MGB GT V8 v TVR Wedge

The MGB GT V8 was brutish, British, and full of charm-a character later adopted by TVR. But whose V8 was better?

- Sam Skelton

V8s are great. V8s with rear wheel drive are even better still. And small, light cars with V8s and RWD are among the best fun you can have on the public highways. Top of the tree has always been TVR – but before TVR discovered the V8, there was the MGB GT V8. Both cars now have their followers, not only among marque devotees but among those who love the Rover V8 that is their shared history. But which makes a better classic buy, the BGT or the TVR Wedge?

BURBLY B

The MG BGT V8 has its origins in the work of Ken Costello. Much like Carroll Shelby, Ken Costello had a penchant for putting big V8 engines into small British sports cars. Costello, however, chose to insert the Rover 3.5 V8 from the P5 into the MGB. When British Leyland heard about the cars, they invited Costello to come and discuss his conversion with them – which later led to a production V8 MGB. Costello was involved in the development work of six prototypes ready for series production – these cars differed cosmetically from the Costello cars in that they retained the standard grille and bonnet, and also featured special alloy wheels produced by Dunlop. Unlike Costello, BL only ever produced factory V8s as GTs, and the lesser powered Range Rover unit was used in place of the more powerful unit from the P5. This engine was torquier, its power deemed sufficient for a car of the MG’s weight. Range Rover spec engines were also easier to source internally, owing to the Range Rover’s ever-strong demand.