The wide-body on today’s Nice Price or No Dice MGB-GT hides a whole ‘lotta Mustang underneath. That includes a 5.0 and an AOD which should make the car PDQ. Could all that add up to what the seller is asking?
Conversion vans may be a thing for some, but yesterday’s 2004 Chevy Express AWD wasn’t the thing for most of you. At least, it wasn’t at its $27,850 asking price. Issues brought up in the comments included that price as well as the knobby tires that would likely be noisy as heck on the highway, and thus antithetical to the van’s luxury motoring aspirations. In the end, the conversion van couldn’t convert enough of you in its favor, and it fell in a massive 90.9 percent No Dice loss.
Speaking of no sales, I don’t think the seller of today’s wildly custom MGB-GT is truly interested in selling the car at all. I come to that conclusion based not on the current asking price — that will be up to you to decide, after all — but as a result of this statement in the ad: “I will raise the price $1000 at the end of each month just to get you off your asses.”
This follows the seller’s promotion that an original 1973 MGB-GT sold on Bring A Trailer half a decade back for $25K and this Franken-stang version presently asks less than half of that.
The car itself is pretty crazy, featuring wide, boxy fender flares covering a whole bunch of Foxbody Mustang parts underneath. The builder claims it’s a homage to Jason Shalders MG GT3 and I’d say it’s a pretty decent attempt.
It’s a bit difficult to tell without peeking up its skirt just where the MG bits stop and the Ford bits begin, but from what we can see, the most important parts are all there.
Those include a fresh 5.0 under the bonnet and a four-speed AOD automatic. The car sounds pretty sweet in the video the seller mentions in the ad (and to which I actually link) something probably aided by the short exhaust run and side outlets. The ad claims the short block to be new and the AOD to come with a shift kit. The reason given for choosing a slusher over a stick is the builder’s inability to handle clutch work any longer. Getting old sucks.
On the downside, that automatic apparently suffers from a leak at the torque converter, and hence will need to be pulled for the fix. That would be a good opportunity to swap in a T5, but then, I’m just spitballing here. Other mechanical issues include a non-working A/C compressor and that airbag-equipped steering wheel that obviously isn’t going to do anything in the event of a wreck. Also, note that the bottom half of the wheel is missing to make room for the driver’s legs when getting in and out.
The bodywork looks decent and it is as wild as it is wide. The basic MGB bodywork is discernible under the flares (fun fact: the GT’s hardtop stying is the handiwork of Pininfarina) and it all rides on some good-looking five-lug alloy wheels. Behind those is what is claimed to be a full Mustang suspension setup.
You might expect so crazy a car to have a cobbled-together interior, but, save for that wheel, this MG’s cabin looks amazingly well-executed. It is a mad mix of MG and Mustang with the former’s dash panel now housing the latter’s instrument cluster. A modern stereo holds down the center section while a custom stack below houses air vents and climate controls. Everything else — seats, center console, etc. — comes from FoMoCo. The back deck and door panels, however, are pure, uncut MGB.
In the video, the builder describes the car as “possibly the widest MG in the world” and, somewhat sheepishly, says it’s “a little bit ridiculous.” Do you know what we like around here? That’s right, shit that’s ridiculous. And I all kinds of love this crazy MGB-GT. I once had a box-stock MGB-GT and while this is from a whole other planet compared to my old car, it still brings back fond memories.
Of course, something we don’t tend to like here is other people’s projects. We’ll just have to balance this MG’s badassery with its OPP status while contemplating its $11,000 asking price. And remember, that becomes $12K come January so act fast! As an added incentive, the car’s title is clean and it wears current tags.
What do you think about this amazing MG/Mustang mashup and that $11,000 price? Does that seem a fair deal for so daft a car? Or, for that much, would you give this MG a wide berth?
You decide!
Facebook Marketplace out of Hesperia, California, or go here if the ad disappears.
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