite alloy wheels (£675), rear suspension (£132.50) and other GT V8 parts from Clive Wheatley V8 & RV8 Genuine & Conversion Parts.

Bruce estimates the conversion cost in the region of £32k to complete – yes, you read that right, £32k! ‘It was done properly,’ he says. ‘New suspension, new exhaust system, new brakes, reconditioned rear axle, new RV8 front axle, re-worked welding and re-spray in the engine bay, Edelbrock carburettor, Rover SD1 gearbox, Minilite wheels, V8 engine and a lot of labour.’

Please visit the documents section of the gallery of this listing where you will find photos of this and other paperwork to support our claim that this car has been built and then maintained to the very highest standard.

This is one of the best sounding cars we’ve ever had here at The Market’s HQ and, considering the metal that’s passed through, that’s quite a claim. Factor in the sheer level of investment and it’s no wonder that the result is quite a car.

We can validate the owner’s claim that this MGB GT conversion is mechanically superb – Bruce drove it down here from Perth, Scotland (450 miles, 7 hours) – and more importantly, also report that it’s a bit of a bloomin’ animal with absolutely huge reserves of torque.

Okay it’s not the prettiest on the outside and is a little tired on the inside. However factor in that we believe this car will sell for between £9000 and £12,000, and it’s surely a high-performance bargain, offered with "No Reserve".

That money buys you a bespoke professional conversion, access to a real ‘driver’s car’ and even the MG-specific number plate (its original was TMR669J) is included.

You then have the choice whether to improve and upgrade, or run it as a stealth classic in which you can burn off all manner of more exotic machinery – decisions, decisions.

Viewing is always encouraged, and this particular car is located at the The Market’s Abingdon HQ; to arrange an appointment please use the ‘Contact Seller’ button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.

If needed, please remember we have a network of trusted suppliers we work with regularly and can recommend: Classic & Sportscar Finance for purchase-financing, Thames Valley Car Storage for storing your car, AnyVan for transporting it, and Footman James for classic car insurance.

BORING, but IMPORTANT: Please note that whilst we at The Market always aim to offer the most descriptive and transparent auction listings available, we cannot claim they are perfect analyses of any of the vehicles for sale. We offer far greater opportunity for bidders to view, or arrange inspections for each vehicle thoroughly prior to bidding than traditional auctions, and we never stop encouraging bidders to take advantage of this. We do take a good look at the vehicles delivered to our premises for sale, but this only results in our unbiased personal observations, not those of a qualified inspector or other professional, or the result of a long test drive.

Additionally, please note that most of the videos on our site have been recorded using simple cameras which often result in 'average' sound quality; in particular, engines and exhausts notes can sound a little different to how they are in reality.