In Greek mythology the Chimæra was a monster made up of all the scariest parts of other monsters. Similarly, today's Nice Price or Crack Pipe custom MGB is comprised of different makers' parts, but will its price scarily prove to be more than their sum?
Ironically, shortening is both a fat, as in something used to bring texture to a food, and a lean, as in to make something smaller or lighter. Yesterday's wackily truncated 1967 Olds Cutlass represented the latter description, although with a massive 85% Crack Pipe loss, it looks like it won't be living large any time soon.
Today we're going back to Canada. Mush! Onward you brave Huskies!
What's the market like for the MGB these days? Well, for 1969 - like the donor car for this heavily customized Brooklands V8 - Hagerty estimates prices anywhere from around $4,000 for a turd wagon, to upwards of $24,000 for the best in the nation. That's some pretty good bank, and the MGB has the additional benefit of having almost its every component available in reproduction, right down to the body shell. Overall, that's a pretty compelling bargain classic.
So why would you do this to one?
Sure, MG started shoving the Rover (nee Buick) aluminum V8s into B-GTs back in the day, and I shit you not, that engine is about 60 lbs lighter than the cast iron B-series it supplanted. Approximately 2,500 of those came out of Abingdon between ‘73 and ‘75, each sporting the 3,528-cc edition of the adopted Rover mill.
This however isn't a factory V8, and in fact isn't a GT either. What it is could best be described as a modern interpretation of that concept in droptop form - and with Boxster headlights! This Brooklands V8 - named for the venerated and long gone long track in England - is not some one-off by a guy with too much time on his hands but not enough larceny in his heart to start a Meth lab. Well, maybe it is, but the builder - Canadian Barry Preston - has actually assembled a bunch of these guys, in both soft top and GT form.
This one started as a ‘69 convertible, to which has been fitted the 3.9-litre V8, topped by a throaty 4BBL carb. Behind that sists the equally Roverlicious LT77 5-speed gearbox. Putting the British power to the Canadian pavement is a disc brake equipped rear axle out of a Mustang. Other Brooklands conversions have used Mustang II front ends, but this one apparently sits on a fabbed A-arm setup.
Adding to the parts bin nature of the car are a pair of Honda Accord seats which are set in a heavily modified and leather-swathed cabin. The burled walnut dash looks pretty darn good, and overall the appearance inside is a step above what you might expect for a home-built.
On the outside however, the look is as proprietary as a motorcoach, the key lighting elements obvious from their sources - the headlights coming from Porsche's Boxster, and the tails rom Ford's lowly Escort. Freaky. Other body mods include a six inch stretch to the body width, a chopped back, and deeply sloping hood. It's kind of a love it or leave it proposition.
Another proposition for this 6,000 kilometer special is its asking price which is $13,900 in Loonies. That gets you what the seller (which appears to BE Barry Preston) describes as Ferrari Exclusivity In The MG Price Range. The question is, do you think this car represents the kind of exclusivity that's desirable? Or, is this a Brooklands that's just not worth turning you into broke-lands?
You decide!
Toronto Kijiji or go here if the ad disappears.
H/T to VULCAN300 for the hookup!
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